Former WWE creative members Seth Mates (@sethmates) and Chris Gough (@kcmetropro) appeared on The LAW’s ‘Review a Wai’ podcast to chat about the infamous Katie Vick angle that took place on the October 21, 2002 episode of Raw. On the program, a vignette was shown of Triple H, dressed as Kane, simulating mock sex with a mannequin in a casket. Excerpts from the interview are as follows:

The genesis of the Katie Vick storyline: “At this point, (Vince) wanted to start having a lot more backstories to wrestlers. He didn’t want it just to be like, ‘Oh, I wanna beat you up. You stole my girlfriend, let’s have a match.’ He wanted it to be more like, ‘I wanna know who every character is.’ Their backgrounds, and a lot of that. You’ve seen through the years of wrestling, he’s gone up and down with this kinda stuff.

“It was just a matter of, ‘We want to know more about Kane. We know about Paul Bearer and the burning angle, and the Undertaker scenario, but we don’t really know much more about him. So let’s spend the last ten minutes of this conference call discussing Kane’s background and coming up with a way to bring Kane back,’ because he had torn his bicep, and he was coming back to TV. It started off with us pitching ideas about how to bring Kane back.”

Vince McMahon’s pitch: “At the end of the call, Vince basically made the call to say, ‘Why don’t we make Kane…why don’t we say he’s a murderer, and he’s murdered somebody in his past?’ It sort of formulated into what you saw. This was Vince’s seed.

The funeral home shoot: “The necrophilia thing had only really begun in that vignette. That vignette was done by Stephanie (McMahon), Vince, and Bruce (Pritchard), and I believe it was mostly Stephanie; Stephanie Triple H, and Vince were the ones behind that. This wasn’t discussed; Triple H was involved the whole time, so no one had to explain it to him. He was obviously almost part of the family at the point, he knew everything that was going on. Kane, on the other hand, he was getting a little bored with his direction. He had the big start in ’97, and it ran its course. He wanted to change it up a little bit, so they decided they were gonna push him to go for a title run eventually, for the World Heavyweight Championship against Triple H in October. It was a situation where he knew it was going to be a big push, he’s taking on Triple H.

“The angle was basically, ‘There’s a backstory here where he’s gonna start picking on you for your girlfriend dying, and that he’s gonna start acting like you killed her, and he’s gonna start playing more emotional mind games with Kane.’ That was the pitch, with Triple H and Kane. There was no, like, ‘Hey, by the way, he’s gonna say that you banged your ex-girlfriend when she was, uh, dead.’ That was never even talked about until the vignette aired, and it really wasn’t talked about after that again. That wasn’t an idea by a writer, that wasn’t pitched to anybody. That was the vignette that was of the sick minds of the McMahon family that was taped in the funeral home that night.”

The full audio show is available here.

– WWE announced Wednesday that it will report its 2012 second quarter results on August 2, 2012. Company’s Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon, and senior management will host a conference call beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET to discuss the results.

– WWE has uploaded a compilation video of Raw openings from 2002 to 2006. The program’s theme song then was “Across The Nation” by The Union Underground.

– Tensai’s victory over Christian and Tyson Kidd in a tag team match on Raw SuperShow was his first win on the program since April 23.

WWE has joined forces with Tout, a free videosharing site and mobile app that lets you send 15-second video messages directly to WWE Superstars. The sports entertainment organization issued the following press release touting its partnership with Tout.

TOUT TAG TEAMS WITH WWE

STAMFORD, Conn., July 11, 2012 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) announced today an investment in and strategic partnership with Tout Industries, Inc. that will leverage WWE’s vast array of assets, including television, live events, digital, print and more than 100 million social media followers to expand Tout’s platform for real-time video status updates, creating a new dynamic social experience for WWE fans.

Beginning July 23 during the historic 1,000th episode of Monday Night Raw, WWE fans will have the chance to be seen and heard via Tout as real-time video updates will be featured during WWE television programming, on WWE.com, throughout WWE’s social media presence and on in-arena video displays. WWE Superstars will also interact with fans via Tout question and answer sessions leading up to the event. Additionally, WWE will launch “Tout Tuesdays” giving fans the opportunity to discuss what happened the previous night on Monday Night Raw. Tout’s new platform will enable WWE to aggregate all of this unique content on WWE.com.

“WWE is in a class by itself as a media giant who has innovatively grown their business through social media,” said Michael Downing, CEO of Tout. “We could not envision a better partner to show how the Tout platform powers high-impact, real-time engagement across broadcast TV, digital and live events.”

