WWE

– On Tuesday’s NXT season finale, Kaval was announced as the winner of WWE’s NXT season 2. Alex Riley was the first rookie to be eliminated on the Season finale and it came down to Michael McGillicutty and Kaval. Kaval has earned a shot at the WWE Championship on PPV and a spot on either the RAW or SmackDown rosters.

As Kaval was celebrating his win, the other Season 2 rushed the ring and attacked him. The Pros from this season came down and brawled with them. It turned into a NXT 2 Rookies vs. NXT 2 Pros with Kaval brawl. Riley and McGillicutty came back down to work over Kaval. The show ended with Riley, McGillicutty, Husky Harris, Titus O’Neil and Lucky Cannon beating Kaval down in the ring with their finishers.

Season 3 will start next week and will be an all-divas cast. Naomi Knight (FCW Divas Champion, Pro: Kelly Kelly), Maxine (FCW’s Liviana, Pro: Alicia Fox), AJ Lee (Pro: Primo), Aksana (FCW, Pro: Goldust), Jamie Keyes (FCW’s Jamie Keys, Pros: The Bella Twins) and Aloisia (Pro: Vikcie Guerrero).

– At Tuesday’s SmackDown tapings from Albany NY (set to air this Friday), it was announced that Kane will defend the World Heavyweight title against his brother The Undertaker at Night of Champions. With that match set, here’s the updated card:

Six-Pack Challenge for the WWE Championship
Sheamus (c) vs. Wade Barrett vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena

Title Unification Lumberjill Match for the WWE Women’s Championship & WWE Divas Championship
Layla or Michelle McCool (c) vs. Melina (c)

World Heavyweight Title Match:
Kane (c) vs. The Undertaker

Night of Champions takes place on Sunday, September 19, 2010 from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois.

– Vince McMahon noted in a recent interview with the Boston Herald that he held a talent meeting a few years ago urging his performers to “reach for the brass ring” regardless of whom they have to step over. He particularly recalled John Cena approaching him at the end of the meeting to say, ‘I’m your man.’ The interview caught the attention of an anonymous wrestler who attended the meeting. He said there were actually five wrestlers who came over to McMahon following the meeting to say they were the right man for the job.

“The only difference is that Cena did his ’stepping over guys’ in the locker room more than the ring.”

The anonymous wrestler feels McMahon was looking for a “backstabbing stooge” to serve as his top WWE Superstar.

“It has zero to do with in-ring talent. Cena stepped on guys like the Spirit Squad and others who were only there for less than six months.”

– The Miz is on the cover of the Bragging Right PPV poster (10/24) while The Undertaker is on the cover of the Hell in a Cell PPV (10/3).

NFL

– The Bills, Raiders and Giants have discussed trading for Cardinals’ QB Matt Leinart, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Raiders and Giants are in need of a backup, while the Bills need anything they can get their hands on. Leinart needs to change his attitude and accept a No. 2 role. The Cardinals would do well just to get a 6th-round draft pick for Leinart considering his $2.5M salary this season.

– Lions’ RB Kevin Smith’s roster spot may be in jeopardy, hints the Detroit Free Press. They report that coach Jim Schwartz said about Smith’s place on the team. “I don’t know. I’ll cross that bridge when we get there. I don’t know that there’s very many people that have 100% earned a spot.”

MLB

– The Red Sox have released OF Jeremy Hermida. Hermida was given his release after being told he wasn’t going to be considered for a call-up in September. The 26-year-old batted just .203/.257/.348 with five home runs and 27 RBI in 158 at-bats with the Red Sox this season. He’s still young enough for teams to take a chance on him.

– The Red Sox have traded RHP Manny Delcarmen to the Rockies for RHP Chris Balcom-Miller. Delcarmen has posted disappointing numbers over the last two seasons in Boston and might do well with a change of scenery. If he can get back to his 2008 form, when he posted a 3.27 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 74 1/3 innings, the righty might be a useful piece in the Colorado bullpen for a few seasons.

– The Mets have traded OF Jeff Francoeur to the Rangers for 2B Joaquin Arias.

– The Reds have placed OF Laynce Nix (sprained left ankle) on the 15-day DL retroactive to August 26.

– The White Sox have transferred RHP Jake Peavy to the 60-day DL.

– The Rockies have placed 3B Ian Stewart (strained right oblique) on the 15-day DL retroactive to August 26.

– The Reds have transferred RHP Russ Springer to the 60-day DL.

– The Astros have transferred RHP Brian Moehler to the 60-day DL.

NHL

– Oilers’ G Nikolai Khabibulin has appealed his drunk driving conviction. The Bulin Wall was sentenced to a 30 days in prison, but he won’t have to serve it as long as the process is ongoing. Khabibulin plans to attend the Oiler’s training camp, which starts on September 17. GM Steve Tambellini said, “Nik and his lawyers exercised their right to an appeal. This obviously means the process continues. It doesn’t allow me unfortunately to comment on behalf of the team as we thought we’d be able to do but that’s Nik’s right to be able to do that. As far as any discussion of further discipline or actions taken (by the) league, ourselves, obviously that all has to wait.” The appeals process could take months, so it might be a while before this matter is resolved.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
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MLB

– Former RHP Roger Clemens 6-count indictment alleges that one of the most dominant pitchers of his era obstructed a congressional inquiry with 15 different statements made under oath, including denials that he had ever used steroids or human growth hormone. As he did when he testified to a House committee in 2008, the seven-time Cy Young winner denied using the substances again Thursday and said he will fight to clear his name. “I never took HGH or Steroids. And I did not lie to Congress. I look forward to challenging the Governments accusations, and hope people will keep an open mind until trial. I appreciate all the support I have been getting. I am happy to finally have my day in court.”

– The Cardinals have acquired 3B Pedro Feliz and cash considerations from the Astros for RHP David Carpenter. Feliz was batting just .221/.243/.311 with four home runs and 31 RBI with the Astros this season. The Cardinals probably aren’t paying him much, so it’s worth the gamble.

– According to Micheal S. Schmidt of the NY Times, Roger Clemens will be indicted for perjury. According to two sources briefed on the matter, Clemens will be indicted on charges of making false statements to Congress during his testimony about his use of performance-enhancing drugs on February 13, 2008. An official announcement is expected shortly.

