WWE Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett suffered a serious shoulder injury at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Update: WWE Doctor Says Bad News Barrett Suffered Separated Shoulder

During Barrett’s match on the show with Dean Ambrose, the I-C champ suffered a shoulder injury after being thrown into the ringside barricade with force by Jack Swagger.

According to live fan reports, Barrett immediately started clutching his shoulder and cussing very loud, which is similar to how he reacted when he suffered a serious injury that ended up requiring surgery a few years ago.

The referee threw up the infamous “X” symbol, which led to medics rushing to the ring to help Barrett to the back.

At this point, it looks like Barrett will be unable to participate in Sunday’s Money in the Bank ladder match.

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The following is a transcription of a recent Ring Rust Radio interview with Rob Van Dam:

Mike Chiari: Since returning to WWE for your latest stint you’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the company’s fastest rising stars, specifically Cesaro and Bad News Barrett. As a veteran performer do you take pride in helping some of these younger stars get over and reach their fullest potential?

Rob Van Dam: Yes and no. I place no focus on that. If somebody is willing to take some advice, then I have some, and that’s just life in general. A lot of people don’t want to hear anything. These guys, and everybody at WWE right now, is so good that the standard of the pro wrestler compared to maybe 10 years ago: night and day difference. I came back last year and I was so impressed. Guys that come up now through NXT, a lot of them, maybe most of them, seem to be growing up in the business and with only four or five years’ experience. They’re already 10-12 year veterans. I’m more happy, with the caliber rising, that I can still get in there with my style and ability and still be relevant with the new age of wrestlers coming up just like it was back then.

So, are they getting a rub from wrestling with me? Probably so, but these guys, I don’t feel like they need me. These guys have a great future and are heading to the top with or without wrestling Rob Van Dam, they just might have a few more bruises after wrestling me.

Brandon Galvin: Many fans relate Money in the Bank to being the summer version of the Royal Rumble. Since you’ve competed in many Money in the Bank and Royal Rumble matches, which do you find more exciting to participate in?

Rob Van Dam: The battle royals are usually among my least favorite matches. Of course the Royal Rumble is a very anticipated and popular pay-per view and it’s very important in setting up what happens that year with WWE, but for my personal participation, I like to keep the spotlight on me more.

Single matches, I feel, have always been the ones where I can shine more. Three-way, four-way, you have to split your attention with some other guys, and it can be totally great, but when you get into a battle royal with 20 or 30 other guys, it’s just so different from what your agenda is when it’s one on one competition. My preference is from the perspective of the guy putting the boots on, but really, if it works, it’s good. If the fans love it, I love it.

Donald Wood: The Money in the Bank pay-per-view is scheduled for Sunday, June 29, in Boston and on the WWE Network. As the winner of the 2006 edition of the match, you know first hand how a victory in the ladder match can change your career. How do you approach this event now that you’re a little older and a little wiser?

Rob Van Dam: The experience that I have goes with not only knowing what it takes to pull off a match like that, but also experience in knowing myself and knowing what I can do and how far out there my comfort zone is. I love a match like Money in the Bank, I love a hardcore match, and that’s what the Money in the Bank ladder matches are. Throw the rule book out and let out your imagination. Usually, you have to be among the tougher [Superstars] to enjoy a match like that because you are going to be hit with steel and cement and there’s most likely going to be some blood—even though they want to stop it with the current policies with the WWE, some people might get busted open. I wish they would bring the hardcore title back, that would make me happy.

Mike Chiari: You obviously have a long history with Paul Heyman dating back to ECW, and you’ve once again had an opportunity to work with him during your feud with Cesaro. If a situation were to arise at some point that would allow you to join forces with Heyman again is that something you might be interested in?

Rob Van Dam: Possibly, you know, there’s a lot of factors to consider. Of course, whenever I’m working with him to any degree, I have to consider the possibility that some writers may be thinking of that idea just like you are. I would be open to considering anything, but I really do enjoy being a fan favorite, someone that gets the positive energy from the fans and all the love from those who are wrestling fans: guys my age, kids, women, whatever. I like that I have that appeal, and I like the love. That would be something, even within the parameters of entertainment, switching to bad guy, that those guys would put up with. All the negative energy that would occur if I were to switch. That would be something that has value to me, but besides that, of course I’d love to work with Paul.

