The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown on SyFy, taped Tuesday from Calgary, Alberta, Canada:

* WWE Hall of Famer and Calgary native Bret Hart serves as the special General Manager for the night.

* World champion Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase.

* Sheamus vs. Mark Henry.

* Daniel Bryan vs. Christian.

* Sin Cara vs. Heath Slater.

* Great Khali vs. Ezekiel Jackson.

There will also be appearances from Cody Rhodes, Intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes and more.

• *SPOILERS* For Tonight’s SmackDown

WWE SmackDown on Syfy

Bret Hart entered the ring as the guest general manager of Smackdown. He spoke about the live Smackdown next Tuesday and said it was his decision. Sure, it was. He said Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton will take place on that show. Out came Christian, who said it was not his fault for losing at SummerSlam. He blamed Edge and said he couldn’t concentrate during the SS match. Christian wants his rematch Tuesday on live SD.

Bret told Christian to stop being a crybaby. He said he’s an embarrassment to the WWE Universe and to Canada. Yikes! He said he has to work his way back up. Christian called Bret an embarrassment and said he’s the only relevant Canadian. Christian presented a court order to Bret that says he gets his rematch before anyone else gets a title shot. Bret gave it to him for next Tuesday and added that it will be in a steel cage match.

Mark Henry came out and said he’s been here for 15 years. He said this is disrespect and that he earned his shot. He said someone’s gonna get hurt. He wants the winner of the cage match. He was trying to bully Bret. Out comes Sheamus, who tells a story about how his uncle castrated a black bull. He is gonna do the same. He clears Henry from the ring.

They did a retake of Sheamus and Henry.

1. Christian defeated Daniel Bryan. Christian won with the Killswitch. An excellent match, just as you would expect from these two.

Wade Barrett came out for a match against a local wrestler. He said he is responsible for attacks on John Cena and others. He said he has shaken WWE to its very core (get it, Corre?). He says there is no way he will face this guy. He said it was an embarrassment and then left. That was the end of the segment. Seriously.

2. Sin Cara beat Heath Slater. There were a couple of botched moves and a quick roll up for the win. They had to reshoot the finish because it was so bad the first time. The kids love Sin Cara, though.

3. Randy Orton defeated Ted DiBiase (w/Cody Rhodes). Cody said he performs miracles and is resurrecting the Intercontinental Title. The paper bags were handed out. It was a nice match with lots of great spots. They had obvious chemistry with one another. Orton got the win with the RKO. Cody was pissed and hit CrossRhodes on DiBiase after the match. He put a bag on his head and their relationship appears to be finished.

4. Kelly Kelly beat Tamina. Kelly Kelly won with her new finisher.

Jinder Mahal was schooling The Great Khali and telling him he needs to take care of Ezekiel Jackson, which is coming up next.

Randy Orton vs. Christian in a cage match was officially advertised for the live Smackdown show.

5. Ezekiel Jackson defeated The Great Khali. Jackson broke out of the Vice Grip and put Khali in the Torture Rack. Impressive.

Randy Orton cut a promo on the big screen. He basically asked how many times he has to fight Christian.

6. Sin Cara defeated Heath Slater. They redid the match completely. No kidding. And, shockingly, it was way better the second time.

7. Sheamus defeated Mark Henry by countout. This was a slow plod. Sheamus scored the countout victory after throwing Henry into the announce table. Afterward, Henry killed Sheamus with the World’s Strongest Slam onto the ring steps.

Mr. Long Island Iced is back with another installment of the Z! True Long Island Story.

Here are some highlights of Episode 28 of Zack Ryder’s Youtube series:

• Sign of the Night from RAW
• Wayne Gretzky becomes Wayne  “Broski”
• Mark Sanford instructs Justin Roberts how to introduce Zack Ryder
• Appearances from William Regal and Zack’s dad
• Broski of the Week
• “Ask the Heel” with Dolph Ziggler

With CM Punk emerging as the breakout star of 2011 – there has been a lot of talk about how Punk and« John Cena’s big match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view would deliver with customers. Aside from being one of the top merchandise sellers for WWE in recent months – Punk can add “ability to sell PPVs'” to his resume.

According to the latest numbers released to WWE stockholders, July’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view did over 265,000 worldwide buys – up a staggering 100,000 buys (60%) from 2010’s MITB event.

Money in the Bank is now the 3rd top grossing PPV of the year, behind WrestleMania 27 and the Royal Rumble.

(Credit to PWInsider.com for the buyrate data)

CM Punk and Steve Austin got into it on Twitter once again on Thursday afternoon.

CM Punk Says He Wants To Wrestle Steve Austin At WrestleMania

It started off when Austin responded to one of Zack Ryder’s tweets, where Ryder talked about drinking the beer Bud Light Lime. Austin  to Zack Ryder that he shouldn’t put a lime in a beer after Ryder talked about drinking Bud Light Lime.

Punk, known for his straight-edge drug and alcohol-free lifestyle, told Austin that the lime is used “to make it not taste like piss” and that beer is “still poison.”

Austin replied with the following remark:

“you oughta mind your own business…stay focused on Nash and leave the beer drinking to me…Punk.”

Now one to back down from a jab, Punk replied to Austin with:

“focus is my middle name…Steven.”

Austin then ended the exchange with the following:

“my middle name is Whoop Ass…now go about your business before you step in a big pile of what did I get myself into now??”

Steve Austin Talks About Wrestling CM Punk At WrestleMania

There was a major corporate restructuring of WWE’s official website last week as Brian Kalinowski, the Executive Vice President of Digital Media and Mark Keys, the Vice President of Digital and Interactive Content Production and Social Media, were both let go. WWE.com is now part of a new division called WWE Creative, led by Stephanie McMahon-Levesque. There will be other changes and restructuring as part of her vision and concept.

Kalinowski spearheaded the website’s recent overhaul, with the notable addition of more video content. He was also responsible for the restructuring of WWEShop.com. Many people were initially critical of Kalinowski since he was recruited from outside of the professional wrestling industry and didn’t understand its uniqueness. However, he grew to learn the business and was considered a strong leader by colleagues. Many people feel he was dismissed due to Stephanie taking control of the website, rather than his job performance.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that a bigger power struggle is ongoing, between Stephanie and Kevin Dunn, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Television Production. Unlike her father, Vince McMahon, Stephanie is not fond of Dunn. Those close to the situation indicate that Dunn is aware that he will ultimately lose the power struggle, but he should be fine as long as Vince is around. Dunn is one of the few people Vince listens to and values the opinion of.

The digital media department was unhappy with Kalinowski’s departure from the organization, but morale had already sunk; they were previously informed that Stephanie would be in charge of department and everything going forward would be coordinated through her office.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

– Former WWE star MVP wrote the following on Twitter about Matt Hardy:

“I spoke 2 Matt & Jeff today. It’s a difficult time for Matt but he’ll be ok. Life has ups & downs! For some more than others. Matt has people who care about him that will see him get the help he needs! It’s real easy for those of you that are free of imperfection to hurl insults at those who aren’t. Life is about PEAKS & valleys!”

We’ve got a TON of Matt Hardy news from the past week at our Matt Hardy News Page – definitely check that out to catch up on all the craziness.

– The original Sin Cara (Mistico) returned to action this week at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Calgary and already had people ‘shaking their heads’ at him backstage. WWE had to do two re-takes during Sin Cara’s match against Heath Slater due to several blown spots – something his WWE run has been plagued by thus far.

• Check Out: Pictures Of Sin Cara UNMASKED

On Monday’s RAW, Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston defeated David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty to capture the WWE tag team championships. WWE, Bourne and Kingston have been asking fans on Twitter to pick a name for the new team.

The names suggested by WWE included:

• Flight Club
• Dreadlock & Load
• Boom Raiders
• The Wing Men
• The Boom Squad
• The Kingston Duo
• Fly Guys
• The Bourne Supremacy
• Altitude Era
• The Legion of Boom

It appears that Bourne and Kingston have settled on a name, as Bourne tweeted the following on Wednesday:

“@TrueKofi and I are ushering in a new Altitude Era for the WWE tag team division. As @joerogan says, #buckleup”

DISCUSSION: What do you guys think about the name Altitude Era? How about some of the other names WWE came up with (Drealock & Load?!) Comment below and tell us what YOU would name Bourne and Kingston!

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can check out over at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

Matt Hardy: “What are my thoughts on the controversy surrounding Matt Hardy? (Been asked this one a ton the past couple of days.) We brought Matt and Jeff to the WWE and they had some amazing outings over the years as many remember. They were, generally, excellent to work with and I like them a great deal on a personal basis. However, I am not in touch with either, only know what I read about them, and can only hope that whatever issues they may have or have had are put behind them much sooner than later. I wish them only good health and happiness.”

WWE Rebuilding The Tag Team Division: “Are tag teams making a come back in WWE? I can only say that I hope so and if last week’s Raw is any indication it would seem that there is a good chance the tag team scene is going to receive added exposure and the chance to develop. There are many younger fans today who have never experienced quality, tag team wrestling done on a major scale as was done in WWE in generations past. Some fans actually are bigger fans of tag team wrestling than one on one bout.”

Todd Grisham Leaving WWE For ESPN:  “Thoughts on Todd Grisham going to ESPN? I think it is a good move for all involved. Todd will fit well at ESPN with former WWE alums Jonathan Coachman and Max Bretos. Grish knows sports, especially soccer, and is very comfortable doing studio work. He’s a good human being and a talented guy who I know will do wonderful work in Bristol.”

Ultimate Warrior In The Hall Of Fame: “Will the Warrior ever go in the WWE Hall of Fame? Please Lord let’s not start a trend here….I really don’t know. Does Warrior deserve recognition? Based on many others who are in the WWE HOF I’d say of course. Would Warrior’s live acceptance speech be memorable? Oh, yeah.”

Ross also spoke about whether Brock Lesnarwill ever wrestle for WWE again, Dr Death Steve Williams’ WWE run and more. As always, head over to JRsBarBQ.com for Jim Ross’ delicious line of BBQ products.

– The Young Bucks tag team got some locker room heat in WWE last week when they rubbed several veterans the wrong way by not shaking hands with people and introducing themselves.

Related News:

• RVD Trashes The Young Bucks Tag Team
• Booker T & Goldust Also Have Bad Things To Say About The Bucks

WWE producers took a jab at the Young Bucks on RAW this week – scripting a segment where Kevin Nash was shown shaking hands with people backstage.

– As noted here earlier this week, WWE has signed independent wrestler Sterling James Keenan. Keenan is going by the name “Corey Graves” at Florida Championship Wrestling.

– Zack Ryder wrote on Twitter this week that WWE sold the most Broski t-shirts in one night ever at Monday’s RAW from Edmonton.

– It’s been confirmed that the highly anticipated Steve Austin DVD project will be a 4-disc DVD set and a 3-disc Blu-ray set.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

— Four weeks after being diagnosed with a hernia injury, Maryse underwent successful abdominal hernia surgery on Wednesday. She wrote on Facebook:

“I am home now, and feeling good, still very tired from the anesthesia, but its normal, i will be posting pics of my tummy when they remove the bandages, my doctor did an amazing job and the scar should be very small in my belly button! be sexy.”

The French Diva was scratched from a No. 1 Contender’s Diva Battle Royal on the August 2 episode of Raw and announced the following day via Twitter, “I won’t be going physical for awhile, im getting abdominal hernia surgery.”

— Mississippi based newspaper Clarion Ledger features an article on Ted DiBiase promoting Friday’s Raw live event in Jackson, where the SmackDown Superstar will be making a special appearance.

The Mississippi Coliseum show brings DiBiase before a hometown crowd, a longtime wish. “I have wrestled on six different continents. I have wrestled live in front of over 73,000 people at Wrestlemania and all over the world, in front of millions of people on TV, and I think I’m more excited about Friday night than I have been for any of those.

