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Jeremiah Riggs Continues To Trash WWE Developmental

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Tough Enough contestant Jeremiah Riggs appeared on Hit The Ropes Radio (interview available at HitTheRopes.com, beginning in the second hour). He discussed his time on the USA Network reality series, as well as his recent stop in Florida Championship Wrestling. Interview highlights are as follows:

On the promo he cut in FCW that led to an issue with Dusty Rhodes: “I don’t know the whole system on how, I guess, things work around here. If you give somebody a microphone and you tell them they’ve got one minute, go have fun, hey this is your time, do what you need to do. And you’ve got a guy who goes out there, bar none…there’s nothing about Jeremiah Riggs that is like anybody else. I don’t have to be the next Stone Cold, I don’t need to be the next Triple H, I don’t need to do anything but be the one and only up-and-coming, Jerry Riggs.

“That’s the only thing I care about. So after I do what I do, we’re having a daggone good time. I might have dropped an F-bomb but hey, I didn’t see a big deal in that and I didn’t do it again once I was told not to do it. Man, I’m having fun. Even after the altercation with me and Dusty, or whatever he wanted to do, I sat down on the chair, put my hat on my knee and started laughing and said ‘Guys, I’m just having fun.’ I don’t want ya’ to think that I’m being pissy but hey, man, don’t someone just going to run over me. I even told them, ‘It ain’t no disrespect.’ It ain‘t nothing like that. I’m just saying. It would have been better if I had some guidelines.”

On phoniness in FCW: “Sometimes locker rooms are just like beauty parlors. It’s nothing but a bunch of drama and a bunch gossip. I like to consider myself away from that stuff. That’s like after the promo stuff. Don’t shake my hand and then whenever something goes down walk past me like, ‘I don’t know that dude.’ That’s phony. That’s being fake to me.”

On having the opportunity to do Tough Enough and wrestling thus far: “I enjoyed the opportunity. I am very pleased to be apart of what I been apart of. Never dreamed in a million years I would have been apart of anything like that. And I pride myself on that. Like I said, we’ll see what happens. I’m not promising anything. I’m not writing books and stuff about it but we’ll see what happens down the road. I’m not a fortune teller.”

Other Interview Topics

* Says he’ll give Seth Rollins his two minutes of radio time before responding to Rollins’ claim that he was “10 words from getting his ass kicked.”

* Names his favorite wrestlers growing up.

* Speaks of his time in the military, doing a tour in Afghanistan.

* Mentions whether or not he would go to TNA if they came to him.

* Talks of how injuries played a part in Tough Enough and thinks they should separate the ladies from the guys.

Wrestler Removed From Raw Roster, HHH Scheduled For Fallon

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— Husky Harris has been removed from WWE.com’s Raw Superstars page. He is, however, still under contract to WWE as he is still listed as a member of Florida Championship Wrestling.

Harris last appeared on WWE programming on the January 31, 2011 episode of Raw as he and Michael McGillicutty unsuccessfully challenged Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Following the bout, Randy Orton attacked both individuals for costing him the opportunity to recapture the WWE Championship in an earlier match, and punted Harris in the head. This was a scripted injury to write the second generation wrestler off television and demote him to developmental.

Harris resurfaced in FCW as the hockey mask-wearing character Axl Mulligan but has since appeared as himself.

— Triple H will be a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Friday night. Tune in to NBC at 12:35/11:35 CT to see “The Game” on the hit talk show.

— WWE producer Dean Malenko turns 51 years old today.

Vince Says The Rock Will Appear At Several Upcoming WWE PPVs

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During Thursday’s WWE investor conference call, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon spoke about The Rock’s impact on the company’s second quarter financial results, namely WrestleMania 28, which generated over $28 million in revenues.

McMahon announced that The Rock will be appearing at “multiple” pay-per-view events aside from WrestleMania 28.

The Rock announced last month that he’ll be appearing at the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series in November to confront John Cena, who he will wrestle at WrestleMania 28.

McMahon mentioned that The Rock’s involvement at Wrestlemania 28 have resulted in demand for WM28 travel packages being stronger than usual – selling out in just two days.

While there was talk of The Rock appearing at SummerSlam in some capacity, scheduling conflicts prevented that from happening.

Edge Talks WWE Return, SummerSlam, Acting, CM Punk & More

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Former WWE Superstar Edge did a media call this week to promote his upcoming appearances on the hit SyFy show Haven.

