— WWE.com is advertising the following for tonight’s episode of SmackDown: “Former Legacy allies World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes do battle tonight on SmackDown. Plus, the volatile Mark Henry goes up against Ezekiel Jackson.”

Other matches that will air include:

* Sin Cara vs. Tyson Kidd

* Kelly Kelly vs. Natalya

* Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett

* Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne vs. Jinder Mahal and The Great Khali

— The first SmackDown taping of 2012 takes place January 3 at the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

— Triple H, Michael Rapaport and Parker Posey star in WWE Studios’ new crime drama, Inside Out, out today in select theaters.

source: F4WOnline.com

Triple H appeared on Busted Open, which airs every Monday and Wednesday on Sirius 92 and XM 207 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

CM Punk’s controversial promo on June 27: “Punk said something about doofus, but he called John Laurinitis douchebag, which is way worse, right? The joke in the back was “at least I’m just a doofus, you’re a douchebag.” If you look at it from that standpoint, he called me a doofus, Stephanie an idiot and Johnny a douchebag, and everyone said “Oh my God!” He tore the roof off the place! He ripped the veil off! And it was like the most crazy promo of all time!” 5 years ago, no one would have blinked. That would have been a tame segment. Everyone would have looked at that promo and said “So what?” he didn’t say anything. In order for that to get the reaction that it did, we had to go where it had to go.

“I think sometimes, people think we bumble through this. Especially, and I don’t mean this disparagingly, the internet fan I think sometimes thinks that we throw darts at the wall and fumble around to see what we can come up with next. I mean there is actually a plan to a lot of this stuff, but things change. It’s live television, and people react certain ways and things don’t happen the way you expect them too, and you have to make changes. But there is a plan to a lot of this.”

Midcard talent possibly being affected by WWE’s rebranding: “Well I don’t think the end of the brands is here at all. I think it’s for a period of time, it’s trying to give the best shows that we can. If I was a mid-card guy or lower end, certainly I would look at that and go “Oh man, the spot that could have been mine is now Randy Orton’s”. To me, I’m a big believer, You know everyone thinks we make the stars. The guys make themselves. We follow what the fans want. Make yourself relevant. Go out and make yourself relevant. If you have been doing the same thing for years, and you have been getting the same reaction, and you’re in the same spot, change. We tell the guys that all the time and yet they don’t do it. We try to help them.

“There is just a different mentality, guys have to be willing and I think a lot of them think that they do, but they have to be willing to go out there and take it. They got to be willing to step on toes. They got to be willing to jump ahead. It’s a business. Be willing to step up and not take no for an answer. I have been a big believer that if you’re good enough, the cream rises to the top and you will get the spot.”

The PG product: “We had pushed the envelope so far and you get to a point that after a while, its like, Vince will always use this expression, even though it was completely irrelevant from a timeframe standpoint, but we had “Chainsaw Charlie”. Where do you go after a guy with a chainsaw? But there is a certain point and time where you heard all this stuff on TV you have to pull it back to a point where it almost becomes sterile to get back to a point where you can begin to touch the envelope again where people go “OOH! Like we made it so sterile, like when CM Punk said Ass for the first time, people were like “Oh My God, he said ass!” Where ass was said every 4 seconds for a while. We have to pull it back. Will we ever get where we were before? No, because the world has changed.

“I just don’t think you can kind of do that programming now, with the way that the world is. We will never get back all the way there. But I think there is definitely a huge gap between where we were and where we went to. But I think for the right reasons. You have to get to a point where you almost sterilize it to make it seem edgy again. If you just back it off a little bit, it kind of seems a little watered down. So we just took it to where it needed to go to get it back to where it needed to be.”

Inside Out

The first review is in for the new WWE Studios project Inside Out starring Triple H – and it’s bowling-shoe ugly. The Orlando Sentinel’s review takes aim at both WWE Studios (for trying to manufacture the next Dwyane Johnson-level breakout star) and Triple H (who they say will never be more than a tough-guy supporting character).

At one point in the movie, Triple H’s character is asked about his time in prison, to which he responds, “You just sit there — and it passes” – and the Sentinel’s Roger Moore says Inside Out is very similar to that experience.

