MCNEILL'S TAKE McNEILL's "Who's Hot, Who's Not" for Week of 6/4: Batista, Wedding Planners, Orton, McMahon Jun 4, 2008 - 5:43:28 PM

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By Pat McNeill, Torch Columnist

Time for our weekly look at the hot and cold of the pro wrestling business as we prepare to celebrate a giant Slammiversary.

WHO'S HOT?

TNA's Wedding Planners: Total Nonstop Action gets a lot of abuse on wrestling news sites (and usually deserves every bit of that abuse). However, the upcoming Black Machismo-So Cal Val wedding at Slammiversary, combined with the news that Jake "The Snake" Roberts will be in attendance this Sunday night in Mississippi, means it will be difficult for TNA to screw up this very important tragicomic parody sketch.

Dave Batista: Timing is everything in this business. The Undertaker's time off, combined with the ongoing feud between The Animal and the legendary Shawn Michaels, puts Batista at the top of the Smackdown babyface pyramid. Batista has had good matches with both the Heartbreak Kid and Smackdown champion Edge, and he's likely to have more good matches with both men.

Awesome Kong: This week, Awesome Kong beating up the random woman from the stands really was TNA's highest rated segment. Kong is Queen.

Jerry Lynn: The former ECW champion might be on his way back to Ring of Honor after stealing the show during last weekend's Full Impact Pro events down in Florida. Lynn worked with former Ring of Honor champion Austin Aries on both knights. Could we be setting the stage for an Aries vs. Lynn feud in the Northeast this fall?

WHO'S NOT?

Randy Orton: Randy went down with a broken collarbone on Sunday night when a bump over the top rope went horribly wrong. The only silver lining for the Legend Killer is that he'll now be present when his wife gives birth to their first child. Orton will hopefully recover soon.

Vince McMahon: Three point one for Mr. McMahon's Million Dollar Money Mess. Amazingly, wrestling audiences weren't enthralled by watching McMahon and a few suits transfer stacks of money from one glass briefcase to another. You have to wonder how McMahon felt after being ignored by a live wrestling audience who wanted more wrestling on their favorite wrestling program.

Ace Young: Over the past several years, we have seen losing "American Idol" contests come back to make an impact on popular culture. Clay Aiken became a successful recording artist. Chris Daughtry is a rock star. Kimberley Locke even had a successful Christmas album. Ace Young singing at Jay Lethal's fake wedding on a TNA Wrestling pay-per-view doesn't quite measure up.

National Wrestling Alliance: This month's big NWA Showcase event takes place Saturday at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta. Ric Flair was supposed to be inducted into the NWA hall of Fame, but WWE has pulled him off the show. NWA World Champion Adam Pearce will be working the Ring of Honor pay-per-view in Philadelphia. The marquee match features Tommy Rich against Abdullah the Butcher, two wrestlers with a combined age of 118. Good seats are still available. Happy Anniversary, National Wrestling Alliance!

Responsible replies are welcomed.

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