WWE Wrestling/Usapang Wrestling

[clubber_lang]

Wow, it sure looks like John Cena would never lose that belt till the day he dies...

Edited August 27, 2007 by clubber_lang

[sunking]

CENA AGAIN?!! I WAS ALL PSYCHED FOR ORTON!! Grrrr!!!

 

 

But then again.... I'd really want to see Cena get smacked around by THE GAME!!! :evil:

[slapshot]

mukhang di matutuloy ung plan kay batista ah hmmm..

[psyc0dud3]

A WHOLE LOT OF NEWS

note: this is before they changed the plans for summerslam

 

WWE officials met with New York prosecutors last week to discuss the Signature Pharmacy case. A number of wrestlers, nearly all prior to the new Wellness policy, had been customers of Signature, which is being investigated for illegally selling steroids and other drugs. An AP article noted that Brian Adams, who died the day before WWE's scheduled meeting, was, along with Chris Benoit, a Signature client.

 

Nothing like an estate battle. The big debate right now is who died first, Nancy or Daniel Benoit, because that will determine who gets Benoit's multi-million dollar estate ("which include two lavish homes, several bank accounts and lucrative investments"). If Nancy died first then Benoit's other two children, David and Megan, currently living in Canada, inherit everything, whereas if Daniel died first it goes to the Toffoloni (Nancy) family. Nancy did not have a will, and Georgia law's Slayer's Statute states that legally Chris is considered to have died first so that his heirs cannot profit from the crimes.

 

If Nancy died first her estate flowed to Daniel, and David and Megan would be next in line after Daniel. If Daniel died first Nancy's estate would flow to her family. The coroner has stated that Nancy likely died Friday and Daniel late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, but the Toffoloni's are now arguing that. It's going to be tough, because witnesses saw all three family members alive Friday evening around dinner time, and other witnesses saw Chris and Daniel playing by their pool on Saturday afternoon. So the only way Daniel could have died first is if Benoit killed them both later Saturday night. Problem is, the level of decomposition suggested that Nancy had been killed much earlier, and it'll be tough to argue otherwise since the coroner is pretty insistent. The Toffoloni's lawyer is noting that issues relating to body size and the temperature of the rooms where the bodies were found could have resulted in mistakes being made in the order of deaths. An initial hearing on the matter takes place August 28th.

 

Dr. Phil Astin's lawyer Manny Arora is now claiming that Benoit had a hormone disorder that permitted him to use steroids in the amounts prescribed by Astin. An article in SI.com said the court filing did not elaborate on Benoit's condition. He did have very low testosterone due to years of steroid abuse, and yes, it would make sense for him to get hormone replacement therapy. It would not, however, seemingly make sense to be prescribed ten months worth of testosterone every three to four weeks, or for his levels to be at least ten times that of a normal human being upon death. Astin has pleaded not guilty to improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs to two patients other than Benoit. The pretrial conference is now scheduled for September 18th.

 

Clifford Stearns, one half of the Congressional committee that sent letters to WWE, TNA and the NWA requesting drug testing information, visited Dory Funk Jr.'s wrestling school in Ocala, FL this week. Apparently he's in pretty good shape and worked out a bit with the crew on the wrestling drills. I suspect Dory and Stearns have been talking for awhile, hence the comical inclusion of NWA into this whole mess. Stearns also ended up making an appearance on Funk's BANG! TV show that he produces locally.

 

The plan is still for Ken Kennedy to be the illegitimate son of Vince. They do, however, have a contingency plan if it ends up bombing, that being that Kennedy forged the papers and lab results and is basically a CON ARTIST trying to screw his way into a billionaire family. Stephanie will likely be involved in the storyline around October or November, in a deal where she will be put in jeopardy and Hunter will make the save, revealing himself to be Vince's son-in-law and setting the stage for the Raw main event at WrestleMania, which at press time is going to be Hunter as a babyface vs. Kennedy, likely for the title and with all the members of the McMahon family somehow involved.

