Stephanie McMahon’s former assistant, Mike Witt, sent the following to us regarding the relationships between the McMahon’s and the departure of Shane.

I worked with Stephanie McMahon for two years as a runner and production assistant. I left because I was offered a new opportunity which required less travel.

It seems that a lot of wrestling news sites are pointing to Shane departure as a result of some sort of inner tension between Stephanie and Shane and where they stand in the company. I’m not sure who these sources are but here was my experience, take it for what it is worth, and it really would be nice if your readers got to at least read a first hand account of behind the scenes life:

Stephanie was not unlike any other business person and stood by her decisions. Between you and me, some may not have been the best, but if you are going to get respect in a lockerroom full of egos, you can’t cower at every little disagreement. So call that brash, but anyone in that kind of position would do the same. Let’s not forget there’s more pressure on her than anyone else in the company. That’s just my opinion.

There were times when both Shane and Stephanie shared ideas. There was never any tension between them that I could see. I would say though that Vince was very, very hard on Stephanie since he pretty much still runs creative. I’ve seen him blow up at her on more than one occassion.

As far as Stephanie’s interaction with talent and behavior under strees, I never saw her degrade or yell at talent. I have seen her pull talent aside from time to time if something was done poorly or at the risk of hurting the flow of production. Again, normal given her position.

As for Shane, although he was not around much, he definitely was the more overbearing of the two. He wanted everyone to know he was his father’s son and had a “good old boy” sense of running things. Almost to the point where it was quite degrading to Stephanie. Maybe I’m biased because I worked for her, who knows, but Shane certainly seemed to have a chip on his shoulder at times and he truly did love being one of the boys. Obviously Stephanie will never have that luxery.

As for Vince, yes, he is loud, commanding, and a yeller. Yes, he did give Stephanie a lot of attention because she worked directly with creative whereas Shane was mostly corporate. Again, just because Stephanie worked with Vince more deos not mean their styles were the same. I didn’t get that at all. Vince is a yealler, more brash in his tine. Stephanie was often the person to calm people (just ask Heyman).

As for Shane, I wish him luck. Maybe the chip he has on his shoulder is why he left, who knows. He never really showed any interest in creative so I’m not sure why internet writers keep comparing the two. Had Shane shown any interest in creative, or had some solid input, there’s not a doubt in my mind that Shane would have been running creative. But instead he chose the more corporate side. He’s a salesman through and through. Stephanie is not. What you see is what you get. She’s down to earth and says what’s on her mind.

Anyway, just wanted to pass this along. May people read a lot of things on the internet and never really get the “real” scoop. This is just my experience but I hope it sheds some light on things.

For the record, I didn’t see Shane’s departure coming either, but lets not forget, he’s still a major shareholder in the company and can return at any time. He will also still have plenty of influence behind the scenes. Whether that’s good or bad who knows.

Thank you for your time,
Mike

The latest on Shane McMahon leaving WWE is that its a legit news story and not a storyline, as some have speculated. Aside from Shane’s initial statement on WWE.com Friday morning, WWE issued a press release on their corporate website confirming the departure. The story has been picked up by a number of mainstream news outlets.

At this point, there is still no definitive word as to why Shane is leaving.What we do know is that the news came as a shock to most within WWE, including those who have been working directly under him.

Anybody who knows the dynamics of the McMahon family are aware that Shane closer with Linda while Stephanie is closer with Vince. When Shane and Stephanie were growing up, both were being groomed to take over the company one day when Vince stepped aside. Vince was known to be especially hard on Shane at times. In recent years, Stephanie has assumed a much greater role backstage in WWE – working directly with her father on the creative side while Shane assumed a lower-profile role, working on WWE’s Internet presence, international expansion and other corporate functions.

Stephanie’s influence and bond with Vince have grown over the years, compounded by her marriage to Triple H, arguably the most influential pro wrestler in the world. With Linda recently stepping away from her position as CEO of WWE to campaign for the United States Senate, Shane lost a strong ally and might have seen the writing on the wall.

Most within WWE seem to think Shane left so he can join his mother Linda McMahon during her U.S. Senate campaign, and to avoid upsetting WWE’s shareholders while helping with the campaign. “Unless he’s going to fund a vanity venture, all signs point to him helping his mother (with the campaign),” said one former WWE employee. “She needs some backup.”

