Former WWE superstar Matt Hardy appeared on the Hit The Ropes radio show this week. Here are some highlights of what Hardy said about:

The “PG Era” In WWE: “I see why they do it; I don’t necessarily agree with it. I think it puts them in a tough spot. I think it’s still cool that TNA has the ability to do things that are a little edgy. But once again, you don’t need people bleeding every match and you don’t need every match to be a ladder match. I think things have to be promoted smart and wisely.”

Starting An Indy Promotion: I’ve talked with different guys about it already and I’ve definitely started making some small plans and as time goes on they’ll start materializing more and more.”

Returning To WWE: “If I did go back there I would want to go back there and work a part-time schedule. I just think my body, where I’m at right now, I’m past working 300-plus days a year right now… I’d still be willing to work hard and work a majority of the shows but still not just out there in the trenches, day in and day out, like I have been for the past 13 years.”

• New VIDEO: Matt Hardy Says He Will Change Wrestling Forever
  

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com As always, check out JR’s website for his delicious line of BBQ products. Here are some highlights of what Ross said about:

Sting In The WWE Hall of Fame:

We’re getting lots of emails and Tweets, @JRsBBQ, regarding Sting these days. BTW has he left TNA? I actually don’t know the answer to that one but suspect that Sting is still officially with TNA. Nonetheless many fans hope that Sting is inducted in the WWE HOF in Atlanta at WM27. Theoretically, if Sting were not working for another wrestling company, it would be a splendid idea. It still might be but that’s not for me to speculate on. Sting was the first and only WCW star that Turner’s people ‘made’ in Atlanta that never wrestled for WWE as best that I recall.

Paul Orndorff Announcing He Has Cancer:

Sorry to hear of Paul Orndorff was recently diagnosed with having cancer. PO is a tough man, I know this without hype or speculation, and saw him in action as a young dude being mentored by Cowboy Bill Watts in Mid South Wrestling. Paul was a former running back for the University of Tampa and played with former NFL star Freddie Solomon. Our prayers are with PO and I have complete faith that Mr. Wonderful will be physically wonderful at the end of the day. Paul was a helluva hand in his day who was never afraid of ‘heat’ when he was one of the most hated villains in the business. Trust me, all wrestling villains could not honestly say that they had absolutely no fear of intense, fan angst but Mr. Wonderful could.

Who Will Be The MVP Of WWE In 2011

Who will be WWE MVP by year’s end. If he stays healthy an argument could be made, at least in my point of view, that it might be CM Punk. Punk knows how to be physical and punishing in logical, easy to follow methods plus the guy can talk. Those traits work for me. Plus he won’t miss work, moan about non, major injuries and seems to never burn out.

Here are some highlights of what Daniel Bryan said to Slam Wrestling during a recent interview:

His Cattle Mutilation Submission Hold:

“I didn’t really believe the Cattle Mutilation would get over with the WWE Universe, and the reason why is because it’s such a TV-oriented product. There are a lot of downfalls to it. (In the Cattle Mutilation) you can’t see the other guy’s face, and on top of that, it’s very difficult to do it to big guys; I don’t have long arms. For example Ezekiel Jackson — he’s an enormous guy — there’s no way I’d be able to hook my arms through his arms like that. It was more me — no one mentioned anything to me about it. I’ll occasionally throw the Cattle Mutilation out there in places where I think there’s more of the independent fanbase, just as a tribute to them because they’re the people who got me to where I am today.”

Who He Wants To Feud With:

“CM Punk moved over to the Raw brand, so I’m actually hoping that me and him get to feud a little bit. We got to wrestle in the independents and we had some really good matches and I think the WWE Universe would be really excited about it.”

“I’d love to wrestle Tyson Kidd. We tag teamed in New Japan Pro Wrestling back in 2003 and I think we even did a singles match in Budokan Hall in Japan.” ?

His 2003 Match Against John Cena On Velocity:

“It hasn’t been brought up between the two of us, I haven’t seen it in years. The match was almost scrapped. That was the night he was going to come out in an interview and do something with Brock Lesnar. He was doing this major, main event thing, so they (WWE’s bookers) were saying, ‘We don’t want him in this Velocity match with an independent guy.’ I thought it was a good match and it gets me excited because I know we both progressed in our careers and if we ever got to wrestle again it would be really good.”

In case you haven’t seen it, here’s a video clip of Daniel Bryan’s (then Bryan Danielson) match against John Cena back in 2003:

— WWEDVDNews.com has released the cover art for World Wrestling Entertainment’s upcoming DVD set on Big Show, Big Show: A Giant’s World. The cover features the WWE Superstar grasping a miniature wrestling ring.

To view the cover art, click here. The three-disc set is scheduled for release on Feb. 22.

— In the segment-by-segment numbers for Monday’s Raw, the WWE Title Match between The Miz and John Morrison drew a 3.1 for the first quarter and a 3.2 for the second quarter; Maryse, Melina and Alicia Fox vs. Brie Bella, Eve Torres and Natalya tumbled to 2.9; the in-ring segment with CM Punk, Wade Barrett and The Nexus setting up main event stipulations grew the rating to a 3.2; Alberto Del Rio vs. R-Truth fell to 3.0; backstage interviews with Randy Orton and The Nexus fell to 2.7; beginning of the Steel Cage Match between Orton, Barrett and Sheamus grew to 3.2 and then increased to 3.8 for the overrun. From start to finish, the Steel Cage Match gained 1,611,000 viewers.

Overall, the show drew a 3.08 cable rating, with 4.51 million viewers.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Busted Open with ‘Mr. Wonderful’ Paul Orndorff
Hosts: Dave LaGreca & Doug Mortman
Mondays and Wednesdays from 2-4 PM ET

Here are some highlights of what Paul Orndorff said about:

Never having held the WWF Championship: “I was a rebel. I’m proud and I’m not proud of that. I let my work do my talking. I wasn’t a very good politician. I said what I thought. I did what I thought was right for me and my family. Were they the right thing? I don’t know. Were they the wrong thing? I don’t know. Am I rich? Hell no. I have cancer right now. I wished I had saved some of my money…but that’s just the way it is.”

Where he is with his Cancer: “I don’t know, I’m going to the doctors and they’re doing things and I brought that up not for sympathy but because I don’t want it. I just found out. And I’m sitting here telling you all this stuff because I wonder if maybe I should have just played the game.”

The difference between the WWE and Professional Wrestling Halls of Fame (he is in both): “Well one is chosen by your peers, and one is chosen by Vince McMahon. I would pick the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (as the most prestigious) because it’s chosen by the people you worked with. I think it holds more ground. Why would the NFL or baseball do it (that way) if it wasn’t the way to go?”

Randy Savage and Bruno Sammartino not being in the WWE Hall of Fame: “Well they didn’t kiss (McMahon’s) ass. Of course a lot of guys didn’t kiss his ass believe it or not. I damn sure didn’t…That’s just life. It’s nice that I’m in (the WWE Hall of Fame), but if I had to choose between the two, (I would choose) the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.”

A wrestling fan from Indiana is suing World Wrestling Entertainment and wrestlers Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Paul Levesque (Triple) H for an incident that happened at WWE Judgement Day 2000 from Louisville, Kentucky.

During the main event of Judgement Day between The Rock and Triple H, the two wrestlers brawled into the crowd and the fan alleges that he was injured during the scuffle.

The lawsuit accuses the WWE of failing to properly provide adequate security for its customers. Both Johnson and Levesque are accused of “reckless, willful and wanton conduct.” The fan is seeking a jury trial and compensatory and punitive damages.

Harris Berman, the fan’s attorney, said that because the fan was only 7 years old (a minor) at the time of the incident, the lawsuit is not prohibited by the statute of limitations. According to Mr. Berman, the fan has been to various doctors over the years concerning his leg and recently had surgery, spurring him to file the lawsuit.

For more on this story, visit Courrier-Journal.com.

— Footage has surfaced from the live feed of Monday’s Raw of Melina, Maryse and Alicia Fox apparently ad-libbing a promo prior to their Divas Tag Match against Natalya, Eve Torres and Brie Bella.

Melina gives a half-hearted explanation for her recent actions against Natalya by simply saying, “I guess I don’t really have anything to say other than, I guess I just get a little emotional.” She then laughs and passes the microphone to Maryse, who proceeds to speak in French. Alicia Fox then says, “This is true class right here so just get used to it.”

Click here to see the video.

— Several top World Wrestling Entertainment executives received major stock options at the end of 2010. For instance, Executive Vice President of Television Production Kevin Dunn sold 18,000 shares for $258,300 on Dec 29. Shares of WWE stock owned by Dunn are currently worth $1.77 million. A trust fund Vince McMahon earmarked in 2008, which is separate from his own stock portfolio, sold 2,866,944 shares on Dec. 29—equal to $41,140,646. The current value of his trust fund following the sale is approximately $146 millio

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

— This Friday’s Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio 2 of 3 Falls Match on SmackDown is being advertised as the final match between the two WWE Superstars. They have been feuding since Del Rio’s in-ring debut in August.

— Christian has been announced to appear at Florida Championship Wrestling’s live event at the Charlotte County Fairgrounds Expo Hall on Friday, January 14. The SmackDown Superstar will be taking part in a meet and greet autograph session at the event, which will also feature a Table, Ladders and Chairs Match, a Generation – X Rumble featuring 15 second and third generation wrestlers, and a Divas Lumber Jill Match.

— The WWE SmackDown live event on March 19, 2011 has been moved to the Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia. It’s original venue was the Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina.

The Poughkeepsie Journal has published a new interview with former WWE superstar Matt Hardy, which you can read here in its entirety. Here are some highlights of what Matt said about:

WWE’s Main Goal, His Favorite Performer & The Sad State Of Tag Team Wrestling:

“It saddens me and it bothers me. Looking at WWE, their main goal right now is to search for the next big thing that can draw. John Cena is the guy that is the centerpiece.

“Randy Orton is probably my favorite performer right now. But they still can’t find that one person like a Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock that can spark the business to burn through the economy. That’s what they’re looking for and Vince, or WWE, isn’t going to focus on tag team wrestling or a cruiserweight division.”

What’s Changed The Most Since He First Joined WWE:

“What’s changed the most, by far, is true creative freedom. When we started with WWE, there was one writer, Vince Russo, and there was Ed Ferrara and those guys really dealt with the top five to eight guys in the company … Now, they try to take so much control over what everybody does. You have to be able to walk a tight line without a net. Sometimes, you’ll fail miserably and sometimes, you’ll look great. Everything is so choreographed now, especially with promos.”

His Brother Jeff’s Legal Issues:

“There’s definitely a lot more to everything than meets the eye. I hate it for Jeff. So many people jump to conclusions and that’s where information and the Internet can be somewhat of a negative. With the Internet having such a strength, a snowball effect becomes a full-fledged storm.”

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog with his thoughts about former WWE superstar turned UFC fighter Brock Lesnar’s new book. Ross wrote:

“[Lesnar’s] new book about his life and times that’s co-written with Paul Heyman is due out April 19. It will be interesting to see how many book signings the intensely private Lesnar does but as the old saying goes, “A signed book is a sold book.” Most MMA insiders think that Lesnar will next fight in July for UFC. With Lesnar off the radar and with nothing currently, publically established for his return, many die hard MMA fanatics seemingly have used that opportunity and Lesnar losing the UFC Heavyweight Title to start ‘hating on’ Brock again. Amazing. Lesnar will never fully live down his time in WWE to many MMA purists. “

Speaking of Brock Lesnar’s book, he posted a video on YouTube this week explaining that the book will be about his life story and his fight to the top of WWE and UFC, despite all the doubters. Here’s the announcement:

Warning: The following contains a Spoiler for Friday’s WWE SmackDown:

At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from the Tucson Convention Center in Arizona, Kofi Kingston defeated Dolph Ziggler to capture the Intercontinental Championship. Kofi pinned Dolph to capture the belt when Vickie Guerrero came out and demanded that the match be restarted. It was restarted and Kofi won again, walking away champion.

Later in the tapings, there was a #1 Contender’s match for the World Heavyweight championship with Drew McIntyre vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show. Vickie Guerrero came out and added Dolph Ziggler to the match. Ziggler pinned Cody Rhodes to become the number one contender. Former Nexus member Wade Barrett came out during the match and attacked the Big Show.

• Related News: Wade Barrett & Nexus’ Future Revealed

As the new #1 contender, Ziggler likely challenge for Edge’s title at the Royal Rumble.

Warning: The following contains a Spoiler for Friday’s WWE SmackDown:

At Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings, former Nexus member Wade Barrett made a surprise appearance and attacked the Big Show during a #1 contender’s match that was won by Dolph Ziggler.

After Barrett was kicked out of Nexus on Monday’s RAW, his is now reportedly being moved to the SmackDown brand, reports PWInsider.com.

Barrett will not be turning face as part of his exit from Nexus and will not be putting much more of a fight to get back with his former group. Nexus will move on without Barrett, with CM Punk as its new leader as we begin the new year.