 

Shane has been told he won't be needed in the ring until around Royal Rumble, so he'll probably be Kennedy's first family victim. Bonnie Hammer of the USA Network loves the storyline, by the way, and wants a big three hour special in October as they did last year with the Homecoming show. It may become an annual event, and unless things change the plan is to slowly drop hints week after week on Raw and not reveal Kennedy as the child until that show. The talk of Raw moving to three hours in the fall has greatly died down, and it appears as of this week there is little chance of it happening.

 

For Smackdown, WrestleMania main event is currently Edge vs. Undertaker for the title. If Edge is back in time, the idea is he'll either beat Dave for the belt at Survivor Series or Armageddon, then hold it through Mania.

 

Mark Henry's deal is up soon and he is not entering into negotiations for a new one. He's looking at acting and other non-wrestling stuff. This also explains his comments in the American-Statesman newspaper after Benoit's death about how he drove alone to shows because he had less of a chance of suffering an accident, and because he didn't want to be in the car if recreational or performance-enhancing drugs belonging to other wrestlers were found during a routine search.

 

"If they get caught, then I'd be (considered) guilty, too. If we get pulled over we're both going down," he said. Henry has been with the company since signing a ten-year deal shortly after his 1996 Olympics bid. It took him a long, long time to catch on to this business, and so he spent years in developmental, and when he was brought up he was often saddled with gimmicks so absurd (Mae Young's lover, etc.) that it seemed pretty obvious the company was hoping he'd quit so they could get out of the deal. But instead, he kept working, saved his money, and is now to the point where, like a number of other fairly young guys, he can walk away from this business forever if he wants. He's being built up for Undertaker's return match, and after that, who knows. Maybe they'll make him the right offer and he'll stick around, but it's said that right now he's enjoying the countdown to freedom.

 

Undertaker wanted to return at SummerSlam, but Vince told him to hold off and he's now scheduled to return at the September PPV. Believe it or not, part of the reason was because Vince felt a SummerSlam return would give the wrestlers the message that they needed to rush back from injuries. He feels now is not the right time to be sending that message.

 

It is believed that a Ric Flair retirement storyline is going to start imminently, perhaps in the next few weeks, to culminate at either Royal Rumble, No Way Out or WrestleMania. I'm sure Flair would prefer the latter. He's been talking for a long time about this being his last year as a regular in-ring competitor.

 

Monday night was a test run to see how Lawler and Tazz would do as a team, and some people were impressed. Neither Ross nor Tazz were told. Vince has been wanting to split up Ross and Lawler for some time, feeling the combo is "too Southern", and Kevin Dunn is strongly against it. If it's made permanent, Lawler would join Joey Styles in ECW, and occasionally work matches there as well. Dusty Rhodes really wants Lawler on ECW. Lawler and Ross are really tight and would not be happy with that change.

 

Lots of talk of another PPV being axed in 2008, probably Cyber Sunday. Instead of doing it as a PPV, they might switch it to another special three-hour Raw with the same concept.

 

Smackdown vs. Raw may miss its November deadline as Vince is going back and forth about whether to leave Chris Benoit in the game. He's in it now and Vince wants him out, but to have him removed would require the game being delayed and they'd miss out on the 2007 holiday season revenue, which is always the most lucrative quarter for video games.

 

The waiter in the Simmons/Maria/Santino skit on Raw was Raw head writer Brian Gewirtz, who wrote and directed the whole thing.

 

Ashley's season of Survivor debuts on September 20th. It is believed she gets eliminated fairly quickly.

 

The Condemned is out on DVD September 18th.

 

Booker is said to be close to signing a new three-year deal with WWE. He has specifically asked that his new deal allows him to sit in on producer's meetings. Basically, the meetings take place before TV or PPV where Vince goes over the scripts. The agents sit there and give feedback and talk about how the talent is either progressing or not progressing, and suggest finishes.

