Earlier this month, WWE held a television taping at Full Sail University in Florida featuring FCW and WWE Superstars. The one-hour show is reportedly a pilot show for the WWE network that would profile WWE’s developmental territory and WWE’s up and coming superstars. The footage that was taped this month is not expected to air.

Triple H and John Laurinaitis were there, with Triple H coming to the ring during one of the tapings and cutting a promo in front of the live crowd. WWE set up the venue to look like the FCW arena in Tampa- and the production values were said to be very good.

Jim Ross, Byron Saxton and Chris Russo did commentary – with Saxton & Russo doing the first hour and Ross & Russo calling the scond.  Here are results from the taping:

Hour One:

* Xavier Woods defeated Big E. Langston
* Richie Steamboat beat Brad Maddox
* Kaitlyn & Alicia Fox defeated Tamina & Aksana
* Antonio Cesaro defeated Seth Rollins

Hour Two:

* Kenneth Cameron defeated Mike Dalton
* Leakee beat Ricardo Rodriguez
* Briley Pierce defeated Derrick Bateman
* Husky Harris beat Damien Sandow
* Leo Kruger beat Dean Ambrose
* Triple H cut a promo for the crowd

Half-Hour Taping

* Sheamus & Daniel Bryan beat Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre

(Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE CFO George Barrios was at the UBS 39th Annual Global Media and Communications Conference this month and spoke in depth about WWE’s business performance as well as why WWE does not view UFC as competition. You can read the full transcript at * SeepingAlpha.com.

Barrios spoke about how WWE monitors every aspect of their business:

“Some of those metrics that we look at pretty intently is our live event attendance both in North America and overseas, our television ratings for the four to six hours that we will have on the air domestically at given time, which we also report,” he said. “We also look at our rating globally…We always look at how we are trending in social media, primarily Facebook and Twitter. Google Trends and Google Analytics also gives us a sense of how the brand is trending from a search perspective. We look at our own unique and page views on our own site as well as the streams that we do – we do about 75 million video streams on YouTube every month. So, we track that.”

WWE’s CFO also spoke about the UFC and explains why WWE does not consider them direct compeition:

I think we get a lot of questions about MMA, as I often say, it’s because I think people see that the both are performers are wearing some form of spandex, so they think there must be some natural competition there. We don’t view it that way,” he said. “We tend to — we take the broader view, which is we are a pop culture entertainment brand, and anything that takes attention away from us is something that gets our attention. We don’t really view UFC or MMA more broadly as a specific competitor, but you know they are part of entertainment landscape and they take eyeballs away from — or they soak up eyeballs, so we obviously have to be aware of them. But we don’t view them as specific competitor. Barrios concluded, “I don’t want to diminish them as a competitor but I also don’t — we don’t anyway elevate them as a specific competitor.”

* TONS of Backstage WWE News Heading Into 2012

SEScoops.com reader Himanshu Doi sent in the following report and images from Wednesday’s Ring Ka King show from Pune, India.

• Everything You Need To Know About TNA’s New Indian Promotion: Ring Ka King

I attended the fourth and what might be the final day of taping of the month for the upcoming wrestling show on Colors “Ring Ka King” at Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune. Here are the spoilers:

– The taping began with a segment involving Jazzy Lahoria who was the “Commissioner of Ring Ka King”, Matt Morgan, Magnus, Abyss, Steiner, Sonjay Dutt, Doctor Nicholas Dinsmore, some Indian wrestlers and Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. I missed most of this part since I arrived late into the arena and wasn’t able to catch it.

– The team of “The Snakes” (Shawn and Arya Daivari) and Raisha Saeed defeated Bollywood Boyz (Bollywood Lions) and Mickie James.

– Matt Morgan, the Ring Ka King champion, came out for a promo. Apparently he’s a babyface and he started off the promo with a couple of lines in Hindi to get over with the crowd. He says that there was going to be a battle royal later on for the #1 contendership to his Ring Ka King championship. He says he wants to know who was the one who attacked him from behind, so whoever he is must come out now. Abyss’ music hits and he comes to the ring. Morgan gets the upper hand at first but Abyss comes back and dominates him. Morgan is helped up to the back by a couple of referees.

– Battle Royal for the #1 contendership to the Ring Ka King championship:

1. Sir Brutus Magnus

2. B Maxx (Indian wrestler)

3. Barood (Indian wrestler)

4. Roscoe Jackson (Trevor Murdoch)

5. Doctor Nicholas Dinsmore

6. Romeo Rapta (Indian wrestler)

7. Isaiah Outlaw (?)

8. American Adonis (Chris Mordetzky/Masters)

9. Chhotu aur Zoravar

10. Mahabali Veera

11. Scott Steiner

12. Aaghori Saaya

Chhotu aur Zoravar is a team that consists of one short and one really tall Indian guy, Chhotu being the short one and Zoravar the tall one. Zoravar is a 7-foot plus guy and was jumped on by everyone in the battle royal. Looks like they found their own version of The Great Khali.

Aaghori Saaya had an almost Samoa Joe like character and was in control of the match fighting with Steiner. Magnus attacked Adonis as soon as he entered, but they both teamed up against Aaghori when he eliminated Steiner. In the end, Aaghori managed to eliminate Adonis, but was beaten to the punch by Magnus who became the #1 contender to Morgan’s title.

– Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh came out to promote the #1 contendership match. He needed at least 15 retakes.

– Mickie James (w/Bollywood Boyz) defeated Raisha Saeed (w/The Snakes) with the Mickie DDT. The Snakes tried to interfere in the match but were fended off by Bollywood Boyz.

