Money in the Bank Ladder Match

With his victory over Carlito on the Feb. 22 edition of Raw, new Raw Superstar Christian became the first man to qualify for this year's Money in the Bank Ladder Match.

On the Feb. 26 edition of SmackDown, Dolph Ziggler, Kane and Shelton Benjamin all qualified to join Christian on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

On the Mar. 1 edition of Raw, Jack Swagger and MVP qualified for the bout.

Matt Hardy will return to WrestleMania’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match for the third time, thanks to his qualification on the Mar. 5 edition of SmackDown.

Earning the eighth spot, Evan Bourne defeated William Regal on the Mar. 8 edition of Raw.

On the Mar. 12 edition of SmackDown, McIntyre finally qualified for The Grandest Stage of Them All by defeating a local athlete, who The Chairman himself hand-picked.

Lastly, just six days before WrestleMania XXVI, Kofi Kingston won a hard-fought battle against Vladimir Kozlov to earn the tenth and final spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match...More?

source: wwe.com

Big Show Warns Young Stars: "They Have to Earn It"

There was much criticism through 2009 that the WWE's headliners were the same old faces such as Show, his tag team partner Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Undertaker, John Cena and Randy Orton.

Things have changed recently with newer stars like Scot Drew McIntyre and Kofi Kingston getting a push and Irish wrestler Sheamus even winning the company's world title from Cena.

But nobody has yet challenged 37-year-old Show's spot as the company's top big man — and he says it will stay that way until someone "steps up" to earn it:

"I want to let you know flat out there's not anybody good enough to take my position. And I'm certainly not going to give my position up just because I've been on top for a while, and nor would anyone else. If there's another giant that can walk in and take my position, then good for him. He can run with it and I'll retire. Until then I'm going to work on top as long as I can, make as much money as I can and entertain the fans as much as I can. It's up to the younger generation to come to the locker room, step up and be leaders. Every one of us who is on top right now has had to fight and dig and bend to the penthouse and bend to the outhouse as far as booking and positioning goes. I'm not just going to lay down because somebody new comes in — they're going to have to earn it."

Big Show refuses to blame Vince McMahon for failing to push the newer talent and instead says it's all about not enough guys having the right work ethic...More?

source: the sun

New Champs - So What's the Problem?

Two new champions - Sheamus and Drew McIntyre - and the IWC is still complaining. for months, they have been begging the WWE to put titles on someone other than John Cena, Triple H, or Randy Orton. They have been pleading for matches that involved someone other than their "top" stars. The question was asked, "When is the WWE going to create new stars?"..."When are they going to elevate someone other than Cena, Hunter or Orton?"

Well, you got it last night. So, what's the problem?

The problem is that because Sheamus works out with Triple H and Drew McIntyre is rumored to be a Shawn Michaels/Triple H favorite - apparently neither one of them is worthy of the push. While I'm not sold yet on McIntyre I think Sheamus has star written all over him. If you don't give them a chance, how are we to know?

I have read on other sites that the IWC is questioning the lack of push for perennial favorite Shelton Benjamin. Last month, Jim Ross posted the following on his blog. Maybe Shelton falls into this category:

"At a certain point once a guy gets his foot in the door and he starts getting some time on TV, then they really have more ownership than the general public understands. The more-educated fans would rather blame creative. Sometimes they just don’t know what else went on and they don’t know a guy’s attitude and they don’t know who phoned something in or who thinks, “Hey, I don’t really even want to get any higher than this.” You have to understand that some guys get on a semi-main event level, and they don’t know that they can handle the pressure of carrying the show. That’s not for everybody. It takes a very unique individual to be a star, and a main event star. The business is so good now financially that guys who are not main-eventers can still earn a great living and prepare for life after wrestling."

It's just a thought. We will never know, but they wanted new champs and they got new champs. It's time to see what they can do.

Sheamus Sits at the Top Table

You wait years for a Brit or Irishman to win a championship in the WWE — and then two come along at once.

Sheamus made history at last night's Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view by becoming the first ever person from the UK or Ireland to win the company's world title. He did something that not even Davey Boy Smith, Fit Finlay or William Regal could achieve.

And the TLC initials of the event had a double meaning, also standing for Three Lost Championships, as Scot Drew McIntyre won the intercontinental strap and Triple H and Shawn Michaels picked up the unified tag belts...More?

source: the sun

Drew McIntyre Delivers on Smackdown

When bringing up the fact that McIntyre has been touted as a future world champion by WWE chairman Vince McMahon, Matt Striker added that McIntyre and McMahon work out together. That has to be a joke aimed at the Internet Wrestling Community, which has been buzzing about Sheamus receiving a big push on Raw because he is Triple H’s workout partner...More?

source: baltimore sun

Rumor Mill - Details Behind Why WWE is Pushing New Talent

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that the reason why Kofi Kingston is getting such a big push right now is because WWE officials feel that the company needs an African-American baby face towards the top of the card. After several other talents that were selected for the spot didn't work out the way the company had hoped, the decision was made to give Kingston the big push.

It's also being reported that Jack Swagger's push has been slowed down, and possibly even halted, as WWE officials feel that he is not panning out the way the company had hoped.

As far as Sheamus and Drew McIntyre are concerned, they are getting their respective pushes right now because Sheamus is the work out partner of Triple H, and McIntyre is well liked by both Triple H and Shawn Michaels.

Dusty Rhodes Comments on Making New Stars

Dusty Rhodes spoke with Phil Strum of pojoslam.blogspot.com about the need for new stars in the WWE:

"Yeah. I think OVW, before they closed down, I think the last big star, that's going to be an even bigger star that's come out of there, was Cody Rhodes. He came out of OVW. Then shortly after that was when they moved it all down here (FCW)."

"Since then, with Yoshi (Tatsu) and Sheamus and Tyler Reks and the list goes on and on and on. Drew McIntyre and all these kids. Savannah, the girls. It's great to see them and work with them in our studio where we do the promo studio, kind of like the actors studio, and work on conversations."

"So it's really cool, working with them. And then the TV shows and seeing them get there. That's their dream. We really need new blood. WWE needs new blood. I think we've started with Legacy and now you've seen Evan Bourne and you've seen Miz and you've seen (John) Morrison and CM Punk. It's a great thing to see this new rush of talent."

Rumor Mill - Triple H Pushing Drew McIntyre; Issues with R-Truth and Camouflage

Sources say Triple H is quite high on Drew McIntyre and is one of the driving forces behind the young wrestler’s current push. On the subject of McIntyre’s Hell in a Cell opponent, there was apparently a minor backstage issue involving R-Truth prior to their match last week.

According to reports, as R-Truth was preparing to go out to the ring, he was told he had to take off the camouflage vest he was wearing as camouflage is now associated with the DX tag team. The wrestler approached Stephanie McMahon about the complaint (which presumably came from a producer); McMahon, the wife of DX member Triple H, said that he should probably discuss the issue with Hunter.

At that point, R-Truth decided to just abandon the wardrobe item as he headed to the ring for his match.

source: f4woline.com