The Wrestling-Observer Newsletter reports that Gene Snitsky is headed to ECW.

Along the way, Snitsky will receive a new look as part of WWE’s plan to make him what sources describe as a heel version of Kane.

The makeover is expected to include shaving his signature goatee and changing his hairstyle (possibly by shaving him bald).

Hermie Sadler’s UWF promotion yesterday issued the following press release:

The United Wrestling Federation (UWF), owned by NASCAR driver and SPEED broadcaster Hermie Sadler, will put tickets on sale this Saturday December 30 for its first shows of 2007 that will take place February 2 in Wilson, NC and February 3 in Wilmington, NC.

The promotion has signed “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner (pictured), The “King of Old School” Steve Corino, Jerry Lynn, Brother Runt, April Hunter, D-Lo Brown, and many more stars to appear at UWF events in 2007.

“We have set a very high standard with the talent and quality of our shows, and we will continue to provide the types of shows that our fans are accustomed to seeing,” stated UWF president Hermie Sadler.

• The Wrestling Observer is reporting that the 12/26 edition of ECW on Sci Fi, which was a “Best of 2006″ show hosted by Joey Styles and Tazz, drew a final 1.4 cable rating. Considering the holiday break, this was considered to be a stronger number than most expected.

• WWE made a special announcement at its Continental Airlines Arena house show on Thursday. The announcement was the confirmation of earlier rumors that Summerslam 2007 will take place at the venue.

Those in Australia got an early peek at the special announcement made by Teddy Long at this week’s Smackdown tapings.

The GM that starting next week on the show, there will be a series of sprint matches (similar to beat the clock) in which the wrestler with the fastest winning time will go to Royal Rumble to face Batista for the title.

On his official website, you can read the following and more from Jim Ross:

• I receive lots of emails regarding a potential Batista vs. Undertaker match at Wrestlemania 23 which, to the best of my knowledge, has NOT been scheduled. Yes, it COULD happen but there is absolutely no guarantee that it will.

• I heard from The Rock a couple of times over the Christmas Holiday and he was his usual upbeat and positive self. He is excited about the new football coach at Miami … and is staying really busy. The Rock still catches WWE RAW when he can and still has the wrestling business in his blood. We don’t talk about “what if” or “will you come back and wrestle” type stuff because I already know Rock would love to perform in front of a live audience if his unreal schedule would allow for it.

• What is it about the VKM/TNA publicity stunt that I can’t seem to communicate to everyone? This is a publicity stunt and creative material for a TV show. I strongly feel the WWE will NEVER respond to this PR ploy. Again, why should they? There will never be a payoff to the fans.

It may seem like an odd pairing, but John Cena recently interviewed Snoop Dogg for WWE.com. Here’s a sample exchange:

Cena: Starting out, is there anything you want to say to our viewers on WWE.com? The album is out, it’s available, it’s in stores. I’ve got it and it is unbelievable, man … I love that matching track with Dr. Dre. You’re doing a whole lot of things. Is there anything first and foremost you want to tell your fans about this album?

Snoop: Well, you know, basically, it’s Snoop Dogg all wrapped up in one. If you know Snoop Dogg, you know he do it every which way – he do it in his own exciting way, and that’s what this record is representing …

To read the entire interview, click here.

It is currently being advertised that on the Best of Smackdown airing Friday, Teddy Long will be making a special appearance on the show to announce the Smackdown main event for the 2007 WWE Royal Rumble.

The most likely candidates to face Batista would be King Booker or Finlay. But it’s unknown at this time in which direction WWE/Smackdown will go.

Mickie James is more than a wrestler. She’s also a student.

“I felt like I needed to do this, and I wanted something to fall back on. You never know – if I got hurt or something like that – where would I go from there?” James said to WWE.com about her Associate of Arts Degree of Business Administration, along with her plans to begin studying in February for her Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Operations Management.

To read the full article, click here.

Here is a sneak peak at the poster for January’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view: