WWEDVDNews.com has released a synopsis for the upcoming “Once In a Lifetime: The Rock vs. John Cena” project (to be released in September) and the the highly anticipated CM Punk DVD set, to be released in October.

Rock vs. Cena: Once In A Lifetime Synopsis:

“In the week leading up to WrestleMania XXVIII, a one-hour documentary aired on NBC Universal in America called ‘Once In A Lifetime: The Rock vs. John Cena’. This DVD collection is an expanded version of that documentary – giving the full one-year story of the build up to this epic match – from the very first promo. It also gives an insight into the preparation of body and mind that these two competitors went through before they met in the ring on April 1 in Miami. Once in A Lifetime explores the iconic Superstars long, emotional paths toward their match, and gives viewers a glimpse into The Rock and John Cena’s daily lives, training regiments, and the personal choices and histories that led them to the defining moment of their careers.”

The Upcoming CM Punk DVD Synopsis:

“On June 27, 2011, CM Punk forever altered the course of WWE history with a blistering rant, proclaiming, “Day in and day out for almost 6 years Ihave proven to everybody in the world that Iam the best… on this microphone, in that ring, even on commentary. Nobody can touch me!”. Since riding into the scene as an extra in John Cena’s entrance at WrestleMania 22 to defending the WWE Title in main events all over the world in recent years, the “Voice of the Voiceless” has backed up that statement.

“Now, WWE fans get an unprecedented look inside the life and career of the most controversial Superstar of this generation. The first ever documentary to focus on CM Punk traces his rise to the top of WWE, from this early success on ECW, his divisive perpetuating of the Straight Edge Subculture, to becoming internationally revered as the best wrestler in the world, and all the 5 star matches and verbal “pipe bombs” in between. Packed with new interviews and commentary from Punk himself, as he takes the viewer inside his day-to-day life. Plus relive the signature matches that have punctuated his WWE career and vaulted him into the championship spotlight!”

* Another WWE Superstar Violates WWE’s Wellness Policy (Find Out Who)

– Today’s wrestling birthdays include The Sandman (49) and the Ultimate Warrior (53).

– WWE ran an angle on SmackDown where David Otunga attacked Brodus Clay, which resulted in Clay tearing the MCL in his left knee. Despite the injury, the two men will still wrestle in the No Way Out pre-show match on Youtube.com tomorrow night.

David Otunga tweeted the following about Brodus Clay’s storyline injury:

“So Brodus has a Grade 2 MCL tear. Is that all I did? Sunday at @WWE #NoWayOut his MCL is going to be completely destroyed = No more dancing!”

The WWE website is reporting that Clay will be undergoing rehab over the next few weeks.

* Another WWE Superstar Violates WWE’s Wellness Policy (Find Out Who)

– One of Ryback’s victims on Friday’s SmackDown, Ari Cohen, was Northeast indy worker Elia Markopoulos.

– WWE has released several new merchandise packages for CM Punk, Zack Ryder, The Miz and others. The packages come with t-shirts, pendants, wristbands and other items.

– The new season of NXT that’s being taped from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida will begin airing in Florida on the Bright House Network once the current run of FCW television is over.

Aside from the new venue, another big production upgrade for the new NXT is that the show will air in HD, while the previous FCW shows were not.

– Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle blog has released a new video featuring Mike Tyson, who talks about “getting back into the ring.” The video, which is narrated by Paul Heyman and can be viewed below, is to hype Mike Tyson being featured in the new WWE ’13 video game a a playable character:

WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Raw and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis stated on Friday’s SmackDown that if John Cena lays his hands on him and if Big Show is victorious Sunday night at No Way Out, he will fire Cena. It was announced on Monday’s Raw SuperShow that Laurinaitis will be fired by Vince McMahon if Big Show loses.

The announced card is as follows:

* John Cena vs. Big Show – Steel Cage Match

* World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler

* WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane – Triple Threat Match

* Intercontinental Champion Christian vs. Cody Rhodes

* Divas Champion Layla vs. Beth Phoenix

* United States Champion Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriguez – Tuxedo Match (Non-Title)

* Brodus Clay vs. David Otunga (Pre-Show Match)

Former Connecticut Rep. Chris Shays took aim at U.S. Senate frontrunner Linda McMahon and the content of WWE programming several times during an hour-long Republican debate at the University of Connecticut Thursday, saying that the wrestling organization’s stories are the real “war on women.” At two points, he referred to McMahon’s husband, Vince McMahon, making a woman—Trish Stratus—remove her clothing and bark like a dog during a skit.

“I think when you force a woman to take off all her clothes in an arena, and get down on the ground and bark like a dog, I think that’s assault on women,” said Shays.

“You can’t talk about you’re a job creator without talking about the jobs you created,” he told reporters after the debate, adding how McMahon has no answers to his criticism. Shays also referenced stories of WWE wrestlers who have died young, which have been widely attributed to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. McMahon, however, steered away from his WWE-related criticism to focus on her job plans.

“I’m very proud of the company that I have helped grow, from the point of time when my husband and I shared a desk,” said McMahon. “I’m proud of the jobs that I have created here in Connecticut, and I’m proud of the millions of dollars that we have put into the economy here in our state.”

“A job creator?” Shays responded. “Hugh Hefner is a job creator. I don’t want Hugh Hefner being there, and I don’t want Linda McMahon being there.”

Additional details from the debate are available here.

– WWE announced Friday via Twitter that Cyndi Lauper will guest star on Monday’s Raw SuperShow.

Their statement reads, “Girls just wanna have fun … on #Raw! Grammy-winning artist @CyndiLauper guest stars on Monday’s @WWE #Raw #SuperShow!”

WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel added, “Glad to see @CyndiLauper joining us on Raw this Mon night. She was a major part of the Rock and Wrestling Connection back in the day!”

Lauper made several appearances at the World Wrestling Federation’s “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection” events in 1984 and 1985, including the inaugural WrestleMania event. Managing Wendi Richter against Leilani Kai, their entrance music was “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”

– WWE Champion CM Punk will appear a guest on the NBC talk show “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” late Monday night. The show airs at 12:35 a.m. ET/11:35 p.m. CT.

WrestleMania II celebrity Joan Rivers is also scheduled to appear a guest.

The Score’s Arda Ocal (@arda_ocal) sat down with Bret “The Hitman” Hart in the final part of his three part interview. Bret touches on Lex Luger, his opportunity to carry “the ball” for WWE and his role as the champion of the company in the 1990’s. Highlights are as follows:

WWE’s television ratings after dropping the title to Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XII and Steve Austin: “At the time, ratings plummeted after I dropped the belt to Shawn at Wrestlemania XII. They started losing the ratings to WCW. Shawn did not fill the void like I did and they kinda ended up where it’s like ‘We’re gonna go back to Bret Hart’. The guy that pulled them all out of that was Steve Austin and that was the guy I had a lot to do with helping shape where he was going in his career. I think I had a lot to do with, through the ’90s and I think I had a lot to do with the direction the whole company went, and the stars that did make it for WWE, like Austin and even Shawn I had a lot to do with helping get where they were.”

On carrying WWE through the 1990s: “[Vince] needed someone immediately, like someone right now to carry the whole thing and not drop it. And thats what I love about my era. It’s like ‘Here, give it to Bret Hart’. And they gave me all that. And you know I say, guys like Flair and some of these guys say Bret Hart didn’t draw money, and thats not true at all. I did draw money. I drew big houses. And I had the tough job of having to carry things, I had to be the big star after Hulk Hogan, who was a failed hero at the moment.”

On changing the ‘rules’ as champion: “The big one was I was never a big fan of the big star on the door dressing room. Warrior had it, Macho Man had it too with Liz, but Liz had to change and it was a different thing with Macho, but I always felt Macho earned it. Hogan had the fruit basket, the flowers and the special room with star on the door too. I always felt Hogan earned it too. I never thought he didn’t deserve any of that, he did. I know just when it came to me, you know the limo rides, and the limo service and all that, I didn’t want any of that” … “I want to change in the dressing room with the other wrestlers. I don’t need the star on the door, I don’t want it. Save the “it]s all a big show” for somebody else, I don’t want it. I was the first champion to refuse that” … “You see guys like Warrior and Hogan that didn’t have the time of day for anybody but themselves. I changed that. I wanted to be not just the peoples champion, but I felt like I was the dressing room champion.”

[vsw id=”v7CzHzUynOs” source=”youtube” width=”590″ height=”330″ autoplay=”no”]

Former WWE talent Kenn Doane (a/k/a Kenny Dykstra) posted a message on his Twitter account this week alleging that some of John Cena’s marital problems stem from adultery on the part of the WWE Superstar.

Doane said on the micro-blogging website earlier that he believes Cena is among those within the sports entertainment organization lobbying for Randy Orton’s dismissal following his second violation of the Talent Wellness Program. A Twitter user chastised Doane for spreading rumors about Cena. He responded, “Everyone is entitled to their beliefs. I’m sure his [adultery] in his marriage is a rumor by me too? Or is it truth being told?”

Doane also recalled a negative backstage encounter he had with Cena at a WWE show last November. After being asked whether the multi-time champion was good or bad to him during his time with the organization, he responded, “We were cool until last time I was there he hated me. Didn’t even want to talk or shake hands. Everyone else was cool though.”

Doane then posted a message Thursday in response to Cena fans agitated by his remarks: “Before I get hate tweets from Cena fans, just know I’m not lying. Have no reason too. His issue is his issue. Sure he has bigger problems #RafoolLaw.”

Doane continued, “[Cena] will never respond cuz 1 its the truth everything I said and 2 he has bigger problems #RafoolLaw “#BigShow” “#Johnny” b4 #KD’struth.”

Doane added, “I say things others are afraid they will get “heat” for. I don’t care. Truth is truth.”

He is also not upset with wrestling news outlets reporting his Twitter remarks. “They covered everything I said. If it wasn’t true I wouldn’t of wrote it,” Doane said.

Doane, who at one point was engaged to fellow wrestler Mickie James, says he split with the then-WWE Diva after discovering that she was cheating on him with Cena.

“Oh hell no,” Doane wrote Friday to an uninformed follower asking whether he was still engaged to James. “Broke up with her once I found out she was cheating with John. #Rat.”

James’ relationship with Cena briefly turned into a WWE storyline in mid-2008, but ceased once the two broke up. They, however, remained friends as late as May 2009, with James proclaiming then during an interview with GoErie.com that Cena was ‘one of her road pals.’

“I hang out with John. He’s a sweetheart, and he’s very personable,” James said.

Cena married his high school sweetheart, Liz Huberdeau, two months later. Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer later implied in a thread on the F4WOnline.com message board concerning Cena and James’ relationship that James was transferred from Raw to SmackDown in the fall of 2009 because she didn’t professionally handle breaking up from Cena, thus forcing organization officials to separate the two from each other at work.

Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer was asked by a reader during his radio show (available here) why WWE has not utilized Mick Foley on television more frequently since his return to the organization last November. He said this is due to wrestler/executive Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque’s lobbying, who is resentful of “The Hardcore Legend.”

Meltzer reports Levesque deprecates Foley whenever his name is broached in creative meetings. While Brian Gewirtz, WWE’s Senior Vice President of Creative Writing, feels Foley is creative and a good performer, Levesque thinks otherwise. He says Foley ‘doesn’t look tough’ and can’t be taken seriously as an in-ring performer.

A former WWE creative writer told Power Slam in 2008 under the condition of anonymity that Levesque would disparage Foley whenever he appeared for the company, and in the process, diminished his value in the eyes of Vince and Stephanie McMahon.

“Foley is an out-of-shape nobody,” Levesque was reported as saying by the writer. “No one cares about him at all. Funaki puts more asses in the seats than Foley does. He should pay us for coming on our shows.”

Meltzer believes the real reason Levesque still holds Foley in contempt is because he gets irritated over the consensus of his closest co-workers that his memorable matches with Foley in 2000 ‘made him a star.’

Foley has criticized Levesque in the past; he took several veiled shots at ‘H in his 2007 autobiography The Hardcore Diaries. He also took issue online with Levesque belittling ring announcer Lilian Garcia with a remark he felt was hurtful during an April 2010 episode of Raw. Foley acknowledged then that he may have cost himself professionally for speaking out against Levesque, but felt he had to stand by his principles.

– The following matches will take place on tonight’s WWE SmackDown:

* CM Punk & Sheamus vs. Kane & Daniel Bryan
* Beth Phoenix vs. Alicia Fox
* Brodus Clay vs. Heath Slater
* Jack Swagger vs. Christian
* Ryback vs. two local wrestlers
* Tyson Kidd vs. Damien Sandow

*SPOILERS* For Tonight’s WWE SmackDown

– Suspended WWE superstar Chris Jericho’s countdown continues. Here’s what Jericho tweeted about today marking 8 days until he’s cleared to return:

Willie Aames and Adam Rich were the stars of 70s sitcom "8 Is Enough." Whatever happened to them?#datedreference

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) June 15, 2012

– Lilian Garcia tweeted a photo of herself along with pregnant former WWE diva Candice Michelle which you can view below:

Chk out @DIVACANDICEM 's little bun in the oven! Baby due in Oct! Yay, so happy 4 u sweetie! Thks 4 dinner! xoxo ;) http://t.co/RoXBn9u3

— Lilian Garcia (@LilianGarcia) June 15, 2012

– Today’s wrestling birthdays include Chuck Palumbo (41), Brad Armstrong (51) and Scott Norton (also 51).

– The Miz is currently filming the new WWE Studios project, The Marine: Homefront. Miz tweeted the following this week about the experience:

https://twitter.com/mikethemiz/status/213491320298283009

* Picture of THE MIZ Holding A HUGE Gun While Filming The MARINE

– Cody Rhodes posted the following video to hype his No Way Out match with WWE Intercontinental Champion Christian:

Former WWE superstar Maven Huffman was arrested in Florida back in April on charges of doctor shopping (using multiple doctors) to obtain prescriptions to controlled substances.

Authorities alleged that Huffman was using three Florida doctors to obtain prescriptions to Oxycodone and Hydrocone, drawing an estimated 1,000 pills.

Picture of MAVEN’s MUGSHOT Picture

TMZ reports that Maven has completed a 50-day drug rehab program, paid for WWE. Maven says WWE saved his life and he would have ended up dead if he hadn’t hit rock bottom when he did:

“I owe the WWE my life for helping me through this situation.”

“I have the clarity and focus that comes with sobriety and will never let my family, friends, and fans down again.”

WWE held its second set of NXT tapings from Full Sail University on Thursday night from Winter Park, Florida. Credit to Josh Parry and PWTorch.com for this live report:

WWE re-organized the arena a bit compared to the first taping at Full Sail. The announce table is now positioned underneath the elevated hard camera with an LED screen backdrop. They now only have two floor rows on each side of the ring in order to fill up more space in the risers, which have also been expanded for higher capacity. Smart moves considering the line out the door was much longer than last time.

Triple H walked out in the arena to no music and walked around in the crowd thanking the fans ringside for attending. Awesome thing to do!

World Hvt. champion Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre and Sin Cara vs. Hunico were announced for the taping.

Dark Match: Xavier Woods beat FCW tag champ Corey Graves with a Shining Wizard. Quick match. The crowd was hot for Woods, the former Consequences Creed in TNA.

First NXT episode taping

Out came William Regal and Byron Saxton for commentary. Regal got a huge ovation from the male fans.

(1) Camacho (w/Hunico) beat Tyson Kidd with a DDT after Michael McGillicutty ran in as a distraction. Good showing for Camacho, and Kidd was very over.

(2) Bray Wyatt (former Husky Harris) beat Aiden English with an inverted neckbreaker. Bray was popular with the males and ominously sang on the way to the ring. Epic gimmick.

Jim Ross came to ringside for commentary.

(3) Prime Time Players (Titus O’Neil & Darren Young) beat the Usos. Formula tag match, but entertaining and surprisingly long. The PT players got good crowd heat and the Usos were popular also.

End of episode #1, apparently. JR has left the building. Ross returned later.

Second NXT episode taping

(1) Tamina beat Kaitlyn. More competitive than your average Divas match and Kaitlyn looked stunning in-person.

(2) Jinder Mahal squashed Percy Watson after a Camel Clutch. He re-applied his finisher after the match to boos.

(3) Leo Kruger beat Richie Steamboat. Leo rolled through Richie’s cross-body and grabbed the ropes to score a dirty pin.

(4) Justin Gabriel beat Heath Slater with a moonsault. Match of the night thus far. Slater had the crowd in a chorus of boos.

End of episode #2.

Dark Match: Sin Cara beat Hunico (w/Camacho) with a top-rope armdrag. Fun, fast-paced action.

Third NXT episode taping

(1) Johnny Curtis & Michael McGillicutty beat Bo Dallas & Derrick Bateman. It was all right. I was hoping to see Bo in singles action.

(2) Sofia Cortez beat Natalya via count-out. Natalya refused to compete and turned heel on Cortez after the match. She beat her down and applied the Sharpshooter. Sofia tripped both entering and exiting the arena.

(3) The Ascension (Connor O’Brian & Kenneth Cameron) squashed Garrett Dylan & Dante Dash.

(4) Drew McIntyre beat Seth Rollins (Tyler Black). Awesome! This match was a great mix of athleticism and power moves. The crowd was hot for it. Drew won with Future Shock.

End of episode #3.

Fourth NXT episode taping

(1) Raquel Diaz beat Paige. Paige got a huge ovation from the males.

(2) Antonio Cesaro beat Alex Riley to end the TV taping. The episode lines were blurred at some point.

Also taped for TV: World Hvt. champion Sheamus beat Drew McIntyre. Drew dominated, but Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick for the win. It seemed like this was taped for a future episode since Ross and Regal remained at the commentary table.

In his latest interview with CYInterview.com, Jesse Ventura discussed numerous political, entertainment and wrestling topics among other things. Speaking with Chris Yandek and Jay Bildstein, the former Governor of Minnesota says Vince McMahon got mad at him because he wouldn’t support Linda McMahon’s failed United States Senate run in 2010. He hasn’t spoken to Vince since.

“I haven’t spoken to Vince since he got mad at me ‘cause I wouldn’t endorse Linda for the senate…He got mad at me because I was on Good Morning America or something and they asked me would you support Linda McMahon? And I said no. But let me explain, I don’t support any Democrats or Republicans. She’s running as a Republican and I don’t support anyone from those two parties no matter who they are and so it was nothing personal against Linda, but Vince got real mad at me that I said that on national TV, but he should’ve known better.”

Governor Ventura supports former Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson in the 2012 Presidential Elections. Mr. Johnson is the Libertarian candidate and will be on the ballot in all 50 states:

“I will fully support Governor Johnson. I know him. We were Governors at the same time. He is a terrific man. He’s left the Republican Party because he sees what a farce they are and I urge everybody that reads this book vote for Gary Johnson for president. Don’t vote for Democrats or Republicans. Vote for Governor Johnson.”

The full interview is available here.

The Sports Business Journal recently polled 1,100 major “sports decision makers” to guage their interest of WWE, UFC and boxing – and how those interest levels have changed over the past 5 years. Here are the results:

WWE: 4% said they had more interest, 32% said they had the same level of interest and 64% said they had less interest.

UFC: 29% said they had more interest, 39% said they had the same interest and 32% said they had less interest

Boxing: 7% said they had more interest, 41% said they had the same interest and 53% said they had less interest.

PWTorch Livecast with Chris DeJoseph (a/k/a Big Dick Johnson)
Host: Wade Keller
Audio available at BlogtalkRadio.com.

DeJoseph on what it’s like behind the scenes when Vince McMahon decides to appear on TV after an absence: “I think there were numerous times where that could be brought up in totally different ways,” DeJoseph, also known on air as Big Dick Johnson, says. “Sometimes it could be a request from the writing team. For the most part Vince didn’t like to be on TV if he didn’t have to be. I’m just using my own judgment here; I think this might have something to do with – usually it’s like the McMahon Million Dollar Mania, or now the three hour Raws – I’m wondering if it’s some kind of play to make some kind crazy announcement to get ratings.”

Did the writing team usually collaborate with him or did he just say “this is what I’m doing”? “There were lots of time where it was, ‘We have this idea, we’d like to do it.’ And he would be, like, ‘Okay, that’s great.’ There were other times, for instance the Million Dollar thing, where he came to us with the idea and [that meant] we were doing it. (laughs)”

Does Vince care about storyline consistency?: “It would always be brought up. Logic would always be brought up, but sometimes it’d just be thrown right out the window. He’d sometimes say he couldn’t even remember what happened three weeks ago, so how is the audience going to remember it? I think sometimes that was his thought…”

DeJoseph says the blame should be on Vince himself, and not the writing team, for the big gaps in logic, dropped storylines, and stream of aggravating contradictions. “I’m sure they’re going to try or at least they’ve been pitching all week or they’re going to try to explain something. I’m sure they have something in mind to explain it logically. If they don’t that’ll be interesting, too… It’s a big promotional thing that’s going to get eyeballs on this TV show and I think that’s what he thinks [matters].”

Does it chip away at fans investing in the product? “Yeah, it sucks. [Fans have to be thinking,] ‘Why should I invest my time and everything into this storyline when they’re just going to sh– on it without explanation.’ I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe they will on Monday. I don’t know what they’re going to do on Monday.”

DeJoseph says the writing team cares even when Vince doesn’t: “At least when I was there, and I’m sure it’s still the same way, we would try to present every logical thing. We’d say we need to explain that, and whether it was ignored or we were told ‘No, we f—in’ don’t,’ that’s the way it was… If not for Vince, the writers such as Michael Hayes, Ed Koskie, and Brian Gewirtz would try to make sense of their ideas, but with Vince “you’re constantly dealing with switching and changing things.

“Sometimes it’s even hard for yourself to keep up on everything. I think they would try for sure. I’m sure when they knew that Vince was coming back, it was probably one of the first things that came up – how in the hell are we going to explain why he’s back. And then it was probably, like, ‘Don’t f—in’ worry about it.’ And they go, ‘Okay.’ I think the writing team wants what most fans want because, for the most part, they’re all fans.”

Another major Vince McMahon storyline was abandoned five years ago this month, when he appeared to die inside of his limousine when it exploded. Chris DeJoseph was part of the team who wrote that storyline. He reveals who came up the storyline, why it was created, and where it was headed before the Chris Benoit Family Tragedy caused the limo storyline to be immediately abandoned. 

– WWE will hold the second NXT tapings tonight from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. WWE superstars scheduled to appear include Sheamus, Sin Cara, Hunico, Camacho, Natalya, and Justin Gabriel. Jim Ross will also be in attendance to call some of the action. Check back later tonight spoiler results from the tapings.

– David Otunga and his fiance Jennifer Hudson are rumored to be finally getting married this fall.

– WWE has shut down its European Shopzone website. All European orders will now be handled through the main WWEShop.com site.

– As previously reported, John Laurinaitis is no longer WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent Relations. That role is now filled by Triple H. Laurinaitis is now working under Triple H, who recently brought in Canyon Cemen (Talent Development) and Jane Geddes (Vice President of Talent Relations). Geddes is now handling a lot of the tasks previously done by Lauirinaitis.

Laurinaitis has had many of his duties scaled back in recent months, but is now on the road much more since he’s an on air character and has been wrestling in handicap matches against John Cena. Laurinaitis is still in charge of booking WWE’s live events and handles talent payroll.

* PICTURES & VIDEO of LAYLA As A Miami Heat Dancer – WHOA!

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– WWE will hold the second NXT tapings tonight from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. WWE superstars scheduled to appear include Sheamus, Sin Cara, Hunico, Camacho, Natalya, and Justin Gabriel. Jim Ross will also be in attendence and is expected to call some of the action. Check back later tonight spoiler results from the tapings.

– David Otunga and his fiance Jennifer Hudson are rumored to be finally getting married this fall.

– WWE has shut down its European Shopzone website. All European orders will now be handled through the main WWEShop.com site.

– As previously reported, several WWE superstars are hesitant to work with Ryback. There is fear that his inexperience, intensity and sloppiness will lead to a series injury. Despite all this, Vince McMahon is Ryback’s biggest supporter and loves how the character is doing so far. The company is not happy about the Goldberg chants that occur during his matches and the production team has been told to edit them off television when they can, which is really only possible when he wrestles on SmackDown, which is a taped show.

* Pictures & Video of LAYLA As A Miami Heat Dancer – WHOA!

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Some people felt Vince McMahon went over the line with his blistering impersonation of Jim Ross in a backstage segment on Monday’s Raw SuperShow, which saw the WWE Chairman make a horribly distorted face ridiculing the Hall of Fame broadcaster’s affliction with Bell’s palsy. Ross suffers from the condition, which sometimes results in temporary paralysis of his facial muscles.

McMahon’s mockery segment struck a nerve with former WCW announcer Mark Madden, who went on Twitter to blast the WWE chief.

McMahon mocking Ross' Bell's Palsy last night was unforgivable. Wut a scumbag, pure& simple. Just a twisted, emotionally crippled jerkoff.

— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) June 12, 2012

McMahon wasn't mocking a stranger. Ross is one of WWE's most valued employees ever. Ross' big sin: He knows more about wrestling than Vince.

— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) June 12, 2012

@bunkerman535 Ross was not "in on the bit." I can assure you of that.

— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) June 12, 2012

Former WWE creative writer Seth Mates pointed out the hypocrisy in McMahon mocking Ross’ medical condition while simultaneously promoting the ‘be a STAR’ anti-bullying campaign.

Valid point some have mentioned – @WWE touts anti-bullying, yet babyface vince mocks @JRsBBQ 's medical condition?

— Seth Mates (@SethMates) June 12, 2012

“@realisticj: the BAS/WWE hypocrisy complaints are old and stale." how does hypocrisy get old & stale? Hypocrisy is hypocrisy

— Seth Mates (@SethMates) June 12, 2012

It's one thing for heels to be bullies & then get what they have coming. It's another for faces to make bullying look cool & fun

— Seth Mates (@SethMates) June 12, 2012

Another on-air remark mocking Ross’ medical condition took place month earlier on the December 9, 2011 episode of SmackDown. After commentator Josh Mathews made a remark about Michael Cole “speaking out of both sides” of his mouth, Cole quipped, “Actually, there is nothing wrong with my mouth, unlike J.R.’s.” Ross was not pleased with the comment. He tweeted:

“We can blame a ‘writer.’ That’s cowardly. Poor attempt to be a villain.”

– Kenn Doane (a/k/a Kenny Dykstra) was asked on Twitter whether John Cena was good or bad to him during his time in WWE (which lasted from 2006 to 2008). Recalling a negative backstage encounter with Cena:

https://twitter.com/kenndoane/status/210812944630554624

The encounter would have occurred on November 15, 2011 when he faced Justin Gabriel in a dark match before a SmackDown taping in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Doane has not attended a WWE show since.

– Counting down to nine days remaining on his thirty-day WWE suspension due to denigrating the Brazilian flag at a WWE live event in São Paulo on June 14, Chris Jericho tweeted Thursday:

Number 9. Number 9. Number 9. Number 9. Number 9. Number 9. Number 9. Number 9. Number 9…..

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) June 14, 2012

– WWE Hall of Famer Sgt Slaughter appears at next Thursday’s Newark Bears game at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium in Newark, New Jersey. He will meet and greet with fans, sign autographs and take pictures before and after the 6:35 p.m. game. Click here for more information.

– WWE.com announced Thursday that United States Champion Santino Marella has challenged Ricardo Rodriguez to a Tuxedo Match at No Way Out on Sunday. The website asks, “Who’s best suited for the cummerbund-crushing contest: The Milan Miracle or Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer?”

Click here for a WWE.com video of Marella issuing his challenge to Rodriguez.

– Former WWE Divas Lita and Torrie Wilson, as well as WWE Champion CM Punk, attended Wednesday’s New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves game at Turner Field. Wilson is in a relationship with Yankees star Alex Rodriguez while Lita dates Punk.

– Shawn Michaels is promoting the upcoming season of the Outdoor Channel’s MacMillan River Adventures on June 23 at a Bass Pro Shop location in Gurnee, Illinois. The autograph session is free and takes place from noon to 2:00 p.m.

– Linda McMahon, who spent $50 million of her own money in her first Senate run in Connecticut, has been spending and loaning her campaign much less so far as she makes a second bid, according to federal elections records. The Associated Press reports McMahon loaned her campaign $5.1 million through mid-May and spent $3.8 million as of late April.

– Though Rey Mysterio’s current suspension for his second violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program expires in less than two weeks, he is not advertised for any WWE live events.

– John Cena has been announced to appear at the Chicago Comic Con Wizard World Convention taking place Thursday, August 9 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. He will be signing autographs from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. WWE Champion CM Punk will appear at the convention on Saturday, August 12 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Other wrestling stars appearing that weekend include Booker T (Saturday), John Morrison, Kevin Nash, Lita, Maryse and Melina.

– Kharma, who has not appeared in a WWE ring since the Royal Rumble, was asked a fan on Twitter whether he’s training for a WWE return. She replied, “Yes, very hard.” and posted the below picture of her training. The tweet and her picture have since been deleted.

– F4WOnline.com reports Randy Orton’s second violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program stems from a positive drug test for elevated levels of testosterone. He was telling people that he took a tainted supplement containing the testosterone, causing him to fail. Orton reportedly said he didn’t do it on purpose but acknowledged that he should have been more careful.

– Tamiko Fatu, the youngest son of former WWE Superstar Rikishi, has been training with his father at the Knokx Pro Wrestling Academy in Sun Valley, California. Tamiko is either 18 or 19 years old and facially resembles his father.

– The first week of pre-orders for the THQ’s WWE ’13 video game were up 250% compared to WWE ’12.

– WWE is selling ticket four-packs for this Sunday’s No Way Out pay-per-view event at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The packages are selling for $60.

– Former wrestler Perry Saturn has been working as a coach at WWE developmental and wasa at the final 3 FCW TV tapings.

– The following matches will take place on today’s WWE Superstars show:

* Justin Gabriel vs. Hunico
* Zack Ryder vs. Michael McGillicutty
* The Prime Time Players vs. The Usos.

– Below are attendance figures and the live gates from the past week’s WWE live events, including the RAW brand’s tour of Spain:

* RAW on June 6th in Madrid, Spain drew 6,000 fans for $270,000
* RAW on June 7th in Seville, Spain drew 4,700 fans for $230,000
* RAW on June 8th in Valencia, Spain drew 4,700 fans for $215,000
* RAW on June 9th in Barcelona drew 6,500 fans for $300,000
* SmackDown on June 9th in Salisbury, MD drew 4,000 fans for $125,000
* SmackDown on June 10th in Binghamton, NY drew 3,000 fans for $100,000

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

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WWE will release “Undertaker: The Streak” on July 24th in North America and in August overseas. Here’s the full content listing for the four-disc DVD set and three-disc Blu-ray set:

DISC 1

The Beginning

Dark Days

Bad Ass

DeadMan Returns

Championship Level

Streak vs. Career

End of an Era

The Streak

DISC 2

WrestleMania VII 24th March, 1991
Victim: Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka

WrestleMania VIII 5th April, 1992
Victim: Jake “The Snake” Roberts

WrestleMania IX 4th April, 1993
Victim: Giant Gonzalez

WrestleMania XI 2nd April, 1995
Victim: King Kong Bundy

WrestleMania XII 31st March, 1996
Victim: Diesel

WrestleMania 13 23rd March, 1997
No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship
Victim: Sycho Sid

WrestleMania XIV 29th March, 1998
Brother vs. Brother
Victim: Kane

WrestleMania XV 28th March, 1999
Hell in a Cell Match
Victim: Big Boss Man

WrestleMania X-Seven 1st April, 2001
Victim: Triple H

DISC 3

WrestleMania X8 17th March, 2002
No Disqualification Match
Victim: ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair

WrestleMania XIX 30th March, 2003
Handicap Match
Victims: Big Show & A-Train

WrestleMania XX 14th March, 2004
Victim: Kane

WrestleMania 21 3rd April, 2005
Legend vs. Legend Killer
Victim: Randy Orton

WrestleMania 22 2nd April, 2006
Casket Match
Victim: Mark Henry

WrestleMania 23 1st April, 2007
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Victim: Batista

WrestleMania XXIV 30th March, 2008
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Victim: Edge

DISC 4

WrestleMania 25 5th April, 2009
Victim: Shawn Michaels

WrestleMania XXVI 28th March, 2010
Streak vs. Career
Victim: Shawn Michaels

WrestleMania XXVII 3rd April, 2011
No Holds Barred Match
Victim: Triple H

WrestleMania XXVIII 1st April, 2012
End of an Era Hell in a Cell Match
Victim: Triple H

BLU-RAY EXTRAS

WrestleMania XXIV
Undertaker & Edge History Package

WrestleMania 25
Undertaker & Shawn Michaels History Package

WrestleMania XXVI
Streak vs. Career History Package

WrestleMania XXVII
Undertaker & Triple H History Package

WrestleMania XXVIII
Undertaker & Triple H History Package

The Streak in Pictures