– As we’ve been reporting, Florida Championship Wrestling is holding a tryout camp this week in Tampa, with Jim Ross, Shawn Michaels, Dusty Rhodes and Perry Saturn among the legends evaluating talent.

23 athletes are at the invite-only camp, including a number of amateur wrestlers recruited by Gerald Brisco. With William Regal wrestling Dean Ambrose at the final FCW taping later this week, Jim Ross and Dusty Rhodes will be handling commentary for the show.

– Speaking of Dean Ambrose, his online feud with Mick Foley has died down once again. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there are influential people in WWE that are against continuing the angle and using Mick Foley to introduce Ambrose to the main roster.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– There has been talk of John Laurinaitis joining Vince McMahon’s Kiss My Ass Club. With Vince returning on next week’s 3-hour RAW from Hartford, Connecticut to do a job performance evaluation on Laurinaitis, this could be Vince’s chance to induct him.

-Last week we posted the names of wrestlers who will be featured in the upcoming WWE ’13 video game, but it should be clarified that the final roster will not be released until August.

This year’s game will focus on the Attitude Era stars vs. Modern “PG” Era stars. In recent years, characters like The Rock and Steve Austin appeared as bonus legends. This year, they will featured more prominently.

Check out these first screenshots from WWE ’13:

[nggallery id=16]

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– WWE is getting great feedback on the new set that’s being used at live events. Wrestlers’ entrances come across better, as do the promo videos that air throughout the show. Even though the new set blocks off a lot of seats, WWE rarely sells out the arenas at live events, so it’s not much of an issue.

Pictures of WWE’s New Live Events Set

– As previously reported, WWE Hall of Famer Edge and Beth Phoenix attended a recent NHL hockey game on 5/30. The two are indeed dating.

Beth Phoenix had previously dated CM Punk, who is currently romantically linked with Lita, who infamously cheated on Matt Hardy with Edge.

Check out these pictures of Edge & Beth Phoenix together last week:

[nggallery id=20]

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

For those wondering why there has been no mention of Brock Lesnar on WWE television over the last couple weeks, there is said to be “nuclear heat” on Lesnar, some of which stems his recent appearance at the UFC 146 pay-per-view.

When The Pain Returns: 5 Opponents For Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar visited the event and met with UFC President Dana White without the advance knowledge of Vince McMahon. Even before the UFC incident, Lesnar has been extremely difficult to deal with behind the scenes. Lesnar was high maintenance during his first run with the company nearly a decade ago. Now, he’s back, making much more money and working far fewer dates.

WWE has taken a few shots at Lesnar on television in recent weeks, including the Big Show’s promo talking about being a “fighter, not a sports entertainer” and Triple H’s taped promo on RAW where he was not wearing an arm brace to sell Lesnar’s recent attack.

WWE has had to deal with contract negotiations with megastars before (The Rock, Steve Austin), but Lesnar is a different animal because he does not like the wrestling business and has the option of going back to UFC to make huge money to fight a few more times.

Instead of keeping Brock Lesnar’s character on television through video packages or appearances by Paul Heyman, he’s now off the radar entirely until it’s time for WWE to start building towards his match against Triple H at SummerSlam.

After SummerSlam, Lesnar is not expected to make any more appearances for many months. It’s known that Lesnar’s contract requires very few appearances – and it’s now believed that the number of required dates is even fewer than previously reported. He is not scheduled to wrestle at Survivor Series and might not be back until 2013. It’s known whether he’ll even be at the Royal Rumble, so right now, the only events that are locked in are SummerSlam and WrestleMania 29.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

TNA issued the following press release on Wednesday announcing that James Storm’s “Longnecks and Rednecks” entrance theme will be the official theme song for “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s new reality show on CMT, Redneck Island, which premiers this Saturday night.

Picture of Steve Austin & James Storm Drinking Together Last Night

TNA IMPACT WRESTLING STAR “COWBOY” JAMES STORM’S ENTRANCE THEME AND SINGLE “LONGNECKS AND REDNECKS” TAPPED AS THEME SONG FOR NEW CMT SERIES “REDNECK ISLAND”

SERIES BEGINS JUNE 9 ON CMT STORM’S VIDEO IS CURRENTLY AIRING ON CMT PROPERTIES AND COUNTRY RADIO AMONG OTHERS

Storm attends CMT AWARDS Red Carpet and Show Tonight

NASHVILLE, TN (June 6, 2012) – TNA IMPACT WRESTLING superstar “Cowboy” James Storm’s entrance theme, single and video “Longnecks and Rednecks” has been tapped by CMT as the theme music for the new competition series “REDNECK ISLAND.” The series is hosted by Steve Austin and set to premiere on June 9that 10:00p.m. ET/PT on CMT. To purchase the music, please go to www.shoptna.comor www.iTunes.com.

“REDNECK ISLAND” is set on a remote tropical paradise, where the host will guide the contestants through a number of hilarious mental and physical challenges resulting in teammates sending one competitor home each episode.
“Cowboy” James Storm says, “I love my entrance music and to see the response we have been getting with the video and the song at country radio, I am digging this stuff. But, when I got word that they are using it for the ‘REDNECK ISLAND’ theme, now, that is really cool. I really appreciate the fact that it is being so well received and thank Serg Selinas and Dale Oliver for the kick-ass music.”

Storm continues, “And on another note, I hung out with Steve Austin in Nashville last night and we had a ball.”

For the first time, TNA Knockout Music has serviced the song “Longnecks and Rednecks” to country radio and is already receiving a lot of interest. “We have so many outlets to cross promote our brand and our product,” says TNA President Dixie Carter. “We feel we have created a great theme for “Cowboy” James Storm and feel that there is a lot of potential here with the single, the video, Spike TV and our various social media platforms to really push this promotion to the masses,” she continued.

TNA Knockout Music is a division of TNA Entertainment, LLC. Writer and executive Serg Salinas had his own successful career in music prior to leading the publishing and merchandising division of the company. Salinas oversees all the recording and music publishing for all the TNA Knockout Music themes which can all be purchased at ShopTNA.com or on iTunes.

Numerous sources within WWE say Kelly Kelly has been granted “time off” by organization officials. She has been on the road full time since her 2006 debut and requested the break to recharge her batteries.

“She’s been here since she was a kid,” said a company source. “She had been pushing for time away to spend with her family and her boyfriend. Six years for someone of her age is a lifetime. She needed a break.”

Many of her colleagues don’t believe Kelly’s returning anytime soon, if at all, since she has begun promoting her alternative stage name (Barbie Blank) and is currently accepting requests for appearances and endorsements outside of WWE. She added the following information to her Twitter account over the weekend: “Barbie Blank/Kelly Kelly, WWE Diva, MAXIM Cover Girl and 100 Hottest Women. For full appearances/endorsements please contact Heidi at heidi@atamanagement.com.”

Kelly last competed on television on the May 21 Raw SuperShow, losing to Beth Phoenix. She last wrestled on May 26 in Quito, Ecuador.

(source: PWInsider.com)

– WWE’s Breaking News mobile alert service reported Wednesday that WWE COO Triple H will break his silence and publicly address a multitude of items including his future, pending lawsuits against WWE and Brock Lesnar at No Way Out on Sunday, June 17. WWE.com has published an article raising numerous questions concerning his appearance.

Author John Clapp writes, “Furthermore, what can the WWE Universe expect from Triple H in terms of an update on his arm injury, and what will that prognosis mean for The Cerebral Assassin as a competitor? Even before Lensar cinched in the destructive Kimura Lock in April, Triple H was assuredly recuperating from his incomparably physical “End of an Era” Hell in a Cell Match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVIII. On top of that, he had already reduced his in-ring dates this past year to concentrate on business matters. Might Triple H’s address at No Way Out turn out to be a swan song?”

– David Otunga, Lilian Garcia, Natalya and Zack Ryder have been announced to appear at MCU Park in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday, June 27 as part of the Brooklyn Cyclones’ and WWE’s Anti-Bullying Night. The WWE Superstars and Divas will make a special pre-game presentation on behalf of WWE’s anti-bullying initiative “be a STAR,” which encourages people to Show Tolerance And Respect for all people, prior to the 7:00 p.m. game with the Hudson Valley Renedages. Following the presentation, they will remain at the ballpark to sign autographs for fans in attendance.

Tickets for event are available here.

– Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy is advertised to appear for All Star Wrestling this Friday at 8:00 p.m at the Madison Civic Center in Madison, West Virginia. (Event Details)

— Chris Jericho’s Brazilian flag kicking incident took place at the beginning of his match against CM Punk and the two wrestled for about 8 minutes before WWE officials took action. John Laurinaitis, who was in charge of the WWE crew in Brazil, came to ringside and told Jericho to apologize, which he did. Jericho was not rushed out of the building or the country. He left with the rest of the roster for Ecuador.

Video Of Chris Jericho Kicking The Brazilian Flag

– With RAW’s ratings on the downswing in recent weeks, another bad viewership trend for WWE is that there are also fewer people watching the show on delayed viewership (DVR).

Back when The Rock returned to WWE in February 2011, DVR viewership increased dramatically to around 400,000 viewers per week. Over the past 6 weeks, DVR viewership has ranged between 277,000-370,000.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– WWE announced Wednesday through their Mobile service that Triple H will be appearing at No Way Out. The announcement states:

“Breaking News: WWE COO Triple H is confirmed to appear at No Way Out on Sunday, June 17, to address his future, pending lawsuits against WWE and Brock Lesnar.”

– Scott Hall and Kevin Nash have been announced to appear at an autograph signing taking place Saturday, June 23 at Frank & Son Collectible Show 19649 San Jose Ave, City of Industry, California. Other wrestling figures appearing at the event include Buff Bagwell, George “The Animal” Steele, Harley Race, Lex Luger, Nikolai Volkoff, Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner, Tito Santana and Wendi Richter.

– Drew McIntyre turns turns 27 years old Wednesday while Konnan turns 48.

SEScoops has obtained the following image of what is believed to be the new WWE Championship belt that will soon replace the “spinner” belt.

Upon speaking with several WWE sources who have seen the below image, we can confirm that some minor changes are being made to the final design, but this is indeed the new WWE Championship belt.

Hit up the comments below and tell us what you think.

(Source: BeltTalk.com)

– Mexico’s SuperLuchas website recently stated that Randy Orton tested positive for the anabolic steroid Dianobol. A new report by F4Wonline.com states that they have been unable to confirm what Orton failed for and stated that it would be surprising if it was true, because Dianobol stays in your system for up to 6 weeks and is easily tested for.

– WWE has a new article up ranking the top 10 King of the Ring winners. Here’s the top 10:

10. King Mabel
9. Kurt Angle
8. Edge
7. Brock Lesnar
6. Harley Race
5. Bret Hart
4. Triple H
3. Booker T
2. Randy Savage
1. Steve Austin

– WWE and Triple H plan to continue the drastic overhaul of Florida Championship Wrestling in the coming months. Many talents were said to be shocked that Tom Prichard was recently fired as head trainer and replaced with Bill DeMott.

Former WWE superstar John Bradshaw Layfield plans to climb the highest peak on each of the seven continents – and TMZ.com has revealed that WWE will be sponsoring the expedition.

JBL’s 7 Summits adventure will take between 2-3 years and will cost upwards of $250,000. He planned to foot the bill himself, but WWE stepped up in a big way. He tells TMZ:

“The WWE is sponsoring my whole 7 summits trip and will help get the word out across their social media platforms … all to raise money for the kids program.”

JBL says 100% of the proceeds will go to the Family Center charity, a group that group helps needy chlidren in Bermuda, where he lives. JBL says he hopes his adventure will show the kids that anything is possible.

When asked by a fan on Twitter whether his new partnership with WWE means he’ll be returning to the company, he replied:

“I think it’s safe to say after announcement today on tmz that it’s highly likely”

WWE main eventer Daniel Bryan (YES!) was recently interviewed by CT.com and spoke about a number of topics, including physical pain he deals with from wrestling, getting burnt out from WWE’s brutal travel schedule, CM Punk’s recent Vince McMahon impression and much more. Here are some highlights:

Dealing With Physical Pain from Wrestling:

“Well, for right now, I’m not in any pain whatsoever. It’s just times when you have a nagging injury and you don’t have any time off, that’s when that nagging injury can become something like, ‘Oh, it’s hard to sleep because this is bothering me.'”

How He Deals With The Demanding WWE Schedule:

“I don’t really feel like it’s that grueling. The most grueling part to me is waking up at 6 a.m. to take a flight because it’s hard for me to get back to sleep. As long as I’m not flying, it’s not grueling for me at all. I enjoy being on the road. I’m a gentleman of the road!”

His “Road Wife” & A Funny Ryback Story:

“Right now, my road wife is the Ryback [Laughs] and Cody Rhodes. We don’t have any particular good road stories because I feel like we’re kind of boring. We just kind of drive to the next town. But what me and Cody really like to do is make up stories about the Ryback and then spread them amongst the locker room. For example, yesterday, we were working out in a gym. He was doing kettle bell snatches with only 35 pounds. You look at him, and you’d think, ‘Oh! This guy is way stronger,’ but he was lifting this kettle bell and he couldn’t control it, and it hit him in the eye and now he’s got a black eye. That story spread throughout the locker room all day yesterday.”

CM Punk’s Recent Promo About Vince McMahon & How He’d Never Picture Punk & Bryan Wrestling Main Event:

“Oh, I think one year ago he would have said that. One year ago, he would have been like, ‘Daniel Bryan’s going to be in a WWE Championship match at a pay-per-view? [Incredulously] No! Against CM Punk? No!’ [Laughs] I’m absolutely certain that’s correct. The 10-year time frame is a little longer than it should have been. He could have said a year ago and been accurate.”

His Goals In WWE:

“Well, for me, it’s all about enjoying my life. I don’t have a specific goal set like that necessarily. I just want to, at the end of my life, look back on it and be like, ‘Yeah, I enjoyed that,’ because as far as we know, we only get one life, and I want it to be good. I don’t want to waste it. I wrestle because I love to wrestle, so for me, [my goal is] to keep enjoying it. You see a lot of people lose their passion for it, and I don’t ever want that to happen.”

As advertised, Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson appeared at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Columbia, South Carolina. Both men appeared in segments that were off-camera and will not be shown on television.

*SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Friday

One of the matches on the show saw Sin Cara wrestle Drew McIntyre. After the match, Drew McIntyre grabbed a microphone and cut a promo demanding a WWE official come out and explain why he is not main eventing SmackDown. That WWE official turned out to be Triple H, who came out, nailed him with a Pedigree and left.

The dark main event after the SmackDown tapings saw Sheamus retain the World Heavyweight Title against Kane in a Steel Cage match. WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson served as the special guest enforcer for the match. After Kane shoved Anderson during the match, Double A hit Kane with a low blow and Sheamus nearly took Kane’s head off with the Brogue Kick for the win. Anderson and Sheamus celebrated after the match.

* Full SPOILER Results For Friday’s WWE SmackDown Show

Here are some live notes from Tuesday’s WWE tapings from Columbia, South Carolina:

– The dark match prior to the tapings saw Seth Rollins defeat Dean Ambrose.

– Hunico vs. Yoshi Tatsu was taped for this week’s WWE Superstars.

– The following matches were taped for this week’s WWE NXT:

* Tyler Reks vs. Jimmy Uso

* JTG vs. Percy Watson

* Natalya vs. Tamina Snuka

* Johnny Curtis & Heath Slater vs. Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel

Hit the NEXT button below for NXT Spoilers

WWE taped this week’s SmackDown on Tuesday night from Columbia, South Carolina. Here are the Smackdown spoilers, sent in by reader Jason Meisen:

– Teddy Long was in charge as John Laurinaitis was not here. He announced Brodus Clay was now full-time on Smackdown. Does it even matter anymore?

– Sin Cara defeated Drew McIntyre. There was a dark segment where McIntyre complained he wasn’t in main events. Triple H came out and pedigreed him after. Cara didn’t look as good as he did on Raw.

– Antonio Cesario beat Jey Uso.

– Cody Rhodes trashed the Peep Show set.

– WWE Intercontinental champ Christian defeated Dolph Ziggler.

– Brodus Clay defeated Derrick Bateman.

– Alberto Del Rio defeated The Great Khali.

– Ryback defeated two wrestlers.

– World champion Sheamus defeated Kane after AJ distracted Kane.

– WWE RAW will permanently expand to a three-hour show starting with the 1,000th episode on July 23 at 8/7 CT on USA Network. WWE officials have reportedly contacted nearly two dozen former performers for cameo appearances on the program, which will be treated as pay-per-view quality event. The entire roster will be on hand for the show and there is a chance new talent will be introduced as well.

With WWE pulling out all the stops for the 1,000th episode of RAW, we’ve heard WWE officials are hopeful that The Undertaker will make an appearance. If he does agree to be  a part of the historic night, expect to see it promoted weeks in advance rather than as a surprise.

Rumor On The Undertaker’s WrestleMania 29 Opponent

– Vince McMahon’s return to television on next Monday’s RAW is a response to the program’s disappointing ratings in recent weeks. He will kick off the 3-hour show with an evaluation of John Laurinaitis’ job performance as General Manager of Raw and SmackDown, which company officials are hopeful will boost first hour viewership.

The show was originally pegged as the second choice for the date of the annual WWE Draft. However, with so many wrestlers working both Raw and SmackDown, the idea was dropped.

(source: F4WOnline.com)

– WWE will hold Raw and SmackDown brand Money in the Bank Ladder Matches at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event taking place July 15, 2012 at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The planned winners are WWE Superstars who have never held the Money in the Bank briefcase.

– A “one night only” D-Generation X reunion is advertised for the landmark 1000th episode of Raw taking place July 23 at 8/7 CT on USA Network. Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, who was a member of the memorable faction from 1998 to 2000, says he has not been contacted to appear at the event.

“No one has called me in regards to the 1000th episode of Raw,” he clarified Monday on Twitter. “Just to set the record straight.”

— Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy has been announced to appear for a Maryland Championship Wrestling event taking place July 7 at The Green Room located at 2401-G North Point Blvd. Dundalk, Maryland.

source: F4WOnline.com

– Brock Lesnar is contracted for approximately twenty-four dates over the duration of his contract with WWE. Since he fulfilled six dates in April and May, he will be off television until the build-up for SummerSlam. He’ll also be needed in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania XXIX and thus is not scheduled for any appearances in the fall.

– A source within WWE says Vince McMahon is getting tired of scripting Raw at the last minute. The WWE Chairman regularly demands partial or full script re-writes on the day of the show. A script for an episode last month was not completed until after the show went on the air.

– Tuesday’s SmackDown taping emanated from ring announcer Lilian Garcia’s hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. She did interviews with local television stations outside the Colonial Life Arena while fans stood in line to enter the venue.

Regarding the event, Garcia tweeted Tuesday, “When I moved from Spain my 1st US home was Columbia, SC. Well 2nite I get 2 announce #WWE #SmackDown in Columbia! Gamecock country! #Excited.”

source: F4WOnline.com

FCW Heavyweight Championship Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Richie Steamboat

– WWE video game publisher THQ closed down their San Diego offices this week, the studio behind last year’s WWE All-Stars game. This comes the same week that THQ sold the UFC game license to EA Sports, another ominous sign for the struggling company.

– FCW’s Mark Harris appeared on Monday’s RAW as the referee for the Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Tyler Reks & Curt Hawkins tag title match.

– In the latest episode of Superstar Toyz, Hunico shows off his mask collection:

* Major Panic In WWE Over Low Ratings: Details On What VINCE Will Do Next Week

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

– WWE.com is advertising the Raw Supershow taking place August 6 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas as Shawn Michaels Appreciation Night.

– WWE developmental wrestler Bo Rotundo is now listed as Bo Dallas on the official website of Florida Championship Wrestling.

– Bill Goldberg and Brian Knobbs were among the celebrities at the Jim Kelly Celebrity Classic VIP Charity Gala Sunday night in Buffalo, New York. Goldberg appeared on stage a few times to quiet the crowd while Kelly spoke but mostly kept out of sight at the event. Knobbs was very accessible as he took pictures and mingled with guests all night long.

source: F4WOnline.com

– Chris Jericho’s metal band Fozzy will be playing at the Grammercy Theater in New York City on August 30th. Tickets go on sale this Friday morning at LiveNation.com.

– Shawn Michaels made a surprise appearance at WWE developmental today. Jim Ross tweeted on Tuesday evening:

“Great of @ShawnMichaels to stop by FCW today and speak to all the talents. A Super surprise from HBK. Memorable message to all.

– WWE Champion CM Punk responded to a fan on Twitter who complained about Monday’s RAW drawing a 2.92 rating:

“You a wrestling fan or a ratings fan? I’ll take cross over seg telling a good story over covering a non-wrestler with condiments any day.”

– Monday’s RAW Supershow did a 2.92 rating with 4.28 million viewers. This is up from last week’s show on Memorial Day, which did an alarming 2.7 with 3.92 million viewers.

For the third consecutive week, RAW lost viewership in the second hour. Hour 1 did a 2.94 (4.32 million viewers) and Hour 2 did a 2.91 (4.25 million viewers).

– Ric Flair was not backstage at Monday’s RAW from Greenville, South Carolina. He was spotted in Greenville on Sunday night.

– WWE is working on a Rock vs. John Cena DVD to be released this fall, according to WWEDVDNews.com. Tentatively titled The Rock vs. John Cena – Once In A Lifetime, the DVD will spotlight their year-long feud that culminated at WrestleMania 28 and will include the one-hour documentary that aired on television in the week leading up to their match.

— During an interview with TheState.com to promote tonight’s WWE SmackDown taping from Columbia, South Carolina, WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson the show will feature some “major announcements.” He said, “I’m glad Columbia is the site for whatever they have planned. We will give the fans the best possible show possible.”

– With Randy Orton now having two Wellness Policy strikes against him, there has been a lot of discussion about his future in WWE.

WWE has typically been reluctant to get behind wrestlers that are one drug test failure away from a mandatory firing, but former WWE writer Seth Mates points out on Twitter that the company actually put the WWE Championship on Jeff Hardy when he had two strikes against him. CM Punk quoted the tweet and responded:

“@SethMates: Interesting web buzz re: Orton’s future. remember when @JEFFHARDYBRAND had 2 strikes & they put wwe title on him?”
I recall.