 

HHH sits in on both the PPV and Raw producer meetings and plays both puppermaster and class clown. The belief is that Booker knows he'll be working with Hunter through at least mid-September and doesn't want to be buried in the meetings. It's also said to not be a written deal, but rather a verbal agreement so that he's not required to attend the three-hour-plus meetings if he doesn't want to. It should be noted that about a month ago Booker did an interview and said he was very happy to be going to Raw, but that he would have quit the business if they'd asked him to go to ECW. According to sources in WWE, he was never scheduled to go to ECW.

 

 

John Lauranitis has been putting over Steve Keirn super hard to both Vince and Steph for the job he's done with the new Florida developmental territory. We're told regardless of what he says, it's still a complete disaster. They just this month got air conditioning in the facility. Yes, it's in Florida and they didn't get AC until August. I should note that Booker was nearly ready to walk away after he was passed over for developmental after Deep South got axed. He'd invested in cameras, a warehouse, a new ring, gear, etc., all in the hopes of becoming the next territory. I guess because Lauranitis and Keirn were tight, they decided to go with him despite the fact that he had no experience or setup. The other fascinating thing is Bruce Prichard lives a few minutes from Booker's school and had offered to stop by every day on his off days and work with the students, plus Undertaker and a few other legends including Steve Williams are close enough that they could also help out. One source said Lauranitis just loves going down there, checking out the school, and then leaving to party in Tampa.

 

Stephanie is pushing hard to get D-Lo Brown a job on Raw as a mid-card act. He was backstage last week. His career went way downhill after Darren Drozdov was paralyzed in a match with him after a botched running powerbomb on October 5, 1999. People have always insisted that there is no connection, but as soon as that happened that was the beginning of the end for D-Lo.

 

Unless plans change, Batista is beating Great Khali for the belt at SummerSlam and they'll do another stip match on the September PPV (unless the match is so horrible the program immediately ends). I can only hope the stip match is PUNJABI PRISON.

There is talk that Extreme Expose may all share Playboy leading up to next year's WrestleMania. Yes, Brooke's ass in Playboy. So we all just have to live another seven or eight months.

 

Highlanders will probably be jumping to Smackdown, hence the increased number of jobs lately.

 

Hart Foundation 2.0 is the current working name of the Harry Smith/Teddy Hart/Nattie Neidhart crew. Court Bauer, who was on the writing crew until just recently, gave them that name back when he was promoting MLW and was the main guy pushing for them to come to Smackdown. It is believed they'll be starting on the house shows this fall, and the company really wants to get Bret in to do an angle to introduce them. The trade-off would be promoting his new book, which I'm pretty sure hits the streets in October. It's been pared down from the size of War and Peace, but is still huge with very small type.

 

If Bret won't do it, Jim Neidhart is said to be one hundred percent willing. Michael Hayes is super high on Teddy, thinking his attitude is similar to Hayes' own when he was a superstar heel back in World Class. He thinks something that is missing today is guys living their gimmick, which is what he feels Teddy is doing (I'll say). He wants to bring them in as heels but that's almost certain to be overruled as a number of folks, including Stephanie, think the Harts are too famous to be booed right off the bat. At this point, TJ Wilson, who has basically been a member of the family forever and was (and may still be) dating Nattie, will not be part of the group, and will likely ultimately be brought to Smackdown as a cruiserweight. Apparently he's really upped his promo game and is a totally different TJ from a few years back.

 

According to several sources, Matt Sydal has been sent a WWE developmental contract and just has to sign it. He may already have done so at press time.

 

Those who have seen Batista's book say it's insane. Batista has said he's the most boring guy in the world, which sounds like it would make for a terrible book, but as it turns out he talks nonstop about who he hates and does not respect in the locker room (this is major trouble in the making since he's hated by most of the locker room as it is), his thoughts on certain creative decisions, etc. He also talks "almost recklessly" about the number of women he's banged. It's said to be totally different from all the other WWE books.

