Guess the WWE Wrestlers Free App!

How well do you know your WWE superstars and divas from the past and present? The brand new free WWE Wrestling Superstars Guess app has been released where pro wrestling fans have to try to guess the WWE wrestlers has been released by RAM Media. Just ahead of the latest WWE pay-per-view, this app is sure to have fans challenged for a long time as they attempt to figure out who is shown in the picture on their mobile device.

Download Here

The fun-filled app includes both wrestlers and divas, with stars from both the past and present. Use this as a way to figure out which legends are showing up that you may not recognize. You may not recognize some of the current stars either, as all of the images are "cartoonized" versions of the superstars or divas.

Every correct answer wins coins. Coins are collected and used to buy hints when you can't figure out who the picture is.

Android device owners can download the app via the link below or the app icon at the left.


The new free WWE quiz game is for Android devices such as the Google Nexus 7 tablets or Samsung Galaxy smartphones such as the S4 and new S5.

Download it here and see how many superstars and divas you can guess correctly!

2014 WWE Extreme Rules Matches (Updated)

As of Monday’s episode of Raw, several new matches were added to the official 2014 WWE Extreme Rules card. Among them will be the first-ever “WeeLC” match featuring Hornswoggle vs. Torito, as well as a Triple Threat match, and the finalized match for the Intercontinental Title. These three matches join several other great bouts on a stacked card for Sunday’s big event.

The WeeLC match doesn’t feature any stipulations, but one might expect it to mimic the TLC match (Tables, Ladders & Chairs). Hornswoggle and El Torito squared off on Smackdown about a week ago and now will take their feud to the next level. The match is scheduled to appear on WWE’s pre-show for Extreme Rules.

Also joining the card will be the Intercontinental Title match featuring Big E defending his title. Bad News Barrett was the winner of the #1 contender’s tournament after defeating RVD in the tournament finals on Monday’s Raw. Barrett now gets the title shot during the pay-per-view. Van Dam will be inserted into a Triple Threat match against feuding stars Jack Swagger and Cesaro, with no stipulations as of this writing.

Those matches join John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in the steel cage, Paige vs. Tamina (Divas title), The Shield vs. Evolution, R-Truth and Xavier Woods vs. Alexander Rusev, as well as the big WWE World Championship match. In that matchup, Kane takes on Daniel Bryan for the title in an Extreme Rules match.

The pay-per-view arrives this Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on various cable and satellite providers. WWE mentioned on Raw that DISH and DIRECTV won’t be among those providers on Sunday, but encouraged fans to subscribe to WWE Network online to see the PPV.

John Cena to Miss 2 to 3 Weeks Due to Surgery

WWE's top star, John Cena, will miss 2 to 3 weeks of action due to recent elbow surgery.  The WWE website reported Cena underwent the surgery just today with Dr. James Andrews.  They noted that it was a success and helped remove pieces of bone chip cartilege from Cena's elbow which had been limiting his arm's motion.

Dr. Andrews said of the surgery:

"He had begun to lose motion in his arm, and it had been locking up.  I performed an orthoscopic procedure on his elbow and took out a bunch of spurs. Everything went really well. 

Cena’s rehab will start on Monday with trying to improve his range of motion and getting the swelling down."

The timetable that WWE.com gives for Cena's return is 2-3 weeks right now, following his rehab.  The WWE Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View is scheduled for October 28th at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA.  Based on last night's episode of Raw it appeared that Cena would continue his feud with CM Punk over the WWE Championship heading into the PPV.  Cena has plenty of time to appear live via satellite and still make his return.  To keep things going, he's also been tweeting to call out CM Punk for the rematch.

"Oh.. And @CMPunk u TIED a guy with a blown up ankle, and a shattered arm ... what say when i get healthy ...

We show the @wwe who #thechamp really is? And why would u even try and borrow @therock stuff, stick with #hitman n #macho #dontangerdwayne"

Wishing John Cena a speedy recovery back to the ring for his next round with Punk.

Update: Jerry Lawler Collapses During Raw

During the Monday, September 10th, 2012 episode of Raw in Montreal, Jerry "The King" Lawler collapsed at his ringside commentary position.  It was revealed later on in the show when Michael Cole was shown on camera by himself and told WWE fans it was not part of the evening's entertainment.

Cole seemed to be choked up as he made the announcements.  At one point, Cole noted that Lawler was receiving CPR backstage and was being revived.  Later on, Cole said there would be no further commentary on the show, out of respect for his colleague.

TMZ reported on the incident, in addition to WWE's website and multiple other wrestling sites.  Lawler, age 62, was breathing on his own after the incident, and at last indication, was being prepared for a CT-scan at the hospital.  As Raw ended, the news sounded encouraging, with Michael Cole asking his broadcast partner to keep on fighting.

More information available here at WWE.com.

Official 2011 Royal Rumble Participants

It's less than a week until the 2011 Royal Rumble takes place in Boston, MA, on January 30, 2011. On the line is the chance to headline Wrestlemania 27, by choosing to compete against the WWE or World Heavyweight Champion. It's a huge opportunity and one superstar is hoping for a big win.

So who's in so far? As of this moment, 28 of the 40 Royal Rumble participants for 2011 have been announced, and here they are in alphabetical order:

Alberto Del Rio
CM Punk
"Dashing" Cody Rhodes
Daniel Bryan
Darren Young
David Hart Smith
David Otunga
Drew McIntyre
Ezekiel Jackson
Heath Slater
Husky Harris
Jack Swagger
John Cena
John Morrison
Justin Gabriel
Mark Henry
Mason Ryan
Michael McGillicutty
Primo
R-Truth
Rey Mysterio
Sheamus
Ted DiBiase
Tyson Kidd
Wade Barrett
William Regal
Yoshi Tatsu
Zack Ryder

The list above features several first-time participants including members of The New Nexus and The Corre. Only two former winners in the mix so far, with John Cena and Rey Mysterio. Randy Orton and Edge are also recent winners, but both are competing in title matches at the Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View.

Simply by going down the list, it's easy to cross off names who don't seem likely to win, but this may be a surprise year. So far, the early favorites may be John Cena, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Wade Barrett and John Morrison.

WWE's Scott Stanford, Jamie Keyes NXT'd, Del Rio's first loss

This past week held plenty of WWE happenings including the whole John Cena joining Nexus saga, which the WWE Universe is still buzzing about. There's also a new commentator named Scott Stanford, the first diva rookie was eliminated on NXT Season 3 via WWE.com and Alberto Del Rio took his first in-ring loss from a major superstar.

First up, new commentator Scott Stanford, who almost immediately reminds you of another guy (no longer with WWE) in Mike Adamle. He definitely has a sportscaster sound to him, but needs work on how to talk over matches with Jerry Lawler. It seemed as if he was in his training or initiation and that Lawler was trying to keep things from getting off-track. Stanford's a bit stiff, but at least he's not calling matches like Adamle was, yet. No word on where Stanford will fit in, could he be on hand just for Superstars Raw matches. Michael Cole seems to be the third wheel on Smackdown now, yet still on Raw, so this will be interesting.

There was a NXT elimination on Tuesday night. It was the first episode of NXT Season 3 on WWE.com, which was a bit choppy. Depending on your internet speed/connection you may have got the short end of the stick there. The video feed was decent but had its quirks here and there. At the end of the night, Jamie Keyes was eliminated. She definitely tried to sell her sexy self through in-ring talks but it just didn't work out. Even a kiss to Matt Striker failed her. There was also a competition which seemed fixed, as Kaitlyn got over thanks to making fun of Vickie Guerrero. Why would the fans not eat that up, giving Kaitlyn immunity? WWE creative is working Kaitlyn into the Dolph-Vickie love triangle, so they're playing the cards of keeping her around. Otherwise that story would be odd if a diva is eliminated then just shows up. Wait nevermind that's happend with the first two seasons!

