WWE Hall of Famers the Steiner Brothers are celebrating following Bron Breakker’s coronation as Intercontinental Champion at SummerSlam 2024. At the Biggest Party of the Summer, Breakker captured the gold from Sami Zayn, marking Bron’s first title since arriving on the main roster. In the Cleveland Browns Stadium, Rick and Scott Steiner were very pleased to see their kin win the gold and were joined by ‘Diamond’ Dallas Page.

Breakker’s victory marks the first singles title win on the main roster for any member of his family. While Scott and Rick held tag gold in WWE and singles titles outside the promotion, neither man held a singles championship during their time as WWE Superstars.

WWE SummerSlam Matches

Here are all of the matches taking place at SummerSlam tonight from Cleveland, which you can watch back on demand on WWE Network and Peacock.

• WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest vs. Gunther
• WWE Women’s Championship Match: Bayley vs. Nia Jax
• Women’s World Championship Match: Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley
• United States Championship Match: Logan Paul vs. LA Knight
• Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
• Singles Match: CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre with Seth Rollins as special guest referee
• Bloodline Rules Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Whether you’re at home or on the go, here’s how you can stream SummerSlam 2024 on different devices:

Streaming on Mobile Devices

• Peacock App (U.S. viewers): Available for both iOS and Android devices. Simply download the app, sign in with your subscription details, and start streaming.
• WWE Network App (International viewers): Also available for iOS and Android. Ensure you have a stable internet connection for a smooth viewing experience.

It appears that a WWE Hall Of Famer is backstage for tonight’s episode of WWE NXT 2.0 in Orlando, Florida.

Per a report from PWInsider, Rick Steiner is backstage for tonight’s episode of WWE NXT. He is likely there to further the storyline between Joe Gacy and his son, WWE NXT Champion Bron Breakker. A few weeks back, WWE did an angle where Gacy kidnapped Rick Steiner and put him in a shark tank.

The Hall Of Famer hasn’t been on WWE NXT TV since, but Gacy did return Steiner’s Hall Of Fame ring to Breakker last week, before pushing him off a platform. Both Rick and his brother Scott Steiner were inducted into the Hall Of Fame earlier this month prior to WrestleMania 38.

Rick’s son, Bron Breakker, currently reigns as NXT Champion and is expected to make his next title defense against Gacy at NXT Spring Breakin’ next year.

Check out the updated card for tonight’s episode of WWE NXT 2.0 below:

• Solo Sikoa vs. Trick Williams

• Fallon Henley, Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen vs. Legado del Fantasma (Elektra Lopez, Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde)

• Nikkita Lyons vs. Lash Legend

• Nathan Frazer makes his NXT 2.0 debut

• Katana Chance & Kayden Carter vs. Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz

• Tony D’Angelo vs. Xyon Quinn.

Tommy Dreamer is the latest stalwart in the wrestling business to heap praise on Bron Breakker.

Breakker, the son of Rick Steiner and nephew of Scott Steiner, is fresh off an NXT Championship victory over Tommaso Ciampa. The title change took place in the main event of New Year’s Evil on Jan. 4.

Bron Breakker: Clone Of Rick & Scott Steiner

Tommy Dreamer took to SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio to share his belief that Bron Breakker has the goods in this business thanks to picking up traits from Rick and Scott Steiner.

“If you look at Bron Breakker, he has both characters — it’s like he’s the perfect mold of both Steiner brothers. The Steiner brothers were a money tag team. Rick, like I said was a money babyface, and Scott was a money singles guy as well.

“So, there’s nothing but a great future for Bron Breakker and he has that charisma, and even last night when he locked in the Steiner Recliner, that place they went nuts for it.

“He’s got the powerslam, he’s got the military press, but there was a simple spot where Ciampa went for the boot and Bron Breakker pulled himself up and caught him with the Frakensteiner in mid-air. I mean, come on. He’s athletic as can be.

“He grew up in that home with the Steiners and it’s like he’s a clone of both his father and his uncle and that’s nothing but pure money.”

WWE has changed the vision of NXT 2.0 in order to revert back to being a developmental system. Bron now leads the charge as the brand’s champion but many believe it won’t be long before he’s called up to the main roster.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

The new NXT Champion Bron Breakker has shared his first comments since winning the title last night.

Sports Illustrated Justin Barrasso spoke to him after defeating Tommaso Ciampa at NXT 2.0 New Years Evil last night. The win earned Breakker his first championship win with the WWE. Alongside Breakker, his father, Rick Steiner, also shared his thoughts on the title win with Barrasso.

Barrasso transcribed the quotes from the interview.

“My father and uncle paved this road for me, and I’m here to carry on the legacy they built,” said Breakker. The article referred to Breakker by his real name Bronson Rechsteiner. He continued, “I’m also here to carve my own path and make my own legacy, and that started tonight.”

Bron Breakker Defeats Tommaso Ciampa in Rematch

The rivalry between Breakker and Ciampa seems to have ended at NXT 2.0 New Years Evil. Ciampa won their first match with each other at Halloween Havoc on October 26, 2021. However, Breakker got his revenge by pinning Ciampa in the War Games match on December 5, 2021. While it wasn’t a singles match, NXT 2.0 promoted last night’s rematch as their third match. After his loss, Ciampa posted a photo on social media that said thank you as he walked away with Breakker in the background. It’s unclear if NXT 2.0 plans to do another championship rematch.

Rick Steiner Thoughts on Bron Breakker Championship Win

NXT 2.0 fans were surprised when Breakker celebrated with his father after NXT 2.0 New Years Evil ended. NXT 2.0 didn’t show Steiner during the event. However, WWE later posted a video on Youtube of both men celebrating in the ring. Steiner shared in the article that he is proud of his son and wants Breakker to have a better professional wrestling career than him and his brother Scott Steiner.

“I hope he’s even more successful than myself and his uncle. We had such a special time traveling the road as brothers, but this tops all of that. This is his time and his chance to carry the torch,” said Steiner. He continued, “Watching that match was one of the best moments of my life. As his father, I couldn’t be prouder, and so is our whole family.”

Breakker has begun to add to the legacy of the Steiners. Although, he wants to be able to prove his worth without using his family name.

NXT 2.0 superstar Bron Breakker wants to establish his legacy. However, he still would like to work with his father and uncle in WWE.

Sporting News’s Andreas Hale interviewed Breakker ahead of challenging Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship. The match will be the main event of NXT 2.0 New Years Evil. Hale asked Breakker if there was a possibility of seeing him share a ring with his father and uncle. He also wondered if Breakker thinks about it because of his family legacy. Professional wrestling fans may know Breakker as the son and nephew of professional wrestling legends Rick and Scott Steiner.

Breakker responded that he would like to have them involved in his pro wrestling career in the future. Hale transcribes the following quotes.

“I have. It would be great for both of them to be a part of my career at some point. Who knows? I have no idea. But it would be a cool moment for me because neither of them have seen me wrestle in person. They’ve watched it on TV. Maybe down the line, they can be part of something with me. I don’t know,” said Breakker.

Rick Steiner Almost Appeared at Halloween Havoc

Breakker almost had one of his family members appear on NXT 2.0. In an interview with TalkSport’s Alex McCarthy, Ciampa shared that Breakker’s father Rick almost appeared at NXT 2.0 Halloween Havoc. However, his father pulled out of the event at the last minute.

McCarthy transcribed the following quote.

“So, he was meant to be at Halloween Havoc,” Ciampa started. “He pulled out last minute. Maybe because I retained, but I won’t say that’s why [laughs]. I would love to be friends with him.” 

Bron Breakker vs Tommaso Ciampa Rematch

Breakker will attempt to defeat Ciampa tonight in their rematch to become NXT Champion. Ciampa retained the championship in the first match by using his finisher on Breakker twice. However, Breakker plans to get his revenge and win his first NXT Championship. He also believes it will be the greatest moment of his life to win the title.

Hale asked Breakker what fans can expect to see from him in the rematch. Breakker believes it will be a war.

