– With WrestleMania 29 still two months away, WWE is already in the early planning stages for SummerSlam 2013, which will once again take place from Los Angeles. WWE is interested in booking The Rock and Brock Lesnar at the show, as they are two of its top stars with mainstream appeal. There is also a push to get the local Hollywood community involved in event, so expect a lot of celebrities to show up during the week-long Axxess events leading up to the PPV.

– WWE announced on Thursday that it will report its 2012 fourth quarter results on February 28, 2013, before the opening of the market. The Company’s Chairman and CEO, Vincent K. McMahon, and senior management will host a conference call beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET to discuss the results.

– R-Truth and Christian are expected to return within the next two weeks.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– The word backstage at RAW is that Christian will be making his return very soon.

– Ric Flair will appear on next Monday’s episode of Lizard Lick Towing on Tru TV.

– The Rock’s new movie “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” is the official sponsor of WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

– For the first time, WWE has uploaded footage from Deep South Wrestling to the WWE YouTube channel as part of a “Zack Ryder’s Iced 3” feature.

(Source: PWInsider.com)

WWE is interested in bringing back several former mid-card wrestlers to fill out the roster, help the company’s younger talent get over and improve live event attendance, particularly the SmackDown brand.

Some of the names discussed include John Morrison, Shelton Benjamin, MVP and Low Ki (formerly Kaval in NXT). Shetlon Benjamin recently got out of his Ring of Honor contract and is seen as one of the wrestlers most likely to be returning. MVP recently stated on Twitter that he’s open to returning, but he is currently under contract to New Japan pro wrestling and is very satisfied working overseas.

Aside from these names, other superstars discussed for possible Royal Rumble returns include Tommy Dreamer and the New Age Outlaws. There’s also a possibility we’ll see Christian return at the Rumble, since he’s ready to return to action this month after a several month absence.

* The Latest On Who Will WIN The ROYAL RUMBLE

(Partial source: PWInsider)

– Both Mark Henry and Christian are expected to return to WWE soon. Henry’s status is more up in the air, while Christian should be back by the end of the month.

– As we’ve seen in recent years, WWE has a few surprises planned for the Royal Rumble match. The company typically contacts two or three veterans to come in for special appearances. Additionally, there are several former WWE superstars that are now free agents that are rumored to be returning to the company, as well as injured performers like Mark Henry that are due back any time now.

We reported earlier this week that Team Hell No vs. Team Rhodes Scholars and Eve Torres vs. Kaitlyn (Lumberjill Match) are rumored for the show. Another title match that could be added is US Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. The Miz.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– Christian is expected to return to WWE television in January, in time for the Royal Rumble.

– The December 5th episode of WWE Main Event did a 0.7 rating with 1.18 million viewers. The show featured IC Champion Kofi Kingston vs. US Champion Antonio Cesaro.

The December 12th episode, which had a special start time of 6:30pm (EST), did a 0.4 rating with 600,000 viewers. The show featured Ryback vs. Alberto Del Rio.

– JBL received a hate mail from the fans of Scotland’s Rangers Football Club after mentioning on RAW (12/17) that they recently went bankrupt.

* Updated Card For WRESTLEMANIA & WWE Negotiating With Several Former Superstars

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– William Regal stated on Twitter that he has been receiving death threats, with two teenagers also accusing him of child abuse.

“Faceless keyboard warriors are divs but how do you describe someone who puts a profile pic on his account and then gives you abuse. Bless, Regal wrote.

He continued, “I’m used to abuse and death threats but that has to be stopped.”

– WWE has released the following video promoting “Cena Saturday” this Saturday on Vortexx on the CW, starting at 8:30 a.m.

– Christian is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

The content listing for WWE’s “The Attitude Era” three-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-Ray scheduled for release on Nov. 20 has been released.

The synopsis for the title reads: “In the late-90s, WWE was struggling for ratings survival while a cultural shift in the viewing audience’s taste was occurring. “Saying your prayers and taking your vitamins” had lost its luster amongst the rebellious masses who preferred “flipping the bird” and “laying the smackdown”… Enter Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H and Mankind and the notorious crop of edge and fearless Superstars who ushered in The Attitude Era. Now in this 3DVD set fans can own all the infamous moments from this controversial and revolutionary era that redefined sports entertainment for an entire generation. Over 8-hours of envelope-pushing content includes all the agression, antics and innuendos that proved to be the perfect cocktail for an explosion of popularity.”

Here is the listing, courtesy of WWEDVDNews.com.

