– Fozzie Bear joins the Zack Pack in this edition of “Z! True Long Island Story.” See the Tout that landed the Muppet as “Bearski of the Week.”

– Courtesy of WWEDVDNews.com, two matches have been revealed for WWE’s upcoming The Best of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 DVD.

From the inaugural episode episode of the program, a WCW United States Championship Match pitting Sting against Ric Flair is featured. This is the bout where Lex Luger makes a surprise appearance after competing at a WWE event the prior day.

The other match is a WCW World Tag Team Championship Match featuring Kevin Nash and Scott Hall vs. Goldberg and Bret Hart from December 13, 1999.

– Randy Orton, Sin Cara and other Superstars and Divas recently met WWE Circle of Champions honorees, including Michael of Make-A-Wish. (Photos)

– Promoting his Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract against John Cena tomorrow night at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Dolph Ziggler went on Twitter to taunt his opponent

“studying ladder matches & killing it at the gym -somewhere @JohnCena studies a cue cards poorly crafted reference to my junk,” wrote Ziggler.

– This week on “The JBL & Cole Show,” multi-platinum rapper Flo Rida drops by to talk about the genesis of his name, The Rock and his stirring WrestleMania XXVIII performance.

– WWE will present the final performance of The Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary shows, exclusively on pay-per-view tonight, at 9 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Details on the event are available here.

– The Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam match from WWF Backlash 2002 is featured on this week’s episode of WWE Vintage Collection and broadcaster Jim Ross’ mention of Chris Benoit was not censored as it typically is on WWE programming reruns. Other bouts airing on the show include Lex Luger vs. PJ Walker (WWF Monday Night Raw – March 1, 1993), Lex Luger vs. Shawn Michaels (WWF All American Wrestling – September 19, 1993), King Haku’s Coronation (WWF Superstars – July 9, 1988), King Haku vs. Sam Houston (WWF Prime Time Wrestling – August 22, 1988.

– This week on Santino’s Foreign Exchange, foreign correspondent Yoshi Tatsu attempts to interview Ryback. The synopsis reads, “On this episode of “Santino’s Foreign Exchange,” The Milan Miracle puts the pressure on foreign correspondent Toshi Yatsu – uh, we mean Yoshi Tatsu – in an attempt to hone his interviewing skills. Yoshi’s mettle is tested, though, when he runs into the monstrous Ryback!”

– Daniel Bryan is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

(source: PWInsider.com)

– Dolph Ziggler took another shot at John Cena on Twitter this morning, writing:

fav part of being smart & witty is not needing a writer or cue cards, but still STEALING THE SHOW No offense @WWE @JohnCena

— Nic Nemeth (@NicTNemeth) December 14, 2012

– WWE Hall of Famer Edge was asked on Twitter if he’s a Paul Heyman guy. He replied:

"@DanaElkhalifa: @EdgeRatedR Are you a paul heyman guy?"-I was a @HeymanHustle guy b4 it was a catchphrase. And he is an "Edge Guy"

— Adam Copeland (@RatedRCope) December 14, 2012

– WWE.com also has an article up looking at the history of the Slammy Awards.

– Here’s a clip of John Cena’s Thursday night appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon:

– WWE.com has a a feature up looking at the 20 “Meanest Grinches.”

– As previously reported, JBL and Michael Cole will be taping their new online show this Sunday at the Barclays Center, the site of WWE’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view. Fans who show up with clever signs have a chance to win tickets to the show. Cole tweeted on Friday:

“Don’t forget @JCLayfield and I taping jbl and cole show Sunday at 330 outside Barclays! Best sign wins two tickets to TLC!”

– Here’s episode 96 of Zack Ryder’s “Z! True Long Island Story” Youtube show:

WWE.com has a feature up looking at Sunday’s Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view, with Superstars and Divas giving predictions for Sunday’s top matches

Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena

Zack Ryder: That’s a tough one. Ziggler’s worked his a** off to get this opportunity to wrestle a main event guy in Cena, and I don’t think there’s any way anybody’s going to stop Ziggler from holding on to that briefcase.

Tyson Kidd: Dolph has won over so many fans these last few years, and it sounds a little cliché, but in this one, it seems like it’s a different side of Cena we haven’t seen in a while, where he’s fighting more with his heart than his mind. That could cost him. I think this is Dolph’s chance to show he is where he really belongs, and I think Dolph comes away with the win this time.

Layla: This will be a tough, tough fight, but my money’s on Dolph. It’s his time, and he deserves it, too. He’s worked so, so hard. Love him or hate him, he really is a showoff, but he has a lot to show off about. I think that’s going to be a shocker, the jaw-dropper of the night, big time.

