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Creative High On Tag Team, NXT Nearing Record-Low Viewership

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sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, PWInsider.com

— WWE’s creative team is said to be pleased with the Diva pairing of Michelle McCool and Layla, known as “Lay-Cool.” Some within the company previously felt TNA’s “Beautiful People” concept made their women’s division look second rate by comparison, but now feel they’ve beaten the rival promotion at their own game.

Layla recently refuted fans’ allegations that “Lay-Cool” is copying “The Beautiful People,” writing on Twitter: “Cuz all of the tweets about this subject, For the Record, I do not watch TNA. So copy cat thing…kinda NOT!! This is All I will say. Done.!!”

Reportedly, the inspiration behind the “Lay-Cool” gimmick was due to creative watching “The Beautiful People” on TNA programming.

— Tuesday’s episode of NXT garnered a 0.93 cable rating for Syfy, an increase from last week’s 0.80 number. With that being said, viewership was actually down, from 1.21 million viewers to 1.05 (1,048,000). The all-time record viewership figure is 1.00 million viewers, which was scored on May 4.

— Today is Cody Rhodes’ birthday, who turns 25 years old.

Bryan Danielson Talks About His WWE Release, TNA

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Former WWE superstar Bryan Danielson has written a new blog with more details on his WWE release:

“As with anyone who gets fired from their job, especially when they feel its unjust, I am angry. Very angry. But I can’t fault WWE for how they handled my release. My contract contained a 90 day no-compete clause in the event I was let go, yet the WWE has graciously allowed me start wrestling again on any show that’s not taped for television or pay per view.”

Danielson speculated about his future following the completion of his 90-day no compete clause, including the possibility of wrestling for TNA:

“As far as what happens after 90 days, nobody knows. I’ve “heard” that TNA is interested. There are petitions going around to get me back into WWE and the last several weeks there have been fans chanting my names at their shows. People have even brought signs showing their support. And though most of the signs get taken away and though WWE may not be listening to your chants or petitions, I truly appreciate all the support over the last several weeks. It is both overwhelming and heartwarming. But regardless of what offers come in, I am in no rush to make any rash decisions. I enjoy my freedom as much as I enjoyed the benefits offered by being in WWE.”

CM Punk Surgery Update, WWE Signs Hall of Famer’s Son

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— As reported earlier, CM Punk recently underwent surgery on his arm and is expected to be kept out of action for one to two months. The surgery was a planned and scheduled procedure and not something that was immediately needed due to an injury. Dr. James Andrews’ team performed the surgery last week in Birmingham, Alabama. (source: PWInsider.com)

— World Wrestling Entertainment has signed Joe Anoa’i to a developmental contract, reports the Wrestling Observer. He is the son of WWE Hall of Famer Sika, the younger brother of former WWE star Rosey and the cousin of Rikishi and the late Umaga. He’s listed at 6 foot 3, 280 pounds. It was largely expected Anoa’i would enter the world of professional wrestling in case he didn’t make it in the NFL. He was a first-team All-ACC defensive tackle at Georgia Tech in 2006, his senior year. After going undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft, he was signed by the Minnesota Vikings. Upon being released by the Vikings, he was signed by the Eskimos, and accepted a spot on the team’s practice roster.

— It was Straight Edge Society member Serena’s birthday yesterday. She turned 24 years old.

Savannah Comments On Release, Lawler’s Promotion Struggling

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— Commenting on her release from World Wrestling Entertainment last week, Angela Fong (a/k/a Savannah) remarked the following on Twitter:

“It’s been a wk since my release and has felt like the longest wk of my life! It was so unexpected and I didn’t see it coming. But, I have to accept and I’m moving onwards and upwards. 3 yrs w/WWE.. it was an incredible time. I learned so much..not just how to wrestle. @ FCW,I was passionate 2 learn as much as I could, and I felt that I did. What hurts, is that I never wrestled on TV, something I really wanted. Perhaps 1 day! Thank u 2 all my FANS..hope u continue to support me. Thnk u to @WWE for everything. I will miss it! Journey has just begun 4 me! See u all soon!! :) love u!”

