Which Superstar Will Make the Cover of WWE2K15?

- Stephanie McMahon announced on Twitter that the WWE 2K15 cover will be revealed on RAW tonight. She tweeted:

“Are you ready? The cover of #WWE2K15 will be revealed TONIGHT on #RAW!”

**SPOILER** What Former WWE Champion is Returning on Raw Tonight?

- Triple hyped tonight’s RAW and mentioned that a WWE Champion would be returning. It wasn’t clear if he meant a returning star or John Cena returning to RAW as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. WWE’s website re-posted Triple H’s tweet and confirmed that a former WWE Champion will indeed be returning tonight. They wrote:

“Details on this potential return are scarce, but WWE.com sources say that this ring warrior is a cross-platform entertainer who has found numerous successes outside of the squared circle. Who could it be?”

- We have recently learned the former WWE champion returning tonight on RAW is Chris Jericho.

Jericho is also scheduled to appear on tomorrow’s night’s SmackDown tapings in Newark, NJ.

Is Vince McMahon Retired from WWE TV?, Backstage News on Stephanie’s Role

- WWE is now billing Stephanie McMahon as “The principal owner of World Wrestling Entertainment” instead of “one of the principal owners.” When it comes to Vince McMahon, there is some significance in that small change of wording.

With plans falling through months ago for Vince McMahon to return to TV in time for the WrestleMania XXX storylines, the impression was given that while Vince will appear on TV when he has to, such as a tribute to a documentary, the Mr. McMahon character has been retired for the time being and Stephanie would be the McMahon owning the company on TV.

Why Did WWE Release Josh Mathews?, MITB Talk on WWE Inbox

- The release of announcer Josh Mathews came as a big shock to most people within WWE. Mathews release was part of the going budget cuts. WWE had been making cuts in each department and Mathews was apparently at the bottom of the announcers list.

- WWE stars discuss Money In the Bank on the latest episode of WWE Inbox:

Seth Rollins Talk's MITB, Barrett's PPV Status, NXT

- Seth Rollins recently spoke with Mike Jones of DC101. Below are some highlights:

Money In the Bank Ladder Match on Sunday:

“Looking at the field there’s a lot of guys who are going to take risks, I think a lot of people might think I might be one of those guys. But in this scenario, what I’m going to do I think is let the other guys take their risks and when they crash and burn I’m just going to climb that ladder, snatch that contract and be the man for the next year!”

Being the first NXT Champion:
“To be the inaugural, to be the first is very special. And if you look at the legacy NXT has already created within the past couple of years, and the legacy that I’m sure it’s going to have moving forward shaping our industry for the next couple of decades most likely, to be the first guy, to be the placeholder is pretty awesome.”

Will Wade Barrett be able to compete on Sunday after hurting his shoulder:
“I think we’re still waiting to see how that goes. I know Wade’s been riding an incredible wave of momentum over the past couple of months, his Bad News thing has really been awesome. As a competitor in the match I can’t say that it’s a shame that he may not be in it anymore, but as someone who is a little bit of a fan of Bad News Barrett I would be kind of upset if he had to miss out.”

Steve Austin Praises Roman Reigns, Talks WWE Stars on His New Show

- Steve Austin recently spoke with Steven Muehlhausen of BetweenTheRopes.com to promote “The Broken Skull Challenge”, which premieres on CMT on Sunday, July 6th at 8pm. You can hear the full interview at this link. Here are some highlights from the interview:

Which WWE star would have the least difficult time on The Broken Skull Challenge:
“I think Seth Rollins and Antonio Cesaro might be able to get through the course. But you know, they would have to get through the challenges first and had the competitions and then take on the course. It would be (laughs) very interesting to see Seth Rollins compete against Antonio Cesaro at the Broken Skull Challenge.”

Next mainstream star in WWE:

“Whew, that’s a great question. There’s three guys who have big superstars written on them. I think Bray Wyatt is one of them, Cesaro is one of them, but when I got to mention the guy your asking for is Roman Reigns. He happens to be related to The Rock. Good looking kid, damn good worker in the ring, I want to know some more about his promos. But man, if I got to look at the roster right now and say whose my next megastar, his name is Roman Reigns.”

Dean AmbroseTalks How The Shield Split Was Done, Confidence Going Solo, More

- Dean Ambrose recently spoke with RVAMag.com. Below are some highlights:

Money In The Bank is this Sunday night and you’re in the traditional match alongside six other wrestlers. What kind of thoughts or reservations do you have going into this match, especially considering ladder match pioneers like Edge and Matt Hardy have been so vocal about the long-term damages from them?

You know, it’s one of those things where a lot is at stake and you might have to take a big risk to get up that ladder. There’s a lot in play. Lots of metal, high heights, and a lot of players in the game. It’s a very unpredictable situation. You just have to go into with no fear and no reservations. You just have to go for it. You got to pick your spots and be smart though. Once you’re in front of that crowd, those lights go up, you see the briefcase hanging, and you feel the adrenaline; all your fears disappear. If you have fears in your head, that’s when you’re going to get hurt. You got to let that stuff leave your head, otherwise it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. You can be smart, but just don’t hesitate. It’s like Patrick Swayze said in Point Break. “Fear causes hesitation and hesitation causes your worst fears to come true.”

Now, three weeks ago, Seth Rollins turned on you and judging by the recent TV, it looks like you and Roman Reigns are no longer partnering together. What did you think about the turn and how it was done?

You never know what’s going to happen on Monday Night RAW. You always got to to tune in because anything can happen and the same things goes for us when we show up each Monday night. You never know what’s lurking around the corner or what twist they’re going to throw your way. The cool thing is The Shield never started going on the downslide. We went out at our absolute apex with a clean sweep of Evolution, one of the most decorated and dominate stables of all time. The cool thing to take away is that we did go out on a high point whereas other groups don’t and I take a lot of pride in that. We’re all still three of the best performers in the company and are still always going to carry that mindset and that work ethic and be that symbol of excellence. That becomes part of your psyche and you want to go out there every night, bust your ass, put on the best show possible, and refuse to be out-done by anyone. You’re still going to see that from us. You won’t see us working together in the classic Shield way, but all three of us with all of our egos and aspirations and desire are still going to be on your TV making our way up top. It’s an exciting time for the fans.

With Reigns being booked as WWE’s next big star and Rollins aligned with Triple H, are you worried at all about getting lost in the shuffle like so many other superstars are lately?

Nope.

Pretty confident, huh?

I’ve got confidence for miles and miles every day I wake up. If you know anything about me or anything about my history, if I’m backed into a corner, I will put my head down and swing and bite and scratch and crawl and throw punches until my arms fall off. I get where I want to go whether anyone likes it or not. I’ve made a career and life out of proving people wrong and making people eat their words. I get where I want to go and get what I want. It’s not always a typical storybook because it’sDean Ambrose – it’s not going to be. It might get ugly and might not always be the prettiest. I might have some scratches and bruises, but I’m going to get to where I want. You know, it can be really easy to listen to people. I’m a guy – I don’t listen to things or to the little things that is. The gossip or comments of public perception. All that matters is the crowd. I know who I am and I know what I do and I know how hard I’ve worked to get here. You never know which way the road is going to turn. I think the top guys wake up every day in the morning and look at themselves and say, “I’m a top guy, I’m a world beater, and no one’s going to stop me from getting what I want.” I do the same and I feel the same and have for a long time.

To finish up, who in the locker room are you closest with?

Roman Reigns. He’s still my best friend, my buddy, and travelling partner. Me and Roman are tight. We’ve had on our differences on TV and we get into each our faces because we’re two alpha males so we’ll butt heads, but that’s why we love each other. We’re brothers and push each other and still got each other’s back. For Roman, he’s a super-charismatic, loveable, soulful guy that can be a beacon for everyone in the locker room which I think is just really good right now.

Paul Heyman Reveals New Details on CM Punk Leaving WWE

- Paul Heyman and Edge were recent guests on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. Heyman talked about CM Punk being happy and wanting to leave the company long before he did:

“He was unhappy. He had enough. He couldn’t take it anymore. A year before he walked these was daily conversations of, ‘I don’t think I’m going to be able to take this. I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to be here. I don’t know how much longer it’s going to be before I just decide to go home.’ I’m surprised it lasted that long.”

“Every day with him was an exercise in him finding the balance to simply continue on and find the passion he needed that he to do it. And I think what happened was he walked in the day after the Royal Rumble and he couldn’t find that passion. He couldn’t convince himself or persuade himself, ‘OK, whether I’m happy or not this is about the performance, my legacy. It’s about I take pride in what I do. And whether I’m happy or unhappy when I go out there I’m going to be the best CM Punk I can be.’ And I think somewhere during that day he couldn’t find that.”

Huge Spoilers on WWE SummerSlam and Money In the Bank?

- Amazon has released the official DVD cover for WWE’s 2014 SummerSlam pay-per-view and as you can see, it features Brock Lesnar and John Cena. This could be a possible spoiler that Cena wins the WWE World Heavyweight Title at Money In the Bank.

It was previously reported that Cena was a favorite to win the title and WWE issued a survey asking fans who should Lesnar challenge for the title at SummerSlam.

**SPOILERS** WWE Friday Night Smackdown Results - June 27th 2014

- The following WWE SmackDown spoilers are from tonight’s tapings in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:

* Seth Rollins, Randy Orton and Triple H kick off SmackDown. They talk about Money In the Bank and announce Bad News Barrett vs. Dean Ambrose.

* Bad News Barrett comes out, insulting Pittsburgh sports teams and some of their legendary players. Dean Ambrose gets the win with Dirty Deeds. After the match, Jack Swagger runs out and attacks Barrett. Ambrose lays Swagger out with a ladder. Seth Rollins runs in through the crowd, threw Ambrose off the steps and nailed a curb stomp. Barrett ended up taken to the back after an apparent shoulder injury.

* Paige defeated Cameron. After the match, Cameron tried to pick another fight with Paige.

* They air a video for Connor The Crusher.

* Sheamus vs. Bray Wyatt is next. Sheamus won by disqualification when Erick Rowan and Luke Harper broke up a Cloverleaf that Bray was locked in. The Usos ran out to make the save and celebrated with Sheamus.

* Dolph Ziggler and Rob Van Dam vs. Cesaro and Alberto Del Rio is next with Paul Heyman on commentary. Del Rio gets the win for his team with a cross armbreaker on RVD. After the match, Cesaro laid Del Rio out.

* Rusev and Lana come out for an anti-American promo before Rusev squashes Sin Cara. There’s a glitch as Big E’s video plays earlier than it’s supposed to but he comes out and cuts a promo. Big E and Rusev meet in the middle of the ring but Lana calls Rusev away. Rusev tries to attack Big E from behind but Big E sees him coming and knocks Rusev out of the ring.

* Roman Reigns vs. Kane ends in a DQ when Randy Orton interrupts right before Reigns spears Kane. Reigns spears Orton instead. Kane chokeslammed Reigns and set up a ladder. He allowed Orton to climb up and pose with the titles. Orton goes to punt Reigns but gets speared. Kane also gets speared. Reigns poses with the titles to end SmackDown.

Roman Reigns Talk's WWE Being Old School Now, Says The Miz Still Has a Chance

- Roman Reigns joined Chad Dukes and the Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, DC earlier and said that WWE is “a little bit old school now.” He said:

“When people talk about the past time of wrestling and how the guys used to be and there’s all these little stories here and there. I like to think that we shine in that regard. We’re a different breed, the new guys coming up.”

He also talked about characters becoming stale and how it’s imperative talents be able to evolve. When asked specifically about The Miz, he said there was still a chance for him to excel in WWE:

“He had a nice run and he was doing the things he did. He headlined a WrestleMania. He also, he has different ties and crossover connections with what he did before he started wrestling… With any character or any performer there’s always a chance to change yourself, to evolve, to be different, to show something new. I think that anybody who is feeling like they’re stale, if they need to revamp… if they can do that, then there’s respect in that.”

WWE Star Suffers Serious Injury?, New Comedy from Tyson Kidd

- One of the Los Matadores suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury at today’s WWE live event in Newark, Delaware. After he went down, the referee threw up the dreaded “X” symbol and the WWE medical staff came out. The rest of the match was said to be panicked and rushed. We’re not sure if it was Fernando or Diego yet but they were taken to the back with the rest of the participants in the match looking on concerned.

- One of the Los Matadores appeared to suffer a knee injury at tonight’s WWE live event in Newark, Delaware during a six-man match. He was taken to the back by medics and the rest of the match seemed out of place, according to our correspondent.

Two more correspondents have sent word that either Fernando or Diego were seen after the show with his knee taped up and on crutches. We will have an update later on which member of the team it was.

On a related note, the match that his happened in was El Torito and Los Matadores vs. Heath Slater, Hornswoggle and Tyson Kidd. Kidd has been playing the comedy role with Slater and Hornswoggle as 3MB this weekend. Damien Sandow played the role last weekend.

Cryme Tyme Reunites for TMZ, What Had JTG Been Preparing For?

- TMZ has picked up on former WWE Superstars JTG and Shad Gaspard reuniting on the indies under the name Crime Time, just a bit different from their Cryme Tyme name in WWE.

JTG admitted that he had been preparing for his WWE release for some time.

Ex-WWE Tag Team Reunites -- We Changed Our Name ... To Avoid a Lawsuit - Watch More Celebrity Videos or Subscribe

Backstage News on Plans for Stardust, Which Released Stars are Getting the Most Bookings?

- Regarding Cody Rhodes performing as Stardust, the plan is that if the angle gets over, they will get a WWE Tag Team Title shot at SummerSlam. If it doesn’t get over, WWE changes course and we finally get the Goldust vs. Cody Rhodes singles match at SummerSlam.

- Out of the recently released WWE Superstars, it’s said that Evan Bourne, Curt Hawkins and JTG, because of the Cryme Tyme reunion with Shad Gaspard, are getting the most inquiries for indie bookings.

Drew McIntyre Update, 30 Seconds of Seth Rollins

- Former WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre has been announced for the October 3rd and October 4th FWE events in Brooklyn, New York. This is his first official booking since being released. He will be using his real name on the indies, Drew Galloway.

- Seth Rollins is featured in WWE’s latest 30 Second Fury video:

Next WWE Champion Revealed? Will It Be John Cena or Roman Reigns?

- Apparently John Cena is in line to win the WWE World Heavyweight Title at next Sunday’s Money In the Bank pay-per-view.

It was previously reported that word from within WWE was that a heel would be leaving Money In the Bank with the title. During Monday’s RAW, it appeared they may be grooming Roman Reigns for the title as they had him work his way into the match but that may not be the case as it’s likely too soon for Reigns to have a title run.

Update on Brock Lesnar and the WWE World Title at SummerSlam

- WWE issued a survey this week to fans on their mailing list and asked if Brock Lesnar challenges for the WWE World Heavyweight Title at this year’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, who should he face.

The options were all 7 Superstars in the Money In the Bank Ladder Match for the vacant title. Roman Reigns is currently leading the vote with almost 50%. Cesaro is in second place followed by Bray Wyatt and John Cena tied, Randy Orton, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio last with just 2%.

Is AJ Lee Pregnant?, Details on CM Punk and AJ's Wedding

With AJ Lee’s relationship to CM Punk and current hiatus from the WWE ring, this has naturally sparked rumors online that the former Divas Champion is pregnant. According to a former backstage worker for WWE, the rumor may now be legitimate.

“I have gotten word from a reliable source that AJ Lee is pregnant,” stated MetsFan4Ever on Reddit.com today, A verified WWE insider who broke news of AJ and Punk’s marriage last Friday, revealed JTG’s contract release from WWE and has produced multiple shows scripts.

“I am looking more into this story and can’t confirm yet. But I figured I would share this story here first with you fans. We may not be seeing AJ for a very long time or ever again if this is true.”

AJ and Punk were married last Friday in what was described by PWInsider.com as a small, private ceremony. MetsFan4Ever noted that the couple “loved the idea of having their wedding on Friday the 13th.”

Rumors of their nuptials actually originated the previous Tuesday when a Twitter user going by the name Courtney Santos (@CeeRawww) claimed that she had processed Punk and AJ’s marriage license. That Twitter account has since been deleted.

Change for Adam Rose’s Rosebuds, Updates on Released WWE Stars

- WWE is no longer flying in Adam Rose’s Rosebuds from NXT unless the are within driving distance from Orlando. Instead, they are using local indie wrestlers. The ones at last week’s tapings in Minneapolis and Green Bay were Midwest indie wrestlers Dysfunction, Justin Dredd, Chase McCoy, Joey Avalon and Melanie Cruise.

- Former WWE star Curt Hawkins is now selling several items from his WWE career on eBay at this link.

- Former WWE Superstars Evan Bourne (Matt Sydal) and Drew McIntyre (Drew Galloway) are now taking bookings through Bill Behrens at showbis@aol.com. It appears they will be wrestling under their real names for now.

Brodus Clay Talk's WWE Changing His Gimmick, Working with Cameron & Naomi

Wrestling 365 interview with Brodus Clay
Hosts: Alfonso Marimon and Jon Curry
Interview available at Spreaker.com/wrestling365

His Funkasaurus character:
“Initially, I had spent the last 7-8 months to the better part of a year training with the idea that I was going to be ‘the juggernaut’, destroy all that stuff and those vignettes were a lot of hard work and then seeing me in the back, cracking jokes and just being myself or whatever, the boss [Vince] said, are you sure this is the right way we want to go. He said what if we do this instead, and I was kind of surprised and kind of nervous and didn’t even know if I could pull that off as the dancing stuff really isn’t who I am at all, but cracking jokes with a smile, I do that all day and joke around with the boys all the time.

“I’m always running my mouth and stuff, talking trash, things like that, but I never really thought of myself as a dancer. First thing I done was ask to go see ‘The American Dream’ (Dusty Rhodes) and figure things out and so I went down to him and I just happened to bump into Naomi and I said to her, I need your help, because I knew her background with Orlando Magic and then we pitched the idea to have the two girls and we picked Cameron as a second and we came up with something and played with it. The cool thing about it was that nobody knew about it, everybody was expecting this one thing and with these days of the internet, no one knew.

“A lot of people were rolling their eyes saying that it’s not going to work, but I was given a challenge and I thought I done pretty well with the challenge put in front of me, it was completely out of the box than what I had originally prepared myself for, but it worked out okay and now that I look back at it, I’m proud of it. I can always be ruthless and aggressive in the ring, but I don’t think I’ll ever have the opportunity to be ‘The Funkasaurus’ again. I’m thankful for that time, because for me, it was a chance to be a character and have fun and honestly, the reactions that I got from the kids just made me want to do more and more of it. I enjoyed seeing the smiles and the dances and the videos they would send me on Twitter. That was really cool.”

His working relationship with Cameron and Naomi:
“Naomi and I, we trained together at Florida Championship Wrestling, so we were always cool and I’m really good friends with her husband. I went to her, because I always thought that she was so talented and being a Funkadactyl was almost a step back for her, but it was the way to go and she had helped me with the dancing and stuff, she always brings her A-game to work and she’s just really cool to be around. Cameron was, I know we had our ups and downs, but she was only new in the business.

“She had been signed around three months, so she kind of got thrown into the fire and when you get thrown in the fire, you make mistakes here and there, but overall, they’re both talented and good people and I enjoyed my time with them. They worked hard and I thought that was really apt of them. We all had our ups and downs, some of the things were blown out of proportions for TV ratings for the likes of Total Divas. The whole boyfriend thing, it was more like a joke to me. We never really had a big problem, if we had disagreements, we talked it out.”

The Miz Reacts to Recent WWE Releases, Being a Go-To Guy for WWE, More

- The Miz recently spoke with Philly.com to promote this weekend’s WWE live event in Philadelphia. Below are some highlights:

Making it in WWE:
“I remember coming into the WWE and people saying, ‘you’re not going to last three months in the WWE. You’re going to be fired and you’ll be gone,’ and here I am eight years later still going strong and still having fun and living my dream. It just goes to show that hard work pays off. Those people that told me I wasn’t going to make it three months, now tell me, “You shocked me. You really did and you proved yourself,’ and now I gained the respect of hopefully everybody.”

Being a go-to guy for WWE to represent the company:
“That’s one of those things I really take pride in because I love the WWE so much. I think the product is so amazing. It’s such a great entertainment. It’s such a value that everyone should be able to share these kind of moments. I try to display that by doing every kind of radio, print, TV spot I can do. The way I look at it is grassroots. The only way people are going to get to know you is if you’re out there and any media is good media, so I’ll take it all so that everyone knows my name and someday it might pay off or it might not. But the fact is that I get to create relationships and talk to as many as possible about something I’m passionate about.”

The recent WWE releases:
“That’s the nature of business. In any business, people get fired and people get hired, so you just got to take it with a grain of salt and know that they’re talented enough as individuals that they’ll be able to do whatever they pursue after the WWE. Everyone would be doing it if it wasn’t tough, so absolutely it’s tough, but it’s something you have to do deal with and you have to go through and you just keep trucking along. I know those people that got released aren’t going to tell me, ‘Well, you should come with me.’ They’re going to be like, ‘Dude, go steal the show, go be as amazing as possible and I’m going to go do my thing and be as amazing as possible.’ I think that’s the mentality.”

Backstage News on Plans for Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns

- It appeared on this week’s RAW that Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns had split up as they didn’t appear together and now have their own theme songs.

Word coming out of RAW is that there is not going to be a formal split between Reigns and Ambrose but they are supposed to be going their separate ways.

New CM Punk Video and TV Show Preview, How Old Is Too Old for WWE?,

- As noted, CM Punk will be appearing on IFC’s “Maron” show tomorrow night at 10pm EST. A clip is below and it appears the episode was filmed several months ago. Here’s the synopsis:

“When CM Punk stops by the garage this week, he and Marc find out there’s a lot in common between wrestling and comedy. Both professions beat people up – mainly themselves! Marc reveals his wrestling name would be “The Self Hater” for his self-destructive ways and CM declares he’s “Captain Body Dysmorphia” for how he keeps his body on point for the sport.”


- WWE is apparently looking for talents that are younger than 31. Former Olympic wrestler Jeff Cobb, who is 31 and moved to Sacramento train under Oliver John, got word from WWE that his age may be an issue.

- WWE had 30 men and women at their most recent tryout camp at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. Not many details have come out about the camp so there likely weren’t many well-known indie wrestlers there.

**SPOILERS** WWE Friday Night Smackdown Results - June 20th 2014

- The following WWE SmackDown spoilers are from tonight’s tapings in Columbus, Ohio:

* John Cena kicks off SmackDown. He’s interrupted by Alberto Del Rio, then Sheamus, then Cesaro, then Roman Reigns and finally Randy Orton. Reigns brawls with Orton up the ramp while Cena and Sheamus clear the ring of Cesaro and Del Rio.

* Seth Rollins defeated Kofi Kingston. Rollins came out wearing new ring gear.

* Dolph Ziggler defeated Bad News Barrett in a non-title match.

* Adam Rose defeated Titus O’Neil. Titus demanded that the match be re-started and Rose rolled him up again for the pin.

* Kane defeated Dean Ambrose. Seth Rollins was on commentary. During the match, Ambrose attacked Rollins at the announce table. Ambrose came back in the ring and got chokeslammed for the pin. After the match, Rollins came in and hit the curb stomp on Ambrose.

* Big E squashed Jack Swagger. Zeb Colter’s pre-match promo was longer than the match itself.

* Backstage segment with Summer Rae sneaking in a kiss on Fandango. Layla sees this and starts crying.

* Bo Dallas vs. Fandango is next. A brawl breaks out between Summer Rae and Layla during the match, leading to Layla accidentally kicking Fandango and Bo getting the win. After the match, Bo gave a pep talk to Fandango.

* Bray Wyatt cuts a promo backstage about winning the WWE World Heavyweight Title at Money In the Bank.

* Sheamus, Roman Reigns and John Cena defeated Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio and Cesaro. The whole match was built around Reigns getting the hot tag. Reigns pinned Del Rio for the win.

Who will Be The Next WWE World Champion?, Foley Has a Question About Bo Dallas

- There’s a feeling within WWE among some that a heel will walk out of Money In the Bank as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Out of the 5 names that have been announced as of this writing, Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio, Bray Wyatt and Cesaro could be considered heels.

- Mick Foley shared a meme poking fun at Bo Dallas’ streak on Facebook and wrote the following:

“As I mentioned a few days ago, I’m STARTING to become a #BoLiever – but I still have some questions about the Bo Dallas character. For example, how does it get REAL heat.”

Real Reason Why WWE Isn’t Pushing Dolph Ziggler

- It’s said that a big part of why Dolph Ziggler isn’t getting pushed is one of the same reasons that Christian isn’t being used – his history of injuries and concussions.

It was said that WWE can’t push Ziggler and trust him a top guy because he’s injury prone and had a history of taking time off. This applies to a few other talents as well. There’s a feeling that some talents are just “snakebit” in that regard.

Jey Uso Talk's Working with Cena, Facing His Brother at WrestleMania, More

- Jey Uso recently spoke with Newsday to promote this weekend’s WWE live event in Uniondale, New York. Below are some highlights:

Growing up with other sons of Legends:
“I remember the Rotundo boys . . . mostly Bray [Wyatt] and the Hennigs. We’d be just hanging out. Our dad would tell us to sit still, and we just didn’t move.”

Working with John Cena:
“He just made us comfortable. It really calmed us down. And now we’re really starting to get our personality out there more. If the fans in the WWE Universe think the Usos played a big part in that last man standing match, man, I’m thankful for it.”

His WrestleMania dream match:
“If it came down to it, I would love to headline WrestleMania with my brother. I think it would be the easiest match I ever had in my career. And it would be the most fun.”

CM Punk and AJ Lee Wedding Rumors

- There have been rumors that CM Punk and AJ Lee were married on Friday and PWInsider have now confirmed those rumors. The two were married either late Friday night or early Saturday morning.

The couple wanted to keep it a private matter but word got out.

Steve Austin Talk's Punk Leaving WWE, Tough Enough’s Return, a Return Match and More

- Steve Austin recently spoke with Donald Wood and the folks at Ring Rust Radio. Below are some highlights:

Donald Wood: You are one of the biggest names in wrestling history and you are now making waves with your podcast The Steve Austin Show on PodcastOne. With a long list of exciting guests, how have you found the transition from wrestling and movies to the podcast medium?

Stone Cold Steve Austin: Well, you know, it’s interesting. Asking people questions, carrying on conversations, you certainly develop a rhythm and a style. I learned early on that one of the mistakes I was making early on was trying to cram too much stuff in an interview. I’d talk to guys who had 20- to 40-year careers and try to condense that into a two-hour session, and it just doesn’t happen like that.

So now, I just have bullet points and we start talking and it ends up just being a conversation. I don’t paint by numbers anymore. I just go by how I feel and try to take the conversation in different places and just go with the flow.

It has been an interesting transition. I enjoy doing it. It allows me to use some of the creative energy that I put into Monday Night Raw way back in the day and it gives me a way to maintain communication with my fanbase and to just simply and purely entertain them. I don’t talk about religion, politics, none of that bulls–t; it’s just audio whoop-ass for the working man and the working woman to take their mind off the task at hand.

Mike Chiari: You’ve already interviewed many of the biggest stars in wrestling on your podcast, but who’s the one person you haven’t had on the show yet who tops the list in terms of desired guests?

Stone Cold Steve Austin: I’d like to talk to Hulk Hogan, of course, because he’s one of the biggest names in the history of the business, if not the biggest. So, obviously I’d like to talk to Hogan. “Superstar” Billy Graham. I’d like to talk to Dusty Rhodes face-to-face, in person. I had a chance to talk to him on the phone in the early stages like some of the people who I’ve already interviewed. It’s always different talking to someone on the phone, of course. I’ve talked to Bret “The Hitman” Hart andShawn Michaels on the phone, but a one-on-one conversation is the best.

I’ve actually just connected to Kevin Von Erich the other day; we’ve been trying to get together for a while and I’m actually going to make a trip out to Hawaii. The wife has been trying to con me into going to Hawaii forever. That’s one place that I have not been, so while we go to Hawaii to satisfy my wife’s desire to go and lay on the beach, I’ll be interviewing Kevin Von Erich, so he’s a guy I’m really looking forward to talking to. Hopefully, I get a chance to talk to him in the next few months.

I talked to [Mark "The Undertaker" Calaway]. I asked him if he wanted to do the show; he said he would, and that’s a matter of me getting out to Austin, Texas, and talking to him one on one, but he’s another one I’d love to talk to.

Donald Wood: Another interesting addition to the WWE Network is a new season of Tough Enough. For many fans, your presence on the show was the highlight of the program. Are there any plans of having you back on the show and is that something you would be interested in?

Stone Cold Steve Austin: I’d certainly be open to it, but I get my Google Alerts and I read that they were bringing back Tough Enough, but then there have been delays in it. I would consider doing something along the lines of Tough Enough because that was my first endeavor into reality television and that is a world I know and love, and that’s why I was on that show.

I’m not going to blow smoke up my ass. I love the business of pro wrestling and it is something I know better than anything else I know about. So if I get a chance to do that show or they offer that spot to me and we could make it work, I’d love to do that show.

Donald Wood: You are also now working on a new show called Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Ranch Challenge on Country Music Television. For the fans excited about the new program, will you explain exactly what should be expected from the series?

Stone Cold Steve Austin: The thing about the Broken Skull Challenge is that there’s really nothing else like it on television. I was talking on some interviews the other day that kind of brought up American Ninja Warrior, but that kind of plays more to the parkour-type athlete and crossfitting as well. Those men and women that do American Ninja Warrior are badass in their right, no doubt about that. They’re badass. But they’re competing on a course and competing against the clock.

At the Broken Skull Challenge, each week I bring participants to the ranch. We did 10 episodes—five episodes with guys, five with gals. It’s head-to-head competition for three rounds, and if you win, you go to the next round. If you lose, you leave the ranch immediately.

At the end of the day, we narrow it down from eight to one individual, and that individual will take on my personal obstacle course. It’s a half-mile course, 10 badass obstacles that you must overcome.

I made my course the skullbuster because it is specifically designed to whoop a man’s ass. You beat my course, I’ll give you $10,000. If someone has already beaten my course and you beat their time, I give you $10,000 and you will be my returning champion, and until someone beats your time, you will get that $10,000.

It’s nothing fancy; it’s down and dirty and you need strength, stamina, determination, will power, a lot of heart and determination to beat my course and to win and succeed at my competition. It’s badass and we had some hellacious athletes come out to the ranch. On Redneck Island, a show I love, there was a lot of drama and storylines going on because someone’s always voted off the island through process of elimination. Here your fate is in your own hands. I set the stage for these athletes to come out here and put on the best performance of their lives or they have to go home—simple as that.

Mike Chiari: A lot of people were buzzing when on your podcast Paul Heyman brought up the idea of a potential future match between yourself and Brock Lesnar. Have you 100 percent closed the door on having another match or is it something you would consider if the right situation arose?

Stone Cold Steve Austin: I’d consider anything if the perfect situation or opportunity arose and it would be more than a million-dollar question. I don’t want to sit here and promote a match, sell a match or talk about making a comeback. The dirt sheets, or whatever you call them, and I talk to Dave Meltzer and Wade Keller all the time and they’re nice guys and I would consider them friends. I see Dave at almost every MMA fight, but I don’t want to stir any pots or hint or tease anything.

People get their panties in a wad and say, “Stone Cold, either do it or not.” So, anything can happen, but I’m not going to endorse, promote, sell or tease anything in regards to a match.

Brandon Galvin: You haven’t been shy in weighing in on CM Punk’s absence from WWE. If he were to make a return to WWE, how would you bring him back?

Stone Cold Steve Austin: Man, I don’t know. I haven’t made too much of it. I predicted he would make a comeback at WrestleMania 30 and obviously that didn’t happen. He left the company and whenever he comes back, that’s up to him.

I don’t know how I would bring him back. I just know that when I got out of the business for about six-to-10 months, I lost a **** load of money and I believe that if you have got some miles left in the tank, you should make your money while you can and don’t leave it on the table because you’ll never make that money back.

At the end of the day, you can say, “It ain’t about the money.” Well, it is about the money because you need to make as much of it as you can before you can’t make that money anymore.

I don’t know how you bring him back. Certainly the fans would welcome him back because he was doing a great job before he left. And when he gets his head right and wants to come back, I believe he will. As far as me playing Mr. Booker, I don’t have a clue.

Mike Chiari: You were always viewed as a hugely talented performer throughout your career, but you reached unimaginable levels of success when you developed the Stone Cold character. Do you see anyone on the current WWE roster who may not be a featured part of the show right now, but has the potential to become the next top star and take a path similar to yours?

Stone Cold Steve Austin: Man, I think it could be any one of a pool of people. I can’t sit here and drop names because I haven’t paid that much attention to the roster. I’ve been trying to DVR the shows. I am several months behind. I just subscribed to the WWE Network and I watched half of the pay-per-view so far. Just from guys on the radar right now, I think all of the guys from The Shield have got big futures ahead of them. I don’t think they’re all carved in stone yet and there are still some missing pieces within each individual part of The Shield.

Antonio Cesaro still has a hole somewhere in his game, but he’s certainly there. I predict a lot of success for that guy. I think Bray Wyatt is starting to kick ass and do a lot of great things. When they put Cesaro with Heyman, that was an interesting move because there were a lot of people starting to get off on Cesaro, and so they put him with Heyman, which put him back as a heel. The rest of the roster, I don’t know enough about.

Here’s one thing that I will say; I remember watching some of my matches from Dallas on my email, and I was watching them back and I see an athletic body and a guy that’s stable, but the look was just not that great. So there are some guys down there that, as they go through the process and they’re not afraid to embrace making some changes and making some alterations to their gear, to their look to find the right gimmick and package to bring it all together.

Man, there’s probably two or three diamonds in the rough down there because they’re not close to an appearance that is going to be the final thing that actually helps them get over and be received by the crowd as a heel or a baby face.