Once a promising talent in WWE’s midcard scene, Alex Riley’s role in the company has been greatly curtailed since last year. According to PWInsider.com, the Raw Superstar is in the doghouse stemming from a hostile backstage encounter with John Cena.

Cena was reportedly poking fun at Riley in front of their wrestler peers, and in response, the Raw talent angrily reacted to Cena’s “rib”—a violation of the unspoken rules of the WWE locker room. Though Riley’s exact actions are not known at this time, his unfavorable reaction to Vince McMahon’s pride and joy was not considered a good move.

Kenn Doane, who appeared as Kenny of the Spirit Squad and Kenny Dykstra for WWE from 2006 to 2008, weighed in on the matter after claiming last month that Cena’s backstage politics sabotaged his once promising grappling career.

He tweeted, “Cena acts stupid to riley, riley calls him on it, loses push. This must be a lie! Lmao #ibelieve.”

– Kelly Kelly returns to WWE this week after being granted time off the road in late May.

She tweeted Sunday, “On the road again. Can’t wait to see everyone at the #raw1000.”

Kelly, who had been on the road on a weekly basis since joining WWE in 2006, was reportedly granted a break to spend time with her family and boyfriend. She last competed on television on the May 21 Raw SuperShow, losing to Beth Phoenix.

– WWE and Party City hosted a pizza party for Make-A-Wish kids on July 15 before Money in the Bank in Phoenix, Arizona. At the Party City celebration, Alex Riley, William Regal and Tyson Kidd met Dylan, Max and Joshua, who are all WWE Circle of Champions honorees from Make-A-Wish. Party City will host a donation drive in stores where WWE fans can donate $1 to Make-A-Wish through Aug. 18. (Article)’

– Former WWE Superstars John Morrison and Melina appear at the Steel City Con this Saturday and Sunday. The event is being held at the Monroeville Convention Center in Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

– It’s being speculated that Val Venis will make a cameo appearance on tonight’s Raw SuperShow since the program emanates from his billed hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada and the official WWE website posted several videos on Sunday highlighting his career. When asked via Twitter whether he would appear for the organization again, he responded, “Not so long as they support sopa/cispa.”

– Alex Riley announced on Tout that he will be facing former Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes tonight in Las Vegas, Nevada and wanted fan feedback on what strategy he should use to defeat him. Riley, however, did not indicate whether the match will be dark, or take place on Raw SuperShow or WWE Superstars.

– Fozzy release a brand new single “Sandpaper,” via iTunes Tuesday. The single is taken from Fozzy’s upcoming new album, Sin and Bones, which is due out August 14 via Century Media Records.

– Former WWE Diva talent Maria Kanellis stated on Twitter that AfterBuzzTV.com’s recap show for Raw SuperShow will return next Monday night.

Matches taped Monday night in Hartford, Connecticut for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars are as follows:

* Zack Ryder vs. Michael McGillicutty

* Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso vs. Darren Young and Titus O’Neil

In a pre-taping dark match, Alex Riley beat Drew McIntyre via roll-up.

— Beth Phoenix and Sheamus spoke to SportsTownChicago.com last week promoting Extreme Rules. In the ranks of WWE Divas over the years, The Glamazon is asked where she would rank herself.

“I would have to rank myself absolutely number one because I am. I’ve achieved more than any other WWE Diva in the past,” she says. “I’m a four-time champion. The second female to ever compete in the Royal Rumble, amongst many, many other accolades… Diva of the Year. You name it, I’ve done it, so I would put myself number one.”

Sheamus also reveals how he plans to stay on top with his latest title reign.

— Matches taped Monday night in Dayton, Ohio for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars were:

* Dolph Ziggler vs. Mason Ryan

* Michael McGillicutty vs. Zack Ryder

WWE developmental wrestler Dean Ambrose beat Alex Riley in a pre-show dark match.

— In a rematch from Monday’s Raw SuperShow, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus will face Mark Henry this Friday on SmackDown. Also, Michael Cole will conduct an interview with Randy Orton to get his thoughts for his match against Kane at Extreme Rules.

— Matches taped Monday night in Detroit, Michigan for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars were Kelly Kelly vs. Maxine and Alex Riley vs. The Miz.