– Jeremy comes out with a female Indian presenter. He says that there is an American businessman Jeff Jarrett who wants to buy Ring Ka King. He will be here tonight to try and buy the company. The female presenter translates what he said to the audience.

– Pagal Parinda (in the guise of an Indian wrestler but who seemed to be Alex Shelley, I might be wrong) defeated Zema Ion. Pagal Parinda had a bird gimmick and came out with wings. Sonjay Dutt enters the ring after the match and cuts a promo in Hindi, asking him who he thinks he is. The crowd cheers for him at first, so Sonjay Dutt said in Hindi that you’re all the crazy ones, not this guy. Parinda doesn’t reply to the Hindi promo which further leads me to believe that it was Shelley. He pulls some punches on Dutt till he falls out of the ring, then hits a diving crossbody over the ropes and re-enters the ring to end the segment.

– Jeremy Borash and the female presenter remind us of the arrival of Jeff Jarrett and say he is the same man who brought Steiner and Abyss into Ring Ka King.

– Scott Steiner and Abyss defeated Barood and Romeo Rapta (both Indian wrestlers). The match was really a squash match but what followed was one of the most amazing sights on a wrestling show you could ever wish to see. Following the win, Steiner motioned to punch one of the people in the crowd. He then climbed over the barrier and into the crowd. The crowd scattered in opposite directions away from him as if he were a raging bull! He then proceeded to climb to the second tier like f***ing King Kong and those people tried to run away from him too! Great stuff by Steiner! I hope they got it on camera because it is to be seen to be believed!

– We then had the contract signing segment where Jeff Jarrett would try to buy Ring Ka King from the Commissioner, Jazzy Lahoria. A red carpet and a table was set up in the ring. An Indian presenter introduced Jarrett as the founder of TNA Wrestling and he made his entrance through AJ Styles’ style pyro, followed by Steiner, Magnus, Abyss and Dutt. The Commissioner Jazzy Lahoria was then introduced. Jarrett said that he was impressed that they were able to do what they have done. He said he was the founder of TNA Wrestling, his family was in the business for 70-plus years and that he would be able to take Ring

ka King to another level. After some deliberation, Jazzy said that for th sake of the fans, he would not sell Ring Ka King to Jarrett. Sonjay Dutt then tried to convince him in Hindi to sign the contract. Steiner catches him by the collar and is threatened by Dutt. Just as it seems that he was going to sign the contract, he tore it up. Jeff Jarrett is livid and takes off his suit and throws it to the ground and was almost about to hit Jazzy. He then slowly cools down, wears his suit back on and offers Jazzy a handshake. Jazzy thinks about it and shakes his hand. Jarrett hugs Jazzy, then turns around and punches him down. The entire bunch gang up on him. Steiner hit him with his own walking stick and Abyss takes it and chokes him with it. Harbhajan Singh then enters the ring with an Indian police officer character guy who must’ve been about 6’5″-6’6″. This causes Jarrett and co. to quietly leave the ring. Harbhajan and the police officer check on Jazzy who he is helped up by the two and gets a standing ovation from the crowd.

– Bollywood Boyz defeated Broadway (Little Guido/Nunzio) and Hollywood (Joey Ryan) with a double superkick on Broadway.

– Roscoe Jackson (Trevor Murdoch) defeated Romeo Rapta (Indian wrestler) after a splash off the top rope. Roscoe shook Romeo’s hand and raised it after the match.

– Sir Brutus Magnus vs Matt Morgan for the Ring Ka King championship. During the intoductions by JB (which was interestingly enough done in kilos instead of pounds), Jarrett appeared in the crowd claiming to have a ticket. Soon after the match began, he appeared in front of the announce table and clapped, distracting Morgan enough for Magnus to capitalize. The action went to the outside with Magnus hitting Morgan’s head against the barrier. The action returned to the ring as Magnus stayed in control through the majority of the match. It then came to a sleeper hold by Magnus, only for Morgan gets his hand up before 3 and come back into the match. Morgan went for the chokeslam, but it was avoided by Magnus only to get clotheslined. Morgan gets the chokeslam this time. Some Indian guy I didn’t recognise distracted Morgan. The Indian police character then returned and hit Morgan with a baton while the ref was distracted. Magnus then hit the Mag Driver on Morgan and gets the 3 count. Magnus becomes the new Ring Ka King Champion. Jarrett then enters the ring and puts the championship on Magnus’ shoulders. The police character guy celebrates with them to suggest that he was bought off by Jarrett, and Dutt, Steiner and Abyss join in the celebration. Some Indian wrestlers try to enter the ring but are attacked by the bunch and thrown out. Harbhajan Singh’s music hits and he comes out with a cricket bat in hand leading to Jarrett and co. leaving the ring. Harbhajan says in Hindi that it was a mistake to give him a second chance, and that soon he would take his wicket. Magnus celebrates with the championship on the ramp as they leave.

Additional notes:

– The show is being promoted as “Ring Ka King: Wrestling Ka Mahayuddh”, which translates to “King Of The Ring:Wrestling’s Megabattle” in Hindi. The show name in all likelihood was chosen by Endemol and Colors and not TNA.

– This was the first set of tapings for the show and was shot over four days. The next set of tapings will be in January.

– The show was held at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune, which is a city near Mumbai.

– The arena probably had about 1,500 people in, and they might have turned off about a 1,000 more. And that was with zero promotion or advertising.