The former WWE ring announcer is currently accepting bookings for autograph signings, wrestling performances and ring announcing. Those interested in booking Fong should contact Steve Woolf at [email protected].

— Jerry Lawler’s recently re-launched Memphis Championship Wrestling television show drew a 0.1 rating with 1,620 viewers for its June 19 episode, a far cry from the 20+ ratings and 70 market share in the Memphis market in the same time slot a number of years ago. (source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

— NXT ring announcer Jamie Keyes is on Twitter at the following link.

MITB Plans, RAW Guest Hosts Gimmick, Titus O’Neil

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– WWE creative is looking at having one of the two Money in the Bank winners cash their title shot by SummerSlam in August, reports f4wonline.com. This would be done so only one superstar would be carrying around a briefcase for the rest of the year.

– On Friday’s SmackDown, 6 competitors will be announced for the World Heavyweight title Money in the Bank match. WWE’s website has confirmed that there will be eight participants in the match. The final two spots were planned for CM Punk and Drew McIntyre but Punk is injured and McIntyre can’t work due to his work visa expiring. No word yet on who will fill the two remaining spots.

– WWE is reportedly losing interest in the whole RAW guest host concept. There’s been talk of only having one Guest Host per month or scrapping the gimmick entirely.

– On Tuesday’s NXT show, Titus O’Neil was the first rookie to be eliminated from Season 2. Following the release, he wrote on Twitter:

“Just want to say to EVERYONE that Zack Ryder is one of the BEST people in the WWE & he is well worth following. I really respect him. He is a good man.”

Beautiful People Breaking Up? Hogan Misses iMPACT! & More

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– TNA is planning for Velvet Sky to turn on Madison Rayne at Victory Road Rayne defends her Knockouts Title against Angelina Love at the event.  There’s talk that Velvet will team back up with Angelina for The Beautiful People. No word yet what will happen to Lacey Von Erich.

– Hulk Hogan was not at Tuesday’s TNA iMPACT tapings because he is scheduled to undergo back surgery today, Wednesday. Dixie Carter, Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey were also absent from the tapings, according to a backstage source. Dixie doesn’t always attend the second tapings and Jason Hervey is reportedly working on a movie. No word on why Bischoff wasn’t there.

– At the TNA iMPACT tapings two weeks ago, Tommy Dreamer was showing off a potential new look backstage. Dreamer was wearing a singlet top, shorts and kick pads that gave him an MMA-style look. The potential new look for Dreamer received mixed reviews from those backstage.

Partial Source: prowrestling.net

SmackDown MITB Ladder Match Participants Announced

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The official WWE website has announced that Big Show, Christian, Matt Hardy, Kofi Kingston, Cody Rhodes and Kane will compete in the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match at next month’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Though six participants were announced, it has been confirmed that eight wrestlers will be taking part in the match.

Here is the updated card:

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
Sheamus (c) vs. John Cena

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Jack Swagger

Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Randy Orton, John Morrison, R-Truth, Evan Bourne, The Miz, Ted DiBiase, Chris Jericho and Edge
(Winner earns right to challenge the WWE Champion at any time, at any place, for up to one year)

SmackDown Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Big Show, Christian, Matt Hardy, Kofi Kingston, Cody Rhodes and Kane
(Winner earns right to challenge World Heavyweight Champion at any time, at any place, for up to one year)

Mickie James Returning To The Ring, “Downfall” Ratings

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– Former WWE Diva Mickie James will be wrestling in New York City for Impact Championship Wrestling on August 2nd. Her opponent will be WSU champion Mercedes Martinez. It will be James’ first post-WWE match in the United States since leaving the company earlier this year. In July, she’ll be working 3 shows for the WWC promotion in Puerto Rico and 2 shows for the SMASH promotion in Japan.