“I think we are going to see a more polished Bron Breakker this time around. I’m not going to make the same mistakes that I made before. Kudos to him because he exposed me as being inexperienced, as he said he would. I know what he’s about and how tough he is. I know that I’m up against the best in the business, and I’m up for the challenge. It’s going to be a hard-hitting battle. I’m not going to make the same mistakes I made the first time, and it’s going to be a war,” said Breakker.

It’s unclear if WWE will try to work with Breakker’s father and uncle, and both Rick and Scott haven’t shared if they want to collaborate with WWE publicly. Regardless, Breakker will try to further his legacy with a win over Ciampa tonight.

NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa revealed that professional wrestling legend Rick Steiner was going to appear at Halloween Havoc on October 26th. Steiner is the father of Bron Breaker, whose real name is Bronson Rechsteiner.

TalkSport’s Alex McCarthy interviewed Ciampa about his current status in NXT 2.0. McCarthy asked about working with Bron Breaker. Ciampa replied to McCarthy that his father wanted to appear at the event. However, Steiner pulled out of the event at the last minute. He successfully defended the NXT Championship against Bron Breaker at Halloween Havoc.

McCarthy transcribed the following quote.

“So, he was meant to be at Halloween Havoc,” Ciampa started. “He pulled out last minute. Maybe because I retained, but I won’t say that’s why [laughs]. I would love to be friends with him.” However, Steiner hasn’t confirmed that he was going to be at Halloween Havoc.

Tommaso Ciampa Second Reign as NXT Champion

Ciampa became the two-time NXT Champion when he won the fatal four-way championship match on September 14th. NXT 2.0 immediately put him in a feud with Breaker afterward. While he lost at Halloween Havoc, Breaker teased in last week’s NXT 2.0 episode that the rivalry wasn’t over.

New Contenders for the NXT Champion

NXT 2.0 has introduced new contenders to go against Ciampa. Along with Breaker, Carmelo Hayes also teased a feud with the NXT Champion. Longtime rival Johnny Gargano on the same episode also indicated a match with Ciampa may be near. However, Ciampa already has his eyes on another new potential contender. In the interview, McCarthy asked Ciampa what new NXT talent he wanted to work with next. Ciampa responded by saying Solo Sikoa.

“If I could pick anybody, it would be the third Uso, Solo Sikoa. I like his catchphrase, Street King of the Island. That vignette said star to me, said Ciampa. He continued, “When I watch him come out and the way he carries himself, he looks like a star. I think if I can work with him, I can pull a greatness out of him that would turn a lot of heads. It would be amazing.”

It’s unclear whom Ciampa will defend his championship against next. Although it seems he is ready to take on all challengers.

Former Tag Team Champion Rick Steiner recently sat down for a comprehensive interview with Hannibal TV where he talked about the controversy between his brother Scott and WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan. Steiner and Hogan had a highly-publicized beef, including Twitter rants and an alleged incident between Steiner and Hogan’s wife at an airport. Rick says the beef between Scott and Hulk got carried away on Twitter, but that Scott didn’t like Hogan to begin with.

“There were some things being said and my brother brought up some stuff that was pretty personal, that was true that they didn’t want to come out,” Rick said of Scott’s Twitter rants. “I wasn’t there but they said he said something to Hogan’s new wife or new girlfriend or something, I wasn’t there I didn’t see any of it. I know the legality issues of it, there were a couple of lawyers hired, there was some stuff taken out, but my brother ain’t backing down from nobody.”

Scott’s Twitter rants also took aim at his previous employer — TNA. Rick says the things his brother said about the troubled wrestling promotion all ended up being true. Rick feels that people may not like his brother’s approach to airing issues out, but the things he said all ended up coming to light as being true.

As far as Scott’s way with words costing him a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame, Rick says that doesn’t matter to the Big Bad Booty Daddy.

“Everybody is worried about ‘Oh, don’t say that, you won’t be in the Hall Of Fame.’ My brother don’t care. He’ll say what he wants to say,” Rick said.

Rick noted that since stepping away from full-time wrestling, his brother has been opening restaurants in Georgia and Florida.

