The October 5th edition of WWE Raw hosted by Ben Roethlisberger drew a 3.3 rating, up from last week’s 3.1. The show did hours of 3.32 and 3.29.

The fact that Raw’s rating increased is quite impressive, as the show was up against some very stiff competition. Last night’s NFL Monday Night Football game on ESPN featuring Bret Favre leading the Minnesota Vikings to victory over his old squad, the Green Bay Packers, scored a huge 15.3 rating with a staggering 21.8 million viewers. It was the most watch show in the history of cable television.

It’s been said that WWE booked NFL star Ben Roethlisberger to host Raw last night was an attempt to counter the big Monday Night Football game. Considering there were so many football fans watching television last night, there’s a good chance many of them jumped over to Raw to see Roethlisberger and the Steelers on Raw.

– The rating for this week’s Raw is not in yet, but it looks like WWE may have a tough time matching last week’s low 3.1 number. Last night’s NFL Monday Night Football game on ESPN featuring Bret Favre leading the Minnesota Vikings over his old squad, the Green Bay Packers scored a huge 14.2 metered-market rating, according to SportsBusinessDaily.com. The game is expected to be the most watched program in the history of cable television, once the final numbers come in.

– The plan as of this past weekend was to have Beth Phoenix as the next challenger to Mickie James’ Divas Championship.

– SEScoops reader Alex sent in the first official promotional poster for WWE’s WrestleMania 26. Next year’s big event takes place on March 28th, 2010 from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona:

SpikeTV issued the following press release on Tuesday afternoon:

Spike TV and TNA Wrestling To Present Special Programming In October

‘Global Impact 2’ Premiere Thursday, October 8 at 11:00 PM, ET/PT, ‘Super iMPACT!’ Premieres Thursday, October 15 Starting At 9:00 PM, ET/PT, Spike TV

NEW YORK, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ — Spike TV goes to the mat with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling with two special programming events in October.

On Thursday, October 8 at 11:00 PM, ET/PT, immediately following the regular weekly telecast of TNA “iMPACT!,” Spike will present “Global Impact 2,” a one-hour special featuring an international showdown between TNA Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling from the world-famous Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.

“Global Impact 2” matchups include “Main Event Mafia vs. New Japan Main Event” featuring Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, Mashahiro Chono and Riki Choshu vs. Giant Bernard, Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii and Karl Anderson; “IWGP Tag Team Championship Match” with Team 3D going up against Togi Makabe and Toru Yano and “IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match” featuring the Motor City Machineguns vs. Yujiro and Tetsuya Naito.

The following week, on Thursday, October 15, Spike will present a three-hour (9:00 PM – Midnight, ET/PT) super-sized installment of “iMPACT!” as the superstars of TNA make their final preparations before TNA’s “Bound For Glory” pay-per-view event taking place that weekend.

The main event on Spike that evening will feature two of the biggest stars in TNA, as “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles wrestles for the first time since becoming TNA World Champion in a Grudge Match against the leader of the Main Event Mafia, Kurt Angle. Also, “The Boss” Bobby Lashley takes on “The War Machine” Rhino in a Stretcher Match. “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan takes on Booker T. from the Main Event Mafia. “Super iMPACT!” will also give wrestling fans a behind-the-scenes look at some of the biggest stars in TNA as a preview of the AJ-Sting, Mick Foley-Abyss, Lashley-Samoa Joe and Matt Morgan-Kurt Angle matches at “Bound For Glory.” Viewers will see the warriors away from the ring, training, with family, with unprecedented access.

“Cross The Line” to TNA Wrestling. TNA Wrestling is the most innovative experience in professional wrestling today. Join TNA World Heavyweight Champion “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, “The Boss” Bobby Lashley, Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, “The Icon” Sting, Mick Foley, the lovely and lethal TNA Knockouts and the no-limits X-Division inside the six-sided ring of “TNA iMPACT!” every Thursday night (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) only on Spike TV.

TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Nashville, Tenn.

Spike TV is available in 98 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press

SpikeTV issued the following press release on Tuesday afternoon:

Spike TV and TNA Wrestling To Present Special Programming In October

‘Global Impact 2’ Premiere Thursday, October 8 at 11:00 PM, ET/PT, ‘Super iMPACT!’ Premieres Thursday, October 15 Starting At 9:00 PM, ET/PT, Spike TV

NEW YORK, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ — Spike TV goes to the mat with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling with two special programming events in October.

