– WWE announced Wednesday that Rey Mysterio has been removed from SmackDown’s upcoming live tour of Egypt due to an illness. SmackDown Superstar Ted DiBiase will be added to the tour in his place.

– In the following video, Brodus Clay promotes Hot Pocket’s “Pocket Like It’s Hot” music video, available at www.facebook.com/hotpockets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGeQGfwT4Tg

– WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is featured in the “Superstar Spotlight” today on WWE.com.

– Delayed one week due to Rey Mysterio having the flu, Mysterio and Sin Cara will face Team Rhodes Scholars next Monday on Raw in the Tag Team Tournament Final. The winners will then face WWE Tag Team Champions Kane and Daniel Bryan at Hell in a Cell.

– During a backstage segment on Raw, Daniel Bryan challenged Kane to take on Big Show on next week’s show since he found it humorous that he was chokeslammed by The World’s Largest Athlete.

– One match was taped Monday in Nashville, Tennessee for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars as Kaitlyn faced off against Beth Phoenix.

In a pre-taping dark match, Tensai defeated Michael McGillicutty. According to a correspondent, Tensai drew a lot of heat as well as ‘Albert’ chants during his entrance, but the audience became quiet once the match took place.

– Layla and R-Truth appear at the Verizon Wireless Store 1947 Mount Zion Rd. Morrow, Georgia on Saturday, Oct. 27 beginning at 3:00 p.m. Call 770-210-4019 for more information.

(source: ProWrestling.net)

– At the conclusion of Raw Monday, Vince McMahon presented WWE Champion CM Punk with an ultimatum: at Hell in a Cell, he would either face John Cena or Ryback. And if Punk hadn’t made up his mind in seven days, The Chairman said he would make it for him.

– The finals of the WWE Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contenders’ Tournament will be determined next week on Raw as Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara take on Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. On Monday’s show, Mysterio and Cara defeated The Prime Time Players while Team Rhodes Scholars beat Santino Marella and Zack Ryder.

– WWE has released a promotional video hyping a match between Randy Orton and Big Show this Wednesday on WWE Main Event on ION Television. (Watch)

– Per a huge announcement by SmackDown General Manager Booker T, Kane and Daniel Bryan will defend the WWE Tag Team Championship on Oct. 28 at Hell in a Cell against the winners of an eight-team tournament.

The bracket revealed on SmackDown showed the following first-round match-ups: Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow) vs. Jimmy and Jey Uso; Santino Marella and Zack Ryder vs. Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd; Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vs. The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O’Neil); and Epico and Primo vs. Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara.

– This week on “Backstage Fallout” for SmackDown, The Miz addressed the chaos on “Miz TV,” which resulted in the show’s host being punched in the face by World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus. Wade Barrett also boasted about his dominance after defeating Zack Ryder. Plus, Big Show talks about becoming the No. 1 contender to World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus at Hell in a Cell. (Watch)

– At Sunday’s Raw live event in Worcester, Massachusetts, WWE Champion CM Punk made an obscure reference to a TNA Wrestling talent.

The show opened with Punk and Raw General Manager AJ Lee discussing the night’s main event since Punk’s originally scheduled opponent, John Cena, was unable to appear due to injury. During the verbal exchange, Punk referred to Lee as “Allen Jones,” the real name of AJ Styles.

Lee announced Big Show as Punk’s replacement opponent and that it would be a Lumberjack Match. Big Show performed as a babyface and won the match via disqualification after Punk struck him with a chair. Following the match, Punk assaulted Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara. As he was celebrating, Big Show struck him with the WMD to end the show on a high note.

– WWE developmental wrestler Dean Ambrose faced Michael McGillicutty at all three Raw live events this weekend. McGillicutty beat Ambrose cleanly in all three bouts.

– The late Big Bossman is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

(source: ProWrestling.net)

– In this week’s “Backstage Fallout” for Raw, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara respond to The Prime Time Players’ attack from behind. Plus, Layla suspects Eve had something to do with Kaitlyn’s being viciously attacked at Night of Champions, Wade Barrett discusses his future plans and Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vow to regain the WWE Tag Team Championship from Daniel Bryan and Kane.

http://youtu.be/V-qgFn0xlUDcY

– The official WWE website announced last week that a new Bret Hart video title, Bret Hart: Unreleased Matches, will be released on March 5, 2013. The WWE Hall of Famer is giving input to the project.

He tweeted Tuesday, “Starting to review matches for the new “Unreleased Matches” DVD.”

It was announced on Friday’s SmackDown that The Miz will defend the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara and Cody Rhodes in a Fatal 4-Way Match this Sunday at Night of Champions.

With the addition of the match, all six titles will be at stake at Night of Champions. The United States Championship Match will be set on the pre-show when the winner of a battle royal advances to the pay-per-view to challenge Antonio Cesaro.

* WWE Champion CM Punk vs. John Cena

* WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes

* WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio

* Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler

* WWE Tag Team Champions R-Truth and Kofi Kingston vs. Kane and Daniel Bryan

* WWE Divas Champion Layla vs. Kaitlyn

* Pre-Show Battle Royal to name No. 1 Contender to WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro

– With WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart returning to the scene of the Montreal Screwjob for the first time in 15 years on Monday’s WWE RAW, WWE is encouraging fans to tweet their favorite Bret Hart memories with the hashtag #BretMemories. WWE will select some of the tweets and feature them on the new WWE app.

– We reported earlier this week that WWE has big plans for the new Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara tag team, with the duo slated to win the WWE tag titles, break up and then eventually wrestle at WrestleMania 29.

The latest on this situation is that Rey Mysterio would likely play the heel in this feud, despite some resistance from several people in management. Mysterio is in the twilight of his career, a legend and still moves a ton of merchandise, but the feeling is that Sin Cara has a better chance of getting over as a babyface.

On Monday’s RAW, we saw masked luchadors Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara join forces as a tag team. According to a report at PWInsider.com, WWE is looking forward to having the two superstars wrestle each other at WrestleMania 29 next April.

WWE originally planned a Mysterio vs. Sin Cara match at WrestleMania 28, with the idea being that WWE would hand out Mysterio and Sin Cara masks to the audience and set the Guinness World Record for the most masks worn in a public gathering. Both wrestlers were injured prior to the pay-per-view, which put those plans on hold. WWE has not given up on this spectacle.

The Mysterio & Sin Cara pairing is also being done because Mysterio is not 100% healthy right now and they want to use Mysterio to strongly endorse Cara, get his fans to follow the young grappler and pass the torch to him as WWE’s next great Mexican hero.

There is a good chance Mysterio and Sin Cara will win the WWE tag titles prior to breaking up and wrestling at WrestleMania 29. Current plans call for the Prime Time Players to get a run with the gold, which would lead to Mysterio & Sin Cara chasing them this fall.

Rey Mysterio was recently interviewed by PJStar.com and talked about the concussion he suffered at WWE SummerSlam during his match with The Miz.

“I did an impact test on Monday in Fresno, Calif., and the results were not too good. There will be an impact test later (Thursday) and first thing tomorrow and we’re going on that. The WWE is strict on its (Wellness) policy right now.”

After a string in recent years, Mysterio was asked once again whether he’s considering retirement. He said:

“No, not at all. After this surgery, it kind of set me back almost a year trying to get my knee back in shape and recovered. I have my limitations as far as what I can do in the ring, but I manage to be creative with my style. I think that is what keeps me still able to perform for my fans. As long as I keep doing that, I’m good to go.”

WWE.com announced Wednesday that Rey Mysterio suffered a concussion during his match Sunday against The Miz at SummerSlam.

The website notes that according to a backstage source, WWE personnel “suspected [a concussion] because he hit his head.” The following day, precautionary impact testing was conducted and “showed that [Mysterio] is below baseline, which means he sustained some sort of concussion.”

The website has confirmed that Mysterio is not medically cleared to compete at this time. The San Diego native did not appear on Raw or SmackDown, and has been removed from all events through a least this coming weekend.

During the Intercontinental Championship Match, The Miz executed a “brutal sit-down powerbomb” which snapped Mysterio’s head against the canvas. WWE.com attributes the trauma suffered from the maneuver to The Awesome One’s successful title defense.

WWE physician Michael Sampson says Mysterio “had the first [test] on Monday, which showed us that he was below baseline. The physical exam was normal, but neuropsych testing was below normal. That’s the beauty of neuropsych testing. Based on reaction time and memory, we can measure on a computer, and he was below his baseline. That saves [Mysterio] from causing further injury from the concussion.”

WWE.com has confirmed that Mysterio will not return to the squared circle until he is at baseline and passes an exertion test. “To be determined at baseline, Mysterio must pass the aforementioned impact/neuropsych test later in the week. Only then will he be permitted to undergo exertion testing,” the website notes.

WWE.com’s backstage source estimates that Mysterio “will probably be taking [the impact test today] if he’s still symptom-free, or later on this week.”

The full story is available here.

– Speaking to WWE Magazine, CM Punk explains why he tapes up his wrists for every match.

“With taping up my wrists, there’s both an aesthetic and a utilitarian purpose,” he says. “Obviously, I’m big on imagery with Straight Edge. As for X’ing up the current CM Punk, mostly uses red pen—it’s my favorite color. But on the other end of the spectrum, taping up my hands and wrists helps me grip whomever I’m wrestling as well as the ropes. If I have a strained wrist, you’d never know thanks to the tape job. So it’s both functional, and it looks cool. Plus, it takes less than a minute to tape up both wrists, so it’s certainly not a time consuming process.”

– Legends of the Ring has announced they will be participate in the WrestleCon festivities that are taking place WrestleMania weekend 2013 April 5-7 with an event at Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. Names scheduled to appear include The Honky Tonk Man, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, Demolition Ax, Demolition Smash, Kamala “The Ugandan Giant,” Mr. Fuji, Ken Patera and Tito Santana. (Event Information)

– Rey Mysterio is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.

Rey Mysterio was interviewed by FOX affiliate KTBC-TV out of Austin, Texas this week to promote Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings.

During the interview, Mysterio discusses WWE’s recent tour of Asia, wrestling since he was 14 years old, keeping up his intensity and desire to wrestle over the years and much more.

Mysterio revealed that he currently owns around 500 wrestling masks. Mysterio and the interviewer talk about growing up watching WWE Hall of Famer Mil Mascaras as kids and the strong Hispanic community in Austin, Texas.

Mysterio also talked about signing autographs for fans and WWE’s anti-bullying campaign.

Here is video from the appearance:

– Raw General Manager AJ Lee announced Monday evening via Twitterthat The Miz will defend the Intercontinental Championship this Sunday at SummerSlam.

“As Raw GM, I’ve decided at #Summerslam this Sunday, @Mikethemiz will defend his Intercontinental title vs @reymysterio .How awesome is that?” she wrote.

– Tenille Tayla stated on Twitter that her name in WWE developmental promotion Florida Championship Wrestling is Emma.

“You may now call me…. EMMA!! New ring name – check! Let’s get this show on the road ;) Ready or not here I come #WWE #NXT #DIVA,” she wrote Monday.

The 23-year-old Australian wrestler reported to FCW last month after a year a on the sidelines due to shoulder surgery.

– Former professional wrestler Mike Graham is doing a weekly radio show in Tampa, Florida at WHNZ at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday evenings. (Thanks to Mark Schreiner)

Check out the following pictures from Rey Mysterio unmasked at this weekend’s WWE SmackDown live events tour of Asia:

[nggallery id=53]

– On August 25, WWE returns to a kids’ television time slot with WWE Saturday Morning Slam as part of a five-hour television block on The CW. According to F4WOnline.com, kid-friendly Superstar Hornswoggle is under consideration to host the show. WWE officials have long-term plans for the show as they want it to be a success rather than another program with minimal effort put in that ultimately falls by the wayside.

The official description for WWE Saturday Morning Slam reads: “WWE Saturday Morning Slam packs the riveting in-ring action, the larger-than-life WWE Superstars, and WWE’s kid-friendly entertainment into the fastest, most energy-filled half-hour on television. WWE Superstar profiles, behind-the-scenes footage and an exclusive WWE match every week will all combine to make WWE Saturday Morning Slam the perfect destination for the youngest viewers in the WWE Universe.”

– Rey Mysterio is featured on the cover of the September 2012 issue of WWE Magazine with the headline reading: “MYSTERIO AIR 619 CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF!” Included are interviews with Triple H, Daniel Bryan and Booker T.

– Eve noted on Twitter Friday, “I’ve scheduled an important meeting on #SmackDown tonight…”

— The Manila Standard Today has an article up on Rey Mysterio’s international promotional tour, which you can read at this link. Mysterio will be visiting Manila, Japan, China and Taiwan during the tour. Mysterio stopped in Manila first, where he was part of a meet-and-greet prior to appearing at the finals of the Philippines’s pro basketball league at SMART Araneta Coliseum. While there, Mysterio presented the league’s commissioner with a replica WWE Title belt. WWE Smackdown and Bottom Line airs on AKTV in the Philippines, which is the country’s first free TV channel dedicated to sports. The reason that Mysterio was selected to promote Smackdown programming on this tour was due to his strong international appeal.

– The following matches will air on this week’s WWE Superstars:

* Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel vs. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks
* Zack Ryder vs. Michael McGillicutty
* Layla vs. Natalya
* Sin Cara vs. Drew McIntyre

– WWE spokesman Brian Flinn recently spoke out on the latest criticism aimed at WWE during Linda McMahon’s Connecticut Senate campaign, claiming that the WWE TV product is violent. Linda’s chief opponent, Chris Shays, has previously stated that McMahon benefited from violence and brutality as CEO of WWE. Here is what Flinn had to say:

“WWE’s 13 million weekly TV viewers and our 100 million social media followers would disagree that WWE’s content is violent. WWE programming is TV-PG and family friendly, with women making up nearly 40 percent of our audience. Contrary to the assertion about our content, WWE is in the business of putting smiles on people’s faces.”

– Suspended WWE superstar Randy Orton is scheduled to return to television week at Monday’s RAW Supershow from Cincinnati, OH. He is also expected to appear at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from Indianapolis, IN.

As we’ve been reporting, Orton will be returning to the main event scene. Although WWE is typically hesitant to push wrestlers with two srikes against them,

– Rey Mysterio tweeted the following about his upcoming trip to the Philapines and Taiwan for a WWE promotional tour:

“Thank u Missouri for the love on Mon & Tues @ Raw & SD!! On my way to Manila & Taiwan,619 luv”

* Who RANDY ORTON Will Feud With This Fall & News For Next Week’s RAW

WWE has announced the following attractions for the 2012 SummerSlam Fan Axxess event:

The Main Event – Live matches and Q&As featuring WWE Superstars, plus a ton of contests where you can win prizes.

Superstar Signings – Get an autograph with your favorite WWE Superstar or Diva at stations located throughout SummerSlam Axxess.

VIP Superstar Signings** – Get the full VIP experience at Axxess: exclusive ringside access at Main Event and a special autograph and professional photo with a top WWE Superstar of your choice, including John Cena, Triple H, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio and more!

WWE Studios Walk of Fame – NEW FOR 2012! Strike a pose on our star-studded red carpet and immortalize the moment with a photo souvenir!

Money in the Bank Photo Shoot – NEW FOR 2012! Here is your shot at the Money in the Bank briefcase and winning a future WWE Title bout — take a photo and share with your friends and family!

Roaming Tattoos – The world is divided into two kinds of people; those who have tattoos and those who are afraid of people with tattoos; which one are you? Get a WWE-themed airbrush tattoo from one of the many roaming tattoo artists!

Rise Against Hate Climbing Wall – Show your strength and see if you can climb this 26-foot-tall wall!

WWE Championship Titles – Get up close and personal with these memorabilia displays. Fans will check out past and present WWE Championship titles.

National Guard – National Guard is the proud presenting sponsor of SummerSlam Axxess 2012!

Mattel’s WWE Action Figure Headquarters – Experience the exciting action of WWE with the newest Mattel toy line, WWE Brawlin’ Buddies.

“WWE ’13” Video Game Zone Presented by THQ – Check out “WWE ’13,” the ALL NEW WWE video game from THQ featuring epic storylines from the Attitude Era and the largest roster of WWE Superstars, and Divas, past and present to date! Be one of the first to play the game at the “WWE ’13” Game Zone! (In-store Oct. 30, 2012!)

Be on the Cover of “WWE ’13” – WWE fans, now is your chance to be on the cover of “WWE ’13”! Take a picture and take home your custom “WWE ’13” cover. Upload and share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter instantly!

THQ Roster Reveal – Who made the cut this year for the “WWE ’13” roster? Find out as the roster of Superstars, Divas and Legends are announced LIVE in the ring!

– Madusa, who captured the WWE Women’s Championship as Alundra Blayze, says she will not be on hand for tonight’s historic 1000th episode of Raw due to “prior engagements.”

“Good luck, congrats and many blessings to all that have a wonderful and historical time at WWE 1000 epic night! Don’t forget to watch….. Your one and only …..STILL WWE’s/WWF’s champion! Just to set it straight… I will not be there. Prior engagements,” she wrote on Facebook.

Shane Helms, formerly known as The Hurricane, also confirmed that he will not be on the show due to his contractual status with another wrestling organization.

– Rey Mysterio is scheduled to face Daniel Bryan at the August 9 SmackDown live event in Tokyo, Japan.

– Sid Vicious spoke to Memphisport.com about his son Frank not telling other Big Brother houseguests who his dad and possibly appearing on tonight’s historic Raw episode celebrating 1,000 episodes.