– In terms of the size of the arena, it was similar to the Impact Zone, but the floor area was filled to capacity till they hardly had any space to move around.

– While in conversation with a lady who had come to watch the show, I found out that like most TV shows in India with an on-screen audience, there were a lot of people who were sent by the organizers to watch the show and fill the seats. I’m convinced that with the turnout that they got even without any promoting or advertising in the city, they wouln’t have needed to do that had they done some promoting in the city they were taping it in at least.

– Joe Baath is one of the two announcers of the show. Joe Baath has been the presenter for a bunch of TNA Wrestling recap shows in India for the past 5 years. The announcing will be in Hindi.

– A lot of the Indian wrestlers were also used on the previous wrestling show on Colors, “100% De Dhana Dhan”, which involved the South African wrestling promotion WWP.

– The show will air every Saturday and Sunday night on Colors in India, which is available in the US and UK as “Aapka Colors”. Colors is one of the top three networks in India in terms of ratings.

– It may be possible that Bigg Boss, the Indian version of Big Brother involving Indian celebrities, will be the lead-in to Ring Ka King.

– The celebrity involvement in the show is by Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. Cricket is the most popular sport in India and Harbhajan Singh is among one of the well-known faces of the national team.

– The production values of the show were excellent and may match or even exceed the quality of production in the Impact Zone. There was a truckload of lighting on the ceiling of the arena and was definitely much better lit than the Impact Zone. Though the Impact Zone may win in the pyrotechnics department.

– I managed to catch a glimpse of what the arena might look like on TV by the direct feed on one of the TVs in the “Creative TNA” room. It looks spectacular and will look good on TV too.

– I was not allowed to take photos, but I managed to sneak out my camera and take a few snaps from the horrible view that I got behind the announcer’s table.

– Overall this was a great experience, it being my first time at a wrestling event. All the wrestlers and celebrities involved got a great reaction from the crowds, unlike the usually dead Impact Zone. I’m sure TNA would be pleased with the way the tapings turned out. I was lucky to find a few wrestlers on the hallway outside and I quickly searched through my bag for a piece of paper, though all I could find was a bank receipt. Oh well. I managed to get a couple of autographs – one from Matt Morgan, who was nice enough to give me an autograph after frantically trying to get to the bathroom before asking one of the crew members “Can you tell me where is the shower?” The other was from Luke Gallows, though he did not seem very pleased by my asking him for an autograph. I was dumbfounded and speechless when I saw these guys in front of me, because I’ve only ever watched these guys on TV. Also it made me realise how big these guys are. Matt Morgan was f***ing huge!

Everlast and Mixed Martial Arts Superstar Brock Lesnar Agree to Exclusive Contract

NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Everlast Worldwide Inc., the global leader in fight sports and fitness, today announced the signing of an exclusive, multi-year equipment contract with former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. One of the most dominant heavyweights in the world, Lesnar has electrified MMA fans across the globe with wins over Shane Carwin, Frank Mir and the great Randy Couture.

Under the agreement, Lesnar will exclusively train with Everlast equipment, as well as play a feature role in direct to consumer and retail marketing initiatives. Lesnar took the MMA world by storm when he won the heavyweight belt in only his 4th professional fight. He has also served as a coach on the reality series “The Ultimate Fighter.”

“Brock Lesnar’s combination of size, athleticism and elite wrestling ability is truly unmatched,” said Matt Cowan, VP of Marketing and Products for Everlast. “His strength, determination and individuality makes him resonate with our brand ethos, and we are excited to welcome Brock to our storied family of champions.”

“I’m truly excited to be a part of the Everlast family,” said Lesnar. “Everlast’s MMA training equipment is the best in the industry. I’ve been able to take my training to a new level since installing their 30 foot competition cage at my DeathClutch Gym. I look forward to a long and rewarding partnership with Everlast.”

In addition to the personal endorsement contract, Everlast will become the official equipment sponsor of Lesnar’s private training facility, DeathClutch Gym, in Minnesota.

Everlast MMA equipment and apparel is available at www.Everlast.com and sporting goods retailers.

Survivor Series 2011

– Based on preliminary data released by WWE, November’s Survivor Series pay-per-view featuring The Rock’s first match since WrestleMania 20 drew approximately 280,000 buys. The final figure is expected to be higher than 280,000, as this figure is only through the end of November, but its a reliable early indicator of the event’s performance.

Last year’s Survivor Series did 244,00 buys and 2009’s show did 235,000 buys. Company officials were so disappointed with 2009’s buyrate that the show was temporarily scrapped from WWE’s pay-per-view lineup.

– Earlier this week, we covered the story of Chris Hero’s WWE contract reportedly being pulled due to elevated levels of testosterone found during his physical exams. In what could be a reference to this possible career setback, Hero tweeted this week:

“I don’t think I will ever be ‘done’ with wrestling. Thank you for your continued support!”

TNA has officially launched their new Indian promotion, called Ring Ka King (which means King of the Ring). The first set of tapings are taking place this week.

Ring Ka King will debut on India’s The Colors Network on January 14th and will air 26 episodes over 13 weeks.

The promotion will feature 20 American wrestlers and 10 Indian wrestlers, trained by Savio Vega, Sonjay Dutt, and Nick Dinsmore (“Eugene”).

According to TNA sources and several wrestlers who are on the tour, the production values and the set are said to be amazing. TNA India is drawing huge crowds, which are red hot and very into the product.

