– As seen on RAW last night, Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks appeared on RAW in a backstage segment with Wade Barrett. The two hinted at forming a team and will hook up this Thursday on Superstars to take on the team of Percy Watson and Titus O’Neil.

Reks, who has had fans rally for him on Twitter for a few weeks now with the hashtag #WeWantReks, wrote the following on Twitter last night:

“Thanks Rekking Crew! Your support is heard! Keep tweeting #WeWantReks #ReksAndHawkins”

Hawkins, who has also been in the news after he tweeted about wanting more WWE TV time, wrote this last night after RAW:

“Thanks for the love tonight. More too come… Be sure to check out @WWE Superstars this week to see myself & @Tyler_Reks in action.”

– Prior to suffering a lacerated kidney and being forced to surrender the FCW Heavyweight Title last week, WWE developmental talent Bo Rotunda was scheduled to be brought up to the main roster.

– Word backstage is that Vince McMahon was feeding Michael Cole more lines than usual on commentary last night during RAW.

• Related News: Jim Ross Says He’ll No Longer Argue With Cole On RAW

(Source: f4wonline.com)

Former WWE & WCW star Bill Goldberg was interviewed by Tulsa, Oklahoma’s FOX 23 last month when he hosted an MMA viewing part at the Hard Rock Casino.

Of course, Goldberg was asked about his upcoming return to wrestling at a charity event in Africa, his first time in the ring since that fateful match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XX. Goldberg revealed that he is NOT 100% signed on to wrestle at the charity in the Africa – but is in negotiations – despite what he wrote on Twitter a few weeks ago.

Goldberg  was asked about his former boss Vince McMahon. Goldberg, who has been very outspoken about Vince and WWE in recent years, said he doesn’t have a single nice thing to say about Vince due to the way his character was handled during his brief WWE run.

Check out this video of the Goldberg interview:

Why Is It So Hard To Book Pro Wrestling?

LOOKING BACK AT SUMMERSLAM 18 YEARS AGO TODAY
by The Solomonster (thesolomonster@gmail.com)
Podcast | Twitter | Facebook

Whenever Vince McMahon likens WWE to a movie or TV show rather than sports, some fans tend to get up in arms. After all, are wrestlers not athletes? Do they not put their bodies on the line year-round and suffer serious injuries? Of course they do. But the more you stop and think about it, the man has a point. One key element pro wrestling has over sports like baseball, football and MMA is the ability to book its own finishes. Just like in any Hollywood film, the director (or promoter in this case) can script out a finale that both makes sense and satisfies the audience’s expectations. The “game” can’t be called due to bad weather. The “fight” won’t end on a swift, 10-second knockout. They have the power to give the people their money’s worth.

So why then is it seemingly so difficult for pro wrestling to get it right?

Visit any news site or discussion forum and you’re likely to drown in a sea of negativity. Welcome to the internet, folks. But when it comes to wrestling, this seems especially prevalent. ‘Oh great, so-and-so lost his match so he’s obviously being buried,’ or ‘man, what a crappy show that was. I’m never watching again!’ (as if). We’re all guilty of it in some form or fashion, so let’s just get that out of the way. Got it? Good. Now the flip side. Truth be told, we’ve seen our fair share of bad TV shows in the last couple of years. We’ve seen some horrendous booking decisions and godawful main event finishes that have nearly made our heads explode. But enough about Vince Russo… the fact is this. You can’t ALWAYS give fans what they want to see. Not every match is going to have a perfectly logical conclusion. Often times, injuries and suspensions can spoil whatever long-term plans a promoter may have mapped out, and for that, I sympathize. And while you can argue that CM Punk has cooled off a bit since his title win over John Cena in Chicago, that PPV was a great example of what happens when wrestling gets it right.

Still, why do these people make such dumb decisions? Why must the hometown hero lose in their hometown 95% of the time? Why must someone who is getting over with the crowd be booked on a losing streak, thus killing whatever momentum they may have? I bring all of this up because A) it’s a relevant question to ask, and B) I wanted to use it as a segue to talk about one of the all-time great blunders in PPV finishes that occurred 18 years ago today. A finish, mind you, that Vince McMahon, a man that some people credit as being a genius, actually thought was a good idea.