Another possibility is that Shane left to pursue other business ventures. Shane is a huge fan of mixed martial arts and has tried to convince his father to get involved in the sport over the years.

Source: Caernarfonherald.co.uk

Welsh wrestler and actor Barri Griffiths, known in the UK as “Barri 10 foot” and “Celtic Warrior,” has been signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. Griffiths appeared on the U.K. Gladiators’ television show that featured TNA Wrestling star Brutus Magnus.

CHECK OUT:  Barri Griffiths’ UK Gladiators profile (hilarious)

In an interview with the UK’s Caernarfon Herald, Griffiths explains how he connected with WWE. “I was preparing for the Paul O’Grady show when someone from the WWE phoned me asking if I could go and see them,” he said. “They were hosting a show at the 02 arena in London at the time so I went down and had a word with them and they said they had an interest in taking me over there.”

He added, “I was overjoyed, I stayed around for a bit of the show and it was nice to see some of the wrestlers in the flesh. I also met Shane McMahon briefly and shook hands with him.”

Here’s a look at Barri Griffiths:

Image from Caernarfonherald.co.uk

Jim Ross posted the following message on JRsBarBQ.com on Friday afternoon addressing the news that Shane McMahon is leaving WWE.

It was announced Friday morning that Shane McMahon has resigned from WWE effective January 1, 2010 to pursue other business opportunities.

“I feel that this the opportune time to pursue outside business opportunities,” Shane said in a written statement sent to staff and then documented on WWE.com.

This comes as a major surprise to many including me. Shane is a proud, 4th generation wrestling person who has worked with WWE essentially his entire live starting on the ring crew.

Shane has always been one of the shining stars within the WWE organization and it will be interesting to see what his next business endeavors entail.

We’ll keep everyone informed as information becomes available. However, we wish Shane and his family the best in what ever he chooses to do as I have always had a great repore with him and Shahe has earned the respect of all who have worked with him.

Again, this is a major surprise from within the WWE organization.”

WWE superstar the Big Show is currently down in New Orleans filming scenes for his new WWE Studios project, “Knucklehead.”

Actress Melora Hardin, perhaps best known as Jan Levinson on the hit NBC show  “The Office,” has a part in the movie and posted a picture from the set of her with the Big Show and co-star Mark Feuerstein (from USA Network’s “Royal Pains”).

Check it out:

SmackDown *SPOILERS*

The following matches were taped Tuesday night for tonight’s edition of WWE SmackDown:

— Bragging Rights Team Smackdown Qualifier: Finlay vs. Mike Knox vs. Dolph Ziggler

— Bragging Rights Team Smackdown Qualifier: Cryme Tyme vs. The Hart Dynasty

— Matt Hardy vs. Eric Escobar

— The Dirt Sheet with John Morrison and The Miz

— Bragging Rights Team Smackdown Qualifier: Drew McIntyre vs. R-Truth

— Rey Mysterio vs. Batista

Plus, appearances by Vince McMahon, Vickie Guerrero, Undertaker, Chris Jericho, CM Punk & more.

=-=-=-=-=–=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

WWE SmackDown *SPOILERS* for Tonight
Report by Adam Parker

The Dirt Sheet returns on the shows tonight.

Jim Ross is not at the show. I think it’s Todd Grisham and Michael Cole on commentary.

Teddy Long came out and introduced the captain of Team Smackdown Chris Jericho, who walked to the ring and cut a promo on John Cena. Jericho said that it’s his responsibility to put a team together that will do everything he says and that his team will defeat the delinquents of DX. There was a big chant for DX and a “You Suck” chant at Jericho.

Jericho talked about how DX pushes their merchandise and points out all the merchants. He has the DX book in his hand and said, “You know what I think of DX?” and he rips up the book. Out comes Kane to confront Jericho.

Kane comes out and says “Your team? We need to talk” to Chris Jericho. He says he is the new co-captain of team Smackdown. Jericho says, “Of course you are, I was thinking the same thing” and tries to put Kane over. Kane says that as far as he is concerned, the DX book and DX can all go up in flames.

Finlay vs. Mike Knox vs. Dolph Ziggler for a spot on Team Smackdown at Bragging Rights was up next. Ziggler actually got a pop. Ziggler pinned Knox after Finlay and Knox hit in the air on a cross body while Finlay had the shillelagh in his hands.

In a tag team Bragging Rights qualifier match, Cryme Tyme beat The Hart Dynasty when JTG pinned Tyson Kidd. Cryme Tyme is on Team Smackdown at the PPV.

