– The WWE crew member that Kevin Nash shook hands with backstage on RAW last night as he was walking down the hallway was Cal Cole, son of WWE announcer Michael Cole.

– The Miz and R-Truth will be working together as a tag team in the coming weeks. According to a WWE source, their team name is going to be “Awesome Truth.”

Following Evan Bourne & Kofi Kingston’s tag title win on RAW, Awesome Truth looks to be one of the new contenders in WWE’s revamped tag team division.

• Related News: Triple H Plans To Rebuild WWE’s Tag Team Division

– “Jack Tunney” was trending worldwide on Twitter last night during RAW after the mention from CM Punk. Longtime WWE fans will remember Jack Tunney as the storyline “WWF President” in late 1980s-early 1990’s.

– Aaron sent word that Vendetta Pro Wrestling wrestlers from California that got WWE tryouts last week were Jody Kristofferson, AJ Kirsch and Dylan Drake. Referee “Goggles” Goldstein also got a tryout.

– WWE has released commemorative tickets for the John Cena vs. CM Punk and Randy Orton vs. Christian matches at Summerslam.

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

Wrestling legend Mick Foley, who is rumored to be returning to WWE in the coming months, was asked on Twitter last night if he can see himself having another match against The Undertaker. Foley responded:

“Could I see me and Undertaker having one more match? Not likely, but I’m going to drop 50 lbs just in case I get the call.”

Foley was then asked who on the WWE roster today does he think he can have a good match with:

“Not sure I can have a GREAT match with anyone, anymore. But I think I could have a GOOD last match with several guys in @WWE.”

Foley also responded to a question about which wrestlers in TNA he thinks have “it” – and the potential to be a mainstream star lke The Rock or John Cena. Foley responded with a bleak [yet probably realistic] outlook:

“Not trying to be mean, but I’m not sure Impact will ever be big enough to truly get a new wrestler over to the mainstream.”

Foley is rumored to be returning to WWE in the coming months, with talk of Foley being interested in “one more big match” – possibly at WrestleMania 28. One scenario that’s been discussed is for Mick Foley to get involved in the John Cena vs. The Rock feud – with Foley being in the corner of The Rock and representing Rock on WWE television this fall on weeks where The Rock can’t be at WWE television DISCUSSION: Do you think Mick Foley has one more run in him? Comment below and let us know what you think. (Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

The following is a live report of what happened after Monday’s RAW from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada went off the air:

The advertised dark match main event did not take place.

After RAW went off the air, The Miz and R-Truth jumped John Cena and CM Punk, beating them down for a few minutes. Alberto Del Rio hit the ring and also joined in on the attack, but was quickly tossed out of the ring. John Cena and CM Punk got control and delivered their finishers to Miz and R-Truth.

After the babyfaces cleaned house, Del Rio noticed that CM Punk had his trademark scarf – and sentRicardo Rodriguez into the ring to get it. Rodriguez attempted to grab the scarf from Punk, who played “matador” and kept the scarf to himself. You can probably figure out where this is going. Punk nailed him with the Go 2 Sleep – and Cena followed up with an Attitude Adjustment.

Punk and Cena celebrated in the ring to end the show.

– WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio will defend against John Cena at WWE’s upcoming Night of Champions pay-per-view. Cena defeated CM Punk on RAW in a #1 contenders match after Kevin Nash distracted Punk and allowed Cena to hit attitude adjustment.

– New WWE tag team champions were crowned on Monday’s RAW, as Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne defeated David Otunga and Michael Mcgillicutty.

– WWE confirmed on RAW that next Tuesday night’s live SmackDown on SyFy special will feature Superstars from the RAW brand. SuperSmackDown Live airs next Tuesday nigiht on SyFy at 8pm EST.

— It was announced during a commercial break on Raw that Mark Henry will face Sheamus on this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown on Syfy. Henry defeated Sheamus via countout at SummerSlam.

— Former WWE talent Harry Smith (a/k/a David Hart Smith) will face Hideki Suzuki on Saturday, August 27 at a Inoki Genome Federation event in Tokyo, Japan.

– Former WWE star Vladimir Kozlov is advertised to appear at this Saturday’s K&S WrestleFest event in Essington, Pennsylvania. Visit www.kandswrestlefest.com for event information.

— WWE Hall of Famer Paul Ellering celebrates his 58th birthday today while former WCW star Stevie Ray turns 51.

• COMMENT BELOW and tell us what you thought about RAW!

