CM Punk crashed the joint Mattel/WWE panel—WWE: Past, Present and Future—this afternoon at the San Diego Comic-Con, featuring Triple H, Rey Mysterio and WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart.

Punk announced himself via bullhorn and then, with the WWE Championship in hand, sauntered to the designated question-asking microphone and began to speak. The Straight Edge Superstar took exception to WWE attempting to crown a new champion on Raw and then challenged Mysterio, or anyone else who wanted to be champ, to head out to Chicago to take him on.

Punk then asked Triple H and creative writer Brian Gewirtz why Zack Ryder wasn’t on television. Triple H, in what appeared to be a kayfabe response, told Punk that things had changed on Raw and there was a new regime. He told Punk to give him a call. Punk responded by telling Hunter that he was certain Stephanie had his number.

As you’ll notice – Punk is once again wearing a Stone Cold Steve Austin t-shirt, another sign that Punk is hoping to eventually get Austin to come out of retirement for one more match.

Here’s the video footage of the incident:

— A commercial aired during tonight’s episode of NXT: Redemption promoting next week’s episode of Raw as the first show of the “post-McMahon Era.”

Also advertised is the final round of the WWE Championship Tournament as Rey Mysterio and The Miz will face off to determine the new title holder.

— Two days past his title victory over Randy Orton, Christian defeated The Viper once again in a dark match at tonight’s SmackDown taping in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The eight minute long championship match concluded with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase distracted Orton, allowing Christian to roll up his opponent.

— Former WWE talent Sean Waltman stated last night on Twitter that the final few minutes of Triple H and Vince McMahon’s segment on Raw was “the real deal.” Waltman has since clarified his remarks.

— The July 16 episode of A.M. Raw on the USA Network garnered a 0.67 cable rating, with 821,000 viewers overall.

source: PWInsider.com

– With Sin Cara’s future in WWE unknown, Rey Mysterio is expected to get a huge push this summer. Apparently there is something big planned for Mysterio at Summerslam and the following night’s RAW in San Diego.

– According to Bryan Alvarez, Vince McMahon is expected to be backstage at Summerslam although it’s unknown if he will appear on camera.

– Randy Orton vs. Christian in a no-disqualification match for the World Heavyweight championship is being discussed for SummerSlam next month.

(Source: F4WOnline.com)

In the final round of the WWE Championship Tournament, Rey Mysterio and The Miz meet next week on Raw to determine the undisputed title holder.

Vince McMahon announced at the top of the show that eight of the top Superstars would compete in a WWE Championship Tournament and that a new titleholder would be determined that night. Before Mysterio and The Miz could compete in the final round of the WWE Championship Tournament, McMahon demanded that the ring be cleared due to important business he had to conduct. Triple H then informed McMahon that he had been relieved of his duties as WWE Chairman and that he would be taking his place.

WWE Championship Tournament Results

* The Miz defeated Alex Riley in the first round of the WWE Championship Tournament

* R-Truth defeated Jack Swagger in the first round of the WWE Championship Tournament

* Kofi Kingston defeated Alberto Del Rio in the first round of the WWE Championship Tournament

* Rey Mysterio defeated Dolph Ziggler in the first round of the WWE Championship Tournament

* The Miz defeated Kofi Kingston in the second round of the WWE Championship Tournament

* Rey Mysterio defeated R-Truth in the second round of the WWE Championship Tournament

– Rey Mysterio was reportedly not at Monday’s RAW because he was at home resting up for Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

– Tough Enough coach Bill DeMott told a fan on Twitter this week that  “if and when” there is a second season of Tough Enough, he coaches will most likely remain Steve Austin, Trish Stratus, Booker T and himself.

– Stan sent word that Monday’s 2-hour episode of WWE RAW featured only 24 minutes and 15 seconds of in-ring action.

– Chris Jericho and Joey Styles both commented on Twitter about the CM Punk – Vince McMahon segment that closed RAW.

