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Flair Has No Plans To Retire, TNA Talent To OVW & More

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– During a recent interview with the UK’s The Skinny, TNA star Ric Flair revealed he has no plans to retire any time soon.

“To be honest I have no plans on retiring from the industry anytime soon. I feel that I still have so much to give to TNA. If the time ever comes that I cannot contribute anything to the company that is when I would have to consider my position within TNA.”

“I am privileged that I have a limited schedule in TNA so my time in many respects is my own. Just now I like to spend time with my family and love to do some fishing. When I retire I’ll be doing more of the same.”

– With TNA’s recent announcement that they have a working relationship with Ihio Valley Wrestling, the company sent its first two stars to OVW this week to begin training there. Rob Terry and Anarquia appeared at Tuesday night’s OVW event from from New Albany, Indiana at the National Guard Armory.

– AJ Styles and The Pope will be headed to Mexico on December 16th for AAA’s Guerra de Titanes pay-per-view. AJ will face El Mesias while Pope will team with Gunner and Chessman to face Los Psycho Circus in six-man action.

– The first TNA Impact Wrestling tapings of 2012 will take place on January 9th, 10th, 11th, 16th and 17th.

New Lilian Garcia Modeling Pictures (Wow)

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Check out these new modeling pictures of SmackDown’s new ring announcer – Lilian Garcia.

Recent News About Lilian Garcia:

Follow Lilian on Facebook at Facebook.com/liliangarciafanpage.

Why WWE Brought Lilian Garcia Back, NXT Matches Taped

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— WWE brought Lilian Garcia back to the organization to permanently replace Tony Chimel as the ring announcer for weekly SmackDown tapings. Chimel, 50, will continue working for WWE at television tapings in the production office backstage. Company officials asked Garcia late last week if she wanted to return and a deal was reached Monday upon her arrival in Tampa, Florida.

Garcia, who turned 45 years old in August, retired from her job as Raw ring announcer in 2009, citing a wish to settle down with her husband and being burned out from WWE’s strenuous travel schedule. During her time away, she continued to pursue her music career, and hosted AfterBuzzTV.com’s post-shows for Raw and Tough Enough.

— Matches taped Tuesday night in Jacksonville, Florida for this week’s episode of WWE NXT are as follows: Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks; Darren Young and JTG vs. Percy Watson and Titus O’Neil; Johnny Curtis vs. Derrick Bateman.

Yoshi Tatsu beat WWE developmental wrestler Damien Sandow in a dark match prior to the taping.

source: Wrestling Globe Newsletter

RAW Rating: Below 3.0, Hour Two Drops Again

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WWE’s December 5th RAW Supershow from Tampa, FL drew a 2.97 cable rating and averaged 4,352,000 viewers. This is down form last week’s 3.23 (4,483,000 viewers) and RAW’s 2nd lowest rating in the past 10 weeks.

Once again – the trend of RAW losing viewers in hour two continued, with hourly ratings of 3.02 and 2.91. RAW lost approximately 100,000 viewers in hour two.

The NFL Monday Night Football game between the Chargers and Jaguars did not do a great rating, so the competition on cable was not too bad this week.

Rima Fakih DUI Update: High BAC When Arrested

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2010 Miss USA Rima Fakih

WWE Tough Enough contestant and 2010 Miss USA Rima Fakih was reportedly WASTED when she was arrested for DUI over the weekend in Michigan.

According to the police report, Fakih was pulled over when officers noticed the her speeding and weaving through traffic in Detroit early Saturday morning.

Cops say Fakih “immediately identified herself as Miss USA” and then flunked two breathalyzer tests. Fakih blew a 0.19 and then a 0.20 – more than double Michigan’s legal limit of .08.

Police searched her car and found a half-empty bottle of wine behind the driver’s seat.

She was arrested on suspicion of DUI and If convicted, Fakih could face some serious jail time.

As previously reported, shortly after her arrest, Fakih denied the entire situation on Twitter – claiming she wasn’t even in Michigan, was not in jail and the person who was arrested was somebody else with the same name. The tweets were then deleted and Fakih’s attorney Donald Elder confirmed the arrest.

Latest On WWE’s Mystery Video, HHH In Charge Of Raw, Kelly

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— F4WOnline.com reports there is going to be a “pretty good hint” about who WWE’s viral videos are teasing on the December 19 Raw SuperShow.

This week’s viral video is titled “Look Within.” A boy is shown in the video saying a “prophet” will “emerge to destroy the weak” and “it will be the end of the world as you know it.”

— Triple H was in charge of Monday’s Raw SuperShow due to Vince McMahon’s absence. The WWE CEO, as well as Kofi Kingston, Brie Bella and Nikki Bella, are in Afghanistan visiting U.S. troops. Footage from their trip will air during WWE’s annual Tribute to the Troops special.

— A forum has been set up on Kelly Kelly’s newly launched website.

She tweeted, “The forum is up at http://www.wwedivakellykelly.com. I will be reading your posts! Hope you enjoy my new site :)”

source: F4WOnline.com

Trailer For Lilian Garcia’s 1st Music Video, Legends’ House News

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— WWE has launched a Facebook page for WWE Legends’ House, the new reality show for WWE Network premiering in 2012. The synopsis for the series reads:

“A reality series featuring many of your favorite WWE Legends, all forced to live under one roof. See what happens when the most colorful and combustive personalities in WWE history shack up, break bread, and bruise egos.”

— Kelly Kelly is scheduled to appear on The Bubba the Love Sponge Show on Friday, which airs on various Cox Radio and Beasley Broadcast Group stations.

— Lilian Garcia has released a behind the scenes trailer previewing her first music video, U Drive Me Loca. The SmackDown Diva’s music video will be officially released Friday via LilianGarcia.com.

Punk Jabs The Rock, Taker’s Return, “It Begins” Update

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– On Monday’s RAW, we saw the third installment of the “It Begins” video trailers, with this week’s promo titled, “Look within.” According to a report on PWInsider.com, insider sources continue to state that the person returning to WWE at the January 2nd edition of RAW from Memphis will be Chris Jericho.

Some had speculated that the “It Begins” videos were leading up to the return of the Undertaker, but the latest on his return is that he won’t be back until after the Royal Rumble.

– After The Rock claimed that his new “Boots To Asses” t-shirt was the best selling WWE t-shirt, CM Punk responded by re-tweeting the following message from one of his followers:

“The Rock comes up with another lie..Claiming his shirt is the most sold in WWE. We all know it’s the @CMPunk T-Shirt, that’s most sold.”

Punk also updated fans on the x-rays he had done on Tuesday, revealing that it was his right hand that might be fractured.

Punk posted the following picture of his x-ray – coincidentally doing one of John Cena’s hand gestures with the caption, “Hustle. Loyalty. Respect.”

CM Punk Undergoes X-Rays, Rima Fakih Scheduled For Hearing

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— CM Punk stated Tuesday on Twitter that he was undergoing an X-ray examination today. He wrote, “Heading for X-rays, then gym. Because broke shit don’t stop me.”

He added, “Soon to be a dirt sheet headline: Punk gets X-rays.

“Going to go jump in a volcano then gym. Because hot lava don’t stop me.

“Soon to be dirt sheet headline: Punk jumps into volcano.”

— Tough Enough contestant and former Miss USA Rima Fakih is scheduled for a court hearing on December 21, 2011 in 30th District Court in Highland Park, Michigan due to her arrest Saturday on suspicion of drunken driving. If convicted, Fakih faces up to 93 days in jail, plus fines, court costs and the possibility of community service. (Article link)

— Lilian Garcia, SmackDown’s new, full-time ring announcer, has been added to the SmackDown Superstars page on WWE.com.

Randy Orton Talks Retirement, Favorite Feud, Dream Opponent

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Randy Orton was recently interviewed by THQ to promote the new WWE ’12 video game. Here are some highlights of what Orton said about:

His Favorite Rivalry In WWE: “John Cena in ’09. I had a four month storyline where we exchanged titles. We had a memorable “Iron Man” match, and we traded wins and losses. I’m the anti-John Cena. If he’s kissing babies, wearing necklaces, then I’m doing the opposite. He’s a beast in the gym, and beast on the mic. He’s also in movies and everything, but I don’t see myself doing much more of that. I’m a WWE Superstar to the bone.”

His Health & When He’ll Retire: “I’d like to make it into my 40’s and compete and retire, but not because my neck is bad or anything like that, but so I’m able to go out on top on my own terms, like HBK. So many in the business can’t say that, but I want to finish on top and stay healthy. I’ve been using a lot of the advancements in preventative medicine more recently. I took a page out of John Cena’s book to do things for my muscular/neuro connection. I’m training specifically for what I do in the ring. Explosive movement or plyometrics. I just want all of my limbs stay in their sockets, so at the final bell, I can say that I did it all.”

His Dream Opponent From Any Generation: “My dad (“Cowboy” Bob Orton) got to wrestle his old man, but it’d be cool to do that as well. He was one of the best ring technicians, and everyone always had good things to say about my father. He was the innovator of a lot of moves, and he helped bring the business to where it is. I’d want to wrestle him in a straight up, babyface hour broadway.”

To read the full interview, head over to THQ.com.

WWE Not Planning On Changing Title, Sin Cara T-Shirt On eBay

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— Regarding rumors of WWE changing the appearance of the WWE Championship, while some in the organization are pushing to get rid of the “spinner” strap, no official change is currently planned.

— The Sin Cara Goteo De Oro T-Shirt featuring the shape of a penis embedded in a gold design that was pulled within hours of being listed on WWEShop.com last week was briefly supplied by WWE’s Japan Shop (WWEJapanShop.jp) in very limited quantities. The Japan affiliate mailed out the shirt and one has surfaced on eBay.

— The pre-sale code for the April 2, 2012 Raw SuperShow in Miami, Florida is WMWEEKMIA. The pre-sale kicks off tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.

— Monday’s Raw SuperShow was the No. 1 most-mentioned show on social media in all of broadcast and cable TV, according to trendrr.com.

source: PWInsider.com

WWE Cracking Down On Twitter Accounts, Vince Not At RAW

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Layla Backstage at RAW (12/5)

– WWE has been cracking down very aggressively on Twitter accounts that impersonate or parody their superstars and overall product.

With their huge push to integrate Twitter into the WWE Universe, the company is said to be overly-protective about fans being mislead by other parties trying to benefit from their intellectual property. Several Twitter accounts have been shut down in the past few weeks as a result of this new policy.

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was not backstage at Monday’s RAW, which is a rare thing. With Vince gone, Triple H was in charge of things backstage.

Among the WWE personalities backstage were AJim Ross, Sean Waltman, Layla and former diva Cherry.

– 1980s WWF star B. Brian Blair is recovering from appendectomy surgery. Blair was hospitalized for almost a week after his appendix burst and poisoned his intestines. Had the situation not been addressed when it was, he could have been facing severe medical complications.

(Partial Source: pwinsider.com)

Two New Title Matches Announced For TNA Final Resolution

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TNA Wrestling has announced two new title matches for this Sunday’s pay-per-view event, Final Resolution.

Austin Aries will defend the X Division Championship against Kid Kash while Robbie E will defend the TV Championship against Eric Young.

