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More On Talent Meeting Before RAW, Kharma’s Release, Triple H & Tag Teams

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– Following up on the meeting that took place prior to Monday’s RAW, talent was told specifically that any hateful or racial comments would not be tolerated. The company stressed that WWE’s PG programming extends to how talent conducts themselves on social media. As for nobody speaking up when given the chance to vent their frustrations, it’s believed that anybody who does have legitimate concerns would be risking their job by saying anything.

– Prior to her WWE release, Kharma had developed a reputation of being lazy and company officials were losing faith that she would be able to get herself back into ring shape.

TMZ.com recently reported that Kharma is working with a team of professionals to help get her back into ring shape and is planning land a reality TV deal by shopping around footage of her journey.

– WWE employees who have worked closely with Triple H over the years believe that he will continue to focus on building up WWE’s fledgling tag team division, which will likely come at the expense of the Divas division. Triple H has never been a big fan of women’s wrestling and most of new talent WWE has been recruiting have been men.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Another Rumored SummerSlam Match, WWE Pushing For More New Shows & More

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– WWE officials are currently looking for a TV network to air their monthly PPV pre-shows that currently air online.

WWE is also looking to run a 1-hour countdown show prior to next year’s 4-hour WrestleMania 29, similar to the 1-hour pre-shows that air on Spike TV prior to UFC PPVs.

– WWE’s recent DVD release of No Holds Barred made the company approximately $300,000, making it one of the company’s most profitable releases in recent years.

– Aside from the rumored Damien Sandow vs. Brodus Clay match, Cody Rhodes vs. Sin Cara is also expected to be added to Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam PPV.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

JR Blog: Triple H vs. Lesnar, WWE’s Talent Recruiting, Big E. Langston

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WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

Developmental Star Big E. Langston: “Big E Langston had another solid outing at NXT and has incorporated King Kong Bundy’s 5 count, an idea that I originally provided Bill Watts and Ernie Ladd for Bundy years ago, to his presentation. Big E has cut his weight to around 280 but still looks to be 300 plus. Big, athletic talents have a leg up over smaller, athletic talents and I don’t mean that to start a firestorm but it’s true.”

WWE’s Talent Recruiting: “A couple of the new, former NFL linemen that WWE has signed to begin training have lost well over 100, perhaps closer to 200 combined pounds to get in better condition and to be able to present themselves better on TV.”

“WWE will conduct a closed, invitation only try out camp next Monday-Wednesday in the Los Angeles area that I’m anxious to attend. The recruiting of new, trainees for WWE Development hasn’t been this aggressive in years or so it seems.”

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar This Sunday: “I expect the WWE Title bout to close the show at SummerSlam but there is no doubt that the HHH-Lesnar encounter has many fans talking. I expect HHH and Brock to be physical, straight forward, and a match that will challenge each man’s will. It’s a distinctly personal issue that features two of the most physically driven men to ever compete in WWE. The Game has plenty of motivation in this personal issue but I wonder if that will be enough to handle Lesnar who has strategically monitored his every step on TV while building viable anticipation for this match and what he plans to do. This one might even be ‘Bowling Shoe Ugly’ in the sense that I don’t think that it will be artistically appealing but it will be intense, guttural, and smash mouth.”

Resentment Towards Brooke Hogan, TNA Signing X Division Talent, Crimson At OVW

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– There is said to be a lot of resentment in TNA towards Brooke Hogan. There was initially some excitement that her “star power” would bring something to Impact, but the feeling is that she’s not good in her current role, she’s not over with the audience and she’s only on television because she’s Hulk Hogan’s daughter.

– TNA is looking to bolster the X Division roster, with the company recently offering deals to Kenny King and Mason Andrews (formerly Scorpio Sky). King has signed with TNA, but there are conflicting reports as to whether Andrews has signed on yet.

