Report: Batista Nearing A Strikeforce Deal + NBC Tonight

– The official WWE website posted a video preview of former talent Batista's guest appearance tonight on Chuck on NBC, which you can check out by clicking here.

– Speaking of Batista, he said during a radio interview this morning with DC101 that he is close to signing with Strikeforce to compete in mixed martial arts. The former WWE Champion noted that both sides agreed on a monetary figure last week and that he hopes to have a deal done soon so that he can fight on their March show.

– Former AWA and WWF star John Nord (a/k/a Nord the Barbarian, The Berzerker) turns 51 years old today.

– Mad Catz sent out the following today?

Mad Catz? Enters into Multi-Year Agreement with THQ for Worldwide Rights to WWE? All Stars? FightStick and FightPad Videogame Accessories

Mad Catz and THQ announced an agreement to produce branded videogame accessories based on the WWE All Stars intellectual property. The agreement will allow Mad Catz to produce and market a range of FightStick and FightPad videogame accessories for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the Wii, as well as include the names, likenesses and pictorial representations of the WWE talent appearing in such properties.

"World Wrestling Entertainment has produced many of the videogame industry's most enduring and prestigious franchises, and we are thrilled to initiate this relationship with THQ to create a range of Arcade FightSticks and FightPads," said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz. "We believe the spirit and excitement of WWE is a perfect fit for our range of market-leading fighting game controllers."

"The Mad Catz controllers have a reputation for quality and are an ideal match for the fast paced, arcade-style gameplay found in WWE All Stars," said Germaine Gioia, THQ Senior Vice President, Licensing and Merchandising. "We are pleased to give consumers the ability to enhance their experience through a range of Arcade FightSticks and FightPads."