How about Smackdown? Not only the debut of Edge, who Theodore Long said he personally traded for, but also Alberto Del Rio vs Rey Mysterio. It was Del Rio's first loss, as Rey made his return to avenge what Alberto did to him. Great match, and fans weren't quite sure who'd win, especially with ring announcer Ricardo trying to interfere. So Del Rio isn't undefeated, but he'll definitely be in the upper eschelon of WWE in the future. Time should eventually reveal how high he rises.

Back to Edge, it's no secret who he was likely traded for as various wrestling sites/blogs are saying it's CM Punk who will show up on Raw. One fan even suggested an interesting scenario where Punk is also the Raw GM and orchestrated the whole trade. That could be very interesting. Will Punk resume his Straight Edge gimmick on Raw as a heel or go back face? He seems to work great as a heel, and he'd be another great one for the show in addition to The Miz and Nexus.

What do you think of these current storylines? Was Jamie the right choice to go from NXT? Who was traded for Edge? Is Scott Stanford the next Mike Adamle, or do we need to give him time to develop?

Bragging Rights 2010 Poster Revealed!

A poster for the 2010 Bragging Rights has been recently unveiled. The poster (seen here) features a shot involving six of Raw's top superstars staring down six of Smackdown's top stars. Pictured are John Cena, Randy Orton, The Miz, Evan Bourne, Mark Henry and Sheamus for Raw looking at The Undertaker, The Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio, Kane and Drew McIntyre.

Will this be the match for the event? It's a big one if it is, but it seems highly unlikely. At last year's PPV event, Team Smackdown picked up the victory. That team included Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, Finlay, Kane, R-Truth and The Hart Dynasty who defeated Big Show, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry and D-Generation X.

Also on that card was an Iron Man match involving John Cena against Randy Orton for the WWE Title, as well as Undertaker defending the World Title in a Fatal Fourway. To expect WWE to put the twelve guys seen on the latest poster might be expecting too much, as several of those individuals should be involved in the title pictures.

Also of note, WWE has used the Nexus yellow and black "N" on the poster as the N in Bragging. What will Nexus' involvement be in the event? How about a combination of Smackdown and Raw stars take on the remaining members of Nexus?

Check out the 2010 Bragging Rights Poster here.

Smackdown moving from MyNetworkTV to SyFy

On Tuesday, World Wrestling Entertainment announced its move of "Friday Night Smackdown" from MyNetworkTV to SyFy. Reportedly, MyNetworkTV has opted out of its contract for the show. The move is expected to start with SyFy airing Smackdown next fall according to the New York Times.

Other reports claim that WWE is shopping it's Tuesday night program NXT to other networks. SyFy has noted that airing Smackdown will be an upgrade from its showing of NXT and previously ECW.

With the news that Smackdown will now go on cable, all of WWE's major TV shows will now have cable station homes. It also puts Smackdown and Raw on cable stations owned by NBC Universal. Raw currently airs on USA Monday nights at 9PM EST. The only other show apart from Raw, Smackdown and NXT is WWE Superstars. Superstars airs Thursdays at 8PM on WGN America which is part of a special cable package on some providers and sattelite TV deals.

Reports were that SyFy couldn't afford "Smackdown" three years ago when WWE was shopping it around, however SyFy president David Howe noted that even though the show is now more expensive it's part of an aggressive growth strategy by the network. The SyFy deal will last two years and there's an option for a third as well. There's still the potential for the WWE to work with NBC Universal to unveil its own WWE exclusive channel, possibly in 2011.

This move will likely please many WWE fans who don't get MyNetworkTV as part of their current cable or sattelite TV packages.

