As noted earlier this week, a WWE spokesperson confirmed that the company is not in talks with former Diva Stacy Keibler about a return, despite rumors to the contrary coming out of The Sun newspaper in the United Kingdom. Additionally, other sources claimed that not only was she in talks to make a comeback, but that she would serve as the manager for Daniel Bryan upon her return.

Those close to Keibler claim she has turned down offers for a return to WWE multiple times since leaving the company. According to reports, WWE has reached out to Keibler on at least a few occasions over the past two years.

Most recently, WWE extended an offer to Keibler to return right after she broke up with Hollywood A-lister George Clooney. WWE was running RAW in Keibler’s hometown of Baltimore, Maryland around this time and attempted to get the former Diva on the show.

Keibler herself noted during a recent SIRIUS/XM satelitte radio appearance that she has no intentions of returning to WWE anytime in the near future.

Total Divas Spoilers, #August1Warning Update, + Future Plans For The Wyatt Family […]

[Partial Credit: PWInsider.com]

After telling Sam Roberts during a recent SIRIUS/XM satelitte radio appearance that she has no desire to return to WWE, Splash is now reporting that former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler is currently in negotiations with WWE to return.

Apparently, if Keibler does return, she will be paired with Daniel Bryan.

Here’s the Splash report:

Monday’s RAW featured Daniel Bryan in 3 consecutive matches as he set out to prove to Brad Maddox and the WWE Universe that he’s a worthy contender to John Cena’s WWE Championship.

Jim Ross Blogs About Daniel Bryan’s Big Night & His Upcoming Match Against John Cena

Bryan had a Match of the Year candidate with Antonio Cesaro and put on a wrestling clinic with Ryback, showing that speed, technical ability and raw determination can be used to defeat the toughest opponents in WWE. It was a memorable night that further solidified Bryan’s place as a main event contender – not to mention the fact that he wrestled again in the dark match main event.

What Happened After RAW: Daniel Bryan Wrestles Again!

Check out these highlights of Daniel Bryan’s 3 matches from Monday’s RAW:

Daniel Bryan vs. Jack Swagger

Daniel Bryan vs. Antonio Cesaro

Daniel Bryan vs. Ryback

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. In this installment, JR talks about Monday’s WWE RAW from Austin, Texas. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

Daniel Bryan’s Performance On RAW: Daniel Bryan was the star of Monday Night RAW and his in ring work the last 40 minutes are so was the most memorable piece of business on the three hour broadcast. Bryan has gotten over with the fan base the most natural way possible akin to a dark horse candidate winning a major election while running as an independent. Grass roots all the way for ‘Fear the Beard.’

Bryan vs. Cena at SummerSlam: “For any one to armchair book and think that Daniel Bryan cannot or will not beat John Cena for the WWE Title because of Bryan’s physical stature or his ‘look’ I’d advise you to think again. I’d also suggest that John Cena will have one of the best matches of his entire career come Summer Slam in LA.”

CM Punk & Paul Heyman’s Segment: “The CM Punk/ Paul Heyman promo segment on RAW was stellar. It sound PPV’s and Punk, especially, came off as very real, extremely organic and NOT playing the role of a wrestler with a cause. Punk had filter free emotion and I believed every word that he said. Seriously, @CMPunk is not afraid of Brock Lesnar adn their match, their first to my knowledge, at Summer Slam has me very intrigued. Curious as to the strategy, where it is on the card, what has to follow it, and, obviously, the outcome. For some reason, just an assumption, I could see a serious of matches between these two, gifted athletes who both carry ample levels of self confidence and defiance into the ring with time out. Time will tell.”

* Jaw Dropping Photos of of AJ LEE Stretching Her Leg Over Her Head

– WWE Diva Nikki Bella is still dealing with a shin injury. Last night on RAW, she came to the ring (during a commercial break) for the MizTV segment on crutches.

