— Commenting on rumors concerning his status with World Wrestling Entertainment, Bret Hart claims he too is unaware of his status with the organizaiton. Hart wrote the following yesterday on his official website, also noting Martha Hart’s lawsuit against WWE:

“As far as the recent lawsuit filed by Martha, I’m working on a detailed response that I will post soon, but I think my fans might be a little surprised at my take on things. Aside from that, I know that the WWE Universe is more than curious to know what my status is anymore and the truth is nobody knows, including me. There are a lot rumors out there about me and all I can say is that they’re rarely true. I will have some major announcements forthcoming, but right now I’m going to keep the lid on things because I’m not looking for any distractions.”

— During last night’s SmackDown house show in Portland, Cody Rhodes apparently took a bad bump as a result of a double back suplex, courtesy of Kofi Kingston and Matt Hardy. The second generation wrestler would continue the match a few minutes later, but had to be helped out to the backstage area by trainers following its conclusion.

— WWE returns to the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts on August 29th, 2010 at 7 PM. Tickets go on sale July 10th, 2010 at 10 AM. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

— As of Sunday, the idea was that guest hosts would be used on Raw every other week instead of every week. (source: www.f4wonline.com)

— As seen last night on Raw, Bret Hart was removed from the Raw General Manager position by Vince McMahon for not attending the previous night’s Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view (kayfabe). McMahon then informed fans that a new, anonymous General Manager would take control of the show, emailing announcer Michael Cole his orders. His profile has since been removed from the Raw Superstars section.

— It was also announced on Raw that the Rookies from the first season of NXT have earned contracts with World Wrestling Entertainment (kayfabe). Their respective profiles have been added to Raw Superstars section. It was also revealed that Wade Barrett had been granted a future pay-per-view title match again by the mystery General Manager.

Bret Hart is gone for the time being..

While there is talk that he might be back by the end of the Summer, the NXT crew kidnapping him on RAW a few weeks back was WWE’s way of writing him off television – and he’s gone indefinitely.

Hart will be getting married for the third time this summer, which could be the reason for the hiatus.

Originally Bret was going to do a face-to-face angle at with the NXT Rookies at Fatal 4 Way, but when he didn’t make it to the show, plans had to be changed.

— At the inaugural Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view, Jack Swagger will defend his World Heavyweight Championship against three former World Champions — Undertaker, Big Show and CM Punk — in a Fatal 4-Way Match. (Match preview)

— Bret Hart has posted a new blog on his Facebook page commenting on WWE offering him the role of General Manager of Monday Night Raw.

“So when the WWE offered me the chance to become the new general manager of Raw, I jumped at the opportunity,” Hart wrote. “I expect this will be one of the most interesting job titles I’ve ever had and I can assure all my WWE fans that I will do my best to be the most interesting and creative GM since the inception of general managers.”

He also praised Vickie Guerrero for the amazing job she’s done with the General Manager role in recent years on SmackDown.

Hart added: “As a note of interest, I’d like to say how proud I’ve been of Vicki Guerrero the last couple of years for doing the amazing job she’s done playing this role on Smackdown. I’m only learning it after one week that’s it’s a much more challenging role than people might realize and I can only hope to do as good of a job as she did.”

— It appears a new John Cena DVD is in the works. He noted the following on his Twitter account yesterday: “Other news I am deciding whether or not to include workout footage on a possible upcoming dvd. Thoughts? What would u guys like to see?”

— On Twitter, Melina noted watching the season finale of Lost with John Morrison. When asked if they are dating, she admitted yes.

She responded “Jomo or Duct Tape? Hee hee. John Definitely is.” to the following queries: “@marywwefan “are you two dating?” @ApexPredatorKM “so he’s your constant? Desmond and Penny with pyro?”

— As seen this past Monday night on Raw, Batista announced he was quitting WWE after refusing to take part in Fatal 4-Way qualifying match against Randy Orton. His profile has since been removed from the Raw roster page and placed in the WWE Alumni section. WWE has yet to make an official announcement concerning his apparent departure from the company.

— In other roster moves, WWE has added Bret Hart to its Raw roster page. Also, Carlito was removed from the page Wednesday, days after his release from the organization.

– WWE has confirmed that Undertaker will make his return this Friday night on SmackDown.

