Shibata injured, Interview with Bryan, Paige updates, NXT signing working ROH show, Rollins school student passes away while training, Raw heading to Philly, former WWE name at Smackdown, title match set for No Mercy, Smackdown audience, Knockout leaves TNA, CWC dark match, and Questions on Punk's MMA future, Eva Marie's future, Corbin the bully, quality of shows after the brand split, and Lesnar's suspension bringing hype to Summerslam

Katsuyori Shibata is out with a cervical spine injury. He worked the most recent ROH TV taping; it remains to be seen if this affects any plans they might have had for him.

Daniel Bryan gave an interview about (not) returning to the ring and more:
- I wonder how much of not clearing Bryan had to do with him not wanting to slow down a style with so many suicide dives and diving headbutts. Of course, either way, the test showing a lesion on his brain would have grounded him.

- It's got to be tough thinking you can still wrestle but being benched. Wrestling on the indies with no WWE doctors and little pay just isn't a smart move.

- They better have a good payoff for the Bryan-Miz angle. I'm hoping Bryan signs Samoa Joe to decimate Miz. Roderick Strong's an interesting possibility, too. I think he'd fit right into the role Bryan had before the Yes Movement. That'd be the perfect foil for Miz.

Paige is set to return to the road for WWE beginning with Raw. So, it doesn't look as though she'll try to get out of her contract in order to join Alberto in his future endeavors. I'm curious to see how she'll fit into things when she comes back. As a face, she'd have to compete with Bayley and Sasha. As a heel, she'd have to compete with Charlotte and Nia. I'd probably put her as a heel and turn Dana face after Brooke stands up to the Raw Women's Champion.

- Paige posted about failing her Wellness test and her WWE future. Unsurprisingly, those who indicated she was set to quit WWE are still holding onto that story. Now it's "she quit, but unquit." When reputations are at stake, it's tough to admit you jumped the gun. There's something really wrong when a talent has to travel 200 miles to take a drug test. The system has some flaws.

Crazy Mary Dobson is working an ROH live event this weekend before joining the WWEPC. I imagine that date was booked sometime in the past and WWE is allowing her to finish up her commitments before she becomes part of NXT.

A student has passed away following a cardiac arrest at Seth Rollins' training school. That's frightening, and could have real implications for the school. Sounds like he might have overexerted himself.

Raw will tape in Philadelphia on December 12. They get Smackdown and Raw within three months of each other? That's pretty cool.

Snitsky was backstage at Smackdown. He lives in the area. I wouldn't mind him coming back to fill space on the roster. 

Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss is official for No Mercy. I look forward to seeing what Bliss does at this stage.

Smackdown drew 2.66 million this week, making it the most-watched show on cable Tuesday night. The show's performance since going live has been really impressive. The show matters now more than it did pre-brand split. The only question is if losing guys like Cena, Ambrose, and Orton hurt Raw.

Rebel's TNA contract has expired. She is expected to remain wrestling for OVW. Considering she hadn't wrestled for TNA since March, and Christy Hemme had already left, it was probably the right move for both sides.

Before the CWC finals, The Bollywood Boyz beat Sean Maluta and Martin Stone (Danny Burch). It wouldn't surprise me to see the Gihras and Maluta join NXT on a regular basis. NXT needs more tag teams, and Maluta obviously has the family connection.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. It's likely we've seen the last of Punk in UFC, unless he pulled in a massive amount of money for his fight through attendance, PPV buys, and merchandise. He's really got his work cut out for him in MMA, but if he wants to keep fighting, I'm sure there's a promotion that will book him due to his name value.

2. You personally might not, but I'm sure a lot of people want to see her get beaten up by one of Smackdown's babyface women. It's not all about "good" matches. It's about heat. 

3. That's kind of the point of his character. He's bullying a smaller person instead of challenging someone like Cena or Orton. It makes him look like a coward for ducking them.

4. Yes! Both have had their positive additions with showcasing talents via promos and squashes. Plus, we're not seeing guys like Owens and Ambrose twice a week, so they're not becoming stale as quickly. That's good for the performers and the angles. 

5. I guess it added to things in a  "controversy creates cash" sense. His suspension definitely got people talking about the show and about him in general.

More wrestling tomorrow.