Cena's push, Dawn Marie pitching ideas, WWE/NOAH show and more

- Ultimo Dragon will be meeting with WWE road agent Johnny "Ace" Laurinitis when WWE hits Japan later this week. Ultimo Dragon was expected to re-start with the company in December but that was pulled.

- Dawn Marie has been pitching the idea of her working as a manager to the creative team.

- Chad Wicks, currently honing his skills in OVW, is being watched closely by WWE and may be called up shortly. Same with diva Alexis Laree.

- John Cena will be receiving a massive push going in to WrestleMania 21. John’s overall reputation is very good; he comes across as a nice guy that gets along with everyone, and doesn’t cause any problems. However, his shortcoming remains his in-ring work, which hasn’t progressed at the pace many had hoped.

Cena was always open about his need to improve his in-ring skills, however lately he hasn’t been taking part in in-ring workouts before shows very often. “He doesn’t train hard enough to get better,” says one WWE source. “He’s been told to step it up.”

In-ring workouts are common among rookies in the business and veterans tutoring them, Undertaker, Kurt Angle are usually involved in helping the less experienced wrestlers. Ricky Steamboat also has been helping lately.

Cena did take part in an in-ring workout before last week’s Smackdown taping in Little Rock, but wrestlers noted how he hadn’t been doing that often enough. “Once you get to this level,” says one wrestler, “the scrutiny goes up ten-fold. He wants to improve, but he should go in there and ask for suggestions and tips. He has to be doubling his efforts to improve at this point in order to avoid criticism from others.”

However, to Cena’s credit, he does have a good reputation for studying tapes of his matches when he gets home.

- Daily Sports out of Japan reports that WWE vice president John Laurinatis recently met with NOAH president Misawa and Ruu Nakata. The two sides apparently discussed doing a joint WWE/NOAH show at the Tokyo Dome in the future. Shane McMahon and Triple H have said recently that WWE wants to do a Tokyo Dome show in 2006.