SEScoops.com has learned that former WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is in negotiations with WWE to make a surprise appearance at Sunday’s WrestleMania XXVIII pay-per-view event at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. The story is also being reported at fwonline.com and pwinsider.com. Negotiations are ongoing, but a source within the company says that there is a 50-50 chance that Lesnar will appear on the show.

The source went on to state that WWE wants Lesnar to appear and is hoping that a deal can be finalized within the next 24 hours.

Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White confirmed to F4WOnline.com that Lesnar is legally able to appear at WrestleMania on Sunday since he is no longer under contract to the organization. White was not aware if Lesnar was appearing on the show.

Lesnar left WWE in March 2004 to pursue a career in the National Football League, which was short-lived. Following a brief fling in New Japan Wrestling, he stepped away from the professional wrestling industry entirely in 2006 to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. He captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship from Randy Couture on November 15, 2008, then avenged his loss to Mir at UFC 100 to become the Undisputed Champion. He lost the strap two years later to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121. Lesnar announced his intentions to retire from mixed martial arts following a subsequent loss to Alistair Overeem in December, which prompted speculation of a return to WWE.

A writer for the Associated Press stated in his article on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson that if WWE wants to squeeze another potential blockbuster buy rate out of The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment, the last man standing to get the headline match would be Lesnar.

“I’m not saying a thing,” said a laughing, grinning Johnson with his eyebrow raised after being asked about the possible encounter. “I didn’t say anything.”

— Figure Four Weekly writer Bryan Alvarez stated Friday afternoon on Twitter that a ‘big name’ is in Miami, Florida for this weekend’s WrestleMania XXVIII festivities.

“So there is a big name here in Miami this weekend. #WrestleMania,” he wrote.

— From Mr. T teaming up with Hulk Hogan to Donald Trump shaving Vince McMahon’s head, WWE.com remembers the ten biggest guest celebrities to appear at WrestleMania. The feature is available here.

— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Power Slam.

— WrestlingFigs.com reports Nitro Girl Spice has been added to WrestleReunion 8, which takes place April 13-15 at the Doubletree Toronto Airport 655 Dixon Rd. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Vickie Guerrero suggested Friday on Twitter that retired wrestler Michelle McCool is pregnant as she said her former WWE associate is expecting a ‘bundle of joy,’ which is another term for baby.

“My surprise party was flawless for Michelle McCool!!! Great lunch with friends and family. Im so excited for her bundle of joy!” Guerrero wrote.

McCool is married to The Undertaker, who will face Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XXVIII on Sunday. She stated earlier this week on Twitter that she would be on hand for the ‘Mania festivities in Miami, Florida.

Despite her retired status and apparent pregnancy, the four-time champion is not ruling out a return to the ring. When asked this week on the microblogging site about the possibility of a squared circle return, she stated “time shall tell” and “never know” in two separate messages.

Promoting Sunday’s WrestleMania XXVIII pay-per-view event in Miami, Triple H took part an interview with Los Angeles Times and was asked if there was chance of him signing Ultimate Warrior to a one-day contract so he could squash him at an upcoming WrestleMania.

“It’s funny, a lot of people bring that up in a negative way like it was this terrible thing in my life,” Triple H says of his squash match loss to Warrior at WrestleMania XII. “While working with him personally wasn’t the highlight of my life from a business standpoint, for me to go to me first WrestleMania and wrestle a legendary figure in the business — and that is what he was and is — like the Ultimate Warrior, a Hall of Fame superstar in the business in my first WrestleMania appearance, squash or not, was a mind blowing thing for me.”

“I was thrilled to be in that position and to have that match with the Ultimate Warrior. I was thrilled with the fact that at that time Vince McMahon was willing to put me in that role. The Ultimate Warrior wasn’t there till the day of the show, so I had to do all the promotion for that match. I wanted Vince McMahon to look at me as a guy he could count on to handle the return of a guy that he was hoping would be a huge impact on the business. He had the trust in me and I would do a good job with it. So to me, that was nothing but a good experience. Potentially, I could bring him back and get the win.”

The thirteen-time world champion also addressed transitioning from full-time wrestler to full-time executive.

“Full-time wrestlers have fewer meetings than full-time managers do. I spend time in meetings a lot. And wearing a tie is kind of a downfall. I think it’s just learning to deal with situations in a business way as opposed to a locker room way. There is a large world of difference and you just have to learn that transition,” he says.

He also commented on who he would transport from history to have a dream match against at next year’s WrestleMania.

“It would be one of two people. Ric Flair or Buddy Rogers,” he says. “Buddy Rogers might not be a name that everyone knows, but he was probably one of the first way over the top flamboyant wrestling personas. Not like a Gorgeous George, he was a technically skilled wrestler who could wrestle anyone and make them look good. I think it would be interesting to step into the ring with him.”

The interview, which includes his answer on his favorite WrestleMania moment not involving himself, is available here.

— After a hard-fought battle on WWE Superstars, Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd met in the locker room and discussed forming a tag team together. Kidd reasoned, “We can go out there and we can tear the house down every single night; we’re two of the most under-utilized Superstars here in WWE. But that just be getting around spinning our tails. So I was thinking, how about you and I form a tag team and we go after those tag team titles?”

WWE.com asks, “Should WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Epico be worried?” Video of their encounter is available on WWE.com.

— A person who works for WWE’s public relations division revealed which Miami, Florida hotel the company is staying at for WrestleMania XXVIII on Twitter as she posted a photo of the issued WrestleMania hotel room key with the location noted—InterContinental Miami. However, security is high at the hotel as non-guests are not permitted in the building.

— WWE Champion CM Punk stated Friday on Twitter that footage was being shot at Sun Life Stadium for his upcoming DVD set. He wrote, “At sun life stadium with LF checking things out. Filming more DVD silliness. LF in the house! So stoked.”

WWE posted the following videos of The Rock, John Cena and Triple H

The Rock Says He’s Ready For WrestleMania:

Who Is John Cena?

Triple H Trains For WrestleMania:

Kurt Angle suffered a bad hamstring tear injury on Thursday which could put his hopes of competing at the 2012 Summer Olympics Games in jeopardy.

Angle, who won a gold medal for heavyweight freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Games, called in to TMZ Live o Friday and explained, “I injured my hamstring this morning, it is a tear.”

The injury occurred during a Thursday morning training session. An MRI is scheduled for Friday. As for how this will affect his Olympic bid:

“I still plan on going [to the Olympics] … I’ve been training for a whole year now … so it all depends on how it heals … but if this tear is really bad, there’s a chance I may not go.”

WWE Champion CM Punk spoke with ESPN.com this week to promote Sunday’s WrestleMania pay-per-view and his title defense against Chris Jericho. Punk talks about how far he’s come since this time last year, when he was frustrated with WWE and expected he was on his way out of the company. Here are some highlights of what CM Punk said about:

Did He Think He’d Be WWE Champion A Year Ago?

“No, because I was leaving. At Wrestlemania last year — and I always say I thrive in high-pressure situations — my job was to steal the show and prove to everybody how awesome I was and what an amazing talent they were losing. I went out there with Randy [Orton] and we put on, in my opinion, the best match on the show of pure wrestling. I wasn’t concerned about what I was doing next year. I was leaving in my mind. I didn’t think I would still be here or holding the title.”

Has MMA Influenced His Ring Style?

“Yes and no. It’s hard to try to translate a lot of stuff. I prefer to throw kicks and elbows instead of punches, but that was always a part of me. But I’ve always been a fan, so I don’t know if that stems from MMA. But I try to keep my pro wrestling, pro wrestling.

Elaborating On Chris Jericho Not Being “The Man”

Punk: Sure, but there’s always, I think, somebody that has overshadowed him. I guess an argument can be made that John Cena is still “The Man.” But the numbers don’t lie with merchandising, ratings and everything else. We’re not trying to hotshot the title around or play hot potato with it. We’re giving people a champion they can believe in. And Jericho was never really that guy. He was never really, I guess, the ambassador John Cena has been and that I’ve been lately. That’s what I meant by that.

Former WWE superstar Edge will have a new look when he gets inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this weekend. Check out these pictures of Edge with short hair:

— Ezekiel Jackson beat Hunico via Torture Rack in the first match held Thursday night at WrestleMania Axxess in Miami, Florida. In a battle of WWE developmental wrestlers, Seth Rollins defeated Dean Ambrose in the second bout. Rollins obtained the victory in the seven-minute match following a foot stomp to Ambrose’s head.

— Alicia Fox, David Otunga, Lilian Garcia, Rey Mysterio and The Miz joined “American Idol’s” James Durbin, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, and the Miami Dolphins’ Twan Russell and “T.D.” at Miami’s Hialeah Gardens and JFK Middle Schools Thursday to spread the word of anti-bullying and tolerance.

The Miz discussed the barrage of insults he gets over social media every day, and how he uses positivity to counter it. “Every time you have a negative thought or are going to post a negative tweet ,” the former WWE Champion said. “I challenge you to do something positive, say something positive. I guarantee you and that person will feel great about themselves.”

WWE.com has published articles from both events here and here.

This week’s WWE Inbox show features WWE superstars addressing the following questions sent in by fans on Twitter:

“What Is The Worst Persona In WWE History”

“What Does Your 3:16 Say?”

Submit your questions now to @wweinbox. Here’s the video:

As we’ve been reporting in recent weeks, former WWE superstar Matt Bloom (Albert, Giant Bernard) will be returning to the company as Lord Tensai.

Bloom posted the following message on Twitter today – indicating that his run with New Japan Pro Wrestling has come to an end:

“Want to wish all my @NJPW1972 family a successful NJPW Cup. Wish I could be there but something came up.”

He also wished good luck to his former tag team partner, Karl Anderson:

“@Machinegunka get it done!”

Bloom is expected to return to WWE television in the coming weeks and is rumored to be feuding with either John Cena or Randy Orton.

– SmackDown superstar Sheamus spoke to the Baltimore Sun this week to hype Sunday’s WrestleMania 28 pay-per-view and his World Heavyweight title match against Daniel Bryan. Sheamus had this to say about reports of backstage resentment towards The Rock:

“There’s a lot of rumors going around, people with animosity for The Rock. That’s not the case with me at all. The Rock has come back; he’s been cool with me and I have nothing against him at all. He’s achieved everything in WWE, and of course, he’s achieved everything in Hollywood. It’s a huge success story.”

He also commented on how it feels to be fighting for the World Heavyweight title this year after he and Daniel Bryan’s match was bumped from the card last year:

“I didn’t make Mania last year; I was little bit humbled about that. I realized I’ve got to start again. What I was currently doing wasn’t working, so I changed up things about my style. I became more aggressive, more dedicated, more intense — taking it match by match, night by night — to literally crawl and scratch my way back to the top.”

– The Miz will be returning to MTV this week, the network that gave him his first dose of national television exposure. The Miz will be hosting MTV’s The Challenge Battle of the Exes Reunion on April 4th at 10PM ET.

– WWE.com has published an article officially announcing Randy Orton’s starring role in The Marine: Homefront, the third installment of WWE Studios’ Marine franchise. Fans will be able to get a first look at production of the film during this weekend’s WrestleMania Axxess in Miami, where fans can audition for a small role in the screenplay.

Production for the straight-to-video release begins June 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Orton plays a Marine who must rescue his kidnapped daughter.

– Lilian Garcia held a concert on Wednesday night in Miami at the Gibson Miami Showroom. Numerous WWE personalities were on hand, including the Bella Twins, Vickie Guerrero, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Jinder Mahal, Justin Gabriel, Maxine, Titus O’Neil, Aksana and John Laurinaitis.

WWE has issued the following press release announcing the WrestleMania Community Outreach events that will be taking place in Miami. Aside from WrestleMania 28, the Hall of Fame Ceremony and the AXXESS fan fest, WWE goes above and beyond to make a positive impact in the community of the WrestleMania host city.

WRESTLEMANIA READING CHALLENGE

More than 2,000 libraries and 50,000 children from across the United States and Canada participated in this year’s WrestleMania Reading Challenge through the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association. As guests of WWE, 20 finalists will compete this Saturday and three winners from grades 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12 will be named World Champions.

“BE A STAR” ANTI-BULLYING RALLIES

WWE’s anti-bullying alliance co-founded with The Creative Coalition, “be a STAR (Show Tolerance And Respect),” will be conducting two rallies with the Miami-Dade County Public Schools on Thursday, March 29, at the Hialeah Gardens Middle School and the John F. Kennedy Middle School. Rock musician and former American Idol contestant James Durbin will be joined by WWE Superstars and Divas to deliver anti-bullying messages to more than 1,000 sixth-grade students.

WWE PREMIERE PARTY FOR ALEX’S PLACE

On Thursday, March 29, WWE, Grammy Award-winning artist Timbaland and Miami philanthropist Stuart Miller will host a VIP party, including a charity auction to benefit Alex’s Place at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center/UMHC in Miami, a pediatric hematology-oncology clinic.

MAKE-A-WISH PIZZA PARTY

WWE Superstar John Cena will host this year’s annual Make-A-Wish pizza party for over 40 wish kids and their families from the United States, Canada and Ireland. This year’s party takes place on Saturday, March 31 at Jungle Island. As part of its 30-year partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, WWE is also hosting the wish kids and their families at WrestleMania.

VISITS TO AREA CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS

WWE Superstars and Divas will be visiting two children’s hospitals in the Miami area — Holtz Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, March 28 and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital on Thursday, March 29. During the visits, more than 150 children will meet many of their favorite WWE Superstars and Divas.

* EXCLUSIVE Pictures & VIDEO From Yesterday’s WM28 Press Conference (We Were There)

During a recent interview with the UK Sun, former WWE & TNA star Kevin Nash spoke in-depth about Sunday’s WrestleMania 28 pay-per-view. Nash, who has wrestled both men and is a longtime student of the business, says Triple H ending the streak is bad for business – and the Undertaker should retire with the streak in tact:

“End of an Era…I’ve been thinking about the “speaking in code” that Shawn Michaels alluded to last week…If the WWE did have HHH end the Streak, what’s the bragging point since it took him three tries? There’s no bragging point, and it doesn’t do anything for business…It wouldn’t be good for business at all. It’d be like, yeah HHH ended it, but it took him three tries…Big deal. How does that impact the business to the good side?

“Most people would automatically point to the fact that he’s married to Stephanie, and didn’t do it because he deserved it…They could see through the facade WWE [would] have to build for it. I could already hear the bullshit chants from the more seasoned fans if they did that.

“In all honesty, at this point in time, the only one that deserves to end the Streak, is Taker himself by hanging it up when he chooses…In other words, he retires undefeated at Mania.”

Comment Below – What do you think – should the Undertaker retire undefeated at WrestleMania?

– The majority of WWE’s superstars and divas are staying at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami, Florida this week. The hotel has a ton of security in place and fans have already been tweeting that The Rock, John Cena, the Undertaker and The Miz have been spotted at the hotel this week.

– After Wednesday’s WrestleMania Press conference in Miami, John Cena and The Miz answered questions sent in from fans on Twitter:

— WWE posted this photo Wednesday of Rey Mysterio meeting media in Miami, Florida. The account tweeted, “Rey Mysterio talks to Telemundo @holtzchildren @jhsmiami about meeting the kids at the hospital.”

Mysterio stated in recent months that he hoped to return from injury in time for WrestleMania XXVIII, but a match did not come to fruition.

— WWE.com has published an article officially announcing Randy Orton’s starring role in The Marine: Homefront, the third installment of WWE Studios’ Marine franchise. Fans will be able to get a first look at production of the film during this weekend’s WrestleMania Axxess in Miami, where fans can audition for a small role in the screenplay.

Production for the straight-to-video release begins June 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Orton plays a Marine who must rescue his kidnapped daughter.

— Numerous WWE stars were on hand for Lilian Garcia’s concert Wednesday evening at the Gibson Miami Showroom including Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Vickie Guerrero, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Jinder Mahal, Justin Gabriel, Maxine, Titus O’Neil, Aksana and John Laurinaitis.

WWE Chief Marketing Officer Michelle Wilson says WWE is in late-stage negotiations with potential television partners for the WWE Network.

“There will be a WWE network in some shape or form,” Wilson told StamfordAdvocate.com. “Getting a distribution agreement for a cable network is not easy.”

Wilson disputed the New York Post‘s report earlier this month saying company is behind schedule in its plans to launch the network on April 1. She says there was never a deadline as the company is hiring staff to operate the network.

“We’ve filled 30 positions so far specifically for the network. They come with cable experience at ESPN, Viacom, Discovery and Warner Brothers TV,” said Wilson, who expects up to 120 new employees to be hired for the network.

Wilson declined to predict the network’s launched but would discuss planned programming.

“They just got done shooting a reality show, `Legends House,’ where eight of our superstar legends live together in a house in Palm Springs, California,” she said. “Another reality show will feature our WWE Divas. We did a lot of research on what our fans want to see. We’re developing new shows taking advantage of our amazing library.”

The full article is available here.

Promoting his upcoming World Heavyweight Championship Match against Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania XXVIII, Sheamus tells Irish Voice that he’s takes nothing for granted with WWE.

“My WWE career has been amazing says. It took a lot of time for me to get here, and you never stop paying your dues. I’m never satisfied with what I’ve achieved,” he says.

“I want to create a legacy for myself, like those who are going to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this weekend. The way you do that is by winning championships and staying hungry and focused.”

The Celtic Warrior predicts a victory over Bryan at Sunday’s show, which he thinks will probably be the biggest night of his life.

“Bryan is very tricky. He’s quite talented, a smaller guy but very tough and aggressive. He’s quicker than I am, but all I need is one second to catch him with my brogue kick. A size 13 boot to the face has done wonders for my winning streak!” said Sheamus.

Sheamus also talks about his Irish background, his likeness being made into an action figure and more. The full article is available here.

Arn Anderson appeared on Busted Open with Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca, which airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sirius 92 and XM 207. Highlights from his interview are as follows:

His induction into the WWE Hall of Fame: It’s phenomenal! My god! Especially with that group of guys, every one of them is a Hall of Fame-er. It’s just a question of timing, I guess. Getting to share the stage with those guys—man—it just blows me away. I’m still, to this day, in awe of every one of them.

John Laurinaitis pulled me aside some few months back and let me know, and I almost fell out! People around you that are very kind always say This has gotta be your year, well, no, it doesn’t have to be your year. There’s never have to be a year. So when you hear it for yourself, it’s mind-blowing. It really is. …My initial thought was Marty Lunde going in the Hall of Fame—psh!—c’mon. Arn Anderson going in the Hall of Fame, I don’t think so. But the Four Horsemen going in the Hall of Fame? Absolutely.

The Four Horsemen: I don’t know if there’s ever been anybody (and it’s argumentative) better than Barry Windham in the history of the business. I know for a fact he’s in the top five, it’s just a question of who the top five are. [Ricky] Steamboat’s in there, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Ric Flair, you make your top five, whoever they are, but Billy Windham’s in there; He’s on everybody’s top five list. Tully Blanchard was the best partner I ever had in the ring, period. We were in such sync after all those years together, that he could just give me a look and I know what he wanted and I could do the same to him. We never had to say a word in the ring to each other, period.

Ric Flair is Ric Flair. If anybody was gonna be inducted twice, he certainly earned those stripes. The one guy that doesn’t get a lot of air-time or a lot talked about is J. J. Dillon. He was the brains and the thought process, the stabilizing force; he was actually our manager, our legitimate manager. Travel, I mean everything, he did all of it. And the thing is, the guy was a world-class talker, carried himself like a gentleman, dressed well, and was just smart, very smart about the business. So to be able to share the stage with those guys is just staggering when I try to assess it.

WrestleMania: Oh my god. Well, just go back to the fact that we started promoting Wrestlemania last year before Wrestlemania, this year’s! That ought to tell ya everything you need to know about the size of the event. I was in Wrestlemania 5, Tully and I. It was a Grand Fair. But it was also in Atlantic City and the Trump Castle—Plaza, one of those. It wasn’t eighty thousand seats, let me just tell you that. It has morphed into something else entirely. When you’ve got eighty thousand people out under the stars, if you go back to the one in Orlando…it was breath-taking: the magnificence, the color, the pageantry, everything that is Wrestlemania. It is the Superbowl times two, if you ask me. For the entertainment, dollar, and you cut four hours out of your life, if you wanna spend them somewhere, that’s where you wanna spend them. It’s absolutely just numbing, what an event it is.

Bobby “The Brain” Heenan: Oh my god. Well, Bobby’s gonna go down as the greatest manager of all time. And I don’t think J.J. [Dillon] would feel slighted about that. Bobby Heenan is the single funniest man that God ever put on this earth. If you ever talk to him, I could look at Bobby and just say, “Hey Bobby, that tree’s falling towards the house.” Bobby would have something to come back with right then. It wouldn’t be “O god, let’s get outta the way!” Bobby would have a clever quick comeback. He’s just so sharp. His skills around that ring were—oh—Bobby took better bumps than ninety percent of the guys in the business. Bobby was phenomenal. The tragedies that befell him will take your breath. It’s a horrible, horrible deal, but Bobby has still got, even though he cannot speak, his sense of humor! Those of us that know him can still pull out of him, and I think that’s an awesome thing.

The Undertaker’s undefeated streak: Well, he is a phenom. I knew the Undertaker from day one when he was with WCW, ‘til he moved to the WWF. I used to sit there with my chin on the ground when a guy that size would walk that top rope. It was unbelievable stuff that the guy can do. And to this day, he is no spring chicken, but the guy is so masterful, it’s unbelievable. And as far as me spine-busting the Undertaker, my fifteen-year-old, I think that was the greatest day of his life! Even though the Undertaker kicked out and knocked my eyes shut shortly thereafter (the part he doesn’t want to remember!), but what a thrill it was! It really was. Those few seconds in the ring with that guy, that’s the one that got away. People ask me all the time, Who would you like to bid in the ring with (that you missed)? That’s the guy.

SEScoops.com was at the WrestleMania 28 press conference in Miami, Florida on Wednesday from the Eden Roc Hotel. Check out this video of The Rock and John Cena having a face-to-face confrontation and exclusive pictures from the event:

— In the latest episode of WWE Inbox, John Cena, R-Truth, Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks, among others answer your Twitter questions, including who they think is the worst persona in WWE history.

To view the episode, click here.

— According to multiple accounts on Twitter, WWE talent and employees are staying at the luxurious InterContinental Miami hotel for WrestleMania week in Miami, Florida. The Rock, John Cena, The Undertaker and The Miz have been spotted there within the past two days.

— WWE Hall of Famers Dory and Terry Funk will appear at WrestleMania Axxess on Saturday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 pm and again on Sunday from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Former WWE Superstar Chris Masters appeared on This Very Ring with Stan Grubb and Mike Prunka (audio available at www.pw247radio.com). Highlights are as follows:

His involvement with Ring Ka King: Dave Lagana reached out to contact me. He told me they’re starting a new promotion in India. It would be affiliated with TNA and funded, I believe, by TNA. They would air on the #1 network in India and it was just a great opportunity. The main objective was to bring out some American wrestling stars to work with some of the Indian guys, many of whom are pretty green. A lot of them are only two or three months into their training. They kind of hand-picked everybody to come and work with these guys and have, at least, passable, if not good matches. It turned out pretty well; we have a great set, a great group of guys, and we’ve produced some great TV.

His second WWE run: I was in a bad place in my life after I was released from WWE the first time. I kind of knew in the back of my mind that I would reconcile with the WWE and return, which I did. It quickly became apparent that they didn’t have any intent of using me. So I just worked because, well I wanted that spot but, if nothing else, I wanted to prove the critics wrong. I didn’t want to be perceived as the body guy. I wanted to be known as a great wrestler. In 2010 and 2011 I had no distractions in my career and everything was coming together. The company was reaching out to me and Hunter had pulled me aside and told me he liked what I was doing, which is why my last release came as a surprise.

His “Masters to Impact” campaign: I wasn’t really given a fair shake in WWE. For those of you that watch Superstars, you know that I can contribute to the game. I’m 29 years old and at the peak of my career. Going to Impact won’t turn things around right away, the ratings won’t overtake Raw or anything. But I do think I have a lot to contribute. So I figured it’s time to campaign. It’s 2012! MTI! Get the word out. Grassroots effort. I know a lot of things need to happen and that campaigns aren’t won overnight. TNA has a lot going on and a lot of guys that already aren’t being used but I really think there’s a lot I can contribute. I just need a place to go out and do it.”

— WWE Champion CM Punk revealed his favorite WrestleMania match during an interview with Marvel.com promoting WrestleMania XXVIII.

“WrestleMania 13, right in my backyard of Chicago. Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin,” he said. “I can remember every punch thrown, every bodyslam and every submission move. It’s just one of those perfect matches that told a story. There’s just so many to choose from, but this match is the one that sticks out the most.”

The Straight Edge Superstar also discusses his impending WrestleMania match with Chris Jericho, belief in Captain America, his kinship to Tony Stark and more.

— SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia has joined The Creative Coalition and WWE’s “Be a STAR” campaign as she, American Idol contestant James Durbin, Alicia Fox, David Otunga, The Miz, Rey Mysterio and Dolphins’ mascot T.D. will encourage students at two Miami-Dade schools this week to take a against bullying by showing tolerance and respect.

— Former WWE Women’s Champion Lita will participate in a meet and greet for FWE Wrestling on April 28 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Legged Dog Studios 80 Greenwich Street New York City.

Alicia Fox began her journey with WWE six years ago after WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis discovered her in a fashion catalog. Speaking to Accidental Sexiness, the SmackDown Diva believes her and Kelly Kelly’s hirings was triggered by organization officials experimenting models being taught how to wrestle.

“I did a couple of things for Venus Swimwear in Jacksonville,” Fox said. “I think at the time Kelly Kelly and I were doing it [modeling] together at age 17, 18. I think it was just an experiment for the company [WWE] to see if it was even possible to teach models how to wrestle.

“It was a great learning experience for the both of us because we could step out of our backyard and kind of grow into the world. I think neither Kelly nor I ever imagined being here. This is our sixth year. We didn’t know what was going to happen, but I don’t think we would have thought we would be here for six years already.”

Before she was contacted by WWE, Fox had her sights on going to school to become an ophthalmologist. She never gave thought to becoming a WWE Diva prior to receiving the life-changing phone call.

“I was going to be an eye surgeon, which is extremely funny now because I don’t like blood or science or anything like that,” Fox said. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Now I feel more than blessed to still be in WWE and have this opportunity. It has been so far so good. I don’t want to go back to being an ophthalmologist or an eye surgeon or something like that.”

The WWE Diva also discusses fashion, working with 2012 WWE Hall of Fame inductee Edge, WrestleMania XXVIII and more. The article is available here.