“WWE looks forward to partnering with Tout to grow this innovative social media platform,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman and CEO. “Tout’s real-time video technology will become a critical component of fan interactivity in our weekly television programming and will be utilized to connect WWE directly with our fans in new ways.”

Tout is a social media platform that allows users to easily shoot 15-second video status updates via smartphones and webcams. Touts are published real-time and automatically to Tout.com, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, SMS and email contacts. Through Tout’s reply feature, users can engage in Tout conversations.

WWE is one of the most socially active brands with more than 100 million social media followers, one billion video views on YouTube and an average of 50 trending topics every week on Twitter.

– Vince McMahon issued a directive Monday night to not mention Fort Wayne, Indiana, during the Raw SuperShow telecast. The WWE Chairman and CEO feels that if a show’s host city does not sound “big league enough,” it will not be mentioned on television. He made the same call for the June 5 SmackDown in Columbia, South Carolina.

– USA Today has published an article on Magic Mike, which includes Kevin Nash playing a bodyguard for Tom Cruise’s character Stacee Jaxx. The legendary grappler says he’s in talks for a role in the next installment of The Hunger Games. “I just pray it’s recurring, that he doesn’t get killed,” he said.

– Nicole and Brianna, formerly known as The Bella Twins, are advertised to appear at Tabú at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, July 13.

– Kofi Kingston’s appearance on Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files on Syfy drew a 0.8 cable rating, with 944,000 viewers.

(sources: F4WOnline.com, PWInsider.com)

Former WWE SmackDown head writer Alex Greenfield appeared on the MLW Radio show over the weekend and says he almost got into a physical altercation with Vince McMahon after a disagreement over a proposed SmackDown storyline.

Here’s what Greenfield said about the incident:

“We’re standing right outside the arena. There are fans way back behind the fence wondering what Mr. McMahon is yelling at this little Jewish kid for. I just refused to back down. I was like, my way is the right way. You did it wrong. He said, Damnit, I wish you were 6′ 7″ and I said, I’m not, but I’m standing right here.”

“And there was a moment in that conversation where I thought he was just going to haul off and punch me in the face. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking like a badass here like I would have won this confrontation necessarily. He probably would have broken my jaw.”

“But he really thought about it. I’m convinced to this day that he thought about knocking the [expletive] out of me.”

Part 1 of the MLW Radio interview with Alex Greenfield can be heard here (.MP3).

– There is concern among WWE officials that Vince McMahon’s mockery of Jim Ross’ affliction with Bell’s palsy in a backstage segment on the June 11 Raw SuperShow could cause backlash for the organization. The Creative Coalition, which formed a multi-platform, nationwide anti-bullying alliance with WWE, “be a STAR,” would appear hypocritical by conducting business with an organization that practices what they preach against.

McMahon’s mockery segment struck a nerve with former WCW announcer Mark Madden, who went on Twitter to blast the WWE chief.

McMahon mocking Ross' Bell's Palsy last night was unforgivable. Wut a scumbag, pure& simple. Just a twisted, emotionally crippled jerkoff.

— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) June 12, 2012

McMahon wasn't mocking a stranger. Ross is one of WWE's most valued employees ever. Ross' big sin: He knows more about wrestling than Vince.

— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) June 12, 2012

– WWE, The Creative Coalition and the Brooklyn Cyclones will join forces for Anti-Bullying Night at MCU Park next Wednesday. David Otunga, Zack Ryder, Natalya and Lilian Garcia will be on hand to spread the message of the “be a STAR” anti-bullying campaign before the Cyclones game. In addition to the pre-game presentation, WWE Superstars and Divas will be signing autographs on the concourse and Lilian Garcia has been announced to sing the National Anthem.

During the game, fans will be asked to use their social media tools to spread an anti-bullying message and take the official “be a STAR” pledge by logging onto www.beastaralliance.org to put an end to bullying through proper channels and communication, while also creating a bully free-environment for everyone.

Additional details on the event are available here.

(source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Speaking to The Fight Club Chicago, former WCW and ECW star Scotty Riggs weighed in on the Chris Benoit double murder and suicide and why he believes that Vince McMahon feels Benoit is a blackeye to WWE.

“I still believe that what happened, the tragedy with Chris and Nancy and Daniel… I knew them well,” said Riggs. ” “[I] Used to eat dinner with Chris and he would get on his cell phone and he would be on the phone with Nancy and he would give me the phone and I’m like what and he goes, ‘Nancy wants to say hello to you. She loves you.’

“I had a great relationship with the family. So whatever happened in that period of time, I still don’t think it’s the Chris Benoit that all of us knew. It might have been that physical person, but the mental person… whatever was going on with him mentally, I just don’t think that was him.