August 30, 1993. The site was the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was WWE’s second biggest event of the year, Summerslam, and it boasted an impressive lineup for that time. Shawn Michaels and Mr. Perfect for the Intercontinental title was like a wet dream for fans of technical wrestling. Bret Hart and Jerry “The King” Lawler were set to finally lock horns after Bret had been viciously attacked following his KOTR victory. And in the main event, Yokozuna, the evil foreigner, would defend his championship against the newly-minted All-American hero, Lex Luger. Now before I go any further, I must point out that the original booking plan for the show had Hulk Hogan putting over Bret Hart for the title, which would have cemented Bret as a main event player much sooner. However, Hogan balked at the idea and decided he would rather drop the title to Yokozuna and flee the company than put over teeny-tiny Bret Hart, forcing a change in plans. That said, there’s still no excuse for their Plan B.

When Hogan left, it left a void at top babyface for the company. They tried Bret Hart in that role already and he didn’t exactly light their business on fire, so he wasn’t the answer. So they decided to turn Luger, who had been a heel since his debut about six months earlier, and transform him into a modern day version of Hogan (only better, you see, because he had a steel plate in his arm!). To their credit, they went all the way with it. The Fourth of July chopper landing on the Intrepid when Luger slammed Yokozuna was a great piece of marketing. Then they had Luger travel cross-country on a bus called “The Lex Express” straight through to Summerslam. I mean, you would have thought the guy was running for political office the way he spent over a month on that bus, shaking hands and kissing babies. To cap it off, Jim Cornette, serving as the champ’s American spokesperson, forced Luger to agree to the stipulation that if he didn’t win the title at the PPV, he would never get another title shot. The stage had been set for an epic championship victory for Luger and the United States, right? Right? Well, not exactly.

Lex Luger would not have been my first choice to lead the company if I had the book. But I didn’t. Hell, I wasn’t even old enough to vote at the time. But you know what? Vince McMahon had a vision and you can tell he was hell-bent on seeing it through. At least he wasn’t half-assing it with the guy. Summerslam arrived and the arena was decked out in red, white and blue. They paraded country singer Aaron Neville out there to sing the national anthem. Out comes Luger to a pretty good response from the crowd (and a new haircut) and we’re off to the races. I’m not going to spend time breaking down this match other than to say it was every American vs. foreigner WWE main event you’ve ever seen, including the dreaded NERVE HOLD OF DOOM. Luger rallies from certain defeat, Cornette tries to interfere, Mr. Fuji tries to interfere, all to no avail. Then comes the big climax – Luger fires off the ropes and clobbers Yokozuna with his loaded forearm, knocking the big guy out to the floor in a heap. The Palace is going crazy. As a fan watching at home on TV, I can recall thinking to myself, ‘boy, he better get Yoko back inside before the referee counts to ten.’ I waited and waited until I saw something rather odd. Luger was making no attempt whatsoever to bring him back inside and seemed perfectly content to leave him laying. In fact, it appeared he was COUNTING ALONG with the referee!

‘Is this guy a moron?’ I wondered. ‘You can’t win the title on a count out. Get him back inside! What’s wrong with you?!’

He never did bring him back inside. The referee counted to ten and called for the bell. And with that, Lex Luger would forever become the poster-child for ignorant, dumb babyfaces. Yet, there was Vince McMahon on commentary going orgasmic over what we had just witnessed. Out came other equally dumb babyfaces like Randy Savage, Tatanka and the Steiner Brothers to celebrate and hoist Luger up onto their shoulders as balloons and confetti rained down from the ceiling. These days, Vince loves to have his announcers throw the term “Bizzaroland” around whenever the Canadian fans cheer for the heels and boo the faces, but back at that very moment, I thought I was living in “Bizzaroland” myself. You spent all of that time and effort to get Luger over to the masses, only to have him fail the fans and make him look stupid? I didn’t get it 18 years ago, and all these years later, it’s just as mind-boggling.

Luger was never the same after that. He was still positioned as the top babyface and got nice reactions, but by the Royal Rumble, it was obvious the fans wanted Bret Hart in that role. Perhaps if they had gone all the way with him at Summerslam, things might have turned out differently. It’s been said the reason for the finish is that at the last minute, Vince McMahon decided that he wanted Luger to win the title at WrestleMania X instead. Of course, that never happened. Instead, at WM11 the following year, Luger was curtain-jerking in a tag match against the Blu Brothers. Talk about a fall from grace.

