– Following the WWE releases of Melina, Vladamir Kozlov and DH Smith last week, the talent is expected to get paid until November and will have no-compete clauses.

• Melina Denied Access At Monday’s RAW By WWE
• Gail Kim Tries Quitting WWE But WWE Won’t Release Her

– WWE is looking give “Stone Cold” Steve Austin a big role at next year’s WrestleMania – although it still remains unlikely that he will wrestle a match.

• Steve Austin Talks About Wrestling CM Punk At WrestleMania

– The WWE Championship unification match between CM Punk and John Cena is expected to get a lot of time at Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view. With less than a week to go, only four matches have been announced – leading many to see SummerSlam as a “one-match show.”

• 5 More Rumored Matches For SummerSlam Next Weekend

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

When WWE announced its second quarter financial results last week, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon announced that The Rock will be appearing at “multiple” pay-per-view events aside from WrestleMania 28.

The Rock announced last month that he’ll be appearing at the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series in November to confront John Cena, who he will wrestle at WrestleMania 28.

Aside from those events – WWE is planning for The Rock to appear at next year’s Royal Rumble and SummerSlam events, as long as his movie schedule allows it.

WWE was very pleased with The Rock’s impact on WrestleMania 27 drawing over $28 million for the company and are hoping to book him on as many big shows as possible over the next year.

– Last month Steve Austin made headlines when he said WWE should sign TNA star Samoa Joe when his contract expires later this year. Austin tweeted:

“WWE should sign @SamoaJoe as soon as his TNA contract is up. One of my favorite workers in today’s game. Needs a full green light

It appears that Stone Cold might get his wish – because sources in TNA have informed us that Samoa Joe has been talking seriously about jumping to WWE as soon as he can.

– Mike Pavone, Executive Vice President of WWE Studios, is no longer with the company. According to Variety.com, Pavine is “pursuing other opportunities.” His exit from WWE Studios comes just a week after it was announced that the award winning Randy Orton film “That’s What I Am” movie was a losing proposition for WWE Studios – to the tune of $3.3 million.

– Despite previous reports, Mark Caranno has not been moved from WWE talent development to working directly under Triple H.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

During a recent interview with The Wrstling Press the only man to ever hold championship gold in both WWE & the UFC – Brock Lesnar, spoke about his time in WWE and how it helped him as a world class MMA fighter. Here are some highlights of what Brock said about:

Being A WWE Wrestler “These guys, they just don’t have another life. When they go home, they really can’t get out of tune with their on-stage persona. There’s really no time. I think the biggest thing is there’s really no downtime for the human body to recover, and more importantly, for their mind to recover where you’re constantly on the road, and in a program where you can’t get outside to take an outside look at what’s going on — guys resort to all kinds of extracurricular activities.”

How His Time In WWE Helped Him In The MMA World: “I’m not stupid — without the WWE, the WWE made me a household name and increased my value tenfold before I even pursued the UFC. Could I be where I am today without the WWE? Probably not. Could I be drawing the same numbers that I’m drawing? Probably not. I brought a lot of fans over, a lot of crossover fans that I brought, just from the general public and WWE fans, I believe.”

• Pictures Of BROCK LESNAR Getting His Ass BEAT In His Last Fight

Edge stated in a new interview promoting his four-episode guest-spot on the Syfy series Haven that he would be appearing at SummerSlam. The former World Heavyweight Champion is scheduled to appear at Summerslam Axxess this weekend, but did not specify whether he would be appearing on the pay-per-view broadcast. Edge told TVDoneWright.com:

“I basically started shooting Haven directly from Extreme Rules when Christian won the title. So it basically took up the entire summer. I have an appearance at Summerslam and after that it’s some serious outdoor time. Kayaking, mountain biking, stand up paddle boarding, dog hiking, and whatever else I can find before winter hits.”

When asked if he intends to return to WWE, even in a non-wrestling capacity, he replied, “I’m sure I’ll make appearances from time to time like (Shawn Michaels) does. I’m not interested in commentating, but maybe at some point something behind the scenes if it didn’t involve the crazy travel. My days of over 200 days a year on the road are over.”

The Rated-R Superstar also says has some WWE appearances scheduled in Paris, France to promote a movie he shot last year for WWE Films, Bending the Rules (to be released in January 2012). He adds, “Beyond that I think it’s time to find out what retirement is really like and catch the Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam on their current tours.”

Edge also comments on watching Christian capture the World Heavyweight Championship, his final match for WWE, Haven, and more. The text interview can been accessed here.

As the head of WWE’s revamped talent development program, Triple H has a lot of influence over which talents are signed and featured on WWE television. It’s been reported that Triple H is serious about introducing new talents through ‘coming soon’ vignettes, as we saw with the first two people signed under Triple H – Sin Cara and Karma.

