WWE
– According to the PWInsider, updating a previous item, the biggest news from the weekend was was Brock Lesnar making an unannounced appearance at Saturday night’s UFC 146 PPV. UFC President Dana White announced at the post-fight press conference that Lesnar texted him and said he wanted to meet with him face-to-face. White was visibly happy when asked about what Lesnar was doing there and, said it was a possibility that Lesnar could return to the UFC for another fight. The report indicates that there has been a lot of speculation about Lesnar’s meeting with UFC, including how much WWE knew in advance, with some people believing the entire thing was a work, and part of the “Lesnar has left WWE” storyline.
According to the PWInsider, however, WWE had nothing to do with the meeting. Lesnar told WWE officials afterwards that he met with Dana White at the show, but nothing came of it. Lesnar reportedly pitched the idea of “doing something” with UFC while still working with WWE, but Dana White turned him down because he’s very cautious about mixing “sports entertainment” with mixed martial arts. Even if Lesnar does not fight in the UFC prior to WrestleMania 29 (or ever again), he successfully added his talked about “legitimacy” with his appearance at the event, furthering the storyline that he’s no longer under contract with WWE.
– According to the PWInsider, Chris Jericho, who is currently serving out a 30-day suspension, was not at Monday’s RAW. Following his incident in Brazil last week, many in the WWE locker room are said to be “walking on eggshells” and not wanting to do anything to get in trouble with management. The feeling is that the whole incident was blown out of proportion and Jericho, a veteran wrestler, got into trouble for simply doing his job and playing his heel character.
In addition, both the RAW and SmackDown crews are still recovering from the hectic tour week when flying to Brazil. The RAW crew in particular had a very rough time with traveling due to the missed flights that caused last week’s show to be rescheduled. The missed flights created more problems with the hotel rooms booked for the wrestlers, with several veterans stepping up and helping the younger stars coordinate their reservations.
– Following his public desire to break away from Vickie Guerrero and Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler posted the following on Twitter:
“I looked great on raw again&we lost,whatevs @excusemewwe make something happen on smackdown #ImBetterThanThis”
– Updating your No Way Out card, John Cena vs. Big Show will take place inside of a steel cage. The announcement was made on RAW. At this time, the only other match confirmed for the show is World Heavyweight champion Sheamus defending against Alberto Del Rio. Daniel Bryan a WWE title shot on RAW by defeating CM Punk. Another CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan match is rumoured for the PPV, but has not been officially announced yet. WWE had also been building to a Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho match, but with Jericho suspended for 30 days and Randy Orton giving The Miz an RKO on RAW, it appears The Miz could be filling in for Jericho and wrestling Randy Orton at NWO.
– John Cena is being advertised for all WWE SmackDown television tapings through the end of July, excluding next week’s 6/5 tapings from Columbia, South Carolina. In place of John Cena, Triple H is being advertised for the Columbia show.
– This week’s WWE ratings will be delayed due to the Memorial Day holiday. Friday’s SmackDown rating will come out later today while the RAW rating will be released Wednesday afternoon.
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include Hornswoggle (26), Brian Kendrick (33), Steve Corino (39), Pete Gas (42) and Samu (49).
MLB
– According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, “folks” think RHP Roy Oswalt will decide on a team this week. The Rangers are believed to be the favorite to sign the veteran right-hander, but the Orioles, Red Sox, Phillies, Dodgers and Brewers are all considered in the mix. Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported Sunday that he’s looking for a prorated $7.5M contract.
TNA
– Updating a previous item, according to the PWInsider, the main reason behind Don West’s departure from TNA Wrestling is that he was presented with an offer to be the new General Manager of the Wenatcheee Wild minor league hockey team based out of Wenatchee, Washington. As GM, West will be involved in all aspects of the hocky team’s operations. West is reportedly leaving TNA on good terms, and it’s believed that he’d be welcomed back in the future.