Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar recently spoke with Jeff Wagenheim of Sports Illustrated to hype UFC’s Ultimate Fighter show as well as the release of his new biography, Death Clutch.

Here are some of the wrestling-related highlights from the interview. Lesnar talks about the differences between working for Vince McMahon and UFC president Dana White, as well as which company he prefers working for.

SI.com: In moving from the WWE to the UFC, you went from having Vince McMahon as your boss to working for Dana White. How are things different?

Lesnar: One thing about working for Vince: I never was able to get a really good read from him. He’s dealt with a lot of entertainers in his day. But when I sit down and talk to somebody, I just want to shoot straight and have the same thing done to me. You can’t take this away from Vince, though: He has taken his product and made it very successful.

SI.com: Are you happier in the UFC? Is it a better fit for you?

Lesnar: I finally found my calling, and it’s to be an ultimate fighter. But don’t get me wrong: The WWE did a lot for me. They made me a household name throughout the world. It’s just that in the WWE, the pen and paper are pushing you, along with the man behind the company. In the UFC, I kind of had to make my own name. Dana wants to see you do well, but at the end of the day you’ve got to get in there and execute the job.

WWE issued the following announcement on its corporate website, announcing that Patricia Gottesman has been elected to WWE’s board of directors. The statement includes a statement from WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon:

WWE ELECTS PATRICIA A. GOTTESMAN TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

STAMFORD, Conn., June 2, 2011 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced that Patricia A. Gottesman has been elected to its Board of Directors.

Gottesman is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Crimson Hexagon, a social media monitoring and analysis company. Prior to joining Crimson, Gottesman served as Founder and Principal for Omnibus PG, an international media and technology practice. Gottesman began her career with Cablevision Systems Corporation and held several senior executive positions during the 29 years she spent with the company including Executive Vice President, Digital Marketing and Commerce; Executive Vice President, Product Management and Marketing; and Senior Vice President, Development.

“We are pleased to have Patricia join our Board of Directors,” stated Vincent K. McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, WWE. “She brings extensive cable industry experience and is an accomplished senior executive with more than 30 years of business and management expertise in a number of areas, including programming, product development and new media.”

Gottesman has served as a board member of Crimson Hexagon since December 2010. In addition, Gottesman serves in advisory roles for TechMahindra, America India Foundation, comScore, Inc. and Elucido Media.

Gottesman graduated magna cum laude from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Science degree in communications.

– Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn were said to be “freaking out” backstage at RAW on Monday due to the technical difficulties that plagued the first fifteen minutes of the broadcast.

– This is interesting. The only time Alex Riley has ever appeared on WWE Smackdown after being drafted from RAW was on April 29th. He appeared in the opening segment and was immediately RKO’d by Randy Orton. Many forget he’s technically a SmackDown! superstar.

– The PWO Wrestling independent promotion released the following statement on Tuesday, announcing one of its top stars has signed with WWE:

Matthew Justice (real name Matt Hannan) was a longstanding competitor in PWO Wrestling, having been a part of the organization since its formation in the fall of 2007. Known for his high-octane aerial style, and calm, laid-back demeanor, Justice instantly stood out. After a three and a half year PWO career that saw many highs and lows, this past March, Matt agreed to terms to take the next step of his career, signing a developmental contract with WWE Inc. After his final ever PWO match, which aired two weeks ago on PWO TV on SportsTime Ohio, we said goodbye to Matt. This footage from when PWO TV went off the air was shown for the first time ever anywhere this past Sunday night on PWO TV. Check it out here:

The June 6, 2011 issue of TIME features an article on the late Randy Savage written by Vince McMahon. Here is the article in its entirety:

“It’s important in sports and it’s important in entertainment to stand out. Randy knew that. Right away, he wanted to leave his mark, and to do that he was aware he had to make himself different from everyone else. One way he did this was concentrating on his outfits, those brightly colored costumes with foot-long fringe that became his trademark. He brought to wrestling a unique look and style.

“Randy, who died in a car crash May 20 at age 58, was one of the building blocks of what is now WWE (previously known as the World Wrestling Federation). He had a very unusual voice –remember his “Snap into a Slim Jim. Oh, yeah!” commercials?–and was extremely charismatic. Perception is very important in this business, and he also had a very high opinion of himself, something he needed in a locker room full of performers who had been around for a while and had big personalities and followings–like Hulk Hogan, Today, Randy is remembered as one of wrestling’s all time greats. No question about it–he certainly was.”

The June 6, 2011 issue of TIME features an article on the late Randy Savage written by Vince McMahon. A preview of the article was released:

“It’s important in sports and it’s important in entertainment to stand out. Randy knew that. Right away, he wanted to leave his mark, and to do that he was aware he had to make himself different from everyone else. One way he did this was concentrating on his outfits, those brightly colored costumes with foot-long fringe that became his trademark. He brought to wrestling a unique look and style.

“Randy, who died in a car crash May 20 at age 58, was one of the building blocks of what is now WWE (previously known as the World Wrestling Federation). He had…”

To read the article in its entirety, pick up a copy of TIME at your local newsstand or download the TIME iPad app.

Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer stated today on F4WOnline.com that recent allegations made by WWE Hall of Famers George “The Animal” Steele and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper concerning Vince McMahon’s soured relationship with Randy Savage have nothing to do with the WWE chief’s animosity towards the late wrestler.

Piper alleged last Friday on Twitter that Savage slapped McMahon in a bar. Steele then suggested in an interview that McMahon held Savage in contempt for abruptly jumping to World Championship Wrestling in 1994 because he considered him “almost like a son.”

Steele said, “I think that what happened with Randy, when his career was winding down with the WWF, Vince McMahon just loved Randy. After all everything Randy had done and he took him under his wing, and he wanted Randy after the ring was over with for him, he wanted him to be our spokesperson. He was traveling with Vince all the time. Randy was almost like a son, they were really tight. And then one day, we were at a TV meeting, and we got word that Randy, without calling Vince, had left and jumped to the WCW. I had never seen Vince McMahon broken before, he was crushed. It hurt him big time and I don’t think he ever got over that. I think that’s the real problem to be honest with you.”

In late 1996, Savage’s contract with WCW had expired and he briefly negotiated with WWE regarding a possible return to the organization. Meltzer said that during this time frame, Vince McMahon told him he would take back Savage “with open arms,” but would “never ever” take Hulk Hogan back.

Meltzer then notes that McMahon’s animosity towards Savage during the final years of the wrestling legend’s life stemmed from an incident that occurred following 1996, or “something he found out.”

“Any explanation of why Vince hates Savage that has to do with something that Vince would have known pre-1996 is clearly balderdash,” Meltzer stated. “Either something post 1996, or something he found out after 1996.”

There is a long-standing rumor indicating that Savage was involved in a sexual relationship with McMahon’s daughter Stephanie during his final year in WWE, therefore explaining his animosity towards him (which McMahon learned years later). While the allegation has never been verified, Meltzer stated in March 2009 that top WWE officials believed the rumor to be true.

Meltzer said then, “I think that the reason is the same reason that everyone says. It’s the reason everyone in (WWE) says. It’s the reason that is the only one that makes any sense. So I think that’s the reason. I can’t come up with any other reason. I don’t know. I mean, I’ve heard that reason from so many people that are not internet rumormongers, I mean people who – all I know is that within the company as far as the top people, they all believe it, and nobody knows for sure, because it’s never brought up.

“When I first heard the story I didn’t believe it because I thought it was just some story, but then, and I mean even when people who are very high up in that company, after they left the company, would tell me that story I still didn’t believe it, but, you know, after a certain number of years when it’s just, you know, ideas are brought up for Randy Savage and the reaction – there’s something real, real bad because, let’s face it, I mean, I couldn’t count the number of times Vince said he would never do business with Hulk Hogan, and he always does. So, I don’t know…Actually, as time goes by, more people talk about it trying to say that it didn’t happen.”