– Bret Hart vacated the United States Championship on RAW in order to assume his new role as Raw General Manager. Hart then made the decision to pit R-Truth against The Miz. Ultimately, Truth trumped The Miz to capture the first “major title” of his WWE career — he previously won the Hardcore Championship on two occasions.

– The two WWE Superstars matches were taped before Raw were Yoshi Tatsu vs. Primo and Zack Ryder vs. Evan Bourne.

– WWE has registered a trademark for the upcoming film That’s What I Am.

Other trademarks registered include the term “Famous & Flawless” for Team Lay-Cool as well as all eight NXT Rookie names.

It was just announced that WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is the new General Manager of RAW.  SEScoops.com reported the news earlier today.

Bret Hart came out and confronted Batista, who was in the ring in a wheel chair. Bret said at Fatal 4 Way, John Cena will defend the WWE Championship against 3 other superstars in one match and we’ll see qualifying matches later in the show. Bret told Batista that he’ll get a rematch against Cena at Fatal 4 Way if he can defeat Randy Orton tonight. Batista says he’s unable to wrestle and will quit WWE if Bret makes him face Orton. Bret declared the match a forfeit and announced that Randy Orton qualifies. Batista didn’t think Bret or the audience believed his threat that he’d leave WWE and the wrestling industry completely – but went off in a rage and swore that he was done and screamed “I Quit”. The crowed jeered Batista as he left the ring for the last time.

So Batista is gone from WWE and Randy Orton is the first superstar to qualify for the RAW main event at Fatal 4 Way.

Sheamus also defeated Mark Henry in a qualifying match, so its John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus vs. 1 more superstar.

— Bret Hart canceled his appearance at the BTW WrestleFest convention yesterday in Fremont, California due to a scheduling conflict with his Calgary Hitmen hockey team. He noted on his official website that the Hitmen were in a semi-final game last night in Brandon, Manitoba with the championship game scheduled for today. Furthermore, he expects to be on hand for tomorrow night’s Raw in Toledo, Ohio, but as of yesterday, wasn’t completely sure.

Regarding the United States Championship, upcoming Raw live events list three-way U.S. Title bouts between R-Truth, The Miz and Ted DiBiase. It’s expected that one of the three will receive the belt once Hart’s run as champion concludes.

— Matches pitting John Cena against Edge with the WWE Championship on the line are advertised for upcoming Raw live events.

— The Blade has conducted an interview The Miz promoting tomorrow night’s Raw in Toledo, Ohio. He discusses the toll wrestling’s had on his body, the worst injury he’s suffered, and more. (Article link)

Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from Toronto, Ontario, Canada and will be a special commercial-free broadcast. Confirmed for tonight:

– Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, known as “Rocket Hero” in the WWE Universe, will be the Guest Host.

– WWE Champion John Cena will face Sheamus.

– WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart will challenge The Miz for his United States Championship.

Related News: Bret Hart Says He’s Done With WWE After Tonight’s RAW

WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hit Man” Hart has posted a new blog on Facebook talking about his United States title match with The Miz next week on RAW, becoming a grandfather this week and what it’s been like working with WWE since WrestleMania. Here are some highlights of what Bret said about:

Wrestling The Miz Next Week: “My son, Blade, just told me I’ve got a U.S. title shot next week in Toronto. News to me. The Hartbeat goes on,”

Based on Bret’s response, it’s safe to assume that next week’s “match” with The Miz will be heavy on “sports entertainment” without much wrestling on Bret’s part.

Working With WWE Since WrestleMania: “Sometimes I can barely remember this stuff. Being stuck in Europe, the volcanic ash, Joe Legend, Monday Night Raw in London, touring both Smackdown and Raw, and before that, WrestleMania 26. Did all that stuff really happen? What an adventure. Life is good.”

Becoming a Grandfather: “I finally became a proud grandfather yesterday when my oldest, Jade, gave birth to a 8lbs., 11oz. beautiful baby girl named Kyra Beans Hart. To be a grandpop is such an important role in a child’s life and I look forward to being a big part of her life and the best grandpa ever. Like all proud grandfathers, I truly feel blessed at this time and I also congratulate her mother, Julie, on a job well done from the very beginning.”

