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Coachman Says He Was Held Back Due To WWE background

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Jonathan Coachman, who now works as a sports anchor for ESPN, says his past history as a WWE commentator and wrestling villain affected his initial credibility with the sports television network.

“It really held me back for a while. There were certain people (ESPN executives) that were fearful of some negative backlash that they hired a guy best known for wrestling,” he tells The Hutchinson News.

“It was frustrating. I knew where I should be, at and I knew where I wasn’t. But I also knew the reason.”

Coachman also recalled sports reporting at Kemper Arena when Owen Hart died at WWE’s Over the Edge pay-per-view event.

“There were no cell phones back then,” he said. “Everyone back at the station was going nuts. I worked all night. The next morning, I was on ‘Good Morning America’ and ‘Mike and Mike in the Morning.'”

The full article is available here.

“Latest Are You Serious?” With Lilian Blunder, Doink Remembered

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— The latest episode of WWE’s “Are You Serious?” webisode features clips of the “Donald Trump” vs. “Rosie O’Donnell” match on Raw, Josh Mathews attempting to dance, Road Dogg singing and Lilian Garcia’s shoe malfunctioning in the “Fail of the Week.”

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— WWE.com has added Doink the Clown to their Alumni section.

— Zack Ryder was able to get “#Sorry4RyderRocking” trending on Twitter during a Q&A session Saturday night.

Singh Removed From SmackDown Roster, O’Neil & Young’s Theme

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— Ranjin Singh, the former mouthpiece of The Great Khali, has been removed from the SmackDown Superstars page on WWE.com. His profile now resides in the Alumni section. He has not appeared on WWE programming since being attacked by The Punjabi Giant on the May 27, 2011 SmackDown. He remains with the organization as the head creative writer for Raw SuperShow.

— Titus O’Neil and Darren Young’s entrance theme is “Move (Get It In)” by Woo Child.

— The official Twitter feed of Marvel’s The Avengers named Shawn Michaels and his children Avengers Fans of the Day on Friday after the WWE Hall of Famer posted several Avengers related messages.

— WWE Hall of Famer Sunny appears for Women Xtreme Championship Wrestling on May 19, 2012 at Patriot Auction Gallery in Martinsburg, West Virginia. (Event Details)

Cody Rhodes Jumping Ship To Raw?, The Miz Against Bullying

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Pro Wrestling Torch reports that during an autograph session Saturday afternoon at Delaware Army National Guard, WWE Intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes teased that he may be jumping ship to the Raw brand when WWE holds their annual Draft.

— The Miz hosted a ‘be a STAR’ anti-bullying rally for Woodlawn School students in Schenectady, New York on Friday. The WWE Superstar shared his experiences about being bullied and advised students to never laugh at bullies and to show tolerance and respect. (Article)

WWE Magazine has released a limited edition “2012 Roster” issue featuring profiles and pictures of all of the WWE Superstars.

— Trendrr.TV reports that last night’s episode of WWE SmackDown saw a slight increase in social media activity with a score of 53,839. Last week’s show scored 50,470.

This Week’s Z! True Long Island Story, Phoenix Returns To Action

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— In this week’s episode of Z! True Long Island Story, Zack Ryder laments his return to WWE Superstars. Also featured are cameos by Dolph Ziggler and Scott Stanford, the latest dig on Trent Barreta’s disappearance and a segment on Ryder’s new growth chart product line.

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— Beth Phoenix competed at Friday’s Raw live event in Glens Falls, New York, losing to WWE Divas Champion Layla. It was her first match since losing the WWE Divas Championship to Nikki Bella on the April 23 Raw SuperShow.

— WWE Hall of Famer George “The Animal” Steele stated Friday on Twitter that he was released from the hospital following an extensive stay. He added, “Praise the LORD, GOD is so good.”

Latest “Santino’s Foreign Exchange”, Ambrose Faces Ryder, More

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— WWE Superstar and host, Santino Marella shares with Michael McGillicutty and the WWE Universe just how dirty he will get to prove he’s a diligent worker.

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— WWE developmental wrestler Dean Ambrose faced Zack Ryder at Friday’s Raw live event in Glens Falls, New York. Ambrose was disqualified after he removed the turnbuckle pad and whipped Ryder into it.

— Former WWE Superstar Billy Kidman turned 38 years old on Friday. He is currently a producer on WWE’s Raw brand.

— WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth are advertised to appear at Aaron’s Rental & Sales in Mobile, Alabama on Saturday, June 2 beginning at 4:00 p.m.

