Today's News

WrestleMania notes:

Rob Van Dam was backstage at Mania, he and Paige's mum waited on her return to the back to congratulate her, on her Mania debut, and Daniel Bryan wore a bracelet dedicated to the late Warrior Award winner Connor The Crusher. The soldiers in Triple H's entrance were played by the male NXT roster.

WWE changed their minds a couple of times about which match to drop, to make room for the Rock / Ronda Rousey segment, and initially decided the Diva's tag bout would be the one to go, but the recent social media campaign in favour of diva's, changed their minds, and the Battle Royal got the elbow onto the pre show kick off instead.

Raw notes:

Brock Lesnar has been suspended for an assault that resulted in announcer Michael Cole, and a cameraman, being taken to a local hospital with multiple injuries. Stephanie McMahon also says she plans on fining him very heavily. Fans enjoyed the segment, chanting ''Thank You Brock'' as Michael Cole was stretchered out of the arena.

Sheamus returned and turned heel on Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler.

So Cal Val worked as a Rosebud, and Sweet Saraya and Victoria were in the crowd, as were Linda McMahon, Triple H's father, and Paul Heyman's children.

Three NXT stars got their main roster promotion, Adrian Neville, now known as Neville, and the Lucha Dragons, Sin Cara (Hunico) and Kalisto.

Sting confirmed interest in more challenges from WWE.

Bray Wyatt missed Raw with the ankle injury he suffered before WrestleMania.

WWE edited crowd noise out of some segments, feeling the chants were taking over the show, in particular the Sting promo, which was near drowned out in the arena by ''Undertaker'' chants. The main event was also mocked by many in the crowd, there were also a number of ''Non PG'' chants, which WWE deemed inappropriate for airing.

Roddy Piper:

Rowdy Roddy Piper is the star of a new horror comic book franchise, entitled Rowdy Roddy Piper - Monster Killer. He has apparently been saving us all from the creepy and the cooky for 30 years.

New baby:

Eve Torres, former Diva's Champion for WWE, has announced she is pregnant.

WWE 2K15:

New DLC...


2K Showcase: Path of the Warrior, Story focused on the career of WWE Hall of Famer Ultimate Warrior.

• Playable WWE Hall of Famers: Ultimate Warrior (1989-1996), Hulk Hogan (1990), Andre the Giant (1988) and Sgt. Slaughter (1991).
• Playable WWE Legends: Honky Tonk Man (1988), Rick Rude (1990), Randy "Macho Man" Savage (1991) and Colonel Mustafa (1991).
• Playable WWE Superstars: Undertaker (1991) and Hunter Hearst Helmsley (1996).
• Access to WWE Hall of Fame ring announcer Howard Finkel and WWE managers Jimmy Hart, Bobby Heenan, Paul Bearer, Sherri, Sid Justice and General Adnan.
• Playable arenas: WrestleMania® VI, VII and XII; SummerSlam (1988, 1990 and 1991); Saturday Night's Main Event® XXIV and Madison Square Garden.

Price for this is $9.99.

Also newly available...

• Accelerator, $1.99

Players gain instant access to all unlockable content available in the game (excluding downloadable content).

WCW® Pack, $7.99...

• Playable WCW Superstars: Bam Bam Bigelow, Diamond Dallas Page, Fit Finlay, Lord Steven Regal and Lex Luger.

New Moves Pack, $3.99...

• More than 30 new moves, including an alternate version of Sister Abigail (made popular by Bray Wyatt™), the Gutwrench Suplex (made popular by Cesaro™), Rack Attack (made popular by Nikki Bella™) and Running Knee Smash (made popular by Brie Bella™), as well as the Uso Crazy and Spinning Powerbomb (made popular by Jimmy Uso® and Jey Uso®).

2K Showcase: One More Match, Story focused on the rivalry between WWE Superstars Randy Orton® and Christian® in 2011, $9.99...

• Playable WWE Superstars (2011 versions): Christian, Randy Orton, Edge®, Mark Henry® and Sheamus®.
• Playable arenas from 2011: SmackDown®, Extreme Rules®, Over the Limit® and Capitol Punishment™.

2K Showcase: Hall of Pain, Story focused on top matches for WWE Superstar Mark Henry, $9.99...

• Playable WWE Superstars (2011 versions): Mark Henry, Big Show®, Kane®, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Sheamus, The Great Khali®, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan® and Ryback®.
• Playable arenas: SmackDown (2011), Vengeance® (2011) and WrestleMania 29.

NXT ArRIVAL, $6.99...

• Playable Former WWE Champion, NXT General Manager and Monday Night Raw announcer: JBL®.
• Playable NXT Superstars: Adam Rose™ and The Ascension™ (Konnor™ and Viktor™).
• Playable NXT Diva: Emma™.

Lana:

Vince McMahon is personally working on a major push for Lana, upon her return from making her movie. He is very high on the ''Russian'' valet.

Lesnar allowed to blade?:

Footage has emerged of a referee handing Roman Reigns an implement, which he then handed to Brock Lesnar, very shortly before Lesnar started bleeding during their Mania match. This would not have been allowed to happen, unless directly sanctioned by Vince McMahon personally. This, if true,  would have broken a long held anti bleeding ethos in WWE.