— The results of the first poll of the fourth season of NXT were revealed on tonight’s episode and it was announced that Jacob Novak has been eliminated from the competition.

Novak said it is ‘a crushing blow’ and that he always wanted to stand in front of the WWE Universe because they share the same passion as him. He added that NXT was the experience of his life.

Matt Striker then announced that the next elimination will take place in two weeks.

— Matches taped tonight in Tucson, Arizona for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars were JTG vs. Tyler Reks and Chris Masters vs. Curt Hawkins.

— Percy Watson pinned Chavo Guerrero in a dark match prior to tonight’s television tapings.

source: PWInsider.com

– World Wrestling Entertainment officials reportedly did not reach out to Samoa Joe during a few day period last month he was a free agent. There were people in the organization pushing Joe to be signed, but results were not had before he reached a new agreement with TNA Wrestling. (source: PWInsider.com)

– WWE United States Champion Daniel Bryan is advertised to face Tommaso Ciampa in a Submissions Match at this Saturday’s Millennium Wrestling Federation event at Memorial Hall on 590 Main St. – Melrose, MA.

For more information on Tommaso Ciampa, click here. A video promo of Ciampa commenting on his upcoming match with Bryan is available here.

Other matches scheduled to take place include “Slyck” Wagner Brown vs. former TNA star Homicide in a MWF Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match, TNA star Abyss vs. “Executioner” Brian Milonas in a Steel Cage Grudge Match, and Awesome Kong vs. MWF Tag Team Champion J-Busta in a Steel Cage Inter-gender Match. Paul Bearer, “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal, “Doink the Clown” Matt Borne, “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards and John Cena, Sr., among others, are also advertised to appear.

— John Cena was reportedly “banged up” before he suffered an injury to his hip during a match with Wade Barrett at last Tuesday’s Raw live event in Philadelphia. It is the latest in a series of minor injuries the WWE Superstar is suffering from. Nonetheless, he is expected back any week now.

— With Tough Enough beginning the day after WrestleMania XXIV, there won’t be a three-hour episode of Raw during the ten-week run of the reality program. There has been a three-hour WWE Draft show following WrestleMania for the past four years.

— Jim Ross noted today on Twitter that he is meeting with retired NFL player and University of Oklahoma alumnus Marcus Dupree to discuss potential non-wrestling opportunities for himself. Ross added that a movie could be in the works.

(source: f4wonline.com))

— The January 3, 2010 edition of Monday Night Raw scored a 3.06 cable rating. The rating is slightly down from last week’s show, which scored a 3.06.

— WWE talent Glenn Jacobs (a/k/a Kane) and Mises Institute faculty will be participating in an “Economics in One Lesson: High School Seminar” in Knoxville, Tennessee on February 11. The seminar is being sponsored by the Tennessee Liberty Alliance. Click here for more information.

— WWE’s forthcoming three-disc DVD set on Big Show, Big Show: A Giant’s World, is set for release on February 22, 2011.

(source: Pro Wrestling Torch)

— Snoop Dogg is pushing his Twitter followers to vote for Brodus Clay in the ongoing NXT competition. Voting is taking place at WWE.com as the first elimination will be made on tonight’s show. He wrote:

“Brodus clay get ur vote on WWENXT.com represent tha homey @brodusclay. nudoknowthat.”

Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, he worked as a bodyguard for Snoop Dogg. The Brodus Clay ring name is a play on Snoop Dogg’s real name, Cordozar Calvin Broadus.

— Comcast’s On Demand service is offering the following Royal Rumble matches for $1.99 apiece: 1988, 1989. 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2008.

— New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the following dates for their upcoming tour of the United States: Friday, May 13 in Rahway, New Jersey at the Rahway Rec Center; Saturday, May 14 in Brooklyn, New York at a yet to be announced venue; Sunday, May 15 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the “ECW Arena.”

— Big Show has landed a role in the upcoming Nickelodeon series “Supah Ninjas, which is centered around a group of high school kids who are ninjas.

A casting call was issued today for a stand-in for the WWE Superstar with the casting director asking for a Caucasian male “6’9′ or taller who is 400 to 475lbs.”

— The New Year’s Eve edition of SmackDown drew a 1.43 cable rating, with 2,205,000 viewers. It is a record low rating for a first-run episode of SmackDown on Syfy.

— WWEShop.com is offering 20% off orders of $75 or more with the code “2011”.

(source: PWInsider.com)

— A number of mainstream news outlets including Entertainment Weekly and Variety are covering the revival of WWE’s Tough Enough reality series on the USA Network. A blogger for Entertainment Weekly queried if Al Snow would be returning as a trainer, but a USA representative stated that decisions about judges and mentors have yet to be made.

Snow currently works for TNA Wrestling as a producer.

— The Rupp Arena is no longer advertising Rey Mysterio for this Saturday’s Smackdown live event in Lexington, Kentucky. Alberto Del Rio will instead face Big Show.

— Former WWE star Jim Powers celebrates his 52nd birthday today. He announced his retirement from professional wrestling last month.

Former WWE star Shad Gaspard appeared on Right After Wrestling with Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas last night. You can hear the full interview at TheScore.com. Here are some highlights of what Gaspard said about:

Telling Strikeforce MMA Fighter “King Mo” Not To Join WWE:

“(Former Strikeforce MMA Light Heavyweight Champion King Mo Lawal) actually tried out (for the WWE). Gerald Brisco got him a tryout with WWE. They were ready to sign him and he was ready to sign. He decided not to come with WWE because, we were out drinking one night. I told him that he’s young, he can still do it.. he should fight right now, do what he has to do now and then later on become a pro wrestler. I know he will be a superstar when it’s his time. He’s in in no rush. I’m super proud of him.”

Not Watching Wrestling Anymore & Being A Fan Of John Morrison:

“I haven’t watched wrestling in months. Tonight was the first night I watched because I knew Morrison was wrestling, and I was hoping he’d win the title. You know it’s one of those things where the really good athlete doesn’t necessarily make the really good wrestler in some people’s opinions. And it’s not the people who are watching the product, it’s the people who are in the back. I think Morrison is a phenomenal athlete. But when you put him in a wrestling ring and that talent sometimes get unshowcased and sometimes I feel people like him get the short end of the stick.”

– WWE will tape tonight’s episode of NXT and Friday’s SmackDown show from the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona.

NXT will feature the first elimination of Season 4. SmackDown will see Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio in a 2 of 3 Falls Match and Kane vs. Edge in a Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight championship.

– A few readers have asked why SmackDown star Alberto Del Rio wrestled on Monday’s WWE RAW from Phoenix. Aside from the fact that Alberto is in the midst of a major push and WWE wants him to get as much exposure as possibe, the main reason is that WWE wants to give RAW fans a look at a top SmackDown star in hopes that they’ll watch SmackDown on SyFy. Expect to see more crossover among RAW and SmackDown stars in the coming months.

– The new backstage announcer we saw on RAW is Scott Stanford, who announces on WWE Superstars and is one of WWE’s “hype men” on the PPV preview shows that air before WWE’s PPVs go on the air. He’s a longtime newscaster in the New York area and has an official website at ScottStanford.tv.

Former WWE superstar & one-half of Cryme Tyme, Shad Gaspard, was one of the featured guests on this week’s live edition (01/03/11) of the award-winning Monday Night Mayhem.

Shad Gaspard Discusses His WWE Release, Why His Slated Singles Push On SmackDown Was Halted, The Break-Up Of Cryme Tyme, Why Him & JTG Never Won The World Tag Team Titles, Who Created The Concept & Idea Of Cryme Tyme, TNA/MMA Rumors, His Relationship With John Laurinaitis, Why He Believes Chris Jericho Is One Of The Greatest Of All-Time, Collaborating With Muhammad Hassan On Their Forthcoming Graphic Novel, & What Fans Can Expect In His New Film “Untouchable”

You can download an MP3 of Shad’s appearance on The Mayhem by clicking here.

Interview highlights courtesy of The Mayhem’s official correspondent, Paterson from New Jersey:

Whether or not his WWE release came as a surprise:

“To be honest with you, no. I was with the company for about eight years, a few of those years were in developmental and five & a half of it have spent on the road. I kinda learned the system of the company and learned the understandings of the business side of the company, along with the wrestling. I saw it coming. The only thing that kind of caught me off-guard was I actually being talked to about what I was going to be doing on TV when I would came back in November or December, and then I was released.”

What happened from the time of Cryme Tyme’s break-up to the time he was released by the WWE & what were the plans for his slated singles push which began on SmackDown:

“I sat down with a lot of the top people, and we talked and they had very big plans for me on SmackDown or RAW. Everything sounded real good. I went down to Tampa to train, and went I got down to Tampa, I weighed 305 lbs. By the time I was done training, I got down to 265 lbs. I thought I was doing good, and I was told I was doing good by several people. Then again, I had some people telling me I was doing bad. It was a big push & pull kind of thing.”

If he believes the WWE truly focused on tag teams during his run with the company & which tag team that he & JTG faced off with that he hoped the WWE would have capitalized on:

“In my opinion, I think the WWE never focused on tag teams since like way back in the day. Tag teams are just something our creative staff doesn’t really think draws people to the show. As Cryme Time, we were lucky that we actually had personalities to go along with our wrestling. Even though we were aggressive, and we did fun moves, and had pretty good matches with people, we actually had personalities away from the ring, where we could talk into the microphone, and have fun, and get the fans into our matches. I honestly thought that when Chris Jericho & Big Show became Tag Team Champions, they brought so much to the tag team division, and they build it up so much together as a team (Jeri-Show). When they were Tag Team Champions, they stepped up the level in the tag team division. I was hoping that the WWE would have capitalized on that, whether it be with us as Cryme Time or any other team.”

More is contained in Shad’s first post-WWE interview, including his candid thoughts & comments on how he took the news of his release from John Laurinaitis, whether or not you will see him in TNA in 2011, the possibilities of transitioning into the world of MMA, the real reason why Cryme Tyme never won the World Tag Team Titles in the WWE, whose idea it originally was to team him up with JTG in the first place, why he believes that Chris Jericho is one the greatest of all-time, collaborating with Marc Copani (Muhammad Hassan) on their forthcoming graphic novel, what fans can expect in his new film “Untouchable,” plus so much more! The rumors & speculation can now be put to rest, as “The Beast” breaks his silence in this worldwide Mayhem exclusive! Be sure to follow Shad right now on Twitter (at www.Twitter.com/ShadBeast).

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:

Miz vs. Morrison’s Match From Monday’s RAW:

“Great start to Raw with Miz vs. Morrison. These are two of the individuals that WWE is counting on to be big time players in the future. They both put forth great effort in the falls count anywhere match for the WWE Title. I enjoyed their hard work and the overall physicality of the contest. Both men likely want to be known not only as successful, main eventers, first and foremost, but also tough, physical wrestlers, as well. Each took positive steps forward on that goal.”

“Miz is establishing that he is a talented, charismatic WWE Champion who can be beaten on any given night. That combo has worked for ages.”

“Morrison can wow any discerning fan with his athleticism and his physicality is becoming more prominent in his matches and I like that trait with any wrestler.”

The Elevation Of Wade Barrett & Sheamus:

“Some of the exchanges between Wade Barrett and Sheamus were physical and both men showed intensity and a gear change. Both Barrett and Sheamus have definitive up sides and both fit into the same category with Morrison and Miz as men that WWE needs to get to the next level and to stay there. Again, this is no simple feat and the ascension is a process that takes varying amounts of time depending on the individual along with being at the right place at the right time with all the stars surrounding the process being aligned properly.”

Reports That Awesome Kong Has Signed With WWE:

“I don’t know if WWE has signed female star Awesome Kong or not but if they have then I think it is a smart hire. After meeting her at the Cauliflower Alley Club (CAC) function a year or so ago in Las Vegas, I wrote that I thought she would be a nice fit in WWE because Kong is so unique. If she does sign, I’d bet a case of BBQ sauce that her name changes. If the Kong rumor is true, and this is just my two cents, I hope that Kong NEVER wrestles a man in WWE.”

As always, visit JRsBarBQ.com to check out Jim Ross’ delicious line of BBQ products!

Here’s a live recap of what we didn’t see on Monday’s WWE RAW broadcast from Phoenix, Arizona:

Pre-RAW Dark Match:

* Mason Ryan defeated Primo.

Matches Taped For WWE Superstars:

* Yoshi Tatsu vs. Zach Ryder.

* WWE United States champion Daniel Bryan & Mark Henry vs. Ted DiBiase and Tyson Kidd

After RAW Went Off The Air:

The advertised dark match main event with Randy Orton and John Cena vs. The Miz and C.M. Punk never happened, due to Cena’s injury.

After RAW went off air, The Miz and Alex Riley came out and started talking trash about Randy Orton and the city of Phoenix. The crowd got very loud and booed the Miz for about 2 minutes straight. Michael Cole got in the ring, which drew a lot of heat. Orton entered the ring, sized up the three men and delivered RKO’s to Miz and A-Ri.. Cole was able to get away. Orton posed to send the crowd home.

The crowd was hot all night and very into The Miz and Randy Orton.