WWE

– Nexus’ member Skip Sheffield (broken left ankle) may require surgery and is expected to be out several weeks to months depending on the severity of the injury. He was reportedly injured at Wednesday’s Raw live event from Honolulu, Hawaii in a tag match with David Otunga versus The Hart Dynasty. Sheffield laid face-down in the ring after the match with an apparent leg injury. He was unable to walk by himself, could not put any weight on his left leg and had to be helped out of the ring and to the back. Sheffield had been positioned as the #2 star in Nexus behind Wade Barrett. With the previous departures of Daniel Bryan and Darren Young and now Sheffield being injured, the Nexus is down to only 5 members. There has been talk of bringing some of the Season 2 rookies into Nexus, including Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty.

Which Season 2 rookies do you think would be a good fit for Nexus? Comment below and tell us.

– Former WWE superstar and concussion awareness champion Chris Nowinski recently spoke to New England’s NECN news show about the WWE work environment. Nowinski, who is a Harvard graduate and wrestled for WWE from 2002-2004 before having to retire after a head injury, paints an ugly picture of WWE encouraging steroid use, widespread use of pain pills and more.

Steroid Use In WWE: “The WWE rewards the guys who use them.”

The Unsafe Work Environment: “They have an environment where it’s absolutely unsafe to work in that ring. They have no oversight into what actually happens in the ring. And they are encouraging steroid use,” he said, citing the enormous physiques of recent champions such as Triple H and Batista. “It’s garbage that they’re not using stuff,” he said. “They absolutely know what’s going on.”

Painkiller Use In WWE: “They’re taking pain killers because they’re working 200 nights a year and getting hit unlike anyone in the history of the wrestling business — it wasn’t like that in the ’80s, it wasn’t like that in the ’70s” he said. “I used to go through tables for four days a week.”

Linda McMahon Saying She “Might Have Met”Lance Cade: “That’s complete garbage. Just kicking dirt on the guy’s grave.”

– The main event for October’s WWE Hell in A Cell PPV on October 3 will be Sheamus defending the WWE title against Randy Orton, according to local advertising in Dallas, Texas. Also discussed for the show is a match between The Undertaker and Kane.

NFL

– The Broncos have re-signed QB Kyle Orton to a 1-year,/$9M contract extension through 2011 with $5.5M in guarantees. A much deserved reward for Orton’s excellent training camp as well as an acknowledgment that he’s well ahead of QB Tim Tebow and QB Brady Quinn in coach Josh McDaniels’ offense. It’s no longer safe to assume that Tebow will take over the offense late in the season, and he may be a 1.5-2 years from seeing the starting lineup.

– ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that “early reports” on Vikings’ WR Percy Harvin’s migraine episode on the practice field Wednesday are encouraging. Bernard Berrian tweeted Thursday that “Percy’s doin’ fine everyone.” It sounds like Harvin avoided a migraine that could ache for several days. “It seemed like he was stable,” confirmed coach Brad Childress. The issue will remain a career-long concern for Harvin.

– ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Chargers are “nowhere close” to getting holdout LT Marcus McNeill into camp despite Wednesday’s face-to-face meeting with GM A.J. Smith. McNeill isn’t actually considered a “holdout” because he’s not officially under contract. The 2-time Pro Bowler’s visit to Chargers’ headquarters Wednesday obviously didn’t do much. QB Philip Rivers’ blind-side protection remains a major concern.

– The Giants have signed G/T Shawn Andrews. The 2-time Pro Bowler is still just 27 years old and if he gets his head on straight, this would be a huge steal for the Giants. Expect Andrews’ contract to be largely incentive-based.

NHL

– The father of Leafs’ D Tomas Kaberle believes his son will be traded during the 2010-11 season. “I think that during the course of the year he will be traded to another club. There is only one chance for Toronto to get something back in return for Tomas now. In my opinion, I can’t see Tomas entering a new contract with the Toronto. Not if Ron Wilson continues to be employed there … I cannot imagine how he will get along with coach Wilson, who relies primarily on aggression and stress. That’s not Tomas, he’s a technical type of defender.” If Kaberle does end up being moved, then he will have to go to GM Brian Burke himself with a list of teams. Burke has been steadfast in his claim that he will not ask the offensive rearguard to waive his NTC. Stay tuned, this is far from over.

NBA

– Bucks’ F Andrew Bogut (elbow) could miss the first month of the new NBA season due to fluid buildup. “I’m optimistic that I should be ready for the season but you never know with these things because of the nerve damage and so on, it’s on its own course. I’m one of those guys who will play through injury but if I’m not 100% for the season to start, there is no sense going into an NBA season at 85% ’cause we’re playing up to May.”

– Pacers’ G Darren Collison (finger fracture) suffered the injury during a pickup game on the same day he was traded, and will be in a cast for at least 3 weeks. “It’s nothing serious. I’ll be out three to four weeks, so I’ll be well before training camp.” He should be fine heading into training camp.

– Thunder’ F Nenad Krstic was involved in a fight that broke out on the court during Serbia’s “friendly” against Greece, and at one point threw a chair into the middle of the court. Nobody was seriously hurt, but Kristic cowardly backpedaling from F Sofo Schortsanitis (aka Greek Shaq) was reminiscent of Carmelo Anthony vs. the Knicks in 2006. Krstic is likely to get a 2-game suspension by FIBA during the World Championships.

TNA

– In addition to Homicide, it would appear that both Tomko and Rosie Lottalove have parted ways with TNA, as their respective profiles were removed from the company website’s roster page Thursday. All three were sparingly used in recent months. In Homicide’s case, he noted on his social networking accounts earlier in the day that he had parted ways with the organization. Meanwhile, Lottalove’s photo gallery was removed from the Knockouts media section. Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Daniels and ODB were also removed from the page, though their respective TNA departures were noted months ago.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
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NBA

– Chris Mannix of SI.com reports that Nuggets’ F Carmelo Anthony would “be open” to signing a long-term contract with the Rockets or Nets if one of those teams acquired him in a trade. It looks like we can add Houston and New Jersey to the list of potential destinations along with the Knicks and Magic. Stay tuned.

