Check out this video of a battle royal at a recent live WWE event from Maryland’s Show Place Arena.

Zack Ryder is apparently now experimenting with an Ultimate Warrior gimmick – the Ultimate Broski.

Are you feeling the power of the Ultimate Broski?

Monday’s episode of RAW was newsworthy to say the least ..

– The show opened with the finals of the WWE Championship tournament – which saw Rey Mysterio defeat Rey Mysterio to win the WWE Championship.

– Triple H gave his “State of WWE” address and announced that Mysterio would defend his newly won championship later in the show against John Cena.

– Jim Ross returned to the RAW announcer’s table, in one of the first changes to WWE by the new CEO, Triple H.

– John Morrison returned and attacked R-Truth. Morrison had been sidelined since May after undergoing surgery to correct a pinched nerve in his neck.

– Zack Ryder got his first win on RAW, defeating Michael Cole in a quick match set up by Triple H.

– John Cena defeated Rey Mysterio in a PPV-caliber match to become new WWE champion, ending Mysterio’s hour-long reign.

– CM Punk returned at the end of the show (with new theme music) and had a Champion vs. Champion staredown with John Cena.

It looks like we’ve got our SummerSlam main event.

What did you think about Monday’s episode of WWE RAW – Triple H’s first night as the CEO of WWE?

– Rey Mysterio defeated Rey Mysterio to win the WWE Championship, but was forced to defend the title against John Cena later in the show – who defeated Mysterio to become new champion.

– CM Punk returned at the end of the show for a Champion vs. Champion staredown with John Cena. This will most likely be settled in a unification match at SummerSlam.

– Jim Ross returned to the WWE announcer’s booth

– Zack Ryder got his first win on RAW, defeating Michael Cole in a quick match

COMMENT BELOW and tell us what you thought of RAW!

Last week on RAW, it was announced that Triple H is now in charge of WWE ..

We want to know what you think about whether there with a noticeable change with the television product.

What changes do you want to see?

COMMENT BELOW and voice your opinion!

– The Miz is being advertised to appear on Wednesday’s episode of Lopez Tonight. The program airs at midnight on TBS.

— WWE will be touring Georgia this December. Dates and locations are as follows: December 3 at the Entertainment Complex in Augusta; December 4 at the Civic Center in Columbus; December 5 at the Civic Center in Albany.

— John Cena has responded to The Rock saying he would be at the Survivor Series. Cena tweeted on Monday:

“Dear Dwayne, excited that you are thinking of attending Survivor Series in MSG. You can buy your ticket on September 10th. See you there.”

The 25th annual Survivor Series takes place Sunday, November 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

After recently hinting / threatening that he’ll be seeing John Cena before their match at WrestleMania 28, The Rock has now confirmed his next WWE television appearance.

The Rock announced on Twitter (@TheRock) on Monday:

“Cena fans: Please stop tweeting me to stop being ‘mean’ to John. If you think I’m mean now, just wait (until) Survivor Series in NYC.”

The Rock recently posted a video online hinting that he’ll be seeing Cena at a ‘historic’ arena – and Madison Square Garden certainly fits the bill.

To see that video – click here.

• UPDATE: John Cena Responds To The Rock’s Announcement

Former WWE star Bobby Lashley’s upcoming MMA fight for Titan Fighting Championships has been cancelled – and there are conflicting reports as to how the fight fell through.

Titan FC claimed last week Lashley pulled out of the July 29 fight due to “personal reasons” and would be fighting on the next Titan card in August – but Lashley wrote the following on Facebook over the weekend – claiming that he never agreed to fight for Titan this month:

“For the record I was in Japan when the news broke about this July fight. I did not pull out of a fight because I did not schedule a fight. To this point in my career I have been just taking fights without a training camp which I have regretted. Lately I had been looking diligently to create a proper camp and find a good coach here in Denver. When I do, I will be training completely and fighting often.”

Lashley has since followed up with the following clarification:

“I really didn’t want my last comment to be taken wrong. I just really want to be ready for my next fight. I will announce my next fight here.”

“The Dominator’s” professional MMA record currently stands at 6-1.

