SEScoops

Author: Staff

  • Sheamus In Line For A Major Push This Fall

    WWE officials are very high on Sheamus right now, with the former WWE champion scheduled to get a monster push this fall leading into 2012. Longterm booking on the SmackDown brand have Sheamus, Randy Orton and Mark Henry as the centerpiece talents of SmackDown.

    Vice McMahon has been a strong backer of Sheamus over the years and has renewed faith in the Celtic Warrior since his recent babyface turn. Sheamus’ work doing public appearances (especially with the Be A Star campaign) has helped his perception with management.

    Although WrestleMania 28 is stil several months away and plans can change several times before the, WWE is looking for Sheamus to challenge SmackDown’s dominant monster Mark Henry for World Heavyweight championship at WrestleMania.

  • Original Plans For Hogan vs. Sting, Bischoff’s TNA Status & More

    – After announcing that Hulk Hogan would be returning to the ring at Bound For Glory and wrestling his longtime rival Sting, there were plans for Ric Flair to be added to the match, making it a 3-way match. Considering Hulk Hogan’s lack of mobility and the history between all three men, TNA officials were hoping that adding Flair to the match would take pressure off Hogan and Sting and allow for more low-impact gimmick spots to be used in the match.

    When Flair got injured during his match with Sting on Impact several weeks ago, plans to include Flair in the Hogan-Sting match were dropped and the no-DQ stipulation was added to Hogan-Sting.

    – As reported here on the site yesterday, Hulk Hogan has signed a new deal with TNA just days before his previous deal was set to expire. A TNA source has confirmed to us that it’s virtually guaranteed Eric Bischoff will be renewing his deal as well.

    – Hogan is in Los Angeles this week filming new commercials for Rent-A-Center with NFL Legend Troy Aikman.

  • Eric Young Talks About How TNA Has Changed Over The Years

    Main Event Radio interview with Eric Young
    Host: Ryan Rider
    Full interview available at MainEventRadio.com

    Is the company changing its name to Impact Wrestling? “The name of the company is still TNA. It’s Impact Wrestling presented by TNA. Kurt is still TNA World Heavyweight champion, I’m TV Champion, but the TV show is Impact Wrestling.”

    What is the status of the TV Title? “I am the longest reigning champion in recent memory (last year or so). I’ve held the TV title longer than any other champion right now. I’ve only had one actual match for it not counting house shows. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve got to do stuff with Scott Baio and go to L.A. I’ve got to meet high level celebrities and hang out with and “wrestle” with them. It’s quite amazing the turnover and how popular the Eric Young gimmick is. There are so many people who love Eric Young and what I’m doing on Television.”

    Young on Danny Bonaduce: “A few years ago, he was the fine line between and insanity. He was a cool guy to meet and basically I beat up a senior citizen.”

    Young on his beard: “I started it a week before hockey playoffs of this year. I live in Nashville. I’m a diehard Predators fan. The Nashville Predators did really well this year, making it to the second round for the first time, and the stadium was packed. It’s a passionate group and it’s cool to be part of that. There’s a lot of questions from people I work with and people that employ me, asking what’s with the beard. The hockey playoffs ended a while ago but every day is the playoffs when you’re the champion.”

    Young on his memories from his early days with TNA: “It’s crazy how fast time goes. I feel like I was signing my first contract on Bobby Roode’s back just a few months ago. We both signed our deals the same day on each other’s backs. We’ve been there ever since. It’s cool to see that he’s getting his just due facing Kurt Angle in the main event of Bound for Glory. It should be fantastic.

    “One of the best days of my life was signing my first contract, to be able to do this for my living. Everybody who has been a wrestling fan since the late ’90s or early 2000’s has probably seen me wrestle. They’ve seen me on a poster or seen me at your local legion cutting my teeth doing the independents and learning my craft and then making it in TNA. Something I set to do when I was 17 years old and now I make my living doing it. I will never take it for granted for as long as I live.”