Brandon Galvin: You’ve always been one of the most exciting and unique wrestlers in and out of the ring, which makes it difficult for fans to ever boo you. However, have you ever thought about playing the role of a villain again or do you think your in-ring style would make it too difficult for fans to turn on you?

Rob Van Dam: I don’t know. I actually started as a bad guy in the original ECW, back in ’96, because I was wrestling Sabu, who all the fans loved and treated like a god. With the thumbs pointing at myself, that was done in an arrogant manner to draw heat from the crowd and they seemed to love it, they seemed to love my moves.

I don’t know if my style makes it hard to get fans to not appreciate me, but I do think that the traditional hero is something that is old fashioned in somewhere like the Deep South. I remember wrestling in Georgia, and as a good guy—to get the audience behind me—you just walk out and clap your hands, you get the fans to clap with you and you smile. When I first went up to Philadelphia, if I tried that stuff up there, they would boo me out the door. So that kind of anti-hero or that more adult approach has taken over.

The Attitude Era, ECW, everything together has come to make wrestling not so old fashioned, which I could say was cheesy by my standards and had to evolve, so now the fans tend to be drawn more toward what they find entertaining, which is subjective.

Donald Wood: When you returned to the WWE, there were a lot of reports about your contract with the company. While it appears you won’t be going for the major titles in the company as a part-time wrestler—at least right now—you have much more free time to explore other ventures outside the ring. Has it been difficult trying to adapt to the new style of part-time wrestling with the WWE?

Rob Van Dam: I have never been one of the guys that goes crazy at home. I can’t even imagine what that’s like. I need the balance. WWE knows I walked away from them in 2006, [that] I stayed away for six or seven years [and] that I’m capable of that without question. The other wrestlers, they have a few days off and they go nuts.

I remember, even when I was injured, I had my knee surgery and was home for 12 months, but I wasn’t just sitting around, I had a lot of conventions and things, but I would get phone calls from some of my friends from wrestling saying, ‘Rob I know you’re going crazy at home, but you’ll be back on the road in no time,’ and that’s when I realized how different they are from me. I love my time at home. I need that balance. That’s why I left before, and that’s why this schedule is what works perfect for me, so I don’t have to adjust to the busy times.

We just did 17 matches in 23 days in my last run when we went to Europe and I did NXT in Florida as well as Raw and Smackdown. That kind of time for me is when I count the days until I get a break, always have, and some of the other guys have nothing waiting for them at the apartment anyways. They’re young and they’re looking to show people what they’ve got, I’ll let them have it. I’m happy with my position and the way WWE is treating me right now.

Mike Chiari: You’ve faced most of the top stars in the business over the past two decades, but who is someone who you either haven’t wrestled at all or have only wrestled sparingly that you’d like to work an extended program against in WWE?

Rob Van Dam: Hulk Hogan. Bring Hulk Hogan back, I want to work with him.

I don’t really worry about those things. When people ask me about guys I don’t say yes or no, but I go where the money is. Any chance I have to be a main event at a pay-per view, like main eventing WrestleMania, is that important to me? At this point, it’s something that would be really nice.

Brandon Galvin: Not many fans know about your roles outside the ring as an actor. One of my personal favorites was when you appeared on City Guys in the late 90’s. With the success of WWE Studios, would you be interested in appearing another film?

Rob Van Dam: Yeah, totally. I actually have several projects back in LA that are on the table. Some of them are movie projects, some of them documentaries, some TV shows. And to me, for that stuff to happen is like letting out 50 balloons in the air and seeing which ones make it back down.

I regularly sign letters of interest with people who have given me offers and, nine out of 10 times, the projects don’t see the light of day. Sometimes they do. When they do, it usually takes a lot of years before they come to fruition. I like to be on the creative side of that also, helping create the story and produce it.

As much as I like the entertainment business, I hate doing auditions. I don’t do them. So when you don’t do auditions, you’re not going to get a lot of parts. I did plenty of auditions, but I’m at a point now where my time is limited, and I don’t enjoy doing auditions, so now I take parts when they’re handed to me. So there are a lot less projects for me, but I love to do them.

For those interested, you can listen to the complete interview above.

