— Both John Morrison and R-Truth are backstage at tonight’s SmackDown taping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
— A match pitting Heath Slater against Trent Barreta was taped for this Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars.
— Justin Gabriel beat WWE developmental wrestler Hunico in a dark match prior to tonight’s SmackDown taping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gabriel hit the 450° splash on the masked grappler for the win.
— The July 23 episode of A.M. Raw did a 0.37 rating, with 452,000 viewers.
— The T-Shirt CM Punk donned at Money in the Bank, “Best in the World,” is now on sale via WWEShop.com. The shirt has been slightly modified from the original sold at the pay-per-view event as the date of 7/17/11 and “Chicago” have been removed.
The original shirt is a hot seller on eBay, regularly fetching between $300 and $500. Some sellers have even manufactured counterfeits.
— Ultimate Warrior responded to Zack Ryder’s impersonation of him in the latest episode of Z! True Long Island Story (available here). The former WWE Champion wrote via Twitter: “..another one of the ALL TIME GREATS making my “talentless” UW look like a million bucks. Awesome belly laughs! No abs 4 me 2day.”
— The entrance theme CM Punk debuted last night on Raw, “Cult of Personality” by Living Colour, has hit iTunes’ Top 200 Songs chart. The song, which was originally released in 1988, ranked as high as #126.
— John Cena has now held the WWE Championship a record nine times following his title victory last night on Raw . The previous record holder was Triple H, who held the WWE Championship on eight occasions.
If Cena holds the belt through Thursday, he will move past Pedro Morales into fourth place as most combined days as WWE Champion at 1028.
— Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century is officially out today on DVD and Blu-ray. Twenty of the greatest WWE Superstars of the new millenium are profiled including Chris Jericho, Edge, Triple H, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, Kane, Kurt Angle, The Rock, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Trish Stratus, Jeff Hardy, Big Show, Eddie Guerrero, Shawn Michaels, Booker T, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Batista and John Cena.
— WWE has a SmackDown live event scheduled for Saturday, October 9, 2011 at the Century Link Center in Bossier City, Louisiana. Tickets go on sale Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. Randy Orton, Christian, Kane, Big Show and Sin Cara are advertised to appear.
CM Punk returned to RAW with a “new” theme song – “Cult of Personality” by the group Living Colour ..
We put “new” in quotes – because this is not the first time Punk has used the song as his entrance theme. Punk used the theme during his final days in Ring of Honor back in 2005.
Here’s the music video for “Cult of Personality” –
– In a move that is sure to please many fans, WWE is planning to make changes to its booking philosphy, namely, focusing on more long-term booking. WWE made an unprecedented move several months back by announcing John Cena vs. The Rock for next year’s WrestleMania a full year in advance – and it appears we’ll be seeing more big matches set up this way. This is somewhat of an “old school” approach – with the company deciding on a featured match and then ‘working backwards’
– Santino Marella suffered a broken nose during a match taped prior to RAW for Thursday’s Superstars. Santino and Chris Masters wrestled WWE Tag Team Champions David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty.
– According to reliable sources in WWE, the decision to have Punk return on this week’s RAW was not made until Monday afternoon. There had been some discussion about keeping him off television until next week, but WWE hit the “fast forward” button and brought him back earlier than originally planned.
It’s being teased on the WWE website that Triple H signed CM Punk to a new contract over the weekend after Punk confronted Triple H at Comic-Con last week. (VIDEO)
– After Monday’s episode of WWE RAW went off the air, CM Punk cut a promo and told the crowd that HE was WWE Champion and was back on RAW for good. The crowd went nuts for punk, who was way more over than John Cena.
– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross was trending worldwide on Twitter during RAW after making a surprise return. Other WWE-related topics that were trending on Twitter on Monday night include CM Punk, Kelly Kelly and Zack Ryder.
– Jim Ross tweeted after RAW:
“Thx to everyone for the response re: my return to Raw. Its good to be ‘Home.’. Hopefully I’ll get to stay a while.”
– New WWE Champion John Cena wrote the following on Twitter about last night’s RAW:
“CeNation. The champ is here. The champ is there. Looks like we may have a situation on our hands.”
– The Miz also chimed in on last night’s show:
“Oooooo…Punk and Cena. Triple H’s new WWE seems a hell of a lot like the old one. Yeah I got two words for ya…”
WWE star CM Punk appearaed on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last night. Kimmel announced that show regular ‘Cousin Sal’ has a six-year-old son named Archie that is a huge John Cena fan – and strongly dislikes CM Punk. This leads to Punk paying Archie a a surprise visit at his home – and hilarity ensues. Check it out here:
– WWE will tape tonight’s NXT and this week’s SmackDown from Philadelphia, PA tonight. Confirmed for TV is an appearance by Triple H and more on Mark Henry’s recent devastation. Advertised locally is Randy Orton vs. World Heavyweight Champion in a Street Fight.