– TNA star Crimson made a surprise appearance at last night’s Ohio Valley Wrestling live event, defeating OVW star Randy Royal. Crimson cut a promo after the match saying that capturing the OVW Heavyweight Title is now his #1 priority, so it appears that he’ll be working at TNA developmental for the time being.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Jeff Hardy’s Future In TNA, Al Snow’s Backstage Influence, Aces & Eights

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– Aces and Eights are teasing on Twitter that they’ve been quiet as of late, a sign that we could see them appear on tonight’s Impact.

– TNA agent Al Snow has gained a lot of influence behind the scenes in recent months.

– Jeff Hardy has impressed everybody in TNA with his how he’s turned his life around. After a rocky few years, Jeff Hardy is said to be always clear-headed and a “model employee.” He’s also the company’s top merchandise mover, by a long shot.

Jeff’s TNA contract expires next February. There are independent promoters that are under the impression that Matt and Jeff Hardy will be available for bookings early next year, but there are no other indications that Hardy will leave TNA when his contract expires.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Impact Wrestling Preview: Hardcore Justice Fallout, BFG Series Matches

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The following is TNA’s official preview for tonight’s live Impact Wrestling on Spike TV:

– IMPACT will feature the aftermath of “Hardcore Justice” as the road begins to September’s “No Surrender” event! STILL World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries will be there – but how will Bobby Roode react to what happened in the PPV main event? Also, NEW Knockouts Champion Madison Rayne is scheduled to appear, plus an update on The Aces & 8s and more.

– It’s the final weeks of the annual “Bound For Glory Series”, and the competition reaches a fever pitch as 12 Superstars battle for a shot at the World Championship! Thursday’s IMPACT broadcast features a huge double main event of BFG Series matches as “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy battles Bully Ray, plus AJ Styles goes for revenge against longtime enemy Christopher Daniels!

– Plus, former tag team partners Samoa Joe and Magnus will face off in another Bound For Glory Series bout on the huge LIVE broadcast!

All this and much more on Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast LIVE at 8/7c on SpikeTV

* Update on MATT MORGAN Jumping To WWE & Which WWE Stars Are In ACES & EIGHTS

RAW 1,000 Viewership News, Recent WWE Attendence Figures & More

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– Here are recent WWE attendance figures:

* SmackDown on August 9th in Tokyo drew 5,500 fans ($520,000 gate)

* RAW on August 10th in Tupelo, MS drew 5,200 fans ($160,000 gate)
* SmackDown on August 10th in Tokyo drew 7,000 fans ($640,000 gate)

* RAW on August 11th in Biloxi, MS drew 4,000 fans ($130,000 gate)
* SmackDown on August 11th in Shanghai, China drew 6,500 fans ($600,000 gate)

* RAW on August 12th in Texarkana, AR drew 3,600 fans ($110,000 gate)
* SmackDown on August 12th in Taipei, Taiwan drew 9,000 fans ($750,000 gate)

– WWE.com has an interview up with Michael “PS” Hayes about the song he recently recorded, “Freebird Road”, as a tribute to his late friend, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy. About the song, Hayes said:

“This is one of those things that makes me content with my life. If I never do another thing with my life, I know I’ll be happy that I was able to honor my friend this way.”

– The 1,000th RAW Celebration last month had a higher-than-usual percentage of fans watching the show on DVR/tape delay (11.7% of the total audience).

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Triple H High On Developmental Wrestler, WWE Recruiting Football Players & More

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– With WWE making a strong push to recruit new talent, the company has been putting a lot of focus on scouting college football players. As previously reported, WWE recently signed former NFL players Dean Muhtadi (former Green Bay Packer and Arizona Cardinal) and Brandon Carter (former New Orleans Saint).

– Actor Kris Kristofferson’s son Jody is currently working in WWE developmental with the ring name “Garrett Dylan”. He can be followed on Twitter @WWEGarrettDylan and his NXT profile can be viewed here.

– WWE’s upcoming Series 25 batch of action figures will include Randy Orton, The Miz, Big Show, David Otunga, Eve Torres and Brock Lesnar’s first action figure since he returned to WWE.

– Triple H is said to be a strong supporter of third-generation developmental talent Joe Hennig (Michael McGillicutty) and is pushing for him to be re-packaged soon.

McGillicutty’s grandfather, wrestling legend Larry “The Axe” Hennig, stated in a recent interview that Vince McMahon assured him that Joe would eventually use the Hennig name in WWE.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Nesletter)

Pictures Of AJ Lee & Her Boyfriend Trent Barreta

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Also Check Out:

–  Pictures of AJ LEE Before She Was In WWE
–  Pictures of AJ Lee’s Recent Wardrobe Malfunction

WWE Signs Del Rio’s Little Brother, CM Punk DVD Screening, Superstars

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– At the upcoming screening for CM Punk’s new WWE DVD documentary in Chicago on October 7th, several of the people who were interviewed for the documentary will participate in a panel discussion for the live audience.

– Matches taking place on today’s WWE Superstars show include:

* Damien Sandow vs. Justin Gabriel
* The Usos vs. Johnny Curtis and Michael McGillicutty
* Alex Riley vs. Drew McIntyre.

– WWE has reporetdly signed Guillermo Rodriguez, son of Mexican legend Dos Caras and the younger brother of WWE superstar Alberto Del Rio. Guillermo is already wrestling for WWE NXT as Memo Montenegro and trained in Florida with Pablo Marquez earlier this year.

(Partial source: PWInsider)

THQ Creative Director Talk About WWE ’13 Being Revolutionary

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THQ creative director Corey Ledesma recently spoke to WWE.com about the upcoming WWE ’13 video game, due out October 30th.

WWE ’13 SCreenshots & Video Trailer

Here are some highlights of what Ledesma said about:

The New “WWE Live” Feature: “WWE Live” is a complete audio and presentation experience that we are creating in “WWE ’13.” It’s an experience fans have never seen or heard before in a WWE game. Our new “Spectacular Moments” allows gamers to recreate some of the most awe-inspiring moments ever seen in a WWE ring, such as when Big Show superplexed Mark Henry at WWE Vengeance last year, causing the entire ring to collapse. Other examples are when Mark Henry slammed Sheamus right through the crowd barrier at SummerSlam — also last year — and even when The Undertaker famously sent Mankind flying off the top of the Hell in a Cell cage and through the announcer table back in 1998. All these “Spectacular Moments” are also backed up with a new audio experience that makes you feel as if you are at a raucous, live WWE event — hence the name “WWE Live”!

“Catching Finishers”: “As any WWE Superstar knows, you never want to leave yourself in a vulnerable position, and flying through the air is one of the most vulnerable positions in WWE. In “WWE ’13,” if you’re not careful, and you jump off the top rope or perform a springboard attack when your opponent has a finisher move stored, you could end up being caught in a devastating “Catching Finisher.” Just the other day, I was playing as “WWE ’13” cover Superstar CM Punk in the game, and I went up to the top turnbuckle to perform his diving elbow signature move. I wasn’t paying attention, though, and I failed to notice that The Undertaker had a finisher move stored. It was too late! I had already hit my signature move, and as I was flying through the air, I knew I was a dead man. Sure enough, Undertaker caught Punk in mid-air, then put him in perfect position to execute the Tombstone Piledriver and finish the match. That was a very tough lesson to learn, and one of the most exciting moments I’ve experienced thus far in “WWE ’13.”

WWE ’13 Being A Revolutionary Game: “Just like the game’s cover Superstar, CM Punk, we’re ready to drop a “pipe bomb” on WWE video games. We are revolutionizing sports-entertainment video games in so many different ways, I don’t know where to begin, but I’ll give it a shot. First, we have one of the largest rosters of WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends ever assembled in a WWE game. Second, we completely overhauled and lengthened our Story Mode this year. We are bringing back the Attitude Era, which gives players the amazing opportunity to relive some of the greatest moments in WWE history. The new Attitude Era Mode is 40 percent larger than our Story Mode last year. We are introducing new match types, such as “Special Referee,” championship titles, game modes, options, unlockable content and much more. We haven’t even announced the new features yet for our existing, fan-favorite game modes, such as WWE Universe and Create-a-Superstar. “WWE ’13” is poised to take the video game world by storm and deliver the largest WWE game to date.

How The Attitude Era Will Be Portrayed: “With such a beloved era, it’s critical we stay as authentic as possible. We worked closely with the great production team at WWE to create more than 20 exclusive Attitude Era video packages that players will be able to watch as they play throughout Attitude Era Mode. We recreated all of the classic WWE arenas, television graphics and entrances from the time period. We have more than 60 Attitude Era cutscenes that play out throughout the course of the mode, each telling the story as you play the matches. The Attitude Era roster has more than 30 Superstars and Divas from the time period, with lots of unlockable alternate attire options. We also have more than 100 unlockables in the mode, as well as cool bonus features, such as WWE Attitude Era photos, videos and more. As you can see, our goal was to create the most authentic Attitude Era experience possible.”

WWE Apparently Releases Another NXT Diva, Former Diva At SmackDown Taping, John Morrison

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– After it was reported earlier today that Caylee Turner was not listed among WWE’s developmental talent on the relaunched FCWWrestling.info, but her profile remained online, the profile was removed. This would indicate that she has been released from the organization.

Turner, the younger sister of Alicia Fox, joined the promotion in June 2010 to begin her professional wrestling career. In February 2011, she was released from her WWE contract in order to participate in the filming of the rebooted Tough Enough series on the USA Network. After finishing in fourth place on the program, Turner, whose real name is Christina Crawford, re-signed with WWE. She regularly competed for the developmental promotion, which culminated with her capturing their Divas Championship on June 29, 2012. She has not lost the belt.

– Lena Yada, who appeared as a backstage correspondent for ECW on Syfy in 2008, attended Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown taping in Austin, Texas. She sat among the audience and then went backstage, where she tweeted a photo of herself with ring announcer Lilian Garcia.

– Former WWE Superstar John Morrison appears for Pro Wrestling Holland on March 2, 2013 at Dynamo in Eindhoven, Holland, according to the I.P.A. Network.

Musical Performance Scheduled For SummerSlam, Lilian Garcia’s Red Carpet Tips, Shawn Michaels Poll

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– WWE.com has announced that Kevin Rudolf will perform “Don’t Give Up,” SummerSlam 2012’s official theme song, live on pay-per-view this Sunday.

– SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia talked exclusively to RedCarpetTips.com about her top red carpet and beauty tips. The WWE Diva says it takes a lot of work to look good.

“The first thing is the dress… then the day of, you know, just the curlers and the hair and the make-up,” Garcia says, also noting tanning. She says “It’s a process!”

– WWE.com has released a poll asking fans whether Shawn Michaels’ injury on Raw will affect Triple H’s chances of defeating Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.

Big Show Speaks Out Against Drunk Driving, Donald Trump Praises Linda McMahon, Edge Featured

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– Big Show is featured in a public service announcement promoting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s anti-drunk driving campaign, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

– Donald Trump congratulated former WWE chief executive Linda McMahon on her triumph in the Connecticut GOP Senate primary on Tuesday.

The eccentric billionaire wrote on Twitter, “Congratulations to Linda McMahon on her victory in the Connecticut Senate primary. She is an amazing woman–smart as you get!”

– Former WWE Superstar Edge is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com. The WWE Hall of Famer is free to appear for any wrestling organization since he is no longer under contract to WWE.

Kurt Angle Talks About His Funny Or Die Video (View Here) & 2016 Olympics

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TNA star Kurt Angle spoke with Thomas Alexander of ZooToday.com and spoke about his recent Funny or Die comedy video and whether he’d consider competing at the 2016 Olympics. Here’s what Angle said about:

Would He Try Out For The 2016 Olympics? “No! By that time I’d be 47, that’s definitely not an option for me. As I said I, found out that the requirements of the training was too much for my body to handle at this point in my career. When you make the Olympic team, that’s a milestone in itself and the training is unimaginable. The training you need to do is borderline abuse.”

Dealing With Injuries As He Gets Older: “You know when you get older it takes longer to recover. Even with the injuries that I’ve had in the past they never really kept me on the side line very long. I always thought I was invincible. This past year made me realize that I am not invincible anymore. That was something I learned the hard way.”

His Recent Funny or Die Comedy Video With RVD: “They actually contacted me after hearing I was training for the Olympics, but got injured, they said they would like me to do it and then air it just before the start of the games,” he said. “I thought it was quite an honor to have guys such as Will Ferrell and Adam McKay want me for a project. So they asked me to pick a partner and I chose RVD as my coach. I knew he’d do an excellent job and people don’t know him like I do, he’s a really funny guy.”

In case you haven’t seen it yet, here’s Kurt Angle’s Funny of Die video with RVD:

WWE Releases Another NXT Diva?

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With the relaunch of WWE’s official NXT website on Tuesday, FCWWrestling.info, the Divas roster page no longer lists former Tough Enough contestants Sofia Cortez and Caylee Turner—a general sign of a talent departure from developmental.

Cortez announced Saturday on Twitter that she was released from her WWE developmental contract.

Turner’s absence from the index could be a website error as unlike Cortez, her profile remains online.

RVD Talks About Not Wanting To Change His In-Ring Style, Returning To WWE & More

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TNA star Rob Van Dam was recently interview by Brian Fritz of Between The Ropes. Here are some highlights of what RVD said about:

Whether or not he has thought about slowing down or changing his style in the ring: No bro! I’m a showoff. That’s my whole job is to show what I have and my problem is the opposite. My problem is I’m always only allowed to show 10% of what I got. You know what I mean? People ask ‘I want to see more Van Daminators’. Well, that’s cool but it’s illegal to bring a chair in. I happen to be in a company that has a certain style where, if I brought the chair in and did it every single night, it might not mean as much. But back in the ECW days, that was the standard. So every night, I knew I was going to be able to give the fans their money’s worth whether it was a house show, TV or even on pay-per-view. I like to show that I can take more punishment than the other guys. I like to show that I’ve got flashy moves. I like to show that I have creativity by bringing in other factors and elements besides a regular, boring, one fall match inside the squared circle.

Whether or not he would still be in wrestling if TNA had not been around when he signed with the company in 2010 or even right now: Who knows? I didn’t think so at one point after I had left WWE. You know, a lot of fans seem to think that the weed bust got me kicked out of WWE or something. People that really follow it saw that I stayed there for a while but I see that a lot on the Internet. And you know it’s always true if it’s on the Internet! I did the time there and when my contract ran up and left in favor of not living on the road in a different town every single day, flying and driving, then trying to cut through the tension of the dressing room to get to my bag.

I left there and I was so burned out because, while I was burned out, things were getting worse the last several months. I had it in my contract that I’d have a weekend off once a month which they never gave me. And then towards the end, after I was bitching about that, they started booking me twice a day to do two shows. I said you guys are crazy! And when I left, there was a while where I thought man, I don’t care if I ever step on an airplane again, I’ve had so much of it. I don’t care if I step in the ring again, I’ve had so much of it. And, you know, my priorities were different at that moment, what I needed in my life. I thought I might not wrestle again. I didn’t even know. I was open to seeing what life might bring me. It did end up bringing me back. It wasn’t in a hurry, that’s for sure.

