— Brodus Clay suffered a severe gash on his head last night at Extreme Rules after being drove into a ladder by Christian. A great deal of blood gushed from his wound and it is said that he may have suffered a concussion.
Jim Ross wrote the following on Twitter regarding Clay: “Brodus Clay’s a tough monster. Had staples put in his head but wants to compete now! This kid can be a star. Congrats Christian. Overdue.”
— Beth Phoenix took to Twitter to comment on Kharma’s WWE debut.
She wrote, “It would appear that as we say goodbye to one Diva, there is a new terror on the horizon.”
— WWE returns to the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Mississippi on August 26, 2011 and the Fed-Ex Forum in Memphis, Tennessee on August 27, 2011.
John Cena is a 10-time World Champion after defeating The Miz and John Morrison in a Steel Cage Match tonight at Extreme Rules.
The match concluded with The Miz teased the Skullcrushing Finale, which was countered by Cena using an Attitude Adjustment from the top rope. Cena made the cover to become the new WWE champion.
Earlier in the evening, Christian beat Alberto Del Rio in a Ladder Match to capture his first-ever World Heavyweight Championship.
The 21-minute contest concluded following interference from Edge, who made an unadvertised appearance to distract Del Rio. Christian proceeded to scale a ladder to capture his first major title in WWE.
Also changing hands was the United States Championship. SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long scheduled an impromptu Tables Match between Kofi Kingston and United States Champion Sheamus, which resulted in the high-flyer smashing The Celtic Warrior through the hardwood to capture the title for a second time.
— WWE officials are strongly considering awarding Christian the World Heavyweight Championship next Sunday at Extreme Rules.
Multiple sources expect his opponent, Alberto Del Rio, to be transferred to Raw during tonight’s WWE Draft.
— The April 22 episode of WWE SmackDown on Syfy scored a 1.87 cable rating, down nine percent from 2.05 the previous week.
The two-hour program averaged 2.8 million viewers, which is down six percent from April 15 and down fifteen percent from April 8.
The overall rating was the lowest since February 11 and the second-lowest of 2011.
— The Smackdown live event on September 10 in Halifax, Nova Scotia will be held at the Halifax Forum. A Raw live event taking place the same day in London, Ontario will be held at the John Labatt Centre.
— Melina stated today on her Twitter account that she’s worried about tonight’s WWE Draft on Monday Night Raw. She recalled past years of being torn away from people she’s close to due to the annual affair.
“Tonight is Raw. Very nerve racking,” she wrote. “Thinking of Drafts in the past & I always hated getting torn away from John & Jillian. I miss my Jillo!”
— Ted Linhart, the VP of Program Research at USA Network, stated on Twitter that the Live + Following 7 days rating information for the premiere of Tough Enough increased the total audience for the program by 19%, to nearly four million viewers. Furthermore, the 18-49 demographic went up 17% to 2.3 million viewers.
— This Saturday, Christian appears from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at Petsmart 12835 Citrus Plaza Tampa, Florida. More information is available through (813)-830-7251.
– There are already plans for a sixth Fast and Furious movie, which will likely see The Rock return to the franchise. Fast Five premiers in theaters next weekend.
– Former WWE announcer and current ESPN news correspondent Jonathan Coachman has contacted The Rock and said that he may be at RAW next Monday (5/2) from Miami.
– In an interesting bit of trivia … the WWE Championship ladder match at at Extreme Rules between Christian and Alberto Del Rio is believed to be only the second time in company history where a match guarantees that someone will become World Champion for the first time. In the rare cases when there’s a vacated title on the line, at least one of the contenders has been WWE champion before. The only other WWE match when two superstars battled for a vacant WWE championship was on March 27th, 1988 – when Randy Savage defeated Ted DiBiase in the title tournament finals at WrestleMania 4.
– Jim Ross’ BBQ sauce business seems to be doing well since WWE’s shop website started carrying the products as Ross noted on Twitter this week that their online business is up almost 200% from last year. WWE’s shop website takes domestic and international orders from fans and then places the order with JR. JR noted that they just received their biggest order ever from WWE’s shop website.
With Edge having announced his retirement on Monday’s Raw, the World Heavyweight Championship was vacated last night on SmackDown.