* PHOTOS of BRIE BELLA’s WARDROBE MALFUNCTION From RAW (18+)

– Due to WWE’s upcoming overseas tour, next week’s (7/29) episode of Monday Night RAW will be taped tonight from Lardeo, Texas from the Laredo Energy Center. Advertised for the show:

• John Cena vs. Ryback in a Tables Match
• Daniel Bryan vs. Kane

SEScoops.com will have Live Results of the tapings tonight – so check back later for those.

Tomorrow night (Wednesday), WWE will tape this Friday’s SmackDown (7/26) from Corpus Christi, Texas.

On Thursday, WWE tapes the August 2nd edition of Smackdown (next Friday) from Houston, TX.

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross tweeted the following after RAW regarding Daniel Bryan’s performance on the show:

Thinking @WWEDanielBryan was easily star of #WWERaw & that his skill set would translate well to any era that I've experienced in biz.

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) July 23, 2013

After Monday’s edition of WWE RAW went off the air, WWE Superstar Mark Henry wrestled John Cena in the dark match main event. The finish came when all three members of The Shield came out and attacked both Henry and Cena.

Eventually, Daniel Bryan came out to make the save. Bryan, who worked three matches in approximately an hour straight on the televised portion of the show, was then added to the contest to make it a six-man tag match featuring Bryan, Cena and Henry against The Shield.

The match ultimately ended in a disqualification, with the babyfaces going over.

CRYSTAL-CLEAR PHOTOS Of Brie Bella’s WARDROBE MALFUNCTION On Monday’s RAW!

– The official YouTube account of WWE has posted this video of Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus and Mick Foley reflecting on the 2013 Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okOIQ0bwRSY[/youtube]

– This week’s WWE Classics On Demand updates are as follows: WWE Royal Rumble 2013, WWF at Madison Square Garden (July 23, 1984), Extreme Championship Wrestling (September 25, 1998), Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (November 17, 1982), WWF Prime Time Wrestling (November 20, 1989).

– The official WWE website has a poll asking visitors whether Dolph Ziggler is better off without AJ Lee. Of over 16,000 votes casts, 76% say “Yes, AJ Lee was holding The Showoff back from his full potential” compared to 24% for “No, Ziggler was at his peak with the Divas Champion by his side.”

-WWE Superstar Damien Sandow, who is now referring to himself as “Sir Money In The Bank,” spoke with The Austin Chronicle recently about his plans on cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase. “I will wait for the perfect moment, and I assure you that once I get the title, I plan on retiring with it,” said Sandow. “If I revealed my strategy, that wouldn’t be very smart, would it?”

-As previously reported, Chris Jericho finished up his current run with WWE at the latest SmackDown taping. Jericho will now go back on tour with his rock band Fozzy. According to one source, Jericho will be gone from WWE for at least several months, and his return may come as another WrestleMania XXX surprise.

-At one point, the plan was for Daniel Bryan vs. Curtis Axel to take place at SummerSlam. Instead, the two will likely compete in an upcoming RAW or SmackDown match in the next few weeks.

Tons Of Backstage News & Spoilers For This Year’s WWE SummerSlam PPV

[Credit: F4WOnline.com]

WWE’s creative team has been working on the finish for the main event of SummerSlam, featuring John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship.

More Rumored Matches For WWE SummerSlam 2013

One scenario that’s being discussed is for Daniel Bryan to defeat John Cena for the title – only for Randy Orton to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and defeat Bryan on the spot. This would give Daniel Bryan his big “feel good” win – allow Randy Orton to finally turn heel in dramatic fashion – and set up Daniel Bryan to chase a heel Randy Orton for the WWE Championship.

It’s being speculated that WWE.com’s announcement that Orton suffered a spinal injury at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings was done to get Orton off TV for several weeks – and make it even more of a surprise when he returns & cashes in.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

Chris Jericho’s Latest WWE Run Ending:

“Future @WWE HOFer Chris Jericho @IAmJericho is apparently done with WWE for the time being to tour with his band Fozzy which was his plan all along. I wish Chris the best in his 2nd passion and look forward to seeing him again in WWE which I do think will happen at a time to be determined in the future. Jericho vs. RVD Monday night was superb.”

Wrestlers Not Saving Money & Planning For Their Futures:

It’s sad to see so many pro athletes end up broke after earning so much money during their younger, playing years. It happens in all walks of life but it seems especially prevalent in sports and entertainment. If someone in WWE Developmental says me that they don’t earn enough money to save any of it, then I often times wonder how prepared for adulthood and a career in sports entertainment that they really are. If for no other reason than to save to pay one’s quarterly taxes, saving money isn’t an option but it’s a requirement from my perspective. #WhatWouldYourDadSay?

A Potential CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan WrestleMania Main Event:

“Amazing that people actually think that I know what will Main Event WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans. Truthfully, I don’t, and equally as truthful if I did I wouldn’t spill the beans. I will say this because I’ve been asked this question a lot lately, IF Daniel Bryan ever faced CM Punk in a WrestleMania main event level bout, I wouldn’t want to be the talents that had to follow it.”

* Rumored SUMMERSLAM Matches & Storyline Plans for The Shield & Wyatt Family

– Former WWE Superstar MVP recently told the UK Sun that he wants to wrestle in the United States again, but time is running out:

“If I did return to wrestling in the States — which I most likely will — the clock is running down. I’m 40 in October. I started training when I was 27 and signed with WWE when I was 31. But I don’t have the wear and tear that most guys my age have, I got some time left.”

– ContactMusic.com recently interviewed actor Kevin James, who spoke about recently reuniting with his high school wrestling partner, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley. Here’s what the “Grown Ups 2” star said about Fol

“He was the greatest partner. He was awesome… He’s the nicest guy in the world but also the craziest guy I’ve ever seen in my life. Jumping off the roof of his house.”

– Here’s the latest installment of Daniel Bryan’s Strange Beardfellows, where he opines on The intellectual “Shaver” of the Masses, Damien Sandow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w-xPYHVHPls

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

Fandango vs. Randy Orton from RAW: “Fandango made a nice showing vs the MITB winner Randy Orton. Summer Rae’s ringside work adds to Fandango’s TV persona. Fandango’s best days are ahead especially as Summer Rae continues to develop while @RandyOrton is at the top of his game.”

RVD vs. Chris Jericho from RAW: “Loved the Jericho-RVD match. Generally a cold match featuring two, fan favorites challenges the crowd to emotionally invest as the rule of thumb is that the fans don’t want either man to lose. These two men put on such a great performance that it embraced all that were in Brooklyn live and that emotion translated well on TV. In 48 hours, RVD is already more relevant than he was the entire time that he was away from WWE.”

Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena at SummerSlam: “John Cena picked the only man that he should have logically picked, in my opinion, for the main event for the WWE Title bout at SummerSlam and that was the red hot Daniel Bryan. I will not be surprised if DB beats Cena in LA as that outcome would be HUGE in WWE-land and significantly re-shuffle the deck. Plus, MITB winner Randy Orton is obviously and largely in play no mater the main event’s outcome as Orton could realistically leave Summer Slam as the WWE Champion no matter who wins the Cena-Bryan match.”

– Earlier today, Jim Ross commented on rumors that Vince McMahon does not see Daniel Bryan as a main eventer. Via the Q&A section of JRsBarBQ.com:

“If McMahon did not like Daniel Bryan then DB would not be in the role that he currently is. The internet isn’t always correct.”

Clearly, Daniel Bryan scheduled to face John Cena in the main event of SummerSlam is a sign that Vince does, in fact, see Bryan as a main event star.