— Former WWE & TNA wrestler Bobby Lashley will make his return ot the ring this weeeeknd in Japan for Antonio Inoki’s IGF promotion against Eric Hammer. Hammer is the protege of fellow wrestler/MMA fighter Josh Barnett.

Former WWE superstar Harry “D.H.” Smith will be wrestling on the same card, which takes place from Tokyo.

— WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race will be “guest-hosting” this weekend’s Smackdown house show tour in his home state of Missouri

— WWE announced on Thursday that it will be opening a new international office in Turkey. To read the company’s full press release on the new office, head over to MarketWatch.com.

Between The Ropes interview with Shane Helms
Host: Brian Fritz
Interview available at BetweenTheRopes.com
Subscribe to Between The Ropes on Itunes.

Shane Helms has been through a lot over the past year and a half. He spoke with Brian Fritz of BetweenTheRopes.com about his recovery from his motorcycle accident and the legal issues he must now deal with, the pros and cons of social media, the Shane Helms app, what is going on with both Matt and Jeff Hardy, leaving the WWE, if and when he may return to the ring and more.

What he has been doing lately as he recovers from his motorcycle accident:

“I got the go ahead from the doctor to go ahead and start putting weight on my foot. The bad news with that is I have to start getting into the legal ramifications of the accident. I got charged when I got in the accident but because I was under doctor’s orders, I had to be at home. I haven’t left the house unless to go to a doctor or something like that and then I had to be assisted.

“But I told the authorities that – and they’re very cool with me, they know I’m not a flights risk – I told them whenever I go the OK to move, I’ll come over there and we’ll take care of this. I just got off the phone with my lawyer and we’re going over there tomorrow to go over there and get that out of the way. So there’s your exclusive before it hits the air.”

• Check Out: Pictures Of Shane Helms At The Hospital After His Accident

On the legal charges he faces which includes DUI:

“It’s not something I want, I don’t want to drag it out. I kind of just want to go and have it done. That’s why I said as soon as I got the clearance from the doctor I called (my lawyer). It’s something that’s kind of been on my mind and I want to get out of the way. I’ve never been above facing up for any mistake I’ve made. I just want to go ahead and knock it out and move ahead, move forward with it. I learned a huge lesson from this.”

If he has spoken with Matt since his recent arrest and how he is doing:

“Matt is going through a time right now. I can’t get down there and I can’t move as much. I wish I was there to talk to him in person so I could get a better gauge of what’s going on. I worry about Matt … a lot. It’s kind of flipped because Jeff is now … Jeff has everything together now. He’s really a good father, a really great person.

“And now it just seems like the shoe is on the other foot and Matt is having his difficulties. I’m not even sure what they are. I have an idea but that’s not for me to say. He’s my friend so it’s probably something that, honestly, I wouldn’t say anything. But I do worry about him as I would worry about any friend or loved one.”

The Miz and Bill Goldberg appeared together on Tuesday atthea “It’s Symantec, Sucka” event at the Dell Computers facility in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Former WWE & WCW star Bill Goldberg posted a photo of himself and The Miz on Twitter – and told WWE officials not to give Miz any problems for appearing with him at a publicity event.

Goldberg tweeted on Tuesday:

“To be fair, neither one of us had ANY idea the other was going to be there.”

“WWE, if you’re listening, it was not his fault so leave him alone.”

Here are two pictures of Goldberg and Miz together:

– During a recent interview with the Wrestling Voice radio show, hardcore wrestling legend Mick Foley confirms that he is in fact in talks with WWE about returning to the company. Foley stated that whether or not he returns to WWE will depend on the schedule WWE wants him to work and how much he’s willing to be away from home.

Foley wrote on Twitter this week that he has been working out and losing weight so he’ll be ready to wrestle for WWE should everything come together.

– At this time, it does not appear that Jim Ross will be doing commentary in the new WWE ’12 video game. While its possible that Ross could be in the game as a downloadable character, so far there have been no indications from THQ that he will be included in the game.

– Following the recent corporate shakeup in WWE, morale is said to be very low at WWE headquarters, with many employees are fearing that WWE is on the verge of letting go a lot of people as a cost cutting measure.

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

Joey Styles wrote the following on Twitter on Tuesday night regarding this season of NXT:

“Tyson Kidd lost to Trent Barreta tonight on NXT when he was distracted by a Japanese symbol on the Tron. Being that this is week 25 of would should have been a 13 week season, the Japanese symbol probably meant “apathy”. #howmuchmoreheatcaniget

Next week, Season 5 of NXT reaches week 26,twice as long as every other season. Can we just give Titus and Darren WWE contracts and move on?

While we’re at it, let’s find Percy Watson who should have been on this season instead of Darren Young and sign him and Derrick Bateman too! As a bonus, we have Maxine who would look phenomenal on any WWE or any TV show and Naomi who looks great inside and outside the ring.

Derrick Bateman’s distraction allowed Maxine to defeat A.J. Afterward, Titus O’Neil tried to restore order, threatening Bateman. No, really. That was the main event. Next week is week #26 of NXT Season 5. Is it bad manners to request a wine list a week in advance?”

– The following matches are confirmed for next Tuesday’s special live edition of WWE SmackDown on Syfy:

• WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Sin Cara (Non Title Match)
• World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton vs. Christian in a Steel Cage Match.

– WWE Chariman & CEO Vince McMahon turns 66 years old today.

– The dark main event that took place after Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Calgary saw World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton defeated Christian in a Street Fight – with Bret Hart as the special guest referee.

Triple H brought out Bret Hart prior to the match, which got a tremendous pop from the live crowd. Christian refused to enter the ring, but was thrown into the ring by Triple H. After the match, Bret Hart put Christian in the sharpshooter to end the show.

*SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Friday

Todd Grisham is leaving WWE to take a job with ESPN.

He finished up with WWE at Tuesday nights NXT taping and tweeted the following quote:

“Celebrate endings for they precede new beginnings.” — Jonathan Lockwood Huie

William Regal wrote the following on Twitter regarding Grisham’s decision to leave:

“I would like to thank @todd_grisham for all his help get me through NXT.Best wishes for your new career at ESPN.”

Grisham had been announcing SmackDown recently but more recently was doing only backstage interviews.

— The August 22 episode of Raw scored a 2.97 cable rating, down from 3.29 the week before. The first hour drew a 2.93 before increasing to 3.01 in the second.

It is the program’s lowest mark since a 2.90 rating on July 11. Other than the Fourth of July episode, which drew a 2.4, it was the second-lowest rated episode since October 11, 2010.

Last night’s program averaged 4,637,000 viewers viewers over the course of two hours, down from 5,055,000 viewers.

— Twelve years ago today, Lilian Garcia debuted as the ring announcer of Raw. She would eventually become the first Diva to remain with WWE for ten years. She remarked the following today on Twitter regarding the anniversary: “Wow, hard to believe it was 12 years ago today that I started with WWE!! So much has happened since then, yet it also feels like it was just yesterday.”

WWE signed Garcia as a result of the addition of SmackDown to their television taping schedule; the company needed a second person to handle ring announcing duties on a weekly basis. She was given the role despite having no previous announcing experience.

source: PWInsider.com

— WWE announced via Twitter that WWE Hall of Famer will appear on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown.

Their statement reads: “This Friday on @WWE #SmackDown, WWE Hall of Famer @BretHart will be SmackDown’s GM from his hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada!”

He is also locally advertised to appear at tonight’s taping at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta as the special guest referee for a Street Fight between World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and Christian. This will be a post-show dark match.

— WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly indicated on Twitter that she will be on hand for tonight’s SmackDown taping.

She wrote, “At smackdown baby… let’see what booty whippings I can give out tonight.”

— Trish Stratus is advertised to appear at this Sunday’s Fan Expo Canada at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre South Building 222 Bremner Blvd. Toronto, Ontario. She will be on the Anchor Bay Panel beginning at 5:30 p.m. Click here for event details.

— Multi-time WWE Champion Edge is advertised to appear at the Sept. 13 SmackDown taping in Toronto, Ontario.

The official website of the Air Canada Centre states: “Witness the return of Toronto’s own The R-Rated Superstar EDGE to SMACKDOWN!!”

— The Associated Press published a story today noting that the World Wide Web is older than incoming college freshman, with WWE Hall of Famer Andre the Giant receiving a brief mention. It reads, “Consider this: Andre the Giant, River Phoenix, and Frank Zappa all died before these students were born.”

Andre died in his sleep due to congestive heart failure on the night of January 27, 1993, in a Paris hotel room. At the time, he was in Paris to attend the funeral of his father.

— Sheamus is advertised to appear at Slackers CD and Games at the St Louis Mills Mall 5555 St. Louis Mills Blvd Hazelwood, Missouri on Sunday, Sept. 18 beginning at 5:00 p.m. Call 314-227-5950 for more information.

WWE star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be teaming with television and Hollywood mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer on a new television project based on professional wrestling industry during the 1980’s.

Johnson and Bruckheimer, along with Jonathan Littman (CSI) will be Executive Producing the fictional 1-hour drama series.

According to the Deadline.com and the Hollywood Reporter, Jerry Bruckheimer Television in association with Warner Bros. Television have already sold the drama series to NBC, which will help produce the poliot episode.

This is absolutely huge news for The Rock, who has already established himself as a bankable leading man in Hollywood. Working behind the scenes on a major television project with Jerry Bruckheimer is going to further establish Rock as a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry.

• Pictures of THE ROCK On The Set of the New GI JOE Movie

— Maryse announced this afternoon on Twitter that she will be undergoing abdominal hernia surgery on Wednesday. The former Divas champion wrote on Tuesday afternoon:

“Pre-Op appointment today, blood work, MRI, ects. lots of fun especially cause im waiting here eating a cupcake and drinking a latte! i am getting my my abdominal hernias repair tomorrow, finallllyyyyy!!!!”

Maryse last competed on the July 25 episode of Raw. She was advertised to compete in the following week’s No. 1 Contender’s Diva Battle Royal, but bowed out after determining days earlier that she would undergoing surgery.

• Check Out: Pictures Of Maryse From The Teen Choice Awards (SO Hot)

— A rumor originated on Mick Foley’s Wikipedia bio that he had passed away. The Hardcore Legend went on Twitter to comment on the matter.

“There is no truth to the rumor that I am dead,” Foley stated. “Maybe one of you who is familiar with Wikipedia can have that rumor removed.”

— WWE.com has posted a ninety-one second video retrospective highlighting the influential career of Kevin Nash. Titled “Who Is Kevin Nash?,” the video package features clips of Nash as “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel, his memorable exploits with the New World Order, his appearances for WWE in 2003, and his surprise returns at this year’s Royal Rumble and SummerSlam.

“Kevin Nash, he’s one of the top players without question,” Jim Ross said of the legendary grappler. “He was the catalyst. You can’t look at the top stars without including Kevin Nash. And you really can’t do it honestly without putting Kevin Nash toward the top of the list.”

The highlight video can be accessed here.

— Scott Hall no-showed Saturday’s I Believe in Wrestling event in Orlando, Florida. According to the organization’s official website, www.ibelieveinwrestling.com, he was advertised to host the show with former TNA star Desmond Wolfe.

— Former WWE star Rob Conway has launched an account on Twitter. He announced Monday that he will be competing in the NPC Kentucky Muscle Mens Physique Division this November, noting that he is 98% fat free.

– Rey Mysterio announced Monday on Twitter that he will be undergoing surgery this Friday after sustaining an injury to his knee. The masked performer blew his knee, believed to be his ACL, while attempting a baseball slide during his 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 XXIII.

– Smith Hart, the eldest brother of the legendary Hart family, stated on his Facebook account that they will be out in “full force” for tonight’s SmackDown taping in Calgary, Alberta. He wrote,

“Boarding a flight to Calgary shortly. Hart Family in full force tonight on Smackdown.”

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is scheduled to appear at tonight’s show at the Scotiabank Saddledome as he will be special guest referee for a Street Fight between Randy Orton and Christian.

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)