– Following Jim Ross’ return to commentary in the wake of Jerry Lawler’s recent heart attack, f4online.com reports that Michael Cole has been instructed to play the role of babyface announcer and lay off the Jim Ross insults.

– David Otunga is doing various media appearances today to promote the new WWE Main Event show on Ion, which premieres Wednesday night.

– John Cena tweeted the following update on Tuesday regarding his recovery from surgery:

Two weeks from surgery, swelling is almost under control, bruise is migrating. Im trying my best to get back to #raw http://t.co/crmBG9hI

— John Cena (@JohnCena) October 2, 2012

And THANK YOU to @wwe and ALL of you for the support of the Susan G Komen campaign. Lets raise awareness in October #riseabovecancer

— John Cena (@JohnCena) October 2, 2012

– John Cena, who is recovering from elbow surgery and is not scheduled for tonight’s RAW, tweeted on Monday:

Very different monday for me, this will not become a habit. #nevergiveup

— John Cena (@JohnCena) October 1, 2012

– JBL has posted a batch of photos on Facebook from his climb of Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro.

– Here is the latest episode of WWE Download featuring Dolph Ziggler:

– The official WWE website is no longer advertising John Cena for Raw tomorrow at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He appeared with his arm in a sling on last week’s show after undergoing surgery on Sept. 18 to remove bone chips in his elbow. The prognosis for his recovery was announced as six to eight weeks.

– The Miz guest stars on Pair of Kings on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on Disney XD. WWE has released a video clip of the Intercontinental Champion’s appearance. (Watch)

– SmackDown ring announcer and songstress Lilian Garcia, who performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” and at halftime during today’s New York Jets vs. San Francisco 49ers game at Metlife Stadium, is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

WWE and ION Television have announced the upcoming taping schedule for WWE Main Event, premiering Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 8/7 PM CT. Each episode will be taped at the previous night’s SmackDown television taping, beginning with next Tuesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The following press release was issued Thursday:

ION TELEVISION GETS IN THE RING WITH THE DEBUT OF WWE MAIN EVENT PREMIERING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3 AT 8:00 PM EST/PST

NEW YORK, NY (September 27, 2012) – Fans of WWE are finally getting their midweek fix with the brand new installment WWE Main Event, a weekly, action-packed series premiering Wednesday, October 3 at 8:00 p.m. EST/PST on Ion Television. Featuring the WWE Superstars and Divas of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown, including John Cena®, WWE Champion CM Punk™, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus™, Alberto Del Rio®, The Miz®, Kofi Kingston®, Eve® and Alicia Fox®, it’s a must-see for longtime devotees and those looking for character-driven, high-octane entertainment.

The original series will showcase live events filmed across the country, as well as a stop in Europe. The taping schedule, which takes place one day prior to airing, is currently as follows:

October 2 – BOK Center, Tulsa, Okla.

October 9 – HP Pavilion, San Jose, Calif.

October 16 – FedExForum, Memphis, Tenn.

October 23 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, R.I.

October 30 – Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, N.C.

November 6 – LG Arena, Birmingham, England

November 13 – Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

November 20 – Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich.

– John Cena tweeted this update on Thursday regarding his recovery from elbow surgery:

Finishing another day of therapy. #nevergiveup making small gains everyday. #riseabovecancer

— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 27, 2012

– During an interview with OKGazette.com to promote Monday’s “Jim Ross Appreciation Night” when RAW is live from Oklahoma City, Jim Ross teased a few surprises on the show:

“There will be a few surprises here and there. I think at the end of the day, it will be a fun night. I think people will leave there glad that they came.”

– In the latest edition of WWE’s “Outside the Ring” Youtube series, Chris Jericho takes the WWE Universe on tour with his band Fozzy.

“Check out The Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla’s palace on wheels and watch the band rock out on stage in Chicago.”

