— Backstage reaction to the Orlando Jordan segment that aired on this past Monday’s episode of iMPACT! was largely negative amongst the wrestlers in the locker room. However, sources say the two people who seemed to enjoy segment were Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo.

Several people have noted since the segment aired that his character was inspired by musician Lady Gaga.

— The guitar work for the opening segment of last week’s iMPACT! with Eric Bischoff was performed by TNA music composer Dale Oliver.

source: prowrestling.net

Following up on Monday’s WWE RAW & TNA iMPACT! ratings …

WWE RAW’s rating was a 3.7, rounded up from a 3.68. The highest quarter hour of the show was a 4.1 for Shawn Michaels’ retirement ceremony at the end of the show.  USA Network executive Ted Linhart noted on Twitter that RAW’s second hour did 3 million adults in the 18-49 demographic.

As previously reported, TNA iMPACT! did a 0.62. Granted, the show went up against another stacked, newsworthy RAW, but you can bet iMPACT! won’t last long on Monday nights doing 0.6’s.

TNA president Dixie Carter posted a message on Twitter regarding iMPACT!’s ratings collapse, attributing it to the Shawn Michaels farewell on RAW:

“Thank goodness he can only retire once…hopefully. Shawn, congrats on an amazing career.”

— Money in the Bank winner Jack Swagger was trending on Twitter in the New York City area while last night’s SmackDown taping was taking place.

— Shawn Michaels is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Inside Wrestling, which you can view at www.pwi-online.com. The headline reads: “Heart-broken Kid.”

— WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts noted on his Twitter account yesterday that he did voice-over work for THQ’s upcoming WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 video game.

— In yesterday’s birthdays, SmackDown star Trent Barreta turned 23 years old while WWE producer Mike Rotunda turned 52.

– NXT rookie David Otunga won a battle royal on this week’s show and earned an opportunity to host next week’s WWE RAW.

– It was announced on this week’s NXT show that there will be another Pro’s poll in six weeks and the Rookie ranked last would be eliminated from the show. After that, one Rookie will be eliminated each week until one Rookie is left. The winner of the show will go to either RAW or SmackDown and earn a Championship match against any Champion in WWE of his choice at an upcoming pay-per-view.

– Here are the NXT standings after tonight’s first Pro’s poll:

1. Daniel Bryan
2. Wade Barrett
3. Justin Gabriel
4. Heath Slater
5. David Otunga
6. Skip Sheffield
7. Michael Tarver
8. Darren Young

The ratings are in for the March 29, 2010 editions of WWE RAW & TNA iMPACT!.

WWE’s post-WrestleMania 26 episode of WWE RAW drew a 3.7 cable rating. This number is up from last week’s 3.2, but even WWE’s first class farewell tribute to Shawn Michaels on the night after WrestleMania was not enough to push the show into the 4’s.

TNA iMPACT featuring a 6-man six-man steel cage main event scored a 0.6 cable rating, down sharply from last week’s 0.9 and the worst rating on Monday nights yet.

We’re still waiting on more details, so stay tuned.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can (and should) read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. In this long entry, Ross talks about WrestleMania 26, Shawn Michaels’ retirement and more. Some highlights:

Michaels vs. Undertaker II: “The highlight of the evening was Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels which was obviously the match of the night. I’ve answered a few emails regarding this matter and it is obvious that I would have loved to have broadcast this bout but that wasn’t in the cards. At least I was in Phoenix and saw the event live and was then able to spend significant time with both HBK and with Taker after the event in private settings. Those experiences became my Wrestlemania Moments.”

Update On JR’s Health & Future in WWE: “As for me, life is good and I am healthy and happy. For those that have erroneously written or assumed that the reason that I did not announce at WM26 was because of health concerns, that assumption is incorrect, I’m happy to say. Broadcasting wrestling in WWE is likely history for me but there are many other areas to which I can contribute in WWE and those options, among others, will be weighed over the next month.”

Shawn Michaels’ Retirement: “I do think that Shawn will call it a day after losing his retirement match Sunday. Shawn has been blessed to have earned a great deal of money over the years and especially since he returned from an approximate 4 year hiatus due to lingering back issues. Unlike many wrestlers who retire, HBK doesn’t have to worry about financial or legal issues and will be able to be essentially a full time dad to his two, young children which is an amazing blessing.”

“Shawn’s farewell message Monday night on Raw was from his heart and not something that he read on a TelePrompter. What fans saw Monday night was legitimate, organic TV from arguably the greatest all around, in ring performer, certainly of his generation, and perhaps of all time. I sincerely appreciated Shawn’s shout out to me on Raw which was, symbolically, a fitting end to my own Wrestlemania tenure.”

