— WWE e-mailed a general schedule to people attending WrestleMania Axxess and former WWE Diva Lita will be among the stars on hand for the festivities. The former WWE Women’s Champion is advertised to appear at the event on WrestleMania XXVIII morning at 8:00 a.m.

— Matches taped Tuesday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars are as follows:

* Heath Slater vs. Justin Gabriel

* Jinder Mahal vs. Ted DiBiase

— On behalf of ‘be a STAR,’ the anti-bullying alliance co-founded by WWE and The Creative Coalition, David Otunga spoke at an anti-bullying rally in Springfield, Massachusetts on Monday.

“Most people know me as being a WWE superstar in this larger than life character with muscles, larger than life, even arrogant character, but they don’t know that when I was a kid I was just like them,” Otunga told www.wwlp.com. “I was insecure, I was short I was picked on, I had thick glasses and I was smart, that didn’t help, because everyone called me a nerd.”

Matches taped Tuesday night at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington for this week’s episode of NXT Redemption are as follows:

* Darren Young and Titus O’Neil vs. Alex Riley and Percy Watson

* Michael McGuillicuty vs. Tyson Kidd

* Kaitlyn vs. Maxine

Jinder Mahal faced The Great Khali in a match taped for WWE Superstars

Hunico defeated Ted DiBiase in a pre-show dark match.

The lower bowl of the Key Arena was largely full and most of the upper section was tarped off. Attendance was estimated at 9,000.

source: PWInsider.com

— Tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown, which has already aired overseas, premieres a tweaked intro. The Undertaker is noticeably absent from the intro, which closes with Randy Orton performing the RKO as opposed to a shot of the iconic wrestler. His profile remains on the SmackDown Superstars page on WWE.com.

— WWE will hold a Raw SuperShow at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 14, 2012.

— While promoting last night’s airing of The Marine 2 on Spike TV, WWE star Ted DiBiase alluded to rival company TNA’s Impact Wrestling show. He tweeted, “Marine 2″ will be on Spike TV tonight!! Check it out!!! Comes on after some wrestling show ;) And don’t forget to watch Smackdown tomorrow!”

— Former WWE Diva Shelly Martinez celebrated her birthday Thursday. Photos of her night out are available on her Facebook page.

— Zack Ryder has drawn complaints from fans over his YouTube show Z! True Long Island Story being transferred to WWE’s auspices under their revamped YouTube channel. The WWE Superstar took to Twitter to respond to fans saying he “sold out.”

“I’m confused…Doesn’t one need to receive money to “sell out”?” he wrote.

— WWE developmental wrestler Kenneth Cameron lost to Santino Marella in a singles matches at Friday’s Raw live event in Topeka, Kansas. Cameron is 6’3″, 216 pounds and billed from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England.

— Spike TV will air The Marine 2 starring Ted DiBiase immediately following Impact Wrestling at 11:00 p.m.

— New Dolph Ziggler T-Shirts are set for release soon.

— It was reported Friday that the official website of WWE developmental promotion Florida Championship Wrestling had removed Calvin Raines, Leroy Parks, Marcus Owens and Peter Orlov from their roster page. Owens, whose real name is Jay Nobles, confirmed on his Facebook account that he was released by WWE on Friday. He was pleased over the developmental.

Nobles wrote Friday of his release from WWE’s grip, “Thank god! The Handcuffs are off!! Free at Last, Free at Last, Thank God All Mighty, I’m Free at Last!!!”

— ESPN.com published an article on SmackDown talent Ted DiBiase concerning the “DiBiase Posse Party,” a Twitter-fueled get-together with tailgating fans outside WWE events.

“Instead of sitting in line for an autograph and getting a handshake and that’s it, I sit around, I tell stories, and they ask questions,” said WWE Superstar. “It’s just like my sitting around with my buddies on the back porch cooking steaks.”

— The latest issues of National Enquirer and Globe feature articles on former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler’s relationship with actor George Clooney.

Cena Mad

– On Monday’s RAW, John Cena made an “angry face” at the camera after Zack Ryder was taken away in an ambulance. WWE is teasing that Cena is finally giving in to the dark side “embracing the hate.”

It’s highly unlikely that John Cena will never undergo a complete heel turn, but his recent storyline with Kane has allowed an emotionally battered Cena to show a darker side.

