– As reported Monday, Brodus Clay and Damien Sandow, who have been feuding on WWE programming in recent weeks, were scheduled to face off at SummerSlam but their match was nixed due to time constraints. Both the WWE Championship and WWE Tag Team Championship bouts were shortened due to time constraints because the production team wanted to make sure there would be enough time for the aftermath of the Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar bout since The Game’s farewell scene will play a vital role in storylines going forward.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, multi-platinum recording artist Kevin Rudolf’s performance of the pay-per-view theme song, “Don’t Give Up,” caused the program to have timing issues. Regarding the performance, some of the fans shown dancing were plants.

– WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz is currently on a promotional tour in London, England. He will be off television two weeks while touring the country and apparently other countries. He noted via Twitter, “Follow my Tout for the next 2 weeks and you will follow me around the world. #MizAroundTheWorld.”

– Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Big Show, CM Punk and John Cena are featured on the cover of WWE’s 2012 SummerSlam DVD and Blu-ray release, which hits stores on September 18. To view the cover, click here.

(source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– We noted earlier that “WWE” was the #2 trending topic on Google on Sunday for SummerSlam. WWE was also trending on Yahoo! on Monday and reached the #1 spot after Monday’s RAW.

– E! Online is among the media outlets that covered the “news” of Khloé Kardashian serving as the Social Media Ambassador of Monday’s RAW.

– NBA basketball great Shaquille O’Neal posted the following video on Tout in response to Brock Lesnar announcing that he’s done with WWE for good. Shaq congratulates Lesnar on a great career:

Yahoo! Sports has an article up about Brock Lesnar “finally being back in his comfort zone” under the bright lights of WWE. WWE superstars Triple H and Rey Mysterio spoke to Yahoo! about Lesnar leaving WWE back i n and his return to WWE the night after WrestleMania 28 back in April. Here are some highlights of what they said about:

Rey Mysterio on Lesnar Leaving WWE in 2004: “We were kind of disappointed when he left and just didn’t know what was going to happen with him trying out for the NFL and then shocking the world with the UFC. Overall, he did what he wanted to do and you can’t take that away from any man or human being who wants to accomplish something or prove themselves in a certain sport.”

Triple H on Lesnar’s Return: “Brock reached out to us when his UFC contract was done and I think he was just sticking his toe in the water to see if there was any interest, We spoke and the rest is history. There was a time where WWE fans thought they would never see Lesnar back with the company. There had been some animosity a little bit in some ways between Brock and the WWE at various points,” Levesque said. “Some of that was real, some of that was media.”

UPDATE: The Real Story On Whether Brock Lesnar is Quitting WWE & His Possible WrestleMania 29 Opponent

Paul Heyman just posted a video on Tout of his client Brock Lesnar quitting WWE:

The news (and a link to Heyman’s video) were posted on Twitter by WWE and listed as “Breaking News.”

– As previously reported, WWE Champion CM Punk will be at Thursday night’s WWE NXT taping at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Jim Ross will also be on hand to call some of the action.
Because WWE are so far ahead in taping NXT shows, the next taping won’t take place until September 20th.

– “WWE” was the second most-searched item on Google on Sunday in the U.S. with about 100,000 searches. This is on par with how previous big WWE PPVs have performed and includes searches for “SummerSlam”, “WWE” and other WWE-related phrases (like wrestler names).

– On Monday afternoon, WWE announced that “Brock Lesnar broke Triple H’s arm” at SummerSlam. This is another indication that last night was not the last we’ve seen of this feud and WWE is likely building up to a Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H rematch.

(Source: f4wonline.com)

– The WWEShop.com website has released new merchandise commemorating Sunday night’s WWE SummerSlam 2012 PPV.

– Ric Flair’s daughter Ashley, who is now billed as “Charlotte” at WWE developmental, has been doing ring announcing at WWE’s recent NXT live events.

– Following his victory over Triple H in the main event of WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, Brock Lesnar is not expected to wrestle for WWE again until Survivor Series in November. Despite online reports that WWE burned through virtually all of Lesnar’s contracted appearances already, the latest is that Lesnar still has plenty of dates left on his contract and WWE won’t have a problem booking him in a few more feuds.

– Triple H got emotional after losing to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, telling the live crowd, “I’m sorry” as Michael Cole speculated whether we’ve seen the last of Triple H.

Fans of Triple H will be happy to know that Triple H has no plans to retire from in-ring competition and still has several matches left in him before he retires for good. Triple H will likely take several months off and is expected to wrestle again later this year.

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

– Brodus Clay and Damien Sandow, who have been feuding on WWE programming in recent weeks, were scheduled to face off at SummerSlam but their match was nixed due to time constraints.

Both the WWE Championship and WWE Tag Team Championship bouts were shortened due to time constraints because the production team wanted to make sure there would be enough time for the aftermath of the Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar bout since The Game’s farewell scene will play a vital role in storylines going forward.

– According to a fan account of WWE’s SummerSlam Axxess festivities in Los Angeles, California on Saturday, EMTs tended to numerous attendees who had fainted or collapsed at the event due to the extreme heat. There were few shaded areas and WWE did not provide water.

– Mike Tyson, who was on hand for the SummerSlam festivities to promote THQ’s upcoming WWE ’13 video game, was noted by a WWE talent as the happiest person at the events. The boxing great considers himself a huge wrestling fan, as he reveals in this article.

(sources: PWInsider.com, ProWrestling.net)

WWE.com is reporting that Triple H suffered a broken arm at the hands of Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam. An article at WWE.com speculates that Triple H’s arm was broken by Lesnar’s Kimura lock and also states:

“It has also been released that The King of Kings broke his left arm in the same place that he did when Brock attacked him of the April 30 episode of Raw, an assault that lit the fuse on their tremendous rivalry. Although Triple H had initially refused medical attention last night, an examination this morning confirmed the severity of the injury.”

Lesnar and Paul Heyman will open tonight’s RAW at 8PM EST.

– WWE Diva Kaitlyn interviewed the cast of the WWE Studios movie “The Day,” which hits theaters on August 29th. The interview will be on WWE.com soon.

Crazy Picture Of Kaitlyn Dressed As … The ULTIMATE WARRIOR?!

– WWEDVDNews.com has published the official content listing for the WWE’s upcoming “Brock Lesnar: Here Comes The Pain” collector’s edition DVD/Blu-Ray set, which will be released in October.

– GetGlue.com, a social network for people can “check in” to TV shows and movies they watch, is running a promotion this week where fans who check in to WWE programming this week can win a SummerSlam sticker.

Paul Heyman posted the following rant on Twitter on Thursday afternoon, setting the record straight on his status with WWE, Brock Lesnar’s contract situation, rumors of him working with WWE Champion CM Punk & more:

“It is amazing how many rumors are flying around. I don’t like to address rumors. It lends credibility to them, and the moment you answer ONE rumor,you immediately call attention to the other rumors (no matter how ridiculous they are) by NOT responding!

We’re going to clear up some issues. Set the record straight. Get some people “on point,” and stir some things up!

Brock’s theory of “let them speculate” seems to be a damn smart one, and I certainly see the merits of that position.

HOWEVER (aha! There is a “but” involved here)… Just to address two items that so many people seem to be giving credence to.

@CMPunk and I have NOT pitched the idea of being aligned to anyone. If we did, you wouldn’t know about it. Did anyone know I was coming back on May 7th as Brock’s representative? NO ONE KNEW! So if @CMPunk and I have … or had .. or will have a plan … I assure you, it would have / will play out in front of your very eyes. @CMPunk doesn’t need an advocate. Nor a spokesman. Nor a representative. That’s not his character. Brock’s character totally different.

The other rumor to address … Whether @WWE is interested in extending my deal, Brock’s deal, etc. Not one single person has hit the nail on Brock’s deal with @WWE … and that’s the way Brock likes it! … and since NO ONE knows what my deal is, it would be impossible for anyone to state with certainty what my situation IS … or ISN’T! And, just for the record, I’m not discussing it.

Here’s my reasoning for it … When I left @WWE in 2006, I thought I was done. Gone. Never to return. I loved working with Brock on his book. Building #Looking4Larry with @MStuart777 has been a total blast! The @HeymanHustle website and digital program has been the cornerstone of our agency, and we love doing it.

This whole deal has been a surprise. A surprise for you. A surprise for my kids. A surprise for the WWE Universe. A surprise for ME, too. Enjoy the ride. Watch it unfold. See what happens. For the first time in forever, we have people GUESSING what comes next. If for no other reason but THAT, there’s nothing 2 discuss. You know there’s a heavily-promoted match this Sunday at @WWE #SummerSlam.

You’ve seen @ShawnMichaels, Stephanie McMahon, all our CHILDREN be a part of this main event. Now it comes down to Brock Lesnar vs HHH. If we’ve sold you on buying the ppv, I bet you get your money’s worth on this match alone. If we haven’t sold you on the ppv yet, then thank you for your time, and I hope something else has captured your attention or imagination.

Brock and I are “all-in” for this Sunday. And just based on what his future holds, HHH is “all-in,” too. This is a match everyone wants you to remember.

So … I’m not addressing any more rumors. I’m not confirming. I’m not denying. I’m focused on this Sunday … … and I’m looking forward to watching Brock and HHH live up to, and indeed EXCEED everyone’s expectations.

Is this hype? Yes. But it’s Hype routed in TRUTH. Is this a rant? A diatribe? A long-winded TwitSpeech? Absolutely! Hope you liked it.”

– WWE.com has announced that Kevin Rudolf will perform “Don’t Give Up,” SummerSlam 2012’s official theme song, live on pay-per-view this Sunday.

– SmackDown ring announcer Lilian Garcia talked exclusively to RedCarpetTips.com about her top red carpet and beauty tips. The WWE Diva says it takes a lot of work to look good.

“The first thing is the dress… then the day of, you know, just the curlers and the hair and the make-up,” Garcia says, also noting tanning. She says “It’s a process!”

– WWE.com has released a poll asking fans whether Shawn Michaels’ injury on Raw will affect Triple H’s chances of defeating Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.

– WWE announced Friday via Twitter that Shawn Michaels will appear on Monday’s episode of Raw, the final episode before SummerSlam. Brock Lesnar issued a threatening warning to HBK on Monday’s show that he would see him before SummerSlam. Michaels will be in Triple H’s corner when he faces Lesnar at the pay-per-view event. Triple H is also advertised to appear at Raw, which will take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

– Former WWE Superstar Billy Gunn evaluated WWE developmental talent this week at Florida Championship Wrestling headquarters. Regarding this, Gunn wrote on Twitter, “Thanks to everyone in fcw for a great week of training had fun and learned alot the future is looking great if your a wrestling fan.” Gunn may further his partnership with WWE. As reported last week, management was impressed with Gunn and his interactions with Shawn Michaels on Raw 1,000 and the belief is he’ll receive at least one match on a future televised show.

– WWE.com has published photos from the SmackDown brand’s second night of action in Tokyo, Japan. John Laurinaitis, who competed on the show despite his removal from storylines, is not shown in any of the photos.

– Monday on Raw, Shawn Michaels revealed he will be in Triple H’s corner when “The Game” faces Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Lesnar then issued a warning to HBK, telling him that he’d see him before SummerSlam. Michaels, however, is not advertised to appear on Raw—the final Raw before SummerSlam—by either WWE or host venue American Airlines Center.

Michaels was asked on Twitter what he would say if Lesnar challenged him to a match following his bout with Triple H and responded, “What I tell everybody, No thanks, I’m retired.” HBK is also not worried about getting beat up by the large framed wrestler: “Added to the list of 10,437 guys who have done the same over 25 yrs:-).”

– In honor of Kelly Kelly’s return to Raw on Monday, WWE.com has published photos and videos highlighting the blonde Diva’s greatest moments.

– Kamala will address his accusations towards Wrestlers Rescue and MWF and why he hasn’t accepted checks from both organisations today on Inside The Ropes radio at 5:00 p.m. EST. Visit www.facebook.com/theinsidenetwork for show information.

– It was rumored for weeks that Brock Lesnar would attack WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels on this past week’s “HBK Appreciation Night” edition of WWE RAW from San Antonio, Texas. The angle was reportedly scrapped due to the big celebration WWE had planned for after RAW went off the air, which featured appearances from the Undertaker, Vince McMahon and more.

Pictures from After RAW: HBK Appreciation Night Continues

Lesnar told Michaels on RAW that he’ll be seeing him before SummerSlam on August 19th. With the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stating that a big angle is planned for Monday’s “go home” episode of RAW, it’s possible we will see Lesnar destroy Michaels on Monday night.

– UFC fighter Diego Sanchez, the man credited with creating the extremely popular “YES!” chant now used by Daniel Bryan in WWE, recently told OpposingViews.com that he’s close with Daniel Bryan and his team has reached out to Bryan’s people working together:

“My team has reached out to them and we’ll see what happens. We both are the ‘Yes’ men and if we could help each other that’s what it’s about. It’s about that positivity and motivating yourself to do things you could never do when unmotivated.”

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

– Brock Lesnar will be appearing on next week’s “go home” RAW and also the following week (the night after SummerSlam).

– WWE is looking to reformat their programming in Japan. Currently, RAW and SmackDown air in Japan (with subtitles) 10 days after they air in the US.

– The July 9th episode of WWE RAW had 291,000 homes watching the show on DVR or tape delay, 8.5% of the show’s total viewership. The following week’s show (July 16) had 307,000 homes DVR the show, which was 9.2% of the total audience.

– Chris Jericho will be departing WWE in the coming weeks. Jericho is usually cryptic about his plans and previously said he’d be finishing up with WWE by August 14th (he’s booked for SummerSlam on 8/19), but will likely be gone by the end of the month.

Aside from his upcoming shows with Fozzy, Jericho will also be working on his third autobiography, which will cover the past 5 year of his life.

* Pictures of WADE BARRETT’s New Look (Sporting a Beard)

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels is expected to make more WWE television appearances leading up to SummerSlam, where he’ll be in the corner of Triple H for his match with Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar promised Michaels on RAW that he’ll be seeing him before SummerSlam.

– With Brock Lesnar’s current deal scheduled to expire around WrestleMania 29 next April and only a number of dates remaining on his current contract, many people within WWE expect the company to offer him a contract extension.

Getting Lesnar to sign on for another year would be a very expensive proposition for WWE, but the company is confident they can use the former UFC heavyweight champion to sell several blockbuster matches and elevate other superstars by having them work with Lesnar.

As for Paul Heyman’s future, most expect him to continue working with WWE in some capacity. It has been reported in recent weeks that his current agreement with WWE has him on board through SummerSlam.

(Source: f4wonline.com)

– A rumor surfaced online Monday alleging that Brock Lesnar and Ryback were involved in a physical altercation this afternoon at Raw at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas during rehearsal for Lesnar’s segment.

According to numerous sources backstage at the event, nothing of the sort happened as there was no confrontation, physical or otherwise.

– WWE aired a vignette on Raw promoting the return of Wade Barrett. Barrett, who was shown sporting a beard, Barrett proclaimed that he had to go back to his roots in underground fighting to rediscover himself.

Barrett has been sidelined since the February 20 Raw; he suffered a partially dislocated elbow while catching Dolph Ziggler, who was thrown out of the ring by Big Show during a battle royal. During his time away from the ring, Barrett shot a supporting role in the WWE Studios film Dead Man Down. He will return to action beginning Thursday for SmackDown’s two-show tour of Tokyo, Japan at Ryogoku Kokugika.

(source: PWInsider.com)

– Former WWE Women’s Champion Sable was backstage at Monday’s Raw 1,000 as she accompanied husband Brock Lesnar to the show. She has accompanied him to shows before to keep him company since he detests being away from his family, even for a short while.

Fans have speculated that with Lesnar’s renewed partnership with WWE, the legendary Diva could return to television as well. That, however, is believed to be highly unlikely. According to people close to the couple, she has absolutely no desire to return to the spotlight and is very content on being a homebody.

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross, who has witnessed many noteworthy events over the course of his 38-year wrestling career, was asked on Twitter whether he ever sees himself taking part in a “shoot” interview—tell-all interviews where one discusses their career and gives their opinion on other wrestlers and specific events in their past. He responded, “Nope.”

Ross also responded “no thanks” regarding whether he would be interested in overseeing TNA Wrestling.

– Tickets went on sale today for Raw on October 22, 2012 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the first time Raw has been held at the venue since April 19, 2010.

– WWE Superstars announcer Matt Striker heavily praised Stephanie McMahon upon seeing her on Monday’s landmark edition of Raw.

“Not just saying this but Stephanie is great. She’s beautiful, witty, athletic, creative and gets a better reaction than those who THINK they’re over,” he wrote on Twitter. “They can fire me tomorrow and I’d still stand by my last tweet.”

– The planned title for WWE’s Brock Lesnar DVD and Blu-ray release is Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain – Collector’s Edition, reports WWEDVDNews.com. The title will include the documentary featured in the 2003 DVD release Brock Lesnar – Here Comes the Pain!, as well as 30 minutes of new content, plus career matches.

Brock Lesnar: Here Comes the Pain – Collector’s Edition will be released on October 30, 2012.

– Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis will face Eddie Edwards and Sara Del Rey at Ring of Honor’s Boiling Point iPPV on August 11 in Providence, Rhode Island.

– WWE Ref John Cone talked to Pitch.com  Below are some interesting tidbits:

Most memorable match

“It was just a couple of months ago at Extreme Rules, Daniel Bryan against CM Punk. I was honored to referee that match, and those guys tore the house down. It was just fantastic, probably one of the purest wrestling matches that I’ve ever refereed. It was great.”

The biggest bump he’s taken

“It was Extreme Rules again, just a couple of months ago. Brock Lesnar was wrestling John Cena, and the official for the match was Charles Robinson. He got knocked down, and I come running down the aisle. I think Brock had Cena in a pin attempt, and I slid into the ring, got a two count, and as I stood up, here comes Lesnar with a clothesline. I didn’t remember much afterward. And then he kicks me in the stomach as I try to get out of the ring.”

– WWE has issued another installment of their YouTube show Inbox, the question this week: Who has the coolest ring gear? Take a look:

Former WWE creative writer Court Bauer recently spoke with Steven Muehlhausen about the upcoming [unconfirmed] Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar match at SummerSlam. Bauer, who worked with Triple H during his time with the company, thinks Triple H is the wrong opponent for the former UFC Heavyweight champion:

“He’s (Lesnar) a top a draw. It’s just how you apply a talent like that. Its kind of like, you look at movies. Everyone lays an egg, a rotten egg. But there’s still a lot of box office power behind them. You just gotta find the next one. The followup is critical for his success in WWE. I don’t feel Triple H is the right matchup for a lot of reasons both mechanically in the ring and in terms of long term investment.

If they (WWE) are really paying Brock Lesnar five million dollars for 20-25 dates and they brought in Paul Heyman for dollar X for X amount of dates. Do you believe that’s helping the company’s future by having Triple H beat him or lose to him when there’s so many, so many young talent that could use that TV exposure, could use that win if they are going to beat Brock Lesnar or even losing to Brock Lesnar look better? Triple H is not even a part-time wrestler at this point. So you really have to question the decision making going on there.”

– Brock Lesnar is scheduled for four upcoming Raw’s episodes. Including the 1000th episode this Monday in St. Louis, Missouri, Brock is advertised to appear at the August 6 show in San Antonio, Texas. August 13th in Dallas, Texas. And the Post-Summerclam Raw on August 20th from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

– Bret Hart’s will make a special appearance on August 4th in Nashville, Tennessee for Crossfire Wrestling. Compeating on the card that night include; Goldust, Harry Smith, Brian Christoper, Jillian Hall, Shane Douglas, and others.  Hart will also participate in a wrestling  seminar will be from 10 AM – 2 PM all at the Tennessee Tennessee State Fairgrounds. Details are at http://www.crossfirellc.vze.com/

– Chris Jericho has no appearances scheduled for after SummerSlam.

– WWEDVDNews.com reports WWE will release a Brock Lesnar video title in either late October or early November. The title is currently in production and will be released on both DVD and Blu-ray formats.

WWE had contemplated producing a Lesnar video title since February of last year. It will be their second Lesnar video production, following the 2003 DVD release Brock Lesnar – Here Comes the Pain.

– Evenue.com is holding a pre-sale for the September 18 SmackDown taping at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The passcode is YESYESYES. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio in a Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship is advertised to take place.

– Former WWE talent Shane Helms appears at the San Diego Comic-Con Thursday through Saturday at Booth #1901. Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday from 10:00 a.m. to noon and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to noon and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

(source: PWInsider.com)

– An image of Brock Lesnar growling is featured on the cover of WWE’s upcoming SummerSlam DVD and Blu-ray release on Sept. 18. The cover is the same graphic used for the pay-per-view event’s promotional poster.

WWE has been building up a match between Lesnar and Triple H and it will headline SummerSlam on August 19, according to F4WOnline.com.

– WWE currently has no Jack Swagger merchandise in stock. WWEShop.com’s page on the former World Heavyweight Champion does not have a single item up for sale. “The All-American American” has struggled greatly since the night after WrestleMania XXVIII, having won only one televised match and losing twenty.

– Jim Ross responded “Total BS” to a Twitter message Wednesday that WWE was replacing Michael Cole with “Good Ol’ J.R.”

– On Monday’s Raw SuperShow, Brock Lesnar’s legal representative, Paul Heyman, announced that in three weeks on the 1,000th episode of Raw, Brock will personally announce his response to Triple H’s challenge for a match at SummerSlam on August 19.

We know that Lesnar versus “The Game” will headline WWE’s annual summer pay-per-view event. According to f4wonline.com, creative has finalized plans for matches two through four, but are being kept “top secret.”

The pay-per-view event will feature seven matches in all including a gimmick match of some sort.

– The “fan” Alberto Del Rio attacked on SuperSmackDown LIVE: The Great American Bash when he failed to produce his “papers” as requested was Luis Vazquez, a cameraman who works full-time for WWE.

– WWE Hall of Famer “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, who appeared on SuperSmackDown LIVE: The Great American Bash, is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com. He joined WWE United States Champion Santino Marella and WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter in a Six-Man Tag Team Match victory over Drew McIntyre, Hunico and Camacho.

(sources: F4WOnline.com, PWInsider.com)