    Young on his favorite role: “The thing I do right now is probably my favorite thing. I still get a chance to wrestle and be aggressive.

    “Also World Elite. If you’ve followed my career, I got my job here because I’m a good wrestler. I was known as a guy who had good, competitive hard nosed physical matches. I was never funny, I was never the funny guy; I never played a character in my independent days. I was the local champion who they brought guys from TV in to face. Tagging with Kevin Nash was fantastic, we’re still really good friends. I pride myself on being the most versatile wrestler, maybe ever. I’ve played a collage of characters, maybe 6-10 different versions of Eric Young from being afraid of everything to being afraid of nothing to being a leader of World Elite to being a top heel alongside Kurt Angle.

    “I’m a victim of circumstances. World Elite could have gone further but they wanted to put me with Kevin. That was a huge step forward for me. We won the world tag titles. Then Sean Waltman and Scott Hall came in. There was going to be an angle where they turned on me and I would have to fight through them to get to Nash and I would beat him to establish me as a higher-up guy but that never happened because of circumstances. Wrestling fans just like a good product, and whatever I have to do to stay relevant I will. People really like what I’m doing right now. It’s probably the most response I’ve ever got from wrestling. It’s really cool.”

    What has changed the most over the years? Just the growth. You were doing weekly PPV’s where there was 20,000-25,000 people were watching to being nationally televised on Spike TV seen in over 100 countries and over 2 million viewers. We’re the top rated show on Spike, we’re the top rated wrestling show in Europe, huge ratings in Germany, big ratings in many parts of the United States as well. We do shows every weekend to different size crowds – sometimes they’re big, sometimes not so big. But just the growth, in general, taking small steps but constantly moving forward. They’re made pretty much the right decisions to get us to this point.

    Young on a TNA wrestler he’d like to face in the future: “I’ve never done a lot of stuff with Jeff Jarrett. We did a few things on screen but then he got written off and things petered out. Once again my career has been a victim of circumstance. It’s never really been anything I’ve done right or wrong. It’s wrong place, wrong time or right place, right time. Wrestling is constantly changing every single day but you have to roll with the punches to keep it going forward.”

    Young on the Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode match at Bound for Glory: “I must say it’s going to be a top level match. Five stars. Kurt’s on Twitter already guaranteeing that. Bobby Roode is getting his just dues. He’s tied for the best person I’ve ever been in the ring with. I’ve been in the ring with Kurt, with RVD, with Kevin Nash, with Jeff Hardy, all those guys. I’m telling you right now Bobby Roode is going to be a big star and the match will not disappoint.”

    Young on Sting vs. Hogan after all these years: Pro wrestling is interesting that way. This is something that people have wanted to see. They did it in WCW but it was never done properly. They were closer to their prime back then and now they’re getting late in their careers but just the nostalgia for me. Seeing two pros going back and forth on their in-ring’s and just how they handle themselves. It’s amazing to watch and the nostalgia alone will make it worth it for me. I’ve been a wrestling fan since I was five years old.

    Young on whether he holds any animosity towards Jeff Hardy for the Victory Road Incident: “Personally it doesn’t affect me but it does affect the business I love. I get along with Jeff. I’ve travelled with Jeff, I’ve been in the ring with Jeff, I’ve tagged with Jeff. I’ve been out for a couple of nights on the town with Jeff. He’s a good guy, he’s genuinely a good man, but he’s got demons. There are people who have them inside and outside of wrestling. He had problems but I think he’s rectified it. You’re going to see a better Jeff Hardy. He’s got a daughter at home. He stood up and came to a lot of us backstage at the tapings and apologized. He said he was foolish and let us down. I believe him. I believe in second chances and I hope the best for him.”

    Young on whether he has received any word on his own role for Bound for Glory: “I have no idea. I usually don’t know until last minute which is better because I don’t over think it. I would imagine I’m there.”

    The future for Eric Young: “Just going forward and contributing to the company. Anybody who says their satisfied with where they’re at shouldn’t be in this business or is lying to you. I want to be a guy that the company can rely on. I’ve proven it before, I’ve shown it before; and I’m ready to show it again. Whether it’s being the comedy relief for 35 seconds a week or whether it’s doing a match that’s 30 minutes long that people will be talking about for years. I can do both. I feel like maybe I’ll still have a career when I’m 75. Who knows. I would like to be a guy that the company relies on. I want that responsibility and I want to be challenged creatively that way.”

    “Wrestling can change in a blink of an eye. I can go from wrestling Scott Baio at a golf course one month to taking on Bobby Roode at the next Pay-Per-View. And that’s just the way wrestling is. Which is really cool.”

  • Chris Jericho’s WWE Return, Divas Of Doom, Punk-Australia

    – According to sources close to Chris Jericho, the former WWE superstar has been talking to friends lately about returning to the company. There’s no word yet on exactly when he’ll be back, but many people in WWE expect Jericho will be back in early 2012 in time for the build to WrestleMania 28. When Jericho does return, he will most likely be working a reduced schedule.

    – CM Punk noted on Twitter that he’s headed down under to Australia this week for the Nickelodeon’s Australian Kid’s Choice Awards,  which tapes this Friday. Punk is nominated for the “Baddest Baddie” award.

    – Natalya wrote on Twitter that she and Beth Phoenix are working on a a new double-team move called “The Drop of Doom.” She teased, “Coming soon to an arena near you” and posted an image of her and Beth’s action figures performing the move, which you can see here.

  • Video: Rey Mysterio Updates Fans On His Condition

    WWE star Rey Mysterio, who recently underwent two knee surgeries to repair his MCL, posted a video to YouTube on Tuesday updating fans on his condition.

    Mysterio is is already walking on crutches, has begun physical therapy and is expected to be out of action until 2012.

    In the video, Rey talks about his recent surgeries, shows off his new scars and reveals that he’ll be getting some new tattoo work next week.

  • William Regal Comments On The RAW Walkout

    William Regal is the latest WWE superstar to comment on the walkout that took place at the end of Monday’s RAW Supershow.

    Regal wrote the following on Twitter on Tuesday night:

    “Some people have asked about the walkout on Raw.My personal reasons for my action was that I think HHH has enough on his plate being the COO.I know exactly what it takes to be in charge of Raw and it comes at a dear price(or it did with me).HHH is in charge of the WWE.He needs to concentrate on the company as a whole and put a suitable candidate in charge of the Raw brand.

    Although we haven’t had much to do with each other(apart from the odd scuffle)18 years ago myself and HHH where very close. We choose separate paths but my heart went out to him last night as for whatever has happened in our respective lives,we where once friends.

    I don’t agree with the superstars on any of there reasons for walking out on HHH.I just want him to share some of his burden. And I hope this message gets to him and he respects my view.”

  • CM Punk Talks About The Walkout At The End Of RAW

    CM Punk wrote the following on Twitter about the walkout angle that took place at the end of Monday’s RAW:

    “I think a lot of people are missing the point. Fans and coworkers alike. Walking out is a p***y move. There’s a huge difference in what I did. I want change, and I can’t change s*** from my couch. I’m in the fox hole. I’m getting it done. I stayed to fight and I’m fighting for change. You can protest, violently or peacefully without actually showing up. Walking out isn’t a solution at least not one that I’ve ever seen work. Hold ’em up. Make them change. Don’t just walk out, or lay down. Fight.”

    “This goes for fans as well. Bored? Don’t like @johncena? Want more @ZackRyder? Show up and be heard. Don’t be a p***y and just tweet about it. Actions speaks louder than words. Except mine. My words are pretty awesome. No think about all that, and hopefully you’ll get it. Too many tweets from me. Misspellings abound. You CAN’T protest without showing up. I am not Gandhi. I will kick your face. Don’t like HHH as COO? Punch him in the face. I did. It’s wrestling, not the NBA. Next high kick to Johnny “Funkhauser” Ace won’t be an accident.”