Christian triumphed in a No. 1 Contender’s World Heavyweight Championship Battle Royal to face No. 1 contender Alberto Del Rio for the vacant World Title at Extreme Rules. The two will face off in a ladder match.
Below is the updated card for Extreme Rules, which takes place May 1.
WWE Championship Triple Threat Match
The Miz (c) vs. R-Truth vs. John Cena
World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match
Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio in a ladder match.
Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross vs. Jack Swagger and Michael Cole
— It was announced during a commercial on Raw that Edge would surrender the World Heavyweight Championship this Friday on SmackDown.
— Christian and Natalya commented on Edge announcing his retirement tonight on Raw. Both wrote on Twitter:
Christian: “I’ve shed my tears..And from here on out I choose 2celebrate 1 of the greatest careers in WWE history..Cant wait2 induct u in the HOF #Edge”
Natalya: “My thoughts are with Edge, and thank you so much for the wonderful memories. You’re a real, true friend and ill never forget it.”
— Adam Copeland, Awesome Kong, Brie Bella, Edge, Jack Swagger and Mason Ryan, among other WWE terms, were trending tonight on Twitter.
With WrestleMania 27 less than 1 week away, we’ve got some news on what WWE has planned for The Rock, the Corre, Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan and Christian.
– The Rock’s current involvement with WWE has already turned out much better than either side expected. The Rock agreed to guest host WrestleMania earlier this year, but he’s enjoyed being back on WWE television so much that he’s now willing to get back in the ring for a few more matches. WWE is keeping a very tight lid on exactly what The Rock will do at WrestleMania, but most people within the company expect The Rock to eventually wrestle both The Miz and John Cena – with Miz likely being his first opponent.
– The original plan for Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 27 was to have The Bella Twins in Sheamus’ corner and Gail Kim in Bryan’s corner, but it doesn’t look like that will be happening anymore.
– The Corre had been scheduled to face Big Show, Kane, Kofi Kingston and Christian at WrestleMania, but WWE changed gears on this and Christian will now be involved in Edge and Alberto Del Rio’s World Heavyweight title feud.
One angle that’s been discussed would be for Christian to be in Edge’s corner at WrestleMania, turn heel and then cost Edge the World Heavyweight title – setting up an eventual 3-man match between Edge, Christian and Del Rio.
— The WWE Tag Team Championship will be on the line this Friday on SmackDown as Edge joins forces with Christian to take on Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel. The duo has won the WWE Tag Team Championship on seven occasions.
— No members of Nexus will be in CM Punk’s corner for his match against Randy Orton at WrestleMania XXVII. Just as Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga, “The Viper” punted Ryan in the skull following his victory tonight on Raw, which would indicate that he has been written off television for the time being. The Welsh grappler was stretchered out of the arena during the commercial break.
— Evan Bourne’s family as well as Randy Orton’s daughter and wife all sat ringside at tonight’s Raw taping in St. Louis, Missouri. Bourne, however, did not appear make a live appearance.
— Reunited for the first time in nearly a decade, Edge and Christian used their veteran skills to achieve victory over Alberto Del Rio and Brodus Clay on SmackDown. “Captain Charisma” took to Twitter to comment on the reunion.
“Thanks 4 all the gr8 feedback on Edge&Christian reuniting on Smackdown after 10yrs,” he wrote. “Hopefully u wont have 2 wait another 10 to see it again.”
— Select WWE Divas filmed a cameo appearance for Tough Enough last week.
— Zack Ryder announced on Twitter that WWEShop.com will begin selling headbands bearing his insignia soon. “The Long-Island Iced-Z” has pushed WWE to manufacture more Ryder merchandise.
— Out of action for six months due to an attack by Alberto Del Rio, Christian made his return to SmackDown last night. When Del Rio attacked Edge at their WrestleMania contract signing, “Captain Charisma” came to the aid of his former tag team partner. It was announced earlier that Christian would be returning to SmackDown on next week’s show.
— Michael Cole disclosed on SmackDown that he would announce the special guest referee for his match against Jerry Lawler at WrestleMania XXVII this Monday on Raw. He described the person as “flamboyant, simply awesome and one of the all-time greats in WWE.”
— The March 3, 2011 episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America drew a 0.57 cable rating, with 596,000 viewers. The midnight replay did a 0.14, with 128,000 viewers.
