– In a new WWE-produced video looking at Money In The Bank match statistics, similar to those that are done for Royal Rumble statistics, word was brought down from above not to mention or acknowledge CM Punk. Many found this interesting, as Punk has not only won the match,but cashed in to win the championship on multiple occasions.

– WWE recently added the following video preview of the new “Ladies and Gentlemen, My Name is Paul Heyman” DVD to their official YouTube channel.

UFC 175: In-Depth Look At Saturday’s PPV Featuring RONDA ROUSEY & More!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Paul Heyman, “The One Behind The One In 21-1″, appeared with WWE Hall of Famer Adam “Edge” Copeland on this week’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. During the interview, Heyman spoke at length about why he thinks CM Punk decided to leave WWE.

“He was unhappy. He had enough. He couldn’t take it anymore. A year before he walked these was daily conversations of, ‘I don’t think I’m going to be able to take this. I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to be here. I don’t know how much longer it’s going to be before I just decide to go home.’ I’m surprised it lasted that long.”

Heyman says that Punk was no longer able to “find the passion” that he needed to keep up with the grind of being a WWE Superstar – which is what ultimately led to his departure.

“Every day with him was an exercise in him finding the balance to simply continue on and find the passion he needed that he to do it. And I think what happened was he walked in the day after the Royal Rumble and he couldn’t find that passion. He couldn’t convince himself or persuade himself, ‘OK, whether I’m happy or not this is about the performance, my legacy. It’s about I take pride in what I do. And whether I’m happy or unhappy when I go out there I’m going to be the best CM Punk I can be.’ And I think somewhere during that day he couldn’t find that.”

Check out the complete interview below:

• Shocking *SPOILER* — WWE Reveals SummerSlam MAIN EVENT, SPOILING MITB Outcome!!

The following are highlights from the latest WWE.com “Where Are They Now?” feature, which looks at former announcer and RAW General Manager Mike Adamle:

On his WWE debut at the 2008 Royal Rumble pay-per-view: “It was kind of petrifying, to tell you the truth. You would think that with a lot of the live experience that I had, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but that place was packed and I learned from the get-go that WWE fans were a different breed. They know more about their sport than football fans know about football and baseball fans know about baseball. They know everything.”

On his WWE departure and if he’d ever return: “It was pretty devastating to be let go. Mr. McMahon had brought me into his office and said, ‘We’re going to end this, today is your last show.’ I would come back in a heartbeat. It’s something I wanted to be a part of and wanted to be successful at. I still think about the people at WWE, because they were great. I miss a lot of them. I miss the atmosphere.”

Check out the complete feature at WWE.com.

The following is a transcription of a recent Ring Rust Radio interview with Rob Van Dam:

Mike Chiari: Since returning to WWE for your latest stint you’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the company’s fastest rising stars, specifically Cesaro and Bad News Barrett. As a veteran performer do you take pride in helping some of these younger stars get over and reach their fullest potential?

Rob Van Dam: Yes and no. I place no focus on that. If somebody is willing to take some advice, then I have some, and that’s just life in general. A lot of people don’t want to hear anything. These guys, and everybody at WWE right now, is so good that the standard of the pro wrestler compared to maybe 10 years ago: night and day difference. I came back last year and I was so impressed. Guys that come up now through NXT, a lot of them, maybe most of them, seem to be growing up in the business and with only four or five years’ experience. They’re already 10-12 year veterans. I’m more happy, with the caliber rising, that I can still get in there with my style and ability and still be relevant with the new age of wrestlers coming up just like it was back then.

So, are they getting a rub from wrestling with me? Probably so, but these guys, I don’t feel like they need me. These guys have a great future and are heading to the top with or without wrestling Rob Van Dam, they just might have a few more bruises after wrestling me.

Brandon Galvin: Many fans relate Money in the Bank to being the summer version of the Royal Rumble. Since you’ve competed in many Money in the Bank and Royal Rumble matches, which do you find more exciting to participate in?

Rob Van Dam: The battle royals are usually among my least favorite matches. Of course the Royal Rumble is a very anticipated and popular pay-per view and it’s very important in setting up what happens that year with WWE, but for my personal participation, I like to keep the spotlight on me more.