– John Cena announced on Monday’s RAW that the stipulation for his match with Batista at Over The Edge on 5/23 will be an I Quit Match. Batista is expected to leave WWE after the PPV to pursue a career in acting.

– The Miz announced on RAW that he’ll defend his United States championship against WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart on next week’s commercial-free RAW from Toronto. Miz lost a match to Tyson Kidd where if Kidd won, Miz would have to defend his US title against a member of the Hart Dynasty next week. Bret Hart has stated publicly that Monday’s RAW from Toronto will be his final WWE appearance for the foreseeable future.

– After being announced as the new RAW General Manager on Monday’s RAW, Vickie Guererro resigned from the position in the closing segment of the show after being stalked by Randy Orton. After Vickie screamed, “I resign! I resign!,” Orton dropped Edge with an RKO.

– WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart appeared on the “Right After Wrestling” Sirius XM satellite radio show last night and announced that his last scheduled date with WWE is the May 17th commercial-free Monday Night RAW from Toronto, Canada. As noted before, this show is being built around Bret’s WWE return to Canada and it looks like it will be his farewell, unless they can come up with a storyline to keep him around. You can listen to Bret Hart’s appearance on Right After Wrestling by clicking here (MP3).

– WWE will tape tonight’s NXT and this week’s Friday Night SmackDown tonight from the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina. After earning the right to face a WWE superstar on tonight’s show, NXT rookie David Otunga selected R-Truth as his opponent for tonight. No matches have been announced yet for SmackDown.

– The official theme song for WWE’s Over the Limit pay-per-view is the song “Crash” by the band Fit for Rivals.

– A stipulation for John Cena’s match with Batista at Over The Limit will be announced in the next week or so.

– The WWE production guy in the backstage segment on RAW tonight with Edge was actually WWE writer Brian Gewirtz.

– Bret Hart will be appearing on next week’s live RAW broadcast to participate more in the angle with The Miz, Big Show and The Hart Dynasty. According to Miz, Bret is supposed to be announcing that ShowMiz is the greatest WWE tag team of all time.

– Former WWE Diva Maria’s album “Sevin Sins” is officially released today.

– As we saw on RAW, Eve Torres defeated Maryse to capture the WWE Divas championship. She wrote the following on Twitter last night regarding her first title win:

“I am still on a high! Thank you for believing in me! That is how I got my win tonight. I aim to bring pride and honor to the WWE Diva’s Championship. So much to say… I’ll be writing a blog for WWE Universe tonight.”

– Bret Hart worked as the special enforcer of a  triple threat match between Jack Swagger, Edge, Chris Jericho on Saturday night on WWE’s European tour. Like the night before, Swagger ended up in the Sharpshooter and Bret posed with Edge to end the show.

– Time to Shine by Saliva is the official theme song for WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

– Cody Rhodes has been wearing amateur wrestling head gear during the WWE European tour, to go along with the punt kick he received from Randy Orton at WrestleMania.

– Shad Gaspard has new theme music now that Cryme Tyme has broken up.

– As noted yesterday, Triple H missed the RAW live event on Wednesday in Austria. We’ve received word that The Game also missed last night’s show in Newcastle, England. He was advertised to wrestle John Cena in the main event, but Cena wound up facing Sheamus instead. No word yet on why Triple H has been missing shows this week.

– WWE’s new masked lucha libre superstar Dos Caras Jr. worked his second WWE event in Newcastle last night, losing again to  Christian. A few reports we read from the Austria show earlier in the week said Dos Caras and Christian had the match of the night.

– Bret Hart worked as the special ringside enforcer for the Edge vs. Jack Swagger match at last night’s show in Berlin. Bret first got involved in the match towards the end when Swagger put his feet on the ropes while pinning Edge. Swagger later was DQ’d after a low blow.

After the match, Swagger attacked Edge while Bret looked on. Swagger brought a chair in the ring but Bret stopped him from using it on Edge. Swagger kicked Bret in the gut and backed him in the corner before swinging the chair. Bret ducked the chairshot and Edge speared Swagger. Bret then put Swagger in the Sharpshooter and made him tap out. Edge cut a promo, putting Bret over and they embraced. Edge and Bret closed the show by greeting the fans at ringside.

– WWE has announced two more RAW guest hosts: Flava Flav and comedian Jon Lovitz. Flav will host RAW on May 10th from Pittsburgh and Lovitz will host on May 24th from Toledo.

– Former ECW backstage interviewer Courtney Taylor (also known as Beverly Mullins) has been removed from the FCW roster page. It’s possible she’s parted ways with WWE.

– Bret Hart wrote the following on Facebook yesterday before heading off to Europe for the current SmackDown brand tour:

“I’m scrambling now to make my way to the Calgary airport. I’m looking very much to this WWE tour of Europe and the markets that probably loved me the most. So many memories; Berlin, I really had some terrific matches there. I hope that my German fans will come out for what could be my last time ever. I recall Vince McMahon telling me once “that Germany has never come back since you left in ’97”. From there Glasgow, another city filled with great memories, in and out of the ring. Although I saw a great crowd turnout for my book signings last summer, I hope Glasgow and all the Hitman loyalists come out for the pink and black”

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart updated his Facebook blog with his thoughts about his match with Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XXVI.

“I can’t begin to describe the flood of excitement that pulsated through me at seeing the sight of that massive stadium filled with fans,” Bret said. “Although I know it was far from my greatest performance, I can proudly say it was one of my most glorious victories I’ve ever had. Once upon a time in my wheelchair after suffering my stroke in 2002, thinking how impossible it was to even conceive of such a moment makes me as proud as ever of anything I ever did in a ring. It was sweet seeing the entire Hart Family play a part in giving Vince McMahon the beating of his lifetime.”

Bret also described a run-in he had with Linda McMahon shortly after his match. “When I briefly saw Linda McMahon afterwards in the hallway, I confessed with a smile that I’d secretly given him a couple of choice chair shots just for her. This drew a burst of laughter and a smile.”

Finally, he thanked the entire McMahons family for allowing him to write the final chapter in his career. “In truth, I’d like to thank all the McMahons (and that includes Triple H) for their kindness, hospitality, and for a fantastic three-month ride I’ll never forget.”

Vince McMahon’s evil “Mr. McMahon” character is said to be finished, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The character was spawned back in 1997 following the infamous Montreal Screwjob. McMahon’s on-air character turned heel for the first time and it became the antagonist to the company’s top star “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in arguably the best run in the history of the company.

With Bret Hart’s return to WWE after 13 years, McMahon felt WrestleMania would be the perfect chance for Bret Hart to get his ultimate revenge and wipe out Mr. McMahon once and for all. The over-the-top beatdown he sustained at the hands (and feet) of the Hart family signified the end of the character.

McMahon is a firm believer in pushing younger acts and is not blind to the fact that he’s in his 60’s and the character more than ran its course.

— As a result of his participation in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania XXVI, Kane broke Bret Hart’s record of most consecutive WrestleMania matches with thirteen. However, it should be noted that Kane’s bout at WrestleMania XIX aired during Sunday Night Heat rather than the actual pay-per-view, so technically, he doesn’t hold the streak for most consecutive WrestleMania pay-per-view appearances.

— While WWE did not want its talent visiting the Ring of Honor or Dragon Gate events held in Phoenix last weekend, some showed up at the ROH shows discreetly.

— Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart attended the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony this past weekend.

— The Miz noted on his Twitter account that he attended Star Magazine’s “Young Hot Hollywood” party last night.

— In the following video, Bret Hart talks about getting his revenge at WrestleMania XXV. He says Vince McMahon was “excellently executed.”

— There was a production error during Rey Mysterio’s entrance last night at WrestleMania, though it was not shown on the pay-per-view broadcast. He was set to be shot into the air via trap door, but the entrance failed to work. He was forced to crawl out of the hole and on to the stage.

— The Arizona Republic has an article discussing what WrestleMania has meant to the cities of Phoenix and Glendale.

— Some people in San Francisco and the UK reported problems with WWE.com’s Wrestlemania XXVI feed.

Bret Hart has posted a new blog update on his Facebook.com page talking about working with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at last week’s RAW and says he’s “totally pumped up” for his match with Vince McMahon this weekend at WrestleMania.

