Back in July, it was reported that WWE was planning on filming a new season of their old reality show — Tough Enough — at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Eventually, those plans were delayed due to budget cuts stemming from financial issues regarding the launch of the WWE Network.

In the latest update regarding Tough Enough, the most recent talk was that the company was going to shoot the new season in the fall, however in recent weeks there have been no discussions about filming the show at all.

The budget for the return of Tough Enough was said to be greatly reduced this past week and then later on, plans to bring back the show were dropped altogether.

There is no definitive word as to whether or not WWE still intends on bringing back the reality show concept on the WWE Network in the future, however as things stand now, there are no plans for the show to return.

WWE’s Vice President of Venue Merchandising & Operations Alan Rebhun was reportedly released from the company shortly after this year’s WrestleMania XXX event in April.

One of the key reasons for Rebhun’s release was due to the fact that he hired a vending company, which went bankrupt on two occasions, to handle the concession stands at WrestleMania. They were said to be poorly staffed and overall disorganized. To make matters worse, a large sum of money earned at the concession stands reportedly came up missing at the end of the weekend.

As we noted earlier today, Ryback is expected to be out-of-action until late September. Since those reports surfaced, Ryback himself has spoken out on his absence in WWE, noting that he’s been working injured for about seven months.

Check out the above video from Ryback, who is in a hospital bed, promising that he will be coming back “in a big way.”

The following are highlights of the latest Vince Russo “The Swerve” podcast, which features an interview with Matt Morgan:

Failing to get picked up by The Monster Factory despite his size: “In the past, the only wrestling school I’d ever heard of was ‘The Monster Factory’. I was still in college at the time in Hawaii, and I tried to call them up to try to get trained when I’d be back in Connecticut after graduating. Larry Sharp kept hanging up on me! Every time he’d ask me my name, my height and my weight, and every time I’d tell him, “Look, seven feet tall, 382lbs…” and he kept hanging up. He was like “Kid, if I had a dime for every time someone told me they were seven feet, I’d be a millionaire” and he hung up. So obviously that wasn’t the route to go.”

How he got himself in front of Vince McMahon: “At night I was working as a bouncer and wound up meeting this guy named Marco Torelli, who worked for the WWE Magazine, and became my friend. Every time he’d come in, he’d tell me, “Dude you gotta come by Titan Tower! You’re working down the street, you’d be a fool not to let Vince see you”. He knew I was a big wrestling fan, obviously, but just like any other guy out there, I was like “How do you begin? How do you start?” So every Friday night, he’d bring me in, which is when Vince would work out at the gym there at Titan Tower. So I’d go there every Friday from 8-10 hoping to bump into him, and after six months of going every week, I finally bumped into Vince in the seventh month.”

McMahon’s advice: “He asked me how big I was, and my name. And I told him I was a huge fan of what the guys do, and I asked “Could you give me some guidance on what do I do to become a professional wrestler?” He gave me Jim Ross’s card, and he gave me Tom Prichard’s card. So I started annoying Tom from that moment on.”

How the infamous stuttering gimmick was presented to him: “Me and Jillian Hall both got called up from OVW to go to a show in Chicago. We’re in catering, and John Laurinaitis taps me on the shoulder and says, “I want you to go and speak to Vince, he really wants to speak with you in his office”, and was like “Great”. When I get there, Laurinaitis is outside and he goes, “Now Matt, this is an opportunity. Vince doesn’t come up with ideas very often for individuals…this is a one-on-one opportunity that he’s about to present to you, so you might wanna be a team player here”. So I go in there, wondering what he’s got for me, and I sit down across from him, and Vince goes on about how he’s been waiting for a guy with the right look, the right height, and all these perfections, who he could then hang this one big imperfection that nobody sees coming. He tells me: “You’re gonna stutter. You’re gonna have this speech impediment and it’s going to be your Achilles Heel. Nobody’s going to make fun of you, but you’re going to think that the whole world is mocking you.” … and I would’ve taken anything he had given me, this was Vince McMahon talking to me.”

