– Tuesday night’s 2013 WWE Hall of Fame special on the USA Network drew a 1.23 rating with 1.63 million viewers.

– WWE star Jack Swagger is scheduled to appear in court on June 25th for charges stemming from his DUI arrest in Mississippi back on February 19th. The Sun Hearld reports that city prosecutor Kirk Clark “always recommends the maximum sentence of two days in jail for first-time offenders and completion of victim-impact classes.”

– Check out the following video of what took place after Tuesday night’s WWE SmackDown tapings featuring John Cena and Fandango:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AaBma55xmqA

On this episode of The Breakdown, Steve just can’t get enough Fan-dan-go! He covers the hottest Raw of the modern era before playing Devil’s Advocate, this time in defense of WWE Champion John Cena. All of this, and a bit more Fandango!

Follow Steve on Twitter @GKickShalthis or comment on Because Wrestling’s Facebook page here.

Download The Breakdown – Episode 2: In Defense of John Cena

Got an idea for a future topic? Leave it in the comments below, or on Facebook or Twitter!

WWE Champion John Cena spoke to HollywoodLife.com on Mondayand revealed that he worked WrestleMania 29 with a broken thumb and food poisoning.

Cena also appeared on The Crossover yesterday and said his favorite WrestleMania match other that his own was The Undertaker vs. CM Punk. “I thought it was great,” he said. “I just didn’t want it to end.” When asked if that could have been The Undertaker’s final match, Cena said, “I think he is going to show up for Wrestlemania next year.”

– John Cena has been inviting many famous Boston natives to tonight’s SmackDown tapings, including players from the Boston Red Sox and actors Mark Wahlberg and Ben Affleck may be there.

– Speaking of Cena, it’s expected that he will defend the WWE Championship against Ryback at Extreme Rules on May 19th. We first heard about this over the weekend and based on what we saw on RAW, it’s clear that’s the direction WWE is heading in.

– At point, there was talk of Alberto Del Rio wrestling Jack Swagger at Extreme Rules in a submission match. Word from RAW is that the feud is over.

• VIDEO of DOLPH ZIGGLER’s World Heavyweight Title Win – Amazing!!

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

– CM Punk was kept off of Monday’s RAW to sell the effects of his match against The Undertaker. Paul Heyman announced on the show that Punk will be back next week.

– After losing the WWE Championship to John Cena at WrestleMania 29, it was stated on RAW that The Rock is the #1 contender by way of his rematch clause.

– On Monday’s RAW, Kane and Daniel Bryan saved The Undertaker from almost receiving a 3-on-1 beatdown at the hands of The Shield. The babyfaces chased the heels off and got a big reaction from the rowdy New Jersey crowd. When RAW went to commercial break, the 3 men exited up the ramp together, stopped on the stage, and all did Undertaker’s signature fist raise together.

• News On JOHN CENA’s Next Feud & Several Top Superstars Taking Time Off

There is said to be absolute chaos backstage at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, site of tonight’s RAW.

Former WWE Champion The Rock, who was scheduled to open the show and take part in a huge angle, reportedly flew home to Los Angeles this morning and will not be at the show. This is not part of a storyline – and WWE sources indicate that Rock’s departure caught the company completely off guard.

The original plan was for The Rock to cut a promo about WrestleMania 29, only to be interrupted by Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman. Lesnar was going to attack The Rock and plant the seeds for a rumored WrestleMania 30 main event between the two.

Vince McMahon and WWE writers and producers are busy re-writing the show.

There is reportedly another major angle planned for tonight to set up John Cena’s next title defense at Extreme Rules.

• Pictures of John Cena’s New WWE Title (New Side Plates)

(Sources: f4wonline.com, pwinsider.com)

Shortly after defeating Dwayne The Rock Johnson at WWE WrestleMania, John Cena had his WWE Title customized with his own unique plates, replacing Rock’s “Brahma Bull.”

– The WWE Hall of Famers who were at WrestleMania watched the show from a VIP suite.

– WWE had some production issues over WrestleMania weekend:

• At the Hall of Fame ceremony, some fans who arrived at Madison Square Garden were told their seats were actually curtained off and were taken to different seats.
• At WrestleMania, there were some glitches with the video monitors in the arena during the pre-show, but they were resolved (for the most part) for the pay-per-view.
• As was the case last year, there were many fans whose views were obstructed by the 4 huge pillars around the ring. Fans who complained were relocated to better seats, but overall, there were far fewer complaints than WrestleMania 28, where the huge palm trees blocked a lot of people’s views.
• Fans who ordered the WrestleMania 29 stream through the WWE App had some technical difficulties at the start of the show, with WWE’s servers being unable to accommodate the demand. The problem was eventually resolved – and the stream aired the event from the beginning, so fans who watched the show via stream weren’t watching it live.

– New WWE Champion John Cena appeared “Live With Kelly & Michael”,  FOX Business and CNN this morning and had the WWE Championship belt with him. Here’s a picture of Cena on CNN’s Showbiz Tonight with AJ Hammer:

Sneak peak of @JohnCena with his new WWE Championship title on @showbiztonight, part of @CNN, with host @AJHammer pic.twitter.com/CZp88kq0k9

— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2013

• BIG News For Tonight’s RAW: Rumored Debut & New Storylines Starting

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

In his last interview before going in the Hall of Fame, Bruno Sammartino joined Inside The Ropes on Thursday night, here are the highlights:

Billy Graham’s Recent Comments About Him:

I think I feel sorry for him. I think he’s done so much drugs throughout his career that his brains been burned out because he speaks of things he knows nothing about. For example in my own situation, he knows very well that when I spoke about WWE and was very critical about them, that he had heard me say if they changed everything that I would change my mind. He heard me from years ago saying yes I would. He’s been critical of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in Amsterdam, New York and he wanted out of that because he got mad at somebody, I don’t know who. He recently was appalled at CM Punk because he said something about me wrestling in the Garden once a month. The things that Billy Graham says, I really have no idea why he says them. He talks about things without really knowing all the facts. I just think there’s something wrong with the man.

His thoughts on John Cena:

He looks very well, looks like he works out very hard. He moves well in the ring and I have only seen him maybe twice all together. I have not seen enough of him, but from what I’ve seen you can tell he absolutely is one of the top ones in the organization but sometimes I would like to see these guys wrestle a 30-40 minute match. i can get a better idea of how good they are, when they have to put in that kind of time, tells me wheat kind of condition they have and how their skills would be out there for that amount of time. I haven’t seen any long matches like that yet. One of the times I saw him in a cage match and there was a referee and they were doing wrestling holds. In my day, you would have a cage match as maybe the third match with a guy and there would be no referee, and just everything goes and the fans used to find that extremely exciting. Now it’s so changed, thes guys are doing regular armlocks and headlocks. It’s so different now, I just can’t compare it to the era I was involved in.

What he thinks of CM Punk as a performer:

I think his interviews for a villain…I think he’s very, very good. That’s why it surprised me that Billy Graham would say anything when he used to be a villain who would say things to put down his opponents, even myself. I think he does a very good job when he gets on the microphone, how he talks, how he says it. I took no offence at CM Punk, I know he was doing it to be a villain, that’s what he does. But I think he does a very good job when he gets on that microphone as a villain, what he says, how he talks, how he says it. As a villain I think he does a tremendous job and as a wrestler, I’ve seen him a few times and I think he’s pretty darn good. He’s not too bad at all. The only thing is I think if he was in my era, he would be a little bit too small, we had bigger built guys back then.

To hear the full interview where Bruno talks about going in the HOF, what he plans to say to Vince McMahon, what he’s thought about his speech and more, head over to Facebook.com/theinsidenetwork.

