- Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks recently spoke about their relationship with TNA and much more. Here are the highlights..

Can You Make a Living As An Independent Wrestler: Absolutely, but it’s very rare and you have to hustle! I’ll tell you, we’re en route to having our best year and that makes us feel great ‘cuz we’ve done it all on our own! There’s not a lot of money in wrestling unless you’re willing to put in the extra work. We’ve just barely started really cashing in on having merchandise, which is a huge mistake. I can’t believe we weren’t more on the ball about that. But yeah, it’s all about your brand and getting yourself over. We like to think that, since leaving TNA, we’ve become much better businessmen.

On The Relationship With TNA: When we initially left, I don’t [think] things were too great. Since then, it’s gotten a lot better. When we came recently to wrestle at the One Night Only shows, it felt right; like we were coming back home to say hi to a bunch of old friends. Everyone seemed sincere and super nice. As far as working there in the future, who really knows? I wouldn’t count it out though.

On Comparisons to The Hardys and Rockers: It’s flattering to me. The Hardys and Rockers are two of the greatest tag teams of all time. To be compared to those four is an honor. It’s obvious in watching us, that we’ve adopted their styles. I swear, Rockers/Brain Busters matches hold up to this very day. Literally, if that match was on any indy card this weekend, it’d be the best match on the show.

On Workign EVOVLE & DGUSA: Evolve and Dragon Gate are both so unique. What I like about it is the variety; so many colorful characters but with a new school outlook. The focus is on wrestling, as a sport. The best wrestlers succeed because they’re the best, not for anything that takes place after hours. I like that. It makes it an equal playing field. The best part about being in Evolve and Dragon Gate is the competition. We wrestle everywhere, for every single promotion, but the best wrestlers are here. Gabe has a real eye for talent, no doubt about it.

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- Here is the latest lineup for EVOVLE 22, which takes place on June 2nd…

EVOLVE 22
Sunday, June 2nd, 2013
The Orpheum
1915 E. 7th Avenue
Ybor City, FL 33605
8pm EST. Belltime

Open The Freedom Gate Title Match: Johnny Gargano defends vs. Samuray Del Sol
Open The United Gate Tag Title Match: The Young Bucks defend vs. EITA & Tomahawk T.T.
Jon Davis vs. Brian Cage
AR Fox vs. Lince Dorado
The Bravado Brothers & Andrew Everett vs. Dos Ben Dejos & Shane Strickland
Chuck Taylor vs. Caleb Konley
Anthony Nese vs. Tommy Taylor (via pwtorch.com)

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- Jerry “The King” Lawler talked about his in-ring return for Dory Funk Jr.’s !Bang! promotion during an interview.

“He said everything looked great, that I was good to go. I asked if I can go back to doing what I’ve always done, and he said it wouldn’t be a problem, that it actually should be good because it will be cardio work, which is good for me. Anything to get my heart rate up. I asked if taking a body slam would be an issue. He said nothing like that would affect my heart.”

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The following segments were advertised for Monday’s episode of Raw on tonight’s WWE Man Event:

- Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel appearing on The Highlight Reel with Miz
- John Cena returns to address Ryback’s challege for Payback
- WWE addresses Triple H’s concussion angle

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WWE talent Tyson Kid posted on Twitter earlier today about being a part of the upcoming Bret Hart appreciation Night on on Raw. Kidd recently underwent surgery in January to repair a torn knee. He was reportedly scheduled to be out of action for 6-9 months.

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According to pwtorch.com, Chris Jericho is advertised for a Raw TV taping in Austin, Texas on July 22. Chris Jericho and Fozzy are scheduled to begin touring again in August so that may be one of Jericho’s last TV appearances.

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Marvel.com recently spoke with Austin Aries. Here are the highlights…

On His Slammiversary Match: We were mentally prepared to have three teams in there, now they’re going to throw a fourth in. Something me and Bobby Roode, talk about: we’re not necessarily the World Tag Team Champions, but we’re a tag team of World Champions. Both Bobby and I know what it’s like to carry the top prize in the company. We know the pressure that’s associated with that and we’ve both thrived in that, so I think that’s an advantage we have. Any time you throw three other teams in there, it just kind of creates a situation where there [are] so many different factors concerning what can happen, but hopefully we can play against each other and find an opportunity to become successful.

Would Aries Get Along With Tony Stark?: Sounds like my kind of guy, as long as he was willing to look me eye-to-eye and not be condescending to me. Sometimes you get a couple alpha dogs in the room and you can have a bit of a competition, but if he respected my talents, I’m sure I’d respect his and we’d get along swimmingly.