– Jason Quick of The Oregonian reports that Blazers’ G Rudy Fernandez won’t report to training camp and has “no intention” of honouring the final two years of his contract with the Blazers. According to Quick, Fernandez has no problem being suspended by the Blazers and sitting out until he can return to Spain in 2012. It’s possible that this is one last effort to leverage the Blazers into moving him, but Rudy could be done for two years. Stay tuned.

MLB

– The Braves have acquired 1B Derrek Lee from the Cubs for RHP Tyrelle Harris, RHP Robinson Lopez and LHP Jeffrey Lorick. Good move by the Braves, who are trying to fend off the Phillies for the NL East crown. Lee has lost a step defensively and is no longer a major home run threat, but he’s hitting well lately and is far better in the field than 1B Troy Glaus.

– Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that Rockies’ OF Brad Hawpe will be released after Wednesday night’s game. Hawpe will become a free agent and will be allowed to sign with any interested major league team. He’s posted a disappointing .642 OPS since the All-Star break, but he still has some power and could be useful down the stretch for a contending club. The Rangers and Red Sox make sense as landing spots, but a host of teams will be in on the negotiations.

– John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Reds have offered a contract extension to manager Dusty Baker. Baker and his Reds currently hold a 2.5-game lead over the Cardinals in the NL Central. Baker is currently weighing the offer.

NHL

– The Hawks have signed F Fernando Pisani to a 1-year/$500K deal. The 33-year old played 40 games last season with the Oilers last season and tallied four goals and four assists.

– Forbes is reporting that owner Tom Hicks is close to selling the Dallas Stars and his 50% interest in the Stars home arena, the American Airlines Centre for nearly $300M. Hicks, who recently sold his interest in Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers also owns half of English Premier League giants Liverpool, bought the Stars for $84M in 1996. Forbes infers that the sale means that creditors of the Hicks Sports Group wil recoup at least a portion of the $200M that they are owed in addition to what they earned from the recent sale of the Rangers. Forbes also suggests that the sale bodes well for the sale of other NHL franchises in southern, non-traditional American markets such as Atlanta, Nashville and most notably the Phoenix Coyotes whose struggles with ownership have dragged out over two years.

NFL

– Updating a previous item, Vikings’ QB Brett Favre confirmed at a Wednesday press conference that he will play for the team this season. Favre explained that last season’s playoff loss to the Saints took a real toll on his mindset. “Physically, you know … I can’t complain. The surgeries I think, have made me a little better. But I’ve played in 390 straight games. I can’t complain.” Favre will reportedly receive a $3.5M raise on his 2010 salary, bringing it to $16.5M. He’ll be eligible for another $3.5M in incentives. It’s worth it for the Vikes if Favre can come anywhere near his 2009 performance.

– The Baltimore Sun confirms that the Ravens have “received some phone calls” about the availability of RB Willis McGahee.

– Chargers’ GM A.J. Smith met with unsigned RFA LT Marcus McNeill at the team’s practice facility on Wednesday. While it’s believed the visit produced “nothing tangible,” it one the of the sides could be budging. McNeill has skipped all spring and summer workouts in hopes of landing a new contract. The meeting was reportedly requested by McNeill’s side, but he still has leverage in the situation.

– Dolphins’ RB Ricky Williams’ latest plans involve signing an extension to stay with the team through the 2011 season. “Ideally, I would like to get a year extension with the Miami Dolphins, play this year and next year and then really focus on my schooling,” Williams said. Agent Drew Rosenhaus has been advising Ricky to play at least another year, but the 33-year-old had considered calling it quits after the season. The Dolphins are aware of his desire for an extension. It would be a surprise if a mutual deal wasn’t worked out.

– Multiple league sources tell ESPN New York that Jets’ QB Kellen Clemens is on the trade block. He played ahead of QB Mark Brunell in Monday night’s exhibition opener, but only because the Jets were “showcasing” him and did well, completing 7-of-10 passes for 84 yards. The Bills, Bears and Texans are worth keeping an eye on. The Vikings also figure to make QB Sage Rosenfels available, who will draw more interest.

– The 49ers have released WR Brandon Jones. 2+ years ago, the Niners guaranteed Jones $5.4M on a 5-year/$16.5M contract. What did he do? One reception for 18 yards. The move stops San Fran from paying Jones’ $2.145M 2010 salary. Injury prone throughout his career, Jones won’t draw interest until he gets healthy. He missed nearly all of camp with an injured hamstring.

– The Lions have acquired DE Lawrence Jackson from the Seahawks for a 6th-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. The disappointing 2008 first-rounder adds even more talent to an improved Lions defensive front, it’s still not clear if he can actually play.

WWE

– Many people who saw the Undertaker’s return at SummerSlam noted that The Undertaker seemed to be out of shape and less muscular than the last time we saw him. We can confirm that the Undertaker received medical clearance to get back in the gym just a few weeks ago, which explains that. Taker has been nursing a broken orbital bone and a concussion (suffered in a match vs. Rey Mysterio) among other minor, nagging injuries. He was still experiencing vision problems as recently as last month but is expected to fully recover from the vision problems.

Undertaker will be feuding with Kane over the World Heavyweight Championship over the next few months, with current plans calling for matches at Night of Champions in September as well as Hell in a Cell in October. The first Undertaker vs. Kane match has been booked for WWE’s return to MSG on September 25.

– Former WWE superstar Rene Dupree, who held WWE gold as part of “La Resistance” tag team, recently spoke to Slam Wrestling about the latest chapter in his career, wrestling in Japan and Europe. Dupree had some very harsh things to say about his time in WWE and Vince McMahon in particular.

“I was miserable the last three years I was in WWE, I was miserable, I hated it, because it’s all politics. You have to kiss ass. In Japan, all you’ve got to do, is you’ve got to work hard, you’ve got to look good, and that’s it. And that’s what wrestling is all about. It’s about the performance. It’s not about how big you are, or how good of a promo you can cut. It’s about if you can deliver in the ring.”

Rene Dupree has dramatically changed his look since we last saw him in WWE. He’s now sporting a goatee and is covered in tattoos on his chest, arms, shoulder and back.

