– In an interview with WWE.com, Mason Ryan comments on his return to Raw after been sidelined since June due to injury.

“I’ve been training very hard, but being out through injuries is a tough thing for anyone because you obviously want to be in the ring competing,” Ryan said. “Being out of action made me even more focused than I was before to come back and be a bigger, better, stronger, faster and all around better Mason Ryan.”

– A fan asked Randy Orton during his autograph signing on Monday at Slackers CD and Games in Hazelwood, Missouri if the 2012 Royal Rumble would take place in St. Louis, Missouri: he replied yes. Security personnel, however, told Orton that it was merely a “strong rumor.” Here’s the video footage:

After announcing earlier this week that he might need another surgery on his badly damaged knee, WWE superstar Rey Mysterio confirmed today that the surgery will in fact be necessary – and it will be taking place this afternoon.

Mysterio tweeted on Wednesday:

“Getting ready 4 surgery # 2…..should b knocked out in about 30mn! Talk to all of you when I wake up!1 luv 619”

Mysterio underwent a major surgical operation last month on his PCL (posterior cruciate ligament).

Rey was scheduled to be out of the rest of the year following his initial surgery – no word yet on how long this second surgery will keep him out beyond that.

The Chicago Tribune has a story today about CM Punk getting a new tattoo on Tuesday at Family Tattoo in Chicago.

“I did a tattoo of a dead fish on the back of his (left) shoulder,” said tattoo artist Matt Wes.

“It was a friendship tattoo he got with Natalie Slater of bakeanddestroy.net. There’s a story behind the tattoo that means something to their friendship.”

• Related: CM Punk Featured In New PIPE BOMB Rap Song (Listen Here)

Check out Punk’s new dead fish tattoo here:

The USA Network issued the following press release:

USA Network’s 3Q11 Most Watched Quarter In History In All of Cable Entertainment

NEW YORK – September 27, 2011 – USA continues to re-write the record books with the hottest 3rd quarter ever on cable, delivering more total viewers (3.51 million) than any network on cable ever has in a 3Q11. For the first time ever for cable entertainment network in any quarter, USA broke the 3.5 million mark in total viewers.

USA sizzled this quarter, shining above every cable competitor in P25-54 (1.45 million, +38% over #2 TNT), P18-49 (1.35 million, 46% over #2 History Channel), total viewers (3.51 million, +31% over #2 Disney Channel), and households (2.67 million, +40% over #2 TNT). USA was the only cable network to average over 1 million in P18-49, 3 million total viewers, or 2 million households was one of only two with over half a million P18-34 (584,000). USA earned the top household coverage rating in 3Q11’s basic cable prime (2.67, +0.76 over #2 TNT).

No cable network has ever seen as large a margin of victory over the #2 network in any quarter than USA did in 3Q11 in households while USA’s victory in P18-49 was second only to what was seen in 2Q97 and those in P25-54 and total viewers were the largest since 1Q09.

USA is up +5% in P25-54, +7% in P18-49, +4% in P18-34, +8% in total viewers, and +9% in households in 3Q11 than in 3Q10 using parallel Most Current data year to year.

USA won the total day crown this quarter as well in P25-54 (601,000, 15% over #2 TNT) and P18-49 (575,000, 9% over #2 Nickelodeon).

USA was the house of hits this quarter with seven original series each averaging over 2 million in P25-54, 1.5 million in P18-49, half a million in P18-34, 5 million total viewers, and 4 million households. Further, most of these titles have over 2.5 million in P25-54, 2.5 million in P18-49, 1 million in P18-34, 6 million total viewers, and 4.5 million households.

USA’s slate of hits this quarter easily outshines the performances of originals on either TNT or History Channel, averaging 2.90 million in P25-54 (+18% more than TNT’s / +43% more than History Channel), 2.66 million in P18-49 (+31% / +43%), 1.15 million in P18-34 (+73% / +42%), 6.36 million total viewers (+6% / +67%), and 4.77 million households (+8% / +78%).

