— At last word, Batista is slated to return to the ring in early August from hamstring repair surgery, reports PWInsider.com.
— Starting this April on WGN America, you can catch WWE Superstars, an all-new program featuring Superstars from all three brands in first-run matches. This show will more than likely be a platform for Superstars having trouble getting ring time on the televised Raw, SmackDown and ECW programs. Thus far in 2009, about two dozen WWE stars have had trouble getting ring time on either of the three main shows. Here is a list of the WWE wrestlers you can probably expect to regularly see on the program as they have all had two matches or less on television so far this year (through this week’s SmackDown):
Raw
Candice Michelle – 1
Charlie Haas – 0
Dolph Ziggler – 0
Goldust – 1
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan – 1
Jamie Noble – 2
Manu – 0
Mickie James – 1
Sim Snuka – 1
SmackDown
Brie Bella – 2 (regularly used in angle with Colons)
Curt Hawkins – 2
Festus – 2
Hurricane Helms – 1
Jesse – 2
Jimmy Wang Yang – 1
Kizarny – 2
Kung Fu Naki – 2
Maria – 2 (regularly used in angle with Michelle McCool)
Nikki Bella – 2 (regularly used in angle with Colons)
Scotty Goldman – 2
Zack Ryder – 2
ECW
Alicia Fox – 2
DJ Gabriel – 1
Katie Lea Burchill – 2 (accompanying ECW regular Paul Burchill)
Natalya – 1 (accompanying newcomer Tyson Kidd)
Ricky Ortiz – 2
This list is also a good indication of which wrestlers WWE doesn’t really have any plans for at the moment.
Note: This list doesn’t include injured stars Batista & Maryse, newcomers Christian & Tyson Kidd, developmental wrestlers DH Smith & Ryan Braddock, and Eve Torres – who started wrestling on television two weeks ago.
— SmackDown Superstar Scotty Goldman’s web show on WWE.com, What’s Crackin’ with Scotty Goldman, has been renamed Good as Goldman. Click here to watch the latest episode. On tonight’s edition of SmackDown, Goldman will be competing in his first televised singles match in just over five months when he squares off against Umaga. Goldman actually made his return to television two weeks ago in an Elimination Chamber qualifying battle royal. He was the first wrestler to be eliminated.
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