Former WWE creative writer Chris DeJoseph (a/k/a Big Dick Johnson), who worked alongside Vince McMahon from 2005 through 2010, ripped his former employer over last night’s Randy Savage tribute video on Raw. He feels it’s hypocritical that WWE would sing the Macho Man’s praises after he had been ostracized from the organization during the final years of his life.

Pointing the finger of blame to Vince McMahon, DeJoseph wrote on Twitter, “Vince is steaming watching this Macho Man package.

“Only in death Macho Man was allowed back on WWE TV. Such a shame. Such hypocrisy makes me sick.”

He continued, “I was always told never to mention the name Macho Man EVER!”

DeJoseph then recalls pitching Savage for a storyline years ago and being told to never mention his name again.

“We pitched Macho Man and then we were told never to mention his name again because it was “personal,” he wrote.

Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer reported years ago that whenever someone on the writing staff pitched an idea to McMahon about bringing Savage back to WWE, he would immediately get angry and shoot the idea down flat. One day, however, head SmackDown writer Michael Hayes pitched an angle about Savage. Instead of giving his usual angry, expletive-laden response, McMahon peered off into the distance, collected his thoughts and said, “I do not want to do business with that man.”

One of  Macho Man Randy Savage’s greatest rivals from the 1980’s, George “The Animal” Steele, was on the Busted Open radio show on Monday and shed some light on the falling out between Savage and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

There has been a ton of speculation over the years as to why Vince McMahon blackballed Savage from WWE – here’s what George Steel said about the situation:

“That’s been said a lot of different ways, and there’s been a lot of different things said that are not true necessarily.”

“I think that what happened with Randy, when his career was winding down with the WWF, Vince McMahon just loved Randy,” he continued. “After all everything Randy had done and he took him under his wing, and he wanted Randy after the ring was over with for him, he wanted him to be our spokesperson. He was traveling with Vince all the time. Randy was almost like a son, they were really tight. And then one day, we were at a TV meeting, and we got word that Randy, without calling Vince, had left and jumped to the WCW.”

“I had never seen Vince McMahon broken before, he was crushed. It hurt him big time and I don’t think he ever got over that. I think that’s the real problem to be honest with you. I heard all this other stuff that I think is garbage when it comes to Randy and relationships with daughters and all that stuff… I don’t think that’s anywhere’s close to the truth.”

Here’s a clip of Vince McMahon announcing Randy Savage’s departure from the WWE on Monday Night RAW back in 1994. Whatever transpired between Savage and McMahon behind the scenes, Vince gives him a classy sendoff:

To add further fuel to the widespread belief that Vince McMahon held Randy Savage in contempt during the wrestling legend’s final years, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper claimed Friday on Twitter that the multi-time world champion once slapped the WWE Chairman at a bar.

He wrote, “Randy slapped Vince in a bar…End of that story!!”

The WWE Hall of Famer was writing stories on Savage following his passing earlier in the day.

Former WWE talent Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, however, doesn’t believe that their alleged animosity is due to the bar incident in question. He wrote on Twitter in response to a fan bringing up the allegation: “I respectfully disagree with Roddy. Not that it didn’t happen, but it’s not where the heat came from.”

There is a long-standing internet rumor regarding an alleged incident between Savage and Stephanie McMahon that was said to have occurred several years ago, therefore explaining Vince’s animosity towards him. While the allegation has never been verified, Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer said on his podcast two years ago that ‘top people’ within WWE believed the rumor to be true, though not known for sure.

Outspoken celebrity blogger Perez Hilton posted an article on FitPerez.com concerning Chyna’s return to the squared circle.

“The Ninth Wonder of The World” debuted for TNA Wrestling at last Tuesday’s iMPACT! taping in Orlando, Florida. The former WWE Diva was revealed as Kurt Angle’s “mistress” and will be competing in a mixed tag team match with Kurt Angle against Jeff and Karen Jarrett at TNA Sacrifice this Sunday.