– Last week’s July 22 episode of SmackDown scored a 1.89 cable rating, the program’s best mark since May 20—also a 1.89.
SmackDown had not scored in the 1.80 range since May 27, with the number fluctuating between 1.63 and 1.77 during that time.
Friday’s show averaged 2,821,000 viewers over the course of two hours.
— Tyler Reks, who has portrayed a sinister heel character since debuting last October on the SmackDown brand, was among the numerous babyfaces celebrating Rey Mysterio’s WWE Championship celebration last night on Raw. To add further confusion, he performed as both a babyface and heel at this past weekend’s live events.
(Credit to PWInsider.com for the SmackDown ratings data)
— The Miz, who held the WWE Championship for 160 days, has been named number one in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s “PWI 500” list for 2011. The list, which is now in its 21st year, ranks the top 500 professional wrestlers in the world.
The official announcement has not yet been made, but PWI’s website displays the cover with the news.
The evaluation period for the “PWI 500” is from June 1, 2010, to May 31, 2011.
— WWE developmental wrestlers Aksana, Naomi and Percy Watson could be spotted during Rey Mysterio’s WWE Championship celebration on Raw.
— WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter is advertised to appear at the Bowling Green Hot Rods game at Bowling Green Ballpark 300 8th Ave. Bowling Green, Kentucky on August 17. Game time is 7:05 PM. Gates open at 6:00 p.m. Visit www.bghotrods.com for more information.
What did you think about Monday’s episode of WWE RAW – Triple H’s first night as the CEO of WWE?
– Rey Mysterio defeated Rey Mysterio to win the WWE Championship, but was forced to defend the title against John Cena later in the show – who defeated Mysterio to become new champion.
– CM Punk returned at the end of the show for a Champion vs. Champion staredown with John Cena. This will most likely be settled in a unification match at SummerSlam.
– Jim Ross returned to the WWE announcer’s booth
– Zack Ryder got his first win on RAW, defeating Michael Cole in a quick match
COMMENT BELOW and tell us what you thought of RAW!
— It was announced tonight on Raw that a #1 Contender’s Diva Battle Royal will be held on next week’s show to determine the #1 contender to the Divas Championship. The winner will face Kelly at SummerSlam.
— The Miz is advertised to appear on MTV’s The Challenge: Rivals After Show this Wednesday night at 11:00 p.m.
– Matches taped tonight in Hampton, Virginia for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars are as follows:
* Jack Swagger vs. Alex Riley
* David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty vs. Chris Masters and Santino Marella
Participants are as follows: A.J., Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Brie Bella, Eve, Gail Kim, Kaitlyn, Maryse, Melina, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Rosa Mendes and Tamina.
— Dolph Ziggler debuted a remixed version of his theme song, “I Am Perfection,” tonight on Raw prior to his match against Evan Bourne.
— Reigning Florida Heavyweight Champion Bo Rotundo worked a dark match prior to tonight’s Raw taping in Hampton, Virginia. He defeated Primo.
Rotundo is the son of Mike Rotunda (a/k/a Irwin R. Schyster) and brother of Raw Superstar Husky Harris. He has been competing in Florida Championship Wrestling since December 2008.
— WWE.com has posted a feature counting down the top 25 moments of The Undertaker’s career.
The synopsis reads: “From The Undertaker’s fiery rivalry with his brother Kane to his brutal Hell in a Cell bout with the sick Mankind, WWE.com digs up The Phenom’s Top 25 “gravest” moments, presented by “Final Destination 5″ in 3D and 2D theaters August 12.”
— Kane is featured on the cover of the September 2011 issue of WWE Magazine.
— WWE has announced that the first Raw match of the “post-McMahon Era” will be Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz in the finals of the WWE Championship Tournament.
Their announcement reads: “The final round of the WWE Championship Tournament kicks off Raw tonight at 9/8 CT as Rey Mysterio and The Miz clash Raw to determine the undisputed holder of WWE’s golden prize. Who will be crowned the new WWE Champion?”
— WWE developmental wrestler Naomi acted as the guest host of last night’s Raw live event in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
— Kelly Kelly, Justin Gabriel and Alex Riley are advertised to appear at this Wednesday’s Florida Championship Wrestling live event at the Orlando Armory in Orlando, Florida. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
— Former WWE Superstar Kenzo Suzuki celebrates his 37th birthday today. He is currently wrestling in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he holds the AJPW World Unified Tag Team Championship with The Great Muta.
– The Miz is being advertised to appear on Wednesday’s episode of Lopez Tonight. The program airs at midnight on TBS.
— WWE will be touring Georgia this December. Dates and locations are as follows: December 3 at the Entertainment Complex in Augusta; December 4 at the Civic Center in Columbus; December 5 at the Civic Center in Albany.
— John Cena has responded to The Rock saying he would be at the Survivor Series. Cena tweeted on Monday:
“Dear Dwayne, excited that you are thinking of attending Survivor Series in MSG. You can buy your ticket on September 10th. See you there.”
The 25th annual Survivor Series takes place Sunday, November 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
After recently hinting / threatening that he’ll be seeing John Cena before their match at WrestleMania 28, The Rock has now confirmed his next WWE television appearance.
The Rock announced on Twitter (@TheRock) on Monday:
“Cena fans: Please stop tweeting me to stop being ‘mean’ to John. If you think I’m mean now, just wait (until) Survivor Series in NYC.”
The Rock recently posted a video online hinting that he’ll be seeing Cena at a ‘historic’ arena – and Madison Square Garden certainly fits the bill.
Former WWE star Bobby Lashley’s upcoming MMA fight for Titan Fighting Championships has been cancelled – and there are conflicting reports as to how the fight fell through.
Titan FC claimed last week Lashley pulled out of the July 29 fight due to “personal reasons” and would be fighting on the next Titan card in August – but Lashley wrote the following on Facebook over the weekend – claiming that he never agreed to fight for Titan this month:
“For the record I was in Japan when the news broke about this July fight. I did not pull out of a fight because I did not schedule a fight. To this point in my career I have been just taking fights without a training camp which I have regretted. Lately I had been looking diligently to create a proper camp and find a good coach here in Denver. When I do, I will be training completely and fighting often.”
Lashley has since followed up with the following clarification:
“I really didn’t want my last comment to be taken wrong. I just really want to be ready for my next fight. I will announce my next fight here.”
“The Dominator’s” professional MMA record currently stands at 6-1.
– SyFy writer Nora Zuckerman wrote on Twitter that former WWE Superstar Edge will appear on next week’s episode of Haven and a few more episodes this season.
– Paul Bearer announced on Twitter that former WWE referee Dave Hebner is undergoing heart surgery this morning.
– A SmackDown taping will be held at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on Tuesday, December 6.
– Former WWE champion John Bradshaw Layfield has posted his latest video blog. In this installmnent, JBL responds to fans who say that RAW’s Money in the Bank winner Alberto Del Rio stole his gimmick:
— Ring of Honor wrestlers Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero, both WWE bound, willbypass developmental and join the main roster after they sign their respective contracts.
— Scott Hall’s son Cody, who 6-foot-9 and 20 years old, is training at the I Believe In Wrestling school in Orlando, Florida. Hall offers helps train wrestlers at the school, as does Larry Zbyszko, Chasyn Rance and Alex Porteau.
— A WWE camera crew is prepping with Steve Austin today at his Broken Skull Ranch in Tilden, Texas to begin filming their DVD project on the Hall of Famer Tuesday and Wednesday.
— CM Punk has been removed from WWE’s entrance video for The Nexus.
Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia and will feature the finals of the WWE Championship tournament between Rey Mysterio and The Miz.
After his return to WWE television last week, Triple H is also being advertised for tonight’s RAW.
Former WWE champion CM Punk is currently on hiatus, but he’s still being advertised for tonight’s show by the Hampton Coliseum website. One might assume that the RAW preview that advertises an appearance from Punk is outdated, but it has actually been updated to the news of Vince McMahon stepping down:
“He had a Vision … and created an Empire, a Global Phenomenon … but, for Vincent Kennedy McMahon, it’s … All … Over. This Monday, the Game has changed and HHH is in Charge. In The WWE Championship Tournament finals, The High-Flying, Ultimate Underdog, Rey Mysterio Battles the Self-Proclaimed most must see Superstar, The Miz. Who will be the first WWE Champion in the post McMahon Era? Also there: John Cena, CM Punk, Money In The Bank Winner Alberto Del Rio, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, “The All American-American” Jack Swagger, Dolph, Ziggler, Santino Marella,Vladimir Kozlov, Kelly Kelly, The Bella’s, Zack Ryder and MANY, MANY MORE!!!*Card subject to change”
— Days after being suspended by WWE for a violation of the organization’s Talent Wellness Program, Sin Cara has been removed from all SummerSlam promotional material. His image is no longer featured on the promotional poster, nor the microsite.
Regarding the masked grappler’s status with WWE, many employees are under the impression that management “had decided to cut bait on him.” Creative wasn’t informed until a day or two prior to Money in the Bank that he needed to be written off television and were also told to not “put any thought into any scenarios for him going forward.” A final decision regarding his immediate future has not been made.
— Triple H attended Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s wedding, which took place Saturday in Ohio Township, Pennsylvania. “Big Ben” is a huge wrestling fan, and guest hosted an episode of Monday Night Raw in October 2009.
— Former WWE Diva Torrie Wilson turns 36 years old today.