– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross tweeted the following about Thursday night’s WWE NXT tapings from Full Sail University:

“FCW taped nx Thursday in Tampa as usual. NXT rebranded here in Orlando. Air dates/networks TBD. Great, 12 hour day! Hard work by all.”

*Spoilers* 4 Weeks of NXT Results From Full Sail University

When asked by a fan on Twitter about why he was being “demoted” to NXT, he responded:

“Not a demotion at all. Im a team player. You should try it.”

– Stephanie and Shane McMahon have been added to the Alumni section of the WWE website.

– Ric Flair’s daughter Ashley has indeed signed a developmental deal with WWE and will be reporting to Florida Championship Wrestling in July. She has been training in North Carolina with former WCW wrestler Lodi and already broke her nose during training, according to Pro Wrestling Insider.

It’s been widely speculated that Ric Flair will be returning to WWE when his TNA contract expires. Between his appearance at the Hall of Fame ceremony and WWE now signing his daughter, it does seem like a possibility.

— Today marks the eleven year anniversary of the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro. The show began with Vince McMahon appearing via satellite from Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, the site of that evening’s Raw is War broadcast on TNN, announcing that he had purchased World Championship Wrestling. The show ended with a simulcast on Raw with an appearance by Shane McMahon on Nitro as he interrupted his father’s gloating over the purchase to explain that he actually owned WCW.

WWE has posted several clips from the episode including Ric Flair’s emotional WCW farewell speech, Booker T vs. Scott Steiner: in a Title vs. Title Match, Shane Helms vs. Chavo Guerrero in a Cruiserweight Title Match, Sean O’Haire and Chuck Palumbo vs. Lance Storm and Mike Awesome, Shawn Stasiak vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, Vince McMahon firing Jeff Jarrett, Sting vs. Ric Flair and Shane McMahon saying he bought WCW.

— Kelly Kelly says “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson is her favorite ’80s Superstar. She says of the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame inductee to WWE Magazine in an interview, “I admire everything he accomplished in the ring. He was the greatest bad guy ever.”

She also reveals the best thing about being on the road as a WWE Diva: “Traveling with the girls. We have a lot fun getting in trouble together.”

– Vince McMahon has reportedly been on the warpath as of late – shooting down a lot of ideas presented to him by the creative team. One recent situation involved Mick Foley’s recent return to television. Last week’s Christmas-themed live Tuesday SmackDown featuring Foley as Santa Clause was an idea pushed through by Brian Gewirtz, despite Vince not liking the idea.

Vince recently ordered that The Bella Twins be made a top priority and wants them to be featured on television more.  Vince loves having the Bellas represent WWE in public appearances and recently reamed out the writing team for blowing a number of opportunities to feature the twin beauties.

– Vince’s son Shane was in the news this week, as his latest product, “YOU On Demand,” is set to launch in China this month. The service, which recently signed a deal with Gravitas Ventures to bring independent movies to streaming services, hopes to reach 11 million homes by the end of 2012.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– Shane McMahon’s name was brought up during recent internal WWE talks in regards to creative but the feeling was that he’s gone and there are little chances of luring him back any time soon.

– WWE is looking to run more shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

– Stan sent word that this week’s episode of WWE NXT had 19 minutes and 48 seconds of in-ring action, up just a bit from the previous week.

– A few agents in WWE are grumbling about the push of Mason Ryan.

• Related News: Concern Over Mason Ryan’s Physique/Wellness

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

His New “Groundbreaking” Project: “I need to get back to doing my homework on the WWE project that I will soon be starting that I honestly feel will be one of the most ground breaking projects that the WWE or I have personally have ever done. It’s a fascinating DVD project that will be released later this year. More info as it can be made available.”

Shane McMahon At The US Open: “Nice seeing Shane McMahon on TV Sunday at the US Open Golf Championship. Shane is involved in a company the represents Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Charles Swartzal, and Ernie Ells, among other top international golfers.”