Matt Morgan was crowned the first ever Ring Ka King heavyweight champion after defeating Scott Steiner in the finals of an 8-man tournament. Steiner is a top heel in the new promotion.

According to a source, Scott Steiner caused a near-riot with fans during a six-man match that was taped this week. The match saw Smith, Guerrero and Morgan take on Steiner, Magnus and Sonjay Dutt.

Chavo Guerrero and David Hart Smith were also crowned the first-ever Tag Team Champions of the promotion.

Jeremy Borash tweeted the following regarding the new India project

“Great 2nd day of TV in India just wrapped. Tonight’s crowd was insane, most seeing wrestling for the first time. Enthusiasm off the charts. The most heel heat I’ve seen in 15 years tonight in India. This will be amazing TV. Congrats to the team. Forgot how fun this can be.”

WWE Network

Here’s the latest on the upcoming WWE Network, launching in just over 4 months:

* WWE wants the network to be more than just wrestling-themed programming.

* With WWE’s recent obsession with Twitter, they’ve built an army of fans they can use to push cable carriers to carry their network.

* Most pay-per-view events, NXT and Superstars will be moving to the network.

* The Network has the potential to be WWE’s most valuable asset and it will give them a 24/7 outlet to constantly promote their brand.

* WWE hopes to find outside of the box original programming that won’t be wrestling-related once they get established. This would be similar to a show like the History Channel eventually finding hit shows like Pawn Stars that isn’t “history” related.

* The plan for the network is to eventually brand WWE as more of a lifestyle brand instead of just a “sports-entertainment/pro wrestling” company.

(Partial Source: Pwinsider.com)

— WWE will be bringing the steel cage to Chicago next Monday night for RAW. The advertised dark match main event is CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship. Since WWE is going through the effort of transporting the cage on the road, but there’s a chance we’ll see a cage match on RAW next week.

— As reported earlier this week, Brock Lesnar has plead guilty to “improper tagging of an animal” on a November 2010 hunting trip. The other two charges, leaving meat to rot and illegal possession of wildlife, were then dropped. Lesnar has issued the following statement explaining the situation:

“In November 2010 I went on a filmed hunt in Alberta, Canada. It was sponsored by Fusion Ammunition and guided by Trophy Hunters Alberta. In Alberta, Americans can’t hunt without a licensed outfitter. The outfitter is there to make sure you follow the rules. I had two deer tags for the trip which meant I could legally shoot two deer. On the first day of the trip, I shot a mule deer. On the second day, I shot a white tail. Videos from the hunt have been on the Internet for over and year. After I shot the mule deer, I failed to immediately tag it. As far as I was involved, that’s all there is to it. Now it’s resolved. I paid my fine today. It’s the kind of thing that happens to hunters all the time. I want to thank the Canadian authorities for their cooperation in resolving this misunderstanding. I love Canada and I can’t wait to go back to Alberta for a hunt.

• Picture of HULK HOGAN & CHARLIE SHEEN Together (From Tuesday)

(Source: f4wonline.com)

WWE Hall Of Fame

As we’ve been reporting in recent months, there are plans for WWE to build a physical Hall of Fame building some time in 2012, similar to baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

WWE is currently looking at sites in both the North East as well as Florida and hopes to jumpstart the project in 2012. Aside from highlighting the careers of past superstars, divas and company officials who have been inducted in previous years, the building would also showcase historic company memorabilia.

WWE has warehouses full of of company memorabilia (various props, ring aprons, event banners, etc.) and the company is currently on the hunt to purchase other historic items which they do not currently own.

The WWE website ran an article this week speculating which items from past WrestleMania events should be on display at the Hall of Fame building, including Rowdy Roddy Piper’s boxing gloves from WrestleMania 2, [what’s left of] the battle royal trophy Bret Hart destroyed at WrestleMania 4, the zipline Shawn Michaels used at WrestleMania 12 and more.

We want to know – would you visit a WWE Hall of Fame? If you did not live near it – would you be willing to travel to the Hall of Fame? Hit up the Comments below and let us know.

— WWE has confirmed that January’s Royal Rumble event will be returning to the traditional 30-man format, down from 40 men last year.

The 25th annual Royal Rumble takes place on Sunday, January 29, 2012 from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

— As he alluded to on his Twitter account last week, developmental wrestler Seth Rollins (formerly Tyler Black in ROH) will be touring with the RAW brand all next week. There’s been some talk that he’ll be wrestling against the returning R-Truth, but that’s not confirmed at this time.

Black is seen as one of the top stars at Florida Championship Wrestling along with Dean Ambrose (formerly John Moxley), who started touring with WWE last week

• VIDEO of DEAN AMBROSE’s First WWE Match vs. Daniel Bryan From Last Week

— WWE has filed a new trademark for the phrase “Fear My Name.”

— Despite Mark Henry’s injury (and the fact that WWE took the World Heavyweight title off him because he can’t wrestle), he’s still being advertised for Friday’s SmackDown and next Friday’s SmackDown live event at the Izod Center in New Jersey.

The main event for that show is scheduled to be Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry in a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. For the full card, visit Meadowlands.com.

• Details On Why Mark Henry Dropped The World Heavyweight Title

— R-Truth, who is currently serving a 30-day suspension due to his first violation of WWE’s Wellnness policy, is back on the active roster as of tomorrow, 12/22.

