Sgt. Slaughter Originally Set to Manage Jack Swagger

Arda Ocal of the Baltimore Sun spoke with WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter. Here are some highlights from the interview.

* Originally being cast in the new GI Joe films in the position that Bruce Willis eventually took and why it didn’t work out.

* His position as a WWE Ambassador.

* Before Jack Swagger took on a villainous character, Sarge reveals that he was going to be Swagger’s manager as a hero and explains the scenario.

* Calling out to Alberto Del Rio and saying he can help on WWE TV. Sarge reveals he always has his gear packed and would be ready for an on camera role.

Backstage News on Ziggler’s World Heavyweight Title Win on Monday’s Raw

Dolph Ziggler’s World Heavyweight title win was not a result of WWE re-writing Monday’s episode of Raw according to PWInsider.

Multiple sources confirmed that the plan for several weeks was for Ziggler to cash in and win the WWE World title the day after WrestleMania. This was one of the reasons Ziggler had been losing so many matches, with the belief being it would create interest in those talents chasing him for the belt since “they can beat him.”

Original plans called for Jack Swagger to carry the title however they fizzled quickly following his DUI arrest.

News on Post-WM XXX RAW, Update on Swagger’s Legal Troubles, More

- WWE donated $100,000 to Brian Stann’s “Hire Heroes USA” charity.

- WWE developmental trainer Bill DeMott tweeted praise for NXT wrestler Aiden English:

“Congratulations to @WWEDramaKing for putting @WWENXT on #notice!”

- As noted, Jack Swagger will return to court in Gulfport, MS on June 25th for a DUI charge. A Gulfport prosecutor is seeking the maximum punishment – 2 days in jail, a $437 fine for marijuana possession, a $1,300 fine for the DUI and a $188 fine for speeding.

- It’s now acknowledged within WWE that the post-WrestleMania RAW is now one of the biggest events of the year now. For WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans, there is talk that they might hold both WrestleMania and RAW in the SuperDome to try and build up that RAW as a can’t-miss supershow.

Jack Swagger Trial Date Set for DUI Arrest

Jack Swagger is set for trial in Gulfport Municipal Court in Gulfport, MI on June 25th according to The Sun Herald.

Swagger is charged with driving under the influence of marijuana. When he was leaving a SmackDown taping on February 19th when he was pulled over for speeding. The officer who pulled him over stated that Swagger was driving under the influence, and a small amount of marijuana was found in the car.

Dolph Ziggler Captures the World Heavyweight Championship Title

- Dolph Ziggler defeated Alberto Del Rio on tonight's RAW to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Ziggler cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase after Del Rio won a handicap match over Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger. Del Rio sold a leg injury which led to the loss to Ziggler.

Here is a photo of Ziggler holding the World Heavyweight Championship title:

Reason Why Del Rio Turned Face, Triple H's Workout Routine, Kofi's Video Game Skills

- Alberto Del Rio spoke with Fox News Latino about his World Title defense against Jack Swagger at WrestleMania. Del Rio mentions that he turned face because the audience was starting to get behind his character.

- Kofi Kingston spoke to Contactmusic.com about his video game skills and his line of action figures.

- Muscle & Fitness published an article on Triple H eating on the road and balancing family with working out. The magazine also posted Triple H's workout routine here.

CM Punk Tops ESPN This Week, Rock Talks About Weapons in GI Joe Film

- Embedded in the video below, David Chokachi talks to The Rock about his weapon in GI Joe: Retaliation.

- CM Punk took the top spot on this week's ESPN WWE Power Rankings. Following Punks lead is Dolph Ziggler, while The Rock, Ryback and Jack Swagger rounded out the top 5. 

ESPN's article noted of the Rock's potential loss to John Cena this Sunday at WrestleMania 29, "Imagine the meltdown when 'The People's Champ' loses to the guy they're chanting 'boring' at. This could get ugly."

