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JR Calls Austin-Punk Interview A Classic, SmackDown Backstage Fallout, FCW-NXT

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– Jim Ross tweeted on Friday that he “thoroughly enjoyed” conducting a sit down interview with CM Punk and Steve Austin on Friday for the new WWE ’13 video game. “It was respectfully combative. A classic.”

– Speaking of WWE ’13, the official roster reveal for the game takes place today from SummerSlam Axxess in Los Angeles. WWE Champion CM Punk, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, and Lilian Garcia will be among the WWE talent scheduled to appear. There will also be “special guests” in attendance.

– With WWE officially rebranding it’s developmental system “NXT” this week and dropping all references to “Florida Championship Wrestling” – the official FCW Twitter account has been changed to @NXTWrestling.

– Kaitlyn, Eve Torres and Dolph Ziggler and others are featured in the latest WWE Backstage Fallout from SmackDown:

Paul Heyman Talks WWE Return, Working With Lesnar, Triple H & Stephanie

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WWE personality Paul Heyman appeared on former WCW announcer Mark Madden’s Pittsburgh-based radio show on Friday to hype SummeSlam. Here are some highlights of what Heyman said about:

– He initially turned down the offer to return to WWE, which was extended by Brock Lesnar. Heyman wasn’t confident that WWE knew how to properly market Lesnar as a fighter. Heyman said he knows how to use Lesnar and wanted to see this done properly.

– He was also uncertain being aligned with somebody in his WWE return, but he’s been close with Lesnar for a long time and their relationship is natural.

– So far, there have been no issues working with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, despite their very rocky past. He thinks Hunter and Stephanie enjoyed him making personal attacks against them on RAW in recent weeks because it makes them sympathetic figures and gives fans a chance to get behind them

– He thinks Lesnar’s MMA career is likely over, but if the right deal came a along, Lesnar would fight again.

– Heyman also said although he doesn’t think it’s going to happen and it’s easy to shoot down the idea, he would consider running a wrestling promotion again if he had the resources ($) and freedom he’d require.

Here’s audio of the interview:

Iron Sheik Not Happy About Jinder Mahal Using His Camel Clutch Finisher

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WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik recently spoke to WWE.com and says he’s not happy about Jinder Mahal using his Camel Clutch finishing move:

“First, I want to say hello to all my [WWE] fans. That was my hold, only Iron Sheik hold, and now the Indian man come and use it. He never ask me, never talk to me … and now he use my hold.”

“If I was a young Iron Sheik, I can suplex him … humble him first and then I show him my Camel Clutch, but I never got to that point. Now he using me, he use my greatest hold, the Camel Clutch, I don’t know. Sometimes I can be happy that the Indian come use my hold, sometimes I can be unhappy because why you have to use my hold?”

“Only one Iron Sheik, one Camel Clutch. No one else in the young generation try to be the Iron Sheik [besides Jinder Mahal], but he is not Iron Sheik.”

The article notes that Sheik is recovering from recent ankle surgery.

JBL Calls WWE’s Top 50 Villains List “Insane” – “Give Me A Break”

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Former WWE superstar John Bradshaw Layfield has a new blog up about talking about WWE’s “Top 50 All-Time Wrestling Villains” list.

WWE Ranks The “Top 50 All-Time Wrestling Villains”

Here’s what JBL said:

“I have to say the top 50 greatest heel list by WWE is pretty far off. Forget JBL, I’m too biased to comment on myself, after all who else has had to have a police escort out of a town like I had in El Paso in 2004? That is real heat-and has any heel had any heat like that where folks were actually wanting to kill you since then, but I digress.

The biggest problem I have is with Gorgeous George being #9. I believe he was the greatest heel of all time, he inspired Muhammad Ali and James Brown-this was the guy who set the bar.

Nothing against my pal Hot Rod, I think Roddy was greatest heel of modern era. It is hard to compare eras, so how do you compare Hot Rod to the ‘Toast of the Coast’ The “Sensation of the Nation” the ‘Gorgeous One’. It’s impossible. So any list is arbitrary.

However, putting Gorgeous George #9 is insane. The 4 Horsemen were the greatest faction of all time, you have to have them at the top. There are so many great heels, omitting Bruiser Brody though? Really? Or Stan Hansen? Or William Regal?