On Thursday, October 8 at 11:00 PM, ET/PT, immediately following the regular weekly telecast of TNA “iMPACT!,” Spike will present “Global Impact 2,” a one-hour special featuring an international showdown between TNA Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling from the world-famous Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.

“Global Impact 2” matchups include “Main Event Mafia vs. New Japan Main Event” featuring Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, Mashahiro Chono and Riki Choshu vs. Giant Bernard, Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii and Karl Anderson; “IWGP Tag Team Championship Match” with Team 3D going up against Togi Makabe and Toru Yano and “IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match” featuring the Motor City Machineguns vs. Yujiro and Tetsuya Naito.

The following week, on Thursday, October 15, Spike will present a three-hour (9:00 PM – Midnight, ET/PT) super-sized installment of “iMPACT!” as the superstars of TNA make their final preparations before TNA’s “Bound For Glory” pay-per-view event taking place that weekend.

The main event on Spike that evening will feature two of the biggest stars in TNA, as “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles wrestles for the first time since becoming TNA World Champion in a Grudge Match against the leader of the Main Event Mafia, Kurt Angle. Also, “The Boss” Bobby Lashley takes on “The War Machine” Rhino in a Stretcher Match. “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan takes on Booker T. from the Main Event Mafia. “Super iMPACT!” will also give wrestling fans a behind-the-scenes look at some of the biggest stars in TNA as a preview of the AJ-Sting, Mick Foley-Abyss, Lashley-Samoa Joe and Matt Morgan-Kurt Angle matches at “Bound For Glory.” Viewers will see the warriors away from the ring, training, with family, with unprecedented access.

“Cross The Line” to TNA Wrestling. TNA Wrestling is the most innovative experience in professional wrestling today. Join TNA World Heavyweight Champion “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, “The Boss” Bobby Lashley, Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, “The Icon” Sting, Mick Foley, the lovely and lethal TNA Knockouts and the no-limits X-Division inside the six-sided ring of “TNA iMPACT!” every Thursday night (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) only on Spike TV.

TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Nashville, Tenn.

Spike TV is available in 98 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press

Jim Ross has updated his JRsBarBQ.com blog with his thoughts coming out of last night’s newsworthy edition of WWE Raw. Some highlights:

ESPN Covering Raw: “ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt mentioned that his favorite old time wrestling star was Kamala the Ugandian Giant. Who’d a thunk it? ESPN surprised me with their coverage of Big Ben’s guest hosting shot Monday night on RAW. The Steelers had a great time from what I could see which comes as no surprise. The Steelers QB has been a WWE fan for long time.”

Cena-Orton Iron Man Match: “Orton vs. Cena in an Ironman Match is my kind of party. I just wish I could help call it. I love time limits and the scoring system. Makes the contest feel more like an athletic event of which I personally like. IF this is this pair’s last dance then I expect them to rock it for the duration and provide us fans with a compelling story. This match could be a great way to end this rivalry if that is the objective.”

Young Talent Being Elevated: “Nice to see Jack Swagger look as if he is going to get his ball rolling on RAW. Swagger has the athletic skills to be awfully good if he pushes himself to the next level both physically and mentally. Miz winning the U.S. Title will shake up that area and the popular Kofi chasing Miz could result in some excellent bouts. Nice move in my opinion.”

Check out the promotional poster for the 2009 WWE Survivor Series.

This year’s event takes place on Sunday, November 22nd from the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

Looks like DX will be around for at least a few more months:

UPDATE: Check out this TV commercial for WWE Survivor Series also featuring the DX army:

The following news items are compiled from several live reports sent in from fans who attended Monday’s Raw from the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA:

Dark Match: Jamie Noble defeated Heath Slater after reversing a powerbomb into a pin. Slater is a former FCW Heavyweight champion. He came out with a microphone and cut a cocky promo on his way to the ring. Solid match.

WWE Superstars Taping:

— Ted DiBiase wrestled Evan Bourne in what was said to be a great match.

— It was also announced that Cryme Tyme will face the Hart Dynasty on this week’s show. That match will be taped at Tuesday’s ECW & SmackDown tapings.

Live Notes:

— The arena was almost completely full. Roethlisberger and his teamates got a ton of media attention during the week and there was a big event “buzz” ini the arena.

— Randy Orton made two entrances. After Raw went to commercial, he checked the Divas out as they left and he made his way to the back. A minute later he came out again.

After RAW Went of the air:

— After Raw went off air, DX and the Pittsburg Steelers posed in the ring for a few minutes before slapping some hands at ringside. They then posted at the top of the ramp before heading to the back.

— Big Show then emerged from the ring announcers area and made his way to the back jawing with some fans.

— The scheduled dark match main event between Cena & DX vs. Oron & Legacy never took place.

The following news items are compiled from several live reports sent in from fans who attended Monday’s Raw from the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA:

Dark Match: Jamie Noble defeated Heath Slater after reversing a powerbomb into a pin. Slater is a former FCW Heavyweight champion. He came out with a microphone and cut a cocky promo on his way to the ring. Solid match.

WWE Superstars Taping:

— Ted DiBiase wrestled Evan Bourne in what was said to be a great match.

— It was also announced that Cryme Tyme will face the Hart Dynasty on this week’s show. That match will be taped at Tuesday’s ECW & SmackDown tapings.

Live Notes:

— The arena was almost completely full. Roethlisberger and his teamates got a ton of media attention during the week and there was a big event “buzz” ini the arena.

— Randy Orton made two entrances. After Raw went to commercial, he checked the Divas out as they left and he made his way to the back. A minute later he came out again.

After RAW Went of the air:

— After Raw went off air, DX and the Pittsburg Steelers posed in the ring for a few minutes before slapping some hands at ringside. They then posted at the top of the ramp before heading to the back.

— Big Show then emerged from the ring announcers area and made his way to the back jawing with some fans.

— The scheduled dark match main event between Cena & DX vs. Oron & Legacy never took place.

— A source close to Jeff Hardy stated that Hardy is in “good spirits” and feels that his pending criminal case will go in his favor.

— There is backstage talk that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will host the first WWE Raw of 2010 from Dayton, Ohio on January 4. Johnson’s next feature film “Tooth Fairy” hits theaters on January 22.

— Scenes of the Pittsburgh Steelers and DX were shown during the opening of Monday night’ Sportscenter on ESPN. They showed clips of the Steelers players getting in their stance againt the Big Show and clips of Ben celebrating with DX. Jerry Lawler was heard saying, “There is your Sportscenter moment!”

— It is being reported that Gail Kim busted one of her breast implants at a recent Raw live event. She now joins WWE Divas Champion Mickie James, who was recently on the sidelines recovering from the same injury.

Sources: PWInsider.com, F4WOnline.com

— A source close to Jeff Hardy stated that Hardy is in “good spirits” and feels that his pending criminal case will go in his favor.

— There is backstage talk that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will host the first WWE Raw of 2010 from Dayton, Ohio on January 4. Johnson’s next feature film “Tooth Fairy” hits theaters on January 22.

— Scenes of the Pittsburgh Steelers and DX were shown during the opening of Monday night’ Sportscenter on ESPN. They showed clips of the Steelers players getting in their stance againt the Big Show and clips of Ben celebrating with DX. Jerry Lawler was heard saying, “There is your Sportscenter moment!”

— It is being reported that Gail Kim busted one of her breast implants at a recent Raw live event. She now joins WWE Divas Champion Mickie James, who was recently on the sidelines recovering from the same injury.

Sources: PWInsider.com, F4WOnline.com

On Monday, it was reported that A.J. Styles and Matt Morgan have signed new 5-year contract extensions with TNA Wrestling.

Matt Morgan wrote a message o his Twitter page (Twitter.com/TNAMattMorgan) responding to a fan who asked if news about his new contract was true. Morgan responded,  “Have no clue how you would know that, but yes that’s true. Signed it last week and am looking forward to five more improving years.”

A.J. Styles on the other hand may not have signed a new contract. The same source who broke the original story (ProWrestling.net) now says the Styles deal is not finalized. Styles is currently in the second year of a deal he signed over a year ago.

On Monday, it was reported that A.J. Styles and Matt Morgan have signed new 5-year contract extensions with TNA Wrestling.

Matt Morgan wrote a message o his Twitter page (Twitter.com/TNAMattMorgan) responding to a fan who asked if news about his new contract was true. Morgan responded,  “Have no clue how you would know that, but yes that’s true. Signed it last week and am looking forward to five more improving years.”

A.J. Styles on the other hand may not have signed a new contract. The same source who broke the original story (ProWrestling.net) now says the Styles deal is not finalized. Styles is currently in the second year of a deal he signed over a year ago.

— Next week’s Raw Guest Hosts in Indianapolis, Indiana will be Access Hollywood’s Nancy O’Dell and actress Maria Menounos.

— WWE has announced two big matches for Bragging Rights on October 25th. New WWE Champion Randy Orton will defend the gold against John Cena in a 60 Minute Iron Man Match. There will be no disqualification, no countout and John Cena will have to leave Raw if he doesn’t capture the title. As previously reported, there will also be a RAW vs. SmackDown tag team match at the end of the night comprised of all the winning Raw wrestlers from that night’s bouts facing all the winning Smackdown wrestlers from the PPV.

— The early Summerslam buyrate estimated by World Wrestling Entertainment according to the WWE Corporate website is 375,000-380,000. By comparison, SummerSlam 2008 drew close to 500,000 buys.

— Next week’s Raw Guest Hosts in Indianapolis, Indiana will be Access Hollywood’s Nancy O’Dell and actress Maria Menounos.

— WWE has announced two big matches for Bragging Rights on October 25th. New WWE Champion Randy Orton will defend the gold against John Cena in a 60 Minute Iron Man Match. There will be no disqualification, no countout and John Cena will have to leave Raw if he doesn’t capture the title. As previously reported, there will also be a RAW vs. SmackDown tag team match at the end of the night comprised of all the winning Raw wrestlers from that night’s bouts facing all the winning Smackdown wrestlers from the PPV.

— The early Summerslam buyrate estimated by World Wrestling Entertainment according to the WWE Corporate website is 375,000-380,000. By comparison, SummerSlam 2008 drew close to 500,000 buys.

Source: PWInsider.com

John Cena will be starring in his third WWE Studios movie later this year titled, “Oxley’s Road.”

Cena will play Cal Oxley, the youngest son of a wrestling family who decides to join his high school’s wrestling team. That decision is made against the wishes of his mother Sharon (played by Patricia Clarkson) in an effort to get her and the oldest Oxley brother to reconnect. Cal Oxley’s mother and older brother have been estranged for 10 years ever since a car accident claimed the life of Cal Oxley’s father.

Filming begins on December 8th in the New Orleans area.

The budget for Oxley’s Road has been set at $10 million, which means its going straight to DVD.

Thanks to reader Joey Adams for sending this in…

This morning Saturday Night Live cast member Andy Samberg appeared on 97 Rock’s Norton in the Morning Show out of Buffalo, New York to talk about his upcoming comedy show called Andy and Friends. When one of the hosts asked him if he had any other upcoming projects he said he had been contacted to host an upcoming RAW episode in October emanating from Buffalo. RAW is scheduled for Buffalo on the 26’th later this month.

After the hosts joked with him asking if he had to wear tights to get that gig Samberg laughed it off and said no but he would be debuting a new Digital Short he’s been working on for RAW starring some of the WWE Superstars. This makes sense because SNL airs on NBC which owns the USA Network.

— TNA Wrestling has signed two of their top young stars to new longterm contracts, according to ProWrestling.net. A.J. Styles and Matt Morgan, who both still had some time remaining on their previous TNA deals, recently signed new five-year contracts that will keep them with the company through 2014.

— Fans who are ordering TNA Bound For Glory on 10/18 will have to fork over an extra $10 more than the usual TNA PPV. Both Comcast and Time Warner Cable are listsing the event as $39.99. No word yet on whether the price change is permanent moving forward or if its just for TNA’s showcase event of the year.

— Thursday’s edition of TNA iMPACT! drew a 1.1 rating, on par with what the show has been doing in recent weeks.

— TNA Wrestling has signed two of their top young stars to new longterm contracts, according to ProWrestling.net. A.J. Styles and Matt Morgan, who both still had some time remaining on their previous TNA deals, recently signed new five-year contracts that will keep them with the company through 2014.

— Fans who are ordering TNA Bound For Glory on 10/18 will have to fork over an extra $10 more than the usual TNA PPV. Both Comcast and Time Warner Cable are listsing the event as $39.99. No word yet on whether the price change is permanent moving forward or if its just for TNA’s showcase event of the year.

— Thursday’s edition of TNA iMPACT! drew a 1.1 rating, on par with what the show has been doing in recent weeks.

Tonight’s edition of WWE Raw takes place from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.

* The guest host will be NFL Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and Superbowl champion Ben Roethlisberger, who is bringing members of his offensive line with him. Over the weekend, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported “Big Ben” is bringing the following players with him to tonight’s show: Max Starks, Trai Essex, Justin Hartwig, Chris Kemoeatu, and Willie Colon.

Roethlisberger is an interesting pick to host tonight’s Raw, which will be going up against some very stiff competition from Monday Night Football. Tonight’s NFL game will feature Bret Favre & the Minnesota Vikings playing Favre’s old squad, the Green Bay Packers.

* For those wondering what Ben Roethlisberger will be promoting during his appearance tonight, it will be his charitable foundation, The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation, which  provides support for police and fire departments throughout the United States and enhances the quality of life for residents of Findlay, Ohio (his hometown) and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

* The advertised dark match main event for tonight’s show is a six-man tag match with John Cena, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase, and Cody Rhodes. It’s the same dark match main event they’ve been having after Raw for the past few weeks.

With only 20 days until WWE’s next PPV, Bragging Rights, WWE has no time to waste building towards that event – so we’ll probably see some matches announced tonight.

The results are in for our first reader poll here on SEScoops.com.

We asked you, “What you think about Ric Flair coming out of retirement and wrestling again?”

1,796 of you voted and the feedback was overwhelmingly negative. Here are the results:

60% – Disappointed: It tarnishes the WM24 sendoff (1083 votes)

26% – Neutral: It is what it is – the guy has to make a living (475 votes)

14% – Excited: Nature Boy is back – Whoooooo! (238 votes)

For more on Ric Flair coming out of retirement visit the Ric Flair news archives.

A new poll is now up asking what you thought of the WWE Hell in a Cell PPV.

Various changes were made to the booking of Sunday’s Hell in a Cell PPV according to F4WOnline.com. One match that WWE spent a lot of time crafting was the SmackDown IC title match between John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler. WWE views both men as future stars on the verge of moving to the next level, so its understandable that the WWE producers gave the booking of this one extra attention.

In addition the match order itself was also changed around several times before WWE settled on what we saw last night on PPV. At one point, there was talk of putting Randy Orton vs. John Cena on as the main event, which didn’t happen.  Additionally, most do not believe Undertaker vs. CM Punk was initially scheduled to open the show.

Based on how the match order played out, its clear WWE tried to space out the three Hell in a Cell matches. This is similar to what WWE has done at WrestleManias in the past, spacing out the title matches with undercard matches. This is why we saw Drew McIntire vs. Ron Killings in the second to last match of the night.

As has been reported, WWE creative as well as the talent roster have expressed some concern about having to book multiple, identical gimmick matches on the new specialty pay-per-views.

Pay-Per-View provider iNDEMAND has released a preview for WWE’s new Bragging Rights event, which takes place on Sunday, October 25th in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The event replaces Cyber Sunday and is expected to feature some of that event’s interactive elements.

Here’s the event synopsis and promotional poster from iNDEMAND that reveals details on a huge interbrand main event:

“Bragging Rights are on the line in a special SmackDown vs. Raw tag-team main event featuring winners of the night’s matches. Don’t miss WWE Bragging Rights, with all your favorite Superstars including Randy Orton, John Cena, Triple H, Undertaker and Rey Mysterio, Sunday, October 25, 8PM ET / 5PM PT, live on pay-per-view. A World Wrestling Entertainment Production.”

Related Link : More Details on WWE’s new Bragging Rights Pay-Per-View

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made his first WWE television appearance in years on Friday’s Decade of SmackDown special.

The Hollywood superstar cut an entertaining 7 minute promo and announced that maybe it’s time he was a guest host of WWE Raw.

Update: The YouTube video of The Rock’s promo we had up has been taken down at the request of WWE. Visit WWE.com to see The Rock’s promo from Decade of SmackDown:

https://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/smackdown/2009/october1-7/11908876

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made his first WWE television appearance in years on Friday’s Decade of SmackDown special.

The Hollywood superstar cut an entertaining 7 minute promo and announced that maybe it’s time he was a guest host of WWE Raw.

Update: The YouTube video of The Rock’s promo we had up has been taken down at the request of WWE. Visit WWE.com to see The Rock’s promo from Decade of SmackDown:

https://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/smackdown/2009/october1-7/11908876

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read at JRsBarBQ.com.

Here’s what JR said about:

JBL Missing Decade of SmackDown: JBL was unavailable to attend the 10 year SD show but he’s doing great in business and life in general. John is playing golf this weekend at Pebble Beach…not bad for a country boy from West Texas.

Vickie Guerrero’s WWE Return: It looks as if Vickie Guerrero may be returning to Smackdown as a manager. More on that Friday night on Smackdown.

Bobby Heenan: Lots of talk at the Roundtable about the amazing Bobby Heenan who was virtually a lock for best manager ever by our panel. He got my vote.

Hell in a Cell: Hell in a Cell this Sunday will be an adventure with three main events inside the Cell. I’m intrigued as to how they will all have their own identity and look forward to the PPV