Antonio Cesaro beat JTG in a dark match at the show.

— The announced attendance for Monday’s Raw Supershow the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan was a sellout crowd of 16,122.

— Alex Riley, Brodus Clay, David Otunga and Natalya answer your Twitter questions in the latest episode of WWE Inbox. This week’s questions are: “Do you have any pre-show superstitions you must do?” and “If you could team up with any WWE Superstar or Diva, dead or alive, who would it be?”

[vsw id=”8MkHgi-xJhY” source=”youtube” width=”590″ height=”330″ autoplay=”no”]

— CM Punk responded to a report published here Monday stating that WWE officials are concerned with him being “too small” to adequately face Brock Lesnar in a potential match-up as well as his “battered” appearance backstage. He wrote, “Dirt sheets can call me small, skinny, beat up, road-tired, fat, ugly, no friends etc…everyone else calls me champ. Everyone.” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson saw his message and showed his support for the WWE Champion.

“Amen,” Johnson wrote to Punk. “The credit will always belong to the man who is actually in the arena” #KeepDoingItStrongChamp.”

— The advertised main event for the June 18 Raw SuperShow at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island is WWE Champion CM Punk, John Cena and World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan, Kane and Mark Henry.

Alex Riley, who played college football years ago at Boston College, discussed the similarities between football and professional wrestling in an interview with NBC Washington promoting tonight’s Raw SuperShow at the Verizon Center.

“I always tell people that when you’re a football player, you’re really a number under a jersey,” Riley said. “As a WWE Superstar, you’re a total personality. From the moment you walk through the curtain, they see everything.

“You’re not covered at all. You’re out there in trunks, they can see your face at all times. I think there’s nine or 10 cameras out there that can catch the way you’re feeling, what you say, the way you look, how you move at any moment once your start performing. It’s very difficult to learn how you’ve always gotta be in character.”

After spending three years in Florida Championship Wrestling honing his craft, Riley earned a spot on WWE’s main roster in 2010. He says he could not have written a better start to his WWE career.

“I started on NXT and it was a lot of fun having The Miz help me out because he was such an established performer already, so to go into that show with him was a gift. And then to be a part of his run as WWE Champion was incredible. The situation was incredible. Being able to be in the ring with guys like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena, Roddy Piper and to help headline Wrestlemania with Miz, Rock and John Cena, I couldn’t have asked for any more,” Riley says.

— WWE aired a vignette on Monday’s Raw Supershow promoting a character by the name Lord Tensai. The person in question is Matthew Bloom, who previously competed for the organization as Prince Albert, Albert and A-Train. Bloom achieved great success in Japan after parting ways with WWE in 2004, having won the IWGP Tag Team Championship with Karl Anderson on two occasions as well as the GHC Tag Team Championship in Pro Wrestling NOAH.

Through Twitter, Bloom denied online reports over the weekend that he had signed a contract to return to WWE.

— Matches taped Monday night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars are as follows:

* Alex Riley and Mason Ryan vs. Epico and Primo (accompanied by Rosa Mendes)

* Natalya and Tamina vs. Beth Phoenix and Eve

Brodus Clay beat Michael McGillicutty in a pre-show dark match. The bout lasted approximately two minutes.

Matches taped Tuesday night at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington for this week’s episode of NXT Redemption are as follows:

* Darren Young and Titus O’Neil vs. Alex Riley and Percy Watson

* Michael McGuillicuty vs. Tyson Kidd

* Kaitlyn vs. Maxine

Jinder Mahal faced The Great Khali in a match taped for WWE Superstars

Hunico defeated Ted DiBiase in a pre-show dark match.

The lower bowl of the Key Arena was largely full and most of the upper section was tarped off. Attendance was estimated at 9,000.

source: PWInsider.com

— During a phone interview with WWE.com Thursday, Shawn Michaels lost his composure when faced with pointed questions pertaining to Triple H and The Undertaker’s Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XXVIII.

After being asked “If Triple H wins at WrestleMania, will he be better than you?” Michaels grew increasingly incensed in his response, saying he is the best in-ring performer ever and that he cannot help that the spotlight falls on him whenever he shows up. Before hanging up, he tells the WWE.com interviewer to leave him alone in his retired life.

