– John Laurinaitis (“People Power” ring gear from Over The Limit) is rumored to be a playable character in the new WWE 13 video game, in stores October 30th.

WWE 13: First Screenshots & Official Trailer Video

– Former WWE Diva Lita will be a celebrity judge for “SugarSlam III: Batter Royal – The Most Delicious Championship in Sports Entertainment.” For more information on the wrestling-themed bake off, visit bakeanddestroy.net.

– Hornswoggle celebrated a birthday this week and it sounds like they had a celebration for him after Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings. He tweeted on Tuesday night:

“Thanks to @johncena for what you did after the cameras stopped rolling tonight! Never thought in a million years that I wouldve gotten that!”

— Chris Jericho, who is currently serving a 30-day suspension for denigrating the Brazilian flag at a WWE live event in São Paulo, Brazil on May 24, has started a countdown on Twitter.

He wrote Sunday, “27-My Dads number when he played in the NHL. Also my ranking in the top 50 WCW superstars of all time. Also today’s date.”

He then wrote Monday, “Day 26 is an R&B group formed by P-Diddy in 2007. I was also 26 years old when I won the WCW Cruiserweight Championship for the first time.”

— WWE.com has published an article chronicling John Laurinaitis’ rise from a skateboarding ‘Dynamic Dude’ to undisputed figurehead of both Raw and SmackDown.

— Former WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.

– Following his heel turn at Over The Limit, Big Show will be replacing Tensai and will team with John Laurinaitis against John Cena in handicap matches at several upcoming WWE live events.

Major Storyline Error On RAW With Big Show & Laurinaitis

– Jim Ross tweeted this week that he currently has no plans to appear at the 1,000th episode of WWE RAW on July 23rd.

– David Otunga has been telling his Twitter followers that he has his sights set on Santino’s United States championship. #OtungaForUSChampion was actually trending worldwide on Twitter on Wednesday.

– The Rock wrote on Twitter about GI Joe 2 being moved back to the week before WrestleMania 29, March 29th, 2013:

“Commitment to make GI JOE a massive world event just got bigger. New release 3/29/13. Rock + Ass kickins + 3D = #AwwwwShit”

As previously reported, GI Joe has been moved so the project can be converted to maximize box office revenue and due to the stiff competition around its original release date from the new Avengers, Spiderman and Batman movies.

– Zack Ryder tweeted the following this week about not being booked on RAW once again:

“For those counting, I haven’t been on Raw in 4 weeks. This could be like a modern day Goldberg streak.”

Video Of Zack Ryder’s Latest YouTube Show

– Following up on the news that WWE has trademarked the phrase “RAW Active” for the interactive elements that will be added to RAW once the show goes 3-hours every week this summer, WWE has also registered the phrase “#RAWACTIVE” to be used on clothing and other apparel.

Full Details On RAW Going INTERACTIVE This Summer

– John Laurinaitis has been walking on crutches in public this week to sell the injuries he sustained at the hands of John Cena at Sunday’s Over The Limit pay-per-view.

Several WWE fans noted on Twitter that Laurinaitis was using crutches at an airport in Virginia on Wednesday.

– After Sunday’s Over the Limit PPV went off the air, John Cena continued to sell the effects of Big Show’s WMD knockout punch.

Cena eventually came to and made it to his feet before staggering out of the ring and walking back to the state to end the show.

– The WWE website has a storyline article up looking at the ‘injuries’ John Laurinaitis sustained at the hands of John Cena. The following is an excerpt:

“Mr. Laurinaitis was rushed to the emergency room from Raleigh, N.C.’s PNC Arena, showing signs of a possible concussion, possible ACL damage to his knee and a possible spinal injury. To add to this litany of serious injuries, the executive also suffered contusions over his entire body and was said to have difficulty raising his left arm and left leg, which can indicate possible nerve damage. The General Manager may have also suffered a broken clavicle.

The article states that none of the injuries are fully confirmed and John Laurinaitis’ status for tonight’s RAW is still up in the air.

As seen on Monday’s RAW, Big Show has been ‘fired’ by John Laurinaitis for making fun of his voice last week. During commercial break that aired right after Big Show was fired, he stopped on the ramp on his way backstage, bowed to the fans and waved goodbye.

John Laurinaitis tweeted the following after RAW:

“Tonight, @WWETheBigShow forced me to make an example out of him. Let that be a lesson to the entire locker room. #Raw”

To sell the storyline, Big Show’s profile to their Alumni roster and the WWE website has posted an article speculating who else might get fired for disobeying the General Manager of RAW and SmackDown:

“Under Laurinaitis’ tumultuous reign, Big Show and The Bella Twins have both been handed their walking papers. If Laurinaitis defeats John Cena at WWE Over the Limit and continues to serve as the GM of Raw and SmackDown, one can only wonder who might be next to face his wrath.”

We can confirm that one scenario that’s been discussed for Sunday’s Over The Limit pay-per-view is for Big Show to interfere in John Laurinaitis’ match with John Cena – and cost Cena the match. A stipulation was set on RAW that John Laurinaitis will lose his job if he loses to John Cena – and any WWE superstars who interfere will be fired. Since Big Show is already ‘fired’ – he can interfere, help John Laurinaitis win & keep his job – and then Laurinaitis would re-hire Big Show.

— Sin Cara competed in his first match of 2012 at Saturday’s WWE Supershow in Florence, South Carolina, defeating Hunico in the opening match. He had been sidelined since Survivor Series due to a patellar tendon rupture.

— The following matches are advertised for WWE’s post-SummerSlam tour of Australia taking place August 30 through September 1: John Cena vs. Lord Tensai and John Laurinaitis, WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan and United States Champion Santino Marella vs. David Otunga.

— Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of the passing of Randy Savage. The legendary wrestler died after suffering a sudden, massive heart attack while driving with his wife in Seminole, Florida. He became unresponsive and lost control of his Jeep Wrangler, crashing into a tree.

source: Pro Wrestling Torch

– Paul Heyman was asked by a fan on Twitter whether he’ll be wearing  his trademark baseball cap on WWE television. He replied,  “Not a chance. I’m beautiful and I know it!”

Heyman has been re-tweeting several messages from fans and colleagues since returning on Monday, including one where a fan suggested a CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar feud.

– Continuing the feud from RAW between John Laurinaitis and the Big Show, Laurinaitis tweeted the following on Tuesday:

“Remember how I said I’d “consider” accepting @WWETheBigShow’s apology for making fun of me? I’m not quite sure he’s sorry enough.”

Considering Heyman’s strong ties to both men, it will be interesting to see the extent of CM Punk’s interaction with Heyman on television – and whether a Punk vs. Lesnar match will be the way WWE gets the title off Punk and onto Lesnar.

– WWE is advertising the following matches for their first-ever live event in Brazil (Sao Paulo on 5/23):

* CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho in a No DQ Match
* John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler
* Epico and Primo vs. R-Truth and Kofi Kingston
* The Miz vs. Zack Ryder
* JTG vs. Brodus Clay
* Alex Riley vs. David Otunga
* Kelly Kelly vs. Rosa Mendes
* Michael McGillicutty vs. Curt Hawkins

— John Cena participated in filming this week for Fred 3: Fred Goes To Camp, which is slated to premiere on Nickelodeon in late 2012. He reprises the role of the title character’s father. (source: PWInsider.com)

— According to a source within WWE, Bill DeMott is expected to assist John Laurinaitis in shaking off ring rust for his scheduled match against John Cena at Over the Limit on May 20. He began training Friday at a warehouse the company owns in Norwalk, Connecticut in preparation for the bout.

– A fraudulent Twitter account for Lord Tensai’s manager Sakamato said his master would be waiting for Evan Bourne when he returns from injury. Bourne responded, “What kind of man has a master? #iaintscared”

— With The Bellas Twins no longer in WWE, WWE.com looks to a new set of celebrity siblings to fill the void in this article. WWE writes, “Step inside and discover our dream list of 10 twins we’d like to watch compete in the squared circle.”

– Jim Ross has been working with THQ in recent months recording commentary for the upcoming WWE ’13 game, due out this fall. Ross was asked this week whether he’s replacing Michael Cole on commentary in the game – and he stated no, this game will have more than two announcers.

– Terry Taylor has been at Florida Championship Wrestling in the past week, but his official role at developmental is still not known.

— For those wondering whether John Laurinaitis is actually going to wrestle John Cena at Over the Limit – it’s not just a ‘bait and switch’ angle. Laurinaitis was an active wrestler in Japan until 2000 and began training this week at one of WWE’s warehouses in Connecticut where they keep several rings set up.

(Sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, pwinsider.com)

— Before becoming General Manager of Raw and SmackDown, John Laurinaitis had a stellar career as a professional wrestler. WWE released the following video Thursday highlighting Laurinaitis’ time in the squared circle.

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— After tying a 52-week low on Wednesday with $7.77 per share, WWE’s stock price saw a significant gain Thursday with the release of the organization’s 2012 First Quarter 2012 Earnings Results. The stock price increased to $8.78 per share, up $0.94 from Thursday’s closing price of $7.84 per share.

— George “The Animal” Steele, Lex Luger, Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner and Tito Santana have been announced to appear at Frank & Son Collectible Show 19649 San Jose Ave. City of Industry, California on June 23. Details are available here.

— Courtesy of Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis, the Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena match at Extreme Rules has been changed to a no-disqualification, no count-out “Extreme Rules” Match, WWE.com has confirmed.

More details on the match are available here.

— WWE has released the synopsis for Classics On Demand programming during the month of May: “Relive the insane moments that made you say…OMG! From unbelievable moves to shocking moments, it’s a jaw-dropping month full of the unexpected. It’s “OMG! Month” all May on WWE Classics On Demand.”

— WWE will hold a SmackDown taping on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

— Alicia Fox and William Regal will be signing autographs Thursday in Cardiff, Wales to promote WWE’s The Best of Raw and SmackDown 2011 video release at the HMV on Queen Street.

– Last week on RAW, General Manager John Laurinaitis revealed that he is responsible for Brock Lesnar’s WWE return. During an interview with the WWE website, here’s what Laurinaitis said about Lesnar bringing “legitimacy” back to WWE:

“Brock has achieved incredible success on every level. He’s the only athlete to ever win the WWE Championship, the UFC Heavyweight Championship and an NCAA Division I Heavyweight Championship. Quite frankly, I couldn’t imagine a better man than Brock more suited to be the face of WWE. No offense to John Cena, who’s an outstanding athlete in his own right, but he’s no Brock Lesnar.”

– WWE’s contest to win a free trip to WrestleMania 29 in New Jersey has ended. The sweepstakes launched on April 1st and the 100 winners were announced on Sunday night.

– WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels is filming new episodes for his MacMillan River Adventures hunting show. A future episode of the show will feature a special appearance from with music legend and avid hunter, Ted Nugent.

— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has addressed the long asked question: “Is Wrestling fake?”

His Twitter response to the question was, “Only when I lose my friend..”

— Former WWE talent Luke Williams (a/k/a “Bushwhacker” Luke) recalls giving WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis his start in the professional wrestling industry during an interview with SportsTownChicago.com.

“We broke him in the business,” Williams said of Laurinaitis, who broke into the National Wrestling Alliance in 1986 as a flagbearer for The Sheepherders. “We were in NWA and he came in and Dusty [Rhodes] put him with us. Dusty was the booker at the time and he put him with us to learn the business. When he first started, he carried our flag and after a year or so, we went into the six-man’s and all that. John is a very educated man; he’s got a bachelor’s in business. I left in 1988 to go to WWE and he went to WCW and teamed up with Shane Douglas.”

— WrestlingFigs.com reports Jerry “The King” Lawler will appear at Pulp Comics 4413 Queen St. Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada on May 5 from noon to 4:00 p.m. For more information, call 905-353-0666 or e-mail info@pulpcomics.ca.

— After falling in defeat to Team Johnny at WrestleMania XXVIII, Team Teddy captain Santino Marella and Theodore Long try to figure out what went wrong in this “WrestleMania hangover” edition of Foreign Exchange.

[vsw id=”wQv0CCPmJTI” source=”youtube” width=”590″ height=”330″ autoplay=”no”]

— The Great Khali appears in the upcoming French film Sur la piste du Marsupilami. The movie poster, which features the WWE Superstar, can be seen here.

— South Florida Sun-Sentinel has published an article on WrestleMania XXVIII. A columnist for the newspaper details his live experience at Sunday’s event at Sun Life Stadium.

— Backstage Fallout following Friday’s episode of SmackDown has Daniel Bryan explaining why he broke up with AJ after she cost him the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXVIII. AJ is then shown being consoled by Kaitlyn, who refuses to answer the WWE reporter’s questions. Former Smackdown General Manager Theodore Long also addresses his new position as John Laurinaitis’ assistant.

[vsw id=”U8Oe880i47k” source=”youtube” width=”590″ height=”330″ autoplay=”no”]

– WrestleMania XXIX will take place one year from today at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Regarding potential weather for the event, the Weather.com forecast today calls for a high of 60 degrees with a low of 39 degrees and winds up to 25 mph.

— “Rowdy” Roddy Piper said on Twitter that he will traveling to Toronto following his appearance at Tuesday’s live SmackDown. He was complimentary of the CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho match at WrestleMania XXVIII, writing, “It stirred many emotions. That’s good thing. I have great respect for @CMPunk and @Iamjericho.”

– Monday’s post-WrestleMania RAW Supershow drew a 3.4 rating with 5,015,000 viewers.  The show did hours of 3.39 and 3.44. Not a great number for the night after a hot WrestleMania, but the show faced stiff competition from the NCAA men’s basketball championship game.

– On Monday’s RAW, we saw the continuation of CM Punk and Chris Jericho’s feud. According to pwinsider.com, CM Punk was scheduled to retain the WWE Title at WrestleMania 28 from the very beginning of the feud being planned.

– William Regal announced today that he will be competing on WWE’s upcoming tour of Europe:

“I found out yesterday that I will be competing on the entire Smackdown tour of Britain and Ireland.Lovely.”

– John Laurinaitis wrote on Twitter that Friday’s SmackDown will be “new and improved” with him in charge.

– We received emails from many fans who were at WrestleMania 28 that their views were obstructed by the giant palm trees that were used around the ring.

– With Team Laurinaitis’ win at WrestleMania 28, John Laurinaitis is now in control of both RAW and SmackDown. WWE is hyping that the “Team Johnny Era” will begin on tonight’s RAW Supershow.

Team Laurinaitis won after Zack Ryder was distracted by Eve Torres and received a Skull Crushing Finale from The Miz. After the match, Eve Torres turned on Zack and kicked him in the junk, apparently completing her heel turn. Ryder tweeted after the match:

“@EveMarieTorres ruined my #WrestleMania moment. I got a low blowski from a hoeski.”

– Big Show is now a Grand Slam Champion after capturing the Intercontinental Championship from Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 28. Big Show has held the WWE title, the World Heavyweight title, the WWE tag titles, the defunct WWE Hardcore title and now the Intercontinental title.There have been eleven other Grand Slam Champions in WWE history. For more on and the other superstars who have reached this, visit Wikipeida.com.

— With Brock Lesnar heavily rumored to appear at tonight’s WrestleMania XXVIII pay-per-view event, it’s worth noting that friend and business partner Paul Heyman has been telling friends that he is not in Miami, Florida.

— The official Facebook page of WWE has posted photos in and around Sun Life Stadium as tonight’s WrestleMania XXVIII approaches. Among those pictured as Brie Bella, Vickie Guerrero, Santino Marella, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Mike Tyson and the white suit John Laurinaitis will don for the Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny match.

source: ProWrestling.net

— WWE posted this photo Wednesday of Rey Mysterio meeting media in Miami, Florida. The account tweeted, “Rey Mysterio talks to Telemundo @holtzchildren @jhsmiami about meeting the kids at the hospital.”

Mysterio stated in recent months that he hoped to return from injury in time for WrestleMania XXVIII, but a match did not come to fruition.

— WWE.com has published an article officially announcing Randy Orton’s starring role in The Marine: Homefront, the third installment of WWE Studios’ Marine franchise. Fans will be able to get a first look at production of the film during this weekend’s WrestleMania Axxess in Miami, where fans can audition for a small role in the screenplay.

Production for the straight-to-video release begins June 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Orton plays a Marine who must rescue his kidnapped daughter.

— Numerous WWE stars were on hand for Lilian Garcia’s concert Wednesday evening at the Gibson Miami Showroom including Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Vickie Guerrero, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Jinder Mahal, Justin Gabriel, Maxine, Titus O’Neil, Aksana and John Laurinaitis.

— Before tonight’s Raw SuperShow at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center, Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis announced two new members of Team Johnny for WrestleMania XXVIII—Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger. They join captain David Otunga, Christian and Mark Henry. Announced for Team Teddy is captain Santino Marella, Kofi Kingston and R-Truth. Both teams will feature six WWE Superstars.

To view Laurinaitis’ video announcement, click here.

— Renowned rapper Flo Rida, whose hits “Wild Ones” and “Good Feeling are the official themes for WrestleMania XXVIII, will perform at the event in Miami, Florida. He will not be the only musical artist appearing at WrestleMania as John Cena invited Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) to perform his entrance theme at the event. (Article link)

— The announced attendance for tonight’s Raw SuperShow at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was a sellout crowd of 18,088.

Matthew Bloom, who previously wrestled as Prince Albert, Albert and A-Train for WWE, denied on Twitter on Saturday that he has signed a contract to return to the promotion after WrestleMania XXVIII as he will be appearing for New Japan Pro Wrestling on their next tour. He also said that he does not know how the rumor got started, calling it “comical.” Regarding the rumor, four WWE sources have said within the past week that he is returning to the organization, with one saying it has been assumed for two months that is was happening. Furthermore, numerous WWE performers were talking about his pending return at Friday’s live event in Montreal, Quebec, Canada after being informed by management of the news.

A source close to creative says he is set for “a big push” upon his return to WWE programming in April as a villainous henchman for Raw Interim General Manager and Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis. F4WOnline.com reported that there has been talk of Bloom feuding with John Cena since the Raw Superstar does not have a post-WrestleMania XXVIII program in place at the moment. However, the note of Bloom possibly feuding with Cena has since been deleted.

Bloom, who will turn 40 years old in November, previously competed for WWE from 1999 to 2004 as a mid-card wrestler. He tore his rotator cuff in June 2004 and was released from his contract before returning from the injury. He would go on to achieve greater success in Japan as Giant Bernard in a tag team partnership with Karl Anderson.

sources: F4WOnline.com, PWInsider.com

WWE has reportedly signed Matthew Bloom, 39, to a contract to return to the organization as a performer. He previously worked for WWE from 1999 to 2004 as Albert and A-Train, which included a brief reign as Intercontinental Champion.

Bloom has achieved great success in Japan since parting ways with WWE, having won the IWGP Tag Team Championship with Karl Anderson on two occasions (they hold the record for the longest reign and the most defenses). They were also Tag Team Champions in Pro Wrestling NOAH.

He is scheduled to return as a henchman in April for Raw Interim General Manager and WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis.

sources: F4WOnline.com, PWInsider.com

— Raw Interim General Manager and WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis, who takes the reins as the board-appointed General Manager of SmackDown on Friday, teased a Steel Cage Match for the show via Twitter. He wrote Thursday afternoon,

“A U.S. Title rematch between @milanmiracle and @RealJackSwagger would make #SmackDown REALLY special. And I’ve always loved steel cages …”

— LocalBozo.com conducted an interview with Edge promoting WWE Studios’ latest release – Bending the Rules. The Rated-R Superstar provided insight into his current state of contentment in retirement, his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame and speech, whether he considers himself an actor now, whether he’ll work with WWE again and more.

— WWE.com has published a photo gallery of WrestleMania VIII, which featured Ric Flair defending the WWE Championship against “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

— With SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long taking control of Raw Supershow Monday night, he announced last Friday on SmackDown that David Otunga would face The Great Khali in a singles match. The match did not take place despite his announcement and being advertised on WWE.com. Instead, Otunga accompanied John Laurinaitis ringside for the United States Championship Match between Jack Swagger and Santino Marella while Khali squashed Curt Hawkins in a pre-show dark match.

— The Miz debuted a new T-Shirt on Monday’s Raw SuperShow prior to his encounter with Big Show. The shirt, which is labeled The Miz Onslaught of Awesomeness Augmented Reality Authentic T-Shirt, is available for purchase on WWEShop.com.

— WWE.com has published a photo gallery highlighting Lex Luger’s career with World Championship Wrestling.

— Former WWF star Killer Khan turns 65 years old Tuesday while former WCW United States Heavyweight Champion David Flair turns 33.