– Alberto Del Rio is the #1 contender to Sheamus’ World Heavyweight championship after defeating Randy Orton on Friday’s SmackDown. WWE has announced the match will take place at Night of Champions.

– Also on SmackDown, WWE gave some attention to the tag title picture, with a backstage segment featuring Booker T’s assistant Eve Torres telling the Prime Time Players, Epico & Primo, The Uso’s and Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel that she will be looking at each team’s recent win/loss records to determine the next contender’s to the tag team championships.

– Here is Zack Ryder’s latest Z! True Long Island Story:

– As previously reported, Triple H will be appearing on Monday’s WWE RAW from the BMO Harris Bank Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He will address the WWE Universe for the first time since losing to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Triple H is also advertised for Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

– Eric Bischoff wished Vince McMahon a happy birthday this week on

Twitter:https://twitter.com/ebischoff/status/239076338181476352

– WWE Diva Natalya was asked on Twitter whether her late uncle, Owen Hart, will ever be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. She said:

“@dwells518: @NatbyNature Do you think Your uncle Owen will ever be inducted into the #WWEHOF one day? #AskNatalya” yes, one day.

— Nattie (@NatbyNature) August 25, 2012

– Here is the latest episode of Santino Marella’s Foreign Exchange:

* Update On Top NXT Stars Getting Called Up To WWE’s Main Roster

– WWE has announced that Triple H will be returning to television on Monday’s RAW to address the WWE Universe following his loss to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Expect to see Triple H sporting a cast to sell his “broken arm.”

– The preliminary buyrate for WWE Money in the Bank 2012 is around 200,000 buys, virtually even with last year.

– Here’s WWE’s latest Backstage Fallout video, featuring interviews from Friday’s SmackDown:

Rey Mysterio was recently interviewed by PJStar.com and talked about the concussion he suffered at WWE SummerSlam during his match with The Miz.

“I did an impact test on Monday in Fresno, Calif., and the results were not too good. There will be an impact test later (Thursday) and first thing tomorrow and we’re going on that. The WWE is strict on its (Wellness) policy right now.”

After a string in recent years, Mysterio was asked once again whether he’s considering retirement. He said:

“No, not at all. After this surgery, it kind of set me back almost a year trying to get my knee back in shape and recovered. I have my limitations as far as what I can do in the ring, but I manage to be creative with my style. I think that is what keeps me still able to perform for my fans. As long as I keep doing that, I’m good to go.”

– The following Bound For Glory Series matches have been announced for next week’s live Impact Wrestling:

* Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy
* Rob Van Dam vs. James Storm

Next week’s show will also feature an update on TNA World Champion Austin Aries following the attack by Aces & Eights at the end of this week’s show.

– TNA is auctioning off the baby AJ Styles doll that was used by Claire Lynch in the baby shower segment a few weeks ago on Impact. The baby doll, along with 2 bibs signed by Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian, can be purchased at eBay.com.

– The first episode of WWE Saturday Morning Slam premiered this morning at 10AM EST and featured Kofi Kingston vs. Alex Riley. Josh Mathews and Santino Marella did commentary.

– Tonight on NBC, will will air its WrestleMania 28 special featuring The Rock vs. John Cena. The show will include “never before seen” footage that will showcase the match in a different way than it was seen on pay-per-view back in April.

– WWE wrestler Curt Hawkins endorsed indy promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla on Saturday morning, specifically, the recent Young Bucks vs. Super Smash Brothers No DQ match at the recent “Death To All But Metal” Show. He tweeted on Saturday morning:

Just watched @MattJackson13 & @NickJacksonYB vs The SSB from the latest PWG DVD. Ridiculously innovative & entertaining.

— Brian Myers (@Myers_Wrestling) August 25, 2012

TNA President Dixie Carter sat down and gave an exclusive interview with @DanTheCannon on behalf of the allwrestling.com “Week in Review” podcast, which you can listen to below. Among the topics discussed:

• Does she delegate personnel to keep tabs on the IWC’s dirt sheets, new sites, forum boards, and podcasts?

