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In terms of WWE's Wellness Policy, it's an all-purpose, broad policy that covers anything that would be detrimental to one's physical or mental health. Most violations are a result of drugs or banned substances (including certain ingredients in dietary supplements), but it's not nearly as stringent as the NFL's policy and there've been many exceptions made for violations from top stars. R-Truth was the latest instance, as his suspension was delayed so as to provide a storyline reason for his exit. Randy Orton was another instance, where his suspension was delayed years ago due to an ongoing feud at a major PPV. There's been former stars who have criticized the company for this double-standard, citing cases where guys like Batista and Triple H allegedly failed tests and were simply given a slap on the wrist with no suspension or fine. The policy also states that former WWE employees may attend drug rehabilitation clinics and facilities on WWE's dime for no charge. It's an offer that stands indefinitely, regardless of the former employee's standing with the company in the years since their departure. Scott Hall, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and X-Pac are just some of the names that have taken WWE up on its offer. Kurt Angle has never accepted WWE's offers despite his on-and-off issues with alcoholism, painkillers, and anger management; Angle, however, has publicly acknowledged that WWE has approached him and he declined each time. The game lives up to the hype and beyond. The new control scheme takes some time to get used to, but I love the slower pace of the matches. It's much more realistic. The momentum system also feels true-to-life, as I can lose matches if I get complacent in my approach. The AI forces you to switch up your attacks and you can't spam commands as frequently as before. It also makes a difference which characters you use, as each wrestler "feels" different when you control them, with attributes being more of a factor than before. In the three hours I spent with the game before work, I spent more time with the customization options than I did actually playing any matches -- and I regret not a minute of it. It's to the point where I'm actually making a spreadsheet at work of my WWE Universe mode plans so I don't waste too much time when I get home.

Well, Truth being suspended now clarifies why Rock-Cena won at Survivor Series and why Awesome Truth was abruptly broken up. I would've preferred a Miz face turn than a Truth face turn, but at least WWE provided a storyline explanation for Truth's absence instead of just ignoring Evan Bourne completely.

In watching the replay of the post-match segment of the main event, I think they planted the seeds for the build towards WrestleMania but the show's director dropped the ball by not turning the mics on the cameras up louder to pick up the in-ring audio. Basically, in what I was able to hear by reading their lips and turning the volume up, the gist was that Rock was trying to tell Cena that getting the NYC crowd's respect was a big deal. Cena tried to play it off by saying he'd let Rock have his moment and he just wanted to go to the back, but Rock wouldn't have it and said that Cena won the match and deserved to celebrate, too. Rock, however, wanted Cena to take notes on how the crowd reacted to Rock when posing vs. how they reacted to Cena when posing. Cena knew the reaction he'd get and just wanted to go to the back, but Rock said that Cena just didn't "get it." Rock said he'd pose one more time to prove his point then Cena would have to get the <freak> out of his ring. Cena tried playing it cool again but turned his back on Rock, which then prompted Rock to give him a Rock Bottom and told him to get the <freak> out of his ring. So basically, the feud at WrestleMania is built on the basis of Cena just not respecting Rock as a man and not understanding why the respect of the crowd is a big deal, while Rock tries to prove that he still cares about the fans despite his interests outside of the ring. It's ego vs. ego and this could lead to Cena hitting a boiling point after their Mania match and eventually turning heel, using this feud as the catalyst similar to how Rock used his feud with Hogan as his catalyst in 2003.

Wonderful PPV, flat anti-climactic ending. But, overall, the PPV and the opening of the tag match accomplished everything I wanted. Rock's promo brought small tears to my eyes just because of the personal significance to me of everything he said and did. I couldn't help but start to tear up with the way he had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand like one big wave of nostalgia. It was pitch-perfect and the history lesson was much-needed for the younger fans in the crowd. The matches were largely fantastic. The tag match started hot but the conclusion was flat and, in a way, unexpected. I thought the smart thing would've been to put Awesome Truth over but at least it wasn't Cena that got the winning pinfall. There was an awful lot of misguided hate towards The Rock on Twitter before he even cut that promo...but we won't go there.

That would actually be a pretty good business move long-term for the WWE Network. The potential downside for consumers is that not everyone may have access to it (which would possibly necessitate the need to simulcast on PPV), and that there may be an increase in advertisements during the broadcast to compensate for the potential hit to PPV buyrates from the event.