COVERT AFFAIRS and WHITE COLLAR were the top two series on cable Tuesdays this quarter among total viewers (CA 6.91 million / WC 5.83 million) and households (5.11 million / 4.35 million) while COVERT AFFAIRS was #1 among P25-54 (3.20 million). No other scripted series on television with new episodes Tuesdays this quarter delivered over 3 million in P25-54 (3.20 million / 2.70 million), 2 million in P18-49 (2.89 million / 2.60 million), 5 million total viewers, or 4 million households.

With Royal Pains and NECCESSARY ROUGHNESS, USA was the only cable network with a show delivering over 7 million total viewers (RP 7.22 million / NR 5.62 million) or 4 million households (5.40 million / 4.32 million) Wednesday nights this quarter. No other network aired a scripted series on television Wednesdays this quarter to over 2 million in P25-54 (3.28 million / 2.51 million), 2 million in P18-49 (2.96 million / 2.29 million), or 1 million in P18-34 (1.23 million / 870,000).

Burn Notice and Suits were the top two scripted series on television Thursdays this quarter among P25-54 (BN 3.14 million / Suits 2.97 million), P18-49 (2.88 million / 2.84 million), and P18-34 (1.28 million / 1.35 million) and the top scripted series on cable for the night in total viewers (6.73 million / 6.12 million), and households (4.94 million / 4.62 million). These were the #2 and #3 scripted originals on television this quarter in all of television for M18-49.

IN PLAIN SIGHT was the only ad-supported scripted series on television Sundays this quarter to deliver over 3 million total female viewers and was second only to ABC in this demo when it aired this quarter in its Sunday 10pm timeslot. IPS outperformed CBS head to head this quarter for P18-49, P25-54, P18-34, total viewers, and households. Season 4 of In Plain Sight grew +14% in P25-54, +17% in P18-49, +19% in P18-34, +11% in total viewers, and +13% in households from Season 3.

WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW made USA the #1 entertainment network in all of television in its Monday 9pm-11pm time period among M18-34 and total males, coming in behind only FOX for M18-49 entertainment viewers as well as beating CBS in P18-49 and P18-34. WWE Raw delivered +3% more total viewers and+ 8% more P18-34 in 3Q11 than it had in 3Q10.

USA Network is the #1 network in all of basic cable and is seen in over 102 million U.S. homes. A division of NBC Universal, USA is the cable television leader in original series and home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, acquired television series and entertainment events. The award-winning USA website is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

– On Monday’s RAW, WWE began a storyline where several disgruntled superstars banded together and with David Otunga as their legal counselor, decided to take legal action against Triple H next week on RAW.

At Tuesday’s SmackDown taping, WWE continued the angle, with more wrestlers talking about the need to remove Triple H from power.

– After debating as to whether to feature a Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara match at Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, WWE made the match official by announcing it at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from St. Louis.

– The heel Sin Cara appeared at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping and cut a promo in Spanish before revealing a new black mask and black outfit.

– Syfy issued a press release Tuesday announcing the “best quarter ever” for the cable network in the just-completed third quarter 2011. Despite ratings and overall audience viewership increasing, there is no mention of SmackDown in the press release.

– The brown jacket CM Punk wore to commentary on RAW actually belonged to John Laurinaitis which is why CM Punk said on commentary, “I got this coat from a bum.”

– Stan sent word that there was 31 minutes and 11 seconds of in-ring action on last night’s WWE RAW Supershow, up from the previous week.

– There has been talk of SmackDown Diva Askana doing some ring announcing for WWE.

– Air Boom vs. Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger is being rumored for Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.

(Source: f4wonline.com)

– WWE Executive VP of Creative Development & Operations Stephanie McMahon and former WWE star John Bradshaw Layfield were at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday for the Beyond Sport Summit with a group of 250 other global delegates.

Beyond Sport is an organization that promotes, develops and supports the use of sports to create positive social change in the world. JBL was there as he is using rugby to help disadvantaged kids in Bermuda.

– WWE is advertising Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk for the RAW live event from Denver, Colorado on October 7th. Del Rio is advertised as WWE Champion – and the winner of that match is scheduled to defend the WWE title against John Cena in the main event of the show. While some have emailed this item in suggesting it’s a spoiler for Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, it’s more likely that this ad was created before Del Rio lost the WWE title at Night of Champions.

– At the end of Monday’s RAW SuperShow, the Hell in a Cell cage that was hanging above the ring during the show was lowered over John Cena, CM Punk, Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez. WWE was reportedly pushing for a “who lowered the cage?” mystery heading into Sunday’s pay-per-view.

In related news, it’s said that many of the angles on Monday’s RAW were done to build up the Vengeance pay-per-view rather than Hell in a Cell.

(Partial source: F4Wonline.com)

– WWE Superstars matches taped last night before the SmackDown tapings in St. Louis were Brodus Clay vs. local wrestler Bryan Thomas and Daniel Bryan vs. Trent Baretta.

– Several WWE stars were interviewed for Edge’s new DVD at Monday’s RAW Supershow.

– A new Steve Austin DVD box set will be released on October 3rd in the UK. “The Steve Austin Collection” will be bundled with several of his recent DVD action movies, including Born to Fight (Knockout), The Stranger and Hunt to Kill.

– Alex Riley announced on Twitter this week that he’s getting his very first WWE t-shirt and action figure soon. Riley’s action figure comes packaged with The Miz in one of Mattel’s “Battle Packs.”

– After Vince McMahon went ballistic backstage at RAW last week, Vince was said to be in a much better mood this week. Vince was reportedly upset because Alberto Del Rio mentioned his name on television, which Vince thought spoiled his eventual television return.

Partial source: F4Wonline.com

WWE SmackDown on Syfy

Credit to SEScoops.com reader Mikael for the following WWE SmackDown spoilers from tonight’s tapings in St. Louis, Missouri:

Dark Match:

* Leo Kruger defeated Johnny Curtis.

SmackDown (Airing This Friday 9/30):

* SmackDown opened with Booker T interviewing World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry. Henry says he’s going to end Randy Orton’s career at Hell in a Cell.

* Mark Henry dominated The Great Khali and won with the World’s Strongest Slam.

* Jack Swagger defeated Evan Bourne. Vickie Guerrero interfered and pushes Bourne off the top rope.

* Sin Cara beat Heath Slater. After the match, the other Sin Cara appeared on the big screen and cut a promo in Spanish. He took off his normal mask to reveal a new black mask and outfit. Apparently Cara vs. Cara is back on for Hell in a Cell.

* John Laurinaitis is backstage with the Superstars from Monday who are going to sue Triple H. They will take the next action on this coming Monday’s RAW.

* Kelly Kelly beat Natalya. After the match, Beth Phoenix attacked her and talked about how she will be the Divas Champion while Natalya applied the Sharpshooter.

* Sheamus beat Cody Rhodes via disqualification. Christian came in and jumped Sheamus for the DQ. After the match, Christian hit the Killswitch on Sheamus.

* Zack Ryder beat JTG. Ryder won with the Rough Ryder.

* Backstage, Triple H confronted John Laurinaitis about the meeting he had with the disgruntled superstars. Laurinaitis said he was loyal to Triple H.

* They hyped Sunday’s Hell in a Cell card – and Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara was announced for the show.

* Matt Striker interviewed Randy Orton backstage.

* Randy Orton and Christian went to a double countout. After the match, Orton tried to beat up Christian. Cody came out and attacked Orton. Sheamus came and cleared the ring and chased Christian to the back. Henry then came out to attack Orton and hit the World’s Strongest Slam. Henry went to get a chair, but when he got back in the ring Orton hit him with an RKO.

The first promotional poster for WrestleMania XXVIII has been released – and it features John Cena and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

The poster was printed in the November 2011 issue of WWE Magazine – and reveals that tickets for the big event go on sale Saturday, November 5th.

WrestleMania XXVIII takes place April 1, 2012 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.

Ratings are in for Monday’s WWE RAW SuperShow from Kansas City, Missouri.

The go-home show heading into Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view drew a 2.92 cable rating with 4.15 million viewers – down from last week’s 3.0.

This week’s RAW Supershow averaged 4.17 million viewers in the first hour and 4.13 million in the second hour.

This is the second time in three weeks that RAW has drawn below a 3.0 rating.

RAW was ranked #3 overall in cable viewership this week behind ESPN’s Monday Night Football and Pawn Stars on The History Channel.

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

— Zack Ryder states during an interview published in the November 2011 issue of WWE Magazine that he would prefer to end his YouTube show, Z! True Long Island Story, once he secures a comfortable position on WWE programming.

When asked if he’s concerned with viewers getting tired of the show, Ryder replied, “Well, I’m tired of it already, so it wouldn’t surprise me if some viewers get tired of it soon. Honestly, I can only do this show for so long before the charm kinda wears off. Once I get to where I want to be on TV, then there will be no need for the show, and that’s a good thing.” Also in the WWE Magazine interview, Ryder said he decided to start the show to get himself noticed, which he knew would “either work or get me fired.”

— WWE.com has posted a photo gallery recapturing The Undertaker’s most brutal Hell in a Cell encounters.

The October 2011 issue of WWE Magazine teased a possible appearance by The Phenom at the subsequent pay-per-view, Vengeance on October 23.

— According to the latest issue of WWE Magazine, John Cena’s next WWE Studios film, The Reunion, will be released in theaters on October 21.

A website for the film, which also stars Ethan Embry and Amy Smart, has been launched at www.thereunion-movie.com.

— The main event of tonight’s episode of WWE NXT on NXT.WWE.com features Jey and Jimmy Uso squaring off against Darren Young and JTG. Also scheduled is Yoshi Tatsu vs. Jinder Mahal and Percy Watson vs. Tyson Kidd.

— WWE is asking fans to vote on the WWE Greatest Matches Facebook page to help program the WWEGreatestMatches.com schedule for the month of January.

source: ProWrestling.net

Former WWE Diva Melina has denied an online report claiming that she was planning to involve herself in last week’s Divas Tag Team Match on Raw.

She responded on Twitter, “Ha ha! If I was going to fly ANYWHERE I’d fly to Hawaii and have fun or Vegas. Monday I was tweeting you guys and watching the Sheen Roast.

“It’s funny that rumors are still active even when out of the WWE. It’s outrageous and can be hurtful but I’m still on people’s minds.”

The report alleged that Natalya received a text message from Melina—who had a ticket to the Cleveland show—asking, “If I jump KK (Kelly Kelly), you will play ball right?”

The report adds: “Natalya presumed this was a joke, but showed it to the Divas’ liaison who after alerting WWE security then asked her to ring Melina to find out exactly what she had planned. The conversation, which Natalya put on loud-speaker with several members of the lockeroom present included a rambling and possibly under the influence Melina suggesting that attacking Kelly live on Raw would get her a job back as a Diva as “Vince loves reality angles.”

The report then claims that Melina was spotted in line for the show with a ticket, but was turned away at the door.

— Jim Ross expects Jerry Lawler to return to television next week after being slammed through the announce table by Mark Henry on last week’s Raw SuperShow. He wrote today on Twitter, “1. I expect king back for Raw & ‘perhaps’ HIAC..TBD.”

He also addressed Michael Cole’s statement on last night’s show that Lawler suffered anal bleeding as a result of the attack.

“The ‘anus’ line was Cole being cute therefore no anus updates are coming from me,” Ross explained.

— CM Punk discusses his expectations for his triple threat encounter this Sunday at Hell in a Cell.

— The September 24 episode of A.M. Raw scored a 1.02 cable rating, with 1,172,000 viewers.

source: PWInsider.com

— Chyna is training Joey Buttafuoco for an upcoming boxing match against ex-mistress Amy Fisher’s husband, TMZ.com reports.

The former WWE Women’s Champion and Buttafuoco are working out at The Bunny Ranch in Carson City, Nevada. The owner of the venue, Dennis Hof, is giving them “round the clock use of the accommodations, gym and personal chef.”

Chyna and Buttafuoco fought a celebrity boxing match in 2002, which Joey won.

— Mason Ryan is on Twitter at twitter.com/WWE_MasonRyan. He confirmed the account as legitimate by posting a photo of himself displaying the web address.

— Trish Stratus is advertised for a rare U.S. autograph signing at George’s Cards & Collectibles in the Oxford Valley Mall 2300 E. Lincoln Hwy Ste 220A Langhorne, Pennsylvania on Saturday, October 29 from 1:00 p.m to 3:00 p.m. Visit www.georgescollectibles.com for more information or call 215-943-2475.

“Former WWE star” The Miz has uploaded the following video of himself and R-Truth crashing Saturday’s WWE Raw house show in El Paso, Texas:

– The WWE website has a new interview up with Vickie Guerrero, who talks about additional superstars she’s interested in managing. With United States Champion Dolph Ziggler and now Jack Swagger both in her stable, Vickie named  the Divas of Doom (Beth Phoenix & Natalya) and Tyler Reks as WWE talent she has her eyes on.

Vickie and Tyler Reks have actually been going back and forth on Twitter discussing the matter, so it will be interesting to see whether this Internet storyline carries over to television. Vickie tweeted to Tyler Reks on Monday night, “@Tyler_Reks call me!!!!”

Tyler Reks responded on to Vickie on Tuesday moring:

“You just let me know if your client list opens up.”

– Speaking of Vickie Guerrero, she’ll be hosting an online chat on her official website (MyVickieGuerrero.com) this Thursday night.

• Check Out: Recent Vickie Guerrero Bikini Pictures

– The dark match that took place prior to Monday’s RAW from Kansas City saw the tag team of  Percy Watson and Titus O’Neil defeat Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks.

– WWE topics that were trending worldwide on Twitter during RAW include: CM Punk, Hell in a Cell, John Cena, Dolph Ziggler Michael Cole, Cody Rhodes, Vickie Guerrero, Drew McIntyre and Sin Caras.

– WWE has launched an official Twitter accout for the WWE Network at @WWENetwork.

– WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly noted on Twitter that she will be at tonight’s SmackDown tapings in St. Louis. We’ll have SmackDown spoilers on the site later tonight.

Monday’s RAW SuperShow from Kansas City, Missouri featured a Hell in a Cell steel cage hanging above the ring – and fans in attendance got to see “Satan’s Structure” in action after the RAW broadcast went off the air.

The advertised dark match main event was supposed to see WWE Champion John Cena defend against former champions Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk in a triple threat match.

When RAW ended, Teddy Long came out and ordered two more competitors be added to the match – Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger – and for the Hell in a Cell cage to be lowered.

According to live correspondents who were at the show, the match started off with the heels dominating the action. However, it did not take long before Cena and CM Punk fought back, with John Cena hitting Jack Swagger with an Attitude Adjustment for the win.

Check out these pictures from the post-RAW Hell in a Cell match – taken by an SEScoops.com reader who was there:

— Two additional matches have been announced for Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view:

* Christian vs. Sheamus

* Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix for the WWE Divas Championship

Also announced for the show are Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship and John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship.

— WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H announced on Raw that Christian would face Randy Orton on this week’s episode of SmackDown.

— Eve Torres stated on Twitter that she will debut a new look tonight on Raw.

She wrote, “Debuting a bit of a new look tonight… Let me know what you think!”

Meanwhile, The Bellas Twins debuted new ring gear in a match taped for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars—against A.J. and Kaitlyn.

Joey Styles said of their garments: “Their outfits were the greatest ring gear in history!”

Also taped tonight for Superstars was John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre.

— The September 23 episode of WWE SmackDown scored a 2.3 cable rating, a sharp increase from 1.78 the week before.

SmackDown fell just shy of the 2.31 Syfy record set on February 25, which took place days after Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s return to WWE.

Friday’s program outdrew last month’s live special, which garnered a 2.2 cable rating. Viewership was identical as both episodes averaged 3.2 million viewers.

