“When you get a Texan and Oklahoman together, they are either going to do two things: fight each other or sit down and drink a beer. He was too damn big for me to fight at that time. I chose to sit down and have a beer with him.” 

This is what Gerald Brisco said regarding the origins of his friendship with John “Bradshaw” Layfield. If you’ve heard or seen their “Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw” show, you immediately sense there is a special bond between the two. One built on mutual interests including a love of wrestling and football. Perhaps Brisco saw some of his himself as a competitive athlete. 

He fought hard to recruit him for WWE back in the mid-1990s. A time when the war between WCW and WWE was hot and heavy. A member of Vince McMahon’s inner circle for decades, his opinion certainly went a long way.  

“Jerry and JJ Dillon pulled me aside in the shower,” Layfield recalled. “[Jerry] said, ‘I understand you’re going to WCW. Well, I don’t want you to go. How will I know you’re not going to WCW and take our contract.’ I hadn’t seen a contract. I said, ‘Well, how do I know I got a contract?’ He said, ‘You have my word.’ He stuck out his hand, and I shook it. We’ve been friends ever since.” 

“One fo the most giving people,” Brisco added. “I see the work he does not just in America but Africa and Bermuda where he sets up these rugby leagues.” 

Bradshaw’s philanthropic efforts combined with his accomplishments in the business made him an ideal candidate to be recognized by the Cauliflower Alley Club as the 2022 Iron Mike Mazurki honoree. The WWE Hall of Famer and multi-time world champion, along with Brisco, will be part of the 56th Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion. The ceremony takes place September 26-28 at the Plaza Hotel & Casino.

“It’s a huge honor,” JBL said. “I look at the guys who won the award including Gene LeBell, Lou Thesz, ‘Stone Cold’ [Steve Austin], Harley Race, Jesse Ventura. I never dreamed of being in the Hall of Fame. I just love this business. I wanted to be in it. Going into the Hall of Fame with names like this. I feel like I should be buying a ticket to be in the room with those guys including Mr. Gerald Brisco.”

Brisco knows the importance of the CAC over the years as it has helped colleagues in many ways. He stresses the organization not only helps the old-timers but today’s talent too.  

“It’s so important that our current wrestlers get out and get involved and come to these CAC events,” Brisco said. “See exactly the camaraderie that the talent gives out to the fans that come to these. This is a tremendously attended event that is in Las Vegas every year.”

Much the contrary to many veterans, JBL and Brisco have a positive outlook on the current landscape of pro wrestling. They feel the business is certainly booming. 

“My opinion is it is as healthy as it has ever been in the history of the business.,” Brisco said. “You have so many choices now…If there is something on Raw or SmackDown I want to watch, I’ll watch it, but my favorite go-to is the NXT show. You’re going to see a lot of raw and young talent building that dream and taking the next step. You see their successes and feel their failures too. Watching like John and I do, you can see a failure. Not as a person. A failure of a spot and see the disappointment in their body language and expression. 

“But 99 percent of the time they are right on the money. To see these kids come from absolutely never seen a wrestling ring before or what the ropes or turnbuckles are like to taking a giant step center of the ring. You are there seeing them take that first step and see how uncoordinated that first step is. Then you see how they advance, makes goosebumps come to both of our arms.” 

Layfield added that “the business is as hot as it can be. These guys have their own buses and own plane. I’m not saying that in a disparaging way. I love it. I wish we had that. They are making a ton of money, and good for them. We’re not those old guys who say they don’t deserve it. Those guys deserve it as much as we did. I’m so happy there are billion-dollar TV contracts selling out huge arenas. It’s fashionable to knock the current business. You seem smart if you do and a ‘mark’ if you put it over. You have to put it over. Something is going incredibly right. All these independent shows are drawing. I hadn’t seen that in 20 years or more, maybe the late 1980s territories that drew. It’s a wonderful time. 

Visit the CAC site for more information on the organization and to attend the CAC Reunion. 

Gerald Brisco has shared some details on the first-ever meeting between Vince McMahon and Brock Lesnar.

Brisco was recently interviewed by Sportskeeda where he detailed the meeting between the three, where McMahon was extremely impressed with the former NCAA Division I Heavyweight Champion.

Lesnar’s physical appearance certainly impressed McMahon, but it was his determination in his voice that also seemed to get “The Chairman Of The Board” excited about the potential of “The Beast.”

“We’re at a PPV. Brock has on one of those tight T-shirts for that pull real tight and his bicep looks huge. Vince can’t resist a good bicep. All of a sudden, he (Vince) stopped in his tracks, walks over to Brock, and shakes his hand.

“Vince said, ‘’Young man, congratulations on winning the national championship. Are you ready for showbiz?’ Brock Lesnar looked him right in the eye and said, ‘I’ve been ready all my life.’ What an answer to give the boss. I see that smile come on Vince. That really showed Vince that this guy is ready to do this and wants to do this,” Brisco said.

In terms of financials, Lesnar’s asking price was high. So high, in fact, that Brisco claims that WWE’s budget guy would complain that signing Lesnar would kill their entire developmental budget.

Brisco was of the belief that it was worth the investment, recognizing that Lesnar is a once in a generation talent. As it turns out, he was right.

“Vince and I got together and he said. ‘What’s it going to take?’ I said, ‘I don’t know. That’s J.R.’s department. I got the guy here, now you guys do your job.’ There was resistance. I know Brock was asking for a lot of money. Looking back, it seemed kind of silly with the numbers. I mean, he’s just looking for a six figure number to sign on.

“I would get complaints from the budget guy that this guy is going to kill our entire developmental budget with one guy. I kept telling him, ‘He’ll make you more money than that. Overlook this one year. This guy is one of those guys that comes along once in a lifetime’, and sure enough he was.

“So they threw all that stuff aside and said, ‘Okay, let’s figure out what it’s going to cost and how we can manipulate it into our budget.’ They figured that out and they finally came to an agreement with Brock. It was probably a two or three month negotiation period back and forth.”

Since signing with WWE, Lesnar has become one of the company’s biggest names of all time. He’s a 10-time World Champion, a King Of The Ring winner, a Money In The Bank Winner, and a two-time Royal Rumble winner.

He’s currently slated to challenge Roman Reigns for the WWE Undisputed Title at SummerSlam.

Quotes via WrestlingNews.co

Former WWE on screen personality and NWA commentator Jim Cornette recently commented on Gerald Brisco being fired from WWE.

Brisco recently took to Twitter and announced that he was informed of the departure by Vince McMahon himself. Gerald Brisco, who has worked as a talent scout in recent years; said he will still be ‘around’ to work with talent if they need help.

Jim Cornette would mention the release on the Jim Cornette Experience podcast, and he was not happy with how WWE have dealt with the situation.

Jim Cornette on Gerald Brisco

“They have released Gerald Brisco, what the f*ck seriously?” Jim Cornette began on the show. “Gerald Brisco is in his 70s at this point. He has worked for that company for almost 40 years. If it wasn’t for Gerald Brisco and his brother Jack selling the stock in Georgia Championship Wrestling? Vince McMahon wouldn’t have got the Georgia TV.”

Cornette would elaborate on this point further, saying “he [McMahon] wouldn’t have got the million dollars from Jim Crockett for the Georgia TV. Which means he wouldn’t have been able to finance the first WrestleMania, etc etc.”

Jim Cornette would then list some of Brisco’s impressive accomplishments with WWE. “Gerald was one of the Stooges, they’ve made fun of him. He’s been a scout and he signed a bunch of talent. He was the one that was chasing Brock Lesnar and Shelton Benjamin. He’s scouted all the amateur wrestling meets and he’s tracked down talent. His record as an employee? It has been pretty much impeccable.”

“On Retainer”

Cornette would finish by saying that WWE should’ve ‘retired’ Brisco and kept him on a retainer, just in case he was needed. With the company recently posting their highest quarter on record? It’s not been a good look for WWE with so many talent, backstage crew and agents/producers being let go.

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“They couldn’t just say ‘okay Gerald, here’s a flat amount you’re on retainer. You’re retired now. Except when we need you to travel somewhere and scout out a piece of talent. Have a wonderful retirement. No they f*cking release him and publicise it. Would it have hurt the WWE bottom line to send Gerald Brisco $1,000 a week in his retirement as a retainer to keep his services?”

Do you agree with Cornette, should Gerald Brisco have been looked after more by WWE? Let us know in the comments

WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco is no longer with the company after 36 years of service.

Brisco took to Twitter this morning and announced that he was informed of the departure by Vince McMahon, who called him with the news last night. Brisco, who has worked as a talent scout in recent years, said he will still be around to work with talent if they need help.

“Ok, want to get this out the right way. Last night I received a call from @wwe Chairman Of The board @VinceMcMahon to let me know after 36 years of dedication to @wwe i an no longer needed. I’m ok withthis. I will still be around to help talent. More info will follow. Thanks,” Brisco wrote on Twitter.

Ok, want to get this out the right way. Last night I received a call from @wwe Chairman Of The board @VinceMcMahon to let me know after 36 years of dedication to @wwe i an no longer needed. I’m ok withthis. I will still be around to help talent. More info will follow. Thanks

— Gerald BRISCO ???? (@Fgbrisco) September 10, 2020

Brisco’s departure comes after he was furloughed back in April along with other cuts brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brisco isn’t the only WWE employee getting cut today as the company is making another round of releases. PWInsider reports that the cutbacks planned for today are related to office staff who were furloughed back in April, but not brought back to work yet.

WWE started bringing some of the furloughed employees back to work in the last 6-8 weeks, with a few employees returning each week or so. Many of the employees being released today were some who had been waiting for confirmation on when they would be brought back to work.

Today’s WWE cuts are from all across the board, but there’s been no word yet on talents being released. It was noted that the live events and travel departments are being hit the hardest. This is because there is a reduced need for those departments due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WWE Superstar Ryback recently made some extraordinary claims on a recent episode of the Shooting Blanks Wrestling Report podcast.

Ryback and co-host Raj Giri were discussing the recent furloughing of WWE’s Gerald Brisco. The former on-screen ‘stooge’ for Vince McMahon has been a fixture in the company for a number of years, having been one of the more prolific ‘scouts’ for the company. Brisco is credited as discovering Brock Lesnar, among others.

Ryback on Gerry Brisco

“He’s done so much for WWE, and for Vince [McMahon]” Ryback would begin, talking about the recently furloughed Brisco. “He’s one of those guys. But we’ve seen Vince cut ties with people that have been a part of that company from the beginning. [People who were] with him building all of this.”

Ryback would then discuss his time in FCW with Gerry’s son Wes Brisco. “I came up with Wes Brisco, his son, in developmental. Wes was always a great guy and Gerry was always so fantastic with me.”

‘The Big Guy’ would then reveal a fascinating story from his time in FCW. Gerald Brisco told the then ‘Terminator’ character that he would be a big star in WWE; and, that there was potential for Ryback to be the person to beat the then undefeated Undertaker at WrestleMania and break the historic streak.

The Streak

“He [Brisco] came up to me when I was in FCW as the ‘Ryback The Terminator’ character. I’d had a match, and I was new to the system. I never got a lot of positive reinforcement from anyone, like as far as anyone from the office. He [Brisco] was still in the position there at the time [helping and building talent]. And he just said ‘you’re going to be a major star in this company.’ He even said ‘I could see you breaking the Undertaker’s streak.’ He was dead serious. I remember thinking like, ‘holy sh*t like he sees something in me.’ I’ll never forget that.”

When Ryback first hit on the main roster at WWE he was being groomed for a major push and had a lot of potential heading into his first WWE Championship match against CM Punk. The circumstances of the situation meant that Ryback would not win the title, as Punk was on the road to his 434 day reign as Champion and a match against The Rock at the Royal Rumble.

Having said that, beating The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak? Do you think Ryback could’ve been the guy to do so? Let us know in the comments.

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Longtime WWE employee Gerald Brisco has been furloughed by WWE.

Brisco has been with WWE since 1984. He’s been key figure behind the scenes for decades. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer noted on Monday night that Brisco was released. However, the 73-year-old legend set the record straight that he is not officially gone from the company.

Earlier this month, WWE decided to release or furlough several wrestlers as well as producers from their contracts with the company.

Brisco worked with McMahon at the WWE Headquarters in Stamford, CT and later became one of McMahon’s most trusted advisors. In fact, he was only a few people who knew ahead of time about the 1997 Montreal Screwjob on Bret Hart at the Survivor Series pay-per-view event. 

Brisco also served as a character on WWE RAW during the Attitude Era and later became the company’s top talent scout. 

During his time as a scout, he had connections in the amateur wrestling world as a former Oklahoma State wrestler.

In fact, he discovered Brock Lesnar as a junior at Minnesota. Not only did he sign Lesnar to a WWE deal but also did so for various top amateur wrestlers of the last 25 years who worked for WWE. 

Chelsea Green Comments On Recent WWE Releases

– In addition to Mark Henry, WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco was also in Rio for the Olympics representing WWE this summer. Brisco was there to scout wrestlers for WWE.

– WWE has announced that their first Chinese acquisition Bin Wang will make his in-ring debut at the 9/10 WWE house show in Shanghai, China. He will be facing Bo Dallas. Below is a photo of the two facing off in NYC this weekend and a hype video from Triple H:

#WWEShanghai…are you ready? Bin Wang will join @WWE Live! on September 10th at the Mercedes-Benz Arena!https://t.co/0ll6oCrwuI

— Triple H (@TripleH) August 23, 2016

#BinWang will make his in-ring debut when @WWE heads to Shanghai on Sept. 10! https://t.co/7C0pBuIFRF #WWEShanghai pic.twitter.com/AZsKdjmLQA

— WWE (@WWE) August 23, 2016

– WWE has really upped the number of mainstream sponsorships as of late. Below is the full KFC segment with Dolph Ziggler and The Miz, Miz in a new ad for Domino’s Pizza and a Sami Zayn “Resilience” vignette for Mercury Insurance:

– The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s episode of SmackDown on USA:

• Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro
• Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler
• New Day & Big Cass vs. Dudley Boyz & Vaudevillains
• Dana Brooke vs. Paige

– Wrestling legend Gerald Brisco is at the WWE Performance Center today:

Decades of knowledge about the business and an eye for spotting future superstars… @Fgbrisco @WWEPerformCtr pic.twitter.com/ARmqhwxNp5

— Triple H (@TripleH) May 19, 2016

– Sheamus and Titus O’Neil attended Wednesday’s Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Playoffs game:

Playoffs!! @TBLightning V @penguins #TBLvsPIT… #GoBolts #BoltsSocial @TitusONeilWWE pic.twitter.com/lysPKAsUWJ

— Sheamus (@WWESheamus) May 19, 2016

The folks at the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast are back with another interview: Mean Street Posse member Pete Gas (Pete Gasparino). Being that his on-screen persona of being one of Shane McMahon’s childhood friend was no gimmick, he has a unique perspective that you don’t really hear from anyone else. Here are some of the key quotes from the interview:

Did Shane have aspirations to take over for Vince?

Because of our friendship it’s not like we ever sat around at a bar on Greenwich Avenue and he said “I’m going to run this place”. It was never that type of conversation. Shane started from the bottom up, his father was and we all know his father is a genius. Shane started doing summer jobs and working for the company, he would work in the warehouse one summer. Eventually as he got older he started going on the road during summer break and he would set up the rings, he would get involved and do some refereeing.

Shane was groomed to learn every facet of the business and this way the more you know, the better you are and that was the way it is. I believe Stephanie was too. If I remember correctly she was working in the office in the main building at Titan Tower working in different departments there as well. The family is so close and I know that the bond that they all have is that since it’s just such a close family they always wanted to be together and this business is the air they breathe. It’s everything to them.

