More On 'Taker's WWE Status, Morrison Face Turn, Khali

As noted this morning here on the website, The Undertaker is suffering from both knee and hip problems and wasn't brought to last week's SmackDown/ECW duel taping as a result. At the show, there was talk he would be undergoing minor surgery on his knee, but nobody seemed to know for sure. There was also a feeling that his knee could have more serious damage when opened up. The long-term uncertainty on both Undertaker and Jeff Hardy is one of the reasons company officials sped up the planned John Morrison babyface turn and made sure that CM Punk would be perceived as a top star on the brand from the onset.

During last week's episode of Raw, John Morrison and The Great Khali were advertised to take part in a Scramble Match on SmackDown with the winner facing Edge for his World Heavyweight Championship at Judgment Day. Come Tuesday, the match was changed to a No. 1 Contender Fatal Four Way Elimination Match featuring Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy and Kane. Both Morrison and Khali were dropped from the match.

As noted, the reason for Morrison being dropped from the match is because the company immediately plans on pushing him as a babyface and didn't want to risk getting a negative reaction from the MSG crowd.

As far as Khali is concerned, Vince McMahon doesn't see him as a headliner anymore. Furthermore, his removal would improve the quality of the match.