A huge six-man tag-team match featuring teams of three Superstars, all of whom will be part of the second “traditional” Money In The Bank ladder match this Sunday night on pay-per-view, was announced on RAW as the main event for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event, which airs live on the WWE Network on Tuesday night at 8pm EST.

Tuesday’s edition of Main Event will feature Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler and Rob Van Dam vs. Bad News Barrett, Seth Rollins and Jack Swagger.

The additional participants for the second Money In The Bank ladder match for the briefcase at this Sunday’s pay-per-view were announced during the “go-home” RAW show on Monday night.

During an in-ring segment with Triple H, “The Game” revealed the following participants for the match:

– Seth Rollins
– Kofi Kingston
– Jack Swagger
– Dolph Ziggler
– Rob Van Dam
– Bad News Barrett

Later in the show it was confirmed that Dean Ambrose would indeed be the seventh and final participant in the match.

One week from today, WWE’s annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view will be held in Boston, Massachusetts. The event has quickly become one of the most anticipated programs of the year, as it provides exciting action and sets up the storyline for months by allowing a WWE superstar to stalk his prey while holding a contract for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.

There will be two Money in the Bank ladder matches this year. One will be held for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and the other will be a traditional contest for a shot at the title. The first contest will feature perennial title contenders such as John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Alberto Del Rio, as well as up-and-coming stars such as Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, and Cesaro.

It seems like John Cena is once again the favorite to leave Boston as the champ.

The second ladder match will feature Seth Rollins, with the rest of the lineup to be determined in a series of qualifying matches. Thus far, only three matches have been announced for the entire pay-per-view, and with only one week left before the event, one has to wonder how the WWE will tie everything together in such a brief period.

Other than the two ladder matches, a matchup between the Usos and Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of the Wyatt family is the only confirmed contest on the card. It seems apparent that Dean Ambrose will be one of the participants in the traditional ladder match. Potential options also include those who did not qualify for the championship ladder match, including Bad News Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, and Rob Van Dam.

The two ladder matches will soak up a large portion of the roster, meaning the midcard will have to pick up some slack in order to fill up the three hours of airtime. Rumored contests include Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. RybAxel, Rusev vs. Big E, and a Divas Championship match involving Paige and all or part of the Funkadactyls.

The main event for the June 29th WWE Money In The Bank pay-per-view will be the ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which features John Cena, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Cesaro, Bray Wyatt and Alberto Del Rio. As noted recently, Cena or Reigns (and Cesaro as a long-shot) will likely come out on top, as the winner is the likely candidate for Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.

Also confirmed for the 6/29 PPV is a WWE Tag-Team Championship match with The Usos defending against Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of The Wyatt Family.

The second ladder match, which was made official recently and will be for the usual Money In The Bank briefcase, as of right now only features Seth Rollins. Additional names rumored for the match include Dean Ambrose, Big E., Rob Van Dam, Bo Dallas, as well as Bad News Barrett and Dolph Ziggler, the latter two of which will either be part of that match or in an Intercontinental Championship match with each other.

Additionally, the direction for the WWE Divas Championship match at Money In The Bank seems to be Paige defending against Naomi of The Funkadactyls.

On the June 17th edition of WWE Main Event, Seth Rollins announced that there will be a traditional Money in the Bank ladder match at the pay-per-view in less than two weeks. Rollins also announced that he will be one of the participants in the match.

Who will join Rollins in the traditional Money in the Bank ladder match?

That remains to be seen. Rollins didn’t have to qualify for this match, just like Randy Orton didn’t have to qualify for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship ladder match. The next two weeks, the top midcard stars will likely compete for the opportunity to qualify for the traditional Money in the Bank ladder match. These midcard stars are hoping to be the next one to make the transition to main event star.

Here are five WWE superstars who should join Rollins in the Money in the Bank ladder match on June 29th.

This week’s Raw took place in the dump of a city known as Cleveland, Ohio. The card featured a total of six matches, including two contests to finalize the field for the Money in the Bank championship ladder match.

Most notably, this week’s Raw saw Roman Reigns and John Cena punch their tickets for Money in the Bank, while Vickie Guerrero and Stephanie McMahon bonded with one another. As always, a few questions were answered, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following this week’s edition of Raw.