On Slammiversary in Boston: Bostonians are passionate people. It’s a lot more fun to perform there than it is to navigate their street systems. I’ve gotten lost more than once in Boston, and it’s easy to do. Obviously coming to Boston had a little extra meaning this year, and we can give them a night of entertainment.

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Outside of the first TNA Impact TV taping on the road in Chicago in March, this week’s Impact TV taping carries the most intrigue thus far.

For starters, the live show taped for Thursday night will be the final show in the new timeslot of 8:00 p.m. EST. TNA will also tape next week’s show, which will air in the former timeslot of 9:00 p.m. EST.

The second show will also complete the hype for Slammiversary, which is headlined by Bully Ray vs. Sting for the TNA World Title.

Even more intriguing is how TNA responds to drawing by far their lowest rating of the year last week – a 0.8 rating. Will TNA lie in the bed they made continuing to build to Slammiversary or attempt to create a hot angle leading into next week’s timeslot change?

Not to mention tonight’s TV taping takes place in Impact GM Hulk Hogan’s home market of Tampa, with TNA returning to Florida for the first time since leaving Orlando’s Impact Zone.

And, this is the first TV taping since Austin Aries “crotched” ring announcer Christy Hemme on live television, prompting TNA to “severely fine” Aries.

As for tonight’s live Impact episode, the following items are advertised:

- A.J. Styles will be a centerpiece star as Aces & Eights tries to “patch in” the misunderstood Styles.

- Kurt Angle will face Mr. Anderson from Aces & Eights in a grudge match.

- Velvet Sky is scheduled to defend the Knockouts Title against Mickie James.

- James Storm, who is recovering from injuries suffered two weeks ago, is scheduled to appear on Impact to announce his partner for the Tag Title match at Slammiversary. Storm is still scheduled to wrestle despite claiming on Twitter that he will be out of action for 6-8 weeks.

- Sam Shaw vs. Alex Silva will continue the mini-Gut Check tournament to determine who gets a slot in the Bound for Glory Series. Already qualified for the tourney finals is Jay Bradley.

- X Division wrestler Suicide will return to TNA television. (via pwtorch.com)

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- This week’s Hollywood Reporter had an article about how hard it is for celebrities to get their sex tapes removed online, mentioning the Hulk Hogan lawsuit from the Heather Clem tape.

- An official website for the film Slash, starring Hernandez, was launched here. It will film this summer for an unspecified release date.

- Christy Hemme and Samoa Joe will appear at Direct Auto Insurance at 9340 North Florida Ave in Tampa this afternoon to promote tomorrow’s Impact Wrestling taping.

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Ken Shamrock recently shared his opinion that the UFC misused Brock Lesnar. Here is what he had to say…

On Brock Being Beaten Mentally: I think Brock mentally got beat, but I always thought that they didn’t treat Brock right either. I thought they threw him in too soon. He’s fighting guys that had 20 fights in his second fight because he’s so massive and so impressive. It wasn’t fair to him. If he would have got groomed properly, he could’ve been the best fight in any weight class, best pound-for-pound ever.

On Brock’s Diverticulitis: I’m not sure that [the diverticulitis] is everything. I know that’s a big part of it, but what if he was training properly? Would that have even been a factor? I don’t even know. I’m just saying this guy had an opportunity to be great, and I just saw him mentally get dwindled down because he was thrown right into that.

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Alive Gamezone reports that WWE 2K14 will likely be available for Sony’s PS4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One.

The game is already confirmed to be available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 by Take-Two. However, the publisher has not yet confirmed next-gen console versions of the game. The latest report says the game will likely be available for the PS4 and Xbox One, but it will not be released for the Nintendo Wii U.

WWE 2K14 is set for an October 29 release in North America and November 1 in the UK for PS3 and Xbox 360.

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The Bret Hart Appreciation Night portion of next week’s Raw will be specific to Canada. Former WWE ref Jimmy Korderas, who is now wrestling analyst for Aftermath TV on the Score, posted the following to Twitter today:

BREAKING: Monday’s ‘Bret Hart Appreciation Night’ will air LIVE EXCLUSIVELY on TheScoreTV (@checktheticker) right after RAW! Only in Canada!

— Jimmy Korderas (@jimmykorderas) May 22, 2013

Scheduled to be a part of the festivities are Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels & I’m sure a Hart or 2 will be there as well!