– The Nexus group’s theme music is “We Are One” by the band 12 Stonesir?t=se0e6 20&l=ur2&o=1.

– The ratings are in for Week 2 of Chris Jericho’s ABC game show “Downfall” and they’re not good. Tuesday’s show drew a 2.3 overnight rating with 4.1 million viewers. Week 2 was down from last week’s season premiere, which did a 3.1. With only 6 episodes taped and ratings on the decline already, the chances of ABC ordering more episodes after the initial run don’t look good.

– FlashGameshows.com has an interview up with Chris Jericho, who talks about how he got the “Downfall” gig and what it’s like hosting a game show where contestants get thrown off the roof of a skyscraper.

– If you haven’t seen Chris Jericho’s  new “Downfall” show, you can watch the first 2 episodes online at Hulu.com.

UPDATE On Wade Barrett & Drew McIntyre’s Visas

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To follow up on our earlier report regarding the work visa issues with Wade Barrett and Drew McIntyre -  we’re told at this point that WWE does not know when McIntyre will be back. Barrett might be able to return as soon as next week, but nobody knows for sure.

According to a source, WWE creative was told at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings to presume assume neither man would be back until SummerSlam in August. Up until now Wade Barrett had been the centerpiece of the new Nexus group on RAW. It is possible Barrett or McIntyre could both be back soon, but that was the initial word as of today.

It should be noted that current WWE Champion Sheamus was signed by WWE around the same time as Barrett and McIntyre. The belief as of right now is that he is okay in regards to his work visa, but given the fact how things were handled with Barrett and McIntyre he could possibly be next. This is definitely causing major issues for WWE creative.

Source: The Wrestling Observer

First NXT Season Two Contestent Eliminated Tuesday Night

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The first “Pros’ Poll” for the second season of NXT took place Tuesday night, signaling the end of one of the eight contestants from the weekly series.

The WWE Universe and the WWE Pros votes were combined to tabulate the first NXT Poll. Kaval is ranked No. 1, while Titus O’Neil came in last, ranking at No. 8. With the ranking, O’Neil has been eliminated from the NXT competition.

The combined results of the NXT Poll are as follows:

1. Kaval

2. Percy Watson

3. Michael McGillicutty

4. Alex Riley

5. Lucky Cannon

6. Eli Cottonwood

7. Husky Harris

8. Titus O’Neil

WWE Star Retiring?, More WWE Stars Working Through Injuries

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— Goldust wrote a post Tuesday evening on Twitter saying he has retired.

“i am retired,” he wrote, adding, “byeeeeeeeee.”

Though it should be noted that in a previous tweet, he said he was very tired coming off the road and heading to the beach, so it’s likely he was joking.

The multi-time Intercontinental Champion has been largely relegated to Superstars since being drafted to Raw in April, having only competed once on WWE’s flagship program. He once again appeared on Superstars at Monday’s taping in Philadelphia, teaming up with Yoshi Tatsu to take on Zack Ryder and Primo.

— In addition to Kelly Kelly, R-Truth and Cody Rhodes, both Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio were working through injuries this past week, reports F4WOnline.com.

In the case of Orton, he suffered a neck injury that prevented him from wrestling at Sunday’s live event in Wheeling, West Virginia. Meanwhile, Mysterio is dealing with a minor groin injury. Neither ailment is serious enough to keep the wrestlers from working through the pain.

— Corresponding with storylines, the official WWE website announced Tuesday that Ricky Steamboat suffered cracked ribs, internal injuries and a sprained neck as a result of a clothesline by Skip Sheffield and a 450° splash by Justin Gabriel on Raw.

CM Punk Has Surgery: Will Miss 4-8 Weeks

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Word going around at Tuesday night’s SmackDown tapings tonight is that CM Punk had surgery on his arm last week.