The updated card is as follows:

World Heavyweight Championship 30 Minute Ironman Match
AJ Styles vs. (c) Bobby Roode

Steel Cage Match
“The King Of The Mountain” Jeff Jarrett vs. “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy
(Karen Jarrett will be handcuffed to Sting at ringside)

Women’s Knockout Championship Match
Mickie James vs. (c) Gail Kim

World Tag Team Championship Match
Matt Morgan and Crimson (c) vs “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero and Devon

X Division Championship Match
Austin Aries (c) vs Kid Kash

Television Championship Match
Robbie E (c) vs Eric Young

Kharma Getting Married – Update On Her WWE Future

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Kharma's Wrestling Ring Engagement Ring

Pregnant WWE Diva Kharma is engaged to be married. According to TMZ.com, her fiance proposed to her several months ago – and presented her with a very unique engagement ring – it’s actually a  wrestling ring with a diamond, set inside of a normal ring.

No official date has been set for the wedding yet but TMZ reports that Kharma is looking to tie the knot in June of 2012.

Kharma, who is currently out on maternity leave, is still a member of the WWE roster.

While most people expect her to return to WWE once she delivers her baby and recovers, there have been others within the company who are skeptical that a new mother will immediately go back to work traveling 4+ days per week.

It’s worth noting that Kharma was trending worldwide on Twitter during RAW, despite the fact that she hasn’t been on WWE television in many months.

What Happened After RAW: 41-Man Battle Royal

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After Monday’s RAW from Tampa went off the air, there was a 41-man battle royal with the winner getting a WWE Championship match against CM Punk immediately.

Dolph Ziggler appeared to be eliminated early in the match and it came down to Zack Ryder, Cody Rhodes and Jack Swagger. After Ryder eliminated Rhodes and Swagger, Ziggler snuck in an eliminated Ryder to win the match and get the shot at Punk.

Out came CM Punk to defend the title against Ziggler with Vickie Guererro in his corner. There were “Vicky sucks” and “we want ice cream” chants during the match. Punk hit Ziggler with a knee in the corner and followed up with the Anaconda vice to get the win.

Cena vs. Henry Next Week, Slammy Nominees, WWE 12

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– The main event of next Monday’s 3-hour Slammy RAW will be World Heavyweight champion Mark Henry vs. John Cena.

– The nominees for the 2011 WWE Superstar of the Year are:

  • John Cena
  • Randy Orton
  • CM Punk
  • The Miz
  • Alberto Del Rio

– THQ’s WWE ’12 video game has reportedly sold over 350,000 copies in North America.

– The dark match before Monday’s RAW from Tampa saw The Usos defeat Tyler Reks and JTG, with Curt Hawkins in their corner.

– Matches taped before RAW for Superstars were:

  • Mason Ryan vs. Drew McIntyre
  • Evan Bourne vs. Epico with Primo and Rosa Mendes

Lilian Confirms Her Return, Bourne Returns, Big Show

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– Lilian Garcia confirmed on Monday night that she is indeed returning to WWE. She tweeted:

“Yes! It’s true!! All happening so fast! I am returning to WWE as the SmackDown Announcer!! So excited!! And video trailer out tomro! Big wk”

– WWE tag champion Evan Bourne returned to WWE television at Monday’s RAW from Tampa. Bourne wrestled before RAW in a match taped for Superstars and was shown briefly backstage during RAW. He missed 30-days after his first violation of the company Wellness Policy.

– Big Show was reportedly not at RAW because because he was attending the American Country Awards in Las Vegas, which aired on FOX. Big Show did a comedy skit where he chokeslammed host Trace Adkins and then presented an award.

VIDEO: Week 3 of “It Begins” Promos – “Look With In”

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During Monday’s RAW, WWE briefly flashed the URL “Youtube.com/user/lookwithin2012” – which revealed the 3rd video in the “It Begins” Series. To view the first 2 videos in the series, click here.

Breaking News – Lilian Garcia Returning To WWE

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WWE.com announced Monday that former Raw ring announcer Lilian Garcia is returning to the organization.

Returning to WWE full-time after a more than two-year hiatus, she will be SmackDown’s new ring announcer. It’s her first time joining WWE’s Friday night brand.

“I am here to tell you that I am back baby! This is awesome. I am actually back in the WWE. I’m going to be announcing SmackDown full-time,” she tells WWE.com in an interview at tonight’s Raw SuperShow in Tampa, Florida.

“I’ve been doing a lot, I got married since I left. I actually relocated from New York City to L.A. I have been recording—I’ve never stopped singing. I’ve been recording, got some new songs coming out, got a video coming out next week, so that’s exciting, I missed it though. No matter how much I did other things, I always missed this.

“I’ve continuously watched it and there was a time there that it was hard for me to actually watch it—I did have to step away a little bit just because I missed it. I would it watch it, and nostalgia, and I’d tear up and I’m like, ‘No, you did the right thing, you did the right thing’ and then no matter how much I tried to step away from it, it always like draw you in (laughs). It gets in your blood!”

She continues, “I’m excited about everything. I’m excited about singing again on the show, that’s going to be awesome, singing the national anthem again and every other opportunity that comes up with that. Oh my gosh, I miss the fans, so, so much. I miss you. And then the Superstars. Working with the Superstars was so incredible, I said it when I gave my goodbye speech, they are the best athletes in the world, so being back here, watching them, best seat in the house, is really terrific and it’s just so exciting and all the crew, everybody, behind the scenes, it’s just a great energy.”

Video of Garcia discussing returning to WWE is available here.

Rollins & Ambrose Getting Called Up, Miz-conan, Windham

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– The Miz is scheduled to appear on Thursday night’s edition of Conan O’Brien’s late night TBS talk show to promote the upcoming “Tribute To The Troops” special. The Conan website previews The Mizs’ appearance:

“The last time WWE Superstar The Miz came by, he gave Conan the nickname ‘The Ginja Ninja.’ We have a feeling our nickname would be “The Delicate Hypochondriac.” Which is not intimidating at ALL. Check out the actually-intimidating Miz in action on the WWE Tribute to the Troops special.”

– To update the health status of Barry Windham, he’s said to be doing much better – but still has a long way to go before he gets back to 100%. Windham suffered a heart attack last month.

– Maria Menounos, host of the celebrity news show “Extra,” tweeted the following about her her training for her celebrity bout at the WWE Tribute to the Troops taping next week in North Carolina:

“Started training for WWE Thursday p.m. and a.m. So bruised and beaten up. Trained in an outdoor ring during our mini L.A. hurricane…Gotta work really hard if I’m going up against Beth Phoenix and the gang. Nervous…ok terrified…can’t turn back now, can I?… I went through the basics the other night – hip toss, arm drag. etc. Will learn more this week!”

 – Two of the top talents at WWE developmental are set to be evaluated by WWE producers, as FCW standouts Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) and Seth Rollins (Tyler Black) will be appearing at live WWE events later this month.

Check out this match between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins from the September 18th episode of FCW television – an FCW 15 Championship Match with a 30 minutes time limit.

(Partial source: pwinsider.com)

Dixie Carter Interview: Next Trend In Wrestling, TNA vs. WWE

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TNA President Dixie Carter was recently interviewed by Tennessean.com and had this to say about the following topics:

How TNA has changed with the times: “We’re not just a wrestling company anymore. We do our own booking. We do our own promotion and public relations. We’re a licensing company. We have toys, Halloween costumes, trading cards. We make our own music. All of those things are sold and promoted around the world. But we still do more than 500 hours of television a year.”

How TNA Keeps Up With WWE: “I don’t care who you are, competition makes you better. There’s a reason there’s a Lowe’s across the street from every Home Depot and a CVS across the street from every Walgreens. I think we’ve made WWE better, just as they’ve improved us.”

TNA’s Ongoing Challenges: “When a company first starts out, you have to do whatever you can to get into the business. Then, once you’re established, you spend a lot of time getting out of all the bad contracts that got you into the business. Deals with companies, bad partnerships or licensing deals. We’re still working through some of those now that we’ve found our footing.”