— Jimmy Korderas (@jimmykorderas) May 22, 2013

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Booker T recently spoke with Raj Girl of WrestlingInc.com about several topics. Check out the highlights:

On the backstage atmosphere when he won the WCW World Title in 2000: “The backstage atmosphere was chaos pretty much. Not with myself, I really didn’t care. It wasn’t my ball, so to speak, I was just playing in the game. The beef was with Russo and Hogan and creative control Hogan had in his contract — I’m not sure exactly what that was. But, I knew that Hogan wanted to win the title that night. I’m not sure if he was trying to step on my grave or throw a monkey wrench into me winning the championship; it was just something that he felt was owed to him at that time. So, I let everything play out. I found out maybe 5, maybe 6 or 7 minutes before I went out that I was going to win the title and that I was going to be champ that night.”

On his reaction when he was told: “Well, I found out that they were planning to do it. Then, when everything got thrown up into the air, I thought I wasn’t going to be winning it. Then, they told me to stick around because I was going to be winning it. Man, I just wanted to get it over with. They had their [questions] and I had my questions as well. My questions were: are the fans going to even want me to be the champion? [Laughs.] Those were my thoughts. I didn’t care what they were thinking. So, I just let everything play out and then when it was time to come out and win, all my questions were answered. Those fans went crazy, everybody raised the roof, everybody was happy that I won — even after the controversial night. Everybody was still partying at the end of the night and happy that Booker T had finally crashed the glass ceiling.”

On the final Nitro and finding out that WWF had bought WCW: “Man, I knew it was going to happen. I mean, we all knew it was coming. For me, it was just another day at work to be honest. I never really worried about my spot or anything. I never really worried about how talented I was or if I could get in or anything like that. A lot of guys were worried about what was next for them but I knew what was next for me. I knew that WWE was coming-a-calling and it was time to me to go and prove how good I really thought I was. So, I was willing to do that. I was willing to step right in, leave all my accolades behind and start all over from the bottom and prove that I belonged. So, it was just another day at the office for me.”

On whether he was knew what was coming with WWE’s WCW revival: “No, not at all. I never delved into that part of the business. I never cared about what the company was going to be doing with who or what — storylines, angles, none of that stuff. I never got involved in that stuff when I was active because it just wasn’t important to me. The only thing that was important to be was what my role was that night and that was it. Then, I would go out at do that, make sure I concentrated on getting that done. The rest of it pretty much just fell into place.”

On whether he ever heard talk that he might win the title at WrestleMania 19: “You know, I’m sure there was talk. You know, I have no control over that. I know a lot of people wanted me to go over, a lot of people thought I should have gone over because of the way the angle was being played out. As far as him saying that he was better than me and people like me shouldn’t be in that position. But, for me, it was a platform to talk about my background and put my real life out there. And to help some people out with my book and whatnot. That was just the beginning of it, winning was a state of mind. I thought I won because I was on the main stage in WrestleMania and I got paid a lot of money to do it. [Laughs.] So, a lot of people say I should have won. But, I think if I would have won, when I finally did win as King Booker, it wouldn’t have been the same. For me, I think everything has happened for a reason. And it always seemed to have happened at the right time.”

On his TNA run: “Eh, it was like a vacation, like a paid vacation. I didn’t do much there and I wasn’t in a lot of angles or anything there and they didn’t know what to do with me. I really wanted to help the AJ’s and the Bobby Roode’s and guys like that but they didn’t have any direction. So, for me, I just came to work, did my antics — I had an African accent there. [Laughs.] So, I’d come to work, do my deal and go home for two weeks. So, it was easy and I needed the detox, I needed a breather. And still be on television. I didn’t want to not be on television because, like I said, out of sight is out of mind. So, I just wanted to take a break but still be on television to keep people thinking about me. Even though the television exposure was not that relevant, I was still doing my thing. I was still in the mix and wrestling on a fairly regular basis. So, I was still in the game, I didn’t let the machine get all rusty. But, like I said, taking a break was something that I needed. I had been going strong for about 17 years straight without a break. Thank little bit of a break was something that I needed just to re-energize myself.”

On comparing Dixie Carter, Eric Bischoff and Vince McMahon: “Man, like night and day really. Dixie Carter, she’s a nice lady, a really nice lady. She’s got a good heart and she really wants to do the right thing for the guys. Does she have the right guys doing things? That might be another story. Is Eric Bischoff the right guy for the job? I don’t know, you’ve got to weigh your options as far as that right there. Look at the track record. [Laughs.] As far as working for Vince McMahon, it’s always been a business. It’s always been a working relationship, I tried not to become friends or anything like that with anybody that I’m working under. I always know that it’s about business, it’s not about friendship. That’s Vince, he’s always about business. It’s all about getting the job done, it’s all about going out and being number one every week no matter what. I adapted that concept myself into pretty much everything that I do. I just go out and work the hardest and be the best.”

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Ivelisse Velez was recently interviewed. Below are some of the highlights:

Ivelisse was quick to address her release from the WWE: “The release … the rumors, they’re just rumors … no matter what I say, I could say it 100 times: no I don’t have a bad attitude … I know for sure that since day one since I started my career I always seek to approach my work as professional as possible. I’ve heard it all. … People close to me, people that work with me can testify to that … my work is everything to me, it’s all I know. I gave up scholarships from school and I was an honor student and I gave up all of it to go on this voyage with complete odds against me … Of course I’m going to approach it with all my heart.”

She expanded upon her character traits: “I am a very assertive person … in a man’s world they’re not very used to that. … A woman being assertive and not being walked over. … Maybe it came from that, I don’t know.”

On her portrayal on Tough Enough: “It was a very hard experience in the sense that a lot of the things that were on TV or things that didn’t make TV that probably should have. … I’m very grateful that opportunity, but I feel, honestly, that it could have portrayed in a little bit more realistic way of how things really happened. … they never showed the diagnosis of my leg, then I ended up looking like a wimp. … Nobody ended up knowing the gravity of the injury to my leg. … I was going to continue … Doctor [had to tell me] that I can’t continue or they have to tear my leg off. … You tell them because I am not going to, because I’ll rip my leg off and then I can’t have a career.”

On her FCW/NXT experience: “It’s really frustrating to hear that [that you're ready to be on television] and then you don’t [get used on television]. … That was mostly the hardest part. … You feel so ready but it’s a whole different ballgame—it’s not just having the skills or the talent or the look. You can have I all but there’s so much more to it there. … We’re all human and sometimes people make mistakes, and people sometimes mix personal with business and you get the backlash of that. It took me a long time to register what happened. … It’s tough.”

On her TNA Gut Check tryout: “Definitely it was a surprise to me as well. … In my head I thought there was no reason for me not to. I felt that Lei D’Tapa was great, too, and she has a lot of potential. At least I thought I was ready now. … They would have benefited from signing us both. … I’m happy for Lei D’Tapa, she’s a great girl, she’s humble. … I’m sure everyone felt like TNA could’ve benefited from both of us. … The whole thing, they were really good at that—at all moments, we never knew. … I had no clue what was going to happen at any moment. … Everyone knows both of these girls should be here. … That was my real reaction, I was just speechless. … When I heard that crowd…I feel like, equally, we both created that with our hard work into the match. … It wasn’t just her! … And then I didn’t even make it to the ring. … I was like “damn, really?” … From wrestlers and fans, it was a big reaction. A lot of people agreed that both of us had a lot to bring to the table. The only difference is I could bring it now. … I’m ready now.”

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Here is the updated card for CHIKARA’s Aniversario: Never Compromise iPPV. The show takes place June 2nd at 4PM with the following card:

Main Event Championship Bout!: Champion Eddie Kingston vs. Icarus
Two out of Three Falls Title Contest!: Champions 3.0 vs. Pieces of Hate
In a Sarcophagus Match!: Amasis vs. Ophidian
Mandated by the Director of Fun!: Gavin Loudspeaker vs. Tim Donst
The Battle for Trios Supremacy!: The Spectral Envoy vs. Colony: Xtreme Force
Young Lions Cup Rematch: Champion Mr. Touchdown Mark Angelosetti vs. Saturyne

You can order the show at this link.

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- Former WWE Superstar Carlito took a shot at The Shield, writing on Twitter, “Just watched RAW, two members of the group need to stop believing in THE SHIELD & start believing in THE GYM!”

He later backed off the statement saying, “Dirt sheets, stop trying to start sh*#% with my tweets! These just f’n jokes! Leave me in the land of irrelevance where Im happy! Thank you”

- Mark Henry may be returning as a babyface. As seen on the Extreme Rules post-show, Henry left the trainers room and said he was going home. There has been some talk for months about turning Henry face.

- At Sunday’s pay-per-view, Vince McMahon was being very secretive, to even the WWE producers, about where he wanted to go with the Ryback and John Cena angle.

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WWE.com has posted story line updates for both Triple H and John Cena following Extreme Rules and Raw this week.

As for Triple H, WWE announced that all of his medical tests came back normal, but he will be further evaluated this week to “get a better idea how he’s doing mentally, as far as reaction time, thought process and so on.”

As for Cena, WWE announced that while he suffered multiple contusions during his match against Ryback at Extreme Rules, he is not expected to miss any ring time and he is being advertised to return to Raw next week.

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- There was talk at Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view that Randy Orton’s punt kick was a one-time thing for the gimmick pay-per-view and for Orton’s appearance before the hometown crowd. With Orton not using the move on Monday’s RAW, the feeling is it was more than likely just a special spot for the pay-per-view.

