Wrestling

According to the Wrestling Observer, the injury Daniel Bryan suffered this Monday night against "The Viper" Randy Orton was legitimate, and the decision to stop the match is being considered a "shoot". At this time it does not appear the injury was serious, and there are still plans to go ahead with Bryan's singles match at tonight's WWE Smackdown taping event. The finish to Orton and Bryan's match on Raw last night did feel odd, and many didn't understand the booking decision to end such a high profile match between the two with a referee stoppage; especially considering the hot streak Daniel Bryan has been on as of late. It now appears as though the stoppage was not the originally planned finish, and the decision was likely made on the fly by the medic - or possibly Randy Orton - to stop the match and re-book the end.

Although Zeb Colter has taken on a new client in the form of Antonio Cesaro, it does appear that he will also continue to manage Jack Swagger. Colter sent out a Tweet this Tuesday announcing the birth of his new stable, Colter's Militia. #coltersmilitia was born last night #raw. WE DON'T FORGET. WE DON'T FORGIVE. @RealJackSwagger @AntonioCesaro #wethepeople — Zeb Colter (@WWEZeb) June 18, 2013

Well this is discouraging news in one sense but somewhat encouraging news in another: Daniel Bryan's "stinger" injury that he suffered during last night's (June 17, 2013) episode of Monday Night Raw at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, during his match with Randy Orton was legitimate. And the decision made to stop the match was a shoot. That's according to Dave Meltzer at the Wrestling Observer in today's Daily Update: Daniel Bryan was injured in his match with Randy Orton last night and the finish was essentially a shoot as they stopped a match that Daniel was scheduled to win. The story online that he suffered a stinger is legit. For its part, WWE played up the story with an article on the company website featuring comments from Triple H on putting the health of his performers first followed by an apparent kayfabe confrontation with Bryan, who wasn't happy about his match getting stopped. An excerpt: Among the most controversial moments of a wild Raw in Michigan was the unexpected stoppage of the Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton contest after the submission expert suffered a "stinger" in the middle of the bout and was deemed unfit to compete by WWE officials, with the final decision coming from WWE COO Triple H himself. "Whether anybody likes it or not, it's my job as COO of this company," confirmed Triple H to WWE.com. "I made the call that Daniel Bryan's health was important and I called the match." Bryan - currently battling a self-imposed perception that he is a "weak link" - seemed less than happy at the result on air, and in fact, he let The Game know exactly how he felt once he stepped backstage. "I saw Daniel face-to-face with Triple H, nose to nose, screaming at him, saying that the match should not have been stopped and he'd worked through several injuries over 13 years," said referee John Cone, who followed Bryan into the locker room area. There's no word on the severity of the injury and whether or not it will force Bryan to miss any time. He's currently being advertised for the SmackDown taping later on tonight in a match against Dean Ambrose. As always, Cagesiders, stay tuned.

WWE has posted several new videos hyping the return of former WWE Champion, Rob Van Dam. They cover both his WCW and ECW debut, as well as an iconic feud with Raven. You can check out the official WWEFanNation YouTube account for more.

- Here’s footage from WWE’s anti-bullying rally in Chicago last Friday with Hornswoggle, Alicia Fox and Josh Mathews: - WWE posted outtakes from the new Sheamus “1-800-FELLA” commercial: - F4Wonline.com reports that Daniel Bryan was injured in his match with Randy Orton on RAW last night and the finish they did was essentially a shoot as they stopped a match that Bryan was scheduled to win. The storyline mention that he suffered a stinger is legit. Big Spoiler on Dolph Ziggler, Trouble with WWE Star, Vince’s Reason for Big Summer Storyline, Lots More Scoops…

- Ricardo Rodriguez tweeted the following today about he and World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio turning this week: “Remember THIS @WWEUniverse , WE didn’t turn our backs on you! YOU turned your back on US!” - Zeb Colter is calling his new group Colter’s Militia. He tweeted today: “#coltersmilitia was born last night #raw. WE DON’T FORGET. WE DON’T FORGIVE. @RealJackSwagger @AntonioCesaro #wethepeople” - Mark Henry tweeted that he was “still laughing” after attacking John Cena on RAW last night. Henry re-posted a meme that said he should receive an Oscar for last night’s performance. More Backstage News on Zeb Colter, Trouble with New WWE Star, More on WWE’s Concussions, Sexy New Diva Galleries…

- Last night’s episode of WWE RAW with the fallout from Payback averaged 4.15 million viewers. This was up 4% from the previous week, which did a 3.09 rating with 3.99 million viewers. Last night’s show drew 4.03 million viewers in the first hour, 4.26 million viewers in the second hour and 4.17 million viewers in the third hour. The final rating will be out later. Lots of Backstage News: Plans for Christian & RVD, Why Vince Is Back, Trouble with New WWE Star and More