You can check out the complete podcast above, or at PyroAndBallyhoo.com.

– The latest edition of Steve Austin’s “Steve Austin Show” podcast, which features an interview with Paul Heyman, is now online. The official description for the show reads as follows:

SASu – EP146 – WWE’s Paul Heyman

“Paul Heyman is back, and this time he and Stone Cold are breaking down the current Brock Lesnar/John Cena feud… and making some interesting predictions! They’re also talking old-school ECW philosophy, booking, gimmicks, and most popular faces. Plus, Paul E. remembers Bam Bam Bigelow’s wrestling debut, his own early days as a ring photographer, and the very first promotion he ever produced…at New York’s infamous Studio 54.”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

– In the latest edition of the NXT video blog, which you can check out below, Prince Devitt talks about his training at the WWE Performance Center.

The following are highlights of a new Alternative Nation interview with TNA star Rockstar Spud:

On Bully Ray telling the TNA locker room that he’s leaving the company: “Well I wasn’t personally there, because I was in England filming British Boot Camp 2, and helping out with that process. If someone like Bully Ray has to depart from the company, that really does suck, because he brings a tremendous amount to the company, in a backstage role and an on screen role. I’ve said this in interviews before, if Hulk Hogan was around in the 80?s and so was Bully Ray, there wouldn’t be a Hulk Hogan because Bully Ray would have knocked him out of the park.”

On what a loss it is to TNA for Bully Ray to go: “Because Bubba has that connection with the audience, whether you love or hate him, he can connect, and get inside your soul (chuckles), you know what I mean? It would be a tremendous loss if Bully Ray had to depart from TNA, but let’s see who is going to step up and take that place. This is the wrestling business, when one opportunity falls away, it’s another opportunity for somebody else. So it would be good to see who steps up from there, but if he leaves the company, would I be disappointed? Absolutely, but like I said, it would be interesting to see who stepped into that role.”

Check out the complete interview at AlternativeNation.net.

– The latest edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, which features an interview with Batista, is now online. The official description for the show reads as follows:

TIJ – EP68 – Batista Pt. 1

“He’s Drax in “Guardians Of The Galaxy.” He’s a former WWE World Champion. And he looks damn good in skinny jeans…despite the reports on twitter! Batista sits down with Y2J. He’s got stories from the set of “Guardians,” details about the Drax makeup, and thoughts on leaving WWE and his most recent return. He’s also talking Royal Rumble, Daniel Bryan, and Wrestlemania 30.”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

– The latest edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast, which features an interview with Tony Schiavone, is now online. The official description for that show reads as follows:

TRR – Ep28 – Tony Schiavone

“Tony Schiavone steered the Monday Nitro ship for WCW, spent a brief year in WWE, got his start with Jim Crockett Promotions… and joins Good Ole JR to relive it all. He’s also speaking candidly about Bobby Heenan, Vince Russo, and Ed Ferrara, and sharing details about what happened behind-the-scenes the night NWO debuted!”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

– And finally, the latest edition of Steve Austin’s “Steve Austin Show” podcast, which features an interview with Jim Ross, is now online. The official description for that show reads as follows:

SASc – EP145 – Jim Ross

“Steve Austin and Jim Ross are talkin’ rasslin’… today’s rasslin’! Hear why they think Paul Heyman may be the best talker EVER in the history of the business, what John Cena needs to do in his rematch against Brock Lesnar, why Bray Wyatt is actually a character babyface and not a heel, where Sting will end his wrestling career, who should challenge Roman Reigns, and when JR knew something was fishy in Montreal! Plus, a RAW breakdown, some fantasy booking, and what to do with the IC Belt.”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

The El Rey Network issued the following …

EL REY NETWORK AND MARK BURNETT’S ONE THREE MEDIA ANNOUNCE PRODUCTION START ON ‘LUCHA UNDERGROUND’

