Tha Hitman Sharpshoots

It has been a very eventful past week O-sters, and the flurry of action going on within WWE and TNA has kept the dirt sheets flooded.

So, in the wake of a big week, I have wiped the dust off and decided to bust out another edition of "Sharpshoots".

In this edition, I talk about the rumors surrounding Samoa Joe, WWE suspensions, releases and a new champion.

Killing Rumors

One of the biggest news stories of the last week within TNA was the rumor that Samoa Joe was unhappy working for the company and would prefer to go to WWE, even if only for an entry level, which would have meant a significant pay cut for the Samoan Submission Machine. Joe would personally refute these rumors, claiming on his website that nobody would want to work just as hard for less money at a new job.

Part of me wants to believe that Joe is really content with TNA, but then again, morale is at an all-time low within Jarrett's company, with some people even going as far as comparing them to WCW circa late 2000. And when locker room morale, as a whole, is at a low, it's usually the stars who are being misused who are the most disgruntled.

And few main eventers have been as horribly misused as Joe lately. In the E, his marketability would make him a shoe-in to be a main eventer, and he would probably end up seeing the world championship sooner or later. I don't know if he really had given thought to jumping ship before, but I wouldn't be surprised if, in the light of these rumors, he now is.

Free Pass

In light of the current suspensions, reports indicate that at least one main event superstar will not be suspended. The reason behind this is that he "came clean" about his purchases previously, and that he had already been suspended for steroid-related issues. WWE brass wouldn't give out the name of the superstar, but the smart money is one of two people - Ken Kennedy or Randy Orton. Does this come as a surprise to anybody that instead of trying to send a legitimate message to its superstars, they're allowing more holes to come into their defenses?

The suspensions do make you seem like you're taking the steroid issue seriously, but to give a free pass to a superstar just because he's a top name undoes almost all of the good press that you've created for yourself. What sort of message does that send, when you allow certain superstars to get away with violating your Wellness Policy just because they make you money? Eddie Guerrero must be rolling over in his grave.

A Super Release

In other WWE news, another superstar is now donning the "best of luck in future endeavours" gimmick. Nick Dinsmore, better known as Eugene, has been released. I'm lost as to why they decided to do this. Sure, his gimmick is played out, becoming stale years ago, but ship him to OVW for a few months, and then bring him back up to ECW with a new look, and give him a new name! Just because he had a horrible gimmick, doesn't mean he was a horrible worker.

I'm sure either the indies, ROH or TNA would be willing to welcome him with open arms. Not that I'm hoping that TNA will expand its roster again anytime soon, but Dinsmore is a hell of a worker, and I have no doubt that he'll land on his feet. (Editor's note: Cryme Tyme has also been released from WWE!)

Championship Material Punk

And, finally, from the "it's about time" file, CM Punk has finally won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, besting John Morrison at a house show that is now slated to be aired Tuesday night. Even though this is merely a positive side effect of the steroid suspensions, I don't care. This win was long overdue, and probably would have taken all the way until Survivor Series had Morrison not been caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Punk as a champion will draw, no matter how he got the belt.

And, at this point in time, WWE needs a guy like Punk to be holding a championship, since he may be the only wrestler on the entire roster who hasn't taken steroids!

The best part about this is that somewhere backstage, Triple H is fuming about the fact that CM Punk finally managed to win a championship. My advice for Trips - get over it, big man. The man is a draw, and it's best for you to put your ego aside and let the Straight Edge Superstar show you and everybody else backstage just what he can do.

That's it for this time, O-sters, but as always, if there's anything burning on your mind, send me an e-mail, the link is on the side of the page as always. I am out.

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