Single matches, I feel, have always been the ones where I can shine more. Three-way, four-way, you have to split your attention with some other guys, and it can be totally great, but when you get into a battle royal with 20 or 30 other guys, it’s just so different from what your agenda is when it’s one on one competition. My preference is from the perspective of the guy putting the boots on, but really, if it works, it’s good. If the fans love it, I love it.

Donald Wood: The Money in the Bank pay-per-view is scheduled for Sunday, June 29, in Boston and on the WWE Network. As the winner of the 2006 edition of the match, you know first hand how a victory in the ladder match can change your career. How do you approach this event now that you’re a little older and a little wiser?

Rob Van Dam: The experience that I have goes with not only knowing what it takes to pull off a match like that, but also experience in knowing myself and knowing what I can do and how far out there my comfort zone is. I love a match like Money in the Bank, I love a hardcore match, and that’s what the Money in the Bank ladder matches are. Throw the rule book out and let out your imagination. Usually, you have to be among the tougher [Superstars] to enjoy a match like that because you are going to be hit with steel and cement and there’s most likely going to be some blood—even though they want to stop it with the current policies with the WWE, some people might get busted open. I wish they would bring the hardcore title back, that would make me happy.

Mike Chiari: You obviously have a long history with Paul Heyman dating back to ECW, and you’ve once again had an opportunity to work with him during your feud with Cesaro. If a situation were to arise at some point that would allow you to join forces with Heyman again is that something you might be interested in?

Rob Van Dam: Possibly, you know, there’s a lot of factors to consider. Of course, whenever I’m working with him to any degree, I have to consider the possibility that some writers may be thinking of that idea just like you are. I would be open to considering anything, but I really do enjoy being a fan favorite, someone that gets the positive energy from the fans and all the love from those who are wrestling fans: guys my age, kids, women, whatever. I like that I have that appeal, and I like the love. That would be something, even within the parameters of entertainment, switching to bad guy, that those guys would put up with. All the negative energy that would occur if I were to switch. That would be something that has value to me, but besides that, of course I’d love to work with Paul.

Brandon Galvin: You’ve always been one of the most exciting and unique wrestlers in and out of the ring, which makes it difficult for fans to ever boo you. However, have you ever thought about playing the role of a villain again or do you think your in-ring style would make it too difficult for fans to turn on you?

Rob Van Dam: I don’t know. I actually started as a bad guy in the original ECW, back in ’96, because I was wrestling Sabu, who all the fans loved and treated like a god. With the thumbs pointing at myself, that was done in an arrogant manner to draw heat from the crowd and they seemed to love it, they seemed to love my moves.

I don’t know if my style makes it hard to get fans to not appreciate me, but I do think that the traditional hero is something that is old fashioned in somewhere like the Deep South. I remember wrestling in Georgia, and as a good guy—to get the audience behind me—you just walk out and clap your hands, you get the fans to clap with you and you smile. When I first went up to Philadelphia, if I tried that stuff up there, they would boo me out the door. So that kind of anti-hero or that more adult approach has taken over.

The Attitude Era, ECW, everything together has come to make wrestling not so old fashioned, which I could say was cheesy by my standards and had to evolve, so now the fans tend to be drawn more toward what they find entertaining, which is subjective.

Donald Wood: When you returned to the WWE, there were a lot of reports about your contract with the company. While it appears you won’t be going for the major titles in the company as a part-time wrestler—at least right now—you have much more free time to explore other ventures outside the ring. Has it been difficult trying to adapt to the new style of part-time wrestling with the WWE?

Rob Van Dam: I have never been one of the guys that goes crazy at home. I can’t even imagine what that’s like. I need the balance. WWE knows I walked away from them in 2006, [that] I stayed away for six or seven years [and] that I’m capable of that without question. The other wrestlers, they have a few days off and they go nuts.

