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WWE Called The “Biggest Bully On The Block”, Ripped For Mocking Jim Ross On Television

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Linda Sánchez, the U.S. Representative for California’s 39th congressional district, is being criticized for promoting WWE’s multi-platform, nationwide anti-bullying campaign, “be a STAR,” at a rally last Friday at Whittier, California’s Parnell Park in the Los Angeles area. She had a Twitter exchange with Irv Muchnick, author of CHRIS & NANCY: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling’s Cocktail of Death and Wrestling Babylon, regarding her appearance, who noted his displeasure with his favorite congressperson on football brain injuries being “coopted by WWE/Linda McMahon propaganda.”

Sánchez responded to his remark, tweeting, “As a mother & lawmaker, bullying prevention is very important 2 me. I speak w/ kids re: the dangers of bullying any chance I get.” Muchnick then wrote, “Respectfully, I don’t think you know background of why WWE, biggest bully on the block, is involved in this campaign….”

Sánchez’s communications director, Adam Hudson, responded to Muchnik’s concerns Monday via e-mail: “We saw your Tweets regarding Linda speaking at anti-bullying events with the WWE and other celebrities. I’m happy to follow up on why Linda was there if you would like. Regards.”

Muchnick then gave a lengthy response stating his belief that prominent politicians such as herself and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who also spoke at the anti-bullying rally, should not get in bed with WWE by covering, “or, worse, extolling the company’s self-aggrandizing propaganda.” He details the hypocrisy of WWE promoting an anti-bullying campaign when the sports-entertainment organization, or rather, the McMahon family, has ingrained a toxic culture of bullying in their workplace. He notes, “WWE became part of the Be A Star campaign in the first place only because the company was dealing with the public relations fallout of controversial actions, gestures, and public utterances of its performers, which put them at odds with organizations such as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.”

Muchnick then lists examples of WWE compromising its anti-bullying campaign, including company chief Vince McMahon mocking announcer Jim Ross’ affliction with Bell’s Palsy in a backstage segment on the June 11 episode of Raw. He details, “Recently, to great televised and dressing-room glee, the Monday Night Raw program on the USA cable network broadcast a parody of on-and-off announcer and company executive Jim Ross. Mocking Mr. Ross’s bouts with the disease Bell’s Palsy, which has partially paralyzed his face, the talent performing the parody twisted his own mouth theatrically and grotesquely, while a commentator chimed in with unrestrained mirth. Here, the on-air bullying anecdote harshly illuminated the same methods in WWE’s backstage relations with its own employees.”

Muchnick adds, “I think our conversation on this matter can advance public understanding of the bullying issue, as well as provide fodder for the Senate race in Connecticut between Ms. McMahon and her Democratic opponent, Chris Murphy.”

To read Muchnick’s full response on the matter, click here.

Daniel Bryan Reacts To Attending Anger Management, How Old Is Eve Torres?, Khloe Kardashian Odom

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– Raw General Manager AJ Lee announced on Twitter Monday night that Daniel Bryan will attend anger management classes beginning next week. “Starting next week, I’ve decided to help Daniel Bryan out with his anger issues, by sending him to anger management therapy classes,” she tweeted.

Bryan vehemently opposes her decision. He sent out a Tout where he angrily states, “I don’t belong in anger management! I do not belong in anger management! That Big Red Monster, he does! Do I? Look at my new T-Shirt! No! No! No! The new General Manager is nuts.”

– WWE Diva Eve Torres turns 28-years-old on Tuesday.

– EOnline.com has published an article on Khloé Kardashian Odom serving as Social Media Ambassador to Raw Monday.

“Divas Battle Royal!! This is what it was like growing up with my sisters! JK!,” she joked on Twitter at one point. She also noted, “I bet Sin Cara is gorgeous under his mask, probably better looking than @CodyRhodesWWE.”

CM Punk Explains Why He Tapes Up His Wrists, Legends of the Ring’s WrestleMania 29 Plans

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– Speaking to WWE Magazine, CM Punk explains why he tapes up his wrists for every match.

“With taping up my wrists, there’s both an aesthetic and a utilitarian purpose,” he says. “Obviously, I’m big on imagery with Straight Edge. As for X’ing up the current CM Punk, mostly uses red pen—it’s my favorite color. But on the other end of the spectrum, taping up my hands and wrists helps me grip whomever I’m wrestling as well as the ropes. If I have a strained wrist, you’d never know thanks to the tape job. So it’s both functional, and it looks cool. Plus, it takes less than a minute to tape up both wrists, so it’s certainly not a time consuming process.”

– Legends of the Ring has announced they will be participate in the WrestleCon festivities that are taking place WrestleMania weekend 2013 April 5-7 with an event at Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. Names scheduled to appear include The Honky Tonk Man, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, Demolition Ax, Demolition Smash, Kamala “The Ugandan Giant,” Mr. Fuji, Ken Patera and Tito Santana. (Event Information)

– Rey Mysterio is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.

RAW’s Social Media Score Down Again, Backstage Fallout Video From RAW

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– Following his loss to Randy Orton on Monday’s RAW, Albero Del Rio spoke to WWE.com and said be the next World Heavyweight champion after speaking to SmackDown General Manager Booker T on Friday’s show.

– Monday’s post-SummerSlam edition of WWE RAW had a Trendrr.tv Social Media Score of 316,972, down from the previous week’s score (369,933)

Despite the overall social media activity being down this week, RAW improved to #2 on cable for Monday night, behind only “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta” on VH1.

– Here is the latest Backstage Fallout video featuring backstage interviews from Monday’s RAW:

Triple H & Rey Mysterio Talk Brock Lesnar Leaving WWE In 2004 & Returning This Year

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Yahoo! Sports has an article up about Brock Lesnar “finally being back in his comfort zone” under the bright lights of WWE. WWE superstars Triple H and Rey Mysterio spoke to Yahoo! about Lesnar leaving WWE back i n and his return to WWE the night after WrestleMania 28 back in April. Here are some highlights of what they said about:

Rey Mysterio on Lesnar Leaving WWE in 2004: “We were kind of disappointed when he left and just didn’t know what was going to happen with him trying out for the NFL and then shocking the world with the UFC. Overall, he did what he wanted to do and you can’t take that away from any man or human being who wants to accomplish something or prove themselves in a certain sport.”

Triple H on Lesnar’s Return: “Brock reached out to us when his UFC contract was done and I think he was just sticking his toe in the water to see if there was any interest, We spoke and the rest is history. There was a time where WWE fans thought they would never see Lesnar back with the company. There had been some animosity a little bit in some ways between Brock and the WWE at various points,” Levesque said. “Some of that was real, some of that was media.”

News On Paul Heyman’s WWE Future & Jim Ross’s Austin-Punk Sit Down Interview

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– Paul Heyman’s future in WWE is up in the air after his appearance alongside Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam and Monday’s RAW. It has been reported for months that Heyman’s WWE deal was set to expire at or around SummerSlam. Especially with Brock Lesnar “quitting” WWE on Tout on Monday night, it remains to be seen whether we’ll see Heyman on television in the coming months.

The Real Story on Brock Lesnar Quitting WWE

– The recent sit-down interview that Jim Ross moderated between CM Punk and Steve Austin for the WWE ’13 video game was designed to be like the Shawn Michaels & Bret Hart “Greatest Rivalries” interview that was filmed last year.

Punk and Austin talked about who would win a match between the two of them and how that will come across in the WWE ’13 game. While Austin and Punk are believed to have a great deal of respect for one another in real life, the interview was said to be very heated at times, with with Jim Ross calling it a “classic” on Twitter over the weekend.

The Latest On When STEVE AUSTIN Will Wrestle His Final Match

There’s still no word yet on when the interview will air – it’s possible that the interview will be featured as bonus content on the WWE ’13 disc.

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

Cody Rhodes Wants To Unmask Sin Cara, Popularity Of WWE’s New App

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– Cody Rhodes posted a video on Tout and says it’s his “responsibility” to unmask Sin Cara and show the world his face. (Pictures of Sin Cara Unmasked)

– Just days after the release of WWE’s new mobile app, the app is already 14th most downloaded app in the Apple App Store and the 21st most downloaded app in the Google Play store. For those who haven’t downloaded it yet, it’s absolutely worth a look and one of the most content-rich, polished apps we’ve ever seen.

– Damien Sandow will be appearing at the upcoming NXT live event from the Orlando Armory in Orlando, Florida on September 7th.

CM Punk & Jerry Lawler Exchange Words After RAW – Building To A Match

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After Monday’s WWE RAW went off the air, WWE Champion grabbed a microphone and said the word “Respect” before walking off and leaving Jerry Lawler laying in the ring.

CM Punk was interviewed by WWE.com backstage after RAW and said Lawler got what he deserved. From now on, everyone else is going to get the same treatment for turning their backs on him. Jerry Lawler tweeted the following response to Punk’s attack at the end of RAW:

According to PWInsider.com, this angle is building up to a match between Lawler and Lawler, which will likely take place on next week’s WWE RAW from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

News On Kaitlyn Responds To Tweets From AJ, Layla & Natalya,

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– RAW General Manager AJ Lee tweeted the following message on Monday night, congratulating Kaitlyn for winning the Divas Battle Royal on RAW to become the new #1 contender to Layla’s title:

Kaitlyn, who also responded to some trash talk from Layla and Natalya on Monday night, responded to AJ with:

WWE officials have been very impressed with Kaitlyn’s recent matches and there has been talk of her getting a run with the Divas title this fall.

– Sean Waltman tweeted the following endorsement of WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro:

https://twitter.com/therealxpac/status/236654017743310848

– Here is the latest Wade Barrett promo that aired on Monday’s RAW:

Barrett stated during an interview over the weekend that he is currently 99% ready to return to action.

* News On What’s Planned For WWE SURVIVOR SERIES & THE ROCK’s WWE Return

What’s Next For Shawn Michaels, Tamina Eyeing The Divas Title & More

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– Following his appearance on Monday’s WWE RAW [via satellite], WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels says he’s leaving the spotlight once again and is looking forward to returning to his private family life:

– After coming up short in the #1 contender’s Divas Battle Royal on Monday’s RAW, Tamina tweeted the following message:

https://twitter.com/taminasnuka/status/237786264378675200

– Speaking of the Divas Battle Royal, it’s worth noting that Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix were featured on the preview graphic for the match, despite the fact that neither of them was at RAW.

Tonight’s SmackDown Tapings, RAW Twitter Trends, Mayweather At SummerSlam

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– Among the WWE-related terms that trended on Twitter last night were Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, Zack Ryder, CM Punk, Big Show, Damien Sandow, Brodus Clay, Jerry Lawler, Kaitlyn and Scott Armstrong.

– Floyd Mayweather was among the celebrities backstage at SummerSlam.

– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown tapings take place from the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, California. This wek’s show will feature General Manager Booker T responding to Alberto Del Rio’s formal complaint regarding the controversial finish of his SummerSlam match with Sheamus.

John Cena and Triple H are advertised for the show, with John Cena vs. Big Show (No DQ) scheduled as the dark match main event.

Next Week’s RAW Social Media Ambassador, RAW 1,000 DVD, Hornswoggle

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– Hornswoggle will be throwing out the first pitch at tomorrow’s Milwaukee Brewers game.

– WWE’s upcoming RAW 1,000 DVD set will feature a countdown of the Top 100 moments in RAW history.

– Actor Dominic Monaghan of the WWE Studios movie, “The Day” will be the social media ambassador for next week’s WWE RAW from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. WWE’s announcement reads:

“Actor Dominic Monaghan will be right alongside the rest of the WWE Universe next week, tweeting about the action of Raw as he serves as WWE’s official Social Media Ambassador.

Best known for his role in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Monaghan stars this summer in the WWE Studios apocalyptic thriller “The Day,” which opens in theaters Aug. 29. But next Monday, Aug. 27, he’ll keep the passionate WWE fans up to speed with his thoughts on all the excitement of WWE’s flagship show!”

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

Chris Jericho Says Farewell To His Fans, Dolph Ziggler Responds

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As we saw on Monday’s WWE RAW, Chris Jericho lost a “WWE Contract vs. Money In The Bank Briefcase” match on RAW to Dolph Ziggler, effectively ending his current WWE run.

Following Monday’s RAW, Jericho tweeted a farewell message to his fans:

Jericho also congratulated his opponent for finally getting the best of him when both of their backs were against the wall:

As we’ve been reporting for months, Jericho is leaving WWE to tour with his metal band, Fozzy. WWE talent and employees have been saying their goodbyes to Jericho over the weekend at SummerSlam and last night at RAW. Jericho assured people that even though he has other goals to achieve with Fozzy, he’s not retired from WWE and will be back.

Dolph Ziggler responded to Jericho’s tweets, complimenting his rival while getting in one last dig:

WWE Developmental Wrestler Made A Referee, AJ and Kaitlyn Further Storyline

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– Brad Maddox, who had been competing in WWE’s developmental promotion, has been promoted to the main roster as a referee. He officiated the No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal on Raw won by Kaitlyn. His profile has been removed from FCWWrestling.info, which further indicates that he will no longer be used in a wrestler capacity.

Maddox had reigned as FCW Tag Team Champion and FCW 15 Champion when the titles were deactivated last week due to Florida Championship Wrestling being renamed NXT Wrestling.

– Raw General Manager AJ Lee congratulated Kaitlyn, her former tag team partner, for winning the No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal on Raw. She wrote, “I know we’ve had some small issues in the past @KaitlynWWE , but I’m so happy for you. Look at how far we’ve come. #chickbusters4life.”

Kaitlyn responded, “ummm thanks @WWEAJLee ?? Water under the bridge I guess… Don’t expect me to hug you though.”

In the spring, Lee assaulted Kaitlyn on two occasions for trying to comfort her in her break-up from Daniel Bryan.

Former Diva Praises WWE’s Anti-Bullying Campaign, Eve Wrongly Labeled Divas Champion

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– During Raw Monday, former WWE performer Maria Kanellis praised her former employer’s anti-bullying efforts with “be a STAR.” She tweeted, “I really love everything @wwe does with #BeASTAR.”

A follower of hers deemed WWE’s stance against bullying hypocritical considering that many talents have been subject to blistering ridicule by organization higher-ups, both on-air and off: “How can they advocate non-bullying with all the on and off-camera bullying going on in that company?” The former Diva feels that WWE is making an honest effort to make bullying on their part a thing of the past.

“I think that @WWE is changing for the better! They are moving in a great direction and it’s exciting. #BeASTAR,” she responded.

– WWE.com erroneously labeled Eve as Divas Champion in their main page write-up of Kaitlyn becoming the No. 1 Contender to the title on Raw. The website wrote, “In a No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal on Raw, Kaitlyn outlasted all of her competitors and eliminated Eve to become the new No. 1 contender to Divas Champion Eve.” Click here to view a screenshot of the error, which has since been corrected.

Meanwhile, Natalya was not pleased with the match result. She tweeted, “I’m not happy for @KaitlynWWE – she didn’t deserve to win tonight. It was a complete fluke. Everyone, ESP @EveMarieTorres knows this!”

Conflicting Reports On Fred Durst Incident At SummerSlam, Madusa’s New Job, Nathan Jones

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– As reported Monday, a WWE spokesperson told TMZ.com that online reports of Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst being kicked out of the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California, the venue for WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event Sunday night, for displaying an obscene gesture while he shown live on camera “are 100% FALSE.” Rather, he went backstage on his own accord to apologize for his action, according to the spokesman. On the contrary, multiple WWE sources noted to PWInsider.com that Durst was asked to leave the arena by WWE.

Kevin Dunn, WWE Executive Vice President of Television Production, reportedly “blew a gasket” when Durst flipped the middle finger at the camera.

Durst had claimed on Twitter that he wanted to beat traffic following the show, writing, “I was leaving to beat the traffic! Haha, security escorting me out?? WWE is family. hahaha. Is this really a rumor? Amazing. My boys at WWE are cracking up! Note- never leave early to beat traffic!” He then deleted the message.

– Madusa is now a life coach. She launched a Facebook page promoting her endeavor, where she notes, “I help men and women that are fed up with today’s health fads and teach them to listen to their body’s messages and educate them for healthy choices. Wellness, Fitness and Cancer Coach.”

– Former WWE Superstar Nathan Jones turns 42-years-old Tuesday. He now works as an actor.

Plans For John Cena vs. CM Punk Feud Including Live Events

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In the closing segment of Monday’s WWE RAW, the stage was set for CM Punk to defend the WWE Championship against John Cena at Night of Champions on September 16th. The match was not made official, but it will be finalized soon.

New local advertisements for WWE’s upcoming live events through the remainder of 2012 are listing CM Punk vs. John Cena as the main event for these shows.

This includes WWE’s return to Madison Square Garden on December 27th.

* LESNAR QUITS WWE: The Full Story On If He’s Really Leaving

(Source: PWInsider.com)

Chris Jericho’s WWE Contract “Terminated,” New #1 Contender To Divas Title

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– Kaitlyn is the new #1 contender to Layla’s Divas championship after winning a Divas Battle Royal on RAW.

– Chris Jericho’s contract was “terminated” on RAW after he lost a Summerslam rematch to Dolph Ziggler.

Earlier in the show, AJ Lee made the rematch with the stipulation that if Ziggler won, Jericho’s WWE contract was terminated. If Jericho won, he would receive Ziggler’s Money in the Bank title shot.

Jericho is being written off television will soon begin touring with his metal band Fozzy.

Daniel Bryan Starting Anger Management Next Week, WWE’s 3-Day Tryout Camp

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– Daniel Bryan will begin anger management classes next week on RAW. AJ Lee tweeted on Monday night:

– Backstage at Monday’s RAW, WWE superstars were being scanned for an upcoming line of Mattel action figures.

– Jim Ross continues to tweet about WWE’s 3-day tryout session taking place this week in Southern California this week. JR tweeted on Monday night:

* LESNAR QUITS WWE: The Full Story On If He’s Really Leaving

Kurt Angle Opens Healthy Cafe In Pittsburgh, Video Message From TNA Star

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TNA Impact Wrestling Superstar Kurt Angle has opened a healthy Cafe located in the heart of Pittsburgh.

The Health Up Cafe is a place to unwind and have a healthy meal. Guaranteed to be made fresh everyday we offer made to order breakfast and lunch, the healthy way. Whether you’re a business person with a deadline that takes precedence over a balanced meal, a mom juggling kids, work, and fitness, or a student in need of a quick meal on the way to class. Health Up Cafe has a meal or snack that fits your on the go lifestyle.

For more information on The Health Up Cafe, visit www.healthupusa.com. It is located at 707 Grant Street Pittsburgh, Pa 15219 (Entrance is on 7th Ave in the Gulf Building.

Here is a short video of Kurt promoting the cafe.

http://youtu.be/xdrXamhq__o

Brock Lesnar Quits WWE & Says He’s Never Coming Back

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UPDATE: The Real Story On Whether Brock Lesnar is Quitting WWE & His Possible WrestleMania 29 Opponent

Paul Heyman just posted a video on Tout of his client Brock Lesnar quitting WWE:

The news (and a link to Heyman’s video) were posted on Twitter by WWE and listed as “Breaking News.”

Superstars & Divas Comment On Brock Lesnar Defeating Triple H

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Several WWE superstars and divas tweeted their reactions to the Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H match at Summerslam the news that Brock Lesnar “broke Triple H’s arm.” Here’s what the following people said about the situation:

Chris Jericho: #SummerSlam was amazing! Great match w @HEELZiggler and I proved my point! And if that was HHH last stand…what a way to go out! #truewarrior

Mark Henry: Triple h and Brock was very good I expected such a match.H is long from done gladiators die in the ring.That man is not dead by a long shot.

Cody Rhodes HHH would be just fine not getting paid long as he still was able to walk down the ramp…I feel the same, so I can’t imagine hanging it up.

Santino Marella I’m concern for HHH, back stage he looked . . . its hard to put in words but there seemed to be no wind in his sails, if that make sense

R-Truth: Big win for the tag team champs,,but I’m worried about HHH,,he’s really banged up bad,,not to mention a broken arm..

Vickie Guerrero: Triple H is built of steel, he will recover and face Brock once again!

Natalya: Can’t help but wonder what is going to happen to HHH after his loss to Brock at SummerSlam. Maybe it’s his last match as it was so intense.

More On Triple H & Lesnar’s Feud, WWE Ranks #2 On Google On Sunday, NXT

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– As previously reported, WWE Champion CM Punk will be at Thursday night’s WWE NXT taping at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Jim Ross will also be on hand to call some of the action.
Because WWE are so far ahead in taping NXT shows, the next taping won’t take place until September 20th.

– “WWE” was the second most-searched item on Google on Sunday in the U.S. with about 100,000 searches. This is on par with how previous big WWE PPVs have performed and includes searches for “SummerSlam”, “WWE” and other WWE-related phrases (like wrestler names).

– On Monday afternoon, WWE announced that “Brock Lesnar broke Triple H’s arm” at SummerSlam. This is another indication that last night was not the last we’ve seen of this feud and WWE is likely building up to a Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H rematch.

(Source: f4wonline.com)

Fred Durst Apologizes For Making Obscene Gesture At SummerSlam, WWE Issues Statement

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According to TMZ.com, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst was not escorted out of the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California, the venue for WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event Sunday night, by security personnel after flipping the bird while being shown live on camera prior to the main event match-up between Brock Lesnar and Triple H. Rather, he left the main arena to apologize to WWE producers for his action.

A WWE spokesman tells TMZ, “The reports are 100% FALSE. The “Limp Bizkit” frontman didn’t get the boot, he just felt so bad following the incident, he immediately went backstage to apologize for his actions.”

The spokesman also notes, “We appreciate Fred’s apology. However, we take our family-friendly environment very seriously and this was a violation of that. We sincerely apologize to our fans.”

Durst had claimed on Twitter that he wanted to beat traffic following the show, writing, “I was leaving to beat the traffic! Haha, security escorting me out?? WWE is family. hahaha. Is this really a rumor? Amazing. My boys at WWE are cracking up! Note- never leave early to beat traffic!”

Chris Masters Apologizes For Tweeting Picture Of A Gun To His Head

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Former WWE superstar Chris Masters Tweeted a photo on Sunday afternoon that got a lot of people questioning his mental state and his well being.

Masters tweeted a shirtless picture of himself holding a gun to his head with the caption, “My only fear of death reincarnation!” If holding a gun to his head isn’t a bad enough sign, he was also holding a drink in his other hand, which could mean he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the stunt. Here’s the picture:

Masters posted an apology on Monday:

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