• Video: Shane McMahon Attends Sunday’s US Open

CM Punk Leaving WWE: “Big news out of MNR is that CM Punk is apparently leaving WWE after his MITB PPV main event in July in his hometown of Chicago with John Cena for the WWE Title. This quickly has become the talk of the business as Punk is arguably the best antagonist in the ring right now as his work Monday night in Baltimore indicated. Who knows what’s going to happen in Chicago? I certainly don’t. Would a Punk win change MANY things within WWE? Absolutely. Could Punk become a ‘lame duck’ WWE Champion? With question. Would John Cena have to carry the burden of being the guy who lost the WWE Title to a man who has nothing to lose and has publicly stated that he’s leaving WWE? Yes sir. Is Punk leaving the WWE forever? I don’t know as only @cmpunk can answer that one. ”

“This I do know…the storyline between CM Punk and John Cena/WWE between now and Money in the Bank PPV should be excellent TV and I’m excited and anxious to see how it all plays out as I’m sure are many other fans. I choose not to over examine the matter and simply enjoy MNR for what it is and what this matter means within the body of the program.”

– Former WWE executive Shane McMahon attended the US Open golf tournament on Sunday with the father of Rory McIlroy, the 22-year-old phenom who the tournament. Shane was shown on camera but not mentioned by name.

– WWE announced on Monday that WrestleMania XXVIII travel packages will go on sale “during the summer months.”

– A number of gossip websites are reporting that former WWE Star Chris Jericho is responsible for the latest reality television romance between former American Idol contestant Pia Toscano and Dancing With The Stars contestant Mark Ballas. Jericho and Toscano are said to be friends and it was Chris Jericho who passed along a note from Ballas to Toscano, which led to their first date last week.

– As we reported yesterday, Shane McMahon appeared at Sunday’s Masters golf tournament and was briefly shown on camera during the broadcast. For those wondering what Shane was doing there, he is currently sits on the Board of Directions for International Sports Management – which represents several top golfers, including Ernie Els and Rory McIlroy.

Check out this picture of Shane McMahon from The Masters:

(Partial source: pwinsider.com)

— Shane McMahon briefly appeared during today’s telecast of the 2011 Masters Golf Tournament on CBS. The former WWE executive and talent was seen congratulating a golfer.

His brief appearance resulted in ‘Shane McMahon’ trending worldwide on Twitter.

Related News: Update On Shane Wanting NO Part In WWE

— Former WWE Diva Ashley Massaro no-showed yesterday’s K&S Wrestlefest “Super Saturday” event in Essington, Pennsylvania. Event organizers told fans she wasn’t able to make it.

This is not the first time in which the former Playboy model has no-showed a wrestling convention as she bailed on a few bookings shortly after her departure from WWE two years ago. She also no-showed a K&S Wrestlefest event last July.

— Former WWE manager Paul Bearer celebrates his 57th birthday today.

— WWE originally planned for Triple H to ride a Clydesdale horse to the ring for his match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVII. During a test run, the horse fell through the trap door on the WrestleMania stage, with Hunter riding it. The horse was spooked and went wild. Plans for the ring entrance were immediately scrapped.

— Shane McMahon was not on hand for last week’s WrestleMania festivities. Vince and Linda McMahon still see his children, and he still has a good relationship with Stephanie, but the belief is that he has no plans on ever returning to WWE.

The Pro Wrestling Torch speculates that Shane, who was at one point pegged as Vince’s successor, mainly parted ways with the organization last year because he has absolutely no interest in dealing with the corporate politics.

It was announced last August that McMahon had signed a deal to become the new CEO of China Broadband Inc., a provider of cable broadband services, as well as other digital and analog related services, in the Shandong Province of the People’s Republic of China. The company is based in Boulder, Colorado.

— WWE conducted an injury angle yesterday morning at WrestleMania Axxess which would likely affect the Eight-Man Tag Team Match at WrestleMania XXVII featuring Big Show, Kane, Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov vs. The Corre. Following Kozlov’s victory over Tyler Reks, The Corre attacked the Raw Superstar. The faction used the steel steps to crush The Moscow Mauler’s shoulder against the ring post.

In an update on his condition, the official Twitter account of WWE Magazine tweeted the following: “We haven’t heard any more definitive news on Kozlov, but it looks like he’s gonna be out of action tonight…”

— During his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame last night, Drew Carey said how much he respected the WWE performers. According to sources within the organization, he was very respectful and complimentary to everyone. He went out of his way to introduce himself to everyone and appeared knowledgeable about the wrestlers.

— Shane McMahon is not in Atlanta. Linda McMahon, however, is. She was on hand for yesterday’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. She also made an appearance at WrestleMania Axxess.

source: PWInsider.com

— According to a report on Glamorousones.com, World Wrestling Entertainment has reached an agreement for Justin Bieber to perform at WrestlMania XXVII. The report also notes that former WWE talent Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is rumored to be hosting the event.

— The February 11 episode of WWE SmackDown scored a 1.75 cable rating, the lowest rating of 2011 and lowest since December 17.

The program averaged 2.5 million viewers over the course of two hours, down from 3.2 million viewers the previous week on Feb. 4—a 28 percent drop.

— Shane McMahon and wife Marissa were at the wedding of New York Yankees announcer Michael Kay to broadcaster Jodi Applegate on Saturday night. (Thanks to Barry Werner)

source: Pro Wrestling Torch

Former WWE executive Shane McMahon has been named the new CEO of China Broadband, Inc. Here’s the official press release:

China Broadband, Inc. (“China Broadband” or “the Company”) (OTCBB: CBBD), a provider of cable broadband services, and publisher of digital and analog program guides in the Shandong Province of China, is pleased to announce that it has closed a private placement financing with institutional and accredited investors with aggregate gross proceeds of $9.625 million to fund the simultaneous acquisition of Sinotop Group Limited, (“Sinotop”), through which China Broadband will provide integrated value-added services (VAS) solutions for the delivery of Pay-Per-View (PPV), Video-On-Demand (VOD), and enhanced premium content for cable providers in China.

Marc Urbach, President of China Broadband stated, “We are excited to announce the completion of our private placement and acquisition transactions. This has been a very positive reflection of the support from our existing and new shareholders, and we believe this signals the vitality of our new business and commitment as leaders in the premium content space.”

Simultaneous with the private placement and the acquisition of Sinotop, China Broadband appointed former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Executive, Shane McMahon, as its Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Urbach further stated, “Mr. McMahon has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and we are honored to have one of the most seasoned veterans of PPV and premium sports entertainment in the world join the China Broadband team. His highly skilled background in marketing and promotion will be instrumental in moving us forward. In addition we look forward to working with some of the most prestigious and established media companies in China to advance the development of a sophisticated content platform. With the acquisition of Sinotop, our goal is to become the leading provider of VOD and PPV services in China.”

The private placement involved the sale of (i) $3.125 million of common units, at a per unit price of $0.05, with each common unit consisting of one share of common stock and a warrant for the purchase of one share of common stock at an exercise price of $0.05, (ii) $3.5 million of Series A units, at a per unit price of $0.50, with each Series A unit consisting of one share of Series A Preferred Stock (convertible into ten shares of common stock) and a warrant to purchase 34.2857 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.05, and (iii) $3.0 million of Series B units, at a per unit price of $0.50, with each Series B unit consisting of one share of Series B Preferred Stock (convertible into ten shares of common stock) and a warrant to purchase ten shares of common stock.

Chardan Capital Markets LLC acted as placement agent for the transaction.

For a more detailed summary of the material provisions of the Financing Agreements please see the Company’s current report on Form 8-K that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission today and is available at www.sec.gov.

About China Broadband

China Broadband’s flagship operation is Jinan Jia He Broadband, also known as Jinan Broadband, the fifth largest broadband operator in China and the second largest broadband service provider in Shandong’s capital city of Jinan. Through its Shandong Group affiliate, China Broadband publishes digital and analog television program guides, newspapers and entertainment magazines. It holds the exclusive license to publish television program guides in Shandong Province, one of the largest regional economies in China. For more information, visit http://www.chinabroadband.tv.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains certain statements that may include “forward looking statements.” All statements other than statements of historical fact included herein are “forward-looking statements.” These forward looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects” or similar expressions, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company’s periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website (http://www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

— Shane McMahon and Mickey Rourke are listed among the investors in International Sports Management, a Cheshire-based agency for cricket stars and golfers. (Article link)

— Former WCW performer “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton was hospitalized in Arkansas due to fluid around his heart. Stacy Cornette, wife of Jim Cornette, posted the following update on her Facebook account concerning Eaton’s health:

“Just got off the phone with Bobby. He is still in the hospital and will be there for a couple of days under observation an to run more tests. He says he’s doing fine now and that he had fluid build up around his heart and lungs but the doctors put him on medication and he seems to be getting better. Thank you everyone for your well wishes.”

— Shelly Martinez debuts for Perro Del Marat’s Lucha Expo event at the end of the month alongside Annie Social, a Northeast independent women’s wrestler. (source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

— During an interview with CTNow.com’s The Real Story, Linda McMahon mentioned that the family recently welcomed a fifth grandchild. Sources from Linda’s campaign office indicate that Shane’s wife Marissa recently gave birth to another son, which would be their third.

— Angelo Poffo’s funeral service will be held this Monday morning at St. Joseph Church in Downers Grove, Illinois. The address is 4824 Highland Ave, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515-3615. The webmaster of Lanny Poffo’s official website, www.LannyPoffo.com, noted that the family “would like to extend the invitation to any friends or fans that would like to attend.”

— In today’s birthday, former TNA wrestler Sean Morley turns 39, former United States Champion David Flair turns 31, and 1980s WWF wrestler Killer Khan turns 62.

Trump Parc tower in Standford, CT

Connecticut’s Stanford Advocate is reporting that Vince and Linda McMahon  purchased a $4.1 million penthouse duplex in Donald Trump’s Trump Parc luxury tower, located in Stamford Connecticut.

The sale was actually finalized back in October. The penthouse unit has 3,900 square feet of living space.

Political blogger Aaron Blake of TheHill.com wrote this week that Linda’s political opponents “will surely be after her for the timing” of purchasing yet another luxury piece of real estate.

Vince and Linda already own eight multi-million dollar real estate holdings and do not plan on living in their latest acquisition.

Linda’s campaign spokesman Ed Patru is defending the purchase by stating, “I’ll remind you that unlike (two of her opponents), Linda didn’t inherit her resources. She was born in a middle class family, started with bankruptcy and earned the money herself through hard work.”

For more on the building, visit TrumpParcStamford.com.

The UK’s Sun has a new interview up with Big Show to promote the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Regarding Shane McMahon leaving WWE, Big Show had the following to say:

“Shane is a lot like his dad. Vince struck away from his dad and ended up buying him out. Shane is the type that wants to follow his own path and he is going to do fine. I don’t see Shane starting up a rival wrestling company, but he wanted to do some Mixed Martial Arts thing then maybe. If Shane wanted to work on a production company for movies then that can happen too. Shane is a very charismatic, intelligent man, a very driven person, so whatever avenue he chooses to go into he is going to be very successful at it. He cant ask for anymore than that.”

Despite the fact that Shane has been groomed his entire life to have an executive role in World Wrestling Entertainment, Show understands that Shane has to be his own man and do what’s right for him.

“We all work together and there are a lot of guys that really love him and he loves them too. But we are business men and grown men too. There comes a time where every man has to make a decision for himself and his family and everyone respects that.”

To read the full interview visit TheSun.co.uk.

— Fans have the golden opportunity to meet Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as he will be hosting an exclusive VIP party at the luxurious Lexus Club inside the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California during tomorrow afternoon’s Los Angeles Kings vs. Boston Bruins game.

Tickets only start at $25,000 for a 24 Person Luxury Suite with complimentary parking; a private pre-game meet and greet with Dwayne Johnson; admission to the VIP Pre-party; and an autographed Los Angeles Kings poster for every guest.

Click here for more information.

— In late May, former WWE talent Lilian Garcia and Mick Foley will be appearing at “Tennessee’s Largest Pop Culture Collectors Show,” Adventure Con.