• TNA Takes Legal Action Against Scott Steiner Over Twitter Rants

Former WCW star Buff Bagwell recently appeared as a guest on the “Steve Austin Show – Unleashed!” podcast and spoke about nearly getting paralyzed after taking a bad diving bulldog from Rick Steiner during an episode of WCW Thunder in 1998, his battle with drug addiction and the DUI that Lex Luger got that left him wheelchair-bound. Below are some of the highlights of the interview.

On thinking he was paralyzed during 1998 WCW Thunder match against Rick Steiner:

“At this point, I am 100% convinced, and that is a big, big statement, I’m convinced I’m paralyzed. I swear to God, my mind went, ‘you know what, you can do what Christopher Reeve is doing. You can go to schools.’ I really turned a negative situation into a positive situation in a matter of seconds.”

“We got [to the hospital] and they wheeled me out and I was all drooped over the wheelchair and as soon as I got into the waiting room, I popped up with a double bicep [pose]! And they were like, ‘oh my God! What happened? Why are you okay?’ and at that stage, they realized I had a bruised spinal cord.”

On his battle with drug addiction:

“I have severe sleep apnea. I did not know I had severe sleep apnea back in the day, so I would wake up and I felt horrible! So I would sedate to go to the gym. I would sedate to go to bed. I would sedate to get to the ring. I would sedate because I didn’t feel good. The word ‘sleep apnea,’ nobody knew what it was back then. It wasn’t a word yet, so once I got diagnosed with sleep apnea, then I was able to clean this stuff up. But back before I was able to clean it up, it created, long story short, sleep apnea created an unbelievable drug addict.”

On trying to stop Lex Luger from driving the night he got a DUI that left him wheelchair-bound:

“I really tried to help [Luger]. I said, ‘don’t leave. Please stay here.’ I said, ‘Judy will get us something to eat. Don’t worry about that.’ I said, ‘don’t do it’ and he just refused. And when he got in the car, and he smelled those hash browns, he took a couple bites of hash browns and there it was, nodded out and [went] out.”

“[I] just talked to him. [I] just invited him to the [The Good, The Bad & The Buff: The Marc Bagwell Journey] documentary coming up and really, just God bless him. He’s in a wheelchair. I mean, he [does not] even look like Lex and I’ve talked to him about this, I love him so much and I’m so proud of him. But still, it bothers me because he was, he is, ‘the Total Package’, Steve, and you know that. And for him not to be ‘the Total Package’ [anymore] bothers me and it upsets me.”

• Video: Miesha Tate: “F*ck Ronda Rousey! You Just Got Beat, B*tch!”

H/T For Transcribing: WrestlingINC.com

Scott and Rick Steiner commandeered a front-end loader and demolished a building in a new ad for a restaurant chain called Shoneys. The legendary tag team recently reunited to film the commercial in Acworth, GA to promote the restaurant, which Scott Steiner is a franchisee of.

Scott is building a new Shoneys in Acworth, so to get rid of the old one they filmed him and his brother smashing into the building with a front-end loader tractor.

Scott is currently a member of the GFW roster, and Rick is now a real estate agent in Atlanta.

Related: Scott Steiner Goes Off On Hulk Hogan, Calling Him A “Lame P.O.S.”

Thanks to commenter “Vince Russo” for the correction.

A lot of the factors in pro wrestling are subjective. Some people enjoy this, some people enjoy that. Some fans prefer a better in-ring technician, some like a strong promo guy and others enjoy a great character. No one is wrong, because it’s all personal preference.

Generally speaking, when an editorial features a list, it’s “the best of” or “the worst of.” Today, we are going to switch gears a bit.

In keeping with the subjective theme, today we are going to look at who I personally consider to be the five best factions in the history of the business. Not the five best, my five favorite. And I’ll explain why, starting with …

#5. The Varsity Club

Many of the current generation of wrestling fans may have never even heard of The Varsity Club. Growing up, they were one of my favorite wrestling stables.

The original group consisted of Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotunda and Rick Steiner, all of which wore their amateur wrestling letterman jackets. The guys were among the most legitimate tough guys in the business at the time, and the group had the perception of being the baddest son of a bitches on the planet.

As is the case with any wrestling stable, as time went on the group was watered down. Members such as “Dr. Death” Steve Williams and “Dangerous” Dan Spivey were added to the mix, and before too long, the group ceased to exist. While they were around though, in my opinion, they were pretty damn cool.