Here are some “highlights” from The Orlando Sentinel’s review:

“World Wrestling Entertainment’s brief flirtation with family friendly films has ended. But the residue of this effort sticks to “Inside Out,” a half-hearted return to the violent men of the ring doing violent things on the screen model that predated the PG years.

And they refuse to abandon their efforts to turn one of their stars into the next Rock or Hulk Hogan, a crossover phenomenon about to carry movies and TV shows, and not just other wrestlers and folding chairs.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque has the look, the demeanor and the skills to be a useful heavy in other people’s action films. He’s so muscle-bound, his arms can’t quite drop to his side. His face is more scary than handsome. Yet “Inside Out” is yet another attempt to make him a leading man.”

And the single resonant line about prison comes too late to give the movie the tone they might have been going for. Asked, fearfully, about jail time, A.J. (Triple H’s character) intones, “You just sit there — and it passes.”

That’s a pretty fair description of “Inside Out,” too. (Bruce) Dern could have played this mobster whose cover job is running an animal hospital a seriously strange or seriously silly spin. But he has nothing to play. Parker Posey does her best to hide that this is just a WWE paycheck part.”

And Levesque does nothing to suggest that if the WWE weren’t backing him that he’d ever be anything on screen other than the guy who beats the heck out Jason Statham or whoever in someone else’s action picture.”

Ouch. To read the full review, head over to the Orlando Sentinel website.

WWE COO Triple H will be working with the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s new “Make a Muscle, Make a Difference” campaign .. Here’s the press release:

‘Make a Muscle, Make a Difference’ Campaign on Display in Rockefeller Center Plaza
EHE International donates the window to MDA for the month of September

NEW YORK, Sep 06, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The Muscular Dystrophy Association’s “Make a Muscle, Make a Difference” campaign will be featured in a 115-square-foot display window in September in Rockefeller Plaza to promote awareness in the fight against neuromuscular diseases.

“Our thanks to EHE International for recognizing the importance of MDA’s mission by displaying our message to the many New York City visitors and residents,” MDA Manhattan Director of Business Development Kaylan Scagliola said. “Having a presence in such a prominent area is especially meaningful in spreading the Association’s message of help and hope.”

The window at 10 Rockefeller Plaza, donated by EHE International, will exhibit the Association’s public service advertisements that showcase life-size standing displays of MDA Muscle Team members, including Natalie Morales of NBC’s “Today” show, “Glee” star Max Adler, former NFL Super Bowl-winning quarterback Kurt Warner, WWE Superstar Triple H and several MDA Goodwill Ambassadors.

“EHE International is excited to have MDA in the window this September,” said Deborah McKeever, president of EHE International. “Together we can educate and increase public awareness of neuromuscular diseases and inform the public of its signs and symptoms.”

The 46th annual MDA Telethon was televised live on WWOR-TV My9 from Metropolis Studio in New York, on Sunday, Sept. 4.

— Following the Eight-Man Elimination Tag Team Match on the Raw Supershow, John Cena chased Alberto Del Rio away to close the broadcast. CM Punk came down the aisle and harassed Ricardo Rodriguez, pressing him back to the ring before tossing him in. Punk and Cena stood on each side and Cena started a thumbs-up, thumbs-down game with the crowd. Rodriguez, however, escaped from the ring.

There was a long moment as Cena and Punk stared at each other and glanced to the crowd for direction. Cena offered Punk his hand, and as the fans encouraged them to embrace, they clasped hands and raised their arms together. Cena pointed at Punk and smiled to the crowd.

– In the opening segment of Monday’s Raw Supershow, WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H fired Kevin Nash after Nash revealed that he had snuck into his office and sent a text to himself from Triple H’s phone, instigating his attack on CM Punk at SummerSlam. Nash was then shown leaving the venue with John Laurinaitis.

In accordance with the storyline, Nash’s profile has been removed from WWE.com’s Raw Superstars section. He is once again listed as a WWE Alumnus.

– WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes is advertised to appear at Florida Championship Wrestling’s Oct. 15 live event at the Suwanee County Coliseum 1302 SW 11th St. Live Oaks, FL. Belltime is 7:30 p.m. Visit FCWWrestling.com for more information.