I remember, even when I was injured, I had my knee surgery and was home for 12 months, but I wasn’t just sitting around, I had a lot of conventions and things, but I would get phone calls from some of my friends from wrestling saying, ‘Rob I know you’re going crazy at home, but you’ll be back on the road in no time,’ and that’s when I realized how different they are from me. I love my time at home. I need that balance. That’s why I left before, and that’s why this schedule is what works perfect for me, so I don’t have to adjust to the busy times.

We just did 17 matches in 23 days in my last run when we went to Europe and I did NXT in Florida as well as Raw and Smackdown. That kind of time for me is when I count the days until I get a break, always have, and some of the other guys have nothing waiting for them at the apartment anyways. They’re young and they’re looking to show people what they’ve got, I’ll let them have it. I’m happy with my position and the way WWE is treating me right now.

Mike Chiari: You’ve faced most of the top stars in the business over the past two decades, but who is someone who you either haven’t wrestled at all or have only wrestled sparingly that you’d like to work an extended program against in WWE?

Rob Van Dam: Hulk Hogan. Bring Hulk Hogan back, I want to work with him.

I don’t really worry about those things. When people ask me about guys I don’t say yes or no, but I go where the money is. Any chance I have to be a main event at a pay-per view, like main eventing WrestleMania, is that important to me? At this point, it’s something that would be really nice.

Brandon Galvin: Not many fans know about your roles outside the ring as an actor. One of my personal favorites was when you appeared on City Guys in the late 90’s. With the success of WWE Studios, would you be interested in appearing another film?

Rob Van Dam: Yeah, totally. I actually have several projects back in LA that are on the table. Some of them are movie projects, some of them documentaries, some TV shows. And to me, for that stuff to happen is like letting out 50 balloons in the air and seeing which ones make it back down.

I regularly sign letters of interest with people who have given me offers and, nine out of 10 times, the projects don’t see the light of day. Sometimes they do. When they do, it usually takes a lot of years before they come to fruition. I like to be on the creative side of that also, helping create the story and produce it.

As much as I like the entertainment business, I hate doing auditions. I don’t do them. So when you don’t do auditions, you’re not going to get a lot of parts. I did plenty of auditions, but I’m at a point now where my time is limited, and I don’t enjoy doing auditions, so now I take parts when they’re handed to me. So there are a lot less projects for me, but I love to do them.

For those interested, you can listen to the complete interview above.

When it comes to Batista’s latest run, one could argue that management hit him with a bait and switch. He was promised that he would win the Royal Rumble and go on to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. Instead, he was practically booed out of the building after winning the Royal Rumble and ended up tapping out to the Yes Lock at WrestleMania to allow Daniel Bryan to win the championship.

As most probably know by now, Batista “quit” on this past week’s Raw, as he will be taking a few months off to promote his new movie Guardians of the Galaxy. Upon return after a several year hiatus, Batista represented what many feel is wrong with the current state of the WWE.

Batista did not win a title after returning, but he was involved in a memorable feud between Evolution and the Shield.

Instead of relying on the guys that work day in and day out to headline the biggest pay-per-views of the year, the WWE has instead relied upon part-time superstars such as the Rock and Brock Lesnar to headline their biggest events. The reliance on part-time superstars is one of the reasons a certain someone (*cough* CM Punk *cough*) decided to pack his bags and head home.

However, despite all of the criticism Batista has received since returning, one has to wonder if he earned the respect of fans. In my opinion, I think it is fair to say that he did just that.

In the end, Batista was promised the world but was basically handed a half-empty bag of peanuts. Following the Royal Rumble, which featured an extremely hostile Pittsburgh crowd, it became apparent that Batista’s wishes would not be granted. The company was quickly forced to turn him heel, which messed with the dynamics of the WrestleMania main event, which featured a heel champion in the form of Randy Orton.

Here are some highlights of what Dolph Ziggler said during a recent interview with Alex of the Journey Of a Frontman website:

How He Prepares For His Matches: “I’m not one of those guys that has to, one of those guys that walks around with their Beats headphones on and get in the zone and bounce around. I do the opposite of that. I sit around in a corner and I focus on a game plan or psychology going into the match so I can get all my focusing in, think of everything I can that I can possible use against my opponent out there. So I like to sit and plot quietly. I listen to music on the treadmill every morning, little bit of a mixture of pop music and mostly hair bands and rock.”