“I’ve always wanted tattoos, ever since I was a little kid. Mind you, when I was 18 and I signed with WWE, and they had a strict policy, ‘Oh no, you can’t have tattoos without permission. Oh no, you can’t do this, you can’t do that.’ Basically, when you sign a contract with WWE, you sell your soul. You can’t take a sh*t without asking their permission. That’s the bottom line, that’s the truth. The hell with that shit. No. Here in Japan, I get a new tattoo, and the boys are like, ‘Oh, sugoi (which means awesome), new tattoo.’”

He also had some choice words for Vince McMahon.

“I don’t care how much money Vince McMahon has, Vince McMahon put my father out of business, for a lot of people. That was a very, very hard time in my life. That is very hard to forgive, very hard to forgive.”

– “Showtime” Percy Watson and Husky Harris were eliminated on NXT this week. Remaining are Michael McGillicutty, Alex Riley and Kaval, all of whom have been viewed as the ‘favorites’ for several weeks.

– Last week’s episode of SmackDown did a 1.6 broadcast rating and averaged 2,686,000 viewers.

– WWE has re-signed former SmackDown talent Ryan Braddock to a developmental contract. He was previously under contract to the organization from December 2005-March 2010.

– WWE has released developmental wrestler George Murdoch (aka G-Rilla, Brodus Clay). Murdoch was previously released by the organization in February 2008. He was re-signed to a developmental contract in January.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
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WWE

– We are sad to report that former WWE superstar Lance Cade (Lance McNaught) was found dead today. He was 29 years old and leaves behind two young daughters. The cause of death is believed to be heart failure.

Cade was trained by former WWE superstar Shawn Michaels in late 1990’s at Michaels’ wrestling academy in San Antonio, Texas. He held WWE tag team gold with his partner Trevor Murdoch and had a brief run as Chris Jericho’s protege during Jericho’s feud with Shawn Michaels a few years ago. During that program, he was released from WWE after an incident on an airplane where Cade took too many painkillers and went into a seizure. He was brought back to WWE developmental last year but was never used on television and was released again earlier this year. He officially worked with WWE from 2003-2008 and was trained by Shawn Michaels at his Texas Wrestling Academy when he was 18.

Cade spoke openly in several interviews about his struggle with sleeping pills.  He had been working for independent promotions and in Japan over the past year. VoV extends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Lance McNaught.

Here are some quotes from Shawn Michaels via his twitter account:

“5 min aft my morning tweet I got the call about Lance. No words will b good enuff. 1 of my boys is gone. My prayers & thoughts have already been given 2 his family & will continue. Goodbye Lance I Love You.” There are many other of his wrestling friends sharing similar thoughts via twitter today.

WWE has also confirmed the death of former superstar Lance Cade.

“World Wrestling Entertainment was informed Friday morning by Lance McNaught’s father that he has passed away of apparent heart failure. WWE extends its deepest condolences to the McNaught family.”

“Mr. McNaught was under contract from March 2003 to October 2008 and performed under the name “Lance Cade.” He returned to FCW, WWE’s developmental territory, in September 2009, and was released in April 2010.”

– There’s been talk of a major heel turn taking place at Sunday’s SummerSlam PPV and the WWE superstar moving to the “dark side” may surprise you. According to sources who have been a part of recent WWE creative meetings, the idea has been brought up several times of John Cena turning heel on Team Raw during the main event. Cena turning heel is not confirmed, but its 1 of 3 possible scenarios being discussed for the finish of the main event. Cena turning heel has been brought up in the past, but it has not gotten this much consideration before.

– Several ideas are being talked about for the Kane vs. Rey Mysterio match at SummerSlam. WWE plans to have  The Undertaker appear on the show in some capacity. One idea under discussion was for a casket to be brought to ringside and at the end of the match when either Kane or Rey was about to be thrown in, Undertaker would come out and attack Kane to kick off their feud. There are plans for The Undertaker and Kane to wrestle at Night of Champions in September and then again at Hell in a Cell in October.

MLB

– The Giants have acquired OF Jose Guillen and cash considerations from the Royals for a PTBNL. Financial details have not been disclosed, but the Royals are expected to pick up a a significant portion of the $3M+ remaining on Guillen’s contract for this season.

NFL

– The Chargers have re-signed RFA Shawne Merriman to a 1-year/$3.269M tender. We’re still trying to figure out what Merriman was trying to accomplish by staying away from camp. He wasn’t going to land a long-term deal from the Chargers, and skipping practices wasn’t helping him to prepare for a make-or-break contract push this year. He’ll have to hold off Larry English to retain his starting job.

– The Vikings have sent a “five-day letter” to WR Percy Harvin as a warning to rejoin the team, according to a report from PFT. The letter means Harvin has 5 days to report to the team or risk suspension and/or fines. Harvin has been dealing with migraines, but there’s also been speculation that he and WR Sidney Rice are purposely avoiding the rigors of camp as long as QB Brett Favre is out of action. Stay tuned.

TNA

– As we saw on Thursday’s “Whole F’N Show” iMPACT! special, TNA Champion Rob Van Dam was brutally attacked by Abyss and left bloody backstage. Without spoiling too much for next week’s iMPACT!, we can confirm that Rob Van Dam will be taking some time off in the near future.

According to the Wrestling Observer, the main reason for Rob Van Dam taking time off is his TNA contract. Van Dam signed a deal with TNA for a specific number of dates per year – and TNA has been burning through those dates much faster than they originally planned. TNA has booked Van Dam for most television, PPVs and live events and are running low on the number of available dates.

TNA has run into similar issues in the past with stars like Ric Flair, Sting and Mick Foley in the past. It’s possible that TNA could renegotiate the terms of Van Dam’s contract in order to get him back on television sooner, but for now, he’ll be taking some time off in order to conserve what’s left of his remaining appearances.