Sheamus vs. Big Show

Titus O’Neil: Sheamus is definitely a Celtic Warrior, a hard worker and an extremely physical opponent, but I’ve just got a feeling that Big Show, being the largest athlete on the planet and possessing the strongest punch on the planet, is going to win.

Not everyone was on board with Big Show being the presumptive victor. Though the inclusion of metal folding chairs helped garner votes for The World’s Largest Athlete, at least one Superstar believes Sheamus’ anger toward Big Show will drive him toward his second World Heavyweight Title.

Tyson Kidd: First off, Sheamus and Big Show, and this isn’t really surprising, but they’ve been stepping it up to a much higher level lately, and I don’t think we’ve seen this intensity out of either guy, maybe ever. Show’s going in having dominated much of these last two matches, but I think that is maybe what Sheamus needed to relight some of that fire he had when he first jumped on the scene. This event is also where he won his first World Title, too, so I think Sheamus will get it done at WWE TLC.

Road Dogg: I definitely know Sheamus wants it, and Big Show knows he wants it, too. Thirty-one chair strikes, to be precise, say how bad he wants it. But I know if Big Show gets a metal folding chair in his hands and hits anybody — and I mean, anybody — with it, they’re done. Sheamus can want it all he wants. Any man goes down when the giant hits you with a chair.

Ryback, Kane and Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose

Wade Barrett: Team Hell No & Ryback is a formidable team, [and] they’ve all got their individual strengths. Obviously, experience is on the side of Kane, Daniel Bryan’s an incredible technician, and you have the power of Ryback. And then you’ve got The Shield, who are kind of an unknown entity.

I really empathize with the position The Shield are in because I was in a similar position when I was leading Nexus in 2010 in the main event of SummerSlam, when we were taking on the WWE veterans. Unfortunately, on that occasion, it didn’t end well for us. I hope for the sake of The Shield they do a little better. I’m certainly pulling for The Shield, but if I’m honest, I think Team Hell No & Ryback got ’em beat.

Michael McGillicutty: I’ve got to go with The Shield. Those guys are a cohesive unit, and that’s what it takes to get victories here in WWE. Take a look at Team Hell No. Talk about a bunch of weirdoes, man. They don’t care about anything but themselves and who’s going to get the pinfall in a contest. Then you’ve got Ryback, and I still ain’t believing his hype. The win’s going to go to The Shield, bottom line.

* Rumored Finishes For CENA vs. ZIGGLER & THE SHIELD vs. Ryback & Team Hell No

John Cena and Sheamus participated in a meida conference call on Thursday to promote next week’s WWE’s Tribute to The Troops specials on USA Network and NBC. Here are some highlights of what John Cena said about:

WWE’s Shift to Family-Friendly Programming: “Our programming has changed so much over the years. I started in 2002, our programming was more TV-14, edgy, anti-hero based, more conflict-hero based. Since then, I think our programming has made a turn for the better into more of a PG environment. All of our programming platform-wise is PG.”

“The reason is simply because the people who attend our events. More families began to attend and more children began to attend. When you have those young and youthful eyes looking at you, you know you’re global, you tend to have choices to make. Me being portrayed as a good guy on our programming, it was an obvious choice. I wanted to do my best to use my TV time to set good examples.”

His Match Against Antonio Cesaro: “I’ll be competing in a match, and the great thing about our Tribute to the Troops show – whether in its extended form on USA or abbreviated form on NBC – it’s a great watch. It’s not something that you necessarily have to be up-to-date on all the WWE storylines or all the plots. It really is just a general entertaining program, which is why we have a guest host in the Muppets or musical guests. I, myself, am in a singles match against our current United States champion Antonio Cesaro.”

* SPOILERS For Next Week’s TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS Special

(Credit to PWTorch.com for the transcript)

Here is the official synopsis and cover art for WWE’s upcoming “Best Of WCW Nitro: Volume 2” DVD/Blu-Ray set, due out February 12, 2013, courtesy of WWEDVDNews.com:

Synopsis: “For six years WCW Monday Nitro went head-to-head with WWE Raw pulling out all the stops to gain the upper hand in the escalating Monday Night War. The place “where the big boys play” produced such a wealth of non-stop thrills action drama and controversy that we could not possibly scratch the surface in one volume. Host Diamond Dallas Page returns to present Volume 2 of the wildly successful Best of WCW Nitro series. Sports entertainment fans will relive eight more hours of the poisonous n.W.o electrifying cruiserweights and unparalleled star power that delivered an endless supply of timeless matches and moments. All the greatest WCW stars are included such as Ric Flair Hulk Hogan Sting Kevin Nash Rey Mysterio Eric Bischoff Goldberg and more. Plus check out the Nitro Girls Nitro parties WCW’s spring break bashes celebrity integration and several matches never-before-released on DVD.”