* SMOKIN’ HOT Pictures From KELLY KELLY’s New Photo Shoot

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

CM Punk & Paul Heyman: “On the current path that @CMPunk is traveling, the WWE Champion and “Best in the World” aligning with @HeymanHustle Paul Heyman seems to be working well and will only get better…or worse depending on one’s interpretation. Obviously, Punk doesn’t need a ‘mouthpiece’ as @RealMickFoley so accurately and passionately pointed out Monday night but the Punk/Heyman duo comprises one of the most compelling presentations that WWE has had in recent memory. ”

Mick Foley’s Promo On RAW: “Mick’s presentation Monday night was one of the year’s best in ring, verbal performances and was one of the highlights of the three hour program from where I was sitting. ”

Jerry Lawler’s Future: “For those speculating on when Jerry will be back, that’s all it is or can be at this time is speculation. Obviously, Jerry will be welcomed back with open arms when he is medically cleared but that is a work in progress. He’s feeling better by the day but it takes time to rebound after such a serious health scare so @Jerry Lawler returning to RAW is undetermined at this time and he will be given all the time that he needs.”

John Cena’s Surgically Repaired Elbow: “I spoke with @JohnCena Monday and took a look at his surgically repaired elbow while he was doing rehab at the arena with Dr. Amman and the elbow and John’s arm in general looked gnarly. For those that don’t know, doing rehab on a repaired joint like an elbow is massively painful.”

“Knowing Cena’s mindset and his mental toughness, it’s impossible to say exactly when he will be medically released to step back in a WWE ring however I’d wager a case of JR’s Original BBQ Sauce that it will be sooner than anyone else that I can think of at the moment.”

– Following John Cena’s recent rant about WWE.com incorrectly reporting that he’ll be recovered from elbow surgery after 2 weeks (instead of 4-6 weeks, as doctors told him), it’s believed that Cena’s comments were part of a storyline to sell the idea that he won’t be able to wrestle at Hell In A Cell.

John Cena Posts Update On Recovery Time & Whether He Will Remain On TV

In the event that Cena is able to wrestle at the show, he’ll look like a super hero that was able to return much sooner than expected.

WWE.com Responds To John Cena Calling Them Out For Bad Reporting

– The Wall Street Journal has an article up looking at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York – and how WWE will run shows at both venues once the Barclay Center opens:

“While WWE remained committed to booking events at Madison Square Garden, the WWE’s own Brooklyn Brawler should feel at home when the sports-entertainment promotion holds its monthly pay-per-view event Dec. 16 at Barclays.”

– With WWE’s “CM Punk: Best In The World” DVD set coming out in a few weeks, FYE stores will be carrying an exclusive version containing a set of CM Punk wristbands for $29.99.

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

Former WWE creative Court Bauer appeared on this week’s MLW.com postcast podcast Konnan and Mister Saint Laurent. Bauer shed some light on tension between John Cena and Vince McMahon – and how Cena’s recent elbow surgery is involved:

“John Cena has this procedure done in Birmingham, AL. WWE.com puts out there that he’ll be down for only two weeks and that life will go on. It was basically like removal of fragments and bone spurs in his arm or his elbow, which if you follow sports, baseball players have it done all the time, usually in the office season. NFL guys will have it done here or there. It’s a pretty easy deal. So, I don’t think anyone was thinking it was going to be this long stretched out thing, but then the reports came out about how long John Cena was going to be down for. John Cena then took to Twitter saying that WWE.com got the story wrong and that he’s going to be out for a full six [weeks] and he just buried WWE.com and all the guys over there. The story obviously then switched to ‘now he’s out six weeks.'”

“From what I know, Vince McMahon himself, in the agent meeting, the producers meeting, told everyone straight up the dude is out for just two weeks, ‘we dodged a bullet and that he’s very much in the mix moving forward.’ That was Tuesday, he said that. Then Cena had very different things to say and I understand WWE.com did talk to James Andrews [Cena’s doctor], who WWE and Cena did give them the blessing to talk to. That’s standard protocol at WWE. They always try to interview the doctor, get insight so they can have the news. Sometimes it’s a kayfabe site and sometimes it’s a legit news site. Sometimes it’s a TMZ site, but that’s the story. They interviewed him and Dr. James Andrews did say he’d be out just two weeks.”

“So you have to wonder if Vince and the doctor said it and Cena is saying six weeks, there is an interesting issue there. Is it that John Cena wanted the full six weeks out? Was John Cena then told something after Tuesdays that conflicted with this? But it was very quickly thereafter they reported it on the website that this was not in fact the situation. The reality of it is, John Cena is coming off a divorce, he’s beaten up. He’s got a bad neck, a bad hip, bad everything. He’s closing in on 36. The wear and tear of a guy like that, that goes, goes, goes and is a company man, you gotta think about.”

“And if you’re Vince McMahon, you look at the clock, you look at the calendar and you think, is it time to build the next John Cena?”

* SIN CARA UNMASKED By Accident On Monday’s WWE RAW (PICTURE)

– Wade Barrett announced on Twitter that his new elbow finisher is called The Souvenir:

For those who keep asking for the name of my elbow smash, it's 'The Souvenir'. For the stupid, i'll explain why later.

— Stu Bennett (@StuBennett) September 24, 2012

Barrett also agreed with a follower who asked, “Is it because the impact is so devastating , it stays with you permanently?”

– WWE.com has an article up looking at the Top 15 Hometown Victories, with CM Punk’s WWE title win at Money in the Bank from Chicago topping from the list.

– WWE posted a video of John Cena talking about the new partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

– WWE Games has released the following new WWE ’13 video featuring D-Generation X:

* Picture of the New MACHO MAN AIR JORDAN Sneakers

– WWE.com has a video up of John Cena talking about his recent elbow surgery, where he promises to be at tonight’s WWE RAW from Albany, New York.

* Picture of John Cena’s Surgically Repaired Elbow

– Mick Foley is featuring a new blog discussing his new book “A Most Mizerable Christmas”

“I guess by now you know that I won’t be shy about getting the word out. I love this book. I’m really happy with the rhymes and the feel of the story, and the little lesson learned by The Miz. I love the fact that my son Mickey inspired it when he was just 3 years old – when he told me to tell Santa that he didn’t need any more toys. St Nick could simply give more toys to the kids who really needed them. I love the idea of being a children’s book author for the first time in 8 years.”

“I know parents are going to love reading it to their children, as much as children love having it read to them. Despite the fact that I kind of liked being that rebel with the book that had been banned, I love the fact that this book is not going to offend anyone. Sure, there is one lone reference to pee-pee, but at worst, it’s a single PG line in an otherwise very G-rated book. Try it – you’ll more than like it. You WILL love this book!”

John Cena tweeted the following picture of on Sunday night of his surgically-repaired elbow:

“Day 5. Time to play #guesswhosarmthatis I’ll B @raw tomorrow night. When things happen, they happen #SupportGroup.”

– 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.

– On this week’s “Backstage Fallout” for SmackDown, Santino Marella exuberantly celebrates his victory over the man who took the United States Championship from him, Antonio Cesaro. Plus, Layla explains why she changed her approach in the ring.

http://youtu.be/V-9nFOg_Jym5E

– After undergoing surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow Tuesday, John Cena appeared at Thursday’s WWE NXT tapings at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The 12-time world champion apologized for being unable to compete at the event, but promised to do so when he physically able.

Cena weighed in on the event via Twitter Friday, writing, “#NXT was pretty damn impressive. @fullsail is an outstanding campus, the show is OVERloaded with talent.”

He also remarked on his rehabilitation progress thus far: “Day 3 of rehab, arm looks like old banana.”

Speaking of Cena, he is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

Here are the results fro the WWE NXT Taping – at Full Sail University, in Orlando Florida – September 20, 2012 

Pre-Show Dark Match

– Damien Sandow vs Brandon Traven
Sandow won with the straight jacket neckbreaker.

Episode 1
Video from earlier today:

Heath Slater petitioned Dusty Rhodes for an NXT title shot. Vickie Guerrero was with Slater. Dusty said that if Slater can beat Rollins tonight, he would get a title shot.

Match 1:

– Brodus Clay w/ Cameron and Naomi vs Camacho
Brodus Clay won with a running splash.