WWE / Hanna Barbera:

WWE have already entered the world of Scooby-Doo, and the Flintstones, and if cartoon creators Hanna Barbera get their way, will next by going into the future to visit with the Jetsons. WWE were presented with a treatment for a WWE / Jetsons cross over movie, and a series of WWE vs HB characters, short sketch show cartoons.

AJ Lee fronts campaign:

AJ Lee has fronted a campaign to ban dog fighting.

Today's News

WrestleMania report:

So, I may have forgotten to change my clocks yesterday, and may have completely missed the kick off, including the battle royal, which may have sucked, but despite being predictable, and despite issues with my Network stream early on, I think it was OK this year.


Results...

Pre - Cesaro & Tyson Kidd bt Kofi Kingston & Big E., Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso and Fernando & Diego, to retain the Tag Team Championships.

Pre - Big Show won the 30 man Andre The Giant Battle Royal.

1. Daniel Bryan bt Bad News Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, Stardust, R-Truth, Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper to win the Intercontinental Championship.
2. Randy Orton bt Seth Rollins.
3. Triple H bt Sting.
4. AJ Lee & Paige bt Brie Bella & Nikki Bella.
5. John Cena bt Rusev to win the United States Championship.
6. The Undertaker bt Bray Wyatt.
7. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns ended in a no contest.
8. Seth Rollins bt Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Notes, and my take on the show...

Can't really comment much on the pre show matches, as I missed them, the tag bout was well received on social media, and in the battle royal the tag contenders, including defending winner Cesaro, joined the match, with the exception of Jey Uso. Bo Dallas made his return, and Hideo Itami made his first appearance on the main roster.

As predicted the ladder match opener stole the show. Orton vs Rollins was almost unwatchable for me, with the stream issues, but I was surprised with Orton getting the win. Triple H vs Sting was the longest match of the night, and that is not counting their ten minute each entrances. Full of run ins from DX, then the NWO, and finally Shawn Michaels, which started off fun, but eventually began to feel more like a legends nostalgia tour than the epic first WWE match for Sting, WWE fans have waited so long for. HHH got the win despite using the sledgehammer, the fall counted by Charles Robinson, who Sting had requested to officiate personally. Following the match Sting and Hunter shook hands in the ring. The Diva's did great, really competitive encounter, shortest match of the night of course, the only one to last less than ten minutes, but plenty for fans of Diva's wrestling to enjoy, and to look forward to, as WWE promise to use the ladies more often going forward. The fifth match left me feeling completely dis-engaged before it even started, highly patriotic entrances for Rusev and John Cena, no doubt raised the heart beats of their national fans, but not being from either Russia or the USA, I felt detached from the match, which despite an impressive early performance from Rusev, went the way of the rest of the card, and had the easily predicted result, Cena won. Hate to say it but Taker looked like he really struggled during his match vs Bray Wyatt, who was also hurt, he only removed a cast from a damaged ankle when he limped to the ring for his match, but I made myself enjoy the match anyway, as who knows how many more times we will see the dead man lace them up. The main event started off with a fierce flurry, Lesnar was cut to the face, and Reigns ate an F5 in the opening minutes, then went into the familiar Lesnar dominating performance, with Reigns being thrown around the ring at the champions will. Eventually, the shock WWE say no one saw coming, but really we all did, happened, Seth Rollins came out to cash in his case, pinned his former Shield partner Roman Reigns, and won the gold, to earn his first WWE World title reign. For me this was the only result WWE could go for. The fans made it extremely loud, and very clear, that they did not want Reigns to win the match, and WWE did not want to be seen to change the result on the night, as fans would believe they had strong armed WWE into doing what they wanted, for the second year in a row. Playing their ace gave them an out, and I think, while as with the rest of the card, was predictable, especially after Rollins lost his earlier match, was probably the right move.

The event broke records for WWE and the venue, for attendance and earning revenues. The Rock met his favourite NXT star Kevin Owens for the first time, and UFC star Chael Sonnen did attend the show.

Not everything went well, WWE could not get Arnold Schwarzenegger to do the voice over for Triple H's entrance, at any point this week, and ended up getting him to do it at the Hall Of Fame ceremony, production were sweating, as they had very little time to rehearse the intro, as a result.

I am not going to be as controversial as I was last year, the show had it's moments, both good and bad, the mid show 25 minute promo with HHH, Steph, Rock, and Ronda Rousey was far too long, and the pay off lacked impact, but I think overall WWE can be proud of their efforts this year. 8/10.

WrestleMania 32:

Lita and Trish Stratus, who are in talks to host a WWE Network show, have expressed an interest in a match vs The Bella Twins at next years super show. The Undertaker is featured in a trailer for next years event, and after his match last night, Sting has seemingly changed his mind, he now says he is open to working more matches for WWE, WWE have not commented on their future plans for him.

WWE vs Steve Austin:

WWE and Steve Austin have fallen out. The issue is regarding use of his podcast on the Network. WWE have taken a swipe at Steve, by having Chris Jericho's podcast featured on the Network next week, killing the exclusivity deal they reportedly offered the Rattlesnake.

ROH star quits:

Tommaso Ciampo has announced he is tired of being overlooked, and is leaving Ring Of Honor.