For tonight's Rock-Cena vs Awesome Truth match, I'll only accept a Rock-Cena victory if Rock gets the pinfall. Otherwise, I fully expect Awesome Truth to (rightfully) go over. After all, Rock-Cena losing does nothing to hurt their WrestleMania match since the explanation could be that they couldn't get along. If anything, Rock-Cena losing the match would actually help the build for Mania since the animosity is built-in. And, of course, the PPV has to end with Rock laying Cena out with a Rock Bottom and People's Elbow.

The blog's fake; it links to two YouTube accounts that have been confirmed as fake by CM Punk on Twitter. The entries are also culled from direct quotes from Punk's interview with GQ Magazine from awhile ago, including that mention of Dixie Carter. If you copy and paste certain sentences into Google, they come out word-for-word from the GQ interview.

I liked the Hart-HBK DVD but I didn't love it. I think that's mostly because I didn't grow up with the rivalry, but I certainly liked the history and the personal accounts of what really happened vs. what was rumored to have happened. The Austin vs. Rock DVD should be spectacular as long as both men are in the room together for the interview/documentary. It can't just be them in separate rooms because it would sound disjointed. Rock and Austin are diametric opposites in every way, and while both were massively popular, they also have a great yin-and-yang dynamic. If you'll recall, each significant chapter in their rivalry was alternately a stepping stone for each man, and while Rock achieved greater mainstream popularity in the end, Austin was always the bigger icon within the industry.

Some recent WWE DVD news, courtesy of WWEDVDNews.com: - CM Punk has a Blu-Ray/DVD coming out next year that will follow the year-in-the-life format of John Cena's DVDs and Randy Orton: Evolution of an Apex Predator - The Rock has a new Blu-Ray/DVD to be released 2/21/12 that will be a career retrospective involving new interviews with Rock but not a final biographical release. Think more along the lines of The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin and Rey Mysterio: Life of a Masked Man as opposed to documentary releases like Chris Jericho: Breaking the Walls Down and Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of WWE. - The next WWE Greatest Rivalries DVD is, as expected, The Rock vs. Stone Cold and will be released in 2012; it was originally slated for a late-2011 release but was postponed in favor of the Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels and The Ladder Match 2: Crash and Burn, among other recent and upcoming releases.There's no word on whether it'll follow the same sitdown interview format as the Hart-HBK DVD. - WWE: The Best of King of the Ring comes out next month. - Steve Austin's Bottom Line Blu-Ray/DVD is, indeed, rated TV-14 and releases next Tuesday in North America. The UK gets it this week via Silvervision. The set will follow the format of Chris Jericho's recent DVD set, featuring an interview/documentary disc, several match selections, and alternate commentary on key matches. The DVD set is 4 discs while the 3-disc Blu-Ray set has additional bonus content beyond the DVD offering, including a rare post-RAW moment between The Rock and Stone Cold in 2003.

I took the recreation of "This is Your Life" as a tongue-in-cheek parody of Foley's original segment with The Rock. While it ran way too long, I don't think it was ever intended to match or top that classic from 1999. My biggest gripe with the show (besides Michael Cole) was that it didn't feel like a Rock-infused episode of RAW. Aside from mentions of The Rock and his three appearances (walking backstage; Rock Bottom on Foley; and the final segment), there was nothing that really felt like it was about The Rock. Since they advertised it as "RAW gets ROCKED," then I fully expected the show to revolve around Rock. Instead, they only went halfway, similar to how WrestleMania 27 was "hosted" by The Rock but he was barely on the show. Speaking of Cole, I have no idea how anyone thinks it's a good idea for him to continue this heel commentator gimmick, especially when Jerry Lawler and J.R. are both saying publicly and on-the-air that Cole needs to be calling the action instead of talking about himself. Why hurt your show at the expense of a lower-tier angle that no one cares about? For the brief time that J.R. was on the broadcast, it actually seemed as if it'd be a good show. Then when Cole came back, everything went downhill.

Actually, all but one or two wrestlers have been revealed. Those blank spots haven't been filled because the roster profiles of the previous wrestlers aren't ready yet; according to THQ, most of the character models aren't final, and in the case of Mick Foley, the entrance animation was still a rough cut. The DLC reveal articles and videos were just created to entice people to pre-order the game. Glad you already knew I was getting the shirt. Just in time for RAW in Philly next month, too!