On stage, Byron Saxton interviewed Richie Steamboat. Richie was not medically cleared to compete. Kassius Ohno interrupted them, saying he was finished with Steamboat and would now focus on winning the NXT title. He then gave Steamboat a white towel and said it was time for him to throw it in and give up.

Match 2:

– Kassius Ohno vs Trent Barreta
Barreta won with the running knee. Ohno was distracted when Steamboat came down and threw the towel in his face, allowing Barreta to hit the maneuver.

Match 3:

– Layla and Alicia Fox vs Paige and Audrey Marie
Layla won with a reversal into a crucifix pin on Marie.

Briley Pierce interviewed Seth Rollins about the upcoming match. Rollins ragged on Vicki and said Slater’s 15 minutes of fame is up.

Match 4:
– Bronson vs Lincoln Broderick
Bronson won with a figure four. This was a quick squash.

Antonio Cesaro came to the ring to cut a promo. He asked the crowd to rise for the national anthem. He tried to get the Swiss anthem played but was cut off by Tyson Kidd. Kidd challenged Cesaro for the US Championship and ended the exchange by slapping him.

Backstage, Vickie was checking out Slater before his match.

Match 5:

– Heath Slater w/ Vickie Guerrero vs Seth Rollins
Rollins won with a standing Shiranui.

Episode 2

Match 1:
– The Usos vs Michael McGillicutty & Johnny Curtis
The Usos won when Jimmy hit a Samoan Drop on Curtis and Jay followed up with a Superfly Splash. After the match, Ascension’s theme hit and they stared down the Usos from the rafters.

Match 2:

– Xaiver Woods vs Leo Kruger
Kruger won with the Kruger End.

On stage, Bryon Saxton interviewed Big E Langston about the five count. Langston cut a promo where he continuously use the number five. Vickie Guerrero came out and tried to recruit him into her stable. Instead of joining her, he threw powder in her face which caused her to storm off.

Jinder Mahal came to the ring and cut a promo about going after the title. He said it is his right to get a rematch for the title. Justin Gabriel cut him off and said that there already are many guys waiting in line ahead of Mahal for a title shot. Drew McIntyre did the same and then Bo Dallas did as well. Dusty Rhodes came to the stage and announced a fatal four way elimination match for the number one contendership would happen next week.

Match 3:
– CJ Parker vs Roman Reigns
Reigns won with a backdrop into an uranagi.

Match 4:
– United States Championship Match: US Champion Antonio Cesaro vs Tyson Kidd

Cesaro won with the neutralizer.

Episode 3

Match 1:
– Kassius Ohno vs Trent Barreta

Ohno won with the rolling elbow.

After the match Ohno tried to attack Barreta, but he missed the elbow and fell out of the ring instead.

Match 2:
– Big E Langston vs Memo Montenegro

Langston won with The Big Ending. The ref only counted 3.

After the match, Langston did his usual post match repetition of hitting The Big Ending and doing a five count. Vickie Guerrero appeared on screen and said that she put a $5,000 bounty out for Langston because of what he did last week. An unknown wrestler ran down to attack Langston, but got hit with The Big Ending and a five count instead.

Match 3:
– Luke Harper w/ Bray Wyatt vs Jason Jordan

Harper won with the Big Bossman Slam.

Before the match Wyatt and Jordan went back and forth on the mic. Wyatt introduced Harper as “the first son of the Wyatt Family”.

Harper is former indy star Brodie Lee.

On stage, Byron Saxton interviewed Roman Reigns. Reigns dismissed Saxton and cut a brief promo about how he is the man and everybody wants to be him.

Match 4:
– Justin Gabriel vs Drew McIntyre vs Jinder Mahal vs Bo Dallas

Mahal won by eliminating Dallas with the Camel Clutch. Previously, Dallas had eliminated both McIntyre and Gabriel with spears.

After the match, Rollins stopped Mahal from beating up Dallas and the two of them briefly brawled.

Match 5:
– Ascension vs Yoshi Tatsu and Percy Watson

Ascension won with Total Elimination on Tatsu.