Now -Triple H is said to have his sights set on a new objective – rebuilding WWE’s  tag team division.

WWE is looking to recruit tag teams from other promotions, including Ring of Honor’s Kings of Wrestling & Brisco Brothers as well as TNA tag team Beer Money, when they become free agents.

Regarding the recent WWE tryouts for the Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli), the latest word is that the KoW will be introduced as a tag team, not singles wrestlers.

(Source: PWInsider.com)

— World Heavyweight Champion Christian is advertised to make an announcement on this week’s episode of SmackDown.

WWE.com’s synopsis reads: “With World Heavyweight Champion Christian and Randy Orton both set to be in action on SmackDown, the champion says he has a special announcement to make … and WWE COO Triple H will want to hear what he has to say.”

— Brodus Clay defeated All Pro Wrestling talent “Big Country” Jody Kristofferson in a dark match prior to last night’s SmackDown taping in Sacramento, California.

More information on Kristofferson is available here. His father is Kris Kristofferson, a famous musician and actor.

— Savio Vega turns 47 years old today while Fred Ottman (a/k/a Tugboat and Typhoon) turns 55. Also celebrating a birthday today is Roadkill, who turns 35 years old. He briefly appeared on ECW in 2006.

source: PWInsider.com

Last month we posted a photo of The Undertaker looking noticeably thinner with what appeared to be a shaved head. The Undetaker was wearing a hat, but he appeared bald – leading to a great deal of speculation as to whether the picture was real or not.

• VIEW HERE: Picture Of The Undertaker’s Shaved Head

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the Undertaker has indeed shaved his head and is sporting a new bald look.

As for when he will return to WWE, there is currently no timetable for his return – but it’s expected that he will wrestle at next year’s WrestleMania in what could be his final match.

Mark Henry has been discussed as a possible opponent for the Undertaker next year, but we are still approximately 8 months out from WrestleMania 28, so anything can happen by next April.

— Two additional matches were taped Tuesday night in Sacramento, California for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars:

* Trent Barreta vs. Ted DiBiase

* Alicia Fox vs. Tamina.

Matches taped Monday night in San Jose were Evan Bourne and Santino Marella vs. David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty; Brodus Clay vs. local talent.

— Maryse announced Tuesday on Twitter that she has launched a YouTube channel. It can be accessed here.

— Former WWE star “The Alligator Man” Skinner has been added to WWE.com’s Alumni section. Click here to view his bio.

— Kevin Eck, who writes a pro wrestling blog for The Baltimore Sun, has announced that he is leaving the newspaper organization to become a member of the WWE creative team.

“I can’t stress enough how few jobs there are that could get me to entertain the thought of leaving The Sun for even a second. In fact, this opportunity with WWE may be the only one,” Eck wrote.

“I think this is an exciting time to be joining WWE, which is currently in the process of altering its creative approach. I’ve accepted a position that will allow me to contribute from a creative standpoint and also use my skills as a journalist.”

Click here to read his complete announcement.

— Tough Enough contestant A.J. Kirsch, who finished in fourth place in the reality show competition, was Brodus Clay’ opponent in a match taped Monday in San Jose, California for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars. He was announced as ‘local talent’.

As reported Tuesday, WWE barred Melina Perez from attending Monday’s Raw event at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. WWE officials made the decision ban the former Women’s Champion from the arena due to their belief that should she have entered the backstage area, there would have been some major drama in response to her being let go by the organization last Friday. The entire company security team was told she was not to be let inside the venue. Management has taken Perez’ reaction to being released as over the top, according to one source, to the point that she may have burned the bridge in regard to a future return.

Perez going on the road with John Morrison over the weekend was also a major point of contention internally. Company officials are very down on Morrison over the situation, feeling it was a massive breach of etiquette. One writer said, “It would be one thing to come visit a few months down the line but to show up at the next shows after being released, it’s a complete lack of understanding and respect. It sucks you are fired but you don’t come see the boyfriend that dumped you the next day and you don’t go to the office to hang out after getting your pink slip. She did that and made eyes roll. There were some worried she was going to physically cause a problem and with John facilitating that by having her there, well, you saw what happened on Raw.”

The same source indicated that Morrison’s current WWE contract will expire within the next several months. With no long term deal in place and the belief that his loyalty to his longtime girlfriend would supersede his to WWE, it’s easy to see why he has been deemphasized.

source: PWInsider.com

The Voice of Wrestling returned live last night from 7-8 EST with hosts, Chris Cash and Nick Paglino. Chris Masters – who was just released this past Friday from the WWE – joined Chris and Nick to discuss his recent departure, his future and much more. Other topics include SummerSlam this weekend, TNA’s Hard Justice pay per view, Gail Kim quitting and much more.