Nickelodeon issued the following press release today:

JOHN CENA, VIVICA A. FOX AND WILLOW SMITH TO STAR IN ALL-NEW EPISODE OF NICKELODEON’S TRUE JACKSON, VP, AIRING SATURDAY, APRIL 3

Nickelodeon’s “Up All Night” Special Programming Event Kicks off at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) with iCarly’s “iWant a World Record”, Followed by New True Jackson VP’s “Pajama Party”

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. – March 30, 2010 – It’s a fun-filled all-nighter for True, Lulu, Ryan and Jimmy as Nickelodeon premieres a brand-new, special episode of True Jackson, VP on Saturday, April 3 at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT), as part of the network’s “Up All Night” special theme night kicking off at 8:00 p.m. with an encore episode of iCarly “iWant a World Record.”

True Jackson, VP’s “Pajama Party” features guest stars Vivica A. Fox as True’s mother, Willow Smith, reprising her role as young True and a cameo appearance by WWE superstar John Cena. In “Pajama Party,” Amanda (Danielle Bisutti) crashes True’s (Keke Palmer) slumber party, where their competitive sides turn a night of game-playing and secret-sharing into a battle of wills. Vivica A. Fox and Willow Smith make special appearances, playing True’s mother and young True, respectively. Meanwhile, Ryan (Matt Shively) and Jimmy’s (Robbie Amell) preview screening of John Cena’s new action movie turns into an all-night adventure when their hero Cena surprises the audience by showing up, giving Ryan and Jimmy the thrill of their lives when he brings them to the set of his next movie and later, to a celebrity hockey game.

iCarly’s “I Want a World Record” finds Carly (Miranda Cosgrove), Sam (Jennette McCurdy) and Freddie (Nathan Kress) setting out to break the world record for the longest continuous webcast. To get their names in the Jonas Book of World Records, they have to webcast though the night, uninterrupted for over 24 hours. When a possible gas leak and an attack of drowsiness threaten their efforts, they look to their new segments which include random dancing and Spencer’s masterpiece sculpture to keep them awake.

iCarly and True Jackson, VP rank among the top-rated programs with kids 2-11 and tweens 9-14. iCarly is the top live-action series year to date with kids 2-11 and was basic cable’s top tween 9-14 program in February. True Jackson, VP is the number-two program on Saturday nights on all of broadcast and basic cable television with kids 2-11 and tweens 9-14 (Source: NMR, Live + 7 Day data thru 2/28/10, Live + Same Day data through 3/14/10). True Jackson, VP follows True as she navigates work life, social life and love life adventures around the Mad Style offices with her best friends Lulu and Ryan. True navigates her very first job, battles real-world obstacles like competitive co-workers and corporate politics and builds new friendships, romantic interests – as well as her niche as a fashion maven. Nickelodeon star Keke Palmer recently garnered her third NAACP Image Award; this year for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children’s Program for her starring role on True Jackson, VP.

Former WWE Diva Brooke Adams resurfaced on last night’s episode of iMPACT!, appearing as Eric Bischoff’s personal assistant, “Ms. Teschmacher.”

Adams is best known for her role in ECW as a dancer alongside Kelly Kelly and Layla. She was released from her WWE contract on Nov. 1, 2007 and had not resurfaced in the wrestling industry until her appearance last night. Since her departure from WWE, the 2006 Diva Search contestant placed in the Hawaiian Tropic, Planet Beach, Darque Tan, and Bikini USA model search contests. She was crowned Miss Hawaiian Tropic Texas in November 2008.

– The teams for Lethal Lockdown at next month’s pay-per-view will have four men each. As mentioned before, Jeff Jarrett has now been added to Team Hogan with Abyss. Sting is the only participant announced so far for Team Flair.

– AJ Styles busted his hand open pretty bad on last night’s iMPACT when he gave Jeff Jarrett a low blow. Jarrett was holding his guitar and AJ’s hand struck the end of the guitar, causing him to bleed.

– Next week’s iMPACT will start one hour earlier than usual and will air from 8pm until 10pm (EST). Announced for next Monday’s show:

• Ladder match between Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson. A key will hang above the ring and the first man to get the key will be able to use it to open the cage door at Lethal Lockdown.
• The Pope vs. Desmond Wolfe
• Appearance by Matt Morgan to talk about what he did to Hernandez last week.