• Pictures Of CHYNA’s Debut For TNA Wrestling

According to Hilton, Vince McMahon was considering placing Chyna in the WWE Hall of Fame, but has since dismissed the idea due to her association with the rival promotion. Hilton adds McMahon is furious with her decision to join TNA.

TMZ.com reported last week that Chyna has not signed a contract with TNA Wrestling as she is currently working on a “handshake deal” with a “very, very short leash.”

Chyna is off to a good start so far as sources within TNA Wrestling say she exceeded expectations in regards to how she handled herself backstage at the event.

“Chyna was very well liked,” said one TNA source. Another source added, “She was great.” It was also noted that she has mellowed out.

Chyna made a second wrestling related appearance at last Saturday’s “Legends of the Ring” convention in Monroe, New Jersey. She appeared healthy and in good spirits.

— Vince McMahon noted during yesterday’s quarterly conference call that WWE will be introducing “new live event programs” in the “not too distant future” with their current television partners. He added it “won’t be too difficult” to find a home for their expanded programming line-up.

Regarding WWE Superstars and WWE NXT, management noted in two separate instances during the conference call they’re evaluating the future of where to air those shows.

— WWE Hall of Famer “Bullet” Bob Armstrong is advertised to host tomorrow night’s SmackDown live event at the Pensacola Civic Center in Pensacola, Florida. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat will host Sunday’s Raw live event at the BI-LO Center in Greenville, South Carolina.

— The pre-sale password for the July 26 SmackDown taping in Philadelphia is SDPHIL. It is ongoing at Evenue.net.

source: PWInsider.com

– Vince McMahon’s appearance on Monday’s RAW and the special video tribute that aired during The Rock’s birthday celebration were kept secret from The Rock.

– During today’s investor conference call to discuss first -quarter WWE earnings for 2011, Vince McMahon revealed that WWE will soon be unveiling two brand new “live event” TV programs “in the not too distant future”. McMahon also stated that finding a network for those shows “would not be a problem.”

– WWE is currently discussing a summer program between new WWE Champion John Cena and RAW newcomer Alberto Del Rio, with a match between the two stars planned for SummerSlam in Los Angeles.

– Matches booked for upcoming WWE RAW live events include John Cena vs. The Miz, Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio, R-Truth vs. John Morrison and CM Punk vs. Kofi Kingston.

– John Cena and The Rock will be using Twitter over the next 11 months to keep their feud heading into WrestleMania 28 next April.

– According to a WWE source, Sin Cara’s new merchandise is selling better than expected.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE Announces Revised Dividend Policy

Adjusts Quarterly Dividend to $0.12 per share

STAMFORD, Conn.– WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced a revised dividend policy to enhance the Company’s financial flexibility and support the “New WWE” initiative. Beginning in June of 2011, the Company’s quarterly dividend will be adjusted to $0.12 per share of common stock held by the Company’s Class A public shareholders. Members of the McMahon family will also receive dividends in the revised per share amount and, as a result, all Class A and Class B shares will receive dividends in the amount of $0.12 per share.

“Our Board of Directors has determined that an adjustment to the current dividend is both prudent and appropriate,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We believe this change strikes the right balance between returning capital to shareholders and investing in our future. We are confident that WWE is ideally positioned to create long term value for our shareholders.”

“The Company’s revised quarterly dividend was set based on targeted ranges for payout ratios and liquidity levels,” stated George Barrios, Chief Financial Officer. “Aligning payouts with our current level of earnings and cash flow will significantly enhance our financial flexibility, support our current growth initiatives, and enable us to take advantage of important strategic opportunities in a quickly changing media landscape, including executing on our ‘New WWE’ initiative.”

WWE’s management and Board remain committed to delivering value for the Company’s shareholders, and the revised dividend will continue to return significant cash to its investors. The revised quarterly payout of $0.12 per share provides a yield of 4.2% based on the April 28 stock price, representing an approximate 130% premium to the S&P 500. Further, the Board will continue to review the Company’s dividend policy on an ongoing basis, including the appropriateness of one-time returns of capital.

The new quarterly dividend rate will become effective with our June 2011 dividend payment. The record date for the dividend will be June 15, 2011, with a payment date of June 27, 2011.

— WWE’s key decisions regarding tonight’s Draft were not decided as of last night—namely, who the company will designate as the top babyface on SmackDown. Company officials have discussed moving The Undertaker to Raw to make up for a top babyface character being transferred to SmackDown.

The main hold-up is that Vince McMahon wants the premiere matches for SummerSlam decided imminently, which will decide where talent goes.

— Many within WWE feel that roster cuts will be made following the Draft. It is said that a number of wrestlers on the bubble are nervous.

— The Miami New Times is holding a contest for two tickets to next Monday’s Raw taping at the American Airlines Arena. They are asking fans to invent a wrestling move.

source: F4WOnline.com

As we’ve been reporting here on the site, the recent surprise retirement of Edge has left the SmackDown brand in dire need of a top baby face. This is one of the main factors that led Vince McMahon to move this year’s WWE Draft from June to this Monday night’s episode of RAW.

WWE officials have discussed moving Alberto Del Rio to Raw during next Monday’s WWE Draft as he is currently penciled to headline SummerSlam against John Cena. It has also been broached for Del Rio move to the brand as World Heavyweight Champion, with The Miz, as WWE Champion, heading to SmackDown.

With that being said, the identities of who gets moved are constantly changing.

The entire mid-card, with Cody Rhodes, The Nexus, The Corre, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre and R-Truth specifically cited, are also strong candidates to change brands during the Draft.

COMMENT BELOW: We want to know who YOU think should switch brands at Monday’s Draft! If you are not already a member of SEScoops.com, REGISTER NOW and comment below!

Former WWE creative team member John Piermarini stated in a blog post earlier this year that Vince McMahon believes John Morrison “can’t kick anyone’s ass in a real fight” and therefore won’t achieve the success many have pegged him for.

But that’s not the only criticism being levied towards “The Prince of Parkour” as the Pro Wrestling Torch reports that many people within WWE feel he comes off as if he’s performing in his matches, as opposed to fighting. This holds him back, as does his relationship with Melina and the belief that his promo ability is subpar.

Character aside, it’s been said that McMahon doesn’t respect Morrison as a man. Years ago, he allowed Melina to engage in a sexual relationship with former WWE star Batista while the two were dating. Morrison opted to be professional instead of confrontational and therefore lost brownie points with the WWE CEO.

Trish Stratus appeared on Sirius XM Radio’s Busted Open on Friday and politely buried Morrison by indicating that he wasn’t too smart in his decision making for their match at WrestleMania. She confirmed online reports that he wasn’t interested in listening to her suggestions for their bout, and that when she went to hug him during the post-match celebration, he cold-shouldered her. The feeling is that his unprofessional behavior will set himself back politically since Stratus is highly regarded amongst company personnel.

— WWE originally planned for Triple H to ride a Clydesdale horse to the ring for his match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVII. During a test run, the horse fell through the trap door on the WrestleMania stage, with Hunter riding it. The horse was spooked and went wild. Plans for the ring entrance were immediately scrapped.

— Shane McMahon was not on hand for last week’s WrestleMania festivities. Vince and Linda McMahon still see his children, and he still has a good relationship with Stephanie, but the belief is that he has no plans on ever returning to WWE.

The Pro Wrestling Torch speculates that Shane, who was at one point pegged as Vince’s successor, mainly parted ways with the organization last year because he has absolutely no interest in dealing with the corporate politics.

It was announced last August that McMahon had signed a deal to become the new CEO of China Broadband Inc., a provider of cable broadband services, as well as other digital and analog related services, in the Shandong Province of the People’s Republic of China. The company is based in Boulder, Colorado.

Last week, we reported that WWE was eradicating itself of the world “wrestling.” John Cena and Randy Orton are no longer wrestlers – they’re “superstars” and “sports entertainers.” Even the company’s name is getting an overhaul – dropping the phrase “World Wrestling Entertainment” in favor of simply “WWE.”

The Los Angeles Times has a feature article looking at the latest re-branding efforts of WWE, which includes many new details on the company’s strategy moving forward as well as comments from the chairman himself, Vince McMahon.

“I think every brand has to re-create itself,” McMahon said. “I want everyone to look at us in a vastly different way than they have.”

The article says McMahon plans to go on a spending spree to acquire media assets that could expand WWE’s business beyond the ring. In particular, WWE is targeting companies involved in production, live entertainment and branding.

“It is a logical broadening of what we already do,” McMahon said. “No one does television production better than we do, it’s damn near the Olympics. We know more about live event touring than anyone in the United States.”

With very little debt to speak of and almost $70 million cash on hand, WWE has deep pockets and the ability to make their vision of expansion a reality.

Aside from acquisitions in the production and live entertainment arenas, WWE is also moving ahead with its planned cable channel and has already met with distributors (including Verizon) in hopes of launching the WWE Network in 2012.

Analysts are mixed on whether WWE should expand outside of its core business, or whether it should be more conservative with its spending and focus on internal matters and improve areas of business that have been suffering in recent years.

Jay Kaplan, portfolio manager for Royce & Associates, which holds about 9% of WWE stock, was interviewed for the LA Times pice and said, “I think that the most important thing right now is the return of the health of the core business. One of the market’s big concerns is are they losing market share to real fighting.”

The article looks at the mixed results WWE has seen when branching out beyond the realm of pro wrestling – with the XFL and WWE New York ventures falling flat.

Some analysts wonder whether WWE wants to grow to position itself for an eventual sale. With Vince McMahon in his mid 60’s and his wife Linda gone from the company, the article speculates whether this planned expansion is taking place in anticipation of an eventual sale. Without mentioning that his daughter Stephanie and her husband Triple H are being groomed to be the next generation of WWE leadership, Vince shot down the idea of selling the company.

“We’re very independent-minded,” he said. “I don’t see that happening.”

Overall it’s a great read, head over to LATimes.com for more on WWE’s re-branding strategy.

We reported over the weekend that a script for WrestleMania had leaked out and we posted several exclusive details from the script – including the match order as well as which announcers would be calling which matches. Some of our exclusives turned out to be not entirely accurate – and details are coming out as to why.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was said to be “out of his mind” during WrestleMania weekend (more than usual) and made a number of last-minute changes to the WrestleMania card.

The last-minute changes didn’t end at WrestleMania – sources report that there was a massive last-minute re-write of RAW as well on Monday afternoon. Early in the day on Monday, the plan was for The Undertaker and Triple H to have a rematch at SummerSlam and for The Undertaker to wrestle John Cena at WrestleMania 28. Apparently The Rock’s decision to wrestle John Cena at WrestleMania 28 was made just hours before the news was announced on RAW.

While The Rock’s decision to wrestle at WrestleMania 28 was not finalized until Monday – many in the company were under the impression that next year’s WrestleMania from Miami would be built around The Rock, even if he didn’t commit to wrestle. There has been talk of The Rock being inducted into the Hall of Fame next year – no word on whether those plans have been changed now that he’ll actually be wrestling in the main event.

(Source: f4wonline.com)

— A meeting was held yesterday where it was agreed that the organization would no longer be referred as World Wrestling Entertainment due to Vince McMahon’s decree to eliminate the term wrestling from the product. The company will be solely branded as WWE. Multiple sources indicate the meeting ended with this directive.

— Attempting to capitalize on American Idol contestant James Durbin’s noted wrestling fandom, World Wrestling Entertainment sent him a custom made spinner WWE “Spinner” belt. It was displayed on last night’s show with the name “Crazy James” engraved.

— Triple H attended the Georgia state legislature’s WrestleMania Proclamation yesterday with wife Stephanie McMahon.

source: F4WOnline.com

— Brock Lesnar appeared on ESPN’s Sportscenter this morning to promote the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter and was asked by anchor Hannah Storm about the possibility of returning to World Wrestling Entertainment.

“I should never say never,” Lesnar responded. “When my stint in the UFC is over, it’s a possibility. But folks, it ain’t happening very soon. That’s for sure.”

— The Boys & Girls Club of Stamford, Connecticut has received a $300,000 pledge from the Vince and Linda McMahon Family Foundation. The foundation will donate $100,000 per year over the next three years. (Article link)

— The March 26 episode of A.M. Raw on the USA Network drew a 0.5 cable rating, with 572,000 viewers.

— Abyss is backstage at tonight’s iMPACT! taping in Orlando, Florida. He has not appeared for TNA since the January 20 episode of iMPACT! due to a storyline injury.

— Last night on Twitter, Bret Hart gave his take on the difference between TNA Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment.

He wrote, “The main difference between TNA and WWE is the same as the difference between WCW and WWE: Vince McMahon.”

— TNA Wrestling producer Al Snow and Necro Butcher are advertised for the MCW event on March 19 in Alliance, Ohio. For more information on the show, visit MCWpro.com.

source: PWInsider.com

— Shelton Benjamin worked a dark match prior to this week’s SmackDown taping in Houston, Texas, beating SmackDown Superstar Curt Hawkins. The feeling is that based on how well he performed and the solid reaction he received from the hometown crowd, he will receive an offer to return to the organization after WrestleMania XXVII.

Follow the match, Benjamin said on Twitter that he ‘may or may not be returning to WWE’.

— A joke going around WWE regarding Vince McMahon’s doctrine that The Undertaker’s match with Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven never happened, is that the SmackDown star’s undefeated streak should be 17-0.

— According to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE developmental wrestler Su Yung (a/k/a Sonia) is among the cast of Tough Enough. However, her profile remains on the official website Florida Championship Wrestling, which would indicate that she is not. Former WWE developmental talent Christina Crawford (a/k/a Caylee Turner) and Andy Leavine (a/k/a Kevin Hackman) are contestants on the show and their respective profiles were removed from the site last month.

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

– Chris Jericho will be appearing on TBS’ The George Lopez show later tonight.

– Florida Championship Wrestling referee Tony Smith tweeted this week that he’s been called up to WWE’s main roster and will be starting on the road this weekend.

– WWE Chairman Vince McMahon spoke with The Miami Herald to promote WrestleMania 2012 coming to Miami and was asked to describe the WrestleMania experience:

“You can liken it somewhat to the Super Bowl, I suppose, but the other aspect of it is it’s a hybrid of all forms of sport entertainment rolled into one. There’s nothing like WrestleMania. It’s like the Super Bowl combined with a Broadway play. Maybe throw in a little demolition derby along with maybe Disney On Ice. It’s a combination of so many things, and you’ve never seen anything like WrestleMania before. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. To be there, to see it, to feel it, to experience it, and you have to really see it to believe it.”

— There is talk within WWE that the anonymous RAW General Manager will be revealed to be Vince McMahon, leading to a showdown with The Rock at WrestleMania.

— As you can imagine, The Rock’s surprise appearance on RAW and the news that he’ll be hosting WrestleMania 27 in April has gotten a ton of mainstream media attention. People Magazine, Fox News, The Washington Post are among the publications to cover the story.

— WWE Diva Alicia Fox was interviewed by the Miami Herald last week as part of WWE’s media push to promote next year’s WrestleMania, which takes place from Miami. You can read that interview by clicking here.

— Joanie “Chyna” Laurer will be profiled in next week’s issue of the National Enquirer tabloid magazine. The former WWE Diva was interviewed for the piece and talked about a number of candid topics, including her struggle with drug addiction and what it took for her to finally get off drugs. According to her, it was a matter of life and death. “I didn’t want to die and when I was in the hospital the last time I knew the reality was if something didn’t change I would [die]”, she said.

(Partial Sources: pwtorch.com, pwinsider.com)