“Verne Gagne a lot of people knew him from AWA and this wrestling historian, basically is in a retirement home. Killed a roommate, something of the sort. Never got the publicity because he wasn’t high profile at that time. But he had no recollection of it. Didn’t remember doing it and they basically gave him a free get go. Basically did the same thing, took another persons life. Whether it’s your family or whether its a person or anything of that sort. Scott Hall, he’s had his demons, found out what he did early before he started wrestling when he took a life, but how it affects you. You see how it’s affecting him, his demons and his life now.

“But with Chris, no one ever saw what was happening in his mind. You saw glimpses of things that maybe might make you question, but no red flags that would make you think he’d do that. So for people who really, really respect him as a wrestler… The fans will never forget Chris Benoit. Wrestlers who knew Chris Benoit as Chris and as a guy who was there as a friend will never forget him and so he’ll be remembered.

“I think WWE, Vince McMahon will never acknowledge him because of there quote, unquote family PG status right now. They just won’t do it. To them its a black eye. Vince, he’ll deny everything and he’ll just sweep it under the rug and only let the good be seen. He’ll get rid of the bad, pretend it didn’t exist. He does that with everything and everybody and always has. It’s unfortunate.”

Riggs also discussed Eric Bischoff, the New World Order, WWE and more in the interview. It is available here.

– Vince McMahon issued a directive to WWE scouts recruiting athletes as prospective talent; they must meet a size requirement of 6’2″ and 240 pounds. The WWE chief is concerned that many of his top-tier talents are approximately 200 pounds, thus small by his standards. His remark to Daniel Bryan on last week’s episode of Raw Supershow where nobody would believe him to be a WWE Superstar if he was spotted in a grocery store was based on his frustration with his roster’s lack of sufficient size. McMahon believes many of his top stars are not reaching the masses because they don’t possess ‘the Superstar look.’

– WWE creative writer Michael Hayes has replaced John Laurinaitis as the matchmaker for live event shows.

– Rey Mysterio’s sixty-day suspension for his second violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program expires on Monday. WWE has yet to advertise Mysterio for any upcoming events.

– The late Earthquake is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com. He died on June 7, 2006 at the age of 42 following a lengthy battle with bladder cancer.

(source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE cracked down on two Twitter accounts that had been snarking the organization and its employees last week as both @WWE_Creative and @CrankyVince were suspended on Thursday. While the account mocking WWE’s creative direction returned online following some profile tweaks (now located @WWECreative_ish), the McMahon parody remains down.

The @CrankyVince account spoofed McMahon’s demeanor and mindset with random musings depicting the WWE Chairman as an eccentric, sex-crazed, drug-addled egomaniac. It had drawn alarming concern from organization officials since last year, which due to the sensitive nature of the tweets, believed it was being handled by an employee within close proximity of McMahon. The account would divulge legitimate company information, which is a breach of Twitter’s Terms of Service. According to F4WOnline.com, the McMahon mockery account is reportedly administered by an assortment of current WWE employees. The publication, however, would not disclose specific names.

Before its suspension, @CrankyVince had endorsed an alternative account (located @PremiumVince). The account has posted several messages in Cranky Vince’s trademark tone since the suspension of the premiere account.

The @CrankyVince account was coincidentally shut down the day it released a message stating that Alberto Del Rio wanted to quit WWE.

“WHAT? DEL RIO WANTS TO QUIT? TELL THAT POMPOUS ASS: NO. THEN, TELL HIM TO GO FUCK HIMSELF. THEN, FUCK YOU,” the tweet read.

F4WOnline.com reports that Del Rio clashed with upper-level management that day and threatened to quit WWE. One company source says Del Rio was frustrated with his standing and contemplating a departure. A second source said the incident ‘wasn’t that big a deal’ and that both sides were wrangling over a contract matter. A third source believes the spat was a combination of both accounts.

Del Rio has leverage; he has no issues with income and could return to Mexico as a heralded former WWE Superstar and son of noted luchador Dos Caras. A company employee expressed skepticism Monday night that Del Rio had legitimately suffered a concussion, noting that he was “too injured” to work the No Way Out pay-per-view event on Sunday but healthy enough to work Raw. The employee believes the concussion was a cover excuse for issues that materialized between Del Rio and officials, necessitating his removal from the title match against Sheamus.

– Vince McMahon took another stab at Jim Ross in a backstage segment on Monday’s Raw SuperShow, which saw the WWE Chairman make a horribly contorted face ridiculing the Hall of Fame broadcaster’s affliction with Bell’s palsy. Ross suffers from the condition, which sometimes results in temporary paralysis of his facial muscles. NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood producer Joe Franciosi, who worked as a creative writer for WWE in 2010, said he discovered why Ross is often ridiculed by company brass after encountering the legendary broadcaster.

“I sat through tons of meetings where Vince and tons of others would just shred JR,” Franciosi wrote on Twitter. “I wondered why till I met him.”

– Counting down to seven days remaining on his thirty-day WWE suspension due to denigrating the Brazilian flag at a WWE live event in São Paulo on June 14, Chris Jericho tweeted Saturday, “”7 deadly sins, 7 ways to win, 7 holy paths to hell and your trip begins.7 downward slopes, 7 bloodied hopes, 7 are your burning fires, 7.”

In his latest interview with CYInterview.com, Jesse Ventura discussed numerous political, entertainment and wrestling topics among other things. Speaking with Chris Yandek and Jay Bildstein, the former Governor of Minnesota says Vince McMahon got mad at him because he wouldn’t support Linda McMahon’s failed United States Senate run in 2010. He hasn’t spoken to Vince since.

“I haven’t spoken to Vince since he got mad at me ‘cause I wouldn’t endorse Linda for the senate…He got mad at me because I was on Good Morning America or something and they asked me would you support Linda McMahon? And I said no. But let me explain, I don’t support any Democrats or Republicans. She’s running as a Republican and I don’t support anyone from those two parties no matter who they are and so it was nothing personal against Linda, but Vince got real mad at me that I said that on national TV, but he should’ve known better.”

Governor Ventura supports former Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson in the 2012 Presidential Elections. Mr. Johnson is the Libertarian candidate and will be on the ballot in all 50 states:

“I will fully support Governor Johnson. I know him. We were Governors at the same time. He is a terrific man. He’s left the Republican Party because he sees what a farce they are and I urge everybody that reads this book vote for Gary Johnson for president. Don’t vote for Democrats or Republicans. Vote for Governor Johnson.”

The full interview is available here.

PWTorch Livecast with Chris DeJoseph (a/k/a Big Dick Johnson)
Host: Wade Keller
Audio available at BlogtalkRadio.com.

DeJoseph on what it’s like behind the scenes when Vince McMahon decides to appear on TV after an absence: “I think there were numerous times where that could be brought up in totally different ways,” DeJoseph, also known on air as Big Dick Johnson, says. “Sometimes it could be a request from the writing team. For the most part Vince didn’t like to be on TV if he didn’t have to be. I’m just using my own judgment here; I think this might have something to do with – usually it’s like the McMahon Million Dollar Mania, or now the three hour Raws – I’m wondering if it’s some kind of play to make some kind crazy announcement to get ratings.”

Did the writing team usually collaborate with him or did he just say “this is what I’m doing”? “There were lots of time where it was, ‘We have this idea, we’d like to do it.’ And he would be, like, ‘Okay, that’s great.’ There were other times, for instance the Million Dollar thing, where he came to us with the idea and [that meant] we were doing it. (laughs)”

Does Vince care about storyline consistency?: “It would always be brought up. Logic would always be brought up, but sometimes it’d just be thrown right out the window. He’d sometimes say he couldn’t even remember what happened three weeks ago, so how is the audience going to remember it? I think sometimes that was his thought…”

DeJoseph says the blame should be on Vince himself, and not the writing team, for the big gaps in logic, dropped storylines, and stream of aggravating contradictions. “I’m sure they’re going to try or at least they’ve been pitching all week or they’re going to try to explain something. I’m sure they have something in mind to explain it logically. If they don’t that’ll be interesting, too… It’s a big promotional thing that’s going to get eyeballs on this TV show and I think that’s what he thinks [matters].”

Does it chip away at fans investing in the product? “Yeah, it sucks. [Fans have to be thinking,] ‘Why should I invest my time and everything into this storyline when they’re just going to sh– on it without explanation.’ I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe they will on Monday. I don’t know what they’re going to do on Monday.”

DeJoseph says the writing team cares even when Vince doesn’t: “At least when I was there, and I’m sure it’s still the same way, we would try to present every logical thing. We’d say we need to explain that, and whether it was ignored or we were told ‘No, we f—in’ don’t,’ that’s the way it was… If not for Vince, the writers such as Michael Hayes, Ed Koskie, and Brian Gewirtz would try to make sense of their ideas, but with Vince “you’re constantly dealing with switching and changing things.

“Sometimes it’s even hard for yourself to keep up on everything. I think they would try for sure. I’m sure when they knew that Vince was coming back, it was probably one of the first things that came up – how in the hell are we going to explain why he’s back. And then it was probably, like, ‘Don’t f—in’ worry about it.’ And they go, ‘Okay.’ I think the writing team wants what most fans want because, for the most part, they’re all fans.”

Another major Vince McMahon storyline was abandoned five years ago this month, when he appeared to die inside of his limousine when it exploded. Chris DeJoseph was part of the team who wrote that storyline. He reveals who came up the storyline, why it was created, and where it was headed before the Chris Benoit Family Tragedy caused the limo storyline to be immediately abandoned. 

Some people felt Vince McMahon went over the line with his blistering impersonation of Jim Ross in a backstage segment on Monday’s Raw SuperShow, which saw the WWE Chairman make a horribly distorted face ridiculing the Hall of Fame broadcaster’s affliction with Bell’s palsy. Ross suffers from the condition, which sometimes results in temporary paralysis of his facial muscles.

McMahon’s mockery segment struck a nerve with former WCW announcer Mark Madden, who went on Twitter to blast the WWE chief.

McMahon mocking Ross' Bell's Palsy last night was unforgivable. Wut a scumbag, pure& simple. Just a twisted, emotionally crippled jerkoff.

— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) June 12, 2012

McMahon wasn't mocking a stranger. Ross is one of WWE's most valued employees ever. Ross' big sin: He knows more about wrestling than Vince.

— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) June 12, 2012

@bunkerman535 Ross was not "in on the bit." I can assure you of that.

— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) June 12, 2012

Former WWE creative writer Seth Mates pointed out the hypocrisy in McMahon mocking Ross’ medical condition while simultaneously promoting the ‘be a STAR’ anti-bullying campaign.

Valid point some have mentioned – @WWE touts anti-bullying, yet babyface vince mocks @JRsBBQ 's medical condition?

— Seth Mates (@SethMates) June 12, 2012

“@realisticj: the BAS/WWE hypocrisy complaints are old and stale." how does hypocrisy get old & stale? Hypocrisy is hypocrisy

— Seth Mates (@SethMates) June 12, 2012

It's one thing for heels to be bullies & then get what they have coming. It's another for faces to make bullying look cool & fun

— Seth Mates (@SethMates) June 12, 2012

Another on-air remark mocking Ross’ medical condition took place month earlier on the December 9, 2011 episode of SmackDown. After commentator Josh Mathews made a remark about Michael Cole “speaking out of both sides” of his mouth, Cole quipped, “Actually, there is nothing wrong with my mouth, unlike J.R.’s.” Ross was not pleased with the comment. He tweeted:

“We can blame a ‘writer.’ That’s cowardly. Poor attempt to be a villain.”

– WWE has been very aggressive this week in shutting down parody and fake Twitter accounts mocking the organization and its employees as well as Facebook pages portraying WWE Superstars. Notably, a popular Twitter account parodying head chief Vince McMahon was suspended Wednesday. Known as CrankyVince, the account would spoof McMahon’s demeanor and mindset with random musings depicting the WWE Chairman as eccentric, maniacal and drug-addled. It had drawn alarming concern from organization officials since last year, who believed it was being controlled by an employee within proximity of McMahon due to the eerie nature of the tweets. The account would often post messages based on things he had legitimately done or said at work—sometimes moments after occurring.

Twitter generally permits parody accounts as long as it is stated that the account is a parody in the description.

– Six years ago Wednesday, Kelly Kelly made her debut in WWE. Her character, an exhibitionist, was introduced performing a striptease for the crowd on the premiere episode of ECW on Syfy. Commemorating her six-year anniversary with WWE, fans of the blonde starlet managed to get #Happy6YearsInWWEK2 trending worldwide on Twitter. She said of this, “Omg amazing thank u all so much!”

– Vader spoke to WWE.com about his return to Raw. Hear what he had to say about defeating Heath Slater, as well as his thoughts on WWE greats such as Shawn Michaels and Undertaker.

Rumors continue to swirl that Randy Orton’s continued employment with WWE is in jeopardy following their announcement May 30 that he was being suspended for 60 days for his second violation of the Talent Wellness Program.

F4WOnline.com reports Tuesday that Vince McMahon is livid with Orton, particularly since he was so “outspokenly indifferent” to the suspension. Another source says Orton was hastily benched to ensure that he return before SummerSlam on August 19, but “something happened” shortly after the announcement that infuriated the WWE Chairman. This has led to discussions of Orton not being brought back at all after his suspension concludes.

WWE’s Original Creative Plans For Orton Prior To His Suspension

Former WCW announcer Mark Madden stated last Thursday via Twitter that WWE is looking to terminate their partnership with Orton since he’s considered difficult to deal with and due to the belief that his value has plateaued.

There are people within WWE saying Orton’s time away from the squared circle ‘isn’t going to be that big a problem.’ For the first time, officials are openly categorizing CM Punk as the second-ranked babyface rather than the two as equals. Many also feel SmackDown’s babyface side will be sufficient with Sheamus, Christian, Sin Cara, Rey Mysterio returning soon from suspension and the option to turn Daniel Bryan at a moment’s notice. Orton has made and saved a lot of money during his career and resides in an area where he could live comfortably for several years without financial worry. His wife Samantha also comes from a well-to-do family, so not having a steady income is reportedly not a major concern for him.

There is a ‘small, vocal pocket’ within the sports entertainment organization lobbying for Orton’s termination. Those opposing his return feel his lucrative ten-year contract—signed in January 2010—can no longer be justified if he is brought back in a mid-level role. His second suspension hinders WWE from continuing to feature Orton in headline role since a third drug-testing policy infraction would result in automatic termination, or, as some have stated, a “one-year suspension.”

In another potential factor, there is concern over the physical state of Orton, who has incurred numerous injuries over his twelve-year career. Some officials believe his body is breaking down and there are questions regarding the state of his neck and spine.

According to SuperLuchas.net, the nine-time world champion’s suspension stems from a positive drug test for the anabolic steroid Dianabol, which is banned by the United States Congress under its Controlled Substances Act. However, that is not confirmed. F4WOnline.com says Orton claimed to test positive for a tainted supplement.

All that said … with guys like Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho and Randy Orton returning to action in the next two months, the feeling within WWE is that their roster is so limited right now that no matter what Vince McMahon is thinking about a particular talent at the moment, when the day comes that someone is cleared to return, they will be brought back regardless of any concerns or politics.

(source: F4WOnline.com)

– The June 11 Raw SuperShow featuring the television return of Vince McMahon’s Mr. McMahon character drew a 3.24 cable rating over the course of three hours and a 3.46 from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m.

It is the program’s highest rating since April 30 and highest rating from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. since the night following the Royal Rumble.

Raw averaged 4.62 million viewers over the course of three hours and 4.98 million viewers from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. The first hour drew a 2.73 rating with 3.90 million viewers, then a 3.34 rating with 4.88 million viewers in the second. The final hour drew a 3.55 rating with 5.08 million viewers.

– AJ is not the only WWE Diva to have had their eye on Kane. WWE.com has published an article chronicling The Big Red Monster’s romantic history.

– WWE will hold a SmackDown live event at the RBC Centre in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada on September 22, 2012. The event begins at 7:30 p.m.

(source: Pro Wrestling Torch)

– Local advertisements for next week’s RAW Supershow are stating that John Laurinaitis has a new role – “Assistant to the WWE Board of Directors.” This could be a sign that John Cena will defeat Big Show at No Way Out this Sunday, since Laurinaitis will be fired as General Manager if Big Show does not win the match.

– Injured WWE superstar Mark Henry will be in Harlem, New York today to film footage for WWE’s Outside the Ring Youtube show. He tweeted on Tuesday morning:

“#wwe I will be doing the day in the life today in Harlem. Show called Outside the ring. Starting at 125th Lenox got to get my coffee.”

Henry confirmed that his recent surgery was on his shoulder (not his knee or groin) – and that his recovery is going well.

– On last night’s RAW, Vince McMahon rode John Laurinaitis’ scooter from the ringside area to the entrance ramp – and then pushed it off the stage. According to a report at f4wonline.com, Vince’s spot with the scooter was not in the script and nobody knew he was going to do it in advance.

– John Laurinaitis’ executive assistant Eve Torres addressed her absence from WWE television on Twitter on Monday night:

“I know you all have missed me on Raw, but rest assured I’m handling some very important business. That’s what business women do.”

– Following the Big Show’s knockout punch on Vince McMahon at the end of RAW, the WWE website has an “injury update” on the WWE chairman – and his status for Sunday’s pay-per-view is now up in the air.

The latest storyline development is that McMahon is experiencing “concussion-like symptoms” and might not be able to sit ringside for the John Cena vs. Big Show match at No Way Out. McMahon promised on RAW to fire John Laurinaitis if Big Show can’t defeat John Cena at the event.

After RAW went off the air, McMahon “regained consciousness” and was helped to the back by trainers. 

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was trending worldwide on Twitter on Saturday night after the controversial Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley boxing fight. Fans were so upset with the judges’ decision that Bradley won the fight that they accused promoters of rigging the results, which is where the Vince McMahon reference came from.

Despite the fact that McMahon’s name trended in a way that reflects negatively on the world’s most famous wrestling promoter, f4wonline.com is reporting that there was actually talk over the weekend of mentioning Vince trending on RAW tonight.

– WWE Diva AJ Lee tweeted the following about tonight’s RAW:

“Excited for Raw. I know you all have so many questions. And my answer to them is this… In the end, everyone gets what they deserve.”

WWE Champion CM Punk replied:

“sweet, so I’m getting a puppy and a six month vacation? You’re so sweet. OR ARE YOU?! ?#crazychicks”

– Former World Heavyweight Champion Vader was spotted in Hartford, Connecticut last night, the site of tonight’s WWE RAW Supershow. There’s no word on whether Vader will be at RAW or meeting with WWE, but he’s in town.

– As of this weekend morning, there were two scripts going around for tonight’s 3-hour RAW. One of the scripts featured many appearances from Vince McMahon while the other barely included him at all.

– Following WWE Intercontinental champion Christian’s appearance at Sunday’s TNA Slammiversary pay-per-view, we can report that Christian was not happy that he was selected to appear at the show. That said, he was friendly and got along with everybody backstage.

Pictures of Christian’s Appearance From TNA Slammiversary

– Darren Young tweeted the following about tonight’s 3-hour RAW about his Prime Time Players tag team with Titus O’Neil:

“We The #PrimeTimePlayers have been spectators far 2 long! Don’t b surprised if ya c @TitusONeilWWE & I breakout on 2nites 3hr @WWE #RAW!”

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

– Cody Rhodes, who is currently in Turkey doing media appearances for WWE, tweeted the following over the weekend regarding the WWE website’s recent list about the Top 15 wrestling families:

“The geniuses at WWE.com (the same geniuses that left Thunderbolt P off the greatest talkers list) have assembled a new list… the top 15 wrestling families. As the least bias of my name, if you were basing these off of the bottomline, I could see number 5, maybe 6.. 8 though?? You might be able to hear me laughing all the way from Turkey. I hope we’re not paying these guys much.”

View Here: WWE Ranks The Top 15 Wrestling Families

 – To update the story of Brock Lesnar’s strained relationship with WWE, Vince McMahon said to be so furious at Lesnar for attending UFC 146 and meeting with Dana White that Triple H had to talk him out of doing something drastic.

Related: Nuclear Heat On Brock Lesnar

Triple H is still scheduled to wrestle Lesnar at SummerSlam and has been pushing hard for WWE to not cancel the match, a sign that Triple H will be going over at the PPV.

(Partial Source: f4wonline.com)

For reasons publicly unclear, Vickie Guerrero has been subject to numerous verbal taunts concerning her weight throughout her tenure with WWE. Despite the placement of an anti-bullying policy and Guerrero herself losing over fifty pounds, the insults about her appearance continue to linger on WWE television shows. Last month at Over the Limit, commentator Jerry Lawler spent much of the WWE Tag Team Championship Match hurling weight-related barbs at Guerrero, who was wearing a dress with holes cut out.

When Vickie’s husband Eddie Guerrero died of heart failure in November 2005, Vince McMahon stated at a press conference that he promised to financially take care of her family for the rest of their lives. However, rather than dispense money to Guerrero for free, she was summoned to work for the organization as a television character despite having minimal training and experience. Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer was asked by a reader this weekend whether McMahon’s constant degradation of Guerrero is being done to get her to quit WWE, thereby forfeiting their lifetime deal.

“I don’t think they’ve ever tried to run her off. They just had an idea for her character.” Meltzer states. “The worst stuff was when she had already given notice a few years back, as opposed to them trying to get her to leave.”

In May 2009, Guerrero requested to be released from her contract with WWE. As a single parent, she felt it was important to spend more time with her fatherless teenage daughters during their crucial adolescent years. McMahon, however, was livid over Guerrero’s decision.

Matthew Randazzo V writes of the WWE CEO’s reaction in the July 2009 issue of Power Slam: “He takes grievous offence and begins to rant and rave that Guerrero has betrayed WWE. Yes, Vince believes that the widow of Eddie Guerrero is ungrateful to the professional wrestling industry because she is putting her family first. From this point on, Vince’s shameless lackeys curry his favour by pitching gratuitous pig and fatso jokes at creative meetings—which earn booming guffaws from Vince.”

McMahon’s ire shifts on-screen, with Santino Marella and his fictitious twin sister “Santina” insulting Guerrero for weeks, calling her a pig and making oinking noises. The storyline climaxes with Guerrero being placed in a Hog Pen Match at the June 2009 Extreme Rules pay-per-view—Vickie and Santina brawl in a pen full of mud. With the Guerrero character refusing to be humiliated anymore, she quits her job as General Manager of Raw the following evening. After her announcement, she was joined in the ring by her estranged storyline husband, Edge. Requesting a divorce, the Rated-R Superstar viciously blasts Guerrero, calling her a “she-beast” among other insults.

Guerrero was asked last year during an interview with The Baltimore Sun whether WWE’s negative remarks toward her weight affect her.

“They really don’t bother me. Well, I guess they did to an extent, but not to where I was feeling bad about myself. It was who I was,” she said. “We have beautiful women that work with us, and when I was in the locker room with them and we’re dressing and stuff, I would look at them and be like, ‘Oh, this is ridiculous. I’m going to change.’ I wanted to feel good being a part of their group and to live a lifestyle that was going to be promoted with the WWE. Now when they say the jokes, it’s like, ‘Whatever.’ [laughs] The jokes have helped grow my character to what it is. I just kind of roll with it and leave it behind me when I leave the arena. Again, there’s the character and then there’s the real person. You can’t take what’s going on at work personally.”

Fueling rumors that WWE may part ways with Randy Orton as a result of his second violation of the Talent Wellness Program, former WCW announcer Mark Madden stated Thursday on Twitter, “WWE wants to get rid of Orton PERMANENTLY. Character and popularity have plateaued, and he’s a pain to deal with.”

In response to his statement, a Twitter user asked Madden whether Vince McMahon has suddenly stopped liking money. Madden responded, “Vince thinks everybody is a WWE creation, and therefore disposable, to be replaced by another WWE creation. And you’re overrating Orton.”

The Wrestling Observer reported Wednesday that there is a ‘small, vocal pocket’ within the sports entertainment organization lobbying for his termination. Vince McMahon is reportedly contemplating the move, but many employees believe he will ultimately retain the nine-time world champion due to the lack of roster depth.

The Observer added that there are people within WWE saying Orton’s hiatus ‘isn’t going to be that big a problem.’ For the first time, employees are openly categorizing CM Punk as the second-ranked babyface rather than Punk and Orton being on the same level. Many also feel SmackDown’s babyface side will be adequate with Sheamus, Christian, Sin Cara, Rey Mysterio returning soon from suspension and the option to turn Daniel Bryan at a moment’s notice.

– WWE RAW will permanently expand to a three-hour show starting with the 1,000th episode on July 23 at 8/7 CT on USA Network. WWE officials have reportedly contacted nearly two dozen former performers for cameo appearances on the program, which will be treated as pay-per-view quality event. The entire roster will be on hand for the show and there is a chance new talent will be introduced as well.

With WWE pulling out all the stops for the 1,000th episode of RAW, we’ve heard WWE officials are hopeful that The Undertaker will make an appearance. If he does agree to be  a part of the historic night, expect to see it promoted weeks in advance rather than as a surprise.

Rumor On The Undertaker’s WrestleMania 29 Opponent

– Vince McMahon’s return to television on next Monday’s RAW is a response to the program’s disappointing ratings in recent weeks. He will kick off the 3-hour show with an evaluation of John Laurinaitis’ job performance as General Manager of Raw and SmackDown, which company officials are hopeful will boost first hour viewership.

The show was originally pegged as the second choice for the date of the annual WWE Draft. However, with so many wrestlers working both Raw and SmackDown, the idea was dropped.

(source: F4WOnline.com)

– Brock Lesnar is contracted for approximately twenty-four dates over the duration of his contract with WWE. Since he fulfilled six dates in April and May, he will be off television until the build-up for SummerSlam. He’ll also be needed in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania XXIX and thus is not scheduled for any appearances in the fall.

– A source within WWE says Vince McMahon is getting tired of scripting Raw at the last minute. The WWE Chairman regularly demands partial or full script re-writes on the day of the show. A script for an episode last month was not completed until after the show went on the air.

– Tuesday’s SmackDown taping emanated from ring announcer Lilian Garcia’s hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. She did interviews with local television stations outside the Colonial Life Arena while fans stood in line to enter the venue.

Regarding the event, Garcia tweeted Tuesday, “When I moved from Spain my 1st US home was Columbia, SC. Well 2nite I get 2 announce #WWE #SmackDown in Columbia! Gamecock country! #Excited.”

source: F4WOnline.com