– Vince McMahon has reportedly been on the warpath as of late – shooting down a lot of ideas presented to him by the creative team. One recent situation involved Mick Foley’s recent return to television. Last week’s Christmas-themed live Tuesday SmackDown featuring Foley as Santa Clause was an idea pushed through by Brian Gewirtz, despite Vince not liking the idea.

Vince recently ordered that The Bella Twins be made a top priority and wants them to be featured on television more.  Vince loves having the Bellas represent WWE in public appearances and recently reamed out the writing team for blowing a number of opportunities to feature the twin beauties.

– Vince’s son Shane was in the news this week, as his latest product, “YOU On Demand,” is set to launch in China this month. The service, which recently signed a deal with Gravitas Ventures to bring independent movies to streaming services, hopes to reach 11 million homes by the end of 2012.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Layla Backstage at RAW (12/5)

– WWE has been cracking down very aggressively on Twitter accounts that impersonate or parody their superstars and overall product.

With their huge push to integrate Twitter into the WWE Universe, the company is said to be overly-protective about fans being mislead by other parties trying to benefit from their intellectual property. Several Twitter accounts have been shut down in the past few weeks as a result of this new policy.

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was not backstage at Monday’s RAW, which is a rare thing. With Vince gone, Triple H was in charge of things backstage.

Among the WWE personalities backstage were AJim Ross, Sean Waltman, Layla and former diva Cherry.

– 1980s WWF star B. Brian Blair is recovering from appendectomy surgery. Blair was hospitalized for almost a week after his appendix burst and poisoned his intestines. Had the situation not been addressed when it was, he could have been facing severe medical complications.

(Partial Source: pwinsider.com)

— R-Truth, who was written off television last week via Skull Crushing Finale onto the Raw SuperShow stage, posted a message on Twitter regarding his whereabouts.

“Hopefully today I will find out when the Doc will release me to return back to the ring,” he wrote.

He then wrote the following in response to his followers remarks: “I see we got sum smart azz Lil Jimmy’s about..”

— Vince McMahon, Kofi Kingston, Brie Bella and Nikki Bella, among others, will be visiting troops in Afghanistan next week. Footage from the trip will air on WWE’s annual Tribute to the Troops special.

— Giant Bernard (a/k/a A-Train), Kensuke Sasaki and Yuji Nagata were among those visiting WWE during their trip to Japan this week.

Vince McMahon is not as down on Sin Cara as had been feared immediately following Survivor Series, where he was suffered a ruptured patella tendon. It was pointed out to McMahon that accidents happen, and that, in fact, the WWE CEO himself tore both quads running to the ring at the 2005 Royal Rumble.

Company officials are disappointed with the masked grappler’s twist of fate since a slew of merchandise was set to be released over the next few weeks not to mention that they were hopeful that he would face Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania XXVIII—WWE was looking to set the world record for most masks worn in one place at one time. It is believed that match will still take place sometime in 2012.

Meanwhile, when the questionable Sin Cara T-Shirt surfaced this week, some people within the organization joked that even his T-Shirts were botching spots.

(source: F4WOnline.com)

CM Punk appeared on the The Hot Click podcast and did not hold back his opinions on The Rock, Vince McMahon, The Miz, his near exit from the WWE and a slew of other topics. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

On not sleeping: “We just did a European tour. I would honestly say on the European tour if you want to average it all out, I slept two hours a night… Eventually it gets to you. I know when I start seeing things that I really need to try… It’s not like I’m forcing myself to stay awake. It’s a thing. I got in late last night. I met up with my buddies, H20, the band and we went out. I got back to my hotel maybe at two in the morning and I had to meet in the lobby at 6 AM so I got a 5:30 wakeup call and next thing I know it’s 3:30. I’m reading comic books in my hotel room.”

How hard it is being straight edge: “It’s not hard at all. A lot of people ask me that. I almost think it’s a really weird question. How hard is it for you to wear glasses? How hard is it for you to have back hair? I was born this way so, no, it’s not hard at all.

“I just turned 33 so I’m assuming I’m what you call an SEOG: Straight Edge Old Guy. There are not a lot of us. I know everybody that was straight edge when I first claimed straight edge, when I was like 15-20, everybody fell off; everybody sold out. There’s like me and my friend Natalie back in Chicago. It’s like you find somebody else who’s straight edge and you stick together.”

On almost leaving WWE: “The last 12 months… I was leaving, I was out the door. I wasn’t quitting. My contract was up and I was like, “You know what, my contract’s up. I fulfilled my obligations to you. You have fulfilled your obligations to me and you let me slip through your fingers.” That was my attitude and I was leaving. One of the conditions of me resigning, I was like, look, if I resign I’m all in. I’m back to old form CM Punk. I’m not sleepwalking through this. I’m not just going to be a robot. I’m going to get excited about things again. I’m going to
watch all the matches and I’m going to praise people, yell at people, give people my opinions, and help out guys. That’s what I’ve been doing.

If he ended up staying for the money: “No, it’s not about money. It’s funny; on Twitter I get a lot of hilarious tweets. I’ll be crabby and complain about somebody. I’ll have my headphones on in the airport and I’m eating. I don’t know if anyone knows what it’s like to have someone legitimately walk up to you and wave their hand like an inch away from your face because I have headphones on and I can’t hear them. I don’t know if anyone knows what that’s like but that happens to me multiple times a day then I complain about it, and then on Twitter I get, ‘Oh, shut up crybaby. That’s why you’re rich.’ I was rich before I had any money. Being rich has nothing to do with anything monetary. No, it wasn’t about money. I’m not a money guy.

“I know people who are wealthy and they’re miserable. I was miserable. I was coming to work every day and I was like, ‘This is ridiculous. I’m seeing all this stuff. Miz is the main event of WrestleMania. What is wrong with this world? Okay, I gave it all.'”

If The Miz has a problem with his comments: “No, Miz knows exactly how I feel. I’ve told him about it… I think Miz doesn’t know how to deal with that. It’s just my brutal honesty. I think you got to just let it roll of your back or you get confrontational about it.
“I was strictly basing it on the fact that I was the best bad guy. In my world, the best bad guy wrestles the best good guy. I was specifically told, ‘Hey, leading up to WrestleMania we don’t really know what you’re going to do yet but you’re going to be John Cena’s little TV feud.’ I was like, ‘I’m nobody’s TV feud. That’s bullsh-t.’ They just continued to piss me off.”

What made him re-sign with WWE: “The chance to change this place. One of my best friends in the world is Lars Frederiksen. He plays guitar for a band called Rancid. He told me a story about when the Ramones went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Marky didn’t want to do it; half of the Ramones were dead. The Ramones, as a band, were always musically shunned and he didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want to show up, accept the award. Lars told him, “Look, you have to. It’s your responsibility. You paved the way for guys like me. You have to go accept this award because you think not accepting it is this big middle finger to the establishment but actually accepting the award and being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – that’s the middle finger.

“Lars and Joey Mercury, two people who are wise beyond their years, told me, ‘You can’t change the place from your couch.’ I said that on television. That was all real. That’s the truth. I couldn’t change this place from my couch so I resigned and I’m trying to change it.”

If he’s happy about re-signing: “I’m very happy. I’ve never been busier in my entire life. I had conversation with Vince McMahon. I was like, ‘Look, I’m not holding you up for money. I’m not holding out for this contract but if you’re going to sign me you’re going to sign me to the best money deal possible and if it’s your prerogative to not use me but pay me that ridiculous amount of money. I don’t see you being that stupid.'”

His relationship with Vince McMahon: “Honestly, I don’t think if Vince ever got me. I don’t think he does. I don’t know what’s not to get but some people just don’t see things. I don’t know if this is a good example but I don’t know if Vince gets The Rock. Vince gets Cold Stone Steve Austin. He gets that guy. I don’t know if he gets The Rock but he recognizes that he’s a hell of a talent. I might throw myself in that category. I don’t know if Vince 100% gets me but he finally has recognized, ‘Alright, this kid is the real deal.’

“I’ve been the same guy since I stepped foot in the WWE. I’ve always acted like a top guy, not in the regards of, ‘I need a limo and first class travel.’ I have never let anybody tell me that I can’t or I suck or anything like that. I’ve always had an air of confidence about me, which always rubs people the wrong way. It’s like the whole ‘best in the world’ thing. If I didn’t honestly believe that, and it’s obviously borderline narcissistic and egotistical but it’s like, well, if you don’t think you’re the best in the world at what you do then you should at least aspire to be the best. Why do you do what you do?”

If Vince likes to knock people down: “I don’t try to run the show. It’s his company; it’s his baby. I think the WWE has knocked me down a peg or two. That’s the most frustrating thing about what we do. I don’t know if this is the Brock Lesnar legacy. It’s just like holy crap, strap a rocket to this guy and give him everything. Then all of a sudden a year later Brock’s like, ‘Oh, I want to go home.’ I don’t know if there’s a fear that that’s going to constantly happen, which is legitimate. I can see that. You put yourself in Vince’s shoes and it’s like, okay, I get that.

I take this responsibility very seriously. When you are the champion and you are on top, you’re pulling the train. It’s the tradition in pro wrestling where everybody thanks everybody. ‘Thank you for the tour.’ The guys on top are the ones that are drawing the houses. You’re the reason why everyone on the undercard is getting paid. I get being spooked about that. We’ve done it way too often with guys like Wade Barrett, Sheamus, with me. I remember the first time they made me champion. Raw ratings went up. I got numbers, house show attendance went up. Then it’s like you just constantly cut these guys legs out from under them. After awhile it’s just like everyone’s middle of the road.

Clashes with Vince McMahon: “There was the Tony Atlas story. Tony wrote about it in his book but I didn’t read it so I don’t know exactly how accurate it was. I was ECW Champion at the time. I was still living in Louisville, Kentucky. I would go to OVW still and I would maybe work a Dark Match for them and watch the show, talk to guys. Long story short, there was some backstage OVW politics that unbeknownst to me was going on. I went up to Tony to introduce myself because he was down there to talk to the guys about saving your money and drugs and what not.

“I said, ‘Hi, Mr. Atlas. My name’s CM Punk. How are you doing?’ He grabbed my arm and he’s like, ‘What is this?’ I didn’t get where he was going. I was like, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. Oh the X’s. I’m straight edge and I explained it to him.’ He’s like, ‘No, no, no, your arms. They’re taped up.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I tape up my arms so I can ‘x’ up. It’s a straight edge thing.’ He looks at me and he says, ‘It looks like you have two broken arms.’ I was just like, ‘Great, okay.’ I didn’t know where he was going and I was confused. ‘Okay, sir, alright.’ He said, ‘I don’t think you get it. If you don’t listen to your coaches, you’re never going to make it to television.’ Then I was like, ‘Alright I appreciate whatever this is. Thank you, sir.’

“Then I worked the dark match and we had this great dark match. It was like this eight man tag and there was a whole bunch of talented guys in it. Then in the post show meeting, Tony Atlas goes on and on about how everyone’s great, everyone has a great attitude, the show is great, the only match he didn’t like was that last one. That last match sucked. There was a guy in it with a bad attitude. He basically just started singling me out. I had already lost my mind at this point. I stood up like legit De Niro, ‘Are you talking to me?’ He was like, ‘Yes, you have a bad attitude and I’m going to put it in the report and I hope you get fired.’ He said a lot of ridiculous things.

“I stood up and started walking down and was like, ‘Are we fighting?’ It turned into this big legendary thing where he just started giving me a bunch of s–t and I gave it right back to him. I was like, ‘Look, I’m on television and I’m one of Vince’s champions.’ It turned into this thing and two weeks later we were in England and Vince is like, “I need to talk to you for a minute.

“He’s like, ‘The Tony Atlas thing – what happened?’ I explained to him the story and he’s like, ‘These old timers don’t watch the show. You got to be respectful.’ He said, ‘Sometimes, you just got to eat a little s–t. I eat s–t all day. I eat red s–t, green s–t, blue s–t, all kinds of s–t. I’m eating s–t all day.’ I laughed and I looked at Vince and said, ‘I had eaten enough of his s–t and I was full and he looked a little hungry so I thought maybe he wanted to eat a little s–t of his own.’ He smiled and said, ‘I like that. That’s good.'”

The Rock returning to WWE: “I think it’s great. Bottom line is it’s a business. If Rock is going to put asses in seats then yay for us. There are a lot of misconceptions about how I feel about it. Obviously people love asking me because they know they’re going to get the 100% truth. He comes back and he says that he’s never going to leave again and then he doesn’t come back for months. Yes, he’s doing Survivor Series and, yes, it sold out in a half hour. Let’s be honest. It’s the Garden and it’s the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series. The show was going to sell out but I get the bragging. ‘Oh, it sold out in a half hour.’

“I sold out the Garden – me and JBL in a cage match so I have that distinction. I can say that I sold out Madison Square Garden, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. The problem I have with Dwayne is that he came back, he said he’s never leaving again and I don’t appreciate all this, ‘Oh, the WrestleMania buy rate was up. Oh, it’s because of Dwayne.’ Was it? Or was it because of me and Randy Orton or was it because of Miz and John Cena? That’s unfortunately something that you can’t really ever figure out. A lot of people like to live and die by the ratings.

“It’s a big news story that he came back, absolutely. I think he even tweeted me one time saying something like, ‘The Rock in the main event makes more money than CM Punk could in a lifetime,’ which is obviously a fallacy. That ultimately is where I have the problem with Dwayne. He lives in a fantasy world. No matter if I like or hate whoever I’m working with, I say, ‘hello,’ to them. I fraternize with them. It’s a brotherhood backstage. I’m with these people more than I’m with my little sisters and my family. I just don’t appreciate going from limo to dressing room, from dressing room to the ring and not saying ‘hi’ to any of the boys.

“That’s what he does. I was just at a Guns N’ Roses show backstage in Chicago and that’s exactly what Axl Rose does and Axl’s a lot cooler than Dwayne. Part of me gets it but for anybody who wants to say I have a bad attitude or a chip on my shoulder about it – absolutely. I think anybody should. There are guys in that locker room that bust their ass and there are guys that should be in the main event at WrestleMania. Eventually it will happen for everybody as long as you’re passionate about it. I’m passionate about. Yeah, it pisses me off.”

The WWE Network

– WWE is looking to brand the WWE Network “the most interactive network on TV.” The idea is to feature programming that keeps people in front of their computers, cellphones and iPads.

One idea is to have tweets from fans scrolling at the bottom of the screen, like an ESPN news ticker.

– There’s a running joke going around WWE is that up-and-coming superstars should worry less about having good matches and interviews – and focus on being entertaining on Twitter.

– On a related note, Vince reportedly is wanting certain Superstars to change their Twitter usernames. Dolph Ziggler’s Twitter name @HEELZiggler is on the chopping block – since Vince doesn’t want to promote insider terms like “heel.”

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

During WWE’s third quarter conference call with investors on November 3, 2011, CEO Vince McMahon stated the organization would “soon be making a very big announcement” regarding WWE Network plans. He said the company feels confident they “finally turned the corner” on the cable television network’s status to make the announcement. Included will be future expenses of $4-6 million for staffing and $10-15 million for additional equipment and construction of their media center to house network operations.

According to a source within WWE’s corporate headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, the “very big announcement” is that Wrestlemania 28 will be broadcast live. The cable television network is expected to be launched on April 1, 2012, the day of WrestleMania.

WWE has bought extensive amount of office space in Norwalk and Stamford, Connecticut to employ over 200 employees for the cable television network. They’ve also spent money on trailers so employees could work on digitizing their vast tape library. WWE has approximately 100,000 hours of footage in their tape library, with 30,000 hours currently digitized.

— Vince McMahon has become obsessed with Twitter in recent weeks, so much so that he’s even been joking about getting his own account. One WWE source, however, is taking his remarks seriously. He was around McMahon when he was first introduced to text messaging and thinks the idea of him getting on the microblogging site is “pretty damn scary.”

— Michelle McCool will be participating in her first online chat since parting ways with WWE next Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. on MichelleMcCool.net.

She wrote, “It’s a special time of year in so many ways! November marks an important anniversary & I want to give thanks — to y’all!!

“Please come and join me for the 1st ever, live online chat, right here at MichelleMcCool.Net, next week: Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 6PM Eastern Time!

“Ask & ye shall receive! Come with questions, concerns, opinions, or whatever y’all want – just make sure that you don’t miss out!”

source: Wrestling Globe Newsletter

Continuing her campaign to return to WWE, Chyna has directed a video message to Vince McMahon.

Simulating her Fleshbot Mainstream to Porn Crossover Award as a microphone, Chyna says to the camera, “To Vincent Kennedy McMahon, Vinny Mac. Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

The former WWE Intercontinental and Women’s Champion clarified her intentions Sunday on Twitter as she said would be happy if she could at least say goodbye to the WWE Universe.

Chyna wrote, “I would like to thank all of the WWE for your kind words of encouragement. Now WWE, wake up and bring me back for ONE MORE MATCH!”

In response to a remark that she really wants to come back for more than one match, she wrote, “That’s true. But if only one more time to say goodbye to the WWE Universe, I could be happy with that.”

Chyna posted a video online Friday answering questions concerning WWE. She continued her campaign to return to the sports entertainment league and pondered why Vince McMahon won’t take her back, unlike other wrestlers.

“All this time I thought that they understood what was happening. I know they thought I quit. There was a contract up I wasn’t happy with. The truth is, they let me go and I never heard from WWE since,” she says of the circumstances behind her departure from WWE in 2001.

“I recently reached out to Vince McMahon. Well, not recently, many times, but more recent, before Vivid offered me a deal. I wanted to see, “Can I get one more hurrah for my fans? Can I go back? Why have you accepted all these other people back: Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Ric Flair. All these people. Why not me? What did I do that was so bad to you that you can’t do business and have me back?”

When asked to give her thoughts on today’s Divas, such as Beth Phoenix, Eve and Natalya, Chyna says she’s paved the way for all of them.

“I do believe that I’ve paved the way for all women in the WWE Universe and I just have to say, if I do come back, they better look out,” she says.

In regards to who she would like face if she returns to WWE, Chyna said she would like to wrestle “the biggest Diva in WWE,” Vince McMahon.

She adds, “I’d lay smackdown on his ass!”

Chyna appeared on The Howard Stern Show Monday to promote her first professional pornographic film, Backdoor To Chyna and revealed that she recently wrote a letter to Vince McMahon regarding a possible return to WWE. The organization responded and informed Chyna they were not interested in doing business with her at that time. She has since clarified on Twitter that she offered to return to WWE prior to her affiliation with the producer of her film.

“I extended the olive branch to Vince before Vivid made their offer. He didn’t want me back,” she wrote.

Nonetheless, Chyna still has the door open for a return to WWE. She posted numerous messages on Twitter indicating that she would like return to the organization.

“I would love the opportunity to come back & give the WWE Universe ONE MORE MATCH!”

“I would love to come back to the WWE Universe. Vince McMahon needs to bring me back.”

“Hopefully one day I will be back in the WWE.”

“Vince doesn’t seem to want me back but if enough fans want it he’ll have to do it.”

The relationship between Triple H, her former real-life boyfriend, and Stephanie McMahon (with whom Chyna claims he had an affair and then left her for), was a major factor in her departure from WWE in 2001. She reiterated on Twitter:

“We were actually a couple when Stephanie was having an affair for Triple H for a whole year while he was with me.”

However, when asked whether that would pose a problem for her in returning to WWE, she said no.

“The past is the past. I want to wrestle and do business with the WWE. It’s business, not personal.”

When asked which WWE Diva she would like to face upon her return, she quipped:

“The only diva I would want to take on if I ever came back is the biggest one, Vince McMahon.”

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Chyna appeared on The Howard Stern Show Monday to promote her first professional pornographic film, Backdoor To Chyna. She notably states during the interview that she recently wrote a letter to Vince McMahon regarding a possible return to WWE, which she last appeared for in 2001.

• Check Out: Disturbing Pictures from “Backdoor To Chyna”

Chyna says, “It’s been a decade, right? (The fans are) like “Chyna we miss you, we love you,” it’s an incredible, this fan respect that I have, you know? So, they’re like “when are you going back?” and I was like “you know, that’s a good question.”

Stern chimes, “You wrote Vince and you said, “Vince, I want to come back to the WWE.” Chyna responds, “I didn’t say that.”

She explains, “I wrote him a legal letter, it was very professional instead of like the trainwreck, all over, like crazy. Had my stuff together and I wrote him a certified letter by lawyer and said, “Hey, are you ready to put everything aside personally, and would you like to do business with me?”

WWE responded, “We’re not interested at this time.”

Paparazzi caught Maryse Ouellet out in Hollywood, California Friday night just hours after WWE announced they had come to terms on the release of the French Canadian entertainer. When asked for comment on her departure from the sports entertainment organization, she flippantly responds, “Vince McMahon, your loss.”

Check out the footage here:

Contrary to her remark, the split was largely mutual since she asked to be released from her contract and WWE no longer had plans to promote her in a high-profile manner. Friends of Ouellet say she lost interest in performing for WWE over the past year and was ready to move on to the next chapter of her life. She plans on returning to glamour modeling and has her sights set on posing for Playboy again. WWE’s decision to release Ouellet was also fueled by the expectation that unlike Gail Kim, she will not join TNA Wrestling.

Ouellet underwent abdominal hernia surgery on August 24, 2011 but never appeared for WWE again. She was cleared to resume wrestling several weeks ago and told friends she would be returning soon.

Ouellet is dating The Miz and the couple currently reside in Southern California.

A bikini-clad Kelly Kelly pressed against a red sports car is featured on the cover of the December 2011 issue of Maxim. Enclosed are photos as well as a one-page interview in which she discusses her journey through WWE, crazy fan experiences, trips overseas and more.

• View Here: Pictures from Kelly Kelly’s MAXIM Shoot

When asked if she was a wrestling fan before joining the industry, she replied, “Oh, yeah, since I was a kid.”

She continued, “My mom thought it was too violent, but my dad would sneak me into the bedroom to watch with him. It never crossed my mind I could do this kind of stuff. I thought wrestlers were larger than life, so when WWE called and asked if I wanted to train, I was like, “Oh, my God, yes!”

Kelly made her WWE debut on June 13, 2006, becoming the youngest female performer in company history at age 19. Her character, an exhibitionist, was introduced performing a striptease for the crowd. She reveals Vince McMahon demonstrated the routine she performed in front of the crowd that night.

Kelly recalls, “I’d only been training for two months when I found out I was going to start appearing on TV—as an exhibitionist! When Vince McMahon showed me the routine, I was in shock, but, you know, anything to get my foot in the door. It was the most nerve-racking minute of my life.”

Kelly definitely feels she had to prove herself to “the boys.”

“A lot of the guys there didn’t like me at first, because they were used to training with girls who had wrestling experience. I was the youngest Diva they’d ever had and one of the first models, so I was like, “I’m going to work my butt off.”

On the June 20, 2011 edition of Raw, Kelly won her first WWE title after she was selected by the WWE Universe to face Brie Bella. She says that is her most memorable moment in WWE.

“To win the title, after being in the ring for five years—it felt like I’d really achieved something,” Kelly says. “It was my time.”

– Expect to see even more references to Twitter on WWE television in the coming months. Vince McMahon is said to be a huge fan of the social media service and has several ideas about how to integrate Twitter into WWE programming even further.

• Follow SEScoops.com on Twitter

WWE announcers are encouraged to constantly reference Twitter, with the idea being that if they mention Twitter a lot at the beginning of shows, they will get topics trending worldwide and can talk about the topics even more.

At the 2012 Royal Rumble – WWE is planning to have superstars tweet right before they go through the curtain and enter the Rumble.

– Vince McMahon freaked out several weeks ago when he saw the company’s latest t-shirt for Zack Ryder. The phrase printed on the t-shirt that got so much heat from Vince was – “Take care, spike your hair.”

Because Vince McMahon hates Spike TV right now (due to their affiliation with TNA), Vince was so mad that he almost pulled shirts from being sold. Eventually, he agreed to sell the existing shirts that were still in stock – but forbid any more from being printed. A new Zack Ryder shirt without the “Spike your hair” phrase is now on sale.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is said to have a love/hate relationship with the divas division as of late. While Vince has mandated that both RAW and SmackDown each feature at least one divas segment each week, he often thinks it’s a waste of time and instructs Michael Cole to talk about unrelated topics during the diva matches.

– Expect to see more storylines begin and progress online – through the WWE website and Twitter. Friday’s “Mask vs. Mask” match between the two Sin Caras are an example of an angle being announced online but not pushed on television.

• VIDEO: Sin Cara UNMASKED At Tuesday’s SmackDown Tapings (Which One?)

– WWE United States Champion Dolph Ziggler is getting praised backstage regarding how he comes across like a star in his interviews. Additionally, Ziggler recently got some backstage praise for carrying Mason Ryan to a good match.

– This year’s Tribute to the Troops special will be taped on December 11th from the Crown Colliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The show will first air on the USA Network on 12/13 as a 2-hour special and will then air later that weekend on 12/17 NBC.  Considering the fact that Tribute to the Troops has performed poorly on NBC in recent years, some believe WWE airing the show first on the USA Network can be WWE’s excuse if the rating on NBC bombs again this year.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

— Vince McMahon is said to be high on Cody Rhodes after lacking faith in the second generation wrestler in the past.

Reportedly, the WWE head would not commit to promoting Rhodes as a top level star because he felt he overacts.

— Shawn Michaels posted a statement on Twitter regarding ESPN’s piece on Scott Hall, which aired Wednesday evening on E:60.

He wrote, “FYI- I did not see the piece on Scott. Scott. Kev, Kid & Hunter r my friends. Sharing our personal info or insight on here aint happening. Much like when u ask me my opinion on RAW or other wrestlers. I don’t do it. The net is flooded w/opinions. I don’t think u need one more.”

source: Pro Wrestling Torch

Wrestler turned mixed martial artist Brock Lesnar says in an interview with ESPN.com that he expects to wrestle one more match for WWE.

“I think I will. I think under the right circumstances I will,” he responds to Jon Robinson’s query regarding one final WWE match. “I think if Vince McMahon and I were able to sit down at the same dinner table and break some bread that we could come up with some kind of game plan. At the end of the day, I’m an ultimate fighter. That’s who I am and that’s who I’ll always be. I was an entertainer but at the end of the day, I’m still as real as it gets. I think a lot of things have to fall in the right places for something like that to happen.”

Lesnar is asked who he would like to wrestle of talent he never had a match with; he responds “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

“Ironically it’s probably the guy that walked out on me. The guy that took his ball and went home. A guy that I was supposed to face and I think that he was just plain downright scared to get in the ring with me because he was one of those guys that was on top and saw a huge threat in Brock Lesnar at the time. That’s “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. I worked with everybody and anybody that was anybody there and if I came back, I think the guy that I would come back to fight is “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.”

Rumors surfaced last year about Lesnar possibly facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania. He comments on how the match would have been like.

“I was a true wrestler. I was a Division I national champion. I came into the business wanting one thing and one thing only, and that was to be the champion, and I wasn’t going to let anybody stand in my way. I think there was one guy that had a problem with that and that was Undertaker. If I were to have gotten in the ring with him I would have ripped his arm off and f—— beat him with it.”

The full interview can be accessed here.

In case you missed it from RAW – video of Mr. McMahon informing Triple H that the Board of Directors has decided to relieve him of his duties as WWE COO:

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon made a surprise return on Monday’s RAW. In an ironic twist of fate, Vince McMahon informed Triple H that the Board of Directors had relieved Triple H of his duties as COO. This is the same explanation Vince McMahon was given back in July when Triple H informed him he was forced out of his job.

– Vince McMahon named John Laurinaitis is the new interim RAW General Manager.

– It was announced during RAW that Laurinaitis can now be followed on Twitter  @WWERAWGM.

– Jim Ross was fired by John Laurinaitis on RAW, which took place from JR’s home state of Oklahoma.

– The Miz and R-Truth have been reinstated. CM Punk was wrestling WWE champion Alberto Del Rio during the main event of RAW, when Laurinaitis came out and told them the match was being changed to a tag team match. Punk and Del Rio would be teaming up against the reinstated Miz and R-Truth.

Mickie James has revealed in an interview how Vince McMahon yelled at her in the aftermath of her first WrestleMania match.

James debuted in WWE in 2005 and participated in a memorable angle with Trish Stratus. The storyline climaxed at WrestleMania 22 where James capture the WWE Women’s Championship from the blonde bombshell, but contained a controversial moment. Her character had developed crazed lust-like feelings for her opponent, touched Stratus’ crotch and made a provocative gesture towards the camera insinuating lesbian intimacy.

McMahon was furious with James and ordered the gesture be edited out of future video releases.

Speaking to Wrestlecast, James recalls: “The only people that remember that are the people watching or who were there live and in person. It didn’t make the DVD.

“I came back through the curtain and Vince was really mad. In the moment it had seemed amazing to me. I thought ‘Vince will love this’.

“‘Crass’ was the word I got. He didn’t like it at all. He told me ‘We’re going to have to go back and edit that out. Do you know how much time (this will take)?’

“This was my first Wrestlemania, my mom was in the audience, I’m freaking out already. I’m back through the curtain and I’m already in tears and an emotional mess. And I got yelled at.”

James, along with TNA star Magnus, participated in a near 50-minute chat which featured many interesting anecdotes about their respective careers. The podcast can be accessed here.

Here’s a little bonus video of one of the more memorable moments from the Trish Stratus – Mickie James feud:

Forbes published an article on Thursday looking at “Who Got Rich This Week” on Wallstreet – and WWE CEO Vince McMahon is one of this week’s big winners.

After WWE’s stock recently bottomed out at $8.80, it has bounced back to the mid-9’s – a gain that earned Vince McMahon nearly $17 million (on paper). WWE television’s recent debut in Portugal is seen as a factor in the stock’s stabilization.

As of this week’s trading – the value of Vince McMahon’s WWE stock was valued at approximately $400 million.

Back when the stock was trading at close to double its current level – Vince’s overall wealth was over $1 billion.

– WWE Superstars matches taped last night before the SmackDown tapings in St. Louis were Brodus Clay vs. local wrestler Bryan Thomas and Daniel Bryan vs. Trent Baretta.

– Several WWE stars were interviewed for Edge’s new DVD at Monday’s RAW Supershow.

– A new Steve Austin DVD box set will be released on October 3rd in the UK. “The Steve Austin Collection” will be bundled with several of his recent DVD action movies, including Born to Fight (Knockout), The Stranger and Hunt to Kill.

– Alex Riley announced on Twitter this week that he’s getting his very first WWE t-shirt and action figure soon. Riley’s action figure comes packaged with The Miz in one of Mattel’s “Battle Packs.”

– After Vince McMahon went ballistic backstage at RAW last week, Vince was said to be in a much better mood this week. Vince was reportedly upset because Alberto Del Rio mentioned his name on television, which Vince thought spoiled his eventual television return.

Partial source: F4Wonline.com

As noted before, Vince McMahon was apparently upset at Monday’s RAW because Alberto Del Rio mentioned his name on TV. The mood at this week’s RAW was described by some as the most negative environment they could recall. Vince McMahon was said to be in the worst mood.

Word is that Vince felt Del Rio gave away the end result of the Kevin Nash and John Laurinaitis storyline by mentioning him. Some say that Vince was in a bad mood before Del Rio name dropped him. It’s said that Stephanie McMahon and Triple H both took more of the brunt from Vince this week than others, as did the agents, mainly Dean Malenko and Arn Anderson.

The writers had to do the usual script changes this week but sources say it was worse this week than most others.

Regarding the Mark Henry and Jerry Lawler angle, they went back and forth all day on whether or not to have Henry put Lawler trough the table. Shortly before RAW started, they made the decision to put him through it. The table was supposed to be gimmicked so it would break easier but because of the late decision, somehow the table wasn’t gimmicked and Lawler was put through it the hard way.

Both Henry and Lawler were upset about the angle but Vince himself was said to be furious about it. After RAW ended, Vince called the agents and writers in for a meeting. Sources say Vince went into a “full-on red faced promo” where everyone felt they were being warned.

(Credit: F4WOnline.com)

Vince McMahon was irate backstage at Monday’s Raw SuperShow after his name was mentioned by Alberto Del Rio during the live broadcast.

Many people within WWE believe McMahon got upset because he is returning to television soon and did not want his name mentioned. Del Rio and the creative writer involved in the segment were both yelled at backstage by Vince.

Stephanie McMahon, who was on hand for the event, attempted to calm her father down but was unable to do so. He remained temperamental for the rest of the night as he was yelling at colleagues throughout the show and making life miserable for those around him.

source: ProWrestling.net