— Last week at WrestleMania XXVIII, The Undertaker and Triple H met inside Hell in a Cell in a bout that was branded as “the end of an era.” The latest issue of WWE Magazine, which features The Undertaker on the cover, plays up the “the end of an era” storyline as they ask “Will The Deadman Rise Again?”

Despite speculation that The Undertaker’s match last week may have been his last, many WWE employees now believe he is able to compete in a few more matches and will almost certainly work WrestleMania XXIX. This belief is based on The Undertaker appearing less injured following his WrestleMania outing compared to the prior year’s.

— Booker T is filming his upcoming Reality of Wrestling web series Saturday in Houston, Texas, according his Twitter account. The show will premiere on May 1 on YouTube.

— WWE will hold a live event at the Indoor Stadium in Zurich, Switzerland on November 8, 2012.

— CM Punk has been mentioned as a potential opponent for Brock Lesnar but there is concern among WWE officials as to whether it would be an equal match-up due to their difference in size. Lesnar is seen as a “beast” whereas Punk is considered relatively skinny for a top level WWE Superstar. Furthermore, management wants Lesnar’s programs to be box office bonanzas and Punk is seen at best fifth in the pecking order, behind The Rock, John Cena, Triple H and Undertaker. There is also concern over Punk’s appearance backstage; he has been described as walking around looking like he just walked out of a car accident. Officials notice this as he often walks around backstage with a heat pack or an ice pack in tow and generally looks beaten and battered.

— Dolph Ziggler appeared to take a passive aggressive shot at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson over The Great One’s limited schedule with WWE last week via Twitter. A user wrote to the WWE Superstar, “Couldn’t decide which flexforce WWE figure to buy between your action figure and @therock ‘s.. chose the rock in the end!” Ziggler responded, “Typical, just make sure you only play with it 4-5 times a year….” Ziggler addressed his remarks gaining attention on wrestling news websites.

“glad my #ATH session where i answer 200 questions while on a treadmill took 1 of my 100 jokes & made it “news” #getoverit,” Ziggler wrote. He added in a separate post that he thought his comment was pretty funny and those upset should get a sense of humor.

source: Pro Wrestling Torch

The interview recaps from WrestleMania weekend are still trickling in. Just hours before his match against the Undertaker at WrestleMania 28, Triple H spoke to The Houston Chronicle and had this to say about the following topics:

WWE Being in a “Good Place”:

“We’ve grown and matured as a company. This Wrestlemania will be the biggest single night in our industry’s history, but we’re just scratching the surface of where we’re going. We’re into movies, publishing and creating our own television network later this year.”

Which Job He Prefers: Wrestler Or WWE Executive:

“I’ve always had a fascination with business. I’ve been involved with the creative side practically since the day I started with the company in 1995. That’s the part I love most, creating the stories, coming up with the spark of an idea and seeing our talent go out there and execute it. Being allowed to be creative in your work is a wonderful gift. It’s a cliché, I know, but we put smiles on people’s faces every day. That’s the fun of our business. When you go to a WWE event, and you perform, and you see the smile you put on a kid’s face … that’s an incredible feeling.”

“You’d have to be a professional athlete or entertainer to get that. I do miss the pain. Every year, I know I’ll feel like a bus hit me the day after Wrestlemania. And the second day I’ll feel like the bus backed over me again. It’s a badge of courage almost. To an athlete, it becomes a point of pride, how beat up you feel the next day. It means you left everything on the playing field.”

Shocking photos surfaced late last year of WWE executive Stephanie McMahon appearing in tremendous physical shape, which she credited to her extreme desire to defeat her battle with the bulge following the birth of her three children. Dave Palumbo, who assisted Stephanie in achieving her weight loss goal, spoke to husband Triple H last week in an interview for RXMuscle.com to ask him how she’s doing with that. The WWE Superstar admits she’s having trouble maintaining her desired physique.

“She’s looking forward to doing that although I think it’s taking her a little bit longer than she was hoping to,” he says of her intention to participate in a photo shoot this summer revealing her abdominal muscles. “Not that she’s been strict, her body’s just been a little bit resistant to change coming up, all the stuff she was doing. But she’s working hard at it. I think once we get past WrestleMania here, she’ll be able to work a little harder.”

He continues, “For Steph, it’s tough. She’s an executive here, which is a 24/7 job, and then on top of that, three kids and then trying to get in shape. It’s a full-time gig to say the least. She’s full hands-on mommy. When the kids are up at the crack of dawn, she’s up and by the time we get home from the office and we train at night, she’s going to bed at one in the morning and getting up with them at six, it takes its toll.”

With their tireless work for WWE, Triple H explains how they are able to juggle family life. He says that while they have assistance taking care of their three children, their work schedule revolves around them.

He says, “We have help, we couldn’t do what we do without help, certainly. At the level and going as much as we are you have to have a team in some way, shape or form. But, that being said, it’s one of the things we really are adamant about. For me and for Steph, our kids and our family comes first, so we take our kids to school every day. We make sure we’re home, if not to eat dinner with them, to put them to bed at night. If we have to work more later, we do. We work all other stuff around that. We try to be with them as much as we possibly can and work everything else around them.”

In May 2006, Chris Masters’ booming career with WWE at the time would come to a screeching halt when he was sent to a drug rehabilitation center due to his addiction with painkillers. Speaking to Power Slam, the former WWE Superstar addresses the matter.

“It was a developing thing that kind of escalated in 2006 and became a problem. You know, I had to go away for a couple months to rehab after the company became aware of my problem. It took a while to get over that. I went into rehab, not even ready to deal with the mindset that I was an addict,” he says.

“It was so much responsibility and I don’t think I was mature enough to handle all that opportunity that was given to me. I didn’t really appreciate it, I made a lot of mistakes and it kind of derailed my career. It took a while for me to get myself back on track, but I did, and now I’m completely fine, clean and sober. But I’m a walking miracle. At one point, I was taking 75 painkillers a day.”

Masters lost a noticeable amount of muscle mass by the time he returned to WWE programming on the August 28, 2006 episode of Raw with color commentator Jerry Lawler acknowledging him as the “leaner and meaner Chris Masters.” Masters appeared in a backstage segment on the October 2, 2006 Raw with Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Eric Bischoff in which he said he was “thinking about writing a book on nutrition.” Triple H quipped in response, “Really? What are you going to call it: How To Lose Fifty Pounds In Four Weeks?” Interviewer Greg Lambert feels the remark was deliberately intended to ridicule his loss of muscle, which conflicted with what WWE was purportedly trying to achieve with its Wellness policy.

Masters responds, “First of all, let me say that Triple H is a big ball-buster. I don’t think he’s as devious as people make him out to be, but he’s a ball-buster, albeit an equal opportunity ball-buster: he takes shots at Shawn Michaels all the time. They were always taking jabs at each other. So, it might have been the wrong message, yes, at the time. But I don’t think it was meant as a malicious thing.”

A few weeks later, John “Bradshaw” Layfield made a similar crack at Masters’ expense in reference to MVP’s No Mercy opponent Marty Garner. He said, “The guy looked like he had escaped from a concentration camp: the guy was as skinny as Chris Masters.”

Masters responds, “I won’t take anything JBL says too seriously, because the guy’s an idiot [laughs]. Look at his body! Who is he to criticize anybody? But I didn’t realize it was such as a big deal. People wanted to point the finger and say [the weight loss] was because I was on steroids … But that wasn’t my problem. I didn’t go away because of that or come back leaner because of that: it was because I would wake up every morning in rehab and run two miles as my therapy. I wasn’t able to do as much weight training. So, I did gradually lose a lot of weight. I didn’t realize, coming back, it would be so dramatic and people would make such a big deal about it.”

Masters packed the muscle back as months later his physique had noticeably enlarged. Lambert asks, “Was that because you been stung by [the comments]?”

“Part of it was. Eventually, it wore on me, but not at first,” Masters says. “I was happy with myself: I didn’t mind being smaller. But after a certain point, it probably go to me, so I cut back on the aerobics and running, and went back on the heavy weights.”

Masters was suspended by WWE in August 2007 and November 2007 as a result of violations of their drug testing policy. This led to his first release from he company on November 8, 2007. He says of the events, “I hadn’t overcome my prescription pain pill problem. I had taken something that hadn’t been prescribed to me, and I got red-flagged for that.”

Masters eventually conquered his drug addiction and was rehired by WWE in June 2009. He explains what led him to change his ways.

“I’d got fired from the job I always wanted. I’d blown through six figures worth of money, and I knew I had to change my ways. We’ve seen a lot unfortunate tragedies in the business. I’ve seen Test and Umaga, who I knew well, pass away and it always affects me. There’s always a sense of relief that I was able to catch myself and not let it get to that point. It gets to a point where you either hit rock bottom or you’re going to die,” Masters says.

“I hit rock bottom, then a second rock bottom, and, by the third, it finally woke me up. The same thing has happened to Matt Hardy. But I hear now, it looks like he’s doing great. Hopefully, he’s reached enough rock bottoms that now, he’s back on track.”

Triple H and The Rock

Seth Mates, who worked with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a creative writer for WWE in the build-up to his 2002 match with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, finds it odd that some wrestlers are resentful of his return to the organization.

“The resentment towards Rock always struck me as a little bit funny,” he tells the Pro Wrestling Torch. “Because the thing about Rock is that people like are jealous of Rock not for stealing the spot but for being one of the guys who got out. You know he made it. He made it in a big way. He made a ton of money. And then he had an exit plan. And now he can come back and work when he wants. And it’s not like Rock is coming back and working with a guy who – he’s coming back to help make John Cena bigger than Cena ever was. He’s coming back to work with a guy who works house shows and who works Raw. You know. He’s coming back and he’s bringing mainstream attention. I can’t speak to the locker room leader this and whatever. I just know that wrestlers like to talk, wrestlers like to stir the pot, wrestlers like to cause trouble. Not a knock on them. Everybody does in every profession. You know every job I’ve ever had people talk you know what about other people in the room. Rock’s not stealing anybody’s spot. Rock is bringing a lot of eyeballs.”

Mates believes Triple H’s jealousy of Johnson (based around his success in wrestling and in Hollywood after he left) is the driving force behind much of the negativity.

“I know that a lot of the stuff that Cena has said about Rock and his feelings towards Rock sound like something that would be coming directly from, you know Mr. Helmsley and his view,” he said. “Because, again, as I said, I always sensed some insecurities as related to Rock and to [Steve] Austin and how, again, in my mind and perception, he never was at that level. And so he wanted to position himself as, well, I’m as good, if not better. Which I don’t know that he has done that.”

Mates also comments on his verbal spats with John Cena and Trish Stratus being welcomed back to the organization. The full article is available here.

– The latest weather forecast for Sunday’s WrestleMania 28 pay-per-view is a high of 87°F and a 30% chance of rain. The Weather Channel shows a small chance of isolated thunderstorms around 4-6pm on Sunday night but it looks pretty clear after that.

– 2012 WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson told The Miami Herald that he would have preferred to have legends Bruno Sammartino and “Superstar” Billy Graham induct him into the Hall tonight. Tyson said:

“[WWE] has to do what they have to do, but if it was Bruno Sammartino or Superstar Billy Graham, that would be awesome, because that’s when I started watching it. Billy Graham came and changed the game [charisma], and then Bob Backlund beat Graham, but he didn’t change the game. Then Hulkster changed the game.”

* MIKE TYSON Dances In FLASH MOB At AXXESS (Picture & VIDEO)

– Earlier this week, Triple H spoke tot he Los Angeles Times and actually had some positive things to say about the Ultimate Warrior and his legacy. Triple H referred to Warrior as a legend and said it was an honor wrestle him at WrestleMania 12, even though he was squashed in about two minutes.

The Ultimate Warrior wrote the following on Twitter in response to Triple H’s comments about him:

“Since 2011, WWE’s tone about UW’s mark in the biz has changed. Something’s going on but your guess is as good as mine.”

Promoting Sunday’s WrestleMania XXVIII pay-per-view event in Miami, Triple H took part an interview with Los Angeles Times and was asked if there was chance of him signing Ultimate Warrior to a one-day contract so he could squash him at an upcoming WrestleMania.

“It’s funny, a lot of people bring that up in a negative way like it was this terrible thing in my life,” Triple H says of his squash match loss to Warrior at WrestleMania XII. “While working with him personally wasn’t the highlight of my life from a business standpoint, for me to go to me first WrestleMania and wrestle a legendary figure in the business — and that is what he was and is — like the Ultimate Warrior, a Hall of Fame superstar in the business in my first WrestleMania appearance, squash or not, was a mind blowing thing for me.”

“I was thrilled to be in that position and to have that match with the Ultimate Warrior. I was thrilled with the fact that at that time Vince McMahon was willing to put me in that role. The Ultimate Warrior wasn’t there till the day of the show, so I had to do all the promotion for that match. I wanted Vince McMahon to look at me as a guy he could count on to handle the return of a guy that he was hoping would be a huge impact on the business. He had the trust in me and I would do a good job with it. So to me, that was nothing but a good experience. Potentially, I could bring him back and get the win.”

The thirteen-time world champion also addressed transitioning from full-time wrestler to full-time executive.

“Full-time wrestlers have fewer meetings than full-time managers do. I spend time in meetings a lot. And wearing a tie is kind of a downfall. I think it’s just learning to deal with situations in a business way as opposed to a locker room way. There is a large world of difference and you just have to learn that transition,” he says.

He also commented on who he would transport from history to have a dream match against at next year’s WrestleMania.

“It would be one of two people. Ric Flair or Buddy Rogers,” he says. “Buddy Rogers might not be a name that everyone knows, but he was probably one of the first way over the top flamboyant wrestling personas. Not like a Gorgeous George, he was a technically skilled wrestler who could wrestle anyone and make them look good. I think it would be interesting to step into the ring with him.”

The interview, which includes his answer on his favorite WrestleMania moment not involving himself, is available here.

WWE posted the following videos of The Rock, John Cena and Triple H

The Rock Says He’s Ready For WrestleMania:

Who Is John Cena?

Triple H Trains For WrestleMania:

During a recent interview with the UK Sun, former WWE & TNA star Kevin Nash spoke in-depth about Sunday’s WrestleMania 28 pay-per-view. Nash, who has wrestled both men and is a longtime student of the business, says Triple H ending the streak is bad for business – and the Undertaker should retire with the streak in tact:

“End of an Era…I’ve been thinking about the “speaking in code” that Shawn Michaels alluded to last week…If the WWE did have HHH end the Streak, what’s the bragging point since it took him three tries? There’s no bragging point, and it doesn’t do anything for business…It wouldn’t be good for business at all. It’d be like, yeah HHH ended it, but it took him three tries…Big deal. How does that impact the business to the good side?

“Most people would automatically point to the fact that he’s married to Stephanie, and didn’t do it because he deserved it…They could see through the facade WWE [would] have to build for it. I could already hear the bullshit chants from the more seasoned fans if they did that.

“In all honesty, at this point in time, the only one that deserves to end the Streak, is Taker himself by hanging it up when he chooses…In other words, he retires undefeated at Mania.”

Comment Below – What do you think – should the Undertaker retire undefeated at WrestleMania?

John Cena sat down with Brian Soscia of The Soscia Network for a Q&A session with fans. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

Who is left if he defeats The Rock at WrestleMania XXVIII: “Honestly, this is what I like about April 1, you have a definitive number one being decided. I think at that point it is anybody’s game to try to take somebody off the mountain. We’re at a period in WWE, WrestleMania is truly the end of an era. Triple H vs. Undertaker, Shawn Michaels is a special referee, John Cena vs. The Rock. One of those names, one of those names is a full-time employee for this company and you’re looking at him.

“So I think WrestleMania is a platform, as it always is, for new Superstars – Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, C.M. Punk, Cody Rhodes, Team Laurinaitis, Team Teddy Long. Anyone can step up. I’m going to be there on the top of the mountain with my fists up waiting for someone to challenge me. I think everybody is going to watch WrestleMania and enjoy it, but I think everyone behind the curtain, behind the wall that I’m not supposed to talk about, is going to be watching as hungry as they can be knowing that they want to face the winner of that match.”

Advice to younger wrestlers: “Never give up. Back in 2003, 2002, when I was just wearing boots and tights and I was supposed to be the ruthless aggression young good guy, nobody in the company liked me. I know Vince McMahon won’t admit this, but he wanted me fired, Triple H wanted me fired, everybody hated me. They just wouldn’t give me a forum to showcase my talents. I’ve always been able to connect with the audience if given the ability to speak.

“I got that ability and I was off to the races. I was up against all odds. I wasn’t born into this business. I’m not a third generation guy or a second generation guy. I’m just a dude who grew up a fan like all you guys and I wanted to do this my whole life. And I never gave up. That’s the advice I give to all the young cats, all the guys who have been trying and trying, trying to make it, attempt after attempt. I’ve failed many times, but you never ever give up.”

The video interview is available here.

— Shawn Michaels shot down a online rumor stating that he will come out of retirement to face Triple H at next year’s WrestleMania. Michaels was asked, “Any comment to the WM 29 hype match? You vs HHH?” He replied:

“Bogus!! False!! Lie!! Completely made up!! Too much?:-),”

— According to the following press release, WWE talent will be on hand for a free VIP concert Lilian Garcia is holding this Wednesday from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Gibson Miami Showroom (located at 180 NE 39th St Miami, Florida 33255). Free passes are available here. Food and beverage will also be provided.

— Retired Puerto Rican wrestler Chicky Starr was backstage visiting at Saturday’s Raw live event in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

— WWE will hold a live event at Atlantic Pavilion in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday, November 10, 2012.

— Six days before The Undertaker faces Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XXVIII, former WWE Superstar John Morrison spoofs the two combatants in a rap video entitled HHH Vs Undertaker rap. A Paul Bearer character also appears.

The video is available here.

— Edge joins tonight’s WWE.com Raw Live Chat to discuss his new WWE Studios film “Bending The Rules, his impending WWE Hall of Fame induction and answer questions from fans. The chat session starts at 8 p.m. ET on WWE.com.

— Chilli of TLC, who is a huge WWE fan, stated on her Twitter that she will be on hand for tonight’s Raw SuperShow in Atlanta, Georgia as well as WrestleMania XXVIII on Sunday.

WWE.com has addressed the online rumors that Florida Championship Wrestling is shutting down, vehemently denying the “erroneous” report by an “unreliable online news source.”

The WWE website reached out to WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Paul Levesque (Triple H) to address this issue:

“It is absolutely not true. FCW is not closing. I don’t know how the rumor started but I believe it’s a situation where the ‘dirt sheets’ want to believe they have the scoop on everything. If anything, we are in the process of ramping up our entire developmental system. It’s the lifeblood of our company. It’s what feeds our future and in no way are we going to close it down.”

Triple H acknowledged that there are plans to overhaul the developmental system and revealed that there is a “major announcement” coming shortly after WrestleMania regarding the future of WWE developmental:

“WWE’s developmental system is being revamped, not shut down. If anything, it’s going to get bigger and better than ever. WWE Developmental cultivates the future talent of WWE. By no means is it going to get smaller or shut down.”

Triple H made his in-ring return at Sunday’s WWE live event from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Triple H teamed with Randy Orton and C.M. Punk against the team of Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes. Check out this video of final minutes of this epic 6-man battle:

– WWE Studios and Lionsgate are teaming to reboot the horror franchise “Leprechaun,” according to Variety.com. WWE and Lionsgate are sharing production costs and will work together to market this film, which is currently set for a 2013 release. At this time, there are no actors, writers or directors attached to the film. Could we see Hornswoggle as the new Leprechaun?!

– Triple H returns to action this Sunday at WWE’s live event from Madison Square Garden. Here’s the card for Sunday’s MSG show:

• Triple H, CM Punk & Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler & Cody Rhodes
• John Cena vs. Kane – Last Man Standing Match
• Daniel Bryan vs. The Big Show vs. Mark Henry in a Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
• The Miz vs. R-Truth

– Mark Henry was in attendance at the South by Southwest (SXSW) event in Austin, Texas this week. Fuse TV filed a report on the event and mentioned Henry, stating the following:

“A friend was eating lunch when WWE wrestler Mark Henry started talking to him and subsequently recommended Bacon, an Austin restaurant where nearly every item has its titular food. Music-related? Not really. But there is no weirder and more appropriately Austin moment than that.”

– The New York Times has published an article looking at 1990s WWE performer Damien Demento. Demento, real name Phillip Thies, has launched an art show titled Karnal, featuring paintings and sculptures. The exhibit, which is housed at the Tachi Gallery in New York City, runs through April 14.

— The March 2012 issue of WWE Magazine appears to feature an inside reference concerning The Undertaker’s hair (which he no longer has because he is shaved bald). While explaining his near year long hiatus from WWE in their WrestleMania XXVIII feature, they wrote, “Despite (beating Triple H) by submission with the Hell’s Gate and extending his epic streak, The Deadman was unable to leave the arena on his own. And no one has seen hide nor hair of him for nearly an entire year.”

The Undertaker has not removed the hood covering his bald head during his appearances on Raw because WWE creative is saving the moment for his Hell in a Cell encounter with Triple H at WrestleMania XXVIII.

— WWE has announced that they will be holding Raw live events in Mexico this May. Dates and locations are as follows: May 24 at Multipurpose Centre in Hermosillo; May 25 at Monumental Bullring in Aguascalientes; May 26 at Vicente Fernandez Gomez Arena in Guadalajara.

— Former WWE star Billy Gunn wrote on Twitter regarding his one year of sobriety, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the fans and specialy my wife for hanging in there for my one year sobriety.”

— Jim Ross says it’s ‘100 percent rumor’ that he will be handling announcing duties for the Hell in a Cell Match between The Undertaker and Triple H at WrestleMania XXVIII. The WWE Hall of Famer responded to a message on Twitter stating that Undertaker wanted him to call his match.

— Video has surfaced of Balls Mahoney vomiting after being hit in the head with a chair by Marty Jannetty during a match at Friday’s Pro Wrestling Syndicate Super Card 2012 event in Rahway, New Jersey.

— The Insider recently aired a “Five Things You Didn’t Know” segment about actor Sacha Baron Cohen and it was noted that he’s a huge wrestling fan and who is friends with John Cena.

After Eve declared on Raw SuperShow two weeks ago that she’d taken advantage of Zack Ryder’s feelings to further her own career and planned on doing the same with John Cena, she quickly became the recipient of great scorn. Cena proclaimed on the same show that he lost a “broski” for a “hoeski;” this has led to the WWE Diva being inundated with the derogatory name at live events and through social media outlets. Legendary wrestler Mick Foley, a friend of Eve’s, is not fond of this uncomplimentary storyline and is voicing his concern through Twitter.

Foley initially played up the storyline on the micro-blogging site by saying Ryder should give Eve another chance. A follower of Foley’s disagreed, writing, “Once a #Hoeski, always a #Hoeski.” He responded by saying both Ryder and Cena should apologize to Eve for calling her that name.

“Sorry, @LizBDecker, but @ZackRyder should take @EveMarieTorres back AND apologize for calling her that name. @JohnCena should apologize too,” Foley wrote. “It’s important to be able to disagree without being disagreeable. @ZackRyder should just say #noski when it comes to using the word #hoeski.”

Foley adds that WWE is sending a “mixed message” with the name-calling since it contradicts their anti-bullying campaign ‘be a STAR’ and Cena’s motto to “Rise Above Hate.”

“I wouldn’t be so uneasy with the name-calling if not for Be a Star and @JohnCena rising above hate. Mixed message,” he wrote in response to the following comment: “How does John Cena accusing Eve of being a skank and of being diseased fit with the Be a Star campaign?”

Foley continues, “I think @zackryder can come out of this looking good, but not if he gives into something as cheap and easy as name-calling.”

He was also asked whether the storyline is a product of lazy writing or indicative of a blatant sexism problem within WWE.

“I really love what WWE is doing with it’s anti-bullying campaign – but the “hoeski” thing did strike me as the lazy way out,” Foley responded.

This is not the first time where Foley has publicly taken a stand for a female being demeaned on WWE programming as he took offense online to Triple H belittling ring announcer Lilian Garcia with a hurtful behind-the-scenes joke during a 2010 episode of Raw. He acknowledged then that speaking out against the WWE head may have cost himself professionally down the road, but vehemently felt he had to take a stand.

— It was announced at Monday’s Raw SuperShow at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts that Night of Champions will take place at the same venue on September 16, 2012. There will be a pre-sale this week on Ticketmaster.com with the code WWENOC.

— Triple H will compete at WWE’s Road to WrestleMania event at Madison Square Garden on March 18, 2012 as he teams up with CM Punk and Randy Orton in a Six-Man Tag Team Match against Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler.

Also announced for the show: World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry; John Cena vs. Kane in a Last Man Standing Match; R-Truth vs. The Miz; Jack Swagger vs. Zack Ryder.

— WWE Champion CM Punk shot footage for his upcoming DVD Monday in Boston, Massachusetts.

“Oh hey. Day 1 of filming for this little DVD thing I’m doing. No time like 5:30 AM to capture my true crabby essence,” he wrote on Twitter. “Man. This DVD is going to be so great. #LWF #MAW #SDW #IWA #IWC #ROH #OVW #WWE.”

source: PWInsider.com

Jim Ross has published a new blog entry on his official website. Highlights are as follows:

The Undertaker wrestling Triple H for the third time at WrestleMania: “Concerned that Taker vs. HHH is their 3rd Wrestlemania bout? Heck, no. Their history is a vital part of the fabric of WWE, their first match was 11 years ago, and the way the match ended last year with Undertaker being carted out of ‘his event’ adds to the drama. These two, great professionals will make it a daunting task for any one to follow them assuming that they don’t go on last which would surprise me. The mere fact that it is quite likely that HHH vs. Taker will NEVER happen again is enough for this fan to want to see WM28.”

Chris Jericho facing CM Punk at WrestleMania XXVIII: “They have many similar traits that I like and respect. I appreciate each man’s journey to the big dance. I respect that even though many ‘experts’ said that neither would ever ‘make it’ that each persevered and have earned star status. However, at the end of the day, their match isn’t, in my view, about who is the best in the world but rather who will leave Miami as the #1 man in WWE, the WWE Champion.”

Will any WCW fixtures such as Sting and Diamond Dallas Page ever get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame?: “I’d say that there is a good chance that happens. More and more talents who earned their proverbial stripes outside WWE will be inducted in years to come.”

