Here’s a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown on SyFy, taped Tuesday night from Lexington, Kentucky:
– Sheamus vs. The Great Khali
– Natalya vs. AJ Lee
– Daniel Bryan vs. Tyson Kidd
– Zack Ryder vs. Ezekiel Jackson
– Mark Henry vs. Vladimir Kozlov
– The Usos & Trent Baretta vs. JTG, Michael McGillicutty & David Otunga
– Randy Orton & John Morrison vs. R-Truth & Christian
We’ll also get a new SummerSlam match announced.
Here are detailed spoiler results for tonight’s WWE SmackDown on SyFy, taped Tuesday night from Lexington, Kentucky. Credit to Wrestling News World for this recap:
* It’s announced that Sheamus will face Mark Henry at SummerSlam but tonight he’ll face The Great Khali.
* Sheamus b. The Great Khali
* Natalya b. AJ and continues the assault after the match.
* Debuting new music, Daniel Bryan vs. Tyson Kidd. Winner via LeBell Lock, Daniel Bryan.
* Zack Ryder comes out with WWE Intercontinental Champion Ezekiel Jackson. Ryder gets on the mic and Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase interrupt. Teddy Long ends up coming out and informs Ryder he will face Jackson up next.
* WWE Intercontinental Champion Ezekiel Jackson b. Zack Ryder.
* Triple H comes out and ends up giving Zack Ryder the Pedigree off-camera. VIDEO:
* Mark Henry b. Vladimir Kozlov. Henry goes ballastic after the match which brings Sheamus out for the save.
* WWE Tag Team Champions David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty & JTG b. The Usos & Trent Baretta
* World Heavyweight Champion Christian & R-Truth b. Randy Orton & John Morrison when Christian pinned Orton.
– As we’ve been reporting in recent weeks, it appears that hardcore legend Mick Foley is on his way back to WWE. According to a reliable source in WWE, Foley is interested in working a match at next year’s WrestleMania 28 pay-per-view from Miami. When Foley was granted his release from TNA, part of the agreement was that he could not appear on WWE TV until his contract would have expired, which is in September.
– WWE’s website has posted a series of in-character video interviews with John Cena and CM Punk to promote their upcoming WWE Title unification match at the SummerSlam pay-per-view.
In one of the videos, Punk talks about some of the changes he wants to see in WWE now that he’s decided to return to the company – including seeing people like Zack Ryder, Dolph Ziggler and the WWE divas getting more television time.
– Speaking of Punk, we’ve got some backstage news on his recent promo work. WWE management is breaking from the norm once again with Punk – giving him the basic framework for his promos – but not over-scripting them as they do with most of the WWE talent. Prior to Monday’s RAW, punk was practicing his return promo in the back and going over it with a few other wrestlers.
– Jack Swagger’s wife and former WWE developmental Diva Catalina White is pregnant with the couple’s first child.
Check Out: Pictures of Catalina White – Jack Swagger’s Wife
(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
During Thursday’s WWE investor conference call, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon spoke about The Rock’s impact on the company’s second quarter financial results, namely WrestleMania 28, which generated over $28 million in revenues.
McMahon announced that The Rock will be appearing at “multiple” pay-per-view events aside from WrestleMania 28.
The Rock announced last month that he’ll be appearing at the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series in November to confront John Cena, who he will wrestle at WrestleMania 28.
McMahon mentioned that The Rock’s involvement at Wrestlemania 28 have resulted in demand for WM28 travel packages being stronger than usual – selling out in just two days.
While there was talk of The Rock appearing at SummerSlam in some capacity, scheduling conflicts prevented that from happening.
Former WWE Superstar Edge did a media call this week to promote his upcoming appearances on the hit SyFy show Haven.
Here are some highlights of what Edge said about:
Returning To WWE:
– He doesn’t know if he wants to but hasn’t been contacted by WWE. He feels it’s too soon at this point to return and says he stuck around for a bit after first retiring for the Christian storyline.
– Edge said he’s not in contact with WWE. He said it’s nothing personal, everyone is just busy. He still keeps in contact with his friends who are on the road.