TNA star Rob Van Dam was recently interviewed by The Miami Herald and had a lot of critical things to say about his time with the promotion thus far. Here are some highlights of what RVD said about:

Young Talent Not Asking Him For Advice: “I feel like I get respect, but not in that way. I’m open to it. Most of the guys, I don’t know if they don’t feel welcome to ask me or any of the other veterans or what. That is probably an issue that we have is the young guys should ask some of the older guys. They should be saying, ‘Hey, watch my match. Let me know what I can improve on.’ That never happens enough. Some of the young guys who are or were there, I don’t want to mention any names. There were two young guys who just left and looked like they were out of high school. The whole time they were there, they never introduced themselves or shook my hand. Things are way different than they used to be.”

Being Misused In TNA: “I can’t say that I have been utilized to the fullest. I’d say very much not, but I don’t want that to come off as a complaint because I really like my deal with TNA. I’m very professional and there for whatever they need me to do. Having said that, I still care about my character and my career, and I’m very easy to get along with.”

TNA’s Lack of Brand Recognition:  “We don’t have it. We have less than a handful of third party licensees, where as the big companies like with WCW there were a lot more. When they were around, they had a couple a hundred licensees. We need to get the TNA Impact Wrestling brand out there. ”

“The most common comment I hear every day from fans that spot me for the first time at a restaurant, mall or beach. The one comment I get is, ‘RVD, you’re my favorite wrestler. What happened? Are you not wrestling anymore? Why did you retire?’ I get that all the time. It’s not a bad downside for the deal I have, but it’s something I put up with. I’m always like an ambassador. I would say, ‘You got Spike TV? The show is on Thursday nights at 9.’”

“That tells me there is a void there, where a lot of wrestling fans have yet to catch onto this product. Brand recognition is so important. When I was with WWE, people would have me sign merchandise that I didn’t even know existed. I would go, ‘What the f—? There is an RVD outlet cover for your wall? I had no idea.’”

“With TNA, unfortunately right now, we are dealing with T-shirts, action figures, trading cards and then a few key chains or something. That is all we got. We have a handheld game, I guess. I don’t think that many people know about it. Then we have a big void. I’m hoping at this weekend at the Comic-Con in San Diego that the TNA office will meet some third party licensees.”

Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia and will feature the finals of the WWE Championship tournament between Rey Mysterio and The Miz.

After his return to WWE television last week, Triple H is also being advertised for tonight’s RAW.

Former WWE champion CM Punk is currently on hiatus, but he’s still being advertised for tonight’s show by the Hampton Coliseum website. One might assume that the RAW preview that advertises an appearance from Punk is outdated, but it has actually been updated to the news of Vince McMahon stepping down:

“He had a Vision … and created an Empire, a Global Phenomenon … but, for Vincent Kennedy McMahon, it’s … All … Over. This Monday, the Game has changed and HHH is in Charge. In The WWE Championship Tournament finals, The High-Flying, Ultimate Underdog, Rey Mysterio Battles the Self-Proclaimed most must see Superstar, The Miz. Who will be the first WWE Champion in the post McMahon Era? Also there: John Cena, CM Punk, Money In The Bank Winner Alberto Del Rio, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, “The All American-American” Jack Swagger, Dolph, Ziggler, Santino Marella,Vladimir Kozlov, Kelly Kelly, The Bella’s, Zack Ryder and MANY, MANY MORE!!!*Card subject to change”

This week is the annual Comic Con fan convention in San Diego, California.

As you probably read here on the site yesterday, former WWE superstar CM Punk crashed WWE’s Comic Con presentation – and got into a verbal battle with Triple H (VIDEO).

If you thought the video footage was good – you’ve gotta see these pictures we just saw over at Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle blog. Their correspondent Hollywood Charlie took some exclusive high-resolution pictures of Punk’s surprise appearance.

Click the image below to see the full gallery … CM Punk! CM Punk!!

– SmackDown’s Money in the Bank winner Daniel Bryan has been training with Neil Melanson, the head grappling coach at the Xtreme Couture MMA school based out of Las Vegas. Bryan said he’ll be incorporating some new submission holds into his in-ring offense in the coming weeks:

“Just finished a grappling session with Neil Melanson. Expect more and more submissions all the time on Friday Night Smackdown!”

– Former WWE champion John Cena wrote the following on Twitter on Thursday regarding his match against The Rock next year at WrestleMania and Vince McMahon being forced out of power by WWE’s board of directors:

“CeNation. Back to work and so happy. Rock, you got you’re wish. Ill be there April 1, just make sure you bring it. ….I also wouldn’t count VKM out yet. I know he was emotional on mon, but doesn’t seem the type to just ‘give up’. Time will tell.”

– Joey Styles noted on Twitter earlier this week that he’d be returning to the announcing booth on Thursday, which led to speculation that he’d be joining the announcing team of WWE Superstars. As it turns out, Styles is not joining Superstars – and instead called a mock match on Zack Ryder’s latest Z! True Long Island Story video show.

As the coach of Tough Enough and one of the biggest superstars in the history of the industry, it’s safe to say that WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has an eye for talent.

In a tweet posted on Thursday night, Austin urges WWE to sign TNA star Samoa Joe when he becomes a free agent and give him a chance to shine:

“WWE should sign @SamoaJoe as soon as his TNA contract is up. One of my favorite workers in today’s game. Needs a full green light push.”

UPDATE: Samoa Joe has responded to Steve Austin’s suggestion that WWE sign him when he becomes a free agent. Joe tweeted on Friday morning:

“@steveaustinBSR Much appreciated. *tips cap”

Update #2: Jim Ross Comments On Samoa Joe In WWE

What do you think – with CM Punk’s recent explosion in popularity and WWE finally pushing smaller stars like The Miz Daniel Bryan, could Samoa Joe make it to the top of the WWE Universe?

At last week’s WWE Supershow from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara went at it ..

See what happens when these two Mexican legends square off ..

– As previously reported, there are people in WWE who are very interested in bringing in experienced soap opera writers to join the company’s creative tam. One of the big reasons behind this push is that the soap opera industry is in very bad shape and they can likely sign some talented writers for much les than they could have 2-3 years ago. Additionally, WWE wants to improve its storylines and present compelling personal conflicts. An example of this would be the Vince McMahon – Triple H segment that ended this week’s RAW. (Source: Wrestling Observer)

– Former WWE star Chris Jericho’s heavy metal band Fozzy will be performing at the upcoming interPLAY music festival on August 6th in Ft. McMurray, Alberta, Canada.

– A new trailer has been released for Steve Austin’s next straight-to-DVD (and Blu-ray) action movie, Tactical Force, in stores on August 9th. Here’s the movie synopsis and video trailer:

“A training exercise for the LAPD SWAT Team goes terribly wrong when they find themselves pitted against two rival gangs while trapped in an abandoned Hangar.”

Credit to reader Zelda Root for the following WWE SmackDown tapings results from Minneapolis, Minnesota, set to air this Friday on SyFy:

* SmackDown opens with Randy Orton sitting on a chair in the ring with the mic. He talks about the current state of the WWE. He calls out Christian and here comes the World Heavyweight Champion. Christian says Randy needs to work on his anger problem. They go back and forth for a bit, until Orton gets pissed and heads up the ramp only to be stopped by Teddy Long. Long says Randy will get a rematch but not tonight as he’s already agreed to face Kane in a street fight. He asks Orton to be the bigger man and walk away but Orton goes for Christian. The officials restrain him and Long informs Christian he’ll be facing Ezekiel Jackson after the break.

* World Champion Christian beat Intercontinental Champion Ezekiel Jackson with the Killswitch after a back and forth match with mixed crowd reaction for Christian. Anyone remember when these two faced off for who would be remembered as the last ever ECW Champion? Me neither.

* Michael Cole is in the ring and invites Smackdown’s Mr. Money in the Bank, Daniel Bryan out. He comes out and Cole rips him for a while. Bryan says he doesn’t care what Cole thinks. Bryan talks about the physical sacrifices he’s made to get to the WWE. Bryan says he’s going to the first champion to announce when he’s going to cash in ahead of time because apparently he’s never heard of Rob Van Dam. He announces he’s cashing in April 1st in Miami at WrestleMania and fulfill his lifetime dream. Out comes Heath Slater for some unfathomable reason. He gives a heel promo and they start a match. I’m guessing there will be commercials during this match.

* Daniel Bryan beat Heath Slater with some submission move I didn’t recognize (not the LaBelle Lock). This was a pretty decent match considering Heath Slater was involved. The crowd liked Bryan but Heath’s involvement minimized crowd reaction somewhat.

* Matt Striker interviews Mark Henry backstage. Mark Henry says he has no regrets and everyone should fear him.

* Wade Barrett and Sheamus went to a double count out. They continued brawling after the match and eventually ended up back in the ring where Barrett ate a Brogue Kick. Seemed like Sheamus may be in the midst of a slow face turn.

* Kane gives a backstage promo saying he’ll use Randy Orton to kill his humanity and be a monster again.

* Randy Orton beat Kane in a street fight after an RKO onto a chair. Match saw Kane kick out of an RKO and Randy kick out of a chokeslam. Crowd was much more into this match than anything preceding it. Afterward Kane offered his hand and Randy shook it. Kane looked devastated by the loss.

Mark Henry came out and attacked Kane, doing the splash onto the chair around the ankle that he did to Big Show at MITB. Refs came to check on Kane and I assume this was the end of the TV taping.

During an interview on Thursday with the Albany Herald, TNA star Ric Flair announced that he will be returning to the ring once again in September.

Flair’s next match for TNA will take place at the No Surrender pay-per-view – but his opponent won’t be decided until Hardcore Justice next month. Flair told the Herald:

“I don’t know for sure, but it will be either Sting or Kurt Angle. It just depends on whoever wins between them on Aug. 6. You got the scoop right there, brother.”

• Check Out: Pictures From Ric Flair’s Bachelor Party – WHOOO!!

Aside from Sting vs. Angle for the TNA Championship, also confirmed for Hard Justice on 8/7 is Mexican America vs. Beer Money for the TNA Tag Team Titles.

We’ve gotta ask – what do you think about Flair getting back in the ring again? Who would you rather see Flair wrestle – Sting or Kurt Angle? Should this be Flair’s final match? Comment Below.

Monday Night Mayhem Recap with Eric Bischoff
Hosted By The Big Mos & “The Chairman Of The Board” Todd Vincent
Heard LIVE Monday Evenings @ 7PM ET/6PM CT

IMPACT Wrestling’s Eric Bischoff was one of the featured guests on this week’s live edition of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem. You can feel The Mayhem every Monday evening (at 7PM ET/6PM CT), exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network.

You can listen to Bischoff’s appearance on The Mayhem by clicking here (MP3).

Here are some highlights from the interview:

What wrestling fans can expect from the X-Division now that the Destination X Pay-Per-View has come & gone:

“One of the things that confused/frustrated me when i first got here was the X-Division. One of the things I first talked about in creative meetings was ‘What is the X-Division? Can someone please define it to me?’ It really never got a straight answer. One of the things we have realized in the last couple of weeks is that everyone knows that in the X-Division, that style of wrestling works really well, but it’s incumbent on us, as producers, if we want to showcase that style of wrestling to clearly define it in a way that fans can understand, and then have the discipline to stick with it.”

Whether the upcoming iMPACT Wrestling TV tapings (in Huntsville, AL, Knoxville, TN, & Macon, GA) should be seen as an experimental trial by TNA & Spike TV or something that will be an long-term investment for the viewing audience:

“It’s a little bit of both. We knew when we went on the road last March that we wanted to prove a point. We wanted to show people that we could pull it off from a financial point of view. We wanted to prove to the network that it would have an impact on the overall quality of the show, and we were successful, which led to what we are going to do this fall. Hopefully, what we do this fall is going to prove that it has long-term viability & sustainability. And if we are successful, as we were in March, my hope individually is Spike TV & the executives at TNA decide that this is the best strategy for this brand. I think that’s the one thing that will change the trajectory of this brand * this company for the better, and it is taking the show on the road.”

What he feels would be the market for a proposed Hulk Hogan/Sting in-ring showdown and why, if it happened, could be a “phenomenal event”:

“It’s hard to say. It’s a little bit early, but if you look at the fan reaction to the storyline so far, I would have to say that the market would be pretty good for it. I think you have got two icons, two of the biggest names in the history of the business, who are probably nearing the end of their respective careers. I think naturally people would love to see that match for a lot of reasons. There will be some that probably does not want to see that match for their own reasons, but I think the storyline will ultimately dictate how big the market is for that match. Given the performances that we have seen out of Hulk Hogan & Sting as of late, I’ve got high expectations. If everything else is right, and Hulk is feeling it, and he’s in good enough shape, and Sting is feeling it and really wants it, I think it could be a phenomenal event if it occurs.”

– Scott Hall’s 20-year-old son Cody is currently training to be a pro wrestler at the I Believe in Wrestling school in Orlando, Florida.

– The reason John Laurinaitis was with Vince McMahon at Money in the Bank for the run-in is because Vince has been told by his doctors not to take any bumps, according to the Wrestling Observer. 

– As we reported earlier this week, the storyline of CM Punk leavin with the WWE championship is expected to continue off television. Punk’s name will not be mentioned on WWE television and WWE stars have been told not to acknowledge Punk if they do any interviews. That said, WWE has been working to get Punk booked for appearances on late night television shows, high-profile radio interviews and more.

Punk’s next public appearance will be at the San Diego Comic Con event this week.

WWE’s Internet champion is back with another installment of his Z! True Long Island Story:

UFC president Dana White recently wrote on Twitter that he visited WWE headquarters in Stanford, Connecticut for a meeting with Vince McMahon.

During an interview with USA Today to promote the UFC’s return to the Philadelphia market, White said that he looks up to Vince McMahon in many ways.

While he did not divulge specific details as to the nature of the meeting, White said that he emulates WWE’s business model and called Vince “the guy that basically created the pay-per-view market.”

There has been recent talk that WWE and the UFC would be working together in some capacity on a merchandising deal involving Brock Lesnar, so its possible this is one of the matters discussed during the meeting of the kings of the pay-per-view industry.

White also spoke about Brock Lesnar’s condition in the interview, saying the former UFC heavyweight champion is recovering from his latest bout with diverticulitis and expects to see him fighting again next January.

Earlier this week, it was announced that WWE star Sin Cara has been suspended for 30 days due to a violation of the company’s Wellness policy.

• To catch up on all the news regarding Sin Cara’s suspension, head over to our Sin Cara news page.

During an interview with Mexican newspaper The Record, Sin Cara has made his first public comments regarding the situation.

According to Sin Cara, WWE management recently informed him that he had a drug test and tested positive for steroids. Sin Cara said he asked WWE for more information. He added that many medications contain steroids and could result in a violation – and he believes that it’s possible an injection given to him by a doctor is what resulted in the failed drug test.

He stated he would be meeting with Vince McMahon to discuss the issue.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read it its entirety over at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

The Vince McMahon Angle On RAW: “It certainly sets up numerous, new, storyline opportunities which will hopefully be capitalized upon in the near and long term future. What changes will be made under HHH’s watch, if any, and how will those assumed changes affect the presentation of WWE’s top TV priority?”

“As a fan and after working with and for Mr. McMahon for many years, I simply can’t see the sports entertainment visionary “going quietly into the night.” That’s TBD I assume and will be one of the catalysts that encourage fans to tune into Raw Monday night. ”

The Vacant WWE Championship:  “At least we do know that a new, WWE champion will be crowed Monday night between Rey Mysterio and the Miz. Tough spot for both to be in considering that CM Punk won the WWE Title in the ring against the former champion John Cena. Whoever wins between Mysterio and Miz or even the MITB winner Alberto Del Rio, will be standing in the shadow of Punk who has left the company and apparently has zero plans to return in the immediate future of which I am aware.”

Sin Cara’s Wellness Violation & Suspension: “What happened to Sin Cara? According to the WWE website, Cara violated the rules of the Wellness Program which resulted in him receiving a 30 day suspension. Some fans didn’t even know what the Wellness Program is and the best way that I can explain it is that the Wellness Program is essentially WWE’s drug policy. Very unfortunate for the fans, WWE, and especially for the Talent. I like and endorse ‘2nd chances’ if they are deserved and desired by all parties. Time will tell on this one.”

– As we’ve been reporting, Sin Cara’s Wellness violation actually occurred back in June, despite the fact it took almost a month for WWE to announce his suspension. One story going around is that Sin Cara told WWE that he could produce a prescription for the substance he tested positive for, but was unable to do so after several weeks. As you can imagine, management is said to be very disappointed with the situation.

– Some of the commemorative CM Punk t-shirts that sold out at Sunday’s WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view are going for over $500 on eBay this week.

– There are many people in both WWE and Ring of Honor that suspect that the two companies have some sort of a working agreement in place,.

Sources insist that some of the things CM Punk spoke about in his infamous RAW promo a few weeks back will start finding their way onto WWE TV soon. For example, Punk talked about Triple H taking over and he began that storyline on this week’s RAW. Punk also mentioned John Laurinaitis and Colt Cabana, both who appeared on WWE TV in the past week. While Cabana wasn’t named by the announcers, he was shown at ringside on Money in the Bank and was photographed with Punk and the WWE Title in Chicago after the pay-per-view.

For what its worth, Cabana has told at least one indy promotion that he’s worked regularly with that he’s not taking any more bookings with them after next month.

(Source: f4wonline.com)