– As reported over the weekend, Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler is expected to be the opening match at WrestleMania 31. Like last year, the original plan was for Bryan to wrestle Sheamus at WrestleMania. Daniel Bryan requested to fight Ziggler instead and their discussion on Twitter about a potential match has been part of the updated storyline plans. Expect to see Bryan and Ziggler discussing a WrestleMania match on WWE TV as soon as tonight.

– The upcoming WWE Fast Lane pay-per-view on February 22nd will have some stiff competition, with the 87th Academy Awards and UFC’s Fight Night Brazil live event both taking place on the same night.

– WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos are expected to defend against Cesaro and Tyson Kidd at Fast Lane.

– Speaking of Cesaro and Kidd, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart was backstage for this weekend’s WWE live event from Calgary and took a photo with the team:

#WWE Hall of Famer @BretHart brought some "attitude" to the "Cattitude Era" in #WWECalgary! @WWECesaro @KiddWWE pic.twitter.com/OMIjAvcWHM

— WWE (@WWE) February 1, 2015

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart was interviewed for January’s issue of Total Wrestling Magazine, which you can read for free online at Issuu.com.

The 5-time WWE Champion spoke about his classic match with Davey Boy Smith at SummerSlam 1992, the legendary Hart family dungeon and his brother Owen. Here’s what he makes of the current WWE product and who his favorite superstars are:

“CM Punk, is an exceptional talent who’s really raised the bar in the last few years. I don’t know how many wrestlers in the past few years that I can say that about. In wrestling theres a lot of repeat, not a lot of innovation but Punk raised the bar and Daniel Bryan is a great talent too. He reminds me of Owen, a quiet kid who’s very talented. I love the way he wrestles, he does a lot that Owen did, like the dropkicks off the top, the nip-ups, there’s a lot of little Owen traits in everything Bryan does.”

He also spoke about patching up his relationship with Vince McMahon several years ago.

“He was one of the first people to call me and ask how I was after my stroke, and we cleared a lot of the air, I’m really grateful for that call. I eventually got to beat him at WrestleMania 26 which I think is a better ending for us. I would say he’s on the very best of terms with me now.”

The following are highlights of a new U.K. Mirror interview with Chris Jericho:

On WWE inducting Randy Savage into the Hall Of Fame: “Well, absolutely it’s one of the guys that needed to go in there to make it a legitimate Hall of Fame. They’ve done a great job over the last few years, putting in those last few guys like Bob Backlund, Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart, and now Savage, those were the holdouts that needed to be in there to give that Hall some semblance of credibility. Now that Savage is going in, it’s kind of closing the book on the outstanding that needed to be in there – like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame needs to put Deep Purple in there before I can ever take it seriously. Until they do, it’s kind of a joke to me. The fact Savage is finally going in is great.”

On returning to WWE for the next two months, but not working TV or PPVs: “Just for January and February, working the live events – no TV matches, no pay-per-view matches. I happen to have January and February off because in March I’m going back to the UK with Fozzy, so it was a good time to go back to WWE for a few matches. It’s based around Fozzy’s schedule, and it’s been that way since 2010. You see me come and go for a month here, a month there, that’s why I didn’t want to do any TV this year in January or February because it’s too short of a timeframe. Considering it’s WrestleMania time, there’s really no reason to come back [on TV] because I’m not available for WrestleMania, nor do I want to be around just for a couple of months. It’d be too quick.”

On Vince McMahon’s “brass ring” speech: “I grabbed it so I don’t really have … he’s right, it’s all up to him, and whatever mood he’s in and whoever he decides has it at the moment will get a chance. It’s Vince, he says things and whatever is in his head. When I’m not in WWE, I don’t watch a lot of WWE. There’s guys there grabbing the brass ring and others will over time, and there’s people you never expected to make it huge that will make it huge – that’s the nature of the business. Look at Daniel Bryan, the company never expected him to get as big as he got and probably didn’t even want him to get as big as he got, but some guys just do.”

Check out the complete interview at Mirror.co.uk.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee In Their Private Time, Hanging w/ Celebrities, Partying & MORE! [View Here >>]

David Arquette is a former WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Being a World Champion normally means you’re a big star. Vince Russo was a former World Champion. The Great Khali is a former World Heavyweight Champion. Just so we understand each other, these guys, in my opinion, are not among the biggest stars in the history of pro wrestling.

Do we understand the formula?

Today, we are going to look at five legends of the ring who were without a doubt top stars in their prime. At one point or another, each person on this list could be considered “the guy” in the business. All were top stars who reached Championship-level success at one time or another, however they all shared one key factor in common — they pretty much sucked in the ring.