5. Will Seth Rollins get a new theme song/attire soon?

Seth Rollins furthered his feud with former partner Dean Ambrose last night, and it seems apparent that the two will square off at Money in the Bank. Since joining the Authority, Rollins seems to have lost a bit of momentum.

Most importantly, it feels like Rollins needs new attire, as he is currently still sporting his Shield gear. His new theme music also does not fit him well, but there are rumors that it could change in the near future. Ultimately, the situation shows how haphazardly his heel change was handled, as there was not even a plan in place for new ring gear or decent entrance music.

Update:  Photos: Seth Rollins’ New Ring Gear

4. How long will Adam Rose last?

There are rumors that Vince McMahon is not too keen on Adam Rose. He seemed to be over last night, with the crowd loudly singing along to his theme song for the first time that I can recall.

Rose defeated Fandango in a mixed-gender tag team contest. There was a bit of irony during the match, with Rose essentially being the same character that Fandango was a year ago. We all know what has happened to Fandango during the past year. Where will Rose be a year from now, and most importantly, will he still be with the company?

WWE head writer Jay Gibson was fired by Vince McMahon over the past few days, according to a report at PWTorch.com. It’s unclear whether he was let go on Friday or over the weekend, but last night’s RAW was the first WWE television show written without Gibson’s input.

RAW appeared to feature a lot more input from Vince McMahon than usual, including his unique brand of humor that included spiked coffee and the ‘payoff’ of Stephanie vomiting all over Vickie Guerrero.

Vince McMahon is spearheading WWE’s effort to reduce payroll costs to offset the recent financial damage done as a result of the WWE Network and the disappointing TV rights fees deal with NBC Universal.

According to WrestleZone.com, WWE is looking to cut $20 million from their budget this year. Aside from WWE releasing 11 people last week, firing their head writer and cutting NXT’s budget, WWE is taking other measures to reduce production costs. For example, elements of Fandango’s entrance and Bad News Barrett’s scissor lift are no longer being used. The truck WWE used to transport those entrances is no longer being used, which will result in the company saving upwards of $250,000 per year.

Bad News Barrett recently spoke to CBS Cleveland about Cody Rhodes creating his gimmick, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and more. Below is an excerpt from the interview, which you can see in the above video:

“I’ve always said that I want to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The Intercontinental Championship is nice and this is my fourth time having it but as far as I’m concerned, I’m ready to take a step up and become the man in the WWE. That’s where I want to get to and if Bad News Barrett is the vehicle that gets me there then great, but if not I’ll keep plugging away and one day I’ll be Britain’s first WWE World Heavyweight Champion – a certain part of it isn’t up to me and I’ve got to rely on certain people making certain decisions so hopefully that works out in my favor.”

This week’s edition of WWE Raw took place in Minneapolis, MN, and featured one of the biggest announcements in recent history. That announcement was of course that WWE Champion Daniel Bryan would be stripped of his title and it would be on the line during the ladder match at Money in the Bank.

Speaking of the ladder match, Cesaro and Sheamus punched their tickets after winning qualifying matches, and Triple H added Randy Orton to the match, leaving only three remaining spots. As always, a few questions were answered, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following this week’s edition of Raw.

5. Is Sandow Permanently Buried?

For what seems like the thousandth week in a row, Damien Sandow was once again tasked with comic relief duty, this time appearing dressed as a ballerina to team with Fandango.

Sandow was not only once again grossly misused, his winless streak and fall to the bottom of the company also continued. Since unsuccessfully cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase last year against John Cena, it has been downhill for Sandow.

Let us hope that the next briefcase winner (assuming there are two ladder matches) is better utilized than Sandow was, as the win actually hurt him more than it helped.

4. Does Cesaro Have a Chance To Win the Title?

Cesaro qualified for the championship ladder match after hitting RVD with a Neutralizer this Monday. There were rumors a few weeks back that the company was thinking about putting the briefcase on Cesaro (before it was confirmed as a championship title match).

This leads one to wonder if he has a legitimate chance at winning the title. Having only held the United States Championship, it seems unlikely, but after looking at the confirmed participants, he seems like the early favorite.

It is unlikely that they would put the title back on Randy Orton already, and the other confirmed participants (Del Rio and Sheamus) will not be walking out with the title either. There are three participants yet to be confirmed, meaning John Cena will likely find a way to get himself into the match and win the title, but one can dream, right?

– Former NFL player Tom Pestock, who played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals, is said to be one of the developmental talents in NXT that WWE is keeping their eye on. Pestock, who wrestles in NXT as Baron Corbin, has apparently been impressing officials with his work as of late.

– The following is the latest WWE “30 Second Fury” video, which looks at Bad News Barrett’s “Bad News Bull Hammer Elbow.”

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Here are some highlights of what Dolph Ziggler said during a recent interview with Alex of the Journey Of a Frontman website:

How He Prepares For His Matches: “I’m not one of those guys that has to, one of those guys that walks around with their Beats headphones on and get in the zone and bounce around. I do the opposite of that. I sit around in a corner and I focus on a game plan or psychology going into the match so I can get all my focusing in, think of everything I can that I can possible use against my opponent out there. So I like to sit and plot quietly. I listen to music on the treadmill every morning, little bit of a mixture of pop music and mostly hair bands and rock.”

Doing Stand Up Comedy: “Mick Foley has some stand up things going on also, so he’s giving me an opening invite if I ever have a day off. I can speak on stage with him and get a couple minutes in. Whenever I have a free minute, which is very rare, I am looking for mic time one way or another. Just know that a lot of my set has to do with Chipotle in a positive way. A lot of Chipotle talk!”

Who He Hopes to Face at Summerslam: “I would like to face Bad News Barrett at Summerslam. That guy, he’s come back from an injury, he’s come a long way. He’s found a way to recreate himself on The JBL and Cole YouTube show and actually bringing that over to television. He brought it over to television and it’s great. I love hearing him talk. He’s good and he knows what he’s doing. We’ve only been in the ring maybe two times together and we tore it down. I would love to get out there with him and put on a match that nobody else could follow.”

Could Sami Zayn Be The Next Paul Heyman Guy?: “I actually got to have a match with him overseas and it went really well. I think he could be next to hit the roster and maybe he will be a Paul Heyman Guy. When you walk through the door and you become a Paul Heyman Guy, there’s dollar signs around you. It makes you a main player in the game.”

If He’d Want To Be RAW General Manager: “I would hate that! That’s like having an office job. I need to be out there, I need to be out there in the ring. I would go crazy if I was GM.”

His All-Time Favorite Match: “One of my favorites for sure was me versus Edge at the 2011 Royal Rumble. We were the opening match for the World Heavyweight title. Edge was someone I had rode with and he’s been a mentor to me. It was cool to be in the ring with him and me being the bad guy. The crowd understands I’m good at my job. And I was able to hang in the ring with him. In the last ten minutes of that match, everybody was on the edge of their seats. It was a real special time for me. It was a great match. Edge was awesome, I hung in there with him and definitely held my own. We tore it down that night.”

This week’s edition of WWE Raw took place in Indianapolis, IN and was the post-Payback episode of the longest running weekly episodic television show in history. The card featured a total of nine matches, including a contest between John Cena and Kane, as well as a Money in the Bank qualifying match between Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio.

The show also featured two incidents that will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the storyline for weeks to come. A lot of questions were answered, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following this week’s edition of Raw.

5. Is Cesaro Going to Challenge for the Intercontinental Championship?

On this week’s Raw, Cesaro abandoned his partner Bad News Barrett, leaving him helpless against the team of RVD and Sheamus. After the match, Cesaro stood on the stage staring at Bad News Barrett, perhaps alluding to an upcoming feud between the two for the IC strap.

This feud could help both parties, as it would provide Barrett with a worthy opponent to work with, while also allowing Cesaro to challenge for the company’s second most important title. With rumors of Cesaro being the top contender to win the Money in the Bank briefcase, there are a few directions they could take with the King of Swing, and fans would likely welcome any push.

4. Will WWE Listen to the Fans and Push Dolph Ziggler?

One of the biggest injustices of the past year has been Dolph Ziggler’s demotion to the midcard. After finally cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase, Ziggler won the World Heavyweight Championship from Alberto Del Rio on the Raw after WrestleMania last year.

His reign would ultimately be cut short following a concussion, and after a few harsh words directed at John Cena, Ziggler’s burial was a certainty. He hasn’t been able to claw his way out of the doghouse since, despite calls from fans to give him a push.