DISC 1

Documentary:

The Birth of Attitude

Entrance Music

D-Generation X

Austin vs. McMahon

Long-Arching Stories

Innovations

New Demographic

Critics

Expansion

Comedy

Wealth of Talent

The World Was Watching

Watershed Period
Jim Ross interviews Goldust & Marlena
Raw – Nov 3, 1997

Steve Austin Throws the InterContinental Championship Off A Bridge
Raw – Dec 15, 1997

Soldier of Love
Raw – May 4, 1998

Mr McMahon Presents Mankind with the WWE Hardcore Championship
Raw – Nov 2, 1998

Jim Ross Interviews Triple H
Sunday Night Heat – July 25, 1999

An Evening At The Friendly Tap
SmackDown! – Jan 20, 2000

Mae Young and the Acolyte Protection Agency
SmackDown! – Jan 27, 2000

“The Jug Band”
Judgment Day 2000

Triple H Trains Trish Stratus
SmackDown! – July 27, 2000

Edges Totally Awesome Birthday
Raw – Oct 30, 2000

The Rocks Message to His Hell in a Cell Opponents
Raw – Dec 4, 2000

GTV

DISC 2

Mike Tyson Joins DX
Raw – Mar 2, 1998

A New Beginning For D-Generation X
Raw – March 30, 1998

Sable vs. “Marvelous” Marc Mero
Raw – May 11, 1998

Nation of Degeneration
Raw – July 6, 1998

Brawl for All Match
Bart Gunn vs. “Dr Death” Steve Williams
Raw – July 27, 1998

Four Corners Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
The Undertaker & Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kane & Mankind vs. The New Age Outlaws vs. The Rock & Owen Hart
Raw – Aug 10, 1998

Lions Den Match
Ken Shamrock vs. Owen Hart
SummerSlam 1998

Finals of WWE Championship Tournament
The Rock vs. Mankind
Survivor Series 1998

The Rock & The Undertaker vs. Mankind & Stone Cold Steve Austin
Raw – Dec 7, 1998

Austin Gives The Corporation A Beer Bath
Raw – March 22, 1999

The Undertaker vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Raw – June 28, 1999

The Debut of Y2J
Raw – Aug 9, 1999

DISC 3

Content still to be confirmed.

Special Features

(Expected Best Buy Exclusive)

GTV – Al Snow & Head

Mae Young Gives Birth
Raw – Feb 28, 2000

WWE Womens Championship Match
Lita vs. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley
Raw – June 12, 2000

The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz
Raw – July 17, 2000

BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVES

King of Kings Match
Ken Shamrock vs. Triple H vs. Owen Hart
Raw – June 29, 1998

The Oddities w/ Insane Clown Posse vs. The Headbangers
Raw – Sept 28, 1998

The Truth About Sammy
Raw – Jan 18, 1999

The Unholy Union of Stephanie McMahon & The Undertaker
Raw – April 26, 1999

The Rock vs. Val Venis
SmackDown – Oct 7, 1999

Survivor Series Elimination Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Kane & Shane McMahon vs. Triple H, X-Pac & The New Age Outlaws
SmackDown – Nov 4, 1999

WWE Hardcore Championship Match
Al Snow vs. Crash Holly
SmackDown – June 29, 2000

The Hardy Boyz & Lita vs. Perry Saturn, Eddie Guerrero & Dean Malenko
SmackDown – Nov 30, 2000

Chris Jericho & The Dudley Boyz vs. Kurt Angle, Edge & Christian
Raw – Dec 25, 2000

– WWE Diva Rosa Mendes left the WWE RAW crew this week to work on SmackDown alongside Alberto Del Rio on SmackDown, however she was back with Primo and Epico for Wednesday’s RAW live event in Belfast, North Ireland.

– Here are some injury updates on the following WWE Superstars, courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

* Mark Henry’s recovery from shoulder surgery is going well and it’s believed he’ll be back in action before the end of the year.

* Christian also had shoulder surgery several months ago and will be back in action either at the end of this month or in December.

* Hunico is scheduled to return by the end of January after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL.

* Evan Bourne should healthy to return in early spring after undergoing surgeries on his arm and foot this year.

– Jim Ross announced on Twitter Sunday evening that he and Michael Cole will call Monday’s Raw at Times Union Center in Albany, New York.

– The official WWE website has an article looking at seven classic factions and reimagining them with current Superstars and Divas. One dream sequence includes John Cena betraying fans to reform the nWo.

Article writer Kevin Powers states, “Who could possibly comprise the modern incarnation of the most notorious faction of all time? It would take a major betrayal of the WWE Universe akin to Hulk Hogan’s original collusion with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. The only Superstar capable of such an impactful move would be none other than John Cena.

“When Hogan deceived WCW, he was as polarized as Cena. Some still loved the classic red and yellow, others were tired of it. Judging by Cena’s reactions in various arenas all over the country, the same can be said for his creed of “hustle, loyalty and respect.” The Cenation leader could eventually just have his fill of “Cena sucks” chants, grab a can of black spray-paint and really give the WWE Universe something to “boo” about.”

Powers recreates the New World Order with Randy Orton and Christian in the role of a veteran tandem similar to The Outsiders, Big Show as a returning member, Michael McGillicutty following in the footsteps of alumnus and father Curt Hennig, David Otunga as a legal adviser, and Michael Cole fulfilling Eric Bischoff’s role as a loud and obnoxious mouthpiece.

– As you can imagine, the environment backstage at WWE’s recent RAW from Montreal was very emotional when Jerry Lawler suffered his heart attack on the air. Triple H and Rey Mysterio in particular were very emotional about the situation. Vince McMahon was running the show from the Gorilla position, so Triple H was the one getting all the first-hand information about how grave Lawler’s situation was for a while.

– Christian is off television because he is recovering from recent shoulder surgery. No word on how long he’ll be out of action.

– WWE and All Japan Pro Wrestling have reached some sort of business partnership. All Japan has been in bad financial shape and was seeking investors to support the company’s operations.

* News on JEFF HARDY & BATISTA Returning to WWE Before WRESTLEMANIA

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– Reports surfaced online this week stating that WWE officials pulled Christian from television since he’s expected to appear at next month’s TNA Hall of Fame ceremony in Phoenix, Arizona as part of an agreement the rival wrestling organizations reached to allow Ric Flair to appear at Wrestlemania XXVIII. According to PWInsider.com, the reports are incorrect.

Multiple WWE sources state that Christian requested time off from the road since there were no major storylines planned for him and to also rest his ankle. He is still having trouble with his ankle, which sidelined him late last year and at the start of the year.

It is not known when he will return to the ring although he was at one point scheduled for next week’s television events in Canada.

– Following her latest dramatic episode on Monday’s Raw, General Manager AJ Lee addressed her mental state before announcing that WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart will be returning to Raw in Montreal for the first time in 15 years, this Monday at 8/7 CT.

– WWE Superstar Christian is scheduled appear for TNA Wrestling once again later this year at Bound For Glory to induct Sting into the TNA Hall of Fame. Christian appearing on a second TNA PPV this year is part of WWE’s agreement with TNA to allow Ric Flair to appear at WWE’s Hall of Fame earlier this year.

TNA was pushing for Ric Flair to be the person to induct Sting, but Flair’s recent issues with TNA and TNA’s ongoing lawsuit with WWE will likely prevent that from happening.

– As for Ric Flair’s status with TNA, his 4-month no-compete clause is up on September 6h. At that time, he’ll technically be free to work for other wrestling promotions. That said, the ongoing TNA-WWE lawsuit might keep Flair out of WWE for a few more months. WWE stated in court that they had no interest in any employees currently or recently under TNA contract – and signing Flair immediately would conflict with that position.

* Pictures of CHRISTIAN At TNA SLAMMIVERSARY From Back In June

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– After JTG pleaded his case to make some noise on Raw, his wish was granted by program General Manager AJ Lee as the quirky Diva placed him in a one-on-one match against Ryback. WWE broadcaster Michael Cole acknowledged JTG’s “controversial remarks” on Twitter last week where he cryptically stated that his “locker room brothers” were being taken advantage of—F4WOnline.com reports his source of contention stemmed from lower-tier wrestlers’ financial compensation for WrestleMania XXVIII.

Following the Cryme Tyme founder’s loss to Ryback, Cole stated, “I can’t wait until JTG tweets about this.”

– Zack Ryder mentioned on Twitter that he was not at Raw in Dallas, Texas, writing, “#NotAtRaw.” Rather, he drove to Austin, Texas, the site of Tuesday’s SmackDown taping.

– Raw viewers who check in to GetGlue.com will receive a free Trish Stratus Diva Summer Series sticker.

– Christian is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com. He is currently not scheduled to compete this Sunday at SummerSlam.

In his first match since flooring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson with a clothesline and subsequent Go to Sleep on Raw 1,000, CM Punk appeared as a babyface at Saturday’s SmackDown live event at Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tennessee. He retained the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Daniel Bryan and Kane. Attendees largely ignored his apparent heel turn on Monday as he was loudly cheered throughout the match.

Chris Jericho rekindled his partnership with Christian as the duo took on Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler donned a Jericho “WANNA-BEE” T-Shirt, which Jericho ripped off during the contest. The match concluded with Jericho striking Rhodes with the Codebreaker.

Drew McIntyre appeared as a babyface on the show as he rushed the ring to aid Ted DiBiase from an attack courtesy of Camacho and Hunico—after DiBiase defeated Hunico due to interference from Camacho. The third generation wrestler then proposed they have a tag team match, which all agreed to. The match concluded with DiBiase escaping Hunico’s sleeper attempt and hitting him with Dream Street.

Other match results were Kaitlyn over Natalya, Jinder Mahal over Percy Watson, Justin Gabriel over developmental wrestler Leo Kruger and World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus over Alberto Del Rio in a Last Man Standing Match.

(source: Pro Wrestling Torch)

– Although the WWE heavily promoted a 1,000th RAW pre-show on Youtube.com all week long and on s RAW, WWE didn’t have one. The company opted to tape Superstars instead.

– The Miz defeated Christian to win the WWE Intercontinental championship on RAW1000

– During the Daniel Bryan A.J. wedding segment, A.J. said she had accepted another man’s proposal and wasn’t marrying Bryan. Vince McMahon’s music hit, and out came the WWE Chairman.  He said “Said it’s not the type of proposal people were thinking of. Instead, it was a business proposal”  With that he asked for the WWE Universe to welcome the new General Manager of Raw…….. AJ!

AJ  laughed, skipped around Daniel Bryan and left Bryan at the altar.

– Rey Mysterio returned to Monday’s RAW after months away from television. After Albero Del Rio defeated Zack Ryder and delivered a post-match beatdown to the Long Island native, Mysterio’s music hit and he came down to the ring nailed Del Rio with a 619.

– WWE Attitude Era star Rikishi returned on Monday’s RAW as the latest opponent of Heath Slather.

– Christian will defend the Intercontinental championship on next week’s 1,000th RAW. WWE ran a poll on this week’s show asking which title should be defended next week (IC Title, US Title, Divas title) and the IC title won.

– Speaking of Christian, the Peep Show returns this Friday on SmackDown when his guest will be AJ Lee.

– WWE announced Wednesday that it will report its 2012 second quarter results on August 2, 2012. Company’s Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon, and senior management will host a conference call beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET to discuss the results.

– WWE has uploaded a compilation video of Raw openings from 2002 to 2006. The program’s theme song then was “Across The Nation” by The Union Underground.

– Tensai’s victory over Christian and Tyson Kidd in a tag team match on Raw SuperShow was his first win on the program since April 23.

– Christian recently spoke with the Corpus-Christi Caller to hype Tuesday’s live Smackdown from the city and spoke about the recent ankle sprain that kept him out of action for months and forced him to miss WrestleMania 28:

“After talking with a couple different doctors, they said that on a scale of 1-10 of the severity of the sprain, it was a 10. It was as bad as it could have possibly been,” Christian told the Corpus-Christi Caller newspaper promoting Tuesday’s live Smackdown taping. “It was a little bit frustrating to say the least, but it’s just one of those things where you got to get through it.”

Christian also said he hopes to hold the World Heavyweight championship again before he retires.

– In Episode 23 of “WWE Download” with Dolph Ziggler:

“Dolph Ziggler explores Kieth Apicary’s dating methods and admits that Zack Ryder might be a little less of a nerd. #WWEDOWNLOAD”

* AUSTIN vs. PUNK Update, Storyline Plans For AJ & More

Christian recently spoke with Pantagraph about his career, being Intercontinental Champion and more. Here are some highlights of what

On having the Intercontinental Title eighteen years into his career: “It’s kind of cool to be Intercontinental Champion. It means a great deal…I used to make my own title belts out of cardboard and attach them to the back of my weightlifting belt, then hold it up in the mirror and practice my posing. My thought was that if you believe you’re a champion and work hard at it, you’ll finally get to that point.”

On wanting to be a wrestler as a kid: “I loved playing hockey growing up as a kid, but the first time I stepped into a ring, it seemed natural to me, like home. The first day of training, I was a kid thrown into the ring, and the minute I hit the ropes and the mat, it felt comfortable.”

On Edge’s retirement: “Yeah, I was the first person he called after he got the news (about the injury). It was one of those things where I had to listen and be there for him. I could tell he was upset about it once it sunk in. I told him that if was writing the end to his story, this was the perfect way to finish it off, just winning the WrestleMania (XXVII) world championship, the biggest show of the year. You can’t write a better ending than that.”

On how long he wants to keep going: “Having a long career with real lasting power has always been a goal,” he says. “So as long as I’m physically able to do what I do, I’ll keep doing it.”

