WWE: Truth be told, Barrett has to take the MITB spot

It seemed odd that WWE chose to take R-Truth out of Money in the Bank in two weeks, especially considering a bubbling hot feud with The Miz, who beat Truth for the United States Championship just a few weeks ago.

The whole angle struck me as booking on the fly. But a lot depends on where WWE goes from here.

The first thought that popped into mind was that creative was opening the door for someone to enter the Money in the Bank match at the pay-per-view. It has to be someone relevant. It has to advance someone’s storyline.

Really, it has to be Wade Barrett.

MOTD: Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna (1993)

We’re a day late, but today’s Match of the Day is none other than 1993’s Bodyslam Challenge on the deck of the U.S.S. Intrepid, where Lex Luger started off on the Lex Express after slamming Yokozuna.

Want to get your babyface over? Put his face on a bus and drive him across the country!

WWE: Steamboat stable, did not suffer aneurysm

According to WWE employee Jim Ross, Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat is in stable condition at a Tampa hospital. According to Ross, Steamboat did not suffer a brain aneurysm and his condition is not related to any physicality he took part in on Raw this past Monday.

Numerous published reports on Thursday said that Steamboat suffered a brain aneurysm and had bleeding in his brain.

As we said yesterday, everyone at TheSteelCage.net wishes Steamboat a full and speedy recovery.

UFC: Lesnar says Batista wouldn’t want to fight him

TMZ caught up with UFC champ Brock Lesnar as he prepares for Saturday’s heavyweight title defense against Shane Carwin at UFC 116. Among a lot of nonsensical questions about Lindsay Lohan and Brittany Spears, the TMZ cameraman asked about former WWE start Dave Batista possibly entering the world of MMA under the Strikeforce banner.

“Good for him, good luck!” Lesnar said. “I would fight him, but I don’t think he would want to fight me though.”

Batista told TMZ cameramen that he had signed with Strikeforce on June 21, but the company has yet to confirm.

Batista last wrestled for WWE on May’s Over the Edge pay-per-view card and subsequently “quit” in a storyline the following night. In reality, his contract expired.

Batista said he left WWE because he did not agree with the direction the company was headed and he would “not be returning anytime soon.”

WWE: Ricky Steamboat suffers brain aneurysm

Legendary WWE wrestler Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is currently under ICU care in Tampa Bay, Fla. after suffering a brain aneurysm at his home on Wednesday night, according to multiple published reports.

Multiple outlets are reporting on Thursday night that he has been upgraded to stable condition but is likely to remain hospitalized under 24-hour observation for the foreseeable future. F4WOnline.com is reporting that an angiogram has shown bleeding in Steamboat’s brain.

Steamboat participated in an angle on Monday’s Raw episode where he was attacked by the members of the “Nexus” group. Steamboat’s condition is not a storyline and it is not believed to be related to any physical contact he may have had on Monday.

Everyone at TheSteelCage.net wishes Ricky Steamboat a speedy and full recovery.

MOTD: Lawrence Knight vs. Primo Colon (FCW)

Lawrence Knight, who would later become Wade Barrett and win season one of NXT battles Primo Colon.

Real reason Wade Barrett wasn’t on Raw

According to several reports, Wade Barrett was not on Raw this past Monday due to being deported after his work visa expired last week.

Reports have also indicated Drew McIntyre‘s visa has also expired.

Barrett is said to be back in the United Kingdom, waiting for his situation to be resolved while McIntyre’s whereabouts are unknown, however it’s possible he is still in the United States as he’s married to an American citizen, WWE diva Tiffany.

Report: Batista’s Strikeforce deal not done yet

According to a report by TMZ.com, former WWE champ Batista jumped the gun earlier this week when he told the site that he had signed a deal with Strikeforce and would soon make his debut with the MMA company.

TMZ reports today that the deal, while mostly finalized, has not yet been sized due to a monetary dispute, as well as some scheduling problems.

Apparently the big hangup is still Batista’s salary. Also, he’s been booked heavily with potential television and movie deals since his WWE contract expired.

Batista presumably has a 90-day no-compete clause written into his WWE deal like nearly all of their talent does. It’s not known whether or not that clause prevents Batista from participating in other forms of entertainment (MMA) or just professional wrestling.

Report: Batista to fight for Strikeforce

TMZ caught former WWE star Batista over the weekend where the former WWE Champion said he will fight for MMA company Strikeforce.

Bobby Lashley, another former WWE talent, also fights for Strikeforce while former WWE champion Brock Lesnar is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Batsita implied that his first fight has already been lined up, but he wouldn’t name an opponent.

Fatal Four Way Results/Reaction

*I wasn’t surprised to see Kofi Kingston beat Drew McIntyre to retain the Intercontinental Championship, but I was surprised at how well the match came across. It’s no knock on the guys, but I didn’t expect to really be into this match. Vince starting the show really added that element of “something different” and the whole storyline with Teddy Long at ringside really kept me interested in the match.

*Alicia Fox going over for the Divas Championship was just a way to cement home the rules of Fatal Four Way matches, in my opinion.

*Evan Bourne over Chris Jericho was just another step up the ladder for Bourne, who is getting a push he absolutely deserves. He’s unique and brings an element to the ring that not many others can. The loss doesn’t hurt Jericho, who is over enough that he could come out on Raw tonight and still keep all of his heat.

*I’m not sure what to make of Rey Mysterio winning the World Heavyweight title. I don’t think taking the strap off Jack Swagger was a bad idea, but I also wouldn’t have been opposed by keeping it on him. It will be interesting to see what WWE does with Swagger now.

*Once again, The Miz and R-Truth delivered in a big way. These two just seem to have some chemistry about them. Miz has really solidified himself as a star, which I’ll admit I never saw coming – even when he was paired with John Morrison.

*The Hart Dynasty–Usos match was a nice added surprise. I really like the way this angle was built on television – very old school – and these youngsters went out and put on a helluva show for the time they were given. They took a match that they basically ran on an FCW show earlier in the week and put it on PPV. The match was entertaining, too. A solid built tag team feud that involves actual teams, not paired up singles wrestlers with nothing to do.

*The WWE title match was another surprise. Firstly, I never expected WWE to have Cena drop the belt. And if he did, I wouldn’t have expected it to go on Sheamus. Outside of a short stint in March-April, these guys have been intertwined with each other for a while. It hasn’t gotten to that point yet, but it’s starting to feel like the Cena-Randy Orton feud last year that fans quickly grew tired of.

Obviously, the NXT involvement was expected at some point, especially when they were not heard from during other parts of the show and I like that it was NXT that basically cost Cena the strap. The question is where they go from here? Wade Barrett still has that title shot – at least I assume he does – and a Barrett-Sheamus PPV, at this point, is not a wise choice.