#4. The Fabulous Freebirds

As far as I’m concerned any writer who doesn’t include The Fabulous Freebirds on their “top stables” or “top factions” lists should have their head examined. The Freebirds were as cool as it got when I was a youngster.

The group was led by Michael “P.S.” Hayes, a current WWE creative team member who is credited with introducing theme music to the ring-walk portion of the professional wrestling presentation. The group consisted of Hayes, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy and Buddy Roberts. Roberts was considered a great in-ring technician, and prior to the Birds, had a lengthy career worthy of Hall Of Fame status. In fact, Roberts was part of the original “Hollywood Blondes” tag-team, a name that was later used for the team of “Stunning” Steve Austin and “Flyin'” Brian Pillman. Gordy was a legend in Japan and portrayed the “enforcer” role in the group. Hayes was a rock star and easily one of the most charismatic wrestlers of his time, if not of all-time.

Later on, Hayes and Jimmy “Jam” Garvin would bring back The Fabulous Freebirds as a straight tag-team act. How this group has yet to receive an induction into the WWE Hall Of Fame confuses me to this very day.

#3. D-Generation X

I’m of the belief that there is not a fan of North American professional wrestling that has not heard of D-Generation X. That would mean they did their jobs and left a lasting legacy in the business.

D-X consisted of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna and Rick Rude. When the group officially formed, you could make the argument that along with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, they officially ushered in the infamous “Attitude Era” in WWE. They did things for shock value at a time when Howard Stern, The Jerry Springer Show and many other shock-television style shows reigned supreme. It was a natural fit, and the group really cemented Triple H as a main event performer in WWE.

Later on, as is the case with every faction or stable in history, an attempt was made to get the gang back together, only this time — it worked. You could argue that the second version of D-X was actually more successful than the first. The second group featured Triple H as the leader instead of Michaels, and his group consisted of Chyna, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, “Bad Ass” Billy Gunn and “The Road Dogg” Jesse James. Anyone who saw WWE RAW the night that D-X “invaded” WCW will never forget that moment. It was amazing entertainment and really symbolized the “Monday Night War” going on at the time between WWE and WCW.

D-X was brought back again in the 2000s as a straight tag-team act that featured the two original members — Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Personally, I didn’t enjoy that run nearly as much as their first run, but it was still a cool thing to see the two back together having fun.

Continued on page two …

E-C-W! E-C-W! E-C-W!

The chants can still be heard today. In fact, WWE still capitalizes on those three letters to this very day.

For example, last Monday night after RAW, WWE premiered “ECW Exposed” on the WWE Network as part of a full “ECW Week” theme for their digital subscription service.

Next Tuesday night, a second edition of “ECW Exposed” is scheduled to air on the WWE Network.

Hell, this weekend, Tommy Dreamer will be presenting the seventh “House Of Hardcore” event, which is considered by many to be a show with the old “ECW feel” to it.

My question is this, why do we see so many ECW reunion shows, but no WCW reunion shows? I’m assuming it has a lot to do with dollars and cents.

For an ECW reunion show to be held, you need at least some of the following guys: Paul Heyman, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, Taz, Bully Ray, Devon, Terry Funk, The Sandman, Rob Van Dam, Raven and Shane Douglas. Sure, there are many other names you can go with, but you need at least a few of those guys on the event for it to feel like a legitimate ECW reunion show.

For a WCW reunion show to be held, you need at least some of the following guys: Eric Bischoff, Ric Flair, Sting, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Diamond Dallas Page, Lex Luger, Sid Vicious, Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner and Rick Steiner. Again, many names are missing, but the fact remains, the price tags of the key guys needed for an ECW reunion show versus the price tags for a WCW reunion show are world’s apart.

WWE has at different points in time had enough of the aforementioned WCW names under contract, and certainly has enough money to secure the stars they didn’t have at a particular point in time, to put together a legitimate WCW reunion show.

Outside of the financial side of putting together a reunion show for the former two biggest rival promotions to WWE, there is the financial side of how much these shows would generate.

When you compare the amount of DVDs sold between “The Rise & Fall Of ECW” and “The Rise & Fall Of WCW,” again you will notice that they are world’s apart.

When ECW went out of business in 2001 they were still a beloved promotion that just didn’t have the financial backing or television exposure to stay afloat. When WCW went out of business in 2001 they barely had a pulse.

The fan-base for ECW was a rabid, cult-like fan-base that loved their home-promotion dearly. The fan-base for WCW by the time the company folded in 2001 was practically nonexistent.

Still, it feels like there is enough WCW nostalgia for a reunion show to work. Anytime rumors circulate that claim WWE is in negotiations with Goldberg, Sting, or any of the other major names wrestling fans associate with WCW, there is a huge buzz. Fans are excited at the prospect of these guys coming into the current fold and squaring off against today’s crop of WWE Superstars.

Currently, there is a lot of interest in a Sting vs. Undertaker match at WrestleMania. There has been buzz in the recent past about a possible showdown between Goldberg and his modern-day carbon-copy Ryback. There’s even been a lot of interest in “The Hulkster” lacing up his red and yellow boots once more.

If WWE were to sign all of these guys, or ever considered the idea at any point in time, why is it out of the realm of possibility that a WCW reunion show would be a success? Personally, I think it would work, however, I think WWE wants the WCW legacy buried and forgotten, and wants the fans of today to only remember history the way Vince McMahon and company choose to portray it.

Ever watched the “Monday Night War” documentary series on the WWE Network? Right there is a perfect example of the WWE-version of history being told.

The fact is, ECW was never a close second to WWE. They definitely provided a template on how to change the wrestling product into something more modern that fans of that generation soaked up in droves. The fact remains, however, that WCW was kicking WWE’s ass for a lengthy period of time.

Prior to that, when WWE was the top dog, WCW was always nipping at their heels. NWA before WCW was at times a close-second to WWE, and for a long period of time was considered to have the better talent roster. Additionally, NWA would beat WWE in television ratings on a somewhat regular basis before fans really paid attention to TV ratings or considered them any legitimate measure of success, as was the case when the ratings became the focal point of the WWE vs. WCW “Monday Night Wars.”

Outside of WrestleMania once a year, WWE puts on pay-per-views that for the most part feel the same. Nothing seems special or different about them anymore, and the entire idea behind a pay-per-view is to put on an event that feels bigger and more unique than a typical weekly wrestling television program.

Unfortunately, current WWE pay-per-views just feel like a slightly better version of a solid edition of WWE RAW and/or WWE SmackDown, when the company should be striving to put on pay-per-views that feel like “must see” or “can’t miss” programming.

Something tells me if WWE were to book a WCW reunion pay-per-view, if they booked the right guys, it would generate a ton of interest and likely draw a solid buyrate. It would garner interest from fans who escaped the wrestling bubble and moved on with their lives back in 2001 when the only alternative to the WWE-style of wrestling went out of business.

Picture it guys — WCW One Night Stand!

I’d fork out $44.95 and spend three hours of a Sunday evening to watch it.

And something tells me many others would as well.

How about you? Would you be interested in buying a “WCW Reunion” pay-per-view event? Let us know by posting your feedback in the “Comments” section below. You can also connect with me directly on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or on Twitter @MBoone420.

– The entire upper deck was said to be tarped off at the WWE television taping on Tuesday night in Manchester, England, so this would be among the lowest selling TV tapings the company has ever done overseas. RAW on Monday night in the same building was legitimately packed.

– WWE Superstar Wade Barrett met with Preston North End striker Kevin Davies this past week. Their meeting will air on Match Of The Day Kickabout this Saturday, November 16th at 7:45 a.m. on CBBC in the U.K.

– Both Rick and Scott Steiner will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall Of Fame in Waterloo, Iowa. The Steiner Brothers were announced as inductees for the 16th class inductions on July 18th and July 19th. Another former WWE Superstar, Diamond Dallas Page, will be receiving the Frank Gotch Award during the presentation as well.

– Tonight at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, John Cena will face Dolph Ziggler in a Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract. The Cenation leader addressed tonight’s encounter, stating that history will be made.

