Raw 1000th Episode to Feature The Rock and Brock Lesnar

It looks like the Raw 1000th episode should pack plenty of punches in terms of powerful superstar appearances.  Both Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Brock Lesnar are among the currently scheduled guests for the blockbuster historic episode.

Lesnar's appearance will be part of his ongoing feud with WWE COO Triple H, with Brock finally answering The Game's challenge for a match at SummerSlam 2012.  It was previously announced by Paul Heyman that Lesnar would show up on the big episode to make his decision.

Meanwhile, The Rock made an announcement just a day ago that he'll be part of the historic episode as well.  He tweeted out to the millions, and millions, of The Rock's followers:

"RAW's 1000th episode," Rock wrote. "The People's Champ returns.. As promised, my goal: THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP. ?#RELENTLESS"

With The Rock, his promise to once again become WWE champion is an interesting one.  However, he's got the G.I. Joe film to promote and it seems like that may be the reason behind this.  Keeping him in the headlines as a wrestler will possibly get wrestling fans interested in seeing him on the big screen battling the forces of Cobra.  Whether or not he's going to issue some sort of a challenge during Raw #1000 is what seems to be the lingering question right now.

This show will of course be three hours long, the first one to kickstart that new length for the Raw television show.  While it shouldn't be too tough to get fans to watch this first episode featuring these two former champions, and possible Wrestlemania contenders, one has to wonder if WWE will be able to keep fans coming back for more without them present.  Another interesting aspect of these two guys appearing on this one show: will they cross paths during the show as a prelude to a possible Wrestlemania matchup?

It should be interesting to see what else WWE has in store for this 1000th episode of Raw, as they've been bringing back all sorts of "blasts from the past" such as DDP, Doink The Clown, Vader, Psycho Sid, and just recently, Bob Backlund.

Follow @WWEDivaSource on Twitter for more pro wrestling updates!

Chris Brown and CM Punk in Twitter War

A recent war of words has erupted between singer Chris Brown and CM Punk of the WWE on Twitter.  TMZ first caught wind of the situation and then other media sites did as well.  Now, WWE.com has also jumped in to present their own story on it.  This all comes weeks ahead of Punk's big championship match against Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 28.

It all began with Punk's comments the other evening towards Brown when he tweeted:

"I would like @chrisbrown fight somebody that can defend themselves"

Those comments came right before the Raw SuperShow on Monday night, and prompted more than a few tweet responses including:

"@CMpunk needs more followers. He's such a leader! Not to mention the roids hes on has made it utterly impossible for him pleasure a women."

Later on it appears that Brown deleted that tweet but he kept at it with more remarks.  CM Punk also uploaded a Twitvideo seen here.

That Twitvideo sent Brown into more of a rage as he kept on tweeting.  He eventually seemed to lay the beef to rest on Twitter saying he wasn't going to give it any more of his attention.  However, was the damage done?  Punk claims this wasn't for attention, but did Punk need to bring this all up?

It's no surprise that WWE.com jumped on the story either as they love the publicity from sites like TMZ, OK! Magazine and E! Online.  They do have the anti-bullying campaign going on, so this seems to be up their alley too.  Whether or not Vince McMahon and the crew will work this into something for a future match or skit should be interesting, but it's likely they'll leave it alone for now.  However, with Punk among the headline acts for Wrestlemania 28, this came at an opportune time for the company to get more spotlight.

CM Punk Uses Homophobic Slur, Apologizes on Twitter

Celebrity gossip website TMZ has posted a recent news story involving WWE Raw superstar CM Punk. The story, posted earlier this afternoon, shows CM Punk during an incident at a WWE show in Australia today. Video footage was captured on someone's cell phone or digital camera video recorder.

The video of the incident shows CM Punk yelling profanities at several people in the crowd. At one point Punk is seen and heard yelling "Nice fauxhawk, you homo!" Punk continues to yell at the fan saying he wants him to come over the guardrail so he can twist him up.

Just an hour ago, CM Punk posted several tweets on his Twitter profile regarding the incident:

"I'm glad TMZ posted that video because everybody needs to be held accountable for their bulls--t, me included. What I said was bulls--t."

"..I'm embarrassed. I own up to being a total douche in this situation and I offer a sincere apology to anybody I hurt with careless words."