• Is there a wellness policy in TNA?

• Would she ever consider turning heel if the perfect storyline presented itself?

• Has she entertained the thought of partnering with any independent promotions, trading talent, or running an invasion angle?

• Will “Gut-Check” ever produce main event talent?

• Will the BFGS be a perennial mainstay in years to come?

• What does TNA do better than any other promotion and are there any weaknesses in the WWE they could exploit?

• Are there any moves that are banned in TNA?

• What particular moment in TNA history solidified her confidence in her investment?

• How much freedom does the creative team have? Do they run every decision by her for final judgment or do they have the keys to the city?

• Is the long-term goal in TNA to be publicly traded or does she prefer it to be privately owned & operated?

• Would she consider a storyline suggestion box where fans could submit storylines of their own?

• From a social media perspective what’s the next step moving forward?

• Are educated wrestling fans TNA’s key demographic?

• How committed is TNA to their story arc and how long do they plan ahead?

• How much stock does TNA put into the ratings? If they see a low quarter hour rating will you make adjustments on the following show?

• How does she like being involved in an on-screen capacity? Is this something we can expect more often moving forward or will she be used more sparingly?

• What happened to Claire Lynch?

• Are there any recent developments as far as going live on Spike TV permanently?

* Exclusive Video of CM PUNK & SETH ROLLINS Together From Thursday’s NXT Tapings

– Thursday’s TNA Impact Wrestling show drew a 1.15 rating, up from 1.06 the previous week. The show averaged 1.717 million viewers, the largest audience for Impact since February 23.

– Radio host Mike Jones of Washington DC’s DC101 spoke to TNA star Jeff Hardy this week to promote TNA’s upcoming BaseBrawl show from the Prince George Stadium next Saturday night, September 1st. Jeff talks about his part in the Bound for Glory Series, learning something new everyday at TNA and how he loves his lawn. Here’s audio of the interview:

– WWE superstars Ryback and Sheamus are currently in the midst of winning streaks, with Ryback at 25 consecutive wins and Sheamus at 14 (televised matches).

– Part of WWE’s booking of the Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H storyline has been done to keep the door open for a potential Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker matcha t WrestleMania 29.

– The WWE website has an article up looking at Triple H’s condition, with Road Dogg BG James talking about

“Our whole wrestling careers I’ve known Triple H. His arm was literally broken in the same place that it was months ago. I don’t know if you come back from an injury like that at his age. ‘The Perfect Storm’ may have just done it. I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him yet.”

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

The following matches will take place on tonight’s WWE SmackDown:

– #1 Contender’s Match: Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio

– World Heavyweight champion Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler (Non Title match)

– WWE Tag Team champions Kofi Kingston & R Truth vs. Epico & Primo

– WWE Divas champion Layla vs. Alicia Fox

– Ryback vs. Jinder Mahal

– Antonio Cesaro makes his first appearance as United States champion

Also appearing tonight are General Manager Booker T, Eve Torres, The Primetime Players, The Usos, Santino Marella and more.

– William Regal, who does commentary at NXT, tweeted the following about Thursday night’s the dark match main event featuring CM Punk & Dean Ambrose vs. Antonio Cesaro and Kassius Ohno:

Very proud to be apart of @WWENXT tonight.I'm hoping the dark match is at least put on YouTube (hint,hint)as it was as important ……

— William Regal (@RealKingRegal) August 24, 2012

a match as the first time Marty Jones faced Mark Rocco in the history of evolving out business for those who know.

— William Regal (@RealKingRegal) August 24, 2012

Our not out.Thank you @CMPunk @AntonioCesaro @KassiusOhno and Seth Rollins.Good lads.

— William Regal (@RealKingRegal) August 24, 2012

Exclusive Video of CM Punk & Seth Rollins from Thursday Night’s NXT

– Jim Ross noted on Twitter that last night’s WWE NXT tapings from Full Sail University drew a sold out crowd of 500 fans. He wrote:

Had a blast @FullSail broadcasting @WWE NXT. It was a special night. Hope most of the fans in attendance realized it. Hopefully that's so.