– Going into WWE Extreme Rules, there had been talk of doing something with a gimmicked ring in either the Strap Match or the Steel Cage Match. This was brought up in a meeting the week before the pay-per-view. Presumably, the idea was nixed when they decided to go with the breakaway wall gimmick for the finish of the Ryback vs. John Cena match.

- The recent New York Post article on Wrestling Observer editor Dave Meltzer made the rounds backstage in WWE with some of the wrestlers remarking that Meltzer’s office looked exactly as they figured it would – a mess.

- WWE is looking at hiring a new commentator, likely for Main Event. This isn’t necessarily an indication that they’re looking to get rid of The Miz or anyone else as they’re constantly looking for new commentators.

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- During his match with Sheamus on Raw last night, Titius O’Neil dropped the F Bomb, which was caught by the censors. Mick Foley posted the following about the accident:

I’m guessing that @VinceMcMahon’s post-match chat with @TitusONeilWWE will be a memorable one.

- WWE will be doing a double shot at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas on September 21st & 22nd, 2013. Tickets for both events go on sale July 27th.

- WWE is now taking concussions very seriously after Dolph Ziggler’s recent injury. Talent has been told to be very careful and stay away from their opponents’ heads as much as possible.

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While John Cena did not appear on Raw live last night, he was in attendance. He worked the dark match main event, and also granted another wish though Make-a-Wish.

WWE Champion John Cena granted another wish last night in Kansas City as he met Josh Jackson and his family backstage at WWE RAW. Jackson suffers from Brittle Bone Syndrome. The family received limo service. There is a photo of Jackson and Cena included in the story, along with photos with Jerry Lawler, The Bella Twins, Cameron, Naomi and even Vince McMahon.

You can find photos of Josh with Cena and other WWE stars, along with more details here.

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Here are Paul Heyman, Chris Jericho and others commenting on the debut of Curtis Axel on Raw monday night:

Chris Jericho: Proud & excited for the debut of #CurtisAxel! He’s been waitin for this his whole life. Somewhere Mr Perfect is smiling his mischievous grin

Mick Foley: I think @RealCurtisAxel has a real shot at getting over. Otherwise, the master (@HeymanHustle) wouldn’t be guiding him

Lance Storm: Anyone who thinks Curt Axel as new @HeymanHustle guy is a miss, doesn’t understand building to the future. #RAW

Dolph Ziggler: genuinely proud of @WWEMcGillicutty. go get em, kid! (curt axel)

Paul Heyman: I always wanted to manage @RealCurtisAxel’s father. A better-than-Perfect debut tonight! @WWE #RAW

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ROH sent out the following today:

-The Briscoe Brothers Battle In Baltimore!
-Nobody Fights Like Family…

It’s official: Jay Briscoe versus Mark Briscoe and it will go down at “Best in the World 2013″! As Nigel stated, should Jay make it through the World Title bouts against Davey Richards in San Antonio & Eddie Edwards in Columbus with the title still in his possession, then this WILL be a World Title bout! The entire Briscoe family will certainly be in the house to witness this clash and one has to wonder just which side everyone will be on? Don’t miss “Best in the World 2013″ on June 22nd as it airs LIVE on iPPV right here (http://www.rohwrestling.com/ippv) on ROHWrestling.com and, if you can be there in-person, grab your tickets now (http://www.rohwrestling.com/product/baltimore-md-june-22nd) in the ROH Store!

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There were reports from fans in attendance at last night’s SmackDown tapings in Omaha, Nebraska that observed that one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions Roman Reigns may have been injured in the main event.

Apparently Reigns tweaked his ankle during a six-man tag match with The Shield vs. Randy Orton, Big Show and Kofi Kingston. Reigns started limping after a spot with Orton on the ring apron.

Reigns was seen limping around the ring during the end of the match and was helped to the back by a referee right after the finish. A post-show beatdown by the babyfaces took place but only Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins were involved.

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Last night’s episode of WWE Raw did a 2.96 rating with 4.23 million viewers. Those numbers were up 1% in the rating but 5% in the viewership from last week’s 2.92 and 4.05 million viewers. The show was up a half a point among males 12 – 17 but down 0.2 in the male 18 – 34 rating.

The show averaged hours of 4.08 million, 4.30 million and 4.31 million viewers.

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Jim Ross spoke to Alex Marvez and Jim Miller on their SiriusXM NFL show Tuesday night, and discussed the fact that the WWE could be an avenue for ex-NFL players. With the new WWE Developmental Center opening soon, Ross stated the following about meeting with the NFLPA:

“Everybody doesn’t make the 53-man roster. Some guys are going to be looking for work, and we’ve got some job openings. Maybe we can put the synergies of those two entities together and create something wonderful some day.”

