Chris Jericho

Mickey Rourke won't wrestle pro Chris Jericho A spokeswoman for actor Mickey Rourke says he won't be taking his role as a professional wrestler into a real-life ring after all. Paula Woods told the Associated Press that Rourke will not wrestle WWE superstar Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25 in April. Rourke, who plays pro wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson in the film The Wrestler, said Sunday at the Screen Actors Guild awards that he would toss Jericho "around the ring like tossed salad."

JOHN CENA VS. RYBACK: 3 STAGES OF HELL FOR WWE TITLE John Cena will win in two straight falls and we won't see an ambulance match. Just kidding. One "guarantee" in this match is that it will go to the third fall. To me, this is more important for Ryback than it is for John Cena, even though I think Cena will retain and move on after this match . Where will that leave Ryback? Unfortunately, lower in status and interest than he has ever been. Perhaps a feud with Sheamus or another high-level good guy without a title awaits.

During a phone interview with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin today promoting WWE '13 and Redneck Island on CMT, I asked “The Rattlesnake” for his thoughts on the controversial moment on Monday night's Raw involving Paul Heyman faking a heart attack (in case you missed it, detailed info can be found in my Raw recap here ). Austin, the most popular superstar from WWE's Attitude Era -- an Era that prided itself on  pushing the envelope and creating controversial situations that would have fans talking -- had an interesting response: "I believe in pushing the envelope in an aggressive fashion.

Fans had many expectations heading into Sunday night's Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, fueled largely by Internet speculation. Rumors had been running rampant of returning superstars, changes to the world title matches and the addition of undercard bouts to round out a four-match card. In the end, some of the expectations proved true while others ultimately failed to materialize. Two injured superstars returned from injury -- albeit in an in-ring segment rather than matches -- while Santino Marella proved doubters wrong and Jack Swagger defended his United States Championship for the first time on pay-per-view.

Everything that Wrestlemania wasn't, for the hardcore WWE fan, Raw was. It had twists, it had turns, and most of all, it had chants. Lots of chants. Chants never heard at a WWE event before. In fact, for much of Raw, the fans hijacked the show. It started with Dolph Ziggler. Fans were chanting for him throughout the show, until he appeared to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, and the place went wild. Nobody sat down during the 2-3 minute match where Ziggler finally won the World Heavyweight title, with most fans in the audience having the opinion that he more than deserved it. It was a surreal moment ... a "WrestleMania moment," just the following day. Once fans got what they asked for with Ziggler, they turned their attention elsewhere.

WWE often boasts that there is nothing like attending a WWE live event. There is truth to this statement -- particularly, what happens after the cameras stop rolling at a televised event or Pay Per  View. Sometimes, it's just the top name of the company (more often than not these days John Cena or CM Punk) smiling and waving, slapping hands before they make their way backstage to close the show. Sometimes, you get interesting moments that only the superstars, the crowd in attendance, and (in segmented parts)

The theme of Wrestlemania 29 might boil down to one word - predictable. The build up was certainly that for many fans. John Cena and The Rock were always destined to face off again at Wrestlemania 29, one year after they had their "Once in a Lifetime" matchup. Brock Lesnar and Triple H were always foreshadowed to clash on April 7, a rematch from Summerslam 2012 with unfinished business. Fantasy bookers early in "Wrestlemania season" were calling for CM Punk vs. The Undertaker, which also happened.

This year's Extreme Rules pay-per-view event left us with some unanswered questions but also some new beginnings. In the main event (a rare moment in WWE history where all wrestlers in a final match on PPV weren't on a full-time WWE schedule), Brock Lesnar defeated Triple H in a cage match. Lesnar went up 2-1 on "The Game" and is likely poised for another future match in WWE (not against Triple H), perhaps at Summerslam or Wrestlemania 30. Questions coming out of this match are: will Triple H wrestle again?

This past Monday night on Raw, The Undertaker re-affirmed his opinion to both Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Speaking to Hunter, he said - “Remember when I told you that Shawn Michaels is better than you? He is.” At first glance, many fans might simply agree based on what they know about both men's careers in WWE. WWE's official DVD release of “Top 50 Superstars of all time” even names Triple H No. 12 and HBK No. 1. This would be enough for most to deem the argument conclusive, but taking into consideration other factors, is it true?

When I spoke to Chris Jericho last week, I thought he might be hinting that he was going to regain the world title from Batista soon, maybe even in the steel cage match Monday night on Raw. But then I wondered whether perhaps he was talking about some elaborate story line that didn't involve him winning back the title. It turned out to be the former - a word that no longer applies to Jericho's world champion status after his victory over Batista during an entertaining three-hour show celebrating Raw's 800th episode.