WWE is moving forward with its planned cable network and it turns out the company’s recent re-branding strategy is part of that effort.

The idea is that WWE’s network will be more of an entertainment network and they don’t want it to be seen as just a pro wrestling hannel.

WWE is looking to air scripted programming and other programming that they can use their marketing concepts with.

The concept was described as something like High School Musical or Dora the Explorer – where like wrestling, you have a program, you merchandise the characters and go on tour. The Harlem Globetrotters would be a perfect fit for this new concept, but they are not currently touring.

WWE is also looking at using people like Hall of Famer Drew Carey to come up with programming ideas.

The WWE network will feature a lot of wrestling still, with a lot of old footage airing. WWE is currently digitizing some of their footage and trying to upgrade it to HD for the network. The network will also show programs like NXT, Superstars and some of the recap shows that air internationally.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Official WrestleMania 27 numbers were released this past week and are different from the numbers announced publicly by WWE.

There was actually 68,190 total seats available at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The listed total tickets used for the big event was 61,617, according to information released this past week in arena business journals. This is 10,000 less than the 71,617 announced that night by WWE. With luxury boxes figured in, that number would probably increase closer to 65,000. The Dome was listed as 90% full and not a complete sellout, even though there were no tickets available for most of the last few weeks going into the show.

The gate for WrestleMania 27 was $6,268,319 – below the $6.6 million WWE announced after the show.

The 61,617 tickets for WrestleMania 27 would make it the tenth largest crowd in WWE history, not the fifth largest as announced with the original numbers. This year’s show drew exactly six more people than WrestleMania 25 in Houston, Texas.

As for the WrestleMania 27 buyrate, based on when WWE releases their numbers, they may not be available until late May because the show took place in April and not March. With WWE doing its quarterly investors meeting on May 5th, they may release the buyrate information at that time.

(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

As we reported this week, RAW superstar CM Punk is said to be unhappy in WWE and is considering leaving the company when his contract expires later this year.

Full Report: CM Punk Leaning Towards Leaving WWE This Year

Punk is burned out from five years on the road and is not happy with other stars such as The Miz and Alberto Del Rio getting pushed over him.

WWE wants to keep Punk on the roster and have offered him a new longterm deal, which he’s yet to sign. It’s interesting to note that CM Punk’s real-life girlfriend Beth Phoenix was traded to the RAW brand during Tuesday’s Supplemental Draft – which could be seen as a move to make life better for Punk on the road.

Punk’s possible departure from WWE later this year has been one of the main topics of discussion behind the scenes this week. Punk has been dating Beth Phoenix for the past several months and the two are reportedly a serious couple.

WWE has made roster trades in the past to keep superstar-diva couples together – with the most notable example being Michelle McCool being moved to SmackDown a few years ago so she could travel with her husband, The Undertaker.

Check Out: Picture From THE UNDERTAKER’s Wedding To Michelle McCool

THQ has released a series of WWE wallpapers to promote the WWE All Stars Video Game, and the “2 Generations, 1 Ring” concept is in full effect!

The video game company released The Rock vs HHH; Andre The Giant vs The Big Show; Macho Man Randy Savage vs John Cena; and the entire roster for WWE All Stars!

You can check out this great batch of wallpapers by clicking any of the thumbnails:

As some may know, Zach Ryder has an online video series called, “True Long Island Story.”

We are going to start posting them here on SEScoops, starting with the new Episode 10.

Without further delay, here is Zach Ryder’s TLIS .. WWWYKI!

WWE SmackDown on Syfy

WWE taped Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown on Tuesday night from the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina. Credit to WrestlingNewsworld.com for these results:

* The opening to the show has been modified to include the new ‘drafted’ Superstars.

* Randy Orton comes out and cuts a promo to open the show. Drew McIntyre comes out wearing a Raw shirt and goes for the attack. Randy Orton counters connecting with the RKO. Alex Riley is out but also falls victim to an RKO. Alberto Del Ri and his crew come out like they are going to attack Orton but Christian comes in to make the save!

Teddy Long is out to announce tonight’s main event: Christian & Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio & Brodus

* Kofi Kingston attempts to come out to the ring but is attacked by Sheamus. Sheamus connects with the brogue kick. Sheamus is helped to the back…

* Michael Cole introduces Jack Swagger with a ‘pig call’ (mocking JR).

* Sin Cara b. Jack Swagger
– Cara dominates most of the match. He gets the win via roll-up pinfall. During the match Michael Cole attempted to give Swagger a foreign object.

* Kane & Big Show b. Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel to retain the World Tag Team Championship.

* Rey Mysterio b. Mark Henry
– Rey Mysterio gets the win via disqualification after Cody Rhodes comes out and attacks Rey. Cody Rhodes & Mark Henry double-team Rey Mysterio and then paper bag him.

* Layla El vs. Michelle McCool
– The match only goes for two minutes and ends in a double-count out. Layla El challenges her to a no count out; no disqualification match at Extreme Rules Sunday. McCool accepts and says the loser must leave SmackDown. Layla complies with the stipulation.

* Christian is interviewed backstage by Matt Striker. Christian discusses his title match at Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay per view as well as Edge’s retirement. He said it is his destiny to be called the ‘World Champion.’

* Christian & Randy Orton b. Alberto Del Rio & Brodus Clay

John Cena and his "son" Fred(image from Nickelodeon)

After Tuesday’s WWE Smackdown taping from Greensboro, NC, footage was filmed for John Cena’s next movie, Nickelodeon’s “Fred The Movie 2,” which is scheduled to hit theaters in October.

*SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Friday

After the taping concluded, Cena and Fred came out to the ring. Fred had his own Titantron, which included clips from his first feature film. Cena and Fred were interrupted by a bunch of bullies. There were a lot of kids involved in the scene.

After the shooting, Cena grabbed the mic and thanked everybody for sticking with them through a long night, including having to sit through Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus.

Out came Sheamus, who had a quick scuffle with Cena that ended with Cena hitting the Attitude Adjustment on the United States champion to end the show.

Just hours after his elimination on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, WWE star Chris Jericho appeared on Tuesday night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show.

Jericho appears with his DWTS partner Cheryl Burke and talks about how his fellow wrestlers made fun of him at first but wound up being very supportive of his dancing. Check it out:

EVOLVE sent out the following press release on Wednesday:

EVOLVE will return with a new twist on the tournament concept on May 20th at The ACE Arena in Union City, NJ, just minutes from the Lincoln Tunnel. Tickets are now on sale in the www.EVOLVEwrestling.com Shop or by calling 267-519-9744. This card will be broadcast at www.WWNLive.com on live iPPV.

“EVOLVE 8: Style Battle” will see eight wrestlers, each representing a different style, in a one night single elimination tournament. This will be a special event focused on determining the best style of wrestling and will not affect each wrestler’s Record. The only win that matters is the man left standing at the end of the night. He will go down in history as the first Style Battle winner.

Six of the eight participants have been signed. They are:

-AR Fox (High-Flying): This upcomer has really gained a strong following lately. He is a fearless and athletic high-flyer.

-Austin Aries (Hybrid): He is a true veteran who combines flying skills with striking and submission wrestling. His credentials speak for themselves.

-Bobby Fish (Puroresu Jr. Heavyweight): Fish has competed against the best junior heavyweights in Japan. He has perfected the kicking, striking, submission Puroresu style.

-Brodie Lee (Super Heavyweight): Lee towers over his opponents and is an imposing force, but don’t overlook his agility. Lee will return from suspension to try to prove that size does matter.

-Jon Davis (Power): He impressed with a dynamic display of power and strength at EVOLVE 7. Now Davis enters the tournament as the strongest competitor.

-Sami Callihan (Hard-Hitting): He has had a lot of success in tournaments in the past year. Everything Callihan does has force and impact.

There are still two spots remaining in this one night tournament. Stay tuned to EVOLVEwrestling.com for the latest on the first ever Style Battle. Go to www.EVOLVEwrestling.com for the latest news and info.

After an impressive 6-week run on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, former WWE star Chris Jericho’s run on the show has come to an end.

• VIDEOS: ALL 6 Of Chris Jericho’s DWTS Performances

Jericho and his partner Cheryl Burke scored the lowest score of the remaining contestants on Monday night and were eliminated on Tuesday’s “results” show.

Chris Jericho wrote the following on Twitter:

“Had an amazing time on DWTS! Thx @cherylburke for being a great teacher and friend and Thx to all of u for voting-6 weeks ain’t too shabby!”

His partner Cheryl Burke tweeted:

“I’m so proud of Chris! Thanks to all of u for your unconditional love and support. Love u guys!!!”

Jericho has stated in recent interviews that he will be returning to WWE after he was done with Dancing With The Stars, so expected to see him back on WWE television in the coming months.

Below are some of the Twitter comments posted by various WWE Superstars and Divas regarding the 2011 WWE Draft:

The Miz: “Triple threat, steel cage, cena gone to smackdown, I win a draft pick cena back on raw, A Ry to SD. Any other obstacles for the champ?”

The Bella Twins: “See we have a lot of competition now on Monday Night RAW guess @EveMarieTorres needs all the help she can get! CHAMPS 4 Life! B&N #WWEDraft”

Ted DiBiase: “Smackdown!!!!!”

William Regal: “This will be my only tweet till later tonight but it seems I’m now on Smackdown and I’m trending(no idea what that is).How lovely.”

Daniel Bryan: “Just landed in Vegas and found out I got drafted to Smackdown. VERY happy with this move. #WWEdraft.”

John Cena: “CeNation. Holy hogwash! #wwedraft was amazing. 1st and last pick. Damn. Well now I gotta focus on wwe championship.”

Beth Phoenix: “Monday nights just got more glam!”

Kofi Kingston: “Well hot damn! Back to the Red team! #WWEdraft”

JTG: “In the words of the late OL DIRTY BASTARD , “OH BABY I LIKE IT RAW ,OH BABY I LIKE IT RAAAW ! ” ……CHEA !”

Here are the updated rosters for the RAW and SmackDown brands following the 2011 WWE Draft, with the traded superstars and divas having an asterisk (*) next to their names:

RAW:

WWE Champion The Miz
WWE Divas champion Brie Bella
* WWE Tag Team Champion Big Show

* Alberto Del Rio
* Big Show
CM Punk
* Beth Phoenix
* Chris Masters
* Curt Hawkins
DH Smith
David Otunga
Dolph Ziggler
* Drew McIntyre
Evan Bourne
Eve Torres
Gail Kim
Goldust
Husky Harris
* Jack Swagger
Jerry Lawler
John Cena
John Morrison
* JTG
* Kelly Kelly
* Kofi Kingston
Maryse
Mason Ryan
Melina
Michael McGuillicuty
Michael Tarver
Mr. McMahon
Nikki Bella
Primo
R Truth
* Rey Mysterio
Ricardo Rodriguez
Santino Marella
Skip Sheffield
Triple H
* Tyler Reks
Vickie Guerrero
Vladimir Kozlov
Zack Ryder

SMACKDOWN:

WWE Intercontinental Champion: Wade Barrett
* WWE United States champion: Sheamus
WWE Tag Team champion: Kane

* Alex Riley
* Alicia Fox
Christian
Brodius Clay
Chavo Guerrero
Cody Rhodes
* Daniel Bryan
Ezekiel Jackson
* Great Khali
Heath Slater
Hornswoggle
Justin Gabriel
Kaitlyn
Layla El
Mark Henry
Michelle McCool
* Natalya
* Randy Orton
* Ranjin Singh
Rosa Mendes
* Sin Cara
* Tamina
* Ted DiBiase
Trent Baretta
The Undertaker
* Tyson Kidd
* The Usos
* William Regal
* Yoshi Tatsu

Thanks to everybody who joined us for our live coverage of the 2011 Supplemental WWE Draft.

To recap, here are the trades that took place on Monday’s RAW:

Here are the the additional Draft trades that took place on Tuesday afternoon:

1. DANIEL BRYAN is drafted to SmackDown.

2. JACK SWAGGER is drafted to RAW.

3. GREAT KHALI & RANJIN SINGH are drafted to SmackDown.

4. JIMMY USO is drafted to SmackDown.

5. KELLY KELLY is drafted to RAW.

6. JTG is drafted to RAW.

7. ALICIA FOX is drafted to SmackDown.

8. WILLIAM REGAL is drafted to SmackDown.

9. YOSHI TATSU is drafted to SmackDown.

10. DREW McINTYRE is drafted to RAW.

11. NATALYA is drafted to SmackDown.

12. CURT HAWKINS is drafted to RAW.

13. CHRIS MASTERS is drafted to RAW.

14. JAY USO is drafted to SmackDown.

15. KOFI KINGSTON is drafted to RAW.

16. TED DIBIASE is drafted to SmackDown.

17  TYSON KIDD is drafted to SmackDown.

18. TAMINA is drafted to SmackDown.

19. TYLER REKS is drafted to RAW.

20. ALEX RILEY is drafted to SmackDown.

21. BETH PHOENIX is drafted to RAW.

22. SHEAMUS is drafted to SmackDown.

If you’ve noticed that WWE has pulled back on featuring CM Punk’s character in recent weeks, it appears there’s a reason behind it. One of the main topics of conversation behind the scenes in WWE in recent weeks has been that CM Punk’s WWE career may be coming to an end very soon.

Punk has been telling people close to him that he’s interested in taking some time off when his WWE contract expires in the coming months.

Sources indicate that Punk has been offered a new longterm contract, but at this point, he’s not interested. Punk is reportedly burned out from living the hectic WWE lifestyle for the past 5 years and wants a break.

Additionally, Punk is said to be very unhappy with the lack of push he’s received in recent months. Punk has been a workhorse for WWE without being treated as one of the company’s top stars. While WWE has made a strong effort to push The Miz and Alberto Del Rio to the moon, Punk has been somewhat neglected and is “just there” on the WWE roster.

The topic of Punk leaving WWE started on the European tour and continued at Monday’s WWE RAW.

While Punk leaving WWE would be another huge blow to WWE’s talent roster, there’s still a chance that WWE can sign him to a new deal. It’s also possible that WWE could give him a few months off when his contract expires and bring him back when he’s had time to re-charge.

(Source: PWInsider.com)

– After a rocky WWE debut, SmackDown star Sin Cara continues to rub people the wrong way and has been described as “the guy with the biggest target on his back” in the WWE locker room. Sin  Cara was a major star in Mexico and is one of WWE’s biggest acquisitions in recent years.

Despite the fact that he’s a rookie in WWE, he acts like he’s an established star in WWE – which nobody likes. One person in particular that is not a fan of Sin Cara (to say the least) is Alberto Del Rio. While there is no real evidence that Del Rio is “out to get” Sin Cara in WWE, the two had heat from their time working together in Mexico and it’s no coincidence that Del Rio and Sin Cara were kept on separate brands after the Draft.

– Prior to Monday’s RAW, a video WWE posted a video of Mark Henry, who broke down crying when he spoke about getting back in shape. Henry weight got up to 450 pounds in recent months before he was able to drop down to 398.

Henry said he deserves to be World champion and will Henry said he feels like he deserves to be World Champion. This was filmed before Henry’s heel turn in the main event.

(Partial source: pwinsider.com)

– WWE will tape SmackDown and NXT tonight from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. John Cena is scheduled to make an appearance, despite being drafted back to RAW last night. This will be the final WWE show before Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

– WWE recently issued a memo to its talent notifying them about a change to the company’s policy of autographing items for fans. Superstars and divas are now prohibited from signing autographs on clothing, peoples’ skin and money, according to a report on pwinsider.com.

The change comes after a top WWE star recently signed a fans’ expensive leather jacket. The following day, an angry parent called WWE officials and complained that the jacket was ruined, forcing WWE to reimburse the parent for the jacket.

– The Rock just won’t quit … His match with John Cena is still a year away, but that’s not stopping him from talking trash about RAW SmackDown RAW superstar / fruity pebble, John Cena.

The Rock was in Russia earlier this week promoting the international release of his new Fast Five movie and posted a picture of him standing on a purple John Cena t-shirt. The Rock posted the following picture and caption:

Team Bring It Russia – thank u for the incredible love. I will return! (Cena, look closely.. u will ALWAYS be dominated by Team Bring It)”

Dwayne Johnson on WhoSay

On Monday’s episode of ABC’s Dancing With The Stars show (Week 6), former WWE star Chris Jericho and his partner Cheryl Burke danced the Tango Journey’s hit song “Don’t Stop Believing.”

The week after earning their best score to date, Jericho and Burke scored just a 22 on Monday’s show – the lowest of the night. They face elimination tonight on the DWTS results show.

Check out Jericho and Burke’s Week 6 performance here:

– Randy Orton tweeted the following on Monday night after the WWE Draft:

“Well it’s bittersweet for me to be drafted to Smackdown. Ill miss monday nights, that’s for sure, but I think I could use the new setting.”

– Rey Mysterio also wrote the following about being drafted to RAW:

“Really hope everyone enjoyed the draft tonight!Gonna Rep Raw now! I’m gonna miss all my SmackDown FANS”!1 luv & god bless to all! 619Out!”

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross wrote the following on Twitter last night after RAW:

“Hand’s throbbing. Xrays tues. Cole’s tooth went to the bone on my fist. Not an artistic masterpiece. Dropping bombs. Leather straps sun. Ugh.

Disheartening when fans kill one’s effort/work. All we can do is give 100%effort. That happened. I’m sore as hell but will battle sun on ppv

@ the moment, I can’t hold leather strap 2nite but Sun I’ll do what it takes. Won’t be pretty but will be nasty. Fairplay vs Lawler @ bar.

2011 WWE Draft Results:

1. JOHN CENA is drafted to SmackDown.

2. REY MYSTERIO is drafted to RAW.

3. RANDY ORTON is drafted to SmackDown.

4. MARK HENRY is drafted to SmackDown.

5. SIN CARA is drafted to SmackDown.

6. BIG SHOW is drafted to RAW.

7. ALBERTO DEL RIO is drafted to RAW.

8. JOHN CENA: is drafted back to RAW.

WWE will hold the Supplementary Draft later this week  – stay tuned!

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin posted this Twitter video on Monday with an important message to his fans:

With just an hour to go until the 2011 WWE Draft, we’ve got some new details on tonight’s special RAW broadcast:

— WWE has officially announced there will be a “RAW vs. SmackDown” Battle Royal tonight, with the winning brand getting an extra two draft picks for their brand.

— The format of the Draft will be similar to previous yaers, with several Raw vs. Smackdown matches and the winning brand getting the “random” draft pick.

— The script for tonight’s Draft RAW does not list the talents who will be drafted as a way of preventing more spoilers from leaking out.

Former WWE superstar Dave Batista won’t be making his professional mixed martial arts debut any time soon.

* VIDEO of BATISTA’s MMA Training: The Next Brock Lesnar?

A cameraman from TMZ.com caught up with Batista at the LAX airport over the weekend and asked him for an update on his MMA career. To see the video, click here.

Batista said he was negotiating with the Strikeforce MMA promotion to have his first fight soon, but that deal fell through after the company was recently bought out by the UFC.

Batista said he is “real disappointed” with the way things turned out says he really “had his heart set” on Strikeforce.

Could Batista’s MMA career getting knocked off track before it ever left the station – could we see his return to WWE this year?

COMMENT BELOW and tell us if you’d want to see Batista back in WWE.

With the 2011 WWE Draft just hours away – we’ve got an interesting co-incidence that corroborates a previous report here on the site about a top SmackDown star heading to RAW.

Earlier today, the web address of SmackDown star Alberto Del Rio’s profile page on the official WWE website denoted the WWE Superstar as a member of the Raw roster.

Under the “All” bracket on the WWE Superstars page on WWE.com, his picture linked to the web address www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/albertodelrio. The error has since corrected as the URL now redirects to his original SmackDown based page.

Similarly, SmackDown Diva Beth Phoenix was denoted as a member of the Raw roster over the weekend. The miscue was corrected this morning.

WWE officials have discussed moving Del Rio to Raw during tonight’s WWE Draft as he is currently scheduled to headline SummerSlam against John Cena. It has also been broached for Del Rio move to the brand as World Heavyweight Champion, with The Miz, as WWE Champion, heading to SmackDown.

Tonight we’ve got new episodes of WWE RAW and Tough Enough – plus the latest performance from Chris Jericho on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars. Here’s what to expect tonight:

– Tough Enough will feature a special appearance from Hall of Famer Bret Hart. The USA Network is hyping a shocking surprise for tonight’s show – which has been titled, “The 110-pound Elephant in the Room.”

– Tonight’s WWE RAW takes place from the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina and will feature the 2011 WWE Draft.

The advertised dark match main event after tonight’s RAW will see John Cena and Randy Orton team up against WWE champion The Miz and Nexus leader CM Punk.

– Chris Jericho is still going strong on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars and will be dancing the Tango tonight with his partner Cheryl Burke. After getting his best score yet last week – Chris Jericho revealed over the weekend that his metal band FOZZY will be in the house tonight for his performance! Jericho tweeted on Sunday:

“GREAT rehearsal today with @cherylburke This tango is gonna rock…literally! Also found out that @fozzyrock will be on DWTS on Mon too!”

Jeff Hardy's Mugshot Picture

North Carolina’s ThePilot.com has some new information regarding Jeff Hardy’s drug case getting postponed again on Wednesday.

Hardy’s lawyer Jim Van Camp asked Judge James Web for another continuance so District Administrator Becky Carlson can evaluate Jeff Hardy to determine if he has a drug addiction and whether his defense team should push for rehab instead of jail for Hardy.

“I’ve just started to work with Mr. Hardy within the past month,” Carlson told the Judge. “I have to have time to formulate my plan, do a background assessment and put a treatment plan in place.”

When Judge Webb asked Becky Carlson how much in-patient treatment she recommends based on her professional experience, she said “Twenty-eight days,” but stressed more time was needed for an accurate assessment.

Carlson hopes to have her evaluation completed by early June, in time for Hardy’s next court appearance on June 27th.

Van Camp stressed to the court that Jeff Hardy has not yet been classified as a drug addict needing treatment.