Little Man, Big Problem

In terms of Hornswoggle, Jamie Noble didn’t think things could get any worse. Boy, was he being short-sighted.
Ever since Noble was pinned by Hornswoggle at The Great American Bash, several WWE Superstars have been seen snickering and laughing in his direction; just weeks ago, Noble even found Shannon Moore and Funaki doing so during SmackDown. Now, however, it’s more than just the WWE Superstars having fun at his expense; our fans now seem to be in on the “joke.”
It’s no secret that in recent weeks, SmackDown’s smallest Superstar has become one of its most popular. The ovation Hornswoggle received on the night he won the Cruiserweight Championship has carried over since The Bash; our fans love the pint-sized pugilist’s zany antics, and why wouldn’t they? For everyone who has ever been called too small, too weird, too…well, too anything to succeed in life, the 4-foot-tall leprechaun ruling in a land of giants – to him, at least – can be viewed as an inspiration.
Granted, Noble has never really been much of a fan favorite, eschewing audience support in favor of breaking the rules to succeed. However, just looking at what happened in the ring last week, it’s clear that he’s in our fans’ sights more than ever before.
After Noble defeated Moore three weeks ago on Friday Night SmackDown, the new Cruiserweight Champion popped up at ringside to have some fun with his chosen Goliath. Noble almost got his hands on the tiny terror, but instead ended up with some egg – in the form of some delicious pie – covering his face. While the dessert covered up the embarrassment washed over his grill, it couldn’t drown out the cheers and laughter of our fans in Phoenix. If it wasn’t before, it became evident that night that our fans were solidly behind Hornswoggle. At least, it should have been, since most of our fans are taller than the pocket-sized prankster.
As if that weren’t bad enough, Hornswoggle has begun to cause Noble problems with other WWE Superstars now as well. When Kane interrupted Noble’s match with Finlay – a bout spurred on by Noble’s pursuit of Hornswoggle, costing the fighting Irishman a match against Matt Hardy two weeks ago – the vertically-challenged champion got involved as well, pushing Noble head-first into the Big Red Monster’s already-injured ribs. Predictably enough, Kane snapped, and despite Noble’s attempt to set the scene, the Big Red Monster nearly drove him through the mat with a thunderous chokeslam.
As our fans were filing out of the Mohegan Sun Arena following last week’s SmackDown, a mother and son were seen chatting; the youngster, who looked no more than five years old, wore a homemade “I Pinned Jamie Noble, Too” t-shirt and was begging his mother to see if the merchandise stands had any Hornswoggle action figures. Laughing at the scene were a group of teenagers, one of whom piped in,“They don’t, little guy, but they should start making souvenir pies!” Perhaps WWE Shop could look into all three of these potential hot sellers; they’d be sure to have a short shelf life.
Seriously though, our fans’ reactions to Hornswoggle’s antics must make Noble feel like he’s less than a foot tall. Being embarrassed about losing to a presumed inferior opponent – twice – is one thing; having 15,000 screaming WWE fans cheer that opponent and remind you of your horror in every arena you go to…well, it’s just too big a problem to ignore.
But until the day comes where Noble gets his revenge on the Cruiserweight Champion – if it ever comes – that’s exactly what the Southern Superstar is going to have to deal with. And until that day, he could be leaving every arena angry and red-faced…and if Hornswoggle has anything to do with it, perhaps pie-faced as well.
Judging by recent reactions, our fans would actually enjoy that

Rey of plight for chavo

It’s no secret – following extensive surgery to repair the multiple injuries in his left leg, Rey Mysterio is coming back to WWE. Nearly nine months after suffering both a ruptured ACL and a torn patella tendon at the hands of Chavo Guerrero, the former World Champion and in-ring innovator is returning to the ring.
Knowing that, if you were the individual who obstructed Mysterio’s perch at the pinnacle of sports-entertainment, would you feel a little worried as his long-awaited return grew closer? Maybe not… but only if your last name was Guerrero.
“Me, worry? I’m a Guerrero; we don’t worry,” Chavo claimed. “Why would I be worried about someone like Rey Mysterio? He’s Mexican, so he’s got a lot of heart and he’s a great competitor – I can’t take that away from him. But he’d be stupid to ever cross my path again.”
The last time our fans saw Mysterio compete was in an “I Quit” Match last October, when Chavo rigged Rey’s leg in the SmackDown set’s lighting structure and repeatedly bashed his leg with a chair. Six strikes from the steel weapon sent Mysterio away from the ring and kept him from exacting a measure of revenge against his former lifelong friend.
“Do lifelong friends try to steal your name?” asked Chavo. “[Rey] stole my moves and my family’s moves. What I did to him was me just trying to make a point: He needed to stop acting like a Guerrero.”
According to Chavo, he doubts that the high-flying fan-favorite will ever be the same after the “valuable lesson I taught Rey.” Many would argue, however, that perhaps the bad-tempered Guerrero is just telling himself that in the wake of Rey’s return.
“You saw what I did to him when he was at 100 percent,” Chavo reminded WWE.com. “Now it’s in question that he’s going to be the same. I know Rey, and I know he’s not going to come my way.”
At The Great American Bash one year ago, it was Chavo’s carefully executed plan of deception that cost Mysterio the World Title against King Booker. This betrayal would yield a series of hard-fought contests between both men, though ultimately end unresolved with Rey’s career-threatening injury.
“It was never my intention to end his career,” he protested. “If I really wanted to end it, I could have. I would have just gone to his house and beaten him up in front of his family.”
It is that same ruthless, unabated focus that makes Chavo not only a dangerous competitor, but also a successful one. After his war with Mysterio, the relentless Guerrero turned his attention to championship gold and seized the Cruiserweight Title. In his reign – which only ended just one week ago at The Great American Bash – Chavo honed his abilities and perfected his craft.
“[Since last year,] I’ve gotten better,” Chavo asserted. “I’ve been competing the whole time Rey’s been gone and I’ve had a lot of matches since the last time we met. I’ve gotten better, stronger and faster.
“I thought I was in my prime then; I’m in my prime now.”
It remains to be seen exactly what type of condition or mentality the Master of the 619 will have upon his return. But the mentality of the man arguably to blame for Mysterio’s ring absence is certain: He’s indifferent. However, Chavo warned that if Rey does decide to seek retribution, he may end up back in his San Diego home recuperating for yet another extended period of time – courtesy of the pugnacious Guerrero.

Lashley to meet DR. James Andrews wednesday

Former ECW Champion Bobby Lashley will meet with noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday for further diagnosis on his injured left shoulder, WWE.com has learned. Lashley injured the shoulder in his match with Mr. Kennedy on Monday Night Raw, when Kennedy kicked it while up against the ring steps. Once Kennedy realized his opponent was injured, Kennedy viciously targeted the shoulder with repeated attacks and holds. Read more on this story... The shoulder suffered further damage as Lashley attempted to spear Kennedy, and Kennedy countered the charging Lashley by kneeing him in the injured joint. Preliminary observations from WWE physician Dr. Ferdinand Rios suggest Lashley suffered a possible rotator cuff tear in the left shoulder. More details on the injury will be made available on WWE.com as soon as they are known.