Chris Kanyon dead, former WWE & WCW star dies age 40

In what seems to be an unfortunate trend yet another professional wrestling star has passed away at an all too young age. Just today it's been reported that former WWE and WCW wrestling star Chris Kanyon has died at age 40. The news that Chris Kanyon is dead has shocked many of his family, friends and fans. Chris Kanyon's death appears to be a suicide at this point with details still developing in the story.

Early news reports have indicated that a pill bottle and several notes were found nearby to Kanyon's body in his Sunnyside, Queens, New York home. The news will cause many to remember another tragic death, when former wrestler Chris Benoit committed suicide after murdering his wife and child in their home.

Kanyon's wrestling career extended from 1992 until 2006 according to the Chris Kanyon wiki entry. In 1994 he had worked as a "jobber" wrestler with WWE, providing an amateur opponent to help push other wrestlers in the ring. Kanyon worked in the WCW as a character named "Mortis" (1997) but eventually began to use his regular name of "Kanyon". For a while he used the catch phrase "Who's better than Kanyon?" Kanyon started working in WWE during a WCW-ECW Alliance storyline. He had few storylines including a breif feud with wrestlers Matt Hardy, then Rhyno, as well as an appearance when he dressed up as Boy George and was attacked by Undertaker. Kanyon suffered several injuries requiring surgery after working with WWE and appearing at various house shows as his "Mortis" character.

After revealing in real life that he was homosexual, his wrestling career ended with WWE. Kanyon went on the Howard Stern show several times in the aftermath of his career. Kanyon, althouh retired from wrestling, made a return to the ring this past year to work in a couple matches.

Deepest condolences are extended to the friends, family and fans of Chris Kanyon.

WWE NXT Rookies on Twitter (Season 1)

The rookie roster members of WWE NXT are all tweeting on Twitter about their experiences with the WWE's newest show, their opponents, mentors and other aspects of day-to-day life.

Here's a few of the recent WWE NXT Twitter Tweets of interest:

@HeathSlaterNXT - "OOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I am SO MAD!! Carlito - you better watch out, cause Heath Slater is about to blow your mind. about 15 hours ago via web"

@DanielBryanNXT - "Got some great advice from Ricky Steamboat today. Now THAT is awesome. 8:59 PM Mar 1st via mobile web"

@DavidOtunga - "So first Truth doesn't get my back and I get cheated out of my match. Then he has the audacity to get in my face? Is he serious? about 16 hours ago via Echofon"

It seems some of the NXT rookies are talking some smack on Twitter. Could heat things up with their situations on the show on SyFy!

Start following these future superstars today at the various WWE NXT Rookies Twitter links given below!

WWE NXT Twitter

Daniel Bryan
Darren Young
David Otunga
Heath Slater
Justin Gabriel
Michael Tarver
Skip Sheffield
Wade Barrett

WWE NXT airs Tuesday nights at 10PM EST on SyFy. Each week the newest rookie wrestlers fight in matches against the rest of the field and are mentored by WWE pros. Some of the pairings get along while others simply can't co-exist. The pros will vote on their top choice for WWE NXT star at the end of the series.

More information at WWE.com's WWE NXT section.

WWE Releases Helms, Burchill & Maria

Earlier on Friday, WWE announced the release of three of its superstars. Former ECW wrestlers Gregory "Hurricane" Helms and Paul "The Ripper" Burchill were let go in addition to Smackdown diva Maria Kanellis. While Helms and Burchill hadn't been seen for several weeks on the air, Maria was recently seen as part of a small storyline on Smackdown involving Matt Hardy. She fought in several mixed gender tag matches along with Hardy and The Great Khali against the Hart Dynasty on both Smackdown and Superstars.

Each of the superstars' release notices on WWE.com followed the usual format:

"WWE has come to terms on the release of _____ as of today February 26, 2010. We wish _____ the best in all future endeavors."