Jericho wrote: “Just watched the Punk-Cena-Vince confrontation from last night and it was brilliant! It’s the best angle the WWE has done in a long time…”

Styles wrote: “@CMPunk, are we allowed to say “wrestling” and “wrestler” again? Is @JohnCena holding the Championship “belt”? Did I miss a memo?”

– It was announced to the live crowd on Monday that WWE will return to Boston’s TD Garden on Monday, November 14th for RAW.

Former World Heavyweight champion Rey Mysterio recently spoke with Green Bay, Wisconsin’s Post Crescent newspaper to promote Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, which takes place from the city. Mysterio, whose Hall of Fame-worthy career has been plagued by various injures, had this to say about the toll his high-flying in-ring style has taken on his body:

Which Of His Moves Hurt Him The Most To Perform: “Without a doubt, and this is what has held me back and put me out for surgeries, is the West Coast Pop, which is a version of the Frankensteiner. I used to do that every night I would perform and it was just hard on my knees. At the time, being so young, 17-years-old and just going out there and doing it was like, man that’s cool ‘cause the reactions from my fans were incredible. And of course, you get the feedback from the rest of the boys. Man, you’ve gotta take it easy on your body. You wanna make sure you last in this business. But you never listen to that as a young kid. You just wanna go, but that West Coast Pop has given me at least five major surgeries on my left knee.”

Practicing His High-Flying Moves: “In the past, I used to have trampolines in my house and that was one of my ways of creating moves… But now, as I’ve gotten older and wiser with how my body feels and just trying to stay healthy in sports, I just like to look at the ring and visualize certain moves. Sometimes not even practicing them until I’m in the ring and it comes down to that one point of OK, here it comes in front of a live audience and if it happens, it happens and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. But I probably hit nine out of ten.”

His Various Injuries: “Knock on wood and thank God that I haven’t suffered any neck injuries, which is one of the worst injuries that a superstar could have. I would have to say without a doubt, my knees. It’s only one knee. It’s the left side that has been aggravating me and kind of limiting me to a certain degree to perform at a peak level in sports entertainment. My ACL kept on snapping from my left knee almost on a year-in, year-out basis. I would have my surgery, be gone for about nine months, come back, wrestle for a year and then right after that year went by – boom – it would snap again and I’d have to go back in and get my knee sliced up again. That’s one of the main surgeries and main reasons that I’ve suffered a lot in this industry.”

SEScoops has confirmed with several key WWE sources that the new priority for talent executive John Laurinaitis is to re-sign Rey Mysterio, whose contract expires early in 2012.

“Laurinaitis has a lot of egg on his face right now,” we were told, “think about all the talent that has refused to re-sign. Jericho wouldn’t re-sign. MVP wouldn’t re-sign. Punk won’t re-sign. Even undercard wrestlers like Chavo (Guerrero) won’t re-sign right now. Laurinaitis needs a key re-signing to keep his corporate credibility alive right now!”

• Related News: EXCLUSIVE: Major Heat On WWE Exec Over Punk’s Contract

With the serious fallout from CM Punk’s homophobic remarks in Australia, Laurinaitis has targeted keeping Rey Mysterio in the fold as a demonstration to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon he still has the talent under control. “Laurinaitis always had big shoes to fill since he took over from Jim Ross,” we were told, “now he has to produce results. This is going to be very interesting to watch!”

Behind the scenes at Monday’s WWE RAW from Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum, New York city DJ Peter Rosenberg conducted an exclusive interview with Rey Mysterio.

• Pictures of Rey Mysterio UNMASKED

The master of the 619 spoke about how his body is holding up, whether he sees his days in the ring coming to an end anytime soon, the possibility of working as a heel, working with his son and Eddie Guerrero in the summer of 2005 and more.

Props to RosenbergRadio.com for the video:

The content listing for WWE’s forthcoming three-disc DVD set on Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio – The Life of a Masked Man, has been revealed. This title will be released on July 12, 2011.

