program—who has not been announced to appear by WWE but is expected to be there. When asked whether The Rattlesnake will encounter Slater on the show, Animal responded, "Austin will definitely give him the stunner, ya know thats coming! Fans get ready, you're gonna see a stunner!" Animal, who appeared on RAW in 1997 and 1998, also confirmed that he will be on hand for the festivities: "I will be making an appearance...people will see that my spikes from SmackDown were excellently repainted! Yeah, I'll be there all painted up, with bells on boys! If it happens it happens, I'm ready!" On what else to expect for the unprecedented show, he said, "It's gonna be star studded, on my flight alone is me, DDP and Bret "Hitman" Hart!"

* WWE Senior VP of Digital Operations Jason Hoch says that WWE's audience will have a say in character and storyline development. Hoch told ESPN.com in an interview that the RawActive social media initiative that starts Monday on RAW will allow the audience to "get a say in what happens next by deciding matches, stipulations, and character development. They can control if a general manager gets fired or who their favorite Superstar's next opponent will be."

* Variety has published an article on WWE's expanded social media presence, with comments from Stephanie McMahon, With the expansion of Raw to three-hours WWE plans to offer fans the chance to influence what occurs during the show through online polls and hashtag voting during the first hour that then play out in the third. "We're going to use social media in a more enhanced fashion," besides just promotion, McMahon told Variety. "Our fans will affect some type of content in the show every week." Doing so "keeps your audience tuned into the broadcast for the entire three hours," McMahon believes. "What our audience wants is great creative; it's what any audience wants," McMahon said. "We need to provide content across every different platform so that our fans can engage across any device they prefer. Every property is struggling with that. As long as you are everywhere, you keep and grow your audience as well." For those wondering, Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon are both expected to appear on RAW tonight. Linda McMahon will not be appearing and Shane McMahon is "highly unlikely".

* Kelly Kelly announced on Twitter Sunday that she will appear on tonight's RAW episode following a lengthy hiatus. According to sources, she is not returning full-time as it is merely a special appearance. More soon.

* Jim Ross told the following to ESPN, regarding tonight's RAW: "I was planning on going no matter what, but to be invited and be part of the show is something special," Ross told ESPN. "For everyone involved, it's a celebration of hours of hard work, thousands of miles traveled and sacrificing family time to put on a show every week for this long."

* We noted earlier today that Kenn "Kenny Dykstra" Doane teased being in St. Louis for the 1,000th RAW event. It is very unlikely that he would be used though, considering his openly critical stance against the company and John Cena. He's likely in St. Louis for something completely different.

* Former WWE Superstar Goldust confirmed on Twitter that he will not be on hand for tonight's landmark edition of RAW. He did, however, wish WWE good luck.

* Jim Ross tweeted Monday afternoon: "Backstage feels like being @ an all star game. I'm loving this day. #Raw1000 @ 8/7 central!"

* As noted earlier today, Chris Jericho released a Tout video from the site of tonight's landmark edition of RAW noting that grappling greats will be on hand for the festivities. "You won't believe the special guests that are here tonight," Jericho said. "It's a who's who of the history of this show."

* WWE sent out the following press release today: STAMFORD, Conn., July 23, 2012 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) today announced Outasight’s chart-topping single “Tonight Is The Night” as the official theme song of its 1000th episode of Monday Night Raw. The song will be integrated into the telecast tonight at 8/7C on USA Network. “Tonight Is The Night” is one of the hottest songs in the country, spending 20 weeks on the Billboard Top 100 chart and 30 weeks on the Billboard Pop songs Top 100 chart. The song has been released as a single and is available digitally on iTunes.com, surpassing platinum selling status. Outasight’s second single, “Now Or Never,” is currently blazing up the pop radio charts and is set to be the soundtrack for Summer 2012. You can hear the theme for tonight-only below:



* WWE Diva AJ Lee was a guest on Mark Madden's radio show last week to promote tomorrow night's 1,000th RAW event. The show airs on 105.9 "The X" in Pittsburgh, PA. AJ talked about her recent WWE push and "marriage" to Daniel Bryan on Monday's RAW. She also talked about her ongoing angle with CM Punk, Kane and Daniel Bryan. She says she's been a lifelong fan of the business and hints that she may be dating a current WWE superstar: You can listen to the interview below:



We'll continue to update this post as we hear more. Stay tuned!

Reporter's Link:
SIX (6) CONFIRMED Matches For The 1,000th RAW - Steel Cage Match, 'Loser Leaves Town' Match, 20-Man Battle Royal, Divas Lingerie Match & MORE (>>)!