A lot of people have different ideas of what a “good worker” really is. Generally speaking, if you’re in the business, a good worker is someone who can take the live crowd on an emotional journey. Most of the people on this list were able to do that, however if you’re a die-hard fan of the sport, you have a different opinion of what a “good worker” is. To those people, a good worker is someone who took the time to perfect the craft, the art and skill of what goes on inside the squared circle. Guys who have matches that are considered “match of the year” candidates. Guys who could have what die-hard fans call “five-star matches.”

That is who we are looking at today. Guys who by die-hard fan standards would be considered god-awful workers. Guys who couldn’t have a classic, five-star match to save their life, even if they’re able — usually due to star power and enthusiasm — to pop a crowd during a match.

With all of thr explanation out of the way, let’s take a look at who made the list of the top five biggest stars who weren’t good workers.

#5. Hulk Hogan

The guy knows how to have a classic match. His WrestleMania VI clash with Ultimate Warrior, who we’ll be talking about later, surprised many. Still, if you examine the match with your “worker” glasses on you’ll notice that it wasn’t exactly a catch-as-catch-can classic by any means.

It was a great match though in the sense that the crowd was totally invested. A lot of that had to do with the promotional build-up to the match and the characters involved. The same can be said for Hogan vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8.

A Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat classic it was not.

But the response from the fans was about as passionate as things get. Hogan can have great matches when everything falls into place, but you can’t put just anybody in the ring with him and expect a great match. As far as his star-power is concerned, Hogan is one of — if not the biggest — stars in the history of the sport.

Hulk Hogan comes in at number five.

#4. Andre the Giant

Andre The Giant is one of the biggest and most recognizable stars in professional wrestling history. In his prime as a young wrestler he would come off of the top-rope, he could throw a pretty impressive dropkick and was a lot more agile than he became later in his career.

Most will remember the run Andre The Giant had in WWE in the 1980s, but prior to that he was actually a pretty solid in-ring worker. His most famous years, however, saw a number of rest-holds killing the majority of the time in his matches. It was almost a sure thing that there would be a few bear-hugs, nerve-grip holds and the ever-popular butt-smash in the corner spot.

So again, Andre wasn’t the best in-ring technician, but he was a huge star — literally — and could elicit a great reaction from the crowd from bell-to-bell when matched with the right guy.

Regardless, Andre comes in at number four.

#3. Kevin Nash

Outside of a few matches with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, better known to WWE-exclusive fans as “Diesel,” rarely had a match above a two-star rating. He was one of the first workers to be labeled as a guy with “five moves of doom,” long before that torch was passed to John Cena.

However, Nash was a big ingredient in the pro wrestling explosion of the late 1990s. His move to WCW, which led to the formation of the nWo, was arguably the jumping-off point of the Monday Night Wars, which ultimately led to WWE’s “Attitude Era.” WWE was forced to switch gears and change the way they do business, and Nash, along with Scott Hall, were two key players at the root of all of these changes.

Despite his importance level in the business, his work level earns him the bronze medal as one of the biggest stars who wasn’t a “good worker.”

Continued on page two …

The official WWE website has a new poll up for a future episode of the WWE Network original series, “WWE Countdown.” The poll asks for fans to vote on who they feel the “most royal Superstar in history” is.

The options for the poll are as follows:

– “The King of Harts” Owen Hart
– King Booker (Booker T)
– “Macho King” Randy Savage
– Don Muraco (WWE King of the Ring 1985 Tournament winner)
– Jerry “The King” Lawler
– “The King” Harley Race
– Sheamus (WWE King of the Ring 2010 Tournament winner)
– “The King of Kings” Triple H
– Tito Santana (WWE King of the Ring 1989 tournament winner)
– William Regal
– “The Billion Dollar Princess” Stephanie McMahon
– Bret Hart (King of the Ring 1991 and 1993 Tournament winner)
– “King of Wrestling” Jim Duggan
– Bad News Barrett
– King Mabel

You can cast your vote for the poll at WWE.com.

In 1987, WWE presented their first ever “Survivor Series” event, the first non-WrestleMania pay-per-view event, originally designed to steal viewers away from their main competition at the time, NWA’s “Starrcade,” which was the south’s version of “WrestleMania” (even though Starrcade came first) and was WWE’s attempt to throw down the gauntlet to the pay-per-view industry.

Basically put, if you were a pay-per-view provider and you decided to carry Starrcade, you would not be able to carry WrestleMania, a proven success in the pay-per-view industry.

That was the beginning.

From there, throughout the years, a number of historical events would take place at a Survivor Series event.