The WWE emphasized "WWE does not condone this type of language or bias and we reinforce that with our talent who are independent contractors." This doesn't appear to be tied in with the current storyline which included Punk's rant on last week's episode of Raw.

Maryse vs Snooki Match Coming Soon?

Will there be some sort of a WWE Diva versus reality television star match in the works for Wrestlemania 27? So far there's no rumors or news about this anywhere, but Maryse recently called out Snooki on Twitter, labeling the "Jersey Shore" star a "fat midget." Snooki has yet to respond to this matter, and it's unknown if this was a rant by Maryse or some ploy to bring about Snooki's arrival to a future WWE event.

On TNA, they have the fake version of Snooki called "Cookie" portrayed by Becky Bayless. WWE has brought plenty of celebs into the mix at events, including actor Mickey Rourke at Wrestlemania. Snoop Dogg, Shaq, Pee Wee Herman, Mike Tyson and many others have all been involved in the WWE's mayhem. Right now, Snooki is one of the biggest, and in many circles, most annoying, reality TV stars. WWE brought her fellow reality star Kim Kardashian to a prior Wrestlemania event.

Whether or not this develops into anything serious remains to be seen. It very well could have been Maryse amusing herself and her 100,000 Twitter followers. She may also be trying to get the WWE and herself some controversial spotlight. Stay tuned as the story unfolds, if there even is one!

WWE Divas all a-Twitter for New Year 2011!

It's been an up and down year for the WWE Divas, including Layla, Michelle McCool, Melina and Natalya. Many of the divas love giving their thoughts and interacting with fans on the social media site Twitter.

In an interesting early story, it looked like the New Year started off sour for one diva, Melina Perez. Melina's tweets on New Year's Eve seemed to indicate that she and her boyfriend John Morrison had broken up. Here's a look:

"Getting dumped must be the new trend this new years. The feeling sucks. I'd rather be baby face and b in love than heel & dumped."

"I wish I could b perfect enough."

"I wish I was him. I truly wanted to be the perfect woman for you."

However, all of those tweets have since been removed from Melina's account. Was there a breakup and make up between she and John Morrison? Maybe Melina had a little too much champagne and got in a fight with JMo, but then patched things up for the New Year. Stay tuned...

Her fellow diva, Eve Torres, seemed to be having a tough New Years as well:

Thanks for the New Years wishes! Sadly, I'm spending it with food poisoning. Everyone (else) enjoy a safe and happy new years Eve!!

Meanwhile, other divas have been partying it up for the new year, like the Bella Twins who tweeted:

Gettin' this fiesta started! Happy New Years! Love you all! Now where's some boyz that need to be kissed! Besos! Nikki

Kelly Kelly was heading out to have some fun in the sun for her New Years:

Happy new years eve every1 heading to the Bahamas for a mini vaca with my boo!!!So excited to sip on cocktails and lay on the beach :)

Vickie Guerrero added her two cents as well with:

EXCUSE ME...happy new year!!!!

Maryse was glamming it up with several other hot female friends and tweeted a few New Year's party pictures:

Vegas baby party starting. Be sexy http://plixi.com/p/67097857

Sexy http://plixi.com/p/67129941

Speaking of "glam" The Glamazon Beth Phoenix had the following to say about her upcoming year:

Happy New Year!!!! I have never felt happier in my life!!!! 2011 will be the greatest year of my life!!!

The Divas Champion, Natalya, tweeted her encouraging thoughts for the WWE Universe in the New Year:

Happy new year! 2011 is gonna be the best year ever. Work hard, never give up and fight till the end! All we need is right in front of us.

This should be a great year for many WWE superstars and divas. Currently, the WWE Divas Champion is Natalya, but it's very possible that Beth Phoenix will be challenging for that title in a classic battle at Wrestlemania 27.

Which diva will have the biggest year in 2011?

Christmas Tweets from WWE Divas & Superstars

Christmas 2010 is here! This year's holidays brought plenty of gifts to the WWE Universe, as well as to the superstars and divas in World Wrestling Entertainment. Many of the wrestlers are happy to have their health, while others are celebrating recent championship victories. As we close out 2010, The Miz holds the WWE Championship, Edge has won the World Heavyweight Championship for a 10th time, Dolph Ziggler is Intercontinental Champion, Daniel Bryan is United States Champion, Natalya is the Divas champion, and Santino Marella holds the tag titles along with Vladimir Kozlov.

So let's take a quick look at a variety of the "tweets" coming from the Twitter profiles of the various superstars and divas of WWE!

Of course the big news right before the holidays was that WWE Superstar Kaval was released just yesterday. Word is Kaval didn't like the hectic travel schedule and he requested his release.

Daniel Bryan left this recent tweet about his former co-worker:

Not sure what happened, but I'd always hoped I could face @OneWorldWarrior on WWE TV. He's one of the most talented men I've ever wrestled.

Meanwhile other superstars are tweeting about the holidays. Here's some more of your favorite WWE divas and superstars!

Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler gives his take on the holidays:

Well, just one more day! (Then all the old guys with long white beards in red sweats go back to being CREEPY)

Ezekiel Jackson got his Christmas shopping done on Christmas eve according to his tweet on 12/24:

just woke up, solid 10 hrs...christmas shopping done, what to do with my time....

Divas Champ Natalya tweets about wrapping Christmas presents:

Am I crazy for wrapping my own Christmas presents? A few family members don't know how to wrap! Ill pretend I never saw them:)

I'm actually notorious for peeking at my gifts, anyway! I just want a hint!

Melina and John Morrison will be spending time together for the holidays, according to this tweet from JMo:

Driving through Xmas eve traffic to Melina's parents' - snackin' on pretzels

Raw diva Eve tweeted:

I'm grateful for my family, friends, & all of you! This Christmas, please remember our troops serving over seas. We appreciate & miss them.

The Glamazon Beth Phoenix talks of her holiday cheer:

Looking forward to cooking tomorrow and spending time with the ones I love. :)

The legendary Stone Cold Steve Austin tweeted this special greeting to all WWE fans:

Merry Christmas to all from the Broken Skull Ranch in the heart of South Texas...my first year of Twitter has been a blast...thank you!!

Vickie Guerrero, who goes by @ExcuseMeWWE, summed it up well:

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Also, on behalf of WWE Characters the Blog, may all readers have a safe and happy holiday as well as a successful New Year 2011! Looking for more great things to come from pro-wrestling in the new year!

Stand Up for WWE? CEO Vince McMahon asks fans to help

Vince McMahon appears on the WWE.com site to address politics and World Wrestling Entertainment. He notes that the US Senate campaign involving Linda McMahon and Richard Blumenthal has put the spotlight on WWE resulting in negative and innacurate attacks on WWE. Therefore, WWE is reaching out to the fans to help respond to these malicious attacks.

So "Stand Up for WWE" is the campaign set up by WWE to help "correct biased and inaccurate media reports." Vince is asking fans to upload videos and photos to sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and YouTube. He wants to show the enemies and opponents of WWE that it's not as bad as it's being painted to look. That's why we're being bombarded with that special video package as of this week to highlight the money-making global sports entertainment machine that is the WWE.

Among the suggested ways to "Stand Up for WWE" listed on the website are "Friend WWE on Facebook" make "I'm Standing up for WWE" as your Facebook status, and create "I Stand Up for WWE" signs or T-shirts for live events. It's also suggested fans email reporters who wrote unfair pieces on WWE, or write to editors of local newspapers to address the topic.

You've got to admit this is an interesting campaign in an effort to help his wife and former CEO of the World Wrestling Entertainment company. Unfortunately, Vince may be trying a little too hard to bury the past. That past includes he and Linda in storylines with the likes of Trish Stratus, where she was demeaned as a member of the WWE divas roster. Vince also engaged in storyline affairs with the likes of Candice Michelle and Stacey Keibler during his heyday.

Still, the WWE has tried its best to clean up its act with its switch to a PG rating over the past years. There's been some slips here or there from improv guest hosts trying to push the limits, but for the most part there's been no sex or over-the-top bloody violence unless someone accidentally started to bleed. If they did, the refs have stopped those matches to address the wound, something which was rarely seen during the WWE's earlier days.

You've seen the video bits on WWE programming which feature talk of WWE's vast charitable efforts, which is true. The positive should far outweigh the negatives with WWE's entertainment right now, which is global and brings smiles to many fans. It's up to you which side you choose in politics, but if you're a WWE fan you may want to assist in the anti-smear campaign.

Check out the Stand Up for WWE page here at WWE.com to find out more on how you can help out.