There were chants for Ziggler during the match between Big E and Rusev at Payback, and it seemed like he might finally get back on track during a Money in the Bank qualifying match against Alberto Del Rio on this week’s Raw. The hopes of Ziggler fans around the world were quickly dashed, however, as he was forced to tap out to the Cross Armbreaker and it looks like Dolph has become a permanent fixture at the bottom of the card.

3. Who Benefited More from Their Feud: John Cena or Bray Wyatt?

During their last man standing match at Payback, John Cena literally buried Bray Wyatt after slamming him through a crate that was conveniently placed at the foot of a table.

Now that it appears their feud is over, one has to wonder which superstar benefited more from the program. It is hard to argue that any victory could put Cena over more. Wyatt used the program to get himself over with the audience, but he ultimately looked weak in each of their contests.

Wyatt lost two of the three matches, and his one victory came with the help of Harper, Rowan, and a child. Ultimately, Cena did not gain anything from the feud, and Wyatt is just as over as he was before and looked weak throughout, so I would say that neither guy really benefited.

After his absence from the post-WWE Payback edition of RAW on Monday night, it was announced during the show that Bray Wyatt will be making his return at this week’s SmackDown.

SmackDown will be taped after the live edition of WWE Main Event, headlined by Rob Van Dam vs. Bad News Barrett for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, on Tuesday night. The show will air this Friday on the SyFy Network.

We will have complete spoiler results of the show as soon as the taping concludes on Tuesday night.

It was announced on Monday’s post-WWE Payback edition of RAW that on WWE Main Event this Tuesday on the WWE Network, Rob Van Dam will challenge Bad News Barrett in a WWE Intercontinental Championship rematch from Payback.

The two competed at the WWE Payback pay-per-view on Sunday night, with Barrett ultimately getting his hand raised and retaining his title.

– Roman Reigns noted during the WWE Payback post-show on Sunday night that he may have suffered a torn triceps during his six-man tag-team match against Evolution, which served as the main event of the evening. A fan who saw Reigns exit the building after the show noted that he clearly seemed to be in pain.

– Bad News Barrett suffered a black eye as a result of his match with Rob Van Dam at the WWE Payback pay-per-view. Barrett suffered the black eye when taking a stiff blow from Van Dam during their WWE Intercontinental Championship match.

– Bray Wyatt suffered various cuts as a result of his “Last Man Standing” match with John Cena at Payback, a match that many in the company were raving about afterwards.

According to one source, a big tag-team main event is scheduled to take place on tomorrow night’s post-Payback edition of WWE RAW.

In what could be a pairing of secondary champions depending on the outcome of some matches at tonight’s Payback pay-per-view, a tag-team match between Bad News Barrett and Cesaro vs. Rob Van Dam and Sheamus is the plan for tomorrow night.

• BACKSTAGE NEWS On Some Possible New “PAUL HEYMAN GUYS” — **CLICK HERE**

(Credit: F4WOnline.com)

WWE Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett did a radio interview this week with 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

How Real Total Divas Is: “I think for the most part it’s genuine characters and genuine personalities… As with any TV show their aim is to make it entertaining. So, certain scenarios might be set up where they’re put into a very strict environment and seeing how they respond. It’s not like they have lines like a movie… it’s a lot of improv.”

Wanting To Be WWE World Heavyweight Champion: “I want to be champion of the world. There’s never been a British world champion before. I think that’s a terrible statistic and somebody needs to wipe that out. Hopefully, it’s me. I’m going to take it as far as I can. There’s certain elements involved in pro wrestling that aren’t solely down to the performer. There’s only so much I can do. I’ve kind of stopped beating myself up about things not working out the way I want them to every time.”

Other topics discussed include ECW’s influence on UK Wrestling, Tyson Kidd’s potential and more.

Currently there are three matches officially announced for the upcoming WWE Payback pay-per-view on June 1st in Chicago, Illinois. Those matches are The Shield vs. Evolution in a No Holds Barred Elimination match, John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a Last Man Standing match and Bad News Barrett vs. Rob Van Dam for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

Other matches likely for WWE Payback include The Usos vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan for the WWE Tag-Team Championships, Paige vs. Alicia Fox for the WWE Divas Championship, Sheamus vs. Cesaro for the WWE United States Championship, Adam Rose vs. Jack Swagger, Rusev vs. Big E. and Summer Rae vs. Layla with Fandango as special guest referee.