Hour-Long Weekly Series, Shooting in Los Angeles, To Feature Five ‘Luchadores’ From Popular Lucha Libre AAA Franchise

Premiering Wednesday, October 8th at 8:00 PM ET/PT, High-Octane Series Anchors New Night of Original Unscripted Programming; Network Also Unveils Series Key Art

Austin, TX– August 27, 2014 – El Rey Network puts its spin on lucha with “Lucha Underground”, an original action-packed series from Emmy Award®-winning producer Mark Burnett’s One Three Media. Production will begin on September 6th in front of a live audience in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. The character-driven, freestyle wrestling series is set to debut Wednesday, October 8th at 8:00 pm ET/PT.

On August 17th in Mexico City in conjunction with the TripleMania XXII produced by Lucha Libre AAA El Rey Network revealed the names of five Luchadores joining “Lucha Underground” directly from Lucha Libre AAA. They are: Blue Demon, Jr, son of the legendary original Blue Demon and is the first Mexican and the second masked wrestler to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship; Sexy Star, who has held the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship and FILL Women’s Wrestling Championship; Fenix, the inaugural AAA Fusión Champion (March 2013) has also wrestled in Japan for Pro Wrestling Noah and Pro Wrestling Wave; Drago is a dead dragon, a character brought back to life as an immortal being, to protect La Parka in the last fight against his enemies; and Pentagon Jr. who has spread terror and fear in his adversaries without exception since his introduction in the 2012 War of the Titans. Additional Luchadores will be announced shortly.

“Not since ‘The Contender’ premiered has a new series combined this level of drama and athletic competition.” said executive producer Mark Burnett. “Our Luchadores are fantastic, the action will be intense – and this season is just the beginning.”

Scott Sassa, El Rey Network’s Vice Chair, said: “The ‘Lucha Underground’ franchise is perfect for El Rey Network. It features good versus evil, intense action, humor, drama, great characters and most important great stories from two of the best storytellers in the business- Mark Burnett and Robert Rodriguez. It’s the perfect time and they are the perfect team to bring lucha to America.”

Currently, Lucha Libre’s colorful world of freestyle wrestling is a huge draw in its home country of Mexico with over 85% of television audiences tuning into the high-flying antics of this popular franchise. Each week “Lucha Underground” will bring drama, excitement and action to U.S. audiences as the masked heroes and villains battle it out in the ring for wrestling supremacy.

“Lucha Underground” is produced by One Three Media in association with FactoryMade Ventures for El Rey Network. Executive producers are Mark Burnett, Eric Van Wagenen (also showrunner) and Brian Edwards of One Three Media; Dorian Roldán from Lucha Libre AAA; Alejandro Garcia and Antonio Cué Sánchez-Navarro; El Rey Network co-founder Robert Rodriguez; and FactoryMade Ventures and El Rey Network co-founders John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa. The series will be distributed internationally by One Three Media.

About El Rey Network

El Rey Network is a new 24-hour English language network founded by maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Curated by Rodriguez and his artistic collective, the network unites the most culturally diverse generation in history through fearless, badass and original content that awakens the renegade in everyone. The network’s action-packed content is anchored by original signature dramas, feature films, grindhouse genre, cult classic action, and horror/sci-fi. El Rey Network LLC (www.elreynetwork.com) is jointly owned by Robert Rodriguez and FactoryMade Ventures with a minority stake held by Univision Networks & Studios, Inc.

The following is a non-spoiler match listing for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which was taped on Tuesday night in Ontario, California:

– Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt

– Seth Rollins vs. Rob Van Dam

– Page vs. Emma

– Jack Swagger vs. Rusev

– Stardust vs. Jimmy Uso

– Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow

– Roman Reigns, Mark Henry & Big Show vs. The Wyatt Family

For complete spoilers for this week’s show, click here.

The Monday, August 25th edition of WWE RAW scored a final cable rating of 2.88, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 2.88 final draw marks a decrease from last week’s 3.04 rating.