A possible scenario that’s been discussed for Sunday’s match between Cena and Kane is that Cena will snap on Kane and his anger will explode to the point where he gets himself disqualified.

– Ted DiBiase is backstage for tonight’s WWE SmackDown tapings in Tucson, Arizona and sporting a brace on his wrist.

DiBiase has reportedly been trying to downplay his wrist injury to those within WWE.

– Mick Foley’s appearance on the ABC show Wife Swap will be postponed due to President Obama’s State of the Union Address tonight. The episode will air next Tuesday at 9pm EST.

– There is some confusion as to Drew McIntyre’s future on the SmackDown brand. McIntyre was fired by Teddy Long during last wek’s show, but appeared as one of the lumberjacks during the main event.

(Partial credit: pwinsider.com, f4wonline.com)

Smackdown wrestler Ted DiBiase tweeted last night that he got food poisoning yesterday in Las Vegas. DiBiase was able to pull himself together enough to work a match at the SmackDown tapings, but he was forced to cancel the pre-SmackDown “DiBiase Posse” party he had organized.

DiBiase tweeted the following:

“Don’t know how I managed to get through the day today. Woke up at 5am with food poison (I’ll spare you details)!! Very sorry to Vegas DPP!!!”

“Some things are out of my control… This morning and throughout the day it was my bowels!! I’ll make it up to you guys next time!! Promise”

He later noted that he thought it was “the Lobster sandwich I had in the mall” when asked.

— As a result of her accidental collision with Big Show during Friday’s World Heavyweight Championship Match on SmackDown, an injured A.J. had to be carried out on a stretcher. According to WWE physician Dr. Michael Sampson, “AJ is pretty beat up, as you can imagine. She has head trauma, a cervical sprain/strain and also multiple contusions all over her body.”

— Former WWE talent Maryse is scheduled to appear at WrestleReunion in Miami, Florida during WrestleMania weekend, Legends of the Ring (June 2, 2012 at Crown Plaza Monroe, 390 Forsgate Drive, Monroe, New Jersey) and Wizard World’s Chicago Comic Con (August 10-12, 2012).

— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson completed filming of Snitch last week. The movie is scheduled to be released in 2013.

— SmackDown Superstar Ted DiBiase appears at Outlaw Burger Company in Evansville, Indiana on January 28, 2012 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.

— Former WWE performer Dave Bautista is scheduled for international sexologist Dr. Susan Block’s radio show, The Dr. Susan Block Show, this Saturday night. He will be joined by adult film star/motorcycle stunt rider Destiny Dixon, Playboy Cyber Girl Angela Sommers, Penthouse Danni Girl Samantha Saint, adult star Victoria White and webcam girl Daisy Delight. The show airs live from 10:30 p.m. to midnight PST via http://tinyurl.com/RadioSUZY1.

— Spike TV will air WWE Films’ The Marine 2 on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. The direct-to-DVD movie features Ted DiBiase playing Sgt. Joe Linwood, a Marine Force Recon sniper.

— Eve Torres and Rosa Mendes stated on Twitter that they will be on hand for WWE’s annual Tribute to the Troops events, which takes place Friday through Sunday in North Carolina. The Tribute to the Troops taping will be held on Sunday at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville.

— Alberto Del Rio is scheduled to appear at Kmart 250 Floresta Blvd. San Leandro, California on Sunday, January 15, 2012 beginning at 10:00 a.m.

— During CM Punk’s appearance on the latest edition of Colt Cabana’s Art Of Wrestling Radio podcast (available on WeLoveColt.com and iTunes), the reigning champion took a swipe at WWE’s Twitter initiative.

“I am on Twitter at CMPunk; that is my satirical way of making fun of how the WWE has beat the living shit out of Twitter in the last couple of weeks,” he said.

— With new allies Epico and Rosa Mendes in his corner, Primo earned an upset victory over WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars. The episode can be accessed at WWE.com. Other matches broadcast include JTG vs. Santino Marella and Heath Slater vs. Ted DiBiase.

— Former WWE Diva Serena Deeb has been announced for K & S Wrestlefest, which takes place this Saturday at the Ramada Philadelphia Airport 76 Industrial Hwy. Essington, Pennsylvania.

— Mick Foley, who is presently in Europe, will not be appearing on WWE television this week. The Hardcore Legend has been announced for tonight’s SmackDown live event in Birmingham, England, and tomorrow night’s Raw live event in Manchester.

Though it would appear Foley’s television return is being held off for next week’s three-hour Raw SuperShow in Boston, Massachusetts, he said in an interview that he hasn’t heard about his status for the event.

— Friday’s episode of SmackDown saw Ted DiBiase put Tyson Kidd away via Dream Street. Prior to the match, the third generation wrestler had not garnered a singles victory on United States television since the May 20 episode of SmackDown.

— WWE Hall of Famer Greg “The Hammer” Valentine appears at The Whole Scoop 1149 North Railroad Staten Island, New York next Sunday from noon to 2:00 p.m. Visit www.sportsfanpromotions.com for more information.

source: ProWrestling.net

— The official website of Florida Championship Wrestling has added Jake Carter to their roster page. He is Jesse White, son of former WWE star Vader. He signed a developmental contract with WWE in April following a tryout at the organization’s developmental facility in Tampa, Florida.

White, 25, originally committed to the University of Oklahoma and was touted for the National Football League, but retired following a hip injury. He then followed his dad’s footsteps to the world of professional wrestling.

— Theodore Long kicked off Friday’s SmackDown by announcing that the first match of the night would feature 41 Superstars in the largest Battle Royal in WWE history. Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis then revealed the winner would earn a title match against the champion of his choosing.

Randy Orton won the 41-Man No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal, last eliminating The Miz. Battle Royal elimination order is as follows: 1. Cody Rhodes, 2. Johnny Curtis, 3. JTG, 4. Michael McGillicutty, 5. Derrick Bateman, 6. Yoshi Tatsu, 7. Titus O’Neil, 8. Matt Striker, 9. William Regal, 10. Percy Watson, 11. John Morrison, 12. Dolph Ziggler, 13. Trent Barreta, 14. Jey Uso, 15. Ted DiBiase, 16. Tyson Kidd, 17. Daniel Bryan, 18. Tyler Reks, 19. Curt Hawkins, 20. Drew McIntrye, 21. Justin Gabriel, 22. Mason Ryan, 23. Primo, 24. Santino Marella, 25. Alex Riley, 26. Kofi Kingston, 27. Zack Ryder, 28. David Otunga, 29. Jimmy Uso, 30. Ezekiel Jackson, 31. Heath Slater, 32. Sin Cara (Negro), 33. Christian, 34. R-Truth , 35. CM Punk, 36. Sheamus, 37. Wade Barrett, 38. Jack Swagger, 39. Jinder Mahal, 40. The Miz.

— Dolph Ziggler stated this evening on Twitter that he sustained a hairline mandibular fracture of his jaw from the punch Hugh Jackman struck him with on last night’s Raw SuperShow. The United States Champion noted that he will be wearing a mouth-guard in the ring while his jaw heals and will not miss any live events.

— Matches taped tonight in Dayton, Ohio for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars are as follows:

* Ted DiBiase vs. Tyson Kidd

* Brodus Clay vs. local competitor

— Randy Orton appears at Slackers CD and Games at the St Louis Mills Mall 5555 St. Louis Mills Blvd Hazelwood, Missouri next Monday beginning at 5:00 p.m. Call 314-227-5950 for more information.

source: PWInsider.com

— WWE has announced that Cody Rhodes will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Ted DiBiase at Night of Champions.

— Following SmackDown, Matt Striker caught up with Christian to get his thoughts on the now-rocky relationship with his former best friend Edge. Instead, the Toronto native promoted his Twitter account and called on fans to start a campaign to make him the No. 1 contender to the winner of the Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry World Heavyweight Title Match at Night of Champions.

The video can be accessed here.

— Jim Cornette turns 50 years old today while Masahiro Chono turns 48.

— WWE announced at last night’s Raw live event at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee that Monday Night Raw will be held at the venue on January 2, 2012.

— Jerry Lawler beat Jack Swagger in a singles match at Saturday’s Raw live event in Memphis, Tennessee. The former World Heavyweight Champion succumbed to Lawler following the Crown Drop.

— WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race appeared at Saturday’s SmackDown live event in Cape Girandeau, Missouri and introduced Ted DiBiase, who trained nearby at his school. The SmackDown Superstar said that thanks to Harley, he is living his dream.

He then lost to Sin Cara.

— In an exclusive interview with WWE.com, Christian discusses Edge’s actions at SummerSlam, the decisions being made by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long and WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H, and why he feels he will have a huge advantage entering a steel cage with Randy Orton this Tuesday on SuperSmackDown.

— Four weeks after being diagnosed with a hernia injury, Maryse underwent successful abdominal hernia surgery on Wednesday. She wrote on Facebook:

“I am home now, and feeling good, still very tired from the anesthesia, but its normal, i will be posting pics of my tummy when they remove the bandages, my doctor did an amazing job and the scar should be very small in my belly button! be sexy.”

The French Diva was scratched from a No. 1 Contender’s Diva Battle Royal on the August 2 episode of Raw and announced the following day via Twitter, “I won’t be going physical for awhile, im getting abdominal hernia surgery.”

— Mississippi based newspaper Clarion Ledger features an article on Ted DiBiase promoting Friday’s Raw live event in Jackson, where the SmackDown Superstar will be making a special appearance.

The Mississippi Coliseum show brings DiBiase before a hometown crowd, a longtime wish. “I have wrestled on six different continents. I have wrestled live in front of over 73,000 people at Wrestlemania and all over the world, in front of millions of people on TV, and I think I’m more excited about Friday night than I have been for any of those.

— Cody Rhodes captured the Intercontinental Championship from Ezekiel Jackson last night on SmackDown.

After numerous head butts with his protective face mask and a key distraction by his associate Ted DiBiase, Rhodes executed a springboard kick on Ezekiel Jackson. The second generation wrestler then finished off Jackson with the Cross Rhodes to capture his first singles title in WWE.

— The Sin Cara character returned to WWE programming last night on SmackDown with developmental talent Hunico donning the mask. Hunico carries more body fat than the original Sin Cara, who was suspended last month due to a violation of WWE’s drug testing policy.

The SmackDown broadcast team made note of the noticeable physique change, with Josh Mathews saying it appeared Sin Cara put on some weight during his hiatus. The character was temporarily written off television via an injury angle at Money in the Bank.

— Johnny Curtis – winner of WWE NXT season four – was squashed by Mark Henry in his debut match on SmackDown.

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

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

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

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

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

source: PWInsider.com

— Sin Cara suffered his first WWE loss last night on SmackDown as he was downed by Christian following the spear. Sin Cara picked up thirteen consecutive victories on television and pay-per-view prior to the loss.

— The Great Khali’s brother Ranjin Singh revealed on SmackDown that Jinder Mahal is their brother-in-law.

— Cody Rhodes pinned Intercontinental Champion Ezekiel Jackson in a non-title match on SmackDown, ending his ten match winning streak on television and pay-per-view.

— Wade Barrett lost to Kane last night on SmackDown, extending his losing streak to twelve consecutive losses on television and pay-per-view.

— Ted DiBiase lost to Daniel Bryan last night on SmackDown, extending his losing streak to seven consecutive losses on television.

— WWE.com is advertising the following for tonight’s episode of SmackDown: “The relentless brutality of Mark Henry comes face-to-face with World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton tonight on SmackDown. Has The World’s Strongest Man become something that even The Viper can’t stop?”

Other matches taking place include Daniel Bryan vs. Ted DiBiase, Sin Cara vs. Christian, Ezekiel Jackson vs. Cody Rhodes and Kane vs. Wade Barrett.

— Dolph Ziggler took to Twitter to comment on online reports that he took adult film star BiBi Jones on a date after meeting her at a Britney Spears concert last week.

He wrote, “Wow! To anyone it may concern: no, i am NOT dating anyone! and YES I do frequently listen to Britney Spears!”

— Yoshi Tatsu celebrates his 34th birthday today. In yesterday’s birthdays, Alicia Fox turned 25, Cody Rhodes turned 26 and WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk turned 67.

– Bret Hart is rumored to be returning to WWE television in the near future. The Hitman is booked for several upcoming SmackDown shows and creative is discussing possible storyline ideas for him.

– There has been talk of the USA Network airing a new ‘preview’ show on Monday nights prior to WWE RAW, similar to what the NFL does with its pre-game show for Monday Night Football.

– Despite several botched attempts at establishing Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase as a viable tag team, WWE officials are said to be committed to getting them over on the SmackDown brand. The dynamic between The Miz and Alex Riley is being seen as a blueprint for what WWE will do with DiBiase and Rhode, with DiBiase doing Rhodes’ dirty work for now and then eventually turning babyface and feuding with Rhodes.

– Tough Enough winner Andy Leavine got screamed at backstage at RAW the night of the Tough Enough season finale. A top WWE official ripped into Leavine for about five minutes due to the way he didn’t sell the slap from Mr. McMahon and Steve Austin’s Stone Cold Stunner. Leavine was told that he’s a piece of crap who doesn’t respect the business and will never amount to anything in WWE.  As previously reported, Leavine will be heading to developmental to sharpen his skills in the coming months. Considering the heat on him, it will be interesting to see if he ever makes it out of FCW.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, f4wonline.com)

Kia Stevens, better known as Awesome Kong, was honored as an active wrestler last week at the annual Cauliflower Alley Club reunion in Las Vegas, Nevada. She thanked Antonio Inoki for getting her to Japan, where she learned the ropes. She discussed her TNA Wrestling tenure without any bitterness, as well as joining WWE. She notably said she made it in wrestling without being a “skinny bitch.” She also praised Jim Ross and Steve Austin, whom she had met at a prior Cauliflower Alley Club event, for opening the door to get her into WWE.

A number of WWE Hall of Famers were on hand for the event representing WWE including Jim Ross, Sgt. Slaughter, Gerald Brisco, Ricky Steamboat, Ted DiBiase and Sunny. DiBiase was described as not moving well; he stated in an interview last week that he will be having both his knees replaced as well as his hip. Meanwhile, Sunny stated that she would like another run with WWE.

Steamboat told Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer that he is about 80% recovered from injuries suffered last summer. The WWE Hall of Famer still works a few days a week in Florida Championship Wrestling with WWE’s developmental talent.

Brisco, who also had recent health problems, is presently working with WWE as a scout.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

— Vickie Guerrero introduced the “new and improved” Dolph Ziggler on Monday’s episode of Raw as he unveiled a freshly trimmed head of brown hair just before facing Evan Bourne.

The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is not thrilled with his new ‘do as he wrote the following on his personal Facebook account the morning after the show: “I feel like ‘bender’ from Futurama, when they chopped off his antenna….”

— Tyler Reks is in action on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars as he faces JTG. Also featured is Maryse vs. Natalya and Mark Henry vs. Ted DiBiase.

The episode is available here.

— Alicia Fox has replaced Melina on the last leg of Raw’s ongoing tour of Europe. The brand’s tour concludes Saturday in Doha, Qatar.

— Matt Capiccioni (a/k/a Matt Cross) was eliminated from last night’s episode of WWE Tough Enough because Steve Austin didn’t like the fact that Capiccioni had been on the independent wrestling scene for nine years and hadn’t “broke free from the pack.” This, as well as his general reluctance to take risks, led to him being cut.

— WWE.com is advertising the following for tonight’s episode of WWE NXT: “On WWE NXT, host Maryse was told by her boyfriend, Ted DiBiase, that she must pick him or the show. Is the beautiful and witty Diva’s Tuesday night fun over?”

— Edge is advertised to surrender the World Heavyweight Championship at tonight’s WWE SmackDown taping in Albany, New York. In a trivia note, Edge will be vacating the title in the same building he won his first WWE Championship, which took place in 2006 at WWE New Year’s Revolution. After John Cena won the Elimination Chamber Match, he cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase and subsequently won the strap.

— Ted DiBiase made his first television appearance since February 24 on Friday’s episode of SmackDown, losing to Rey Mysterio in a quick match. He was not the only Raw Superstar to compete on the show as Sheamus beat Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston in a Non-Title Match earlier in the broadcast. It’s interesting to note that a SmackDown name plate was displayed during DiBiase’s ring entrance, whereas a Raw name plate was displayed when Sheamus made his entrance.

— WWE developmental wrestler Percy Watson is working this weekend’s SmackDown live events. He beat Curt Hawkins last night in Roanoke, Virginia.

— Former WWE Women’s Champion Candice Michelle appears on Monday Night Mayhem tomorrow at 7:40 p.m. The show is available at www.MondayNightMayhem.com.

— Lilian Garcia is auctioning several outfits from her time in WWE on eBay.