– Monday’s post-Money In The Bank edition of WWE RAW had a Trendrr.tv social media score of 355,138 – up a sharp 24.5% from the previous week. This was the most socially-active RAW since the night after WrestleMania 29.

RAW ranked #3 on cable cable for the night, behind the MLB Homerun Derby on ESPN and Teen Wolf on MTV.

* First WWE 2K14 SCREENSHOTS: Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage, HBK & More!

– After Monday’s WWE RAW from Brooklyn, NY went off the air, the WWE superstars left the stage and the dark match main event began.

John Cena defeated Ryback in a Tables Match to retain the WWE Championship. The match went about 10 minutes before Cena put Ryback through a table to get the win.

– Peter Rosenberg of NYC radio station Hot 97 was ringside for last night’s RAW and was posting photos and videos from the show. Here’s a video he shot of Daniel Bryan accepting the challenge to face John Cena at SummerSlam:

It’s been reported for a few weeks now that WWE Champion John Cena will be feuding with
Daniel Bryan this summer.

We can confirm that as of this past weekend, Cena vs. Bryan is expected to headline next month’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.

According to F4wonline.com, Cena and Bryan’s real-life girlfriends, the Bella Twins, will be involved in the storyline. The twin Divas boyfriends wrestling each each other in the main event of SummerSlam will be spotlighted on the new Total Divas reality show.

There are plans for John Cena to do an angle on RAW where he asks the WWE Universe who his next challenger should be, with fans picking Bryan.

* New PAUL HEYMAN GUY Coming Soon, RVD Turning Heel & What’s Next for CM PUNK

During an interview with the Ministry of Slam podcast two weeks ago, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels acknowledged a recent conversion he had with WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon where the 67-year-old said he doesn’t “see money” in a certain, unnamed WWE Superstar. Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com reported on Friday that according to sources within the sports-entertainment organization, that individual is Daniel Bryan. Michaels, however, is denying online that they were discussing Bryan, and that the individual in question is actually 6’3″ and 250 pounds.

In a response to a Twitter user directing a message to McMahon stating, “Remember when you didn’t have faith in @ShawnMichaels ?…. Bottom line is that @WWEDanielBryan is HOT!,” Michaels responded, “We weren’t speaking of [Daniel Bryan], that was the assumption of net folks. Way off, as usual.”

In response to a query to name the individual in question, Michaels said he would not, but noted that “he’s 6’3 250.” The WWE Hall of Famer later said that those figures may not be exact, as it is his estimate. “Well, I didn’t measure or weigh him, it’s a guess. Therefore, in their eyes I am a LIAR!!!” he said in response to a user guessing the individual as Dolph Ziggler.

Michaels again denied assumptions that he was talking about the Washington native, stating the following in response to outing the individual: “I would have said if I thought relevant. Not [Daniel Bryan] tho.”

Michaels revealed that McMahon is actually high on Bryan. In response to a user labeling the WWE CEO as “stupid” for not firmly backing Bryan, Michaels said, “That isn’t even who we were talking about. [Vince McMahon]’s big on DB. Shame y’all let those folks work you like that. #thinkforyourself.”

As reported earlier, Michaels said in the interview, “I had a conversation a couple of weeks ago with the man in charge and we were talking about a certain individual and he goes, ‘I just don’t see money in him.’ And I said, ‘You said the same thing about me.’ He said, ‘I did not.’ I said, ‘Yes you did!’ (laughs) I said, ‘And it’s okay. It’s just one of those things.'”

Michaels compared McMahon’s views on the unnamed wrestler to himself, as he believes he wasn’t viewed as a “prototypical main event guy” during his rise to the top of WWE.

“I wasn’t your prototypical—heck, I wasn’t anybody’s prototypical main event guy. And I knew that. So, you just do your absolute best,” said Michaels. “Yes, I was very scared and very worried, which had a lot to do with how bad I handled stuff because I spent a great deal of my career waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because it was a very real view of me and my ability and my talent. I’m a firm believer that talent does rise to the top, but you have to be patient. So, I spent a great deal of time worried, intimidated, and concerned that with each passing storyline, it might be the last one.”

During an interview two weeks ago with the Ministry of Slam podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels acknowledged a recent conversion he had with WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon where the 67-year-old said he doesn’t “see money” in a certain, unnamed WWE Superstar. According to sources within the sports-entertainment organization, that individual is Daniel Bryan.

As transcribed by the Pro Wrestling Torch (interview remarks available here), Michaels said, “I had a conversation a couple of weeks ago with the man in charge and we were talking about a certain individual and he goes, ‘I just don’t see money in him.’ And I said, ‘You said the same thing about me.’ He said, ‘I did not.’ I said, ‘Yes you did!’ (laughs) I said, ‘And it’s okay. It’s just one of those things.'”

Michaels compared McMahon’s views on the WWE Superstar to himself, as he believes he wasn’t viewed as a “prototypical main event guy” while he was rising the ranks of WWE in the early-1990’s.

“I wasn’t your prototypical—heck, I wasn’t anybody’s prototypical main event guy. And I knew that. So, you just do your absolute best,” said Michaels. “Yes, I was very scared and very worried, which had a lot to do with how bad I handled stuff because I spent a great deal of my career waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because it was a very real view of me and my ability and my talent. I’m a firm believer that talent does rise to the top, but you have to be patient. So, I spent a great deal of time worried, intimidated, and concerned that with each passing storyline, it might be the last one.”

A WWE source believes that with Bryan having a major role on Total Divas—premiering next month on E!—as the boyfriend of cast member Brie Bella, his standing in the organization is “safe” for the time being.

(source: F4WOnline.com)

WWE announced Friday that Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton have been fined an undisclosed monetary amount for their chair shot exchange in a Street Fight on Monday’s Raw.

“We don’t allow chair shots to the head in WWE,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE’s Executive Vice President, Talent and Live Events. “We understand it was in the heat of the moment but we take this very seriously and as a result, [Orton and Bryan] were fined.”

Orton offered comment on the fine, stating, “Trust me, it was enough.”

– Monday’s WWE RAW, the night after Payback, drew a 3.0 rating cable rating and averaged 4.15 million viewers. The rating was even from last week, while viewership was up from last week’s audience of 3.99 million viewers. Here’s the hourly breakdown for this week:

• Hour 1: 4.03 million
• Hour 2: 4.26 million
• Hour 3: 4.17 million

– Daniel Bryan’s injury on RAW (a stinger) caused the finish of his match against Randy Orton to be changed. the original plan was for Daniel Bryan to go over clean, however, the injury resulted in the match finish being changed on the fly.

According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, there was a heated argument backstage, with Daniel Bryan and Triple H yelling at each other in the gorilla position. Bryan was said to be irate with the match being called off – which surprised many observers, since Bryan is usually very soft spoken. The two later apologized to each other.

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon commented on CM Punk’s return to action at Sunday’s WWE Payback pay-per-view, writing on Twitter:

Expecting a big welcome for @CMPunk in Chicago on Sunday. I'm first in line. #Payback

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) June 13, 2013

– WWE Diva Nikki Bella recently spoke with Sportstownchicago.com about about the upcoming show Total Divas reality show, becoming a Boston sports fan as a result of dating John Cena, WWE’s Divas division and more.

– WWE Diva Brie Bella tweeted the following picture of herself and her boyfriend, who you may recognize:

“Enjoying a pool day with my man @WWEDanielBryan Xxoo B #desertsun”

Kane recently spoke to AL.com to promote the upcoming WWE Live Event from Mobile, Alabama on June 21st. During the interview, the veteran WWE superstar put over Daniel Bryan as one of the most talented performers on the roster.

“Daniel Bryan might be the most talented guy on the roster right now. I think he’s the best technical wrestler we have, and he’s also one of those guys who’s been able to forge a connection with our fans. And people who are able to do that are very successful.”

