MAjor Annoucement on RAW tonight!

WWE.com has disclosed that Alberto Del Rio will announce tonight on RAW which World Championship he will challenge for at WrestleMania XXVII.

He will choose either WWE Champion The Miz or World Heavyweight Champion Edge after winning last night’s 40-Man Royal Rumble Match.

Of course, it looks like Edge after last night but things can change.

Royal Rumble News: 2 talents removed, Kong's debut

– WWE Superstars Superstars Darren Young, David Hart Smith and Primo were advertised on WWE.com for last night’s 40-Man Royal Rumble Match but ultimately excluded. All three were not backstage at the Rumble as they were informed last week that they had been taken off the show. Smith, however, is in Providence for tonight’s RAW.

– Awesome Kong was backstage at last night’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in Boston. She teased appearing at the event yesterday on Twitter, but did not appear on camera.

Kevin Nash tweets on WWE Royal Rumble return!

Kevin Nash posted the following on his Twitter, about last night’s Rumble appearance…

“Absolutely the best night of my wrestling career. It’s so nice to be back in WWE family. Thanks Boston for making me feel so special.”

Royal Rumble, Diesel, and Kevin Nash were all trending Worldwide on Twitter last night.
Also, Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio were trending in Mexico.

Royal Rumble Stats: Eliminations, Time in the ring, More!

Check out these stats from last night’s Royal Rumble, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com...

Time in the Rumble Match
CM Punk (35:22) *Ironman*
John Cena (33:18)
Wade Barrett (22:24)
WWE IC Champion Kofi Kingston (21:05)
WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan (20:56)
Rey Mysterio Jr. (19:08)
Sheamus (18:18)
Husky Harris (15:59)
Michael McGillicutty (15:07)
John Morrison (13:22)
WWE Tag Team Champion Santino Marella (12:55)
Alberto Del Rio (12:33) *Winner*
Ted Dibiase Jr. (12:16)
David Otunga (11:57)
Hornswoggle (9:39)
Randy Orton (8:20)
Ezekiel Jackson (7:14)
Mark Henry (7:03)
Yoshi Tatsu (5:35)
Dolph Ziggler (5:02)
Jack Swagger (4:51)
Drew McIntyre (4:46)
Mason Ryan (4:30)
William Regal (4:10)
The Big Show (3:31)
Alex Riley (3:16)
Diesel (2:44)
Chavo Guerrero Jr. (2:01)
Chris Masters (1:57)
Kane (1:36)
JTG (1:48)
The Great Khali (1:16)
Booker T (1:08)
Justin Gabriel (0:58)
Heath Slater (0:57)
Tyson Kidd (0:52)
Zack Ryder (0:43)
WWE Tag Team Champion Vladimir Kozlov (0:40)
Tyler Reks (0:34)
R-Truth (0:30)
Eliminations (assists are included)
CM Punk (7) *tie*
John Cena (7) *tie*
Michael McGillicutty (4)
Randy Orton (3)
Husky Harris (3)
Daniel Bryan (2)
Mark Henry (2)
Rey Mysterio Jr. (2)
Wade Barrett (2)
Alberto Del Rio (2)
Mason Ryan (2)
The Big Show (2)
David Otunga (2)
Ted Dibiase Jr. (1)
The Great Khali (1)
Sheamus (1)
Kofi Kingston (1)
Ezekiel Jackson (1)
Kane (1)
Miz (1) *not an entrant

Royal Rumble is live now!

Go here to watch it: http://mbw-tv.forumotion.net/Stream-1-h1.htm

The video is also available in the "Watch WWE PPV Streams!" page. For some reason I couldn't place the video, so you can go to this link and it will automatically show up.


Update: I placed a video stream on the page above, I know the quality isn't so great but its working with little to no lag. Thank you, and be sure to donate to WWE Unveiled! for more PPVs and better quality!

Booker T arrives in Boston, MA (Picture Included!)

Partial Source: Pwinsider

– “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan is expected to appear at tonight’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view as he is in town for an autograph signing with fellow former WWE talent Carlito.

– Multi-time champion Booker T has arrived to Boston, Massachusetts for tonight’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. He is expected to participate in tonight’s 40-Man Royal Rumble Match. You can click here to see a photo of Booker T’s arrival.

News on the Royal Rumble stream that will be posted

Ok so first off I would like to say thanks to every person who visited my blog and read my wrestling news, I greatly appreciate it. It's you guys that keep this blog up and running, so thanks for your support.

As for the ppv stream, I will try my best to post it here on my blog live at 8pm est. If there is a problem with it (hopefully there won't be any problems), I will be posting the replays of the ppv during the show for every 20 minutes. The stream will be posted under the "Watch WWE PPV Streams!" page, it is located in the top right hand corner.

Make sure to tell your friends and family to watch it here on WWE Unveiled!, thank you and see you tonight!

Triple H's return repeatedly delayed!

The latest issue of Power Slam reports that Triple H’s return to WWE programming has been postponed on multiple occasions dating back to October.

According to WWE creative team sources, his return was originally scheduled for the Bragging Rights pay-per-view on Oct. 24. It was postponed to shortly before the Survivor Series, and again to the pay-per-view itself. He was then scheduled to return at the King of the Ring edition of Monday Night RAW on Nov. 29, then the week after that. He was also tentatively scheduled for the first Raw of 2011.
The magazine adds that there has been talk of him returning at tonight’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Side Note: He is got to return anytime soon and I think it will be a great return for tonight's ppv.

Kevin Nash arrived to Boston, Pictures Included!

Kevin Nash was spotted today at Boston Logan International Airport, which is within the vicinity of tomorrow night’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. He was seen sporting dark brown hair.
Nash, as well as Booker T, are scheduled to appear as surprise entrants for tomorrow night’s 40-Man Royal Rumble Match.

You can click here to view 24 photos of Kevin Nash’s arrival in Boston, MA earlier this evening with brown hair.

Update: The 2011 WWE Royal Rumble name list

Here’s the most recent list of confirmed participants for this Sunday’s Royal Rumble match. 34 participants have been named, leaving six spots open heading into the PPV.

“Dashing” Cody Rhodes has been removed from the match after last night’s SmackDown!.

Alberto Del Rio
Big Show
Chris Masters
CM Punk
Daniel Bryan
Darren Young
David Hart Smith
David Otunga
Drew McIntyre
Ezekiel Jackson
Heath Slater
Husky Harris
Jack Swagger
John Cena
John Morrison
JTG
Justin Gabriel
Kane
Kofi Kingston
Mark Henry
Mason Ryan
Michael McGillicutty
Primo
R Truth
Rey Mysterio
Santino Marella
Sheamus
Ted DiBiase
Tyson Kidd
Vladimir Kozlov
Wade Barrett
William Regal
Yoshi Tatsu
Zack Ryder

WWE Diva wants to compete in The Royal Rumble

Beth Phoenix revealed to SLAM! Wrestling that she wants another Royal Rumble opportunity. “The Glamazon” took part in last year’s showcase, kissing and then eliminating The Great Khali.

“There’s 10 more spots, and that means 10 more chances to go an compete in the Royal Rumble, and go and compete, to wrestle for the World heavyweight championship at WrestleMania,” she said. “I think that the odds are a little bit better this year to get another opportunity, but like all the superstars, we don’t find out until the very last minute. So, there’s always a chance. That’s the great thing about watching it on pay-per-view is that you never know what you’re going to see.”

To read the article, go to http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/

HUGE UPDATE! 2 Royal Rumble suprises!

Source: Pwinsider.com

- Booker T and Kevin Nash are both booked for tomorrow’s Royal Rumble as surprise entrants. Booker T had been rumored to appear since canceling his scheduled appearance at the New Orleans Comic Con this weekend.

- As far as Kevin Nash goes, he had been negotiating with TNA as late as yesterday about a return, but is scheduled to fly into Boston later today. Nash admitted last week that he was in talks with TNA again and TNA sources confirmed those statements. TNA sources had also confirmed that they ended their discussions with Nash recently and Nash had finally been removed from the TNA website. The deal with WWE was finalized within the last 24-48 hours.

6 open Royal Rumble spots remain

– Big Show, Chris Masters, JTG, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov have been added to tomorrow night’s 40-Man Royal Rumble Match. Cody Rhodes has been removed from the list of Rumble entrants, leaving 34 men advertised. The full list of talents in the Rumble is posted on the main website.

Major Royal Rumble surprises!

– Two ‘legends’ are reportedly scheduled for Sunday’s 40-Man Royal Rumble Match. Another wrestler that would be considered a surprise is also set to appear. You can likely guess who that person is as he’s been expected to return for quite some time now.

– There is also a rumor floating around that Awesome Kong will make her WWE debut at the Royal Rumble during the Natalya-LayCool Divas title match. This is NOT confirmed by any means just yet. More as we get it.

Brock Lesnar "doesn't care for" The Undertaker

Brock Lesnar took part in a media blitz on Tuesday to promote the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.

Regarding WWE and The Undertaker, Lesnar said: “The other fellas that wanted to come, like Stone Cold and The Rock, and Goldberg, those guys had all said, ‘I’m coming to watch you, good luck.’”, Lesnar said. “This guy (Undertaker) shows up every time I seem to lose (laughs) so he’s like my black cloud. And we’ve got some history. I’ve worked with him, but I don’t really care for him.”

The Rock and Trish Stratus in 2012 WWE HOF?

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

– While numerous seats remain available for WrestleMania XXVII, WWE officials are reportedly pleased with ticket sales thus far. Tickets for the Hall of Fame ceremony have been selling especially well, with only balcony seats remaining as of early this week.

– WWE officials are already contemplating candidates for induction into next year’s Hall of Fame class. The primary names being discussed are Trish Stratus, given that it will likely take place in her hometown of Toronto, and The Rock.
The idea with Rock is it would be mark ten years after his memorable WrestleMania match with Hulk Hogan, which took place in Toronto.

The planned WrestleMania 27 main event!

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

According to a person who spoke directly to Vince McMahon this past week, Wade Barrett vs. The Undertaker is currently penciled in as the main event for WrestleMania XXVII.
Barring a setback in recovery, it’s now considered a lock that The Undertaker will work WrestleMania since WWE announced him for AXXESS, which takes place the day before the pay-per-view event.

SD! photos leaked online!

The US Bank Arena has posted pictures from last night’s SmackDown! taping. You can click here to view them.

Skip Sheffield's return update

WWE officials are hopeful that Skip Sheffield will be healthy enough to return to action by the post-WrestleMania television tapings. He has been sidelined since August due to a compound fracture of his ankle. As of this writing, they’ve got big plans for him but as always things can change in the blink of an eye.

Sheamus' former job!

The Star-Ledger has a story on Sheamus’ prior employment as the bodyguard of U2 front man Bono. The U2 bandmates would frequent the Lily’s Bordello pub in Dublin, Ireland, where the future WWE star worked. “He came in all the time. It was his favorite spot when he got off tour because he wouldn’t get hassled,” Sheamus recalls. “He was a really cool guy, and took time to say hello to everybody.” You can check it out at http://www.nj.com/

Triple H's WWE Creative powers + The Royal Rumble card

– Triple H was interviewed by Heavy Muscle Radio this morning. In the interview, he noted that he has almost nothing to do with the creative end of the company right now. He said that he is in the office most of the time learning the other aspects of the business and that he is not in writers’ meetings during the week. He then went onto mention that he has run TV shows but is involved minimally with creative at this time. He does attend the TV tapings and also said that he is more of a special attraction wrestler right now rather than a full time guy, but also that he is there if they need him.

– Here is the current updated WWE Royal Rumble card for this Sunday:

* WWE Divas Title Match: Natalya © vs. Michelel McCool and Layla
* World Title Match: Edge © vs. Dolph Ziggler
* WWE Title Match: The Miz © vs. Randy Orton
* The 40 Man Royal Rumble: (Confirmed Participants Below)

Alberto Del Rio
CM Punk
“Dashing” Cody Rhodes
Daniel Bryan
Darren Young
David Hart Smith
David Otunga
Drew McIntyre
Ezekiel Jackson
Heath Slater
Husky Harris
Jack Swagger
John Cena
John Morrison
Justin Gabriel
Mark Henry
Mason Ryan
Michael McGillicutty
Primo
R-Truth
Rey Mysterio
Sheamus
Ted DiBiase
Tyson Kidd
Wade Barrett
William Regal
Yoshi Tatsu
Zack Ryder

WWE roster cuts soon + WWE Creative plans leaked

– Former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas appeared on the Right After Wrestling show recently and talked about the 40-man WWE Royal Rumble this year. Korderas speculated that WWE usually does a battle royal at WrestleMania to give wrestlers a better payday (pay-per-view bonuses). He says that payday may be coming early for some before they are eventually let go. The company almost always does a ‘spring cleaning’ following WrestleMania where numerous WWE talents are released from the company. The recent stock earnings estimates are also not a good sign.
– Husky Harris & Michael McGillicutty are expected to receive another shot at the WWE tag-team titles in the near future. It could happen at the Royal Rumble or on RAW next week.

– WWE’s current creative plans call for The Corre-New Nexus feud to continue on well past WrestleMania.

Ric Flair airplane incident!

Source: Pwinsider.com

According to a source, several sources in TNA have confirmed that Ric Flair missed the TNA event in Germany due to, “Flair refusing to get on the plane to Germany”. Those sources have also stated that the reason he did not get on the plane was due to a blow up with a member of TNA management in Dublin, Ireland.

The source went on to say the following…
“He threw a fit. He was playing ‘Nature Boy’ on the tour and got pissed off and threw a tantrum. As far as we all know, he’s in Dublin still. He said he wasn’t coming and he wasn’t in Berlin.”
This is not the first time Flair has been said to have an outburst since signing with TNA, but most of these incidents were after events, and didn’t cause a change to scheduled cards. Flair was not advertised to wrestle in Berlin, but he is advertised for the Glasgow, Scotland show on the 27th. For that event, he is scheduled to team with Kazarian against Douglas Williams and Matt Morgan.
When reached for comment, TNA’s head of publicity, Steven Godfrey stated the following…
“TNA does not comment on personnel matters.”

Developing story, more as we get it.

Ex-WWE Writer: McCool's position & relationship w/ 'Taker

Many have attributed Michelle McCool’s high-ranking status in World Wrestling Entertainment to her real-life relationship with The Undertaker. The two, who are now married, became a couple in late 2007 and she has been arguably the most spotlighted — and criticized — female competitor in the organization ever since. McCool herself is well aware of her critics as she frequently brushes them off on her Twitter account.

John Piermarini, a former writer with WWE, recently started a blog (http://www.wrestlingrecall.blogspot.com/) recalling numerous behind the scenes stories which occurred during his two year stint with the organization. He reveals that he was the exclusive writer of Lay-Cool and adamantly denies McCool receiving preferential treatment due to her relationship with The Undertaker.
Piermarini wrote, “Vince McMahon appointed me the exclusive writer for LayCool. Not because she got that special privilege but because we asked for it. Let me take this time to say Michelle McCool gets zero favors because she is married to Undertaker. Michelle McCool accomplished everything she got because she was the best.

“If you need to blame someone you need to blame me because I was the one who would push hard for anything Michelle got on TV. Michelle could wrestle and Michelle could talk, a lot of MALE Superstars can’t do that and Michelle would have been successful with or without Undertaker. There were a lot of people who wanted to see Michelle fail and she fought that the entire time I was there.”

McMahon high on Sheffield, Nexus plans rejected and Usos note

John Piermarini, a recent former writer with WWE, recently started a blog (http://www.wrestlingrecall.blogspot.com/) recalling numerous behind the scenes stories that occurred during his two year stint with the organization. Highlights include:

* Piermarini says the original concept of the Uso brothers was to present them as the opposite of the stereotypical Samoan wrestler—educated, intelligent and wear boots. “Usos would essentially have been the Russell Simmons of the WWE. That preppy hip-hop style,” he says. Piermarini attributes their lackluster push in the organization to Vince McMahon not understanding hip-hop culture, and thus couldn’t comprehend the appeal of the brothers Uso. He also says they fell victim to bad timing due to The Nexus debuting shortly after them.

* Vince McMahon views Skip Sheffield as a potential number two babyface, behind John Cena. He remains sidelined after suffering a compound fracture of his ankle in August. Expect a major push when he returns but as always, things can change. Sheffield has always reminded me and others within WWE as a young ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. He’s definitely got mic skills as well.

* Piermarini says he originally proposed that Mason Ryan fill Sheffield’s powerhouse role in The Nexus shortly after “The Cornfed Meathead” fractured his ankle. Vince McMahon, however, rejected the idea at the time.

Royal Rumble update - 40-man rumble not liked!

Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett (The Corre) have been announced for the 40-Man Royal Rumble Match. This brings the confirmed count to 25 WWE Superstars, 18 from RAW and 7 from SmackDown!.

One WWE source feels the Royal Rumble match expanding from 30 to 40 men is not a good idea. “When you have 30 guys who are not over and you add ten more guys, it isn’t special,” the source said. “It’s like adding vanilla to vanilla.”

Updated card for Royal Rumble:
- WWE Title Match: The Miz (c) vs. Randy Orton
- World Title Match: Edge (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
- 40-Man Royal Rumble Match – Winner gets a main event title match at WrestleMania:
John Cena
CM Punk
David Otunga
Husky Harris
Michael McGillicutty
Sheamus
Daniel Bryan
John Morrison
Ted DiBiase
Mark Henry
Alberto Del Rio
Cody Rhodes
Darren Young
David Hart Smith
Primo
R-Truth
Rey Mysterio
Tyson Kidd
William Regal
Yoshi Tatsu
Zack Ryder
Ezekiel Jackson
Heath Slater
Justin Gabriel
Wade Barrett

Update: Khali speaks on shooting incident

TMZ.com has picked up the story with The Great Khali issuing a statement to them today. He “claims” that he was not there… “I am deeply saddened to hear of this incident and am disappointed it has been incorrectly reported that I was involved. I had left my friend’s house a half an hour before the reported shooting took place and did not have any bodyguards with me. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people who were injured.”

The security over there is different than the security in U.S. or Europe. The fans will mob him wherever he goes and turns out to be a dangerous situation for him.

Batista to return to WWE?, Triple H news

– More than one person within WWE feels its only a matter of time before Batista returns to the organization. He’s currently in Thailand filming The Man with the Iron Fist with mixed martial artist Cung Le, his highest profile acting role to date. Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu also star in the movie.

– Triple H was interviewed for VH1′s Rock Docs episode on Lemmy of Motörhead. The episode premieres Friday, February 11.

WWE Stock Falls - talents are worried

World Wrestling Entertainment issued a press release Friday announcing lower-than-expected earnings when the organization releases fourth-quarter financial results on Feb. 10.

The company anticipates its earnings per share for the three months ended Dec. 31 will range from 8 cents to 10 cents. Analysts were estimating earnings of 17 cents a share. That’s a huge drop obviously.
Shares in WWE stock slid $1.13 (8.4 percent), to $12.37 in aftermarket trading after falling 33 cents (2.4 percent) to $13.50 during the regular trading day. Again, that is a major drop.
The news has been picked up by The Associated Press, as well as the WallStreet Journal and TheStreet.com.

Some mid-card wrestlers are already wondering if a talent purge will soon take place since company officials told all of those that were released in November that they were let go due to budget cuts.
WWE dropped 35 main roster talents and 19 developmental talents over the course of 2010, marking the fifth consecutive year in which over 50 talent departures occurred within a calendar year.

The Great Khali involved in shooting incident!

There was an incident yesterday in India involving The Great Khali’s bodyguard shooting into a crowd as Khali was arriving at the home of a Deputy Speaker of the Punjab State Assembly. Khali had been invited to show up and was “besieged” by fans looking for autographs.

Reports say that Khali’s bodyguard was “hostile” to the fans and started to shove at the crowd and physically attacked a boy. When others tried to intercede, the bodyguard pulled a gun and shot into the crowd.

Khali reportedly fled the scene, and there were said to be three “serious” injuries stemming from the incident.

UPDATE: The Times of India is reporting that only one person, not three, was reported injured in the shooting incident involving former WWE World champion The Great Khali yesterday. The crowd was said to be about 40 people, and Khali was accompanied by 15-bodyguards who reportedly fired nearly 40 bullets to scare away the crowd. The incident occurred near the house of Punjab Vidhan Sabha deputy speaker Sat Pal Gosain at 11.30 pm on Friday night, when Khali was leaving his host’s house after dinner. Gosain said the crowd of fans went berserk when the wrestler was about to leave as they had been waiting their turn to get pictures clicked with him. ”Some distance away from our house his vehicle was stopped by some miscreants and one of them tried to snatch the weapon of one of the wrestler’s guards, forcing the others to open fire to control the situation. One of the miscreants was injured.” The bullet hit the injured, identified as gurpreet singh alias shanty of mohar singh nagar, in his shoulder. A case under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 34 (common intention) IPC and Arms Act has been registered at division No 2 police station. ”We have registered the case on the complaint of Gauravjeet Singh alias Gora against the unidentified gunmen,” said Surinder Mohan, station house officer division number 2, police station. However, the complainant said, ”I am being threatened ever since I filed the complaint and am being pressurized to go in for a compromise.”

*Spoilers!* WWE SD! Results!

SmackDown! SPOILERS for Friday, January 21

Barrett names the group The Core. They even have a new video put together. Big Zeke talks, then Heath Slater, then Justin Gabriel. Theodore Long comes out and interrupts to lay down the law.

Del Rio comes out & tells the Core he’s going to win the Royal Rumble. He’s facing R-Truth.

(1) Alberto Del Rio beat R-Truth via submission. During the match, the Jumbotron cuts to Teddy Long unconscious in the back with Michael Tarver, Vickie Guerrero, and Dolph Ziggler checking on him. R-Truth dominates most of the match. They cut to the Jumbotron and Long is being wheeled out on a stretcher. The match evens out. Truth back in control and Del Rio’s announcer gets involved again. Del Rio takes advantage catching Truth’s arms in the ropes to apply his finishing submission move. Truth taps.

(2) Beth Phoenix beat Layla. Phoenix dominated and won with the Glam Slam.

Vickie goes into her office to see the Core waiting on her. She then announces that one of the Core will face Edge tonight.

(3) Rey Mysterio beat Cody Rhodes. High-flying back & forth match. Mysterio hits the 619 and wins. Rhodes receives medical attention with a “bloody nose.”

The Miz & Alex Riley interrupt an update on Teddy Long. Awesome.

Next match is an exhibition with actual wrestling between Kofi Kingston and Jack Swagger.

(4) Jack Swagger beat IC champion Kofi Kingston 10-6 in an amateur wrestling match. Swagger wins, then attacks Kofi, but Kofi hits Swagger with Trouble in Paradise.

(5) Drew McIntyre beat Trent Barreta. Drew dominates and wins. After winning, he tries to shake Barreta’s hand to bury the hatchet, but Barreta hits McIntyre, infuriating him. When McIntyre is about to hit his finisher on Barreta, Kelly Kelly came out to save Barreta.

WWE champion The Miz comes out talking about Raw when he attacked Randy Orton. He’s interrupted by Edge to build heat for the champion vs. champion match on Monday.

(6) Justin Gabriel beat World Heavyweight Champion Edge in a non-title match. Dolph Ziggler is special guest commentator. Gabriel wins with some interference from the Core, then they pummel Edge. Smackdown ends with Ziggler standing with one foot on top of Edge.

The reason Triple H hasn't returned yet!

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

There’s nothing medically preventing Triple H from returning to the ring at this point as he is fully healed from surgery on his torn bicep muscle. Rather, his return is being strategically planned so that it makes the most impact (Royal Rumble/WrestleMania). Is anyone surprised by that?! Don’t be. He is advertised to face King Sheamus in a New York City Streetfight at WWE’s Mar. 19 RAW live event at Madison Square Garden.

WWE talents tweet on Mason Ryan

– Goldust tweeted the following regarding his injury: “The injury is healing….but this kind of injury takes time to heal…my shoulder was destroyed bad.”

– Chris Jericho tweeted the following last night in regards to Mason Ryan’s WWE debut: “Interesting to see the debut of Batistwo tonight on Raw…” Others who tweeted include FCW star Ken Li: “Big congrats to Mason Ryan!! Good seeing him on Raw!!”, Tyler Reks: “Big Barry, torture rack, break your back” and Zack Ryder: “What? Steve Blackman joined the Nexus tonight?”

Wade Barrett's group officially named!

Wade Barrett’s four-man faction including Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater was officially dubbed “The Core” at tonight’s SmackDown! taping in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Updated list of Royal Rumble competitors - 21 names!

Here is the updated list of competitors for the Royal Rumble…

* Alberto Del Rio
* C.M. Punk
* Cody Rhodes
* Daniel Bryan
* Darren Young
* David Hart Smith
* David Otunga
* Husky Harris
* John Cena
* John Morrison
* Mark Henry
* Michael McGillicutty
* Primo
* R-Truth
* Rey Mysterio
* King Sheamus
* Ted DiBiase
* Tyson Kidd
* William Regal
* Yoshi Tatsu
* Zack Ryder

CM Punk assaulted by a fan during a live event!

CM Punk was attacked by a fan during a WWE RAW house show in Shreveport, LA last night. During a match with Mark Henry, Punk was outside the ring taunting fans when a young fan reached out and struck him.

Punk then grabbed the fan, which led to others trying to get involved including the parents. Several fans were tossed out of the show. There are conflicting reports about how old the fan was – a teenager or younger.

After the match, Punk had to be checked out for a possible eye injury as officials were worried he scratched his cornea.

I'm assuming he is fine because he obviously showed up on RAW.

MVP heading to Japan

MVP has announced he’ll join NEW in Japan soon.

He tweeted, “Taking my services to Japan. I’ve always been a fan of Japanese puroresu! So this is yet another dream being fulfilled. I asked 4 my release so that I could go 2 Japan.”

Today, MVP will be facing Matt Hardy in the main event of the Northeast Wrestling (NEW) promotion’s Wrestlefest 15 card at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Another match scheduled for the NEW show is Jerry Lawler vs. Tommy Dreamer in a steel cage match. Also advertised are Sgt. Slaughter, Carlito and Sabu and a TLC match.

Triple H & Evan Bourne's returns + Nexus news!

As noted Thursday here on the website, both Evan Bourne and Triple H are being advertised for the March 19th RAW live event from Madison Square Garden. Bourne is still out after having shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. Triple H is expected to be back at or shortly after the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater are expected to be a part of SD! on a weekly basis. The duo joined Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson to form a “new” Nexus group. It’s possible we’ll see the two groups feud.

*Spoilers!* Rumored 2011 WWE HOF Names!

Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, Ron Simmons, Dean Malenko, Madusa and The Honky Tonk Man have all been talked about for this year’s WWE Hall of Fame in Atlanta, GA. It should be noted that HTM turned down a HOF offer last year because he had a prior commitment that paid better according to him.

According to another source, Vince McMahon wants to induct former WCW rival Ted Turner but many feel Turner won’t accept the offer.

WWE officials are also planning to make a push for Sting to join the WWE Hall of Fame but many expect him to sign with TNA for another year.

Goldberg’s name has also come up for a HOF induction and possible WrestleMania match but talks have failed thus far.

More as we get it.

Gregory Helms speaks harsh words on HBK - Y2J makes the save!

As many of you know, Gregory ‘The Hurricane’ Helms called out Shawn Michaels via Twitter last month. Helms called Michaels a drug addict as well as one of the biggest hypocrites in the history of pro wrestling. Helms posted more tweets after it was announced that Shawn would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

“The HOF is great but I take more pride & comfort in the fact that I’ve never “screwjobbed” ANYONE in life or the biz! $$$ isn’t everything”, Helms said.

Chris Jericho then chimed in a response to this with the following: “BS! Flair did more & got more people over.”

Helms then commented with the following gems:

“If u got something to say, say it public. Enough ass-kissing. He wasn’t the greatest when he was cussing u out in catering.”

“Flair got over people that absolutely SUCKED!! Shawn hadn’t gotten over anyone but himself in the last decade!!”

“I’m sorry being honest comes off bad on Twitter, I’m not hating, I’m stating FACTS!! Facts that I would swear by on my life.”

“And wearing a cross doesn’t make u right. Hitler wore one too! Don’t be FOOLED by a TV persona!! I’m always honest. NO ONE can accuse me.”

*Spoilers!* WWE SD! results for Friday 1/14/11

- Kofi Kingston b Jack Swagger

- Rey Mysterio & R-Truth b Alberto Del Rio & Cody Rhodes

- Trent Baretta b Drew McIntyre

- Big Show b Wade Barrett via DQ for interference from Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater. Ezekiel Jackson teased making the save, but joined the beatdown. Everyone did their finishers on Show. This segment got over great.

- Beth Phoenix b Michelle McCool

- Cutting Edge with Dolph Ziggler. Basically Edge talked about his own history with Vickie and Ziggler is there to get back at him. Edge then showed a clip of Ziggler and Kaitlyn making out and Ziggler attacked Edge. Edge therw Ziggler out of the ring. Vickie slapped Edge in the face. Edge set up to spear Vickie, but Ziggler jumped in and hit the zig zag on Edge on the steps. Show ended with Vickie and Ziggler kissing.

John Cena supposedly fined!

John Cena made the following comments on Twitter, regarding his language last night on RAW… CeNation. Lots of posts about my language last night on raw. I do apologize. It was out of line and I was indeed fined. If I have offended anyone it was not my intention. I was very frustrated about being hurt and not able to compete. I lost my cool. I am sorry. Next time I will use something more creative like “whoop yer crap locker!” Or “whoop yer dump box!” :) The ‘fine’ is likely ‘storyline’ as that would be highly unlikey.

Madison Rayne Comments: Kong to WWE, State of Knockouts

Reigning TNA Knockouts Women’s Champion Madison Rayne spoke to Brian Fritz of Fanhouse.com about how she she got interested in pro wrestling, playing a bad girl on television, the state of the Knockouts division, Awesome Kong joining World Wrestling Entertainment, and more.

Rayne was asked to give her thoughts on the state of the Knockouts division, with the interviewer noting that it was extremely successful ‘and then it seemed to go through a bit of a lull.’

She replied, “Yeah, there’s been some ups and downs with the changing faces in the division but I never saw what other people did when they said it was lacking and that there was a shortage of talent or whatever it was they were using to describe the time there when we had a couple of people leaving and a couple new people coming in.

“I’ve always thought that the Knockouts division had a lot of potential and a lot of incredible talent more so now than ever I think. There’s a lot of new faces and a lot of people that the fans are familiar with but haven’t necessarily seen interact with other girls. So, wrestling fans are getting faces and new storylines to follow and new people to see in the ring together. It’s exciting for all of us and I think it’s equally exciting for everyone watching.”

She also commented on the ratings the division draws, as Knockouts bouts frequently garner the highest-rated segments on iMPACT!.

“It feels good because I know how hard we all work and that we bust our butts and we all put 100 percent into every week, every match, every segment, everything we do,” she said. “So, it’s good to know that all our hard work pays off every week.”

Rayne also talked about former TNA Women’s Knockout Champion Awesome Kong reportedly signing with WWE.

“I think she deserves any and every good opportunity that comes her way. So, whether it be here or with another company or doing something that’s not even affiliated with wrestling at all. I think whatever makes Kong happy, I’m happy for because she is a good person, got a big heart and she deserves any opportunity that she gets.”

The interview can be read at http://www.fanhouse.com/

Reason why WWEUniverse.com closed down

Joey Styles revealed Saturday on Twitter why World Wrestling Entertainment shut down its social networking site, WWEUniverse.com: “We closed wweuniverse.com b/c facebook.com/wwe grew so incredibly large so incredibly quickly.”

The other reason why WWE’s answer to MySpace was shut down was because it was expensive to run, both in hosting costs and in man hours needed to monitor the site.

Teenager speaks on the WWE: Triple H & The Rock lawsuit

Ronnie Basham, the Kentucky teenager who filed a lawsuit Thursday against World Wrestling Entertainment, Paul Levesque (a/k/a Triple H) and Dwayne Johnson (a/k/a The Rock) over an incident at WWE’s 2000 Judgment Day pay-per-view event, talked to NBC’s Louisville, Kentucky affiliate WAVE 3 to discuss the matter.

Basham, now 18 years and a senior at Clarksville High School, claims he was injured when Levesque and Johnson took their match over the crowd barrier on May 21, 2000 at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville.

“After The Rock got into it with one of the spectators, bodies were just coming towards me,” Basham told WAVE.

Ronnie’s mother, Lisa Lanham, says someone shoved a woman on top of her son, who was standing on a chair.

Basham’s attorney Harris Berman continued with what the family says happened next.

“He (Basham) fell down and his legs were caught between the two chairs and the lady then fell on him and crushed his right knee,” the attorney said. “It really resulted as an assault on a 7-year-old kid.”

Mother and son claim the injury got worse as he underwent multiple surgeries over the years, racking up $37,000 in medical bills. His attorney said they no had plans to sue until WWE refused to pay for anything, including the boy’s ride in the ambulance to the hospital.

When asked if suing WWE was the right thing to do, Berman replied, “Yeah for the pain and taking away a kid’s childhood, because that’s the best part of anyone’s life is their childhood.”

While the alleged injury occurred over a decade ago, the Statute of Limitations in Kentucky extends for minors to age 18. The suit seeks compensation and a jury trial.

For more details on the story and to view the video interview, go to http://adf.ly/FfHT

Ashley Massaro returning to TV

In the gossip section of The New York Daily News, it has been reported that Ashley Massaro will be returning to TV. She will be involved in a reality TV show project, one that would see her as the object of affection for a group of men. The men would be facing off in MMA bouts in order to win her heart.

Nexus could get a female member!

WWE creative has recently discussed adding a female enforcer to The Nexus faction. The name that immediately comes to mind is Awesome Kong but nothing is confirmed as of this writing.

Fan suing the WWE: Triple H/The Rock match in 2000 incident!

According to an article by The Courier Journal out of Louisville, Kentucky, a man, age 18, is suing World Wrestling Entertainment, Triple H and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson for an injury he allegedly suffered in 2000. The man was age 7 at the time, and the incident allegedly happened at the 2000 Judgment Day PPV, headlined by HHH vs. The Rock in an Iron Man match.

The article states that when HHH and Rock brawled into a crowd, the crowd caused a chain reaction that ended with a woman falling atop of the then-seven year old. This allegedly caused knee and leg injuries. The plaintiff, named Basham in the article, recently had to have surgery on the knee. His attorney is claiming that there is no statue of limitations for filing the lawsuit since Basham was a minor when he was allegedly injured. The lawsuit accused WWE of failing to properly stage the match and provide adequate security for its customers. HHH and Johnson are named in the suit and accused of “reckless, willful and wanton conduct.”

The suit was filed on Monday, and WWE has so far declined to respond to media requests on the lawsuit.

After RAW news and notes

Source: Craig Smith and Pwinsider.com

The crowd in Phoenix was HOT tonight and popped real well for faces, gave great heat to heels.

Every time Miz was on the mic, he got strong heat.

After RAW went off air, Miz and Alex Riley came out and started ripping on Randy Orton and Phoenix. The crowd came alive and booed for like 2 straight minutes, even when Miz started talking. Michael Cole got in the ring as well, which drew a lot of heat. Orton slithered in, RKO’d Miz and Riley, then teased a Cole RKO but Cole got away. Orton posed to send the crowd home. No dark match after.

No Cena at all. Punk got a huge reaction too. But Orton got the biggest pops of the night when he came out and when he hit the RKO to win the match. Everyone on their feet. Just a great show. Good follow up to WM26 last spring.

–Christian, who has been sidelined since September due a torn pectoral muscle, could return to the squared circle as early as next month. If not, he is expected back before WrestleMania XXVII.

–The Great Khali is expected to return to WWE airwaves by the end of the month. He reached the finals of the Bigg Boss reality show in India over the weekend. The season finale airs this Saturday.

Complete List of WWE Releases in 2010 - 50+ names!

World Wrestling Entertainment parted ways with 54 performers from their talent roster in 2010, marking the fifth consecutive year in which over 50 departures occurred within a calendar year. WWE dropped 35 main roster talents and 19 developmental talents over the course of 2010. 2010 also saw a record setting number of Diva turnover as 14 female talents parted ways with WWE, including 10 from the main roster.

Below is the complete list of WWE talent departures in 2010:

Main Roster Departures:
» Aaron “Goose” Mahoney (referee) – released on November 19, 2010
» Aloisia – released in September 2010
» Ashley Valence – departed on December 27, 2010
» Batista – departed on May 24, 2010
» Carlito – released on May 21, 2010
» Caylen Croft – released on November 19, 2010
» Charlie Haas – released on February 28, 2010
» Chris Jericho – departed on September 20, 2010
» Daniel Bryan – released on June 11, 2010
» Eric Escobar – released on January 17, 2010
» Gregory Helms – released on February 26, 2010
» Jamie Keyes – released on October 12, 2010
» Jillian Hall – released on November 19, 2010
» Jimmy Wang Yang – released on April 22, 2010
» Katie Lea – released on April 22, 2010
» Kaval – released on December 23, 2010
» Kung Fu Naki – released on April 22, 2010
» Luke Gallows – released on November 19, 2010
» Maria – released on February 26, 2010
» Matt Hardy – released on October 15, 2010
» Mickie James – released on April 22, 2010
» Mike Knox – released on April 22, 2010
» MVP – released on December 2, 2010
» Paul Burchill – released on February 26, 2010
» Savannah – released on June 23, 2010
» Scott Armstrong (referee) – released on February 26, 2010
» Serena – released on August 27, 2010
» Shad Gaspard – released on November 19, 2010
» Shawn Michaels – departed on March 29, 2010
» Slam Master J – released on April 22, 2010
» Shelton Benjamin – released on April 22, 2010
» Tiffany – released on November 19, 2010
» Tommy Dreamer – released on January 4, 2010
» Tony Atlas – released on April 30, 2010
» Vance Archer – released on November 19, 2010

Developmental Departures:
» Conrad Tanner – released on November 13, 2010
» Courtney Taylor – released on April 7, 2010
» Daniel Skyler (referee) – released on November 13, 2010
» Devin Allen – released on November 13, 2010
» Dino Carter – released on January 8, 2010
» DJ Gabriel – released on January 8, 2010
» Drake Brewer – released September 2010
» Dr. Cable Jones – released on November 13, 2010
» Fahd Rakman – released on November 13, 2010
» Jillian Beyor – released on February 2010
» Lennox McEnroe – released on January 8, 2010
» Leroy Morgan – released on January 8, 2010
» Lift Sawyer – released on January 8, 2010
» Penny Cash – released in February 2010
» Rhys Ali – released on November 13, 2010
» Ron Myers – released on November 13, 2010
» Rudy Parker – released on October 14, 2010
» Sweet Papi Sanchez – released on January 8, 2010
» Verity Thomas – released on November 30, 2010

Sunny: 'I've never been a huge fan of women's wrestling'!

Former WWE performer Tammy Sytch (a/k/a Sunny) spoke with Alfonso Castillo of Newsday.com regarding her new cookbook, and commented on whether some of the current Divas would be more valuable outside the ring.

“Yes, maybe some of them,” Sytch replied. “I’ve never been a huge fan of women’s ‘wrestling,’ and have always thought it’s best left to the guys. Some of the girls out there aren’t so talented inside the ring, and I think that just exposes the business even more. You wouldn’t put a Doctor with a shaky hand into surgery, now would you?”

Sytch was also asked about her limited involvement in the 25-Diva Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXV and whether she regrets participating.

“My actual return was on the 15th Anniversary of Raw show, in December of ’07, and I was featured nicely then. Had my own music, entrance, introduction, it was fun! Doing Wrestlemania was just the icing on top of that. I had a blast, but pay-per-view’s are timed out and so stringently, that there was nothing anyone could do to focus on any of the girls.”