During a commercial break at Monday’s RAW, Zack Ryder came out and confronted World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton .. It didn’t go so well for Mr. Long Island Iced Z.

Ryder came out with a camera filming for his YouTube show. Ryder told Orton about how popular his show is, but he still can’t get on RAW each week. Ryder tried to get footage of Orton for his show and be his “R-K-Broski of the Week” – but Orton was not interested.

Ryder got too close to Orton, who laid out the Long Island bro with an RKO.

The following matches have been announced for Tuesday night’s Super SmackDown live special on SyFy:

* World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton vs. Christian in a Steel Cage Match

* John Cena vs. Wade Barrett

* CM Punk vs. The Great Khali

WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio had been booked to wrestle Sin Cara in a non-title match, however Del Rio has been experiencing difficulties with his work via and will be likely be unable to appear tonight.

– In what appears to be WWE’s brand split coming to an end, WWE’s Chief Operating Officer Triple H announced on RAW that  “for the foreseeable future” the stars of Smackdown will be appearing every week on Raw.

With Tuesday’s Super SmackDown special featuring RAW superstars as well – it appears we might be seeing an end to separate talent rosters for RAW and SmackDown.

• Update: Talent Worried Following Consolidation

– At the conclusion of Monday’s RAW, WWE COO Triple H announced that the CM Punk vs. Kevin Nash at Night of Champions (made earlier in the show) was canceled – and he would be taking Nash’s spot! It will be Triple H vs. CM Punk at Night of Champions!

– WWE has launched a new page on Twitter, twitter.com/wweinsider, a “behind-the-scenes reporter for WWE.com and WWE Magazine, reporting LIVE from Monday Night Raw and PPV events.”

— John Cena is pictured in WWE’s advertisement for tomorrow night’s SuperSmackDown special on Syfy.

Some cable outlets are advertising a match between Cena and CM Punk for the live broadcast. WWE has not announced the match yet.

The synopsis for the event, which will feature talent from Raw and SmackDown, reads:

“The astonishing Sin Cara challenges WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio and Christian battles Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship inside a steel cage.”

— The Miz announced on Twitter that he will debut a new T-shirt on tonight’s episode of Raw.

“Debuting the new Miz T-shirt tonight,” he wrote. “Buy it if your at the arena or go to wweshop.com. Cheap plug 2 of the night.”

— WWE stock closed at 9.59 today, up 0.53 from Friday.

– Rey Mysterio begins physical therapy and rehab next week after undergoing his latest knee surgery last Friday. He tweeted on Monday afternoon:

“Had my first check-up; knee was drained & needs 2 B stable, won’t start therapy until nxt week! Have to ice & rest..”

As we’ve been reporting, Mysterio is expected to be out of action until early 2012, with WWE hoping he’ll be healthy in time for WrestleMania in April.

– WWE’s writing staff is said to be extremely stressed out as of late. There is a ton of pressure from management to make Tuesday’s live SmackDown special a ratings success, since WWE reportedly wants to move SmackDown to Tuesday nights permanently.

– The release of Paul Heyman’s autobiography has been delayed once again. Due to scheduling conflicts this fall that would have prevented Heyman from doing a proper promotional tour, the book will now come out in early 2012.

(Source: PWInsider.com)

– The current word in WWE is that Kevin Nash has been brought in for a short run – not a full-fledged return. Nash has a WWE Legends deal and is still able to take independent bookings as long as it does not conflict with anything wWE has planned for him. Nash is said to be very happy working a program with CM Punk.

– Officials from the Dragon Gate USA promotion recently confirmed that WWE has expressed interest in signing several of their contracted wrestlers. DGUSA has stated that it will allow any of its wrestlers out of their contracts in the event that WWE wants to sign them. No word yet on which DGUSA stars WWE is interested in, but this does jive with our recent report that WWE is looking to bring in a number of cruiserweight-sized wrestlers.

– WWE Studios’ Inside Out with Triple H will premiere on DirecTV Cinema on September 10th.

(Source: PWInsider.com)

— WWE has released the cover of the October 2011 issue of WWE Magazine featuring a menacing looking CM Punk. The magazine appears to be going in a sensationalist direction as it advertises an “uncensored” and “shocking” interview with Punk which they were “told not to print,” as well as his WWE contract “revealed.” This direction is further emphasized with headlines reading “Insane Locker Room Rumors – Fights! Firings! Freakouts!” and “The Biggest Screw-up In Wrestling History!”

— Rey Mysterio posted an update on his health today after undergoing knee surgery three days ago. The procedure included a repair to two major ligaments in his knee and bone spurs removed.

He wrote on Twitter, “Had my first check-up; knee was drained & needs 2 B stable, won’t start therapy until nxt week! Have to ice & rest…”

Mysterio blew out his knee while attempting a baseball slide during a match against Alberto Del Rio on the August 15 episode of Raw. There is talk that he may not be able to return to action until WrestleMania XXVIII.

— Christian and Natalya are advertised to appear at Toys R Us 3150 Argentia Rd, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada on Monday, September 12 beginning at 6:00 p.m. Call 905-785-3335 for more information.

Third generation WWE superstar Michael McGillicutty, grandson of Larry “The Axe” Hennig and “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, has been answering fan questions on Twitter over the past few days about why he does not wrestle as his real name, Joe Hennig.With such a prestigious family linage, it does seem somewhat baffling that he’s been stuck with the ring name “Michael McGuillicutty.”

Over the weekend, McGuillicutty re-tweeted a post from a fan that stated,

“Joe Hennig > Michael McGillicutty, RT if you agree, the Hennig name should still be remembered!”

He later followed up with the following messages – which seem to indicate that the former WWE tag champion might soon be returning to his roots and changing his ring name:

“For everyone tweeting about my name: The Hennig name will be remembered no matter what my name is.”

“Just get ready to witness the next generation and see why we ARE the greatest wrestling family of all time!”

“@xxDuke4Everxx: Just remember to never forget where you came from and who you are :)” NEVER

McGuillicutty also told fans to check out an unofficial fan site dedicated to him at Joe-Hennig.com.

• SEScoops.com will be doing LIVE COVERAGE of tonight’s RAW! Just like we do with WWE pay-per-views, we’ll be providing detailed real-time results of WWE RAW during the entire 2+ hour broadcast. If you’re unable to watch RAW live tonight, BE HERE at 9pm (EST) for our live coverage of the event!

Tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW takes place from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After last week’s RAW dipped below the 3.0 ratings mark, you can bet WWE management will be watching this week’s viewership numbers.

Much of the advertising leading into tonight’s RAW has focused on the Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena WWE title feud and their upcoming match at Night of Champions. The WWE website’s preview for RAW reads:

“After becoming No. 1 contender to Alberto Del Rio’s WWE Title, John Cena was savagely attacked by The Mexican Aristocrat. How will Cena retaliate against his Night of Champions opponent?”

World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton, Sheamus, Mark Henry, Christian and Sin Cara have all been announced for RAW.

The dark match main event that will take place after RAW is scheduled to be a triple threat match between Alberto Del Rio, John Cena and CM Punk.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

Rey Mysterio’s Recent Knee Surgery: “Get well wishes to Rey Mysterio who had knee surgery in San Diego this past Friday. Rey had ACL and MCL issues addressed and will be out of action for several months. This is the same knee that Rey has had multiple surgeries so his rehabilitation work will be even more magnified and important.”

Ric Flair’s Personal Issues: “Many have asked me via Twitter @JRsBBQ and in the Q&A Section of this site to comment on the ESPN/Grantland article regarding Ric Flair’s personal finances and other personal issues. Ric has been a friend for well over three decades and I was uncomfortable reading the piece. Ric has always enjoyed life to its fullest, and beyond, which, last I looked, wasn’t a crime. Lots of famous athletes and entertainers have had financial hurdles to overcome. If Ric has the issues that Grantland outlined, I wish Naitch well and he has my support.”

Samoa Joe: “Several people have asked me about Samoa Joe. I personally like Joe’s work and feel that his best days lie ahead. I do not know Joe. I’ve never conversed with him that I can recall. Bottom line is 1. he has a contract where he now works and 2. I am not involved in talent acquisition for WWE.”

Scott Hall Announcing: “Could Scott Hall fit in the announce booth as a color commentator? It’s not an easy transition for many former wrestlers to make the move from the ring to the announce table so it wouldn’t be automatic. However, Scott is a bright guy who is glib and he knows the genre well. If he put in the work that it would take to be an asset who’s to say that Scott Hall wouldn’t be a good broadcaster? I do know that it takes great focus, commitment and study to be as good as one needs to be in today’s world. I don’t know if Scott has an interest in this matter but it was a question from a Twitter follower.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson went on Twitter over the weekend and spoke about his return to WWE, his feud with John Cena, appearing at Survivor Series in November and more. Here are some highlights of what The Rock said about:

His Return To WWE & His Feud With John Cena –

“A few years ago when Cena – inexplicably – started talking trash publicly, I knew then I could turn this into a…massive main event. One that could elevate the WWE to unprecedented heights. The timing had to be right though.”

“Wrestlemania 27: for me and the fans – the time was right. The build to Wrestlemania 28 will be like nothing the world…has ever seen before. The match itself will be historic.”

Why He’s Not Interested In The WWE Championship –

“I didn’t come back to the WWE to become champion again. I came back for these reasons: entertain the fans like no one else can. Elevate the WWE to new heights never seen before…Challenge and mentor some of the younger talent. Give the millions what they want which is to kick John Cena’s f’n ass.”

What He Meant When He Said He Would “Never Leave WWE Again” –

“I never meant to mislead or confuse the fans and I apologize if I did. The overall goal was to make…huge impact and elevate Wrestlemania. Shoot my movie commitments, then return again as soon as I wrap the film…and help elevate the WWE and the overall business of professional wrestling. Survivor Series, Mania etc.”

— WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart stated in an interview with The Cardboard Connection that he is looking to write a follow-up to his memoir, Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. However, he says it could “take years” for the book to come out. “I’m just waiting as my life continues to unfold,” Hart said.

Hart was also asked to name his favorite wrestling performers in the industry today and the first names out of his mouth were The Bella Twins, Brie and Nikki. “They’re getting better and better,” Hart said. “I like Daniel Bryan. I love his style. I love his incorporation of actual wrestling holds and submissions and his style. I’m a big fan of Cena. I’m a big fan of [Randy] Orton.”

The full interview can be accessed here.

— The Miami Herald reports that WWE will be hosting its WrestleMania XXVIII ticket kickoff party in early November in Miami, home to the 2012 version of the mega event. Further details were not disclosed.

— Former WWE stars Vladimir Kozlov and Jillian Hall have been announced for Legends of the Ring XIII, which takes place Saturday, October 8 at the Crowne Plaza in Monroe, New Jersey.

— Former WWE Diva Terri Runnels was accompanied by two large bodyguards for her appearance at Saturday’s sparsely attended K&S Wrestlefest event in Essington, Pennsylvania. It marks as her first public appearance since she filed a lawsuit against her former partner Jerome “New Jack” Young, accusing him of libel for what she calls a series of slurs he’s stated online about their sex life and her appetite for drugs and alcohol.

— WWE returns to the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 28, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

— WWE announced at last night’s Raw live event at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee that Monday Night Raw will be held at the venue on January 2, 2012.

— Jerry Lawler beat Jack Swagger in a singles match at Saturday’s Raw live event in Memphis, Tennessee. The former World Heavyweight Champion succumbed to Lawler following the Crown Drop.

— WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race appeared at Saturday’s SmackDown live event in Cape Girandeau, Missouri and introduced Ted DiBiase, who trained nearby at his school. The SmackDown Superstar said that thanks to Harley, he is living his dream.

He then lost to Sin Cara.

— In an exclusive interview with WWE.com, Christian discusses Edge’s actions at SummerSlam, the decisions being made by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long and WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H, and why he feels he will have a huge advantage entering a steel cage with Randy Orton this Tuesday on SuperSmackDown.

— Rey Mysterio underwent surgery Friday after sustaining an injury to his knee. The procedure included a repair to two major ligaments in his knee and bone spurs removed.

Mysterio wrote Saturday night on Twitter: “Pain comes & goes but coping through it! Had acl, pcl, & bone spurs removed! Never felt pain like this one! All good though thx to y’all!619”

He blew out his knee while attempting a baseball slide during a match against Alberto Del Rio on the August 15 episode of Raw. There is talk that he may not be able to return to action until WrestleMania XXVIII.

— Wade Barrett posted a storyline related message on Twitter after he refused to perform against a local competitor on Friday’s SmackDown broadcast

He wrote, “After the dregs that WWE management gave me on Smackdown tonight, they can kiss my English arse from now on. #twofingeredsalute.”

— A match pitting CM Punk against John Cena is being advertised by cable outlets for this Tuesday’s live SuperSmackDown special on Syfy. WWE has not announced the match yet.

— Kaitlyn accidentally revealed in a Twitter message intended as a private message that she hates her WWE entrance theme (“Let’s Go” by Hollywood Records).

“To be honest, I don’t have any criteria really or a timeline . I just hate the generic music they have for me. And u thought it would be,” she wrote.

Kaitlyn said upon learning her mistake, “Oh snap! U stop reading my DM’s hahah I accidently posted a message meant for a DM.”

— Jerry Lawler is advertised to host tonight’s Raw live event at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee.

source: PWInsider.com

— Rey Mysterio underwent surgery Friday after sustaining an injury to his knee. He posted an update regarding his health on Twitter. Mysterio wrote:

“Morning to all! 24hrs after surgery at home recouperating! Pain is insane! Going crazy.. Thx 4 the support! 619 luv!”

The masked star blew out his knee, believed to be his ACL, while attempting a baseball slide during a match against Alberto Del Rio on last week’s episode of Raw. There is talk that he may not be able to return to action until WrestleMania XXVIII.

— A spokesperson for The Great Khali announced this week that the WWE Superstar is in support of Anna Hazare, an Indian activist who has been fasting for the past twelve days to protest corruption within the Indian Government. He noted that he was in support of the issue at hand, not a specific political party.

— Former WWE Diva Lauren Jones, who attended last night’s Raw live event in Jackson, Mississippi, turns 29 years old today. A native of the area, she watched the show from the front row and went backstage afterwards.

source: PWInsider.com)

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has posted a new blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

Kurt Angle’s Olympic Hopes: “Will Kurt Angle make the next USA Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team? I seriously doubt it but I’d love to be wrong. It would make a helluva story if it happened but it’s a long shot at best in all due respect to Kurt. Honestly, at that level one must devote all their time to achieving their goal.

The Bret Hart – HBK DVD: “Previewed the documentary portion of the @BretHart and @shawnmichaels_ DVD Thursday night and it was main event money. Those two WWE HOF’ers were honest and open to every question. I did not lob softballs and they did not avoid any questions. It was a very emotional and compelling piece of business. The DVD hits stores around October 25 and will obviously be on shelves for holiday shopping. I can’t recommend it strongly enough.”

Undertaker’s WWE Future: “When is the Undertaker returning or is he retired? When the Undertaker retires don’t you think that every wrestling fan in the free world will know it ASAP via WWE? Taker is not retired. I do not know when he’ll return and neither do those who Tweet us and act as if they do.”

• *NEW* Picture Of THE UNDERTAKER In A Scuba Suit
  

A few weeks ago, there was a picture circulating online of The Undertaker with what appeared to be a shaved head (VIEW HERE). This week, a new picture has surfaced of the Dead Man on the ocean – check it out:

Now We Know ... Dead Men CAN Swim!

— Mick Foley posted a blog regarding his experience at the “Gathering of the Juggalos” earlier this month and addressing rumors of a potential return to WWE. Foley wrote:

“As I mentioned, there’s this rumor out there that I might be returning to WWE sometime soon, and if the rumor proves to be true, my chances of returning to this one-of-a-kind atmosphere in 2012 will be dramatically reduced.”

— Based on the graph WWE released for pay-per-view buys in their latest key indicator, Money in the Bank was listed as 265,000 buys. However, another breakdown in the estimates lists July pay-per-view purchases at 185,000. The other buys incorporated into the graph are being credited to WrestleMania XXVII, which came in after the last key indicator was released.

— The Miz appears at Walmart 1105 Wellington Rd S., London, Ontario, Canada on Saturday, Sept. 12 beginning at noon. Call 519-681-7500 for more information.

— WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio is missing this weekend’s Raw live events because he was due to return to Mexico to renew his work visa. He will be on hand for Monday’s Raw in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

— The Score in Canada will be airing NXT on Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. beginning Aug. 31, 2011. College football will air in NXT‘s former spot on Thursday nights.

— “WWE Magazine’s” 2011 poster book, which hits newsstands this Tuesday, features 20 giant photos of the likes of CM Punk, John Cena, The Rock and Randy Orton. Click here to view the issue’s cover.

— The Ventura County Star has published an article on the wrestling dominated play, “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity.” Kristoffer Diaz’s play will be performed Tuesday through Oct. 9 at the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, California.

source: PWInsider.com

— Mason Ryan returned to action at Friday’s Raw live event in Jackson, Mississippi. The Welsh grappler beat Zack Ryder in the second match of the night.

Ryan has been sidelined since late June due to an undisclosed injury.

— WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio will face Sin Cara in a non-title match this Tuesday on SuperSmackDown.

— WWE ring announcer Eden Stiles participated in her first angle at Friday’s Raw live event in Jackson, Mississippi as she was attacked by The Bella Twins. This led to Divas Champion Kelly Kelly and Eve hitting the ring to fend off the twin duo. Kelly and Eve beat Nikki and Brie in a subsequent match.

— The Great Khali turns 39 years old today while WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter turns 63. Also celebrating a birthday is former WWE Women’s Champion Jazz, who turns 38.

source: ProWrestling.net

— With General Manager Theodore Long unable to attend tonight’s SmackDown due to unforeseen circumstances, COO Triple H called on WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart to serve as the Special Guest General Manager. Christian, however, showed up with a court order stating that no Superstar would get a World Title match until he was granted his rematch – including the new No. 1 contender Mark Henry. The Excellence of Execution then announced that Christian will face World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton in a Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Title on this Tuesday’s live SuperSmackDown in Wichita, Kansas.

— Former WWE Diva Lauren Jones, who sporadically appeared for SmackDown in 2004 and 2005, was invited to tonight’s Raw live event at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Mississippi. A native of Jackson, she watched the show from the front row and went backstage afterwards.

Jones mutually parted ways with WWE in June 2005 because company officials pushed her to become a wrestler when she wanted to pursue other opportunities. WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis, who brought Jones to the organization in 2004 after she appeared as a model for a WWE Magazine photo shoot, has since made overtures to the entrepreneur/entertainment personality about returning to the organization. She garnered mainstream attention earlier this month as Hollywood starlets Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston and Charlize Theron were all photographed wearing a high-heel shoe she had designed, the Lauren Jones ‘Franci’ Sandal.

Ric Flair is suing the website who wrote a scathing exposé story earlier this week about the personal and financial hardships he’s put himself and his family through over the past 20 years. Despite the fact that most of the article’s facts were pulled straight from court documents the countless lawsuits that Flair’s been involved in (ex-wives, business associates, horrified flight attendants), Flair claims the Grantland.com investigative piece written by Shane Ryan falsely states that he suffers from Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy — a disease caused by years of alcohol abuse which often leads to heart failure.

• Read The Article: Website Publishes Expose On Flair: “The Wrestler in Real Life”

The following statement was released by Flair’s representatives, Legacy Talent and Entertainment:

“Mr. Fliehr has declined to comment on the “Grantland” story published this week, as he has consistently with media inquiries regarding legal affairs. While the information gleaned from courthouse records may be credible, Mr. Fliehr is currently evaluating his legal options with respect to falsehoods in the story, specifically the untrue statement that he suffers from alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Our client understands that these allegations are part of the territory when you are not only famous, but a living legend. Ric Flair is a sports entertainer, which has been a lifelong passion that he still enjoys delivering to his fans today, along with his work outside of the ring with various charitable causes. We will be sure to advise Mr. Fliehr against running for County Treasurer and instead to continue entertaining his millions of fans all over the world as he has been doing for the past 35 years.”

With the man who originally played the character Sin Cara (Mistico) recently being suspended for 30 days due to a violation of WWE’s Wellness policy, developmental wrestler Hunico has been portraying Sin Cara on WWE television.

Tuesday’s SmackDown taping from Calgary was the first show the man formerly known as Mistico was able to return from his suspension. Sin Cara wrestled Heath Slater on Tuesday night in a match that has been described by one fan in attendance as a “botch fest.” WWE was forced to re-shoot several parts of the match due to blown spots.

There had been reports that some wrestlers were already rolling their eyes at Sin Cara for having such a bad match in his first night back – but PWInsider.com is reporting that it was actually Hunico that wrestled as Sin Cara on Tuesday night – not Mistico.

According to their report, Sin Cara showed up to the arena on Tuesday night, met with WWE management and was sent home during the SmackDown taping.

WWE sources have indicated that Hunico will be portraying the character of Sin Cara moving forward. The Sin Cara character is still very popular with young audience and sells a lot of t-shirts, but most in the company are under the impression that Mistico’s days in WWE are numbered.

– WWE star Rey Mysterio is undergoing knee surgery this morning, which will likely keep him out of action for the rest of 2011. Mysterio attended a Lil Wayne rap concert on Thursday night and tweeted the following about the show:

“U only enjoy life once! At Lil Wayne concert in da 619 wit my son Dom & my homies K-dawg & Mad One! Walking in 4 surgery tmrrw morning!619!”

– Matt Hardy has checked in with another update on Twitter, saying he’s gotten a brand new car and jokes around staying sober:

“Was lucky enough to get a brand new car thx to my pals help-1st song that played on my XM radio was “SOBER” by Tool! A sign-I do think!”

“It’s goin to be a great day thx 2 my Lord & amazing circle of family & friends that I love so much! The circle will never go unbroken again!”

• VIDEO Of JEFF HARDY’s TNA Return From Thursday Night