Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

– Annie Kruger will be starting soon as the Senior Manager of Public Relations for the WWE Network soon. She has worked in the sports communications department for Showtime since 2008, working her way up to Director of Sports Communications before getting a job offer from WWE. Kruger helped promote some of Showtime’s biggest sporting events including Strikeforce MMA and the Mayweather vs. Alvarez boxing match.

– Cesaro and Paul Heyman were purposely kept off this week’s RAW and added to Main Event to help push the WWE Network. WWE did the same thing with John Cena last week.

– JBL, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler reportedly had no idea that Alicia Fox would be throwing her big fit at ringside on RAW.

– There has been talk of releasing the WWE 2K15 video game around WrestleMania 31 time to take advantage of the corporate synergy going around WWE at that time of the year. Capsule Computers reports that the game is scheduled to be released in March 2015. They add that development of the game is being completely handled by Visual Concepts, the developer behind the NBA 2K series. A “My Career” mode is rumored to replace the 30 Years of WrestleMania mode where the player starts out in WWE NXT and works their way to the main roster and to the top.

– Two sources close to Sting have both noted for weeks that the deal with WWE has been as close s just “dotting the i’s” but was not done as of a few days ago. Within WWE, Sting signing has been considered imminent since before WrestleMania XXX. Sting is said to be scheduled for more WWE Network projects but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s signed because he wasn’t under any kind of contract when he was interviewed for the Ultimate Warrior specials.

– Prince Devitt is expected to arrive in WWE developmental this August. People who worked with Devitt in Japan have expected him to sign with WWE since as early as last fall.

– Erick Rowan and Luke Harper vs. The Usos for the WWE Tag Team Titles was scheduled for the Payback pay-per-view as of a week ago.

– For the second straight week on RAW, The Shield’s overrun segment has had the highest rated quarter-rating of the night.

– The Daily Beast has an article up about WWE using Vladimir Putin’s image in the promos of Lana and Alexander Rusev. A WWE spokesman issued the following comments to the website:

“WWE programming, like Hollywood movies and television shows, is an exciting blend of action, characters and fictional storylines of good versus evil that are often inspired by pop culture and current events. Russian President Vladimir Putin has given us good material to work with to create strong characters in Rusev and Lana, who are perceived as either protagonists or antagonists depending on where in the world you are watching WWE programming.”

– Until he got to RAW on Monday, very few people knew that Daniel Bryan was examined for neck problems in the past week and advised to get minor surgery before his problems got worse. The Buried Alive Match with Kane that was set for Payback was scheduled to be announced on RAW but most of the show was re-written due to Bryan leaving for surgery. Bryan will be undergoing surgery today, many fear what the surgeons may find after going in. We wish all out best to D-Bry.

– A source very close to the CM Punk situation notes that he’s had no contact with WWE in some time. Punk said he was frustrated with booking and with payoffs and that he’s happy now being home, and wasn’t happy on the road with WWE.

– Apparently some WWE referees are unhappy with their pay and are having a hard time making a living due to expenses from traveling. Like talents, referees are based on how business is doing and get hurt more when live event payoffs are down.

– The E! network has reportedly ordered 10 more episodes of Total Divas. No word on what this means for WWE’s future with NBC Universal but we are expecting an announcement on a new TV deal later this afternoon so stay tuned.

– We noted before that Brock Lesnar may be working this year’s WWE Night of Champions pay-per-view. Lesnar is now scheduled for a two-show feud at SummerSlam and continuing to Night of Champions.

With a round of WWE Network subscriptions coming due in early September, WWE is looking to load up the Night of Champions event, which takes place in late September.

– John Cena noted on Wednesday that he lifted 360 pounds, a new personal best.

– Batista is not being advertised for next week’s RAW and SmackDown from London but that doesn’t mean he won’t be appearing. He has been added to the go-home RAW and SmackDown that takes place the week before Payback.

– It’s no secret that many people believe Kurt Angle may be done with TNA as his contract will expire before he’s able to return from knee surgery. Also, TNA is not advertising Angle for their UK tour that begins in January 2015. There are people within TNA that say Angle is 100% gone when his deal is up.

– TNA had more than 60 performers under contract two years ago but now have just 33 signed, following the recent departures of Hernandez, Kazarian and Chris Sabin. Of those 33 signed, the only ones with any real money deal would be Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Bully Ray, Abyss, Samoa Joe, James Storm, Bobby Roode and Mr. Anderson. Anderson signed a new deal a while back and it’s believed he agreed to pay that is well below what he was making before.