— Former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia announced Sunday during the Afterbuzz TV AfterShow for Entourage that she will be celebrating her birthday this Friday by shooting her first music video. The video will be for a pop rock song.
Garcia released her debut music album, ¡Quiero Vivir!, in 2007. She has had a second album in the works since her departure from WWE.
— The official Facebook page of WWE has announced that Jared from Subway will appear on tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
Their statement reads: “Jared from Subway will be on WWE Monday Night Raw tonight. Tune in to see what happens. Also, click COMMENT to let us know what your favorite Subway $5 Footlong Sandwich is.”
— Tonight’s episode of Showbiz Tonight on CNN Headline News with feature a segment on Brooke Hogan’s nude pictorial for PETA. The program airs at 11:00 p.m.
PWInsider.com reports that Tough Enough winner Andy Leavine, who is currently training in Florida Championship Wrestling, has been suspended for 30 days due to a violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program.
Leavine’s suspension has yet to be publicly announced by WWE. He is believed to have failed a drug test.
The organization announced earlier today that referee Mike Chioda had been suspended for 30 days due to a violation of their Talent Wellness Program.
— WWE.com has announced that Chief Operating Officer of WWE, Triple H, will issue an address tonight on Raw.
Their statement reads: “After Summerslam’s controversial main event outcome, Triple H addresses the WWE Universe live tonight on Raw. Will he apologize for his bad call (affecting John Cena)? Will he discuss (Kevin) Nash’s involvement? Might the WWE COO reveal a coup that crowned Del Rio champion?”
— The August 12 episode of SmackDown scored a 1.81 cable rating, the same number as the previous week.
The program averaged 2,640,000 viewers over the course of two hours, up from 2,570,000 the week before.
— In a battle of WWE Hall of Famers, Jerry Lawler will wrestle Dory Funk Jr. at the September 10 !BANG! TV taping in Ocala, Florida. Visit www.dory-funk.com for more information.
— Kevin Nash teased on Twitter that he will be appearing on tonight’s episode of Raw. Nash wrote on Monday:
“Rumor has it a tall, dark haired dude is going to be on Raw tonight. You better watch. He has a tendency to disappear for months.”
Nash appeared last night at SummerSlam to assault CM Punk following his WWE Championship victory over John Cena. Following the attack, Alberto Del Rio cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and defeated Punk for the belt. Freedom Pro Wrestling announced two days earlier that Nash had suffered a neck injury and would miss their Saturday event. He was replaced by “Diamond” Dallas Page.
— Ricky Ortiz, who was released two years ago from his contract with WWE, now competes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He regularly competes in tournaments for the Florida Federation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, where he reigns as champion in his weight class. He still wrestles as he recently joined the Urban Wrestling Federation, which is described as an “intense fusion of pro wrestling and hip hop music.” The former WWE star is also looking to head to Japan to both wrestle and fight.
— Sheamus is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Inside Wrestling.
CM Punk says he received some of the “most ridiculous offers from the most unbelievable sources” during his brief time away from WWE last month after the Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
During a radio interview with Mark Madden from last week, Punk acknowledged that he was brought back to television too soon and there were a “billion” scenarios that could have played out prior to his return. After acknowledging that WWE brought him back sooner than expected to give a jolt to business, Punk said:
“Now you’re getting into the numbers side of the business. Sure, I would have loved to drag it out. There’s a billion different scenarios you could have done. I could have went and worked indies. I had the most ridiculous offers from the most unbelievable sources. I’ll write a book some day and it’ll be a hell of a chapter.”
“It would have been fun to go do commentary for like Titan Fighting Championship, it would have been fun to maybe show up at a ROH show, or go bother Gabe at Evolve, do all kinds of fun stuff. The bottom line is we have a TV show and a pay-per-view to sell. Basically it’s the hottest thing and you just kind of ride it until the wheels fall off.”
Could it have been done in a more entertaining way? If everything is selling out and business is awesome, then yeah, maybe. Maybe.”
– With his big WWE Title win last night at SummerSlam, Alberto Del Rio becomes the first Mexican-born wrestler to hold the WWE Title. The late Eddie Guerrero was born in El Paso, Texas while Hall of Famer Pedro Morales was from Puerto Rico.
– Kevin Nash made a surprise return to WWE television a SummerSlam and destroyed CM Punk following his win over John Cena, allowing Alberto Del Rio to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and leave SummerSlam as WWE champion.
It’s worth noting that Nash’s official website lists several apearances for the Awesome Wrestling Entertainment promotion in September and October. It’s unknown at this time whether Nash will keep those dates, now that he’s a key piece in WWE’s top main event storyline.
New Age Outlaw BG James tweeted the following on Monday about being with Kevin Nash this weekend when he may have got the call from WWE to appear at SummerSlam:
“We were w/Nash this weekend and he did get a phone call at one point friday night that Billy and I thought was suspicious.”
Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takse place from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California and will feature fallout from Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.
On last week’s RAW, it was announced that San Diego native Rey Mysterio would receive a WWE title shot against whoever the champion was after SummerSlam, which is Alberto Del Rio.
As for Rey Mysterio’s knee injury, f4wonline.com is reporting that Rey was scheduled to face The Miz at SummerSlam up until this weekend.
The decision was made at the last minute to make it a 6-man match with Alberto Del Rio, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston and John Morrison as a way to get Rey on the card without him having to
– Cee-Lo Green was said to be very well liked with the WWE talents backstage at SummerSlam.
– WWE used several local independent wrestlers as “plants” during the ringside spot where Mark Henry and Sheamus crashed through the barrier into the crowd. The wrestlers, who work for the Pro Wrestling Guerilla promotion, were used to actual fans were not injured.
– WWE posted a backstage video of Sheamus following his loss to Mark Henry at SummerSlam, where Sheamus declares that his feud with Henry is “far from over.”
– The following WWE terms were trending worldwide on Twitter last night during SummerSlam: Alberto Del Rio, Kevin Nash, Big Daddy Cool, Big Sexy, Beth Phoenix, Stephanie McMahon, Kelly Kelly, Daniel Bryan, Ron Artest, Jimmy Hart, No Holds Barred, Christian, Edge, Justin Roberts and Sheamus vs. Mark Henry.
– The man that Kelly Kelly kissed at ringside last night during SummerSlam was NHL player Sheldon Souray, who plays for the Dallas Stars. Kelly noted on Twitter that Souray was in town with her mother and word is that the two are now dating. Kelly previously dated WWE star Justin Gabriel.
Newly crowned WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio has finally reached the top of the mountain in the world of professional wrestling – but it appears that Mexican superstar already has his plans for retirement in place.
During a recent interview with Mexican news agency Notime, Del Rio says he plans to retire in five years time – following a farewell tour that would finish in his home town of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Del Rio said (translated):
“I already decided. I want to retire in five years and will make a farewell tour but not as many who do 250 fights. Seek a dignified farewell to a fight in San Luis Potosi, my native land and in the Arena Mexico, my home.”
“I decided to go full power and thus having managed to be the best Mexican fighter in this difficult race. I’m tired because it takes great dedication and sacrifice but also left me enormous satisfaction.”
Del Rio also talked about the significance of leaving a legacy in this business and representing his family with honor:
“To where I have arrived I have taken fully the name of my dynasty and know that my family is proud than I have done, so when the moment arrives for hanging the boots I will continue enjoying the place that I deserved myself.”
– WWE Champion CM Punk arrived at a WWE charity event in Hollywood tied in with the promotion for Summer Slam, and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon must have been surprised by Punk’s attire. To check out the controversial photos of CM Punk at the event with the WWE Title, check out Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle blog.
– Hulk Hogan posed with daughter Brooke by a big poster of Brooke’s controversial nude photo as the Hollywood paparazzi clicked away on Thursday night. Of course, even wilder was the fact Hulk was joined by his Brooke-A-Like wife Jennifer,whose hot dress left very little to the imagination. You can check out the hot photos of Brooke (and the pics of Hulk with Brooke. and the near-upsirts of the busty Mrs. Hogan as well), visit PopWrecked.com.
Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view saw the surprise returns of several notable names.
– Jimmy Hart did a backstage segment with R-Truth, where he offered Truth his managing services. After almost convincing him, R-Truth questioned with Jimmy was a Little Jimmy and stormed off before the deal could be made.
– Stephanie McMahon had a heated backstage segment with CM Punk, was shown consulting with husband Triple H prior to the main event and was seen exiting the dressing room of former WWE champion John Cena.
– Edge was announced as Christian’s surprise prior to his No Holds Barred match against Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship. After getting a tremendous response from the crowd, Edge ripped into Christian for the way he won his championship (by disqualification) and the way he’s carried himself as champion. Edge bailed on Christian right before the match began.
– Kevin Nash made a surprise appearance, storming the ringside area through the crowd after CM Punk defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship. As Punk was celebrating, Nash attacked him – destroying him with a jackknife powerbomb and allowing Alberto Del Rio to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and leave SummerSlam as WWE champion. It should be interesting to see whether Alberto Del Rio had a hand in Nash taking out Punk and opening the door for an easy title win.
We will have tons of backstage news regardingt he returns of Stephanie McMahon and Kevin Nash here on SEScoops.com during the week – stay tuned!
– In a dark match that took place prior to Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero) defeated Alex Riley with the Zig Zag.
– After SummerSlam went off the air, Ricardo Rodriguez announced Alberto Del Rio as the new WWE Champion and put the belt around his waist. C.M. Punk was in the ring with the briefcase. He looked confused and sad. Punk got up and walked out to a mixed reaction. He picked up the case, set it down on the ring stairs, and walked up the ramp.
Punk’s music played as he walked up the ramp in disappointment. Punk saluted the crowd and headed to the back.
Justin Roberts then thanked everyone for coming to end the show.
— WWE creative had not finalized the script for tonight’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event as of this morning, though it was expected to be finished by the afternoon.
As of a few days ago, two different conclusions to the WWE Championship Match between John Cena and CM Punk had been drawn. The match finish was reportedly decided upon today.
— Santino Marella defeated Jack Swagger with the Cobra Strike in a SummerSlam Axxess match last night at the Nokia Plaza. A.J. beat Natalya earlier in the day. In today’s match results, Justin Gabriel beat Tyson Kidd while Yoshi Tatsu defeated Drew McIntyre.
— Numerous WWE developmental wrestlers and contestants on the last season of Tough Enough are on hand for this weekend’s festivities in Los Angeles, California. Some, however, flew out to L.A. on their own.
— WWE talent reportedly must correct media reporters whenever they say ‘wrestling’ or ‘wrestlers’ in their questions.
WWE diva Gail Kim, who tried quitting the company two weeks ago but was denied her release, has updated fans on her status – and took a major swipe at Vince McMahon in the process.
Gail Kim tweeted the following on Sunday:
“For everyone asking, once again I’m still on a mini-vacation (meaning don’t work for the I-won’t-acknowledge-there’s-any-competition), but have some upcoming appearances and have a few projects on the table.
“So like I said before, this won’t be the last you see of me. Just be patient. You’ll be seeing a lot of me in this next coming year…
“It’s great that everyone is hopeful but I’m nonofficially/officially done. I’m ready to make things happen for myself instead of leaving it into someone else’s hands. Especially into the hands of a person who didn’t believe in me.
“Why should I waste more of my time when I believe in myself? I’m ready to accomplish things for myself and not for a boss I have no respect for.”
Check out this new gameplay footage from WWE ’12 … Watch John Cena and CM Punk slug it out for the WWE Championship – a preview of tonight’s SUMMERSLAM!
WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel appeared on Right After Wrestling with Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas (available here). Highlights from the interview are as follows:
What was the initial plan for SummerSlam in 1988: “To the best of my recollection, SummerSlam came around 1988 and then the Royal Rumble came in soon after. It was always the second biggest event we were going to produce. The WWE worked on producing pay-per-views from the ’80’s through the ’90’s until now. When we first started with WrestleMania, pay-per-view was just at the cusp of its origin. And we needed something else that would whet the appetite of the consumer after WrestleMania and that’s where SummerSlam came into play.”
The Fink’s favorite SummerSlam moments: “As far as my favorite match at SummerSlam that would have to be SummerSlam ’91 where Bret Hart faced Mr. Perfect. Not only was it one of the best matches in SummerSlam history or in Madison Square Garden in NYC, but it was truly one of the greatest matches off all time.”
Being a veteran in WWE, how he feels about the ‘fourth wall’ being broken down with this CM Punk angle: “I wasn’t initially comfortable with it but it’s cutting edge. I had mixed emotions to it. Some people have had their jaws drop over the past previous weeks. So although I had mixed emotions about it, I’m actually digging the hell out of it now!”
Other Interview Topics
– How the WWE product is now changing, with focus on the Divas and the tag-team division.
– His memories of the ‘biggest’ SummerSlam in history – 1992 in front of 80,000 fans in England – and if he was nervous.
In the latest issue of WWE Magazine, World Heavyweight Champion Christian opens up on Edge telling him had to retire, why he doesn’t mind being overlooked, how his body is holding up these days, and more.
Christian recalls his conversation with Edge telling him he would be quitting wrestling.
“He told me as soon as he got the news,” Christian said. “I did what any friend would, and tried to comfort him. It’s hard when you’re at the level he is and you’ve done the things he has done, and it’s not your choice to walk away. Ultimately, you want to be the one to say, “OK—it’s time to hang it up.” I think that’s what troubled him the most.
“But I kept positive and told him he did do things on his own terms. His final match was at WrestleMania XXVII in front of 70,000 people. He walked to the ring as the World Champion and walked out as World Champion. I don’t think there’s a better way he could have ended his story than that.”
WWE Magazine notes that Christian is one of remaining talents from the ’90s. He is asked whether he sees himself as a veteran or a rookie.
“I’m definitely a veteran. No question,” he replied. “And it always makes me laugh when the younger guys tell me they remember where they were when I contested a certain match. It makes me feel old, but it’s cool to hear that. Honestly, veteran or not, I feel better now than ever. My body’s holding up, I feel good physically and mentally. If anything, Edge’s departure has inspired me to work harder. It’s opened my eyes and made me realize that, hey, this thing could end at any second. Stop wasting time. If you’re going to do it, you’re going to do it now.
Christian was also asked about the widespread belief that he doesn’t get enough respect for all that he’s done for WWE.
“It’s funny, I do think I’ve been somewhat overlooked, but I’ve always viewed that as a challenge. Everyone else seems to get more upset about it than I do,” Christian said. “I never doubted that my talent would shine through in the end, no matter what. I believe I am one of the best and I work to prove that every night I go out there. The question has always been, “Will my time ever come?” It’s always been, “When will it come?”
“Edge moved on and won many titles, but you can’t compare us. We are two different people with two different paths. I never asked why I didn’t get what he did; I looked at it as, “What can I do to step up and make myself better?” And every night, I go out into the arena thinking, “Tonight, they’re going to know how good I am.”
We go right into the arena for Justin Roberts to introduce Adam Jude from the band Tool to perform the National Anthem. Adam does a good job with an instrumental guitar piece, with a few flourishes. It has nothing on Hendrix’s version from Woodstock, but it gets the crowd cheering a bit, and it’s topped off with some quick fireworks.
This transitions us into a video package highlighting Los Angeles, and of course SummerSlam itself, as the biggest event of the summer. We also get a prominent look at the Punk/Cena match coming up later in the night.
The pyro hits again, much bigger this time, and Michael Cole welcomes us to the PPV. Cole hypes the sold out crowd at the Staples Center, and The Miz’s music hits, he makes his way out through his inflatable ‘Awesome’ set.
Miz has a mic in hand and he says he’s returned to SummerSlam. He says he wants to take this time to thank everyone for their insitence that he competes tonight, and their unwavering support. So he wants everyone to watch while he steals the show, but he’s interrupted by the Truth. Truth says he doesn’t know why Miz wants to thank the people in LA. You know how Truth doesn’t like spiders, spiders starts with the letter S. And so does SummerSlam. And singing at SummerSlam will be Ceelo Green, and Conspiracy starts with C. He’s in turn interrupted by Alberto Del Rio.
Del Rio drives out in a beautiful Ferrari, and he’s introduced by Ricardo Rodriegez of course. Del Rio comes down to the ring with his Money in the Bank briefcase in hand. Del Rio poses for the crowd for a bit, and the crowd actually chants his name. Kofi Kingston is the next man out to the entrance ramp, and he gets a good pop, looks like this will be a six man tag.
Alberto Del Rio, The Miz and R-Truth vs. Kofi Kingston, John Morrison and Rey Mysterio
John Morrison is the next man out to the ring, and he gets a decent reaction. Morrison gives his sunglasses to a kid on the way to the ring. Rey Mysterio is the third man announced for his team and he gets a great reaction from his hometown crowd.
Kingston and Miz look to start things out for their respective teams. We get a lock up to kick things off and Miz locks in a head lock. Kingston is quick to fight out of it and lock in a head lock of his own. Miz pushes him off but goes down to a shoulderblock, then a monkey flip, and then a dropkick. Morrison tags in, and the two pick Miz up and drop him down stomach first to the mat. Morrison hits a big leg drop on Miz and goes for the pin, but Miz kicks out. Miz is able to tag in R-Truth, and Morrison takes him down with a series of punches before taking him to the corner, slamming his head into the turnbuckle and hitting a big springboard kick. Truth is able to catch Morrison with a quick shot and a couple of big kicks to the gut but he walks into a kick to the face. Morrison goes up to the top but he’s pushed to the floor by Miz.
Back in the ring, Truth hits Morrison with a snap mare and locks in a rear chin lock. Morrison is able to fight up but Miz tags in and takes Morrison back down to the mat before hitting a big kick. Miz goes for the pin, gets two and goes right into a rear chin lock. Morrison is able to fight up to his feet, and hits Miz with a big kick that lays him out. Morrison makes the tag to Kofi who comes in and takes out Miz with a series of chops and a big dropkick. Miz is able to push Kofi into the corner but he eats a big boot and a springboard cross body. Kofi takes Truth off the apron with an elbow and then hits the boom drop on Miz. Kofi gets the crowd riled up and goes for the TIP. Miz counters with the SCF, but Kofi fights out and hits the SOS. Del Rio breaks up a pin and knocks Mysterio from the apron, but he’s sent from the ring by Kofi. Miz takes Kofi out with some kind of move that spikes Kofi on his forehead and it’s good for a near fall.
Truth tags in and immediately goes to work with a series of right hands before hitting a sit out front suplex which is good for a near fall. Del Rio tags in and hits a running kick to Kofi’s ribs before hitting a back body drop that’s good for another two count. Del Rio gets kicked away by Kofi, but Miz tags in and prevents the tag, hitting a quick suplex which is good for another near fall. Miz jaws with Mysterio for a bit and ends up rolled up but he kicks out at two and hits Kofi with a solid clothesline that’s good for another two count. Miz locks in another rear chin lock.
Kingston is able to fight out of it and both men are down. Truth and Mysterio tag in and Mysterio takes him down with a seated senton and a quick cross body for two. Truth ducks a clothesline but eats a kick to the side of the head that’s good for two. Mysterio hits a hurricarana that sends Truth into the ropes, and a low dropkick that sends Miz in as well. Del Rio trips Miz up but he’s takes out by a plancha from Morrison. Miz avoids the 619, but he’s taken out by Kofi coming off the top. Truth eats the boots from Mysterio, then a splash from the top rope, and Rey pins Truth for three.
Winners: Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston and John Morrison
CM Punk is backstage with Johnny Ace who is asking for an apology for what happened on Raw last week right now. Punk sarcastically apologizes, calling Lauranitis by his title, and saying he’s sorry again, smirking the whole time. Punk turns around and there’s Stephanie McMahon who wishes Punk luck. Punk finds it hard to believe. He tells her to wish her husband, or father luck. Stephanie says she spoke to both, and they wish luck to both Punk and Cena, but what would she know, she’s Vince’s clueless daughter. Punk agrees, but says he called her idiotic. Steph offers her hand, but Punk declines, saying he knows where that hand has been.
We get a look at the events that have led up to this match, including Henry assaulting various WWE personnel, and taking out the Big Show and Kane.
Mark Henry vs. Sheamus
Mark Henry is the first man to make his way out to the ring, and he gets a big of a negative reaction initially, but it dies off quickly and the crowd doesn’t seem very excited for this one.
Sheamus makes his way out next, and he gets a nice little pop on his way out to the ring.
The bell rings and Henry and Sheamus go at is immediately. Henry takes Sheamus down with a shoulder block. Sheamus comes back with a series of quick punches, but he goes down to a head butt, then another. Henry back Sheamus into the corner and Sheamus is quick to fight out with a series of right hands. Sheamus hits a back elbow, and takes Henry down to his knee with a knee to the gut and a series of clubbing blows to the back. Henry shoves Sheamus away but Sheamus comes right back at him. Henry instead tosses Sheamus over the top rope out to the floor.
Henry follows Sheamus to the outside where he picks him up in a gorilla press and throws him back into the ring. Henry gets into the ring and hits a giant clothesline before following up with a big splash. Henry gets a near fall, and he doesn’t look happy with it. Sheamus crawls toward the ropes, and Henry brings his whole body crashing down across Sheamus, while leaping to the outside through the ropes. Henry goes for the pin but Sheamus is in the ropes. Sheamus begins to fight back but Henry picks him up and takes him down with a back breaker.
Henry gets Sheamus up across his shoulder. Sheamus fights out of the submission attempt, but Henry throws him into the corner hard, and Sheamus goes down. Henry steps on Sheamus and goes for the Vader bomb, but Sheamus rolls out of the way and Henry crashes down into the mat. The ref begins the count on both men, but both get up before 10. Sheamus hits a couple of big axe handles, ducks a clothesline, and takes Henry down with a flying axe handle. Sheamus hits a series of knee drops to wear Henry down. Sheamus ties Henry up in the ropes and hits a series of big clubbing blows across Henry’s chest, stunning him. Sheamus hits the ropes and he and Henry collide hard, both men going down.
Henry charges Sheamus but runs into a big boot. Sheamus goes to the top and hits a flying shoulder block that’s good for another near fall. Sheamus goes for the bicycle kick, but Henry avoids it and knocks Sheamus to the mat. Henry goes for a slam but Sheamus reverses out and hits a bicycle kick that sends Henry to the outside. Sheamus goes to the outside to bring Henry into the ring, but Henry fights him off, picks him up, slams him into the ring post, and through the barricade at ringside, and I spot some local So-Cal wrestlers like Joey Ryan at ringside. Sheamus crawls back toward the ring slowly, but the referee reaches 10 before Sheamus can make it back.
Winner by Countout: Mark Henry
Josh Matthews is backstage with World Champion Christian. Christian says that Randy Orton is not leaving SummerSlam World Champion. He’s got an insurance policy, and the entire beneficiary is the WWE. He says this match is going to be an epic summer blockbuster filler with action. And Christian is Harry Potter, and Orton is Cowboys and Aliens, and over-rated, over-matched flop.
Justin Roberts introduces Cee-Lo, who’s here to sing his song ‘Bright Lights, Bigger City’, which also happens to be the theme song for SummerSlam. Cee-Lo is dressed in a crazy sequin muumuu. Green transitions the song into his more popular past hit ‘F*** You’ (conveniently re-sung as ‘Forget You’). Green has some of the Divas acting as back up dancers for him. Green finishes up and the crowd really seemed to enjoy it, so that’s definitely good.
— WWE Champion CM Punk spoke directly to the WWE Universe at SummerSlam Axxess Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, California as he answered questions from fans during a promo. Todd Grisham also asked him the following question: “How can you speak your mind the way you do and still have a job at WWE?”
Punk replied, “That answer is very simple. I really don’t care if I get fired.” He continued, “If (WWE) decide to bench me and sit me at home, or fire me or suspend me, I really don’t care. Maybe that’s a horrible attitude to have in some peoples’ minds, but that’s the honest to God’s truth. That’s why I can get away with doing and saying what I want.”
— Chris Masters, David Hart Smith, Joey Mercury, Melina and Vladimir Kozlov have been added to WWE.com’s Alumni section. Mercury remains under contract to WWE after disappearing from television last summer as he works as trainer in Florida Championship Wrestling.
THQ revealed Saturday 63 of the playable characters that would be starring in WWE ’12. Additional characters will be revealed in the ensuing weeks.
WWE ’12 is scheduled to be released on November 22, 2011 in North America and on November 25, 2011 in the United Kingdom.
WWE Superstars
* Alberto Del Rio
* Alex Riley
* Big Show
* Chavo Guerrero
* Christian
* CM Punk
* Cody Rhodes
* Daniel Bryan
* David Otunga
* Dolph Ziggler
* Drew McIntyre
* Evan Bourne
* Ezekiel Jackson
* Goldust
* Heath Slater
* Husky Harris
* Jack Swagger
* Jerry Lawler
* John Cena
* John Morrison
* Justin Gabriel
* Kane
* Kofi Kingston
* Mark Henry
* Mason Ryan
* Michael McGillicutty
* Mr. McMahon
* Randy Orton
* Rey Mysterio
* R-Truth
* Santino Marella
* Sheamus
* Sin Cara
* Ted DiBiase
* The Miz
* Triple H
* Tyson Kidd
* Undertaker
* Vladimir Kozlov
* Wade Barrett
* William Regal
* Yoshi Tatsu
* Zack Ryder
WWE Divas
* Beth Phoenix
* Eve
* Kelly Kelly
* Layla
* Maryse
* Michelle McCool
* Natalya
WWE Legends
* Animal
* Arn Anderson
* Ax
* Booker T
* Eddie Guerrero
* Edge
* Hawk
* Kevin Nash
* Ricky Steamboat
* Smash
* Steve Austin
* The Rock
* Vader
— Chris Masters, who was released last week by WWE, caused a commotion today in Los Angeles, California as he appeared outside the Nokia Plaza where SummerSlam Axxess is being held. The former WWE Superstar drew a large crowd as he signed autographs and took pictures with fans. He also had an associate in tow filming his appearance.
— Hornswoggle and former WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia were briefly shown at the conclusion of yesterday’s episode of TMZ on TV as the news entity was on hand for WWE’s SummerSlam VIP Kick-Off Party Event at the Andaz Hotel in Los Angeles, California Thursday night. TMZ reporter Ryan Satin exclaimed seeing Hornswoggle dancing with actress Jennifer Love Hewit, calling the WWE Superstar “a little person.” Satin also talked about how cool it was that a “girl who was the announcer for like ten years” asked to take a photo with him.
— Former WWE Diva Melina will be signing autographs at the Frank & Son Collectible Show in City of Industry, California on Saturday, September 17 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Visit www.frankandsonshow.com for more information.
— The latest issue of WWE Magazine has a feature on the breakout stars to watch this fall. Those profiled are Justin Gabriel, Johnny Curtis, Jinder Mahal, Zack Ryder, A.J. and Kaitlyn, with all six explaining in their own words why they’re WWE’s next breakout star.
A.J. stated, “I’m trying to redefine the word ‘Diva.’ Divas don’t have to be super-girly, ultra-feminine Barbie dolls—there’s room in WWE for girl-next-door types. I see myself as the ultimate underdog, and a lot of people can relate to that. Not everyone is super-jacked and strong and the superwoman type. Some of us just have to fight. I’m just like every little kid out there. What I bring is a lifetime of watching and enjoying WWE—I’m kind of like a fan who snuck her way in. I’m sort of proud of that.
“I might come off as this bubbly person, but that’s because I come from a rough past. Before I even started in WWE, I was living in a car. I wasn’t scouted for WWE. I paid my dues, and literally starved for two months making ends meet. Beth [Phoenix] was at my tryout and gave me a special, awesome pep talk, saying, ‘Yeah, you can do this.’ Then I got signed.”
— Former ECW star Axl Rotten stated on Twitter that if he doesn’t come up with $5,000 by the end of the month, he will be evicted from his home. He was asking for PayPal donations. The message, however, has since been deleted.
— AT&T U-verse is mistakenly advertising Kane vs. Rey Mysterio and Sheamus vs. Randy Orton as the top two matches for SummerSlam. Both contests took place at last year’s event.
— Cody Rhodes captured the Intercontinental Championship from Ezekiel Jackson last night on SmackDown.
After numerous head butts with his protective face mask and a key distraction by his associate Ted DiBiase, Rhodes executed a springboard kick on Ezekiel Jackson. The second generation wrestler then finished off Jackson with the Cross Rhodes to capture his first singles title in WWE.
— The Sin Cara character returned to WWE programming last night on SmackDown with developmental talent Hunico donning the mask. Hunico carries more body fat than the original Sin Cara, who was suspended last month due to a violation of WWE’s drug testing policy.
The SmackDown broadcast team made note of the noticeable physique change, with Josh Mathews saying it appeared Sin Cara put on some weight during his hiatus. The character was temporarily written off television via an injury angle at Money in the Bank.
— Johnny Curtis – winner of WWE NXT season four – was squashed by Mark Henry in his debut match on SmackDown.