Graphic Photo of Del Rio's Back, Names Interviewed for WWE's Foley DVD

- WWEDVDNews.com reports that the following people were interviewed for the Mick Foley DVD that comes out on April 16th: Foley's childhood friend Jim Gray, friend John Imbriani, Dominic Denucci, Shane Douglas, Michael Hayes, CM Punk, Vader, Terry Funk, Paul Heyman, Jim Ross, Joey Styles, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, William Regal, Big Show, ReganBooks founder Judith Regan, The Miz, The Rock and Foley's daughter.

- After the beating from Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter on last night's RAW, Alberto Del Rio posted the following photo of the marks on his back:

"Enjoy this moment @RealJackSwagger @WWEZeb because you two made a mistake, I'm still on my feet,and i will break you both in pieces. Every mark on my body will be a broken bone for you. So start counting #PERROS"

Big Show to Reprise Role as Two-Ton Harley, Ricardo Hypes Swagger Feud, WWE Superfan Showdown

- WWE has released a new trivia-based Facebook game titled, WWE Superfan Showdown. You can download the app at this link.

- Big Show will return to Nickelodeon's Supah Ninjas on April 6th at 9pm to reprise his role as Two-Ton Harley. Here is a photo of Show as Two-Ton:

- Ricardo Rodriguez tweeted the following after last night's RAW: 
"Swagger legit messes up my ankle and tonight I was temporarily paralyzed after he hit me off the apron. This ain't no storyline anymore. Beyond grateful I got feeling back in my arms and legs and am grateful to be able to function and live to fight another day!"

WWE Hiring Hispanic Writer, 2013 HOF Losing Money, Sin Cara Update

- As of this past week, Sin Cara still wasn’t cleared to wrestle. As noted, he suffered a concussion in the March 11th match against Jack Swagger.
- In response to the criticism of bad booking for Alberto Del Rio, WWE is looking at hiring a Hispanic Telenovela writer who will be responsible for the creative content, scripts and developing storylines & characters to target specifically Hispanic crowds.
- WWE will be losing a bunch of money on the 2013 Hall of Fame ceremony, even with a sellout, due to the cost of running at Madison Square Garden. Having the ceremony at MSG this year was more symbolism and something Triple H pushed for. WWE wanted to run the Hall at MSG this year even before the idea of inducting Bruno Sammartino came up.

Who Took the Top Spot on WWE ESPN Power Rankings?, Rock Scheduled for Live! with Kelly & Michael

- The Rock is scheduled to appear on Live! with Kelly and Michael this Wednesday to promote GI Joe: Retaliation. 

- The Shield took the top spot on ESPN's WWE Power Rankings this week. Ryback took the second placed followed by Mark Henry, The Rock and Jack Swagger. ESPN's article also noted how dead the crowd was on Monday's Raw. 

"For a company that prides itself on listening to its fans, I wonder how much weight it gives to 3 hours and 20 minutes of near silence (except for the very loud 'You can't wrestle' chant aimed at Fandango, even if he did deliver a sweet flying leg drop). I think the dead crowd speaks volumes about the upcoming WrestleMania card and the lazy booking that goes along with setting up a string of rematches people weren't really clamoring to see in the first place."

Former Divas Not Returning at WrestleMania, WWE Releases Swagger Shirt, WWE Officials Optimistic About Future

- WWE has released a new t-shirt for Jack Swagger:

- We've noted before how WWE was in negotiations with former Divas to return at WrestleMania 29 but we likely won't see any returns because the two sides couldn't agree on contracts. It was reported that some Divas in WWE pushed for Maria Kanellis to be taken out of the WrestleMania match plans. Word now is that the former Divas who were in negotiations to return are the ones that pushed for Maria to be taken out of the plans. No word yet on which Diva requested it but apparently they were upset at some comments she made after leaving WWE. 

- With SummerSlam pretty much selling out over the weekend, the recent RAW sell outs and great live event attendance, WWE officials feel that they are about to strike a really hot time period. 

Updated WrestleMania 29 Pay-Per-View Lineup

- Here is the updated card for WrestleMania 29 coming out of tonight's RAW in Philadelphia: 

WWE Title Match 
John Cena vs. The Rock 

World Heavyweight Title Match 
Jack Swagger vs. Alberto Del Rio 

WWE Tag Team Title Match 
Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston vs. Kane and Daniel Bryan 

No Holds Barred Match 
Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar 
Triple H's career will be on the line. 

CM Punk vs. The Undertaker 

Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show vs. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns 

Ryback vs. Mark Henry 

Chris Jericho vs. Fandango

News & Notes for Tonight's Raw Episode: Rock & Cena Face to Face, Undertaker, More

- Tonight's WWE RAW takes place from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with WWE Champion The Rock, John Cena, Chris Jericho and others. 

There will be no Brock Lesnar or Triple H on tonight's show unless last minute changes were made. The Undertaker is being advertised by the arena but not by WWE. No matches have been announced for tonight but The Shield vs. Cena, Sheamus and Ryback is advertised locally. 

WWE is focusing on the following points for tonight's show: 

* What will happen when Cena and Rock come face to face? 

* Can AJ Lee disrupt Kane and Daniel Bryan? 

* Does CM Punk have an unprecedented advantage over The Streak? 

* What will Chris Jericho have to say to Fandango? 

* Will Jack Swagger feel the wrath of Alberto Del Rio?

ESPN Says Monday's Raw Episode Was Historically Bad

Triple H took the top spot in this week's ESPN WWE Power Rankings, followed by Brock Lesnar, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler & Big E. Langston, and the trio of Randy Orton, Sheamus and the Big Show. 

ESPN's article also took a shot at last night's Raw, stating that it "will go down as one of the historically bad nights in wrestling television (and a clear signal that they need to end the three-hour experiment)."

Six Man Tag After Raw, SmackDown Match

- Friday's Smackdown will be headlined by Chris Jericho vs. Jack Swagger.

 - The dark main event after tonight's WWE RAW in Pittsburgh saw John Cena, Sheamus and Ryback defeat Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose.

Storyline Injury, Big Show Replaces Ryback, More

- Big Show has now replaced Ryback in the six-man match at WrestleMania 29. It will now be Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus vs. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. As noted, Ryback will be wrestling Mark Henry. 

- We noted before that Chris Jericho vs. Fandango was in the works for WrestleMania 29. WWE planted the seeds for that feud on tonight's RAW when Fandango interrupted a backstage interview with Jericho. 

- After Jack Swagger attacked Ricardo Rodriguez on tonight's RAW, WWE is reporting that Ricardo's ankle is broken.

Storyline Injury, Big Show Replaces Ryback, More

- Big Show has now replaced Ryback in the six-man match at WrestleMania 29. It will now be Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus vs. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. As noted, Ryback will be wrestling Mark Henry. 

- We noted before that Chris Jericho vs. Fandango was in the works for WrestleMania 29. WWE planted the seeds for that feud on tonight's RAW when Fandango interrupted a backstage interview with Jericho. 

- After Jack Swagger attacked Ricardo Rodriguez on tonight's RAW, WWE is reporting that Ricardo's ankle is broken.

Storyline Injury, Big Show Replaces Ryback, More

- Big Show has now replaced Ryback in the six-man match at WrestleMania 29. It will now be Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus vs. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. As noted, Ryback will be wrestling Mark Henry. 

- We noted before that Chris Jericho vs. Fandango was in the works for WrestleMania 29. WWE planted the seeds for that feud on tonight's RAW when Fandango interrupted a backstage interview with Jericho. 

- After Jack Swagger attacked Ricardo Rodriguez on tonight's RAW, WWE is reporting that Ricardo's ankle is broken.

Storyline Injury, Big Show Replaces Ryback, More

- Big Show has now replaced Ryback in the six-man match at WrestleMania 29. It will now be Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus vs. Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. As noted, Ryback will be wrestling Mark Henry. 

- We noted before that Chris Jericho vs. Fandango was in the works for WrestleMania 29. WWE planted the seeds for that feud on tonight's RAW when Fandango interrupted a backstage interview with Jericho. 

- After Jack Swagger attacked Ricardo Rodriguez on tonight's RAW, WWE is reporting that Ricardo's ankle is broken.