- WWE issued the following: POST FRUITY PEBBLES CONNECTS FANS WITH WWE CHAMPION JOHN CENA Cereal Features WWE Superstar in TV Commercials, Mobile App and Toy Giveaway PARSIPPANY, N.J. and STAMFORD, Conn. (June 18, 2013) – WWE Superstar John Cena can add another notch to his WWE Championship title, this time knocking Fred Flintstone out of the ring, off of the box and out of TV commercials. Post Fruity Pebbles is expanding its existing partnership with WWE and Cena, through the launch of two new TV commercials, a photo app and an on-pack giveaway. Previously, John Cena appeared as a “Pebble-ized” character on special boxes of Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles, and now he’s back for more. “We’re thrilled to be expanding our partnership with John Cena beyond the cereal box and connecting him with fans both on TV and at play,” said Sharon Pupel, Marketing Director at Post Foods. “We hope kids enjoy virtually interacting with the ‘champ’ through the launch of the PebblesPics app and on-pack giveaway, and we want to make sure we continue to provide fans with fun and positive experiences, not only at the breakfast table, but throughout the day whenever and wherever they choose to play.” “I am excited to continue to develop WWE’s relationship with Post Fruity Pebbles,” said Cena. “The ability to reach young WWE fans through the brand’s commercials and new mobile app is a great opportunity.” The TV campaign consists of two new spots, both of which are currently on air. The first TV spot features Cena enjoying a bowl of Fruity Pebbles to amp up his morning. In the second spot, Cena drives fans to a new interactive mobile app, PebblesPics, giving them the chance to virtually get in the ring with the record-breaking WWE Champion. PebblesPics, available today through iTunes and in the Google Play store, allows users to create a photo of themselves “posing” with Cena by superimposing an image of him alongside their own image, making it appear as though the user has actually been photographed standing with the WWE Superstar. Two photos of Cena are available upon download, and additional bonus images can be unlocked when the user scans their Pebbles cereal box via a QR code. Users also have the option to share the images with their friends across multiple platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Additionally, fans can take Cena home – this time in action figure format. With the purchase of two boxes of Pebbles cereal, fans can receive two free Mattel WWE Rumblers figures. Another Big Feud for Cena Discussed This Year, Problems with The Shield, Backstage Christian News and More…

- Courtesy of WrestlingDVDNews.com, here is the full content listing for WWE’s ECW Unreleased Volume 2 DVD and Blu-ray that comes out on July 30th: Disc 1 We Are Back! Tommy Dreamer vs. Tazmaniac Hardcore TV • October 19, 1993 Terry Funk & Arn Anderson vs. Sabu & Bobby Eaton When Worlds Collide • May 14, 1994 Hardcore Legends ECW Unreleased Vol. 2 DVD Match Listing Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk Hardcore Heaven • August 13, 1994 “I Quit” Match Tommy Dreamer vs. The Sandman Hardcore TV • October 4, 1994 Wrestling Machines Eddie Guerrero & The Steiner Brothers vs. 2 Cold Scorpio, Dean Malenko & Cactus Jack Wrestlepalooza • August 5, 1995 Raven vs. Tommy Dreamer Holiday Hell • December 29, 1995 The Public Enemy vs. The Gangstas House Party • January 5, 1996 Disc 2 A Good Idea At The Time Extreme Hardcore Shoot Fight Chris Jericho vs. Taz Lost Battalion Hall • April 13, 1996 ECW World Television Championship Match 2 Cold Scropio vs. Shane Douglas A Matter of Respect • May 11, 1996 The Flagstaff Sabu vs. Chris Jericho Plymouth Meeting, PA • August 29, 1996 Dick Togo, Terry Boy & Taka Michinoku vs. Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa & Great Sasuke Hardcore TV • March 27, 1997 Tag Team Wrestling Done Right Three Way Dance for ECW World Tag Team Championship Match The Eliminators vs. The Gangstas vs. The Dudleys The Buffalo Invasion • May 17, 1997 Disc 3 Real Heat The Sandman, Taz, Tommy Dreamer & Al Snow vs. Sabu, Rob Van Dam, Doug Furnas & Philip LaFon Hardcore TV • January 5, 1998 ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match Shane Douglas vs. Al Snow Wrestlepalooza • May 3, 1998 ECW World Tag Team Championship Match Chris Candido & Lance Storm vs. Sabu & Rob Van Dam Hardcore TV • June 29, 1998 A Real Clash of Styles Three Way Dance for the FTW World Heavyweight Championship Match Sabu vs. Taz vs. Bam Bam Bigelow ECW Arena • August 8, 1998 ECW World Tag Team Championship Match The Dudleys vs. Spike Dudley & Balls Mahoney Hardcore TV • August 23, 1999 Stepping Up ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match Mike Awesome vs. Rhino ECW on TNN • October 1, 1999 Extreme Three Way Dance Yoshihiro Tajiri vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Super Crazy November to Remember • November 7, 1999 The Ultimate Underdog ECW World Television Championship Match Rob Van Dam vs. Mikey Whipwreck ECW on TNN • January 28, 2000 Three Way Dance for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match Justin Credible vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Steve Corino ECW on TNN • September 29, 2000 End of an Era Blu-ray Exclusives 911 vs. Doink the Clown Hardcore TV • August 27, 1994 Steel Cage Match The Sandman, 2 Cold Scorpio & New Jack vs. The Public Enemy & Mikey Whipwreck Gangsta’s Paradise • September 16, 1995 Four Way Dance for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship Terry Funk vs. Raven vs. Stevie Richards vs. The Sandman The Buffalo Invasion • May 17, 1997 The Dudleys vs. The Public Enemy Detroit, Michigan • January 23, 1999 Tommy Dreamer vs. Lance Storm Hardcore Heaven • May 16, 1999 Japanese Death Match Super Crazy vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri Hardcore TV • February 11, 2000 Another Possible Return for WWE MITB, Backstage News on Lesnar’s Future, More

This week's post-Payback episode of Monday Night Raw brought in an average of 4.15 million viewers, up slightly from last week's lower 3.99 million average. The second hour of Raw drew the highest average, as per usual, with the opening and closing time slots falling behind. We will have the final 6/17 Raw rating in later tonight, but WWE should have returned past the 3.0 benchmark. This week's show had a ton of surprises and hype going in, with the return of Christian, CM Punk and Brock Lesnar, plus the advertised appearances of Triple H and Vince McMahon.