Following his surprise return at Sunday’s Elimination Chamber PPV, Christian was interviewed by Joey Styles this week and had this to say about:
His Surprise Appearance At Elimination Chamber:
“I was on my way to physical therapy in Florida and accidentally got on the interstate heading west. For the life of me I couldn’t find anywhere to turn around and the next thing I knew, I was in Oakland where Elimination Chamber was. What a coincidence!”
How His Torn Pectoral Muscle Is Healing Following Surgery:
“I’m not going to lie, it was the hardest thing I’ve had to overcome in my entire professional career. There were days I wondered if I’d ever be able to compete again. But the reaction from my peeps, not only in Oakland but the entire WWE Universe, reminded me why I worked so hard to get back. And who knows? If I hadn’t been injured by Del Rio maybe I would have won the Royal Rumble and it would be me challenging for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania.”
When He Will Be Medially Cleared To Wrestle Again:
“I don’t have a definite date yet, but I’m hopeful that it will be in the next few weeks. I’m not planning on missing WrestleMania.”
Parting Words For Alberto Del Rio, Who Put Him Out Of Action:
“Payback’s a b**** … but you already know that, Alberto. (laughs)”
– We reported last week that radio host Eddie Trunk, a long time friend of former WWE superstar Chris Jericho, was teasing that Jericho’s next career move would be “shocking” and an announcement would be made soon.
According to a reliable source, Chris Jericho is being strongly considered to be a part of the next season of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars show.
The cast of Season 12 will officially be announced February 28th, with the first shows airing in March.
If this report is accurate and Jericho does dance with the stars, he would likely be unable to return to WWE until the summer at the earliest.
– Joey Styles noted on Twitter that Edge is now the first WWE champion in five years to successfully defend his title in the Elimination Chamber match.
– Christian, who returned to WWE at Elimination Chamber, wrote the following on Twitter after the pay-per-view:
“So Oakland was fun!!… I was in the area so I decided 2 stop in & say hello.”
Despite his return, Christian still has a more months of physical rehab on his surgically repaired pectoral muscle.
– Christian made his return to WWE tonight, making the save for Edge after he won the World Heavyweight Title in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber and was attacked by Alberto Del Rio.
– CORRE members Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel are our new WWE Tag Team Champions, as they defeated Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov at Elimination Chamber.
– Trish Stratus returned to WWE at Elimination Chamber, where it was announced that she’ll be joining Booker T as one of the trainers of the new season of Tough Enough.
Later in the night, Trish ran down to the ring and saved Kelly Kelly while she was being attacked by LayCool. Trish took out LayCool and celebrated with Kelly, who was re-hired by Teddy Long.
Check out these pictures from Trish Stratus’ return to WWE at Elimination Chamber:
— Multi-time champion Booker T has arrived to Boston, Massachusetts for tonight’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. He is expected to participate in tonight’s 40-Man Royal Rumble Match.
— “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan is expected to appear at tonight’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view as he is in town for an autograph signing with fellow former WWE talent Carlito.
— Christian was flown into Boston for tonight’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. It is presently unclear what his role at the event will be. It should be noted that he isn’t wearing his arm in a sling. He has been sidelined since September due to a torn pectoral muscle.
– SmackDown rising star Alberto Del Rio has been discussed as World Heavyweight champion Edge’s likely opponent at WrestleMania 27 on 4/3. WWE is firmly behind Del Rio and company officials are very satisfied with how he’s handling his current push.
Former Intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler, Edge’s Royal Rumble opponent, has also been discussed as a possible opponent for WrestleMania.
– The latest on Christian is that he probably will not be healthy in time to work a match at WrestleMania. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle back in late September, had surgery to repair the tear and has been rehabbing ever since. Initial reports stated he’d be out of action for approximately 6 months (until late March).
– WWE Hall of Famers Bobby Heenan and Harley Race have been invited to WrestleMania 27. Jim Ross recently mentioned that Race was confirmed to be attending the event.
– It’s interesting to note that WWE has not yet mentioned how many tickets have been sold for WrestleMania 27. In previous years, they have touted early strong ticket sales, which doesn’t seem like a great sign.
(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of this info)
– SmackDown star Christian, who is currently recovering from a torn pectoral muscle, will be appearing at tonight’s Florida Championship Wrestling show in Port Charlotte, Florida. He will be doing a ‘meet and greet’ session before the show begins.