Appearing At SummerSlam:
– He will be appearing at SummerSlam Axxess but won’t be appearing on the pay-per-view later that night. He said by the time the pay-per-view is going on, he will be headed back to the hotel to wait on Dolph Ziggler and Christian to have some sushi.
His Acting Career:
– He’s open to more acting projects in the future but isn’t aggressively pursuing them. He made it clear that he didn’t leave wrestling to go into acting and would still be wrestling if he were able to.
Working For WWE Behind The Scenes:
– Edge said he’s not sure if he would even consider it, maybe in 5 or 10 years. He talked about being that close to wrestling without actually being able to perform might be something he doesn’t enjoy. He added that the travel of an agent job would probably turn him away and said when he travels, his neck hurts, plus he doesn’t want to wake up in a different city anymore.
CM Punk’s Recent Storyline & Life After Wrestling:
– He hasn’t been following the CM Punk storyline on RAW but does DVR SmackDown to see the Christian storyline. He said since he can’t wrestle, he feels watching it right now may be “a little funky.” He said he’s trying to step into everyday life and not have wrestling be a part of it all the time. He said he will never be ashamed of Edge and where it got him, but doesn’t want to be Edge 24/7.
Entering The Hall Of Fame One Day:
* Regarding the WWE Hall of Fame, he said he would not turn down the offer and Christian inducting him would be a no-brainer.
WWE SummerSlam is this Sunday night- and we still only have four matches confirmed for the show thus far:
WWE Championship Unification Match
John Cena vs. CM Punk with Triple H as the Guest Referee
No Holds Barred Match for the World Heavyweight Title
Christian (c) vs. Randy Orton
WWE Divas Title Match
Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Beth Phoenix
Sheamus vs. Mark Henry (Will be announced on SmackDown)
According to our WWE sources, the following matches are also very likely to appear on the card:=
WWE announced its 2nd quarter financial results on Thursday – including the pay–er-view buyrates for WrestleMania, Extreme Rules, Over The Limit and Capitol Punishment.
WWE did a total of 1,598,000 pay-per-view buys in the second quarter of 2011, mostly due to the 1,059,000 buys from WrestleMania 27.
* Extreme Rules 2011 did 209,000 buys, up from 182,000 in 2010.
* Over the Limit 2011 did 140,000 buys, down from 197,000 in 2010.
* Capitol Punishment 2011 scored 170,000 buys, up from Fatal 4 Way doing 143,000 in 2010.
Comparing the 2011 pay-per-views in this quarter to Q2 2010, if you take WrestleMania 27 out of the equasion, up against the 2010 events, 2011’s 2nd quarter drew 519,000 buys compared to 522,000 in 2010.
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE:WWE – News) today announced financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2011.
To view the complete, detailed breakdown of all the numbers, click here (PDF).
Revenues totaled $142.6 million as compared to $106.8 million in the prior year quarter. Operating income was $21.0 million as compared to $10.3 million in the prior year quarter. Net income was $14.3 million, or $0.19 per share, as compared to $6.3 million, or $0.08 per share, in the prior year quarter. There were several items that impacted the comparability of our year-over-year results, primarily the timing of our annual WrestleMania® event and a $3.3 million film impairment charge in the current year quarter. Adjusting for these items in both the current and prior year quarters (as described below), adjusted revenues increased 5% to $142.6 million from $135.6 million in the prior year quarter. Adjusted Operating income declined 2% to $22.9 million from $23.4 million in the prior year quarter. Adjusted Net income was $15.5 million, or $0.21 per share, as compared to $15.1 million, or $0.20 per share, in the prior year quarter.