Chris Masters Interview Highlights

On being surprised about his WWE release: “If somebody on the outside was watching me, they wouldn’t be surprised because they hadn’t used me in any real storylines or anything. They just had me dittering on Superstars. But the thing is, for the last year and a half on Superstars, it really gave me time to develop my craft and really put some time into matches and through that I just really started taking a passion in the art of professional wrestling and through time it started to really translate. I came along a lot.”

On the rumors of Chris being in line to get a big push: “You know, the reports on the internet were actually a surprise to me because I hadn’t really told anybody. I don’t know if that came from one of the writers to the dirt sheets, but the extent of what I was told was..back around January of this year after Hunter [and Vince] had seen some of my matches, Hunter pulled me aside and was telling me, ‘Hey, we’ve noticed you’ve gotten really good and we’re just trying now to figure out exactly what to do with you. Maybe we need to take you off tv for a few months and give you a fresh coat of paint or a repackaging’, so we kind of left it at that. He had definitely come up and given me props a couple of times.

You know, I was kind of under the impression that they were going to figure something out for me and I was also trying to think of some suggestions for myself and you know, that’s probably why it was a surprise because of the fact I did feel like I had good things coming. I felt like this was going to be my year.”

On his reaction to the news: “Yeah, I’m pissed. I’m not going to deny that at all. This is the thing…the first time I got released, I brought it upon myself, so I accepted it. There’s a lot of things I didn’t do right the first time. I was also motivated coming back to the company and for it to turn out this way is upsetting because it’s not like I failed a drug test. I did things right and I was getting really good in the ring, so it is a lot more upsetting the second time around than it is the first time around.”

On going to TNA: “Well, it’s funny because I sat in my car about two weeks ago and really thinking to myself, ‘they need babyfaces now and if they’re not going to do something with me or invest in me right now, they’re never gonna do it. So I was already thinking to myself, maybe I need to start reaching out and seeing what else is out there – let’s just be frank. But I didn’t do it. And it’s funny because then you fast forward to weeks later and then this happened. Obviously, I’m taking bookings, but yeah, I’ve reached out to some people over at TNA and we’ll just see what happens with that. There’s of course the 90 day thing with WWE, but I’m not really going to rule out anything this time around”.

Chris Masters also talked about the reported changes in WWE, his two strikes against him in terms of the Wellness Policy and whether he thinks that potentially hurt their plans for him, what he was doing the moment he got the dreaded phone call from Johnny Ace, the influx of talent coming into the WWE and whether that’s a good or bad thing for the company, and Chris responds to his critics.

Masters also feels a number of wrestlers don’t belong in WWE, and specifically names David Otunga. “You think David Otunga’s ready for TV?” he asks the hosts. When asked why the Raw Superstar should have been fired before him, Masters replies, “Well, he’s got two left feet. C’mon, just watch him walk around the ring for five minutes.”

Masters, however, then says in defense of Otunga that the Tag Team Champion is a product of WWE’s system—wrestlers being called up to television prematurely.

The audio interview can be accessed here.

source: www.vowlive.com

— Diana Hart Smith, mother of recently released WWE Superstar David Hart Smith, took aim at Michael Cole yesterday on Twitter as she called the WWE broadcaster effeminate.

“Michael Cole is such an expose of garbage wrestling–MC is brutally effeminine,” she wrote to a follower. “Oh well. On another level, STRIKEFORCE=HARRY SMITH.”

For what it’s worth, the self-proclaimed “Voice of WWE” did Smith no favors during his lone broadcast booth appearance on an episode of Raw last year as he criticized the third generation wrestler’s verbal ability and lack of charisma.

— Reader SirWombat sent word that WWE.com’s bio on referee Mike Chioda makes mention of deceased wrestler Chris Benoit, who is considered persona non grata within the organization.

It reads: “Chioda also distinctly remembers Nov. 29, 2004, when he and a fellow official declared contrary decisions in a Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship; Chioda saw Chris Benoit pinned for the three-count while Edge tapped out simultaneously. It’s a moment in his career that’s nearly impossible to replicate.”

– This week’s edition of WWE RAW drew a 3.1 cable rating, with 4,542,000 viewers.

This is down from last week’s 3.3 and not a great sign of momentum heading into Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.

The show did hours of 3.08  and 3.09.

– The 8/6 edition of AM RAW drew a 0.45  cable rating, with 507,000 viewers.

– On Monday, we reported that WWE had cut eight people from their developmental program at Florida Championship Wrestling.

• Full Story: Several Wrestlers Removed From FCW Site

As of Tuesday evening, the profiles of Leroy Parks and Colin Cassady were posted back on the FCW roster page, so it appears they are still with the company.