– WWE is advertising that Evan Bourne will be wrestling at the March 19th RAW live event from Madison Square Garden. Bourne had shoulder surgery back in October to repair a torn rotator cuff.
– WWE Champion The Miz attended Chris Jericho’s band Fozzy’s Wednesday night show in Los Angeles, California. Miz watched the show from the VIP section of the Whisky A Go Go nightclub and signed fans for many fans who spotted him. Following the Fozzy show, Miz wrote on Twittter:
“No matter what stage [Jericho] is on he knows how to make him the star n give every1 else there props. Great concert Fozzy!”
— This Friday’s Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio 2 of 3 Falls Match on SmackDown is being advertised as the final match between the two WWE Superstars. They have been feuding since Del Rio’s in-ring debut in August.
— Christian has been announced to appear at Florida Championship Wrestling’s live event at the Charlotte County Fairgrounds Expo Hall on Friday, January 14. The SmackDown Superstar will be taking part in a meet and greet autograph session at the event, which will also feature a Table, Ladders and Chairs Match, a Generation – X Rumble featuring 15 second and third generation wrestlers, and a Divas Lumber Jill Match.
— The WWE SmackDown live event on March 19, 2011 has been moved to the Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia. It’s original venue was the Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina.
— Christian, who has been sidelined since September due a torn pectoral muscle, could return to the squared circle as early as next month. If not, he is expected back before WrestleMania XXVII.
— The Great Khali is expected to return to WWE airwaves by the end of the month. He reached the finals of the Bigg Boss reality show in India over the weekend. The season finale airs this Saturday.
— WWE issued an e-mail blast pushing fans to vote for John Cena for ESPN SportsNation’s 1st Annual Awesomest Dude Of The Year Award. The WWE Superstar was trailing American soccer player Landon Donovan by 20,000 votes on the Facebook poll when the e-mail was sent out. They asked fans to continuously vote for Cena.
— MVP has been very worried about his position in World Wrestling Entertainment as of late. It’s been noted that he feels younger wrestlers are being pushed ahead of him while the company largely ignores him.
— Michael Tarver was removed from The Nexus during Monday’s Raw due to a groin injury that will keep him sidelined indefinitely.
— Christian’s surgical procedure two weeks ago to repair a torn pectoral muscle was the first operation he had ever endured. Like most WWE performers, he had the surgery performed in Birmingham, Alabama by famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.
– With WWE’s RAW and SmackDown now on NBC Universal owned TV stations, there more cross-promotion between the two shows. Expect to see angles begin on RAW and carry over to SmackDown on Fridays.
– Tuesday night’s final episode of WWE NXT on SyFy scored a 0.7 cable rating with 964,000 viewers. This was the first NXT episode that averaged less than 1 million viewers and was the least-watched episode. Through 4 episodes of season three on SyFy, the show averaged 1.09 million viewers.
– Monday’s RAW will take place from Wichita, Kansas and will feature guest host Johnny Knoxville. The post-Hell in a Cell show will include the early build for WWE Bragging Rights (10/24) and a continuation of the mystery RAW General Manager storyline.
– Following Christian’s recent torn pectoral muscle injury, WWE was forced to end his feud with SmackDown new comer Alberto Del Rio. Christian will be out until at least the Royal Rumble and WWE has discussed resuming the feud when Christian returns.
The official WWE website published an article regarding Christian undergoing a surgical procedure today to repair a torn pectoral muscle. WWE attributes the injury to an attack by Alberto Del Rio on last week’s SmackDown.
The surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama.
Regarding a timetable for a return to the ring, “Captain Charisma” expects to be back in four months.
He told WWE.com, “I can start light rehab next week and I expect to be fully recovered in four months.”
Bad news for SmackDown star Christian .. We reported earlier that Christian was injured and it has now been confirmed that he’s torn a pectoral muscle.
He will have surgery this and is expected to be out of action for 6 months following his recovery and physical rehabilitation, according to PWInsider.com. That would keep him away until February.
“Let’s wish [Christian] a successful surgery & a speedy recovery! The good guys need him back quickly.”
Without giving away spoilers for Friday’s SmackDown, there will be an angle on Friday’s show that could be a way to get Christian off television for the next few months.