Who’s the best WWE Diva?: “Assuming this is referring to wresting and if so I’d suggest that would be Beth Phoenix. Like many fans, I’d love to see Beth face @Kharma but I have no idea if that will be at WM28 and could be saved for after April 1 when it would possibly get more focus. Obviously, the talents would love for it to be as a part of WrestleMania and I can’t blame them for that.”

Natalya’s flatulence based persona: “Thoughts on Natalya’s flatulence, TV persona? Likely not something that I would have thought of but I can’t recall any time that Ms Neidhart has been in more discussions or the subject of more questions that she is now. Hopefully, this new found notoriety will lead to bigger and better things for her. She has lots of talent.”

Ross also weighs in on best ‘Bounty’ pro wrestling storylines, if he likes Twitter, WWE’s ongoing General Manager storyline and more. His post is available here.

WWE has published their 10-K report for 2011 and it includes their wrestling contract with Paul Levesque (a/k/a Triple H). The new agreement went into effect January 1, 2012 and expires on March 30, 2016, when he is 46 years old.

Highlights:

* Levesque will be paid a ‘Minimum Annual Compensation’ of $1 million for each year under contract.

* Levesque will be limited to 180 dates per year, unless both parties mutually agree to extend beyond that number.

* Levesque cannot work or perform in any capacity for any ‘martial arts’ organization while under contract.

source: PWInsider.com

– The Undertaker appeared on Monday’s Raw SuperShow and did not remove the hood covering his head. WWE officials plan to have the iconic wrestler remove his hood and display his altered appearance for the first time when he faces Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XXVIII. Though he shaved his head bald last year, he has maintained the look since then and therefore will not appear similar to his “Big Evil” persona of 2002 and 2003 when he had short hair.

As far as why The Undertaker went through the radical change, it is said that he considered the hair too be too much trouble to deal with on a day to day basis.

– Dragon Gate USA referee Jason Harding has signed a developmental contract with WWE. He is regarded as one of the best referees on the independent wrestling circuit.

– The Ticketmaster.com pre-sale password for Raw SuperShow on April 23 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan is SUPERSHOW. Tickets go on sale to the general public Saturday at 10:00 a.m.

(source: Pro Wrestling Torch)

— During a phone interview with WWE.com Thursday, Shawn Michaels lost his composure when faced with pointed questions pertaining to Triple H and The Undertaker’s Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XXVIII.

After being asked “If Triple H wins at WrestleMania, will he be better than you?” Michaels grew increasingly incensed in his response, saying he is the best in-ring performer ever and that he cannot help that the spotlight falls on him whenever he shows up. Before hanging up, he tells the WWE.com interviewer to leave him alone in his retired life.

— Thanks to interference from Curt Hawkins, Tyler Reks drew a victory over Mason Ryan on this week’s episode of WWE Superstars. It is his first televised singles victory since the March 17, 2011 WWE Superstars, where he beat JTG.

Other matches featured include Alex Riley vs. Michael McGillicutty and Jinder Mahal vs. Justin Gabriel. The episode is available here.

— WWE developmental wrestler Corey Graves (a/k/a Sterling James Keenan) turns 28 years old Friday.

– To follow up on CM Punk and singer Chris Brown exchanging insults on Twitter over the weekend, Punk re-tweeted a comment from a fan that stated Punk and Brown should compete in an MMA fight with 5 minute rounds.

• Read CM PUNK & CHRIS BROWN Talk Trash To Each Other

– The segment on Monday’s RAW between The Undertaker and Triple H ran 8-9 minutes longer than it was scheduled for, which led to WWE taking time away from the Divas tag match and John Cena’s ring entrance.

– Ezekiel Jackson was recently considered for another push, but it appears those plans have been nixed. After losing clean to David Otunga on RAW, Jackson has lost 5 straight televised matches and has yet to win a televised match this year.

(Sources: PWInsider.com, f4wonline.com)