RAW was very disappointing, but I enjoyed Foley and The Rock. The matches were surprisingly very average.

Arrive. Rock Bottom. Leave. Best 20 seconds of the night, aside from Foley's surprise arrival.

Between The Rock and Mick Foley returning tonight, Survivor Series this Sunday, WWE 12 next Tuesday, Thanksgiving AND Ravens-Niners next Thursday, and my cousin's wedding (with possible open bar) next Saturday (plus a short work week next week!), these next two weeks have me MARKING OUT!!!

I think Y2J is intentionally throwing a smokescreen. He's done this before when people speculated that he would return. He's trying to create an element of surprise. Jericho has said that the only company he would wrestle for again is WWE, and it's unlikely he would go overseas unless it was to work a dream match. He has said repeatedly that he will never go to TNA. I can't see Jericho never wrestling another match again, and I can't see him never wrestling again for WWE.

I think it was just a case where WWE pushed harder for Batista to be in the game than Jericho. While THQ gives WWE a list of guys they'd like, there's a cut-off and WWE probably wanted someone who was more likely to return at the time of the deal in Batista. Jericho was still in the midst of touring when the final roster and preliminary DLC plans were set in April or May. I, too, would've preferred for Jericho to be in the game, but someone will probably make a convincing CAW of him to download. The fact that we can edit most downloadable CAWs should make it easy enough to have a version of Jericho in the game that we prefer (Best In The World Y2J, Rockstar Y2J, Ayatollah of Rock & Rolla Y2J, King of the World Y2J, etc.)

Nice design for the Laurinaitis shirt but he's not nearly over enough for it to sell. Who wants to wear a shirt representing a jerk like that? At least if the shirt were designed for, say, CM Punk, it might sell like crazy. But no one wants Johnny Ace on the back of their shirt.

His mic skills are decent and his in-ring work is adequate. He has good timing in the ring for someone so young. His gimmick is really what I've seen divide people's opinions. Frankly, I like his comedic gimmick. It works for him. I can see why other people don't like it. The thing I admire most about Zack Ryder, though, is that he made his own opportunities when none were given and, as a result, he's being rewarded with more TV time. Even when his TV push was slightly derailed on purpose, he responded well and made the most of his situation. As a result, he's been placed firmly in the midcard ranks in a high-profile feud with Dolph Ziggler while rubbing elbows with John Cena.

It's as if TNA wants their own Chris Benoit murder-suicide to happen. Concussions are nothing to mess with. Just look at Kurt Angle's downward spiral in his personal life after suffering multiple concussions in 2000 and 2001, most notably the one at SummerSlam 2000 after a botched Pedigree on an announce table.

That's on the day of the TLC PPV, and the day before the RAW in Philly that I'm attending! Looks like I might have to take a trip to B-More that Sunday before coming home to watch the Ravens play the Chargers in San Diego on Sunday Night Football!

The WWE video production team did a better job of selling Nash's attack than HHH did. The whole attack was still a bit hokey. I would've preferred to have presumably stopped the attack with one sledgehammer shot to the spine, then cut to HHH being helped to the back after commercial. Suddenly, I'd have Nash come back and beat down HHH with his bare hands before picking up the sledgehammer again, shoving the camera off to the side, and have the beatdown off-camera. Sometimes, the best violence is the kind you don't see. It's far, far more effective, which is why great films do it all the time.

If my cousin isn't traveling for work, I may convince her to meet up with me in Toronto for WrestleMania. It'd give me an excuse to go see my family in Montreal, even though the two cities aren't really that close (or so I've been told).

I already bought floor-level tix for RAW this December in Philly and I've got tentative plans for my birthday in late-March, so I'm stuck. No WrestleMania in Miami for me.

Nice little touch to that Anaconda Vise that Punk used to convince Del Rio to set the WWE Title match for Survivor Series: Del Rio didn't tap out. While Del Rio's agreement to the match could be construed as his tapping-out, the fact that he didn't physically tap, helps him save face as WWE Champion.

I wouldn't mind a Daniel Bryan heel turn. If he responds night-and-day the way Shawn Michaels did during his initial heel turn as HBK, he could be a huge star. Daniel Bryan needs something to connect with the fans, because his pure-wrestling gimmick is entirely too bland to make him stand out as a credible champion. He certainly has the skills, he just needs the right angle.