Here are some highlights of what Edge said about:

Returning To WWE:

– He doesn’t know if he wants to but hasn’t been contacted by WWE. He feels it’s too soon at this point to return and says he stuck around for a bit after first retiring for the Christian storyline.

– Edge said he’s not in contact with WWE. He said it’s nothing personal, everyone is just busy. He still keeps in contact with his friends who are on the road.

Appearing At SummerSlam:

– He will be appearing at SummerSlam Axxess but won’t be appearing on the pay-per-view later that night. He said by the time the pay-per-view is going on, he will be headed back to the hotel to wait on Dolph Ziggler and Christian to have some sushi.

His Acting Career:

– He’s open to more acting projects in the future but isn’t aggressively pursuing them. He made it clear that he didn’t leave wrestling to go into acting and would still be wrestling if he were able to.

Working For WWE Behind The Scenes:

– Edge said he’s not sure if he would even consider it, maybe in 5 or 10 years. He talked about being that close to wrestling without actually being able to perform might be something he doesn’t enjoy. He added that the travel of an agent job would probably turn him away and said when he travels, his neck hurts, plus he doesn’t want to wake up in a different city anymore.

CM Punk’s Recent Storyline & Life After Wrestling:

– He hasn’t been following the CM Punk storyline on RAW but does DVR SmackDown to see the Christian storyline. He said since he can’t wrestle, he feels watching it right now may be “a little funky.” He said he’s trying to step into everyday life and not have wrestling be a part of it all the time. He said he will never be ashamed of Edge and where it got him, but doesn’t want to be Edge 24/7.

Entering The Hall Of Fame One Day:

* Regarding the WWE Hall of Fame, he said he would not turn down the offer and Christian inducting him would be a no-brainer.

4 More Rumored Matches For SummerSlam Next Weekend

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WWE SummerSlam is this Sunday night- and we still only have four matches confirmed for the show thus far:

WWE Championship Unification Match
John Cena vs. CM Punk with Triple H as the Guest Referee

No Holds Barred Match for the World Heavyweight Title
Christian (c) vs. Randy Orton

WWE Divas Title Match
Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Beth Phoenix

Sheamus vs. Mark Henry (Will be announced on SmackDown)

According to our WWE sources, the following matches are also very likely to appear on the card:=

  • Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston
  • Dolph Ziggler vs. Alex Riley
  • Ezekiel Jackson vs. Cody Rhodes
  • Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett

PPV Buyrates For WM27, Extreme Rules, OTL, Capitol Punishment

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WWE announced its 2nd quarter financial results on Thursday – including the pay–er-view buyrates for WrestleMania, Extreme Rules, Over The Limit and Capitol Punishment.

WWE did a total of 1,598,000 pay-per-view buys in the second quarter of 2011, mostly due to the 1,059,000 buys from WrestleMania 27.

* Extreme Rules 2011 did 209,000 buys, up from 182,000 in 2010.

* Over the Limit 2011 did 140,000 buys, down from 197,000 in 2010.

* Capitol Punishment 2011 scored 170,000 buys, up from Fatal 4 Way doing 143,000 in 2010.

Comparing the 2011 pay-per-views in this quarter to Q2 2010, if you take WrestleMania 27 out of the equasion, up against the 2010 events, 2011’s 2nd quarter drew 519,000 buys compared to 522,000 in 2010.

WWE Announces 2nd Quarter Financial Results

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STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE:WWE – News) today announced financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2011.

To view the complete, detailed breakdown of all the numbers, click here (PDF).

Revenues totaled $142.6 million as compared to $106.8 million in the prior year quarter. Operating income was $21.0 million as compared to $10.3 million in the prior year quarter. Net income was $14.3 million, or $0.19 per share, as compared to $6.3 million, or $0.08 per share, in the prior year quarter. There were several items that impacted the comparability of our year-over-year results, primarily the timing of our annual WrestleMania® event and a $3.3 million film impairment charge in the current year quarter. Adjusting for these items in both the current and prior year quarters (as described below), adjusted revenues increased 5% to $142.6 million from $135.6 million in the prior year quarter. Adjusted Operating income declined 2% to $22.9 million from $23.4 million in the prior year quarter. Adjusted Net income was $15.5 million, or $0.21 per share, as compared to $15.1 million, or $0.20 per share, in the prior year quarter.

