Latest On Booker T Appearing At The Royal Rumble, WWE’s No. 2 Officer Resigns

– Donna Goldsmith, Chief Operating Officer of World Wrestling Entertainment, announced this week she would be leaving the organizaion effective Feb. 28. The notice is available here.

Goldsmith was head of WWE Consumer Products for a number of years, which was considered the premiere division in the company for most of the past decade. She was promoted to COO and only trailed Vince McMahon in regards to power in the organization.

– It was reported yesterday that Booker T canceled his scheduled appearance at this weekend’s New Orleans Comic Con. Though it has not been confirmed that former world champion will appear at tomorrow’s Royal Rumble, many people within WWE expect him to be on hand for the event.

– Kelly Kelly was a Twitter trending topic yesterday in the United States during SmackDown.

Seven Men Added To The Royal Rumble, One Removed, J.R. To Ref, Hardcore Holly

– Big Show, Chris Masters, JTG, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov have been added to tomorrow night’s 40-Man Royal Rumble Match.

Cody Rhodes has been removed from the list of Rumble entrants, leaving 34 men advertised.

– Jim Ross is being advertised as the special guest referee for the main event of the March 13 Raw live event in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He will officiate the WWE Championship Match between The Miz and Randy Orton.

– Today is former WWE star Hardcore Holly’s birthday. He turns 48 years old.

Diva Wants To Compete In The Royal Rumble, Wrestlicious To Air On MTV?, More

– WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler vs. Matt Riviera headlines New Millennium Wrestling’s Feb. 26 event at the Balch Springs Recreation Center in Balch Springs, Texas.

– WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart said last week on The Bubba the Love Sponge Show that Wrestlicious is close to securing a television deal with MTV2.

– Beth Phoenix revealed to SLAM! Wrestling that she wants another Royal Rumble opportunity. “The Glamazon” took part in last year’s showcase, kissing and then eliminating The Great Khali.

“There’s 10 more spots, and that means 10 more chances to go an compete in the Royal Rumble, and go and compete, to wrestle for the World heavyweight championship at WrestleMania,” she said. “I think that the odds are a little bit better this year to get another opportunity, but like all the superstars, we don’t find out until the very last minute. So, there’s always a chance. That’s the great thing about watching it on pay-per-view is that you never know what you’re going to see.”

To read the article, here.

WWE Confirms “Stone Cold” Steve Austin Hosting Tough Enough

World Wrestling Entertainment issued the following Friday:

Austin more than a “Tough Enough” host

NEW YORK CITY – USA Network and WWE announced that WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will host USA Network’s upcoming reality series “WWE Tough Enough.” The non-scripted series will premiere Monday, April 4 at 11/10 CT, immediately following USA’s ratings juggernaut WWE Monday Night Raw, and move to its regularly scheduled slot in primetime, Mondays at 8/7 CT, starting on April 11.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin has captivated audiences around the world with his magnetic presence and bold, yet charming nature. Austin has done it all in sports-entertainment, winning 17 championships, including the WWE Championship six times. He has an immense and incredibly devoted fan base, and is considered one of the most popular WWE Superstars of all time. Austin was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to work with my old friends at WWE on ‘WWE Tough Enough.’ Sports-entertainment has always been an important part of my life, and I look forward to finding the next generation of WWE Superstars,” said Austin.

“Stone Cold” will share his intimate knowledge, experience and flair for the stage as one of the most popular figures in WWE history to a group of individuals looking for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the next WWE Superstar or Diva. Austin will mentor the diverse group of men and women who will live, train, eat and sleep under one roof in a house in Simi Valley, Calif. Each week, the contestants will battle it out in a series of unique challenges designed to test for such characteristics as showmanship, creativity, athleticism and desire, just to name a few. Viewers will witness the trials and tribulations of what it takes to be one of the best in the world’s greatest sports-entertainment organization. The grand prize winner will be awarded a contract with WWE.

