source: www.f4wonline.com
-- It would appear that Elijah Burke was released from World Wrestling Entertainment because he didn't have anyone behind him on the creative team. Burke had not appeared on WWE television in over four months -- since around Memorial Day. Burke initially started out as a project under Court Bauer on SmackDown, and then moved to ECW at the request of Paul Heyman. Dave Lagana, who was writing ECW TV over the course of 2007, gave him a solid push that year. However, Bauer quit, Heyman was booted out of WWE, and Lagana was fired, so Burke was left to fend for himself without any backers. This resulted in him completely being taken off the road by June. Why no one saw anything in Burke after Lagana was let go remains a mystery.
-- The WWE site has put out a statement saying that last week's edition of SmackDown was once again the most-watched telecast among total viewers in the history of MyNetwork TV, "breaking its own record for the fourth week in a row." The part on it being the most-watched telecast in the history of MyNetworkTV is definitely true as Mediaweek.com reported the following today: "Based on ratings for Nov. 7, Friday Night Smackdown! rose to 3.68 million viewers -- its most-watched audience on MyNetworkTV to-date. Smackdown! also reached a new zenith on its new network in adults 18-34 (784,000), adults 18-49 (1.60 million), adults 25-54 (1.61 million), men 18-34 (505,000), men 18-49 (990,000), men 25-54 (1.03 million), women 18-34 (280,000), women 18-49 (990,000) and women 25-54 (1.03 million)." However, it doesn't appear to be for the "fourth time in a row" because the week before, SmackDown drew a horrible 1.7 rating, pretty much due to it being Halloween night. Also, WWE did not put out a statement toting a third week in a row of record-breaking ratings like they probably would have. You can read WWE's statement at the following link, which is titled: "SmackDown breaks record for fourth time in a row."
-- WWE will be holding a live taping of Raw in Cleveland on January 26th, the day after the Royal Rumble, but it won't be held in the main arena of the city for the first time in as long as anyone can remember. They'd hold shows in the Richmond Coliseum in the 80s and the Gund Arena/Quickens Loan Arena today, but they're going to a building that holds 7,000 less than the bigger building. This appears to be a sign of cutbacks.