– With his WrestleMania 29 showdown with The Rock just over 24 hours away, John Cena reached out to Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres on Twitter asking them for tips on how to handle the hostile crowd at the MetLife Stadium:

? 4 some very responsible ladies, @Oprah @TheEllenShow #WrestleMania @WWE fans should b #hostile any tips 4 survival? #RTime=NOW

— John Cena (@JohnCena) April 6, 2013

– It appears that WWE will soon be introducing an NXT Women’s championship. NXT does not even have a sanctioned women’s championship yet, but the following belt was on display at WWE AXXESS (thanks to @BlazeKingNJ):

– Randy Orton tweeted the following anti-John Cena sign that he saw a fan carrying:

A fan just showed me his WM sign. Thought I'd share…. pic.twitter.com/A00w1Bx51g

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) April 6, 2013

– Two of the hottest Divas in WWE history –

New York City’s Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg got exclusive interviews with several WWE Superstars at this week’s WrestleMania 29 media press conference, including John Cena, CM Punk, The Rock and Mark Henry.

All of them have big expectations for this weekend’s WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view – and CM Punk has a special message for us “smart” fans.

WWE Hall of Fame Jim Ross was interviewed by Joe Roderick from Grand Slam Sports this week to promote WrestleMania. Here are some highlights of what said about:

Weather for WrestleMania 29:

“My initial thought was to pack a jacket. That hasn’t changed. I looked at the long-term weather, and it looks like we’re going to get a break in the end. It’s going to be chilly, but it’s not going to be raining. It’s not going to be snowing. It’s going to be an adventure, which is great for fans like me. The stadium is great. [It’s a] beautiful stadium. It’s going to be the home of the Superbowl next year. I’m excited about it. I think it’ll be a unique opportunity for those attending. Apparently the weather hasn’t driven anyone away because it’s sold out.”

John Cena Teasing A Heel Turn:

“It seems that way. Last night, I was going into the show thinking that Rock won last year, so Cena will automatically win this year to even their big match rivalry at one apiece. But after last night, I’m not so sure that’s going to happen. I was intrigued that Cena’s promo was a little bit edgy. I thought, is that just the character, the persona, being what it’s cast to be, or is it the human being processing what I said earlier? We have to follow everything. We have to close the show. It’s game day for us. So I don’t know. It’s provocative to me because I try to stay away from all the creative stuff. I don’t want to know what’s going to happen. I don’t have any desire to know the end of the movie. I want to see it unfold. So, I’m somewhat intrigued by the whole process, especially after last night’s RAW.”

The Undertaker’s Physical Condition:

“Well, he’s in great shape, as good as it can be. He’s just like an old baseball pitcher that used to throw heat, and now his throw’s chilling. The bottom line is he still gets people out and he still is able to help you get a “W.” I think that’s where we are with the Undertaker. His body is worn and he’s had tears and surgeries. Still mentally tough, physically tough, and still dedicated to his profession. I know that he’s never going to compromise his body of work to have one more payday. So I know we’ll see him have a great match on Sunday against CM Punk, who’s another phenomenal performer. But he works through the pain. Not many guys I know would do what he’s doing right now, but he loves it that much. It’s not a need for cash. It’s not a need for he needs one more payday. He’s got all the money he needs. He loves what he does, and as long as he can keep the quality of his work up he’s going to continue to do it.”

Bruno Sammartino

“I tell ya, if all the guys in the Hall of Fame were sitting at a table, they would all leave the head of the table vacant until Bruno got there. He dominated a wrestling territory, and the fans in St. Louis can identify with Sam Muchnick’s amazing run as a promoter there, week after week, month after month, year after year, and Bruno was the champion for one run for eight years. So his act in the market in New York City was amazing. He sold out Madison Square Garden 188 times, and he sold it out again this Saturday. A fitting honor, and I never thought it would happen. I’m very very happily surprised that it is.”

If He Will Be Involved in WrestleMania on Sunday?

“Well, I don’t know. I’m not being evasive. I don’t have an assignment as of right now. I’m kind of like the Mad Hungarian, Al Hrabosky. I’m in the bullpen, going through my crazy mannerisms, and I’m ready to come in and get somebody out if you need it. If I’m needed, I’m there. If not, I’ll enjoy the view from wherever I am. I’m not being evasive. I’m not being cute. I don’t know. I’m always ready to roll if they need me, and last year I got an assignment sort of late. Thanks to Vince McMahon I was called out of the pen to call the Undertaker and Triple H match. I’m hoping something along those lines happens again. If so, then I’ll have a blast.”