(source: Pro Wrestling Torch)

— During last night’s replay airing of SuperSmackDown on Syfy, the commercial preview for this Monday’s episode of Raw on the USA Network officially referred to the program as WWE Raw SuperShow. Various cable providers, however, still have the show listed as Monday Night Raw.

WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H announced on Monday that Superstars from SmackDown will be joining Monday nights for the foreseeable future to create Raw Supershow.

— WWE Classics celebrates the legendary career of The Undertaker throughout the month of October as they present “The Undertaker’s Ball.” It’s a “phenomenal month” of highlights spanning The Deadman’s 20-plus-year career—including his “most terrifying” Casket Matches and his “brutal” Buried Alived bouts.

WWE.com has uploaded a promotional video previewing “The Undertaker’s Ball.”

— Alex Riley and Kaitlyn will be signing autographs next Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Comcast Connecticut Women’s Expo in Hartford, Connecticut. Details are available here.

source: PWInsider.com

– In what’s being billed as a “warm-up” for his upcoming match against CM Punk at Night of Champions, WWE COO Triple H will be returning to the ring next week on RAW. A commercial aired during this week’s show hyping The Game’s return to the ring – his first match since wrestling The Undertaker at WrestleMania 27.  No opponent has been named yet.

– The WWE RAW brand is headed to Puerto Rico this week for a string of live events. WWE officials are hoping WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio will have his visa issues worked out in time for this week’s Puerto Rican shows.

– Dolph Ziggler tweeted the following on Wednesday – let’s hope this isn’t anything serious:

“Getting neck examined/worked on today…… Keep you fingers crossed”

– To correct an earlier report, the decision for CM Punk to wrestle Triple H at Night of Champions was actually made over the weekend, not Monday. A “Team Punk vs. Team Triple H” had been discussed for Survivor Series, and that might still happen. Whatever happened during Kevin Nash’s recent medical physical that prevented him from wrestling Punk next month is expected to be resolved – and a match between Punk and Nash is still expected to happen eventually.

– Jerry Lawler has been told by WWE producers to back off Vickie Guerrero and not make fun of her weight on commentary at RAW.

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross will be the next WWE personality to go hunting with Shawn Michaels on an upcoming episode of Shawn’s MacMillan River Adventures on the Outdoor Channel.

• Check Out: Pictures Of HBK Hunting (See What He Killed!)

(Sources: PWInsider.com, f4wonline.com)

— WWE.com has announced that tonight on SuperSmackDown, WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H and CM Punk will sign the contract for their match at Night of Champions.

Randy Orton vs. Christian in a World Title Steel Cage Match and John Cena vs. Wade Barrett are also advertised for the live Syfy special.

— Former WWE talent Mark Jindrak, who now competes as Marco Corleone in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), announced on Twitter that he will be trying out for the Mexican baseball league next spring.

“It’s official. I’m going to tryout in spring 2012, in the Mexican baseball league,” he wrote. “I’m going pro and I’m going to be a two sport athlete.”

— WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H announced on Raw that Superstars from SmackDown will be joining Monday nights for the foreseeable future. The “new concept,” as described by Michael Cole, will be known as Raw SuperShow. According to PWInsider.com, the initiative has several wrestlers worried about their futures since it means less television time for those not in the upper crust.

— Brie Bella snapped WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly fifteen-match winning streak Monday night on Raw. The Jacksonville native had not lost since May 22, 2011, at Over the Limit. Brie’s victory also snapped her nine-match losing streak.

— WWE’s 2002 DVD titles on Triple H, Triple H: The Game and Triple H: That Damn Good, are being packaged together for release in Europe next month.

— Tyler Reks was backstage at Monday’s Raw in Tulsa, Oklahoma but not used. He wrote of his absence from the show: “Oh I’m here at the BOK Center…waiting patiently for an opportunity.”

source: PWInsider.com

— A match pitting John Morrison against R-Truth was taped Monday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars.

— Thanks to suggestions from fans, WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne have officially been named “Air Boom.”

— Alex Riley beat Drew McIntyre in the dark match prior to tonight’s Raw broadcast.

— WWE Studios’ Inside Out starring Triple will premiere on DirecTV Cinema on Saturday, September 10.

source: PWInsider.com

– The current word in WWE is that Kevin Nash has been brought in for a short run – not a full-fledged return. Nash has a WWE Legends deal and is still able to take independent bookings as long as it does not conflict with anything wWE has planned for him. Nash is said to be very happy working a program with CM Punk.

– Officials from the Dragon Gate USA promotion recently confirmed that WWE has expressed interest in signing several of their contracted wrestlers. DGUSA has stated that it will allow any of its wrestlers out of their contracts in the event that WWE wants to sign them. No word yet on which DGUSA stars WWE is interested in, but this does jive with our recent report that WWE is looking to bring in a number of cruiserweight-sized wrestlers.

– WWE Studios’ Inside Out with Triple H will premiere on DirecTV Cinema on September 10th.

(Source: PWInsider.com)

A popular topic of discussion backstage at Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings was that WWE creative is planning to continue the current CM Punk – Triple H storyline through the fall – with November’s WWE Survivor Series to feature a big “Team Punk vs. Team Triple H” match.

According to WWE sources, Team Punk would feature CM Punk, Colt Cabana and possibly the Kings of Wrestling – Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero. Kevin Nash would be one of the members on Team Triple H.

With the NFL’s  Monday Night Football going head-to-head with RAW each week, WWE is banking on the Punk – Triple H storyline to carry ratings for the next few months.

— WWE.com has announced that Chief Operating Officer of WWE, Triple H, will issue an address tonight on Raw.

Their statement reads: “After Summerslam’s controversial main event outcome, Triple H addresses the WWE Universe live tonight on Raw. Will he apologize for his bad call (affecting John Cena)? Will he discuss (Kevin) Nash’s involvement? Might the WWE COO reveal a coup that crowned Del Rio champion?”

— The August 12 episode of SmackDown scored a 1.81 cable rating, the same number as the previous week.

The program averaged 2,640,000 viewers over the course of two hours, up from 2,570,000 the week before.

— In a battle of WWE Hall of Famers, Jerry Lawler will wrestle Dory Funk Jr. at the September 10 !BANG! TV taping in Ocala, Florida. Visit www.dory-funk.com for more information.

source: PWInsider.com

As the head of WWE’s revamped talent development program, Triple H has a lot of influence over which talents are signed and featured on WWE television. It’s been reported that Triple H is serious about introducing new talents through ‘coming soon’ vignettes, as we saw with the first two people signed under Triple H – Sin Cara and Karma.

Now -Triple H is said to have his sights set on a new objective – rebuilding WWE’s  tag team division.

WWE is looking to recruit tag teams from other promotions, including Ring of Honor’s Kings of Wrestling & Brisco Brothers as well as TNA tag team Beer Money, when they become free agents.

Regarding the recent WWE tryouts for the Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli), the latest word is that the KoW will be introduced as a tag team, not singles wrestlers.

(Source: PWInsider.com)

The Voice of Wrestling returned live last night from 7-8 EST with hosts, Chris Cash and Nick Paglino. Chris Masters – who was just released this past Friday from the WWE – joined Chris and Nick to discuss his recent departure, his future and much more. Other topics include SummerSlam this weekend, TNA’s Hard Justice pay per view, Gail Kim quitting and much more.

Chris Masters Interview Highlights

On being surprised about his WWE release: “If somebody on the outside was watching me, they wouldn’t be surprised because they hadn’t used me in any real storylines or anything. They just had me dittering on Superstars. But the thing is, for the last year and a half on Superstars, it really gave me time to develop my craft and really put some time into matches and through that I just really started taking a passion in the art of professional wrestling and through time it started to really translate. I came along a lot.”

On the rumors of Chris being in line to get a big push: “You know, the reports on the internet were actually a surprise to me because I hadn’t really told anybody. I don’t know if that came from one of the writers to the dirt sheets, but the extent of what I was told was..back around January of this year after Hunter [and Vince] had seen some of my matches, Hunter pulled me aside and was telling me, ‘Hey, we’ve noticed you’ve gotten really good and we’re just trying now to figure out exactly what to do with you. Maybe we need to take you off tv for a few months and give you a fresh coat of paint or a repackaging’, so we kind of left it at that. He had definitely come up and given me props a couple of times.

You know, I was kind of under the impression that they were going to figure something out for me and I was also trying to think of some suggestions for myself and you know, that’s probably why it was a surprise because of the fact I did feel like I had good things coming. I felt like this was going to be my year.”

On his reaction to the news: “Yeah, I’m pissed. I’m not going to deny that at all. This is the thing…the first time I got released, I brought it upon myself, so I accepted it. There’s a lot of things I didn’t do right the first time. I was also motivated coming back to the company and for it to turn out this way is upsetting because it’s not like I failed a drug test. I did things right and I was getting really good in the ring, so it is a lot more upsetting the second time around than it is the first time around.”

On going to TNA: “Well, it’s funny because I sat in my car about two weeks ago and really thinking to myself, ‘they need babyfaces now and if they’re not going to do something with me or invest in me right now, they’re never gonna do it. So I was already thinking to myself, maybe I need to start reaching out and seeing what else is out there – let’s just be frank. But I didn’t do it. And it’s funny because then you fast forward to weeks later and then this happened. Obviously, I’m taking bookings, but yeah, I’ve reached out to some people over at TNA and we’ll just see what happens with that. There’s of course the 90 day thing with WWE, but I’m not really going to rule out anything this time around”.

Chris Masters also talked about the reported changes in WWE, his two strikes against him in terms of the Wellness Policy and whether he thinks that potentially hurt their plans for him, what he was doing the moment he got the dreaded phone call from Johnny Ace, the influx of talent coming into the WWE and whether that’s a good or bad thing for the company, and Chris responds to his critics.

Masters also feels a number of wrestlers don’t belong in WWE, and specifically names David Otunga. “You think David Otunga’s ready for TV?” he asks the hosts. When asked why the Raw Superstar should have been fired before him, Masters replies, “Well, he’s got two left feet. C’mon, just watch him walk around the ring for five minutes.”

Masters, however, then says in defense of Otunga that the Tag Team Champion is a product of WWE’s system—wrestlers being called up to television prematurely.

The audio interview can be accessed here.

source: www.vowlive.com

– Triple H announced on’s RAW that he will serve the special referee for the main event of WWE SummerSlam between John Cena and CM Punk.

– WWE RAW’s biggest ratings competitor – Monday Night Football – returns to ESPN next Monday for a preseason game.

– Prior to Monday’s RAW from San Jose, California, WWE taped the following match for Thursday’s Supersatars show:

• Brodus Clay vs. a local wrestler
• WWE Tag Team Champions Michael McGillicutty & David Otunga vs. Santino Marella & Evan Bourne

– The September issue of WWE Magazine is teasing that the company’s new COO Triple H will be returning to the ring at Night of Champions:

“Triple H has not contested a match in a WWE ring since he nearly ended The Undertaker’s winning streak at WrestleMania XXVII. So what better time for The Game to jump-start his 2011 season than at Night Of Champions this September? After all, he currently holds the WWE record with 13 World Championships and 23 total title reigns during his career. Other than the recently retired Edge, no other Superstar has ever worn that much gold around his waist. A title opportunity at NOC would bring The King of Kings one-step closer to becoming the greatest champion in WWE history.”

– Also in the new WWE Magazine, it’s reported that Rey Mysterio will be debuting a new hooded mask soon – one that was designed by the winner of WWE Kids magazine’s annual “Design Rey’s Mask” contest.

– As we’ve been reporting in recent weeks, there has been strong consideration in WWE about not bringing Sin Cara back to television once his 30-day suspension due to a Wellness Policy violation is up. WWE is promoting Sin Cara’s return to television on Friday’s episode of SmackDown, which tapes Tuesday night – which is prior to the date when his suspension will be lifted. News broke over the weekend that WWE is going to pull a “Doink The Clown” on us – as the character of Sin Cara might be portrayed by another person other than Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde (formerly Mistico).

At this time, WWE developmental talent Hunico is the most likely candidate to wrestle as Sin Cara when the character returns to television this week at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping. According to a source in WWE, a few other developmental stars have been considered for the Sin Cara character while Luis Alvirde serves out the remainder of his suspension.

–  WWE has been making a number of changes internally with Triple H’s new talent recruiting division. Ty Bailey and Mark Carrano are now working directly with HHH and there is now a writer assigned specifically to work with HHH on development of new television characters and their introductions.

• Triple H Talks About Wrestling Again, His Role As COO (VIDEO)

– The Miz will be appearing in an upcoming episode of the USA Network’s comedy series Psych. He missed Friday and Saturday’s live WWE events to film his scenes.

• The Miz Ranked #1 On PWI’s Annual Top 500 List

– Chris Masters’ first post-WWE booking will be for the World Stars of Wrestling’s tour of Portugal, which begins August 19th.

• Chris Masters Comments On His WWE Release

The WWE website is featuring an in-character sit-down video interview with WWE COO Triple H, which you can view here.

The Game spoke about his recent rise to power, Vince McMahon being forced out of his job and his own future inside the squared circle.

Triple H said nothing can compare to Vince – who is a visionary and is the man responsible for the WWE Universe as we know it today.

“Nothing can be compared to what Vince McMahon did for this industry. He created it from the ground up with his bare hands,” Hunter said. “I’m just hoping to carry on that legacy and do just as good of job he did for the fans of the WWE Universe everywhere.”

Triple H said he’s a huge fan of professional wrestling and he tries to listen to the fans and give them what they want. He doesn’t work for the talent – he works for the WWE Universe.

Vince taught him that nobody is bigger than WWE. Vince has always lived by the “law of the jungle” – eventually the top lion grows old and gets eaten.

When asked whether his days competing are over, he said:

“Never say never in WWE. I don’t know. If I put myself in the seats of the WWE Universe and the right guy comes along at the right time and it’s the right challenge, would I want to see it? I think there’s your answer.”

— Husky Harris has been removed from WWE.com’s Raw Superstars page. He is, however, still under contract to WWE as he is still listed as a member of Florida Championship Wrestling.

Harris last appeared on WWE programming on the January 31, 2011 episode of Raw as he and Michael McGillicutty unsuccessfully challenged Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Following the bout, Randy Orton attacked both individuals for costing him the opportunity to recapture the WWE Championship in an earlier match, and punted Harris in the head. This was a scripted injury to write the second generation wrestler off television and demote him to developmental.

Harris resurfaced in FCW as the hockey mask-wearing character Axl Mulligan but has since appeared as himself.

— Triple H will be a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Friday night. Tune in to NBC at 12:35/11:35 CT to see “The Game” on the hit talk show.

— WWE producer Dean Malenko turns 51 years old today.

— CM Punk has been officially reinstated on the WWE roster as his profile has been added back to WWE.com’s Raw Superstars page.

WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H addressed the WWE Championship situation on last week’s episode of SmackDown and acknowledged that Punk was re-signed late Monday night. He vowed to make a decision on how to handle this troubling dilemma on tonight’s episode of Raw.

— Ultimate Warrior posted a new video announcing the launch of One Warrior Nation, which can be accessed via WarriorUniversity.com.

The former WWE Champion says the mission of One Warrior Nation is to inspire people to make changes in their lives for the better.

— Sheamus appears today from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Cricket Communications Mobile Store 2331 Versailles Road Lexington, Kentucky. Call 859-277-0057 for more information.

The official movie poster has been released for the upcoming WWE Studios film, Inside Out (starring Triple H) – and it’s pretty badass.

Here’s the official movie synopsis (courtesy of IMDB.com) and the poster for Inside Out, which is due out September 9th:

For the last thirteen years AJ (Triple H) has been behind bars, convicted of manslaughter for killing a man who intended to kill his best friend, Jack (Michael Rapaport). Now released, AJ wants nothing more than to start a small business and live a crime-free life. Unfortunately, within hours of leaving prison, his oldest and best friend, Jack (Michael Rapaport) involves AJ in an accidental shooting in which a man is killed, forcing Jack to skip town.

Jack, a high-strung, low-level mobster, has taken good care of AJs family while he was in prison. When Jacks father and local mob boss Dr. Vic (Bruce Dern) comes looking for retribution, AJ is compelled to protect Jacks family. Jacks family consists of his wife, Claire (Parker Posey), who has never stopped loving her former beau AJ and her teenage daughter Pepper (Juliette Goglia).

Martha, (Julie White) an agent for the Louisiana Tax Board, has been investigating Dr. Vic for smuggling counterfeit cigarettes into Louisiana and tax evasion. She is determined to bring Dr. Vic and Jack down with or without AJs help. In the end, AJ will stop at nothing to protect the woman hes always loved and the daughter he never knew he had.