In no particular order, you can point to single Superstar debuts such as The Undertaker in 1990, which was also the debut of the infamous Gobbeldy Gooker. Which was the more famous of the two, well, I’ll let you decide.

1996 saw the debut of “Rocky Maivia,” to this day arguably the biggest cross-over name to ever emanate from the world of sports entertainment. At the time, while he was touted as being the first-ever third generation performer, and as “Good Ole’ JR” would say, “that’s gonna be the man, right there! That’s blue-chipper, right there!” with all of the enthusiasm the only Jim Ross could muster, oh how true those words would come to be as time went on.

One year later, the most infamous moment perhaps in all of WWE would take place. A moment that certainly began the shift in the WWE vs. WCW “Monday Night Wars” would take place, as not only did Bret Hart get “screwed” in what would become known as “The Montreal Screwjob,” but in many ways, that became the birth of the “Mr. McMahon” character, one that without he, the “Stone Cold” Steve Austin character may have never reached the heights that he would go on to achieve throughout his illustrious career.

In 1999, WWE’s first ever Olympic gold medalist, Kurt Angle, made his official in-ring pay-per-view debut, defeating Shawn Stasiak in the second match on the card.

In 2002, the Survivor Series featured another “first,” as this would be the first time that we were treated to a new gimmick match known as the “Elimination Chamber.” A man notorious among the wrestlers within the profession, just a few months ago the match concept was thrown out, large in part — according to various rumors — because of how unforgiving the structure was for those who had to actually compete inside it.

Most recently, the big “debut” of a match, concept or character took place at the November 18, 2012 edition of the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view, which took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, as three men who would become known as “The Shield” made their official WWE main roster debut. Those three men would become known as Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.

Just to show how important those three men are, one is involved (as a Team Captain, no less) in the main event of this year’s Survivor Series, which takes place tonight from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

That man is Seth Rollins.

Another one of the former Shield members, Dean Ambrose, is in what is being billed as arguably the legitimate co-main event of the evening, as he collides with another rising up-and-comer, Bray Wyatt.

And that leaves Roman Reigns.

Well, while he’s not officially booked on the actual card for tonight’s show, let’s just say there are a lot of rumors going around that claim we just may see him involved on the show tonight in some form or fashion after all.

Finally, that leaves two other names.

First up, the hometown boy. St. Louis’ own “The Viper” Randy Orton is rumored to make his return to WWE, after taking a brief hiatus to film a WWE Studios project, “The Condemned 2.”

Last, and absolutely not least, is “The Icon.”

While yours truly is not holding his breath and is going to take a “wait and see” approach before getting overly excited, rumors on the internet over the past few days insist that a certain Crow-painted style performer will make his very, very highly-anticipated WWE pay-per-view debut tonight at the Scottrade Center.

That’s right, folks. “The man they call Sting” is rumored to make his WWE debut, after all these years, at the same show that has produced so many memorable debuts, characters, matches and moments. If, in fact, “The Stinger” does make his WWE debut on tonight’s show, this writer has his new favorite Survivor Series moment of all-time.

We’re just hours away! Make sure to keep it locked right here at SEScoops.com for the most extensive, in-depth, live results coverage of tonight’s WWE Survivor Series 2014 pay-per-view!

Until then, leave your feedback in the “Comments” section below, and don’t forget to add me as a friend on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or follow me on Twitter @MBoone420.

Enjoy the show, everybody!

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart and Earl Hebner publicly made peace at Saturday’s Big Time Wrestling event from Virginia.

Nearly 17 years after the infamous Montreal Screwjob, Bret Hart called Hebner to the ring. The two hugged, with Hebner getting emotional and thanking Hart for burying the hatchet at a show taking place in his home state.

Hebner, who currently officiates for TNA, has been profiting off the Montreal Screwjob for years, selling “Damn Right I Did” t-shirts.

– Celebrity gossip website TMZ has a story up today featuring comments from WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan, who claims he’s upset with his nephew David Bollea, who goes by the name King David Hogan, for using the Hogan name while trying to shop a reality television show to various cable networks. Hogan claims he’s only met his nephew twice in his entire life and that he has no right to use the Hogan name. You can read more about this story at TMZ.com.

– Former WWE Superstar Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart pulled out of his scheduled appearance for Maryland Championship Wrestling this weekend due to “personal reasons.” Replacing him on the show, which also features Bret Hart, DDP, Matt Hardy and more, is WWE Hall Of Famer Jimmy Hart.

The following are highlights of a new TSN BarDown interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart:

DB: Is there a reason that wrestlers come out for their match with their hair soaking wet?