The WWE Youtube channel has posted the following video highlights from Monday’s episode of RAW, including the must-see contract signing between WWE Champions John Cena and CM Punk.

Triple H reveals he will officiate the Undisputed WWE

John Cena vs. Jack Swagger

Alberto Del Rio has harsh words for CM Punk

Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz

John Morrison vs. R-Truth

CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio

Christian delivers a message to WWE COO Triple H

Contract signing for the Undisputed WWE Championship Match

WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin appeared on G4’s Attack of the Show this week to promote his new DVD action movie, Tactical Force, which is now on sale at Amazon.com.

During the interview, Austin was asked about the internet buzz that he might come out of retirement to wrestle CM Punk at next year’s WrestleMania 28 show from Miami.

Austin responded to host Kevin Pereira by saying, “I’ve been hearing stuff like that.”

Austin said he knows Punk is a huge fan of his and says Punk is the “hottest, freshest thing going today” in the wrestling business. .

Austin acknowledged a match with CM Punk could be a classic – saying, “I’m not going to say it’s gonna happen, but I’m not gonna say it’s not gonna happen.””Would be a great match-up .. Not saying its going to happen

He finished off by saying that if he were to have “one last tango,” doing it with CM Punk would be the way to go.

Check out the video below, courtesy of G4TV.com:

-Former WWE diva Melina tweeted over the weekend that she would be traveling with her boyfriend John Morrison for his scheduled appearances at live WWE events. WWE officials reportedly were not pleased with Melina’s decision to show up to this past weekend’s live events after being fired on Friday – and as a result – did not allow her into the building for last night’s RAW in San Jose.

• Melina Talks About Her WWE Release In Heartfelt Podcast

Melina confirmed on Twitter that she showed up to the arena with Morrison – but WWE officials denied her access to the backstage area. After getting shut down by WWE, she decided to hang around outside the arena and met some WWE fans.

When fans asked on Monday night her whether her traveling with Morrison was a sign she was back with the company, she tweeted:

“No. I’m still fired. I had this trip planned prior. I stand by my man. I was told I couldn’t go IN the arena 2 watch. Funny.”

– The complete playable roster (including unlockable characters) for the upcoming WWE ’12 video game will be revealed at at the SummerSlam Fan Axxess event this weekend in Los Angeles.

THQ’s Corey Ledesma tweeted this week that downloadable content will be announced at a later date and there will also be one mystery Superstar that won’t be revealed until September.

– Diana Hart wrote the following on Twitter on Monday night regarding her son Harry Smith’s decision to pursue an MMA career:

“Good nite! I predict Harry Smith(DH) will b the new Brock Lesnar 4 Strikeforce. Onward &Upward.Easy for 6’5? monster w strategy!Can’t wait!”

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

The Miz and YouTube sensation Keenan Cahill have been going back and forth on Twitter over the past week – with the feud culminating on Monday night in a lip sync battle.

Miz and Keenan see who can rock out the hardest to Miz’ theme song, “I Came To Play” by the band Downstait.

Below is The Miz’s lip sync battle with Keenan Cahill, with a special appearance by John Morrison.

– Rey Mysterio had an MRI done on his knee over the weekend after suffering an injury at a live event on Friday night. The MRI results were not in as of Monday afternoon – but Rey is said to be “very worried” about the situation, since this is the same knee he’s had several surgeries on already.

On Monday’s RAW, Mysterio was scheduled to wrestle The Miz, but was attacked by The Miz on his way to the ring before the match could begin.

• More Information On Rey Mysterio’s Knee Injury

We’ll post a follow-up here as soon as more information becomes available.

– As of Tuesday morning – only four matches have been announced for Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view. The creative team had a few more matches lined up a few weeks ago, but several of them have been scrapped. It’s expected that at least 2 more matches will be added to the card prior to Sunday. There has been talk of featuring fewer but longer matches on the card.

• Rumored Matches For Sunday’s SummerSlam Card

– Earlier this week, we posted a video of former WWE and WCW star Bill Goldberg saying he will “probably” return to wrestling this year – and his ideal opponent would be “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.  Goldberg had a lot of fans contact him on Twitter regarding his return to wrestling – and responded to  the possibility of a match with Austin with the following:

“Austin would be a dream match. But let’s all be realistic.”

WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was interviewed this week by the WWE website to promote his new DVD action movie, Tactical Force.

Tactical Force is on sale today – and you can buy it from our Amazon.com store.

Here are some highlights of what Steve Austin said about:

What he enjoys most about acting:

“I’m never going to have as much diversity and depth as a Daniel Day Lewis or Johnny Depp. But I feel what I have put together, just from my experience on Tough Enough, just being myself more, is gonna make me open my eyes as far as acting goes. You hear actors always say ‘live in the moment’ or ‘be in the moment.’ Well, that’s what I hope to accomplish next time, be more in the moment.”