“Through the second quarter, WWE has generated top-line growth across our four business segments led by the strength of WrestleMania. WrestleMania XXVII achieved more than 1 million pay-per-view buys worldwide and reached record levels of both revenue and profit,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Our earnings, however, were constrained by the performance of our movie business, adverse home video sales trends, and the status of our talent development. Key operating metrics, such as average live event attendance and pay-per-view buys showed declines in the second quarter when evaluated on a comparable basis to last year (excluding WrestleMania). But, while our key metrics were down, the gap to our prior year performance continued to diminish. We believe this trend demonstrates that we are making important progress on our talent development and creative initiatives. As we continue to evaluate the potential of different forms of distribution, such as a WWE Network, we are more confident than ever that we can create and monetize content in a variety of existing and new media, and thereby create meaningful incremental value for our shareholders.”

Comparability of Results

WrestleMania XXVII occurred on April 3, 2011 and contributed $35.9 million of revenues, $16.7 million of profit contribution ($11.4 million, net of tax) and $0.15 of EPS from across various business lines to our current year second quarter results. In conjunction with the promotion of this event, $1.4 million in marketing expenses were recognized in the first quarter of 2011. WrestleMania XXVI occurred on March 28, 2010, and contributed $28.8 million of revenues, $13.1 million of profit contribution ($8.8 million, net of tax) and $0.12 of EPS to our first quarter of 2010 results. In order to facilitate an analysis of our financial results on a more comparable basis, where noted, we have adjusted our results to include the promotional costs (discussed above) in our second quarter of 2011 results and added the impact of WrestleMania XXVI to the second quarter of 2010 results. In addition, the current year quarter included a $3.3 million impairment charge related to our film, That’s What I Am. We have also adjusted our second quarter of 2011 results to exclude the impact of this charge. (See Schedules of Adjustments in Supplemental Information). Please note that our revised film strategy utilizing a self-distribution model may also impact the comparability of results but is not adjusted in the aforementioned schedules.

Bischoff Interview: Impact’s Future On Spike, Announcing Again

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iMPACT Wrestling’s Eric Bischoff was one of the featured guests on this week’s live edition of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem.

Eric Bischoff Discusses Why He Does Not Feel Uneasy About The Future Of iMPACT Wrestling On Spike TV Amidst Reports Of The Network Looking To Rebrand, The Latest On The TNA Returns Of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Jeff Hardy, & Matt Hardy, Sting’s New Persona/Character And The Fan Split About Its Current Direction, If He Believes An Effective Relationship Between TNA & The World Of MMA Should Develop In The Near Future For The Benefit Of Both Entities, Whether TNA Plans On Adding An Additional Featured TV Program, A Possible Return To Commentating, Triple H Taking Over Vince McMahon’s Spot On WWE Television, The Strategy Of Wrestlers Being Moved From Heels To Faces Too Quickly & Its Impact On Storyline Continuity, How MTV Has Influenced The Worlds Of Professional Wrestling & Sports-Entertainment, The Evolution Of His Friendship & Business Relationship With Jason Hervey Through The Years, Plus Much More.

You can listen to an MP3 of the entire interview by visiting MondayNightMayhem.com.

Here are some highlights of what Eric Bischoff said about:

Why he does not feel uneasy about the future of iMPACT Wrestling on Spike TV, amidst reports of the network looking to rebrand:

“Once again the Internet Wrestling Community has taken ahold of a story that came out a month or two ago about rebranding, and a couple of quotes that were made, and noticed that TNA wasn’t prominently featured in that story, and jumped to conclusions. The truth is iMPACT (Wrestling) is the highest-rated show on Spike TV. iMPACT has been, over the past year, averaging the largest audience that it ever has in the history of the company. The audience is growing unlike other networks & television shows that have very short life cycles and that peak & valley very quickly. 2011 looks like it’s going to be the best year ever for iMPACT. I think the folks at Spike TV are pretty excited about it quite frankly, and I haven’t or heard anything that makes me nervous.”

If he believes an effective relationship between TNA & the world of MMA should develop in the near future for the benefit of both entities:

“Could it happen? Maybe. Should it happen? I don’t think so. MMA is a sport. It’s a legitimate sport. Professional wrestling is an entertainment property, and the similarities kind of end once you get past that they operate in a Pay-Per-View environment and in an arena environment. Anybody that operates under the assumption that there’s some really cool synergy between MMA & professional wrestling, it’s their opinion, but I don’t share it.