John Cena spoke to the Associated Press this week to hype Sunday’s WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view. Cena complimented The Rock on his work ethic and in the process, took a shot at other Superstars who are complainers:

“I wish we had one guy with 10 percent of his vision and his aspiration,” Cena said. “When he gets a small opportunity, he kicks the damn door down and owns the horse. Often times here, we have Superstars that remind me of a hamster on the treadmill and those are the guys that usually complain. I don’t take too kindly to them. I’m fortunate Rock’s here and I’m glad he’s here. He can show up whenever he wants.”

Cena also said he gained even more respect for The Rock last year when The Rock announced his intentions to go after the WWE Championship.

“I always knew he loved the business,” Cena said. “He loves it so much now that he really is the busiest person in the history of the WWE. He’s everywhere at once. He can do everything and still compete as WWE champion.”

* WRESTLEMANIA 29 Results We Are Going To AXXESS, HOF & WM29 and Will Have Exclusive Photos From All The Events!

– WWE officials have discussed having John Cena and Ryback feud over the WWE Championship after WrestleMania. Cena eliminated Ryback to win the 2013 Royal Rumble and Ryback got “screwed” out of the WWE title several times in late 2012 (Brad Maddox, The Shield) during matches against then-champion CM Punk, so Ryback going after a WWE Champion John Cena would certainly make sense.

– Aside from WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro not having a match at Sunday’s WrestleMania show, another champion without a match is WWE Divas champion Kaitlyn. There has been talk of Kaitlyn and AJ Lee being added to the tag team title match, with Kaitlyn joining Team Hell No and AJ joining Dolph Ziggler joining Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston’s team – with all titles on the line.

Whether or not Kaitlyn and AJ Lee are added to the match, the faction of AJ, Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston are due for a big push coming out of WrestleMania.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– Here are the latest tweets from WWE Champion The Rock and John Cena leading up to their WrestleMania 29 match this weekend:

Now @iamdiddy will perform at #WrestleMania @TheRock @WWE I will make sure it's a #suckerfreesunday #RTime=NOW #redemption 4/7/13

— John Cena (@JohnCena) April 3, 2013

15 years ago I started my career in NY. Sunday will TRULY be my honor. #Wrestlemania29 #SweetEmotion #BringIt pic.twitter.com/jdoKhVDfCX

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 3, 2013

– After his match against Fandango at Sunday’s WrestleMania 29 pay-per-view, Chris Jericho is scheduled for next week’s WWE RAW and SmackDown tapings before heading over seas to the UK to tour with his metal band Fozzy. Jericho is now advertised for the April 22nd WWE live event from the 02 Arena in London, England. That is the last date he’s scheduled for.

– WWE posted this video of Antonio Cesaro training for WrestleMania 29, even though he’s not booked for a match on the show:

Antonio Cesaro shows what keeps him the United States Champion with this epic work out.

– As part of Make-A-Wish’s “World Wish Day” on April 29th, John Cena is starting a campaign to raise money and airline miles for the foundation. Cena has vowed to match every frequent flier mile donated up to 4.5 million miles. For more on this story, click here.

– Brock Lesnar has joined Twitter and can be followed at @brocklesnar.

– LoHud.com has an interview with Paul Heyman, who talks about wrestling’s popularity over the years, how he got into the business and of course, WrestleMania 29.

– WWEDVDNews.com reports that the following people were interviewed for the Mick Foley DVD, which will be released next month: Mick’s trainer Dominic Denucci, Shane Douglas, Michael Hayes, CM Punk, Vader, Terry Funk, Paul Heyman, Jim Ross, Joey Styles, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, William Regal, Big Show, ReganBooks founder Judith Regan, The Miz, The Rock, Mick Foley’s daughter and more.

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:

Terry Funk Inducting Mick Foley:

“Great choice by Mick Foley to select Terry Funk to induct Mr. Foley’s baby boy at the 2013 WWE HOF induction ceremony. The Funker is Mick’s mentor and idol. I think it’s pretty cool when a Hall of Fame inductee can actually have their all time favorite wrestler, their father like figure within the business and their role model as it relates to in ring style and approach to the game induct them.”

Ric Flair’s Medical Situation:

“Got a text from Ric Flair early this morning and Naitch is feeling great and has been provided medication to dissolve the blood clot that is in his leg. The doctor’s are highly optimistic that the meds will do the trick and eliminate a potentially, dangerous issue. Ric and I will get together Wednesday evening in Jersey to catch up which is one of our WrestleMania traditions.”

Fandango vs. Y2J:

“Fandango is a lightning rod right now because many or perhaps a few vocal ‘fans’ don’t like the TV persona even though they have yet to see it fully on display in a match of significance. I’m of the persuasion that I’ll reserve my opinions until I actually see the talent get it on bell to bell. Chris Jericho is the perfect opponent to perform with Fandango at WM29 because Jericho is all about stealing the show ala the great @ShawnMichaels no matter Y2J’s role. Fandango can also expect Jericho to beat the hell out of him along the way. Believe that!”

The Rock vs. John Cena:

“Enjoying the serious nature that the Rock/Cena rivalry has taken the past few weeks and it is a departure from 2012 or so it seems to me. Closing a WrestleMania with such high expectations and having a ‘different’ match than last year are tremendous responsibilities notwithstanding the fact that the match is for the WWE Title which should be the primary issue. Cena vs. Rock is a target of varying levels of controversy from some fans but pales in comparison to what their own peers will place upon the show closers in their own matches at WM29.”

WWE Champion The Rock tweeted the following about John Cena after giving him a Rock Bottom at the end of Monday’s RAW:

Welcome @JohnCena to Rock Bottom.

Population: 1

Enjoy your stay.. #RAW #Philly #TeamBringIt pic.twitter.com/hfi8KvAd73

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) March 26, 2013

John Cena tweeted the following to football player Chad Ochocinco, referencing The Rock and the book “50 Shades of Grey” –

Dear, @ochocinco aka 'the black Christian Grey' please teach @TheRock a #safeword so I know when to stop kicking his ass! 4/7/13 #RTime=NOW

— John Cena (@JohnCena) March 26, 2013

Chad Ochocinco tweeted to The Rock:

@TheRock Mr. Johnson not sure what the confusion may be but @JohnCena is upset over your verbiage or use of words #unsafe for that matter

— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) March 26, 2013

The Rock responded:

@ochocinco C'mon Chad, you know I prefer action over verbiage.. @JohnCena meets #RockBottom Last night. #RAW pic.twitter.com/uGrCXGKVrK

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) March 26, 2013

.. and Ochocinco wrote back:

https://twitter.com/ochocinco/status/316585453983789056

• Videos From RAW – Including The Great ROCK-CENA Segment

The following are tweets from WWE personalities about the John Cena vs. The Rock panel segment that ended Monday’s RAW:

Jim Ross: “This is some damn good stuff. @TheRock & @JohnCena w/ ring full of legends. #WWE”

Mick Foley: “What an honor it was to share the ring with @TheRock @JohnCena and my fellow @WWE HOF’ers. We could FEEL their passion for this main event!”

JBL: “Incredible promo segment- @JohnCena and @TheRock are just awesome! @wwe Raw!”

Vickie Guerrero: “ExcuseMeWWE: Im honored to have an elite panel on #wwe.So much respect and knowledge standing together @the rock and @JohnCena @johncena listen well”

Goldust: “Big dust, say it like this. Rockkkkky , i thmelll what yo cookin if u wheeeeel. #RAW #legends #WM29 @TheRock vs @JohnCena”

Lance Storm: “While this is not an exciting segment, I sure like serious all business John Cena. This is working for me. #RAW” .. “@thehitman29: @LanceStorm Do you smell heel turn?” No just a serious turn”

• VIDEOS From RAW – Including The Great ROCK-CENA Panel

– WWE is now advertising that The Rock and John Cena will go face-to-face on tonight’s WWE RAW.