“Through the second quarter, WWE has generated top-line growth across our four business segments led by the strength of WrestleMania. WrestleMania XXVII achieved more than 1 million pay-per-view buys worldwide and reached record levels of both revenue and profit,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Our earnings, however, were constrained by the performance of our movie business, adverse home video sales trends, and the status of our talent development. Key operating metrics, such as average live event attendance and pay-per-view buys showed declines in the second quarter when evaluated on a comparable basis to last year (excluding WrestleMania). But, while our key metrics were down, the gap to our prior year performance continued to diminish. We believe this trend demonstrates that we are making important progress on our talent development and creative initiatives. As we continue to evaluate the potential of different forms of distribution, such as a WWE Network, we are more confident than ever that we can create and monetize content in a variety of existing and new media, and thereby create meaningful incremental value for our shareholders.”
Comparability of Results
WrestleMania XXVII occurred on April 3, 2011 and contributed $35.9 million of revenues, $16.7 million of profit contribution ($11.4 million, net of tax) and $0.15 of EPS from across various business lines to our current year second quarter results. In conjunction with the promotion of this event, $1.4 million in marketing expenses were recognized in the first quarter of 2011. WrestleMania XXVI occurred on March 28, 2010, and contributed $28.8 million of revenues, $13.1 million of profit contribution ($8.8 million, net of tax) and $0.12 of EPS to our first quarter of 2010 results. In order to facilitate an analysis of our financial results on a more comparable basis, where noted, we have adjusted our results to include the promotional costs (discussed above) in our second quarter of 2011 results and added the impact of WrestleMania XXVI to the second quarter of 2010 results. In addition, the current year quarter included a $3.3 million impairment charge related to our film, That’s What I Am. We have also adjusted our second quarter of 2011 results to exclude the impact of this charge. (See Schedules of Adjustments in Supplemental Information). Please note that our revised film strategy utilizing a self-distribution model may also impact the comparability of results but is not adjusted in the aforementioned schedules.
iMPACT Wrestling’s Eric Bischoff was one of the featured guests on this week’s live edition of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem.
Eric Bischoff Discusses Why He Does Not Feel Uneasy About The Future Of iMPACT Wrestling On Spike TV Amidst Reports Of The Network Looking To Rebrand, The Latest On The TNA Returns Of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Jeff Hardy, & Matt Hardy, Sting’s New Persona/Character And The Fan Split About Its Current Direction, If He Believes An Effective Relationship Between TNA & The World Of MMA Should Develop In The Near Future For The Benefit Of Both Entities, Whether TNA Plans On Adding An Additional Featured TV Program, A Possible Return To Commentating, Triple H Taking Over Vince McMahon’s Spot On WWE Television, The Strategy Of Wrestlers Being Moved From Heels To Faces Too Quickly & Its Impact On Storyline Continuity, How MTV Has Influenced The Worlds Of Professional Wrestling & Sports-Entertainment, The Evolution Of His Friendship & Business Relationship With Jason Hervey Through The Years, Plus Much More.
You can listen to an MP3 of the entire interview by visiting MondayNightMayhem.com.
Here are some highlights of what Eric Bischoff said about:
Why he does not feel uneasy about the future of iMPACT Wrestling on Spike TV, amidst reports of the network looking to rebrand:
“Once again the Internet Wrestling Community has taken ahold of a story that came out a month or two ago about rebranding, and a couple of quotes that were made, and noticed that TNA wasn’t prominently featured in that story, and jumped to conclusions. The truth is iMPACT (Wrestling) is the highest-rated show on Spike TV. iMPACT has been, over the past year, averaging the largest audience that it ever has in the history of the company. The audience is growing unlike other networks & television shows that have very short life cycles and that peak & valley very quickly. 2011 looks like it’s going to be the best year ever for iMPACT. I think the folks at Spike TV are pretty excited about it quite frankly, and I haven’t or heard anything that makes me nervous.”
If he believes an effective relationship between TNA & the world of MMA should develop in the near future for the benefit of both entities:
“Could it happen? Maybe. Should it happen? I don’t think so. MMA is a sport. It’s a legitimate sport. Professional wrestling is an entertainment property, and the similarities kind of end once you get past that they operate in a Pay-Per-View environment and in an arena environment. Anybody that operates under the assumption that there’s some really cool synergy between MMA & professional wrestling, it’s their opinion, but I don’t share it.
Whether or not he has given any thought on returning to commentating:
“Actually I have. Not on a regular basis, Mike Tenay is doing a wonderful job. I enjoy commentating. Play-by-play is one of the toughest jobs in the industry. The list of things for you to accomplish & maintain during the course of a broadcast, all while you are creating a story, and calling action, and making things seem larger than life; it’s very difficult job. I miss getting immersed in the story, and the energy, and getting caught up in the moment. It’s at those moments you forget what you’re doing, and you get caught up in the excitement & energy of that, and you do your best work. I miss that
Former WWE Tough Enough contestant Jeremiah Riggs spoke with MMA website AroundtheOctagon.com about his time with WWE – and he did not hold back his displeasure with the way he was treated at developmental .. Here are some highlights from the long blog, which you can read here in its entirety.
“I was informed yesterday that the WWE isn’t going to use me. Two weeks ago I was invited to go to Tampa to tryout for FCW and from what they gathered they loved my personality but they said I was only average in the ring and said I have a bad attitude and carried myself like I had something to prove. I told them that if I’m average I’m doing pretty damn good considering I had only done this for two months. If I can get to average in several weeks imagine what I can do in a few months. And of course I’m eager to prove myself. I was surrounded by guys who had done this for several years and they were all wondering who this new rookie was. I had to show them I belonged.
If I’m average the pecking order starts behind me. Compared to me none of those guys are as cut up as me. My physique puts them to shame. Maybe I do have a bad attitude. I don’t give a f–k. I went on their TV show and ran circles around everybody with no experience. Andy wasn’t the star of the show. I was. Hell I won challenges they didn’t even show on TV. I got all the camera time and I got the biggest reaction when I was on RAW. You know why? It’s because I’m me. I’m not a clone or a sell out. People recognize that. That’s why CM Punk is so hot right now. He is his character. He’s just being himself. But I do it and I have a bad attitude.”
“90% of those guys are vanilla. They are all the same. Long hair, pony tail, boring as can be. The day I left Tampa I shaved my head because I didn’t want to be anything like them. I’m Jeremiah Riggs from Vicksburg, Mississippi. I’m not going to be a clone. All of their promos sounded the same. They are boring and play it safe. People are afraid of the truth. What do they want in a superstar? I don’t need a character. I’m Jeremiah Riggs. I don’t need a new name or gimmick. The WWE has a shitty developmental roster. No one stands out. They are all scared of failure and half of them have been there for years. They are all the same and do the same stuff. Sure, they have a few guys that have potential but they are all clones. But I’m not going to be just like everybody else. What are they going to do send me home? You can’t scare someone who ain’t afraid.”
“What made Steve Austin, The Rock, and CM Punk such big superstars? They speak their mind and buck the system. I know this may hurt my chances of ever making it in the WWE but what are they gonna do? Fire me? They aren’t ready for someone like me.”
It’s all politics at FCW. People are real phony there including the trainers. Me and Bill were cool on the show. I heard he got a job as a scout for the WWE and I was glad to hear he was doing good for himself. He deserves it after so long in the business. When I was in Tampa doing my match with Orlov Bill was praising me and talking about how good I was doing. I was doing stuff that Luke and Andy couldn’t do, on the first try. But when I walked into FCW a few weeks ago he acted like he was too cool to talk to me.
He’s changed man. He thinks he is somebody because he was the big man on the show. I guess Hollywood went to his head. Sure he had a mediocre wrestling career and found new life on Tough Enough. I don’t give a shit. I’ll whoop his fat ass. He’s no better than me. If I was to shoot on him who is going to stop me? Andy sure as hell ain’t. I’ve rolled with some badass heavyweights like Jon Madsen and Scott Barrett. Seriously, what is Bill DeMott going to do to me? All he could do about it is write another chapter in his sorry book about how he got run over by Big Rigg when he gets his arm out of the cast. I lost all respect for Bill. If he only knew what the boys say about his fat lazy ass he wouldn’t even come to work. I’m sure he will read this and put something on Twitter about it. I don’t care. He might have Twitter muscles but I’m the real deal. He said I was green? The only thing green on me was the shit stain on my boot I stuck up his ass.
Hell, Andy the dude that won the WWE contract is a big pussy too. He is still in FCW. He’ll be in FCW the rest of his life. He had a developmental contract with the WWE before the damn show aired. He’s boring and a big f—ing baby. He cried the whole time we were doing the show about his wife and his kid. He did it all for pity. We pity the weak.
I got a little boy at home but you got to make sacrifices if you want to make something of yourself. I thought about my little boy the whole time we were shooting but I didn’t whine about it. I used it as fuel. I want the best for him so I had to step it up and show them I belonged.”
One of the top female MMA fighters in the world, Christiane “Cyborg” Santos, recently spoke to Sherdog.com and revealed that she’s very interested in crossing over to the world of pro wrestling and working for WWE when her fighting career is over.
“I like the WWE. If they had an opportunity for me, I’d do it.”
When her contract with the Strikeforce MMA promotion expired earlier this year, it was widely reported that Cyborg was considering a move to WWE. This rumors picked up more traction when she and her husband Evangelista Santos attended a live WWE event in California. Brazilian MMA website Tatame.com reported that Cyborg was negotiating to appear at WrestleMania, but WWE sources denied there were any negotiations.
At this time, Cyborg has decided to continue her MMA career and has put her WWE aspirations on the back burner.
“I was interested in doing [more than one event] with the WWE, but now I’m fighting again, so I’m going to do that.”
“Since my last fight was finished, I’ve been trying to work on a new contract [with Strikeforce]. It’s almost done, almost done.”
Cyberg’s current Strikeforce deal expires in December, which does leave the door open for her to work with WWE some time in 2012.
Ring of Honor announce today that the Briscoe Brothers vs. the All Night Express has been added to the company’s first TV taping as part of the Sinclair Broadcasting Group era on August 13th:
It is a rivalry that has raged in for months all across the country, in venue after venue, on DVD and iPPV, and now the issues between the Briscoe Brothers & The All Night Express will hit broadcast airwaves when Ring of Honor comes to Chicago Ridge, IL on August 13th to tape our very first TV for the Sinclair Broadcasting Group!
From Atlanta to NYC and even the last time we were in Chicago for “Supercard of Honor VI”, Jay & Mark Briscoe, Rhett Titus, & Kenny King have done their level best to eliminate one another and in the process have spilt blood, put one another in the hospital, and destroyed copious amounts of ROH property. But that is not what ROH officials are expecting out of their meeting on 8/13…
“We know that the Briscoes and ANX have their issues,” stated Executive Producer Jim Cornette, “and we’d be stupid not to know we are putting these two teams in a highly combustible situation. But we also know that these are four of the most talented wrestlers you’ll find, two of the strongest teams fighting today, and that’s what this is about for Chicago. There will be no weapons, no blood and guts. These four men are going out there to showcase tag team wrestling, and hat is something Ring of Honor prides itself on doing better than anyone else! And under threat of serious fines, or potential suspension in the case of Jay and Mark; that is what the Briscoes and ANX are going to do in Chicago Ridge!”
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. The All Night Express of Rhett Titus & Kenny King! It all goes down August 13, 2011 at the Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, IL when ROH tapes its first set of SBG Television. Tickets are still available to see this great tag team bout as well as 3 separate World Title bouts.
—
Here’s the full card for ROH’s return to Chicago Ridge, IL on August 13th:
ROH World Title Match
Davey Richards defends vs. Roderick Strong with Truth Martini
World Tag Team Title Match
Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas) vs. The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) with Shane Hagadorn
World TV Title Match
El Generico defends vs. Jay Lethal
Grudge Tag Team Match
Jay and Mark Briscoe vs. The All Night Express
“Defy or Deny” Rematch
Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin with Truth Martini
Also scheduled to appear:
– Adam Cole
– Kyle O’Reilly
– “The Prodigy” Mike Bennett
– Tommaso Ciampa with The Embassy
– The Bravado Brothers
Additional names and matches will be announced soon!!!
TNA executive producer Eric Bischoff appeared on this week’s Monday Night Mayhem radio show and was asked about the TNA statues of Jeff Hardy and Ric Flair. Here’s a recap of what Bischoff said about:
Jeff Hardy: “I have no updates on Jeff Hardy. I’m not involved in his situation within TNA. I hope the best for Jeff. He’s a very talented young man. He’s a great guy. He really is. I haven’t gotten to know him very, very well, but I believe he’s a good hearted individual who just got caught up in some issues. From what I’ve heard, he’s dealing with them and hopefully successfully.”
Ric Flair: “Ric Flair is out with a shoulder injury. I haven’t talked to Ric in a while now, so I’m not sure what his status is. I know he’s anxious to get back. I’ve heard that through other people. This time of year is very busy for me with everything that has been going on with my family, I haven’t stayed in close contact with enough people. I hope to see Ric real soon. I enjoy the hell out of Ric, and respect the hell out of Ric. I love working with him. I look forward to seeing him back on Impact.”
You can check out the full minute interview over at MondayNightMayhem.com.
Triple H announces that an Undisputed WWE Champion will be crowned at SummerSlam
Tensions mount between CM Punk and WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H
Triple H, John Cena and CM Punk comment on the WWE Championship controversy
CM Punk explains his return to WWE
Former WWE announcer and Ring of Honor executive Kevin Kelly appeared on Monday’s Right After Wrestling radio show.
To listen to the full 15-minute interview, head over to TheScore.com.
Here are some highlights of what Kevin Kelly said about:
His thoughts on new stars coming up and on WWE Head of Talent Relations – John Laurinaitis
“My hats off to guys like the Kings of Wrestling (Claudio and Chris) who – if they go up to the WWE, they deserve it. But that’s where the job of talent development comes in. ROH must continue to make new stars because there is always a new spot on the roster that needs to be filled. ROH must constantly bring in, look at and develop new stars because going on television brings new horizons for the guys and our company. I’ll give you an example of talent development with John Laurinaitis. I bring Bobby Roode to a camp and I tell John this guy is gonna be great. He says, ‘ahhhh….ahhhh’ in his raspy voice and nothing happened. And that ‘answer’ told me he wanted to make a decision but he was afraid if his decision was going to be the wrong one.”
Does CM Punk bring more attention to ROH after this recent angle
“That would be interesting if our show was already on the air. The first taping airs September 24th. What’s gonna make a difference for ROH is putting out the best quality wrestling show each and every week. Even though ROH pays homage to all of their past champions, such as CM Punk and Samoa Joe and everybody that’s worn the title, it’s nice to see Punk reciprocate that and show respect to us.”
Kevin’s thoughts on CM Punk claiming to be the ‘best in the World’
“I love CM Punk. I never met him personally, but when I meet him I will shake his hand and tell him how much I appreciate his talents. But Punk wears a shirt on TV saying he’s ‘the best in the World’. Well he’s not the best in the world until he defeats Davey Richards. Davey Richards is the best wrestler in the World hands down! You could put the Miz at #1 in the PWI 500…and then burn that magazine for printing that. Davey Richards is the best in the World and I defy anybody to argue with me on that. Watch the match with Eddie Edwards. It was a 36-minute perfect match. Not one flaw. He trained for 4-weeks for that match – like a fighter. He’s revolutionizing the business right before our very eyes.”
Kevin has choice words for Michael Cole and his commentary style behind the desk – “he’s a prick!”
SEScoops.com reader Bobby Moore sent in this live report of what happened after Monday’s RAW from Indianapolis, Indiana went off the air:
After the cameras stopped rolling, John Cena and C.M. Punk did a little more posing with the belts, then Cena suggested to Punk that the fans would rather see them fight. Punk agreed, a ref jumped in the ring, and the bell rang.
Bonus Dark Match: WWE champion John Cena vs. WWE champion C.M. Punk went to a Double DQ/No Contest. Back and forth match that lasted about six minutes with each wrestler teasing their finishers a couple of times. Out came Miz and Truth, jumping both champs for the No Contest.
Afterward, Miz went outside the ring and grabbed both belts. The heels double-Irish whipped the champs into the ropes, but the champs ducked under the attempted head shots with the titles. Punk then hit the G2S on Truth and Cena hit the AA on Miz.
To close the taping, the champs did more posing with the belts and the music kept changing back and forth from Punk’s to Cena’s. Punk left, then stopped at the top of the ramp to applaud Cena. Cena posed some more, then left. Night, night!
On Monday’s RAW, WWE Champion CM Punk had a face-to-face confrontation with Triple H and explained to WWE’s new Chief Operating Officer that despite all the good he did while in charge of WWE, Vince McMahon has dropped the ball on numerous occasions by letting several top talents leave the promotion. Among the superstars Punk mentioned were Batista, Mick Foley, Brock Lesnar and Chris Jericho.
One man who did not take kindly to being referenced by Punk is Chris Jericho, who let his feelings be known on Twitter.
Jericho (@IAmJericho) tweeted the following on Monday night:
“Everyone is so excited that (C.M. Punk) mentioned me on Raw. Newsflash…I don’t give a s—. Mind ur own business and stop rippin me off Punk.”
Following Monday’s RAW, here’s the updated card for WWE SummerSlam, which takes place from Los Angeles, California in less than two weeks:
WWE Championship Unification Match
John Cena vs. CM Punk
No Holds Barred Match for the World Heavyweight Title
Christian (c) vs. Randy Orton
WWE Divas Title Match
Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Beth Phoenix
Musical Performance
Rapper Cee Lo Green
NEW YORK – August 1, 2011 – WWE Superstar Edge will join the cast of Syfy’s popular series Haven for four episodes in the role of “Dwight Hendrickson,” beginning Friday, August 5, at 10PM (ET/PT), immediately following tag team partner Friday Night Smackdown at 8PM (ET/PT).
A former Army Ranger felled by a supernatural affliction in Afghanistan, Dwight puts his tactical skills to use in Haven as the mysterious “Cleaner.” Working in the shadows, he does the dirty work when it comes to covering up supernatural events — manipulating evidence, making things and people disappear — but when the new police chief (Lucas Bryant) reaches out to him, Dwight’s role expands and brings him face to face with the forces that nearly killed him on the battlefield.
In addition to the August 5 episode of Haven, Edge will guest star in the September 9, September 16 and September 23 episodes.
Haven stars Emily Rose as Audrey Parker. Eric Balfour co-stars as Duke Crocker.
Haven is based on The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King and is currently in production in Nova Scotia. The Syfy original series from leading independent producer Entertainment One is co-commissioned by Shaw Media in Canada and globally via Universal Networks International (UNI).
The road to SummerSlam continues tonight on RAW, with less than 2 weeks to go until the annual summer spectacular.
Here’s a preview for tonight’s RAW:
– Triple H will address the situation of both CM Punk and John Cena claiming to be WWE Champion. There’s a strong chance that Triple H will announce a WWE Championship unification match between John Cena and CM Punk at SummerSlam.
– CM Punk will formally address the WWE Universe for the first time since his return at the end of last week’s show.
– A Divas battle royal will be held to determine who will challenge Kelly Kelly for the Divas title at SummerSlam.
We’ll have the chat room open tonight before RAW – so check back later tonight for that.
The official movie poster has been released for the upcoming WWE Studios film, Inside Out (starring Triple H) – and it’s pretty badass.
Here’s the official movie synopsis (courtesy of IMDB.com) and the poster for Inside Out, which is due out September 9th:
For the last thirteen years AJ (Triple H) has been behind bars, convicted of manslaughter for killing a man who intended to kill his best friend, Jack (Michael Rapaport). Now released, AJ wants nothing more than to start a small business and live a crime-free life. Unfortunately, within hours of leaving prison, his oldest and best friend, Jack (Michael Rapaport) involves AJ in an accidental shooting in which a man is killed, forcing Jack to skip town.
Jack, a high-strung, low-level mobster, has taken good care of AJs family while he was in prison. When Jacks father and local mob boss Dr. Vic (Bruce Dern) comes looking for retribution, AJ is compelled to protect Jacks family. Jacks family consists of his wife, Claire (Parker Posey), who has never stopped loving her former beau AJ and her teenage daughter Pepper (Juliette Goglia).
Martha, (Julie White) an agent for the Louisiana Tax Board, has been investigating Dr. Vic for smuggling counterfeit cigarettes into Louisiana and tax evasion. She is determined to bring Dr. Vic and Jack down with or without AJs help. In the end, AJ will stop at nothing to protect the woman hes always loved and the daughter he never knew he had.
Last week, news broke that WWE diva Maryse Ouellet had filed for a permanent restraining order against an “extremely disturbing and delusional” fan who she claims is obsessed with her and has threatened to “take her to heaven” with him.
To recap – Maryse’s stalker is 61-year-old Lee Silber, who Maryse claims has sent “numerous terrifying letters to my home and left more than 50 voicemails on my personal cell phone all of which are extremely disturbing and delusional.”
According to TMZ.com, WWE is now beefing up security at live events and taking “serious security measures” to keep Maryse safe, in the event that Mr. Silber shows up to greet the French Canadian diva.
Beyond that – information regarding these new security measures is being kept quiet in order to remain effective.
Wrestling legends Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior have had a very public real-life feud in recent months, which we’ve documented at length here on SEScoops.com.
Check Out: The Hogan-Warrior Beef News Page
Things have settled down a lot in recent weeks ever since Warrior released his Karma Collects video series (view here) – but there’s a new project being discussed that could see the former WrestleMania opponents sitting down face-to-face for the first time in many years.
According to a report in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, HighSpots.com has reportedly offered Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior $100,000 each to participate in a sit-down shoot-style interview.
No word yet on whether either man is interested.
Would you be interested in watching these two go at it face-to-face, or are you sick of this feud already? COMMENT BELOW and tell us what you think.
WWE newcomer Sin Cara, who is currently serving a 30-day suspension due to a violation of the company’s Wellness policy, is being advertised for the August 20th SmackDown live event from Tacoma, Washington.
Sin Cara was suspended back on July 18th and the 8/20 Tacoma show is the first event he is eligible to appear on.
Despite reports that Sin Cara actually failed the Wellness test back in June, the violation was not announced until July 18th – which will keep him out of action for SummerSlam and the following SmackDown taping.
There had been talk in WWE that Sin Cara might not be brought back following his drug test failure, so it will be interesting to see whether he actually appears on this show or not.
Related News: Sin Cara Talks About His Wellness Policy Violation
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:
The New Steve Austin DVD Project: “What details do I know about the Stone Cold DVD that is being produced? I know that Steve is really hands on the project and will be involved throughout the production of the entire project, that a WWE camera crew & a producer spend parts of three days at Austin’s Broken Skull Ranch in South Texas earlier this week, and that no subjects were ‘off limits’ as Steve told me he talked about a litany of controversial topics that he had never addressed before on any other DVD including some of an extremely personal nature. I don’t know the release date of this multi disc set but it will be after October 25 when the much anticipated HBK-Hitman Rivalry DVD is released but in time for holiday shopping.”
Will ROH’s New Show Hurt TNA? “Do I think that ROH will adversely affect TNA once ROH begins airing their weekly, syndicated TV show? Likely not. Wrestling fans have proven over time that if multiple brands are compelling enough that they will watch. While my focus is on WWE, I am a fan of the genre and wish success to whoever is earning a living in it. ”
Is CM Punk the Next Steve Austin? “I hope not. I hope that Punk is simply the best CM Punk that he can be. The best for Punk has yet to come in my view. Punk being compared to Austin is inevitable because both are ‘defiant’ and ‘anti establishment’ persona’s but their in ring styles, body types, etc are distinctly different.”
Who’s the Most Underutilized Persona in WWE? That’s a loaded question. Could be several people, if those people were asked the same question. Zack Ryder fans would say Zack, etc. I might suggest William Regal who has a refined, multiple skill set who can wrestle, talk, manage, train talent and broadcast.