By Mr. Mal Occhio
WRESTLERS RAMBLINGS wrestling blog 

The Great American Bash may turn out to be anything but great for the WWE, as several lineup changes have occurred during the last week amid a swirl of rumors, conjecture – and legitimate injuries.

First, as anyone who saw the last Saturday Night’s Main Event could attest, Mark Henry has been removed from his match with Dave Batista, thanks to a legitimate knee injury that will keep him shelved for at least the next eight months. That forced the WWE to feed up-and-coming Ken Kennedy to Batista, who inevitably will walk all over Mr. Kennedy – tearing down a legitimate rising star in the process in order to have Batista appear as strong as ever as he attempts to reclaim his main event status. It’s too bad though, as Kennedy looks to be a legit blue-chipper in his own right. The WWE had better hope that he retains his heat anyway, as they look to create more stars on the Smackdown brand. The timing of Henry’s injury forced their hand – yes – but to feed Kennedy to the Animal seems to lack foresight.

In jucier gossip making the rounds however, it appears the WWE has seen a rash of “liver� diseases as of late, with both Bobby Lashley and the Great Kahli reportedly pulled from tonight’s pay-per-view as well. News broke this week on Lashley on WWE.com from their physician, Dr. Ferdinand Rios: “During his annual exam, Bobby Lashley was found to have elevated enzymes of the liver; therefore, he is not cleared to wrestle until further evaluation.� What should be noted, however, is that the results of these tests were part of the ongoing WWE “Wellness� program, with one medical source reporting that increased liver enzymes can be brought on by a number of factors such as vitamin or herbal supplements, anti-inflammatory drugs, cholesterol-lowering medications, anti-biotics and anti-seizure medications. Other factors such as excessive drinking, obesity, diabetes or infections brought on by other diseases could also contribute. Lashley’s match with champion Fit Finlay and William Regal for the United States title will now see the two Euro-mates battle it out for the title (in what could easily be a card-stealer, as both men will no doubt go all out in a stiff brawl).

Mr. Mal is just wonderin’ out loud if any sort of steroids or human growth hormone could also contribute to such conditions, but then again, Mr. Mal is not a medical professional and can only wonder . . .

As for Kahli, no news was available on his status or condition (other than his Punjabi Prison Match with the Undertaker will now be filled by the Big Show) other than his, too having a “diseased liver�. Hmmm . . .

To compensate for the rash of substitutions, the WWE has cancelled two ECW house shows scheduled for last night and tonight in the Michigan area (Muskegon and Saginaw) in order to have a full compliment of talent on-hand for the pay-per-view. It will be interesting to see what plays out with the extreme additions, with anyone’s guess if they will actually get involved in any matches, or perhaps, start a new angle with some sort of ECW-takeover of Smackdown.

Your final card for tonight’s GREAT AMERICAN BASH PPV is as follows:

Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Booker T - World Heavyweight Championship
Batista vs. Mr. Kennedy
Undertaker vs. Big Show - Punjabi Prison Match
Fit Finlay (c) vs. William Regal - United States Championship
Brian Kendrick and Paul London (c) vs. The Pitbulls - WWE Tag Team Championship
Michelle McCool vs. Ashley vs. Kristal vs. Jillian - Bra & Panties Match
Gregory Helms (c) vs. unannounced - WWE Cruiserweight Championship