GFW:

Jeff Jarrett has confirmed the first 3 TV tapings for Global Force Wrestling. The dates in July, August and October, will be held in the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Raw tease:

• What's in store for the Seth Rollins era?
• What's next for Roman Reigns?
• Will there be repercussions for Ronda Rousey and how will Stephanie McMahon respond?
• Who will challenge the new champions?
• Are Nikki Bella's days as Divas Champion numbered?

Sheamus will also return to TV.

TNA land Canadian TV deal:

TNA have signed a multi year deal with the Fight Network in Canada.

WWE Network:

WWE now have 1.3 million subscribers. They have announced a series of new shows, featuring movie and TV stars, which are set for a debut in the coming weeks. Seth Green and Jerry Springer will be popping up on your Network feed soon.

Today's News

Hall Of Fame:

The WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony took place last night, those inducted were, in order...

• Rikishi, inducted by The Uso's.
• Larry Zbyszko, inducted by Bruno Sammartino.
• Alundra Blayze, inducted by Natalya.
• Connor The Crusher Michalek, presented with the Warrior Award by Dana Warrior, and Daniel Bryan, accepted by his father Steve.
• The Bushwhackers, inducted by John Laurinaitis.
• Tatsumi Fujinami, inducted by Ric Flair.
• Macho Man Randy Savage, inducted by Hulk Hogan, accepted by his brother The Genius.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger, inducted by Triple H.
• Kevin Nash, inducted by Shawn Michaels.

Jerry Lawler did host the show, which had a couple of moments of controversy. Rikishi's lack of mention of his Too Cool partners has hurt and offended Scotty 2 Hotty, who took to Twitter to express his sadness. Alundra Blayze brought a trash can out with her, and took shots at Bra and Panties matches and JR, before bringing out the old WWF Women's belt, and said she was returning it home. WWE informed security that Scott Steiner was banned from the event. Chris Jericho berated fans heckling the inductees, and WWE Champion Brock Lesnar no showed, he only flew into the event this morning, Taker also missed the event, his wife Michelle McCool represented him at the show.

Funaki worked with Tatsumi Fujinami, on his speech.

Daniel Bryan heat:

Daniel Bryan has revealed he got in trouble backstage following one of his first matches back. Luke Harper suplexed him on his head, and WWE were not happy with him for it, as he had just returned from a long lay off with neck issues.

Diva domination:

WWE plan on completely overhauling the Diva's division. They will push the woman like never before, in response to the #GiveDivasAChance campaign, and complaints from Total Diva's, who say it's fans do not watch much WWE TV, as the stars of their show are featured so sparingly on WWE programming.

Finn Balor:

Finn Balor says he almost snubbed WWE, as he was very comfortable in his life before joining.

Kenta vs Punk:

Kenta scored a little victory over CM Punk on Twitter. Punk tweeted Kenta (Hideo Itami) to plug his T-Shirt shop, after Itami started using the GTS finisher, Kenta replied he was too busy, and had to ''Go To Sleep'' because he was busy today.

WrestleMania:

Tonight is WrestleMania 31, and even as the event gets closer, WWE are said to be still unsure on the result of the main event. They worry the pressure of being champion might come too soon, if they put it on Reigns tonight, but do not want to allow the fans to think they changed the result of the match, as they worry fans may hijack more angles they do not like in the future, and WWE would suffer creatively as a result.

Ronda Rousey is at the show, The Rock has also been spotted in the area.

New book:

Diana Smith Hart's biography ''Cauliflower Hart'' will be released this summer.

Death:

Kofi Kingston's participation tonight has been in doubt this week, but he did attend Mania festivities, despite his sister dying earlier in the week.

Major injury worry:

Bray Wyatt damaged his ankle during a pre Mania work out today, and had to be taken out of the arena via a mobile cart.

Today's News

WrestleMania 31:

WWE held a social media hide 'n' seek game today. Zack Ryder hid WrestleMania tickets in the legendary Winchester house. He presented the tickets to the first fan to arrive at the house.

Alundra Blayze has named Natalya as her inductor for tonight's Hall Of Fame ceremony.

How many snubs:

Steve Austin has revealed he has rejected a match vs Hulk Hogan on three separate occasions, in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

NXT:

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross was a paying fan at last nights NXT live event. He sat in the front row. This has led to speculation that he is coming back, JR says not, but he will be at the HOF ceremony tonight. The show ran more than an hour long, meaning WWE had to pay costs, but Vince said he would pay them, as he was enjoying the show so much.

Hideo Itami

WWE have granted permission for Hideo Itami to use his old finisher, the GTS, previously used by CM Punk, as his finisher, he did so last night.

Goldberg on why WWE hate him:

"I think there's great disdain for me because I wasn't one of their boys because I didn't want to play there game because I felt like I was part of the team and all I needed to do was come in and play my part and I didn't have to fraternize and just play that game. I came from the NFL. I wanted to treat this as a business and I'm going to come in, so my thing and leave. I didn't take things personally until they brought it to a personal level. I think that was cheesy and I think its carnish. Its like being a carny. I just chose not to deal with it because life's too short. I don't want to have to look over my shoulder for my boss. That's ridiculous, I'm 48 years old. I'm not a kid. I don't need to crawl back to anybody for anything. I'll dig a ditch before I do that. I had a lot of fun digging ditches."

WWE / ROH:

Seth Rollins and MVP were backstage at the big ROH show last night, ROH star ACH was backstage at NXT.

Kelly Kelly:

Kelly Kelly has landed a reality show.

No more news:

WWE stopped Bad News Barrett from delivering his ''Bad news'' because fans were enjoying it too much.

Today's News

WrestleMania 31:

Triple H will have a Terminator themed entrance. Scenes from the new movie will play during his walk to the ring, and Hunter will wear the iconic black leather jacket, made famous by upcoming Hall Of Famer, Arnold Schwarzenegger. HHH has spent the early part of this week working one on one with Sting at the PC.

The Hall Of Fame will not be hosted by Eva Marie. Jerry Lawler told Bill Apter that it was ''B/S and Rumour''. There has been a push to raise the glamour of the event, by replacing Lawler for Eva, for more than a month, but Lawler is right, the current script does have him in the hosting role, at the time of this writing.

WWE today unveiled an Ultimate Warrior statue.

Hideo Itami won a spot in the Battle Royal, by winning an NXT tournament.

Steve Austin has decided not to attend Mania, which has upset some officials, they had plans for him at the show. No word on why he has stayed at home.

The set designer for the staging of the show has revealed a taste of what you can expect...

"Expect something different from us. The atmosphere being West Coast and daylight presented some very unique challenges for us to overcome. The structure itself isn't really tied to a particular thing like the city or arena, but we have this really unique thing where we can't hide anything. We have to be open, [because] everybody's going to see everything. I can't do the theater magic and hide the bad parts. So we've had to work really hard. Everything had to tie in and feel like it was part of the image and the structure. It's a unique set, a unique way of lighting the ring because of the sun. You'll see some different search lights around there, and from a lighting point of view and the set, we've had to deal with having full sun on the set because you can't hide anything. You'll see it's a different set from us this year."

WWE sign deal:

WWE and musician Gene Simmons have paired up to form Erebus Pictures. The focus of the new project will be to create horror movies.

I'm not done:

Rey Mysterio says he has not decided to retire. Speculation was rife after the content of a conversation Rey had with a fellow worker, in the wake of the Aguayo Jr. tragedy, but he told fans at a show last night, that he will continue to perform.

TNA vs WWE:

Eurosport in Sweden and Finland have dropped WWE in favour of TNA, the change will start next month.

Heat on Daniel Bryan:

Daniel Bryan will not be returned to a prominent role on WWE TV. WWE were not happy with his choice of treatment to rehab his injuries of the past year, despite his quicker than expected return. WWE feel his neck and elbow will not hold up to wear and tear, and he is on borrowed time. Some cite Kurt Angle's breakdown, physically, as a sign of things to come from Bryan.

Lanny kills urban legend:

Lanny Poffo has killed the Macho Man / Stephanie story. He says Randy never had the alleged relationship with the boss's daughter, but conceded that he did at times play up to the story, to wind WWE officials up.

Legend announces retirement:

Sting says this Sunday will be his last match, unless...

"I'm feeling like this is probably going to be my last one. We'll see how everyone reacts. If I'm asked to do one more at Survivor Series or maybe even WrestleMania next year, at this point, I would consider it. But realistically, this is going to be my last one."

Today's News

TV host talks Lesnar interview:

Michelle Beadle has discussed her prior knowledge, before Brock Lesnar made his future announcement on ESPN yesterday.

"He called us. He showed up with just one guy, I tried to get a clue, he wouldn't give us one. He was messing with us and he enjoyed it. I was in there like 'When's the last time you talked to Dana (White)?' He said that he had breakfast with him and I'm like 'Oh, when was that?' I knew the contract was up Monday night, and the last I heard nothing had happened. The reasons he gave all made sense. He's got a family, the beating your body takes is significantly less than UFC. I thought he was retiring from everything because of a health problem we didn't know about.''

She went on...

''It was one of those days I forgot I was 39 and felt like I was 9.. "I love Paul Heyman, I think he's the most talented speaker. I come into work knowing that we have Roman Reigns and the surprise is that Paul Heyman is coming out. Then that surprise Brock Lesnar stuff happened. Nobody knew it was going to happen, nobody knew what the announcement was going to be, nobody had any clues. Meanwhile I'm trying to figure out from these two other guys and they don't have any clue what's going on. It was the clashing of all the worlds together. It was an awesome day."

Match for the ages, or another chapter in WCW's burial?:

Triple H is coming under fire from some corners of the wrestling press, who fear this Sunday's match vs Sting will not be a classic match, but a further episode in the perceived burial of the former promotion, WCW,  by Triple H. Matches of the past against WCW greats, including Scott Steiner, Booker T and Goldberg, have led to worries that Sting will be added to the list of Hunter's WCW rivals, all have competed against him on PPV, and all have ultimately been vanquished by the game.

Owens ready to return?:

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will be at the next NXT live show, it is unlikely either man will be ready to compete, as they are both injured, but WWE have not ruled it out completely.

WrestleMania fallout:

A WWE leak has revealed the top three title feuds planned for the post Mania PPV and TV stories...

• John Cena vs Rusev (US Title)
• Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler (Intercontinental Title), this rivalry would initially also include Bad News Barrett, but he would eventually drop away, to allow Bryan and Ziggler to continue to feud.
• Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins (WWE Title), this may now have changed, as Lesnar re-signing may have changed the result of Mania, if you believe some sources, WWE plan on rewarding him for staying, with an extended reign with the gold.