  • Hulk Hogan Signs A New TNA Deal, Jeff Hardy Video

    – TNA sources have informed us that Hulk Hogan has signed a new deal with TNA Wrestling. Hogan and Eric Bischoff’s contracts were scheduled to expire next Monday, a week before Bound For Glory. It’s expected that Bischoff also signed a new deal as well.

    – Prior to entering jail earlier this week, TNA star Jeff Hardy was interviewed by Damien Nelson of the Pro Wrestling Report. Hardy discussed his infamous Victory Road match with Sting and more. Check it out here:

  • RAW Rating, Rock Scheduled For 3-Hour RAW & More

    – The ratings are in for Monday’s post-Hell in a Cell RAW Supershow – and WWE is back above the 3.0 mark. The 10/3 edition of RAW drew a 3.05 cable rating, with 4,270,000 viewers. The show did hours of 2.95 and 3.14.

    – The Rock is being advertised on the radio for the next 3-hour WWE RAW Supershow on November 14th from Boston. This will be the go-home show before Survivor Series.

    – WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio is backstage at tonight’s Smackdown tapings from Biloxi, MS and is scheduled to appear on Smackdown. No word yet on what he’ll be doing.

  • CM Punk In Line for A Major Push, Title Run & Possible Movie

    CM Punk In Line For Another WWE Title Run?

    Although it appears that CM Punk’s push has been cooled off in recent weeks, sources say that the straight edge superstar is in line for yet another strong push later this year that will likely include another WWE title run as well as a possible starring role in a WWE Studios movie.

    CM Punk took somewhat of a backseat to John Cena and Alberto Del Rio heading into Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, but with the title off Cena (who is expected to resume his feud with The Rock headed into Survivor Series), CM Punk will once again be placed back in the WWE title hunt and will begin chasing Alberto Del Rio for the title.

    Coming of his surge in popularity earlier this summer, CM Punk has becoming one of the top merchandise movers in the entire company. WWE is looking to capitalize on Punk’s popularity by releasing additional merchandise (including an autobiography) and are considering CM Punk as a leading man for an upcoming WWE Studios movie.

    Overall, WWE officials are said to be very high on Punk right now, with Punk expected to be one of the centerpieces of Monday Night RAW heading into 2012. Despite many questioning whether WWE lost faith on CM Punk, the company is going “all in” on him in the coming months.

    (Partial Source: pwinsider.com)

  • Jeff Hardy Begins His 10-Day Jail Sentence (Mugshot)

    TNA star Jeff Hardy checked into jail yesterday to begin serving his 10-day jail sentence as part of the guilty plea he agreed to stemming from his 2009 drug arrest.

    Hardy was arrested back on 9/11/09 after cops raided his home and found a lot of drugs. Hardy was charged with multiple felonies, but recently struck a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of conspiracy to traffic. In exchange for the guilty plea, he was sentenced to 10 days in jail, 30 months of probation and a $100k fine.

    Sources close to Hardy told TMZ over the weekend, Jeff wanted to get his jail sentence over with, so he showed up to jail on Monday morning. The 34-year-old Hardy, who took a new mug shot upon arrival to the jail, was listed at 6’1″ and 215 lbs.

  • Video Of The Closing Segment From Monday’s RAW

    In case you missed it on RAW, check out this video of the WWE roster voting “No Confidence” regarding Triple H’s role as COO before walking out on him at the end of RAW:

  • Big Main Event Planned For Survivor Series

    The Rock Returns to the ring at Survivor Series

    EXCLUSIVE: Which Big Names are Planned for the Huge Survivor Series Match This Year?

    It’s already been announced that The Rock will be making his in-ring return to WWE at Survivor Series for the first time since WrestleMania 20 – as he teams with his scheduled WrestleMania 28 opponent John Cena.

    According to a reliable source who has provided us with several accurate scoops in previous months, Rock and Cena will be teaming together as part of a blockbuster main event match at Survivor Series that will see a “Team WWE” vs. “Team Anti-WWE.”