BH: The truth is for me I always wet my hair because it was a way of waking up. You get tired, flying in and driving up and then it’s like your finally ready to go out and you gotta deliver in your big match. So, I always used to take a big cold glass of water and pour it over my head and kind of wake myself up before I went out. And then everyone after that is just trying to look like Bret Hart (laughs).

DB: Favourite heel of all time? Favourite bad guy?

BH: Favourite heel? Ya, I got lots of them that’s a good one. Steve Austin was my favourite. When he was jumping me at every turn back in the 90s, back before he became a good guy. Before our match at Wrestlemania 13, the months leading up to that he was just the baddest bad guy. He was a really good character.

DB: Favourite good guy wrestler? Or favourite babyface in wrestling terms?

BH: John Cena strikes me as one, Sting is maybe another one. They were two guys that always seemed to be faces.

DB: Speaking of John Cena, do you think he’ll rebound this Sunday at Night Of Champions and beat Brock Lesner?

BH: I think Cena is going to win. And I think Cena is going to win big!

Check out the complete interview at TSN.ca.

– There will be a RAW pre-show this week on the WWE Network, however there will not be a Backstage Pass post-show after the event. After RAW ends this week on television, the WWE Network will follow it up with episode one of WWE Slam City.

– Speaking of the WWE Network, the WWE Countdown episode that airs this week will look at the top ten moments from Royal Rumble pay-per-views.

– Finally, as noted on Sunday, the Monday Night War episode on the WWE Network this Tuesday will focus on Bret Hart and the Montreal Screwjob. Below is the official synopsis for that show.

“A controversial end to Bret Hart’s WWE career forever changes the fate of Monday Night Raw and Monday Nitro.”

– With the opening weekend of the films, “No Good Deed” and “Dolphin Tale 2,” Batista’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” fell to number three this week, earning a reported $8.04 million this weekend in its seventh week in theaters.

– The “Monday Night War” episode of the WWE Network next week will focus primarily on Bret Hart jumping ship to WCW, the infamous “Montreal Screwjob” and that whole ordeal.

Answering the challenge of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair took part in the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge” recently.

Prior to dumping a giant bucket of ice water on himself, Flair extended the challenge to Pete Rose, Snoop Dogg, his daughter Charlotte and his agent, along with her entire office.

Watch Ric Flair’s ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge” video above.

The following was issued today:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MONDAY AUGUST 18, 2014

THE BRET HART INVITATIONAL DEBUTS AT X-FEST 2014

“COWBOY” JAMES STORM, RAJ SINGH, DAVEY BOY SMITH JUNIOR AMONG PRO WRESTLERS VYING FOR THE STU HART CHAMPIONSHIP BELT AT FORT CALGARY ON AUGUST 30 & 31

(CALGARY) Pro wrestling returns to X-FEST in 2014 with the first ever Bret Hart Invitational Tournament, featuring some of the most exciting talent in the industry competing all weekend at Fort Calgary on August 30 and 31 to win the Stu Hart Championship Belt.

Confirmed wrestlers vying for the belt include Calgary’s own Raj Singh ?(formerly Jinder Mahal of the WWE), IWGP Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith Junior, and “Cowboy” James Storm of TNA as well as some of Canada’s best young superstars, including graduates from the Lance Storm Wrestling Academy.

There will also be an appearance by the original “Hart Foundation” Bret “The Hitman” Hart and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart. The winner of the tournament will be presented the belt by Bret Hart himself on Sunday Aug 31.

“I’m very excited to be involved in the first ever Bret Hart Invitational Tournament at X-Fest this year! The tournament is a way for me to showcase some extremely talented professional wrestlers from all over North America and put my stamp on an event I intend on doing for many years to come. I’m also very excited to present the “Stu Hart Championship Belt” to the winner of the tournament! This beautiful belt is the first ever belt created in my father’s name. This should help to further my father’s legacy as a true pioneer and leader in this industry and will bring instant credibility around the world to our champion. I want to thank Union Events for making this event happen and look forward to seeing all the exciting action during X-Fest weekend!” – Bret “The Hitman” Hart

Schedule will be available on the official X-Fest website at www.xfestcalgary.com

X-Fest, Calgary’s Alternative Music Festival, takes place at Fort Calgary on August 30 and 31, featuring performances by Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, Foster The People, Death Cab For Cutie, Tegan & Sara, Serena Ryder, the smalls, Cage The Elephant, The Airborne Toxic Event, Stars, Ms Mr, July Talk, The Mowgli’s, Sleeper Agent, Dear Rouge, Bad Suns and Until The Ribbon Breaks, as well as Xposure winners The Wisers and A Day As Wolves.