Hollywood Hulk Hogan? Give me a break. Hogan was in the top 3 of biggest draws of all time, perhaps the biggest-depends on how you define the Stone Cold era. However, a heel? He wasnt a real heel he was a character. Greatest storyline of all time was the NWO and biggest match of all time was him versus Andre (that was ALL him, and he should get credit for that), but he was never a proper heel-he was still the Hulk, big difference.

Only two heels in the last 20 years needed police escorts out of towns, me and Sgt Slaughter. No one else.

Before that there were many. Hot Rod had heat like a nuclear bomb, he could be greatest heel ever-if the Gorgeous One isn’t and that is a close race.

In the 70s and 80s there were great heels and too many to mention here. Dick Murdoch, my first tag partner, was one of best heels of all time. To put some of these guys on the list and not Captain Redneck? Come on!

Any list is hard to justify, but I gotta say while this one has most of the top 50 in place I would argue the placing itself.”

WWE Ranks The Top 50 Wrestling Villains Of All Time

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This week, WWE published a new list ranking the Top 50 All-Time Wrestling Villains. Here’s the list, hit up the comments below and tell us what you think.

1. Roddy Piper
2. Ric Flair & Four Horsemen
3. Mr. McMahon
4. “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase
5. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan
6. Triple H
7. “Superstar” Billy Graham
8. Bobby Heenan
9. Gorgeous George
10. Jake “the Snake” Roberts
11. Rick Rude
12. JBL
13. Fabulous Freebirds
14. Original Sheik
15. Chris Jericho
16. Sherri Martel
17. Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig
18. Killer Kowalski
19. Jim Cornette
20. Edge
21. Freddie Blassie
22. The Undertaker
23. Sgt. Slaughter
24. Harley Race
25. Vader
26. Nick Bockwinkel
27. Paul Orndorff
28. Fabulous Moolah
29. Raven
30. Jerry Lawler
31. Kevin Sullivan
32. Randy Orton
33. Terry Funk
34. Abdullah the Butcher
35. Paul Heyman
36. Ivan Koloff
37. Ernie Ladd
38. C.M. Punk
39. Dudley Boyz
40. Don Muraco
41. Kane
42. Brock Lesnar
43. Eddie Guerrero
44. Eric Bischoff
45. Andre the Giant
46. Iron Sheik
47. Mark Henry
48. Vickie Guerrero
49. Randy Savage
50. Batista

Jim Ross Predicts Lesnar vs. Triple H, Booker T’s New Assistant & More

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– When asked to pick the winner for Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H this Sunday night at SummerSlam, Jim Ross tweeted this prediction:

– Several of the WWE Superstars and Divas attended the Jennifer Lopez & Enrique Iglesias concert at the Staples Center on Friday night in Los Angeles.

– Eve Torres defeated Kaitlyn on Friday’s SmackDown to become General Manager Booker T’s new assistant.

Episode #80 Of Zack Ryder’s Z! True Long Island Story (Video)

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Check out Episode #80 of Zack Ryder’s Z! True Long Island Story Youtube series:

HBK Talks About Lesnar Breaking His Arm, Triple H vs. Lesnar, Not Attending SummerSlam

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The WWE website has a storyline interview up with Shawn Michaels, who will no longer be in Triple H’s corner at SummerSlam after Brock Lesnar’s vicious attack on Monday’s RAW. Here are some highlights of the storyline-driven article:

Brock Lesnar Breaking His Arm: “I’m not happy about what Brock Lesnar did to me, but life goes on. I have kids and a family, and things that have to get done. Thankfully, I’m left-handed and ambidextrous so I’m not slowed very much. The physical work around the ranch is going to take a back seat for a while.”

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar: “Brock is a whole different kind of cat. He’s not the same guy he was 10 years ago. The problem is getting caught in the jaws of the alligator. Eventually, you have to tie up with him. Once he gets ahold of you — I don’t care if it’s an arm, leg, ankle or wrist — he now has an ability that I don’t think he had before. He might have had it, but I don’t think he had the wisdom, knowledge and experience at that time to utilize it in the respect that he does now. And that makes him a ton more dangerous. That is going to be something Hunter hasn’t faced before. I think that Hunter has the tools to defeat Brock, but it’s going to be tough. If he attacks him in the right respect, and avoids getting caught in the jaws of the alligator, he has a chance. But, if I had the answer to beating him, I wouldn’t be walking around with a broken arm.”