    The anti-WWE team is not fully known at this time but will feature “future endeavored” superstars such as Kevin Nash, The Miz and R-Truth. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has also been rumored to be a member of the Anti-WWE team.

    Team WWE would feature The Rock, John Cena, Triple H and at least one more “mega star” – with The Undertaker and even “Stone Cold” Steve Austin discussed as possible participants.

    While Steve Austin coming out of retirement for this match is a long shot, Austin’s involvement would take the star power and signifcance of this match to unprecedented heights.

    Our source was quoted as saying, “The Rock and Cena feud has been featured on screen and on twitter. Stone Cold and Punk rivalry has been acknowledged as well, it would be a great fit they get everyone together.”

    The source did say they feel if Austin was to be on this team with Punk at Survivor Series, the chances of him performing in a big singles match at WrestleMania 28 would e significantly. Austin has never ruled out getting in the ring again but wants things to be the right situation. The Undertaker would be the more likely option as most in the company are expecting him to come back sometime in the next couple months to get ready for WrestleMania.

  • Tonight’s Tapings, Lilian & Maria’s Post-RAW Video Show

    – Tonight’s WWE SmackDown and NXT tapings will take place from the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi.

    WWE announced on RAW that the Big Show will return to SmackDown this week and will confront World Heavyweight champion Mark Henry.

    The dark match main event being advertised for the tapings is Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton in a Lumberjack Match.

    For fans attending tonight’s taping, WWE sponsor The National Guard will have the Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 NASCAR car in the parking lot on display.

    – WWE returns to Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, December 17th. A ticket pre-sale begins this Wednesday morning. The pre-sale code is WWERYDER.

    – Former WWE divas Lilian Garcia and Maria Kanellis took part in a post-RAW video show on Monday night along with former WWE creative team member Dave Lagana. You can watch their video show here:

  • Jim Ross, Morrison, Ryder & WWE Insider’s RAW Tweets

    Jim Ross, Zack Ryder, John Morrison and the “WWE Insider” are among the people who tweeted about RAW last night. Here’s what they wrote:

    Jim Ross:

    “I gave my thoughts to wwe.com about why I supported the team & my peers. When a ‘coach’ loses his locker room something as to be done. Sorry. I can handle the venom from some of you. Reluctantly did what I thought had to be done. 2nd thoughts? Of course. Nx wk’s OKC raw puzzling.

    I feel o don’t have to defend myself for being brought back to Raw. Why did I ever leave? Did what I thought was right. Hated it nonetheless. Love the nay Sayers who curse me re: HHH ‘bringing me back.’ why did I leave raw? Exactly. I love HHH but he has to make changes. I won’t apologize for doing what I think is right. Getting my job back excuse doesn’t flush. Why was I removed in 1st place? Child please.

    WWE is a cluster. Let’s wrestle, ok ? I leave & I’m a bad guy? Smarten up people. You lose locker room & things have 2 b addressed. Fix it.”

    Zack Ryder:

    “Pinned @HEELZiggler 2 weeks in a row and not in the #Raw main event this week? #areyouseriousbro?”

    WWE Insider:

    “Just spoke with John Laurinaitis. Before I even asked a question he said ‘I had no idea that was going to happen.’ #Raw

    “Just spoke to Triple H. Head held high. Defiant. Powerful. Maybe it’s because he’d just Pedigreed @ZackRyder #Raw”

    John Morrison:

    “Thoughts I had tonight during RAW tonight in Lafayette…Damn, I just got my ass kicked… I wonder if John Laurintis’s current promo work is any indication of his aptitude as a wrestler during past in ring endeavor… HHH says we work for the WWE universe. Hmmm, yup, I agree with that… I wonder if he’s going to mention my birthday… nope.

    If the WWE universe is paying our checks maybe the pay scale among us independent contractors should be a bit more evenly distributed…maybe forming a union is a good idea… all other entertainment and sporting entities have them…getting an individual health insurance policy after neck surgery is not easy…I wonder if HHH has an individual health insurance plan, or gets group coverage because he’s classified as an employee…

    Wait a minute, when did we nominate @wadebarrett to speak on our behalf? … haha, Barrett talks like a pirate…
    I like chaos! If they all leave & I stay, maybe HHH & I could do 5 backstage segments, an in ring promo, and an hour match next week! who am I kidding, HHH is a narcissist. He doesn’t think I’m at his level- His main concern is positioning himself as the center of attention …maybe walking out will get HHH to realize he can’t do this alone, the WWE Universe wants to see different people in the mix…there’s a roster full of superstars that want chaos, that want the ball, that want to be on the road at every WWE event…

    …the past is always afraid of the future… HHH’s ego is hungry. He’s got a steak dinner every Monday night- but if he thinks his ego’s gonna snack elsewhere; I’m gonna eat his lunch!”

  • Why Top Superstars Skipped RAW Walkout, Rey Mysterio News

    – Many fans probably realized during the closing segment on RAW that many top babyface stars (John Cena, CM Punk, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Mason Ryan, Eve Torres and Kelly Kelly) were not at ringside for the walkout.

    According to a WWE source, writers knew that fans would boo the Superstars who walked out on Triple H and did not want to put that negative heat on their top babyfaces.

    – Rey Mysterio, who recently underwent another surgery on his PCL, tweeted on Monday that he had his first therapy session yesterday. Mysterio is expected to miss the rest of the year.

    (Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

  • Hogan vs. Sting Stipulation, BFG In Theaters & More

    – TNA issued a press release on Monday with movie theater company Screenvision providing new details on TNA Bound For Glory being shown in over 100 movie theaters across the United States. The theater showing of Bound For Glory is being presented by TNA’s new sponsor, Direct Auto Insurance. All fans who watch Bound For Glory in the theater will receive a free 2011 Bound For Glory t-shirt.

    During the press release, it was revealed that Hulk Hogan vs. Sting at Bound For Glory will be a No Disqualification match.

    – Speaking of Hogan, he’s been added to the Main Event ticket for TNA’s Bound For Glory Fan Fest on October 15th in Philadelphia.

  • Video From After RAW: Triple H & Zack Ryder

    After Monday’s RAW Supershow went off the air, WWE COO Triple H was left standing in the ring alone, when “Ohhh Radiooo” hit and Zack Ryder came to ringside.

    Ryder said he changed his mind about walking out on Triple H and started filming footage for his Z! True Long Island Story video show. Hunter played along for a minute before nailing Ryder with a Pedigree.

    Hunter left the ring, leaving Ryder scrambling for his video camera and filming Hunter as he walked to the back.

    WWE posted the following video on Youtube of What Happened After RAW (10/3):

  • Video Trailer For Lesnar vs. Overeem (UFC 141)

    On December 30th, two of the most devastating heavyweight fighters in MMA history will go face to face at UFC 141, when former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar returns to the octagon and goes to war with former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

    UFC 141 takes place on Saturday, December 30th, 2011 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

  • WHAT DID YOU THINK OF MONDAY’S RAW?

    We want to know what you thought about Monday’s RAW Supershow.

    COMMENT BELOW

  • WCW Legends In WWE ’12, Boxer Getting WWE Tryout & More

    — The official roster for the upcoming WWE ’12 video game is currently being finalized and will be announced by THQ next week. The new WWE video game franchise will reportedly feature many “WCW Legends.”

    — WWE COO Triple H will be on the cover of the next issue of WWE Magazine.

    — Pro boxer Monte Barrett, who is friends with John Cena and has said publicly that he wants to become a WWE superstar, will begin training at WWE developmental later this month.

    At one point, it was also discussed that Barrett wanted to fight former opponent David Tua in a boxing match at WrestleMania 28.