As previously noted, Monday’s RAW averaged 3.973 million viewers, which marks a decrease from the average of 4.194 million viewers who tuned in the previous week.

The houly breakdown for Monday’s show is as follows:

Hour One: 3.859 million viewers
Hour Two: 4.057 million viewers
Hour Three: 4.005 million viewers

The following are confirmed matches for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown. For complete spoiler results, click ahead to page two.

– Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt

– Rob Van Dam vs. Seth Rollins

– Paige vs. Emma

– Jack Swagger vs. Rusev

– Stardust vs. Jimmy Uso

– Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow

– The Wyatt Family vs. Roman Reigns, Mark Henry & Big Show

For complete spoiler results for this week’s SmackDown, click ahead to page two …

The following are results for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event, which aired live on the WWE Network on Tuesday, August 26, 2014.

The Main Event opening montage started the show… Rob Van Dam made his entrance as Michael Cole and Byron Saxton checked in on commentary. Seth Rollins made his entrance. As he was walking to the ring, footage was shown from Raw of his interaction with Roman Reigns…

1. Rob Van Dam vs. Seth Rollins. Rollins put the Money in the Bank briefcase in the corner. RVD caught Rollins with a nice kick, then pointed at himself, allowing Rollins to attack him from behind. RVD came back with another good kick and clotheslined Rollins to ringside. RVD stood on the second rope and pointed at himself and then dove onto Rollins on the floor.

RVD went to ringside and rolled Rollins back inside the ring. Rollins rolled out again. RVD went after him and Rollins caught him with a clothesline heading into the commercial break. [C] Rollins remained in control coming out of the break and slowed down the pace by working over RVD’s arm.

RVD came back and performed Rolling Thunder for a two count. He went to the top rope, but Rollins caught him and shoved him off, causing Van Dam to bump face first into the barricade. Rollins counted along with the referee and celebrated when he thought he won, but RVD made it back inside the ring at the last moment. A short time later, RVD reversed a Rollins’ toss attempt and threw him into the timekeeper’s area. Rollins was counted out as RVD counted along… [C]

Rob Van Dam defeated Seth Rollins via count out in 10:30.

Footage aired from earlier in the day of Adam Rose and the Rosebuds doing their thing backstage. Rose said he was sorry to hear about Ryback. He told Axel there’s always room for him on the Exotic Express. Axel said he would never join the freaks. Rose said Axel is a lemon and he will make lemonade…

2. Adam Rose vs. Curtis Axel. The Rosebuds and Rose danced their way to the ring, and the posse watched the match from ringside. Saxton said he partied on the Exotic Express. I believe used the words “backdoor lollipop” to describe his time on the bus, but hopefully I’m mistaken. Hey, to each his own, of course.

Axel connected with a nice dropkick. He was distracted by the Rosebuds and told them to shut up. Rose came back with a spinebuster. Axel avoided the Party Foul once, but Rose hit his finisher seconds later for the win… [C]

Adam Rose beat Curtis Axel in 4:55.

A WWE Network commercial aired and then Cole and Saxton spoke about it briefly and then set up a Raw Rebound video package that focussed on John Cena and Brock Lesnar… Los Matadores were shown backstage. Cole said they would face Goldust and Stardust after the break… [C]

Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt was announced for Friday’s Smackdown television show while that tired Smackdown theme song played… Entrances for the tag match took place…

3. Goldust and Stardust vs. Los Matadores (w/El Torito). Footage from Raw of Goldust and Stardust attacking The Uso Brothers was shown. Goldust and Stardust got the better of the match for the first five minutes heading into the break. [C] After the break, Stardust and Diego (guessing) traded sleeper holds, then ran the ropes and knocked each other down, which led to both men making tags.

There was an odd spot where Goldust went for a clothesline that it looked like Fernando (guessing) ducked, but then Fernando got to the ropes and stopped to sell it. The broadcast team said it just grazed him but it was still effective. A short time later, Stardust tagged in and got the pin for his team. After the match, Stardust grabbed Torito and threw him to the floor…

Goldust and Stardust defeated Los Matadores in 9:35.

Additional sources have confirmed our previous reports regarding the VELOCITY channel making an offer to TNA to be their new cable television home.

According to one source, TNA looks at a potential move to VELOCITY as a “worst case scenario.” If the company were to take the deal, they would have to cut so far back on production and talent costs that the current version of TNA as we know it would no longer exist.

There are many people within WWE who are under the impression that as the “Guardians of the Galaxy” film continues to enjoy more and more success, that the chances that Batista will ever return as a full-time performer in WWE decreases.

When “The Animal” left a few months ago, the belief among many was that he would be back as soon as his media obligations were done for the film, however those same people have been changing their tune as of late.

Apparently, the topic of Batista was a big one backstage at this past weekend’s WWE live events. The feeling is that he will receive a lot more offers from Hollywood after the success of “Guardians,” which much like The Rock, means he’s likely not to work as much in WWE for fear of getting injured and ruining his chances at working in more movies.

The Monday, August 25th edition of WWE RAW averaged 3.973 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. That marks a decrease from the average of 4.194 million viewers who tuned in the previous week.

While RAW did have the returns of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and John Cena on Monday night, the show faced off against the Emmy Awards for the first time ever.

The houly breakdown for Monday’s show is as follows:

Hour One: 3.859 million viewers
Hour Two: 4.057 million viewers
Hour Three: 4.005 million viewers

We should have the final rating up on the site shortly.

As far as the team of Goldust and Stardust is concerned, by all accounts last night seemed to be the beginning of a heel turn for the wacky duo. While anything is possible, especially in WWE and especially considering their unique, off-the-wall characters, the belief is that the team will be switching heel over the next few weeks of television.

Speaking of The Dust Brothers, the WWE Shop website has released new t-shirts and merchandise for the two.

WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley tweeted the following comments about various segments from Monday’s edition of WWE RAW:

I really don't care if he works 20 days a month or just 1 – @BrockLesnar, with @HeymanHustle is a compelling, terrifying @WWE champion #RAW

— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) August 26, 2014

Maybe the #womb comment was a little heavy, but that #BellaTwins #RAW segment was a great showcase for #NikkiBella.

— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) August 26, 2014

The Tampa Tribune website has a new article up about the closing of Hector’s-Elisa’s Health Club in West Tampa, which is owned by Hector Morales and his wife Elisa.

The gym is the one that Hulk Hogan credits for his legendary physique as it was Morales who took an out-of-shape teenage Hogan and taught him how to lift weights and sculpt his arms.

Morales recently closed the gym after a developer made him a substantial offer. Morales said of Hogan, “He was so shy back then. But as he got bigger, he came out of his shell and got confident.”

Check out the complete article at TBO.com.

– Apparently Rob Van Dam’s match against Seth Rollins at tonight’s WWE Main Event is the final of his current run with the company. It is believed that Van Dam will go back on hiatus following tonight’s tapings.

– There was no post-show dark match after last night’s edition of WWE RAW went off the air.

– WWE will return to Anaheim, California, the site of last night’s RAW, on Saturday, March 21, 2015 for a non-televised live event.

JEFF HARDY & KURT ANGLE To WWE?!, Lesnar/Reigns Plans For WM31 + Update On STING!

– Although Dean Ambrose is scheduled to miss a few weeks of WWE television while he is off filming the new WWE Studios film “Lockdown,” it is still possible that he will make an appearance at the September 21st WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view. Filming for “Lockdown” is scheduled to wrap up on September 20th and Ambrose is actually being advertised locally for Night Of Champions.

– Above is an exclusive clip of the WWE Studios film “See No Evil 2,” which features actress Katharine Isabelle and Kane.

If video fails, click here.