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) August 24, 2012

JR also noted that NXT will “likely someday” revive the now-defunct FCW Divas title. The most recent champion, Caylee Turner, was released from her developmental contract this summer.

WWE’s website has an article up looking at seven potential opponents for World Heavyweight champion Sheamus. Here are some quotes of what Sheamus said about each of the contenders:

The Undertaker: “I’ve achieved pretty much everything — WWE Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, Royal Rumble winner, King of the Ring — all that’s left for me to do really is to take out The Streak.”

Randy Orton: “Me and [Randy] Orton are no strangers to each other. I have a lot of respect for him, though I’m not sure how he feels about me. If he’s top contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, I’m more than happy to give him that opportunity.”

Wade Barrett: “There’s a good rivalry between Ireland and England. Barrett and I definitely mixed it up in the past. It’s never pretty, but it’s always a great fight and I’m sure there’s going to be plenty more opportunities for people to see the two of us go at it.”

Kane: “I’ve faced off with Kane before. He’s another larger-than-life Superstar. It doesn’t happen a lot, but I’d be the smaller guy in that fight. That’s OK — it would be great to go in there and mix it up with [The Big Red Monster].”

CM Punk: “I think a match with [CM] Punk would be great. Talking about dream matches, I think the WWE Champion against the World Heavyweight Champion is a match people would like to see. He calls himself ‘The Best in the World’ — I’d like him to prove it in the ring with me.”

Big Show: “Big Show has achieved so much in WWE, and for me, the tougher the fight, the better. And what tougher fight is there than against the 7-foot giant?”

Brock Lesnar: “Brock Lesnar? Absolutely, fella. [He’s a] fellow ginger with an aggressive streak in him. You talk about how aggressive I am, but I think [Lesnar] would definitely be one of the toughest opponents I’d face in my life.”

Brodus Clay recently spoke with The Appleton Post Crescent to promote next week’s SmackDown tapings in Green Bay. Here are some highlights of what Clay said about:

His Funkasaurus Gimmick: “To be honest, that’s more of who I am. I never was the silent angry type. I’ve always had a big mouth. I’ve always been loud. Some people would say obnoxious, other people say entertaining, charming, it just depends on who you’re around. This is just more of who I am. … It’s hard to be angry all the time I think.”

Wrestling On RAW vs. SmackDown: “When it comes to competing, I just think everyone here is a professional. Probably the guy I was most excited to get a chance to be in the ring with was Big Show. For me, that was a career highlight even though it didn’t really go the way I wanted it to. I was a little banged up, but he was always one of the guys who was a measuring stick in terms of who I wanted to be, so that was a tremendous thrill for me. At the same time, I was nervous because he’s the Big Show (laughs). Both brands are their own world and they’re very different, yet the same. Do I have a favorite one? I just like being used in either one. They’re both great in their own way. Blue is more of my favorite color than red, but it doesn’t really matter to me.”

– Hulk Hogan returned on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling as “Hollywood Hulk Hogan.” Hogan appeared in a backstage segment (due to his recent back surgery and his lack of mobility) to give support to Sting in his ongoing feud with the Aces & Eights stable.

– TNA also wrapped up the Claire Lynch storyline on Immpact – and she wasn’t even there in person for the angle’s conclusion. Claire Lynch’s attorney revealed that she was never pregnant and that she agreed to blackmail AJ Styles after being approached by Daniels and Kazarian.

Lynch admitted that she drugged AJ Styles and took pictures of him in an effort to blackmail him and make him think he was the father of her child.

On Thursday’s Impact Wrestling, Robbie E. and Bully Ray each earned 7 points in the TNA Bound For Glory series. During the Impact post-show, Jeremy Borash announced that Bully Ray beat AJ Styles in a match taped for Xplosion, earning another 7 points.