VoV

Marc Valeri – captaincharisma@hotmail.com
VoV – www.voiceofvaleri.com
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VoV

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MLB

– Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols was the unanimous choice as the National League’s MVP. Pujols becomes the seventh NL player to win the award unanimously since OF Barry Bonds in 2002. Pujols batted .327 in 2009 while leading the league in on-base percentage (.443), slugging percentage (.658) and OPS (1.101). He also led the league with 47 home runs and 124 runs scored. This is Pujols’ second straight MVP selection and the third of his nine-year career. Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez, Phillies 1B Ryan Howard, Brewers 1B Prince Fielder, Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki, Dodgers OF Andre Either and Cubs 1B Derrek Lee garnered second-place votes.

– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com confirmed Tuesday that free agent 1B Nick Johnson has already drawn interest from multiple teams this offseason. Johnson has reportedly heard from the Mariners, Giants, Mets and even the Yankees, who could use him at DH. The 31-year-old had the highest 2009 on-base percentage of any hitter on the free agent market this winter and an overall batting line of .291/.426/.405. He’s been an above-average defender at first base for most of his seven-year big league career.

– Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune reports that the White Sox have expressed interest in free agent OF Coco Crisp. Crisp’s agent Steve Compte said Tuesday, “I have talked to (general manager) Kenny Williams on a preliminary basis. We’re going to be a little patient. We haven’t talked dollars. We’re trying to identify the teams where there’s definitely a fit, and I’m sure they want to explore other options.” Crisp, 30, batted .228/.336/.378 with three home runs, 14 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 180 at-bats for the Royals in 2009, but his season was cut short in June as he underwent surgery both his shoulders. Crisp could be a low-cost option for center field and leadoff in Chicago.

NHL

– The Leafs have placed G Vesa Toskala (groin) on the IR.

– Senators G Pascal Leclaire (broken cheekbone) will be sidelined for up to four weeks. He will undergo surgery to repair the problem and may miss a month of action. The injury took place on Monday night when he serving as the backup on the bench and a puck ricocheted off the glass and hit him in the face. G Brian Elliot will likely carry the load in Leclaire’s place.

WWE

– According to multiple sources, Shane McMahon is considering purchasing a share in the UFC. McMahon, who currently servces as WWE’s Vice President of Global Media, will officially leave that post on January 1, 2010 and be free to work elsewhere. Stay tuned.

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here’s what Ross said about:

Jesse Ventura Hosting Raw: “Jesse Ventura did an excellent job as guest general manager … Jesse looked good, had his usual distinctive, great delivery and, for me, created an interest in checking out his new “Conspiracy Theory” program that debuts soon on truTV. Ventura and McMahon was a fun trip down memory lane and they were, perhaps, the 2nd best broadcast team to appear on Monday Night Raw in a good while as in the summer of ‘08. Just one man’s totally biased opinion. I would have been happy to have flown in and produced the two wrestling legends.”

Sheamus’ Push: “Sheamus has found himself in a great spot to help begin building his long term foundation in WWE. I read where some pundits felt the incident between the young Irishman and John Cena was “flat.” I disagree. Obviously, the crowd sitting in their seats over three hours is challenging, has an influence but isn’t the real reason. However, let’s all remember that Sheamus hasn’t been on Raw in any significant role for, what, a month, 5 weeks? Sheamus has not even been in a long term personal issue with a main event, Raw wrestler yet…until now. Bottom line is that Sheamus’ persona is still evolving and the next two weeks and then TLC is highly important to Sheamus’ development. At worst, the WWE has made a new, fresh main event for a PPV and from where I sit that is a good thing.”

The Rock Saying He’d Work With WWE Again: “I would bet a 6 Pak Challenge and throw in a case of BBQ Sauce that those remarks don’t mean that Dwayne is thinking about wrestling again. I do not see that occurring but his appearances could mean an unlimited number of other things that don’t include putting on the tights. Time will tell.”

– According to the PWInsider, for those keeping track, Dolph Ziggler has taken part in twenty-six Intercontinental title matches at various events (televised and non-televised) within the past few months, losing all but two. He won one match via count-out with another match being ruled a double count-out. Furthermore, he has come up short in retrieving the title on television on seven different occasions including Night of Champions, SummerSlam, Hell in the Cell and four separate episodes of Friday Night SmackDown.

Ziggler was at one point scheduled to win the title from Rey Mysterio over the summer, but the high-flying Superstar vetoed dropping the title to him on more than one occasion. When push came to shove as a result of a 30-day suspension for violating the company’s drug testing policy in early September, Mysterio agreed to drop the title to John Morrison.

Now it appears that the ship has sailed on Ziggler nabbing the gold as WWE officials have reportedly “given up on him.” On a related noted, Ziggler was voted the “Most Deserving of a Title Shot” among his peers in the “Superstar Survey” taken for the latest issue of WWE Magazine.

– Monday’s special 3-hour Thanksgiving edition of WWE Raw hosted by Jesse Ventura did a 3.23 overall rating. The final 2 hours of the show, Raw’s typical timeslot, did a strong 3.55 rating – up from last week’s 3.47. The hourly ratings were 2.60, 3.60 and 3.50 rating. When WWE runs 3-hour Raws, the first hour typically draws considerably fewer viewers than the second and third hours. Comparing the final two hours of this week to last week’s show from Madision Square Garden, viewership was up 2.5%

MLB

– According to the Spanish version of the Associated Press, Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols is not interested in signing a new long-term deal this offseason. Pujols said, “I’m not desperate to sign a contract extension. I still have a one year contract in 2010 with a club option for 2011.” ‘Cards management is hoping to make him a lifetime Cardinal before he comes close to free agency in 2012. It might not happen this winter, but it’s pretty apparent they’re going to do everything they can to keep Poujols in St. Lou. The 29-year-old slugger, who will be 31 when his contract expires, posted a league-leading 1.101 OPS this season and should bring home his third NL MVP when the award is announced in mid-November.

– Mets SS Jose Reyes (torn hamstring) underwent successful surgery Thursday morning. The procedure was designed to clear up scar tissue behind his right knee. Reyes is expected to begin rehab shortly and should be able to resume baseball activities in early January. As long as he avoids too many setbacks, he’ll be fine for the start of spring training.