Event: WWE Monday Night RAW
Airdate: Monday, August 22nd, 2011 (USA Network)
Location: The Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Results by Colin Rinehart

“Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event…”

Your hosts are Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, and Michael Cole

We open the show with the WWE champion Alberto Del Rio making his way out to the ring as Michael Cole makes the announcement that Rey Mysterio is out of action indefinitely due to injuries (kayfabe) sustained during his match with Del Rio last week. Before Del Rio can get into his usual destiny shtick though, John Cena’s music hits and the former champ makes his way down to the ring quickly for a nice pop. He grabs a mic and tries to reintroduce himself to Del Rio as “the guy who’s going to take that WWE championship off your waist”. Yes, I’m sure that’s just what everyone has been waiting patiently for John, to see you dispatch of generic heel number 9005. Cena says there’s only one man in the company that can go toe to toe with him, and that’s CM Punk. He says when he faces Del Rio for the WWE title he’s going to whip his ass when the opening chords of Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality” ring out and our straight edge savior, CM Punk comes out to a nice pop of his own. He makes his way down to the ring and has a mic of his own.

Punk says he feels like he’s stepped into a re-run of RAW tonight, seeing John Cena ask for yet another title shot. Punk says if anyone’s getting a title shot, it’s going to be him. He says he has a problem with Del Rio, Triple H, Kevin Nash, and maybe even former “WWF President” Jack Tunney getting involved in his business and conspiring to take the title from him. Punk points out that Nash probably would have beaten down Cena had he won the title match on Sunday instead of Punk, simply because a certain someone wants Del Rio to be champion. Punk says that he’s officially going to cash in his rematch clause for the WWE title, but then Cena steps in and claims that he’s going to get his rematch tonight, but Punk tells him he doesn’t have a rematch clause. Del Rio takes a shot at the Canadian fans but before he can finish his diatribe, Corporate Triple H’s music hits and our noble Chief Operating Officer makes his way down to the ring to take charge of the situation. Triple H has a microphone and says that Del Rio will be wrestling next, but it won’t be against Punk or Cena. He says Del Rio will defend the WWE title in four weeks at the Night of Champions PPV against whoever wins tonight’s main event, which will pit CM Punk against John Cena in a number one contender’s match! Punk/Cena III on RAW? Why not, it’s not like we have a PPV to build up for or something.

Alberto Del Rio vs. John Morrison
When we return from commercial break, John Morrison is announced as Del Rio’s opponent. Ross puts over the importance of Cena/Punk III, reminding us yet again what a competent play-by-play man sounds like. Del Rio targets Morrison’s throat in the early going with a chop and a quick kick before starting to go to work on Morrison’s arm, already setting up for his finisher perhaps. JoMo gets a near fall off a dropkick and then grinds Del Rio against the mat with a side headlock. JoMo sends Del Rio out to the floor and then tries for a picture perfect Asai moonsault, but Del Rio moves and JoMo lands on his feet like a cat before being shoved into the guard barrier as we take a commercial break.

When we return Del Rio is working over JoMo back in the ring and delivers a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a quick two count. Del Rio shoots into the corner but Morrison backdrops him over the top to the outside floor. Back in the ring Morrison meets him with a flurry of forearms and a Russian leg-sweep for a near fall of his own. Beautiful bridging German suplex from Del Rio, but JoMo kicks out again. JoMo blocks the armbar attempt with a cradle for a near fall and then delivers a sloppy tornado DDT for another one. Morrison snaps off a ‘rana for another hot near fall and the pace seems to have picked up a bit. JoMo nails a springboard kick and sets up for Starship Pain, but lands on his feet safely, seeing that Del Rio has moved. Del Rio launches him into the ring post however and then applies the flying armbar for the submission victory at 8:54. They seemed to not quite be on the same page as the match began, but they got over the opening butterflies pretty quickly and this turned into a damn fine little TV match before it ended. These are just the kind of upper-midcard clean wins that Del Rio needs, so no complaints here even if they probably could have put together something better with a little bit more time. **1/2

Eve vs. Nikki Bella

We get a video package before the match from Natalya and Beth Phoenix talking about how they don’t want to be like Kelly and Eve, but they aren’t going to tell us what they do want. Typical women as King puts it. Nikki lays in a few weak forearms into Eve but it’s not long before she’s out on the floor getting beaten up by Brie behind the ref’s back. Back in the ring Eve delivers a decent side suplex and for a moment I stare in awe at the TV screen with my ears perked up as I hear the first “We want puppies!” chant from a WWE crowd that I can remember in years. Eve does some of that “booty-poppin” as the kids call it and then delivers a sloppy reverse STO. Nikki trips her up when she tries for the moonsault for a near fall. Eve finishes her off with a strange neckbreaker at 2:34. I’ll give credit to Eve, she appears to be actively trying to mix new moves into her repertoire. The only problem is she’s delivering them rather sloppily, and someone might get hurt that way. Not much of a match obviously. Kelly drops a leg on one of the Bellas after the match as Natalya and Beth Phoenix look on from the stage. 3/4*

We see a shot of Kevin Nash walking backstage as we cut to commercial.

We see a shot of Kevin Nash walking backstage as we cut to commercial.