Chris Jericho, with Michelle McCool, came and said that there will be three Raw vs. Smackdown matches at the PPV and he can’t count on Morrison winning so Jericho asks if he can count on McCool winning her match. McCool says she can beat anyone at any time. Mickie James walked in and said she has a better chance of beating a Raw diva. McCool went to leave and brushed into Beth Phoenix, who told her she won’t be keeping her title for long.

CM Punk walked into Vince McMahon and said that the Fatal Fourway at the PPV is unfair. Vince agreed and said that he really liked the idea. Punk had last week so he’s making a match for next week: Punk vs. Taker in a submission match with Scott Armstrong as the ref and Teddy Long at ringside.

Before a Bragging Rights qualifying match, Tony Chimmel introduced Vickie Guerrero. She got a ton of heat, you could barely hear her. She introduced Eric Escobar and as soon as she said his name, people stopped booing and just sat down. Wow. His opponent is Matt Hardy, to a big pop.

Escobar won after Vickie distracted the ref, rammed Hardy into the turnbuckle and rolled him up. After the match the happy couple posed in the ring.

They aired a commercial for the new Batista DVD, which comes out this Tuesday.

John Morrison and The Miz had a really good Dirt Sheet, which ended with a stare-down and Miz backing down and leaving.

An R Truth-Drew McIntyre promo, followed by Truth walking backstage was next. They met in a match to determine the last spot on Team Smackdown for the PPV.

McIntyre won via countout after he threw Truth back-first in to the ringside steps.

We went backstage with Rey Mysterio and Batista. Batista said that he isn’t sure about his match against Rey because they are like brothers. Batista said that they will both have to do what is needed to win at the PPV. Rey said that this is one time he wishes they could team up, but with Punk being so jaded it shouldn’t be too hard and The Underaker, well Rey reminded us that he is a former champ and can do what it takes to win.

Taker appeared in the Tron. To paraphrase, he said it has been said that history has a way of repeating itself but not in my yard. Teddy Long, Scott Armstrong and Punk are all tempting fate in trying to take the title from Hell’s grip. Once you enter Hell’s Gate, there is no way out and at Bragging Rights Punk, I will take your soul, but next week in their match he will read Punk his last rights.

Rey vs. Batista is up next. Rey hit the 619 on Dave, then jumped off of the outside rope onto his shoulders, Dave went for a Batista Bomb but Rey turned it into a hurricanrana and got the win. After the match they celebrated together and hugged then Rey pandered to the crowd.

Batista left the ring and Rey stood on top of the different ring posts posing. Punk came out and hit Rey. Batista came out and made the save. Batista picked Rey up and they left together, posing on the stage.

Dark Match:

Taker came out with his fire pyro to take on Punk. Taker looked stiff or like he was walking with a limp.

It looks like Punk is working his ass off for this match. Taker is taking it easy and to me he visibly looks like he’s hurting. Punk kicked out of the Chokeslam only to lose to the Tombstone. The Undertaker does his typical exit, except he raised his hand that has World Title. Fire erupted on the stage.

Tong Chimmel thanked us and reminded us how we can watch Smackdown this week.

Solomonster Sounds Off

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 85)
*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 61 minutes

Some of the topics discussed in this week’s Sounds Off include:

| Awesome TNA main event tonight that you should go out of your way to watch

| Thoughts on the passing of Captain Lou Albano at 76

| Full details on the Diva trades and Mickie James’ heat with WWE management

| Bragging Rights main event appears to be set and HEAVILY favors Raw (features Smackdown spoilers)

| Is WAR GAMES coming to WWE this May? Even if it does, don’t wet your underwear just yet…

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

Wanna subscribe to the Sound Off via iTunes? CLICK HERE!

Visit The Solomonster on Twitter @ twitter.com/solomonster

— TMZ cameras caught up with Bill Goldberg this week and asked the former WCW/WWE champion what his typical day is like and what he has for breakfast. Goldberg said he typically does 10 eggwhites and a half pound of turkey bacon for breakfast. When asked how much he can bench press, Goldberg said benching is for “pretty boys.” He trains for functional strength with dumbells and the camera man said he looks great for a 42 year old. You can see the video at TMZ.com.

— Actor Verne Troyer, best known as “Mini Me” from the Austin Powers movies, is rumored to be hosting WWE Raw this fall. One can imagine the comedy gold WWE will come up with between him and Horswoggle.