Whether or not he has given any thought on returning to commentating:

Actually I have. Not on a regular basis, Mike Tenay is doing a wonderful job. I enjoy commentating. Play-by-play is one of the toughest jobs in the industry. The list of things for you to accomplish & maintain during the course of a broadcast, all while you are creating a story, and calling action, and making things seem larger than life; it’s very difficult job. I miss getting immersed in the story, and the energy, and getting caught up in the moment. It’s at those moments you forget what you’re doing, and you get caught up in the excitement & energy of that, and you do your best work. I miss that

WWE Teases Undertaker Return, Former WWE Divas On TMZ

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— The October 2011 issue of WWE Magazine teases a possible return for The Undertaker at the October pay-per-view event Vengeance.

“On October 23 Vengeance rises from the grave in the form of an all new Pay Per View. What better time and place for The Undertaker to make his return to a WWE ring? After all, it was a year and a day to the date that the Deadman lost a Buried Alive match to Kane with the aid of the Nexus at 2010?s Bragging Rights. The Phenom hasn’t come calling for revenge on that score (some streak got in the way) So if we were Kane or Wade Barrett, we’d watch our backs come October. And if you happen to hear the ominous gong, you’ll know the bell indeed tolls for thee.

— Former WWE Divas Candice Michelle and Lilian Garcia were briefly shown during today’s episode of the syndicated news program TMZ on TV as the duo attended a red carpet event last night in Beverly Hills, California. The episode replays in most areas tonight.

— Eve Torres stated on Twitter that her new entrance theme, which debuted this past Monday on Raw, is the remixed version of her prior song. It is called “She Looks Good” and it was created by WWE music producer Jim Johnston.

Jeremiah Riggs Trashes WWE Developmental, Andy Leavine

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jeremiah riggs monday night raw intro
Jeramiah Riggs

Former WWE Tough Enough contestant Jeremiah Riggs spoke with MMA website AroundtheOctagon.com about his time with WWE – and he did not hold back his displeasure with the way he was treated at developmental .. Here are some highlights from the long blog, which you can read here in its entirety.

“I was informed yesterday that the WWE isn’t going to use me. Two weeks ago I was invited to go to Tampa to tryout for FCW and from what they gathered they loved my personality but they said I was only average in the ring and said I have a bad attitude and carried myself like I had something to prove. I told them that if I’m average I’m doing pretty damn good considering I had only done this for two months. If I can get to average in several weeks imagine what I can do in a few months. And of course I’m eager to prove myself. I was surrounded by guys who had done this for several years and they were all wondering who this new rookie was. I had to show them I belonged.

If I’m average the pecking order starts behind me. Compared to me none of those guys are as cut up as me. My physique puts them to shame. Maybe I do have a bad attitude. I don’t give a f–k. I went on their TV show and ran circles around everybody with no experience. Andy wasn’t the star of the show. I was. Hell I won challenges they didn’t even show on TV. I got all the camera time and I got the biggest reaction when I was on RAW. You know why? It’s because I’m me. I’m not a clone or a sell out. People recognize that. That’s why CM Punk is so hot right now. He is his character. He’s just being himself. But I do it and I have a bad attitude.”

“90% of those guys are vanilla. They are all the same. Long hair, pony tail, boring as can be. The day I left Tampa I shaved my head because I didn’t want to be anything like them. I’m Jeremiah Riggs from Vicksburg, Mississippi. I’m not going to be a clone. All of their promos sounded the same. They are boring and play it safe. People are afraid of the truth. What do they want in a superstar? I don’t need a character. I’m Jeremiah Riggs. I don’t need a new name or gimmick. The WWE has a shitty developmental roster. No one stands out. They are all scared of failure and half of them have been there for years. They are all the same and do the same stuff. Sure, they have a few guys that have potential but they are all clones. But I’m not going to be just like everybody else. What are they going to do send me home? You can’t scare someone who ain’t afraid.”

What made Steve Austin, The Rock, and CM Punk such big superstars? They speak their mind and buck the system. I know this may hurt my chances of ever making it in the WWE but what are they gonna do? Fire me? They aren’t ready for someone like me.”

It’s all politics at FCW. People are real phony there including the trainers. Me and Bill were cool on the show. I heard he got a job as a scout for the WWE and I was glad to hear he was doing good for himself. He deserves it after so long in the business. When I was in Tampa doing my match with Orlov Bill was praising me and talking about how good I was doing. I was doing stuff that Luke and Andy couldn’t do, on the first try. But when I walked into FCW a few weeks ago he acted like he was too cool to talk to me.