Jack Swagger vs. Alex Riley

Vickie Guerrero makes her way out and introduces Swagger as her newest client. Riley gets the jobber non-entrance strangely enough. They lock up and Swagger quickly takes Riley down with a waistlock. Riley responds with a big spinebuster when suddenly Dolph Ziggler makes his way down to ringside to argue with Vickie. Swagger tries for the gut-wrench powerbomb on Riley but settles for a lariat instead. Ziggler accidentally elbows Vickie down and Swagger comes out to check on her. He shoves Ziggler and goes back into the ring, where he’s promptly rolled up by Riley and pinned clean at 2:03. Well if it isn’t Scott Keith’s favorite-ist finish in the whole wide world. Again, not much of a match here, just an angle. 1/4*

Backstage we see Triple H talking quietly on a cell phone as we go to commercial break. Must be the mistress.

When we return from break Triple H has made his way out to the ring with a mic. He talks about the controversy over the WWE title match at Summerslam and then calls Kevin Nash out in order to be completely transparent to the WWE universe. Nash makes his way out to the ring sans cheesy Diesel music and shakes Hunter’s hand as he gets into the ring. Triple H again denies ever sending a text message to Nash to jump Punk. Nash says that he respects Hunter’s word but he doesn’t respect Punk. Triple H says that Nash doesn’t work here, so he can’t have him out here challenging Punk. Nash says the security last week wasn’t for his safety, but rather for Punk’s safety. Triple H says Nash can fight him at the local Tim Horton’s, but he can’t fight him in the WWE and then asks Nash to please leave. CM Punk’s music hits right here of course though, and our straight edge savior makes his way out to play a game of detective. He ponders whether it was Nash, Hunter, or Steph who sent the text. Punk claims to be an habitual line-crosser and that Nash should know a thing or two about that (subtle TNA reference perhaps?). Punk says he’s done talking and that he’s going to kick Nash’s ass, but Triple H plays the role of buffer. Punk says that Hunter has always had a problem with him holding the WWE title and wants to know who’s really pulling the strings here. Hunter says that if Punk crosses the line with him, he’ll attack him. He talks about Hunter keeping his balls in Steph’s purse and Nash jumps Punk from behind with a forearm. Nash and Hunter angrily storm off as the crowd loudly chants for Punk.

When we return from commercial we see Triple H backstage telling Nash that he can’t put his hands on a WWE employee like he just did with Punk. Nash says that Hunter has changed since donning the suit and takes off.

WWE Tag Team Title Match
David Otunga/Michael McGillicutty © vs. Kofi Kingston/Evan Bourne

With Beer Money recently dropping the TNA tag titles, that makes Otunga and McGillicutty our current longest-reigning champions in the WWE or TNA. That’s a frightening thought. McGillicutty seems to be wearing doo rags now in an attempt to look tough. It’s not working. Kofi and McGillicutty start us off with some basic feeling out stuff before Kofi hits a huge cross-body and sets up for the Boom Drop. McGillicutty bails and Kofi stupidly gives chase, getting jumped from behind in the process. Back in the ring Otunga body-slams Kofi for a two count. This crowd could not care less about Otunga and McGillicutty’s bland heel shtick here and it’s kind of sad to watch. Not even their love for Kofi can drag much of any heat out of them. Kofi snaps off a headscissors and tags out to Bourne and finally the crowd shows some life as Bourne hits a flurry of spinkicks and knee-strikes. Kofi nails Otunga with a kick on the side of the apron and Bourne hits the Air Bourne on Otunga to win the tag straps at 5:05. King tries to claim the fans are giving them a standing ovation, but they seem slightly bemused at best. The action here was solid enough but totally heatless. Atleast the tag straps are off of the heat vacuum that is Otunga and McGillicutty though. *1/2

After a quick commercial break we cut to backstage where Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne are celebrating with Zack Ryder and a bottle of champagne over their tag title win. Elsewhere we see Johnny Ace running up to Triple H to inform him that Kevin Nash has apparently been in a car accident and has been taken to a local hospital. Hunter takes off to make sure his friend is okay while Laurinaitis stands around like a goof. That man is no Funkhouser when it comes to the acting department, I’ll tell you what.

Santino Marella’s music hits and he begins walking down to the ring when suddenly The Miz and R-Truth jump him from behind and put the beat down on him inside the ring to a chorus of boos. Truth grabs a mic and starts ranting about Little Jimmy again before getting into a “WHAT!”-off with the fans. Truth goes all Alex Jones on us, talking about the big conspiracy to keep he and Miz down again. This crowd is giving off great heat to Truth, regardless of the absurdity of his new found “gimmick”. The Miz agrees with Truth and then flips out on the crowd for shouting “What” again. Can you imagine if Austin walked into the building right now? The what’s would be deafening. Miz and Truth are playing this crowd perfectly and this has actually been one of the better non-CM Punk promo segments I’ve seen on RAW in quite some time, as this crowd is giving both men nuclear heat. Miz and Truth say that they’re no longer waiting for an opportunity; they’re just going to take it. Miz and Truth say that they’re no longer waiting for an opportunity; they’re just going to take it. Good segment.

WWE Title #1 Contender’s Match
John Cena vs. CM Punk

Alberto Del Rio and Johnny Ace both are at ringside for this match, so I expect we’ll get some sort of shenanigans. Cena does his usual pre-match attempt to throw his t-shirt into the crowd, but tonight the crowd decides to throw it back at him like they were the Hammerstein Ballroom. They go right into trading headlocks and legscissors in the early going and while obviously not as electric as Chicago last month, the crowd tonight is still extremely hot. They do a nice leapfrog/shoulder-block trading sequence and Cena looks for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Punk rolls him for a two count. Punk knees him in the corner and follows with the running bulldog, but gets knocked off the ring apron after being briefly distracted by Del Rio and we take a quick commercial break.

When we return Punk is fighting out of a side headlock. Cena tries for the Attitude Adjustment out of the corner, but Punk blocks it and nails a springboard forearm for a two count. Punk tries for the GTS and Cena counters into the STF, but Punk wriggles out of it only to miss a spinkick and get taken down in a nasty crossface by Cena. Say, didn’t some guy from Edmonton used to use that move? Punk nails Cena with the GTS, but Cena kicks out at two! Kind of early for kicking out of finishers guys, isn’t it? Punk misses a top rope elbow drop, so Cena goes to the top and hits his top rope legdrop for another near fall. Punk blocks another AA attempt with brutal elbow strikes to Cena’s face before blasting him with a stiff knee to the face, but again Cena kicks out. These guys know each other quite well by now, and you can tell how comfrotable they’ve become together. Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment, but now it’s Punk’s turn to play the finisher kick out game. Punk hits a cross-body off the top rope, but Cena rolls right through and lifts Punk up, only to be cradled himself for another near fall before Punk wipes him out with a stiff boot to the face. Punk calls for the GTS when suddenly Kevin Nash comes out to the stage with a mic and calls out Punk’s name. He makes his way down to the ring and that distracts Punk long enough to turn around and walk right into the Attitude Adjustment from Cena, giving John the win at 10:56 (shown)! Obviously this wasn’t on par with their last two PPV matches, but they managed to fit a lot of really good stuff into the short time they did have and as a result the brisk pace made for another excellent encounter between these two. The finish hurts it slightly since it was rather predictable, but otherwise this was another damn fine match from these two men. ***1/4

— WWE Hall of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase stated during an interview with the Poughkeepsie Journal that his son Brett will be released from his developmental contract with WWE at the end of the month. The third generation talent was forced to bow out of competing earlier this year after suffering multiple knee injuries and is now unable to continue working as a referee.

“When he realized he couldn’t wrestle without being in pain, well maybe we can go the referee route. Well, then we have a fourth knee surgery. I got to thinking about that and referees are actually up and down even more than wrestlers. Usually when we go down, we’re going down on our back. When they go down, they go down on their knees,” DiBiase said. “Brett will really officially be released at the end of this month. He’s come home now. He’s in great spirits. He’s sad that it hasn’t worked out for him. But on the same token, he was very frustrated and the frustration’s over. We got closure.”

To read the full interview, click here.

— WWE announced the following on Twitter fifteen minutes prior to tonight’s Raw: “Triple H has invited @RealKevinNash back to @WWE #Raw to discuss “textgate” Who’s telling the truth? Find out LIVE at 9/8 CT @USA_Network!”

— Jey and Jimmy Uso, who are twin brothers, celebrate their twenty-sixth birthday today.

— The following matches were taped tonight in Edmonton, Alberta for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars:

* Sheamus vs. Heath Slater

* Daniel Bryan vs. Drew McIntyre

— Millennium Wrestling Federation announced Monday that former WWE star The Boogeyman will be returning to the ring for their Saturday, Sept. 17 show in Melrose, Massachusetts. He is replacing Al Snow at the event, which is their tenth anniversary show.

— The Miz stated the following on Twitter regarding tonight’s Raw: “#Raw 9pm est. tonight on @usa_network no more subway I’m done playing with The Game..”

— Rey Mysterio announced Monday on Twitter that he will be undergoing surgery after sustaining a knee injury. The official WWE website released the following statement regarding the matter: “Former World Champion Rey Mysterio confirmed on his Twitter account today that he will require immediate surgery after sustaining an in-ring injury.

“Check back with WWE.com for more details as this story develops.”

— Damian 666, whose real name is Jose Carrera, announced Saturday at a Perros del Mal event in Mexico that he would be retiring from professional wrestling. The 50-year-old lucha wrestler stated that since Supreme was not defending the XPW Championship, he was going to retire as he is suffering from numerous injuries and had nothing left to prove. The Perro family, however, convinced him to compete in a one final bout: an electrified cage match against Supreme for the XPW Championship. Damian said he has “several commitments” left to AAA and other promotions, but would retire following the cage match.

Carrera was one of the many luchadors brought to World Championship Wrestling in the fall of 1996 to bolster their cruiserweight division. He performed for the organization through 1999.

— WWE Classics’ Twitter handle has been changed to twitter.com/WWEClassics.

source: TheCubsFan.com

Rey Mysterio announced on Monday afternoon that the results of his recent MRI test revealed that he will in fact need surgery to repair his knee, which has already undergone surgery before.

Mysterio tweeted the following message in Spanish on Monday:

“Buenas tardes. Siento mucho el tener que dejarlos sin mi presencia en el ring por UNOs meses! Sirugia8/26 le pido a dios qca la ultima!619!”

For those who do not speak Spanish – Mysterio’s next knee surgery is scheduled for Friday, August 26th and he will be out of action for several months.

Mysterio followed up with another tweet, apologizing for letting his fans down:

“Sorry4 the let down! Promise to make it back as soon as possible!Gonna miss what I luv most-ENTERTAINING U’s!619”

Update: Word going around at RAW is that Rey Mysterio has a torn ACL, which will keep him out of action for at least 6 months.

(Parial Source: PWInsider.com)

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross answered a bunch of questions sent in from fans on his @JRsBBQ Twitter account. Here are some highlights of what Jim Ross said about:

How come Vince hasn’t offered Matt and jeff hardy rehab? He’s done it for everybody else?

“How do u know he hasn’t?”

Matt Hardy return to WWE possible?  He’s hinting at it!

“Not my call but a guess would be not likely.”

Who do you think sent the text to Kevin Nash?

“No idea & hope to learn more tonite on Raw.“

Will Kevin Nash have a role within the WWE for the next few months?

“TBD…don’t know…stay tuned.”

Can you say exactly what Mike Chioda got suspended for?

“No idea. Why is this info people need to know”

“I don’t think a ref would use steroids. Don’t know. None of my biz.”

What do you think of the tag division?

“Under performing.”

Would you be interested to see a CM Punk/Jericho feud in the near future?

“Would be money.”

Who can beat the taker streak, if anyone?

“Said many times, don’t think Taker ever loses @ WM.”

WWE product suffers when 3 man booth bicker amongst themselves.

“Amen. Couldn’t agree more.”

Do u think Chris benoit will make the hall of fame?

“IMO, no.”

Do you have personal problems with Michael Cole?

“None whatsoever.”

What was the scariest (most worried) match you ever called?

“Easy…Owen Hart’s untimely death.”

Whats the best rivalry in wrestling that u ever saw??

“Brisco Brothers vs Funks.”

As always, you can follow Jim Ross on Twitter @JRsBBQ and check out his amazing line of BBQ products at JRsBarBQ.com.

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and will feature the build to Night of Champions.

WWE is teasing that tonight’s show will be an “epic edition” and they are teasing a confrontation between WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio and John Cena.

The advertised dark match main event will be a 6-man tag team match featuring John Cena, Rey Mysterio and the Big Show vs. WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio, The Miz and R-Truth.

We’ll have the CHAT ROOM open tonight before, during and after RAW – we hope to see you here!

A popular topic of discussion backstage at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings was that WWE creative is planning to continue the current CM Punk – Triple H storyline through the fall – with November’s WWE Survivor Series to feature a big “Team Punk vs. Team Triple H” match.

According to WWE sources, Team Punk would feature CM Punk, Colt Cabana and possibly the Kings of Wrestling – Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero. Kevin Nash would be one of the members on Team Triple H.

With the NFL’s  Monday Night Football going head-to-head with RAW each week, WWE is banking on the Punk – Triple H storyline to carry ratings for the next few months.

Several major changes have taken place over the past week on the corporate site of WWE, including the Corporate.WWE.com website being taken down and several high-ranking employees leaving the company.

– Brian Kalinowski (WWE’s Executive VP of Digital Media) and Mark Keys (VP of Digital & Interactive Content Production & Social Media) have both left the company in the past week in what some are seeing as a “major restructuring.”

– The Corporate.WWE.com website has been taken down and the domain is now redirecting users to the main WWE site.

– Stephanie McMahon is now in charge of WWE website as a result of structural changes made in recent weeks.

(Source: PWInsider.com)

SEScoops.com has obtained the mugshot from Matt Hardy’s DWI arrest from Saturday:

Related MATT HARDY DWI News:

• Matt Hardy Describes DWI Crash In Rambling Statement
• Charges Against Matt Hardy Revealed, Court Date Set
• Matt Hardy Comments On DWI Arrest, Teases WWE Return

During a recent interview with the UK’s Daily Star newspaper, WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin revealed what has been speculated for quite some time – that a second season of Tough Enough is in the works. Austin also answered a few questions on this summer’s breakout superstar, CM Punk. Here are some highlights of what Stone Cold said about:

CM Punk’s Recent Push & SummerSlam Match:

“I really enjoyed it. It was like a breath of fresh air. He’s telling it like it is. He’s got himself a good contract now and they are treating him like the top guy that he is. You know when you’re going along with candy coated storylines, and something organic comes along, it’s a good chance to make a lot of money. They threw HHH in there, and I just hope they play their cards right. It was an interesting PPV (Summerslam) – I saw Del Rio coming but it will be interesting to see it working out.”

Rumors of he and CM Punk wrestling at WrestleMania 28:

“Look I’ve heard the same things and I’ve said that were I to do it CM Punk would be the man I would like to do it with. All the stars would have to align for that to happen – it would have to be good for me financially, good for me in terms of execution and storyline. Obviously it would have to be good for WWE and work out for CM Punk too. I’m not starting up anything here, but could it happen? Yes. Will it happen? I don’t know.”

To read the full interview, head on over to the Daily Star website.

– As previously reported, the original Sin Cara returned to action at last night’s WWE SmackDown! live event in Tacoma, Washington, defeating Tyson Kidd with his ‘Spanish Fly’ move. one fan in attendance noted that it looked as if Cara had a blond mo-hawk under the mask.

• Pictures of Sin Cara UNMASKED

– Mark Henry won a battle royal on Friday’s SmackDown to become the #1 contender to Randy Orton’s World Heavyweight Title. WWE has not yet announced whether the match will take place at Night of Champions or an upcoming episode of SmackDown.

– The WWE website has an interview up with Jack Swagger, who confronted Vickie Guerrero on RAW and asked her to manage hi along with Dolph Ziggler.

• Vickie Guerrero BIKINI Pictures

Swagger told WWE.com:

“I think Vickie Guerrero has proven herself to be very valuable. She is a very influential person with General Managers and execs and higher-ups, so bringing her clout along with my All-American abilities and World Championship talent, it could be amazing. Will Jack Swagger make it there again without her? Absolutely. Will he make it there faster with her? Definitely.”

Discussion: COMMENT BELOW and tell us whether you’d like to see Vickie Guerrero manage Jack Swagger and other heels on RAW. Could Vickie Guerrero build a stable of heel wrestlers like Bobby Heenan’s Heenan Family back in the late ’80s?

WWE star The Miz was interviewed by the Edmonton Journal to promote Monday’s episode of WWE RAW from the city’s Rexall Palace arena. Miz spoke about a number of topics, including which wrestlers he loved to watch as a child, how much of “Mike Mizanin” there is in “The Miz” and more.Miz also confirmed what we reported here a few weeks ago – that he suffered a broken nose at a house show in a match against Alex Riley.

Here are some highlights of what The Miz said about:

The Concussion He Suffered At WrestleMania:

“Now, watching back, I can remember it in little bits and pieces. It’s one of those things like, ‘I was in the main event of WrestleMania and I really don’t remember too much of it.’ I remember being in it, but I don’t remember everything. It was one of those scary moments, but now I’m back to 100 per cent.” …

What Makes Him So Popular:

“It’s amazing … I don’t know what it is about me that makes people want to watch what I am going to do. Normally people just want to watch a train wreck and I don’t consider myself a train wreck anymore. I guess I’m kind of that person that you never know what he’s going to do or say so you want to watch because you don’t know what the hell is going to happen. I don’t take days off. I’m one of those WWESuperstars that says give me everything and anything. I don’t want anyone else to have more publicity than me. I don’t want anyone else having more media than me.”

Recently released WWE talent Harry Smith (a/k/a David Hart Smith), who rarely speaks ill of anyone, is very upset with his former employer. The son of the late “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith stated on his Facebook account on Saturday that after much pleading, WWE did not return all of the Hart family possessions he had lent for their memorabilia display at WrestleMania Axxess. This includes his father’s ring gear and ring gear of the late Owen Hart, among other priceless possessions. WWE did, however, send him a framed picture of Mae Young as a goodwill gesture. He is further agitated that WWE would call him two weeks after his dismissal from the organization asking for the items he received back.

“Well I’m not one to bury any companies or people but I’m afraid I have no choice here. The WWE after great difficulty of my begging, finally sent me back “some” but not all of my familie’s possessions from the Hall of Fame/Fan axxess. This includes, my dad’s ring gear, my ring gear, owen hart’s blue blazer masks, and singlet and lots of priceless family possessions. They sent a framed picture of my dad smashed, half the other stuff missing but they threw in a Mae Young framed picture,” Smith wrote.

“Then they have the nerve to call me, two weeks after firing me, sniffing around asking if they can have it back for their precious Hall of Fame/fan axxess. Even though I am expendable talent, they wouldn’t mind just keeping my family’s last remaining wrestling stuff.

“Anyone can feel free to post this on dirt sites as I feel the world should know about how selfish and inconsiderate the WWE truly is.”

Harry’s mother, Diana Hart Smith, is also upset with WWE as she feels they carelessly handled her framed drawing of her late husband (click here to view the smashed picture of Davey). She says it was “the last straw.”

She wrote on Facebook, “This is my drawing of Davey’s, and the more info I am sent about this disrespectful injustice, the more shocked I am–this is the second time this has happened with this drawing, and they never took care of it the first time. And then to ask two weeks after Harry’s release if we can lend more items to Hall of Fame Fan axxess. These things are from Davey and Owen, my father, all legendary people who are no longer alive and it is difficult to fathom giving up these things which we would never be able to see, since it would go to the WWE HOF Fan Access. These are family possessions and unless Georgia, Harry or I, in the Smith household specifically, are at WWE Fan Access, we cannot see for ourselves.

“These aren’t belongings of just some random old friends–they are lost family members. With Harry’s release, I really doubt I would be flying to Connecticut to see my Hall of Fame memorabilia, and I would probably end up paying admission too. The smashed picture of Davey, which I drew of him, was the last straw, and this is the second time it has happened.

“I wonder what the significance of sending an 8 x 10 pic of Mae Young to Harry, Georgia and me was?”

Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde, the original Sin Cara, returned to action at Saturday’s SmackDown live event in Tacoma, Washington.

Alvirde is eligible to resume performing since his thirty-day suspension for his first violation of WWE’s drug testing policy expired on Tuesday. He claimed in an interview that he did not know what he had tested positive for and that he had only gotten a routine injection for his injured knee in Mexico.

• Check Out: Pictures of Sin Cara UNMASKED

Alvirde’s future with the organization was believed to be in doubt since developmental talent Jorge Arias (a/k/a Hunico) assumed the Sin Cara character at the last two SmackDown tapings. There was talk that the move would be permanent since company officials were reportedly sour on Alvirde due to his attitude and lackluster performances.

Lisa Wright, program director of the national non-profit organization Council for Unity, has issued a retraction and an apology regarding her criticism of the Be a STAR Alliance’s anti-bullying campaign with WWE.

Wright wrote a letter earlier this week criticizing their campaign after receiving an e-mail concerning the numerous “fat jokes” being directed towards performer Vickie Guerrero on television. She asked how the organization’s partnership with WWE fits their mission to show tolerance and respect since professional wrestling consists of name calling and threats culminating in violence. She concluded her letter by requesting the removal of the Council for Unity from the Be a STAR Alliance website’s list of organization affiliates. Wright, however, has since rescinded her request and issued an apology to WWE and the Be a STAR Alliance.

In a letter sent to Diva-Dirt.com, WWE and the Be a STAR Alliance, Wright says she changed her tune on the matter after further research and receiving intelligent feedback from some of the wrestling organization’s loyal fans.

Wright wrote, “After careful consideration and research on my part, plus some intelligent feedback from some of the loyal fans of WWE, I realize that perhaps I reacted too harshly and without enough information. I have been reminded that the important issue is the prevention of bullying and the protection and support of those that have been victimized by it. Ultimately, my own actions, intended or no, have had a negative impact.

She continues, “I hereby offer an apology to the Be a STAR foundation and the WWE. I also wish to rescind my request that my organization be removed from the Be a STAR Alliance website. There are often many ways to reach a goal; the important thing is that we support each other on our journey.”

The entire letter can be read here. She adds that her initial letter was never intended to be made public and that it was never her intention to disparage the Be a STAR Alliance, WWE, their wrestlers and many fans.

— The August 18 episode of Impact Wrestling scored a 1.05 cable rating, down from 1.07 the week before. It was the program’s lowest rating since June 9 and second-lowest rating of 2011.

Impact averaged 1,455,000 viewers over the course of two hours, down from 1,540,000 last week.

Impact‘s rating has continuously dropped since July 20, which garnered a 1.26 cable rating. July 27 drew 1.20; August 4 drew 1.14; August 11 drew 1.07.

— Velvet Sky spoke out on behalf of The Young Bucks, whom Booker T slammed via Twitter for breaking locker room etiquette at this past week’s WWE television tapings. The TNA Knockout feels their shyness may be interpreted as disrespect, but they actually mean well.

“Very surprised to hear all of this controversy with The Young Bucks. From what I always witnessed, they were respectful with everyone,” she wrote on Twitter regarding her former colleagues. “I think their shyness gets interpreted as disrespect but I know them and they mean well.”

source: PWInsider.com

Former WWE & WCW star Bill Goldberg has followed up on reports that he’ll be returning to the ring later this year – confirming to his Twitter followers early Saturday morning:

“By the way……… I’m back!!!!!!!!!!!”

After video recently surfaced of Goldberg stating back in March that he plans to wrestle again this year, it was revealed this week that Goldberg will be performing on a wrestling supershow taking place in the African Congo that will feature some of the top names in the business.

Another huge name advertised for the African Congo show is Batista – and Goldberg says he might wrestle Batista on the show. When asked by a fan who his next in-ring opponent will be, Goldberg stated, “Maybe Batista.”

• Recent Pictures Of Batista Looking Very Small & Skinny

Goldberg had some harsh words for WWE as part of his Twitter announcement, saying “no way” to the possibility of returning to WWE:

“No way. It ain’t WWE, they can kiss my ass.”

Check out this video of Goldberg wrestling Batista on WWE RAW from 2003:

During a recent interview with the London Free Press, RAW superstar John Morrison, who spoke about his feud with R-Truth,The Rock’s impact on the wrestling business and more. Morrison rightfully put himself over during the interview – giving credit to top stars like John Cena and CM Punk, but saying he has a lot of things they don’t have.

Morrison asked to play the “name association game” – and had this to say about the following WWE personalities:

Melina: “The most talented diva ever to be employed by WWE. She’s got charisma and sex appeal. But the main thing that sets her apart is she makes people feel when she’s in the ring … whether she’s angry, happy, surprised or pissed off. Whatever she feels, the audience feels that.”

• Pictures of MORRISON & MELINA Out Partying

CM Punk: “Opinionated.”

Triple H: “Ambitious, yet unproven.”

Randy Orton: “Bad Ass. It’s tough to sum him up with one word. He’s an anomaly. It seems as if he did everything a certain way because of who he is. But he’s charismatic. And he’s entertaining to watch. You can’t deny that.”

The Miz: “Really, really loud and annoying. Yet deceivingly loyal to his friends.”

Vince McMahon: “A supertalented workaholic. Micromanager. A perfectionist who expects the same from his employees.”

To read the full interview, head over to LFP.com.

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart spoke with WrestlingVoice.net promoting his upcoming tour of Ireland with American Wrestling Rampage. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

His relationship with Shawn Michaels: “I suspected from the very beginning that me and Shawn, our handshake, would be more BS than anything else and that we were still going to loath each other and hate each others guts for the rest of our lives, but the truth is that he was very humbled and grateful that I was willing to forgive everything and the reality is we were able to become good friends since then. Knowing that it really meant something to him, meant something to me and we actually have a really good friendship now.

“I think Shawn was always a bit of a prima donna and I didn’t think he’d be sincere when he shook my hand and the gratification I get over a few weeks and months after that, you could really see it was a weight lifted of his back and he seemed appreciative and grateful that we could be on good terms again.”

His match with Vince McMahon and his in-ring performances since then: “I thought it was perfect, I loved having my family out there, I loved having my brothers and sisters play the lumberjacks and I think fans got what they wanted even though it wasn’t the old Bret Hart, but the truth is I’m never gonna be that Bret Hart, the technical wrestler, I’m basically gonna be more of a character for the rest of my career, my days of taking suplexes and diving over the top rope are over.”

Harry Smith’s recent release: “It’s unfortunate, but these things happen, you might look at it as a setback but you might look at it as a blessing in disguise, I think he’s a great talent, but needs to reinvent himself and by stepping away from WWE might be a nice break, but I don’t doubt that in time he’ll be back in WWE. He’s still young and a great talent.

“He needs to step away and look to reinvent himself, my brother Owen left the company years ago when he was wrestling as the Blue Blazer and he got out of WWE and did some different tours and promotions and then came back a couple years later and found the footing he was looking for when he came back.”

Being placed #4 behind Steve Austin, The Undertaker & Shawn Michaels on WWE’s 50 Greatest Superstars of All Time DVD: “I beat Steve Austin every time I worked with him throughout my career and yet he he’s graded above him, so figure that out. I could give you a list of 50 wrestlers and it would have credibility because I would have an idea but some guy that’s working for WWE Magazine that makes it up frankly, he can kiss my ass, he doesn’t know anything.”

Randy Savage and Owen Hart’s absence from the WWE Hall of Fame: “It’s not much of a Hall of Fame without Macho Man in it, and Owen belongs in there as much as me or my Dad, so I think it’s only a matter of time.”

Other topics include his highlights from his last run with WWE, who he would like to work with from today’s talent, his favorite and least memorable matches as well as his upcoming rivalry DVD featuring himself and Shawn Michaels.

The audio interview can be accessed here.