– WWE.com reports that CM Punk suffered whiplash and strained ligaments in his left knee as a result of Brock Lesnar’s attack on RAW. The article noted that Punk’s ribs are also bruised and potentially broken. These are storyline injuries to build their expected match at SummerSlam and we’ve not heard anything about Punk being legitimately injured.

– There was a running joke backstage at Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view that the Philadelphia crowd was larger than all of the total crowds combined that Rob Van Dam wrestled in front of while in TNA.

– Stephanie McMahon tweeted the following Monday night, hinting that Vince McMahon could be returning next week to address the John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan SummerSlam main event:

No worries @BradMaddoxIsWWE I'm sure @VinceMcMahon will love @JohnCena vs @WWEDanielBryan for the WWE Championship at #SummerSlam @TripleH

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) July 16, 2013

* What’s Next For THE SHIELD, Rumored Matches For SUMMERSLAM & More

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

-The Ultimate Warrior recently spoke to Sam Roberts about his relationship with Vince McMahon, his WWE status, the new WWE 2K14 video game and more. Watch a video of the interview below:

-Last Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown scored a final cable rating of 1.71, according to Nielsen Media Research. The show drew an average of 2.275 million viewers, down from the previous week.

Will Ultimate Warrior Return To WWE TV?, Live SD! *SPOILERS* …

– Despite being the most important figure in the history of WWE, Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon has yet to be enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame. Triple H addressed the topic in a Twitter post today.

A user asked, “Of all the people who are in the HOF how come @VinceMcMahon isn’t in there??” He responded, “Cause he won’t let us put him in.”

Meanwhile, both WWE executive tweeted messages in honor of Independence Day. Triple H said, “Happy Independence Day!!!! Freedom isn’t free… Thank you to all who paid that price..” McMahon wrote, “Work hard, play hard. Let’s have a party. Happy 4th of July!

– In an interview with EOnline.com, Natalya discussed her recent wedding to fellow WWE Superstar Tyson Kidd, her bachelorette party in Las Vegas, and what viewers can expect to see on the upcoming reality show, Total Divas.

The WWE Diva reveals that her beloved cat Gismo, who she says, “is like my child,” accompanied her and her dad as she walked down the aisle. “My mom had made [Gismo] a tuxedo to match the groom tuxedo. It was so cute!”

She also revealed her favorite moment during the wedding, stating, “It was when I walked down the spiral staircase that led to the ceremony where all my guests were waiting, and the string quartet was playing. I had my cat in one arm and had my dad on my other arm. I saw TJ’s face and I saw all of my guests and I realized I was right where I was supposed to be in my life.”

Total Divas premieres Sunday, July 28 at 10/9c on E!. In regards to what people can expect to see on the show, she said, “I think Total Divas will give people a crazy backstage look at our lives behind the scenes. There’s so much work that goes into what we do. There’s so much more than us just doing headlocks and drop kicks.”

To read the full interview, click here.

During an interview with the Ministry of Slam podcast two weeks ago, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels acknowledged a recent conversion he had with WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon where the 67-year-old said he doesn’t “see money” in a certain, unnamed WWE Superstar. Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com reported on Friday that according to sources within the sports-entertainment organization, that individual is Daniel Bryan. Michaels, however, is denying online that they were discussing Bryan, and that the individual in question is actually 6’3″ and 250 pounds.

In a response to a Twitter user directing a message to McMahon stating, “Remember when you didn’t have faith in @ShawnMichaels ?…. Bottom line is that @WWEDanielBryan is HOT!,” Michaels responded, “We weren’t speaking of [Daniel Bryan], that was the assumption of net folks. Way off, as usual.”

In response to a query to name the individual in question, Michaels said he would not, but noted that “he’s 6’3 250.” The WWE Hall of Famer later said that those figures may not be exact, as it is his estimate. “Well, I didn’t measure or weigh him, it’s a guess. Therefore, in their eyes I am a LIAR!!!” he said in response to a user guessing the individual as Dolph Ziggler.

Michaels again denied assumptions that he was talking about the Washington native, stating the following in response to outing the individual: “I would have said if I thought relevant. Not [Daniel Bryan] tho.”

Michaels revealed that McMahon is actually high on Bryan. In response to a user labeling the WWE CEO as “stupid” for not firmly backing Bryan, Michaels said, “That isn’t even who we were talking about. [Vince McMahon]’s big on DB. Shame y’all let those folks work you like that. #thinkforyourself.”