Apparently Punk may be out of action for 4-8 weeks from the surgery. It’s been known that he’s been working hurt for at least a few weeks.

Punk will appear on Friday’s SmackDown with a sling on his arm.

No word on whether he’ll be off television during his recovery time.

Source: PWinsider.com

RAW Rating Is In: 5-Week Upward Trend Ends

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Monday’s episode of WWE RAW featuring singer / director Rob Zombie as guest host scored a 3.28 cable rating, down from last week’s strong 3.52.

The first hour did a 3.28 rating, with the second hour dropping slightly to a 3.27. The show averaged 4.54 million viewers.

This week’s 3.28 ends a5-week trend of increasing ratings. Since May 24th, the RAW rating had increased week after week.

Undertaker & McCool Married: Picture From The Wedding

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SEScooops.com can confirm that The Undertaker and longtime girlfriend Michelle McCool were married on Saturday at a private ceremony in Houston, Texas. The two have been romantically linked since 2007.

The weekend wedding marks the third time around the block for the Undertaker and the second for McCool.

Among the wrestling personalities who attended were Torrie Wilson, Lisa Marie Varon and Sharmell Sullivan-Huffman (wife of Booker T), who is pregnant with twins.

Here’s a picture from the wedding:

Jake Roberts False Booked, MTV Blogs Zombie-RAW

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– MTV.com has an article up looking at Rob Zombie’s appearance on Monday’s WWE RAW. “Zombie, who was decked out in a Lou reed T-shirt (probably the first and only time that will be happening on WWE programming), did a fine job psyching up the crowd, and his natural charisma came across even as he was just reading names,” wrote MTV’s Kyle Anderson. “Considering a big part of his persona comes from a sort of demented ringmaster concept, he was a natural in the ring.”

Read More: RAW Rating Is In: 5-Week Upward Trend Ends

– WWE legend Jake Roberts has issued the following statement where he claims to have been falsely booked on an upcoming show:

To my fans, friends, anybody else planning to show up August 15th,  2010 at Justin Credible’s Pro Wrestling Icons II show in Cromwell CT.  I won’t be there. Any questions? Maybe YOU can get Justin to call you back. GOOD LUCK with that. Good luck if you are going, I’d sure make an advance inquiry as to  who’s really going to be there, or if there is really a show. I have no idea what has happened, except everyone that I have spoken with that is involved has abandoned ship. I got the message, I hope you do too. Thanks, Jake

Ring Of Honor Video Wire For June 29th

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Check out the latest ROH Video Wire, featuring promos from the Kings of Wrestling, Colt Cabana, Austin Aries and more:

WWE Lawyer Responds To Lawsuit From Owen Hart’s Widow

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WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt tells Courant.com that the lawsuit filed by the late Owen Hart’s widow, Martha, against WWE, Vince and Linda McMahon is without merit.

Martha Hart is suing the WWE for continuing to profit off the likeness of her late husband, especially as it pertains to the new Hart Family DVD set. Martha Harat issued a statement this week saying the WWE filed a lawsuit against her because she “had the nerve” to pursue a wrongful death claim following her husband’s death.

McDevitt now says Martha’s statement is false. this afternoon. According to him, WWE didn’t sue her because she brought the wrongful death claim. However, it did petition a court in Connecticut to hear the claim, instead of the Missouri court where Hart had filed her lawsuit, which was settled before going to trial.

McDevitt calls Hart’s statement “pejorative nonsense” and said her current lawsuit is nothing more than “a personal attack” on the McMahon family. He denies the insinuation that WWE is trying to deny Hart and her children compensation from the Hart Family DVD and says WWE handled the aftermath of Owen Hart’s death in a “humanitarian” way.

*Spoilers* NEXUS Storyline Plans Revealed (Big SummerSlam Match)

What Happened After RAW: Cena vs. Sheamus, Nexus Attacks

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Here’s a live report of what happened after Monday’s WWE RAW went off the air:

WWE Champion Sheamus wrestled John Cena to a no-contest.

Sheamus grabbed the mic and called out Cena, saying he won’t even make it to the Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

Cena ran out to a huge pop from the crowd. Sheamus attacked Cena before bell and then went for several pin attempts.

Sheamus was in control for most of the match, not even letting Cena get his shirt off during the beatdown. Cena was on the match for nine seconds and got up just before the referee could count him out. Cenea tore off his shirt and went crazy. He hit two shoulder blocks, the five knuckle shuffle and went for an Attitude Adjustment, which Sheamus blocked.

Cena was able to lock in the STF when the Nexus came out and interfered. The entire RAW locker room came out and chased off the Nexus crew.

Cena’s music played and he and Orton celebrated to end the show.

Updated Card For WWE Money In The Bank (7/18)

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LIVE COVERAGE of WWE MITB on 7/18

Following Monday’s RAW, the following matches are confirmed for the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view on July 18th:

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
Sheamus (c) vs. John Cena

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Rey Mysterio (c)  Jack Swagger

Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Randy Orton vs. Edge vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Chris Jericho vs. Evan Bourne vs. The Miz vs. R-Truth vs. John Morrison
Winner receives a title shot against the WWE Champion.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match
8 SmackDown Superstars (To Be Announced)
Winner receives a title shot against the World Heavyweight Champion.

https://www.indemand.com/shared/indemand/189678_lg.jpg?100608113317802

Wade Barrett & Drew McIntyre’s Absenses Explained

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Two of WWE’s up and coming young stars are on the sidelines due to problems with their work visas.

Wade Barrett, leader of RAW’s Nexus stable, has been pulled from WWE television and live events because his United States work visa expired. Barrett missed Monday’s WWE RAW and the weekend’s live events.

SmackDown star Drew McIntyre has the same problem as Barrett. There was a recent angle shot on SmackDown where Drew was being “deported” – which isn’t that far from reality. While its unknown as to whether McIntyre remains in the United States, it’s possible that he can stay while his green card application is being reviewed, since he’s married to WWE Diva Tiffany, a US citizen.

There’s no timetable yet on when Barrett or McIntyre can return.

Source: PWInsider.com

Update On Wade Barrett, “Superstars” Matches Taped, More

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— Conspicuous by his absence tonight on Raw was that of Wade Barrett. Michael Cole continued in his role as mouthpiece for Raw’s still anonymous General Manager, announcing that the mystery GM will have a verdict on the season one NXT Rookies – who have taken to referring to themselves as The Nexus – on next week’s show. To explain Barrett’s absence, it was noted that he was conferencing with WWE officials to learn the fate of he and his group.

It should be noted that the season one NXT Rookies did run-ins during the main events of this past weekend’s Raw live events and Barrett was notably absent from the proceedings.

— Two WWE Superstars matches were taped prior tonight’s Raw broadcast in Philadelphia.

* Yoshi Tatsu and Goldust vs. Zack Ryder and Primo
* Nikki Bella vs. Jillian

— Raw wrestler David Otunga appears on VH1’s Behind the Music feature on his fiancée Jennifer Hudson. The show replays Tuesday at 12:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m., 12: 00 p.m., 8:00 p.m. and several more times throughout July.

TNA iMPACT! Preview For Thursday: Hardy-Abyss, Styles vs. Joe

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TNA is taping Thursday’s episode of iMPACT! on Monday night from Orlando. Here’s a spoiler-free preview for the show:

– The main event will feature Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss with TNA World Hvt. champion Rob Van Dam as the special referee.

– Samoa Joe will face A.J. Styles in a singles match.

– We’ll see the return of “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero.

AJ Styles Talks About Working With Ric Flair, Fortune & More

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TNA star AJ Styles was recently interviewed by the Miami Herald and spoke about being mentored by “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.

“As Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were coming in was around the time they were thinking of putting me with Ric Flair,” Styles said. “I was on board. To work with the Nature Boy Ric Flair, it would be stupid not to take that chance.

Styles has improved his game in many ways since working with Flair, most notably his work on the mic. “My confidence in cutting promos is far better than it used to be,” he said.  . “Getting the opportunity to study from Ric Flair and get his input means the world to me.  I’ve met him before, and he was always a nice guy. He was unbelievably nice. He is an icon. I thought how he can be so nice and humble. It’s who he is. He is a good guy, in spite of the rumors you may have heard.”

While working with Flair has been a dream come true for him, it has led many to criticize him, calling him a “Ric Flair wannabe.” Styles responds to those claims, saying, “I would say when you are being mentored by someone or around friends who talk a certain way or act a certain way, you tend to act like those friends and talk like those friends. It’s kind of the same thing. I’m not Ric Flair. Ric Flair and I, our move set is not the same. I may throw in a figure four or a chop. Other than that, I would not say I’m being like Ric Flair. If they are complaining about that, I would say how can you complain about someone trying to be like Ric Flair? As long as they’re entertained, then I’m going to keep doing it. If they are not, I’ll find out sooner or later.'”

As for the new “Fortune” stable led by Ric Flair, Styles says, “I think they are going with it. I think it would be a great tag team and a great storyline.”

Mickie James Talks About Her WWE Release & Future Plans

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Former WWE Diva Mickie James was interviewed by Alez Marvez of Scrippsnews.com last week and spoke at length about her wrestling and country music careers. James has spent the last year and a half working on her debut country music CD, “Strangers and Angels.” Here are some highlights of what Mickie James said about:

Her Country Music Career:“Wrestling has kind of taken a back seat right now,. This is a new passion of mine. I’m a very competitive person and very much a perfectionist. When I want something that badly, I’m willing to make sacrifices and do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

Getting Released By WWE: “It broke my heart. I admit it,” said James, who initially landed a WWE developmental contract in 2003 after spending four years on the independent circuit and in TNA Wrestling. “I had given so much of my life to this and sacrificed so much. I missed weddings, birthdays, my nieces being born. I starved on the road when I first tried to make it. I slept at rest stops because I didn’t have the money for a hotel. I wanted it that bad.

“When you get that call that you’re hired, it’s the greatest call in the world. It’s even better when you get the call that you’re coming to TV (tapings) and debuting. But when you get the call saying you’re gone … What bothers me is, I could see if I didn’t get a good reaction, but I would get the largest reaction of any female on the roster no matter who I was on the bill with. I still don’t understand why, but that’s life.”

Her Future in Wrestling: “For a while, I was going to say I didn’t want to wrestle at all because I’m still heartbroken (about WWE),” James said. “But I do love it so much. I intend to wrestle here and there and do the shows I really want to do, especially if it’s with someone who’s a friend of mine or someone I never got a chance to work with.”

Mike Adamle Talks About His Brain Damage, Rob Zombie Tweets

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– Rob Zombie, tonight’s RAW Guest Host, wrote on Twitter.com/RWZOMBIE that he’s “planning some big crazy sh*t for RAW.”

– The Chicago Sun Times has an article up about former WWE personality Mike Adamle, who talks about the brain damage he suffered while playing football earlier in his career.

‘I was on the air in 1999 when I had my first seizure. ‘One part of my brain was speaking, the other part was having a tidal wave,” Adamle said. ”There was deja vu. All kinds of flashing, loud ringing in my ears. Dizziness. My short-term memory was gone. There were tears in my eyes, thoughts of being a kid, thoughts of my grandfather. I was in the hospital for three days.”

Adamle said he has epilepsy from lesions on the left hemisphere of my brain and still has seizures. Adamle got a lot of criticism for his on-air gaffes during his time as a WWE announcer – and now we can see he’s been battling serious medical issues for years that explain his mistakes.

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