Whether not he came close to returning to WWE before signing with TNA: I actually contacted WWE when it looked like things might work out with TNA’s contract. I emailed Johnny (Laurinaitis) and I actually said are you sure there isn’t a part-time schedule there. I even had some ideas where they would come out financially ahead of me, paying me a limited amount of dates but it never, the conversation never got as far as me explaining what my idea was. I did explain it to Dixie (Carter), the same scenario. Johnny has responded with they’d love to have me there, please reconsider and do full-time because they need me there the whole time. I was not even thinking about doing that. Even now, I can’t imagine going back to that crazy ass schedule that I worked with them. I’m grateful that I had that time with them. Right now, at this stage in my career, it’s even less appealing than it was prior to coming to TNA.

Linda McMahon Spends $66 Million Trying To Win Election, Ripped For WWE Past Again

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Yahoo.com published a brief article noting that former WWE chief executive Linda McMahon won her GOP Senate primary on Tuesday night after spending almost ten times as much as her opponent and $61 million over the course of two campaigns to try to win the seat for U.S. Senator from Connecticut. When McMahon campaigned in 2010, she broke Connecticut state records for out-of-pocket spending by splurging $50 million of her own money—and still lost. This time around, McMahon spent over $11 million to defeat former Representative Christopher Shays by a three to one margin, who had spent approximately $1.2 million.

According to MyFoxNY.com, McMahon actually spent $15.7 million of her personal money on the campaign, which would bring the total thus far to approximately $66 million.

After the race was called Tuesday night, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee immediately attacked McMahon over her WWE past.

“Linda McMahon is a greedy CEO who made millions marketing sex and violence to little kids, all at the expense of the health and safety of her own employees,” said Executive Director Guy Cecil. “Everything about McMahon’s record, principles and agenda prove that she is wrong for Connecticut. There isn’t enough money in the world to convince Connecticut voters otherwise.”

Updated Roster For WWE ’13, Latest WWE Inbox Video

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– The updated roster for the new WWE ’13 game includes CM Punk, Mike Tyson, Steve Austin, John Cena, The Undertaker, Big Show, Chris Jericho, Sheamus, Mark Henry (current and Nation of Domination versions), The Miz and Mankind. Other playable characters not yet confirmed by THQ include Ken Shamrock, X-Pac and Steve Blackman.

Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole will do commentary for most of the game modes, while Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler will call the action in the Attitude Era mode.

The entire roster will be announced by THQ and WWE this weekend at WWE’s SummerSlam’s AXXESS event in Los Angeles.

– The latest episode of WWE Inbox is now online, with various Superstars and Divas answering questions sent in by fans via social media:

* MATT MORGAN Posts Photo Teasing He’s Headed to WWE (VIEW HERE)

WWE To Co-Produce Animated Scooby-Doo Film, Superstars Providing Voiceovers

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Deadline.com has announced a partnership between Warner Bros. Home Video and WWE Studios to co-produce a Scooby-Doo animated feature that will find Scooby and the gang solving a mystery at WrestleMania.

WWE Superstars Triple H, John Cena, Kane, The Miz, Brodus Clay, Santino Marella, Sin Cara, AJ Lee and chief Vince McMahon are slated to appear in animated format and provide voiceovers for the film.

WWE.com summarizes the film’s plot: “When Shaggy and Scooby win tickets to WrestleMania, the entire gang travels in the Mystery Machine to WWE City to attend the epic event. However, when a mysterious ghostly bear appears and threatens to ruin the show, Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Fred work with WWE Superstars to solve the case.”

Warner Bros Home Entertainment will distribute the film via Blu-ray, DVD, VOD and digital download while WWE will use its considerable resources to promote the title, said WWE Studios President Michael Luisi.

Kevin Nash Reacts To Backlash Over Interview Comments, Thinks CM Punk Should Join The nWo

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Speaking to Steven Muehlhausen of The Fight Club Chicago at last week’s Chicago Comic Con, Kevin Nash addressed his controversial Grantland.com remarks stating that the professional wrestling industry died at WrestleMania XX when the pay-per-view event concluded with “Vanilla Midgets” Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero—small-statured, gifted technical wrestlers that lacked big in-ring personalities but were beloved by fans—reigning atop as world champions.

“(People getting mad) at something I said ten years ago, yeah okay. It’s great that it’s still relevant ten years later. I guess I’m not allowed to have an opinion,” Nash said, who had also claimed in the Grantland.com interview that his comments regarding wrestlers such as Benoit and Guerrero were “a double work.”

He stated in the Grantland.com interview that he has the same problem with today’s “Internet heroes,” CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.

“They are not bigger than life,” Nash told Grantland.com. “I bet they could both walk through airports and not be noticed unless they have a gimmick shirt on and the belt.”

Nash is now suggesting that his remarks concerning Punk and Bryan are “a work.” He tells Muehlhausen, “Because they are on TV and if I would want to have an angle with somebody, I think I would want to work with the top guys.”

Nash says Punk would fit in well with his proposed nWo relaunch.

“He has that nWo grit to him, he kinda runs by his own accord,” Nash said. “He’s very anti-establishment, and I personally like him. I like hanging out with him. So if I’m going to work with somebody, I’m going to work with someone that I enjoy hanging out with.”

Nash also discusses SummerSlam with Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar and notes a never before known fact about the night D-Generation X “invaded” WCW. The interview is available at www.sportstownchicago.com/kevinnash.

Possible *Spoiler* For Sunday’s SummerSlam Pre-Show Match

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This Sunday, WWE will host a 30-minute online pre-show prior to Summerslam going live on pay-per-view, featuring WWE United States Champion Santino Marella vs. Antonio Cesaro.

It’s worth noting that prior to Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Austin, Texas, WWE taped a match for the premiere episode of the new Saturday Morning Slam television show, which will air on August 25th (after SummerSlam).

During the match (Kofi Kingston vs. Heath Slater), Santino Marella came out to do commentary – and he had the US title belt with him.

While it’s possible that WWE could edit out Santino’s title belt in the event that he loses the gold to Cesaro, the fact that Santino brought his belt with him is a good indication that he’ll retain this Sunday night.

JBL Reveals If He Is Interested In A WWE Return

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Former WWE Champion John “Bradshaw” Layfield recently teased on his Twitter that he would be replacing Booker T on commentary on SmackDown. Layfield later admitted that he was kidding, but expressed interest in a return to commentary if the job were available. During a recent interview with Raj Giri of WrestlingINC.com, JBL discussed how interested he was in a return to the announce booth.

“I am interested,” Layfield admitted. “The job has not been offered to me and I was just having fun with Michael Cole on Twitter. I think I said I was coming back. You know, I was having fun with Michael. I don’t mean to mislead anyone, I’m not working, so to speak, on Twitter. [Laughs.] I was simply having fun. The job does appeal to me, yeah.

“I never thought the job would come open. There’s only two jobs for color commentary in WWE and Jerry Lawler may be there for another 30 years and I hope he is. He’s a great commentator. Booker moving to the general manager role opens up that job. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not filled and I don’t know it. It could be filled and they may already have plans for it — I don’t know that. I haven’t been offered the job. They haven’t told me, ‘Hey we want you to come work,’ or anything. So, yeah, it does interest me and if they called, it certainly would be very tempting to do.”

*Spoiler* Updated Card For WWE Summerslam 2012 (World Heavyweight Title Match)

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At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Austin, Texas, it was announced that Alberto Del Rio will indeed wrestle Sheamus this Sunday at SummerSlam for the World Heavyweight championship. The match had been previously announced and then cancelled. Now, it’s back on. With that match set, here’s the updated card for this Sunday:

Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H

WWE Championship Match
CM Punk (c) Big Show vs. John Cena

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sheamus (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio

Intercontinental Championship Match
The Miz (c) vs. Rey Mysterio

Tag Team Championships Match
Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (c) vs. Titus O’Neil & Darren Young

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler

Kane vs. Daniel Bryan

Online Pre-Show Match For The United States Title:
Santino Marella (c) vs. Antonio Cesaro

Also rumored for the card is Damien Sandow vs. Brodus Clay.