Whether he’ll ever do a romantic comedy movie:

“Man, I’d love to do a romantic comedy,” said Austin. “I love comedy, and I love to show a different side of me that people haven’t seen. Even doing [the WWE reality competition] Tough Enough, you get a chance to see Steve Austin actually laughs and laughs a lot. I would love to entertain the thought of doing something like that.”

Austin also said he’s interested in doing another season of Tough Enough, but there’s no official word yet on whether the show will return.

After Monday’s episode of WWE RAW from San Jose, CA went off the air, WWE Champions John Cena and CM Punk got into a brawl. The referee held up both title belts, which lead to the start of a match between the joint champions.

John Cena vs. CM Punk ended in a double disqualification after The Miz and R-Truth interfered and attacked both men.

Cena and Punk were able to fight back and hit their finishers on the heels to send them running away.

The champions held their title belts up and stared each other down.

Cena exited first and stared at Punk from the ramp. Punk soaked up some cheers and then exited to end the show.

WWE RAW Resuls (August 8th, 2011)
from San Jose, California
Report by Steve Carrier

Tonight’s WWE RAW kicks off with Triple H as the “WWE COO” makes his way out to a nice reaction from the fans.

Michael Cole, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are on commentary as The Game makes his way into the ring. Triple H talks about CM Punk vs. John Cena and says change has been a big thing around here lately. He talks about going from no WWE Champion and Vince McMahon to he being in charge and there being two WWE Champions. Triple H says he will solve that problem at SummerSlam and there will be 1 undisputed winner, 1 undisputed WWE Champion. He says how do you determine that there will be one undisputed champion? You empower one man to be the answer. Someone that won’t be pushed around or intimidated. Someone who’s authority will be respected and absolute. Triple H says he’s found that man and he’s larger than life. Triple H says this man casts a shadow over the entire WWE. This man is… him.

Triple H says he is the only man he can trust right now. He will be the special referee at SummerSlam in the WWE Title match. Triple H says Cena and Punk will be in action tonight and Cena is up next.

John Cena vs. Jack Swagger

Out comes WWE Champion John Cena for tonight’s opener. Triple H and Cena have words after he enters the ring about SummerSlam. We go to commercial before Cena’s opponent comes out.

Back from commercial and out comes Cena’s opponent, Jack Swagger. Swagger runs his mouth to Cena as he enters the ring and starts jogging around.

The bell rings and they lock up. Swagger takes Cena to the mat. Swagger mounts Cena from behind and smacks him in the head. Swagger shows off and Cena takes advantage. Cena takes control and suplexes Swagger for a 2 count. Cena with a headlock now. Cena with a shoulder block and a splash in the corner. Cena dropkicks Swagger and covers or 2. Cena works on Swagger’s arm now.

Swagger counters and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Cena for a 2 count. Swagger stomps away on Cena in the corner before the referee pulls him away. Swagger whips Cena hard into the corner and he goes down. Swagger with a Swagger Bomb from the second rope and another 2 count. Swagger with a submission now. Cena fights out with a suplex but Swagger drops him in the corner again. Swagger with a shoulder block and another 2 count. Another hard whip into the corner and Cena goes down. Swagger clips Cena’s knee out and shows off some more. Swagger goes for the ankle lock but Cena counters with an STF. Swagger counters and they run the ropes. Cena with shoulders and a big back drop. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle and an Attitude Adjustment for the win.

Winner: John Cena

– We get more hype for the WWE Title contract signing. The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio is announced for tonight. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and Scott Stanford is speaking when Ricardo Rodriguez interrupts him and introduces Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio talks about how CM Punk ran from him at Money in the Bank in Chicago and calls him a coward. Del Rio says tonight, he is going to show Punk what ill happen.

– We see some highlights from the R-Truth and John Morrison feud. Truth is backstage with Josh Matthews. He asks Truth why he would take advantage of his former friend John Morrison. Truth rambles on and says he’s going to stomp Morrison into the mat tonight.

– Up next is The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio. Back to commercial.

The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio

Back from commercial and out comes Rey Mysterio to a nice reaction. Before Rey can make it down the ramp, The Miz attacks him and lays him out on the stage. Miz throws Rey into the big W and repeatedly slams his face into the base. Miz runs and kicks Rey’s head into the steel as referees try to get him back. Miz taunts Rey and then makes his way to the ring as referees tend to him.