DVD Cover Art:

Kayfabe Wrestling Radio
Hosted by Alan Wojcik & Spug
Listen Live on Tuesday Nights 9pm ET on Wildtalkradio.com 

Former ROH World Champion, TNA star and current ROH “Matchmaker” Nigel McGuinness joined Kayfabe Wrestling Radio Tuesday Night. In a nearly 30 minute interview, he talked about the creation of his documentary “The Last of McGuinness”, using Eddie Edwards as a cameraman for the project, his thoughts on some calling him a ‘modern day ROH legend’, does he hope wrestling will return more towards wrestling and away from gimmicks and storylines, his views on blood in wrestling today, how to move forward training people perhaps against blood loss and unprotected chair shots in wrestling, the testing standards in some of the major wrestling federations, being named ‘Matchmaker’ of ROH, his experiences with improve comedy and more.

You can listen to the full interview here (.MP3). Here are some highlights of what he said about:

His inspirations for doing the final tour and DVD documentary: “It was really (Colt) Cabana; ‘Cabana’s Road Diaries’ I think was really a big inspiration. You know, cooked him a little bit and he was happy how it turned out. Took a long time from the time they started filming it to actually get it finishing, I think two and a half years for it to finally get out there but he said it turned out well for him, so I thought well, you know, I’ll give it a shot. I didn’t know anything about it at the time, I didn’t know how to even shoot footage or even the first thing about editing it but like he said to me ‘You just gotta give it a go’. So I did, I gave it a go and you’ve seen the results.”

His thoughts on some calling him a ‘modern day ROH legend’: “Well, thank you, I appreciate it. A lot of people were involved, from day one when Gabe had that idea of what Ring of Honor was going to be and toeing that fine line between putting too much into storylines and letting the boys go out there and sort of get over on their own; that’s why Gabe (Sapolsky) was so good at what he did and Cary (Silkin) obviously standing behind the company when we had some difficult financial times. Some many guys came through there: Alex Shelly, Austin Aries and the list just goes on of some many talented guys who came through Ring of Honor.”

Does he have hope wrestling will return to wrestling and not just storylines and gimmicks: “Um, no. You know, I think Ring of Honor is doing a great job of trying to fill that niche, fill that niche for people that want to see more action bell to bell, believable sort of stuff. But, for it to become mainstream like it used to be in the 70’s; where you’d see a Dory Funk and a Jack Brisco go out there, or those sort of guys on a national level, I’m not really sure if people have the, what’s that word, the patience to watch it, to watch a story develop without the backstory behind it. It’s tough, it’s difficult; I think that with Ring of Honor going forward, that’s what we have to do; we have to try and understand our audience and decide which direction we’re going in. And I think now, with Delirious at the helm, we’ve certainly got a good game plan to do that.”

His views on the use of blood in wrestling today: “What’s that say when you see someone covered in blood now? How do you feel; do you just brush it off and go ok, or does it have an effect where now… I’m hoping, I would hope now that anyone watching that sort of thing would have a stronger appreciation for the dangers involved. I’m not going to tell anybody how to function; I’m not going to tell any company necessarily; I think changes need to be made. I don’t think there’s anybody in this day and age that can look at unmitigated blood loss, intentional blood loss in a match and thing that’s really a good idea. You know, TNA, they test guys every 6 months; they’ve vaccinated all of their wrestlers for Hepatitis B. So, they’ve certainly taken some steps to protect their guys, which I fully applaud. My concern is with Ring of Honor, because it is the company I work for now, and I’ve talked to the people in charge and everyone is on the same page; intentional blood loss, I don’t think, is a prudent thing in today’s world and I think they all agree with that and we’re currently in the process of basically trying to get some kind of working protocol, to where we can protect the guys but, at the same time, insure that people who paid money and arguably driven 4-5 hours to watch a show, aren’t going to be disappointed and feel as though they spent their money for nothing. So, we’ve got to find a happy medium and, as I said, we are working on that.

In the independents, or in Ring of Honor, we kind of have to police ourselves, and that being the case, I should hope we see, in the future, if it’s a big match and people can get tested before hand, then I think, to a certain extent, that should mitigate a lot of the concerns and a lot of the fears. I talked to a very prominent infectious disease specialist this week and, as we discussed, you have to find that happy medium, you know what I mean? You can’t be testing guys every week before every single match they wrestle because it’s just not practical and at the same time, the chances of someone getting something if they were tested the week before, obviously, is very slim so you’ve got to find that sort of middle ground; how far is too far and how far is too short? So, we’re working on that, we’ve got some things in place for the show this weekend in New York City to make sure that we are going to protect the guys. I just think that, if someone gets cut open on accident and it’s a little bit of blood, I don’t think it’s crazy to say ‘Ok, let’s just let this match continue. But to let it happen intentionally, whether there’s a ton of blood, given what we know now about infectious diseases and how easy it is to transmit them; I don’t think it’s conscionable in today’s industry. But, again, that’s just my feeling and that’s why I made this movie, one of the reasons I made this movie, it to try and explain how I feel and hope that other people would understand. In my mind, it’s an archaic thing, much like chair shots to the head; 10 years ago, no one blinked an eyelid about that and just accepted that it was part of the business and I would hope now, in the future, that I know intentional blood loss will be one of those same sort of things. But we’ll have to see; we’ll have to see how fans react to it, if fans really care or not.”