Not Attending SummerSlam: “All the nagging injuries that I’ve had over the last 25 years were made a little worse in that thrashing I took in the parking lot [on Raw]. It’s more an issue of me needing to heal a lot of stuff.”

* Picture of WWE Diva KAITLYN Dressed Up As .. The ULTIMATE WARRIOR?!

AJ Lee Hypes SummerSlam & Talks About Wrestling Again, Scooby Doo

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WWE RAW General Manager AJ Lee spoke to IGN.com this week to promote WWE’s new Scooby Doo animated movie and Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam 2012 PPV. Here are some highlights of what AJ said about:

Being Animated In A Movie: “Yes, yes! And I knew that, and so that’s why I was like, “Oh, I like it…” But yeah, I’m so excited. We actually did all the voices today. And that was hilarious because all of us were in the same room, so you can imagine the hijinks — no pun intended. But it was so much fun. Going into it, I didn’t realize how much… I thought maybe, “Oh, we’re kind of sprinkled in this Scooby-Doo movie.” I can’t really reveal what’s going on – I’m not sure what I’m allowed to! But we are so involved in it. It’s just this big, fun [story]. John Cena, Kane, Brodus, Miz, myself… You know, I’m trying to see if we can get something with me and Velma at the same time. That way, the universe implodes.”

Getting Back In The Ring: “The cool thing is that, technically, I can put myself into matches if I need to, but I’m very aware that in the position of power now, it’s good to let other people get chances. Also, I have the rest of my career for that, so I’m just enjoying what I doing right now, and I’m just trying to be the best that I can at this. I guess we’ll hold off on it until I really need to. Maybe we’ll have Team AJ vs. Team Booker at WrestleMania! I don’t know!”

What She’s Looking Forward To At SummerSlam: “I think as a fan I’m really looking forward to Brock and Triple H. I remember when Brock has his match with Cena, all of us backstage – and it takes a lot to make us go, “[Gasp!]” – but we were looking at the monitors, and all us were kind of glued to it. It was such a brutal match that we were kind of blown away. And I think Triple H also brings that and he might even bring it a step higher, especially with how personal it’s gotten. That, I’m looking forward to. It might be the match of the night. And I’m also really excited to see the matches that I’ve made and to see what happens to Daniel Bryan. How bad Kane treats him. [Laughs] But yeah, I’m really proud that I’ve gotten to make matches on the show.

WWE SummerSlam Videos: Punk & AJ Have Heated Exchange, John Cena, Lesnar/Heyman, The Miz

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WWE has posted a series of promo videos hyping Sunday’s Summerslam 2012 pay-per-view:

The Awesome One asks Superstars and Divas for their predictions on his SummerSlam match with Rey Mysterio. Does The Miz have any support?

Brock Lesnar sends a stern message to his SummerSlam opponent, Triple H.

The Second City Saint” CM Punk has some choice words for new WWE Raw General Manager AJ Lee just days before defending his WWE Championship at SummerSlam.

Does WWE Superstar John Cena have any respect for his SummerSlam opponent, WWE Champion CM Punk?

WWE Signs 20-Year-Old Women’s Wrestler, Steve McMichael Running For Mayor

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– WWE has signed Mercedes KV (real name Mercedes Kaestner-Varnado), a 20-year-old New England-based women’s wrestler.

The official Facebook page of Chaotic Wrestling announced Friday evening, “JUST ANNOUNCED in LOWELL, MA – Mercedes KV will be leaving Chaotic Wrestling as Women’s Champion, to report to the WWE training facility, FCW/NXT in Florida. All of us at Chaotic Wrestling want to congratulate Mercedes and wish her luck!”

Mercedes participated in a talent evaluation clinic for WWE in June at Florida Championship Wrestling headquarters, prompting speculation that she could join the sports-entertainment organization. She has been wrestling for two years and is billed at 5 foot 5 inches and 114 pounds.

– Former WCW United States Champion and Chicago Bears defensive tackler Steve “Mongo” McMichael announced Thursday on the Waddle and Sylvie Show (ESPN 1000 Chicago) that he will be running for mayor of Romeoville, Illinois.

McMichael, who owns Mongo McMichael’s restaurant and sports bar in Romeoville, said he was encouraged to run by his customers, who are unhappy with various issues in the village including a lack of businesses and empty store fronts. The Four Horsemen alumnus plans to seek signatures in October to be on the mayoral ballot and expects to run against Mayor John Noak in the April election. (Article)

Video Interviews With Triple H, CM Punk & Sheamus At SummerSlam Kickoff Party

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Check out the following interviews from Thursday night’s WWE SummerSlam Kickoff party in Beverly Hills, courtesy of Mike Dunsmore

Kurt Angle talks WWE Return & TNA Gaining Momentum, Impact Viewership Up

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– Thursday’s Impact Wrestling averaged 1.46 million viewers, way up from last week (1,210,000) but up from the previous week. Impact went up against an NFL pre-season game, which drew an audience more than 3 times larger than TNA.

– Kurt Angle told the UK’s Daily Star that he does not plan to go back to WWE, but anything is possible:

“I’m really happy. It’s why I signed a long-term deal a year ago. The number one question I get asked is: ‘When are you going back to WWE?’ I don’t plan on it but I never say no. I am treated well. I have more freedom to do other things too, so it’s a win-win for me and for Impact Wrestling.”

The Olympic gold medalist also talked about TNA gaining momentum and the new faces rising to the top:

“Lots of good things have happened this year. A lot of talent has risen up – Bobby Storm and Aries. Now it’s not just Kurt Angle, Sting, and A.J. Styles. There are young guys. The revival of Samoa Joe is amazing.”

* Picture of RYBACK With Long Blonde Hair (WTF?)

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

Former TNA Wrestler Reportedly Signs With WWE, Stephanie McMahon Against Bullying

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– According to SuperLuchas.net, former TNA Wrestling star Alex Shelley has signed a contract with WWE.

– WWE Executive Vice President of Creative Stephanie McMahon, Alberto Del Rio, Mark Henry and James Durbin of “American Idol” fame and others brought the be a STAR Alliance’s anti-bullying message to 500 sixth, seventh and eighth graders at Los Angeles’ Markham Middle School on Friday morning.

McMahon encouraged those bullied, “Know that you are not alone. There are many WWE Superstars, many celebrities, a lot of successful people who have been victims of bullying. You can overcome it. You can stand up against it.

“Be a STAR is such an incredibly important message for me,” she explained. “I have three young girls, and teaching them about bullying, how to stand up against bullying and providing them with all the tools necessary to do just that is incredibly important to me.”

The full story is available here.

TNA Wrestling Star Suffers Broken Collarbone, Cooking With Claire Lynch, More

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– “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero stated on Twitter that he will be sidelined for a few months.

Enclosing an image of a broken collarbone, Dinero tweeted, “Looks like Pope will be out of action for a couple months. Damn You Aces & Apes!!! ~PHS.”

– A video has surfaced online of TNA Wrestling personality Claire Lynch appearing in an infomercial last year for 360 Cookware, a Stainless Steel Cookware Set. After Lynch was identified online last week as Julia Reilly, an Orlando-based actress and model with a lengthy resume of commercial and acting appearances, she made a concerted effort to erase her Internet presence, including the contents of her official website and YouTube Channel. This video was briefly removed but is now back online with embedding and comments abilities disabled.

Lynch has not appeared on TNA Wrestling programming since her identity was revealed. She was, however, acknowledged on Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling as AJ Styles said he must have been drugged to sleep with a “foot” like Claire. She was also referred to as a “lizard.”

– Past and present TNA Knockouts Velvet Sky, Angelina Love, Winter, Rosita and Bonnie “Rain” Maxson are advertised to appear at Boston Super Megafest taking place November 17-18 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel 1657 Worcester Rd. Framingham, Massachusetts. Additional information is available here.

No Plans For HBK To Wrestle Again, Triple H Gives Advice To Sheamus, Charlie Sheen, AW

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– During an interview that appears in the September issue of WWE Magazine, Triple H spoke about the burden that comes with holding the World Heavyweight title and how some wrestlers are not ready for the responsibility that comes with being champion. “I had a conversation with Sheamus, and he told me, ‘I want to be that guy.’ And I asked if he understood what that really means,” Hunter said.