Kane added that he’s had a great time teaming with Bryan because it’s been creatively fulfilling and has allowed him to “show a completely different side” to his character.

“The past year, I’ve really enjoyed it, maybe more so than any other time in my career,” Kane said. “It has allowed me to do things I’ve never done before.”

WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan attended the Philadelphia Comic Con last weekend and spoke to John Corrigan of The Temple News. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

His Recent Success in WWE:

“When I go to Target and see my own action figure, it makes me feel stupid because I’m not doing anything different than I was before. It’s just that I’m on TV … I’ve wrestled in front of less people than this in a room smaller than this and when I walked out, instead of people chanting ‘yes,’ they just stared at me in apathy,”

ROH Alum Nigel McGuiness: 

“…my favorite ROH rivalry was with Nigel McGuinness. Nigel was signed at the same time as me, but he had some shoulder and elbow stuff that didn’t clear WWE’s medical testing and now he’s out of the business altogether. It’s a loss because he’s great on interviews, in the ring, and really just a fun guy to be around.”

– WWE Diva Kaitlyn’s secret admirer will be at Monday’s RAW to reveal himself. While the admirer’s identity is not confirmed, there was talk a few weeks ago of Mark Henry being the mystery man sending her gifts and text messages.

– WWE officials are planning for Daniel Bryan to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship in the main event of this year’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. The match will be a babyface vs. babyface match. Current plans call for it to be a babyface vs. babyface match.

WWE Money in the Bank 2013 takes place on July 14th from Philadelphia, PA.

* Pictures of THE ROCK & His Gorgeous Girlfriend, LAUREN HASHIAN

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– WWE Superstar Jack Swagger has been off television for several weeks now and is not advertised for a WWE show until the end of the month – but it appears Zeb Colter is teasing an appearance from Swagger on RAW. Colter tweeted this week:

DUE TO RECENT CONVERSATIONS WITH #WWE OFFICIALS, #wethepeople WILL BE FORCED TO ALTER OUR STRATEGY. EXPECT IT ON RAW. @RealJackSwagger

— ??. ????? (@DirtyDMantell) June 5, 2013

Swagger is currently out of action with a hand injury and probably will not be medically cleared to wrestle until the end of August, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

– WWE Divas the Bella Twins appeared on last night’s edition of “The Crossover” on NBCSports to promote the upcoming Total Divas reality show on the E! Network. During the interview, the Bellas revealed that their respective relationships with John Cena and Daniel Bryan will in fact be portrayed on the show. Here’s the video:

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. As always, you can buy JR’s delicious line of BBQ products at WWEShop.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

McMahons Return To RAW: Thoroughly enjoyed the start of RAW with the quasi, McMahon Family reunion including the surprise appearance of Stephanie McMahon. RAW started the night with established and new ‘feeling’ star power. The hook established in the early moments of RAW were brought forward strategically throughout the broadcast calumniating with HHH leaving the arena.

Daniel Bryan Stealing The Show: @WWEDanielBryan was the star of RAW. This is not the first time I’ve written this. No matter the role or task at hand, Bryan delivers. He’s as good as anyone in the business right now, for my money. Anyone who has had training from such men as Billy Robinson, William Regal, Shawn Michaels, and Robby Brookside and who has Bryan’s desire and professionalism can’t be any thing but good. Bryan stole the show from 5 other very talented performers in the 6 man tag and Bryan had one of Ryback’s best bouts ever.

Curtis Axel: Loved Curtis Axel’s aggressiveness vs. John Cena. The young, 3rd generation talent showed no hesitation competing against WWE’s top star. One can’t be too aggressive in the ring as a rule and Axel is hungry and it shows. Hopefully, the “I want it now” facet of the fanbase will be patient and allow the Minnesotan to evolve in his new, enhanced role.