As reported earlier, Michaels said in the interview, “I had a conversation a couple of weeks ago with the man in charge and we were talking about a certain individual and he goes, ‘I just don’t see money in him.’ And I said, ‘You said the same thing about me.’ He said, ‘I did not.’ I said, ‘Yes you did!’ (laughs) I said, ‘And it’s okay. It’s just one of those things.'”

Michaels compared McMahon’s views on the unnamed wrestler to himself, as he believes he wasn’t viewed as a “prototypical main event guy” during his rise to the top of WWE.

“I wasn’t your prototypical—heck, I wasn’t anybody’s prototypical main event guy. And I knew that. So, you just do your absolute best,” said Michaels. “Yes, I was very scared and very worried, which had a lot to do with how bad I handled stuff because I spent a great deal of my career waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because it was a very real view of me and my ability and my talent. I’m a firm believer that talent does rise to the top, but you have to be patient. So, I spent a great deal of time worried, intimidated, and concerned that with each passing storyline, it might be the last one.”

During an interview two weeks ago with the Ministry of Slam podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels acknowledged a recent conversion he had with WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon where the 67-year-old said he doesn’t “see money” in a certain, unnamed WWE Superstar. According to sources within the sports-entertainment organization, that individual is Daniel Bryan.

As transcribed by the Pro Wrestling Torch (interview remarks available here), Michaels said, “I had a conversation a couple of weeks ago with the man in charge and we were talking about a certain individual and he goes, ‘I just don’t see money in him.’ And I said, ‘You said the same thing about me.’ He said, ‘I did not.’ I said, ‘Yes you did!’ (laughs) I said, ‘And it’s okay. It’s just one of those things.'”

Michaels compared McMahon’s views on the WWE Superstar to himself, as he believes he wasn’t viewed as a “prototypical main event guy” while he was rising the ranks of WWE in the early-1990’s.

“I wasn’t your prototypical—heck, I wasn’t anybody’s prototypical main event guy. And I knew that. So, you just do your absolute best,” said Michaels. “Yes, I was very scared and very worried, which had a lot to do with how bad I handled stuff because I spent a great deal of my career waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because it was a very real view of me and my ability and my talent. I’m a firm believer that talent does rise to the top, but you have to be patient. So, I spent a great deal of time worried, intimidated, and concerned that with each passing storyline, it might be the last one.”

A WWE source believes that with Bryan having a major role on Total Divas—premiering next month on E!—as the boyfriend of cast member Brie Bella, his standing in the organization is “safe” for the time being.

(source: F4WOnline.com)

This week on The Breakdown, Steve goes on the defense for the WWE’s writing staff (more…)

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon commented on CM Punk’s return to action at Sunday’s WWE Payback pay-per-view, writing on Twitter:

Expecting a big welcome for @CMPunk in Chicago on Sunday. I'm first in line. #Payback

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) June 13, 2013

– WWE Diva Nikki Bella recently spoke with Sportstownchicago.com about about the upcoming show Total Divas reality show, becoming a Boston sports fan as a result of dating John Cena, WWE’s Divas division and more.

– WWE Diva Brie Bella tweeted the following picture of herself and her boyfriend, who you may recognize:

“Enjoying a pool day with my man @WWEDanielBryan Xxoo B #desertsun”

– Monday’s episode of WWE RAW scored a 3.04 cable rating, up 14% from last weeks year-low 2.66. This is the first time RAW topped 3.0 since April 29th and the best RAW rating in 6 weeks. As previously reported, the show averaged 3.99 million viewers.

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and Triple H are being advertised for Monday’s WWE RAW from Grand Rapids, Michigan as well as the June 24th RAW from Charleston, South Carolina.

– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be appearing in yet another movie sequel, as direector John Chu is developing another installment of the G.I. Joe series.

* Big Update On Daniel Bryan’s WWE Title Push This Summer

– As noted earlier this week, Vince McMahon ordered for the script of Monday Night RAW to be rewritten, just hours before the show. According to a source who was backstage, the script was actually being re-written while RAW was already on the air.

– WWE developmental wrestler Richie Steamboat will be undergoing back surgery with Dr. Joseph Maroon in Pittsburgh soon. The surgery will keep him out of the ring for several months and there is some concern that the procedure could spell the end of his career.

– WWE will be holding another tryout camp featuring upto 15 amateur wrestlers that were recently scouted by Gerald Brisco. WWE has also been scouting Olympic athletes near Colorado Springs, CO.

