I went into last night’s “RAW is Ari” episode with pretty high expectations. Piven is an actor by trade, and he’s great at portraying a smartass, but between him calling WWE’s second biggest pay per view of the year “The Summer Fest”, allowing the extremely annoying “Dr. Ken” to be his sidekick for the night, and a failed attempt at a heel turn and flying body press, this ended up being one of the worst episodes of RAW I’ve seen in quite some time. At least we got one “hug it out” moment and Dr. Ken nearly split his wig after being thrown out of the ring at the end of the show. The only thing worth mentioning about RAW storyline wise was that the return of Shawn Michaels was set up, and The Miz, based on the stipulation for his match with Super Cena (who can leap tall buildings in a single bound, and can fight off hundreds of jacked up heels all by himself), may be moving to Smackdown. If that is the case, Miz could end up in a main event title feud with his old tag team partner John Morrison in a short period of time. The move could help him more than hurt him.

Apparently Dave Batista’s recovery from a torn biceps tendon is way ‘ahead of schedule’. I’m sure this forty plus year old man simply has supernatural regenerative powers, and is probably on an all natural, organic, diet. You be the judge. Guys who work out a little always have the veins in their thighs pop. It’s totally normal. Isn’t it? You be the judge (photo courtesy of TMZ.com).

Referee Marty Elias was released last week, but nobody really cares.

Longtime ring announcer, 6.5 on the OT WYHI scale, and National Anthem singer Lilian Garcia is also moving on soon. Apparently she’s getting married, and has decided to hang up the microphone after a long tenure with the company. Let’s see how WWE handles her on the way out. It should be interesting considering the way they handle most departures that Vince does not control. If you’re interested in the job, you’d better be a hot chick. Here's the talent agency's job description posted by WWE when they got the news.

WWE Announcer/Singer / Female / All Ethnicities / 20 - 30

Description: WWE is looking for a young, attractive female to sing the national anthem and be our regular ring announcer every week, for one of our most popular TV shows (WWE is estimated to be seen in 500,000,000 households in 150 countries/30 languages)...

This is a breakout job for any young singer. Please specify on submissions if anyone has appeared on American Idol, making the Band or any show of this comparison.
Rate:depends on talent

I don’t do a lot of TNA discussion here, since I’m not their biggest fan, but for those who are interested, TNA founder Jeff Jarrett is on an extended vacation after news came out that he is currently dating Kurt Angle’s ex-wife Karen (who was also used as an on air talent when things were more cozy at the Angle household). IWHI FWIW. I’m sure this made for some not so comfortable moments backstage as of late, and it’s probably for the best that they let this thing simmer down a bit. Questions abound as to whether Jarrett will even return, but considering that he’s the primary reason TNA has made it to this point, I can’t see him being totally kicked out. TNA management has already released agents slash creative team members Dutch Mantel and Savio Vega, who were some of Jarrett’s closest allies backstage, so if Jarrett does return, his role will be diminished. Expect head honcho Dixie Carter to be the undisputed top dog at TNA. Hopefully the changes help the storylines, which have been hapless and stale for quite some time, despite a great roster of talent.

Speaking of TNA, they will be live in Baton Rouge at the River Center on Saturday night. I’ve never been to a show, but by all accounts, they are very fan friendly and offer a lot of action at house shows. If you bring your kids, expect plenty of face time with the wrestlers, complete with autograph and photo sessions. This is really how it should be done, so I’ll give credit where it’s due. I’d love to hear some reports from the show, so if you go, feel free to post your experiences in the comments section.