Update on Brock Lesnar’s WWE Status, SmackDown Viewership Down, Post-NOC PPV Videos

– Below are the post-WWE Night of Champions interviews that we recapped earlier:

– Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown, the final show before Night of Champions, drew 2.631 million viewers. This is down from last week’s 2.821 million viewers. SmackDown was the highest-rated original program on cable for Friday night.

– We noted earlier that WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar would not be appearing on tonight’s RAW from Memphis. PWInsider confirms that Lesnar did fly back home this morning. As of this writing, WWE’s website does not have Lesnar advertised for any upcoming events.

Roman Reigns Headed Home, Undertaker on Canvas 2 Canvas, Brie & Bryan Clip

– Below is a bonus clip from last night’s WWE Total Divas episode with Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella:

– The latest Canvas 2 Canvas video features WWE artist Rob Schamberger drawing The Undertaker:

– Roman Reigns flew home today and tweeted the following update:

“Finally headed home for some R&R!! My recliner is calling my name!! #Recovery #ASAP”

WWE Re-Write Scripts for Night of Champions, Roman Reigns Replacement

– It’s interesting to note that before Roman Reigns had to have emergency surgery today, WWE had two scripts for Night of Champions and one of them had Reigns not wrestling.

Reigns’ condition is legitimate and was said to be a serious deal. WWE’s writers have been working on re-writing three days worth of TV before Sunday afternoon.

We noted earlier that one of WWE’s back-up plans reportedly fell through and that may have been their main plan for Reigns’ replacement. That plan falling through could be why they didn’t interrupt WWE Network coverage today with an update on Reigns. An impression given was that they were going to announce the back-up plan on the Network.

This has not been confirmed by WWE or any WWE sources but the obvious speculation is that Dean Ambrose, who wrapped WWE Studios’ Lockdown this weekend, will likely do something with Seth Rollins tomorrow instead.

Post-Surgery Update on Roman Reigns and How Long He Will Be Out of Action

– As noted earlier, Roman Reigns was rushed to a Nashville, Tennessee hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for an abdominal hernia, also know as an incarcerated hernia. Reigns will miss tomorrow’s Night of Champions pay-per-view and the match against Seth Rollins.

WWE physician Chris Amann says Reigns’ condition is not related to any in-ring activity. He said:”Roman has had a pre-existing hernia for some time, which unfortunately had become acutely painful, which led to him going to the emergency room in Nashville. He was found to have a large hernia that was unable to be reduced, which means pushed back into the abdominal cavity. As a result, it was necessary to perform an emergency operation to open up the hernia sac and try and push it back into the abdominal cavity.”

Amann added that the hernia suffered by Reigns is different from a sports hernia. Reigns’ injury is an inguinal hernia which “can sometimes come from sports” but might also be present at birth.

Reigns has been transferred to a recovery area and is “doing quite well.” Doctors will continue to monitor his progress with a particular focus on preventing infection and insuring that his intestinal functions return to normal. He may be discharged from the hospital as early as tomorrow.

According to Dr. Amann, a typical recovery time for a condition like this is approximately four to six weeks, noting that because this particular hernia was significant, Reigns will likely be out of commission for “closer to six weeks.”

Update on Roman Reigns’ Status for WWE Night of Champions on Sunday, Sting comments on WWE teaser

– WWE issued the following Roman Reigns update, noting he will be unable to compete at Night of Champions against Seth Rollins tomorrow night:

“WWE.com has learned that Roman Reigns has undergone emergency surgery for an incarcerated hernia. Reigns had been in Nashville to promote tomorrow’s Night of Champions pay-per-view. His recovery time will be evaluated by the local surgeon and WWE physician Dr. Chris Amann, but he will be unable to compete against Seth Rollins tomorrow night. Check back with WWE.com for further updates on Reigns’ condition.”

– WWE had been hyping a breaking news update on Roman Reigns’ status at 1pm EST on the WWE Network but as of this writing at 1:19pm EST, the interruption never aired. F4Wonline.com notes that one of the plans WWE was working on with Reigns fell through, presumably a back-up plan.

– Sting is the latest wrestler to tweet about WWE’s “next generation” teaser for Monday’s RAW, adding to the speculation that the teaser is related to WWE 2K15. Sting posted the following on Twitter today:

“It’s Showtime. 9.22.14”

WWE Says Roman Reigns Has Been Rushed to a Hospital, Undergoing Surgery

– WWE announced the following:NASHVILLE, Tenn. — WWE.com has learned Roman Reigns has been rushed to a Nashville, Tenn., hospital to undergo emergency surgery for an incarcerated hernia. Reigns had been in Nashville to promote tomorrow’s Night of Champions event. His recovery time will be evaluated by the local surgeon and WWE physician Dr. Chris Amann following today’s operation. Check back with WWE.com for updates on Reigns’ condition.

Speculation on WWE’s “Next Generation” Teaser for Monday’s RAW, NXT Stars Booked

– Regarding WWE teasing the “next generation” for Monday’s RAW, it most likely will not have to do with some kind of invasion angle with NXT Champion Adrian Neville, Fergal Devitt, Kevin Steen, Hideo Itami and Sami Zayn.

WWE has referred to this group as the “next generation” on their website this week but speculation is that the teaser for Monday has to do with WWE 2K15 and either the gameplay on next-gen consoles or possibly the NXT stars having a bigger role in the game.