He’s changed man. He thinks he is somebody because he was the big man on the show. I guess Hollywood went to his head. Sure he had a mediocre wrestling career and found new life on Tough Enough. I don’t give a shit. I’ll whoop his fat ass. He’s no better than me. If I was to shoot on him who is going to stop me? Andy sure as hell ain’t. I’ve rolled with some badass heavyweights like Jon Madsen and Scott Barrett. Seriously, what is Bill DeMott going to do to me? All he could do about it is write another chapter in his sorry book about how he got run over by Big Rigg when he gets his arm out of the cast. I lost all respect for Bill. If he only knew what the boys say about his fat lazy ass he wouldn’t even come to work. I’m sure he will read this and put something on Twitter about it. I don’t care. He might have Twitter muscles but I’m the real deal. He said I was green? The only thing green on me was the shit stain on my boot I stuck up his ass.

Hell, Andy the dude that won the WWE contract is a big pussy too. He is still in FCW. He’ll be in FCW the rest of his life. He had a developmental contract with the WWE before the damn show aired. He’s boring and a big f—ing baby. He cried the whole time we were doing the show about his wife and his kid. He did it all for pity. We pity the weak.

I got a little boy at home but you got to make sacrifices if you want to make something of yourself. I thought about my little boy the whole time we were shooting but I didn’t whine about it. I used it as fuel. I want the best for him so I had to step it up and show them I belonged.”

Gail Kim Says She’s Not Trying To Get Fired By WWE

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Amidst the chaos of the opening moments of the No. 1 Contender’s Diva Battle Royal on Monday’s Raw, Gail Kim eliminated herself from the contest by hastily sliding under the bottom rope after striking Alicia Fox.

The WWE Diva was asked through Twitter to comment on her peculiar action; she admitted to leaving the match on purpose. Her reason behind the move was that she “was just checking to see if anyone was paying attention.” She added that no one backstage noticed, calling it “sad,” yet also “very amusing.”

She added further comment this morning to defend her actions, writing: “oh and also on the contrary, I wasn’t being a mark 4 myself I was being a good employee when ur told to get out of the ring in less than a min.I just did it the fastest way possible:)so really I saved some time!”

The former TNA Women’s Knockout Champion also concurred with a follower stating that it’s shame that WWE doesn’t respect “true women wrestlers with talent.” She responded, “Yes it is a shame I agree. I know it’s a man’s world but the women are just as important!”

Kim denied speculation this afternoon that she’s trying to get fired by WWE.

She wrote, “Nooooo I’m not doing my best to get fired. Wrestling websites who like to make up news with their wild imagination…haha don’t believe it.”

Maryse Granted Restraining Order Request Against Stalker

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TMZ.com reports that the man accused of harassing WWE performer Maryse Ouellet has been legally banned from going anywhere close to her for the next three years.

L.A. County Superior Court granted a restraining order request filed by the WWE Diva against 61-year-old Lee Silber this morning. He is banned from going within 300 feet of Ouellet for the next three years.

Ouellet was accompanied to court by The Miz, her boyfriend. The website adds that “on their way out of the courthouse, both WWE stars were pretty tight-lipped, but seemed satisfied with the result.”

Ouellet claims Silber has been constantly harassing her-—leaving more than 50 “delusional voicemails” on her cell phone and sending her “increasingly scary letters.” He also promised to track her down in Los Angeles and “take (her) to heaven with him.”

TMZ’s attempts to reach Silber for comment were unsuccessful.

Stacy Keibler Reportedly Dating Hollywood Star George Clooney

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Life & Style reports that George Clooney is now dating former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler after recently splitting from model Elisabetta Canali.

Keibler reportedly flew to Italy to be with the Academy Award winning actor at his villa in Lake Como. She tweeted the following about the trip: “I’m in heaven.”

Clooney and Keibler have been acquaintances for some time and were set up by a mutual friend. A source close to the situation says his relationship with Keibler is “purely for fun.”

“They have a lot of friends in common and run in the same circles,” the source said.

“He’s enjoying spending time with Stacy, but he just got out of a two-year relationship. George isn’t ready for anything serious. This fling is purely for fun.”

— Chris Jericho and his heavy metal band Fozzy have announced that they will be touring the United Kingdom this November, from the 2nd to the 13th. Complete tour details are available here.