(source: PWInsider.com)

– Major rock band Green Day is in St. Louis, staying reportedly at the WWE Hotel There is no confirmation on weather they will be on RAW1000 tonight or not. The Smackdown theme song is “Do You Know Your Enemy?” By Green Day.

— WWE has stopped airing reruns of WCW Monday Nitro on its Classics On Demand service. The last Nitro aired was from September 1998 featuring Warrior vs. Hollywood Hogan. The Monday Night Wars program was hosted with Matt Striker, showing that weeks episode of Raw as well. RAW will continue to air as The History of Monday Night RAW.

— Rey Mysterio vs. Daniel Bryan has been added to the August 9th SmackDown show in Tokyo, Japan.

– The FCW Heavyweight Championship has changed hands once again. Richie Steamboat defeated Rick Victor at this weekend’s live event from St. Augustine to capture the title.

– FCW star Xavier Woods is on the road with the SmackDown brand this weekend.

– Rey Mysterio has tweeted a thank you message to fans for supporting him through his rough few months:

It's been almost a year since I've been in the ring & want to take the time now to thank every single one of U that has been supporting me!

— ?Rey Mysterio? (@reymysterio) July 20, 2012

Thanx 4 believing & 4 all the love,but most important I thank God 4 letting me do what I love! Perform 4 all of U! 1 love,, RM619

— ?Rey Mysterio? (@reymysterio) July 20, 2012

WWE.com currently features an interview with Rey Mysterio, who returned to Monday’s RAW Supershow after months off television. Here are some highlights of what Mysterio said about:

Returning On RAW: I tell you, it was overwhelming, the amount of crowd reaction that I received tonight. It was insane. It’s almost been a year, since August, that I’ve been in the ring. I would’t change it for nothing in the world, I’ll tell you that. It is the best feeling in the world, to be able to be out there and perform for your crowd.”

Getting Revenge On Albero Del Rio: “Well, I definitely got a piece of what I wanted tonight. I didn’t eat the whole pie, I got a slice of it, But, there’s plenty of time and Rey comes back with vengeance. He’s going to take care of business that should have been taken a long time ago. Unfortunately, it hasn’t. But again: I am back and I am back to stay and I’m back to take care of business. Alberto Del Rio, he’s going to see me around.”

* WWE’s Plans For RANDY ORTON When He Returns, Major Heat On WWE Diva

– Both Stephanie McMahon and Jim Ross will be in St. Louis, Missouri next Monday, the site of that day’s unprecedented 1000th Raw episode.

The WWE Hall of Famer appeared Wednesday on KREF Sports Talk 1400 The Ref and confirmed he would be on the show. He said he has no idea what his role will be.

McMahon, who participated in a Twitter chat Tuesday and hinted but did not confirm an appearance on Raw, will be in the area that day for a ‘be a STAR’ anti-bullying at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater St. Louis’ Herbert Hoover location (2901 N. Grand Ave.). She will be joined World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, The Miz, Eve and American Idol finalist James Durbin. Click here for event details.

– WWE.com has posted a list counting down Rey Mysterio’s ten greatest matches since his 2002 debut in the sports entertainment promotion. His gripping bout against Chris Jericho at The Bash on June 28, 2009 tops the list. Other matches ranked as his greatest include his encounter with Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania 21, winning the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22, a Falls Count Anywhere affair with Chavo Guerreroa at No Mercy (2006) and facing Shawn Michaels on the Eddie Guerrero tribute episode of Raw on November 14, 2005.

– WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper is today’s spotlighted Superstar on WWE.com.

(source: PWInsider.com)

– Rey Mysterio returns to action at tomorrow night’s SmackDown taping in San Diego, California. The official website of the Valley View Casino is advertising a tag team match featuring Mysterio and John Cena against Big Show and John Laurinaitis.

The masked grappler has been out of action for nearly a year due to injury, a Talent Wellness Program violation and WWE’s refusal to utilize him post-suspension. WWE is not advertising Mysterio for other upcoming events.

– Former WWE Women’s Champion Melina appears for Maryland Championship Wrestling on Saturday, August 25, 2012 at The Green Room in Dundalk, Maryland (2401-G North Point Blvd.) She will be on hand for a meet-and-greet/autograph signing.

– AJ is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com. The website has also put up a poll asking whether she has lost CM Punk or Daniel Bryan following the WWE Championship Match at Money in the Bank.