NHL

– Theo Fleury is investigating the possibility of pressing charges against his former junior coach, Graham James. Fleury claims in his recent autobiography that James sexually abused him when he was 16. “We’re looking into it. We have a group, a team of people in place, doing just that. We want to make sure we’re protected in this and everything is in order. But I think there’ll be something (to announce) soon.” Fleury said he wasn’t ready to pursue this option before, but he knew that once he wrote his autobiography, ‘Playing With Fire’, that legal action might be the next step. James was previously sentenced in 1997 to 42 months in prison after former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy and another junior hockey player accused him of sexual assault.

– Blue Jackets D Jan Hejda (sprained left knee) is out four-to-six weeks.

WWE

– According to the PWTorch, among some locker room circles, both Triple H and Shawn Michaels are two of the least popular wrestlers these days. Even those who appear on SmackDown! and have minimal exposure to them feel as though they are abusing their power and standing in the way of WWE elevating new stars. The overwhelming sentiment among those in the company is that Raw’s “no man’s land” in the sense there are no full-fledged pushes to be had as a result of the strong influence of Hunter and Michaels, as well as Randy Orton and John Cena. Many feel if even one of these main event performers dislikes you enough to badmouth you to management, you won’t be getting a push.

– According to the PWTorch, one main event WWE star has boasted to friends about failing for marijuana 14 times. This particular wrestler hasn’t faced the same scrutiny from management as some of the mid-carders whose pushes were stopped due to repeated test failures. However, the fine for failing for pot was recently levied from $1,000 to $2,500 and it has him thinking twice.

Like many wrestlers in the company, he is now using a product sold at head shops (retail outlet specializing in drug paraphernalia related to consumption of cannabis and other recreational drugs) which gives off a similar effect as marijuana, but is legally sold and does not show up in drug tests.

– To update a previous story, Mickie James was said to be unhappy with the manner in which she dropped the Divas title to Jillian Hall on Monday’s Raw, as well as the news she was being moved to SmackDown. It’s interesting to note that before her match with Hall, she kissed the belt goodbye before handing it to the referee.

– According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, at one point, WWE planned on having Dolph Ziggler beat John Morrison for the Intercontinental Championship at Hell in the Cell. Considering Morrison retained the title at last week’s pay-per-view, the plan was ultimately nixed. He was also previously scheduled to win the title at the prior month’s Breaking Point pay-per-view, but management didn’t want Morrison to have the stigma of a one week champion so the match was cancelled a few days before the event.

Furthermore, WWE planned on having Ziggler win the title at either Night of Champions or SummerSlam, but Rey Mysterio played hardball and would not agree to drop the title to him at either show. He did, however, agree to drop the title to Morrison before taking off for a 30-day suspension last month. Beginning today, the SmackDown & ECW crew embarks on a four-day tour of Mexico and all of the Ziggler vs. Mysterio matches were being advertised as Intercontinental title matches.

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Some highlights:

His WWE Contract Expiring: So, regarding my professional status, any thing else you read other than what I have said here is manure. I don’t break commitments and I am smart enough to not violate the terms of my contract with whomever I’m employed. My WWE contract expires in December, I don’t even know the exact date, and I expect to sign a multi year deal with WWE when schedules permit for us to sit down and to hammer out a deal that is a win/win. If we don’t hammer out a deal, I have no issues taking the holidays off, focusing on Family, BBQ and Football and then reassessing other career moves. The only thing that I can say is that “retirement” is NOT an option as there is still plenty of fuel left in my tank and that I can assure one and all.

Ric Flair’s NWA Title Being Auctioned: The Ric Flair, original NWA Title belt issue is still on going or so it seems. Apparently there are multiple bids for the coveted, collector’s piece of over $75K. Hopefully this matter will be resolved amicably and to everyone’s satisfaction but from a fan’s perspective there is no pro wrestling collectible any where that I can think of that I would rather have in my personal collection. I think a creative mind could literally write a screen play about the travels and experience of this “trophy.”

Ric Flair Wrestling Hulk Hogan: Speaking of “Naitch,” some emailers have asked me my thoughts regarding the Hulk and company tour of Australia coming up soon. Why would I have any issues with it? I am for all wrestlers to earn the best income that they can no matter where it may be. I would love to see Hulk and Ric tag rather than wrestle each other but that’s simply one guy’s opinion. If wrestling fans are entertained and the talents earn a fair wage, then who loses? I wish them success.

NBA

– Warriors F Stephen Jackson is now mad at his teammates for not getting his back in his feud with the Warriors and in a game where he was whistled for five fouls and a technical in nine minutes. “Nobody reacted but me so the team didn’t have a reaction,” he said. “It was only me standing up for myself. I don’t think anybody else stood up for me. But if the shoe was on the other foot, I would have stood up for somebody on my team.” Stay tuned.

WWE

– According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, word going around the WWE locker room is that the reason CM Punk lost the World Heavyweight Title last night is because of heat on him stemming from an incident on the recent European tour.

The story goes that there was in issue with how Punk was dressed, and The Undertaker tried to nicely tell Punk that he was the World Champion and was representing WWE overseas so he should dress better. Punk said something to the effect of “what about John Cena?”

This got back to WWE management and they took it as Punk thinking he was a bigger star than John Cena. Then the decision was made to take the belt off Punk at Hell in a Cell and put the match as the opener. There are a couple versions of the story going around, but which ever one is being told, the end result remains the same.

The problems with Punk has been the talk of the SmackDown! locker room for the past two days. There are some who are wondering why Undertaker was given the title considering his limited schedule and health problems with the feeling that it was too soon to take the title off Punk. Word is that WWE is planning on going with a Batista vs. Undertaker feud for the World Heavyweight Title.

TNA

– TNA Wrestling has signed two of their top young stars to new longterm contracts. “The Phenomenal” A.J. Styles and “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan, who both still had some time remaining on their previous TNA deals, recently signed new five-year contracts that will keep them with the company through 2014.

MLB

– The Brewers have re-signed RHP Trevor Hoffman to a one-year/$8M deal with a mutual option for 2011. Hoffman, who turns 42 in a week, finished the year with a 1.83 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in 54 innings and is just nine saves shy of 600 for his career. Hoffman converted 37-of-41 saves this season.