— Former WWE announcer Mike Adamle recently competed the Iron Man World Championship, which included a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile marathon. Adamle told the Chicago Tribune, “This was the hardest thing I ever did. The conditions were amazing, the tire made me adjust on the fly, but it was something special everybody should experience once.” For more on the story, visit ChicagoTribune.com.

Ric Flair appeared on “Busted Open” on Sirius radio on Tuesday and revealed what Vince McMahon was to him coming out of retirement and wrestling overseas. “I told Vince McMahon about three months ago that I wanted to back and work and that I’d just work overseas. He said, ‘You know, go for it.”

Flair added, “I’m in good health. I like to sign autographs and I’m really enjoying (non-wrestling projects), but there’s nothing like wrestling. I’ve been working out really hard and I’m looking forward to it. It gives Hulk (Hogan) and I a chance to see if we’ve still got it going on.”

Flair was also asked about the possibility of appearing as a guest host on WWE Raw. “That may still happen,” he said. “My schedule hasn’t allowed it to happen. I work with Coca-Cole, Krogers, Wal-Mart, and Sam’s Club. The lottery thing has been huge to me. I can’t give enough credit to the North Carolina education lottery for giving me the opportunity to work for them. It’s been great.”

The Busted Open radio show airs on Tuesdays and Fridays 4-5 p.m. EST on Sirius 127, and XM 242. Visit Sirius.com for more info.

• READ MORE about Ric Flair coming out of retirement.

The folks at the Heyman Hustle sent out the following this morning:

PAUL HEYMAN BLOGS ABOUT THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN LOU ALBANO
…and offers some never-before-told stories!

Long before he was the owner of ECW; even before he was known as “Paul E. Dangerously”; Paul Heyman was a teenage photographer who was given all access passes to Madison Square Garden. One of the people Paul came to know during this time was the legendary pro wrestling manager Captain Lou Albano. In a blog posted exclusively on The Heyman Hustle website, Paul offers some wild road stories about the Captain that have never been told (at least publicly) before.

Key excerpt:

There are so many “Albano” stories to tell, from the time he ran in his shorts and flip flops up 8th Avenue in New York City when his car broke down during a snow storm, and had hundreds of people following him to what was then known as The Howard Johnson’s Hotel where everyone stayed; to the time he got into a drinking contest with Andre The Giant at the hotel bar, took a Ric Flair-esque face bump into the top of a stool, cracked his head, and was knocked out cold … only to wake up when Don Muraco and Greg Valentine helped peel Lou off the floor. Lou ran outside, threw up all over the sidewalk (with half the remnants of his dinner prominently remaining on his hairy chest), came back inside, ordered another 3 rounds, turned to Andre and said “I get a 3 drink handicap for that bump!”

As a 15 year old who bullsh****d his way into getting All Access Photographer Passes for Madison Square Garden, I ran the fan clubs for all 3 Wise Men of the East. During the summertime, I would sometimes go to Allentown and Hamburg, and cover the WWWF television tapings. One time, I ended up catching a ride with Albano, who was driving Blassie (which was a great idea, because Blassie was partially blind and a menace behind the wheel even with perfect eyesight).

So we got out of Madison Square Garden, and we’re flying through New Jersey heading towards Allentown. Lou reaches under his seat, and pulls out one of those big glass Tropicana grapefruit juice bottles. Of course, grapefruit juice was no longer the contents of this bottle. As a matter of fact, I can’t even tell you that Lou was drinking Vodka AND grapefruit juice. It was more like vodka with a tiny little splash of grapefruit juice. Or, as Blassie used to tease The Captain, “methane with something to give it a little bit of color.”

Now keep in mind, I’m in my mid-teens here, watching and listening to Blassie scream at Albano “you’re going to get us killed! This kid’s Father is a lawyer! He’s going to sue our widows, and take our swimming pools, you (2 minutes of expletives) maniac!”

Lou would just laugh, with both feet on the gas pedal, and hanging onto the steering wheel for dear life. All of a sudden, Lou goes into an insane coughing fit, and spits up some phlemmy-looking loogie that must have come from the deepest, darkest recesses of his digestive system. This frightening piece of intestinal backwash ends up all over the inside of the windshield, and Lou pulls a tissue out of his pocket, wipes it off the windshield … we’re still going 90 miles an hour, mind you… and proceeds to suck the loogie back down with a big mischievous smile on his face.

It only gets crazier from there.

Please feel free to offer this key excerpt to your readers. A link to the blog itself would be very much appreciated.

Here is the link to Heyman’s blog on Albano: http://heymanhustle.craveonline.com/articles/news/22266-rip-captain-lou

The story also includes a rare photograph of a 15 year old Paul Heyman in the Madison Square Garden locker room with Albano, Fred Blassie, and The Grand Wizard aka “The 3 Wise Men of the East.”

– Bryan Alvarez of F4Wonline reports that if WWE does decide to re-introduce the “War Games” concept for pay-per-view, it probably will not be the same format as the War Games matches seen in the NWA and WCW. The idea of bringing back War Games to WWE has been brought up several times over the years but never got off the ground. With WWE’s recent initiative to rebrand various PPV events, some variation of the War Games concept is back on the table. The WWE creative team was recently told to watch old War Games matches to come up with ideas they can use or tweak.

— World Wrestling Entertainment announced today that it will report its 2009 third quarter results on Thursday, November 5, 2009, before the opening of the market. The Company’s chairman, Vincent K. McMahon, and senior management will host a conference call beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET to discuss the results.

— Kanascity.com has an article that looks at WWE’s attempt to “polish” its image in hopes of attracting advertisers. The article cites WWE’s shift to TV-PG programming and the Celebrity Raw Guest host gimmick as examples of WWE attempting to broaden its appeal. Since going TV-PG, WWE has landed Pepsi, 7-Eleven stores, Mattel toys and the Army National Guard as new sponsors.

— TNA announcer Taz wrote a message on his Facebook responding to fan suggestions on how to improve the TNA product. Taz wrote:

“Folks, I get many suggestions on my Tweet/FB pages asking me to do “this” or do “that” in TNA with certain talents…just so you all hear this from me…I am NOT a member of the TNA booking team guys….so there (lol)!”

— Congratulations to former WWE Diva Stacey Keibler, who turns 30 years old today. She was born on October 14, 1979 in Baltimore, Maryland.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Some highlights:

His WWE Contract Expiring: So, regarding my professional status, any thing else you read other than what I have said here is manure. I don’t break commitments and I am smart enough to not violate the terms of my contract with whomever I’m employed. My WWE contract expires in December, I don’t even know the exact date, and I expect to sign a multi year deal with WWE when schedules permit for us to sit down and to hammer out a deal that is a win/win. If we don’t hammer out a deal, I have no issues taking the holidays off, focusing on Family, BBQ and Football and then reassessing other career moves. The only thing that I can say is that “retirement” is NOT an option as there is still plenty of fuel left in my tank and that I can assure one and all.

Ric Flair’s NWA Title Being Auctioned: The Ric Flair, original NWA Title belt issue is still on going or so it seems. Apparently there are multiple bids for the coveted, collector’s piece of over $75K. Hopefully this matter will be resolved amicably and to everyone’s satisfaction but from a fan’s perspective there is no pro wrestling collectible any where that I can think of that I would rather have in my personal collection. I think a creative mind could literally write a screen play about the travels and experience of this “trophy.”

Ric Flair Wrestling Hulk Hogan: Speaking of “Naitch,” some emailers have asked me my thoughts regarding the Hulk and company tour of Australia coming up soon. Why would I have any issues with it? I am for all wrestlers to earn the best income that they can no matter where it may be. I would love to see Hulk and Ric tag rather than wrestle each other but that’s simply one guy’s opinion. If wrestling fans are entertained and the talents earn a fair wage, then who loses? I wish them success

Captain Lou Albano (Rest in Peace)

Longtime WWE employee Howard Finkel has posted an excellent tribute to the late Captain Lou Albano, which you can read here.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross posted this on his JRsBarBQ.com blog today:

Sorry to hear about the passing of Captain Lou Albano, WWE Hall of Fame Manager and former member of the Sicilians tag team with Tony Altimore. Lou was a true “character” who was a decent wrestler but gained huge fame in the WWE explosion of the 80’s as a manager. Lou appearing in a Cyndi Lauper music video back in the day was nice exposure for Lou and WWE and put Captain Lou into pop culture awareness.  Lou had many stints in WWE but always “came home” and we wish his family and friends our utmost condolences. The Good Lord has his hands full keeping the Captain in check in Heaven.

