WWE
– It was announced on Monday’s RAW that Brock Lesnar will respond to Triple H’s SummerSlam challenge on next week’s show During the show, local commercials aired in St. Louis promoting an appearance by Brock Lesnar at the upcoming 1,000th episode celebration on 7/23 from the Scottrade Center. The commercial stated that Lesnar would be in St. Louis and questioned, “but what part will he play?” Lesnar is also advertised for the August 13th edition of RAW, the final show before SummerSlam. No word yet on whether Lesnar will be at RAW next week to answer Triple H’s challenge in person.
– Randy Orton has responded to a number of fan questions on Twitter regarding his suspension, WWE banning his skull punt, his dream opponent and more:
“@winter234: @RandyOrton randy i hear you wre smoking weed is that true” I can neither confirm, nor deny
“@DwitterDeez: @RandyOrton You Need to Punt that Suspension, then RKO it.” punts been band
“@Pagano13: @RandyOrton How’s St. Louis treating you on your “time off”? Nice to be home?” been strength training with a trainer 4 x week
Pagano13 @RandyOrton How’s St. Louis treating you on your time off? Nice 2 be home?” Feels good to be refreshed and ready to return
“@OfficialPTEShow: @RandyOrton Hey Randy, who is your dream opponent?”Brodus Clay
– WWE announced on RAW that a permanent General Manager for RAW and SmackDown will be announced in 4 weeks at the 1,000th RAW Celebration on July 23rd.
– “Sycho” Sid Vicious tweeted the following after his surprise return to Monday Night RAW after nearly 15 years away from WWE:
Thank you for the huge pop on #RAW! Much respect to all of my fans! #MasterAndRulerOfTheWorld
Off for now. Love being backstage at #RAW. Tweet you tomorrow. Again, THANK YOU EVERYONE!
It’s worth noting that WWE (via WWE.com & Twitter) actually leaked news of Sid being backstage at RAW before he appeared on television.
– Brodus Clay tweeted the following on Monday night after RAW after losing to the Big Show, which officially ended his winning streak:
Funkateers Thank u all! lil dizzy and icing my knee see what dr says in am
– WWE Hall of Famer JJ Dillon turns 70 years old today.
NBA
– The Bulls, Mavericks, Pacers and Timberwolves “have emerged as serious suitors” to sign free agent F Brandon Roy, according to Yahoo! Sports. Per Adrian Wojnarowski, Roy’s recovery from knee problems has “been spurred by undergoing the platelet rich plasma therapy.” Wojo also notes that the Warriors remain interested, but not to the same level as the aforementioned teams. Finally, he suggests that some teams would be willing to use their full midlevel exception on Roy. Roy remains a major question mark given his chronic knee problems.
– When asked if Knicks’ RFA G Jeremy Lin will re-sign with the Knicks, head coach Mike Woodson said “absolutely he’s going to be back.” Both Woodson and GM Glen Grunwald have gone on the record stating that Lin will return. “We like what he brings to the table. He’s our starting point guard.”
– According to the Indianapolis Star, Pacers’ president Larry Bird is “100% sure” that he will not return to the role. With the team hiring of Donnie Walsh, the 55-year-old Bird is expected to finalize his departure plans with owner Herb Simon on Tuesday. Bird is known to be dealing with some health issues, and the report notes that he’ll likely take a year off before deciding on his long-term future. There is a “possibility” Walsh assumes Bird’s title with the team. Of note, David Morway, who was the team’s GM, is no longer employed by the Pacers.
– The Rockets have traded G Chase Budinger to the Wolves for the No. 18 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. Houston now has picks No. 14, No. 16 and No. 18 in Thursday’s draft, which is interesting since they’re reportedly likely to try and flip two top-1o picks to the Magic for F Dwight Howard. As for the Wolves, they’ve now traded its 1st-round pick with minimal return.
NHL
– Maple Leafs’ GM Brian Burke said he isn’t concerned with F James van Riemsdyk’s past health issues. ”We’ve got a number of players on our team who’ve had concussions. That doesn’t mean you’re particularly susceptible to additional concussions. A broken foot — guys like to block shots. The hip is a non-surgical thing that requires some treatment through the year. He got several medical opinions, including one in Toronto. The doctor said he didn’t need surgery.” JVR played in just 43 games with the Flyers, missing time with a broken foot, a concussion, a strained oblique and a strained rib.
– NHL Players’ Association executive director Donald Fehr believes the season can begin on time even without a new collective bargaining agreement in place. About 50 NHL players met with Fehr on Monday in Chicago to go over plans for the their side of the CBA talks. Meetings will last through Wednesday. The current CBA expires September 15 and the biggest negotiating point is likely to be revenue sharing. “There’s plenty of time to negotiate an agreement between now and September 15. By the way, there’s nothing magic about September 15. The law is if you don’t have a new agreement, as long as both sides are willing to keep negotiating you continue under the terms of the old one until you reach an agreement.”
NFL
– Vikings’ coach Leslie Frazier said Monday that RB Adrian Peterson (ACL, MCL, meniscus surgery) will begin training camp on the PUP list. ”(Based) on where he is today, everything is moving in the right direction. I don’t know if we’ll put him on the practice field anytime soon when we get to (camp). But everything indicates there’s a very good chance he may be ready for (Week 1). We’re still far enough out that you really can’t say that right now.” Peterson could be activated at any time if he begins camp on the PUP list–however, if he remains there until the regular season, he’ll be forced to miss the first six games. Right now, AP is projected to be ready for Week 1.
– Saints’ unsigned Saints franchise QB Drew Brees is “very confident” the sides will agree to a long-term contract before the July 16 deadline. ”I’ve always said, you’d think this process should be a lot more simple than it is. It just always seems to be complicated. But I’m still very confident we’ll get a long-term deal done.” PFT has reported the talks are expected to go down to the “last minute,” but most signs suggest a long-term agreement will be reached. Stay tuned.