* Storyline Plans For CM PUNK’s Return, When The WYATT FAMILY Will Debut & More

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– According to this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Triple H’s ongoing angle with Curtis Axel was originally scheduled to climax at SummerSlam. However, with recent Raw episodes indicating it will lead to a match between both individuals at this month’s Payback pay-per-view event, the storyline was promoted ahead of schedule due to WWE’s decision to combat potentially low ratings at all costs. This decision, however, was not fruitful as Monday’s Raw was the lowest-rated episode of the year going head-to-head with TNT’s presentation of the 2013 NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers.

– In an effort to combat ratings competition from the NBA Playoffs, Vince McMahon wants WWE’s live event booking staff to schedule Raw events in “hot” wrestling cities such as Philadelphia, Chicago and New York City for Mondays when late round Game Sixes and Sevens may take place. He believes if Raw viewers witness a hot crowd in the opening segment at 8:00 p.m., they will be less likely to tune out once the game starts.

– Drew McIntyre turns 28-years-old on Thursday.

(source: F4WOnline.com)

– Monday’s RAW episode scored Trendrr.tv social media score of 198,827, making it the 4th most socially-active show for the night.

– Ring of Honor star Prince Nana received a WWE tryout prior to last night’s RAW taping in Hartford, CT. Nana did some enhancement work for WWE in the early 2000’s and has lost a lot of weight in recent year.

– Prior to his surprise return to television on Monday’s RAW, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon ordered the creative team to re-write the entire show just hours before it was set to begin.

Speaking of Vince, he and Stephanie’s returns have been in the works for weeks – but were originally scheduled to take place later this month. It’s believed that the stiff competition WWE faced against Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals was the reason they returned so soon.

As noted earlier, Vince & Stephanie’s returns didn’t do much to help RAW’s viewership. RAW drew less than 1/3 the audience of the NBA playoff game.

* Storyline Plans For CM PUNK’s Return, When The WYATT FAMILY Will Debut & More

(Partial Source: F4wonline.com)

[wweshop]- Vince McMahon tweeted the following head of Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, expressing concern for the WWE superstars competing in dangerous matches:

Because of the risk of injury, I will be crossing my fingers until #ExtremeRules is over on Sunday

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) May 17, 2013

– WWE’s Vice President of Television Production, “Big” John Gaburick recently departed the company. Gaburick was behind the original WWE Tough Enough show on MTV and is leaving on good terms.

– WWE will be returning to the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Complex in Abu Dhabi for three events in October of 2013. The dates are October 10th, 11th & 12th. Bell time is 7 PM on all three nights. Tickets go on sale May 20th. Currently advertised for the events are John Cena, Mark Henry, Sheamus & Ryback. (Thanks to Devin Cutting)

* Photos of BATISTA In The New Movie RIDDICK

– A profile for former WWE Superstar MVP has been added to WWE.com. It’s worth noting that he’s listed as a “Superstar” and not “Alumni.” His entrance theme has also been added to the company’s official YouTube channel

– WWE CEO Vince McMahon tweeted the following Happy Birthday message to The Rock, who turn 41 years old today:

Happy Birthday to @TheRock who went out on his shield a hero @WrestleMania

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) May 2, 2013

* Pictures of THE ROCK & His Beautiful Girlfriend LAUREN HASHIAN On The Red Carpet

WWE held a shareholders meeting on Friday to address company business matters heading into the post-WrestleMania season. The meeting, which typically runs 2-3 hours, didn’t even last an hour. Here are a few of the newsworthy highlights:

– Overall, Vince’s answers were short and to the point.

– Vince McMahon is still certain that the WWE Network will be a success when it launches.

– There is still no specific target date for the WWE Network.

– When asked about The Rock having his last match, Vince laughed it off and went to another question.

– Vince said WWE is pleased with WWE TV ratings and the extra hour of RAW.

– WWE CFO George Barrios spoke and said WWE will triple their revenue through the Network and monetizing their broad social media reach.

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart recently took part in an online Q&A session with fans. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

Will he be making a career out of improv comedy he’s been doing?

“I don’t think so, but you never know what can happen. I have a lot of fun doing them. I appreciate people giving me a stage. They present scenarios that are quite easy for anybody to step into and be quite funny. Sometimes I can be spontaneously funny. When you just make it up as you go along it’s hit or miss, but I’ve found I’ve done pretty good.”

His Current Relationship with Vince McMahon:

“The last conversations we’ve had have been good. He seems to always be very warm and friendly with me. I would say he’s on the very best of terms with me. I think the last time I really talked to him, my knee was pretty swollen. He wanted me to go out to the ring in Philadelphia — and I did go out — but we were talking about our various injuries, since he had just had hip surgery. We’ve both sort of realized that we’re not getting any younger.”