Doing Stand Up Comedy: “Mick Foley has some stand up things going on also, so he’s giving me an opening invite if I ever have a day off. I can speak on stage with him and get a couple minutes in. Whenever I have a free minute, which is very rare, I am looking for mic time one way or another. Just know that a lot of my set has to do with Chipotle in a positive way. A lot of Chipotle talk!”

Who He Hopes to Face at Summerslam: “I would like to face Bad News Barrett at Summerslam. That guy, he’s come back from an injury, he’s come a long way. He’s found a way to recreate himself on The JBL and Cole YouTube show and actually bringing that over to television. He brought it over to television and it’s great. I love hearing him talk. He’s good and he knows what he’s doing. We’ve only been in the ring maybe two times together and we tore it down. I would love to get out there with him and put on a match that nobody else could follow.”

Could Sami Zayn Be The Next Paul Heyman Guy?: “I actually got to have a match with him overseas and it went really well. I think he could be next to hit the roster and maybe he will be a Paul Heyman Guy. When you walk through the door and you become a Paul Heyman Guy, there’s dollar signs around you. It makes you a main player in the game.”

If He’d Want To Be RAW General Manager: “I would hate that! That’s like having an office job. I need to be out there, I need to be out there in the ring. I would go crazy if I was GM.”

His All-Time Favorite Match: “One of my favorites for sure was me versus Edge at the 2011 Royal Rumble. We were the opening match for the World Heavyweight title. Edge was someone I had rode with and he’s been a mentor to me. It was cool to be in the ring with him and me being the bad guy. The crowd understands I’m good at my job. And I was able to hang in the ring with him. In the last ten minutes of that match, everybody was on the edge of their seats. It was a real special time for me. It was a great match. Edge was awesome, I hung in there with him and definitely held my own. We tore it down that night.”

As previously reported, WWE revealed their 2014 first-quarter financials earlier today. As part of the earnings report, the company released specific pay-per-view buy numbers for their recent Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber shows.

The 2014 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view scored 467,000 buys, which was down from the 512,000 buys that the show drew in 2013. It was, however, up from the 443,000 buys that they drew in 2012, 446,000 buys in 2011 and 462,000 buys in 2010.

The 2014 WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view scored 183,000 buys, down from the 213,000 buys that the show drew in 2013. The same event drew 178,000 buys in 2012, 199,000 buys in 2011 and 285,000 buys in 2010.

The following is an updated list of official dates and locations for WWE’s pay-per-view events all the way through WrestleMania 31.

May 4th – Extreme Rules, IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ
June 1st – Payback, Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL
June 29th – Money In the Bank, TD Garden in Boston, MA
July 20th – Battleground, Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, FL
August 17th – SummerSlam, Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA
September 21st – Night of Champions, Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN
October 26th – Hell In A Cell, American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX
November 23rd – Survivor Series, Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO
December 14th – TLC, Quickens Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH
January 25th – Royal Rumble, Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA
February 22nd – Elimination Chamber, Fedex Forum in Memphis, TN
March 29th – WrestleMania 31, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA

At first glance, Alexander Rusev seems like a rehash of a character WWE fans have seen countless times: the monster foreign superstar who feasts on unworthy foes while being accompanied by a manager who serves as his mouthpiece.

Some have contended that the character is so unoriginal that it was completely lifted from a Rocky movie of all places, as he has drawn comparisons to Rocky IV villain Ivan Drago and his wife Ludmilla.

Despite the fact that many believe he is a recycled, cliché character, Rusev has managed to make his way through the WWE’s NXT division and to the main roster in a relatively short amount of time.

Rusev has been booked as a monster, but do fans actually view him as one?

Since making his debut on the main roster, Rusev made a brief appearance in this year’s Royal Rumble and has been feasting on jobbers ever since. Unlike some of his critics, I believe that Rusev can be successful at the main level, but only if he is booked differently from similar heels in the past.

In recent years, the WWE has chosen to rely upon the tried-and-true formula of debuting a monster heel and serving him a hearty portion of heels (see Ryback for example). They expect that if the heel is shoved down fans’ throats long enough by competing in squash matches, they will eventually realize his dominance and he will be over in no time.

It appears they are attempting to take the same course of action with Rusev, as he has competed against only jobbers and will face R-Truth and Xavier Woods in a handicap match at Extreme Rules. Hell, they even threw Rusev into the coalition of jobbers that worked to beat down the Shield during the 11-on-3 handicap match a few weeks back on Raw.

When the Shield debuted over a year ago, Roman Reigns was like the shadowy muscle of the group. He was the least featured member of the trio. He was given few lines during their promos. Yet he was always there to deliver a devastating spear or triple powerbomb when needed.

With the rich indy wrestling history of both Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, it is no surprise that they were expected to carry most of the load during the early days of the stable. After all, Roman Reigns was a former football player and started wrestling in 2010, whereas both Ambrose and Rollins had been wrestling since the early 2000’s.

Reigns does have a rich family history though, as he is a member of the famous Anoa’i family that includes past superstars such as Yokozuna, Rikishi, and The Rock, so it is not like he was a complete stranger to the world of wrestling.

After his dominating performance at last year’s Survivor Series, it seemed obvious that there were big plans for Roman Reigns.

A little over a year ago, it appeared that Dean Ambrose was the member being groomed for a breakout solo career. He was considered the de facto of the group and is the only member of the group to win a solo title while Rollins and Reigns shared the Tag Team Championships.

Something changed last fall, however, and it appeared that Reigns was the one gaining momentum in the Shield after Ambrose seemed enter a lull. Coincidentally enough, it was as soon as Rollins and Reigns lost their championships that his push began. The first hint that he was going to be a breakout star was at last year’s Survivor Series, where he was the sole survivor and dominated the competition, eliminating four opponents during the contest.

Reigns later eliminated the most competitors in Royal Rumble history during the 2014 contest and he has not looked back since. With the Shield now entering into a program with the newly reformed Evolution, there are reports that the ultimate goal of the feud is to set up a matchup between Triple H and Roman Reigns at this year’s SummerSlam. The reports make one wonder: is Roman Reigns ready for a massive solo push?

The official WWE website has published a new editorial piece featuring 8 bold predictions for the WWE Universe leading up to next year’s WrestleMania 31 event:

– Roman Reigns will win the 2015 Royal Rumble Match

– John Cena will join The Wyatt Family

– The Undertaker will retire

– The WWE World Heavyweight Championship will once again split into two titles

– Stephanie McMahon will target the Divas Championship

– Zeb Colter will form a stable of Real Americans

– Cody Rhodes will win (and cash in) Money in the Bank

– Cesaro will break away from Paul Heyman and challenge Brock Lesnar

Hit up the comments below and tell us if you agree with any of these picks.

– According to a new TMZ article, WWE talent have been informed to stay away from Nancy Gracie following the controversial way she handled Ultimate Warrior’s recent passing. You can check out the complete article at TMZ.com.

– A fan sent along the following screen capture of the new Ultimate Warrior documentary that aired on the WWE Network on Thursday night. In the scene where Warrior meets with Triple H at WWE Headquarters, you can see on the Royal Rumble poster on the wall in the background that someone put a post-it note over the face of CM Punk. Check it out below.

We are a little over a quarter of the way through the year. With WrestleMania behind us, the WWE will now begin its summer programs and hope to build toward its second biggest pay-per-view of the year, SummerSlam.

With that said, I felt it would be interesting to look at the top five matches from the first quarter of 2014. I included full match videos and highlights where possible, but WWE licensing restrictions made it difficult at times. (I also apologize for the terrible music in a few of the videos.)

5. John Cena vs. Cesaro (February 17 Raw) – Say what you will about John Cena’s in-ring ability, but he has put on some great matches so far this year, with none better than this matchup with Cesaro. There were a number of amazing spots during the contest, with Cesaro’s counter of the AA certainly ranking near the top. It appears the WWE is going to push Cesaro hard, and this was the week where his push began after he defeated Randy Orton and pushed Cena to the limit.

4. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania) – After weeks of begging for a match with Triple H, Daniel Bryan finally got his wish at WrestleMania. He took full advantage of it during the opening contest of the night. Both superstars really shined during the match and it was, in my opinion, the highlight of the show. It also ranks as quite possibly the best opening match in WrestleMania history, with only Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart at WrestleMania X giving it a run for its money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzEetf0xlsU

WWE recently issued a survey to fans regarding new potential WWE video games that could be released online in the future. Details on those games are as follows:

1. Trouble always seems to find a way to the WWE Universe! Play as either John Cena or Daniel Bryan and go off on an adventure to rescue the Bella Twins, who have been kidnapped by the evil Mr. McMahon. Venture through 50 stages to rescue the Twins, grabbing extra powers and goodies over land, water, air, and fire along the way!

2.A turn-based combat role-playing game where you can assemble and lead teams of Superstars and Divas-your mission is to protect the WWE Universe from the clutches of evil wrestlers from another dimension!

3. You’re the boss! Manage the ultimate team of WWE Superstars. Pick your wrestlers, train them, and have them fight your friends and other opponents in the ring!

4. The WWE Universe is way too big for just one Superstar! Collect a series of WWE Superstar action figures, each with unique abilities that unlock certain challenges and portals, and bring them to life on the big screen via your game console. Only you can put the right Superstar against the right challenge to save the WWE Universe. Put the action figures “in the ring” and let the adventures begin!

5. Join an epic adventure with the Angry Birds in the WWE Universe! Use your favorite wrestling moves and slingshot your way through an action-packed journey from WrestleMania to Royal Rumble, facing the biggest WWE Superstars of all time! Can you become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion with the help of the Angry Birds?

Following their debut at the 2012 Survivor Series, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns, collectively known as the Shield, quickly became one of the most dominant and influential stables in recent memory.

The group primarily acted as heels throughout their successful run, although they were frequently cheered as well. In particular, Roman Reigns would frequently receive huge pops from the crowd, as seen during his breakthrough performances at the 2013 Survivor Series and 2014 Royal Rumble.

After attacking Director of Operations Kane, the group officially turned babyface and the crowd has been eating it up in recent weeks, with their celebration following their beat down of Ryback and Curtis Axel on this past week’s RAW serving as evidence of the group’s popularity.

After a tumultuous few weeks, the Shield appears to be reunited, but for how long can the Hounds of Justice keep their respective egos in check?

The group now seems to be reunited and stronger than ever after there was serious tension between the Hounds of Justice. So why did the WWE decide to turn the Shield face after it seemed they would dissolve just a few weeks prior?

The Wyatt Effect

One of the primary reasons the Shield were forced to turn face was the emergence of the Wyatt Family. There is only so much room on the roster for stables, and the Wyatt Family are without a doubt the predominant heel group on the roster today.

With the Wyatt Family serving as the main heel stable on the roster and essentially adopting the same M.O. as the Shield (appearing out of nowhere to savagely destroy unsuspecting foes), it only makes sense that creative would not want two stables acting in a similar manner, even if their gimmicks are stark contrasts of one another.

Bray Wyatt refers to himself as “The Eater of Worlds.” After his first few months with the company, he could also easily refer to himself as “The King of the Promo” and not many would object.

No character in recent memory has used the promo to build up his character as well as Wyatt. Starting with a series of haunting videos preceding the stable’s debut, the Wyatt Family were able to build the foundation that would allow them to become one of the top heel groups in the company.

After a perfect debut (minus the Husky Harris chants) and successful feuds with Daniel Bryan and the Shield, it was revealed that Wyatt would be entering a program with John Cena during the WrestleMania season.

http://youtu.be/x7QJruEbKL4

Many cringed at the thought of Wyatt battling Cena at WrestleMania. I personally thought the match would result in nothing more than the WWE further elevating its biggest star while taking one of the hottest superstars in the company down a notch.