“It was great seeing my pal, Stone Cold, last week on Raw. We talked for some time about our old WrestleMania 13 match and how great it was. Steve looked terrific and was excited about his acting career,” Hart said. “I also had a long look back with Kevin Dunn and Pat Patterson after Raw last week. We had some nice reflections on Owen that reminded us all what a tragic loss his passing was. We had some laughs too, and Pat laughed until he cried. All in all, it as a great night for me in San Diego last week.”

Bret also thanked his fans for being in his corner over the past 3 months since his return to WWE. “I’ll never forget it nor will I let you down next Sunday. WrestleMania, here I come!”

— Bret Hart said in an interview this past week in Canada that he will not be donning his trademark pink and black tights for his No Holds Barred Match with Vince McMahon at WrestleMania. His reason for not wearing the tights is because he’s not the Bret Hart of old and that it would be too much of a stretch for himself to wear them.

— In an interview with EndOnline.com, Chris Jericho discusses the best characters in the WWE, comparisons between Fozzy and Nickelback, whether he feels a sense of accomplishment about being World Champion while beating TNA in the ratings, and much more. You can listen to the interview here.

— United States and Unified Tag Team Champion The Miz will appear on G4’s Attack of the Show Thursday night, March 25, at 7 ET/6 CT.

— While the clip of Bill Goldberg pinning Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XX was largely aired this past week on Raw to put over tomorrow night’s special guest host, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, WWE has indeed been in talks with the former wrestling megastar regarding a relationship renewal.

WWE officials recognize he’s not going to come back and wrestle, but they’re hopeful of reaching a deal where they can use his likeness in video games and perhaps an induction into next week year’s Hall of Fame class considering they are running low on “main eventers.”

Next year’s Hall of Fame class is expected to have a WCW theme considering that it will be taking place in Atlanta, Georgia.

— WWE’s recently released Shawn Michaels DVD, Shawn Michaels – My Journey, has HBK doing commentary for a 1992 match in Ottawa against Bret Hart. It’s worth noting because Michaels goes out of his way to put over “The Hit Man” after proclaiming for a number of years that he was very good, but not great. Michaels relays his past history with Hart, saying both tried to work past their conflicts in spite of their paranoia and shared belief that management kept them at odds because they thought it was best for business. The piece was taped prior Hart’s return to WWE as Michaels said he hadn’t seen him since “Montreal.” Michaels added he had Hart’s phone number and wanted to call him to bury the hatchet because it sends a bad message to people if you can’t forgive and forget. Ultimately, he never ended up calling him.

— Today marks the six-year anniversary of WrestleMania XX, which saw Chris Benoit triumph over Triple H and Shawn Michaels to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. After the match, Eddie Guerrero came to the ring and the two embraced while confetti dropped for an emotional ending. WrestleMania XX also marks as the final wrestling matches of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Bill Goldberg and Brock Lesnar — for now.

source: www.f4wonline.com

— It was initially believed that Bret Hart’s current WWE run would culminate at WrestleMania, but he will be continuing on with the company past the annual pay-per-view spectacular.

He is advertised for next month’s tour of Germany, working as a special enforcer for the main events featuring Chris Jericho vs. Edge. (source: PWInsider.com)

— Yesterday was WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young’s birthday as she turned 87 years old.

— Beginning today at 4:00 p.m. PST, Brie and Nikki Bella will be appearing at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

Did WWE have to buy out a major insurance policy in order to get Bret Hart to participate in a match at WrestleMania?

TNA executive Eric Bischoff was asked this week on Facebook if he thought the Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon storyline was being done well. Bischoff responded with:

“For what it is..yes. Allegedly WWE found out about a Lloyds of London (insurance) policy that Bret had in effect AFTER setting up this match, and as a result Lloyds of London has to approve of the physical structure of the match. Can’t confirm this, and perhaps WWE has “bought out” the problem, but if not..could be disappointing. Either way, I am looking forward to it and am happy for Bret. Going back to WWE in any capacity was the right thing for him to do at this stage of his life.”

SEScoops Analysis: Though Bischoff is unable to confirm that validity of this story, it appears that Bret Hart has been collecting insurance money due to his health preventing him from making a living in the ring. With Bret Hart is getting physical once again at WrestleMania, those payments would stop. When Bischoff says WWE might have “bought out” the problem, he means that WWE would have to be paying Bret Hart enough for him to voluntarily wave the insurance money he’d automatically receive by not wrestling.