Dark Match Main Event
John Cena, in a sling, came out and spoke about how excited he had been about coming to NXT and that during the drive over tonight he was extremely disappointed that he couldn’t compete. He promised that he would be back when he is healthy to compete again and that the turn out tonight really moved him. Antonio Cesaro came to the ring and ragged on Cena for being unable to face him. Cena brought out Sheamus as a surprise replacement.

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs US Champion Antonio Cesaro

Sheamus won with the Brogue Kick.

They had a nice long match, instead of a short squash you might expect. Afterwards, Sheamus went around ringside and signed autographs for anyone who wanted one.

 News / Notes

– The next taping is October 11th.

– Tonight was the first full sell out for a Full Sail NXT taping. The staff had to set up an overflow area in the entrance lobby for everyone who couldn’t get a seat. They put up a large screen and placed rows of folding chairs in front of it.

– A friend of mine went to get some food during the show and ran into Richie Steamboat, who was talking with some fans there. The storyline reason Steamboat wasn’t wrestling tonight is that he got hurt during the previous episode’s six man tag match. However, he told fans that he wasn’t wrestling tonight because he recently suffered a concussion.

– Brad Maddox worked as a referee for the diva’s match.

– After the Slater-Rollins match, Vickie was visably displeased with Slater. This was likely just a one time thing done as a way to have her manage someone on the show without Ziggler being at there.

– They introduced a new commentator tonight. Unfortunately I only caught his first name, Tony. He joined Regal and Saxton. They alternated between different combinations of the three throughout the night, with JR joining for each episode’s main event.

– Matt Striker was the ring announcer for the first and third episode. Summer Rae replaced him for the second episode.

– Before the show began, Striker showed a QR code on screen and said there would be bonus content streamed throughout the night for smartphone users who scanned it.

– Though no longer scheduled for this weekend’s Raw live events after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow Tuesday, John Cena will be on hand for Monday’s Raw in Albany, New York at Times Union Center.

He tweeted Thursday morning, “Rehab, Day 2. Much less grouchy today. I apologize to @wwe and I also PROMISE to be at #raw THIS MONDAY IN ALBANY. just hate being hurt,” Cena wrote. “Ill be at #NXT today. I am very excited to study those I will soon be competing against. See u guys mon on #RAW.”

Big Show will replace Cena at this weekend’s Raw live events as CM Punk’s opponent in WWE Championship bouts.

– Big Boss Man is the latest addition to the official WWE website’s Alumni section. WWE says of the deceased wrestler, “From Cobb County, Ga.’s corrections department to the WWE Universe, The Big Boss Man, along with his trusty nightstick, made sure that law and order was always upheld in the squared circle.”

– Nicole and Brianna, formerly known as The Bella Twins, have been announced to appear at the New York Comic Con taking place Oct. 11-15 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center located on 655 West 34th Street, New York, New York 10001. SmackDown General Manager Booker T, Velvet Sky and Angelina Love are also advertised to appear.

WWE has responded to John Cena’s Twitter rant about WWE.com inaccurately reporting that he will be back in action 2-3 weeks after this week’s elbow surgery.

The WWE Twitter account wrote on Wednesday evening:

“The information published about John Cena’s recovery was given to WWE.com prior to surgery. In speaking to Dr. Andrews after the procedure, in light of the amount of work that needed to be done and the number of bone chips removed, the prognosis for recovery is closer to six to eight weeks. Knowing John Cena, the former WWE Champion will do everything he needs to get back in the ring as soon as possible.”

– Arda Ocal of The Baltimore Sun has compiled photos of the WWE T-Shirts John Cena has donned through the years on television, which now stands at 25. Ocal notes that Cena has debuted five shirts at WrestleMania, five at SummerSlam and four at Survivor Series.

– Unlike most WWE Divas, Layla is still on the market. In response to a tweet asking whether she’s single, the former Divas Champion wrote Wednesday, “Yes!!”

– SmackDown General Manager Booker T appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer to promote his recently released autobiography, From Prison to Promise: Life Before the Squared Circle. The six-time world champion recalled the hardships he encountered growing up in Houston, Texas, breaking into professional wrestling, his time in World Championship Wrestling, accepting a contract buyout to join WWE when WCW ceased, and more. The audio interview is available here.