– According to the Detroit Free Press, Birmingham police chief Richard Patterson revealed that Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera and his wife were involved in a “spat” at 6:00 a.m. Saturday. “He was out late, came home and his spouse didn’t appreciate that, I guess and it got into an argument,” Patterson said. Cabrera was taken in for questioning, but later released once detectives determined that both he and his wife were guilty as “aggressors” in the argument.

NHL

– D Alexei Semenov will not play with the Rangers this season because his wife wouldn’t allow it. Semenov, his agent and the Rangers agreed to a one-year/$600K deal last week. All parties signed off and announced it to the public. Semenov’s wife, however, who lives in Russia, didn’t want her husband playing in New York. “He couldn’t talk his family into it. In all my years of dealing with players, I’ve never had that happen before. He was crying,” GM Glen Sather said. It’s unclear where he’ll play this year, but the Russian KHL league may be his only option.

NFL

– According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Browns WR Braylon Edwards is reportedly being accused of assaulting a man outside a Cleveland nightclub early Monday morning. The police report did not release Edwards’ name, but the Plain Dealer has several sources telling them it is the suspect is the Browns receiver. According to the police report, the suspect was arguing with Edward Givens. The suspect then punched Givens with a closed fist on the left side of his face. Givens is a nightclub promoter.

WWE

– WWE’s Hell in a Cell PPV finished with two new champions. Here are the results: The Undertaker d. CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship; John Morrison d. Dolph Ziggler to retain the Intercontinental Championship; Mickie James d. Alicia Fox to retain the Divas Championship; Big Show & Chris Jericho d. Batista & Rey Mysterio to retain the Unified Tag Team Championships; Randy Orton d. John Cena to win the WWE Championship; Drew McIntyre d. R-Truth, Kofi Kingston d. Jack Swagger & The Miz to retain the US Championship; and DX d. Legacy. I watched it from home, turned out to be a pretty good PPV. A VoV Recap could happen, time pending.

– WWE has moved “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan from the RAW page to the Alumni section.

MLB

– Soon to be UFA RHP Trevor Hoffman said after Sunday’s game that he’s close to re-signing with the Brewers. Hoffman made $6M this year in his first season with the Brewers. He blew his fourth save today, but he picked up the win anyway. The all time saves leader finishes the 2009 campaign with a 1.83 ERA in 54 innings. He’s just nine saves away from 600.

– Athletics’ RHP Clay Mortensen was arrested and detained Saturday night for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Mortensen spent the night in jail, but he was with the A’s for today’s game. The rookie right-hander was 2-4 with a 7.81 ERA this season.

NFL

– According to Yahoo! Sports, the Raiders are reportedly bracing themselves for the possibility that head coach Tom Cable could soon be arrested for his training camp fight with former assistant Randy Hanson. The NFL could also suspend Cable for violating the Personal Conduct Policy if he is charged with assault. One unnamed assistant said, “everybody is trying to figure out who’s going to take over if Tom isn’t here. (Defensive coordinator) John Marshall has a lot of experience, he’s probably the guy. But it’s nuts.”

NHL

– Hurricanes F Erik Cole (fractured leg) is out four-to-six weeks. The injury happened Saturday night during the third period when Cole got tangled up with the Bruins Dennis Wideman. Tuomo Ruutu took Cole’s place on the top line in practice on Sunday.

– Canadiens D Ryan O’Byrne (knee) will be sidelined for the next six weeks. Bad news for the Habs, as they are already without the services of star D Andrei Markov for up to four months with a torn tendon in his ankle. Look for the Habs to call someone up from the minors.

TNA

– It appears as though TNA is done with Rhaka Khan.

VoV

-– You can keep up with VoV through Twitter by clicking here.

– Become a fan of VoV on Facebook by clicking here.

NHL

– The Avalanche have officially retired F Joe Sakic’s No. 19 jersey to the rafters. Next stop: the Hall of Fame. Congrats, Burnaby Joe.

– The Stars have signed F Loui Eriksson to a six-year/$25.5M extension through the 2015-16 season. The 24-year-old Eriksson has 113 points (56 goals, 57 assists) in 210 career games. He is expected to play for his native Sweden in the Olympics in February.

– The Stars have signed D Stephane Robidas to a four-year/$13.2M extension.

– The Panthers have named Randy Sexton their GM.

MLB

– The Padres have fired GM Kevin Towers. Towers was in his 14th season with the Padres – most by any GM in the majors – and was set to make $2M next season.

– Tigers RHP Jeremy Bonderman was suspended for three games for his actions during Thursday’s game. Bonderman was retaliating for Twins P Jose Mijares (who received a fine, no suspension) throwing a ball behind Adam Everett’s back. Bonderman hit Delmon Young, who had to be restrained from getting at Mijares for perpetuating the situation. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said that the Tigers had “done the right thing” in retaliating. Bonderman is appealing, which will push his suspension to the start of 2010. Twins hitting coach Lloyd McClendon was also suspended a game as he was acting manager because Gardenhire was ejected during the Mijares/Everett scuffle.

– Rays RHP Chad Bradford (rest) has been shut down for the remainder of the season. According to the St. Petersburg Times, Bradford is considering retirement this offseason.

TNA

– Contrary to what’s been reported online for months now, Sting is not expected to retire following this month’s Bound for Glory PPV. As things currently stand, TNA has no plans on adding a “retire or win the title” stipulation to his match with AJ Styles at Bound for Glory — which was initially planned. On television, Sting’s match has not been pushed as his final anything as he is expected to remain with the company at least a little while longer.

In is believed Sting has signed a new deal, but the word going around is that it was for six months rather than another year, once again indicating he’s thinking about retiring in the near future. Although, it’s been “one more year” since 2006 as every year since then they have convinced to stay. However, he has suggested doing a farewell tour in 2010.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, TNA officials really want to bring in Ric Flair to be involved in Sting’s eventual farewell, but out of loyalty to Vince McMahon, Flair told people that he’s not even listening to TNA.

– According to the PWTorch, there is something of a youth movement going on in TNA. Company president Dixie Carter is very high on pushing the younger talent and has made it clear that anyone who objects won’t last long. Carter has identified AJ Styles, Matt Morgan and Hernandez as the three men in line for big pushes in the organization. Bobby Lashley had been on that list, but company officials have cooled on investing heavily in him as a result of his other career in MMA. While he’ll be featured prominently when his schedule allows him to work, Carter has determined that she can’t build her company around a wrestler who won’t be there on a full-time basis.