Will Shane ever return to WWE?

I think it’s one of those things where you don’t want to live in your Dad’s shadow. To be honest with you the only person who can truly answer that is Shane. It will always be in his blood to be in the business, whether or not he ever comes back. I don’t know, I couldn’t tell you. But he’s one of those guys that truly loves the business, he loved everything about it but maybe it was something he had to prove to himself.

How did the Mean Street Posse end up getting trained to wrestle and put into the developmental system?

At the time Dr. Tom [Prichard] was scouting talent and living in Stamford and it was like a toned down version of what they do on Breaking Ground, it wasn’t as intense it was just about the wrestling aspect. When he didn’t have anybody to train he was working just with us and God Bless Him because we gave him a few potatoes and I know we hurt him a couple of times but he was great to us. We learned from him at the studio and we were training every day after work and as time went on the office said we need to get you more matches so we are going to send you to Memphis to do TVs and you are going to fly back to Memphis on Wednesday’s and do shows with the developmental program.

Did he like the pro wrestler lifestyle?

I could honestly tell you that I woke up every single day jumping out of bed and I truly mean that with all my heart. I would jump out of bed and say I cannot wait to find out what I was going to be doing today. It was new, it was exciting and to live that lifestyle and I see how people get worn out and are beaten down because of the job but I guess it is the individual because for me I absolutely loved it, loved the attention, I always loved giving autographs and helping people out. Whether it was charity or going to a hospital whatever the case was I enjoyed it. The wrestlers that are upset, those guys didn’t have it like Rodney and me had it. Rodney and I never got to win a match. We never got the shine in a match we basically just got our asses kicked and I loved every bit of it.

In the full interview, he also talks about Pete his feud with Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco, meeting Shane McMahon, getting cut by WWE, and more.

– The Pat Patterson autobiography that WWE has partnered with ECW Press to produce is being co-written by Bertrand Herbert, the same author who has been involved in many hit wrestling books. The book on Patterson is scheduled to be released in June of 2016.

– Speaking of Patterson, his former on-air sidekick Gerald Brisco celebrates his 69th birthday today. Also celebrating a birthday today is Eva Marie, who turns 31.

– NXT Women’s Champion Bayley tweeted the following praise to Samoa Joe and Tyler Breeze, both of whom reportedly stole the show with their singles match at the NXT live event in Austin, Texas on Friday evening.

.@MmmGorgeous and @SamoaJoe just put on one of my favorite matches in a long time. Breeze is my favorite. #NXTAustin

— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) September 19, 2015

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– WWE Hall Of Famer Gerald Brisco was at the WWE Performance Center this week working with talents. He will be sticking around the facility for the WWE tryout camp that is taking place.

– WWE still has Tyson Kidd undergoing medical tests to determine how severely he was injured during his match with Samoa Joe prior to RAW on Monday, which is likely the reason no official announcement has been made. The belief within WWE is that the injury Kidd suffered was a freak occurrence and not something that could have been prevented.

– The latest edition of WWE’s “What’s Wrong With This Video?” web series features John Cena, Triple H and Seth Green vs. The Legacy. You can check it out below.

• Photos: Ronda Rousey Turns Heads With Revealing Outfit At Entourage Premiere!

TNA Champion Kurt Angle is scheduled to be honored during a presentation at the Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame ceremony, with Jim Ross, Gerald Brisco, J.J. Dillon and others scheduled to appear.

Below is a press release issued today with more details on the event.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum will recognize Kurt Angle during a special presentation at the Dan Gable Museum. The reception is exclusive to all-access pass holders and banquet ticket holders.

Angle was inducted into the Tragos/Thesz Hall of Fame in 2013 but was unable to attend.

The special reception will be held in the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame at 4 p.m. on Fri., July 10. Angle will be presented two rings: one for winning the World Championships in 1995 and one for winning the Olympic Games in 1996. He will also sign the Mat of Honor.

Due to his schedule, Angle will not be present on Saturday, July 11. This ceremony replaces his appearance at the Hall of Fame banquet.

“Kurt Angle is arguably the greatest athlete to step foot in a wrestling ring,” said Kyle Klingman, director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. “His athletic background is second to none. We are honored that he will participate in our hall of fame week. This is truly special for everyone involved.”

Angle won NCAA championships at heavyweight for Clarion in 1990 and 1992. He went on to win a freestyle World championship in 1995 and an Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, both at 220 pounds. Angle continues to have a highly successful professional wrestling career, winning every major title at every level. He has won World titles with both WWE and TNA.

This year’s induction ceremony marks the 20-year anniversary of Angle’s 1995 World championship.

“I’m excited that Kurt will be in my hometown of Waterloo,” said museum namesake Dan Gable, also a World and Olympic champion. “Kurt was part of a very successful era of international wrestling for the United States. We need to have that kind of success again.”

All-access passes to the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame induction weekend are available for $100. Banquet tickets are available for $50. They can be ordered by contacting the Dan Gable Museum at dgmstaff@nwhof.org or by calling (319) 233-0745.

2015 Hall of Fame induction class
Lou Thesz Award—Brian Blair
Jim Melby Award—Wade Keller
Frank Gotch Award—Beth Phoenix
George Tragos Award—Matt Lindland
Distinguished Member (living)—Greg Wojciechowski
Distinguished Member (living)—TBA
Distinguished Member (posthumous)—Jim Londos
Special honoree—Kurt Angle

Scheduled to appear during weekend
Jim Ross
Gerald Brisco
Wes Brisco
J.J. Dillon
Baron Von Raschke
Dan Hodge
Jim Brunzell
Larry Hennig
Colt Cabana
Bob Holly

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– It looks like WWE has dropped the “We’re here” part of the ring entrance for Bray Wyatt.

– The Big Show vs. Randy Orton match scheduled for WWE’s return to Madison Square Garden on December 26th has been changed to Big Show vs. Mark Henry. Also scheduled for the 12/26 MSG live event is Rusev vs. Sheamus for the WWE United States Championship and John Cena vs. Seth Rollins as the main event.

– Another name who was at the most recent WWE tryout camp was Mark Ptasnik, who is Midwest independent wrestler Mark Sterling. He was recommended by Gerald Brisco. The negative on Ptasnik is that he is already 35 years old, which is expected to hurt his chances of getting a deal.

As previously reported, five developmental talents were released by WWE recently. One of the reasons WWE made the cuts is because there are a number of new talents starting in developmental this month and next month.

Gerald Brisco is sending six-to-eight recruits out of amateur wrestling for a June start in Orlando, Florida.

According to reports, WWE officials recently issued a directive to the NXT staff regarding the way Gerald Brisco’s wrestling recruits are treated.

There has been a feeling internally that Brisco would sign amateur wrestlers with good looks, good personalities and good abilities, but when they would get to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, certain people — such as trainers and existing developmental talents — would attempt to run them off because they don’t want shooters around.

The following are highlights of a recent Oklahoman interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:

On what Gerald Brisco looks for when scouting talent for WWE: “Jerry scouts all the amateur programs. He goes to all the major duals. He has a network of coaches who work with him who know what WWE is looking for. He goes to the NAIA nationals, the Division II nationals. He’s looking for guys who have that nice look, a marketable look — he doesn’t have to be 6-3; he could be 5-10 — and some of these guys have a little showmanship in them. They’ve got a little swag about them. You need extroverted athletes. If you’re an extroverted athlete who is motivated to be an entertainer, you could go from amateur wrestling and the wrestling room, the sweat and the stench, to really making a lot of money. There’s been a lot of them in the amateurs that did exactly that.”

On his favorite wrestler growing up: “Oh, of course, (Dan) Hodge. When I grew up in Oklahoma in the early ’60s, Hodge was the guy. He was as famous in a lot of our circles as Mickey Mantle was because he had done so well in wrestling. Three national championships. Never lost a match. Then he became a Golden Gloves boxing champion in the United States. Think about today how marketable that guy would be.”

Check out the complete interview at NewsOK.com.

Jim Ross was at UFC Headquarters in Las Vegas on Wednesday. There’s no real definitive news as to what JR was doing there, although the WWE Hall Of Famer has expressed interest many times in the past in doing some work for the promotion.

Speaking of JR, he has been added to the selection committee for the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall Of Fame in Waterloo, Iowa. The committee is currently led by fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Gerald Brisco.

– Gerald Brisco attended the Big 10 amateur Wrestling championships over the weekend to scout talent for WWE.

– Hornswoggle will be attending tonight’s Muppets movie premiere at the El Capitan in Hollywood, CA. Hornswoggle has a cameo in the film as a Russian prisoner. The Muppets are rumored to be returning to WWE RAW later this month to promote the movie.

– As reported over the weekend, Batista got into a physical altercation with a fan at WWE’s live event from Winnipeg. The fan in question was local DJ Cam Carson, who has since apologized on Twitter. He’s indicated that he ight have had too much to drink prior to the WWE live event, so this appears to be a legitimate issue.

One concerned mother tweeted him, “My children got trampled on tonight because of the incident.” He replied, “I hope the kids are okay. Didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. My apologies to them.”

Another fan in attendance said his encounter with Batista was the highlight of the night. Carson replied, “Getting some major heat over the incident. Glad you enjoyed it.”

The following are highlights from the latest online blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:

On tonight’s RAW: “WWE really needs to hit a home run on RAW this week to build some much needed momentum for the Elimination Chamber. During a three hour RAW broadcast there is SO much info disseminated that it’s challenging for any viewer of the three hour broadcast to leave the show at signoff and remember every thing that has been thrown at them. 15 commercial breaks doesn’t help matters but that’s simply the way it is and is not WWE’s fault.”

On CM Punk: “Many have asked but I’m unaware of any new, @CMPunk news. I’m still hopeful that a mutually agreed upon resolution can be worked out sooner than later. I’d love to see Punk steal the show at WM30 and then chill for as long as it takes to get him back on WWE TV in a win-win scenario. If Punk wanted to take off until WM31, simply plan for it. The guy is too talented, has had a tremendous amount of TV time, etc invested in him and the roster is too thin to not see Punk back at some point.”

“I know if I ever do a show in Chicago I’d LOVE for CM Punk to be my special guest/MC and grill me with questions. Maybe we could take in a Cubs game and eat at Lisa Varon’s Squared Circle eatery while in the Windy City.”

“As I’ve said Punk is a favorite of mine and I’d have loved to see him back in the day as one of Cowboy Bill Watts bookers.”

On the WWE Network: “Although I am no longer affiliated with WWE, I can’t logically understand why any wrestling fan, unless they simply can’t afford the approximate 35 cents a day, wouldn’t want to try the WWE Network for 6 months at a cost of $9.99 per month. I’m ordering it w/o question. I don’t have copies of all the WCW PPV’s that I did that I’d like to go back and listen to again.”

On Gerald Brisco scouting for talent: “Gerald Brisco is in Columbus, Ohio scouting for WWE at a major amateur wrestling event. Gerald and I are attending the NCAA Division 1 Nationals in OKC in March….GB as a WWE scout and me as a fan. BTW it was in Columbus, Ohio that I was ‘grilled as in BBQ’ed’ by Kane AND had a cinder block busted over my head in another losing effort to Eric Bischoff which left me defeated and bloody. In other words, a normal in ring outing for Ol J.R. :)”

On E:60 at the WWE Performance Center: “The ESPN E60 piece that is going to air soon re: the WWE Performance Center should really be good. ESPN had virtual, unlimited access on multiple days of shooting at NXT. ESPN has hours of footage to utilize.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com.

– TMZ picked up Mick Foley’s negative reaction to Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view show in Pittsburgh. You can check out their coverage at TMZ.com.

– The Cleveland Plain Dealer has a new interview up on their website with WWE Superstar The Miz to promote tonight’s WWE RAW show. You can check that out at Cleveland.com.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Gerald Brisco will be holding a wrestling talent evaluation at this year’s George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall Of Fame weekend in Waterloo, Iowa on Friday, July 18th. For more information, contact Troy Peterson at WresShow@Yahoo.com.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Gerald Brisco was scouting talent at a wrestling show that featured several mixed-martial-arts fighters in Madison Square Garden this past weekend.

– As seen on WWE Total Divas on Sunday night, WWE Diva Cameron is working on her music career. Cameron revealed the artwork for her first single “Bye Bye,” which is scheduled to be released on iTunes. Cameron tweeted the following:

So you got to hear a sneak peek of my song called “bye bye”. Stay tune for my single/album coming soon #ByeBye pic.twitter.com/nBc10zJECL

— Ariane Andrew (@WWECameron) December 2, 2013

• Another Current WWE Diva Shows Off Her New Look (PHOTO)

– WWE Hall of Famer Booker T and his wife Sharmell Sullivan were at the Houston Texas vs. New England Patriots NFL game on Sunday.

– Speaking of Booker T, his former “Harlem Heat” tag-team partner Stevie Ray is scheduled to join him at the Reality Of Wrestling event in Houston, Texas on December 14th. Also scheduled for the event, which is being dubbed “Christmas Chaos VIII,” is former WWE Superstar The Boogeyman.

– WWE Hall Of Famers Jim Ross and Gerald Brisco were at the Oklahoma State vs. University of Oklahoma wrestling match in Norman, Oklahoma on Sunday. Also in attendance, serving as a guest coach for the Sooners, was wrestling legend Danny Hodge.

-As noted, Brandi Runnels, the real-life wife of WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes, is returning to the company and officially reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida this past Monday. Runnels, who will go under the name Brandi Rhodes during this run with the company, is said to be on the “fast-track” to debuting on the main roster.

Photos from Cody & Brandi Rhodes’ Wedding

-WWE executive Gerald Brisco was recently recruiting and scouting talent at the National All-Star collegiate wrestling meet. There is no specific word on who, if anyone, Brisco signed, however he is a trusted eye when it comes to finding amateur wrestlers that would likely make a smooth transition into pro wrestling.

New Matches Just Announced For The WWE Survivor Series Pay-Per-View

[Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter]

-WWE Hall Of Famer Gerald Brisco noted in a recent interview that WWE is currently scouting Olympic wrestling hopefuls Sunny Dhinsa and Tyrell Fortune. In the case of Dhinsa, he is targeting the 2016 Olympics and has discussed potentially signing with WWE after that. However, Dhinsa has already visited Florida for a tryout of sorts.

-Apparently the reason Jack Swagger wasn’t on any of last week’s WWE television was because they were in Canada, and Swagger was unable to enter the country due to his recent marijuana conviction. WWE explained the absence by claiming Swagger was a “real American” and refused to come to Canada.

-As reported yesterday, WWE has re-hired Shawn “Gavin” Spears to a developmental deal. While Spears had been with the company for years, he apparently received his latest deal due to an impressive showing during his recent WWE tryout.

TONS More Backstage WWE News Like The Above Story Available *HERE*

[Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter]

-WWE Hall Of Famer Gerald Brisco, who celebrates his 67th birthday today, will be undergoing surgery on his right hand today.

-Speaking of WWE Hall Of Famers, Mick Foley will be performing his comedy routine at the American Comedy Company in San Diego this coming Saturday night at 7:30PM. Foley will perform again on Sunday in Corona, California at the M15 Concert Bar & Grill.

-The television show “At The Movies” with David Stratton gave the film “Riddick,” which features former WWE Superstar Batista in a prominent role two stars. Film reviewer Margaret Pomeranz gave the film three-and-a-half stars.

New Matches Revealed For WWE Battleground — Click Here!