Here are the updated standings for TNA’s Bound For Glory Series:

1. James Storm
2. Samoa Joe
3. Rob Van Dam
3. Bully Ray
5. AJ Styles
6. Kurt Angle
7. Mr. Anderson
8. Jeff Hardy
9. Daniels
10. Magnus
11. Robbie E.
12. The Pope (eliminated for injury)

The following matches are still remaining:

– James Storm vs. RVD
– Bully Ray vs. RVD
– Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles
– Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Hardy
– Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy

* VIDEO of CM PUNK & SETH ROLLINS from Thursday Night’s WWE NXT

Here are the dark match main event results from Thursday’s WWE NXT tapings from Full Sail University, including our exclusive footage of the post-match celebration with WWE Champion CM Punk & NXT Champion Seth Rollins

– WWE Champion CM Punk defeated Antonio Cesaro after Kassius Ohno ran out and attacked CM Punk. Seth Rollins ran out and made the save for CM Punk. Punk grabbed the mic and said on RAW, AJ Lee is in charge. Tonight, he’s calling the shots. He gave the crowd what they were chanting for – a tag team match featuring all 4 men.

– CM Punk & Seth Rollins defeated Antonio Cesaro and Kassius Ohno after Punk and Rollins both hit their finisher at the same time and got the double pin. Punk and Rollins celebrated after the show, until they are interrupted by John Cena. John Cena announces that he’s going to be at the next NXT tapings on September 20th. Punk looked pissed off, as if Cena stole his celebratory moment. Punk and Rollins continued to celebrate as the show ended.

SEScoops.com was at Thursday night’s WWE NXT tapings from Full Sail University .. Check out these exclusive pictures we took from the show:

[nggallery id=58]

I attended Thursday night’s WWE NXT tapings from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Here are the results from the triple taping featuring a special appearance from WWE Champion CM Punk:

Dark matches

– Dean Ambrose defeated CJ Parker by submission. Ambrose did some mic work before the match and taunted Parker.

– Damien Sandow defeated Garrett Dylan by submission. Sandow was very over with the crowd. Before the match, Sandow offered him gives him the opportunity to leave the ring and instead listen to him lecture. Sandow did a cartwheel after match, which got a big pop. They cheered “One more time!” loudly and he acted as if he was about to do a second cartwheel, but then walked off like a true heel.

Episode 1

– Drew McIntyre defeated Richie Steamboat via pinfall after hitting a double-underhook DDT. Kasskius Ohno came down and distracted Steamboat, which set up the finish.

– Big E Langston squashed Aiden English and had the ref count to 5. After the match, the crowd chanted for him to hit his finisher again, he did, and got another 5 count. They chanted for it again and he did it again, with another 5 count.

– Michael McGuillicutty came out to the ring and cut a promo saying he is the #1 contender to Seth Rollins’ NXT Championship. He then called Seth Rollins. McGuillicutty called him a “paper champion” a few times and Rollins fired back by saving he paved his own path and isn’t following in the footsteps of his daddy. Rollins said they’re scheduled to fight “next week” (later in the night) – but they should fight right now. McGuillicutty said they’ll fight when he’s ready.

– Kassius Ohno defeated Percy Watson by pin. Richie Streamboat came out at the beginning of the match and attacked Ohno.

– Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd defeated The Ascension after Gabriel hit the 450 splash. Jim Ross did commentary for this match.

– Leo Kruger promo video with his new crazy South African gimmick.

– Bo Dallas promo video talking about his family lineage and how much he loves wrestling.

Taping 2

– Bo Dallas defeated Johnny Curtis by pin after hitting a spear.

– Ascension and Kidd & Gabriel then came out for a re-shoot of their match finish. Neither team had a formal ring introduction this time, they just came out and fought. This time, Justin Gabriel missed his 450 splash and Ascension won after hitting their finisher, which is similar to the “Total Elimination” finisher of ECW’s ‘Eliminators.’ The crowd chanted “re-shoot.”

– Paige and Audrey Marie defeated Kaitlin & Alicia Fox. Paige got the pin and was very over with the crowd. During the match, Kaitlin called Paige the “anti-Diva.”