– Paul Heyman’s HeymanHustle.com has an exclusive photo gallery up of former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis.

– According to the new issue of WWE Magazine, WWE is having custom heaters designed to heat the ring and stage area at WrestleMania 29.

– In preparation for tonight’s WWE RAW, WWE Champion The Rock trained at the NFL Philadelphia Eagles training facility. He tweeted this picture from his afternoon workout:

Pre #RAW clangin' & bangin'! Thank U @Eagles @NFL for all the love! @WWE Champion #ElectrifyinPhilly pic.twitter.com/MxeOrnZ8Vu

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) March 25, 2013

– WWE.com currently has a poll up asking fans who they think will win at WrestleMania 29 between The Rock and John Cena. Currently, John Cena has 69% of the vote, with only 31% going towards The Rock.

– WWE.com also has also published a WrestleMania infographic comparing WrestleMania 1 to WrestleMania 29.

– The April 2013 issue of WWE Magazine features an interview with the Prime Time Players, who were asked about each others most annoying habits. Here’s what they said:

Darren Young: Titus’s most annoying habit is that he’s very gassy. Any time we eat at a soul food restaurant and we have to drive to the next city, it’s like a Dutch oven in our SUV. It makes me sick!

Titus O’Neil: Darren’s most annoying habit is taking the longest showers ever and leaving tanner all over the bathroom. He’s the only African-American guy I ever met that goes tanning. It’s very annoying, because we sometimes have to get up earlier than usual to hit the gym and find somewhere just so he can tan. It’s very annoying because I like to get my rest.

– Sean Waltman announced on Twitter that he’s opening a wrestling school:

https://twitter.com/TheRealXPac/status/314042310205779969

– Chris Jericho will be appearing at WrestleMania Axxess on Saturday, April 6th at 8 AM. Ryback will be appearing at the 8 p.m. session later that evening. Tickets go on sale at WWE.com on Wednesday.

– John Cena will be appearing at the May 2nd NXT TV taping from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, while Ryback will be at the May 23rd taping. ??No WWE superstars are currently being advertised for the April 11th taping right after WrestleMania. Ryback was originally scheduled for the show and was later replaced by John Cena, but now both men have been pulled and will be appearing in May instead. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

– WWE.com is now reporting the story of The Rock wanting to appear in the next Star Wars film.

– The store at the Metlife Stadium will be converted into a WWE store for the week of WrestleMania 29. WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross will be doing a signing there on Friday, April 5th from 1-3 PM.

JR also revealed on Twitter that he’ll be at WrestleMania Axxess on Saturday morning from 8-10am.

– WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn, Brodus Clay and Josh Mathews appeared at a ‘be a STAR’ anti-bullying rally this week to benefit The Rotary Club of Stamford. WWE.com has a photo gallery up from the event.

– WWE officials recently discussed the idea of sending John Cena to confront WWE Champion The Rock on the set of his “The Hero” reality TV show, but they ultimately decided against it.

Conspicuously absent from Monday’s WWE RAW were WrestleMania 29 main event challengers The Rock and John Cena. While The Rock had a previous commitment to be overseas in South Korea promoting his new “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” film, WWE officials made the decision to also keep John Cena off the show, feeling that his presence would bring more attention to the WWE Champion not being there.

Instead of John Cena coming out and cutting a promo that The Rock could not respond to in person, the decision was made to air a video package hyping their match.

Even through The Rock is doing everything he can to appear at as many WWE TV shows as possible, there are people in the locker room who are not happy that the WWE Champion will be missing 2 of the 4 final RW shows before WrestleMania. There has been resentment that a “part time” wrestler is WWE Champion and is taking one of the top spots at the company’s biggest show of the year. Him not being there to fully promote the even is not helping matters.

• New Photos of SHAUL GUERRERO In Inked Magazine – Check Out Her Sexy Tattoos

(Source: PWInsider)