Disc 1

Namesake

Rey Misterio Jr. & Konnan vs. La Parka & Psicosis
ECW Hardcore TV 28th October, 1995

2 out of 3 Falls Match
Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera
ECW Extreme Bash 9th March, 1996

Experiencing ECW

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera
WCW Pro Wrestling 3rd November, 1996

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Chavo Guerreo Jr.
WCW Saturday Night 11th January, 1997

Eddie’s Guidance

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Eddie Guerrero
Nitro 8th September, 1997

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Chris Jericho
Nitro 17th November, 1997

The Creation of the Mask

Rey Mysterio Jr., Super Calo & Hector Garza vs. Psychosis, La Parka & Silver King
WCW Saturday Night 17th January, 1998

Rey Mysterio Jr. & Billy Kidman vs. Eddie Guerrero & Juventud Guerrera
Nitro 28th December, 1998

Who’s That Jumpin’ Out the Sky?

#1 Contenders Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Rey Mysterio & Edge vs. Eddie & Chavo Guerrero
SmackDown 24th October, 2002

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Rey Mysterio & Billy Kidman vs. The World’s Greatest Tag Team
Vengeance 27th July, 2003

6-1-9

Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle
SmackDown 28th October, 2004

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero & Booker T. vs. Rey Mysterio & Rob Van Dam
SmackDown 30th December, 2004

Disc 2

Gone Too Soon

Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero
WrestleMania 21 3rd April, 2005

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Rey Mysterio & Batista vs. MNM
SmackDown 16th December, 2005

On Top of the World

Mysterio’s Opportunity for a World Heavyweight Championship Match at WrestleMania 22 is on the Line
Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton
No Way Out 19th February, 2006

Viva México!

Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero
SummerSlam 26th August, 2007

Stretcher Match
Rey Mysterio vs. Finlay
Cyber Sunday 27th October, 2007

Putting the Mask on the Line

If Rey Mysterio Loses, He Must Unmask
Rey Mysterio vs. Kane
No Mercy 5th October, 2008

Intercontinental Championship Match
Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho
Judgment Day 17th May, 2009

The Art of Mysterio

Intercontinental Championship Match
Rey Mysterio vs. John Morrison
SmackDown 4th September, 2009

Disc 3

Respecting the Mask

#1 Contenders Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Rey Mysterio vs. Batista
SmackDown 18th December, 2009

Rey Mysterio vs. Shawn Michaels
SmackDown 29th January, 2010

Coping with Injuries

World Heavyweight Championship Match
The Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio
Royal Rumble 31st January, 2010

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match
Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler
SmackDown 5th February, 2010

Alone Time

Rey Mysterio Joins the SES vs. CM Punk’s Hair
Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk
Over the Limit 23rd May, 2010

“I Can’t Do It Solo.”

Fatal 4-Way World Heavyweight Championship Match
Jack Swagger vs. Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk vs. The Big Show
WWE Fatal 4-Way 20th June, 2010

Opportunity Knocks

Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio
SmackDown 18th October, 2010

Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
WrestleMania XXVII 3rd April, 2011

Fantasy Warfare

Special Features

Going Home

Standing Ovation

source: Silvervision.co.uk

– After Monday’s RAW came off the air, The Miz came out and called out Alex Riley. When Riley didn’t come out, John Cena then grabbed the mic and said to The Miz, “So, as much as Portland hates to hear you talk, how about saying those two words again, not I’m awesome, but I Quit.”

Cena and Miz had a quick scuffle, which led to the Miz receiving an Attitude Adjustment from Cena and then a 619 from Rey Mysterio.

Cena then locked in the STF on Miz and held the mic to Miz’s face .. Miz screamed “I Quit!” in pain about 5 times, which got a huge pop from the crowd.

Cena and Mysterio celebrated in the ring to send the crowd home happy.

– Monday’s RAW featured a strange in-ring segment where Kharma came down to a ring full of WWE divas. Instead of beating the divas down as we’ve seen in recent weeks, Kharma sat down in the middle oft the ring and began to cry, which got a negative reaction from the crowd. Several readers sent in word that the segment continued into the commercial break, with many fans booing and chanting “bullsh*t.”

– Among the WWE-related topics that were trending on Twitter during RAW were Randy Savage, CM Punk, Bret Hart, Michael Cole, Kofi Kingston, Drew McIntyre and Evan Bourne.

— Randy Savage was honored during this afternoon’s New York Yankees vs. New York Mets game at Yankee Stadium as an “In Memory Of” graphic displaying the years of his birth and death was shown on the video screen. “Macho Man” by the Village People played during the tribute.

— Steve Austin guest hosts Sixx Sense on XM Satellite Radio channel 164 on Monday and Tuesday.

— United States President Barack Obama is featured on the official pay-per-view poster for WWE’s upcoming Capitol Punishment event, which takes place on Sunday June 19th from the Verizon Center in Washington DC .. Check it out:

— After the California Angels received publicity for setting a Guinness world record on May 10 for most costume masks worn at a single gathering, WWE discussed taking a stab at the record next year at WrestleMania XXVIII.

Company officials have discussed holding a singles match between Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara at the event. Should it occur, it will be the match where WWE aims for the record.

— In Raw live event attendance notes, the May 10 show in Highland Heights, Kentucky drew 3,300 paying $85,000; May 11 in Hermosillo, Mexico drew a sellout crowd of 10,300 paying $570,000; May 12 in Guadalajara drew 6,500 paying $400,000; May 13 at Los Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City drew a sellout crowd of 19,900 paying $870,000; May 14 at Arena Monterrey drew a sellout crowd of 13,800 paying $750,000. Smackdown on May 14 in Lake Charles, Louisiana drew 3,300 paying $95,000 and May 15 in Austin, Texas garnered 6,500 paying $190,000.

— The Ticketmaster.com pre-sale code for the August 2 SmackDown taping in Lexington, Kentucky is WWELIVE. It started this morning.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

— Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes are advertised to wrestle at this weekend’s SmackDown live events since Sin Cara is touring with Raw in Mexico and Mysterio isn’t.

— THQ held their first meetings yesterday regarding plans for the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2012 video game.

— Alberto Del Rio is scheduled for a rare autograph signing at the Best Buy in Davie, Florida on Friday, June 24 at 6:00 p.m.

— WWEShop.com has released a new WWE Divas Bling T-Shirt, a retro Raw is Waw T-Shirt and a retro WCW hat and T-Shirt.

— Rey Misterio, Sr. (Miguel Lopez, uncle of WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio) is scheduled to introduce a new Rey Misterio, Jr. at a CMLL live event on Friday, May 27 in Tijuana, Mexico. Misterio, Sr. has trained the young upstart and is said to have a lot potential. Rey Mysterio, the original Rey Misterio, Jr., has given the wrestler his blessing.

Often times in Mexico, a famous wrestler will allow a junior to assume his persona in exchange for a percentage of their earnings.

— The original wrestling ring from Killer Kowalski’s Institute of Pro Wrestling in Massachusetts is up for auction on eBay. A number of notable wrestlers learned the ropes in this ring including Triple H, Chyna, Perry Saturn, Kazarian, A-Train and John Kronus.

The auction can be seen here.

— The Nasty Boys, Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags, are scheduled to appear on an upcoming episode of Man v. Food on the Travel Channel.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

— Jim Ross confirmed on his Twitter account that he broke his hand during his match against Michael Cole last Monday on Raw. The injury occurred due to Cole’s tooth making contact with the bone of J.R.’s fist.

Ross wrote, “Just confirmed by WWE doctors… @JRsBBQ is going to be competing with a broken right hand tonight at @WWE Extreme Rules.”

As Ross brawled with Jack Swagger, Cole snuck up on the Hall of Famer and rolled him up for the win.

— It was reported earlier that NXT Season 4 contestant Jamie Keyes would be attending tonight’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view in Tampa, Florida. She attended the event as a fan as she posted an image of herself inside the St. Pete Times Forum.

Diana Smith, mother of David Hart Smith, also indicated on Twitter that she would be on hand for the event. The WWE Superstar was among the Lumberjacks in the WWE Tag Team Championship Match pitting Big Show and Kane against Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson.

— Retired NBA player John Salley appears on tomorrow night’s episode of Tough Enough. Alongside Rey Mysterio, the four-time NBA Champion educates the contestants on teamwork.

source: PWInsider.com

WWE developmental talent Jinder Mahal, a wrestler billed from Punjab, India, debuts on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.

Mahal appears in a backstage segment with Rey Mysterio, The Great Khali and Ranjin Singh, where The Punjabi Playboy and his manager wish The Master of the 619 good luck on Raw. Mahal greets Khali in their native tongue and walks off.

Mahal, who’s real name is Yuvraj Dhesi, is a 24-year-old wrestler from Calgary, Alberta, Canada that WWE signed to a developmental contract in early 2010 following a tryout at Florida Championship Wrestling. He has been wrestling since 2004 and trained alongside Rick Bognar (a/k/a fake Razor Ramon), Bad News Brown and The Great Gama, all of whom having previous WWE experience.

source: F4WOnline.com

— Silvervision has announced that WWE’s upcoming three-disc DVD set on Rey Mysterio, Rey Mysterio: The Life of a Masked Man, will feature a total of twenty matches—two ECW matches, six WCW matches and twelve WWE matches.

— A match pitting Trent Barreta against SmackDown newcomer Tyson Kidd was taped Tuesday night in Greensboro, North Carolina for this week’s episode of WWE Superstar.

WWE Superstars announcer Jack Korpela complemented the match on Twitter, writing: “Don’t miss WWE Superstars this week on WWE.com! @trentylocks and Tyson Kidd just had an incredibly thrilling match. Best I’ve ever called.”

— NXT Season Four winner Johnny Curtis beat Alex Riley in a dark match prior to last night’s television tapings in Greensboro, North Carolina. Riley, who drafted to SmackDown earlier in the day, stated before the match that he would show why doesn’t need The Miz.

— Raw Superstar Vladimir Kozlov celebrates his 39th birthday today.

source: PWInsider.com

– Randy Orton tweeted the following on Monday night after the WWE Draft:

“Well it’s bittersweet for me to be drafted to Smackdown. Ill miss monday nights, that’s for sure, but I think I could use the new setting.”

– Rey Mysterio also wrote the following about being drafted to RAW:

“Really hope everyone enjoyed the draft tonight!Gonna Rep Raw now! I’m gonna miss all my SmackDown FANS”!1 luv & god bless to all! 619Out!”

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross wrote the following on Twitter last night after RAW:

“Hand’s throbbing. Xrays tues. Cole’s tooth went to the bone on my fist. Not an artistic masterpiece. Dropping bombs. Leather straps sun. Ugh.

Disheartening when fans kill one’s effort/work. All we can do is give 100%effort. That happened. I’m sore as hell but will battle sun on ppv

@ the moment, I can’t hold leather strap 2nite but Sun I’ll do what it takes. Won’t be pretty but will be nasty. Fairplay vs Lawler @ bar.

— Rima Fakih was eliminated from tonight’s episode of Tough Enough.

At the conclusion of the show, Steve Austin addressed the contestants to step forward. Rima was called forward first. Austin said he normally calls forward two other people, but not today. He said Rima has a lot of heart, but doesn’t think she’s ready. Rima responded that she needs to just get it down. Austin said she can do that, but not on Tough Enough.

Austin said off-camera there was no point walking her through the Bottom 3 again since she’s already gone through the process three times.

— Trish Stratus joins former WWE Divas Torrie Wilson, Lilian Garcia and Candice Michelle on tonight’s Tough Enough Aftershow on http://www.ustream.tv/afterbuzztv. It begins at 11:15 p.m., immediately following Raw.

— Rey Mysterio is the special guest on next week’s episode of Tough Enough.

source: prowrestling.net

— The title for WWE’s upcoming DVD release on Rey Mysterio is Rey Mysterio: The Life of a Masked Man. It is scheduled for release on July 12. The synopsis is as follows:

“For the first time ever, Rey Mysterio sits down and reviews his historic career, reflecting on his greatest matches and moments. This all-new interview features exclusive and candid comments from the Ultimate Underdog on his Sports Entertainment path through ECW, WCW, and WWE; his rivalries with Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, CM Punk; his thoughts on battling men almost twice his size, and his emotional Cruiserweight, Intercontinental, and World Championship runs.”

— Big Show appears on Supah Ninjas tonight at 8:30 p.m. on Nickelodeon.

— WWE has a live event scheduled for Stockton, California on Sunday, August 7.

— Ezekiel Jackson celebrated his 33rd birthday yesterday.

source: PWInsider.com

Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes has been announced for WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view event, which takes place May 1.

The WrestleMania XXVII rematch will be Falls Count Anywhere Match.

The updated line-up for Extreme Rules is as follows:

WWE Championship Triple Threat Steel Cage Match
The Miz (c) vs. John Cena vs. John Morrison

World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match
Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio

Last Standing Man Match
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk

Falls Count Anywhere Match

Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes

Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross vs. Jack Swagger and Michael Cole

– With WrestleMania XXVII in the books, a number of people are expected to be released from WWE in the very near future. In most previous years, the company has let go several mid-card wrestlers as well as members of the office staff as part of a “spring cleaning” to cut costs and free up roster space.

When WWE announced its 2010 year end financial results a few months ago, the fact that the company’s adjusted net income was down several million dollars from 2009 made the argument for “cost cutting” even stronger this year. Especially with the great deal of young talent WWE has been cultivating through NXT, Tough Enough and its developmental system through Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE has more of a need than ever to make cuts. Expect the cuts to begin as soon as next Friday.

– As for the future of Superstars – now that it’s television run on WGN America has ended, the show will live on internationally and on WWE’s YouTube channel.

– The USA Network issued a press release this week touting the factt that Monday’s 4-hour block of programming (Hall of Fame Ceremony, RAW, Tough Enough) drew over 12 million unique viewers. This year’s Hall of Fame broadcast was the most-watched ever – a good sign that we’ll see it air on Monday night prior to RAW once again next year.

– WWE is considering various animated projects (either a web series, comic books or a television show). One idea discussed would be to base the projectaround Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara. WWE’s new “Rumblers” action figures made by Mattel might also be used in an animated project.

– On Monday’s series premiere of Tough Enough, trainer Steve Austin told the bottom 3 contestants a story of the time he ‘went to the bathroom’ on himself while wrestling former WWE champion Yokozuna. A clip of Austin’s storytelling was shown on the E! network show The Soup this week.

– Actor and former WCW champion David Arquette was interviewed by IGN.com this week to promote his new movie Scream 4 and had this to say about winning the WCW championship:

“It was surreal. To be able to be a part of that world and be a fly on the wall and see the workings of the circus, it was a dream come true. I know people joke about the guy from Hollywood winning the title, but I have nothing but respect for wrestlers. I got a chance to live in their world. It was an opportunity be play cops and robbers as grownups.”

SmackDown star Cody Rhodes was interviewed this week by CLATL.com to hype his WrestleMania 27 match with Rey Mysterio. Here are some highlights of what Rhodes said about:

Wrestling Rey Mysterio At WrestleMania: “I haven’t had the opportunity to say this much, but I’m only 25, so at the time that Rey Mysterio was in World Championship Wrestling having these marathon excellent matches with Dean Malenko, I was a kid sitting on the floor watching. There’s a time to be a fan and a time to be a professional, and I’ve tried to remain professional as we move forward. But if I sit back and think about it, regardless of any personal feelings I may have about it, it’s a real privilege to be in there with Rey Mysterio. He’s one of the staples of the WWE and a staple of WrestleMania.”

Whether Dusty Will Be In His Corner At WM27: “I hope that he will mentally be in my corner, but my dad likes the young talent to shine. It was really nice to have him in Sacramento when he came out on “SmackDown,” but he’s stayed out of things moving forward, and I think that’s the way he wants it. He might be in the front row, he might be backstage, but he will probably be there in spirit.

There’s sort of an underlying thing at WrestleMania this year that not a lot of people are talking about. You’re seeing a lot of veteran superstars, Rey Mysterio included, a lot of WWE greats, most of whom are going to be Hall of Famers themselves, against new talent. It’s a younger crop of talent when you look at the Miz vs. John Cena, Alberto Del Rio vs. Edge and myself vs. Rey Mysterio. So, [my dad] is respecting that night as well. It might be a changing of the guard at WrestleMania XXVII and that would be a really special thing.”

Plans To Unmask Rey Mysterio: “Thank you for asking a question that has not been asked of me as I’ve done multiple interviews heading toward WrestleMania. I’m going on record and making a Muhammad Ali-style guarantee that, yeah, I am going to take his mask off at WrestleMania. I genuinely am going to remove his mask. I am making that known now. It is an unbreakable vow for me and I will follow through with that.”

In case you haven’t seen Rey Unmasked from his WCW days, here’s his face:

Rumors recently surfaced online indicating that Rey Mysterio asked World Wrestling Entertainment officials to release him from his contract following WrestleMania XXVII. Mysterio, however, shot down the rumors on his Twitter account, saying he did not ask to be released and that he will be around for a while.

Former WCW star Konnan, a longtime friend of Mysterio, told Pro Wrestling Torch writer Jason Powell via e-mail that the assumption that the SmackDown star is bothered by the recent signing of Mexican sensation Sin Cara is way off. He said Mysterio isn’t the type to be jealous. Rather, he welcomes new talent as potential rivals or teammates.

It would appear that Mysterio and Sin Cara will be kept on opposite WWE brands for the time being as the newcomer is slated to initially work Raw live events. He made his first appearance inside a WWE ring at last night’s Raw house show in Assembly Hall in Champaign, Illinois, defeating WWE Superstars fixture Primo.

Meanwhile, Alberto Del Rio was asked to comment on WWE signing Sin Cara during an interview published earlier this week on latino.foxnews.com. While the article says he is “pleased” to hear WWE sign a fellow countryman, he doesn’t acknowledge Sin Cara in particular. He instead says that he’s happy WWE is using a number of Latino wrestlers, before turning the subject back to himself.

“I’m just happy this company uses so many Latino talent,” Del Rio said. “There is so much talent out there, from Puerto Rico to Mexico, just to name a few. I hope it continues like that. Because of that, I am here and getting all these opportunities.”

According to f4wonline.com editor Bryan Alvarez, the claim of Del Rio being “pleased” about Sin Cara joining WWE is contrary to a behind the scenes story he heard. However, he would not elaborate.

source: Pro Wrestling Torch, f4wonline.com

— According to the official website of Trish Stratus, she will be appearing on Raw tonight.

— The official website of Florida Championship Wrestling has announced that WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and his son, WWE developmental wrestler Richie Steamboat, will be participating in an autograph signing at the April 8 show in Largo, Florida (located on Largo Minnreg Hall 6340 126th Avenue North). Bell time is 7:30 p.m.

— Rey Mysterio is featured on the cover of the latest issue of WWE Kids Magazine.

— ESPN.com has an article on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars highlighting the athletes on the show, Chris Jericho and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward.