Hello Everyone!

There has been a lot of drama in WWE lately due to the Wellness Program testing. Guys have been pulled from the roster due to elevated liver enzymes and other things.

Some, like Lashley and Khali, are already back after just a couple weeks while others like Super Crazy, Kid Kash, Chris Masters, and a few more will be out for quite a while. Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam have recently returned from their 30 day drug related suspensions and Matt Hardy is proving, once and for all, that his forced leave was NOT drug related. It's only going to get crazier as the testing continues but, if the suspensions help save just one life, all the chaos will have been worth it.

Now, on with the news and there is a ton of it!

DX STILL TOGETHER - MY BAD

In my last column, I speculated that DX would be no more, at least for a while, while Shawn Michaels had much needed knee surgery and Triple H took a few weeks off to be with his wife Stephanie McMahon Levesque and their new baby Aurora Rose. That is obviously not the case yet. Triple H returned to Raw just one week after his daughter was born and Shawn Michaels is seemingly uninjured from the beating he got from Umaga, which looked to be an injury angle to write him off the show for a while. The two are still acting silly and will wrestle at SummerSlam. Whether they will remain together after the pay per view is unknown. Michaels has put off knee surgery for a while and will need to leave to have the knee repaired eventually. I guess Triple H doesn't feel he can take any time off right now to bond with his baby but may do so after SummerSlam.

HOGAN CLAIMS INJURY, MAY BE OUT OF SUMMERSLAM

The WWE website has a couple of columns up about Hulk Hogan injuring his knee when he went to stand up from a sitting position on his couch. According to the website, Hogan has a cracked meniscus in his knee and should get surgery to repair it. He has opted to have a cortisone shot instead for now, however. The website is saying that Hogan may not be able to wrestle Randy Orton as scheduled at SumerSlam.

Many people are leery of this "injury" and think Hogan is playing political games with WWE. It isn't unusual for him to suddenly sustain an injury if he doesn't like the way a storyline is going or the way a match is supposed to end.

As it stands, I think we can assume he won't be at SummerSlam, at least not to wrestle. Whether his injury is, indeed, legitimate is anyone's guess and I suppose if he goes under the knife, we will know he has been telling the truth.

You can read WWE's articles (which may or may not be true) about Hogan's injury, with quotes from both Hogan and Orton, by clicking these links: Hogan in Trouble and Out for Now.

Obviously, if Hogan can't appear on the pay per view, there will be a big hole in the card that will have to be filled by a match that will draw the viewers in and encourage them to pay to watch the show. The line up is fairly lackluster at this point.

JEFF HARDY JUMPS BACK TO WWE

Many fans have waited a long time to read this. Jeff Hardy has finally come to terms with WWE to return to the promotion. At this writing, he will be working on the Smackdown brand, recreating "Team Extreme" tagging with his brother Matt. Hardy was released from WWE in mid 2003 after failing several drug tests and refusing to go to rehab. He eventually showed up in TNA but was suspended a number of times for showing up late or no showing TV shows and pay per views. WWE.com posted a frank story about Hardy's addiction to methamphetamine, a very strong stimulant. They removed the references to the specific drug, however, after just a short time and simply said he was fired due to a "drug dependency". Hardy denied then and seems to continue to deny that he had any problems with drugs although he admits he failed several WWE drug tests. At any rate, he is back for now and we should see the Hardy Boyz make a return once Matt, who is out of action with a staph infection, is cleared to wrestle. Look for Ashley Massaro to be a part of the team in a Lita-like role as she is dating Matt, friends with Jeff, and has the look to be part of "Team Extreme".

MATT HARDY PROVES HE ISN'T SUSPENDED FOR DRUGS OR STEROIDS

In the wake of the roster shake up and all the recent suspensions, Matt Hardy was sent home recently. Naturally, it was assumed the reason was because he failed a WWE Wellness Program drug test but he stated several times that the blood test revealed that he still had traces of an old staph infection in his system and needed a course of antibiotics to clear it up. Most people didn't believe that but Matt proved it by posting a couple of rather graphic photos of the infection in his chest which should clear up any doubt. You can see those photos at the following links: Matt Hardy Photo 1 and Matt Hardy Photo 2.

I wish Matt luck in clearing up that infection and look forward to his return.

ONE DIVA INJURED, TWO POSSIBLY LEAVING WWE, THREE NEW ONES HIRED

WWE's Ashley Massaro, who recently returned to action after suffering a broken leg, is now suffering from a broken hand after a recent match with Kristal. She will need a cast for at least four weeks. She sure has had bad luck in the ring!

Trish Stratus' contract is coming to an end this month and the rumor is that she will leave WWE. She will be getting married soon and has said she would like to settle down and start a family. However, there has been no official word on whether she will leave the promotion entirely or just take some long overdue time off and return on a part time basis. It seems a lock that she will be taking some time off; the question is whether she will return. I will keep you informed when I find out for sure.

Lita is rumored to be leaving WWE as well. She is said to be interested in an acting career. I have not independently verified this so, until I know for sure, assume that Lita will remain with WWE and hammer out any disagreements or contract disputes she may have with WWE. Lita hasn't done much of anything in WWE for a long while, however, and maybe she is just ready to move on. I will have more information on this subject as it is revealed.

In the wake of the possibility of two of their top divas leaving the promotion, WWE has hired some of the 2006 Diva Search losers! Rebecca DiPietro has been signed to a developmental contract (Don't ask me which one she is, I have no idea. I just know she was voted off by the fans.). Also, Maryse Ouellet has been offered a tryout in WWE's Ohio Valley Wrestling promotion, which is a training promotion for future WWE workers. And - get this - Brooke Adams, who didn't make the top eight Diva Search cut has also been offered a tryout in OVW. It certainly makes winning the Diva Search a little less special when WWE is going around hiring the diva wannabes that the fans voted off - and one who wasn't even good enough to make the top eight. Thanks to www.pwinsider.com for the info on the three Diva Search losers being hired.

There is much more but I am going long so I will stop here. I will be back in a few days with another complete update and more. I have been kind of out of the loop a bit since my father died at the end ofJune but I am trying to get back into the groove and update this area much more often so look forward to more news and views in the coming days and weeks.

See you on the forum!
Patty

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