– Zack Ryder posted a brief video of himself expressing his dissatisfaction with being left off Monday’s Raw SuperShow in his hometown of Long Island, New York.

– On Monday, WWE’s stock price set a new 52-week low and reached its lowest mark since April 2003. The stock closed at $7.59 per share after setting a 52-week low of $7.44 per share. A 52-week low was previously set Friday with $7.48 per share.

– WWEShop.com will release a new Christian T-Shirt in the near future. Click here for a preview.

– Christian was interviewed by the WWE website after succesfully defending the Intercontinental title against Cody Rhodes at No Way Out Christian promised that his 4th IC title reign will be his best and says fans should get ready for a long title run.

– John Cena’s father appeared at Saturday night’s WWE Supershow live event from lowell, Massachusetts and got involved in the WWE title match between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.

At one point in the match, Punk and Bryan were fighting on the outside when Punk held gryan’s arms behind his back and allowed Cena Sr. to headbutt Bryan in the chest. Cena’s dad has appeared at several WWE live events in the Northeast before.

– The first theme song for WWE’s 2012 SummerSlam pay-per-view is “Don’t Give Up (Rhythmic Remix)” by Kevin Rudolf. WWE released the following promo video for SummerSlam:

* WWE Storyline Plans Revealed For PUNK & AJ & Huge Surprises Planned For 1,000th RAW

History was made at TNA Slammiversary this past weekend when the reigning WWE Intercontinental champion appeared on a rival promotion’s pay-per-view.

Christian’s appearance was indeed part of an agreement made months ago, when TNA allowed Ric Flair to appear at WWE’s Hall of Fame Ceremony.

As you can imagine, WWE was very specific about what Christian was (and was not) allowed to say/do at the pay-per-view.

According to TNA sources, Christian got along great with everybody and was telling people it was a “surreal” experience. That said – Christian was strongly against appearing at a TNA event, but he really did not have much of a choice.

TNA was permitted to hype Christian’s appearance on last week’s Impact, but Dixie Carter made the call to announce the news on Twitter and the TNA website as a way of generating Internet buzz as to what Christian would do at the show.

Check out these pictures of Christian’s appearance at Slammiverary:

[nggallery id=27]

(Source: F4Wonline.com)

– As of this weekend morning, there were two scripts going around for tonight’s 3-hour RAW. One of the scripts featured many appearances from Vince McMahon while the other barely included him at all.

– Following WWE Intercontinental champion Christian’s appearance at Sunday’s TNA Slammiversary pay-per-view, we can report that Christian was not happy that he was selected to appear at the show. That said, he was friendly and got along with everybody backstage.

Pictures of Christian’s Appearance From TNA Slammiversary

– Darren Young tweeted the following about tonight’s 3-hour RAW about his Prime Time Players tag team with Titus O’Neil:

“We The #PrimeTimePlayers have been spectators far 2 long! Don’t b surprised if ya c @TitusONeilWWE & I breakout on 2nites 3hr @WWE #RAW!”

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

WWE Intercontinental champion Christian appeared Sunday night at TNA Wrestling’s Slammiversary pay-per-view event under his former Christian Cage name to announce the number one moment in TNA Wrestling history as voted by the fans – Sting’s return to TNA at Final Resolution 2006. Check out these pictures of Christian at TNA Slammiversary:

[nggallery id=27]

Fueling rumors that WWE may part ways with Randy Orton as a result of his second violation of the Talent Wellness Program, former WCW announcer Mark Madden stated Thursday on Twitter, “WWE wants to get rid of Orton PERMANENTLY. Character and popularity have plateaued, and he’s a pain to deal with.”

In response to his statement, a Twitter user asked Madden whether Vince McMahon has suddenly stopped liking money. Madden responded, “Vince thinks everybody is a WWE creation, and therefore disposable, to be replaced by another WWE creation. And you’re overrating Orton.”

The Wrestling Observer reported Wednesday that there is a ‘small, vocal pocket’ within the sports entertainment organization lobbying for his termination. Vince McMahon is reportedly contemplating the move, but many employees believe he will ultimately retain the nine-time world champion due to the lack of roster depth.

The Observer added that there are people within WWE saying Orton’s hiatus ‘isn’t going to be that big a problem.’ For the first time, employees are openly categorizing CM Punk as the second-ranked babyface rather than Punk and Orton being on the same level. Many also feel SmackDown’s babyface side will be adequate with Sheamus, Christian, Sin Cara, Rey Mysterio returning soon from suspension and the option to turn Daniel Bryan at a moment’s notice.