Adventure Con – May 26- 28th, 2010
Pigeon Forge Convention Center, Pigeon Forge, Tn.

Visit www.adventurecon.com for more information.

— Today is former WWE executive and performer Shane McMahon’s birthday, who turns 40 years old. In other birthdays, Bull Buchanan turns 42 while WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Graham would have turned 80. Also, yesterday was “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan’s birthday, who turned 56 years old.

Shane McMahon is officially gone from WWE. He announced his resignation from the conpany back in October and stated he would be gone effective January 1, 2010.

Earlier this month December 17th, Shane cashed in 60,000 shares for $897,000 in gross proceeds. He also exercised his stock options to acquire 60,000 shares priced between $12.94 and $13.45 per share.

According to WWE’s latest SEC filings, Shane still owns 43,449 shares of WWE stock.

– As noted earlier, sources in WWE are interested to see how the politics will be with Triple H once Bret Hart is back in the company. Many are curious to see how diplomatic Triple H will be with the whole situation. Most feel that given the recent changes in his life, Shawn Michaels will get along fine and wouldn’t be surprised if he gave Hart an apology.

– A former WWE employee was with Shane McMahon at a non-wrestling function over the weekend. The friend notes that Shane was beyond relaxed and relieved. Shane didn’t say anything negative about WWE but did seem glad that his travel schedule was over. Shane gave no indication of what’s next for him besides spending more time with his family. Apparently the meeting he had with UFC officials went well but it doesn’t look like anything further has came from it. While Shane is pretty aware of UFC, his interest in MMA must be blown out of proportion as he didn’t know of MMA promotion Strikeforce, where they stand of their recent moves.

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

– Shane McMahon has not been working for WWE since announcing his resignation, which takes effect January 1st. It’s said that morale is the lowest with workers in the office since anyone can remember. One person close to Shane says that him leaving WWE had to do with being passed over for power and that he was tired of being humiliated publicly by Vince.

– RAW Diva Alicia Fox suffered a dislocated shoulder at the WWE live event on November 28th in Johnson City, TN. She will be out of action for a few weeks.

– WWE are now having talents cut promos at live events to build up their matches at the next pay-per-view.

– WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart is about to become a grandfather at 52. His oldest daughter Jade is pregnant with a baby girl and due this coming May.

– Reports are that marijuana usage on the SmackDown brand is down and one wrestler described that side side as clean. Most feel that the $2,500 fines aren’t worth it. Word is that there were a number of recent pot failures on the RAW brand, enough that it was an issue being talked about.

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

We’ve been covering the story that Shane McMahon recently met with UFC officials. At the UFC 106 posts-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White confirmed that he met with McMahon, but would not give further details regarding the nature of the meeting.

We’ve now learned that Shane McMahon is interested in purchasing a financial interest in UFC.

McMahon, who currently servces as WWE’s Vice President of Global Media, will officially leave that post on January 1, 2010 and be free to work elsewhere.

With his extensive knowledge of marketing and expanding a sports brand into new markets, McMahon could be a big asset to the UFC as they continue their international expansion.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com. Some highlights:

Brock Lesnar’s Health: Brock Lesnar’s health is one of the things that I am thinking a great deal about these days. As former OU and Dallas Cowboy coach Barry Switzer once told me, “You recruit a kid for life” and that’s how I feel about all the guys I signed for WWE including Austin, Rock, Orton, Batista, Cena, Lesnar etc. Management and the talents may not always see eye to eye, such as the case during Lesnar’s exit from WWE, but that has zero to do with how I feel about Brock personally. Business is business and personal relationships are something entirely different to me. It’s not always that way in wrestling by the way. Brock is a gifted athlete who, like me, was a country boy who made it to the bright lights of the ‘big city.’ I do not know his diagnosis other than what I read. Dana White intimated that Brock had intestine issues. Gosh, can I relate to that or what?

Shane McMahon Meeting With UFC: Speaking of MMA, apparently their message boards are ‘going crazy’ about the alleged meetings with former wrestling personnel meeting with UFC officials in the past week or so. I don’t know the nature of these alleged meetings nor is it any of my business but the knee jerk reactions of MMA message board people because these folks have backgrounds in pro wrestling indicates that there are some ignorant, insecure people hiding behind screen names on these boards. People with promotional experience, experience in selling tickets and PPV’s, opening new markets, promoting live events, utilizing existing business contacts, etc can potentially prove to be invaluable.

Ross also talks about Jesse Ventura hosting Raw next week and lots more at JRsBarBQ.com.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter confirms that Shane McMahon recently had a meeting with UFC officials at their offices.

When UFC President Dana White was asked for more information, he responded with, “No comment.”

We hope to have more details on Shane meeting with UFC soon.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross his blog, which you can read at JRsBarBQ.com. Here’s what JR said about:

Shane’s Departure From WWE: “No website has any definitive news on why Shane McMahon resigned from his family’s company, WWE, on Friday. Perhaps more news sites will elaborate on this matter come Monday as Friday is always the best day to drop big news as sometimes it gets somewhat lost on the weekend. Nonetheless no one knows why Shane seemingly abruptly decided to leave the family business and I don’t feel that any one will know the reason until he declares what his next venture will be. Shane has a great formal education not to mention years of “on the job” training since starting out on the ring crew as a teen during the summers. I know Shane has many interests and who’s to say that he simply wants to reassess where he is in his life and spend more time with his family which includes two sons? Until Shane himself makes an official statement as to what he is going to tee up next, then every thing any one can read, report or write about is pure speculation. Shane has excellent people skills and a unique skill set in a one of a kind genre that employs basic promotional and organization skills that should be transferable to many businesses.”

Wrestlers Leaving The Industry: I have always found it amazing when fans cannot understand when someone who is seemingly entrenched in the wrestling business decides to explore other opportunities. Both the Rock and Stone Cold have been dissed because they no longer have the desire to “wrestle” but have both said that they would be interested in making selected appearances at the right place and the right time. For some fans that isn’t good enough. I admire “wrestlers” or “wrestling people” who want to explore other opportunities. Life cannot become one dimensional and one cannot allow their own lives to revolve around one, singular entity. That mindset isn’t healthy or smart.  Unless one is in a very unique position, IE ownership, and that’s arguable, one should not allow the wrestling biz or any other biz to become their “life.” Those that due usually end up miserable and make those around them unhappy as well. I have great empathy for ex-wrestlers who have to or feel compelled to to hang on to whatever they can within the wrestling business under the guise of “loving the business” while it’s really all about not having any marketable skills to replace their income. This is just one of the reasons that I always encourage young wrestlers to be to get college degrees so that they will have something to fall back on in case becoming a wrestling star doesn’t’ work out….and it usually doesn’t. If 2-3 out of 100 prospect become legit, main event level wrestling stars then a company should feel fortunate.

Flair Wrestling Again: Speaking of “Naitch” he called me Saturday morning early to wish me good luck at the Red River Shootout at the Cotton Bowl which was a classy gesture. He’s excited to be going to Australia to wrestle but Flair vs. Hogan isn’t what I would book as it would be Flair and Hogan together against two, younger athletic guys. Ric going down under to make a big payday doesn’t bother me at all nor do I think it bothers HBK who a fan recently asked about in our Q&A section of this site.

Drew McIntyre

— Triple H and Shawn Michaels are said to be allies of young superstar Drew McIntyre and are partilly responsible for his strong push on SmackDown. They feel he has the potential to be the next major star and a talent the company can build around in the future, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Many see the similarities between McIntyre and a younger Triple H, with the height, body build, hair and the same ability. The strong push for McIntyre has upset talent backstage, as some wrestlers have been around for several years and were promised a push if they performed better The general feeling backstage on the Raw brand is that if you do not have the support of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, John Cena or Randy Orton, then your upward mobility on the card is limited.

— There’s nothing new to report on Shane McMahon’s resignation from WWE. After speaking with a number of people in WWE, nobody seems to know why he left or what’s next for Shane.