– Former TNA performer Angelina Love was reportedly backstage at one of the Impact tapings in Orlando last week, which is quite startling given her ongoing visa issues. It’s been indicated that she’s living in the area despite the fact that she was let go by the company because her work visa had expired.

The buzz in the locker room at last week’s television tapings was that Love would not be returning to the company because officials had determined it would cost them too much money to work out the problem. On another note, the backstage opinion of Love is not high among those in the TNA locker room. The ex-Knockout was not popular among most in the locker room and the term “karma” has been brought up by more than one person regarding her ongoing problems.

– Velvet Sky recently did an interview with the Miami Herald. The highlights:

Her initial reaction to Angelina Love’s departure from TNA: “It came out of the blue. We did three TV tapings. She was supposed to go to [TNA's] Germany tour. The travel was booked, and the pay-per-view match was booked. It was supposed to be her and I against Sarita and Taylor Wilde. A week and a half after we finished the TV tapings is when I got the phone call, saying this is what happened. ‘Oh my God.’ TNA reassured me that Madison and I were going to keep the group going. They weren’t going to let the group die. They said we all worked so hard, and we were so good in that group. So we were excited about that…Angelina told both of us to keep it going strong.`Don’t let anyone or anything ruin what we built.’ We won’t let anyone or anything ruin what we’ve work so hard to build. It’s not going to happen. Not on my time. That’s real. I mean that.”

How Angelina is doing nowadays: “I keep in contact with [Angelina]. She is doing OK, and she is going to be just fine. There was a lot of negative stuff that was said about her on the Internet like why she got fired, what’s going to happen. You can’t always believe what you read on the Internet.”

Whether “The Beautiful People” will have a new leader as a result of Angelina’s departure from the group: “I don’t think there is a need for a leadership role in The Beautiful People. Who’s to say I’m better than her, or she’s better than me. I don’t think The Beautiful People ever needed a leadership role. I view us as equals, 50/50. I think we should have the same amount of promo time, ring time, whatever the case may be. It’s a team.”

UFC

– According to InsideFights, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will get a UFC Heavyweight Championship fight against the victor of the Brock Lesnar/Shane Carwin fight at UFC 106 in November.

WWE

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read at JRsBarBQ.com. The highlights:

JBL Missing Decade of SmackDown: JBL was unavailable to attend the 10 year SD show but he’s doing great in business and life in general. John is playing golf this weekend at Pebble Beach…not bad for a country boy from West Texas.

Vickie Guerrero’s WWE Return: It looks as if Vickie Guerrero may be returning to Smackdown as a manager. More on that Friday night on Smackdown.

Bobby Heenan: Lots of talk at the Roundtable about the amazing Bobby Heenan who was virtually a lock for best manager ever by our panel. He got my vote.

Hell in a Cell: Hell in a Cell this Sunday will be an adventure with three main events inside the Cell. I’m intrigued as to how they will all have their own identity and look forward to the PPV

NBA

– The Rockets have picked up the 2010-11 option on G Aaron Brooks.

– Celtics F Bill Walker (arthroscopic knee surgery) has undergone successful surgery. He is out indefinitely.

VoV

-– You can keep up with VoV through Twitter by clicking here.

NBA

– The Knicks are on the verge of signing RFA F David Lee and G Nate Robinson to one-year deals. Robinson supposedly had some interest from Greek club Olympiakos and Lee was supposedly mentioned in a wide variety of sign-and-trade situations. But it’s believed that they’ll both sign one-year deals because the Knickerbockers don’t want to commit any money to next year, leaving it free to throw as much cash as possible at the massive free agent summer of 2010. The word is that the team wants to re-sign Lee next summer once the big names are taken care of, but Robinson is likely in his last year with New York.

MLB

– According to the NY Daily News, Mets OF Gary Sheffield, 41, plans on playing one more season, and has five teams as potential suitors for next season. Sheff would supposedly re-sign with the Mets if the team showed any interest, but that isn’t believed to be a real option. He’s also supposedly interested in the Marlins and Rays in Florida, but Texas (Rangers and Astros) are also rumoured to be interested. Stay tuned.

– According to the NY Post, RHP Jason Marquis is expected to talk with the Mets about a potential deal for next season. The Mets showed no interest in Marquis when he was put on the trading block by the Cubs last year, but that has most definitely changed after a fine 2009. In 30 starts this season, the right-hander is 15-11 with a 3.84 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.

– According to ESPN.com, the MLBPA is considering filing a grievance to challenge the Cubs’ suspension of OF Milton Bradley. Bradley was sent home Saturday after a season full of battles with the media and fans in Chicago. The MLBPA will first confer with Bradley and his agents, Seth and Sam Levinson, and they’ll have to OK the move. The Cubs will likely shop Bradley this offseason.

– Former agent Dennis Gilbert is interested in purchasing the Rangers.

NFL

– WR Plaxico Burress was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday morning and began serving his sentence immediately. Burress pled guilty to a weapons charge last month stemming from the self-shooting incident last November. He could be eligible to leave prison after 20 months with good behavior and says he wants to play football after he gets out. He’ll be 34 when the 2011 season kicks off.

NHL

– Islanders F Pascal Morency has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason and the first five regular season games. Morency left the Islanders’ bench during Thursday’s game with Calgary to start a fight with Dion Phaneuf after the Flames blueliner delivered a devastating hit to F Kyle Okposo. The league quickly suspended Morency indefinitely while the league reviewed the case and he’s already missed two preseason games as a result. He’ll be eligible to return for the Islanders’ game against the Sharks on October 17.

WWE

– The current plan is for Rey Mysterio is to return from his Wellness Suspension at the Trenton, NJ SmackDown! taping on October 6.

– Following this week’s RAW, here’s the latest card for WWE’s Hell in a Cell PPV on October 4:

Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Title – John Cena vs. Randy Orton
Hell in a Cell Tag Team Match – DX vs. Legacy
Triple Threat for the WWE United States Title – Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz vs. Jack Swagger
WWE Intercontinental Title Match – John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler