— WWE.com has announced that Randy Orton will face Rey Mysterio tonight on Raw. The bout is billed as a WrestleMania 22 rematch, in spite of Kurt Angle’s participation.

— The latest trailer for THQ’s WWE All Stars has been released, which highlights the game’s “Path of Champions” mode.

WWE All Stars will be released in North America on March 29 and in Europe on April 1.

— A WWE Supershow is scheduled to take place the night before Capital Punishment; June 18 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

— Former WWE manager Paul Bearer said yesterday on Twitter that he filmed a DVD. Additional details were not disclosed.

– Chris Jericho is teasing a return to WWE television this Friday:

IAmJericho Happy to say that I’ll be making my triumphant return to the WWE tomorrow night….

Chris Jericho recently filmed a promo hyping the Undertaker vs. Triple H that is said to be airing on WWE television this Friday, so that is likely what he’s talking about. Jericho’s gig on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars begins on Monday night as well – so it’s possible WWE also airs a teaser video for DWTS.

* PICTURES of Chris Jericho’s DWTS Partner – CHERYL BURKE

– WWE Hall of Famer Afa The Wild Samoan returns with his latest column “The Way I See It” on PopTheCrowd.com and talks about becoming an organ donor and a story about a very good friend of is.

“I personally made the choice to become an organ donor and knowing that in my passing I can help give back and save a life is a miracle and blessing. Your generous decision can give a family back their loved one” the WWE Hall of Famer said.

To read Afa’s important story and message, click here.

– Rey Mysterio is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Super Luchas and the headline features a quote from him saying he looks forward to wrestling Sin Cara.

— Rey Mysterio has denied online reports indicating that he requested his release from World Wrestling Entertainment.

“Confirming! Did not ask 4 release!” he wrote on Twitter. “Those that like me, u will have Rey 4 a good time&those that don’t, well life isn’t always sweet, 619 out!”

— It would appear that reigning Miss USA 2010, Rima Fakih, does not win Tough Enough as she said on her Twitter account yesterday that she was away shooting the USA Network program. Tough Enough trainers Trish Stratus and Bill DeMott have noted on their respective Twitter accounts that filming is currently ongoing for the reality series. Tough Enough contestants are reportedly prohibited from communicating with the outside world throughout the duration of their stay on the show.

— Tyler Reks vs. JTG was taped last night in Kansas City, MO for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America.

source: PWInsider.com

Details are still coming in on this story, but a hot topic behind the scenes in WWE is that Rey Mysterio recently asked to be released from his contract.

Mysterio reportedly  told company officials that he would retire if they did not let him go.

The situation occurred before WWE’s big Sin Cara press conference two weeks ago in Mexico City.

Stay tuned for more on this developing story.

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 said about:

Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara in WWE: Is there room for both Rey and Sin Cara in WWE? Absolutely. Why not? Do some feel that because both are Hispanic, masked stars that they cannot both be major assets in WWE at the same time. I think not. WWE is lucky to have both men. Rey is an established main event star and a future Hall of Famer while Sin Cara has a huge upside but has to prove himself to the WWE fans.

Michael Cole: “I agree with many emailers that Michael Cole is the type of antagonist that one legitimately wants to see get beat up and humiliated. He has Cornette-like heat hearkening back to the Mid South days where fans lined up in droves to see somebody, anybody humiliate the manager of the Midnight Express. Same emotion elicited by the late Andy Kaufman in Memphis. BTW most fans don’t realize that the Lawler-Kaufman issue lasted well over a year.”

The Rock Back On WWE TV: “I am personally ecstatic that The Rock is back in WWE for WM27 and no matter Rock’s role he’s going to positively add to the event in multiple areas. Rock is a huge star on several fronts and his promo ability is as good as it gets. People ‘over think’ Rock’s return as in what’s going to happen when he’s not on TV? How does he make Cena/Miz look? What happens if Rock steals the show in Atlanta, etc?”

“All talents throughout the Raw and Smackdown rosters need to step it up to attempt to get on Rock’s level. Competition is great for everyone. If Rock, Austin, etc make the incumbents dig a little deeper to perform at a higher level then everyone wins especially the fans.”

“I have no idea what Rock is going to do at WM27 but I can assure you that it will be impactful. His interactions via Twitter, @The Rock, directed to Cena, etc have been entertaining.”

— WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart has departed TNA Wrestling and will be returning to WWE to appear at the Fan AXXESS convention in Atlanta during WrestleMania weekend. Hart, who had been working behind the scenes in TNA since Hulk Hogan joined the company last year, reportedly upset Hulk by leaving. 

— ESPN recently interviewed with Rey Mysterio, who was promoting the new WWE All Stars video game. To read the full interview, visit ESPN.com. Here’s what Mysterio said about The Rock’s recent WWE return:

“I want to say that maybe for a while, our fan base, the WWE Universe have been asking themselves for a very long time if The Rock is coming back, when is The Rock coming back. Now here he is, and I think everyone who had been wondering about that were very entertained. And I’m not going to lie to you, I was at home and I was entertained. But there was a big comeback from what The Rock said last Monday, so now it’s getting good because John Cena doesn’t have tape over his mouth. He can spit, and when he spits, he can get nasty, so it’s going to be good. That’s all I can say, it’s going to be good.”

“Anytime you get something new, or something old that was good that fans have been waiting to see but hasn’t been given to them, then boom, it’s back, it’s like wow, and everyone is on the edge of their seats. Here we go. And this year, I think fans are going to be on the edge of their seats for Wrestlemania, from the beginning to the end.”

(Sources: espn.com, prowrestling.net)

– SmackDown star Rey Mysterio posted the following this weekend on Twitter, responding to rumors and fan questions about whether he’ll be retiring soon:

“The rumor is I might B retiring soon! NOT TRUE, got many years left of entertaining my FANS!U guys keep me going! Luv it! Los quiero UnChingo.”

Mysterio also tweeted the following about Sin Cara signing with WWE:

“Wish the best 2 SinCara! & hope that more Latino wrestlers make it to the WWE! I think We all deserve a chance to make it Big in Life! 619.”

• Keep Reading: Mysterio Talks In-Depth About Retirement, Sin Cara & Alberto Del Rio

– Speaking of Sin Cara, it’s interesting to see how WWE is embracing his history as a Mexican wrestling superstar. Despite the fact that WWE has “rebranded” him as Sin Cara, the WWE website features photos of Sin Cara wrestling in Mexico and even refers to his former ring name, Mistico.

WWE embracing Sin Cara’s past is a stark contrast to how the company handled fellow Mexican wrestling star Alberto Del Rio, whose past as “Dos Caras, Jr.” was never acknowledged by the company.

Here are some highlights of Fanhouse.com’s recent interview with WWE superstar Rey Mysterio:

Sin Cara Signing With WWE: “I think the opportunity now shown is that the doors are open for anybody that has the quality to be part of WWE,” Mysterio said. “You have the talent, you have the desire to be a superstar, come and the doors will be open and if you can make it, you’ll be one of the top dogs. Alberto (Del Rio) is a big proof.

• Pictures of Sin Cara UNMASKED

“When I came into the United States, I pretty much followed the Guerreros and Jerichos, a path as they just left Mexico and went on to ECW, WCW and WWE. So it was kind of a little train that we were taking around. It kind of feels good in a way that those doors have been opened for other Mexican wrestlers. Like you said, now with Mistico coming in, I want to say that I think those doors were eventually opened by the talent that myself, Eddie and a lot of wrestlers that started their careers in Mexico have opened up for other guys.”

Alberto Del Rio’s Big Push: I think it’s awesome. If there’s anything that is not part of myself and who I am it’s jealousy and envy. I always wish Alberto the best even though we clash in the ring. But he comes from a second-generation family. Growing up, his father was one of my all-time favorite wrestlers (Dos Caras). Even though for the short amount of time that he’s been a part of this company he’s succeeded very well.”

“It took me a lot of years to adapt to [the WWE] style and learning from the best, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, the (Chris) Jerichos, the (Chris) Benoits. But I think for Alberto it’s been a learning process. He’s adapting slowly but surely and I think in this business there’s always something new to learn and that you’re always evolving.”

Retirement: “I’m 36 years old right now and I feel good. Besides my knee, after the first surgery, it’s always slowed me down a bit but I’ve been able to adapt and modify my work to the extent of being able to still entertain the fans. If I can still entertain them and do what I do best, then I’m good for still a good amount of years. There’s still nothing in the back of my mind. I think that whenever I do call it quits, it’s quits and it’s family time for me. My kids are growing and I’ve missed out a lot on being with them. I definitely have told myself throughout the years that, even to my wife, that whenever I do plan to retire, whenever that day comes, it’s going to be complete family time.”

