— Doink the Clown was portrayed by WWE producer Steve Lombardi (a/k/a Brooklyn Brawler) on Monday’s Raw, reports the Pro Wrestling Torch. He took part in the eight-wrestler “Brady Bunch” themed tag match. It’s interesting to note that the official WWE website referenced Lombardi’s past personas in its write-up for the match, saying: “In the end, the “Santino Bunch” proved too strong for the “Regal Bunch,” despite the clever recruitment of Doink the Clown, a staple of the ’90s, who competed alongside such unlikely ring warriors as Brooklyn Brawler, Abe “Knuckleball” Schwartz and Kim Chee.”

— Mexican wrestler Psicosis II is scheduled to receive a tryout with WWE when the company tours Texas later this month, reports www.F4WOnline.com. He is not to be confused with former WCW Cruiserweight Champion and WWE performer Psychosis.

— In the following video, Florence Henderson recalls her night as Monday Night Raw’s special guest hostess.

— Though no Raw guest hosts are currently scheduled, the WWE website announced that the concept will continue. The following statement was released:

Upcoming Raw guest hosts

From comedians to politicians to musical performers to professional athletes, Monday Night Raw’s guest hosts are some of past and present’s finest entertainers. The WWE Universe, therefore, can expect this trend to continue as more and more of the most popular celebrities are hopping aboard to serve as Raw special host.

Check back here as new Raw special guest hosts are announced, and be sure to tune in Monday nights when the biggest stars from all over the world have the opportunity to take over as Raw’s special guest host.

— Matches taking place on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America are as follows:

* Chris Jericho vs. Yoshi Tatsu
* The Bella Twins vs. Maryse and Jillian
* JTG vs. Chavo Guerrero
* Vance Archer and Curt Hawkins vs. local competitors

— Rey Mysterio defeated Jack Swagger in a Steel Cage Match following last night’s SmackDown taping in Louisville, Kentucky. Meanwhile, Alberto Del Rio beat a local competitor in a dark match before NXT.

Thanks to SEScoops reader and Sound Off listener Jeronimo Cárdenas for the results and photo:

-Dark match was Alberto Del Rio over some local wrestler before NXT.  Guy was good… not great, but looked good.

— The NXT battle royal was really confusing live, but the 450 at the end did the trick.   It’s amazing to witness live.

–Smackdown opened with Cody Rhodes and Kofi Kingston going to a draw after Kane came out and destroyed both men.  He then cut a promo vowing to kill Jack Swagger later.

-Drew McIntyre def. Christian.

-CM Punk and the SES in the ring for a promo before Big Show interrupts.  Show brought out various ladders that didn’t accomodate his size, but then brought out a custom ladder specially made for his size.  SES attacked Show, but he eventually got rid of them and went after Punk.  It culminated with Big Show taking Punk to the top of the ladder and removing his mask!  See the photo below.

-Kelly Kelly and Chris Masters def. Layla and Trent Barretta.  Rosa Mendez came out and distracted Layla by jumping rope.

-Dolph Ziggler def. Matt Hardy.

-Jack Swagger brought out his “father” (SITE NOTE: played by former WCW star Bunkhouse Buck) with “evidence” that would clear him from Kane’s accusations.  It was just a bunch of silly photos with Swagger and his dad doing athletic contests during the  Memorial Day holida.  Kane came out and called BS, then attempted to chokeslam both men.  Swagger fought back and Rey Mysterio came out and attacked Swagger, leading to Kane chokeslamming Swagger’s dad while poor Jack watched from outside the ring.

-Best moments were the Christian-McIntyre match and the Big Show segment with CM Punk (Paul Wight was really over with the crowd.

(credit: prowrestling.net)

-Once Raw went off the air last night, John Cena and Randy Orton defeated Edge and Sheamus in the dark match.  Following the match, with the two babyfaces celebrating, a female fan hopped the barricade and got into the ring at John Cena.  Security quickly grabbed her, though she grabbed hold of the ropes, held on tight and it took several bodies to get her out.

-(SPOILER ALERT) TNA stars Tommy Dreamer and Brother Ray of Team 3D were responsible for leading all the wrestlers involved through a walkthrough of the “invasion” angle that closes out this Thursday’s Impact show.  There was a belief that Dreamer may have suffered some sort of knee injury during the angle, but we have not gotten confirmation of this as of yet.

(sources: www.f4wonline.com, PWInsider.com)

— WWE officials are said to be “very high” on Divas Champion Alicia Fox. Her sister, Christina Crawford, is currently training in developmental. She made her Florida Championship Wrestling debut at last Thursday’s live event in Tampa, competing in a Divas Bikini Contest.

— NXT Rookies from both seasons are scheduled to compete at SummerSlam.

— Following last night’s Raw, a match pitting Randy Orton against Edge and Sheamus began. Moments into the match, John Cena appeared, after being tended to backstage by medical personnel as a result of a cut suffered during the conclusion of Raw. Cena spent most of the match on the outside, but made the save for Orton to win the bout. A woman jumped the barricade after the match and began clinging to Cena’s leg, but was quickly escorted by security.

— WWE has a new DVD project in the works entitled Best of the High Flyers. This title is set to be released on Oct. 12.

— WWE developmental wrestler G-Rilla is now going under the name Brodus Clay. He recently formed a partnership with Donny Marlow, referring themselves as “The Colossal Connection.”

— With WWE’s Raw guest host concept seemingly on its last legs, one company source said “things don’t look good” for The Bella Twins.

Throughout the duration of the concept, the twin duo’s screen time would hinge on the guest host of the week as they are generally used on Raw as “arm pieces” rather than in a wrestling capacity. In recent weeks they have been largely relegated to WWE’s secondary show Superstars as a result of the concept being de-emphasized.

Florence Henderson, who wasn’t even announced in advance on Raw, was the last guest host scheduled, though that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s the final one.

— WWE released a preliminary figure of 198,000 worldwide buys — including 115,000 from North America — for its Over the Limit pay-per-view in May. WWE dropped Judgment Day from it annual line-up and replaced it with Over the Limit this year. Last year’s event drew 228,000 total buys.

— Last week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America scored a 0.64 cable rating, 715,000 viewers. The midnight replay scored a 0.2, with 146,000 viewers.

— Playboy’s “Cyber Club” has published nude photographs of Maryse taken several years ago and are using her image to advertise the pictorial. This matter was brought to her attention, to which she remarked on Twitter:

“For all those asking constantly about Playboy, no I didn’t shoot recently and haven’t sign any deals w them, Playboy owns their copyrights. They own all the photos I did shoot with them, so they can use it for the next 100 years if they want and in any kind of form they want! I never worked for Playboy Cyber Club, they are parts of Playboy, that’s why they are releasing right now other photos!”

— Matches taped before Monday’s Raw broadcast for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America were Yoshi Tatsu vs. Chris Jericho and The Bella Twins vs. Maryse and Jillian.

— In a battle of NXT Rookies, Kaval beat Alex Riley in a dark match before Monday’s Raw broadcast. Riley cut a heel promo before the match.

— Melina is presently shaking off ring rust at WWE’s developmental promotion, Florida Championship Wrestling. The multi-time WWE Women’s Champion is expected to make a return to the main roster “anytime.” Meanwhile, Beth Phoenix is roughly two months away from returning to the ring. She is recovering from ACL surgery. (source: PWInsider.com)

— As seen at the top of Monday’s Raw broadcast, WWE debuted a modified montage video. Among the changes were “Classy” Freddie Blassie, Buddy Rogers, Gorgeous George and Harley Race being added, but the most striking change was the removal of the voice of Jim Ross in favor of Raw announcer Michael Cole.

Concerning the modified video, Ross wrote on Twitter: “While @ gym got messages my voice was removed from Raw show open. If it matters, that’s news 2 me. Been nice 2 have been informed. Oh, well.”

— WWE’s DVD set chronicling the Elimination Chamber Match, Satan’s Prison- The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber, is officially released today. The trailer for the DVD can be viewed here.

Below is the updated card for WWE’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view following this week’s episode of Raw. A new match has been added to the lineup as it was announced that Alicia Fox would be defending her Divas Championship against Eve.

