WWE news and notes: 30th September - Part 1

Hulk Hogan

• Without spoiling anything, on this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling, fans will see an angle that involves TNA General Manager Hulk Hogan leaving the company. As of right now, this angle is being done in order to remove Hogan from television, as his contract with TNA is done as of October 1st, and he has not re-signed a new deal yet. Although it was originally believed Hogan would be re-signing with TNA, however many insiders are now believing that he may be completely done with TNA, with the possibility of signing a WWE Legends contract in the near future.
• Former WWF star Gene Petit has passed away. Although not a household name, Petit gained a little bit of fame in 1985-1986, wrestling as Cousin Luke and frequently teaming with WWE legend Hillbilly Jim. Overall, his career spanned 28 years, beginning in 1973 and ending in 2000 when Petit retired from active competition. Although the cause of death is unknown at this time, what is known is that Petit suffered with multiple sclerosis over the last few years and lost a significant amount of weight as a result of the disease. There is a strong possibility this was related to his death. Hillbilly Jim stands as the last surviving member of the “hillbilly clan”, as Stan “Uncle Elmer” Frazier passed away in 1992 from kidney failure and Larry “Cousin Junior” Kean passed in 2009 from a heart attack.
• Current NXT star Buddy Murphy is involved in quite the controversial story right now, although it appears to be a work. WWE gave fans a sneak peak at the training sessions at their new Performance Center in Orlando, FL, including the Australian-born Murphy doing a promo where he lives all of the Australian stereotypes. Murphy proceeds to “break character” and begins showing what he claims is his true self, including a remark about being a guy who is nuts and has no problem hurting children (although is comments are much more vulgar). Apparently, this is actually part of his gimmick, as he is being built as a lunatic with Multiple Personality Disorder.
• The new Survivor Series poster has been revealed, and it features the Wyatt Family. Bray Wyatt is front and center in his signature rocking chair, while Luke Harper and Erick Rowan stand in the background, holding crocodiles over their shoulders.
• WWE has posted another cryptic tweet, which further fuels the rumor that the Undertaker is returning soon. The tweet says, “Which icon will @Todd_McFarlane bring life to this week? #RestinPieces” For those that don’t know, Todd McFarlane is a famous comic book writer, creating characters such as Spawn. This seems to indicate a new comic book featuring “The Dead Man” may be in the works.
• Former WWE star and the very first winner of Tough Enough, Maven Huffman, is now working in New York City as a bouncer at a sports bar. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani confirmed the story after spotting Huffman at the unnamed bar. He said, “Just walked by a bar that former Tough Enough winner Maven was bouncing. Told him the Rumble spot was awesome. He didn’t seem pleased. I swear. He seemed embarrassed someone recognized him.” Last month, an anonymous fan posted on TheColi.com with a similar story, posting the following: “[Huffman] was a huge d*** he was kind a pushing me away the whole time, but i had told him man I remember when you eliminated undertaker in RR, he didnt care lol. Dude seemed bitter for me even bringing up his wrestling past. ” Huffman was released from WWE in 2005 after a very disappointing and forgettable 4-year run with the company. After his release, he appeared on the “reality” show The Surreal Life and began hosting shows for QVC and BET. Last year, Huffman was arrested for “doctor shopping”, which is going to numerous pharmacies to fill the same prescription, resulting in more than 1000 doses. Instead of jail time, Huffman agreed to go into rehabilitation, using WWE-sponsored drug rehab to successfully kick his addiction.

Read the Part 2 of 30th September WWE Notes.