 

Foley has been trying to get a larger and more regular role on Raw. Unfortunately at this point Vince is not in his corner, basically thinking that Foley was a big deal in 1998 but doesn't really click with the fans today. Ironically, it's the same criticism Hunter has had for Foley over the past year.

 

Shantelle Taylor, who was released last week, was originally scheduled to debut on Raw as a hot masked babyface who would reignite the women's division and try to replicate the Rey Jr. phenomena on the A-show. There was a lot of talk last year of moving Rey to Raw, but it never happened, then Rey went down with a knee injury. Her debut was delayed and delayed and Lauranitis finally decided to axe her, figuring if they wanted to use her at some point they could sign her again but it was pointless to have her continue sitting in developmental and getting paid (she'd been there over two years). The flaw in the female Rey plan was that she was cute and a good worker, but nowhere near Rey's level.

 

Dusty Rhodes is telling people he wants to slow down. He's currently on the road five or six days a week, and at his age that's killing him. Plus, he feels that he was an important part of rehabilitating Smackdown in 2006, which helps vindicate him from past criticisms of being a crapty booker. He's also thrilled that Cody is finally getting his big break, and doesn't want people thinking that it has anything to do with him being on the writing crew. He wants to step away from creative and take on a role similar to that of Pat Patterson, where he'd work a limited number of days in the role of an advisor. He'd also like to re-release his book through WWE with updated chapters, though I have no idea how far that idea has gotten or how interested WWE would be.

 

This coming week's Raw will air live on Sci-Fi instead of USA due to the US Open Tennis tournament. Raw will air on tape delay on USA after tennis as well.

 

Rosie got a dark match on Raw and was backstage at Smackdown Tuesday night just prior to us going to press for another one. He's dropped a lot of weight, and the late word was that there was a good chance of him being re-signed.

 

credit:F4W Newsletter

[psyc0dud3]

NO MERCY 2007 POSTER

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y101/Batista112/ortonnomercy.jpg

Edited August 27, 2007 by psyc0dud3

[psyc0dud3]

CYBER SUNDAY 2007 POSTER

http://cramnetwork.com/cybersunday07.jpg

[howard_the_duck]

cyber sunday poster >>>>> no mercy poster :evil:

[andrean48]

A lot of plans for WWE.

 

It seems very interesting but everytime I watch on time, after 30minutes I surf to other channels.

 

I dont know if WWE became predictable or if Im just loosing my interest in Wrestling..

[señor_bugoy]

A lot of plans for WWE.

 

It seems very interesting but everytime I watch on time, after 30minutes I surf to other channels.

 

I dont know if WWE became predictable or if Im just loosing my interest in Wrestling..

 

 

Medyo baduy na nga ang WWE ngayon... with the scripted "death" of Mr. McMahon, ngayon may illegitimate child naman sya, at isang WWE wrestler... it's becoming too much of a soap opera...

[PreventerWind]

tagal naman mag champ ni Orton.. kakasawa na si Cena tagal ng champ

[pimpkin®]

A lot of plans for WWE.

 

It seems very interesting but everytime I watch on time, after 30minutes I surf to other channels.

 

I dont know if WWE became predictable or if Im just loosing my interest in Wrestling..

 

same here bro! kaka umay na minsan... esp. Cena! <_<

[howard_the_duck]

lets go cena!!!!!!!!!!

[robo_cop]

1 year na bang champion si Cena?

[señor_bugoy]

sana ibalik nila ung NWO Black and white... those were the best days of wrestling! Hogan, Nash, Hall, Sixx, Konan, Randy Savage, Luger, Buff Bagwell... sobrang astig pag lahat sila bumababa sa ring

[tamago]

A lot of plans for WWE.

 

It seems very interesting but everytime I watch on time, after 30minutes I surf to other channels.

 

I dont know if WWE became predictable or if Im just loosing my interest in Wrestling..

Same here. These days, I channel-surf while Raw/SD is on. Boring na talaga

 

Medyo baduy na nga ang WWE ngayon... with the scripted "death" of Mr. McMahon, ngayon may illegitimate child naman sya, at isang WWE wrestler... it's becoming too much of a soap opera...

Matagal na silang soap opera, pre. Lumalala lang talaga hahaha

[SevenZeroFive]

sana ibalik nila ung NWO Black and white... those were the best days of wrestling! Hogan, Nash, Hall, Sixx, Konan, Randy Savage, Luger, Buff Bagwell... sobrang astig pag lahat sila bumababa sa ring

this was a great concept, the problem was WCW overused it SO MUCH... i mean, there were like a million factions of the nWo back then (B&W, Wolfpack, LWO, etc) kaya nakakasawa din... same thing with the Corporation & the Ministry, nung pinagsama sila it was horrible...

[PreventerWind]

1 year na bang champion si Cena?

 

almost.. sna ibalik na lang nila si Cena nung medyo hiphop pa cya(wearing jerseys tapos nag frefreestyle) tapos heel. :thumbsupsmiley:

 

mdyo nging OA na din ung WCW kasi andami nabuong Factions. pero astig tlaga ung NWO during their days :cool:

 

also bring back Brock Lesnar

[tamago]

10 WWE wrestlers have been suspended for 1 month because of they violated their Wellness Program

 

Their identities have not been released

[andrean48]

I really hate some of Eric Bishoff's concepts.

 

But when I think about it, the more I'm pissed in WWE during those days, the more I watch it.

 

It was a little bit unique when Bishoff was the GM of Raw. I really had no idea on what would happen next.

 

 

Now, I know that it might be a star studded tag team match, or a one on one match but someone would cheat/DQ/No contest.

[rafer_alston]

it's just a good thing that HHH and Rey Mysterio are back!! sana Shawn Michaels would also come back..so that Cena would be replaced as Champ..

 

i agree with you guys na boring na din ang WWE...

 

[kahsi]

Fourteen wrestlers tied to pipeline

'Crush,' 'Edge' among those who received 'roids, HGH

Posted: Thursday August 30, 2007 7:47PM; Updated: Thursday August 30, 2007 7:55PM

 

 

 

 

Since last summer, Sports Illustrated reporters Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim have been investigating an illegal steroid distribution network that has implicated pro athletes. On Feb. 27, the reporters accompanied federal and state drug enforcement agents on a coordinated raid of an Orlando compound pharmacy and a Jupiter, Fla., "anti-aging" clinic that investigators allege conspired to fraudulently prescribe steroids, human growth hormone and other performance enhancing drugs over the Internet.

 

With its rare confluence of hot button topics -- sports, kids, death, and drugs -- the double-murder, suicide case involving pro wrestler Chris Benoit and his family made for a cause celebre last summer. When the news cycle passed and the media turned its attention to a corrupt NBA referee and an NFL quarterback financing a dogfighting ring, investigators continued to explore the pipeline that enabled professional athletes to obtain steroids and human growth hormone through a chain of compound pharmacies, "anti-aging" clinics and venal doctors who often rubber-stamped prescriptions, sometimes without treating their "patients."

 

As the WWE is embattled by charges that its wrestlers die early and unexpectedly with alarming frequency, it must now counter evidence that the culture is awash in illicit drug use. That cause wasn't helped on Thursday, when, based on information provided to the WWE by the Albany District Attorney's office, the organization suspended 10 wrestlers for violating the company's drug policy.

 

While the WWE declined to release the names of the suspended athletes, SI has learned that a dozen professional wrestlers have received steroids and/or human growth hormone through the drug network. The WWE would not confirm which, if any, of the following wrestlers are among those suspended:

 

• Benoit, who died June 24, 2007, received nandrolone and anastrozole in February 2006. (Anastrozole is used by athletes to counter side effects of steroid use, such as water retention and breast enlargement.)

 

• Two weeks prior to Eddie Guerrero's death on Nov. 13, 2005, he was sent nandrolone, testosterone, and anastrozole. Guerrero died in a Minneapolis hotel room due to what a coroner later ruled as heart disease, complicated by an enlarged heart resulting from a history of anabolic steroid use.

