Was anyone else confused during Raw this week?

If you think I'm taking about Shawn Michaels, you don't know HBK. That was exactly what I expected him to say and do in that situation. It fit his character perfectly.

I'm talking about the Big Show. Not only did his music play as the banned superstar approached the ring, but he was wearing new merch (available for purchase on shop.wwe.com)

While I am quite aware this is a show, a performance, and we certainly are not in the days when WWF gave the Million Dollar Man cash to throw around to keep the illusion alive even when he wasn't at a WWF event, the WWE does continue to blur the lines of reality. This is a company that goes so far that they back up storylines on superstars' Twitter accounts. So, why would they allow the Big Show to appear as he did?

It doesn't make sense. I could even see WWE going as far as creating a webpage for the Big Show to sell his merch to "help him earn money."

I don't know when this storyline will end- it could even be concluded at WrestleMania, at this point- but I wonder if the new house Stephanie and Triple H are reportedly building will be ready at some point during this storyline. It would be impactful to have footage (even if it's just a Tout) of movers removing furniture from the McMahon-Levesque house if this story continues (and I assume it will) with Big Show winning his case, causing the McMahons to lose everything...

WWE announced moments ago that Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel will not compete at Hell in a Cell tonight because of an injury. He was to defend his title against Big E Langston on the pre-show kick off, which starts at 7:30 p.m. No replacement matches have been announced.

Some were not happy with the ending of the Battleground PPV. Okay, many were not happy. One person, however, was thrilled:

Who is the only person to ever win the main event of WWE Battleground? Looks like I made more history tonight.

— Vacant (@WWEVacant) October 7, 2013

This title reign for Vacant is 21 days, so far. Hell in a Cell, the next PPV, is only 20 days away, meaning this reign could end up lasting 41 days. His longest reign was for 51 days in 1988, when Andre the Giant sold the title to the Million Dollar Man, but President Jack Tunney axed the deal. The shortest reign was for three days in 1997 when Shawn Michaels suffered a knee injury and had to forfeit the title.

Vacant has had ten title reigns for a total of 206 days. For comparison, John Cena has had the most title reigns at 11 (1191 days) and The Undertaker held the title for a total of 238 days during his four reigns.

Last night on Impact, Hulk Hogan was fired/quit. His contract is running out of time, so it's possible he really is leaving. Of course, it appears WWE knows this and has been upping their Hogan exposure, and of course, this is leading to speculation that Hogan is coming back to WWE once the non-compete clause expires (you know, in time for WrestleMania promotion.)

But, I know what he is now doing his possibly new free time. He's started a new business. This time around, he plans to leg drop the competition in web hosting. That's right, web hosting.

But, that's not all. Oh, no, that is not all.

Today, he decided to come into web like a wrecking ball. You must watch this video to understand:

Note: I showed this to the Trentonian editor earlier today. At lunch time. He requested that I do not share it again until it was safely outside a meal period.

Remember when Brodus Clay reemerged as the Funkasaurus? We were speechless and confused about why this big, tough guy had this new, silly gimmick. I think some of us even said he would never amount to anything and be a jobber for the rest of his life.

Now, while he hasn't won a title yet, he still has won the hearts of fans, especially the all important younger generation that will keep the WWE alive in the future. Even Tensai/Albert saw the magic of the gimmick and joined the team.

Monday night, when Epico and Primo came out to their new gimmick, Los Matadores, we were prepared for some fun just based on their promos. We were not prepared for how far it would go.

They held up their capes, there was some smoke, and then, a midget wrestler dressed as a bull ran through the capes. Speechless again.


Los Matadores and El Torito (image from WWE's Facebook)

Then, this bull, El Torito, jumped around the ropes far better than Sin Cara on a good day. That is when I knew this was magic.

To be sure, I rewatched the entrance and match with kids the next day. They were laughing and thoroughly enjoying the segment. I was waiting for one of them to say this was now going to be his Halloween costume.



El Torito's Twitter profile photo
(@WWEElTorito)

I did a little searching and found out El Torito was signed by WWE in April. The 4-foot-5-inches-tall wrestler was formerly known as Mascarita Dorada in Mexico, where he was a two-time Mini-Estrella (or midget) Champion and Mascot Tag Team Champion.

(If you're wondering, WWE lists Hornswoggle at 4'5", Rey Mysterio at 5'6" and Sin Cara at 5'7")

Sure, the fun gimmicks may not accomplish much title-wise, but they will break up the seriousness of other segments and make lots of money for the company from kids wanting El Torito masks. (Merchandising! Merchandising!) Because of that, they will be a success.