How do you move forward in the future training guys against blood or unprotected chair shots: “You know, you just got to go out there and do it, really. And more importantly, you know who has control? The people who have control are the fans; en masse, the fans have control because if the fans do want to see something; I’ll tell you now, when I watch independent matches and, every now and again, I see an unprotected chair shot or something like that. When I see that, you feel the energy go from the crowd because half the crowd just goes ‘I don’t want to watch this’ because they understand how dangerous this is. So, they are the people that have control; this is how to get this thing through and I hope, not just because of me, but there are lots of other instances didn’t get the same sort of profile because it wasn’t done in a documentary but there are plenty of other people who are other there now with Hepatitis C that could have passed it on to someone else, and thankfully didn’t.”

On being named ‘Matchmaker’ and if it was known or a surprise: “Yeah, we discussed it before hand; I talked with Delirious and I had talked with several of the guys beforehand about the possibility of it and it just adds another string to my bow; I’ll still be doing commentary from time-to-time in some of the big matches. Obviously, the ‘Matchmaker’ would certainly have an interest in being there at ringside. So, I think I’ll still be doing some commentary but certainly doing the Matchmaker side of things as well.”

To order a copy of his “Last of McGuinness” DVD documentary or t-shirt, you can visit www.nigelwrestling.com for all the ordering information and options. You can also follow Nigel on Twitter (@McGuinnessNigel) or through his Facebook (Facebook.com/nigel.mcguinness.7). You can also see Nigel weekly on Ring of Honor television programming, through your local Sinclair Broadcasting Group stations and at this weekend’s “Final Battle 2012” iPPV; visit ROHwrestling.com or Ring of Honor on Twitter (@ringofhonor) for the latest on upcoming events and listing of stations showing Ring of Honor programming.

The Miz had a pretty “awesome” time last weekend in Virginia for WWE’s Tribute to the Troops tapings. Aside from visiting with troops and wrestling at the show, The Miz also got to fly in an F/A-18 Navy fighter plane with with Squadron VFA-211 (also known as the “Fighting Checkmates”).

The Miz broke the speed of sound while ripping through the skies, reaching speeds of upto Mach 1.2 – 900 MPH. Check out this TMZ video –

– With WWE Champion CM Punk currently recovering from his knee surgery and out of action for several more weeks, WWE has made some significant changes to lineup for the upcoming 12/27 live event at Madison Square Garden. That’s great news for CM Punk, but not great news for his associate, Paul Heyman.

The previous main event, CM Punk vs. Ryback in a steel cage, has been scrapped. John Cena will now wrestle Dolph Ziggler in the steel cage.

As for Ryback, he’ll now be wrestling … Paul Heyman. While wrestling in Madison Square Garden might be a dream come true for Heyman, he will certainly have his hands full with Ryback.

– Here is the new trailer for “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” starring The Rock:

[ Pictures of THE ROCK On The Set of GI Joe: Retaliation ]

TNA sent out the following press release on Friday morning announcing that Jeff Hardy’s new music album “Similar Creatures” is available at ShopTNA.com and iTunes. The track includes 9 original songs, including his theme song, the title track. Below is Jeff Hardy’s entrance theme followed the by the press release:

TNA WRESTLING ANNOUNCES JEFF HARDY DEBUT ALBUM SIMILAR CREATURES

AVAILABLE NOW AT SHOPTNA.COM AND ON iTunes AND OTHER ONLINE MUSIC OUTLETS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 13, 2012) — TNA Wrestling has announced the release of Jeff Hardy’s music debut EP titled Similar Creatures available now at ShopTNA.com and on iTunes. Similar Creatures features nine tracks including Hardy’s current theme song and title track, “Similar Creatures.”

“The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy is one of the most recognized and beloved pro-wrestlers, as well as the current TNA World Heavyweight Champion in the world today. Hardy can be seen every Thursday night on TNA’s flagship show “IMPACT WRESTLING” on Spike TV 8/7ct.

Hardy and Dale Oliver wrote all of the songs on Similar Creatures for Embrangle Publishing Company and TNA Knockout Music. Similar Creatures was recorded at OTM Studios in Brentwood, TN. Hardy is the midst of working on his first all original music project with Oliver and his band that is set for release in mid-2013, accompanied by his original art work that reflects the musical compositions.

The nine track EP features:

Modest (remix 2012)
Another Me
Resurrected
Similar Creatures (original mix)
Soul Tied In A Knot
Humanomoly
Enshrine
Reptilian
Similar Creatures
(For more information, visit IMPACTWRESTLING.com.)

– MMA fighter and TNA star King Mo Lawal recently returned from The Netherlands, where he was training for upcoming Bellator MMA fight in January. Mo will be focusing on MMA and won’t be training wrestling at OVW until after his next fight.

* More Backstage TNA News Heading Into 2013

– Speaking of OVW, TNA stars Al Snow, Douglas Williams and Kid Kash are all regularly working at the developmental territory to train wrestlers and promote local OVW live vents.

– Here is the latest episode of “The List” with Robbie E and Robbie T:

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

– Kurt Angle has provided an injury update on his torn groin. Angle tweeted on Thursday:

Hey My friends, Got a little Injury But I Will Be Back Very Soon. Thanks for Your tweets. Much Love. TNA! GOD Bless.

— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) December 12, 2012

@JackElliott1977: thank U My friend. Injury Will take a few Weeks. Much Love.

— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) December 12, 2012

– TNA’s official German Facebook page just announced today that TNA’s current TV contract with Sky Deutschland expires on January 1st and has not been renewed.

Both sides are in talks, but if a deal is not made, there will be more TNA iMPACT Wrestling or live pay-per-views on Sky Sport and Sky Select in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

* More Backstage TNA News Heading Into 2013

The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s WWE SmackDown on Syfy, the final “go-home” show before Sunday’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view:

* World Heavyweight Champion Big Show vs. R-Truth. Sheamus and Antonio Cesaro will be on commentary.

* Team Rhodes Scholars vs. The Usos.

* Kaitlyn vs. Aksana.

* The Miz hosts Miz TV with his special guets, WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No, Kane and Daniel Bryan.

* Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd & Hornswoggle & Great Khali vs. Prime Time Players & Epico & Primo.

* WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio.

* WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. Sheamus

Plus – The Shield will be in the house and will unleash their wrath on another top WWE Superstar.

* SMACKDOWN SPOILERS For Tonight: Find Out Who THE SHIELD Destroys

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com with his thoughts on Monday’s WWE Slammy Awards. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

Superstar of the Year: No brainer…WWE Champion @CMPunk. Need I explain? Let us count the days.

Breakout Star of the Year: @Ryback22…making an impact and has reached PPV, main event status. Hopefully, for Ryback his best is yet to come.

Comeback of the Year: How can one have a bigger comeback than returning to life after being clinically dead for approximately 15 minutes? @JerryLawler wins hands down.

Most Shocking Moment Of The Year: King’s heart attack aside…I can’t think of one moment that jumps out at me but the return of @HeymanHustle has to be a consideration. @TheShield impacting @WWE would be another. It’s a wide open category. What whacky incident won this Slammy last year?

Match of the Year: Match of the Year….I’m admittedly biased…WrestleMania 28…Hell in a Cell..Undertaker vs. HHH with @ShawnMichaels as special referee. I was surprised to get the call to assist in calling the bout and it was a career highlight for me. There likely won’t be any thing like that specific moment featuring three, iconic legends and HOF level talents in one match on that stage again in my career ever again. It was one of the most dramatically physical bouts I’ve seen in WWE in years and was the best match on the premier, WWE PPV from where I was sitting. Again, remember, I’m biased but that’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.

– WWE is now advertising that The Rock will be at February’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The Rock has been added to WWE’s listing for the event on the WWE.com Live Events page. Previously, The Rock’s appearance was only being advertised by the website of the arena hosting the show, the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

– Justin Roberts and Dolph Ziggler were courtside at Wednesday night’s Phoenix Suns NBA basketball game. You can see pictures of them at the game here.

– Peter Rosenberg of New York’s Hot 97 hip hop radio station conducted an exclusive sit-down interview with WWE World Heavyweight champion the Big Show.

“We discuss his relationship with Randy Savage, his incredible run with Mark Henry last year, his complaints about workers today, and a prediction on Hulk Hogan appearing at Wrestlemania XXX and much more!”

* Big Update On RANDY ORTON’s Injury, Mysterio’s Future & A Top Star Retiring

– As previously reported, John Cena recently showing up on TMZ.com as Nikki Bella’s date for her high school graduation led WWE to put Cena’s on-screen romance with AJ Lee on hold. On Monday’s RAW, we saw Cena distancing himself from AJ, who was acting crazier than ever. Moving forward, the angle will be that AJ Lee is a psycho and John Cena will do his best to distance himself from her.