Gregory Helms was with WWE since 2001, after appearing in WCW from 99-01. His Hurricane character was a popular superhero, which also incorporated Molly Holly, Rosey and Stacey Keibler at various times. Hurricane held the tag titles twice, once with Kane, once with Rosey, as well as holding the WWE Cruiserweight title twice, European title once and Hardcore title also one time. Helms was last seen in the ring doing an interview of Ezekiel Jackson. The interview came just a day or so after news of Helms' arrest during a drunken taxi ride with Chris Jericho and Matt Hardy. William Regal who was in the ring during the spot, commented about Helms' recent trouble. Helms noted during the interview he was going to put the incident behind him and move on. He ended up getting slammed to the mat by Jackson to end the segment. Helms wasn't seen in any matches after that.

Paul Burchill came to WWE in 2005 and played a pirate character early on. He eventually moved on from that and started appearing with his on-air sister, Katie Lea. Burchill and Helms had been involved in a rivalry on the now-removed ECW show on SyFy. It involved Burchill trying to unmask The Hurricane and expose that he was really Gregory Helms. They even had a match in which Helms retired Burchill from the show. Not long after, Burchill re-appeared as a masked villain type character named "The Ripper". The Ripper was unmasked by Hurricane and Burchill was forced to leave again. Soon after that, Katie Lea Burchill appeared as a new diva on Raw. There's no news of Katie Lea being released as of yet. It appears that with the closing down of ECW, Helms and Burchill had nowhere else to go with WWE.

The most shocking of the three releases might be that of Maria Kanellis, who was recently promoted as part of NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" by Donald Trump. She's been with WWE since back in 2004-05 as a losing contestant in the diva search, then a backstage interviewer, and eventually a girlfriend/valet of several wrestlers including Santino Marella, Dolph Ziggler and Matt Hardy. She's been a member of the Raw and Smackdown rosters during her career which also included posing for the 2008 Playboy cover and spread. On Smackdown, Maria was introduced by Matt Hardy as his recent Valentine, and the two were considered a couple. After a loss in the ring on Smackdown, Maria blamed herself for the loss. Hardy consoled her, but Maria didn't seem happy and ended up pushing past fellow divas Michelle McCool and Layla backstage. According to her wiki entry, Mara's got a debut album called "Sevin Sins" releasing on April 13th, so that may explain her being let go to work on the music career.

With the release of these three, it seems that once again WWE's loss is TNA's gain. It won't be surprising to see one or all three of these re-surface on TNA's show in the near future.

Undertaker fire incident during Chamber PPV

Last night, an incident occurred at the 2010 Elimination Chamber PPV during the Undertaker's ring entrance which involved a bit of a pyrotechnics mishap. As The Undertaker was making his way onto the ramp for the main event Smackdown Elimination Chamber match, part of his long coat caught on fire (video). Taker quickly started to run down the ramp with the jacket on fire, then tossed it off as he got closer to the Elimination Chamber. He got into the ring and seemed good to go afterwords with no apparent injuries suffered. It obviously was an accident and not part of the match, although it's never a surprise when WWE puts a spin on real incidents that happen. They may even try to say Kane or some other wrestler made Undertaker catch on fire.

Not only does the Undertaker's opening entrance involve fire, but so have many parts of his legendary career including his character's story. The history of Undertaker and Kane involves a tragic fire which former manager Paul Bearer claimed Undertaker set at the family funeral home. The fire supposedly burned down the home, killing Taker's parents and half-brother. However, Paul Bearer revealed the half-brother, Kane, had survived the blaze although he was horribly burned. During 1997-98, Undertaker and Kane participated in the first ever "Inferno Match" from WWE at the "In Your House PPV". That match saw the Undertaker set Kane's arm on fire to win it.

You can see YouTube video footage from a fan's cell phone of the Undertaker fire incident.

TNA Impact moving to Monday to battle Raw

In a move that's eerily similar to the former WCW, TNA's Impact show on SPIKE TV will be moving into the Monday night slot to try to compete with the WWE Raw wrestling product. The move officially happens on March 8th, in what appears to be Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan's attempt to go head-to-head with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment.