— Thanks to interference from Curt Hawkins, Tyler Reks drew a victory over Mason Ryan on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars. It is his first televised singles victory since the March 17, 2011 WWE Superstars, where he beat JTG.

Other matches featured include Alex Riley vs. Michael McGillicutty and Jinder Mahal vs. Justin Gabriel. The episode is available here.

— WWE developmental wrestler Corey Graves (a/k/a Sterling James Keenan) turns 28 years old Friday.

— Tuesday’s SuperSmackDown LIVE! show featuring a Champion vs. Champion match between WWE Champion CM Punk and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan garnered a 1.7 rating with 2,326,000 viewers.

It is SmackDown‘s lowest rating since the September 16, 2011 show, which drew a 1.78.

— Following her actions involving John Cena and Zack Ryder on Monday’s Raw SuperShow, Eve has turned over a new leaf. She wrote to Zack Ryder today on Twitter, “I miss you.”

— WWE.com is advertising a match between Justin Gabriel and Jinder Mahal for today’s episode of WWE Superstars. Other bouts taking place include Alex Riley vs. Michael McGillicutty and Mason Ryan vs. Tyler Reks.

— Mike Sydal, brother of WWE Superstar Evan Bourne, turns 28 years old today.

source: PWInsider.com

— The official Twitter feed of the WWE Insider stated Monday: “BREAKING NEWS: @IAmJericho is medically cleared to compete tonight on #Raw. More to come on WWE.com.”

Jericho was knocked out during Sunday’s Raw Elimination Chamber Match. Later in the show, he was shown backstage being examined by medical personnel.

— In an interview promoting tonight’s Raw SuperShow in Minneapolis, Kofi Kingston discussed fulfilling his dream to become a professional wrestler and his pre-WWE connection to fellow Superstar Alex Riley via Boston College.

Regarding Riley, Kingston said, “We have a developmental territory, which is in Florida, FCW, and you know, Riley and I weren’t close friends but we ran in the same circles of people and one day at practice, I’d been signed for about a year and some change, and he had just showed up, he walked in and I was like, man that looks like Riley … there’s no way he’d be here, though. We went through the whole practice, we’d even like talk to each other and then at the end, he was like, ‘hey, did you go to BC?’ And I was like, I knew it was you! So it was crazy.”

The interview is available here.

— WWE has published a video of The Undertaker with a message to Triple H. The Deadman says he will write the end to Triple H’s ending tomorrow.

— Hunico beat Alex Riley in a dark match prior to tonight’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event.

— The announced attendance for Elimination Chamber at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was 15,306.

It was announced at the event that Raw would be held at the venue on August 27, 2012.

— WWE.com has posted this week’s episode of WWE Superstars and it is highlighted by United States Champion Jack Swagger forcing Mason Ryan to tap out to the Ankle lock.

Ryan had not lost a televised singles match via pinfall or submission in nearly a year. His last such loss took place on the March 14, 2011 Raw to Randy Orton.

Other matches are Superstars include Aksana vs. Maxine and WWE Tag Team Champions Epico and Primo vs. Alex Riley and Santino Marella. The episode is available here.

— News of Chris Hero’s FCW ring name caused a surge online among wrestling fans Thursday as Kassius Ohno briefly trended on Twitter not to mention that the official Florida Championship Wrestling website slowed to a crawl for hours.

— WWE developmental wrestler Byron Saxton has resumed competing following shoulder surgery, reports the Wrestling Globe Newsletter.

— Triple H reportedly wants more Spanish-speaking wrestlers signed since he believes the Hispanic market is a major key to the prosperity of WWE. More specifically, he wants wrestlers who can conduct interviews in both English and Spanish. Rosa Mendes in particular has been directed to yell at ringside in Spanish as much as possible since she’s bilingual.

— In episode three of WWE Inbox, WWE Superstars and Divas answer questions on their favorite superhero, favorite television show and funniest wrestler. Alex Riley, Beth Phoenix, Derrick Bateman, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Kaitlyn, Maxine and Rosa Mendes appear.

The episode is available here.

