IGN.com features an interview with multi-time WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus promoting the USA Network’s revival of Tough Enough, who appears as a trainer on the show. She notes that many of the contestants have previous wrestling experience.

“A lot of the contestants have a background,” Stratus said. “They come from wrestling backgrounds. They’ve been doing it for a few years, but it’s an entirely different thing to be doing it on the big stage and to do it professionally and to do it with the grind of the big WWE machine.”

Stratus said of current WWE talent, Natalya is “untapped.”

She explained, “Fans are starting to get to know her more and more and I’m just waiting for the day where she goes out there and really can do her thing because I don’t think she’s been given the opportunity to really get out there and show everybody what she’s got.”

In light of Sunny’s induction into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class, Stratus suggested that Chyna be enshrined next.

“I think Chyna should be next in because she did a lot of stuff to bring attention to the women’s division itself and just presented women as a different thing,” Stratus said. “I think fans were conditioned to see women as eye candy for a long, long time and she really broke the mold with that.”

Stratus also discusses her favorite opponent, her favorite WrestleMania match, incorporating yoga into the Tough Enough contestants’ warming up regimen, as well as the program. The article can be read here.

— Vince McMahon opened tonight’s Raw to announce that on next week’s show, the host of WrestleMania XXVII will be revealed.

McMahon’s announcement wasn’t written into the script for tonight’s Raw. It was merely labeled as a McMahon segment.

— Michael Cole noted over commentary tonight on Raw that Natalya will receive a shot at Eve’s Divas Championship on next week’s show.

The third-generation wrestler lost the title in a Fatal 4-Way Match at the Royal Rumble without being pinned.

source: PWInsider.com

— WWE.com has announced that Natalya will defend the Divas Championship against Melina tonight on Raw.

Melina became the No. 1 contender to the Divas Title on Dec. 20 by defeating Eve and Alicia Fox in a Triple Threat Match. She then slapped Natalya, effectively turning heel.

— Michael Tarver, who resurfaced on Friday’s SmackDown in a backstage segment, is scheduled to work the brand going forward.

— Former WWE star Ricky Ortiz, now known as Ricky Young, is advertised for this Saturday’s I Believe in Wrestling event at the Downtown Rec Complex in Orlando, Florida. Also scheduled is Sean and Phil Davis vs. Ray Beez and Milo Beasley, CHIKARA wrestler Lince Dorado, Alex Porteau, Larry Zbyszko and Scott Hall in a non-wrestling appearance.

source: www.f4wonline.com

— Melina earned No. 1 contender status to the Divas Championship as a result of her victory over Alicia Fox and Eve in a Triple Threat Match on Raw. Melina then slapped Natalya, who had congratulated her.

— David Hart Smith vs. Zack Ryder and The Usos vs. Yoshi Tatsu and Darren Young were taped Monday night in Austin, Texas for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars.

— WWE developmental wrestler Percy Watson beat Primo in a dark match prior to Monday’s Raw taping.

— The conclusion to last night’s Divas Tag Team Tables Match between Michelle McCool & Layla and Beth Phoenix & Natalya reportedly went as planned as the table used in the bout was tested beforehand to make sure that it would not break when the Divas Champion shoved Lay-Cool off the turnbuckle. Natalya then splashed them to break the table, giving her and Phoenix the win.

— WWE’s next special edition magazine will be a “Year in Photos” issue, featuring hundreds of photos from the past year.

— Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez worked under under a mask at Friday’s Florida Championship Wrestling Christmas Supershow in Fort Myers, Florida, losing to Richie Steamboat. He performed as Chimaera, a character he portrayed on the independent circuit before joining WWE.

source: f4wonline.com

— Last night on Raw, the anonymous General Manager arranged Lay-Cool vs. Beth Phoenix and Divas Champion Natalya for Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view in the first-ever Divas Tag Team Table Match. The match was concocted in response to Mickie James battling Tara in a Steel Cage Match last Thursday on TNA Wrestling’s iMPACT!.

— David Arquette was said to be a delight backstage at last night’s Raw. The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion spent time chatting with most everyone locker room, a stark contrast to numerous celebrities who solely acknowledge the top stars.

— The terms Slammys and David Arquette were trending worldwide on Twitter last night during Raw.

— Triple H is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Inside Wrestling.

source: f4wonline.com

— WWE officials paid a visit to the company’s Tampa based developmental facility this week interviewing contracted talent about participating in the revival of Tough Enough on the USA Network. Previous seasons of the program solely featured unsigned talent.

The casting process is expected to conclude next month with the series likely debuting in the spring.

— Natalya noted on Twitter that a Santa’s Little Helper Match will take place at Tribute to the Troops, which is being taped this Saturday in Fort Hood, Texas.

She wrote, “Looking for a santas helper outfit for tribute to the troops- but santa’s helpers aren’t as built in the front and the back as this one!”

— The NFL’s Tennessee Titans are preparing to oppose WWE’s registration of the trademark ‘Titantron’.

source: PWInsider.com

— Current creative plans call for Melina to turn heel and feud with Divas Champion Natalya. It’s expected to be a slow turn. The idea was first conceived a few weeks ago and it said that Melina garnered heat because she was negative about going bad.

Meanwhile, a renewed on-screen relationship with John Morrison which was recently teased on Monday Night Raw is considered a dead idea.

— Creative has devised long-term storyline plans for Randy Orton, The Miz, Sheamus, Edge, John Cena and The Nexus through February.