MMA Star ‘Cyborg’ Santos Interested In Working For WWE

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One of the top female MMA fighters in the world, Christiane “Cyborg” Santos, recently spoke to Sherdog.com and revealed that she’s very interested in crossing over to the world of pro wrestling and working for WWE when her fighting career is over.

“I like the WWE. If they had an opportunity for me, I’d do it.”

When her contract with the Strikeforce MMA promotion expired earlier this year, it was widely reported that Cyborg was considering a move to WWE. This rumors picked up more traction when she and her husband Evangelista Santos attended a live WWE event in California. Brazilian MMA website Tatame.com reported that Cyborg was negotiating to appear at WrestleMania, but WWE sources denied there were any negotiations.

At this time, Cyborg has decided to continue her MMA career and has put her WWE aspirations on the back burner.

“I was interested in doing [more than one event] with the WWE, but now I’m fighting again, so I’m going to do that.”

“Since my last fight was finished, I’ve been trying to work on a new contract [with Strikeforce]. It’s almost done, almost done.”

Cyberg’s current Strikeforce deal expires in December, which does leave the door open for her to work with WWE some time in 2012.

Raw Rating Improves, Colt Cabana Works Dark Match (Picture)

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— The August 1 episode of Raw scored a 3.30 cable rating, up from 3.20 the week before and 3.22 on July 18. The show did hours of 3.28 and 3.33.

Despite the ratings increase, Raw drew 100,000 fewer viewers than the July 25 episode. Last night’s show averaged 4,700,000 viewers over the course of two hours; 4,670,000 in the first hour and 4,730,000 in the second.

— The July 30 episode of A.M. Raw scored a 0.6 cable rating with 733,000 viewers.

— Colt Cabana, who formerly competed as Scotty Goldman in 2008 and 2009, worked a dark match prior to Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Lexington, Kentucky. He lost to Wade Barrett after receiving the Wasteland.

Here’s a picture of Colt Cabana at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Lexington, Kentucky:

(source: PWInsider.com)

Big Tag Match Added To ROH’s Next TV Tapings On 8/13

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Ring of Honor announce today that the Briscoe Brothers vs. the All Night Express has been added to the company’s first TV taping as part of the Sinclair Broadcasting Group era on August 13th:

It is a rivalry that has raged in for months all across the country, in venue after venue, on DVD and iPPV, and now the issues between the Briscoe Brothers & The All Night Express will hit broadcast airwaves when Ring of Honor comes to Chicago Ridge, IL on August 13th to tape our very first TV for the Sinclair Broadcasting Group!

From Atlanta to NYC and even the last time we were in Chicago for “Supercard of Honor VI”, Jay & Mark Briscoe, Rhett Titus, & Kenny King have done their level best to eliminate one another and in the process have spilt blood, put one another in the hospital, and destroyed copious amounts of ROH property. But that is not what ROH officials are expecting out of their meeting on 8/13…

“We know that the Briscoes and ANX have their issues,” stated Executive Producer Jim Cornette, “and we’d be stupid not to know we are putting these two teams in a highly combustible situation. But we also know that these are four of the most talented wrestlers you’ll find, two of the strongest teams fighting today, and that’s what this is about for Chicago. There will be no weapons, no blood and guts. These four men are going out there to showcase tag team wrestling, and hat is something Ring of Honor prides itself on doing better than anyone else! And under threat of serious fines, or potential suspension in the case of Jay and Mark; that is what the Briscoes and ANX are going to do in Chicago Ridge!”

Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. The All Night Express of Rhett Titus & Kenny King! It all goes down August 13, 2011 at the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, IL when ROH tapes its first set of SBG Television. Tickets are still available to see this great tag team bout as well as 3 separate World Title bouts.

Here’s the full card for ROH’s return to Chicago Ridge, IL on August 13th:

ROH World Title Match
Davey Richards defends vs. Roderick Strong with Truth Martini

World Tag Team Title Match
Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas) vs. The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) with Shane Hagadorn

World TV Title Match
El Generico defends vs. Jay Lethal

Grudge Tag Team Match
Jay and Mark Briscoe vs. The All Night Express

“Defy or Deny” Rematch
Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin with Truth Martini

Also scheduled to appear:
– Adam Cole
– Kyle O’Reilly
– “The Prodigy” Mike Bennett
– Tommaso Ciampa with The Embassy
– The Bravado Brothers

Additional names and matches will be announced soon!!!

