Major Backstage Update - John Laurinaitis & WWE

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter The official WWE website announced Monday that John Laurinaitis had resigned from his position as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations, effectively immediately. He will, however, remain with the company as a producer assisting talent with their matches. His resignation is legitimate and not part of any storyline. According to WWE sources, Laurinaitis had mentioned how exhausted he was with his workload, which consisted of office duties in Stamford, Connecticut and traveling to numerous events as a performer. The writing, however, was on the wall since he was quietly removed from the WWE Corporate website's index of Executive Officers in April. Paul "Triple H" Levesque, Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events, was reportedly never a "Big Johnny" booster and it was believed to be a matter of time before Jane Geddes, Vice President of Talent Relations, and Canyon Ceman, Senior Director of Talent Development, learned the WWE machine. With each element they learned, they took away duties that belonged to Laurinaitis. Creative writer Michael Hayes had already replaced John Laurinaitis as matchmaker of live events and it said that he was taken out of the loop concerning developmental program matters. The internal belief is that Laurinaitis will wind up back on television as a performer since most people are surprised that WWE has maintained his character's firing. He is scheduled to appear at live events through at least September. Laurinaitis was hired as a producer after WWE's acquisition of certain assets of World Championship Wrestling in March 2001. When Jim Ross desired to move from Stamford, Connecticut to Norman, Oklahoma, he began grooming Laurinaitis to overtake his position as Vice President of Talent Relations. WWE chief Vince McMahon, however, made the switch without informing Ross first in 2004. Laurinatis was at one point one of the most powerful employees in the organization, and in 2009, was promoted to Executive Vice President of Talent Relations. However, when Stephanie McMahon took over Talent Relations and handed over the reins to Levesque, his power weakened and he was ultimately demoted. The only person remaining in the talent relations department since last year, aside from employees working in travel, is Mark Carrano. Though WWE stated in their article that Laurinaitis was "burned out" from the position, multiple sources have stated that recent changes to the corporate infrastructure represent Levesque assuming control of certain sectors of the organization and re-shaping them to his liking. Despite his demotion, Laurinaitis chose to maintain employment because he bought an expensive Connecticut home and his family doesn't want to move away from the area. This is not a work by any means and is just another example of Laurinaitis scaling back on his WWE duties as of late. It should also be noted that Pete Leone has been given even more responsibility in the talent relations department of WWE. We'll keep you posted as we hear more. Stay tuned to the website.

Report: WWE Impressed With Billy Gunn

Partial Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter WWE officials were impressed with Billy Gunn and his interactions with Shawn Michaels on the 1,000th RAW and the belief is he'll receive at least one match on a future televised show. They were also impressed with his look. Meanwhile, many backstage feel Sean "X-Pac" Waltman didn't appear in great shape on the milestone episode so it is unlikely that he'll be brought back for a match. Some people were surprised that with WWE's TV-PG directive and Linda McMahon running for United States Senate, officials had no problem having Waltman appear on television despite his involvement with a sex tape years ago. Some people backstage were also joking about how friendly Gunn was with everyone considering that he challenged Triple H and Shawn Michaels to a "shoot" fight years ago.

A.W.'s Kobe Bryant Joke Slammed By ESPN, Kendrick's School

-- ESPN's Around the Horn radio show brought up A.W.'s Kobe Bryant joke from RAW. Israel Gutierrez slammed the joke and called it "inappropriate for everybody involved," noting that Bryant's image has recovered since and pointing out his appearance on the 2008 Olympic team. Gutierrez went off on WWE, calling it a scripted sport and more. You can check it out at this link. -- Mick Foley will be making an appearance at the Empire State Yankees game in Rochester, New York on Thursday. Foley will be doing several signings during the game and will be interviewed on the field. -- As noted Monday here on the website, former WWE talents Rosey and The Hurricane (Shane Helms) are getting together for a couple of indy shows presented by UCW in Canada. The shows will be August 9th in Berwick, Nova Scotia and August 11th in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Big Daddy V and Bushwhacker Luke are also appearing. -- Brian Kendrick is opening the Brian Kendrick School of Professional Wrestling. The school will run a ten week course from the week of August 19th through the week of October 18th in Los Angeles and will be scheduled for Tuesdays through Thursdays from 12 PM – 3 PM PT. For more details, go to this link.

Sting's 'Exclusive UK Announcement', Dixie Carter Tweets

-- TNA has house shows set for Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on September 15th and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on September 16th. -- Dixie Carter will announce the three Bound for Glory matches for Hardcore Justice tomorrow. Carter revealed the news on Wednesday via Twitter. The stipulations for the matches will be announced on iMPACT!. -- Dixie Carter has posted the following to her Twitter: UK fans! Look for an exclusive message from Sting tonight for our @ChallengeTV viewers at 11pm during TNA Xplosion! -- Here is the latest edition of "TNA Today" featuring Christopher Daniels:

MVP's 1,000th RAW Return Nixed, More On Kelly Kelly & WWE

Partial Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter -- MVP was among the WWE alumnus contacted to appear at the 1,000th RAW. WWE officials, however, ultimately changed their minds on bringing him and other former Superstars such as Steve Blackman, Tatanka and Viscera/Big Daddy V. -- The July 27 Raw live event in Charleston, West Virginia drew 5,500 attendees paying $170,000. The July 28 Raw live event in Lexington, Kentucky drew 6,000 paying $200,000. The July 29 Raw live event at the Broadbent Arena in Louisville, Kentucky drew a legitimate sell-out of 6,000 paying $235,000. The July 28 SmackDown live event in Johnson City, Tennessee drew 3,500 paying $110,000. The July 29 SmackDown live event in Pikeville, Kentucky drew 4,000 paying $120,000. -- As noted earlier here on the websute, Kelly Kelly returns to the WWE ring next week after being granted time off the road in late May. She is scheduled to appear on the SmackDown brand's tour of Japan beginning August 9 and will be returning full-time. Kelly, who had been on the road on a weekly basis since joining WWE in 2006, was reportedly granted a break to spend time with her family and boyfriend. She last competed on television on the May 21 RAW SuperShow, losing to Beth Phoenix. We reported last week that Kelly Kelly was backstage at RAW Monday night, but not used. WWE management has not been happy with her as of late due to the fact that she was taking bookings outside of WWE while taking some time off. Kelly Kelly tweeted on Twitter Sunday that she would be appearing on Monday night's 1,000th RAW episode following a lengthy hiatus.

Jericho's Favorite RAW Moments Revealed + Khali's Surgery

-- Chris Jericho recently spoke with Icon vs. Icon about Fozzy, his favorite RAW memories and more. Check out the highlights: On his favorite Raw memories: "It's really cool! Someone pointed out to me the other day that I have the second most matches in RAW history. Of all the guys who have ever been on RAW, I have the second most matches. When you think about it like that, that's a long fuckin' time, man! [laughs] There have been so many great memories, like when I beat Triple H for the title back in 2000, when I returned in 2007 and clotheslined the torchbearer for Randy Orton and I smashed a Jack Daniels bottle over CM Punk's head just a few months back! There are so many things that have happened, it is really cool when people remind you of the things you have forgotten! One of the things I had forgotten, I was reminded of recently when someone said, "Oh, I loved it when you peed in William Regal's tea!" [laughs] I said "Ahhhh, yes, back when wrestling was wrestling! I peed in someones tea!" [laughs] There ya go, that's the fondest memory! [laughs]" On his third autobiography: "Yeah! Rumor has it that I have signed a deal for a third but I haven't really started working on it yet because I have been pretty busy. However, that is one of the things I start doing when we hit the road with Uproar. You have a lot of time to kill on tour! When you have 30 minutes on stage each night, it leaves you with 23 1/2 hours in between to kill! I am sure there will be a lot of working on the foundation on the book then. It is a long project, writing a book, and like you said, I have been fortunate enough to write two very good ones in the past. I have big shoes to fill or books to write when it comes to this third one! When the time is right, I will get the muse and get the inspiration. I already have more than enough material for the third book, so I think people will dig it when it is ready to go!" On the best part about being him: "It is the same as it was any day before. I am really fortunate to be doing what I love to do, touring the world with my friends and living my dream twofold. A lot of people don't get to do that and it is not something I take for granted. I really appreciate all of the opportunities I have had these things. Touring the world with my best friends while entertaining people and putting smiles on the faces and making them bang their heads a little bit — there is nothing wrong with that!" You can check out the full interview by clicking here. -- Here is CBS' Pittsburgh affiliate doing a piece on Great Khali's surgery to get a tumor on his pituitary gland removed last week. The story features his surgeon and WWE medical head Dr. Joseph Maroon as well as Khali's wife discussing the surgery:

The Undertaker & Michelle McCool To Have A Baby

Steve Keirn, President of WWE developmental promotion Florida Championship Wrestling, announced at Wednesday's FCW live event in Tampa, Florida that The Undertaker and Michelle McCool were expecting their first child. "The Deadman" was at the event for an autograph signing. The Undertaker has been romantically linked to former WWE Diva Michelle McCool since 2007, whom he married on June 26, 2010, in Houston, Texas. Before Wednesday, their relationship had never been publicly acknowledged by WWE. For those unaware, 'Taker already has a teenage son from a previous marriage. If you're interested, you can click the eWN "Reporter's Link" below to view photos of his son. They look very similar to each other. Thanks for your continued support of eWrestlingNews.com! Congrats to both 'Taker and Michelle!

The Undertaker Isn't Dead, Jack Swagger's 'Father', Piper

-- I've had a ton of emails asking me if The Undertaker has died. I have no freakin' idea where this came from but he's alive and well. There was something about him being killed while training with John Cena ... seriously. I can't believe I even have to address this but the amount of emails regarding it were ridiculous. As noted earlier, 'Taker appeared at an FCW event for a signing on Wednesday night. All is well with "The Dead Man". -- Cryme Tyme founder and former WWE talent Shad Chad Javier Romane Chittick Gaspard (yes, that's his full name!) appeared on The Exes on TV Land Wednesday night. The program will replay numerous times in the coming days. Check your local listings for time and dates. -- Jimmy Golden, who portrayed Bunkhouse Buck in World Championship Wrestling as well as Jack Swagger's "father" on SmackDown, turns 62-years-old Wednesday. -- Here are the full details of the Blu-ray release for They Live, which stars WWE Legend Roddy Piper. The film will be released through Shout! Factor on November 6. Piper stars as Frank Nada, a homeless construction worker who finds out that aliens have taken over and enslaved mankind. The film was directed by John Carpenter and opened at #1 when it was released in November 1988. It earned $13,008,928 in its four week domestic run. A fight scene between Piper and Keith David is often called one of the best of all time. This will be the first ever Blu-ray release of the film. Here's the official press release: The truth is more than meets the eye. You've been listening to their speeches and watching them on TV. They influence our decisions without us knowing it. Think again and the choice is yours! On November 6, 2012, SCREAM FACTORY presents John Carpenter's politically-charged science fiction thriller THEY LIVE Collector's Edition Blu-ray and DVD. Featuring anamorphic widescreen presentation of this cult classic movie, this special collector's edition home entertainment release of THEY LIVE boasts a bounty of special bonus content, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and much more! THEY LIVE Collector's Edition Blu-ray has a suggested retail price of $29.93 and $16.50 for the DVD. Fans and collector's can pre-order now at ShoutFactory.com and Amazon.com. * Production now underway for extensive and insightful bonus features that include all-new interviews, an audio commentary and archival material. Shout! Factory will announce in-depth bonus features and additional news in next couple months. Avid John Carpenter fans, movie enthusiasts and collectors please take note: Order this collector's edition Blu-ray or DVD directly from ShoutFactory.com and receive an exclusive 18x24 poster featuring the newly commissioned artwork! Less than 500 have been made, so these are only available while supplies last. Read more @: Shout! Factory – Scream Factory Horror master John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) directs this heart-pounding thriller in which aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission. Humanity's last chance lies with a lone drifter who stumbles upon a harrowing discovery a unique pair of sunglasses that reveals the terrifying and deadly truth.