  • Foley To Make A Major Announcement, Big Show On SmackDown

    — Mick Foley tweeted on Monday night that he’ll be making a major announcement on Tuesday morning:

    “I am now announcing that I will be making a MAJOR (non-WWE) announcement on @Opieradio at 8:23 am tomorrow. Tune in to O&A for this shocker!”

    — Big Show will be returning to WWE at tomorrow night’s SmackDown taping from Biloxy, MI. When the announcement was made on RAW, WWE announcers questioned what would happen when Big Show goes face to face with World Heavyweight champion Mark Henry.

    Mark Henry said on RAW that Big Show’s return will be “short lived.”

  • Report: Ortunga & Jennifer Hudson’s Marriage On Hold

    Mediatakeout.com is reporting that WWE superstar David Otunga’s wedding to entertainer Jennifer Hudson has been put on hold – and a prenuptial agreement could be the reason.

    According to their source (one of Jennifer Hudson’s family members):

    “[David] didn’t want to sign a prenup, and so they put the wedding on hold.”

    From our experience a few stories we’ve come across from Media Takeout have turned out to be inaccurate (“Shocking Rumor: Eminem to Join WWE”), so we’ll look into this story and post an update when we have more information.

    Check out these pictures of David Otunga and Jennifer Hudson:

  • Lashley’s Next MMA Fight Announced, Still Wants To Fight Batista

    Former WWE and TNA star Bobby Lashley’s next MMA fight has been announced. Lashley (5-1) will face Darrill Schoonover (11-5) on November 11th for a Shark Fights card in Lubbock, Texas.

    During an interview with Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Lashley spoke about working his way back up the MMA ranks after an unimpressive run in Strikeforce.

    “I believe [Strikeforce CEO Scott] Coker said this, he said he doesn’t believe that I want it … I have all the respect in the world for Coker, and he may have been right. Maybe I wasn’t ready for Strikeforce at the time. …I didn’t have everything together and I wasn’t training the way I should have.”

    Lashley also resumed talk about a possible ‘dream fight’ between himself and former WWE star Dave Batista. Lashley acknowledged that a fight between two former pro wrestlers might turn of some MMA fight fans, but still wants to make the fight happen.

    “If we do the fight, let’s do winner-take-all. Let’s put one purse up there, winner takes all.”

    “I’d love to fight Dave. I guess that’s a super fight and that’s a fight for maybe the wrestling fans. I don’t know how well the MMA community would take it. I guess they would just sort of shrug their shoulders and say, ‘whatever,’ but I know it’s a fight that a lot of wrestling fans would love to see.”

    For more on Bobby Lashley’s interview with Ariel Helwani, check out MMAFighting.com.

  • Lawler Returning Tonight, Live News From HIAC, Jericho-HIAC

    – WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler announced on Monday afternoon that he’s en route to Cajundome and will be back on RAW tonight:

    “Just landed in Lafayette, LA… driving now to the Cajundome!  I’m ready & excited to be back on #Raw tonight!!”

    “Re: Cole’s wise-ass (no pun intended) remark about anal bleeding… no one would know more about anal conditions than @MichaelCole! #Raw”

    “Cole’s proctologist called…they found his head! Maybe tonight, Cole will suffer some ORAL bleeding when I punch him in the mouth! #Raw”

    – There was no dark match after last night’s WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. CM Punk shook hands with John Cena and that was it.

    – Evan Bourne, David Otunga, Cody Rhodes and Intercontinental Title were some of the terms trending worldwide on Twitter last night during WWE Hell in a Cell.

    – Zack Ryder has joined the list of top 10 WWE merchandise movers with names like CM Punk, Sin Cara, John Cena and Rey Mysterio, based on recent numbers from their shop website.

    – The WWE’s @WWEInsider Twitter account posted the following after Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view:

    “Cops are now talking with John Laurinaitis. Triple H has left the building. Many Superstars are saying they’re very concerned.”

    – Chris Jericho had the following to say about the Hell in a Cell PPV on Twitter:

    “Tremendous ending of the HIAC ppv last night! Reminded me of an old Bill Watts UWF tv taping… @JRsBBQ”