Miz heads down to the ring and is met by Michael Cole. Miz is upset that all the emphasis is on Cena vs. Punk for SummerSlam and he doesn’t even have a match. Miz is pissed and talks about how he’s all over TV and the internet. If he has to do that to Mysterio to get attention, so be it. Miz demands a referee come out and declare him the winner by forfeit. A referee runs down and tells Miz no. It’s announced that Triple H demands that The Miz compete in a new match right now. Miz is irate as Kofi Kingston’s music hits and out he comes.

The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston

The bell rings and they go at it. Miz pushes Kofi back into the corner. Kofi ducks clotheslines and a kick. Kofi fires back with kicks and a headlock. Miz breaks it and applies a headlock of his own. Miz with a shoulder block but then runs into a dropkick from Kofi and a 2 count. Miz keeps in control and charges in the corner. Kofi stops him in mid-air and unloads with right hands. Kofi clotheslines Miz to the floor and suicide dives through the ropes. Kofi rolls back in the ring and we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Miz has Kofi on the mat in a headlock. During the break, Kofi leaped to the outside but Miz caught him in the apron and clotheslined him. Kofi fights out of the headlock now. They trade pins and Miz clotheslines him. Miz with the big clothesline in the corner. Miz goes up top and comes down with a double ax handle for a 2 count. Back and forth now. Kofi fights back with chops and a dropkick. Miz counters with a backbreaker. Kofi blocks a neckbreaker and hits a big crossbody from the top for 2. Miz takes back control and gets another 2 count.

Miz runs into a kick to the head from Kofi. Miz still takes Kofi up top for a superplex but Kofi blocks it. Kofi powerbombs Miz to the mat for a 2 count. Miz ducks Trouble in Paradise but Skull Crushing Finale is blocked. Miz counters Kofi now and hits the SCF for the win.

Winner: The Miz

– Matthews catches up with WWE Champion CM Punk backstage. Punk says Triple H has a bigger ego than his father-in-law. Punk says Triple H needs the spotlight, which is why he put himself as the special referee for SummerSlam. Punk says what’s good for business is he beating Cena for the WWE Title. Punk says now he’s going to go kick Alberto Del Rio’s teeth down his throat. We go to commercial as Punk walks off to the ring.

Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk

Back from the break and Ricardo Rodriguez introduces Alberto Del Rio, who comes driving in a 2010 Audi. Del Rio makes his way to the ring with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Cult of Personality hits next as WWE Champion CM Punk makes his way out. The bell rings and they lock up.

They break and lock up again. Del Rio takes Punk down in the corner and stops away. Del Rio goes to work on Punk’s arm now. The crowd chants for Punk as he fights back and elbows Del Rio down. Punk with a big kick and shoulder thrusts in the corner. Punk charges but Del Rio moves and he hits the ring post. Del Rio pulls on Punk’s arm and uses the ring post on it. Del Rio comes back in and hits an armbar takedown for a 2 count. Del Rio goes back to work on the arm now.

Punk tries to come back but Del Rio drops down and gets another 2 count. Del Rio runs the ropes and charges but Punk moves and he lands on the floor. Punk blocks a clothesline when Del Rio comes back in and hits a neckbreaker. Punk with knees to the head now. Punk hits a high knee to the jaw in the corner and then a bulldog as the crowd pops. Punk springboards in with a clothesline. Punk signals for the GTS. Del Rio slides out of it and throws Punk back into the ring post. Del Rio drops Punk with a backstabber for a 2 count.

Punk blocks the armbar and hits Del Rio with a roundhouse kick to the head. Punk nails GTS for the win.

Winner: CM Punk

– We get more hype for tonight’s contract signing. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and we see a clip from last week of Beth Phoenix attacking Kelly Kelly.

Beth Phoenix vs. Eve Torres

We go to the ring and out comes Beth Phoenix with a smile on her face. Her opponent Eve Torres is out next.

The bell rings and they go at it. Beth dumps Eve on the apron but she lands on her feet. Beth knocks Eve to the floor and goes out after her. Beth tosses Eve be her hair into the fan barrier. Beth pulls Eve back in the ring and gets a 2 count. Beth continues the assault on Beth. Beth with a big elbow drop and a 2 count.

Eve blocks a backbreaker and kicks Beth into the ropes. Eve with a kick to the mouth. Beth throws Eve into the corner and eventually takes her to the mat with another kick. Eve goes up top for a moonsault but Beth knocks her down. Beth pulls Eve down and hits the Glam Slam for the win.

Winner: Beth Phoenix

– After the match, Beth takes a mic. She’s sick of Divas like Eve and Kelly Kelly making a mockery of the division. Beth says no more booty popping, no more splits and no more stinkfaces. Beth leaves the ring but stops and turns around to ask Eve a question. Divas Champion Kelly Kelly runs down the ramp and attacks Beth from behind, laying her out. Kelly tends to Eve in the ring as her music hits and Beth stares on from the ramp.