– One of the reasons WWE heavily pushed the upcoming addition of 100 hours of WCW Nitro content on the WWE Network, as well as the new “Monday Night War” original series on RAW last night is because of the fact that the first batch of six-month subscriptions to the WWE Network are ending soon.

– Below are the RAW Fallout videos for this week’s show.

There have been some rumors going around that claim Vince McMahon “isn’t on board” for a Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar main event at WrestleMania 31. As we noted in multiple reports over the past week or so, all indications point to the fact that Reigns will be the guy to finally end Lesnar’s streak of dominance at the Santa Clara-based event next year.

Apparently, some people are under the impression that Triple H is pushing for Reigns vs. Lesnar, while McMahon would rather secure The Rock for a big WrestleMania main event again and have Rock vs. Lesnar headline the show.

According to one source, whether or not that was the case at one point, McMahon and HHH are apparently both on the same page now, with Reigns vs. Lesnar being the current working plan for the main event of next year’s biggest event.

– Apparently Natalya had a “wardrobe malfunction” during Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. As a result, the WWE Diva and Total Divas star was trending on Twitter during the show. The reason it wasn’t seen on the show last night, however, was because WWE’s production truck likely caught it in time and due to the delay, were able to avoid showing it on the air.

– Below is a behind-the-scenes look at the WWE and Ad Council Fatherhood PSA’s which features Roman Reigns and Titus O’Neil. It’s worth noting that Alberto Del Rio was also part of the campaign, but after his WWE release, he was removed from the campaign.

Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling (GFW) issued the following …

GFW ADDS PARTNERS DOWN UNDER
Global Force Wrestling: Join The Force!

NASHVILLE — Global Force Wrestling has extended its borders again, this time reaching Australia and New Zealand.

PWA Australia out of Sydney (www.pwaaustralia.com), WrestleClash out of Melbourne (www.wrestleclash.com.au), Riot City Wrestling out of Adelaide (www.riotcitywrestling.com), Explosive Pro Wrestling out of Perth (www.epwperth.com) and Impact Pro out of Auckland (www.impactprowrestling.co.nz) are the latest promotions worldwide to agree to partner with GFW.

GFW now has partnerships in Mexico, Japan, England, Ireland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

“It seemed like a natural progression to reach out Down Under,” GFW founder and CEO Jeff Jarrett said. “Professional wrestling has a solid fan base throughout Australia and New Zealand, and we’re pleased to have an opportunity to bring that product to America.

“All of our agreements just go to show the popularity of wrestling around the world. Wherever you go you can find athletes putting on great shows for their dedicated fans.”

Australian native and international TV star Rove McManus is excited to see his mates #JointheForce.

“I have witnessed firsthand some of the fantastic talent we have Down Under, and I believe the time is right to start showing the world why they breed us Aussies tough” McManus said. “Some of the best entertainers in the world have learned their craft in Australia and I have no doubt we have some of the best professional wrestlers in the world right at our doorstep.”

The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:

On how John Cena was booked on RAW: “I wasn’t overwhelmed with how John Cena was booked on RAW as I would have been in favor of leaving him off TV another week or doing a vignette from Cena’s home where he could express himself about “Do I have it in me to beat a healthy Brock Lesnar?

When the hero says he’s not going to a major event to win his title back but to beat the champion’s ass it usually means that the champ IE Brock Lesnar retains as he should in this re-match.”

On the way Bray Wyatt has been used lately: “Bray Wyatt has been feeling main event special the past several weeks but not so much Monday night. Hopefully, he gets back on his roll next Monday. A potential Lesnar vs. Wyatt match down the road interests me if it could be presented in a compelling manner.”

On the Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman video on RAW: “The Lesnar-Heyman video was excellent and it confirmed even more my Ross Report take that Lesnar doesn’t have to be on most RAW’s to be an effective champion. If Lesnar just wrestles on PPV’s or on most PPV’s I will be just fine with that. This scenario forces all involved parties to accelerate the advancement of new main event stars and to, hopefully, try new talents in fresh spots.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.