After all, Cena isn’t exactly notorious for putting over stars at WrestleMania, although he has put over the Miz and the Rock in the past. I am not here to make predictions regarding the matchup, but to instead discuss how the two have used masterful promos to build the fight into possibly the most anticipated match on the card.

The Rock is the only man to ever pin Cena clean at WrestleMania? Will Wyatt be able to defeat Superman?

Cena has discussed how his legacy is at stake at WrestleMania, while Wyatt has criticized Cena for being primarily concerned with selling merchandise and achieving fame. This is certainly not a new line of criticism directed at Cena.

In fact, Daniel Bryan levied the same insults at Cena during their build-up to SummerSlam, where he said Cena was in the WWE for fame, while he (Bryan) was there because he loves to wrestle.

Bryan’s rebukes never really felt personal though, largely due to the fact that he had to hold back because he was a face. Wyatt, on the other hand, has not held back one bit, criticizing Cena for living in a castle with his plastic girlfriend during his latest promo (seen above), which is also quite possibly his best yet.

One of the ideas currently floating around WWE creative right now is for The Wyatt Family to somehow cost John Cena the victory in the upcoming Elimination Chamber match this Sunday.

As previously reported, the plan for Cena’s match at WrestleMania XXX is for him to face Bray Wyatt in a singles match. The feeling is that something needs to be done to bring back the focus on the Wyatt vs. Cena feud, which was started at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in January.

• Undertaker To RETIRE This Year?, MAJOR Star To RETURN To WWE + NEW HOF Inductees …(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The following are highlights from the latest Q&A update by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:

On those who say the Steiner Brothers never hurt anyone in the ring: “They were physical guys and the business isn’t ballet. I loved the Steiner Brothers tag team.”

On what it was like to deal with Stevie Richards and The Blue Meanie: “Really good men. Wish we had more of them. Solid citizens.”

On how much creative input The Undertaker and Paul Bearer had in their characters: “An ample amount. Always in the loop.”

On if Batista should have been kept as a Royal Rumble surprise entrant: “Key word here is hindsight. That’s the easiest thing in the world to do when it comes to many things including booking ideas. I had no issue on how Batista was handled.”

Check out more JR Q&A online at JRsBarBQ.com.

– During an interview with New Orleans’ NOLA.com, Kofi Kingston spoke about his crazy spots at the Royal Rumble:

“The funny thing about it is that a lot of people think that I think about them year-round, and the past three years now, the idea hasn’t come to me until like 12 hours before the event. I don’t put any pressure on myself to come up with anything cool. I approach it like any other match. I don’t know if I’d put one (escape) above another. Like I always say, the greatest trick of all would be to actually win.”

– Rob Van Dam was asked by a fan on Twitter if he’ll be back in WWE before WrestleMania XXX. He responded:

“@Rick268: @TherealRVD Are you returning before Mania?” I hope so.

— Rob Van Dam (@TherealRVD) February 6, 2014

– The latest episode of the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed is now online, with Steve Austin taking calls from WWE fans about the Royal Rumble, Daniel Bryan’s booking and the departure of CM Punk. Listen now at PodcastOne.com.

– WWE has added “The History of WWE” & “Triple H: Thy Kingdom Come” DVDs to Netflix for streaming.

– Radio host Sam Roberts has published the following video talking about CM Punk leaving WWE:

– WWE’s Linda McMahon will receive the Prescott Bush Award from the Connecticut Republican Party at a special dinner event scheduled for April 10th at the Stamford Hilton Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut.

– WWE recently added a new video to their official YouTube channel called, “A look at Roman Reigns’ record setting Royal Rumble performance.” The video, which you can view below, is accompanied by the following description: “Check out Roman Reigns’ dominating display at the 2014 Royal Rumble”

The following are highlights of a recent interview with former SmackDown head writer Alex Greenfield:

On CM Punk: “I know there’s been a certain amount of dissatisfaction from Punk backstage according to the rumor mill anyway. He seems like he’s always got some level of dissatisfaction but it never occurred to me that he would walk away. I’m 70 percent sure this is not a work, that he has really walked away. Which isn’t to say he can’t be brought back but there is a chance that this some sort of high level story telling that they’re trying. Presuming it’s real I kind of understand it. His body’s all banged up, he’s looking at the same creative we are and probably feeling a very similar sense of dissatisfaction. I can understand walking away. It makes sense to me. It also makes sense to me though like I can articulate a story where in which this is a work and we get him together with Hunter and we can all sort of telescope that this is a work version of the story out and if that’s the case I just feel like this is the 2nd time we’ve gone to this well with this character so it doesn’t make sense to me that you would tell that story again which is one of the reasons why i think the preponderance of the evidence is that he’s actually walked away and I can feel it cause just as a fan I’m going to walk away for a little while.”

On Daniel Bryan: “You look at the way Bryan’s been booked since Summer Slam. An argument you see a lot is that Daniel Bryan’s PPVs didn’t increase numbers and neither did his RAW segments well you gave him sh**** booking that involves belittling him every single week. This is something went with Rey (Mysterio). We had Mark kill him and the Great Khali killing him. We were burying our champion every single week. Of course that’s going to turn people off when you don’t give them what they want. Telescoping forward, I have the feeling that this is all going to come to a head and that they will put the title on Bryan in a big of a way as they feel is right and Vince is going to start booking him like Rey. Here’s a guy whose job is to get his ass kicked, and slip over every now and then. I think it’s terrible storytelling, it’s not what the people want and when people bitch about Bryan’s ratings and say well that’s the reason they’re not going with him they gave him a shot already. I don’t think they gave him a legitimate shot. I think they gave him a story that undercut him at the knees from the moment he walked out of the curtain.”

On the Royal Rumble and Bryan not being part of it: “WWE seems to want to fight against the crowd just doesn’t make any sense to me. Why aren’t you taking advantage of the lighting and that’s one of the things that frustrated me so much about the Rumble is I don’t think you can get that moment of triumphing over adversity in that way and there’s so many stories it opens up like did Kane help him get in? So many things you can do. Even if they change plans and give him (Bryan) a big WrestleMania moment I feel like the lightning in the bottle has been lost because now it’s all repairing shit they broke. It’s silly if they didn’t have some idea of what would happen before the world title match started. If you get to the end of that world title match and you don’t call the audible to get Bryan into the match, hell even having Batista eliminating him and having them be the final 2 I think would have sent people home a lot happier. But that you don’t even call that audible just to me indicates the calcified my way or the highway thinking that makes wrestling not very fun.”

Check out the complete interview at MoreLikeRadio.com.

– For those wondering, the word going around is that Brock Lesnar is not scheduled to wrestle another match for WWE until WrestleMania XXX in April, where he is scheduled to face The Undertaker.

– The following are some recent WWE attendance figures:

The WWE live event from State College, Pennsylvania drew approximately 3,500 fans.
The WWE live event from Canton, Ohio drew approximately 2,500 fans.
The WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania drew approximately 15,715 fans.

WWE is in the midst of one of the most eventful weeks in years – and the company’s existing storyline plans through WrestleMania could be scrapped entirely by Friday night.

WWE has called for all-day creative meetings on Thursday and Friday, according to a report by Wade Keller of PWTorch.com. A source says that “nothing is sacred” in terms of long-standing booking plans plans and “everything will be reevaluated.”

The roller coaster ride began on Sunday night when it became apparent to fans that Daniel Bryan would not be part of the Royal Rumble match. The strong negative reaction to Batista winning the Rumble, Daniel Bryan’s continuing popularity growth and the shocking departure of CM Punk from the company are all being cited as reasons for the shakeup.

We’ll have more details on this story later in the week, but it appears that things are going to get even more interesting by the time the week is over.

– The official WWE website has added a new video playlist of WWE Superstars and Divas going “slap-happy.” You can check that out at WWE.com.

– Also on the WWE website is a poll asking fans who the most surprising Royal Rumble entrant was this past Sunday night. The options were El Torito, Alexander Rusev, Dolph Ziggler, JBL, Kane, Sheamus and Kevin Nash. At last check, Nash was leading the pack with 36 percent of the votes. Sheamus was a close second with 31 percent.