The Next Trend in Wrestling: “Maybe pulling back the curtain a little more. People now are so reality driven. The way we view wrestling in the coming years might respond to some of that. Fans will be able to see a little bit more than they’re used to. They’ll be able to see more of the wrestlers’ unscripted emotions and drama.”

To read the full article, head over to Tennessean.com.

RAW Supershow Preview: TLC Hype, Cena Wants The Title

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Tonight’s WWE RAW Supershow takes place from Tampa, Florida at the St. Petersburg Times Forum.

Triple H was previously advertised for tonight’s RAW, but his name was pulled from the arena website – so take that for what it is.

No matches have been announced for the show as of Monday morning, however we reported earlier today that John Cena is vowing to recapture the WWE championship tonight.

WWE’s upcoming Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view is less than 2 weeks away – and we’ve yet to hear anything about the event on WWE television thus far – maybe, just maybe, they’ll start promoting that show tonight.

Smackdown talent advertised for RAW includes Randy Orton, Mark Henry, Big Show, Cody Rhodes, Christian, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, and Hunico.

The advertised dark matches for tonight’s Raw show are C.M. Punk vs. John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship, and a 41-man battle royal featuring wrestlers from both brands.

Major Update On The WWE Network (Launch Date & Much More)

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WWE Network

The Sports Business Daily Journal published an article on Monday that includes many new details on the upcoming WWE Network, including a firm launch date, the scope of the channel’s distribution at launch lots more. Here are some highlights of what we now know:

– WWE is looking to launch the Network on April 1st, 2012 – the day of the company’s biggest pay-per-view of the year, WrestleMania XXVIII.

– WWE executives have told cable and satellite operators that it is expecting to reach 40 million homes at launch – a huge number for an upstart network.

– Comcast executives are representing WWE in its negotiations to get picked up by the nations other top providers, including Time Warner Cable, Cox and Bright House Networks.

– WWE also expanded its programming search beyond wrestling, which their sources indicated could include some professional team sports.

– WWE has leased space in South Norwalk, Connecticut (close to the company’s headquarters in Stanford) dedicated to the Network.  WWE has not yet named a President of the WWE Network, although it’s said they are looking for somebody with reality-show experience. WWE has retained Sucherman Consulting Group to hire 200 employees to staff the network.

– WWE’s Chief Marketing Officer, Michelle Wilson is overseeing the launch of the Network.

– The article states that “most, if not all” of WWE’s annual 13 pay-per-view events would migrate to the WWE Network. Early surveys by WWE indicated that the “Big 4” traditional shows (WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series & the Royal Rumble) would air exclusively on the Network. Later, another survey indicated WWE had changed their mind on that plan and would have the “Big 4” remain on pay-per-view – with the other “off-brand” shows airing on the Network.

For much more on the upcoming WWE Network, check out our WWE Network News Page and SportsBusinessDaily.com.

Ticket Info For Elimination Chamber, Harry Smith On Twitter

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— Tickets for the WWE’s third annual Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event go on sale Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. via Ticketmaster. Prices are set $20, $40, $70, $90 and $250.

Elimination Chamber takes place February 19, 2012 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

— Former WWE talent Harry Smith (a/k/a David Hart Smith) has changed his Twitter handle to @Brakuss. He is also referring to himself as “Brakuss” on the account.

— Click here for photos of former WWE Diva turned MoreHorror correspondent Shelly Martinez at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, California. She also attended yesterday’s NWA Hollywood event and tweeted “I freakin love wrestling!!”

— Konnan and Raven have been added to WrestleReunion, which takes place January 27-29, 2012 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport 5400 West Century Blvd. Los Angeles, California.

Hot New Pictures Of Rosa Mendes At The Gym

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WWE diva Rosa Mendes tweeted these new pictures of herself at the gym:

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