Many others have also posted messages on Twitter acknowledging Albano’s unfortunate passing:

• Chris Jericho: “Wrestling legend Captain Lou Albano has died. One of the integral performers who put the WWF on the map..”
• Taz: “sorry to hear about the GREAT Capt Lou….god bless. “
• Matt Morgan: “U gotta be f’n kidding me! Just heard the bad news that Capt Lou Albano passed. He was just as much of a “star” to me as a kid, as was … the wrestlers! One of the better personalities our sport has produced. He was very vital in mainstreaming “rock-n-wrestling” in 80s”
• Paul Heyman: “RIP CAPTAIN LOU ALBANO”
• Jeremy Borash: “Wearing a rubber band on my cheek today. RIP Captain Lou. One of my favs.”
• Ken Anderson: “RIP Lou Albano. I was laid up in the hospital for 9 days in 2001, and Rob Norwood and Shane Hills brought me an autographed 8 x 10 from him.”

Captain Lou Albano (Rest in Peace)

We’re sad to report that WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano (Louis Vincent Albano) has passed away.  He was 76 years old.  His cause of death is still unknown at this time. Earlier this week, his family sent out a statement that he was under hospice care. They said he did not have cancer and asked for supporters to respect his privacy.

Captain Lou was a one of a kind personality who had a 40+ year career in the wrestling business as a wrestler and manager. His gravely voice, colorful outfits, scruffy beard and facial piercings were among the trademark characteristics that made him impossible to ignore.

The “manager of champions” guided 15 different tag teams and 4 singles competitors to championship gold. Collaborating with Cyndi Lauper, Albano helped pioneer the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling movement that lead to wrestling’s crossover into mainstream pop culture during the 1980s. Capitalizing on his success, he later ventured into Hollywood with various television, film, and music projects. Many fans will remember him from the Super Mario Brothers Super Show in the early 90s.

We’d like to extend our deepest sympathy to the friends and family of Captain Lou. He left his mark and he will be missed.

The following video is an interview from February 2007 that Lou Albano did with the Sports Scene show in New York.  Sports Scene host Charlie Cornacchio met Albano at his home to discuss his careers in pro wrestling and acting.

— Hip hop recording artist Snoop Dogg will be the guest host of next week’s WWE Raw. Fans might remember Snoop hosted the Playboy Bunnymania match at WrestleMania 24 and even got an on-screen kiss from WWE diva Maria at the event.

— The main event for next week’s WWE Raw, the final raw before WWE Bragging Rights, will be John Cena vs. Triple H in a singles match. WWE is hyping the match could be Cena’s final match on Raw, as he must leave the brand if he can’t defeat Randy Orton in the Iron Man match at Bragging Rights. Cena and Triple H faced each other in the main event of WrestleMania 22.

— Tonight, WWE heads to Lexington, Kentucky to tape this week’s ECW and SmackDown shows. The following matches were announced on Raw for both shows:

• The main event of tonight’s “ECW on Syfy” will be ECW Champion Christian teaming with Yoshi Tatsu to face William Regal and Zack Ryder.
• The main event for Friday’s SmackDown will be Rey Mysterio vs. Batista.

— Two more matches have been confirmed for WWE Bragging Rights on 10/25.

• SmackDown vs. RAW Bragging Rights Match: Chris Jericho & Six Smackdown wrestlers to be named vs. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston & the winner of Mark Henry vs. Chris Masters (airing this week on Superstars)
• Intercontinental Champion John Morrison vs. United States Champion The Miz.

Thanks to reader Adam Parker for this live report of last night’s WWE Raw:

Most of the upper bowl for the show is tarped, off except on the hard camera side.

The fans in the arena did a lot of WHOOS before the show started.

Justin Roberts came out, followed by a WrestleMania 25 package (the same one they’ve shown at every event this year).  At the end of the package, they announced that on Saturday November 7th, tickets for WrestleMania XXV will go on sale.

Dark Match:

Primo, who got a mild pop, vs. Jamie Noble, with some heat.  There were lots of Primo chants, including a dueling chant. Primo won with a modified cross body off the ropes.

Superstars:

The Raw announce team came out.  Michael Cole actually got a pop now (when did that start?).