WWE fires NXT star Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan)

Just this past week we saw the NXT invasion go down on Monday Night Raw to conclude the 3-hour "Viewer's Choice Night". It involved all 8 of the NXT Season 1 competitors surrounding the ring, and then causing complete chaos, beating up John Cena and everyone else in sight, then destroying the ring. One of those guys involved was Daniel Bryan, aka Bryan Danielson. Now it appears the NXT/WWE superstar has officially been fired.

The following news note was posted on WWE.com regarding the release, about 12 hours ago:

"WWE has come to terms on the release of NXT first season rookie Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson) as of today June 11, 2010. We wish Daniel Bryan the best in all future endeavors."

Thirteen hours ago, the NXT rookie had posted the following on his Twitter account:

"Just changed my Twitter name to Bryan Danielson. The winds of change are stirring. about 13 hours ago via web"

There's a report going on F4WOnline which says that possibly the firing came because Danielson went a bit far with the improv attack violence on Monday Night. In particular they say his choking out Justin Roberts with his tie may have been too violent and spitting in John Cena's face. So the firing appears to be legit and not part of any storyline.

Unfortunate to see Bryan Danielson fired from WWE. This guy was talented and his story was just getting interesting with the whole Michael Cole and NXT invasion going on. It will be interesting to see if Michael Cole brings it up at all, or they just ignore it after the whole attack. I wouldn't be surprised that if they do explain Bryan's release, that they use it in relation to the Cole story.

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.

Umaga dead, Eddie Fatu dies at age 36

Former WWE wrestler Eddie Fatu, better known as "Umaga" the "Samoan Bulldozer", is reportedly dead at the young age of 36. Details are still unconfirmed but reports say that Fatu's wife found him in a chair in his Texas home with blood coming out of his nose. At that time he wasn't breathing and was unresponsive. Apparently, he had fallen asleep watching television on 12/3/09 and never woke up. It's believed he died due to a heart attack at this time. One report comes from pwnews.com, which discusses what little is known regarding the death. The internet has been buzzing as fans search for "Umaga dead" and "Eddie Fatu" with no official confirmation other than TNA/UFC star Bobby Lashley's Twitter posts so far (see below).

Reports say Fatu was placed on life support with friends and family being informed of his condition. He was taken off life support earlier Friday afternoon. Many WWE fans will remember Umaga as a multi-time Intercontinental champion who was on the Raw and Smackdown TV shows. He participated in a number of Pay-Per-View events and have famous feuds with Jeff Hardy, Triple H and John Cena. At Wrestlemania several years ago, Umaga was Vince McMahon's representative in a "Hair vs Hair match" against Donald Trump's representative, Bobby Lashley.

It was a Twitter post from current TNA star Lashley, Twitter name: @fightbobby that first alerted many fans and media to the potential passing of Umaga. Lashley's two most recent posts read:

# Please say a prayer for Umaga. http://bit.ly/7J5erQ
about 2 hours ago from Facebook

# Very sad day today. A good friend is gone. http://bit.ly/6c9idw
about 5 hours ago from Facebook

Umaga was released by WWE back in June 2009 after he violated the WWE Wellness Policy, then refused to attend rehab services. His last known wrestling work was with Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair's pro-wrestling tour in Australia.

RIP to Eddie "Umaga" Fatu, age 36, and deepest condolences to all family, friends and fans.

See Umaga's official Wikipedia entry here.

UPDATE: WWE has released the following statement: "WWE would like to express its deepest condolences to Mr Fatu's family, friends and fans on his tragic passing.

"Mr Fatu was under contract with WWE at various time periods and most recently performed under the name Umaga. Mr Fatu's contract was terminated on June 11, 2009."

An article at The Sun UK website has noted that Eddie Fatu's family has confirmed his death.

Umaga's Alumni Page at WWE.com

WWE Wrestlers on Twitter

Do you tweet? There's plenty of WWE wrestlers on Twitter who broadcast their latest status and thoughts. Many even send responses bak to the fans' questions and comments! Some of the current Twitterers from World Wrestling Entertainment include personalities Josh Matthews, Howard Finkely and Joey Styles, WWE Divas Eve Torres, Layla and Lillian Garcia as well as superstars Evan Bourne, Chris Jericho, The Miz and Kofi Kingston. Here's a list of who's been confirmed on Twitter from WWE so far:

Current WWE Divas, Superstars, Others:

@TrueKofi Kofi Kingston
@findEvan Evan Bourne
@JEFFHARDYBRAND Jeff Hardy
@MATTHARDYBRAND Matt Hardy
@thebellatwins The Bella Twins
@mslayel Layla El
@LillianGarcia Lillian Garcia
@AnnouncerJustin Justin Roberts
@howardfinkel Howard Finkel
@WWEJoeyStyles Joey Styles
@maryse0uellet Maryse
@HurricaneHelms Gregory Helms
@IAmJericho Chris Jericho
@EveMarieTorres Eve Torres
@MariaLKanellis Maria Kanellis
@mikethemiz Mike "The Miz" Mizanin
@WWEDivaTiffany Tiffany
@wwejoshmatthews Josh Matthews
@ZackRyder Zack Ryder

Other Personalities/WWE Related

@EBischoff - Eric Bischoff
@JCLayfield - John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL)
@DonaldJTrump - former owner of Raw
@WWEShop - WWE Shop
@WWE - Official WWE Twitter
@WWEUniverse - WWE Universe Twitter profile
@fightbobby - Bobby Lashley
@realsandman - The Sandman
@DIVACANDICEM - Candice Michelle
@Torrie11 - Torrie Wilson
@TherealRVD - Rob Van Dam

Make sure to follow your favorite WWE Superstars to keep up with their thoughts on WWE wrestling and life in general! Check back here as more WWE wrestlers on Twitter profiles are added to the listing!

Note: You can also follow WWE Character the Blog at @wwecharacters However, there is an account issue currently which hopefully will be cleared up very soon!

WWE Fans Tweet about Trump & Raw

The Donald Trump buying Raw storyline seemed to generate a day or so of media buzz, but now maybe the fun begins. With Trump's scheduled live appearance for Monday Night Raw on 6/22/09, fans may finally figure out just what he's trying to promote. WWE.com published an article just last Tuesday to report that Trump's personal helicopter landed on top of WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT. They also question whether Trump will continue buying up the other WWE shows- ECW, Superstars and Smackdown.

There's been a lot of Twitterers talking about the Raw purchase, as well as a new Donald Trump Network, which is supposedly a product to help people start successful homebased businesses. Trump was scheduled to appear on the Oprah show to discuss his new product, and quite possibly he'll try selling to the WWE Universe.

Just to put the gossip to rest, the sale of Raw was never real, despite a press release that the WWE issued to make it look so.

According to rbr.com:

Like many other publications, RBR/TVBR reported the sale, which was announced in release distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of WWE, a publicly traded company, and USA Network, whose ultimate parent company, General Electric, is a publicly traded company.

"USA Network and WWE issued a press release on June 16 that referred to Monday Night RAW's storyline of a 'sale' of WWE's RAW to Donald Trump. We intended the release to be promotional for that ongoing story arc on the series. There is no such actual 'sale'. We apologize for any confusion," USA said in a follow-up release Thursday, June 18.

Many people are speculating that Mr. Trump will probably name the show's new General Manager as Ric Flair if not Monday night then in the near future. Here's a few fans' tweets regarding Raw, Donald Trump and who the new GM might be...

@JoeyDiGennaro RAW's new GM should be Joey Styles12:38 AM Jun 20th

@RKOsNumba1Fan I think Trump will do alright. The commercial-free thing is a good start. I think he will appoint Ric Flair, becuz he seems to favor faces.

@Phenom10 thrump is going to do a great job like nxt weaks RAW12:47 PM Jun 19th

@Corytha1nonly I Think its a hoax, he would never sell raw its a family owned and operated business for over 20 years, raw is his moneymaker!12:45 PM Jun 19th

@oxidus Thinking maybe Donald Trump acquasition of raw is a sham but if so shouldn't the FTC intervene?? Who knows but really selling raw... Pssshhh

@kabinsky: Donald trump + RAW + live tv = my worst nightmare

@extrospectre: ...Dude. Doesn't Donald Trump own enough CRAP??? He had to take over WWE Raw too?!?
about 15 hours ago from web

@BoybandGirl72: Monday Night Raw is sold to Donald Trump!After 17 years, Vince finally sold it....I think this monday's episode is gonna be the best!
about 12 hours ago from txt

If you're on Twitter make sure to follow WWE Characters the Blog and join in the fun, plus get updates as new blogs and info are posted!

Tune in to Raw Monday night at 9PM EST to see just what Vince and Trump might be up to!