Eric Bischoff Updates Fans On Jeff Hardy & Ric Flair

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TNA executive producer Eric Bischoff appeared on this week’s Monday Night Mayhem radio show and was asked about the TNA statues of Jeff Hardy and Ric Flair. Here’s a recap of what Bischoff said about:

Jeff Hardy: “I have no updates on Jeff Hardy. I’m not involved in his situation within TNA. I hope the best for Jeff. He’s a very talented young man. He’s a great guy. He really is. I haven’t gotten to know him very, very well, but I believe he’s a good hearted individual who just got caught up in some issues. From what I’ve heard, he’s dealing with them and hopefully successfully.”

Ric Flair: “Ric Flair is out with a shoulder injury. I haven’t talked to Ric in a while now, so I’m not sure what his status is. I know he’s anxious to get back. I’ve heard that through other people. This time of year is very busy for me with everything that has been going on with my family, I haven’t stayed in close contact with enough people. I hope to see Ric real soon. I enjoy the hell out of Ric, and respect the hell out of Ric. I love working with him. I look forward to seeing him back on Impact.”

You can check out the full minute interview over at MondayNightMayhem.com.

VIDEOS From RAW: Triple H, John Cena & CM Punk’s Promos

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Triple H announces that an Undisputed WWE Champion will be crowned at SummerSlam

Tensions mount between CM Punk and WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H

Triple H, John Cena and CM Punk comment on the WWE Championship controversy

CM Punk explains his return to WWE

Brodus Clay Returns To Action, WWE Superstars Matches Taped

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— Brodus Clay returned to action at last night’s Raw event in Indianapolis, Indiana, defeating local competitor Alex Silva in a dark match. Clay had been off filming a movie for WWE Studios during his absence.

Silva is a wrestler from Montreal based who competes for Ohio Valley Wrestling. He was billed from Indianapolis.

— The following matches were taped last night in Indianapolis, Indiana for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars:

* Chris Masters vs. Jack Swagger

* Vladimir Kozlov vs. Primo

— Zack Ryder indicated on Twitter that Colt Cabana was backstage at last night’s Raw event in Indianapolis, Indiana. Cabana previously competed in WWE as Scotty Goldman.

source: ProWrestling.net

Tara No Longer Pursuing MMA, Mickie To Make Announcement

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— TNA Wrestling performer Lisa Marie Varon (a/k/a Tara) stated in an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com that she no longer has aspirations for a career in mixed martial arts. The multi-time women’s wrestling champion cites an injury (a torn ligament in her elbow) during a Steel Cage bout against Mickie James, which will eventually require Tommy John surgery, as the main reason for mixed martial arts no longer being in the cards. Varon also cites her age, and feels that she would have been involved in mixed martial arts if she was ten years younger.

To see the video interview, click here.

— The official Facebook page of Impact Wrestling states that Mickie James will be making an announcement concerning her music career this week.

— TNA Wrestling’s upcoming Jeff Hardy DVD has been titled Enigma 2. It is scheduled for release on Tuesday, October 18.

Destination X will be released on DVD on Tuesday, September 20.

ROH’s Kevin Kelly Says CM Punk Is Not The “Best In The World”

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Former WWE announcer and Ring of Honor executive Kevin Kelly appeared on Monday’s Right After Wrestling radio show.

To listen to the full 15-minute interview, head over to TheScore.com.

Here are some highlights of what Kevin Kelly said about:

His thoughts on new stars coming up and on WWE Head of Talent Relations – John Laurinaitis

“My hats off to guys like the Kings of Wrestling (Claudio and Chris) who – if they go up to the WWE, they deserve it. But that’s where the job of talent development comes in. ROH must continue to make new stars because there is always a new spot on the roster that needs to be filled. ROH must constantly bring in, look at and develop new stars because going on television brings new horizons for the guys and our company. I’ll give you an example of talent development with John Laurinaitis. I bring Bobby Roode to a camp and I tell John this guy is gonna be great. He says, ‘ahhhh….ahhhh’ in his raspy voice and nothing happened. And that ‘answer’ told me he wanted to make a decision but he was afraid if his decision was going to be the wrong one.”

Does CM Punk bring more attention to ROH after this recent angle

“That would be interesting if our show was already on the air. The first taping airs September 24th. What’s gonna make a difference for ROH is putting out the best quality wrestling show each and every week. Even though ROH pays homage to all of their past champions, such as CM Punk and Samoa Joe and everybody that’s worn the title, it’s nice to see Punk reciprocate that and show respect to us.”