— WWE has announced that Alberto Del Rio will face CM Punk tonight on the Raw SuperShow.

— Carlito appears at George’s Cards & Collectibles in the Oxford Valley Mall 2300 E. Lincoln Hwy Ste 220A Langhorne, Pennsylvania on Saturday, October 15 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

source: ProWrestling.net

— Rey Mysterio stated this afternoon on Twitter that he may need to undergo a second surgical procedure to reinforce his posterior cruciate ligament.

He wrote, “Might need surgery #2 on my knee this week, need to go back in & reinforce the pcl ( Posterior ligament) Shouldn’t b bad,hopefully!1 luv 619”

Mysterio blew out his knee while attempting a baseball slide during a match against Alberto Del Rio on the August 15 episode of Raw. He underwent surgery on August 26 to repair knee ligaments and have bone spurs removed. There is talk that he may not be able to return to action until WrestleMania XXVIII.

— Former WWE Diva Cherry stated the following on Twitter regarding the injured Skip Sheffield: “It was so nice running into my good friend Skip Sheffield! He looks fantastic and is recovering very well!!!”

The former Nexus member has remained sidelined since breaking his leg and ankle on August 18, 2010 at a Raw live event in Honolulu, Hawaii. He underwent a third surgical procedure in June and vowed on Twitter that it would be his last.

WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was interviewed by the UK Sun newspaper to promote his latest DVD action movie, Born to Fight.

Here are some highlights of what Stone Cold said about:

Wrestling One More Match Against CM Punk:

“I think Punk is a great guy. I’d say he looks up to me for what I did in the ring back in the day — and I look up to him for what he is doing now. I’d say it’s a case of mutual respect.

“I hear the stories and if the stars aligned and all things worked out to benefit us all — the WWE, myself and Punk — I’d say that he is the guy I’d pick to face.

“I’m sure I could get another match out of this carcass of mine.”

Tough Enough Returning:

“I loved Tough Enough and hear there may be a second series.”

“If a few other things get ironed out in the company first, I’d say it’s a good 95 per cent guaranteed. My Involvement was a lot more hands on than I expected and I enjoyed that.

“Wrestling is part of my system. I don’t miss the bumps, the travel grind or the pain, but I do enjoy it when I get back and feel the rush of being in front of a crowd.”

John Cena vs. The Rock Next Year at WrestleMania:

“A year-long build is something no one has ever done so Cena v Rock will be very interesting. Rock is doing his thing in Hollywood so can’t make every taping, plus you can’t overdo these things.

“WWE are doing their part and keeping it moving along, but there is still a long time until the pay-off.

Hulk Hogan vs. Sting at Bound For Glory Next Month:

“I’ll be honest, I hadn’t heard about Hogan v Sting. That will be interesting too, I mean Hogan had back surgery didn’t he?

“They are both great guys. I’m a fan of Sting’s and he can still go with the best of them. I know Hogan well and he still has it when he needs it.

“It will be a very interesting night at the office that one and I will most certainly be watching Bound For Glory to see how it works out.”

There’s much more to the interview, including what Steve Austin thinks about his acting career, legends like Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan refusing to retire for good, whether John Cena has reached “mega star” status and more. Head over to TheSun.co.uk for the full interview..

WWE issued a video to mailing list subscribers of Shawn Michaels interrupting Triple H’s promotion of the Inside Out DVD. After teasing the movie’s plot of Triple’s character killing his best friend, Michaels questions the Chief Operating Officer’s decision making in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

He tells Triple H, “I just want you to know there’s no hard feelings ’cause of what you did to my friend, Kevin Nash. You fired him like a no-good S.O.B. and I’m sure you had a perfectly good reason even though it looks like you’ve changed an awful lot and you’re not the same guy you used to be.

“I’m not going to hold that against you. What anyone says that you’re a turncoat, backstabber—I don’t believe them.”

Michaels then tells Hunter that he may be seeing him soon, and leaves the room.

The video can be accessed here.