– John Morrison vs. R-Truth is still to come tonight. Back to commercial.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Alex Riley

Back from the break and out comes the WWE United States Champion Dolph Ziggler with Vickie Guerrero. His opponent Alex Riley is out next. Riley takes the mic before the match and tells Vickie her breath smells like death took a dump in her mouth. The bell rings and here we go.

Riley clotheslines Dolph for an early 2 count. Dolph comes back and unloads on Riley, stomping away in the corner. Riley comes back with a shoulder and goes for a scoop slam. Dolph counters that and applies the sleeper hold. Riley breaks the hold and rams Dolph back into the corner. Riley catches Dolph in mid-air and htis a spinebuster. Vickie enters the ring and yells at Riley before slapping him, causing the DQ.

Winner by DQ: Alex Riley

– After the match, Dolph gets in the ring and yells at Vickie for costing him the match. Riley nails Dolph, knocking him into Vickie and they both go down. Riley leaves the ring laughing as Vickie and Dolph continue to yell at each other. Vickie waves goodbye at Dolph, still screaming, as she leaves the ring and heads to the ramp.

– Back from the break and we get a nice video package for John Cena and CM Punk, going back to Money in the Bank.

R-Truth vs. John Morrison

R-Truth makes his way to the ring next as we go back to commercial. John Morrison is out after the commercial. The bell rings and they go at it. Morrison unloads with offense early on and goes for a pin attempt. Morrison with an uppercut. Morrison mounts Truth again with more right hands. Truth ends up on the floor. Morrison corkscrews over the top rope and takes out Truth on the floor.

They go at it on the floor now. Morrison unloads from the fan barrier with right hands. Morrison stands up on it but Truth takes his leg out. Morrison falls and hits the back of his head hard on the barrier. Truth brings it back in the ring and stomps away on Morrison. Truth with a 2 count. Truth with a headlock now. Truth slams Morrison on his face. Morrison blocks a move and comes back with right hands in the corner. Truth drops Morrison on his neck out of nowhere for the pin and the win.

Winner: R-Truth

– We see Triple H and John Laurinaitis backstage going over the WWE Title match contract for SummerSlam. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and Michael Cole talks briefly to World Heavyweight Champion Christian about his SummerSlam match against Randy Orton. Christian says Triple H will want to hear what he has to say on Friday’s SmackDown.

– We go to the ring where John Laurinaitis and Triple H are. A table is set up for the contract signing and the black ring apron is out. WWE Champion CM Punk comes out first followed by WWE Champion John Cena.

Both titles are on the table as Punk and Cena sit down. Triple H wants to cut right to the chase but Punk interrupts him. Punk says this whole thing is all for show. He says contract signings always end in some kind of fight. Punk says if Triple H wants to cut to the chase, they can flip the table over now and get started. Punk rips on The Chaperone. Triple H asks Punk how his movie was. Punk says his went straight to DVD, just like Triple H’s. Punk shows Facebook videos from The Rock on the big screen of Rock trashing Cena.

Punk says Rock is right about Cena being a phony but Rock is just as big as a phony as Cena is. Punk goes to sign the contract but Cena interrupts him. Cena says Punk has the fans going crazy and he likes that. Cena talks about everything The Rock has done and mentions him filming GI Joe right now. Cena says Rock shouldn’t complain about anything with all the success he has. Cena says Rock looks at him and just flips out for some reason. Punk says he didn’t show the clip so Cena should go off on The Rock. Cena says Punk thinks he’s a product of the system, a little too PG. Maybe a modern-day Hulk Hogan, he says. Cena says he can never win over “the millions.” He says Punk has fans of his own and mocks Punk’s fans and some of the things they might say, according to Cena. Cena goes on and says he won’t give up on his fans, the people he cares about. Cena says nothing is phony about that. Cena says Punk throws stones and lives in a glass house.

Triple H chimes in. Punk asks Laurinaitis if he personally fired Vladimir Kozlov or Harry Smith on Friday. Punk brings up Chris Master’s release and wonders if Laurinaitis just called him up on the phone and future endeavored him. Punk tells Triple H not to call him gutless because Laurinaitis does Triple H’s dirty work. A big CM Punk chant breaks out. Punk tells Cena that this is about them and the WWE Title. Punk recalls winning WWE’s ECW Title years ago. Punk says the next day, Cena patted him on the back and congratulated him, saying “I almost gave up on you.” Punk says he holds grudges and since then, he’s had a sour taste in his mouth when it comes to Cena. Punk says Cena gave up on his dream when he moved to California to be a bodybuilder and ended up being a sports entertainer because he couldn’t hack it. Punk says he set out to be a pro wrestler and made it. Punk says he held up to WWE to get the same opportunities that Cena is given.