– WWE Hall of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

– John Cena could be kept out of the ring for as long as two months after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow Tuesday. The official WWE website announced Wednesday at 5:40 p.m. that the prognosis for his recovery is now six to eight weeks.

Their statement reads, “The information published about John Cena’s recovery was given to WWE.com prior to surgery. In speaking to Dr. Andrews after the procedure, in light of the amount of work that needed to be done and the number of bone chips removed, the prognosis for recovery is closer to six to eight weeks. Knowing John Cena, the former WWE Champion will do everything he needs to get back in the ring as soon as possible.”

In a Twitter message Wednesday, Cena disputed WWE’s report Tuesday that he would be sidelined for two to three weeks. He wrote, “I spoke in depth with my surgeon Dr James Andrews and he specifically told me due to the amount of fragmentation, SIX WEEKS is a safer time table for recovery. I apologize on behalf of a website whos credibility is now equal to #theonion please @wwe web guys, get your monkey frankin facts straight!”

– Big Show will return to Nickelodeon’s “Supah Ninjas” to reprise his role of “Two-Ton Harley,” a biker and prison escapee. The official WWE website announced Wednesday that “The World’s Largest Athlete” is taping an episode this week for the teen action comedy’s upcoming second season.

Due to John Cena undergoing arm surgery Tuesday, Big Show will return to action at this week’s Raw live events as CM Punk’s opponent. He had requested and received time off following SummerSlam.

The official WWE website announced Tuesday that John Cena underwent surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow. Dr. James Andrews removed several pieces of bone cartilage from Cena’s elbow through a scope. He went home to Tampa, Fla. and immediately began rehab.

WWE initially stated that it would likely take four to six weeks for Cena to recover from a surgery of that nature before changing it to “two to three weeks.” Cena tweeted an update on his recovery status Wednesday afternoon disputing the company website’s second report.

“Some #jackwagon from @wwe dotcom apparently posted me recovering in 14 days,” Cena wrote. “I spoke in depth with my surgeon Dr James Andrews And he specifically told me due to the amount of fragmentation, SIX WEEKS is a safer time table for recovery. I apologize on behalf of a Website whos credibility is now equal to #theonion please @wwe web guys, get your monkey frankin facts straight!

He continued, “You folks have my word i will try my best to get healthy as quick as i can, and im sure i wont stay away from #raw but as of now I am supposed to lay low for SIX WEEKS. I will send surgery photos and video to @wwe so they can see how bad it really was. I am also sure that if @wwe took a second to reach out to the actual surgeon, that Dr Andrews would gladly comment.

“Ok, im now off the soap box and back to being just a one armed man. Enjoy your day.”

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

John Cena’s Surgery: “Tough hand dealt to John Cena who had surgery Tuesday in Birmingham by Dr. James Andrews. Cena’s been wrestling hurt but is SO much tougher than many of his critics give him credit as they seem to be too busy knocking his in ring style. As a former offensive lineman, and a damn good one, @JohnCena will likely be back closer to two weeks than three if my guess is accurate.”

Jerry Lawler’s Replacement On Commentary: I’m not sure who will sit in for King next week with Michael Cole. It’s a great opportunity for WWE to utilize some names from the past and/or to place some prospective new talent at the announce table … Whoever assists Cole will be in good hands as no one preps as thoroughly as does Michael and hopefully whoever is tabbed will follow Cole’s lead and be thoroughly prepared to work a long, live three hour entertainment program. I’d suggest that who is selected greatly reduce their liquid in take by mid afternoon as sitting in a confined spot for three hours can be, well, anxious. :)”

Jerry Lawler’s Recovery & In-Ring Future: “Jerry Lawler’s recovery process is on going and I have heard no one estimate when he might be back at the announce desk on RAW much less those that are asking if and when he will return to the ring. I do know that if King can wrestle that he will. Jerry is a wrestler first and an announcer second as being a wrestler is what he’s done for 40+ years and I seriously doubt that he’s ready to hang up his boots. Every indy promoter will be frothing at the mouth to book King even more now than before. I’d suggest to all that slow, deliberate steps be taken. ”

* News On JEFF HARDY Returning to WWE

Dr. James Andrews spoke to WWE.com this week about performing elbow surgery on John Cena. Dr. Andrews removed several pieces of bone cartilage from Cena’s elbow through a scope.

“He had begun to lose motion in his arm, and it had been locking up,” Andrews said. “I performed an orthoscopic procedure on his elbow and took out a bunch of spurs. Everything went really well.” Andrews described the procedure as “straight-forward” despite Cena’s “big, old arm.”

“Cena’s rehab will start on Monday with trying to improve his range of motion and getting the swelling down,” Andrews explained.

Cena is expected to take 2-3 weeks to recover and will be evaluated on Thursday.

Following John Cena’s elbow surgery on Tuesday, he tweeted:

Leaving #theAndrewsInstitue what super surgeon #DrJamesAndrews is. U guys have my word, i will do whatever i can to be active ASAP…

— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 18, 2012

After getting some mixed feedback from fans on Twitter, he followed up with:

Because of who I have become, i DAILY deal with large doeses of negativity. No biggie, always #riseabovehate but seeing all your messages

— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 18, 2012

Really means alot to me and I just want to say thanks.

— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 18, 2012

Cena then directed his remarks at CM Punk. Cena noted that he was working through multiple injuries during their match at Night of Champions – and gave Punk some crap for “borrowing” the moves of other wrestlers:

Oh.. And @CMPunk u TIED a guy with a blown up ankle, and a shattered arm…what say when i get healthy…

— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 18, 2012

We show the @wwe who #thechamp really is? And why would u even try and borrow @therock stuff, stick with #hitman n #macho #dontangerdwayne

— John Cena (@JohnCena) September 18, 2012

CM Punk replied:

@JohnCena I got the same surgery you did in 2010 and I ran 8 miles the next day. Stop whining. Did you tear your hammy too? #304

— player/coach (@CMPunk) September 18, 2012

– This week’s “Way Back Wednesday” feature on WWE.com is a look back at “The Complete History of WarGames.”

– WWE Hall of Famer Edge is now on Twitter @EdgeRatedR.

– JBL tweeted this message to John Cena on Wednesday, wishing him a speedy recovery after his surgery on Tuesday:

Best of luck to 10x @wwe champ @johncena on recent elbow surgery. Awesome match with @cmpunk at NOC. Can't wait to see Hell in the Cell!

— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) September 19, 2012

John Cena underwent arm surgery on Tuesday to remove bone chips in his elbow today, according to WWE.com Dr. James Andrews removed several pieces of bone cartilage from Cena’s elbow through a scope.

Cena is heading home today to Tampa, FL and will immediately begin rehab.

WWE initially stated that it would likely take four to six weeks for Cena to recover from a surgery of that nature. The report now states that he is expected to recover in two to three weeks.

WWE.com Update:  “Cena is expected to recover in two to three weeks. An update on his recovery time is expected Thursday when he is reevaluated.”

Cena is currently scheduled to appear at Thursday’s NXT TV taping from Winter Park, Florida. No word on whether the surgery will affect this appearance.

– At Sunday’s WWE Night of Champions pay-per-view from Boston, WWE Champion CM Punk wore pinstriped ring gear. This was a nod to the New York Yankees, the top rival of the local Boston Red Sox. Paul Heyman was reportedly the person who had the idea for Punk to wear pinstripes in Boston.

– WWE reportedly took away anti-John Cena signs before the main event at Sunday’s Night of Champions PPV.

– New WWE Divas Champion Eve Torres is said to be a real favorite of WWE management.

– With John Cena now wearing pink ring gear to support the fight against breast cancer, it’s interesting to note that Dolph Ziggler is no longer wearing his pink “showoff” t-shirt. The WWEShop.com website now has all of Dolph Ziggler’s pink merchandise discounted 40%.

* PICTURE of RANDY ORTON Giving A Fan The Middle Finger at Night of Champions

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)