Follow X-fest on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @xfestcalgary

X-Fest is produced by Union Events and presented by X92.9

ABOUT UNION EVENTS
Founded in 2000, Union Events (The Union Ltd) has rapidly grown to become one of Canada’s leaders in live entertainment, producing over 800 shows annually across North America. Innovative, nimble, and fiercely independent, Union Events develops relations with fans and artist alike, ensuring a ‘fan first’ experience at each show. These core principles have secured long-term relationships with artists, venues, and fans, forming lasting bonds across every genre. With offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton, Union Events offers the most comprehensive regional expertise within the Canadian concert industry.

Under its UnionElectronic brand, Union Events has led the charge over the past decade, producing the best of established and emerging talent in electronic dance music (EDM). UnionElectronic has a proven track record as an integral contributor to the growth of EDM in Canada. Union Events is also Canada’s leading festival producer, featuring signature event brands SONiC Boom (Edmonton), X-Fest (Calgary), Chasing Summer (Calgary) and Riot Fest (Toronto). Union Events is also the exclusive talent buyer for Concorde Entertainment Group, which owns and operates numerous venues in Calgary, including Flames Central and the Republik.

ABOUT X92.9
Launching January 1st, 2007 X92.9 has welcomed Calgary to the Alternative with a format that combines the best Alternative music from its roots, such as Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters with the latest stable artists who currently lead the way such as ALL the amazing artists playing this year’s X-Fest.

X92.9 is owned by Harvard Broadcasting Inc. Headquartered in Regina, Harvard is a privately owned broadcaster with a western focus, operating radio stations in Saskatchewan and Alberta. For additional information on Harvard Broadcasting Inc. and our stations please visit harvardbroadcasting.com

Thousands of fans stood bewildered following last night’s main event, as the WWE’s resident hero John Cena laid battered and beaten after his match with Brock Lesnar. Cena didn’t grab a microphone to offer up an excuse, nor did he attempt any sort of retaliation while both Lesnar and Heyman laughed in his face after seizing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Instead, he simply walked away with the help of officials, with the crowd booing the face of the company while serenading him on his way out the door. Last night’s event felt like a transitional pay-per-view, and not simply because every title that was contested changed hands.

Lesnar was congratulated by Triple H after simply destroying John Cena last night.

The massacre fans witnessed last night for only $9.99 was perhaps the end of the PG era. The evil villain prevailed, the kids’ hero took the beating of a lifetime, and the company seems to finally be looking toward the future instead of the past. Fans have likely noticed in recent weeks that the product has become a bit edgier. Curse words are more frequent, men have assaulted women, and the next generation of superstars has dominated the old guard.

Last night’s event reminded me a bit of the 1993 King of the Ring, during which fans witnessed the death of Hulkamania. After years as the top superstar in the company, Hogan finally met his match in the form of Yokozuna. Hogan lost the title that night (with a little help from a camera man) and didn’t make any excuses. He simply faded away and left the company a few weeks later, not returning to a WWE ring for roughly a decade. This event was followed by a transition period that saw the company stray away from guys like Hogan, Savage, and Warrior in favor of the next generation in the form of Hart, Michaels, and Diesel.

That’s not to say that John Cena is bolting from the company any time soon, because that certainly isn’t the case, but his time as the top guy in the company is likely over. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have put Lesnar over in such convincing fashion, as Cena barely landed any offensive maneuvers throughout the over 15-minute main event.

– There continues to be discussions within WWE about the idea of bringing on outside advertising to the WWE Network as a way to increase their profits.

– The following is the official trailer for Kayfabe Commentaries’ new “Timeline: History of WWE – 1992 – Bret Hart” DVD.

The following are highlights of a new WrestlingINC.com interview with Vince Russo:

On his vision for WCW: “The vision was to flip the roster to get the middle guys out of that middle slot and start rising them to the top to be built around. With this format, I went into WCW with a giant target on my back from the veterans. I still went ahead with the plan because it was the right thing to do. As much as these guys are going to kill me, bury me behind my back, try to get me out quicker than I came, I stuck to the plan because I knew it was the right thing to do. To this day, I don’t regret that because that’s what needed to be done at the time.”

On the reason Vince McMahon turned down his idea to bring WCW back in 2002: “Probably because it was my idea. The last person I should have been pitching was Eric Bishoff, but he was a phenomenal on-air talent. Anything personal between us wouldn’t have mattered. Bishoff deserved to be on TV. I literally laid out this plan and then obviously things didn’t work out. I left WWE and Eric was hired. I watched it unravel at home on TV and I was like ‘are you freaking kidding me?’ They had a goldmine and week after week they were butchering it. They killed a million dollar idea.”