– Backstage interview with NXT Champion Seth Rollins, who says he can’t wait for his first title defense. He’s not nervous, he’s excited. CM Punk then showed up and told Rollins about respect. Punk told him that he shouldn’t try to earn respect from Michael McGuillicutty, he should beat it out of him.

– Leo Kruger squashed Dante Dash. Kruger ripped his hair out during the match. After the match, the lights went off and a spotlight shined on Kruger. He cut a promo, laughing and mumbling the whole time.

– Seth Rollins defeated Michael McGuillicutty to retain the NXT championship. CM Punk came out before the match and told Rollins he’d be watching the match. Punk called the action with Jim Ross.

– Kassius Ohno promo video aired.

– CM Punk vs. Antonio Cesaro was announced for the night’s main event.

Episode 3

– Alex Riley defeated Jinder Mahal with a rollup. Jinder Mahal attacked him after the match and applied the camel clutch.

– Trent Barretta defeated Jake Carter after a big knee to the face. Barretta was over with the crowd.

– Ascension & Kassius Ohno defeated the Uso’ss & Richie Steamboat after Ohno pins Steamboat. Really not a good match.

Dark Match Main Event:

– WWE Champion CM Punk defeated Antonio Cesaro after Kassius Ohno ran out and attacked CM Punk. Seth Rollins ran out and made the save for CM Punk. Punk grabbed the mic and said on RAW, AJ Lee is in charge. Tonight, he’s calling the shots. He gave the crowd what they were chanting for – a tag team match featuring all 4 men.

– CM Punk & Seth Rollins defeated Antonio Cesaro and Kassius Ohno after Punk and Rollins both hit their finisher at the same time and got the double pin. Punk and Rollins celebrated after the show, until they are interrupted by John Cena. John Cena announces that he’s going to be at the next NXT tapings on September 20th. Punk looked pissed off, as if Cena stole his celebratory moment. Punk and Rollins continued to celebrate as the show ended.

WWE NXT returns to Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida tonight for another round of tapings.

SEScoops.com will be attending the tapings and will have complete results and pictures online later tonight!

WWE Champion CM Punk and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross will be in attendance for the show. JR mentioned on Twitter that he would love to do commentary with Punk for some of tonight’s matches.

CM Punk tweeted the following about tonight’s tapings, teasing some sort of interaction with NXT Champion Seth Rollins:

“Who’s going to @wwenxt tonight @FullSail ?? I’ll be there. So will @wwerollins hmmmmm”

Rollins, formerly Tyler Black in Ring of Honor, tweeted the following on Wednesday night:

“Tomorrow night @WWENXT descends upon @fullsail once again. @CMPunk will be in the house. So will I. Imagine that…”

Rollins was asked this week what it feels like to be the first-ever champion of NXT. He replied:

“Easily the greatest moment of my career. “Surreal” doesn’t do it justice.”

* Pictures of the NEW NXT Championship Belt

– WWE Superstar Christian is scheduled appear for TNA Wrestling once again later this year at Bound For Glory to induct Sting into the TNA Hall of Fame. Christian appearing on a second TNA PPV this year is part of WWE’s agreement with TNA to allow Ric Flair to appear at WWE’s Hall of Fame earlier this year.

TNA was pushing for Ric Flair to be the person to induct Sting, but Flair’s recent issues with TNA and TNA’s ongoing lawsuit with WWE will likely prevent that from happening.

– As for Ric Flair’s status with TNA, his 4-month no-compete clause is up on September 6h. At that time, he’ll technically be free to work for other wrestling promotions. That said, the ongoing TNA-WWE lawsuit might keep Flair out of WWE for a few more months. WWE stated in court that they had no interest in any employees currently or recently under TNA contract – and signing Flair immediately would conflict with that position.

* Pictures of CHRISTIAN At TNA SLAMMIVERSARY From Back In June

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– WWE Champion CM Punk visited WWE’s developmental school in Tampa, Florida.

– Former TNA star Alex Shelley is currently negotiating with WWE and is said to be close to signing a deal. Shelly is still booked for an upcoming New Japan Pro Wrestling tour in September and could sign with WWE shortly after that.

– As previously reported, Ric Flair’s daughter Ashley is currently training at WWE developmental under the ring name “Charlotte.” Charlotte was previously a gymnast and volleyball player and is said to be much more athletic than most of the other women at developmental.

One scenario discussed for Charlotte has been pairing her with WWE superstar Cody Rhodes as his valet. With the storied history between their fathers, Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes, the feeling is that the two would have a natural built-in storyline.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– WWE RAW returns to Nashville, Tennessee on October 15th at the Bridgestone Arena. A ticket-presale begins this morning with the password being MARK. The advertised main event is CM Punk vs. John Cena.

– Sunday’s WWE’s SummerSlam PPV from Los Angeles, California had a live attendence of 17,482 fans with 14,000 paid.

– Sin and Bones, the new album from Chris Jericho’s band Fozzy, moved around 3,400 copies in the United States for its first week of release to debut at #143 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album landed at #1 on the Top New Artist Albums chart. The band’s previous album, Chasing the Grail, opened with around 2,200 units sold back 2010, a sign that the band is gaining popularity. As previously reported, Jericho will be off television for the next few months touring with Fozzy.

– Jim Ross has commented on WWE granting Tyler Reks a release on Wednesday. JR tweeted:

He asked for it. Happy for him. Sometimes 1 has to move on. RT @saulski90: @JRsBBQ your thoughts on tyler reks release

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) August 22, 2012

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– Mark Henry is currently looking to return to action in late fall. Henry has been recovering from shoulder surgery earlier this year and has been dropping a lot of weight in his time away from WWE. Henry has told people that he would retire if he can’t return at 100%, but he’s expected to be back around Survivor Series.

Earlier this week, Henry posted a video on Tout telling fans that Triple H can’t done with WWE – because he has “plans” for him.

Picture Of Mark Henry’s Incredible Weight Loss

– Ignatius, the person that is in charge of Damien Sandow’s official Twitter account, wrote this week that Sandow is filing a police report against Brodus Clay for the assault that took place after their match on Monday’s RAW.

– Olympian Diana Lopez is interested in becoming a WWE Diva. The Sugarland, Texas native competed at this summer’s games from London in Tae Kwon Do (at 125 pounds). She won a bronze medal back in 2008 but didn’t medal this year.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Here’s an update on several recent signing to WWE developmental, courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

Memo Montenegro: The younger brother of Alberto Del Rio. He has been training in South Florida with his brother, but has limited experience in the ring.

Chase Donovan: 27 year old talent that trained at the Slamtech Wrestling school in New England and previously wrestled at Bryce Andrews (2004 until 2009). He competed as a bodybuilder for a few years but is now back to wrestling.

Danny Burch: UK wrestler formerly known as Martin Stone. WWE offered him a contract a year ago but he had major knee surgery and took a full year off to heal. He’s about 6 feet tall and has a good look.

Oliver Grey: UK wrestler formerly known as Joel Redman. He’s 25 years old and has competed in FCW under his real name, Joel Pettyfer. He is currently doing a lumberjack gimmick at developmental.

– Matches taped for today’s WWE Superstars include:

* Santino Marella vs. Jack Swagger
* Yoshi Tatsu vs. Damien Sandow
* Cody Rhodes vs. Justin Gabriel
* Alex Riley vs. Drew McIntyre.

– Alberto Del Rio might be staying in WWE much longer than he’s previously stated in interviews. While Del Rio has previously talked about being in the final leg of his career with plans to retire in the next few yerars, he recently did an interview where he said he would now like to stay for 10 or 15 more years, or as long as WWE has use for him.

– Speaking of Del Rio, he’s currently booked for 3-way matches with Sheamus and Randy Orton at WWE’s upcoming SmackDown brand live events. As previously reported, Orton will be taking time off soon to shoot the WWE Studios movie “12 Rounds: Reloaded.” Even when he’s off television, Orton will be kept in the main event picture.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)