— The official Twitter feed of RESISTANCE Pro has announced that Teddy Hart will not appear on Friday’s show in Chicago, Illinois due to visa problems. He will be replaced by Ricochet. Also advertised for the show is Rhino challenging Harry Smith for the R-Pro Heavyweight Championship.

(source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

— Matches taped Monday night at the Valley View Casino in San Diego, California are as follows:

* WWE United States Champion Jack Swagger vs. Mason Ryan

* Alex Riley and Santino Marella vs. WWE Tag Team Champions Epico and Primo (with Rosa Mendes)

Swagger’s match against Ryan is his third consecutive week on Superstars.

— Former WWE developmental talent Wes Brisco and independent wrestler J.D. Maverick were cast by the Alexa Modeling Agency for a financial intuition national television commercial being shot today and tomorrow.

— WWE has published the third episode of WWE Download. The synopsis reads: “Dolph Ziggler shares his hilarious insight on YouTube’s finest videos. Picking apart the digital disasters from an array of tools and fools who provide countless head-spinning moments for the world to share.”

source: F4WOnline.com

— WWE has announced a Falls Count Anywhere Match between Randy Orton and Wade Barrett for this Friday’s episode of SmackDown. The match will be taped Tuesday night in Indianapolis, Indiana.

— Matches taped Monday night in Chicago, Illinois for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars are as follows:

* Alex Riley vs. JTG

* Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston vs. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks

— Evan Bourne appears at Best Buy in St. Louis, Missouri on January 28, 2011 starting at 11:00 a.m.

source: ProWrestling.net

– There have been some jokes going around WWE lately regarding the people that Triple H surrounded himself with as the WWE’s talent development division. They have been mostly guys in their 20s, with several described as jacked-up meatheads that doesn’t know anything about the wrestling business.

Additionally, the first few talents Triple H has brought in have been busts thus far. Sin Cara’s early run was plagued by botched spots and injuries, and Kharma’s now on maternity leave, so neither had much of an impact.

• Triple H High On FCW Wrestler Damien Sandow (Picture)

– Alex Riley is reportedly in the WWE doghouse.

– An interesting story regarding Brodus Clay is that when he finished shooting a movie for WWE Studios earlier this year, he asked the creative team if they had anything for him – and proposed that he be pushed as an indestructable monster heel that would destroy baby faces and induct wrestlers into his personal “House of Pain.” He was reportedly told it was a great idea.

Meanwhile, Clay remains on the sidelines while Mark Henry is getting the biggest push of his career with a gimmick that’s eerily similar to Clay’s idea.

Still no word on when WWE plans to have Brodus Clay return to RAW, despite several advertised appearances in the past month.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

— Skip Sheffield competed in his first match in over a year at Saturday’s Raw live event in Sunrise, Florida, defeating Alex Riley.

The former Nexus member had been sidelined since breaking his leg and ankle on August 18, 2010 at a Raw live event in Honolulu, Hawaii. He underwent a third surgical procedure in June and vowed that it would be his last.

— The official website of the St. Pete Times Forum is advertising Triple H for Monday’s Raw SuperShow.

– The Miz is advertised for Conan on Thursday. The program airs at 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. on TBS.

source: PWInsider.com

WWE superstar Alex Riley was recently interviewed by Jeff Wilen of JAWBreaker. Riley spoke about his experience at WWE developmental (FCW), his former mentor The Miz, his “A-Ri” nickname and more. Here are some highlights of what Riley said about:

Q: Your latest feuds have been with Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger. What feuds would you like to see in your future?

A: “It’s very hard to predict what’s going to happen. It all kinds of changes month to month. I’ve been in the ring with The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Rowdy Roddy Piper. I’ve worked with guys at the top of the business. I expect to be there. I’ve been able to work with legends. I hope to be WWE champion one day. I’d love to see CM Punk in my future, but things are going good for him now. I expect to be in feuds with Christian and Mark Henry.”

Q: Who would you want your WrestleMania match opponent to be?

A: “I’d love to face John Cena one day. He’s a 12-time champion. He has made a mark at the top for so long, and he’s done it better than anyone. He’s kind of the measuring stick for me.”

To check out the full interview, head over to Go386.com.

