Major Backstage Update On Mike Knox/Steroid Story, SD!'s Future
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The WWE site has a poll on the front page asking fans as to who they would like to see as the new General Manager of Raw. The options are Vickie Guerrero, Ted DiBiase, Vince McMahon and Theodore Long. McMahon is winning the poll with 45% of the vote, followed by DiBiase, Long and Guerrero in that order.
According to an article on TV.Yahoo.com, SmackDown's soon-to-be former home, the CW Network, could be in trouble if the low ratings don't turn around. The CW Network has pretty much been a bust as The WB and UPN were drawing a combined 6 million viewers in their final season, and the CW averaged about 3 million in its first season (and ratings are even lower this season). The article notes that advertisers have "cooled" on the network, and "at least" one of the owners of the CW is ready to bail on the venture. "And that next season could be its last," according to the article.
Police out of Henry County, Georgia are moving on in the Mike Knox steroid link investigation. They are more interested in finding the supplier of the drugs. Knox formerly lived in a residence in Henry County with three other wrestlers, but steroids were left behind in an attic after they moved out. Knox said the steroids weren't his, and WWE believes him as they have defended him publicly (and continued to push him on TV). Police managed to pull up fingerprints off the vials of the drugs to find out which of the people living in the home, if any, matched. At least two former WWE developmental wrestlers previously lived in the home with Knox including Ryan O'Reilly and Derrick Neikirk. It's interesting to note that both wrestlers have violated WWE's Wellness Policy in the past; Neikirk this past January, who was subsequently fired, and O'Reilly in September 2006 (which caused him to miss his scheduled call-up to the ECW roster in a tag team with ironically enough, Derrick Neikirk). Furthermore, reportedly another former developmental worker also lived in the house, but his name has yet to be disclosed. Police have not tracked the other three individuals down to talk to them. Also, everyone has since left the state of Georgia, and because it's not a major crime, it's not a high priority for police to search for them. Police are investigating a GH clinic in Stuart, Florida as part of the ongoing case.