On how close Paul Heyman was to signing with TNA: “I don’t know if he was close. I called Paul to bring him into TNA and we had a couple of conversations that were hours long. I was under the impression Paul wanted to come in and have things 100% his way, but that’s not how TNA works. I turned it over to Dixie [Carter] and was out of the loop. I didn’t care how I was going to be working with Paul or who had what title. I thought Paul Heyman could make TNA a better product and that’s why I made the original contact.”

On Bret Hart’s issues with him and if he likes him: “Deep down inside, I don’t know if he does. When I went to WCW, I wanted Bret Hart in a position he longed to be in. I approached him my first day there and we sat down for an hour and discussed the Owen [Hart] incident. We talked about it man-to-man and I thought everything was behind us. Six months before I left TNA, I had a phone conversation with Bret about bringing him to TNA. He was very excited about that idea and I spoke to him personally on the phone for an hour. Face-to-face or on the phone, there has never been an issue between me and Bret.

“I find it hard to believe Bret feels that way because he had the opportunity on more occasions than one to tell me — especially when I tried to bring him into TNA. There’s the perfect opportunity for Bret to say ‘Vince I’m not working for a scumbag.’ That’s not how the conversation went; it was a very positive one. I find it hard to believe at his core that he feels that way, but I also know bashing and burying Vince Russo to the internet wrestling community is the cool hip thing to do. Some people think that’s what gets them over. Just throw a Vince Russo barb in the wrestling community and you’re over. All these people that have these issues with me and do interviews, never have I been confronted to my face. That’s unfortunate. I worked as hard as I could in the business, was very respectful, and am a family man. To consistently have to deal with all the negative comments, it gets old after a while.”

Check out the complete interview at WrestlingINC.com.

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart was recently interviewed by Ryan Rider of WebSportsMedia.com. Here are some of the highlights of what Bret said about:

The Montreal Screwjob: “In hindsight, I really wish the whole thing had never happened. It was a lousy way for me to leave the company after being so lucky to be the champion and to have such a great history there. It never was the same after that day. If I could go back I don’t know what I can change to make it go differently. I know that I followed my heart through that whole process. I still believe that I was on the side of the right and did the right things that day. But I do wish that it never had happened and that I could have worked something out beforehand that could have been more productive for everybody.”

Returning To WWE: “I have way more great memories than I do bad. We had a great 14 years. We had that bad fall-out at the end, which I’m still sensitive about to this day. I suffered a stroke in 2002 that made everything else in my life that happened to that point pale in comparison. It was in the first few hours after I had a stroke that Vince [McMahon] gave me a call. Things were not good between us when that happened. He gave me a big pep talk in the hospital when I suffered my stroke. He talked about improving our relationship and doing things together down the road. I always wanted to be recognized and remembered for what I contributed to the company. He assured me that that would always be the case; to protect my reputation as far as what I accomplished there. Within the first few minutes we cleared so much off of the table. His words were that I was a fighter and that I would get back and get better. As I’ve got better over the years and recovered, I remember those dark hours and I’m grateful for that call. That softened things up for Vince and I and eventually I thumped him at Wrestlemania to write a better ending for us.”

His Iron Man match with Shawn Michaels At WM12:” I eager to raise the bar. I still think that for an hour match of any kind, no wrestlers have upstaged that match. Probably the hardest pro wrestling match any two wrestlers have ever had. Shawn was a great wrestler and a great athlete. That day when we had that match we were hell-bent on showing that you didn’t have to be a 300-pound steroid freak to make wrestling popular again. I take a lot of pride in the direction that wrestling went.”

Burying the Hatchet with Shawn Michaels: “I found a great relief from forgiveness. Forgiving the whole thing and making peace with it and moving on. What a therapy for me, I felt a million pounds come off my back when that was over. I think Shawn Michaels was carrying a lot of grief and he felt really lousy for his role in everything. How he screwed me over and how he looked that day, it bothered Shawn for a long time. When we made that truce and hugged on Raw, I can see that grief that he carried for so long was all lifted. I realized a few months later what a good thing that was for us. I recommend that to anybody out there who has issues where they can’t forgive someone, try to forgive; it’s really good for your soul.”

His Career-Ending Concussion: “A lot of people don’t realize how severe a concussion injury is. You have to listen to the doctors. You have to be really careful about them. When I had my injury, so many of the wrestlers and people that I knew didn’t believe I was hurt. I was pushed in the ring for so many weeks and when I finally saw a doctor he told me that my career was over. I had a pounding headache for almost two years, and a lot of side effects and ramifications that never leave. I still have balance issues from a kick to the head from one wrestler who didn’t know his own strength. You can see now that there are a lot of steps being taken that a wrestler who has possibly suffered a concussion is being evaluated properly and you make sure he is safe before getting back in the ring. Back in my day you’d get a pat on the back and get pushed through the curtain. People in all sports are waking up to the fact that concussion injuries are really serious. The ramifications can be long-lasting and severe.”

The Current Landscape Of WWE: “Wrestling today is as good as its every been. Younger, faster, better athletes than there used to be. The fork that wrestling took, it came right around the time that I became champion in the first place. The business today doesn’t get enough credit. There’s an amazing bunch of talents out there today. There’s an amazing group of young talents, innovators who are raising the bar. Delivering better matches than anyone has ever seen before. Cesaro is a guy who does a lot of unique stuff and is a great talent. He does a lot of strong man stuff that is just impressive to watch. Daniel Bryan is another one.

And the girl wrestlers too. They’re all drop dead gorgeous and really good wrestlers and good athletes. I find them very entertaining and a lot of fun to watch. Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes. John Cena has been such a great champion in the last 10 years, this has kind of been his era. Wrestling is even better than it used to be and I think people should start paying more attention to these great stars.”

– Japanese wrestling legend Kenta Kobashi, not to be confused with KENTA, who just signed with WWE, was backstage at the WWE live event in Tokyo, Japan on Friday.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart is featured on the latest edition of The JBL & Cole Show. You can check that out below.

– The Stamford Daily Voice reports that the Vince & Linda McMahon Family Foundation recently donated $1 million to The Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The money will be used to purchase 3D mammography machines to help with early breast cancer detection. The machines are located at the Greenwich Hospital Breast Center, within the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich, as well as the Hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging Center in Stamford.

– WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart spoke to the Ottawa Morning newspaper this week to promote Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings. Here’s what Bret said about the tragic death of his brother Owen and if he holds any animosity towards WWE because of it:

“It was really difficult to get my head around that and obviously it had a very devastating affect on my whole family at home, my parents. My dad never was the same after that. I also know that the reality of what happened with my brother Owen, it was an accident. It took a while to realize that for me. Knowing that it was an accident, I could live with it a little easier. I really didn’t blame Vince [McMahon] or the company. I may have at the time and said a lot of things but a couple years after it happened, I accepted what happened and I was OK with it.”

• MMANews.com: UFC 176 Cancelled, Rousey vs. Cyborg Update, MMA Forum & More

– Following Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Montreal, here is the updated list of official participants confirmed for the Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal at the upcoming WWE Battleground pay-per-view: Cesaro, Kofi Kingston, Damien Sandow, The Great Khali, Rob Van Dam, Dolph Ziggler, Big E., Ryback, Curtis Axel, Alberto Del RIo, Bo Dallas, Sheamus and Fandango.

– The following is the Bret Hart and “Bret Sandhart” segment from Monday’s RAW:

Tonight’s episode of Raw took place in Montreal, Canada and featured a total of eleven matches, including a first ever one-on-one meeting between the WWE World Heavyweight champion John Cena and Money in the Bank briefcase holder Seth Rollins.

Canadian icon and WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart graced the WWE Universe with his presence and cut a promo. Of course, he brought up the Montreal Screw Job, but it was a nice moment. Also, WWE continued to promote current on-going storylines leading up to Battleground.

Last week’s episode of Raw was one of the best and most exciting in recent history. Did this edition live up to last week’s high standards?  Without further ado, here are highlights, lowlights and my random thoughts on the 7/7/2014 edition of Monday Night Raw:

BEST MATCH: The opening bout between the Usos and the Wyatt Family was the best match of the night. There were two other matches that could have stolen the show, but they failed to do so for a couple of reasons. First, Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose gave it their best effort, but it was clear to see that the two didn’t have very much chemistry, at least when it comes to singles action. Also, the Dean Ambrose botch wasn’t a crowd-pleasing moment.

Chris Jericho vs. the Miz could have been special, but the match didn’t last as long as I hoped. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins had the most promise, but they weren’t given enough time to do anything memorable and the obvious interference by Kane and Randy Orton ruined the match for me.

What was your favorite match of the night?

WORST MATCH: AJ Lee/Paige vs. Naomi/Cameron was the worst match of the night. Aside from the main event and the tag team match between the Usos and the Wyatt Family, there weren’t any real standout matches. However, this bout stood out for all the wrong reasons and it was a poor showing amongst the four Divas involved. Bo Dallas vs. El Torito was a close second for the worst match of the night award because at least the crowd was somewhat into it.

The worst segment of the night was the Nikki Bella/Alicia Fox disaster, but I don’t think there was an opening bell and nobody was declared the winner. Therefore, Idon’t consider this to be a match; otherwise, it would have won the award.

UPSET OF THE NIGHT: Kofi Kingston defeating Cesaro was the upset of the night. I know that Kofi defeated Cesaro last week on Raw, but I didn’t expect him to do it again and I don’t think the fans/crowd did either. I see Cesaro winning the Intercontinental Title at Battleground and Kingston falling into obscurity once again, but at least Kofi is living in the moment now.

To quote the great Mike Adamle, Kofi be Jamaican me crazy.

MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: I expected Randy Orton to defeat Dean Ambrose in their match tonight, but I was anticipating Seth Rollins to screw Ambrose over, resulting in Ambrose losing cleanly. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Ambrose has been really hot as of late and Rollins costing him the match would have protected Ambrose a bit more. Also, it would have spiced things up and furthered the Ambrose/Rollins feud.

– It was announced on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Montreal that Chris Jericho’s “Highlight Reel” will return on WWE Main Event on Tuesday night, with special guest Bret “The Hitman” Hart.

– The following is the latest edition of “WWE Canvas 2 Canvas,” which features Diesel and The Kliq.

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart spoke to Canada’s Slam Wrestling to promote tonight’s RAW from Montreal and tomorrow’s SmackDown tapings from Ottowa. The Hitman confirmed he’ll be appearing on television for both shows.

“I’m not sure what I’ll be doing at the show but I know it’s going to be on the TV show, it’s going to be for Raw, not just for the house show.”

He joked about what kind of reaction he’ll get from his Canadian fans and also mentioned it will be the first time Jerry Lawler is returning to Montreal since suffering his heart attack there.

“I think it’s going to be a kind of similar moment than the last time, it should be a great response and it’s going to be great for me to walk out and to get the warmth from those great fans. I’m just hoping it’s going to be a really fun moment for me. Just to be able to walk out the ramp and high-five the fans again is enough for me to be a great moment. We’ll try to stop Jerry Lawler from having another heart attack and steal my thunder.”

“Yeah, I think he’ll probably get a heck of a pop and rightfully so. He may get the pop of the night and steal my thunder again!”

Advertising for next Monday’s WWE RAW at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada confirms the recent reports that claimed WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart will be at the show.

Also listed in the advertisement for the show are Chris Jericho, Kane and a six-man tag-team main event of John Cena, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins.

The following is the advertisement, sent out in French:

WWE – MONDAY NIGHT RAW
LUNDI 7 JUILLET À 19H30 / CENTRE BELL
(Événement télévisé)

QUELQUES BILLETS ENCORE DISPONIBLES
Billets en vente aux guichets du Centre Bell
Commande téléphonique: 1 855 310-2525
Commandez en ligne: www.evenko.ca
Billet: 31,50$ / 46$ / 64,50$ / 87,50$/ 127,75$ (incluant taxes et frais de service)

WWE – MONDAY NIGHT RAW DÉBARQUE À MONTRÉAL !

JOHN CENA, CHAMPION DU MONDE POIDS LOURD DE LA WWE
ROMAN REIGNS et DEAN AMBROSE
VS
RANDY ORTON, BRAY WYATT et SETH ROLLINS

EN PLUS DE :
BRET HART, TRIPLE H, CHRIS JERICHO et DEMON KANE

ET PLUSIEURS AUTRES SUPERSTARS DE LA WWE !

(CARTE SUJETTE À CHANGEMENT)

– WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is scheduled to appear at next week’s WWE RAW from Montreal and Tuesday’s Smackdown tapings from Ottawa, Ontario.

– The Rock noted on Twitter that he finished his work on “Fast & Furious 7” yesterday.

Variety.com is also reporting that Paramount has Jonathan Lemkin (“The Longest Night”) to write the script for G.I. Joe 3, which hits theaters in 2016. The Rock will be reprising his role of Roadblock in the third installment of the series.

– Connecticut’s WWLP local news ran a report earlier this week covering WWE Diva Emma’s arrest for shoplifting. You can watch the report at WWLP.com.

Speaking of Emma’s arrest, former WWE Superstar JTG tweeted:

Diva Emma: ARRESTED for stealing. http://t.co/fdKTqLAVEG pic.twitter.com/x2eSmzXTPB" I would ask her to join Crime Time but we don't get caught

— JTG (@Jtg1284) July 2, 2014