— WWE Hall of Famer Superstar Billy Graham, 68, was hospitalized Monday in Phoenix, Arizona for pneumonia. He is on antibiotics and in stable condition.

“Billy had a bad cough last night when I spoke to him,” said his agent Scott Epstein. “He said he also had a low grade fever and was going to go to the ER as a precaution. Valerie (his wife) called me this morning to tell me he was admitted. She will update me later this evening.”

— Matches taped Monday in Liverpool, England for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars are as follows:

* Alex Riley vs. Michael McGillicutty

* Curt Hawkins vs. Justin Gabriel

— Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso beat Derrick Bateman and Trent Barreta in a dark match at tonight’s tapings in Liverpool, England.

sources: 1Wrestling.com, ProWrestling.net

— Maryse Ouellet celebrated her release from WWE’s shackles Friday at a night club in Los Angeles, California. She posted a photo on Twitter of a cake that reads “Congratulations on your release Maryse Be Sexy.” She captioned the pic as “lets get this party started.”

Meanwhile, Eve Torres praised her longtime rival. She tweeted, “(Maryse) is an incredible performer & a beautiful woman inside & out. She taught me how to have fun in the ring. #ThankYouMaryse.”

— Alex Riley is still working through a hip injury he suffered during WWE’s tour of Mexico earlier this month. He underwent an MRI following the tour and was cleared to wrestle this past week. He returned to action at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping as he took part in the post-broadcast 41-Man Battle Royal.

— WWE will hold a live event at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Sunday, January 22, 2012. The event is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

— WWE Hall of Famer Paul Orndorff turns 62 years old Saturday.

— Alex Riley stated on Twitter that he underwent an MRI on his hip today following WWE’s tour of Mexico.

He wrote, “Just got back from Mexico, had MRI on hip today nothin serious will be back at it in a couple of days. In the meantime, Rest, Weight Room, Ice, Stretching, Tape Review, GamePlanning… and Creative Thinking.”

— Former WWE star Bobby Lashley has signed a multi-picture deal with Shawn Cain Films, which includes a role in Josh Turner’s epic reality sequel The Indy Wrestler 2. Shooting begins December 10 in Rosman, North Carolina.

— Former WCW talent Melissa Bellin (a/k/a Nitro Girl Spice) has been added to WrestleReunion, which takes place January 27-29 at the Los Angeles Airport Westin Hotel in Los Angeles, California. She will also be participating in a bikini photo shoot at the event.

— The official website of Florida Championship Wrestling has added Jake Carter to their roster page. He is Jesse White, son of former WWE star Vader. He signed a developmental contract with WWE in April following a tryout at the organization’s developmental facility in Tampa, Florida.

White, 25, originally committed to the University of Oklahoma and was touted for the National Football League, but retired following a hip injury. He then followed his dad’s footsteps to the world of professional wrestling.

— Theodore Long kicked off Friday’s SmackDown by announcing that the first match of the night would feature 41 Superstars in the largest Battle Royal in WWE history. Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis then revealed the winner would earn a title match against the champion of his choosing.

Randy Orton won the 41-Man No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal, last eliminating The Miz. Battle Royal elimination order is as follows: 1. Cody Rhodes, 2. Johnny Curtis, 3. JTG, 4. Michael McGillicutty, 5. Derrick Bateman, 6. Yoshi Tatsu, 7. Titus O’Neil, 8. Matt Striker, 9. William Regal, 10. Percy Watson, 11. John Morrison, 12. Dolph Ziggler, 13. Trent Barreta, 14. Jey Uso, 15. Ted DiBiase, 16. Tyson Kidd, 17. Daniel Bryan, 18. Tyler Reks, 19. Curt Hawkins, 20. Drew McIntrye, 21. Justin Gabriel, 22. Mason Ryan, 23. Primo, 24. Santino Marella, 25. Alex Riley, 26. Kofi Kingston, 27. Zack Ryder, 28. David Otunga, 29. Jimmy Uso, 30. Ezekiel Jackson, 31. Heath Slater, 32. Sin Cara (Negro), 33. Christian, 34. R-Truth , 35. CM Punk, 36. Sheamus, 37. Wade Barrett, 38. Jack Swagger, 39. Jinder Mahal, 40. The Miz.