It's also been revealed via The Sun's Phil Allely that in the soon-to-air episode of TNA, Hogan announced he'll be headlining the first Monday night Impact show. Hogan will team up with TNA wrestler Abyss to battle Ric Flair and TNA Champion AJ Styles. While Hogan and Flair make for two of the oldest wrestlers in the industry, the two recently battled as part of Hulk Hogan's Hulkamania Tour in Australia.

TNA went head-to-head with WWE back on January 4th with the return of Hulk Hogan, as well as the surprise arrivals to TNA of other stars including Flair and Jeff Hardy. The show drew 2.2 million viewers due to the hype over Hogan's appearance. The plan for TNA is to air a live episode every other week, for now.

The move is the kind of gutsy, brash and arrogant decision you'd expect from Hogan and Bischoff. Several years back Hogan revealed in interviews how he wanted to form his own company to try to take down Vince McMahon. Since that didn't materialize, Hogan has now joined forces with TNA and has brought other former WCW/WWE talent on board with him such as The Nasty Boys, Flair, Scott Hall, Ken Anderson and Jimmy "the Mouth of the South" Hart.

With TNA making a move to Monday nights, it may make fans wonder how long before they run out of steam trying to compete with a larger, global product like WWE, and how long before Vince McMahon is buying up TNA along with all of its talent.

WWE NXT Cast & Final ECW Champion

Tuesday night's 2/16/10 episode of ECW is the final ECW show ever. With the close of the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) era, there will be an interesting piece of trivia. Ezekiel Jackson became the final ECW Champion in the history of the brand, defeating Christian in an Extreme Rules match on the final show. Christian made a valiant effort, fighting off a feisty Zack Ryder, taking a slap to the face from Rosa Mendes, and chasing off William Regal with a Kendo stick. In the final moments though, Regal returned to attack Christian and ended up the victim of a Killswitch. That allowed Jackson the window of opportunity he needed to make his move. He grabbed Christian for his one-arm slam finisher, driving Christian straight through a wooden table for the final pinfall. Jackson becomes the final champion in ECW history, and he'll most likely use that as a bragging point wherever he heads next. Possibly Raw where he can challenge guys like Cena and HHH to give some fresh new heels to the mix.

During that championship match, we finally saw Tiffany show some of her aggressive wrestling prowess when she rushed to the ring and tackled down Rosa Mendes then tossed her out of the ring. Hopefully we'll see more of these two divas engaged in a feud on a WWE program like Raw or Smackdown.

Also on the final ECW on SyFy, they introduced the WWE Universe to the cast of WWE NXT which will premiere on next Tuesday night. The format of the show is a reality-based program with eight WWE Superstar "Pro's" mentoring eight new WWE Rookies. Here's who will be involved:

* Wade Barrett mentored by Chris Jericho
* Justin Gabriel mentored by Matt Hardy
* Skip Sheffield mentored by MVP
* Michael Tarver mentored by Carlito
* Daniel Bryan mentored by The Miz
* Heath Slater mentored by Christian
* Darren Young mentored by CM Punk
* David Otunga mentored by R-Truth

Each of the rookies involved in WWE NXT will graduate to one of the WWE brands at the end of their season, whether it be Raw or Smackdown. The rosters are definitely starting to pick up some momentum it seems.

WWE NXT will premiere next Tuesday night in ECW's timeslot on SyFy, 10PM EST.

WWE News: Smackdown chamber, HBK, NXT, more!

In a recent shareholder's meeting, WWE declared its quarterly dividend for the WWE stock of $0.36 cents per share. Also revealed during a conference call, Chairman Vince McMahon said the Survivor Series PPV is coming to an end. He noted that as one of the original four PPV's it worked years ago but will now be re-branded under a new title. This news comes on the heels of the alarming stat that the Survivor Series PPV suffered nearly a 30% drop from the prior year. (Source: PWNewsnow.com)

If you caught Friday night's Smackdown, then you most likely saw John Morrison sustain an "injury" versus R-Truth, early in their match. Morrison tried a move where he rolled over Truth's back, but then landed ackwardly on his one foot, hurting his ankle. Morrison tried to get up once but fell back down holding the hurt ankle. The ref called the match on account Morrison couldn't continue (see video). Most likely this incident is going to play right into the Shawn Michaels obsession with The Undertaker. Morrison will be unable to compete in the Elimination Chamber, and a surprise competitor will take his place, aka HBK. I'm still predicting Chris Jericho wins that match, and HBK costs Taker his title somehow, or maybe even eliminates him from the match early.

Early reports about the WWE NXT show are saying that two wrestlers, Bryan Danielson and Low-Ki will both be a part of the new show. Some have reported that Danielson's name was announced as "Daniel Bryan" at a recent FCW event, but it's been uncomfirmed if that will be his name on WWE NXT. The new show debuts in two weeks, with the last ever ECW episode airing this coming Tuesday night on SyFy.

In celebration of Valentines Day which arrives February 14th (Sunday), WWE.com has a special WWE divas section with four different galleries of diva V-day shots. Check out the Divas Galleries here. There's also an interesting little Valentines themed game at WWE.com where you can try to make your own WWE Superstar-Diva couples and see what results you get. See the WWE Love Connection game.

ECW wrestlers are free agents

With the ending of the ECW brand, the fate of the ECW Superstars was at first unknown. Would they all be aprt of the new show, WWE NXT, or moved around between other brands? It's now been officially announced on Raw by Christian, and then confirmed by ECW GM Tiffany on Tuesday's show that all ECW Stars will be free agents. This means ECW wrestlers can sign with any brand they choose, if that brand will accept them of course.

Although Christian appeared on Raw Monday night and lost in a match to Sheamus (to tune up the WWE champ for Elimination Chamber), it may work best for the ECW champion to sign with Smackdown. There he can either feud with or team with Edge, to recreate their tag team of glory days. Christian hasn't won the United States title yet, so putting him on Raw could work as well, as a formidable new challenger for The Miz.

For some reason, most of the ECW stars seem suited for Smackdown, but we know it won't work out that way. The biggest movers will of course be Christian, Ezekiel Jackson, Shelton Benjamin, William Regal, Zack Ryder, Vance Archer and Vladimir Kozlov. Croft and Barreta is a promising new tag team to add some more life to WWE's almost non-existant tag division. It's unknown at this point if any of the ECW stars will be released, but hopefully everyone gets a shot in the aftermath of the ECW shutdown.

One thing is certain, we may finally get some new and exciting matchups that haven't been seen before involving some of the ECW stars versus Raw or Smackdown's own.

ECW to end, WWE NXT to begin

According to an announcement on Tuesday night's ECW on SyFy, the ECW brand will officially end in three weeks time. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon appeared on the ramp to let everyone know a new "evolution in television" will take its place at that time, the same time slot ECW currently has. The fans cheered the news, but it will mean the end of a four year run for ECW under WWE.

According to reports for months, ECW was being pressured by SyFy execs to get better ratings. Unfortunately it wasn't able to live up to its bigger brothers in Smackdown and Raw which do well in their current spots. Then again, ECW is more of a show for newer talent, and the new show which replaces it will be even more of that type of showcase. The next show will be named "WWE NXT" and we can supposedly expect to see much more developmental talent on that show. Right now ECW has several FCW stars such as Vance Archer, Trent Barreta and Caylen Croft as well as ring announcer Savannah. The recent member to join CM Punk's Straightedge Society named Serena is also a FCW alum. So expect to see more fresh faces and new stories to come from FCW. Check out the current FCW talent roster here.

Most likely we'll see Christian as the last ECW champion, having successfully defended his belt at the Royal Rumble against Ezekiel Jackson. The belt will probably be retired and Christian may make his move to Smackdown or Raw for bigger championships. Stay tuned as more news comes forth on WWE NXT, which is scheduled to begin airing on SyFy March 2, 2010.

Gregory Helms & Chris Jericho arrested in KY

Website TMZ.com is reporting that Smackdown star Chris Jericho and fellow wrestler Gregory Helms (ECW's The Hurricane) were arrested at a Kentucky Shell station for “alcohol intoxication in a public place.” Both men were taken into the Kenton County Detention Center and released on $120 bail.

According to reports from witnesses, Matt Hardy was also amongst the group. Gregory Helms allegedly struck 3 people in a tax cab he was in with Hardy and Jericho, including one female. Earlier reports from TMZ indicated that Helms hit Jericho, a man named Gary Kelley and a female passenger named Ashley Storer. Apparently, Hardy took off on foot as did Helms. The taxi driver finally pulled over at a Kentucky gas station and called 911 to report the incident.

Helms reportedly came back to the scene on his own, where he was arrested, but Matt Hardy did not return. It's been reported that the police aren't pursuing further action against Hardy. Originally, the female involved in the incident chose not to file charges for the attack. Helms and Jericho were arrested for public intoxication instead.

Smackdown Superstar released 1/17/10

On Sunday afternoon it was announced that the WWE has released Smackdown brand wrestler, Eric Escobar. He made his debut back in October of 2009. Escobar was originally a heel when he stepped into his Smackdown role, as the boyfriend of Vickie Guerrero. They were together for several weeks, until Vickie chastised him for losing an Intercontinental title match. From there, Escobar made a change to face wrestler, and Vickie tormented him week after week by booking him in impossible handicap matches (versus The Hart Dynasty, JeriShow, etc).

WWE gave its standard farewell message via WWE.com:

"WWE has come to terms on the release of Smackdown superstar Eric Escobar as of Jan. 17, 2010. WWE wishes Eric all the best in his future endeavors."

Escobar, real name Eric Perez, was originally planned to be one of the five members of Team Smackdown for Bragging Rights PPV which also featured Cryme Tyme, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler. They were eventually replaced by Matt Hardy, R-Truth, Finlay and the Hart Dynasty due to a decision by WWE creative staff based on Mr. McMahon not liking how the original team looked during a Raw segment.

Best wishes to Escobar in the future with whicever directions he choosed to go!

RIP Dr. Death Steve Williams, age 49

Just today it was learned via an official Myspace site of Dr. Death Steve Williams, that the former WCW and WWE star had passed away. Williams was just 49 years of age.

A close friend of Williams' posted the following message on Williams' Myspace site:

" I regret to inform you that our good friend Steve Williams has lost his battle with cancer.

I do not have all the facts other than he passed some time last night.

I'm sure he would like to thank all you for your prayers.

His fans meant everything to him. I will post info as I receive it."

Williams performed in the WWF/WWE and WCW during the 1980's and 1990's, and became one of the most respected wrestlers in the profession. He had a reputation as being one of the truly toughest competitors inside the squared circle. His entry to WWF came in 1998, when he was signed by the company and competed in a "Brawl for All" tournament. He won his first round match, but ended up losing to Bart Gunn in the next round, sustaining a severe injury. Thereafter he was managed by Jim Ross, and would attack other wrestlers, suplexing them down. Also among Williams' accomplishments, were a major ECW title match against Raven in 1997, which Williams lost. Williams tried to start a MMA career in 2004, but was beaten very quickly by Alexey Ignashov, and decided to retire from the competitions.

In 2004, Williams had surgery for throat cancer, but was declared cancer-free a year later. He went on to work with WWE as a trainer for the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) organization, and often attended house shows with WWE. Deepest condolences go out to the friends, family and fans of "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, age 49.