• Picture of HULK HOGAN & CHARLIE SHEEN Together

(Partial Source: pwinsider.com)

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

The Cryptic 1/2 Promo Videos: “I have no firm idea on who these well produced/written vignettes are for but I have my suspicions. Again, if I truly knew, why would I spoil the surprise? Doing these types of vignettes always builds anticipation in a big way with many fans which is why I think that they should be used more frequently. ”

• MAJOR Hint On Who Is Returning On 1/2 (Screenshot)

Daniel Bryan’s Title Win: “Proud to see Daniel Bryan make it to the top of the card as the new, World Heavyweight Champion. Those that knock Bryan for his lack of size generally don’t understand athletics especially MMA. I like that Daniel Bryan breaks the old mold, by and large, and he provides something/someone new for which the fans to emotionally invest. Bryan will be an effective fan favorite and someday, down the road, will be an outstanding wrestling villain.”

CM Punk As The Face Of WWE: “Based on WWE TLC PPV and Monday’s Raw from Philly, it certainly seems as if CM Punk has become the newest ‘face’ of WWE. No, John Cena hasn’t disappeared and Cena will still face The Rock at WM28 in the longest promoted and, arguably, the biggest Wrestlemania main event ever but Punk has been positioned to be the leader of a transitioning roster of young, WWE Superstars, many of who are ‘this close’ to taking the much needed step to the next level.”

(Source: JRsBarBQ.com)

— Alicia Fox has commented on the damage she did to Beth Phoenix’s face during their match on RAW last night. Phoenix tweeted pictures of a nasty looking bump on her left temple. Fox tweeted on Tuesday afternoon:

“@TheBethPhoenix wow!!!! I think your face looks better than ever!!!! Next one I’ll put more STANk on it!!!! Kiss kiss”

• View Here: The Golf Ball-Sized Lump on Beth Phoenix’s Face

— CM Punk and The Rock were both listed on Guyism.com‘s list of the “Top 75 Guys We Wish We Were in 2011.” The Rock ranked #17 and CM Punk ranked at #5. Actor Ryan Gossling got the #1 spot. The description for CM Punk reads:

“C.M. Punk, the straight-edge champion of the WWE, kept things interesting in 2011 with his outspoken critique of the company, his feuds with John Cena and Alberto Del Rio, and his short-lived retirement from the company. With the year that he’s had, it’s clear the WWE needs him. We just hope debuting a new theme song, ‘Cult of Personality,’ is a sign the sober wrestler is back for good.”

— WinnipegFreePress.com is reporting that UFC heavyweight fighter Brock Lesnar has plead guilty to “improper tagging of an animal” on a November 2010 hunting trip. The other two charges were dropped. Lesnar will pay a $1,725 fine and his hunting license will be suspended for six months.

CHRIS Crossed (Click to Enlarge)

Several readers have pointed out that the latest installment of WWE’s cryptic promos leading up to January 2nd appears to have the name “Chris” crossed out on the cover of the notebook written in by the little boy in the videos.

• VIDEO: The Latest Cryptic 1/2 Promo – “PROPHETLESS”

This will only add to the speculation (yeah, we’re not helping) that Chris Jericho will be revealed to be the man behind the vignettes

While WWE has been known to drop red herrings before to throw people off in previous cryptic promos, this does not help Jericho’s case that he’s got nothing to do with the videos.

@HulkHogan tweeted a picture of himself and his son Nick with Charlie Sheen Tuesday morning with the caption, “The 3 musketeers gone bad.”

Follow @sescoops

Hit up the COMMENTS below with your own caption of this picture …

Against All Odds 2012 Poster (Click to Enlarge)

– TNA President Dixie Carter tweeted a picture of the PPV poster for Against All Odds, which takes place on Sunday, February 12th. The poster features a casino theme of TNA wrestlers and knockouts on playing cards.

– The TNA website has added new holiday pictures of the Knockouts, which can be viewed at ImpactWrestling.com.

– The TNA tournament that is taking place on the Xplosion show is down to the final four. The semi-final matches are Daniels vs. Devon and Samoa Joe vs. Kazarian. The winner of the tournament will receive a title match on TNA’s upcoming tour of the UK next month.

* Impact Wrestling *SPOILERS* For Thursday

Alberto Del Rio and Beth Phoenix were both injured at Monday’s WWE RAW Supershow from Philadelphia.

Del Rio was carried out of the building by trainers after Raw went off the air. There was some fear that he may have suffered a groin injury, but after being checked out by WWE trainers, he’s said to be doing alright. He’s not expected to miss any ring time, despite some soreness.

Beth Phoenix has a nasty lump on the side of her face following her match with Alicia Fox. At this time, it’s unclear at what point in the match the injury takes place, but it looks like she has a golf ball sticking out of her right temple. She tweeted:

@AliciaFoxy tried her hardest to destroy my face. There will be hell to pay for trying to tarnish my beauty.”

“After hours in the trainers room, I broke a lot of mirrors with my fists.

Phoenix’s partner Natalya tweeted a message of support:

“@TheBethPhoenix i am sorry to see what happened on Raw…But we are still UNBREAKABLE.”

Check out these pictures of the lump on Beth Phoenix’s face following RAW:

– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown and NXT tapings will take place from Richmond, Virginia at the Richmond Coliseum.

Aside from the TLC fallout and an appearance from new World Heavyweight champion Daniel Bryan, no matches have been announced for the show as of Tuesday morning.

Advertised locally is Randy Orton vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry with Booker T as referee, but this one won’t go on as scheduled due to Mark Henry’s injury.

Tonight’s Smackdown taping will be the final WWE show of the week, as the crew has the weekend off to celebrate the holidays. The next scheduled WWE show is Monday’s RAW from Chicago.