— The pre-sale code for the Jan. 31 Monday Night Raw taping at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island is ORTON. Tickets for the pre-sale are on sale now through Friday morning via Ticketmaster.com.

sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, PWInsider.com

— Multi-time WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus congratulated Natalya on winning the Divas Championship last night at the Survivor Series, her first title capture in the company.

She wrote on Twitter: “Big PPV last nite! Congrats to my girl @natbynature on becoming new Divas Champ–so proud! And welcome back @thebethphoenix…I see some good wrestling on the horizon ~T”

Beth Phoenix, who saved Natalya from a Lay-Cool beatdown following the match, added, “Congrats Nattie. Few people know how hard and long you worked for this moment. I’m so proud of you, my friend. Enjoy your moment.”

— Former WWE star Paul London and his brother have made it to the final round of casting for a spot on the CBS reality game show The Amazing Race. They’ll know soon if they make the cast.

— Luke Gallows will discuss his release from WWE tonight on Right After Wrestling at 11:05 p.m. The show airs on SIRIUS Radio Channel 98 and at www.thescore.com/radio.

— The current Diva-exclusive season of NXT — coupled with an ongoing recruitment drive by WWE officials to hire more models, which it can train as professional wrestlers — indicate that cuts will be made to the female roster in due time.

According to the UK based wrestling magazine, Power Slam, the list of females whose jobs are considered safe in the company is limited to Michelle McCool, Layla, Beth Phoenix, Maryse, Kelly Kelly, Melina, and “possibly” Natalya and Eve Torres.

Those not listed are considered expendable by officials.

— Maxine, who was eliminated from NXT on Tuesday’s show, commented on why she believes she was expelled from the contest in an interview with nxt.wwe.com.

“The WWE Universe doesn’t always warm up to the bad girl. I think it’s much easier to really like somebody that’s overly perky and nice,” she stated. “I feel like I’m more of a leader, I’m not a follower. I make my own path and I think that’s the way to go.”

— Besides a few people who viewed the script for Monday’s Raw, former talent Lita’s surprise appearance was kept a secret until she walked into the Nassau Coliseum. (source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

— It was announced on Friday’s SmackDown that Lay-Cool member Layla would defend the Divas Championship against Natalya at Bragging Rights, as opposed to Michelle McCool. The WWE website has updated its preview page for the match to reflect the announcement, removing McCool’s image.

— WWE Studios’ much anticipated Knucklehead opens today in theaters for a “special limited engagement.” For a complete list of theater locations, click here.

— The promotional poster for Survivor Series has been updated to solely feature Wade Barrett. The previous poster featured the seven member slate of Nexus; two of which are inactive due to injury (Skip Sheffield and Michael Tarver), while Darren Young is no longer affiliated with the group. Check out the poster:

It was announced during this week’s episode of SmackDown, which has already aired overseas, that the member of Lay-Cool defending the WWE Divas Championship against Natalya at Sunday’s Bragging Rights pay-per-view is Layla.

Tonight’s SmackDown features a segment where Lay-Cool mocks Natalya’s family as Layla appears dressed up as Natalya’s father, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, while Michelle McCool comes out as Bret Hart. A match pitting Lay-Cool against Natalya and Kelly Kelly subsequently takes place, with the babyfaces coming out victorious.

— The official website of the American Airlines Arena, venue for Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event, is advertising a Unified WWE Divas Championship Match between Michelle McCool and Natalya.

WWE has yet to announce the match for the event.

— WWE will be holding an event called “WWE Fan Appreciation Day” on October 30, 2010 at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Bell time is 3:00 PM. Tickets go on sale October 5, 2010 at noon. Scheduled to appear are The Undertaker, Kane, John Cena, The Big Show, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Wade Barrett, Edge, Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

— A pre-sale is currently being held on Ticketmaster.com for the December 30, 2010 SmackDown live event at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The promotion code is “Access” and it runs through Friday evening.

(sources: Pro Wrestling Torch, PWInsider.com, www.f4wonline.com)

— John Morrison is currently nursing an ankle injury, thus explaining why he has not been featured on television as of late. It remains unknown the injury occurred, but he headed into the May 16 Raw live event in London, Ontario injured. That night, he worked a brief match with Vladimir Kozlov and was noticeably limping on his way to the backstage area. He was also favoring the ankle while signing autographs after the show.

There is no word yet on when he’ll return to action, but it doesn’t appear serious. He was backstage at Monday’s Raw taping and was said to be moving around well.

– The tentative title for WWE’s planned DVD release on Randy Orton later this year is Randy Orton: The Viper Uncoiled.

— It was Natalya’s birthday yesterday as she turned 28 years old.

— The latest issue of the Wrestling Observer says Tyson Kidd is booked to appear at WrestleMania Axxess during this year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony, thus meaning he won’t be there for Stu Hart’s induction. According to the WWE website, fellow Hart Dynasty members David Hart Smith and Natalya are also booked to appear at WrestleMania Axxess that evening. It should be noted however that the induction ceremony is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. MST with their scheduled appearance at WrestleMania Axxess session starting at 7:30 p.m. They should be able to do both providing that the induction ceremony doesn’t run longer than three hours as the Dodge Theatre is within walking distance of the venue WrestleMania Axxess is being held at. With that being said, the induction of Stu Hart is expected to close out the show as he is the event’s headliner.

— WWE Divas Champion Maryse has posted a blog on her official website saying she eats a piece of chocolate cake every day.

“For those who really know me, its NOT a surprise to see me eat a piece of chocolate cake,” she wrote. “I DO have one everyday of my life, its not a lie! After all, french women don’t get fat, soooo yeah, hate me !!!”