Jerry Lawler has on a black shirt, with huge “Lawler for Mayor” slogan written on it in white.  It’s a step up from what he has been wearing

Mark Henry took on Chris Masters. The hot crowd let out what seemed a collective sigh when Masters came out.  Masters eventually dominated after a botched Sunset Flip spot. Henry attempted a World’s Strongest Slam but couldn’t hit it because Masters worked his leg over. Henry finally hit The Slam soon after that for the win.

Post Superstars:

After Superstars ended, the ring crew got ready for Raw. While that went on a Rise and Fall of WCW commercial aired, as well as a package for all of the WrestleManias.

Justin Roberts is yelling at us to get ready for the live cut- in on USA and told us to have signs ready.  They are putting monitors in the ring so Raw will open with a promo.  There are a huge amount of signs tonight.  As we waited to go live there were some DX chants around the whole arena.

A funny commercial for the Smackdown vs. Raw game aired during the wait.  When John Cena was shown during the commercial, he got a 50/50 reaction.

Jim Ross has updated the questions & answers section of his JRsBarBQ.com website with a number of items talking about TNA Wrestling.

There have been Internet reports for months that Jim Ross is considering jumping to TNA Wrestling when his WWE contract expires at the end of the year. According to the man himself, a run in TNA is highly unlikely. “Firstly, my contract expires sometime in December. Secondly, there have been no serious negotiations but WWE seems to want me to stick around and I prefer to do so as well. We’ll see how the negotiations proceed. I am fortunate that I have many options that have nothing to do with wrestling. Time will tell but don’t believe every thing you read about matters such as this.”

On the topic of whether TNA will ever reach the level of WWE and become a legitimate competitor, Ross doesn’t think that will happen either. He said, “there will be no WWE/TNA “war” in my view, unless a powerful TV network buys TNA and I haven’t heard that they are for sale.”

When asked about TNA’s Global iMPACT! show from the Tokyo Dome and why WWE doesn’t do joint-shows with Japanese promotions overseas, Ross said, “WWE’s global branding is pretty amazing as it is. I’m not 100% sure what TNA got out of the Japanese deal but it did not blow me away and simply came off as a TV show from a unique locale.”

Video game publisher THQ has posted new details about the “Road to WrestleMania” feature upcoming WWE SmackDown v. Raw 2010 game.

The Road to Wrestlemania will now include custom storylines for Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Edge, Mickie James or your own created superstar. There’s even a “Brand Warfare” option that pits the superstars of SmackDown and Raw against each other.

This year’s edition of the SmackDown vs. Raw franchise will also feature new gameplay and storytelling methods. THQ says,  “You can tear up Mr. McMahon’s office, retrieve a stolen championship and have matches interrupted by smack-talking adversaries – all in real time. We even have guest commentators presiding over some matches, as well as a long list of unlockables highlighted by some well-known individuals.”

Visit THQ.com to read more on these new features.

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 hits stores on Tuesday, October 20th and will be available for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft X-Box 360 consoles.

— WWE sent out another survey to the WWE Universe over the weekend asking fans for input on yet another Pay-Per-Vie event being renamed. This time, its Judgment Day. WWE fans were given the following names to choose from:

• Judgment Day
• Riot Control
• Multimania
• War Games

War Games was a tag-team cage match concept that originated in the NWA (and was later used in WCW).

For more on the history of War Games match, visit Wikipedia.

In his latest blog at JRsBarBQ.com, Jim Ross commented on the talk that War Games might be coming to WWE. Ross said:

I read on line where WWE was kicking around the “War Games” theme for a possible return to PPV. I think that’s a good idea as the traditional “War Games” concept was two teams of five and the bad guys winning every coin toss in existence which allowed them to always start with a 2 on 1 advantage. No, I don’t endorse that “every match be a War Games match” but I do think that it makes for a cool theme name and having one “War Games” bout would be marketable if the table was set correctly with the right talents that all had organic reasons to be “teammates.” Please read this carefully and don’t go into business for yourself inasmuch as I’m saying that this is going to happen but that it was merely something that I read being discussed on line and we all know all those things can be at times.

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 84)
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Est. Runtime: 53 minutes

Some of the topics discussed in this week’s Sounds Off include:

| Hell in a Cell thoughts and the story behind Punk and Undertaker opening the show

| Cena and Orton in an IRON MAN MATCH at Bragging Rights (a/k/a buyrate poison)

| No Way Out is no more, thus proving that the WWE Universe® is a truly scary place in which to reside

| Booker T is on his way out of TNA, but is he returning to WWE?

| The funniest YouTube clip EVER also happens to be the greatest moment in WCW history

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

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— Sources say that Triple H is quite high on Drew McIntyre and is one of the driving forces behind the young wrestler’s current push. Vince McMahon has also singled McIntyre out as somebody he sees to have great potential.