Stephanie Featured In Linda Campaign Ad, WWE DVD Titles Pulled

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— Stephanie McMahon is featured in a promotional advertisement for Linda McMahon’s campaign for United States Senator from Connecticut.

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— WWE’s European DVD distributor Silvervision announced via Facebook that anyone who ordered the following pre-order titles will be refunded in full due to production errors: The Best of WCW Clash of the Champions DVD, The Best of WCW Clash of the Champions Blu-ray, The Biggest Matches in ECW History DVD, The Biggest Matches in ECW History Blu-ray, WrestleMania XXVIII DVD, WrestleMania XXVIII Blu-ray.

— Sheamus appears at Saturday’s Market in Middletown, Pennsylvania today from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Santino Marella is also appearing at Bryant and Stratton College in Syracuse, New York beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Backstage Fallout From SmackDown, WWE Returns To Louisiana

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— In the latest edition of Backstage Fallout, Sheamus tells the WWE Universe what he thinks his chances are at Over the Limit, Kaitlyn talks about her “vicious” match with AJ and more WWE Superstars react to SmackDown events.

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— Former WWE Superstar Ricky Ortiz turns 37 years old on Saturday while Doug Basham turns 41. Ortiz sporadically competes on the Florida independent circuit while Basham is no longer active.

— WWE will hold a SuperShow at the Civic Center in Monroe, Louisiana on June 29, 2012. Bell time is 7:30 p.m.

— Kevin Nash is advertised to face Mark Vandy at EWF Wrestling presents “Diesel Powered” on June 16 at Borderman Gymnasium in Converse, Indiana. (Event Information)

Pictures: WWE Moving NXT & FCW Tapings To Full Sail University

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Full Sail University issued the following announcement:

WWE and Full Sail University are combining forces to make entertainment history! The WWE franchise NXT is moving full-time to Full Sail University and Thursday, May 17th, 2012 will be its inaugural event. A powerhouse night of hard-hitting action returns to the Full Sail Live Venue as WWE invades the Full Sail University campus!

The night will feature a special appearance by WWE’s own Triple H and includes a WWE Superstar Showdown with World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus going against Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship and Kofi Kingston and R-Truth going against Epico and Primo for the World Tag Team title!

Want to sit ringside? Wear your favorite WWE shirt and bring your most creative wrestling sign and you could find yourself closer to the action than you ever imagined.

This event is free to all Full Sail students and staff with a valid Full Sail ID. Please send your ticket request to [email protected] for tickets!

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Flair No-Shows TNA Event In New Orleans, James On YouTube

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— Ric Flair did not appear as advertised at TNA Wrestling’s Thursday night live event at Uno Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The legendary grappler is advertised for tonight’s TNA live event at Harang Auditorium in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Matches taking place include TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode vs. Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson, AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin vs. Gunner and Hernandez, Mickie James vs. Angelina Love and TNA Television Champion Devon vs. Robbie E.

— Mickie James has launched a YouTube channel via www.youtube.com/IAmMickieJames.

— TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter announced on Twitter that new talent King Mo will appear at tonight’s Bellator 68 event at Caesars Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

YouTube Celebrity Says John Cena Denied His Photo Request

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Ed Bassmaster, who has amassed over 230 million views on his hidden camera prank themed YouTube channel, stated Tuesday on Facebook that John Cena denied his request for a photo opportunity on Tuesday while riding a shuttle bus with the WWE Superstar at Tampa International Airport.

“So I’m at the airport in Tampa and I get on the shuttle bus. It’s just me and John Cena. I ask him for a quick pic and he says “I’m on my way home” without even making eye contact with me. Thanks John, it wasn’t for me. It was for my 4 year old little nephew. My three year olds John Cena doll is going in the trash when I get home,” wrote Bassmaster.

Bassmaster issued an apology Thursday shortly after news broke that Cena had filed for divorce from his high school sweetheart and wife of three years, Elizabeth Huberdeau.

“Never judge a book by its cover. John Cena filed for divorce today. Evidently he had good reason to be short and unpleasant towards me. I apologize for my statement, and the doll will not go in the trash,” he wrote.

WWE Making Major Change To NXT Tapings Beginning Next Week

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Beginning next Thursday, WWE’s WWE NXT and FCW Wrestling tapings will emanate from Full Sail University’s multi purpose performance venue in Winter Park, Florida. Tickets for the events are free to university staff and students with ID as long as they are reserved in advance.

The events, which are being branded as WWE Superstar Showdown, are taking place near the company’s developmental facility in Tampa, Florida as means to integrate Florida Championship Wrestling talent on NXT more smoothly. Company officials hope the “university feel” will give the show better crowd reactions as well as to upgrade the look of Florida Championship Wrestling programming.

Triple H, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, is heavily involved with the project. He was said to be a high on the facility after scouting it with other WWE executives last year.

Triple H is advertised for Thursday’s event, which will also feature World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio and WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vs. Epico and Primo. Events are also scheduled for June 14, July 5, July 19, August 9, August 23, September 6 and September 20.

(Source: PWInsider.com)

Warrior Says He Respects McMahon More Than Anyone Else

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In part two of his MLW Radio appearance, which you can listen to here (MP3), Ultimate Warrior spoke about fighting Vince McMahon in court for years and spending over a million dollars in the process. Warrior also commented about the respect he developed for Vince after the long battle.

“It went on for almost five years and it was about to start trial. It was a Friday. Vince and Linda were there with their counsel, Jerry McDevitt, and I was there with my counsel. It had gone on for five years. There were 30,000 documents. There were 30 or 40 depositions that had been taken in all different places all over the country. There were 900 exhibits. It was incredible. I was already into it for a million dollars in paid legal fees.”

“I think [Vince] was surprised as time went on. In those kinds of things, Vince has the money to throw at them all day long. He doesn’t really sit and think about the consequence. He just doesn’t. It was different for me because I was so close to it and it just kept dragging on and on. Vince is stubborn. Both Linda and others in their depositions under oath said the problem between me and Vince was that we were so much alike.”

“At the end of the day, after all the fighting and everything, I respect Vince more than anybody else. The writing is on the wall while you’re there. All the guys that are bitter about where they ended up in their lives, that wasn’t Vince’s responsibility. Vince’s loyalty was to his company, himself and his family. He wasn’t going to let anybody stand in the way and even though outsiders can see some of the things he did as vicious, I happen to admire that.”

Part two of Ultimate Warrior on MLW Radio with Mister Saint Laurent is available on MLW.com, iTunes and syndicated by Stitcher.com.

Pictures: Gail Kim Marries Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine

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TNA Knockouts Champion Gail Kim and celebrity chef Robert Irvine were married on Thursday in Napa Valley, California. The couple met on the set of Irvine’s former show, Dinner: Impossible.

Irvine planned the entire wedding and left his bride-to-be with only one job: to show up looking “as beautiful as she always does.” He tweeted on Wednesday:

“My total surprise wedding for [Gail] is almost done, she has no knowledge of what’s going on and I am surprising her.”

Gail Kim tweeted the following about her big day:

“I’m the luckiest girl in the world. Now I know what little girls dream of.”

Several other celebrity chefs attended the wedding, including Masaharu Morimoto, Guy Fieri, Michael Chiarello and Melissa d’Arabian. Both Mirimoto and Guy Fieri cooked multiple dishes for the wedding reception.

Check out these pictures of the happy couple together:

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Video: The Rock Jokes About Cena’s Wife Hiring Divorce Lawyer

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As part of the buildup to the Rock vs. John Cena match at WrestleMania 28, The Rock held a “Rock Concert” on the March 12, 2012 edition of WWE RAW.

With the news of John Cena filing to divorce his wife this week – the lyrics of The Rock’s takes on a different meaning:

“Rock saw Cena makin’ out with Eve, Grabbin’ on her thigh, tuggin’ on her weave. Cena was havin’ the time of his life, I guess he didn’t tell her that he’s got a wife. Let’s rock. Everybody let’s rock. Divorce lawyer’s right up the block, but we’re dancing because Cleveland Rocks.”

While there’s no indication that John Cena and Eve were romantically linked off-camera, it is known that The Rock and John Cena were legitimately taking personal shots at each other during their promos hyping WM28. With TMZ.com reporting that John Cena did not hide his marital problems with his co-workers in the WWE locker room, it appears The Rock’s remarks about Cena’s wife and a “divorce lawyer right up the block” hit closer to home than we realized at the time.

Here’s the video of The Rock’s “Rock Concert” from RAW (3/12/12):

Backstage News: John Cena Miserable In Recent Months

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TMZ has posted an update on John Cena’s filing for divorce from his high school sweetheart wife of 3 years, Liz Huberdeau.

John Cena’s relationship with Liz began to sour shortly after they got married in 2009, with their arguing escalating in recent months. One of the big issues they would reportedly fight about was the remolding of their Florida home. [Picture of Cena’s Mansion]

Cena has been a “wreck” in recent months over the state of his crumbling marriage – and was outspoken about his personal troubles backstage with his co-workers.

Even with their romantic relationship fizzling out, John Cena’s wife was ringside at a recent WWE RAW Supershow event from Bostin right before WrestleMania 28. Cena gave his wife a big kiss on RAW. Unfortunately, we now know that things were falling apart at home for the longtime couple.

Vince Donates To Romney, WrestleFest, Henry-Schwarzenegger

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– According to ABC News, WWE CEO Vince McMahon has donated $2,500 to U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

– THQ announced yesterday that Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, Edge, Eddie Guerrero and Curt Hennig have been added to the WrestleFest mobile game. A new RAW is WAR arena has also been added.

– WWE’s website has a new article up with SmackDown’s Damien Sandow, looking at the top 10 ignoramuses in WWE history. He listed Steve Austin, Mankind, Santino Marella, Ultimate Warrior, Zack Ryder, Dusty Rhodes, Brodus Clay, Brooklyn Brawler, Booker T and CM Punk.

– The latest episode of WWE’s Outside of the Ring features Mark Henry visiting the Arnold Schwarzenegger museum in Austria. Henry was not at last weekend’s RAW live events or this week’s RAW & SmackDown TV tapings, so he was apparently overseas:

Punk Criticized For Tweets, WWE Stock, Over The Limit

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– WWE is billing the World Heavyweight Title Match at Over the Limit as an “international incident of epic proportions,” with each of the participants being from different countries – Sheamus (Ireland), Alberto Del Rio (Mexico), Chris Jericho (Canada) and Randy Orton (USA).

– During CNBC’s “Mad Money,” host Jim Cramer was asked yesterday about WWE stock. Cramer’s response, “SELL, SELL, SELL, no growth!”

– Conservative website BreitBart.com has published an article about CM Punk’s Twitter comments from Monday – when Punk told a fan on Twitter “kill yourself” and another to “drink bleach” because they do not support gay marriage. The site called Punk “another Dan Savage-style eloquent spokesperson for the same-sex marriage cause.”

The site conveniently did not mention Punk’s apology just hours after he made the tweets.

Dixie Carter Talks Batista-TNA, Reson For Impact Time Change

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– During Thursday’s press conference & media conference call regarding MMA fighter Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal signing with TNA, TNA President Dixie Carter was asked about whether Batista could join TNA as part of the new agreement with Bellator to feature wrestlers and MMA fighters under the Spike TV.

Carter said Batista was a “great talent and great wrestling talent,” but said she was only willing to discuss Lawal joining TNA and Bellator.

As previously reported, Batista has been rumored to be signing with Bellator MMA, which would create an interesting scenario for Batista possibly being affiliated with TNA.

– Also at the press conference announcing King Mo’s signing with TNA & Bellator MMA, SpikeTV President Kevin Kay spoe about the decision to move iMPACT! Wrestling’s start time an hour earlier to to 8PM ET. He said the reason was because there is a bigger available audience at 8PM ET vs. 9PM ET. He also added that TNA wants to avoid competing with the NFL once the season starts.

He did not say if Bellator will begin airing after iMPACT! on Thursdays next year once Bellator moves to SpikeTV.

Scott Steiner’s Latest Rant About Hulk Hogan

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Hulk Hogan recently reacted to Scott Steiner’s Twitter rants about Eric Bischoff, saying he has no idea why Steiner is so upset with him – but it might be because Steiner is unhappy with his life and now relegated to wrestling independent shows. [Listen Here].

Big Poppa Pump has responded to Hogan – and he sounds pissed:

“Hogan did interview saying i must be unhappy in my life,F-CK U hogan Im very happy in my life,Im  Not the one who went on Larry King crying like a b-tch and saying that you put a gun in your mouth and Was going to pull the trigger.”

“Quit lying bcuz nobody believes yur bullsh-t,you 3 a–holes write the show and you decide whos on the show”

“The stuff with storm is bulls–t too,storm and I talkd over match and the finish which i didnt change we both Went to get in gear,and as i was changing I was told I wasnt in match anymore,i went back to storm And ask him what happened and he didnt know,,,But dont take my word on it ASK storm he will say the Same thing,yur a lying piece of sh-t!!!!”

“You disrespect the business and my eberybody in Tna and you think its weird that I want to knock  You unconscious,F-CK U.. your day is coming motherf-cker”

John Cena Files For Divorce From Wife Liz

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John Cena has filed for divorce from his high school sweetheart and wife of three years, Liz Huberdeau, reports The Miami Herald and TMZ.com. The WWE Superstar claims their marriage is “irretrevably broken.”

Backstage News: John Cena Miserable In Recent Months

The couple signed a prenuptial agreement that allows Cena, who possesses assets worth $18 million, the ability to take back all gifts and presents. Huberdeau has already hired powerful Miami attorney Raymond Rafool, who is best known for facing Hulk Hogan in his ugly divorce battle against ex-wife Linda. Rafool allegedly took 70% of the legendary grappler’s assets and Huberdeau reportedly wants a similar take. A source close to the situation told The Miami Herald that this divorce would “dwarf the Hogan divorce in nastiness.”

Rafool released a statement, claiming, “Although it is indeed unfortunate that John Cena decided to divorce his high school sweetheart Liz Cena; particularly, after they have come so far in their lives and in his career together, Liz will and really has no choice but to pursue all of her rights and entitlements.

“Sadly, divorce is not the way Liz thought her perfect love story would end.”

Huberdeau’s attorney adds that Cena “blindsided her” with the divorce filing. They had been having issues as the WWE Superstar approached her recently with a pre-divorce financial settlement agreement that she refused to sign due to her belief the relationship would work out.

New Match Announced For Over the Limit, WWE Features RVD

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— Announced exclusively on WWE.com, WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth will defend their titles for the very first time at WWE Over the Limit on May 20, taking on Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger. (Match Preview)

— WWE.com has added Rob Van Dam to their Alumni section. The website writes, “Rob Van Dam’s innovative maneuvers, laid back demeanor and airbrushed attire made him ECW’s most popular Superstar of all time, and he later became WWE Champion at a historic contest in New York City. Check out RVD’s career milestones, photos and videos, the latest addition to WWE.com’s Alumni section!” (Profile)

This continues a trend of WWE.com acknowledging former talent affiliated with TNA Wrestling as Sting was added to the section last week and a playlist of Hulk Hogan’s wildest interviews was uploaded. Furthermore, three TNA Wrestling stars who succumbed to Brock Lesnar during his rise to the top of WWE—Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle and Hogan —were shown in a series of video packages on the April 23 Raw SuperShow.

— William Regal turns 44 years old Thursday.

Ultimate Warrior Addresses Impostor, Snitsky Returns To Twitter

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— Ultimate Warrior has addressed One Warrior Nation, a rotund wrestler who parades around the independent circuit with the former WWE Champion’s gimmick.

He tweeted this photo of the impostor Wednesday and ridiculed his less than Warrior-like physique, writing, “One tiny favor, warriors. If you ever see me in this condition, kill me. Just fucking kill me. W.”

— Former WWE Superstar Snitsky has resurfaced on Twitter at BiggeneWDF. He closed his previous account last summer following a homophobic outburst toward fans of The Miz—which he claimed wasn’t him.

— Maria Kanellis, Davey Richards, Teddy Hart and Brittney Savage have been announced to appear for Pro Wrestling Syndicate’s five year anniversary shows on Friday, June 1 and June 2 in Rahway, New Jersey. (Event Information)

— WWE Hall of Famer Verne Gagne turns 89 years old Thursday while WWE Hall of Famer Tito Santana turns 59.

Santino’s Back Hurting, Del Rio-Japan, Devestating Slaps Video

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– WWE United States Champion Santino Marella wrote on Twitter that he’s been working with a sore back.

– Alberto Del Rio, replacing the the suspended Rey Mysterio, is currently in Tokyo, Japan doing promotional work for WWE. Del Rio will be attending a baseball Hanshin Tigers baseball game on Saturday in Shibuya, Japan and will be shooting t-shirts into the crowd. Later in the day, he’ll have an autograph signing at the Tower Records in Shibuya.

– The WWE Youtube channel has posted the following video looking at the most devastating slaps in WWE history:

WWE’s Social Media Experiemnts, Reks & Hawkins Return, Cesaro

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– WWE’s Senior Vice President of Digital Jason Koch attended Ad Age’s Engagement/Social TV conference on Wednesday. He talked about a recent social engagement test that performed at a recent live event in Huntsville Alabama.

WWE encouraged the fans in attendance to post pictures from the show to Twitter and also had fans vote on a stipulation for the show’s main event. Koch stated that that 25% of the fans in attendance voted, which is considered to be a very strong sign of customer engagement.

It’s expected that WWE will continue to encourage fans at live events to promote WWE on social media. For more on the story, visit AdAge.com.

– As seen on this week’s NXT [watch here], Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins returned and are now the official “NXT security,” as appointed by John Laurinaitis.

– WWE has added Antonio Cesaro to the SmackDown roster page. Jim Ross called Cesaro a “potential impact player” in his latest blog.