“Alright @WWE Brooklyn, time to show me what you’re made of,” wrote Cena on Twitter. “History happens tonight at #TLC do NOT miss Pay Per View TONIGHT!”

– In the latest edition of WWE Countdown, WWE counts down the “Top Table Moments.”

– “The Dog-Faced Gremlin” Rick Steiner is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

– Randy Orton, who is currently serving a 60-day suspension for his second violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program, was backstage at Monday’s Raw emanating from his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.

– WWE Hall of Famer Edge has been announced to appear at the House of Hardcore’s debut on October 6 at Poughkeepsie, New York. Other talent slated for the show include Tommy Dreamer, Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner, Chris Masters, The Sandman, Daivari, Jazz, Luke Gallows, The Young Bucks, Hale Collins and Sami Callihan.

– The July 21 episode of A.M. Raw draw a 0.34 cable rating, with 377,000 viewers.

– Jim Ross commented on Monday’s Raw via Twitter: “I really enjoyed my time in St Louis..#RAW1000 was a heck of a production. Pleased I got to visit the announce desk. Thx WWE & Twitterverse.”

(source: PWInsider.com)

A licensing inquiry by THQ led one songwriter to file a federal lawsuit against WWE, WWE-owned company Stephanie Music Publishing, Inc., WWE employee Michael Seitz (a/k/a Michael “P.S.” Hayes) and WWE employee James Alan Johnston (a/k/a Jim Johnston). According to a lawsuit filed by songwriter James D. Papa, the sports entertainment organization redirected royalty payments to several wrestling related songs he either wrote or co-wrote by securing the rights to music unlawfully.

The songs in question are featured in the 1992 WCW compilation album Slam Jam 1 and were used as entrance themes by wrestlers. The songs include “Badstreet USA” (The Fabulous Freebirds), “Don’t Step To Ron” (Ron Simmons), “Man Called Sting” (Sting), “Mr. Bang Bang” (Cactus Jack), “Master of the DDT” (Jake “The Snake” Roberts), “Freebird Forever” (The Fabulous Freebirds), “Simply Ravishing” (“Ravishing” Rick Rude), “Johnny B. Badd,” “The Natural” (“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes) “The Dragon” (Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat), “He’s Smokin” (Barry Windham) and “Steinerized” (The Steiner Brothers).

Papa says he was contacted by video-game company THQ for permission to license “Badstreet USA” for its Legends of WrestleMania title that was released in March 2009. The lawsuit alleges, “THQ’s records showed the song to be owned by World Wrestling Entertainment.” The suit continues:

“As a result of the confusion, Papa contacted BMI to ensure that ‘Badstreet USA’ was properly registered to him and his companies. Upon his investigation, Papa learned that ‘Badstreet USA’ had been improperly and erroneously reregistered by Defendants and been given a new registration number, resulting in the royalties being redirected to Defendants. Eventually, through working with BMI, Papa was able to correct the registration to properly reflect his ownership in the work. However, by the time the registration was corrected, THQ had decided not to use the song.”

The suit says, “His investigation revealed a systematic pattern of errors and omissions by WWE personnel that effectively misappropriated Papa’s musical works and deprived the Plaintiffs of royalty payments that would have been paid but for these errors and omissions.” According to BMI.com, “Mr. Bang Bang” has two separate registration numbers: one for Papa, another that credits James Alan Johnston as songwriter and Stephanie Music Publishing as publisher. Johnston is WWE’s longtime music composer while Stephanie Music Publishing is a company owned by Vince McMahon that was named after his daughter, Stephanie.

Papa says his songs have appeared on myriad places including numerous video releases, broadcasts of cable television shows and on-demand programming, without his permission and without receiving financial compensation. He is seeking royalties paid (plus pre- and post- judgment interest) on the sale of videos, computer games, the sale or licensing of ring tones, and the broadcasts of cable television shows and on-demand programming; a preliminary and permanent injunction to halt the use of the copyrighted materials; an order directing the named defendants to file a report detailing how they have complied with the injunction; reimbursement for legal fees; and a trial by jury where the court will determine damages. He also wants the court to certify that he owns the rights to the music.

The entire complaint is available here.