– WWE superstar Ted DiBiase has been testing the waters in Hollywood seeing if he can get acting work. He’s not interested in moving to Los Angeles, which will not help his chances there. DiBiase is among the group of disgruntled wrestlers that is taking a wait and see approach with his future in WWE and would look for work outside of the wrestling business if hep arts ways with the company.

– With The Shield angle getting over as well as anybody expected, Dean Ambrose is seen as the member with the most breakout potential. Ambrose has the total package (mic work and in-ring), while Rollins is great in the ring but needs to work on his promos. Some see Roman Reigns as having major star power as well, but aside from his great look, he needs to improve his ring skills. Overall, the three men compliment each others strengths and will be put to their first test Sunday in the main event of TLC.

* The Latest On RYBACK’s WM29 Opponent, Top WWE Superstar Talking About Retirement

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– Triple H remains very interested in talking Bruno Sammartino into joining the WWE Hall of Fame in April. Vince McMahon goes back and forth on whether it’s worth the trouble. Nothing new from Bruno’s camp and it’s still considered a long shot.

– Eve Torres is recovered from her recent elbow injury.

– There are several WWE talents on the main roster that are unhappy with how they are being used (or, not used) and are considering asking for their releases after WrestelMania 29.

* Big Update On RANDY ORTON’s Injury, Mysterio’s Future & A Top Star Retiring

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– With Triple H taking over WWE’s developmental system earlier this year, it’s almost unanimous that talent development has been strong than it has been in a long time. A few of Triple H’s pet projects (Kharma, Sin Cara) have been busts so far, but time will and it will take more talents getting called up before a fair assessment can be made.

– WWE’s current plans for the World Heavyweight title match at WrestleMania 29 is for Sheamus to wrestle Randy Orton for the gold This would obviously require one of them winning the belt in early 2013 and Randy Orton will probably get his wish of turning heel again soon.

– WWE Intercontinental champion Kofi Kingston is featured on the latest episode of WWE’s Outside The Ring Youtube series.

Will Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston be the next Regis? Go “Outside the Ring” with the high-flying Superstar as he co-hosts the entertainment and lifetime show, “Daytime.” Watch this webisode

* The Latest On RYBACK’s WM29 Opponent, Top WWE Superstar Talking About Retirement

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– WWE 13 was the 9th best selling game of November. Despite this, overall sales have been strong for the game.

– Before Randy Orton got injured at Sunday’s Tribute to the Troops taping, WWE was planning for Randy Orton to face Alberto Del Rio at this weekend’s TLC pay-per-view.

– Speaking of Alberto Del Rio, WWE is considering turning him babyface in early 2013. While this would be difficult because his Mexican aristocrat gimmick is pure heel, the company is badly in need of a top Hispanic worker. Rey Mysterio has 2 Wellness strikes against him and is in the tail end of his career, while Sin Cara has failed to take off as to company had hoped.

– WWE has released the following video looking at Ryback’s current feud with The Shield leading up to the 6-man tag main event at TLC:

* The Latest On RYBACK’s WM29 Opponent, Top WWE Superstar Talking About Retirement

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– The Rock is going to have a very busy early 2013, with several movies to promote as well as many appearances for WWE and promotion his new “Hero” reality show that premieres on TNT in February.

The Rock is currently scheduled to appear at WWE RAW on January 7th, 21st and 28th, as well as the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber PPVs. The January 7th episode of RAW will be going up against the college football BCS Championship game, so WWE will be counting on The Rock’s appearance that to prevent the RAW rating from bottoming out again.

– With Ryback guaranteed a WWE Championship match against CM Punk in the coming weeks, there are conflicting reports as to when the match will take place. Originally, it was thought that CM Punk vs. Ryback would headline the 20th Anniversary of RAW episode of January 14th.

However, that leaves only 2 weeks to end CM Punk’s feud with Ryback and go full force with Punk vs. The Rock. There is now talk of CM Punk vs. Ryback taking place on the January 7th episode of RAW and immediately switching gears that night to Punk’s feud with The Rock.

* The Latest On RYBACK’s WrestleMania Opponent, Top WWE Superstar Talking About Retirement

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– With Velvet Sky back in TNA, the feeling is that she probably saw that taking her act on the road and working independent shows & conventions was not as lucrative as she thought. Even when she left the company earlier this year, there was a push to keep her on board, so everybody is happy she’s back.

– Eric Young’s new deal with TNA was signed in the past week or so.

– During a recent interview when Spike TV announced that Bellator will be airing after Impact Wrestling on Thursdays Spike TV President Kevin Kay said that Impact is “on fire” due to strong booking and he expects Impact to be a very strong lead in for the MMA show once football season ends.