— Speaking of Drew McIntyre, there was a minor backstage issue with his Hell in a Cell opponent R-Truth at last week’s pay-per-view. According to F4Wonline.com, R-Truth was preparing to go out to the ring when a WWE producer told him to remove the camouflage vest he was wearing because that’s now DX’s thing. He approached Stephanie McMahon about the issue, who said that he should probably discuss the issue with Triple H. At that point, R-Truth decided to take the vest off and head to the ring for his match without it.

Silicon Valley’s MercuryNews.com has an article that looks at WWE’s transition from TV-14 programming to TV-PG, with quotes from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

McMahon explains that desepite the success WWE saw during the edgy Attitude era, the time was right to shift towards more family friendly programming. “We just followed our audience and tried to listen to them,” McMahon said. “It’s a more sophisticated product. It’s just the right move business-wise, but more specifically the right move in terms of reaching our audience.”

Since going PG, WWE has picked up a number of new sponsorships, including Pepsi, 7-Eleven stores, Mattel toys and the Army National Guard.

Vince also said by toning down WWE’s programming, they are moving farther away from being in direct competition with mixed martial arts. “You really can’t compete with that,” he said. “Why not deliver a more sophisticated product and not go to those extremes? If the audience wants those extremes, they know where to go and how to get it.”

Wait, what?! WWE? Sophisticated? WWE? World Wrestling Entertainment?

The article also notes that singer Ozzy Osbourne will be hosting Raw this fall.

— Congratulations to SmackDown announcer Todd Grisham, who is getting married next weekend in Pennsylvania. Grisham will miss the Tuesday’s taping in Columbia, SC as he and his new bride will be on their honeymoon!

— — Ring announcer Justin Roberts’ profile has been moved from the SmackDown section to the Raw section. Roberts took over the ring announcing duties for Monday Night Raw last week as a result of Lilian Garcia’s departure from the company.

— After suffering a knee injury at a live event last month, WWE Diva Kelly Kelly posted a message on Twitter.com/realkellykelly saying that he’s returned to the gym. She returned to action this past Monday on Raw.

— Former WWE superstar Ken “Mr. Kennedy” Anderson is the new World Champion for the Nu Wrestling Evolution promotion. He won the title at a live event in Malta on October 2nd, after defeating former WWE superstar Chuck Palumbo & Tiny Iron in a three way match. Here’s Ken Anderson celebrating his big win:

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read at JRsBarBQ.com in its entirety. Some highlights from this entry:

Steve Austin in the UK: Got an email from old pal Steve Austin late last night. He’s in the UK promoting his next film “Damage” which will be released imminently on DVD. I’ve seen the trailer and liked what I saw and plan on supporting Steve by purchasing this action packed, fight filled film when it becomes available. Many Austin fans waited some 13 hours to be a part of a signing there this week. Steve also detailed seeing his first soccer game in person and he told me that he had a blast and had a better understanding and appreciation for the game.

NWA Title Up For Auction: 75K is the asking price for Ric Flair’s coveted NWA World Title Belt? Wow…good luck on getting that number to the party selling the treasure. This is not a positive development in the big picture, at least in my humble opinion, and it quite frankly makes me sad. But it is also none of my business.

False Roddy Piper Rumors: I’m happy to hear that the early week reports regarding the severity of Rowdy Roddy Piper’s illness were erroneous and that Rod is on his way to feeling much better. One of my fondest memories is having dinner at WM25 with Roddy and Ric Flair, among other pals, and listening to the stories. If a camera had been rolling we would have had “Gold, Jerry, Gold!” Feel better Hot Rod.

Future RAW Guest Hosts: I’ve heard of some big names that are likely candidates to host Monday Night Raw in coming weeks and many are most intriguing. It looks as if WWE is committed to this process of having a guest celeb from some walk of life host the company’s top TV priority as an avenue for the host to promote their own products or agendas. I thought Big Ben did a solid job Monday night and from what I was told by those that were in Wilkes-Barre that the Steelers QB and his O-Line had a blast. I would estimate that Roethlisberger signed at least 100 pieces of swag for WWE personnel while he was at Raw.