Here is the updated card:

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
Sheamus (c) vs. John Cena

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Jack Swagger

Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Randy Orton vs. John Morrison vs. Evan Bourne vs. The Miz vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge vs. Mark Henry
(Winner earns right to challenge the WWE Champion at any time, at any place, for up to one year)

SmackDown Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Big Show vs. Christian vs. Matt Hardy vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Kane vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler
(Winner earns right to challenge World Heavyweight Champion at any time, at any place, for up to one year)

Unified Tag Team Championship Match
The Hart Dynasty (c) vs. Jimmy and Jey Uso

WWE Women’s Championship Match
Layla (c) vs. Kelly Kelly

WWE Divas Championship Match
Alicia Fox (c) vs. Eve

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has posted his latest BBQ blog HERE. Here are some excerpts:

“My long time friend and former business associate Paul Heyman has been Googled to oblivion the past few days as he has been the source of endless, sensationalistic, some planted, rumors regarding his alleged, pending return to pro wrestling. Does Paul really want a ‘future’ in wrestling? I will believe it when I see it but if Paul Heyman is back in the game and is in a role where he likes, the game will get more interesting.“

Solomonster Says: In other news, grass is green and Matt Hardy still has a gut.  Of course any significant change made by TNA will make things more interesting.  Word is that negotiations are still ongoing between Heyman and Dixie Carter.

“What’s WWE’s top priority as it relates to Raw or Smackdown? Not to be Mel Gibson crazy here but you’ve got to be kidding. RAW was, is and always will be the WWE’s premier show. Smackdown will never outperform RAW and it will never be positioned over RAW. Even when Friday Night Smackdown went to MyNetworkTV it ended up being much to do about nothing. Trust me…I was a part of that ‘upgrade.'”

Solomonster Says: Ouch!  Bitter much?  But really, we’ve known for over a decade that Raw is Vince’s baby and Smackdown is the black sheep of the family.

“How do I think that the Rock and Stone Cold would have fared in the WWE’s PG environment? Both were talented enough to pull it off, without question, but it likely wouldn’t have been as much fun for either talent considering how their TV persona’s were crafted. “For all that want to see Stone Cold drink a ‘Near Beer’ give me a ‘heck, yeah!'”

Solomonster Says: Don’t forget all those Steveweisers Austin would also have to forgo in favor of Vitamin Water.

JR also gives his thoughts on the ROH talent roster, wrestler tattoos and whether he has one himself, Brock Lesnar’s next fight, and more.

Solomonster Sounds Off

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Solomonster talks about LeBron James as a great heel, Triple H’s secret surgery, John Cena shows attitude and more on Dixie Carter’s tweets and the desperate state of TNA. Listen now!

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— It would appear that WWE officials did not want word of Triple H’s recent surgery to surface. Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dirk Hayhurst, who broke the news of the WWE Superstar’s surgery on his Twitter account last Thursday, has since removed the posts.

It was later disclosed that Triple H underwent surgery to repair a torn muscle tendon in his arm, which will sideline him for several more months.

— Playboy’s “Cyber Club” has published nude photographs of Maryse (under her real name, Maryse Ouellet). Furthermore, her image is being used to advertise the pictorial. However, it should be noted that the photos were taken several years ago ago, before she joined WWE. While WWE is not partnering with Playboy, the adult entertainment company owns the rights to the photos and thus able to publish and promote the photos at its discretion.

— This week’s editon of the POWER 25 on WWE.com is headed by Randy Orton. He is trailed by WWE Champion Sheamus and John Cena. Meanwhile, Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston ranks one spot ahead of World Champion Rey Mysterio at No. 4.

— The sister of WWE Divas Champion Alicia Fox, Christina Crawford, worked Thursday night’s Florida Championship Wrestling live event in Tampa, competing in a Divas Bikini Contest. It is not known if she has signed a developmental contract with WWE, but FCW shows are typically limited to contracted talent.

— “Dashing” Cody Rhodes debuted a new theme song on this past week’s episode of NXT. The song is called Smoking Mirror and it is performed by Matt White.

— Tickets for WWE SummerSlam Axxess yesterday morning via Ticketmaster. The event will take place Saturday, August 14 and Sunday, August 15 at Nokia Plaza at LA Live in Los Angeles, California. (Press release)

— WWE has added a new video feature to its website highlighting ‘the hottest Diva action of the week’. You can view the inaugural edition of Diva Shorts Action at the following link.

(Credit to f4wonline.com)

The undisclosed operation that Triple H underwent this week was to repair a torn muscle tendon in his arm. Though he had been plagued recently by issues with both surgically-repaired quads and his neck, this is a new injury that may have been suffered while filming one of his two upcoming WWE Films. His planned SummerSlam return bout against Sheamus is likely out the window now as he is expected out for several months.

Triple H was last seen on television being put out of action by Sheamus at the “Extreme Rules” pay-per-view in April where he lost a hellacious streetfight to the Celtic Warrior.

Appearing on Monday’s edition of the Right After Wrestling Sirius satellite radio show, former WWE superstar Carlito opened up about being depressed and trying to leave the company on numerous occasions before he was finally released due to his refusal to enter rehab for an alleged pain pill addiction.

On wanting to get the hell out of WWE:

“I had been asking for my release for a long time. I tried to finish up my contract, which I think was up in August. I had been trying to leave for about three years. For the last year, I was just miserable. I wasn’t even myself. I was dying just to get away.”

On being fired for a Wellness Policy infraction and refusing to go to rehab:

“I wouldn’t say I got myself fired on purpose, but in that last year, I really didn’t care. They wanted me to go to rehab. My opinion was I didn’t need it. I’m not addicted to pills. I think what happened is I was depressed. I have scripts (for pain medication) legit reasons for using them. I think I was abusing them as anti-depressants instead. I remember other people not in WWE would tell me to go to rehab because it looks good on paper. I said, ‘One, I don’t want to keep my job. Two, I’m not going to admit to a problem I don’t have.'”

On the grinding travel and not being utilized properly on television:

“I was always grinding. I was always working. Mainly, my big problem was I thought they were f**king with me. I didn’t like the mind games and all the bulls*** they were putting me through. Maybe it was all in my head, but I just felt that’s what they were doing with me. I could never get a straight answer. I get sometimes you have to take a backseat, but how long am I supposed to sit in the back?”

On dealing with the backstage politics and people’s claims that he was lazy:

“I remember people would tell me to just play the game. I can’t just play the game. I can’t be fake. I love the business, I just don’t like the politics. I want to be able to help out and give back in somehow. In WWE, I wasn’t doing any of that. I also felt I was gypping the people (in WWE) putting in three-minute matches that didn’t mean anything. It just breaks your heart when you can give so much more.”

It’s worth noting that in the same interview, Carlito did not rule out the possibility of going to TNA, though nothing appears imminent. Dixie Carter was most definitely interested in bringing him in at one point, but their priorities may have shifted given that they are spending less money to bring in big names these days.

— Triple H underwent an undisclosed operation as Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dirk Hayhurst noted on his Twitter account signing a book for him while undergoing physical rehabilitation. He said the WWE Superstar had just undergone surgery.

“Guess who I just signed a book for… Triple H of the WWE. Seriously, I just found myself next to him on a training table. Wow, Surreal,” Hayhurst said. “I did not get a pic, he was a tad out of it, fresh out of surgery so I didn’t want to hassle him. Besides, photo’s in hospitals are no no’s.”

Triple H had been suffering from nagging neck and thigh injuries leading into WrestleMania, but has been off television due to filming two different movies. (source: www.f4wonline.com)

— The trailer for WWE’s forthcoming DVD set chronicling the Elimination Chamber Match, Satan’s Prison- The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber, has been released. You can view the trailer, as well as the DVD’s cover art, here. This title is set for release next Tuesday.

— Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston will be signing autographs at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California on Wednesday, August 18 from noon to 1:00 p.m. A SmackDown television taping will be taking place that evening in the arena.

Here are excerpts of an interview conducted by John Sharp of the Peoria Journal Star with the reigning WWE champion, Sheamus:

On becoming the first Irish-born WWE champion:

“It meant everything. This has been a long journey. This is something I’ve always wanted to do, to be in the WWE since I was 4 or 5 years old. A lot of people will tell you to be realistic in school – that you can’t do this or can’t do that. They will tell you to find a 9-to-5 job and all of that. But we all have dreams.”

On WWE placing a greater focus on younger stars recently:

“I think it’s a good sign, and no matter what industry you are in, there is new talent coming no matter what. Guys like Cena and Orton have done a good job. The NXT guys are a bunch of scumbags as far as I’m concerned. As far as I’m concerned, I’m leading the flag. They’ll have to kick me out of the door there.”

On his fantastic tan (I kid) and bright orange hair making him stand out more:

“Being different is everything and it is an advantage. When you look at a WWE show, you will see someone with a beautiful Irish tan like myself and someone like Randy Orton with the snake-like features and the Big Show and people like Evan Bourne who is like a rubber band and can do anything, and a big mouth piece like The Miz. If everyone looked the same with tans, what would be the point? It’s like watching the same movie over and over again.”

On who he would love to work with in the ring:

“I’ve had a chance with Finlay. He’s always been a big hero of mine. We did cross paths with the No. 1 contendership battle royal. Stan Hansen, too. He was a big dude and took no prisoners and he was a hard hitter who everyone feared. Him and Finley would be my two biggest idols.”

To read the full interview, click HERE.

Here’s a Solomonster Special, exclusively for the visitors of SEScoops.com!

As you may know, Vince McMahon recently decreed that he wanted most of WWE’s main event talent to join the world of Twitter. Of course, he failed to include himself in that declaration. But imagine for a moment what it might be like if Mr. McMahon himself did, in fact, join the world’s most popular microblogging service. I imagine it would look a little something like this (in reverse chronological order):

Got feedback? thesolomonster@gmail.com

(sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, PWInsider.com)

— Current plans call for SummerSlam to be built around the in-ring returns of Triple H and The Undertaker. Triple H would face Sheamus in a grudge match while Undertaker would face the perpetrator of placing him “in a vegetative state.”

Additionally, a six-person tag match pitting David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd and Natalya against Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso and Tamina is penciled in for the event.

— Monday’s episode of Raw scored a 3.35 cable rating with 4.78 million viewers. The overall rating was up from last week’s 3.28 number. The first hour drew a 3.21 rating and the second hour grew to a 3.49.

— Internally, many people are high on NXT Rookie Husky Harris — though most think his ring name is horrible. He is being compared to a young Dusty Rhodes, in the sense that he has a terrible looking physique but is quick and athletic. Like Rhodes, he is regarded as having the “it factor,” not to mention charisma. The son of Mike Rotundo is considered by many as the standout performer of the second season of NXT and has several supporters within the organization.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has posted his latest BBQ blog HERE. Here are some excerpts:

“Guys that work at the gym I go to are still buzzing about the Lesnar-Carwin fight that we attended this past Saturday night. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind who the top heavyweight in MMA is now. I expect the Lesnar fight to sell approximately 1.2 million PPV’s and that figure might be a touch low.”

Solomonster Says: It wouldn’t surprise me at all if that were the case. I’m thinking it may actually be slightly less than that. UFC 116 had a lot of buzz going in, but it felt more subdued than the buzz 115 had, and that PPV did over 900,000 buys. Still, Brock is the biggest PPV draw in the game not named Mayweather.

“We had dinner Friday night with Stone Cold and he never mentioned the RAW GM biz. I have no clue as to who will end up being revealed as the RAW GM but I’m enjoying the mystery. I think’ that when its finally revealed that we will all likely be surprised, perhaps shocked, and it might not be who many of us have on our own list of viable candidates.”

Solomonster Says: The only thing shocking was the sheer number of people who wrote in after Monday night thinking it was actually Austin. I still say it’s Zombie Jack Tunney sending e-mails from the great beyond under his old Prodigy account.

“Yes….The Nexus is a little NWO-like in many aspects except they are younger and have the majority of their careers ahead of them instead of behind them. I do think that the Nexus storyline is one of the better issues to come to RAW in quite some time.”

Solomonster Says: No argument here. It’s easily the most compelling thing on Raw since the Taker/Michaels buildup heading into WrestleMania. It’s lost some steam, but they can still deliver a big payoff with it.

“Nice use of Arn Anderson’s interview skills on Raw Monday night or so I thought. Before the emails roll in, yes, Double A would make someone a helluva ‘manager’ or mouth piece, but it certainly seems that the viable days of the wrestling manager have fallen by the wayside.”

Solomonster Says: It really is a crime the way the art of the wrestling manager has been so totally squashed by Vince McMahon. So many guys would benefit from having someone like Arn at their side, and more talented mouths would have jobs, which is always a good thing.

JR also discusses which talents from NXT Season 2 stand out to him thus far, former WWF announcer Kevin Kelly, and more.

— Triple H’s much anticipated return to the squared circle appears imminent as “The Game” is featured on the cover of the latest issue of WWE Magazine.

— In light of the recent name changes of Duke Rotundo and Joe Hennig (to Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty, respectively), a number of generational performers in developmental are worried that WWE will change their respective names as well. At least one family is upset about the move. (source: www.f4wonline.com)

— The official WWE website has added a profile on NXT ring announcer Jamie Keyes.

Below is the updated card for WWE’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view following Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in Atlanta, Georgia. At the event, both Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler earned spots in the SmackDown Money in the Bank Ladder Match while a Women’s Championship Match between Layla and Kelly Kelly was announced.

Here is the updated card:

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship
Sheamus (c) vs. John Cena

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Jack Swagger

Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Randy Orton vs. John Morrison vs. Evan Bourne vs. The Miz vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge vs. Raw star TBA
(Winner earns right to challenge the WWE Champion at any time, at any place, for up to one year)

SmackDown Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Big Show vs. Christian vs. Matt Hardy vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Kane vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler
(Winner earns right to challenge World Heavyweight Champion at any time, at any place, for up to one year)

Unified Tag Team Championship Match
The Hart Dynasty (c) vs. Jimmy and Jey Uso

WWE Women’s Championship Match
Layla (c) vs. Kelly Kelly

Last night in Atlanta, following the conclusion of the Friday Night Smackdown taping, a 6 on 6 battle took place pitting Raw stars against members of The Nexus faction, sans Darren Young who was annihilated by John Cena on Monday night.

John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, Sheamus, John Morrison and Chris Jericho represented the Raw brand, though Sheamus, Edge and Jericho did walk out on their partners before the match started, leaving them at a severe disadvantage. Have no fear though as the babyfaces triumphed after Orton finished off David Otgunga with an RKO.

In addition, during the “dark” portion of the event, Rey Mysterio defeated Jack Swagger, Kane and Big Show to retain his World Championship.

— Matches and segments taking place on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America are as follows:

* Yoshi Tatsu and Gail Kim vs. Primo and Jillian
* Zack Ryder vs. Goldust
* Kelly Kelly and Tiffany vs. Michelle McCool and Layla
* Chris Masters holds a “Master Lock Challenge”

— WWE developmental wrestler AJ Lee was backstage at last night’s SmackDown taping in Atlanta, but was not used during the live show. She traveled with the Raw crew the previous week and worked in the role of hostess at live events. She has been under contract to the organization since May 2009 and is believed to be the women’s wrestler most likely to be promoted to the main roster.

— Lex Luger was among Google’s top searches Monday night as a result of a video package that aired on Raw highlighting his body slam of the 600-pound Yokozuna on July 4, 1993.

Here is a quick rundown of tonight’s Smackdown taping results from Atlanta, airing this Friday night, with some thoughts from The Solomonster bolded throughout:

– Drew McIntyre made his Smackdown return, begging Teddy Long to let him into the Money in the Bank match at the PPV. Teddy makes Drew beg for it, then says the only way he can get in is to defeat Kofi Kingston later in the show. Remind me to check with Drew the next time I get deported. I mean, talk about quick turnaround!

– Dolph Ziggler def. Chavo Guerrero and MVP in a three-way qualifying match for the MITB spot, beating MVP with a sleeper. Who could possibly care?

– Rey Mysterio was attacked backstage by Jack Swagger and put in an Anklelock, being dragged into the arena until Big Show made the save and carried Rey to the back. Good to see them booking Rey with respect this time around.

– Vance Archer and Curt Hawkins def. Christian and Matt Hardy after Christian walked out on Matt Hardy’s gut. Doesn’t mean he’s turned heel as I presume they are just building heat for the MITB match.

– Drew McIntyre def. Kofi Kingston to qualify for the MITB match.

– Luke Gallows and C.M. Punk come out to the ring. Gallows calls out Serena and verbally tears into her after she begs for forgiveness. Punk said it’s his decision to make, not Luke’s, and he forgives her. Gallows leaves the ring. Serena promises to never disappoint him again and Punk says she better not. They hug and Gallows looks on from the ramp in disapproving fashion. CM Punk is so far and above as a heel, it’s not even funny.

– “Dashing” Cody Rhodes def. JTG. He now stops to look in a mirror during his entrance. HBK, you are not!

– Kelly Kelly will take on Layla at MITB PPV. Layla interrupts and Kelly slaps her. Michelle McTaker came to the rescue. LayCool beat down Kelly. Rest in peace, young lady.

– Jack Swagger battled Big Show to a double COR. After the match, Kane grabs Swagger backstage and pulls him into the RED ROOM OF DEATH and accuses him of injuring the Undertaker. Swagger denies it and says he has an alibi and will prove it next week. Kane says he had better, or else he will be condemned to hell. That’s pretty harsh, no? Did Swagger spill coffee on Kane? We all know he can get pretty emotional when that happens.