Kevin’s thoughts on CM Punk claiming to be the ‘best in the World’

“I love CM Punk. I never met him personally, but when I meet him I will shake his hand and tell him how much I appreciate his talents. But Punk wears a shirt on TV saying he’s ‘the best in the World’. Well he’s not the best in the world until he defeats Davey Richards. Davey Richards is the best wrestler in the World hands down! You could put the Miz at #1 in the PWI 500…and then burn that magazine for printing that. Davey Richards is the best in the World and I defy anybody to argue with me on that. Watch the match with Eddie Edwards. It was a 36-minute perfect match. Not one flaw. He trained for 4-weeks for that match – like a fighter. He’s revolutionizing the business right before our very eyes.”

Kevin has choice words for Michael Cole and his commentary style behind the desk – “he’s a prick!”

What Happened After RAW: CM Punk vs. John Cena

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SEScoops.com reader Bobby Moore sent in this live report of what happened after Monday’s RAW from Indianapolis, Indiana went off the air:

After the cameras stopped rolling, John Cena and C.M. Punk did a little more posing with the belts, then Cena suggested to Punk that the fans would rather see them fight. Punk agreed, a ref jumped in the ring, and the bell rang.

Bonus Dark Match: WWE champion John Cena vs. WWE champion C.M. Punk went to a Double DQ/No Contest. Back and forth match that lasted about six minutes with each wrestler teasing their finishers a couple of times. Out came Miz and Truth, jumping both champs for the No Contest.

Afterward, Miz went outside the ring and grabbed both belts. The heels double-Irish whipped the champs into the ropes, but the champs ducked under the attempted head shots with the titles. Punk then hit the G2S on Truth and Cena hit the AA on Miz.

To close the taping, the champs did more posing with the belts and the music kept changing back and forth from Punk’s to Cena’s. Punk left, then stopped at the top of the ramp to applaud Cena. Cena posed some more, then left. Night, night!

Chris Jericho Lashes Out At CM Punk After Reference On RAW

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On Monday’s RAW, WWE Champion CM Punk had a face-to-face confrontation with Triple H and explained to WWE’s new Chief Operating Officer that despite all the good he did while in charge of WWE, Vince McMahon has dropped the ball on numerous occasions by letting several top talents leave the promotion. Among the superstars Punk mentioned were Batista, Mick Foley, Brock Lesnar and Chris Jericho.

One man who did not take kindly to being referenced by Punk is Chris Jericho, who let his feelings be known on Twitter.

Jericho (@IAmJericho) tweeted the following on Monday night:

“Everyone is so excited that (C.M. Punk) mentioned me on Raw. Newsflash…I don’t give a s—. Mind ur own business and stop rippin me off Punk.”

Updated Card For WWE SummerSlam On 8/14

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Following Monday’s RAW, here’s the updated card for WWE SummerSlam, which takes place from Los Angeles, California in less than two weeks:

WWE Championship Unification Match
John Cena vs. CM Punk

No Holds Barred Match for the World Heavyweight Title
Christian (c) vs. Randy Orton

WWE Divas Title Match
Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Beth Phoenix

Musical Performance
Rapper Cee Lo Green

Maryse Having Hernia Surgery, Details On 7-Eleven Promotion

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— Maryse did not participate in last night’s No. 1 Contender’s Diva Battle Royal on Raw despite being previously advertised. The former Divas Champion revealed on Twitter that she was unable to participate in the match because she is undergoing abdominal hernia surgery. She will be sidelined indefinitely. Maryse tweeted on Monday:

“allo guys i wont be going physical for awhile, im getting abdominal hernia surgery.”

— WWE and 7-Eleven announced Monday that they have teamed up to promote WWE collectible Slurpee and Super Big Gulpcups and straws. This marks the first time 7-Eleven has had three consecutive summer promotions with one entertainment property.

“It is a testament to the branding power of both 7-Eleven and WWE that has enabled us to undertake a third consecutive summer promotion,” said Michelle Wilson, Chief Marketing Officer of WWE. “We look forward to another successful partnership that drives WWE fans to 7-Eleven stores to collect cups and straws as part of their WWE memorabilia collection.”

Full details on the promotion are available here.

— Yoshi Tatsu revealed on Twitter that his birthday took place Monday. He turned 34 years old.