NEWS

Raw set catches fire, show will go on at 8/7 CT

CINCINNATI - During rehearsal for tonight’s Monday Night Raw at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, there was a minor incident involving the show’s pyrotechnics.  As a precaution, the limited number of people in the building during the incident were successfully evacuated, and the fire marshal has given a safety clearance for the show to proceed as scheduled at 8/7pm CT . There were no injuries.

John Laurinaitis resigns as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations

Effective immediately, John Laurinaitis is resigning from his position as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations. Following his very public firing at June’s No Way Out, Laurinaitis continued to work behind-the-scenes in his corporate role. After eight years of service in talent relations, he’s “burned out” and now hopes to concentrate on what he knows best: putting together matches and working with WWE talent as a producer.

Is CM Punk vs. The Rock meant to be?

Remember when CM Punk delivered his famous “pipe bomb” speech? Of course you do. Everyone remembers that, from the “Stone Cold” Steve Austin shirt to John Cena splayed out across the ruins of a table, the broken witness to The Second City Saint’s scorching oration. The way the WWE Universe’s boos of the pontificating Punk melted into stunned silence, then slowly into cheers as Punk exposed and condemned the backstage machinations of WWE.Everyone remembers him rallying the fans and the powers that be alike into a call for change that has resonated throughout the past year and led to the emergence of unlikely champions like Daniel Bryan, Zack Ryder and even Punk himself. Everyone remembers the story that got cut off at the very end. Everyone remembers Punk calling out John Laurinaitis by (a fairly un-PG) name and the promise that he’d become WWE Champion before the whole sordid series of events had run its course.
What gets lost slightly in our collective memory of the “pipe bomb,” in between all the corporate skullduggery and personal potshots at the McMahon family, was that CM Punk had a few choice words for “Dwayne” as well.

Hell in a Cell tickets on sale Saturday, Aug. 4

Atlanta has hosted Raw, SmackDown and even WrestleMania. But on Sunday, Oct. 28, for the first time ever, the gates of hell surround the Gate City when THQ's "WWE ’13 The Video Game" presents Hell in a Cell at the Philips Arena.

Tickets for the event go on sale this Saturday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m. ET, and will be available at the Philips Arena Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com or by phone, at 800-745-3000. Prices start as low as $25.

Which WWE Superstars will be tasked with facing the brutal obstacles and treacherous conditions of the Devil’s Playground? Could John Cena, CM Punk or Sheamus find their way into one of the most career-threatening environments in all of WWE, Hell in a Cell? The world will find out when WWE returns to a city with one of the most treasured sports-entertainment legacies in the entire U.S. on Oct. 28. Don’t miss out!

Raw Five-Point preview: July 30, 2012

We were shocked – shocked, we say – when CM Punk seemingly snapped on Raw 1,000 and GTS-ed The Rock into a catatonic state after The Great One interfered following Punk’s WWE Title Match against John Cena to close the show. The Second City Saint left without another word as boos rained down upon him for the first time since the “pipe bomb,” with Rock splayed in ruin across the canvas and a thousand questions echoing in the WWE Universe’s collective mind. Elsewhere, Cena found himself on the wrong side of history, and Raw got itself the unlikeliest of General Managers by appointment of Mr. McMahon himself. Here are five things to look out for on Raw 1,001.

Will AJ follow path blazed by WWE's past powerful women in charge?

You could make a thousand guesses on the type of General Manager that AJ will be – and you still might be wrong on every single one. The H.D.I.C. – or Head Diva in Charge – has kept both WWE performers and members of the WWE Universe constantly on their toes, wondering what she'll do or say next.
The 1,000th episode of Raw was no exception, as AJ stranded Daniel Bryan at the altar and instead said "YES!" to Mr. McMahon's proposal to become the permanent Raw General Manager. Is she as unstable as some believe? Or did each of her unconventional moves over the past couple of months have a distinct purpose, ultimately guiding her ascent up WWE's ranks?
While AJ prepares to take the helm of the red brand, WWE.com takes a closer look at her predecessors – four female authority figures who made their mark on sports-entertainment with their bold attitudes, savvy decision-making and outside-the-box methods. (WATCH PLAYLIST)