In case you haven't already read it elsewhere, the return of Mr. McMahon to Raw on Monday spiked the ratings. The show did a 3.9 (including a 4.1 for the second hour), which was up from last week's 3.5 and is the best number Raw has done since the Ric Flair farewell episode did a 3.9 on March 31. Raw's best rating in 2008 was a 4.0 on Feb. 18 (the night after the No Way Out pay-per-view).
The rating obviously is good news for WWE heading into the Royal Rumble pay-per-view Sunday. Plus, it was an entertaining show with a great final segment, so the odds are good that many of the additional viewers who don't typically watch will continue to tune in. ...
Jim Ross posted the following on his blog concerning Randy Orton's stiff kick to McMahon's head on Raw: "Word has it the Chairman may have sustained a concussion [unconfirmed] but he did receive a cut either on or above his ear from RKO's boot laces." I don't know if Ross is "kayfabing" us or not, but based on the slow-motion replays of the incident, it wouldn't surprise me if McMahon sustained some type of injury. ...
I was happy to see that The Wrestler picked up two Academy Award nominations this morning: Mickey Rourke for Best Actor and Marisa Tomei for Best Supporting Actress. I think both are well-deserved, especially Rourke, who has a good shot to win according to the experts. I was a little disappointed that the movie didn't receive a Best Picture nomination, but I can't really say it was better than the films that were nominated because I haven't seen any of them. ...
I interviewed Rey Mysterio over the phone yesterday and will have the Q&A posted later today. I also will post an interview with Christopher Daniels, who talks about his career as well as his thoughts on The Wrestler, within the next few days. ...
For those who have asked, the weekly Ring Posts Live segment that I do on WNST 1570 AM (wnst.net) on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. will be returning Feb. 4. I'll be doing it with a new host – Nestor Aparicio. Nestor and I have known each other since the seventh grade, and one of the main reasons we became friends was our mutual love of pro wrestling (another was our mutual love of seventh-grade girls).