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TNA sent out the following today:

Georgia Lottery Introduces New IMPACT WRESTLING Game

Players also can enter non-winning tickets for a second chance to win tickets to a live IMPACT WRESTLING event. Visit www.galottery.com for more information.

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Here is the latest on Brock Lesnar’s opponent for WrestleMania 30. According to Wrestling Observer, The Rock was his originally planned opponent, but with the Rock bring banged up and uncertain of his future, WWE is working on plan B, which is the Undertaker.

While it is not confirmed that Rock will be back to work WrestleMania 30, but he has not ruled it out either. Vince McMahon feels that Rock will be feeling better this fall and agree to work Lesnar.

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- TNA has announced that Kurt Angle will face Mr. Anderson on this Thursday’s live Impact Wrestling. Meanwhile, Hulk Hogan will call out Abyss and announce AJ Styles’ opponent for Slammiversary.

- James Storm and Velvet Sky are making appearances in Atlanta today to promote the launch of the Georgia lottery Impact Wrestling instant game ticket. They will be at a press event to promote the launch at Central Park at Atlantic Station at 1pm.

- Jesse Sorensen posted the following update on Twitter today:

@TNASorensen: Just to be clear there ain’t gonna be no come back, just new beginnings! Real return is going to be in Oct! #Motivated #Thankful #Reality

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Wrestling Observer is reporting that at this time, WWE is planning for Randy Orton vs. Sheamus to be a featured match at this year’s Summerslam PPV. With that being the plan, the company will have to turn one of the men heel. Orton has been wanting and been rumored to be turning heel for the last year.

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Tammy “Sunny” Sytch has been released from prison after being jailed for four months for her well-publicized string of violations of her boyfriend’s restraining order. If you will recall, Sytch was sentenced to 114 days in prison after she was arrested six times in a four month period, including three times in three-days, for breaking the order filed by Damien Darling against her.

TMZ reports that Sytch has been released from the Connecticut prison in which she served time and told them that she had contracted HPV before entering prison, and while inside learned it had become cervical cancer. Sytch says she has undergone a hysterectomy at a hospital in the area a couple of weeks ago. She’s now free of cancer.

Sytch says she has written an autobiography while in prison and will be moving to New Mexico to make a fresh start. She is on conditional discharge for the next two years.

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Word is that Triple H has always been very high on Curtis Axel (the former Michael McGuillicutty) and has been a driving force to get him a new push on WWE TV. While Triple H has always been supporting of him, many questioned the booking of Raw last night as many people backstage were left wondering how much Triple H really helped the repackaged star.

The other man is the Rock. During his latest WWE run, Rock did most of his in ring training with Axel to prepare for his run of PPV matches.

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Last night’s angle with Triple H to end Raw was the beginning of a concussion angle. According to Wrestling Observer, at this time, the plan is to keep Triple H off TV for a while, and when he returns the McMahon family (Stephanie and Vince) will try and convince Triple H that he should not wrestle again.

WWE.com has some post Raw video up on the site, showing Triple H undergoing a memory test, selling the idea that he had a concussion from Extreme Rules. During the test, asked whether he could remember McGillicutty’s new name, which he could not. He also only remembered making his entrance, but not the actual match.

You can check out the video at this link.

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After struggling to generate social media buzz since WrestleMania in April, Monday’s WWE Raw scored the highest social score since the night after WrestleMania.

Raw scored 267,714 in social activity, according to Trendrr.TV, up 18 percent from last week’s Raw leading into Extreme Rules.

Raw, which ranked #1 on cable TV Monday night, is still well-below the first quarter of the year. From January to April 8, every episode scored above this week’s score.

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TNA wrestler James Storm will be “back in action soon,” according to TNA president Dixie Carter, after Storm was injured refereeing a match at the most-recent Impact TV tapings.

An update on @cowboy_j_storm. He has a slight abdominal tear but should be back in action soon.

— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) May 21, 2013

Storm said in a follow-up tweet that he will be out of action 6-8 weeks.

Just so everyone knows. Doc said I have a slight tear in my right abdominal & a adductor strain “groin pull” 6-8 weeks. Busting ass 2 b back

— James Storm (@Cowboy_J_Storm) May 21, 2013

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TNA Impact on Thursday, May 16 officially scored a 0.84 rating off a first-hour 0.80 rating and second hour 0.87 rating.

All quarter-hours for the lowest-rated show of the year were below the 1.0-level. If there’s any silver lining for this show, the peak rating was a 0.91 rating at the end of the show, exceeding a very low bar.

First Hour Break Down

Q1: Impact opened with a weak 0.82 rating for Hulk Hogan starting the show and Aces & Eights interrupting. There was also one commercial.

Q2: Impact dipped to a show-low 0.75 rating for Chavo Guerrero vs. Bobby Roode in an unhyped singles match. There was also one commercial.

Q3: Impact returned to a 0.82 rating for Kurt Angle calling out A.J. Styles, but Mr. Anderson interrupted to confront Angle. This was followed by one commercial and Jay Bradley vs. Christian York in a Gut Check-themed match.

Q4: Impact dipped slightly to a 0.80 rating for various backstage segments and two full commercial breaks.

Second Hour Break Down

Q5: Impact barely got a top-of-the-second hour bump, registering a 0.88 rating. This is the lowest Q5 rating in over one year, dating back to April 2012. The segment featured Velvet Sky vs. Gail Kim in a Knockouts match, one commercial, and videos.

Q6: Impact dipped slightly to a 0.85 rating for the X Division Title three-way match, one commercial, and Aces & Eights backstage.

Q7: Impact stayed at a 0.85 rating for an unhyped Daniels vs. Hernandez singles match, one commercial, and the majority of D-Lo Brown vs. Joseph Park in the “main event.”

Q8: Impact increased slightly to a show-high 0.91 rating for the end of Brown-Park, one commercial, and the Sting-Bully Ray contract signing, which was given the final nine minutes of the show. This was the lowest-rated Q8 of the year.

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WWE’s new head writer, Adam Rudman, is already out of the company. The news was originally reported by SEScoops.com and independently confirmed by PWTorch today.

Rudman lasted six weeks in the company after replacing Eric Pankowski, who left the company prior to WrestleMania and recently landed at CBS.

PWTorch has learned that Rudman’s removal occurred last Friday. According to sources, when Redman was first hired six weeks ago, once people met him, they did not think he would last in WWE.

The consensus was that Redman was a bad fit in WWE because he did not have knowledge about pro wrestling.

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- Jerry Lawler apologized to Triple H for suggesting that he may have suffered a stroke on last night’s Raw during his match with Axel.

https://twitter.com/JerryLawler/statuses/336681867505975297

- Eric Bischoff congratulates Curtis Axel on Twitter:

Congrats to Joe Hennig @wwe. I am certain your father is proud. Best of luck!!!!

— Eric Bischoff (@EBischoff) May 21, 2013

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The following press release was sent out today:

Georgia Lottery Introduces New IMPACT WRESTLING Game

ATLANTA (May 21, 2013) – The Georgia Lottery Corporation has partnered with IMPACT WRESTLING to launch its new instant game IMPACT WRESTLING.

“We are pleased to partner with IMPACT WRESTLING to offer a fresh, new game to our players and wrestling enthusiasts,” said Georgia Lottery Corporation President and CEO Debbie D. Alford. “Every dollar raised by this game will benefit HOPE and Pre-K students.”

The IMPACT WRESTLING instant game went on sale statewide Tuesday.

“Given the rich history of professional wresting in Georgia, we are honored and delighted to be the first wrestling organization to be featured on a Georgia Lottery ticket,” TNA President Dixie Carter said. “Our partnership with the Georgia Lottery is a uniquely exciting one for both our Impact Wrestling brand and our superstar talent.”

With IMPACT WRESTLING, players can win prizes up to $25,000.

Players also can enter non-winning tickets for a second chance to win tickets to a live IMPACT WRESTLING event. Visit www.galottery.com for more information.

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BlackburnNews.com reports that city officials from Detroit, Michigan have submitted bids to host WrestleMania 31 (2015) or WrestleMania 32 (2016).

Detroit Sports Commission Executive Director Dave Beachnau is quoted in the article, saying:

“It’s appealing because a lot of these international organizations draw from not just the United States or Canada but from around the world so there’s a certain appeal I think with a border that separates us that they can visit two nations in essentially one destination.”

Detroit last hosted Wrestlemania 23 back in 2007 at Ford Field.

The winning cities to host Wrestlemania 31 and 32 will be announced this summer, on August 1st.

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According to PWInsider Mark Henry has apparently tweaked his should during his strap match against Sheamus at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. As of this writing, there is no indication on if he will be out of action for any given time.

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Original plans called for Curtis Axel to debut as Curt Axel. WWE decided to change the name shortly before he debuted which is why his entrance video on Raw read Curt throughout the video.

Here is a photo of Axel’s debut where you can clearly see it says “Curt” in the entrance video

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Here is the updated card for SHINE 10, which airs on iPPV on May 24th…

Valkyrie is Barred from Ringside: Rain vs. Angelina Love
SHINE Championship Tournament Qualifier on the Line: Jessicka Havok vs. Portia Perez
SHINE Championship Tournament Qualifier: Mercedes Martinez vs. Mia Yim
SHINE Championship Tournament Qualifier: Leva vs. Taylor Made w/ April Hunter
SHINE Championship Tournament Qualifier: Nikki Roxx vs. Allysin Kay w/ April Hunter
SHINE Championship Tournament Qualifier: Santana vs. Kimberly

Also Appearing:

- Daffney
- Ivelisse
- Amber O’Neal
- Heidi Lovelace
- Sojo Bolt
- Jessie Belle
- Luscious Latasha

You can order the show at this link.

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- Jeff Hardy has been added to the July 5th TNA Basebrawl event in Brooklyn, NY. This is traditionally one of the biggest events of the year for the promotion.

- In June, TNA will debut an Unfinished Business PPV based on the Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries feud.

- Team 3D will be doing their “Evening With” event on June 8th in Monroe, NJ

- Here is the upcoming schedule of TNA live events:

May 23: Impact LIVE & Impact Tapings in Tampa, FL
June 1: Slammiversary Fan Interaction
June 2: Fan Interaction PPV
June 6: Impact LIVE & Impact Tapings in Duluth, GA
June 7: House Show in Rome, GA
June 8: House Show in Aiken, SC

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Last week it was reported that WWE Vice President of Television Production, “Big” John Gaburick was leaving the company. Gaburick, who had an on camera role with the MTV version of Tough Enough, had a farwell party with his co-workers. The initial word going around was that Gaburick was leaving the company on his own, but one source stated that it was not the case…

“You don’t leave that kind of spot and money unless the right people have problems with you.”

Gaburick always had a good relationship with Kevin Dunn, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Television Production, but Vince McMahon was not always a big fan of Gaburick. When Gaburick was promoted to his VP position several years ago, his relationship with Dunn began to sour. Dunn had been someone that previously protected Gaburick from McMahon.

It now seems as if things got to a point where the company decided it was time for a change and Gaburick quietly left his position.

[Credit: Wrestlezone]

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WWE sent out the following yesterday:

WWE RETURNS TO ABU DHABI

WWE LIVE PRESENTED BY FIGARO’S PIZZA DETAILS:
• Thursday, October 10, 7:00pm, Abu Dhabi – Zayed Sports City Tennis Stadium
• Friday, October 11, 7:00pm, Abu Dhabi – Zayed Sports City Tennis Stadium
• Saturday, October 12, 7:00pm, Abu Dhabi – Zayed Sports City Tennis Stadium

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- Triple H went to the back after Raw went off the air.

- John Cena and Alberto Del Rio defeated Ryback and Jack Swagger. Cena pinned Swagger to win the dark main event for his team.

- The return date is listed as Monday October 14 for the Raw television show. The pre-sale password is RAWTV and begins tonight. The general public sale begins on Friday.

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Dean Ambrose will face Kofi Kingston for the US Title on Smackdown this week, in a rematch of Extreme Rules.

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TMZ reports that Lanny Poffo and his 86-year-old mother Judy got together at an Olive Garden in Tampa, Florida to celebrate “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s life. They chose the location because it was the place they usually went as a family.

Poffo said they had so many happy memories at the Garden and today they wanted to focus on the Macho Man’s life and the good times, not his death. Meanwhile, Poffo says that Savage’s widow is having a tough time after his death, as she was a passenger in the car when he suffered a heart attack and crashed into a tree in 2011. He was 58.

Poffi said: “I have to be strong for my family now. I’m just glad to have had him as a brother and wanna celebrate his life as much as I can instead of continuing to mourn.”

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Here are the top selling WWE DVDs over the last 11-months:

CM Punk DVD – 137,000
WWE Attitude Era DVD – 129,000
NWO Revolution DVD – 119,000
The Undertaker DVD – 115,000
Best of Nitro: Volume 2 DVD – 114,000

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On this Edition of the Slam of the Week Vleeties is joined Max Murder to discuss Vleeties’ Friday Night, MTV, Jersey Shore, What is Buckwild, Kevin Scampoli & Danny Richardson Call in to Discuss the State of ilikecomedy.net, pinching the tip, and Best Saturday. Vleeties & Max carry on to talk about rap music, Will Smith vs. Denzel Washington, and the Struggle is Real. All that and more on this episode on the Slam of the Week.

SOTW Episode 41 – 2 Chainz 1 Zoo (mp3)

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