 

• Chavo Guerrero, who found his uncle Eddie dead in the Minneapolis hotel room, received, among other drugs, somatropin (HGH), nandrolone and anastrozole between April 2005 and May 2006.

 

• Between November 2003 and February 2007, Shane Helms, a/k/a The Hurricane, received, among other drugs, testosterone, genotropin (HGH) and nandrolone. (As previously reported by SI, he allegedly received HGH from an Arizona doctor in 2005.)

 

• Starting in September 2004 through February 2007, Randy Orton received somatropin, nandrolone, stanozolol.

 

• John Hennigan, a/k/a Johnny Nitro, a.k.a. Johnny Morrison, is the current WWE Extreme Championship Wrestling's heavyweight champion. Between June 2006 and February 2007 he was prescribed somatropin, anastrozole, testosterone, stanozolol and chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced naturally during pregnancy. (HCG is taken by anabolic steroid users to stimulate the production of testosterone, which is suppressed as a result of steroid use.)

 

• Ken Anderson, a/k/a Mr. Kennedy, lost to Eddie Guerrero in Guerrero's final match on Nov. 11, 2005. Kennedy received shipments of anastrozole, somatropin and testosterone between October 2006 and February 2007.

 

• Shoichi Funaki received somatropin in March 2006.

 

• Brian Adams, a/k/a Crush, who retired from the pro circuit in 2001, was found dead of unknown causes on Aug. 13. He received nandrolone, testosterone and Somatropin or HGH in December 2006.

 

• Charles Haas was prescribed anastrozole, somatropin, stanozolol, nandrolone and chorionic gonadotropin between August 2006 and January 2007.

 

• Edward Fatu received somatropin between July and December 2006.

 

• Between November 2004 and November 2006, Darren Matthews received stanozolol, somatropin, genotropin, and anastrozole.

 

• Adam Copeland, a/k/a Edge, received somatropin, genotropin (both HGH), and stanozolol between September 2004 and February 2007.

 

• Sylvain Grenier received somatropin, nandrolone, genotropin and stanozolol, starting in February 2005 through July 2006.

 

Through WWE spokesman Gary Davis, the applicable WWE wrestlers listed above declined comment.

 

In the wake of Eddie Guerrero's steroid-related death, the WWE instituted a "Talent Wellness Program" in February 2006. The policy "prohibits the use of performance-enhancing drugs, as well as other prescription drugs which can be abused, if taken for other than a legitimate medical purpose pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed and treating physician. For purposes of WWE's policy, prescriptions obtained over the Internet and/or from suppliers of prescription drugs from the Internet are not considered to have been given for a legitimate medical purpose."

 

Under the Talent Wellness Program, an initial positive test triggers to a 30-day suspension and a second positive leads to a 60-day suspension. A third positive yields a termination.

 

After Benoit's death, Representative Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) contacted the WWE requesting more information on the Talent Wellness Program. In addition to the rash of recent wrestler deaths, Congress has expressed concerned that the WWE counts more than more 500,000 kids among its weekly viewership.

[andrean48]

How about the record of Batista, Lashley and Masters?

 

Obviously they are using Roids..

[tamago]

They're going to start airing ECW on Jack TV later at 7PM before SD

 

Latest news: CM Punk is the new ECW Champion

[andrean48]

CM Punk as the New ECW Champ????

 

Not bad. Though the guy lacks natural charisma, he does have talent. It might be a short title reign but at least he became a World Champ.

[hitman531ph]

From WrestlingZone.com

 

As reported earlier, John Morrison lost the ECW World Title to CM Punk. Given the nature of the sudden title switch on free television no less, one would have to assume that John Morrison was one of eleven individuals suspended by WWE on the heels of the Signature Pharmacy drug scandal. Sports Illustrated reported that Morrison was prescribed five different drugs through the Signature Pharmacy drug firm including Somatropin, Anastrozole, Testosterone, Stanozolol and Chorionic Gonadotropin. Considering that it is a violation of the WWE Wellness Policy to purchase drugs through an internet firm, one would have to assumed that Morrison has indeed been suspended for his infractions.