Punk says Cena will leave SummerSlam with nothing, nothing at all. He will still have his role in The Marine 4, his match with Dwayne and his legions of fans that pee in their pajamas when they think of him but Punk will be the WWE Champion, he says. Cena looks humbled throughout this, except when he’s smirking. Another Punk chant breaks out. Cena tells Punk that was a great speech. Cena tells Punk he won one match at Money in the Bank, he has every right to be called the WWE Champion. Cena asks Punk if he has thought what happens if he actually loses at SummerSlam. Cena says Punk is right, he will face The Rock either way at WrestleMania. Cena says Punk needs this match more than anything because he now has people watching him. Cena says if Punk doesn’t back it up on Sunday, he’s nothing but a loud mouth, one-hit wonder. Punk will be known with the other one-hit wonders, Cena says. All of is this is gone for Punk, just like that, if he doesn’t win at SummerSlam. Cena wishes Punk good luck. Punk says luck is for losers and he would much rather be a one-hit wonder than a phony.

Cena says they have been talking long enough and stands up to fight. Punk says he can also kick Cena’s teeth down his throat. They throw the table aside and come face to face. Laurinaitis steps in between them. Punk reaches out to kick Cena but Laurinaitis gets laid out. Cena charges Punk with a right hand and it hits Triple H, it looks like. Punk goes to the floor and asks if the fix is in with Cena and Triple H together. RAW goes off the air with Punk having words with Cena and Triple H from the floor.

— Gail Kim, who announced last Friday on Twitter that she quit WWE four days earlier, revealed tonight on the microblogging website that WWE is keeping her under contract until it expires to prevent her from competing elsewhere.

She wrote, “This is the current situation 4 every1 who’s asking: I quit last mon. And apparently after a total of 5 yrs of working for a co. where I was not utilized or appreciated,I’m now 4 some reason,valuable enough 2 keep me under the remainder of my contract so I can’t work elsewhere. Controlling? Thoughts?”

Kim was then asked how much longer she will be affiliated with WWE, to which she replied, “Not much longer.”

— Beth Phoenix was apparently scripted to take a shot at recently released WWE Diva Melina during her promo tonight on Raw in which she said she was sick of the Divas division being made a mockery of. “No more booty popping, no more splits, no more stink faces,” Beth said following her victory over Eve.

Melina wrote on Twitter, “PS- Any Diva can try 2 do a split from here on out but what the WWE confirmed is that the SPLITS will always remind the world of me. Thank u.

She continued, “I love the statement peeps! I bet the powers that be were waiting all night 2 hear that line go on air. Hee hee. I find it very flattering!”

Former WWE Superstar Edge appeared on Right After Wrestling with Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

If he didn’t receive the news, how long he felt he would have competed before he retired: “I pretty much assumed that WrestleMania in Miami (WM 28) would be my last because my contract runs out around then. I just thought I would get to there and have my final match there and then retire. The best laid plans never work out the way they should. And they didn’t and that’s okay. I knew it was coming to an end but I didn’t know exactly when that end would be. All this did was speed up the process by exactly 1 year. I already knew I was ready to retire. My body was telling me it was time. All the pain I was in and mentally, the grind, was just getting me down.”

The unique way Tony Chimel announces him to the ring: “I loved the way Chimel announced me to the ring. He would announce me and Cena to the ring for like 250 nights and he would go out of his way for Cena and then simply announce ‘and here’s the Rated R Superstar Edge.’ So I was like come on Chimel, at least make an effort for me as well. So he started to elongate the ‘Super’ in ‘Rated R Superstar’ and it just became a huge joke in the back and everybody would say it along as he would in the ring. I don’t even think Kevin Dunn noticed, it just kinda flew under the radar.”

When does Edge want to enter the WWE Hall of Fame?: “I would love to be inducted into the WWE HOF but I never put any thought into when. I never said ‘I wanna be inducted in the next year’. I wouldn’t be offended if it was in a few years from now. If it was the same year that WrestleMania returns to Toronto, that would be awesome but I never really put any thought into when exactly I wanted to get inducted.”

The interview can be accessed here.

– Triple H announced on’s RAW that he will serve the special referee for the main event of WWE SummerSlam between John Cena and CM Punk.

– WWE RAW’s biggest ratings competitor – Monday Night Football – returns to ESPN next Monday for a preseason game.

– Prior to Monday’s RAW from San Jose, California, WWE taped the following match for Thursday’s Supersatars show:

• Brodus Clay vs. a local wrestler
• WWE Tag Team Champions Michael McGillicutty & David Otunga vs. Santino Marella & Evan Bourne