* Details On When The Members Of ACES & EIGHTS Will Be Revealed

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston spoke to AM New York this week to promote Sunday’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view from Brooklyn. Here are some highlights of what Kofi said about:

How He’s Prepping For His Match Against Wade Barrett At TLC:

“What are you doing to get ready for your match on Sunday? It’s been more of a mental preparation. I’m a guy who alwaystries to play by the rules, and Wade Barrett is pretty much the opposite ofthat. So initially, he and I had a match on “Raw” a couple weeks ago and I wasn’t ready as far as knowing the lows that he would go to win a match. And kudos to him. But I know what I have to do now to compete and to win and retain my Intercontinental Championship.”

His Favorite Match:

“Well, right now, the first one that comes to my head is whenI beat Sheamus for the United States Championship [last year at the ExtremeRules event], and we had a tables match. … Winning the United StatesChampionship was awesome. And even being able to put a guy like Sheamus througha table is no easy feat. When you see this guy, and you know that he’s abrawler, so I know it was going to be a fight, but that’s probably my bestmemory so far. Hopefully, this Sunday will be an even better memory when I beat Wade!”

Which TLC Match He Can’t Wait To See: “Well, to be honest, I’m excited about all of them. You’ve got so many here. Cena versus Dolph with the Money in the Bank contract at stake – this is awesome. You think that once you win Money in the Bank, you’re set. Pretty much 99% of the people who have cashed in that brief case have won.And for people who don’t know Money in the Bank, basically you have a contract to be able to challenge for [the] title at any time, and that’s a huge advantage. To put that on the line, it’s almost like another championship, so Ithink that’s going to be a great match. I know Dolph and Cena are two guys that definitely despise each other and that always makes for a great match. The Big Show and Sheamus – two brawlers who have been going at it for a couple of months and they have a chairs match. You put a chair in hands of a guy like Sheamus, it’s probably not good news, even if you are 7 feet, 500 pounds like the Big Show. Like I said, there’s a lot of great matches. You’ve got the Shield taking on Ryback and Team Hell No in a TLC match. It’s going to be a great pay-per-view all around. I can’t get excited enough to let people know.And being in the Barclays is going to be awesome, because obviously this is a brand new arena. I know a lot of people have been looking forward to being there. It’s going to be great all around.”

* Rumored Finish For CENA vs. ZIGGLER, What’s Next For The SHIELD & Tons More News

– While Hulk Hogan has had no luck getting courts to order Gawker Media to remove footage of his sex tape, Gawker is enjoying huge website traffic by continuing hosting the clips.

The Huffington Post reports that Hulk Hogan’s sex tape drew the second-highest traffic of the year for Gawker.com. The only other news story which drew more traffic to the site was the one regarding the topless photos of Kate Middleton which also surfaced earlier this year.

– Former WCW wrestler Buff Bagwell joined the Shining Wizards Podcast (www.shiningwizards.com). Here are some highlights of what he said about:

His recent car accident:

“My best friend Hamilton died from a drinking accident. So in the past year I have been doing much better with the drinking and the partying. After I found out how he died, I quit drinking. They say I had a seizure from the alcohol withdrawal. I said, “Dude, I drink maybe 2-3 beers a day.” And they go, “How long have you been drinking 3 or more beers a day?” I said “20 years.” They said “Marcus, 3 beers a day for a long time, it’s still a big deal when you come off cold turkey like that.” I have had one more withdrawal seizure, from coming off pain meds or whatever, years ago trying to clean my life up. When you have one, you see this thing called an aura. It’s a white little light. It’s a light that makes you think Jesus is coming. It’s that kind of light. It’s that brutal. And anyone listening that has seen the aura, its something that you never ever forget, you don’t mistake it for a glare or anything like that, you know what it is. It’s the scariest thing in the world. The aura gives an epileptic forty-five seconds to either pull their car over or lay down on the ground. There is no fixing it once you see the light. I was on the phone with my wife, and I said, “Oh my God, I just saw the aura’. She goes, “What? Pull over.” I had a big jacked up jeep at the time, and I pulled over. And from that point, its all a black out.”

Wrestling in Global (GWF) and being offered a contract:

“Global to me back then was like WWF. It was that big to me. We were on TV. We were on ESPN in a great time slot, and we were told that we were gonna be the next company. The woman who owned the place painted it up all nice and got us air conditioning. The dressing rooms got redone, and “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert was there, Lighting Kid, Harlem Heat, Patriot and Scotty Flamingo. They started giving out contracts. I was the 4th guy to get a contract, which I never got. It was $100,000 contract. When I was the fourth one in line, it was just over. They suddenly just pulled the plug. The next phone call, was like God did it. The phone rings and I pick it up, and the guy goes “This is Magnum.” I said “Who?” I had no idea who he was.”

On his early days in WCW:

“Right away I got along with Brian Pillman. Guys who worked out hung together. Guys who partied worked together. So me and Brian got along great. I was 19 years old, no credit card, no nothing. I was getting $500 a week to go to wrestling school. When they put you on the road, you lose $500 really fast; going to the gym, tanning, eating, hotel, whatever you do. I came home losing money, the whole thing was a 10 day road trip. Homesick, crying, calling home. After Pillman, me and Johnny B. Badd got on real good. Once we got our own credit cards and were making money, no one rode with us. We went and trained, and didn’t know what a beer was, and didn’t party. It was all about working out and pro wrestling. After that it was Sting, and then Luger. Me and Luger were animals at that point. Scotty got in such good shape at that time. He set the bar so high, anyone who hoped in our car, it was gonna be chicken breasts, baked potatoes and working out, Not many people jumped in the car with us. Me and Lex wanted to work out and look good for TV.”

The WCW Tapings:

“WCW didn’t have to be a TV company. WWF had to sell their product to a TV Company. We had 500 people get in free at WCW Center Stage. I was out on the street begging people to come in and sit down. We gave away bicycles and everything to get people in, then tape a months work of matches. So we would do 25 matches in a day. We had to be careful with angles and stuff, because if someone gets hurt, then you ruin the angle. If you notice, when me and Riggs were on the shows, we were announced as Tag Champions, but we didn’t have the belts.”

On breaking his neck:

“What happened then, Rick didn’t tell anyone, he had tore his rotator cuff. So here’s a bulldog, a move I have taken a thousand times. He comes off the top and misses me. It was live TV. So I was trying to catch up to him, and as I was trying to catch up with him, he hit the mat and went back into my face. So my face went into his back, and the back of my head touched my shoulder blades. And I just went instantly limp. Basically my face went into his back at a perfect angle, so medically at Level 3-4, that cervical disk shot into my spinal cord and bruised it. To me, when it swelled you lose; its not like a stinger, or I’m gonna be ok, as soon as I got hit I said “I am paralyzed.” So the finish of the match, Scotty was gonna slide in, hit Rick with a chair, put me on Rick, pin 1-2-3, NWO wins. I am on the mat face down, and as soon as he rolled me over I said I am paralyzed. His eyes were like oh my god, then I had 270 pounds of a maniac named Scotty Steiner coming in with a chair. If you watch the match, you will see my mouth going 100 miles an hour saying “Please don’t touch me, I am hurt.” So all Scott did was hit Rick with a chair, and then he was gonna put my arm across Rick, as soon as he did my arm didn’t stay there, because I was paralyzed from the neck down. So the ref counted three while both our backs were on the mat. It was just a bad scene.”

On the Monday Night Wars and his time in WWE:

“Here we are, thinking we’re going to put them out of business. There has to be at least two companies or else we’re all screwed, you need two places to go. When I signed with WWE I went from making a million dollars a year to $220,000. I can’t even pay for myself, so Vince told me to sell some things. Two weeks later I was fired anyway. Long story short, I have no idea why. They bought us to get us off the shelf. It kills me because what a great thing he (Vince) had. WCW vs. WWF. They really f’d that up. When Turner merged with AOL, AOL didn’t want wrestling. It would have worked (WCW vs. WWF) if out of the gate. Instead of giving WCW to his son, have Eric or Dusty or Flair run it. I think it would have worked. Everybody knew it wasn’t Shane’s company. Instead it was just beat us and send us home. Coming into the WWF locker room was REALLY BAD. I knew it was going to be bad. The first ones through the door, you’re going to get a little bit bloody. No matter what, I’m going to take someone else’s job away. That’s how they looked at us. My contract was up, Booker’s was up, Dallas’ was up. The rest of the guys were great talents, but the younger guys. The New Bloods. 12 guys actually hired, with only three having pretty big names. Vince had to pay if he wanted you, so guys like Luger, Sting, and Goldberg just stayed home and got paid. I had another 50 grand coming to me, two pay days but still I could have stayed home. But, though the heat I had that wasn’t really true, what I did to get unheated is I gave Vince my 50 grand and he took it and fired me in two weeks. Regarding heat, I never changed. What Mark Bagwell would say to make people laugh was the same thing Buff would say. However when it came from Buff, I got heat. 90 percent of the heat was because I was over and you get heat for that. And you have to be careful what you say and I wasn’t. The other 10 percent is other people making their own stories up.”

On a possible future with TNA:

“Me and Eric are talking. Sting wants me to come down there and work for TNA. So we are in talks, we are waiting for me to get back to 100%. We are about 2 weeks out. I just spoke to Sting yesterday. So Eric is gonna bring me down and talk to me and just see what happens, so I am in the mix with maybe going back to TNA now.”

* Big Update On RANDY ORTON’s Injury, Rey Mysterio’s Return & THE ROCK