 

-- Rey Mysterio took on Chavo Guerrero in an "I Quit" match at tonight's SmackDown taping. The match went about 20 minutes and said to be pretty good. Sports Illustrated reported on Thursday that Guerrero received Somatropin (HGH), Nandrolone (an anabolic steroid) and Anastrozole (to ward off breast tissue development after using steroids) between April 2005 and May 2006 through the Signature Pharmacy drug firm. Because Guerrero purchased drugs over the Internet, he is in violation of the WWE Wellness Policy, thus meaning that he is subject to suspension. Considering that Guerrero wrestled in an "I Quit" as opposed to a regular match, it looks this was WWE's way of writing Guerrero out of the storylines for the time being.

 

-- One wrestler who has apparently been cleared of any wrong doing is Batista. He appeared at tonight's SmackDown taping in a tag match with Kane as they took on The Great Khali and Finlay. He also did a run-in to fend off Khali, who had attacked Mysterio after his "I Quit" match with Chavo Guerrero. To further cement Batista's good standing status, Theodore Long came out soon after and announced a change in the SmackDown main event at Unforgiven. He said that Khali wil be defending his belt in a triple threat match. It will Khali vs. Mysterio vs. Batista. ESPN.com reported on Thursday that Batista was a client of the busted Signature Pharmacy firm. However, his name was never implicated in the back-breaking article by Sports Illustrated. It as appears as though that Batista has been cleared.

 

-- Two other active SmackDown performers listed as being clients of Signature Pharmacy by the media include Chris Masters and Funaki. Neither individual appeared at tonight's SmackDown taping. Sports Illustrated reported that Funaki purchased Somatropin (HGH) in March 2006 through Signature Pharmacy -- which would be a violation of the WWE Wellness Policy because he purchased a drug online. ESPN.com reported on Thursday that Chris Masters was a client of the busted Signature Pharmacy firm, but his name was never implicated in the article by Sports Illustrated. Granted, Funaki sparingly appears on television anyway, so he could very be innocent, but considering that he didn't appear at the SmackDown taping, he obviously hasn't been cleared yet. Masters may have been left off the taping because they simply had nothing for him on this night and not because he was being taken off the road due to a suspension. Although, it appeared as though that a feud was starting up between Masters and Chuck Palumbo if the 8/31 SmackDown taping was any indication. During the 8/31 show, Palumbo took the Masterlock Challenge issued by Masters, but Masters attacked Palumbo before the challenge could happen. Palumbo managed to fight off Masters, and the two exchanged glares and words as the Masterpiece exited the arena. When they do this sort of angle, they usually follow it up with a match the next week. Palumbo took on Kenny Dykstra in a decisive squash match and there was no mention made of Masters at the very least. Masters' immediate future likely hinges on what happens to Randy Orton, who according to Sports Illustrated, bought numerous drugs over the Internet after February 2006 -- a violation of the WWE Wellness Policy. WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt noted on Friday night that only one of the eleven wrestlers suspended is a two-time WWE Wellness Policy offender. Out of the 14 WWE wrestlers listed as being clients of Signature Pharmacy, only Orton and Masters have previous Wellness Policy violations under their belt. If Orton ends up being suspended, Masters is likely in the clear. However, if Orton isn't punished and remains on television for his upcoming PPV match with John Cena, it looks like Masters is the previous offender taking the fall again.

 

-- Two other SmackDown stars listed as being clients of Signature Pharmacy in Adam "Edge" Copeland and Gregory Helms are out indefinitely due to their respective injuries. Even though they won't be appearing on television anytime soon, by process of elimination, it should be known soon enough if these two did any wrong doing. If so, they will be docked 30 days worth of pay from their downside guarantee. In Copeland's case, it will likely be a hefty figure.