The following are highlights of a new In Your Head Wrestling Radio interview with Daniel Puder:

Do you feel that the name “Million Dollar Tough Enough” was misleading? “You know, the name wasn’t misleading, it was the actions upon some individuals that misled the people…If you tell somebody like myself (which I knew in the contract was the contract) but if you tell the general public that this is a big competition to get ratings and then you lie to the public because you offered that athlete, which was me, instead of a quarter million dollars a year four-year deal (actually guaranteed one year) you offer fifty thousand dollars for the second year, you’re basically backing out of your commitment to the fan base and the public. Personally, I knew what was going on, but if you want to lie to people that’s their decision.”

Kurt Angle mentions every three or four years going back to the Olympics and possibly going to MMA/UFC. Do you think he will ever do these things and if he did do you think he would have a good shot? “No, he wouldn’t have a good shot whatsoever. Number one he wouldn’t be able to pass a drug test, number two he’s an old man now, and number three I went to Dana (White) and we tried to put it together and Kurt chickened out. So at the end of the day, I’ve always said this, Kurt’s that guy that he’s the All-American. He drank his milk, ate his Wheaties, and married the girl next door, but the problem is was he married a girl and he lived next to a strip club and that’s how it works. He went down the tubes because he started doing other things and getting off-track with his life, and being a horrible role model for kids because he’s doing a bunch of drugs and trying to serve himself and his ego.”

Check out the complete interview above.

The following are highlights of a new In Your Head Wrestling Radio interview with Larry Zbyszko

What is your involvement with NXT? “Well you know, I’ve been a big fan of NXT…they film it five miles down the road from me. I’ve been going down, and that was a big mistake because now I’m emotionally involved and entangled in all these new guys, talent that’s training there. They have the same dream I had; you can see it in their face, they want to learn. It’s really a cool place. It’s kind of like an omen to me that they would just happen to build this thing five miles down from my house. There’s really not too many people left in the business that know what I know, so it’s working out good where I’m going to be involved. When I go down there I get a chance to pass down the hidden secrets of wrestling’s illuminati to a new era; so it’s really cool…There’s a trick to it. You’ve got a whole bunch of big tough guys, but unless you figure out a way to be different …With wrestling, like any other sport, the fans get emotionally involved with their favorites…you get into their emotions. That’s the secret that they have to be taught, because they’re great athletes and have a great training facility, and they’re learning moves and becoming wrestlers, and that’s great, but to attach to the fans you have to be a personality, and you have to be able to grab that microphone and talk to people, and let your character loose and be creative. It’s a different story. Any idiot can pick someone up and throw them, but drawing money is a different animal.”

In Chris Jericho’s book, he actually said you were the worst commentator he ever heard. What are your thoughts on that? “Here’s the story on that. At the time, Chris was a young guy and he didn’t know what he was doing, along with a bunch of other guys; there was a whole group of them. There was Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, Dean Malenko, and maybe even someone else, and these were the newer guys coming in to WCW trying to get a break. They were getting upset at the promotion, and a couple of times at me but it wasn’t my fault…These guys were all good athletes, but they were all 5’8”, 5’10”, 180 pounds, 190 pounds, and at that time in WCW who were the big stars that they were pushing? Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Sid Vicious; these guys that were 6’8”, 6’6”, 300 pounds. So when they were wrestling these guys, every once in a while I’d be getting a message over the voice on the headsets about ‘Hey, mention how much Sid Vicious towers over Dean Malenko’ or ‘How much bigger Kevin Nash makes Jericho look like an ant’. I didn’t want anybody telling me what to say and I ignored them anyway, but I got the drift. And in that time, what could you say; Jericho’s as big as Sid Vicious? So I think the guys let some steam off on me, but it really wasn’t me talking; the office wanted those points made to push their big stars who were giants compared to this new generation of smaller, high-flying guys that were trying to get in. So I don’t blame him for saying it; if everybody liked everybody it would be a pretty boring world.”

Check out the complete interview above.

The following are highlights of a new Who’s Slamming Who interview with Brodus Clay:

On Being Released: “If I’m not able to be out there and contribute I don’t want to be there. If you’re not going to bring it, then sitting around on the sidelines is not something I want to do. I was a little bit frustrated. This is where creative [was] in one of those funks where they don’t know what to do. I probably could have handled it a little better but I’m one of those guys who, when I’m frustrated, do not get vocal.”

On the Origins of “The Funkasaurus”: “I was like, “Well it’s different.” When something is put at you, when you’ve worked on something else for quite some time … Once I was told the direction we were going, the Funkasaurus [name] I figured out with my trainer Rob, [Naomi and Cameron] were my pitch, and all I asked was could I see [Dusty Rhodes] and go down to the [NXT] school and figure it out …. It was a lot of support, and it wasn’t a bad thing …. We kept running those vignettes of the juggernaut and the monster character so people had no idea what was going on. On this day of stooges and the Internet and all that kind of stuff it didn’t get out.”

Having his match pulled from WrestleMania XXIX: “You’re devastated. You’re disappointed. You help your team get to the SuperBowl, then your coach, for some reason, doesn’t call your number. You know, as it went down, they were fighting for every last minute …. I was standing in gorilla and I saw them look at the time and they were trying to figure out any possible way to get us out there. It’s the nature of the business. It’s just like that nightmare of running out onto the football field without your helmet …. You hate to be on the receiving end of it. It was what it was but it stung for a long time.”

Check out the complete interview at VOCNation.com.

The following are highlights of a new In Your Head Wrestling Radio interview with Harley Race:

What are your thoughts on Hulk Hogan as a wrestler? “Well, no matter how you want to word it or how you want to say it, if you’re good enough to get to all the places that Hogan was at you’ve got to be way the hell above average…Hogan gets good and bad raps virtually on a daily basis, but the end product was he was who he was and he would not have gotten there were he incapable of handling the process of getting there and then handling it once after he was there.”

What was the feeling like when you beat Lou Thesz’ record for the number of world title reigns? “Well, it was a reign that had stood for…a long time, and everybody knew that Lou Thesz, no matter who beat his record was not going to take away anything from his name. I was very very proud to be the person that was capable of doing that, and I made sure that Lou’s name stayed right where it was at even though I had bettered it.”

Check out the complete interview above.

– WWE tag team champion Jimmy Uso spoke to Washington D.C.’s 106.7 The Fan on Monday to hype RAW and Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. One of the interesting notes discussed was he and Trinity getting busted “having relations” on the luxury bus during the filming of Total Divas.  That wasn’t scripted as part of the show.

“I honestly, I couldn’t hold out any longer,” Uso said. “They caught us flat out.”

He also noted that filming for the show’s third season began two weeks ago. he talked to be about his desire to have success as a singles competitor.  He said he would “definitely would love to try it,” but only if Jey was able to succeed as well.

There’s a lot more to the interview, including how The Usos found success over the past year and feeling Umaga’s presence with him every time they’re in the ring.  He also touched on morale in the company following the recent releases.

– Former WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre spoke with Chris Duke of Scottish sports radio station Eklipse Sports Radio and revealed that he’s returning to the ring in his home country (Scotland) for British Championship Wrestling on August 29th. 

Stephanie McMahon and Paul “Triple H” Levesque have announced the formation of “Connor’s Cure,” a charity that they have personally funded through Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation named in honor of Pittsburgh native Connor Michalek.

Connor passed away at age 8 earlier this year from Medulloblastoma, a rare tumor that affects the brain and spinal cord

Donations to Connor’s Cure, which can be made at GiveToChildrens.org, will provide funds for pediatric brain and spinal cancer research, and medical care for children and their families.

Here’s the official charity information:

“Connor Mason Michalek is the inspiration for the fund, “Connor’s Cure”. Donations will provide funds for pediatric brain and spinal cancer research, and medical care for children and their families. Connor was just 4 years old when he was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, a rare tumor that affects the brain and spinal cord. Connor endured an 8 hour surgery, hospitalization for months where he had to relearn how to walk and talk, 8 weeks of radiation, and 4 years of chemotherapy. His parents were told he would most likely have trouble speaking, would be socially awkward, and would have very little hand and eye coordination. He was also told he would only have 1 year to live.

Through the love of his parents and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Connor persevered over this affliction. In fact, Connor became so talkative and engaging that he became a local celebrity including superstar treatment by both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the WWE. Connor also played baseball for 3 years. He hit the ball every time he was at bat, and always scored a run. Connor did what so many of us don’t do, he truly lived. He lived for every moment. He was always loving and compassionate. And he let everyone know that his dad and his little brother Jackson were his best friends. WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan said it best, “If you talked to Connor, you couldn’t help but fall in love with him.” And so many people continue to fall in love with Connor every day when they hear his story.

Connor lost his battle to cancer when he was just 8 years old, but his message of light and love continue to thrive. This fund has been created by Paul “HHH” Levesque and Stephanie McMahon to do what Connor would have wanted, to save other children’s lives. By clicking the Donate Now button from Connor’s page, your gift will support the fund, Connor’s Cure. Thank you for your donation and contribution to find “Connor’s Cure”.

After 9 long years with WWE, Vickie Guerrero is officially done with the company.

#ThankYouVickie was trending worldwide on Twitter last night during RAW – and rightfully so. For almost a decade, Vickie Guerrero was a memorable on-air character that the WWE Universe loved to hate. Her ability to rile up arenas across the world with two simple words, “Excuse Me,” was impressive to say the least. It was a great run.

https://twitter.com/ExcuseMeWWE/status/481306351113474048

– WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is scheduled to appear on the upcoming July 7th episode of RAW from Montreal.

– Roman Reigns was interviewed by Renee Young on the RAW Backstage Pass show on the WWE Network. Reigns commented on Kane being added to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match this Sunday at Money in the Bank. He Kane’s involvement means nothing to him. It doesn’t matter who else is in the match, because he’s leaving Money in the Bank as the new champion.

– Here are this week’s RAW Fallout videos:

Stephanie McMahon leaves after being embarrassed by Vickie Guerrero.

Bad News Barrett talks about his successful Intercontinental Championship defense against Dolph Ziggler.

Dean Ambrose discusses being put in the Money in the Bank Contract Ladder Match.

WWE Money In The Bank: 10 Fun Facts About The PPV

Following Monday’s WWE RAW, here’s the updated card for Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view:

Ladder Match For The Vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship:

• John Cena
• Roman Reigns
• Randy Orton
• Bray Wyatt
• Sheamus
• Kane
• Cesaro
• Alberto Del Rio

Money In The Bank Ladder Match:

• Seth Rollins
• Dean Ambrose
• Dolph Ziggler
• Bad News Barrett
• Jack Swagger
• Kofi Kingston
• Rob Van Dam

Divas Championship Match:
– Paige (c) vs. Naomi

Tag Team Championship Match:
– The Usos (c) vs. Harper & Rowan

Money In The Bank Kickoff Show:
– Daniel Bryan interview

Join us here this Sunday for our Live Coverage Results of WWE Money in the Bank.

Jerry “The King” Lawler got busted checking out WWE Divas Champion Paige’s butt on RAW. There’s no shame in Lawler’s game, as the King tweeted a photo of himself caught in the act. However, this animated .GIF shows Uncle Jerry in all his glory:

Paige saw Lawler’s tweet and responded in the best way possible:

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/481268661647581184

WWE won three Sports Social TV Awards at the second annual Sports Social TV Awards. Bringing together the top people, platforms and programs in the Sports Social TV space, nominees were recognized for excelling in the fast-moving industry of social TV, specific to the sports market, and pioneering the future of television with second-screen experiences.

WWE took home awards for:

• WrestleMania 29 (Best Special Event)
• Best Social Commerce or Marketing Program
• John Cena (Social TV Sports Entertainer of the Year)

WWE will be in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania tonight for this week’s Main Event and SmackDown tapings. The shows will feature the final hype for Sunday’s WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view.

– Main Event on the WWE Network will feature Seth Rollins, Bad News Barrett & Jack Swagger vs. Rob Van Dam, Dolph Ziggler & Kofi Kingstonin a six-man tag match.

– SmackDown will feature US Champion Sheamus vs. Bray Wyatt in a non-title match.

– Top stars advertised to appear on Friday’s SmackDown include Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, The Wyatt Family, Kane, Dean Ambrose, Rob Van Dam and Sheamus.

The advertised dark match main event will see Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Rob Van Dam vs. Randy Orton, Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt.

Check back later tonight for our Live Coverage of the SmackDown tapings.

– During the final segment of the WWE Money In The Bank “go-home” edition of RAW on Monday night, it was announced that Kane has been added to the Money In The Bank ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

– Below is a video of the Goldust and Stardust segment from Monday’s RAW:

– It was announced during the WWE Money In The Bank “go-home” edition of RAW in Washington, D.C. on Monday night that at this Friday night’s edition of SmackDown, one of the top matches on the show will be Bray Wyatt vs. Sheamus.

– The latest edition of WWE Mashup, which features Eddie Guerrero vs. The Mean Street Possee, can be seen below.

– It was announced during the WWE Money In The Bank “go-home” edition of RAW on Monday night in Washington, D.C. that Paige will be defending her WWE Divas Championship against Naomi this Sunday night.

– The following is the Rusev and Lana segment from last night’s RAW:

A huge six-man tag-team match featuring teams of three Superstars, all of whom will be part of the second “traditional” Money In The Bank ladder match this Sunday night on pay-per-view, was announced on RAW as the main event for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event, which airs live on the WWE Network on Tuesday night at 8pm EST.

Tuesday’s edition of Main Event will feature Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler and Rob Van Dam vs. Bad News Barrett, Seth Rollins and Jack Swagger.

The additional participants for the second Money In The Bank ladder match for the briefcase at this Sunday’s pay-per-view were announced during the “go-home” RAW show on Monday night.

During an in-ring segment with Triple H, “The Game” revealed the following participants for the match:

– Seth Rollins
– Kofi Kingston
– Jack Swagger
– Dolph Ziggler
– Rob Van Dam
– Bad News Barrett

Later in the show it was confirmed that Dean Ambrose would indeed be the seventh and final participant in the match.

It was announced on the WWE Money In The Bank “go-home” edition of RAW on Monday night that former WWE World Heavyweight Champion will break his silence this Sunday night.

For the first time, Bryan will address being stripped of the title during the “Kickoff Show” for this Sunday night’s pay-per-view on the WWE Network.

We listen… #6SidesIsBack http://t.co/bGr4gqNd3I

— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) June 24, 2014

TNA has announced that the 6-sided ring is officially back and will return this week at Wednesday’s Impact Wrestling tapings the Manhattan Center in New York City. Here’s the official announcement:

Fans voted and the TNA Board of Directors listened! Beginning this week at our New York tapings, the 6-sided ring returns to IMPACT Wrestling!

Last week, IMPACTWrestling.com posted a poll for the fans to vote on their favorite TNA ring, 4-sides or 6-sides. We can now exclusively report that the TNA Board of Directors requested this information during a series of closed door meetings regarding the future of TNA Wrestling. Fans voted overwhelmingly for one of the options and this was presented to the Board during another private meeting today.

Giving the fans a major voice in the decision, the TNA Board of Directors has just revealed to IMPACTWrestling.com their decision to reintroduce the 6-sided ring! Effective immediately, the new 6-sided ring is set to debut at the upcoming IMPACT television taping on June 25th at New York City’s famed Manhattan Center.

Witness the return of #6Sides this week during the #TNANYC IMPACT tapings! More information is available at the links below.

In-Ring Segment: Stephanie McMahon & Vickie Guerrero

Michael Cole opens up this week’s show, which is the 1,100th episode of WWE RAW and the “go-home” show for this Sunday’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view. From there, Justin Roberts introduces “one of the principal owners of WWE,” Stephanie McMahon. Highlights are shown of Roman Reigns qualifying for the Money In The Bank ladder match for the title at last week’s RAW.

Stephanie addresses getting sick due to Vickie Guerrero’s cup of coffee last week. She demands Vickie come out and face the consequences. Vickie apologizes for Steph getting sick and says Roman Reigns is the person who spiked her coffee. Steph addresses the fact that Triple H made sure to tell Vickie not to allow Reigns to get into the Money In The Bank ladder match, and she did.

Vickie apologizes for that as well and promises that it won’t happen again. Steph says Vickie’s been riding the coattails of her late husband for nine years. The fans all break into a huge “Eddie! Eddie!” chant. Steph gets ready to tell Vickie she’s fired, but Vickie cuts her off by apologizing again. She says she’ll beg. She gets on her knees and begs. Steph tells her to get up. She says she has two options. She either gets fired tonight or she remains the GM of SmackDown if she can win her match tonight. Vickie asks who her opponent is. Stephanie says it’s herself. The fans all chant “Yes!” wildly. Vickie says if there’s one name people respect in this industry more than McMahon, it’s Guerrero. She says the one thing Eddie taught her was how to “lie, cheat and steal.” She accepts Steph’s challenge and walks off.

What’s On Tap For Tonight

After that in-ring segment, it is announced that Triple H will reveal the participants in the second Money In The Bank ladder match later tonight. An Intercontinental Championship match between Bad News Barrett and Dolph Ziggler is announced. Also, tonight’s main event is announced. In a four-on-three handicap match, Bray Wyatt, Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton and Cesaro will take on John Cena, Roman Reigns and Sheamus. We head to commercial.

Jimmy Uso (with Jey Uso) vs. Luke Harper (with Erick Rowan)

When we return from commercial, The Usos make their way down to the ring. Michael Cole hypes up The Usos’ title defense against Luke Harper and Erick Rowan this Sunday at Money In The Bank. After The Usos entrance, some weird music plays and out comes Harper and Rowan to what I guess is their own — very weird — theme music. It sounds like “he’s got the whole world in his hands” on a weird instrument. We’re informed that it will be Luke Harper one-on-one against Jimmy Uso.

Harper hits a surprising dropkick to jump off into an early lead over Uso. Uso tries to fight back, but Harper cuts him off and continues to deliver some punishment. Harper, by the way, has a bit of a beard-cut and/or haircut. Something looks slightly different about him.

About two-to-three minutes into the match, Rowan causes a distraction at ringside, allowing Harper to hit his clothesline from hell on Uso for the pin fall victory.

Winner: Luke Harper

Jey Uso (with Jimmy Uso) vs. Erick Rowan (with Luke Harper)

After the match, Harper and Rowan begin to head to the back until they hear Jey Uso on the mic challenging them to come back. He specifically calls out Rowan. The two head back to the ring and Jey hits his dive over the top rope and onto both guys on the floor. We head to commercial.

When we return from commercial, Uso and Rowan are already in the ring duking it out in this impromptu one-on-one followup match. Rowan is in control of Uso and the crowd is trying to rally behind Jey. Uso tries coming off the top to turn the offensive tide in the match, but Rowan caught him and slammed him down.

The finish in this one was pretty much the opposite of the previous match, as some distractions on the outside allowed Uso to hit his finisher on Rowan for the 1-2-3.

Winner: Jey Uso

After The Match: The Action Continues, Bray Speaks

After the match, the action continued as Uso hit a dive onto Harper on the floor. Meanwhile, Rowan starts pummeling the other Uso inside the ring. Harper ends up joining him and both of The Wyatt Family members beat up both of the WWE Tag-Team Champions, both inside and outside of the ring.

They remain inside the ring holding the titles up and then Bray Wyatt appears on the titan tron. Bray talks about what it takes to be a good leader as he congratulates Harper and Rowan on their triumphs. He then switches topics and talks about his own title shot this Sunday at Money In The Bank. We head to commercial.

Last week, Curt Hawkins and a list of other WWE talents were released from their contracts. Most of these stars were rarely used on WWE programming. Hawkins is best known for his time in a tag team with good friend Zack Ryder, who was not released.

Ryder is another wrestler in WWE who is not used very often on WWE programming, yet his job remained safe last week. Why? How did WWE determine that Ryder was someone they wanted to keep. With budget cuts being a main reason behind the firings, how did WWE choose who to let go and who to keep?

Ryder had been used more often than Hawkins, but not nearly as much as Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal who were let go. McIntyre and Mahal were part of the 3MB group who often were seen on WWE Superstars and pay-per-view pre-show matches.

What makes Ryder different?

There are a number of reasons why WWE didn’t and for the foreseeable future won’t fire Zack Ryder.

– The official WWE website has recently added a new article looking at the 15 greatest Superstar entrances of all-time. The top ten of the list reads as follows:

#10. Rey Mysterio
#9. Gangrel
#8. The Rock
#7. Hulk Hogan
#6. Chris Jericho
#5. Bill Goldberg
#4. Triple H
#3. Kane
#2. Ultimate Warrior
#1. Undertaker

You can check out the complete article at WWE.com.

– The latest edition of WWE’s “Canvas 2 Canvas” YouTube show, which features Triple H, is available below.

TNA will be holding a press conference this Wednesday in New York City, where Dixie Carter and Wrestle-1’s The Great Muta will be on-hand to make an announcement together.

There is no concrete word as to what the announcement is, although some are speculating that it could be another joint-show between TNA and W-1, or possibly something planned for TNA’s upcoming Bound For Glory pay-per-view.

Yoshi Tatsu, who was one of the WWE Superstars that was released during the latest round of cuts, is already said to be receiving offers from Japanese promotions such as All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and Wrestle-1 (W-1).

According to one source, Tatsu considers himself to be more popular in the United States than in Japan. While that might not be the case, he is talking about wanting to stay in the U.S. scene.

As noted recently, the new WWE logo, which has been used for the WWE Network, will become the official logo for the entire company starting the day after SummerSlam, August 18th.

It’s being said that the “3D bevel and gradient” version of the logo, which you can see below on the left, will be used for on-air programming and the WWE Network. The two logos on the side will be used for other branding, such as DVD and Blu-ray releases.