On a related note, The Ascension, Tyler Breeze, Neville and Zayn are all confirmed to be at Monday’s RAW.

WWE Teases “Next Generation” for Monday’s RAW from Memphis

– WWE’s Twitter account posted the following teaser for Monday’s RAW in Memphis:

“You’ve waited long enough… Prepare yourself for the next generation. 9/22/2014”

As noted, a new interview on WWE’s website referred to NXT Champion Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami, Kevin Steen and Fergal Devitt as the “next generation.”

SPOILERS: Smackdown Results for 9/13

WWE taped this week’s WWE SmackDown episode from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Here are full WWE SmackDown spoilers and results.

Dark Match

* Tyson Kidd defeated NXT Champion Bo Dallas. Bo cut a heel promo before the match – saying his opponent didn’t deserve a title shot and that he was happy to be in Montreal, calling the city by the wrong name. Kidd was way over with the Canadian crowd.

WWE SmackDown Spoilers

* Lilian Garcia comes out first to sing O’ Canada. Heat for Michael Cole and a huge pop for JBL.

* Big Show opens SmackDown and has to apologize for his behavior towards Triple H on RAW, and to the WWE Universe for letting them down. Triple H comes out and suspends Show for one night without pay. The Shield come down and they attack him. He fights them off but Roman Reigns nails him with a steel chair. Shield hits the triple powerbomb and leave Show laying.

* Michael Cole will interview Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman later.

* Alicia Fox, Layla and Aksana vs. Naomi, Natalya and Brie Bella is next. Somehow Layla, Aksana and Alicia get the win by DQ when AJ Lee does a run-in as Natalya applies the Sharpshooter. AJ was out for commentary and got a huge pop for her entrance. The Divas brawl after the match.

* Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler is announced for tonight.

* Vickie Guerrero comes out but the heel heat for her drowns out her promo.

* Fandango and R-Truth come out for a dance contest. The Miz interrupts with a large afro and a different outfit. Tonight, he is “The Mizco Inferno.” The Great Khali is out next and we have a four-way dance contest. The Miz twerks and gets the biggest pop to win the contest. Everyone dances with Khali and Fandango rips them, calling them a disgrace to dance. He gets cleared from the ring.

* They re-shoot the Divas beatdown from earlier. This time it’s Brie Bella, Naomi and Natalya beating down AJ Lee.

* Backstage segment with Ryback and a skinny local guy from Ottawa. The guy wants to be in the ring with Ryback but Ryback just slaps him. Ryback says his dream is to beat the hell out of people like this guy.

* Backstage segment with Ricardo Rodriguez and Vickie Guerrero. She says Ricardo can’t be in Rob Van Dam’s corner at Night of Champions because she fears for his safety. Ricardo vs. Del Rio is announced for tonight.

* Santino Marella quickly defeated Damien Sandow with the Cobra. Sandow cut a heel promo before the match.

* Michael Cole interviews Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel. Heyman calls for a boycott of Night of Champions. Fans chant for CM Punk. Heyman says if we order the pay-per-view, we will see Punk slaughter him. Heyman can’t believe this is the last time we will see Paul Heyman. He leaves and fans sing “goodbye” to him.

* Alberto Del Rio defeats Ricardo Rodriguez. After the match, Del Rio applies the cross armbreaker but Rob Van Dam makes the save with a frogsplash. RVD celebrates with the World Title to end the segment.

* Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler starts out good but ends when The Shield run in. The Usos make the save and Vickie Guerrero makes a six-man match.

* The Shield defeats Dolph Ziggler and The Usos when Seth Rollins blocked a splash from The Usos. “We want show off” and “good for business” chants for Ziggler in this one.

* The Cutting Edge is up next. Edge gets a huge pop and a ‘thank you Edge’ chant. Biggest pop of the night. Edge tells Christian to tear The Shield apart when he comes back. Orton comes out to some heat. Bryan gets a huge pop and lots of ‘YES’ chants. Edge asks Orton how it feels to be a sell out. Orton says Edge is jealous Orton is 10 time champion and Edge is just a talk show host. Edge says Orton forgets he’s an 11 time champ.

Edge says he knows what’s best for business and the fans erupt with a ‘yes’ chant. Bryan said his dream was never to be the face of a corporation, but to hold the WWE title. Bryan says he’ll beat Orton at Night of Champions. Orton cheap shots Bryan and the fans chant ‘spear’ but Bryan gets the upper hand and Edge leaves. Bryan makesOrton tap out and the fans erupt in ‘you tapped out’ chants. Orton leaves and Bryan stands tall with the fans chanting ‘yes’ to close the show.

Jim Ross Retires from WWE & Possible Reasons Why

WWE.com is reporting that Jim Ross has retired from WWE to focus on his personal business endeavours.

Ross has been with the company, off-and-on, for over 20 years, making his debut at WrestleMania 9, and was eventually inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2007.

Aside from Jim Ross wanting to focus on “other business ventures” (most notably his JR’s Barbecue company), the Wrestling Observer reports that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had a role in his departure.

According to Observer report, Ross and McMahon met yesterday (Wednesday) to discuss Ross’s future with the company, which led to the decision for Ross to retire.

It’s being said that Ric Flair’s unruly behavior at the WWE 2K14 panel during SummerSlam weekend was a contributing factor in his departure. WWE management felt that Ross, who hosted the event, should have cut off Ric Flair when he went off-script and made several controversial remarks in front of WWE & 2K Sports executives.