Things are heating up between Heath Slater and WrestleMania 28 Flo Rida – and its looking like we might actually see a match between these two.

To recap, Flo Rida was at WrestleMania 28 and attacked Heath Slater backstage. Slater had some strong words for Flo Rida, which prompted Flo Rida to post a YouTube video showing him training and telling Heath Slater that he’s coming for him. [View Here].

WWE has now released a video from a recent live event – with Heath Slater attacking Flo Rida. Heath Slater is shown kicking open the door of a room while Flo Rida was talking to someone on the phone. Slater shoved Flo Rida to the ground and stood over him, stating that he’s not a joke as the rapper holds his hands up for protection.

Here’s the video of Heath Slater getting payback on Flo Rida:

– There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks as to whether Chris Jericho will remain with WWE after this summer, when his band Fozzy goes on tour. Jericho has stated on several occasions that he will be leaving WWE once again to tour with Fozzy, but Jericho is a seasoned pro at floating false information and misleading the wrestling media. Upon speaking with people close to Jericho, the feeling is that if he does leave this summer to tour with Fozzy, he’ll be back in WWE full time after the summer.

– WWE has fired back at Linda McMahon political opponent Christopher Shays after Shays recently told the Weekly Standard that WWE is all about “violence, bullying, degradation of minorities and women.” Here is an excerpt from WWE spokesman Robert Zimmerman’s letter to Shays:

“With regard to our content being “violent,” WWE programming, like Hollywood movies and Broadway shows, is an exciting blend of action, characters and fictional storylines of good versus evil that entertains millions every week, including approximately 300,000 fans here in Connecticut. Our performers are professionals who have spent many years training to perfect the athletic and choreographed maneuvers in our shows. Your assertion that our content is “violent” is in direct conflict with the standards and practices departments of our current TV network distributors who have rated our programming TV-PG.

With regard to “degradation of minorities and women,” you should know that our shows are some of TV’s highest-rated programming and are watched by the very audiences, minorities and women, you claim that we disregard and “degrade.” In fact, Monday Night Raw is the most-watched entertainment program on primetime cable among Hispanic viewers and number four among African-Americans. Also nearly 40% of our audience is female. We would not have 13 million weekly TV viewers in the U.S. if they felt our programming was insulting or degrading.

Our company started with 13 employees and has grown to nearly 700 employees, which speaks to the quality and staying power of our product and our organization. WWE’s programming may not be your personal choice of entertainment, but that does not give you the right to recklessly damage our corporate reputation. We would appreciate a public apology and an assurance that you will not continue to unfairly denigrate our company.”

– The divas of WWE have something to worry about – as Kharma is indeed getting ready to make her return to television in the coming weeks. We reported earlier this week, WWE is looking ahead to a Kharma vs. Beth Phoenix feud and feels that it has the potential to be one of the top women’s feuds in many years.

The Beth Phoenix injury angle on RAW was done to get the Divas title off her without her having to face Kharma yet. WWE plans to bring Kharma back as a monster and she will likely squash Nikki Bella to win her first title in WWE.

With reports that the Bella Twins are leaving WWE at the end of the month – whether or not Nikki Bella is Divas champion after next week will say a lot about whether the Bellas signed a contract extension or not.

As for former WWE Divas champion Beth Phoenix posted the following update on Twitter on Wednesday, assuring fans that her [storyline] injury from RAW will not keep her from her scheduled live appearances:

“Thank u for the outpour of support…for all those wondering if I will be at the @navypier signing in #chicago on Saturday, I will be fulfilling all of my #WWE appearance obligations. Nothing will keep me from thanking the @WWEUniverse for being Glamfans. See u there!”

“I dont know where I would be without the love of my life. He has kept my spirits high during this tough week of pain and disappointment.”

– WWE is sending Sin Cara to Mexico this weekend to do promotional work for the upcoming WWE tour of Mexico. Sin Cara is still several weeks away from being able to return to action.

– WWE superstar Kane turns 45 years old today.

– The E! Network’s television clips show The Soup featured footage from WWE RAW once again this week. After making Daniel Bryan’s “Yes! Yes!” chant their “Clip of the Week” last week, Wednesday night’s episode featured a clip of Teddy Long’s gaffe from RAW where he introduced John Cena as a 2-time WWE Champion and a 10-time WWE Champion. Not cool, playa.

– Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 marked the 10 year anniversary since Randy Orton made his debut as a WWE Superstar. Orton wrestled his first match on the April 25, 2002 episode of WWE SmackDown against Hardcore Holly. The WWE Youtube channel posted the following video commemorating Orton’s debut –

– Brock Lesnar is now being advertised for Monday’s WWE RAW Supershow from the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio, the night after Extreme Rules. The arena website has the following teaser for RAW –

“See Brock Lesnar in Dayton for the FIRST TIME EVER in a WWE Ring. Witness this historic event the night after he faces John Cena at Extreme Rules!!!”

– The latest “local talent” to feel the wrath of Ryback at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from Grand Rapids, Michigan, was Justin Mane of the Midwest Wrestling promotion. Mane will be sacrificed to Ryback on Friday’s SmackDown.

– Here’s a new episode of WWE Inbox featuring WWE superstars and divas answering questions sent in via social media:

Independent wrestler Steven Walters was recently interviewed by Fight Club Chicago and said he has been in talks with WWE about appearing on the Cruiserweights show that will appear on the WWE Network.

Walters, who has appeared on WWE television a few times as an extra, corroborates online reports that the WWE Network will be launching around November.  Here are highlights of what what he said about:

Being Contacted by WWE: “I’ve been in contact back and forth from WWE about that Cruiserweight Show they’re going to be putting on the network soon. They’re looking for guys my size, around 200 pounds, like around five foot nine to six foot tall also. I’ve been going back and forth with them a few times about that.”

When He was Contacted: “It wasn’t long after I did that extra spot for them in December. I got hit with a chair. I got a chance to talk to Laurinaitis a little bit. I got a one on one meeting with him. That was one of the things he approached me about.”

The Last Time He Talked to Them: “I talked to them about three to four weeks ago. They had to push the debut of it back to later this year around November or so.”

To listen to the full interview, including his close friendship with Hall of Famer Edge, check out Sportstownchicago.com/fightclub.

WWE Hall of Famer has signed an endorsement deal with EyeBlack to produce a EyeBlack products featuring Michaels’ trademarks, phrases and more. For more info, visit EyeBlack.com.

For Immediate Release
April 25, 2012

WWE HALL OF FAMER SHAWN MICHAELS SIGNS WITH EYEBLACK

EyeBlack to Produce Custom Product Featuring Michaels’ Trademarks, Phrases, and More

Rockville, Md. – EyeBlack, the company that started a sports revolution by combining logos, phrases and bible verses with EyeBlack, today announced a partnership with Shawn Michaels, former WWE Superstar and current star of the Outdoor Channel’s show Shawn Michaels’ MacMillan River Adventures. Michaels will serve as an ambassador for the company and will collaborate with EyeBlack to produce a customized product line.

The licensing agreement signed between Michaels and EyeBlack gives EyeBlack the rights to create and sell product featuring Michael’s trademark phrases and nicknames including: Showstopper, Mr. HOF, and Mr. Hall of Fame. EyeBlack will also produce custom designs printed on camouflage EyeBlack for Michael’s hit show MacMillan River Adventures.

To begin the relationship, EyeBlack will be offering 20 pairs or more of Shawn Michael’s product for 50% off. To order Michaels product you must use the code “Showstopper” when ordering on www.EyeBlack.com before May 4, 2012.

“I’m very excited about this new relationship,” said Michaels. “Beyond being a cool product in itself, it’s functional and I’m looking forward to using EyeBlack product in my hunting adventures and in some WWE related activities.”

Shawn Michaels wrestled for the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) for over 20 years. During that time, Michaels was a four-time World Champion, three-time WWE Champion and World Heavyweight Champion, among many other awards and honors, including his 2011 HOF induction.

After his retirement from wrestling in 2010, Michaels continued his relationship with the WWE by signing on as an official ambassador for the company. In addition to these duties, Michaels stays busy by hosting Shawn Michaels’ MacMillian River Adventures, with his good friend Keith Mark, on the Outdoor Channel. The 30-minute program gives viewers an exclusive look into the unique lifestyle of hunting and the duo’s large game hunts across the world.

“Shawn is a fantastic athlete and we are proud to have him on the EyeBlack team,” said Peter Beveridge, president and founder of EyeBlack. “Shawn had a prolific pro wrestling career and is the perfect representative for the EyeBlack brand as we branch out into the professional wrestling and hunting arenas.”

Michaels joins an impressive roster of professional athlete ambassadors whom EyeBlack has signed in the last year. The company boasts endorsements and customized lines from NFL stars Stevie Johnson, Marshawn Lynch and LaMarr Woodley, as well as tennis pro Bethanie Mattek-Sands and softball legend Jennie Finch and Monica Abbott. Recently, the company inked a deal with Chicago Bears’ Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher to be the face of the Original product line.

– WWE will return to the Cajun Dome in Lafayette, Louisiana on June 30th, 2012. Tickets go on sale May 12th, 2012 at 10 AM.(Thanks to Devin Cutting)

– Earlier this week, a fan suggested to The Rock on Twitter that he should play President Obama on the big screen. He replied, “But I plan on being President too.”

At Tuesday’s CinemaCon Convention in Las Vegas, The Rock was asked by Fox411.com whether he’d seriously consider getting into politics. “I wouldn’t rule it out. I think in order for politicians to be successful, you have to be passionate about politics,” Johnson said. “I care about our country, but right now I can make impact in other ways.”

When asked what his campaign slogan be, Rock laughed and said, “I can’t tell you that now, I’d have to wait.”

* THE ROCK Featured On New GI JOE Movie Poster – View Here

WWE wrestler Antonio Cesaro was recently interviewed by the Miami Herald about getting called up to the main roster.  Cesaro talked about training at Florida Championship Wrestling with his former Kings of Wrestling tag team partner Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero) and much more.

Video: Antonio Cesaro Debuts On WWE SmackDown

Here are some highlights of what Cesaro said about:

Training at FCW:

“It definitely helped me. Experience is invaluable. I’m really happy to have that and to be here. I think everywhere you go you learn. You never stop learning. If you stop learning and think you know it all, then I think you may be in the wrong profession. If you love what you do, you never stop learning.”

WWE Signing Talent From ROH & DGUSA:

“In wrestling, everything comes and goes in waves. If you look at some of those who are on top with Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, they have been in the same kind of wave. There is a perception of that. I think it’s definitely good, and there is a lot of talent down in FCW, which means they would be coming to WWE soon. It’s great.”

“[Punk & Bryan] are good role models. It shows there is a reward when you hone your craft.”

His Former Partner Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero):

“It’s always great rivalry between us. I think fans always want to see stuff that they like, but I think we are going to see how we do individually and go from there.”

Former WCW star Buff Bagwell is currently in intensive care at an Atlanta-area hospital after flipping his jeep earlier this week. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Bagwell broke several bones in his neck, face and jaw after flipping his Jeep several times.

A police report obtained by TMZ.com states that Bagwell called his wife while driving on Monday and “advised her he was getting ready to have a seizure.” He lost control of his car shortly after that – driving over the median in the road and flipping his Jeep.

Bagwell was taken to a nearby hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit in serious condition. He was sedated due to the extent of his injuries.

Keep Buff Bagwell in your thoughts during this very difficult time.

The official Twitter page of Universal Championship Wrestling, which Buff works for, posted the following on Tuesday:

“Marcus ‘Buff’ Bagwell involved in a serious wreck and is ICU! Our prayers go out to him and his family. Please RT #GetWellBuff”

Bagwell’s former partner Scott Norton wrote the following update:

“Update on Marcus. He’s going to be ok but keep him in your prayers for fast recovery”

– WWE drew around 3,500-4,000 fans to Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from the Van Del Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. WWE typically sets up the arena for 10,000 people – and had to move a lot of fans around to make the arena look full for television.

*SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Friday

– The dark match that took place prior to Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from Grand Rapids, Michigan saw Dean Ambrose defeat Josh Shields.

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

* JTG vs. Derrick Bateman

* Tyson Kidd vs. Johnny Curtis

* Maxine and Natalya vs. Tamina and Kaitlyn

– Hunico and Camacho vs. The Usos was taped last night in Grand Rapids for this week’s WWE Superstars.

– After the SmackDown tapings concluded, Randy Orton and Big Show defeat Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan in the dark match main event.

WWE taped this week’s SmackDown from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Credit to live correspondent Emilio for sending in these results:

Dark Match:

* Dean Ambrose defeated Josh Shields

SmackDown, Airing Friday:

* Daniel Bryan opened the show and is interrupted by Alberto Del Rio, who talks about winning the World Heavyweight Title after Extreme Rules. Big show comes out and sends the heels running – and and chokeslams Ricardo Rodriguez.

* Alberto Del Rio defeated Big Show (non-title match) after Cody Rhodes interfered.

* Damien Sandow vignette aired.

* WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella beat Alicia Fox.

* Darren Young and Titus O’Neil beat Ezekiel Jackson and Yoshi Tatsu.

* Michael Cole conducts his exclusive interview with Randy Orton. Orton talks about what he will do to Kane at Extreme Rules. Jinder Mahal interrupted and Orton left him laying after a RKO.

* Antonio Cesaro has a tryout match arranged from John Laurinaitis. He defeated Tyson Kidd in a solid match.

* The Great Khali beat Cody Rhodes.

* Ryback squashed local wrestler Jacob Kay.

* Brock Lesnar promo aired.

* Recap of the AJ vs. Natalya match from last week.

* Sheamus beat Mark Henry in a non-title match.

Monday’s 3-hour RAW Supershow from Detroit scored a 3.0 cable rating with 4,388,000 viewers over the full three hours. The hourly ratings were of 2.48, 3.22 and 3.41.

Looking at the final two hours (RAW’s usual timeslot), RAW did a 3.3 cable rating with 4,752,000 viewers – which is up from the previous week and a strong sign of momentum heading into Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

UFC President Dana White spoke with MMAJunkie.com over the weekend about Brock Lesnar’s return to WWE:

“It was always upfront and said in his deal that he could do the WWE. Everything we did with that guy, nothing ever leaked out of that camp, ever leaks out of that camp. Those guys did a deal with (WWE promoter) Vince (McMahon), and I guarantee you Vince said, ‘Keep this a secret. Don’t tell anybody.’ And he did. He never said anything. He didn’t call me. I sent them a text and said, ‘Congrats on your deal. I’ll be watching.’ [Expletive] never got nothing back. They didn’t respond and say, ‘Hey, thanks we’re pumped.’ They just did their thing.”

White also said he watched Lesnar’s return to RAW and enjoyed it.

“For what they do, it’s cool. I’m happy for him. The fact that the guy came over here, did what he did in the WWE, came here and did what he did here, now he’s back over there. Good for him and good for them.”

– Monday’s 3-hour RAW Supershow ranked #2 on cable in terms of social media activity for the evening, according to Trendrr.tv.

– Indy promotion Vendetta Pro Wrestling announced on their website that one of their wrestlers, Austin Draven, has signed a developmental deal with with WWE.

– A new trailer has been released for The Rock’s upcoming summer blockbuster, GI Joe: Retaliation, which hits theaters on 6/29:

While Beth Phoenix appeared to be legitimately injured on last night’s RAW Supershow, the “injury” was an angle – and the plan for her to drop the Divas Title to Nikki Bella has been in place for several weeks now.

WWE wanted to get the Divas Title off Beth Phoenix to pave the way for Kharma’s upcoming return. Kharma is slated to be Divas champion very soon – and WWE wanted to put the title on Kharma without her having to go through Beth Phoenix yet. As recent as last week, Nikki Bella was supposed to win the Divas title at Extreme Rules and then get destroyed by Kharma the next night on RAW. As we saw on RAW, Nikki Bella won the Divas title earlier than expected.

There is still a chance that Kharma will return on RAW next week and destroy the Bella Twins, which would explain their rumored departure from the company. Whether or not the Bella Twins negotiate a new deal and decide to stay with WWE, a Divas title feud between Kharma and Beth Phoenix is brewing.

WWE Hall of Famer Edge made a surprise appearance on Monday’s RAW Supershow from Detoit, giving John Cena a pep talk about what its going to take to defeat Brock Lesnar this Sunday at Extreme Rules.

It turns out that Edge was at RAW to do more than just motivate Cena. Edge was at RAW to negotiate a new “Legends” contract, according to pwinsdier.com.

News broke recently that Edge’s WWE contract is expiring soon – and WWE reportedly tried offering Edge a “lowball” deal.  While the exact figure that WWE offered Edge is not yet known, it’s believed that Shawn Michaels makes around $300,000 a year from WWE under his current deal. It’s said that the contract WWE offered recently Edge wasn’t even offered close to what Michaels makes.

No word yet on how Monday night’s contract negotiations went.

– WWE will tape this week’s NXT and SmackDown tonight from the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Friday’s SmackDown will feature the return of Christian,  Michael Cole interviewing Randy Orton and a non-title main event of Sheamus vs. Mark Henry.

The advertised dark match main event is a six-man Street Fight tag match featuring Sheamus, Randy Orton & Big Show vs. Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry & Cody Rhodes.

– WWE plugged a WWE.com article on RAW speculating whether Chris Jericho is the company’s new “Cerebral Assassin” – a nickname Triple H has been using for years. While it appears that WWE might be setting up a Jericho vs. Triple H feud, there are currently no plans to bring Triple H back to television on a regular basis.

– Wade Barrett’s Twitter account has apparently been taken over by his lawyer. Barrett’s account tweeted on Monday night:

“Due to a number of factors, Mr. Barrett has signed the administration of this account over to his attorney for the foreseeable future. Mr. Barrett will be making no further comment at this stage. Regards, Peter Lazarou, Esq.”

Barrett is still injured and is expected to be out of action until around Summerslam.

– Vince McMahon is said to be a huge fan of Eve Torres, which is the reason she was promoted on RAW as the new Executive Administrator to General Manager John Laurinaitis. Eve has been one of his favorite Divas for a long time.

Videos: Vince McMahon Sings Happy Birthday To John Cena After RAW

– Josh Mathews is in “stable condition” after he was attacked by Brock Lesnar on RAW. WWE’s Dr. Michael Sampson was interviewed by the company website and said Matthews is going to be undergoing an MRI this week:

“When [Josh] was thrown through the set, he did land and twisted his neck, and he’s experiencing some neck stiffness, tightness. [We want] to make sure there’s no other serious damage other than just a neck sprain, which is a good sign.”

– Rosa Mendes tweeted the following after RAW about tag team champions Primo and Epico not getting the respect they deserve:

“Lots of action on #Raw tonight, we still aren’t getting the RESPECT we deserve! We are tag team champs para Siempre!”

On RAW, Abraham Washington confronted the tag champs backstage and expressed the same frustration to the champs and tried convincing them to let him represent them.

(Partial source: f4wonline.com)

– New WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella wrote on Twitter last night that “The Bella Era” has begun and that “Naughty Nikki” has arrived. She also thanked fans for their support:

“Thank you #BellaArmy for your support! Hope I made you proud tonight! I’m DIVAS CHAMPION! Finally! Can’t tell you how I feel right now! #RAW”

Naughty Nikki, huh? It’s got a nice ring to it.

– WWE is now one of the top earners for YouTube. The new partnership between the two companies has been very rewarding for both sides. In an unprecedented move, WWE is now publishing RAW videos on their channel as the show airs on the East Coast – before it airs on the West Coast.

– Jim Ross arrived in Tampa, Florida on Monday night to work with the WWE developmental talents this week. Ross will likely be announcing again at this Thursday’s FCW TV tapings.

The decision to release Andy Leavine from his WWE developmental deal was made a few weeks back, according to f4wonline.com. WWE management felt that he was not improving in the ring and decided to cut their losses with him.

WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin, who was one of the judges on the Season of Tough Enough that Leavine won, tweeted the following regarding his release:

“Big Andy won Tough Enough. All day long and twice on Sunday. Thanks for your passion and opinions. Like it or not…He won. End of story.”

On Monday’s RAW, Beth Phoenix injured her ankle during her match with Nikki Bella, which allowed Bella  to defeat her and capture the WWE Divas championship.

The WWE website spoke with the doctor that treated the Glamazon following her injury –

“It looks like she affected her anterior talofibular ligament, which is the most common injured ankle ligament on an inversion injury. She has some swelling, [and] she’s having a hard time walking or ambulating on it. We’re going to need an MRI just to make sure there’s nothing else going on and see how we can treat it – if we need surgery or if we can do it conservatively.”

Phoenix was less than two weeks away from becoming the longest reigning Divas champion in history before her loss. She tweeted the following statement on Tuesday morning

“Thank you to everyone that helped me thru the airport this morning. Will keep every posted on MRI and xray results. Believe me…nothing hurts worse than my heart right now after the loss and even worse thought of missing competition. But i have been bere before, and if there is one thing Beth Phoenix knows how to do, it’s rise from the ashes. The title will be mine again. #unbreakable.”

After Monday’s RAW Supershow from Detroit went off the air, WWE Champion CM Punk and John Cena defeated Chris Jericho and Kane in a tag team dark match. Making light of his sobriety test earlier in the show, Punk staggered during the bout and acted ‘CM Drunk.’

After the match, the WWE locker room – including Vince McMahon and Triple H – appeared on stage to celebrate Cena’s 35th birthday. Punk and Triple H lead the  Superstars and Divas in a singing of “Happy Birthday” to Cena.

Triple H then asked The Great Khali to sing “Happy Birthday” to Cena one more time, which he did.

The WWE Divas then piled on Cena in the middle of the ring – and there’s video of the whole scene below:

Sunday’s WWE Extreme Rules 2012 pay-per-view will feature a spcial Pre-Show that will stream live exclusively at YouTube.com/WWE, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT. The free, 30-minute stream will feature Santino Marella defending the United States Championship against The Miz.

It was also announced during Raw that Intercontinental Champion Big Show will face former titleholder Cody Rhodes in a WrestleMania rematch. The updated Extreme Rules card is as follows:

Extreme Rules Match
John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar

World Heavyweight Title Match – Best-of-3 Falls
Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan

WWE Championship Chicago Street Fight
CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Randy Orton vs. Kane

Intercontinental Championship MAtch:
Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes

United States Championship Match
Santino Marella vs. The Miz

— In a rematch from Monday’s Raw SuperShow, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus will face Mark Henry this Friday on SmackDown. Also, Michael Cole will conduct an interview with Randy Orton to get his thoughts for his match against Kane at Extreme Rules.

— Matches taped Monday night in Detroit, Michigan for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars were Kelly Kelly vs. Maxine and Alex Riley vs. The Miz.

Antonio Cesaro beat JTG in a dark match at the show.

— The announced attendance for Monday’s Raw Supershow the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan was a sellout crowd of 16,122.