– Despite Shawn Michaels’ recent involvement in the Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H SummerSlam storyline, Michaels still has no plans of wrestling again.

– After having the sympathy of the WWE locker room following his recent WWE release, Abraham Washington lost a lot of that support with his Tweets and his media interviews in the days that followed.

– Charlie Sheen is still expected to have some sort of role at SummerSlam. If he does appear at the show, it would be unusual that WWE did not advertise him advance to create some extra buzz (especially in the Los Angeles area) for the show.

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

Triple H Says Bullying Needs To Be Stopped, Lilian Garcia Explains Why She Left WWE

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– WWE Superstars, Divas and celebrities spread the ‘be a STAR’ anti-bullying message during the SummerSlam VIP Kick-Off Party at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Thursday. The party also celebrated a successful year of WWE and The Creative Coalition’s be a STAR Alliance; WWE has held more than 40 anti-bullying rallies, speaking to more than 25,000 children.

“I think for our Superstars to be able to go to kids today and say, ‘embrace those things that make you different, embrace those things that kids maybe pick on you for now, because those are the things that make you unique, they make you who you are and be proud of who you are,’” said WWE Chief Operating Officer and Superstar Triple H.

Through WWE and The Creative Coalition’s anti-bullying campaign, children are encouraged to “be a STAR: Show Tolerance And Respect.”

“If you are being bullied, there is a way out of it – go to an adult, go to a parent, go to a guardian, go to a teacher, go to somebody,” Triple H said. “Don’t let it just it just happen. Don’t just put up with it. Don’t think there’s no way to stop it. You can stop it. And if you know somebody who is being bullied, help them stop it.”

The full story is available here.

– HoyLosAngeles.com spoke to SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia, who recalled her unconventional route to WWE in 1999.

Garcia, who had not watched wrestling since she was a child and was an aspiring musician in the New York City area, was contacted by her agent to audition for a television role with WWE. It was successful and she was soon offered a one-year contract to become the ring announcer of Raw. Garcia, however, would only commit to a two to three month trial run at first. After falling in love with WWE, she signed a one-year contract and “here I am, (thirteen) years later,” Garcia says.

After ten consecutive years on the road, Garcia parted ways with WWE in September 2009. She explains, “I did not want to start a marriage with me traveling everywhere.”

CM Punk Interview: Attacking The Rock, Working With Paul Heyman, Retirement & Goals

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WWE Champion CM Punk was interviewed by Comcast.com this week to promote Sunday’s Summerslam 2012 pay-per-view. Here are some highlights of what Punk said about:

Attacking The Rock at RAW 1,000: “I don’t think it was sudden at all. I’d been very vocal about the Rock coming back and cherry-picking the days he comes in. So, when he comes in I’m going to smack him in the face … I just think there are a lot of people who work their asses off here. I’m here 24/7, 365 days a year and he’s here like three days a year. So when he comes in here and tries to lay claim to our success and things people have worked hard to establish, it’s a little offensive.”

“I’m in line to face [The Rock] if I hold on till the Royal Rumble. The WWE’s like a minefield. Any guy can beat anyone on any given Sunday. So hopefully I’ll make it and I’ll prove to the Rock that you can’t just walk in and pick your days.”

Retirement & Remaining Goals in Wrestling: “I’m not going to wrestle forever … I would definitely say I’ve passed the middle point of my career for sure. Not many [goals remain]. I kind of want to make a few guys and girls. And I think I’ve done a little bit of that with AJ (Lee). I want to make sure there’s a future for the wrestling business when I leave. I want to make sure there are people that fill that void.”

Working With Paul Heyman: “I’m happy to see him when he’s here. It’s great. Before I could only hang out with him when I did shows in the Northeast. I got to grab a bite to eat with him. Now, he’s not here as often as I’d like, but when he shows up on Mondays it makes my day easier. He’s a dear friend I can bounce ideas off of.”

“I’d love to [work with Paul Heyman]. But he’s busy with Brock. And I don’t know if the Paul Heyman/CM Punk dynamic would work on screen. I don’t need a mouthpiece. And I think we’re two separate entities. But behind the scenes we get along famously.”

Picture Of Ryback With Long Blonde Hair

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Today, we know Ryback as a bald-headed, singlet-wearing, victim-hungry killer that has a penchant for violence and demanding WWE “feed him more.” But he didn’t always look so scary. Check out this picture of Ryback with a pretty sweet Ric Flair haircut .. and share your best caption for the photo in the comments section below.

Next TNA Gutcheck Challenger Revealed (Video), TNA In Iowa This Weekend

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– TNA will be holding two live events this weekend in Iowa, with a show tonight at the Clay County Regional Events Center in Spencer, Iowa and a show tomorrow night at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa, Iowa.

No matches are announced for the shows yet, but TNA World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Bobby Roode, James Storm, Miss Tessmacher and Gail Kim are scheduled to appear at both shows.

– Al Snow revealed on his Twitter that the next Gutcheck challenger will be 31-year-old indy worker Kris Lewie, based out of Nashville, Tennessee.Check out this promo for Kris Lewie below:

* PICTURES from Last Night’s WWE SUMMERSLAM Kickoff Party: Celebs, Divas & More!

WWE Releases Its Official Mobile App (iOS & Android Devices)

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WWE announced on Thursday that the official WWE mobile app has been released for Apple iOS and Google Andoid devices:

Download the official WWE app today on Apple iOS and Android

The OFFICIAL WWE APP experience is finally here! Take WWE with you wherever you go – any time, day or night – with the new WWE app, available on Apple iOS and Android.

The WWE Universe is now in the palm of your hands! Unlock breaking news, a colossal library of WWE videos – current and classic – as well as thousands of photos capturing the action of WWE. Plus, with a slide, swipe or tap of a finger, discover exclusive content found ONLY in the WWE app!

The WWE app provides instant access to your favorite WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends. Save and store Superstar profiles for a quick look at extensive career milestones, biographies and social media feeds from their Facebook and Twitter accounts – all directly inside the app.

You can now watch the new and vintage WWE videos like never before. Want to play a clip on your TV from last night’s Monday Night Raw or Friday Night SmackDown, or maybe that unforgettable main event match from WrestleMania years ago? Access thousands of clips and activate Airplay to stream videos on your Apple TV device.

The WWE app is your tool to have your voice heard and participate in live WWE programming. Get RAWactive through your smartphone or tablet with exclusive in-app access to WWE’s second-screen companion viewing experience, activated during the weekly Monday Night Raw broadcast!

Disagree with something the Raw General Manager decreed? Think your favorite Superstar deserves a WWE Championship opportunity? Tag up with other members of the WWE Universe to build a virtual community of WWE fans in your area to keep the conversation going after the bell.

Meet up with those same WWE Universe members at the next WWE Live Event near you – for which you can find complete details within the WWE app. Access our full schedule of events around the globe, find out which Superstars will be in action, set reminders and even order tickets!

Want to outfit yourself like your favorite Superstar? Enjoy the brand-new WWE Shop experience right from your device with easy access to all the official merchandise WWE Shop has to offer.

SummerSlam Kickoff Party Video, Update On WWE Working With WWF & More

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– WWE posted the following video footage of celebrities (and Triple H) discussing WWE’s “Be A Star” anti-bullying campaign at Thursday night’s SummerSlam kickoff party in Beverly Hills:

Pictures From WWE’s SummerSlam Kickoff Party Celebs, Divas & More!

– As we recently saw on RAW, WWE has been showing footage of the old “WWF scratch logo” without it being blurred or altered. Amid speculation that WWE had reached some sort of agreement with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), PWInsider.com confirms that WWE recently made a payment to the WWF which allows WWE to show the old WWF logo, as long as it is archived footage.

With WWE converting much of its library of footage to digital in preparation for the WWE Network launch, it’s believed that WWE saved a ton of time and money by reaching a settlement with the WWF over usage of the old logo in this context.

– Former TNA star Alex Shelley is booked several New Japan Pro Wrestling shows in September. Also appearing are former WWE talent David Hart Smith, Low Ki (Kaval), Lance Hoyt (Vance Archer) and Alex Koslov.

MAILBAG: Can TNA Ever Seriously Compete With WWE?

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SEScoops Mailbag for August 17th

(please submit YOUR questions to [email protected])

Q: What happened to the angle with Charlie Sheen and Daniel Bryan? Is that still in play? – Ryan S.

A: They haven’t mentioned his name the last two weeks on Raw, which makes me think they never had a deal for him to be there to begin with, or they do but they simply don’t trust him enough to actually show up. I tend to lean towards the latter. Why hype something you may not be able to deliver?

Q: With the success of the Monday Night Wars between WCW & WWE in the ’90s, do you think that if TNA had the financial backer that Ted Turner was to WCW, with a national TV network like TNT that they could compete with WWE? – Vaughn

A: I don’t think so. Times are different now. Wrestling was so much more popular back then and WCW was a far more established name than TNA currently is, even after 10 years. They’ve brought in every big name you can imagine, from Hulk Hogan to Ric Flair to Sting, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy and everyone in between and it hasn’t made much of a difference. It’s kind of depressing, really, especially now that the product has shown great improvement since the departure of Vince Russo. There are two major things working against them: 1) the product was so bad for so long that there is still a negative stigma attached to the TNA initials, and 2) taping their shows in such small, intimate venues gives the perception that it is a minor league promotion, and perception is reality. Short of them stealing John Cena away from WWE, I don’t think there is anything they can do other than stay the course and just put on the best product they possibly can. As WWE goes, so goes the wrestling business, so if they suddenly get hot again, I think TNA would also benefit from that.

Q: Do you have any idea when WWE started to plan for Undertaker to [go undefeated at WrestleMania]? Roughly when did they start to hype him as undefeated in the build-up, commentary etc. – Tom C. from England

A: I don’t believe WWE ever had a “plan” for Undertaker to go undefeated at WrestleMania. It was likely something they realized along the way and they just decided to run with it. The first mention of his “streak” that I can recall came right after his win over Triple H at WrestleMania 17 when Jim Ross said he had just gone 9-0.

Q: I read an article that the feud between Dean Ambrose and Mick Foley has been canceled due to Foley being pissed [a comment made by Ambrose]. Is that true? What Foley wrote looks like a work to me. Also, did HHH have anything to do with the feud being [nixed]? If not, what’s the reason? It really bothers me. – Shaneel from Mauritius

A: Total work between the two of them. Foley is actually very high on Ambrose, hence why he wanted to do something with him. I do know that HHH does not view Foley as a serious performer and has reportedly said things in creative meetings to undermine any ideas for him, so he very well may have played a role in them getting away from the Foley/Ambrose stuff. That’s a shame because it could have been a very effective way to introduce the guy by associating him with a big name right out of the gate.

Q: Is #RAWactive rigged by WWE or is it actually real where the fans actually have a say? – Harrison

A: As far as I know, much like the old Cyber Sunday voting, it’s 100% legit.

Matt Hardy Talks WWE Return, CM Punk & Sheamus’ WWE Contracts & More

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– Matt Hardy was asked on Twitter what he would do differently if he had the chance to return to WWE. He replied:

– Former WWE Diva Trish Stratus will be releasing a new yoga DVD for men in October titled, “Stratusphere Yoga for Men.” The project was filmed earlier this year and is scheduled for an October release.

– When WWE announced the new animated Scooby Doo movie that is coming out in 2014, two superstars not included on the list of voice actors were CM Punk and Sheamus. PWInsider.com speculates that this could be a sign that Punk and Sheamus are not currently under contract through when the movie is set to be released.

WWE & TNA Scouting The Same Wrestler, NXT Star Finishing Up His PhD & More

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– WWE developmental wrestler Xavier Woods (formerly Consequences Creed in TNA) tweeted this week that he’s in the final stages of becoming a PhD and will soon be “Doctor Woods.” He’s currently working on his 20-page final paper and will soon have his Masters on Educational Psychology

– Actor Kris Kristofferson, father of developmental wrestler Garrett Dylan (Jody Kristofferson), attending Thursday night’s NXT show from Tampa, Florida.

– It was reported earlier this week that TNA had signed X Division talent Mason Andrews (also known as Scorpio Sky) to a contract. Andrews then denied those reports. F4wonline.com reports that Andrews has been offered a TNA deal, but he is also attending next week’s big post-SummerSlam WWE tryout camp in Los Angeles and will see how that goes before signing anything with TNA.

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