– The Miz recently granted his first Make-A-Wish. He tweeted on Monday:

“Just had my first Make A Wish where the kid only wanted to meet me. Truly an honor. Dylan keep fighting your AWESOME!!!”

– WWE’s website has a new article up looking at what potential items could be showcased at the physical Hall of Fame that the company has been planning for some time.

Items mentioned that could be featured in a WrestleMania wing of the building include Roddy Piper’s boxing gloves from WrestleMania 2, what’s left of the battle royal trophy Bad News Brown won (and Bret Hart destroyed) from WrestleMania 4, Shawn Michaels’ zipline from WrestleMania 12 and more.

— WWEShop.com is accepting pre-orders for the new “Cena Sucks” t-shirt that went on sale this past weekend at WWE live events.  The shirt is officially listed as “Anti John Cena Shirt” with no preview image provided.

• Pictures Of WWE’s Anti-Cena T-Shirt

— A WWE camera crew visited the home of Shawn Michaels on Monday to shoot footage that will be used for programming on the upcoming WWE Network. Michaels tweeted:

“WWE Network crew is here setting up. Multiple interviews apparently for various programming. Do I have to pay to get the channel? :-)”

He followed up four hours later:

“Holy cow that was a long interview!!”

– Speaking of Shawn Michaels, Carl Dantes sent in the following information regarding four scheduled appearances for the Heartbreak Kid in early 2012;

* January 11, 2012 – from 10-11am at the Dead Down Wind booth at the ATA show in Columbus OH
* January 12, 2012 – from 1-3pm at the Carbon Express Booth at the ATA show in Columbus OH
* January 18, 2012 – from noon to 1pm at the Outdoor Channel booth at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas
* February 2, 2012 – from 1-2pm at the Outdoor Channel booth at the SCI Convention in Las Vegas

Check out this group shot of WWE’s title holders headed into 2012 ..

Hit the Facebook “like” button below the image and show your support for this awesome piece of awesomeness.

"Get Behind Them Or Get Left Behind

After Monday’s RAW Supershow from Philadelphia, PA went off the air, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Zack Ryder celebrated around the ring with their title belts. They made their way up the ramp and posted with their belts on the stage before heading to the back.

Then, the dark match main event took place between John Cena and Kane.  The match ended in a disqualification when Kane hit John Cena with a chair.

After the match was over, Kane left the ringside area, but returned shortly after. He attempted a piledriver, but Cena countered it and nailed him with  the Attitude Adjustment, which got a big pop from the live crowd.

Cena closed the show by wishing the fans happy holidays.

WWE RAW Results

– Tonight’s WWE RAW Supershow opens up with the normal video package. We’re live from the Wells Fargo Center as a drumroll starts up. WWE Champion CM Punk welcomes us to Philadelphia. Punk says on behalf of John Laurinaitis, he is proud to announce the result of TLC. We still can’t see Punk yet, just hear him. Punk announces himself as the winner at TLC and out he comes to a big pop from the crowd. Punk makes his way to the ring.

Punk comes out and talks about retaining the WWE Title at TLC. Punk says he is beat up and sore but a lot of people thought he would never hold the WWE Title. Punk then introduces the new United States Champion, Zack Ryder, after another drumroll. Out comes Ryder to a nice pop from the crowd.

The crowd chants Ryder’s name and he soaks it up. Punk says he has saved the biggest for last, then talks about the World Heavyweight Title Chairs Match at TLC. Punk does a drumroll for Big Show or Mark Henry as the winner but says the unthinkable happened. Punk brings out the new World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. Ryder, Punk and Bryan stand with their belts in the middle of the ring. Punk says if any city would appreciate this scene right here, it would be Philadelphia. The crowd chants ECW. Punk talks about he and Bryan meeting 10 years ago at the Murphy rec center down the street and it gets a big pop and now here they are as WWE and World Champion. Punk puts over Ryder next and gets the crowd to fist pump. Punk calls this crazy. Punk puts over Bryan and Ryder some more and wants to hear from them now.

Ryder says he still can’t believe it and had to call his dad this morning to make sure he was the United States Champion. Bryan says nobody even expected him to get to WWE. Bryan brings up Michael Cole and the crowd boos while Cole rants at ringside. Bryan says he got here and he’s champion… not just any champion but the World Heavyweight Champion. Bryan goes on but stops when The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio come out to the ring and surround it. Punk, Bryan and Ryder get ready to fight and stop the heels from entering the ring by knocking them back. Ryder leaps over the ropes and takes out Ziggler. Miz and Del Rio attack Ryder until Punk and Bryan run them off and up the stage. John Laurinaitis runs out and stops the four from fighting. Laurinaitis makes Miz, Ziggler and Del Rio vs. Bryan, Punk and Ryder for tonight. Laurinaitis says this is his Christmas present to the Superstars and the WWE Universe. Laurinaitis wishes everyone a Happy Holidays as we go to the announcers.

– Cole hypes Kane’s return on last week’s show and says tonight, John Cena will speak out. Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton is up next after commercial.

Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton

Back from the break and out comes Randy Orton to a big pop. His opponent Wade Barrett is out next.

The bell rings and Barrett strikes first, taking the fight to the corner. Barrett beats Orton down and stomps on him. Orton turns it around with right hands and slams Barrett for 2. They go to the floor and Barrett lays Orton out with a running boot to the head. Barrett gets back in the ring as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Barrett is still in control. Barrett knocks Orton back out of the ring with a big boot to the face. Orton makes it back in and fights out of a headlock. Orton catches a kick and comes back with clotheslines and the powerslam. Barrett blocks the DDT and goes for Wasteland. Orton blocks that with the backbreaker. Orton hits the second rope draping DDT and readies for the RKO. Barrett hits Orton with a thumb to the eyes and gets disqualified.

Winner by DQ: Randy Orton

– After the bell, Barrett continues the attack on Orton as the referee tries to get him to stop. Barrett stomps away on Orton and hits the Winds of Change sideslam. Barrett brings a table from under the ring and slides it in. Barrett hits another big boot to the head as Orton is getting up. Barrett sets the table up and puts Orton through it with Wasteland.

– Cole and Lawler talk about TLC and Kevin Nash getting hurt. Alicia Fox is shown backstage as is Divas Champion Beth Phoenix as we go back to commercial.

Beth Phoenix vs. Alicia Fox

Back from the break and out comes the WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix to the ring. Out next comes Alicia Fox. They go at it and Beth drops Alicia with a sidewalk slam. Alicia makes a comeback and drops a leg for the quick pinWinner: Alicia Fox

– After the match, Alicia takes the mic and says she hopes everyone has a Foxy Holiday.

– We get more hype for tonight’s six-man main event before going back to break.

Sheamus vs. Jinder Mahal

Back from the break and out comes Sheamus followed by his opponent Jinder Mahal. Mahal rips Sheamus on the mic as he makes his way to the ring. Mahal says it’s time someone put Sheamus in his place. The bell rings and Mahal goes behind. Sheamus fights him off. Mahal comes back with kicks and knees to the gut. Sheamus drops him with a right hand and goes to work. Mahal kicks Sheamus and kicks his knee out. Mahal with a dropkick to the head.

Mahal with another high knee for a 2 count. Sheamus makes a comeback but misses the battering ram from the top. Sheamus connects with the Irish Curse backbreaker and the Celtic Cross for the win.

Winner: Sheamus

– Up next, John Cena speaks out about Kane.

– Back from the break and we get a replay of Kane attacking John Cena last week. Cena comes out and gets a mixed reaction from the Philadelphia crowd. Cena heads to the ring.

Cena is met with mostly boos as he enters the ring. Cena says what he’s about to say is shocking and jokingly warns the fans. Cena says apparently there are people out there that don’t like him and apparently he can get under some people’s skin. Cena brings up The Rock and says he is ready for April 1st. Cena says there is a monster on the loose and talks about Kane chokeslamming him to hell last week. The crowd cheers somewhat.

Cena says if last week was a mistake, he will let bygones be bygones and they will go their separate ways. If last week wasn’t a mistake, then they have business and they should handle that business. Mark Henry’s music hits and out he comes in street clothes, limping with a boot on.

Henry says Cena would be the next member in the Hall of Pain, if it wasn’t for Kane. The crowd chants “Sexual Chocolate” as Henry enters the ring. Henry tells Cena to kick rocks and get out of his face. He’s all the business Cena needs to worry about. Cena posts up to fight when the stage explodes and the lights go out. Kane’s music hits and out he comes.

Kane enters the ring and Cena unloads on him. Cena sends Kane to the floor but he lands on his feet. Kane pulls Cena out and throws him over the announce table. Kane beats Cena up with big right hands. Kane looks to choke Cena out with a mandible and Cena is bleeding. Kane rips off Cena’s shirt and leaves with it as his music plays. We go to commercial.

Epico and Primo vs. The Usos

Back from the break and Primo, Epico and Rosa Mendes are in the ring. Out next come The Usos with their grand entrance.

Primo starts off for his team and Jimmy does for his. The Usos take control early on. Epico distracts Uso and Primo dropkicks him off the ropes. Primo stomps away and tags in Epico. Epico continues stomping as Rosa cheers them on. Primo tags back in and continues the assault. We see Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne watching backstage. Epico with a pair of pin attempts on Uso.

More back and forth action. Jimmy clears the ring and hits the big splash in the corner like Rikishi. Primo gets laid out but Epico comes from behind with the Backstabber for the winWinners: Epico and Primo

– Back from the break and Cody Rhodes is backstage with Josh Matthews. Cody talks about Booker T but is interrupted by Santino Marella. Santino has a Christmas present for Cody but he doesn’t want it. It’s the Christmas Cobra and Santino taunts Cody with it. We go to commercial.

Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes

Out first comes Santino Marella followed by the WWE Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. Santino goofs off to start the match and Cody drops him. Cody takes him to the corner. Santino tries to come back but Cody gets the win with Cross Rhodes.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

– We get a video looking back at this year’s Tribute to the Troops.

– Back from the break and The Bella Twins are arguing with John Laurinaitis between them. David Otunga is there and they aren’t happy with the way Teddy Long talked to them at TLC. Laurinaitis says the Board has concerns about Teddy too and they’re watching him. The Bellas kiss Laurinaitis and walk off. Vickie Guerrero comes in pissed off wanting a rematch for Dolph Ziggler. She gets kissed under mistletoe by Hornswoggle the elf.

– We get more hype from TLC and a video from TLC of Zack Ryder’s dad commenting on his win.

– Josh Matthews is backstage with Big Show. Show talks about losing the World Heavyweight Title at TLC and gets emotional. Show says it’s his fault – he encouraged Daniel Bryan on SmackDown to not wait until WrestleMania 28. Matthews points out Show has the shortest World Title reign in history. Show goes from about to cry to pissed off.

The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk, Zack Ryder and Daniel Bryan

We go to the ring and out first comes The Miz followed by Dolph Ziggler. Alberto Del Rio comes driving in but his entrance is interrupted by a new cryptic video before we go back to commercial.

• VIDEO: The Latest It Begins Promo – “PROPHETESS 2012”

Back from the break and out comes WWE United States Champion Zack Ryder through the crowd. World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan is out next, also through the crowd. WWE Champion CM Punk is out next, coming through the crowd.

Punk and Miz start things off. Punk with a headlock and a shoulder for a quick pin attempt. Punk works on the arm and tags in Bryan for some double teaming. Bryan with a dropkick for a 2 count. Ziggler comes in but gets double teamed by Bryan and Ryder. Ziggler ends up on the floor. Del Rio runs in and misses a dropkick ending up on the floor. They dump Miz to the floor. Bryan, Ryder and Punk all come down taking out their opponents. The faces hit the ring to pose for the fans as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Bryan is kicking Miz. Miz turns it around and drops Bryan for a 2 count. Del Rio comes in and they keep Bryan in the corner. Del Rio with a dropkick to the back of Bryan for a 2 count. Ziggler comes in and keeps Bryan down with a headlock. Bryan fights out but Ziggler clotheslines him for a 2 count. Miz comes in and keeps up the attack on Bryan. Miz with a kick to the head and another 2 count. Another tag to Del Rio. Bryan finally makes a comeback with uppercuts but gets whipped hard into the corner. Del Rio with a big kick to the head and Bryan goes down in the corner.

Del Rio connects with a backbreaker on Bryan for a 2 count. Ziggler comes in and beats Bryan down in the corner again. Ziggler charges and Bryan kicks him in the mouth. Ryder gets the tag and unloads on Ziggler. Ryder drops Ziggler in the corner and hits the Broski Boot. Ryder knocks Miz and Del Rio off the apron before a pin attempt on Ziggler. Ziggler turns it around and tags in Miz who keeps Ryder grounded. Miz holds Ryder from tagging and slams him back in the corner. Miz with shoulder thrusts on Ryder now. Del Rio tags back in but Ryder dumps him out to the floor. Ryder tags in Punk as Miz tags in. Punk with forearms and a swinging neckbreaker. Punk hits the high knee in the corner and the bulldog. Punk with a scoop slam before going up high and hitting the big elbow drop.

Punk covers for a 2 count and then applies the Anaconda Vice but Ziggler breaks it up. Ziggler stomps on Punk until Ryder pulls him out of the ring. Bryan dropkicks Del Rio from the top. Miz stomps on Bryan but Punk makes the save. Punk hits GTS on Miz and he rolls out of the ring. Del Rio comes from behind and knocks Punk out of the ring. Del Rio throws Bryan into the turnbuckles. Bryan counters Del Rio and applies the LaBell Lock. Del Rio taps out to end the match.

Winners: CM Punk, Zack Ryder and Daniel Bryan

– After the match, the champions go to ringside to pose for the fans as RAW goes off the air.

WWE Cleans Up at the Mashable Awards

– Social media blog Mashable.com has announced their 2011 Mashable Awards winners, with WWE winning for six categories:

• Digital Company of the Year: WWE
• Must Follow Brand on Social Media: WWE
• Must Follow Actor on Social Media: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
• Must Follow Athlete on Social Media: John Cena
• Game of the Year: THQ’s WWE ’12
• Best Social Good Cause Campaign: be a STAR

– WWE.com has a new interview WrestleMania-themed interview up with Shawn Michaels. The WWE Hall of Famer said he has some regrets regarding his career, especially his WrestleMania 14 match with Steve Austin. Michaels said:

“I just wasn’t in a great place physically or emotionally. That one could have been so much more. Steve didn’t get me at my best. And that’s unfortunate, because it was the last time I got to work with him. Steve went on to such great things afterward, and I had an opportunity to make that match so much more.”

Michaels also said he shudders to think what he and Bret Hart could have accomplished if they had gotten along.

— To update Mark Henry’s health and why he dropped the World Heavyweight title last night months earlier than originally planned, Henry’s injury is either a severely pulled groin or a torn hamstring. Henry’s situation is so bad that he was in no condition to perform last last night but they needed to get the belt off of him.

– Daniel Bryan wrote the following on Twitter regarding his title win at TLC:

“Six years ago CM Punk and I wrestled a 45 minute match in Florida in front of probably 36 people. It’s fun watching us pretend to be superstars when we’re really just a couple of Indy schmucks.”

– Gabe Sapolsky commented on Daniel Bryan’s World Heavyweight title win at TLC:

“I think a boundary was broken last night by two remarkable athletes and people. This just validates that the best talent and the new generation of stars can come from the independent wrestling scene. I believe we have today’s new stars in Dragon Gate USA and Evolve. the new Punks and Bryans are at the top of their game in each promotion.” Give it a shot and enjoy the ride to the top of WWE. Congrats to Punk and Bryan. they both deserve this and worked hard for it.”

– Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez got a ton of respect backstage at TLC for the insane bump he took off the top of a ladder through a table outside the ring.  Mick Foley, known for taking a bump or two in his day, commented on the impressive stunt:

“Hope @RRWWE is feeling ok today..for real. Ricardo, that was one HECK of a bump, my friend! Worried about that mustard stain on the tux, too.”

– Friday’s edition of SmackDown drew a 1.99 rating with 2,881,000 viewers.