What’s the Greatest Compliment He Ever Received?

“(Long pause) I think it’s that I was often told by the wrestlers I worked with that I was their best match. That was every single one of them, from Mr. Perfect to my brother Owen to the Bulldog to the Undertaker to Steve Austin — almost every single one of them pulled me aside and said the best match they ever had was the one against me. The list goes on — 1-2-3 Kid, Kevin Nash, Roddy Piper, Yokozuna — and I think it’s true. Every match was a different story, and we made magic. The other thing is that I never hurt anybody in all the years I wrestled. I had wrestlers come up to me and thank me for the match every night, thanking me because there was never any extra aches and pains or injuries. No animals were harmed in the making of my movies!”

– Vince McMahon enjoyed the rowdy crowd at RAW, even though they buried several matches and did their own thing for most of the night. It was understood at RAW that the post-WrestleMania show is comprised of die hard fans, many of whom travel from around the world to be in town that weekend.

– As you can imagine, the majority of the WWE locker room was very happy for Dolph Ziggler after his big World Heavyweight title win on RAW. Ziggler is seen as one of the real workhorses on the roster and has been working very hard to reach the main event level.

– WWE.com has an article up looking at the rowdy crowd from Monday’s WWE RAW, questioning if it was the best crowd in WWE history. The article said that the reaction to Ziggler’s World Heavyweight title win was deafening and that it “was a true star-making moment for WWE’s newest champion.”

(Partial source: Pwinsider.com)

WWE held their Superstars for Sandy Relief Party at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on Thursday night, with Vince McMahon and Sean “Diddy” Combs hosting the event.

The Miz and sportscaster Joe Buck ran the auction that took place to benefit Hurricane Sandy Relief, with several unique experiences with Superstars and celebrities auctioned off. Many of the auctions are still open through April 9th at CharityBuzz.com.

Some of the stars in attendance included Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, Miss USA Nana Meriwether, Miss Teen USA Logan West, Rob Zombie, the Knicks City Dancers and most of the WWE roster.

– The WWE Intercontinental title match between Wade Barrett and The Miz will now take place on the 1-hour online pre-show.

– WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels announced on RAW that he will be in Triple H’s corner this Sunday at WrestleMania 29 for his No Holds Barred match against Brock Lesnar.

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon made his first tweet on Monday night:

Hello @WWEUniverse! The Chairman is now on @Twitter. Get ready for #BigReveal on Friday night. In the meantime…#RAW

— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) April 2, 2013

During an interview with Ring Rust Radio, Ken Shamrock revealed that he is seeking a return to WWE. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

On a return to WWE and how winning the World Title would cement his legacy: “Oh, definitely. I’ve tried to reach out, but I’ve been hitting some walls. I’m not sure if my messages are getting through or not. In my career, if you follow my career and watched everything that I’ve ever done from the time I was in high school to where I’m at now, I’ve always been able to reach the pinnacle. In football, I was able to win championships and go to bowl games in college, be an All-American linebacker and there were a lot of things I was able to accomplish. In my professional career, every time I jumped into an organization, I always reached the top and the title. I know with NWA with Jeff Jarrett, TNA, I was their first heavyweight champion, so I was able to reach that pinnacle. With Pancrase, I was their first champion and was also able to bring it to the U.S. using my character. I also reached the level in the UFC as a heavyweight champion, one of the first of all time, also rookie of the year, fighter of the year. I got into pro wrestling, I’ve got tag team champion, Intercontinental champion, King of the Ring. There were several times where I wished I had got that opportunity, and probably should have had that opportunity, to at least challenge for the Heavyweight Championship belt. I never got that opportunity, and I’m not sure why, but it is what it is. I will keep fighting to try and get that opportunity and close this thing up to be probably one of the only persons in sports history to go into several different organizations and become world champion in every one of them.”

On Brock Lesnar and the transition from wrestling to MMA: “People go, ‘What about Brock Lesnar?’ Brock Lesnar was not a true MMA fighter. Brock Lesnar was basically eye candy for MMA. He came in there, he was big, he was strong, he won a few matches, he captured the title and then he was out. Not much of a career. He is a true pro wrestler and amateur wrestler, so I think it’s a lot easier making the transition from being an amateur wrestler and pro wrestler into MMA than it is being an MMA fighter into pro wrestling.”

On Vince McMahon vs. Dana White: “That would be awesome. The only thing is that this is what I know about Dana [White], and you can ask anyone, Dana always talks and talks and talks, but I’ve never seen him do anything. I saw Vince talk, talk and talk, and he has done something, he has gotten into the ring, he has participated with the fighters and the wrestlers. I have not seen Dana White do that. I’ve seen him call out Tito [Ortiz] like they were gonna fight, and it never happened. I’ve never seen Dana interact with his business the way that Vince has. Vince has stepped in the ring against guys he’s pissed off. Hey, you gotta give him credit for that. He stepped into the lion’s den, per say. He did step into the Lion’s Den one time!”

The audio interview is available here.

UFC President Dana White did an interview with Canada’s RDS sports network to hype tonight’s UFC pay-per-view and revealed that WWE Chariman Vince McMahon once proposed that the two of them fight.

Radio host (and former NHL player) Denis Gauthier, Jr. asked Dana White who he thought would win in a steel cage match between him and McMahon. That’s when Dana White revealed that the half-joking scenario almost came to fruition a few years ago:

“Let me tell you something, and I’ve never said this before ever in any interview anywhere. If Vince hear’s this, he’s going to go nuts. Vince is too old, which he won’t think he is, and he’ll go crazy. And he wanted to [fight] one time.”

 

“Vince wanted to fight me. Swear to God. Called me up and said, “Let’s do it.” We can either do it in the UFC, or let’s do it at WrestleMania. And I said, “You are crazy.”

 

“I always have said it, and I’ll say it again; I respect Vince very much. But Vince is too old to be fighting anybody.”

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer revealed that McMahon wanted to fight Dana White at WrestleMania 27 back in 2011, in what would have been billed as co-main event, along with The Miz vs. John Cena.

– Following last week’s departure of creative team member Eric Pankowski, Vince McMahon was reportedly much more hands-on producing and scripting this week’s RAW.

While there were a few factors that led to Pankowski’s release, the straw that broke the camel’s back was his decision to book last week’s Fatal 4 Way match between Punk, Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show to determine The Undertaker’s WrestleMania 29 opponent.

Several people reportedly told him that it was a bad idea – but he went through with it anyways. Vince McMahon did ultimately sign off on that match, but that could have been his way of letting Pankowski’s work speak for itself.

– During a recent interview with IndyStar.com to promote “The Marine 3”, The Miz revealed that his next movie role will be “The Christmas Bounty.” The film begins filming in April and is due out this winter.

– Several movie news sites are reporting that former WWE Superstar Batista is still being considered for a major role in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” superhero movie that comes out in August 2014.

• News On Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler & The Miz’s Matches For WM29

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

– The expected Ryback vs. Mark Henry match at WrestleMania 29 is being presented to give Ryback a big win against a tough opponent. While talk of a Ryback heel turn has died down in recent weeks, WWE is determined to build him back up after several high-profile PPV losses and his failure to capture the WWE Championship from CM Punk.

– There is some speculation in WWE that management has already lost interest with the Fandago character.

– Stephanie McMahon tweeted the following quote from her father Vince:

"You can't be traditional in a non traditional world" – Vince McMahon in a meeting yesterday re: embracing digital culture in business

— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) March 8, 2013

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon joined Twitter over the weekend and can be followed at @VinceMcMahon. His daughter Stephanie (@StephMcMahon) and son-in-law Triple H (@TripleH) also joined the social media service in the past week.

– Former WWE & WCW Champion Sid Vicious is currently in the hospital, according to his son, independent wrestler Gunnar Eudy. Gunnar noted on Facebook that Sid was just released from the hospital a few days ago following complications with his heart.

– Hulk Hogan has responded to Bret Hart’s recent comments that he and Eric Bischoff are incompetent and are killing TNA. He tweeted:

@BrockLesnarUFC1 feel bad for Brett he sends out the old, bitter, tired vibe,hopefully he will have a happy life from this point foward HH

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) March 4, 2013

The big talk backstage at Tuesday night’s WWE Smackdown tapings is what some of the wrestlers who were at RAW are describing to us as a “total shoot” in which Vince McMahon stormed out of the arena at the conclusion of RAW because of the piledriver spot John Cena and CM Punk did in their match last night.

It is being said that at one point, Arn Anderson (who was the producer of the match) was concerned about losing his job. John Cena apparently smoothed things over with Vince, who was already in his limo leaving by the time Cena came back into the Gorilla position after the match.

While the piledriver aired on WWE’s own YouTube channel, it is not known how many were aware of Vince’s anger over the spot, which we have been told is being described as something that got “lost in the translation.”

Here’s footage of the piledriver CM Punk delivered to John Cena:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jB-b7uL7wyM