I would return for:

Jeff Hardy says he would return for a WWE match... the Hell In A Cell.

WrestleMania 31:

Aloe Blacc will sing ''America The Beautiful'' at WrestleMania.

In a major (And weird) change, Jerry Lawler has been dropped as the host of the Hall Of Fame ceremony, in favour of Eva Marie.

In another major change WWE had swapped two matches, the Tag Title bout was moved onto the main card, and the Andre The Giant Battle Royal has been dropped onto the pre show, WWE later looked at the timing of the show, and decided they could not fit the Tag match onto the full card, and dropped that back onto the pre show as well, meaning the two bouts will be very rushed, as they have only 30 minutes available for the pre show match (Now matches), leading to many questions and criticism, from those involved.

Health concerns for Chyna:

Chyna collapsed in the street, in Japan, recently. She has been diagnosed with a nasty bout of pneumonia. She was found by police and taken to a local hospital, she is now back home recovering.

WrestleMania 32:

Brock Lesnar will be offered three possible opponents at WrestleMania 32...

• The Rock
• The Undertaker
• John Cena

Roman Reigns says he does not expect to face The Rock, but teased fans with a triple threat main event at Mania 32, between the three former members of the Shield.

Next year will be legend heavy. WWE want to have the biggest Mania ever, and will ask every legend that is fit to compete, to come and have a match (Bar the retired Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels), one of which may finally see the long talked about match between The Undertaker and Sting, depending on how Taker feels after this years event.

Owens tribute:

Kevin Owens says he named his dog after Brock Lesnar, as he has been a fan since 2002. He also dreams of one day facing him for WWE.

Christian:

Jack Swagger has discussed the WWE future of his neighbour Christian...

"He's a little busy... counting his money, I guess. Christian is one of the most intense competitors I've ever been in the ring with. He's still very much around. He lives down the street from me... he's not going anywhere. He will be back, jumping through your television or computer screen very soon."

Swagger has also confirmed he is to become a father for the second time.

Perro Aguayo Jr:

Rey Mysterio, Manik, and Extreme Tiger have been subpoenaed to appear in court in relation to the death of Perro Agauyo Jr. The wrestlers have apparently been assured they will face no legal ramifications, as they are not under investigation for wrongdoing, but investigators want to get the full facts of the incident, from those closest involved.

Medics have confirmed Perro suffered three broken vertebrae, and died on his way to the hospital, although medics at the hospital tried for an hour to save him.

Rey will make his first appearance since the tragedy tonight, and it is believed he will announce his retirement from wrestling, as a result of the accident. He reportedly told a fellow star, who then tweeted what he said, that he was leaning toward making the announcement that he could not continue in the sport.

Brock Lesnar:

Brock Lesnar has reportedly taken a $2 Million dollar pay cut to stay with WWE, from $5 to $3 Million over the 3 year span of his new deal.

Vince McMahon has reportedly come around to the thinking that Lesnar should retain the WWE title at WrestleMania. This has led to some comparing Roman Reigns to Lex Luger, a heavily hyped star, that never made it to the top.

WWE to LU:

Cryme Time members JTG and Shad were at the last Lucha Underground show looking for a job.

Alberto Del Rio:

Alberto Del Rio has raised his booking fee to $5,000 per appearance. He is said to want to deter smaller promotions from making approaches, as he is in high demand, and makes plenty of money from signing appearances.

Deaths:

Patrick McDarby, creator of the current WWE logo, and belt design, has passed from cancer aged 57, and  Trish Stratus has lost her father.

TNA:

TNA have landed a TV deal in Brazil.

Today's News

Lesnar decides:

Brock Lesnar has declared his MMA career over, as he announced he has re-signed for WWE. He says they made an offer that was too good to turn down. That deal is a multi year contract, later confirmed to be three years.

Lesnar claims he has been sure of his plans for over a year, but wanted the announcement to be made by him, on his terms. He also said his UFC appearance was not to twist the WWE arm, into giving him more, he just wanted to soak in the UFC atmosphere one last time. He did admit to ESPN, that he had been doing MMA training,  and had received a UFC offer that was worth 10 times as much as his first UFC contract, but he just didn't feel it anymore.

Dana White says Brock contacted him a few hours before making the announcement, to tell him, which he appreciated. He wished him, and WWE well.

Goldberg on wrestling tragedy:

Goldberg has called on WWE to pay tribute to Perro Aguayo Jr at WrestleMania...

"There's no doubt, there needs to be a silent bell or a moment of silence for him."

He also said he worries for Rey Mysterio, he says Rey will be suffering more than anyone, as he is very concerned with the safety of his opponent, and has such a big heart. He also hopes the tragedy does not make Rey decide to hang his boots up.

TNA vs WWE:

TNA are shamelessly trying to cash in on the Mania buzz, with the release of a ''Best Of Sting'' DVD collection. WWE were not happy about it, they had the DVD trailer, and sale page on TNA's shop site pulled, but TNA fought back, and won, the trailer is back, and the DVD is again available on their site.

MMA star vs HOF'er:

Paul Lazenby has blasted Sunny for launching a crowd funding campaign for cosmetic surgery, she wants help to her regain her figure following cancer treatment. The MMA man says he was married to a cancer sufferer, and is furious, and disgusted by Sunny trying to get money by playing ''The cancer card''.

His wife was Marianna (Mrs. Cleavage) Komlos, a former WWE valet.

WWE sign deal:

WWE have secured a deal with clothing company Tapout.

Boogeyman coming back:

WWE have re-registered the TradeMark ''The Boogeyman''. They had lost the TM after mis-filing their paperwork. He will be at WrestleMania Axxess.

Want my ring?:

WWE Hall Of Famer Abdullah The Butcher has listed his HOF ring for sale on Ebay for $19,999.

WrestleMania:

Maria Menounos will present the Hall Of Fame red carpet ceremony.

WWE have confirmed the Battle Royal will have 20 people, meaning, bar the as yet unnamed NXT star, the line up is complete, this would mean no surprise appearance for Sheamus.

Tatsumi Fujinami held a press conference in Japan, before making his flight to the US, and confirmed Ric Flair will induct him into the HOF.

Steph wants Mania moment:

Stephanie McMahon has confirmed she does dream of having a WrestleMania match...

''I would love to wrestle at WrestleMania! And who knows, if the time is ever right and the moment calls for it, it would be a dream come true for me.''

Today's News

WrestleMania:

Konnor and Viktor have been added to the Battle Royal.

Jey Uso has been cleared to work the pre show, but in a limited capacity, his shoulder is still not doing well.

Goldust has admitted disappointment that the brother vs brother angle was shelved.

SmackDown SPOILERS!!!:

• Big E. vs Cesaro vs Fernando vs Jimmy Uso.
• Big Show, Bray Wyatt, Kane & Seth Rollins vs Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Mark Henry & Roman Reigns.

SmackDown was taped directly after Raw, but someone forgot to tell the fans, the arena began emptying, and Jerry Lawler said the SmackDown matches were dead, due to the lack of crowd atmosphere.

Hall Of Fame:

Here is the induction video for Kevin Nash...

Alundra Blayze has promised to ''Ruffle feathers'' during her speech, and will speak out on her 21 year exile for the belt incident.

GFW US debut:

Jeff Jarrett has announced a tour of Las Vegas this summer.

Wrestling wedding in trouble?:

Speculation is rife that CM Punk and AJ Lee are having marital difficulties. AJ un-followed her husband over the weekend, and CM Punk has been tweeting cryptic, musical, and movie quotes referencing being single. AJ has since re-followed him on Twitter.

The Undertaker:

Today is The Undertaker's 50th birthday.

Perro Aguayo Jr.

Perro Jr was buried yesterday. His father, who has now been informed of his sons death, asked Rey Mysterio and Konnan to act as pall bearers for his coffin, and the wider family have made it clear there is no animosity, or blame, from them, toward Rey for the accident.

LU held a 10 bell salute in his memory, which will air on their next episode.

Maryse:

Maryse was backstage at Raw last night.

WWE dig at AJ:

Nikki Bella told AJ Lee that Brock Lesnar defends the WWE title more than AJ defended the Diva's. This is said to be a WWE dig at how much time she has missed recently, but Nikki does have a habit of going off script, so she may have just been having fun at her expense.

Warrior legacy:

WWE Hall Of Famer The Ultimate Warrior's daughter Mattigan has had her first match. Mattie vs Nattie will appear on the Warrior's new DVD, also his wife, and other daughter Indiana share their memories of his passing.

Triple H talks returning to the ring:

''I got in the ring for the first time the other day and fell down for the first time and it felt like my body exploded when I landed. It takes a little bit. You can train, but its one of those things where 'experts' of our business that have never done it will say 'oh if they gave guys time off it would be better for them' or whatever, but it's honestly, having done this for 20 plus years — time off is your worst enemy. It really is, it makes it so much harder to do this. When you're doing it all the time it's like a callus, you're doing it and it doesn't bother you. You're functioning and you can do it every night. when you haven't done it, getting in there and doing the simplest thing, you're like 'oh my God, why am I doing this again?' You've got to get yourself back in the process of getting back in the ring, and the hardest [part] of doing that is… it's easy to go through that stuff when you've got 80,000 people screaming at you, it's not so easy when you're in a warehouse with a ring set up all by yourself. It hurts a whole lot more.''

He also discussed the difficulty of wearing so many hats on Mania night, but added it was hard, but it was what he loved.

Today's News

Singer wants Mania role:

Amber Rose wants to escort Goldust to the ring for WrestleMania, and Goldust says he is on board, re-tweeting her requests to be his valet.

Travis Barker, Kid Ink, David Guetta and Skylar Grey will perform on Sunday.

Wrestler threatened with death:

Rey Mysterio is reportedly receiving death threats in Mexico, following the death of Perro Aguayo Jr over the weekend.

WWE have, via Triple H and Stephanie, finally paid tribute to the lucha star, on their Twitter feeds. Perro's friend El Torito also shared his tribute, as did a few other WWE stars, including Natalya, and Damien Sandow. There has been talk between the top four officials (Vince, HHH, Stephanie and Kevin Dunn) over whether it would be appropriate to dedicate tonights Raw to Perro, 2 were in favour, 2 were not, so it is not clear at this stage if they will, or will not, air a tribute to the Mexican. WWE are said to be concerned that airing the dedication would bring further unwanted attention onto Rey Mysterio, and with his long held WWE links, could backfire, and could bring bad press upon them, probably meaning the dedication will not air IMO.

UK legend to Mania:

Paige's mum, Sweet Saraya, has withdrawn from a PCW event this weekend, and is on her way to WrestleMania.

Michael Cole reveals Mania surprise was legit:

''A perfect example was last year with the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar. When Undertaker's streak was ended by Brock, oh, my God, I was as shocked as the people sitting at the stadium that night inside the [New Orleans] Superdome. I had know no idea in a million years that was going to happen, and that was the reaction you got out of our call hopefully. I was expecting The Undertaker to kick out and I did one of my normal "One, two…" and I was expecting to say kick out and all of a sudden it was three. I looked at John and he looked at me and I mouthed to him off-air, "Is it over?" His eyes were big and wide and I said to myself: "Okay, the streak is over." I want those moments to happen.''

Hall Of Famer says he is retired:

Booker T has confirmed he has hung his boots up...

"I'm one of the lucky ones who made it to the other side and are able to enjoy the fruits of the labor. I'm finished. I'm never going to put my boots on again. I'm like a war veteran. I'm done. I'm going to sell all my stuff on EBay. I'm getting rid of everything. [Laughs] Seriously though, I've gone through that stage of my life, I'm over it. I don't get that itch to get out there and do it. I train with my students every week at my wrestling school but to get in there again there is no reason too. I've done it all, I've won all the titles, and I've been all over the world. I like to watch the young guys do their thing.''

Paige:

Paige's new boyfriend, Kevin, from the band A Day To Remember, has started to attend WWE events, and will appear on the new series of Total Diva's.

Raw:

Tonight is the last Raw before Mania, here is the tease...

• Will Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar brawl before WrestleMania?
• How will Triple H respond to Sting?
• Does retribution await Bad News Barrett?
• Will Randy Orton get his hands on Seth Rollins?
• Is Rusev afraid of John Cena?

Members of Roman Reigns family, including Rosey, will appear, to push the family legacy of the Mania main eventer.

Injury updates:

Eva Marie has started her return from injury, and is already banged up again.

Homicide will have his shoulder surgery on April 7.

Layla is back on the road.

Punk clearing out his closet:

CM Punk is asking fans if they want some of his wrestling gear, including a number of urns he used during his run vs The Undertaker.

WWE joining awards season:

WWE are hoping to legitimise their Slammy Awards by bringing them forward to the awards season. From next year, it will be in the first quarter of the year, around Oscars and Grammys season, rather than the last quarter, as it is now.

Hall Of Fame:

Kevin Nash is now confirmed, he has released this statement...

"I've been called just about everything, but this is the first time I'll be called a Hall of Famer. It's nice. It's been a long 25 years, but this business has been great to me. Without wrestling, there's no way I'd be where I am today. I'd probably own a strip club someplace. I'm normally not a guy who lets the past define him, but it's kind of mind-blowing to look back on it; all the people that have helped me along the way, friends and mentors – of course Shawn and H and all of those guys, but also Rick Rude, Mike Rotunda, 'Taker. It's really special, and like Frank Sinatra, I did it my way. Not to let the cat out of the bag, but I'm thinking of singing a few bars of that song at my induction. I think that would be sort of perfect."

Luke has revealed his partner Butch has had some real struggles over the past decade, but will be at the WWE HOF ceremony...

"He left me in 2002 due to sickness. He was in the hospital for 12 weeks, in a really bad state. He was in ICU for 11 days, arms strapped down and on tranquilizer. If I hadn't found him, a few hours later he would have been dead. He's much better now. After the 12 weeks he packed up and went home to be with his kids and grandkids. In 2010, he had a relapse and woke up in the hospital. They took his hip out, and didn't put another one in until 2012. He will be using crutches, but he will be at the Hall of Fame."

Goldberg snubs Del Rio:

Goldberg says he rejected an MMA fight vs Alberto Del Rio, which was set for May 8. He says it was too soon, and didn't feel right for him.

Joe to WWE:

Samoa Joe reportedly told fans at an indie event this weekend, that he has signed for WWE.

Today's News

Perro Aguayo Jr:

Perro Aguayo died of a cervical spinal injury, caused by whiplash, when he hit the ropes, which led to him suffering a stroke. The promotion that hosted the event have announced they will cover the cost of their fallen stars funeral, which takes place today, but in a further tragic twist, it has been revealed that the Aguayo family have decided not to inform his legendary father Perro Sr, about his sons death. Perro Sr is in ill health himself, and the family feel the weight of this news could be too much for him to bear.

The doctor at the event has come under fierce criticism in Mexico, for his handling of the tragedy, but has defended himself strongly. He says he was not at ringside when the accident happened, because he was treating other injuries backstage. He also defended his decision to put Aguayo on a plank of wood, rather than a stretcher, saying it was not malpractice, and that he was placed on a stretcher when the ambulance came to pick him up. Doctors at the local hospital tried in vein for over an hour to save him, performing multiple tests, even after if it was clear it was too late, but eventually they had to concede defeat, and announce officially that this was one fight the much respected luchadore could not kick out of.

Lucha Underground also paid tribute during a very somber show last night.

Victoria:

WWE Alum Victoria was in the crowd for a WWE live last night, in Anaheim.

Foley blogs on Mania:

''I don't think it's a lackluster card. I think it's a card with some question marks. We don't have the three or four matches that are definitely going to deliver. That's why I think it's important that, outside the IC title, which everyone knows is going to be phenomenal, that the matches that otherwise might not be given the chance to shine, like the divas for example… those girls can go. I sense that the wrestling world is ready to accept good female wrestling. I really hope that they're given the chance, so I'd love to see that one do well. I'm just interested to see the reactions, because Triple H was right when he said this was the reality era. The fans in some ways can make or break three of these matches with the unknowns. When Reigns and Lesnar are in there, can you imagine the crowd breaks for Lesnar? It could be phenomenal, the way they broke for him when he was against The Rock. The Rock was technically the good guy, ya know, years ago. So I think there could be a lot of excitement. It could be a letdown. It'll be interesting for sure.

I thought there was only room on the card for one mystical, mysterious entrance, and that's Undertaker. So I was really relieved when Sting made an appearance and it was the excited Sting. I think that got people talking.

When something gets over with the boys, you know you're on to something. One win in the right place could really launch Axel.''

WWE to snub marriage:

Daniel Bryan says WWE want people to forget his relationship with Brie Bella...

''Our characters right now are at different places. I've heard that creative wants people to forget that we're actually married."

Today's News

Rock interview:

On Roman Reigns...

"Ready to headline WrestleMania and ready to be the champ are two different things. I think that he's in a unique position. He's being pushed quickly, I was in that position before so I know what it's like, but at the same time you either sink or swim so you've got no choice but to be ready. Fans have expressed their displeasure in it and that is the best part about the WWE Universe is that they're so vocal and passionate about how they feel. I think he's going to go out with Brock, who I've known for a very long time, and they're going to have a hell of a match and that's what I expect."

On match vs Brock Lesnar...

"In Dallas? Possibly. There's a lot of things that are up in the air. We'll see. I would love that rematch. Whatever it is I think that you want to create something that is going to be special, memorable and especially in Dallas at that stadium and you have a shot at breaking the attendance record. It's gotta be special."

On CM Punk...

"I think he's going to great because he's putting in the time to train. And he's had the background anyway so I think he's going to great."

WrestleMania 31:

WWE have started to construct the set today.

For the second year running the Tag Titles will be defended in the pre show...

Cesaro & Tyson Kidd vs New Day (Members TBC) vs The Uso's (Depending on Jey's injury) vs Los Matadores.

Mysterio involved in ring tragedy:

Perro Aguayo Jr was killed during a match with Rey Mysterio and TNA star Manik last night. Mysterio delivered a dropkick to his back, causing a cervical injury, Aguayo, aged just 35, then snapped his neck on the ropes as he fell. The event organisers were heavily criticised for their slow response to the clearly injured star, and for carrying him out on a plank of wood, furthering his back injury. Medics and officials, including Konnan, tried for an hour to save the star, but it was too late, he died in hospital this morning.

Here is the match in full, the accident is at the six minute mark. It goes without saying that this has a CONTENT WARNING...

Mysterio took to the mic to inform the crowd of what happened...

"When we get into the ring, we give ourselves and our best to our public. A real accident happened. I ask you with my heart for a prayer that God protect him."

Perro once worked for WWE, at the 1997 Royal Rumble, in the pre show, his legendary father competed on the card that night. He was just 17 at the time. AAA and CMLL have paid tribute, I have not seen one from WWE as yet, but it was unlikely, as they would have to acknowledge Rey was working the match, and they do not want to admit he is gone.

The death is being investigated as a possible manslaughter.

Tough Enough:

WWE want 18-30 year olds for the show, they will pay $100 a day for the final line up.

WWE ready to play hard:

WWE are ready to push Brock Lesnar to sign his new deal on Monday, they do not want to wait for him to decide after WrestleMania, but he has stated he will let them know at the end of the month.

WWE top 10:

WrestleMania ladder moments...

CM Punk:

CM Punk has done his first UFC photo shoot today.

Today's News

New Hall Of Fame:

"Classy" Freddie Blassie, The Destroyer, Jim Londos and promoter Lou Daro are the first inductees into the Los Angeles Wrestling HOF.

Daniel Bryan talks Royal Rumble fan backlash:

"I wasn't really that surprised, I thought that a lot of fans wanted me to win the Royal Rumble… but it's a great story, right? The guy who has never lost a title had to lose the title because of the neck surgery, comes back and he fights the guy who's just this monster destroyer, a David versus Goliath story, and I think a lot of fans were excited by the prospect of that. And also by the prospect of a match of me versus Brock Lesnar, I feel like I do pretty good against big guys."

Hall Of Fame:

Paul Heyman may be the inductor for Alundra Blayze, but it will more likely be a current diva.

Rock vs Brock?:

WWE are reportedly working on The Rock vs Brock Lesnar for Mania 32, as part of the contract talks Lesnar is currently having with the company. Lesnar has stirred up internet talk of the match, after referring to their original bout from 2002. This was apparently a deliberate tease of what is to come.

NXT star to get Mania match:

NXT will host a tournament at Axxess, the winner will be given a spot in the Battle Royal.

Named so far...

• Adrian Neville
• Finn Bálor
• Hideo Itami
• Tyler Breeze

Lashley re-signs:

Bobby Lashley has re-signed with TNA and Bellator. Bram and Robbie E have also inked new TNA deals.