– It was announced this week that next year’s WrestleMania 28 will take place from Miami, Florida on April 1, 2012. Many cities were considered to host the event, with many expecting the event to tkae place from the Rogers Centres in Toronto, Canada.

– Rey Mysterio recently spoke to school students in Green Bay about the importance of getting a good education and working toward your goals. When one of the children asked him whether wrestling is real, Mysterio said:

“What do you mean by real? Do you get hurt? Yes, I’ve been punched, kicked and slammed. But it is entertainment; we’re not out to hurt ourselves.”

– Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packer Clay Matthews, who attended Tuesday night’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Green Bay wrote the following on Twitter on Wednesday:

“Started the day off right by eating breakfast w/ a few WWE superstars… Chavo Guerrero, Edge, Rey Mysterio, among others. Always a fan!!”

* VIDEO: Green Bay Packers Get Physical At SmackDown Tapings! (Direct Link)

(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of the info used in this report)

It was reported Sunday that Rey Mysterio is working through an injury to his rotator cuff. He suffered the injury while working the SmackDown brand’s most recent tour overseas. Doctors advised him not to fly due to an inner ear infection he was suffering from at the time but company officials asked him to work the tour anyway, assuring him that wouldn’t have to work any matches. However, he was asked to wrestle while on tour, and complied, only to suffer an injury to his rotator cuff. There was much acrimony over the circumstances that led to the injury, to the point that creative had no ideas for him when his feud with Alberto Del Rio conclude.

Company officials tried make things up to Mysterio by allowing him to handpick his next opponent, which turned out to be “Dashing” Cody Rhodes. Current plans call for the storyline to continue through WrestleMania, with a likely encounter between the two.

Due to the injury, officials are limiting his in-ring work at television and pay-per-view events, as well as house shows. He’s contained in tag matches when he does work non-televised events. Mysterio is said to be hopeful that he can avoid surgery through rehabilitation.

source: Pro Wrestling Torch

Rey Mysterio is presently working through a rotator cuff injury. The injury occurred during SmackDown’s most recent overseas tour and company officials have been limiting his in-ring work at television and pay-per-view events, as well as house shows. He’s contained in tag matches when he does work non-televised events.

Meanwhile, Mysterio handpicked Cody Rhodes to work his current storyline with. Current plans call for the two to face off at WrestleMania XXVII.

Mysterio is said to be hopeful that he can avoid surgery through rehabilitation.

(source: prowrestling.net)

– Rey Mysterio’s in-ring return is currently scheduled for the SmackDown live event from Philadelphia on February 6th. Myterio, who has been out with injury, is scheduled to face Wade Barrett on that show.

-Former WWE performer MVP left the company on relatively good terms, but had some heat on him prior to his release due to some racial comments he made. Following Michael Tarver and Darren Young being dropped from Nexus, MVP pointed out to a few people that the African American wrestlersdup how all of the African Americans were kicked out of the group quickly, except David Otunga obviously.

– Alex Riley, protege of WWE Champion The Miz, will be back in court today (Thursday, 1/13) for a hearing on his DUI charges from this past November.

• VIEW HERE: Alex Riley’s DUI MUGSHOT (Direct Link)

(Credit to Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– With Shane McMahon gone from WWE, Vince McMahon’s daughter Stephanie and her husband Triple H are seen as the successors to the WWE empire. Triple H has been a power player behind the scenes for years and many in the company see this year as a time when Vince will shift more responsibilities to his son in law. While Vince is not going anywhere any time soon, the overall feeling within WWE is that the company will be in good hands under Triple H and Stephanie.

– There’s still no word yet on the severity of John Cena’s hip injury or when he will be ready to return to action. Everybody is hoping that Cena will be healthy enough to compete at the Royal Rumble and he will be keeping a very light schedule until then.

– As we reported earlier this week, Rey Mysterio has been pulled from this weekend’s WWE live events and will be replaced by Big Show in matches against Alberto Del Rio. This is part of John Laurinaitis agreeing to give Mysterio an even easier schedule while he’s recovering from a shoulder tear. Rey will continue to work television and pay-per-view events, but like Cena, will be kept off live events for the time being while his injury heals.

(Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for the info used in this report)

— This Friday’s Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio 2 of 3 Falls Match on SmackDown is being advertised as the final match between the two WWE Superstars. They have been feuding since Del Rio’s in-ring debut in August.

— Christian has been announced to appear at Florida Championship Wrestling’s live event at the Charlotte County Fairgrounds Expo Hall on Friday, January 14. The SmackDown Superstar will be taking part in a meet and greet autograph session at the event, which will also feature a Table, Ladders and Chairs Match, a Generation – X Rumble featuring 15 second and third generation wrestlers, and a Divas Lumber Jill Match.

— The WWE SmackDown live event on March 19, 2011 has been moved to the Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia. It’s original venue was the Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina.

— A number of mainstream news outlets including Entertainment Weekly and Variety are covering the revival of WWE’s Tough Enough reality series on the USA Network. A blogger for Entertainment Weekly queried if Al Snow would be returning as a trainer, but a USA representative stated that decisions about judges and mentors have yet to be made.

Snow currently works for TNA Wrestling as a producer.

— The Rupp Arena is no longer advertising Rey Mysterio for this Saturday’s Smackdown live event in Lexington, Kentucky. Alberto Del Rio will instead face Big Show.

— Former WWE star Jim Powers celebrates his 52nd birthday today. He announced his retirement from professional wrestling last month.

— WWE officials have granted Rey Mysterio a less taxing road schedule. While he won’t be taking time off from the road entirely, he will be performing at less house show events from this point forward due to lingering injuries.

— WWE is offering refunds at all Raw live events to any fan dissatisfied with John Cena being unable to appear. Big Show is filling in for Cena in bouts against Wade Barrett.

— Florida Championship Wrestling has announced that their upcoming New Years Explosion event will feature three specialty matches; a TLC Match, a Generation X Rumble and a Lumberjill Divas Match. Participants of said bouts have yet to be disclosed. The event takes place Friday, Jan. 14 at the Port Charlotte Fairgrounds.

source: f4wonline.com

Rey Mysterio appeared on MyFox Houston this morning to promote this Sunday’s WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view at the Toyota Center. He said that the World Heavyweight Championship bout at the event will be a four-way Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match.

The altered World Heavyweight Championship Match will involve Kane, Edge, Alberto Del Rio, and himself. The change was announced at last night’s SmackDown taping in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Mysterio described the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match to the morning host, saying that tables and chairs are used to harm his opponent, and that the ladder is used to retrieve the World Heavyweight Championship.

The video interview can be accessed here.

— Rosa Mendes beat AJ on Sunday’s episode of FCW Wrestling to become the new Queen of FCW. The New Jersey native had held the crown since February.

The SmackDown Diva denied AJ’s finishing maneuver attempt, the Octopus hold, and moments later garnered the three count. After the match, Mendes said it was her dream to become the Queen of FCW and continued rambling in Spanish.

In a trivia note, Mendes has yet to win a singles match on WWE television since joining the main roster two years ago.

— One day after appearing as a heel at WWE’s annual Tribute to the Troops event, Melina was back working as a babyface at last night’s Raw live event in Biloxi, Mississippi. She and Eve beat Maryse and Alicia Fox in a tag team contest.

— Rey Mysterio celebrated his 36th birthday Sunday.

— The USA Network will reportedly air three WWE broadcasts on prime time in the days leading up to the Christmas holiday.

In addition to a live two-hour episode of Raw on Dec. 20, SmackDown will air live the following evening from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. A two-hour version of Tribute to the Troops is tapped to air the following night from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.

— It was announced during Friday’s episode of SmackDown that the Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio match at TLC would be a Chairs Match.

— Maryse and Melina revealed on Twitter that they will be on hand for Saturday’s Tribute to the Troops event in Fort Hood, Texas.

source: PWInsider.com

— Rey Mysterio has largely recovered from a recent ear infection, but is dealing with another ailment involving his shoulder.

The multi-time champion paid a visit to Dr. James Andrews last week, who diagnosed the injury as a tear. However, Andrews didn’t feel that surgery was required. Mysterio was instead told to rehabilitate and take several weeks off. He still worked last weekend’s live events, as well as Tuesday’s SmackDown taping, but was protected via tag matches.

Original plans for his match with Alberto Del Rio at TLC called for it to be a Tables Match, but has since been changed to a non-stipulated bout due to the injury.

— Goldust underwent surgery on his shoulder today. He will be sidelined for five to six months.

— Maria Kanellis announced on her Twitter account that she has signed on to appear in two horror films. The former WWE Diva has kept herself busy with music, acting and modeling since parting ways with the organization in February

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

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 said about:

The Miz Hosting TMZ TV: “WWE Champ The Miz gets a shot on TMZ later today (Wednesday) which he will no doubt knock it out of the park. Miz was tremendous on the Food Network cooking show, ‘Dinner Impossible,’ that we did a year ago at Summer Slam. He stole that show with ease and will like do the same on TMZ TV later today. Miz is a work in progress and it should be encouraging for WWE fans of just how good Miz can become in time if he stays healthy and focused on becoming the best antagonist in the biz.”

• Read More About: The Miz

Goldust’s Injury: “Sorry to hear of Goldust’s rotator cuff injury that will apparently require surgery. This is usually a 5-6 month recovery period. Don’t forget about Goldust’s biography that would make a good stocking stuffer and should be interesting reading. He’s had a helluva life for such a young man. Hate to see anyone hurt, especially someone who has worked so hard to become relevant again. Last time I saw Goldust he was in, without question, the best physical shape of his life. Some day Goldust will likely be a great coach/teacher of the biz.”

• Read More About: Goldust

Rey Mysterio’s Popularity: “An emailer asked me why Rey Mysterio has become so popular while many of his fellow Lucha Libra stars did not become bigger in the USA. Firstly, Rey has ‘it’ and ‘it’ can’t be manufactured. Rey also throughly understands all the ins and outs of the biz after starting in it when he was 14 or 15 years old. Rey also understands that ‘less is more’ and that doing 2-3 spectacular maneuvers in a match or a sequence is always better than doing a half dozen or more of them in such quick fashion that the majority of the eye opening maneuvers can’t be processed or remembered minutes after they are completed.”

• Related News: Batista Feels WWE Is Wasting Rey Mysterio’s Talent
  

– John Cena’s Mexican cousin Juan returned to action this weekend at the RAW live event in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The masked superstar defeated World Heavyweight champion Kane by disqualification after Nexus came down and attacked him. After Nexus took Cena’s mask off, he fought back and sent them running away to end the show.

– A few SEScoops readers have sent in emails asking who Twitter user @HeaterMC is, as several WWE superstars have been referencing HeaterMC in their recent tweets. We can confirm that HeaterMC is Mark Carrano, one of the top people in charge of WWE’s developmental system. He also works in the Talent Relations department under John Laurinaitis.

– Former WWE Diva Tiffany says she’s excited about a few new projects she has in the works. She recently wrote on Twitter:

“I have 2 huge projects coming up! Can’t wait to tell everyone about them! Hurry up 2011!”

— Beth Phoenix posted the following on Twitter about her return to SmackDown this week:

“I’m nervous and excited for SmackDown. I’ve got revenge on my mind and unfinished business to take care of.”

— WWE producer Dean Malenko suffered a heart attack in recent months, according to Phil Mushnick. He has since recovered as he was backstage at the Survivor Series pay-per-view in Miami, where he resides. Mushnick adds that no mention has been made to anyone of his health problems. He contacted WWE spokesman Robert Zimmerman regarding the matter, but received no response.

– Randy Orton and The Miz were both trending topics last night on Twitter.

— Matches taped for this Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars yesterday in Orlando, Florida were:

* Mark Henry vs. The Usos in a Handicap Match

* Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov vs. Zack Ryder & Primo.

— Rey Mysterio is featured on the cover of the Holiday 2010 issue of WWE Magazine.

— The Nov. 19 episode of WWE SmackDown scored a 1.73 cable rating, with 2,523,000 viewers. Viewership was slightly down from the previous week.

(source: f4woOnline.com, pwinsider.com)

WWE has released an all-new promotional poster for its TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view. The poster features Rey Mysterio diving onto a sketch drawing of a wrestler laid out on a table.

To view the poster, click here.

The event will take place on December 19, 2010 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

In an apparent error, there is a banner ad on the front page of WWE.com advertising a Two Out Of Three Falls Match between Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio for Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view. However, no such match has been announced. A bout pitting Team Mysterio against Team Del Rio in a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match is still advertised for the event on the website’s Survivor Series section.