— Triple H is booked for all Raw and Smackdown television tapings in his role as Chief Operating Officer of WWE for the forseeable future.

— Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio are scheduled for upcoming SmackDown television tapings in California. Both talents are scheduled for the August 9 in Sacramento, the last show before SummerSlam, and August 16 in Bakersfield.

— Curt Hawkins attended EVOLVE’s internet pay-per-view event last Tuesday in New York City.

— John Laurinaitis, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, turns 46 years old today.

source: F4WOnline.com

Former WWE star Billy Gunn appeared on World Wrestling Insanity, which is available at ClubWWI.com. Highlights from his interview are as follows:

With a career spanning more than two decades, Kip “Billy Gunn” Sopp has had plenty of high points. To many fans of the WWF Attitude Era, Gunn is most remembered as DX’s “Mr. Ass”. Alongside Road Dogg, X-Pac, Chyna, and Triple H, Billy created some unforgettable TV moments. However, when he left the company in 2004, he made waves with some harsh comments pointed at his former DX stable mate Triple H. He lashed out at the Game and appeared to blame him for his WWE departure. Years removed from those comments, James Guttman asks Bad Ass Billy about those stinging shots. Gunn takes responsibility and explains some of his reasoning to ClubWWI.com members:

“Know what it was? I didn’t want to take the blame for what I had done- things that I was doing, things that (made it so) they couldn’t keep me around. I just couldn’t take it that (WWE) called me and said – not that this matters – but they had said that when I’m done wrestling, “there will always be a spot here for you as an agent or something like that.” I love helping other people. I love teaching now. I love trying to give away what I have if anyone is interested in knowing a little of what I know. My frustration came out on the one person that was the main guy there and that was Hunter. I just opened fire on him because it was all about me and not wanting to take responsibility for me and my actions.”

Guttman asks Gunn if his position has changed on Hunter. ClubWWI.com members are familiar with wrestlers unloading on the authority figures in WWE, but it’s rare that someone owns up to saying something they regret in hindsight. But that’s what Billy does…

“Has my position changed with him? Yeah. It has. Do I want to pick up the phone every day and call him to apologize? Yeah. Because it was something I did out of selfishness and the selfish person that I was back then. Not that I blame it on anything, but I had a bunch of things going on in my life that was really not that good. I took it out on him and, like I said, I wasn’t taking responsibility for my own actions. That’s what I did.

“I lashed out at him and everybody I could and I had somebody who was willing to listen and let me go on a live shoot tape to say whatever I wanted. Why would I not? It was all about making me look better and making someone else look bad. I know now that people were going, “Yeah, well it’s really just you. It’s not anyone else.” So yeah. I regret what I did then and for sure now because I’m sure something like that is keeping me from being back there training people. I wish I could change it, but I can’t change it. So I just have to live with the things I’ve done and the actions that I do from here on forward.”

Billy Gunn goes in-depth about many moments from his career throughout the interview. But now that he’s no longer tied to WWE or TNA, it leaves him time to meet and interact with fans. Doing so at Indy shows and autograph signings, Gunn gets to answer many questions fans may have. However, it’s social media that lets him connect with those he credits for making his career so memorable – the fans. He then tells ClubWWI.com members and fans all over the world how they too can pick his brain and discuss the business with him.

“I appreciate it all. I just started this new Twitter thing and it’s @realbillygunn and started Twittering. And it’s amazing to me because I can literally stay on that thing all day long. I’m a Twitter freak now. People ask me a lot of questions and I get back to them and answer their questions because, as we know, (fans) ask (wrestlers) a lot of questions and nobody ever answers anything or they don’t get a straight answer. I appreciate everybody that followed me and everybody who thinks I did do something in this business and that I am worth something. I appreciate it all and I honestly do. I wish I could literally answer every single person that had a question for me. I just don’t think I have that much time left (laughs) to do that. But if you go on Twitter and follow me and have a question, I promise I will try to answer it. I literally stay on the phone for hours answering questions – and it’s usually the same question just asked a little different – and that’s my way to give back to people because if it wasn’t for the fans, there’d be no me.”