Jericho Talks About Juggling WWE & Fozzy, Young Stars With The Most Potential

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Chris Jericho was interviewed by The Austin Chronicle this week to promote this week’s SmackDown tapings and Fozzy’s new album. Here are some highlights of what Jericho said about:

Managing His Time Between WWE & Fozzy: “It’s really a decision that’s made for me. Back in the 2000s for the first three Fozzy records, I did the WWE and Fozzy at the same time, which was fine. But when we were doing Chasing the Grail, our last record, in 2009, myself and Rich Ward, my partner in crime, were thinking, ‘We’ve really got to take this to the next level, because this record is great.’ I left WWE when Grail came out, went touring for 16 months, did 15 countries and amassed an even bigger fanbase than we had. It was a real credibility gain for us. Then when we started doing Sin and Bones, as the singer I write the lyrics and I record the vocals, which takes about 15 days. Other than that I had about nine months of doing nothing, so that’s when I decided to come back to the WWE, knowing that when this record came out that I’d be finished for whatever indeterminate amount of time.

Feeling Pressure Headed Into His Match With Dolph Ziggler: “These guys needs guys to work with. Once again, that’s sounding egotistical, but after 22 years of being in this business, but there’s nobody in this company who’s been in the business longer – except for Undertaker. I’ve been wrestling longer than Kane, I’ve been wrestling longer than Triple H. I didn’t request to work with Ziggler. At first, I thought it was Sheamus, than I was supposed to work with Daniel Bryan, and then they just told me, OK, you’re working with Ziggler. I said, ‘Great.’ I will work with anybody, and I will do the absolute best I can to help that. I’ve been through this before. This will be the third time that I’ve left, and this may make people mad, but I’ve never been just a wrestler. I’m an entertainer. I do a lot of different things in that realm. I don’t put myself in a box when it comes. So when I get a chance to work with a guy like Ziggler, I know what I can do with him. I know how good he is. He just needs somebody to help him. And when I’m putting together matches or doing promos with these guys, things that I just see as basics, they still haven’t figured out yet. That’s not a bad thing. That’s just the experience difference, and that’s why I can help, and I think that’s why I can come and go from the WWE for years to come. I’m in the best shape of my life. I feel great. I’m enjoying this run, and if I didn’t have a tour and a record coming out, I would stay. It’s not like I can’t wait to leave – in fact, it’s the complete opposite. I’m a little sad to leave, in one way, but super-excited by the reason why I’m leaving.”

“I like the idea of passing the torch along and passing the experience along. That’s the way I was trained. I grew up in Japan, and that’s how they do it. Old guys teach the young guys, and that’s the way it is. The business is more important than any single individual, and I’ve always felt that way. Haven’t always been treated that way, but I’ve always felt that way.”

His Favorite Wrestler & His Favorite Metal Band: “Avenged Sevenfold is only starting to realize how good they are. I think they’ll be the next Metallica, and I think they’re well on their way. They’re at were Metallica was at Master of Puppets. They’re going to hook up with some producer who is going to make them even bigger. I think Bullet for My Valentine is another band that’s growing. Their singer and guitarist Matt Tuck is another guy that gets it, that understands that it’s not always about how fast and heavy you can be, but about how you groove, and catchy beats and catchy choruses.”

“As for future guys here, Ziggler’s one of them for sure. The Miz is another. I think Damien Sandow, against anything that I expected, has been doing great, and I think he’s got a great upside. I think there’s quite a few guys where things are looking up, because the WWE is a talent-driven business. Guys are going to come and go, but the ones who are going to stick are the ones who are going to be carrying this company on their backs in the future. There are some good prospects here, and that’s why I’m excited about the prospect of coming back.”

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