Pro wrestling shouldn’t be this hard. You control your own destiny. How an intelligent person like Vince McMahon could have thought it was a wise move to book that main event finish, we may never know for sure. But on this day 18 years ago, it wasn’t the first time and damn sure would not be the last time we would see a promoter do such a thing and it begs the question, why is it so hard to book pro wrestling?

The answer is, it’s not. It’s just easier to screw it all up.

thesolomonster@gmail.com

There was a major corporate restructuring of WWE’s official website last week as Brian Kalinowski, the Executive Vice President of Digital Media and Mark Keys, the Vice President of Digital and Interactive Content Production and Social Media, were both let go. WWE.com is now part of a new division called WWE Creative, led by Stephanie McMahon-Levesque. There will be other changes and restructuring as part of her vision and concept.

Kalinowski spearheaded the website’s recent overhaul, with the notable addition of more video content. He was also responsible for the restructuring of WWEShop.com. Many people were initially critical of Kalinowski since he was recruited from outside of the professional wrestling industry and didn’t understand its uniqueness. However, he grew to learn the business and was considered a strong leader by colleagues. Many people feel he was dismissed due to Stephanie taking control of the website, rather than his job performance.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that a bigger power struggle is ongoing, between Stephanie and Kevin Dunn, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Television Production. Unlike her father, Vince McMahon, Stephanie is not fond of Dunn. Those close to the situation indicate that Dunn is aware that he will ultimately lose the power struggle, but he should be fine as long as Vince is around. Dunn is one of the few people Vince listens to and values the opinion of.

The digital media department was unhappy with Kalinowski’s departure from the organization, but morale had already sunk; they were previously informed that Stephanie would be in charge of department and everything going forward would be coordinated through her office.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

– The following matches are confirmed for next Tuesday’s special live edition of WWE SmackDown on Syfy:

• WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Sin Cara (Non Title Match)
• World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton vs. Christian in a Steel Cage Match.

– WWE Chariman & CEO Vince McMahon turns 66 years old today.

– The dark main event that took place after Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Calgary saw World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton defeated Christian in a Street Fight – with Bret Hart as the special guest referee.

Triple H brought out Bret Hart prior to the match, which got a tremendous pop from the live crowd. Christian refused to enter the ring, but was thrown into the ring by Triple H. After the match, Bret Hart put Christian in the sharpshooter to end the show.

*SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Friday

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is said to be very impressed with The Miz in recent weeks, which many insiders are believing will lead to a big push for the former WWE champion.

“Vince really liked Miz’s promo last week on Raw, which sold SummerSlam even though Miz didn’t have an opponent named,” a reliable insider informed us, “and Vince thought Miz came across as a top heel at SummerSlam.”

The source continued, “But what Vince loved the most was Miz’s performance tonight endorsing Subway, because he did it in such an entertaining fashion, and Vince kept telling people that Miz’s performance is exactly what he’s looking for from WWE Superstars. Miz really raised his stock in WWE in the past week.”

With McMahon high on The Miz’s recent work, expect to see Miz elevated back into the main event picture in the coming weeks and months.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

During Thursday’s WWE investor conference call, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon spoke about The Rock’s impact on the company’s second quarter financial results, namely WrestleMania 28, which generated over $28 million in revenues.

McMahon announced that The Rock will be appearing at “multiple” pay-per-view events aside from WrestleMania 28.

The Rock announced last month that he’ll be appearing at the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series in November to confront John Cena, who he will wrestle at WrestleMania 28.

• VIDEO: The Rock Tells John Cena He’ll See Him At Survivor Series

McMahon mentioned that The Rock’s involvement at Wrestlemania 28 have resulted in demand for WM28 travel packages being stronger than usual – selling out in just two days.

While there was talk of The Rock appearing at SummerSlam in some capacity, scheduling conflicts prevented that from happening.

Eve Torres took part in an interview with the Peoria Journal Star promoting tomorrow night’s Raw live event at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois, which she will guest host. She was asked whether she finds working with WWE head Vince McMahon intimidating.

“Vince has always been so hands-on, and that’s why WWE does so well. You hear it straight from the horse’s mouth,” she said. “He teaches us what it means to be a sports entertainer and how to captivate (an audience). He has given me personal feedback. Is it intimidating? Heck, yeah, it is. It’s kind of hard to break the ice with him when you’re first starting here. But eventually you feel a little more comfortable. It’s a family feel, the WWE.

She also responded to criticism that the quality of the Divas division is lacking.

Torres said, “We have to work basically in a man’s world. I definitely, without sounding like I’m complaining, will state that we have it the hardest in the WWE. You don’t see much of us (on TV programming).

“When it comes to the live events, you get to see great Diva matches you don’t see on Monday Night Raw. We have great fun and some awesome, kick-butt matches. There are a lot of liberties we take (during live matches) we can’t take on TV. I’m proud of the Diva division. We’re in a struggling place right now in terms of TV time, (but) I know what each of us are capable of.”

She also reveals which past Diva she most emulates, transitioning from a dancer to WWE, and more. To read the full interview, click here.

— Among those within WWE, the most notable thing about CM Punk’s return on Raw is that he got Vince McMahon to do what he’s had a policy in most cases against doing—pay royalty rights to use popular songs instead of WWE-created music.

— Diamond Dallas Page, who hosts WWE’s recently released The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro, stated on Twitter that it is the company’s second best-selling DVD of the past two years. He also urged fans to start “hammering WWE” for a sequel.

— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is in New Orleans, Louisiana today to begin filming the G.I. Joe sequel Cobra Strikes. He plays Roadblock.

— WWE concludes filming today for their upcoming Steve Austin video release at the Hall of Famer’s ranch in Tilden, Texas.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Monday’s RAW featured Triple H’s first night in charge as well as the surprise return of WWE title holder CM Punk.

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there were actually six different scripts written for RAW – one of which would have resulted in Triple H laying out CM Punk with a pedigree.

Although the obvious scenario would be for WWE to capitalize on CM Punk’s recent popularity and push him to the moon, most of the scenarios presented for Monday’s RAW were not to get Punk over, but to emphasize Triple H’s new role as Vince McMahon’s successor.

Prior to WWE settling on what we saw unfold on Monday night, the original plan for CM Punk’s return was for him to get attacked and pedigreed by Triple H. Alberto Del Rio then would have come out, cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase against John Cena at SummerSlam.

While this would have certainly put Triple H over as a major heel and led to an eventual program with a babyface CM Punk cooler heads prevailed and the angle of Punk getting squashed on the night of his return was scrapped.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– SmackDown’s Money in the Bank winner Daniel Bryan has been training with Neil Melanson, the head grappling coach at the Xtreme Couture MMA school based out of Las Vegas. Bryan said he’ll be incorporating some new submission holds into his in-ring offense in the coming weeks:

“Just finished a grappling session with Neil Melanson. Expect more and more submissions all the time on Friday Night Smackdown!”

– Former WWE champion John Cena wrote the following on Twitter on Thursday regarding his match against The Rock next year at WrestleMania and Vince McMahon being forced out of power by WWE’s board of directors:

“CeNation. Back to work and so happy. Rock, you got you’re wish. Ill be there April 1, just make sure you bring it. ….I also wouldn’t count VKM out yet. I know he was emotional on mon, but doesn’t seem the type to just ‘give up’. Time will tell.”

– Joey Styles noted on Twitter earlier this week that he’d be returning to the announcing booth on Thursday, which led to speculation that he’d be joining the announcing team of WWE Superstars. As it turns out, Styles is not joining Superstars – and instead called a mock match on Zack Ryder’s latest Z! True Long Island Story video show.

– Scott Hall’s 20-year-old son Cody is currently training to be a pro wrestler at the I Believe in Wrestling school in Orlando, Florida.

– The reason John Laurinaitis was with Vince McMahon at Money in the Bank for the run-in is because Vince has been told by his doctors not to take any bumps, according to the Wrestling Observer. 

– As we reported earlier this week, the storyline of CM Punk leavin with the WWE championship is expected to continue off television. Punk’s name will not be mentioned on WWE television and WWE stars have been told not to acknowledge Punk if they do any interviews. That said, WWE has been working to get Punk booked for appearances on late night television shows, high-profile radio interviews and more.

Punk’s next public appearance will be at the San Diego Comic Con event this week.

UFC president Dana White recently wrote on Twitter that he visited WWE headquarters in Stanford, Connecticut for a meeting with Vince McMahon.

During an interview with USA Today to promote the UFC’s return to the Philadelphia market, White said that he looks up to Vince McMahon in many ways.

While he did not divulge specific details as to the nature of the meeting, White said that he emulates WWE’s business model and called Vince “the guy that basically created the pay-per-view market.”

There has been recent talk that WWE and the UFC would be working together in some capacity on a merchandising deal involving Brock Lesnar, so its possible this is one of the matters discussed during the meeting of the kings of the pay-per-view industry.

White also spoke about Brock Lesnar’s condition in the interview, saying the former UFC heavyweight champion is recovering from his latest bout with diverticulitis and expects to see him fighting again next January.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read it its entirety over at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR wrote about:

The Vince McMahon Angle On RAW: “It certainly sets up numerous, new, storyline opportunities which will hopefully be capitalized upon in the near and long term future. What changes will be made under HHH’s watch, if any, and how will those assumed changes affect the presentation of WWE’s top TV priority?”

“As a fan and after working with and for Mr. McMahon for many years, I simply can’t see the sports entertainment visionary “going quietly into the night.” That’s TBD I assume and will be one of the catalysts that encourage fans to tune into Raw Monday night. ”

The Vacant WWE Championship:  “At least we do know that a new, WWE champion will be crowed Monday night between Rey Mysterio and the Miz. Tough spot for both to be in considering that CM Punk won the WWE Title in the ring against the former champion John Cena. Whoever wins between Mysterio and Miz or even the MITB winner Alberto Del Rio, will be standing in the shadow of Punk who has left the company and apparently has zero plans to return in the immediate future of which I am aware.”

Sin Cara’s Wellness Violation & Suspension: “What happened to Sin Cara? According to the WWE website, Cara violated the rules of the Wellness Program which resulted in him receiving a 30 day suspension. Some fans didn’t even know what the Wellness Program is and the best way that I can explain it is that the Wellness Program is essentially WWE’s drug policy. Very unfortunate for the fans, WWE, and especially for the Talent. I like and endorse ‘2nd chances’ if they are deserved and desired by all parties. Time will tell on this one.”

On Monday’s episode of RAW, Triple H returned to announce that WWE’s board of directors has voted to relieve Vince McMahon of his day-to-day corporate duties. Although McMahon remains WWE’s Chairman and CEO, the storyline of Triple H taking over WWE is reality-based.

While nothing is set in stone, the current plan is for Vince McMahon to remain in his role until WrestleMania 28 – when his son-in-law Triple H really would take over Vince’s position as the ‘top dog’ in WWE. Even after Vince turns over the reigns to Triple H, he will obviously remain very influential, overseeing the corporate and creative aspects of the company’s operations.

If it seems like we’ve seen Vince McMahon written out of WWE storylines in dramatic fashion before – that’s because Monday’s angle marks the fifth straight year that it’s happened. Back in 2007 he was blown up in a limousine, but that angle was dropped a week later due to the Chris Benoit tragedy. In 2008 saw the RAW set fall on top of him. In 2009, he sold WWE to Donald Trump in the storylines but was back on television within a few months. Last year, Vince was brutally attacked by Nexus and put into a coma.

(Source: f4wonline.com)

— A commercial aired during tonight’s episode of NXT: Redemption promoting next week’s episode of Raw as the first show of the “post-McMahon Era.”

Also advertised is the final round of the WWE Championship Tournament as Rey Mysterio and The Miz will face off to determine the new title holder.

— Two days past his title victory over Randy Orton, Christian defeated The Viper once again in a dark match at tonight’s SmackDown taping in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The eight minute long championship match concluded with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase distracted Orton, allowing Christian to roll up his opponent.

— Former WWE talent Sean Waltman stated last night on Twitter that the final few minutes of Triple H and Vince McMahon’s segment on Raw was “the real deal.” Waltman has since clarified his remarks.

— The July 16 episode of A.M. Raw on the USA Network garnered a 0.67 cable rating, with 821,000 viewers overall.

source: PWInsider.com

– With Sin Cara’s future in WWE unknown, Rey Mysterio is expected to get a huge push this summer. Apparently there is something big planned for Mysterio at Summerslam and the following night’s RAW in San Diego.

– According to Bryan Alvarez, Vince McMahon is expected to be backstage at Summerslam although it’s unknown if he will appear on camera.

– Randy Orton vs. Christian in a no-disqualification match for the World Heavyweight championship is being discussed for SummerSlam next month.

(Source: F4WOnline.com)

— Darren Rovell, a sports business reporter for CNBC, noted on his Twitter account that last night’s angle on Raw in which Vince McMahon was relieved of his duties of WWE chief and replaced by his son-in-law, Triple H, may cause issues with WWE stock.

“The No. 1 material risk against WWE stock is Vince McMahon leaving the business,” Rovell wrote. “Tonight’s plot could be an SEC violation.”

— Tough Enough contestant Ivelisse Velez was among those backstage watching Vince McMahon’s announcement on a monitor at the start of Raw. It is not publicly known if she has signed a contract.

WWE developmental wrestler Percy Watson was also spotted amongst the crowd.

— Former WWE star Eric Escobar has launched a Twitter account.

At the end of Monday’s episode of RAW, we saw Triple H return to television and announce that he would be taking over Vince McMahon’s duties behind the scenes, effectively relieving Vince of his day-to-day duties.

Former WWE star Sean Waltman went on Twitter following RAW and said that Vince McMahon really is stepping down from his job as Chairman and CEO:

“The text [Triple H] sent me today makes much more sense now. That was the real deal, that last 5 or however many minutes.”

Waltman also noted that WWE should “careful that this doesn’t really affect the stock price.”

WWE’s stock is already down over 30% this year.

In the final round of the WWE Championship Tournament, Rey Mysterio and The Miz meet next week on Raw to determine the undisputed title holder.

Vince McMahon announced at the top of the show that eight of the top Superstars would compete in a WWE Championship Tournament and that a new titleholder would be determined that night. Before Mysterio and The Miz could compete in the final round of the WWE Championship Tournament, McMahon demanded that the ring be cleared due to important business he had to conduct. Triple H then informed McMahon that he had been relieved of his duties as WWE Chairman and that he would be taking his place.

WWE Championship Tournament Results

* The Miz defeated Alex Riley in the first round of the WWE Championship Tournament

* R-Truth defeated Jack Swagger in the first round of the WWE Championship Tournament

* Kofi Kingston defeated Alberto Del Rio in the first round of the WWE Championship Tournament

* Rey Mysterio defeated Dolph Ziggler in the first round of the WWE Championship Tournament

* The Miz defeated Kofi Kingston in the second round of the WWE Championship Tournament

* Rey Mysterio defeated R-Truth in the second round of the WWE Championship Tournament

On Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, just as WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon was set to fire John Cena, Triple H’s music hit and the WWE legend made a surprise return to television.

Triple H dropped a bombshell – that WWE’s Board of Directors had voted that despite everything he’s done to turn WWE into the global phenomenon that it is today, he is being relieved of his day-to-day operations.

Vince McMahon’s duties will now be handled by Triple H himself.

The father and son-in laws had an emotional moment, with both men shedding tears as the show went off the air to “Thank You Vince” chants from the crowd.

COMMENT BELWO: What you think about this storyline?

Tonight’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW will kick off with an appearance from WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.

Mr. McMcMahon will address the WWE Universe regarding the events that transpired at last night’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

WWE hinted on the company’s official Twitter page that Mr. McMahon will also address whether John Cena will be “fired” after losing the WWE championship to C.M. Punk, as per the match stipulation.

— After Money in the Bank went off the air, Vince McMahon stood in the ring shocked over CM Punk leaving the arena with the WWE Championship before walking off minutes later. He stopped to wait on John Laurinaitis, who was clocked in the face earlier by John Cena as he stormed ringside to attempt a “Montreal-esque Chicago Screwjob.” Two officials helped Laurinaitis to the back but McMahon laid him out with a right hand and walked off.

— SmackDown Diva Rosa Mendes stated on Twitter that she will be on hand for Monday Night Raw.

She wrote, “Guess who will be @Raw tomorrow!??? Meeeeeeeee. Mendesluverz stay tuned. Muchos besotes!”

— WWE Tag Team Champions David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty beat Vladimir Kozlov and Santino Marella in a dark match prior to the Money in the Bank pay-per-view broadcast.

*NEW LOOK* photo of The Undertaker – bald? ->

— Long time pro wrestling photojournalist Bob Mulrenin captured some very interesting exclusive photos of WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart and hardcore legend Mick Foley in Chicago, Illinois. Check those out here.

— According to a high level production source on site in Chicago on Sunday, Vince McMahon arrived at the arena with an extension to CM Punk’s contract in hand.

The WWE Chairman seems determined to keep Punk in the company, and part of the plan is for Punk to headline SummerSlam, either against Cena in a rematch, or against the Money In The Bank winner in some sort of stipulation match.

“Everything is up in the air,” we were exclusively told. “Whatever deal Punk cuts will determine the future of the WWE Title!”