As far as the No Holds Barred Elimination main event, a possible scenario being considered is one that would see Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins eliminated early, leaving Roman Reigns to make a huge comeback on all three Evolution members by himself.

The match will be Batista’s final match in WWE for several months, and based on plans for the future, could be one of Triple H’s last for a while as well.

• DIRECT LINK: Photos Of A BRAND NEW TNA Knockout — And She’s *HOT*! [View Here >>](Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Following Monday’s taped edition of WWE RAW in London, England, here is your updated lineup for the WWE Payback pay-per-view, which takes place on Sunday, June 1st. It should be noted that not all of these matches have been officially announced yet, although are all planned for the PPV.

No Holds Barred Elimination Match
– The Shield vs. Evolution

Last Man Standing Match
– Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena

WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Bad News Barrett (c) vs. Rob Van Dam

WWE United States Championship
– Sheamus (c) vs. Cesaro

– Adam Rose vs. Jack Swagger

On Monday’s WWE RAW from London, Stephanie McMahon made her big announcement about the fate of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

In light of Daniel Bryan’s neck surgery and the fact that he will be out of action for an indeterminate amount of time, she is contemplating stripping him of the gold and awarding it to another Superstar, such as Kane, Bad News Barrett, Batista or her even husband, WWE COO Triple H.

She then clarified that in all seriousness, she is demanding that Daniel Bryan show up at RAW next week and “do the right thing” by personally surrender the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

The undercard singles titles are all chilling across the pond these days, as Bad News Barrett, Sheamus, and Paige all won championships in recent weeks. New champions are a welcome sight in the WWE these days, especially considering how stale the previous champions’ runs had become.

Dean Ambrose’s reign as United States Champion will likely be the forgotten reign in years to come. He held the title for almost a year while only defending it a few times before finally dropping it to Sheamus during a battle royal a few weeks back.

The same holds true for Big E and the Intercontinental Championship. Although he did not hold the title as long as Ambrose held his US Championship, his reign was unmemorable and he engaged in no meaningful feuds during his months with the title. As for AJ Lee, her run with the title seemed fresh at first, but she eventually ran out of challengers and it seemed like the right time to crown a new champion.

Ambrose held the title for almost a year and hardly ever defended it.

With recent undercard title reigns being unmemorable, it leads one to wonder if unification is the answer. One of the primary reasons the titles go undefended is because it is difficult to have too many stories going at once, especially meaningful ones that involve championship contests. This leads to champions holding insignificant titles like the US Championship as a way to legitimize or build up the character, but in reality, the title does little because it goes undefended.

One of the best options would perhaps be to unify the United States and Intercontinental Championships. By unifying the titles into just the Intercontinental Championship, it could make the title seem important again. In the Attitude Era, the title held importance, with fans knowing that most superstars who held the strap were on their way to the main event.

That is not the case anymore, however, as the title is thrown on random superstars in an attempt to build interest, but then creative puts in no further effort. It is a little sad that the most interesting thing to happen involving the Intercontinental Championship in recent months was a tournament to crown a number one contender that did not even involve the champion at all (except for a few clips showing him standing in the back, angrily looking at a monitor).

WWE kicks off their European tour today with their first stop in Glasgow, Scotland. With Daniel Bryan off of the tour due to injury, here is the updated list of talent that is scheduled for this part of the tour: Kane, The Shield, Big E, Rob Van Dam, Bad News Barrett, Big Show, Randy Orton, Mark Henry, Ryback, Curtis Axel, Paige, Layla, Fandango, Cameron, Naomi, Jack Swagger, Zeb Colter, Sin Cara, Rusev, Lana and more.

Originally, Bryan vs. Kane in a “Last Man Standing” match was being advertised, but with Bryan’s injury, that is obviously off the table. As of right now, no new opponent or match for Kane has been announced.

Also advertised for this leg of the tour is a six-man tag-team match featuring The Shield vs. Randy Orton, Ryback and Curtis Axel.

There is once again discussion within WWE about the possibility of unifying the WWE Intercontinental and WWE United States Championships.

However, with the WWE U.K. tour coming up, and the fact that Sheamus and Bad News Barrett are both European champions, it looks like there may be more smoke to the fire than usual.