Since leaving the world of sports-entertainment, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has made a name for himself in Hollywood, with roles in such blockbuster hits as The Expendables, staring Sylvester Stallone and The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. Other film credits include Damage, The Condemned and Hunt to Kill. In addition to film, Austin is a household name from his work on hit television shows such as NBC’s Chuck and CBS’ Nash Bridges.

Shed Media US, noted for its strong characters and memorable casting in the non-scripted arena, will produce “WWE Tough Enough.” The company’s previous reality credits include The Real Housewives of New York City, Who Do You Think You Are and World’s Strictest Parents. Producing for Shed Media US are Alex Demyanenko and Eric Van Wagenen.

Surprises Planned For The Royal Rumble, Shawn Michaels Nominated For Award

– For weekend live events, the Raw tour saw Friday’s show in Trenton, NJ draw 6,500 paying $189,000. Saturday in State College, PA, drew 4,200 paying $120,000. Sunday in Youngstown, OH, drew 5,400 paying $170,000. Monday’s Raw in Detroit drew 9,000. The SmackDown events saw Saturday’s show in Kalamazoo, MI draw 4,400 and $128,000 and Sunday’s show in Hammond, IN drew 3,300 pay $98,000.

– Former WWE Champion Shawn Michaels has been nominated for a Shorty Award in the sports category, which honors the best producers of short real time content (on Twitter). For more information on his nomination, click here.

– Two ‘legends’ are reportedly scheduled for Sunday’s 40-Man Royal Rumble Match. Another wrestler that would be considered a surprise is also set to appear.

Former WWE Developmental Wrestler Reportedly Commits Suicide

According to friends of former WWE developmental wrestler Shawn McGrath (a/k/a “Badseed” Shawn Osborne), he committed suicide on Wednesday. He was 34 years old.

Former WWE talent Stacy Carter (a/k/a Miss Kitty and The Kat) posted a suicide note on her Facebook account claimed to be from McGrath prior to his death.

In the aforementioned message, McGrath explained that recent events in his personal life and his inability to fulfill his WWE dream contributed to his decision to end his life.

“The lack of relationship I have had with my parents and siblings since my childhood along with the end of my WWE dream have also contributed,” McGrath wrote.

McGrath claimed he made the decision while sober as he’s never been a ‘drug guy’.

“The only drug I have in my system is Zoloft and it’s a prescription,” he wrote. “I have never, ever been a ‘drug guy.’ … All of this happening right now is me, sober. No drugs, no alcohol.”

He also detailed how he wanted his funeral to be handled and addressed his closest friends.

A product of Heartland Wrestling Association in Ohio, McGrath signed a developmental contract with WWE in June 2006 after working multiple tryout matches. He made stops in Ohio Valley Wrestling, Deep South Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling before being released from his developmental contract in February 2008. He resumed competing on the independent circuit, most notably for Ring of Honor’s sister promotion Full Impact Pro, but had largely been inactive in recent years.

Carter posted McGrath’s suicide note here.

Triple H Talks About His Injury, Returning, Retirement, His New Baby

WWE star Triple H was interviewed by RXMuscle.com’s “Heavy Muscle Radio” show earlier this month and spoke to host Dave Palumbo about a number of topics. You can listen to an MP3 of RXMuscle’s interview with Triple H by clicking here. Here are some highlights of what Triple H talked about:

– He guaranteed that he will not want to be like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, who wrestle into their 60s. Hunter said he and Shawn Michaels agreed to tell the other when it was time to hang it up, and he said he never had to have that conversation with Shawn.

– Regarding his in ring return, he said, Hopefully the goal is sometime in the spring to come back.”

– He currently does not have a lot to do with WWE’s creative process, but has been in charge of running a few WWE shows.

– Consistent with what’s been repoted recently, Triple H said that father-in-law Vince McMahon has been pushing him to take a bigger role in WWE’s front office, “to learn the other side of the business.” He is at the WWE office in Stanford for the majority of the week and attends many of WWE’s televised shows.

– Hunter also revealed details on how he injured his biceps, which has kept him out of action for months. His doctors initially believed it was nerve damage related to a neck injury. The injury occurred during a light workout, just weeks into filming a movie for WWE. WWE doctor Dr. James Andrews looked at the injured arm and said he could not finish shooting hte movie without having surgery first.

– He spoke about his new daughter, Vaughn Evelyn Levesque. After 3 girls, he does want a boy and says he and Stephanie have a great name planned, but wouldn’t’ share it. Originally, Stephanie wanted five kids and he wanted two. He said they’re not sure about having more children.

WWE Cuts On The Way, Royal Rumble Plans For Sunday, Harris & McGillicutty

- As of this past weekend, WWE’s creative team reportedly did not have the finish booked for Sunday’s Royal Rumble match.

- Nexus member Mason Ryan and SmackDown stars Jack Swagger and Drew McIntyre confirmed as participants for Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view last night on RAW. This brings the total number of announced participants to 28 (19 from RAW and 9 from SmackDown), with 12 spots remaining open.

Expect several more names to be announced on Friday’s SmackDown, but WWE will almost certainly leave a few “mystery” spots open to get people talking about possible surprise entrants.

– Former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas speculated on the Right After Wrestling podcast that WWE including 40 men in this year’s Rumble match could be a sign that roster cuts are on the way.

WWE sometimes features a battle royal at WrestleMania as a way of giving as many wrestlers as possible an extra pay-per-view payday, so that payday may be coming early for some before they are let go. The company usually does “spring cleaning” after WrestleMAnia and the company’s recent disappointing earnings estimates and declining stock price are a gloomy sign for many in the company.

- Husky Harris & Michael McGillicutty will be getting another shot at the WWE tag team champions very soon, either at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view or the next night on RAW.

Nexus vs. Corre Storyline Plans, WWE Wellness Update, Screech Wrestling & More

- On Monday’s RAW, we saw the first face-to-face confrontation between CM Punk’s Nexus and Wade Barrett’s Corre group. Following the main event of RAW, members from both groups will be part of Sunday’s Royal Rumble match. According to a WWE source, WWE’s current plans are for the two groups to feud well beyond WrestleMania.

- Former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas said on the Right After Wrestling podcast that WWE recently sent out their annual Wellness Policy letter to former talents offering to pay for drug or alcohol rehabilitation treatment, if anybody feels they need the help.

- WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross wrote on Twitter that he would be doing some ring announcing for the upcoming WWE live event in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Sunday, 3/13.
Ross also mentioned that he is taping interviews related to Ted DiBiase Sr. and Gorgeous George this week.

– Dustin “Screech” Diamond of Saved by the Bell fame (and Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling) will be appearing for the AAW indy promotion on 2/15 from Merrionette Park, Illinios. Screech has issued an open challenge to the AAW roster.

What Happened After RAW, ECW Original Gets Another WWE Tryout, Natalya

- Prior to Monday’s RAW from the Joe Louis arena in Detroit, former NXT star Percy Watson defeated William Regal. Former ECW original Nunzio was the referee for the match.

This is Nunzio’s second time refereeing a WWE event in the past month and a sign that WWE might be considering hiring him full time. Nunzio refereed a few matches at last month’s Madison Square Garden live event after the snowstorm prevented most of the other referees from making the show.

– After Monday’s RAW went off the air, Nexus member David Otuga was the last man left in the ring with the RAW and SmackDown babyface stars. They all took turns beating up Otunga hitting him with their finishers.
After Otunga fled, the Big Show grabbed him, took him back into the ring and gave him one more chokeslam to end the show and send the fans home happy.

– Also following Monday’s RAW, WWE Divas Champion Natalya went on Twitter and responded to comments made about her by Michael Cole during the show. She wrote:

“He can call me “hefty” all he wants- but this diva is built in the front, stacked in the back and proud of every inch!!!”

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