SEScoops has learned exclusively there is major backstage heat in WWE on the celebrity-involvement of Snooki in the tag team match at Wrestlemania, and the heat is not directed solely at Snooki.

“We bust our asses 250 days a year on the road,” one prominent RAW-brand superstar claimed, “Snooki will cut right into everyone’s Wrestlemania paydays. And the whole show is built around Rock, who is not full time; Austin, from another era, too; Michael Cole, who doesn’t go on the road; Lawler, who doesn’t go on the road; Snooki, who is a three-shot appearance; and Michelle McCool, who is Undertaker’s wife and therefore doesn’t even go on the road with Layla El, who has to represent LayCool all by herself while her partner gets preferential treatment because of the person she married!”

No superstar we spoke with seems to mind Undertaker or HHH’s role at Mania, since many feel both have earned their rightful spots, but many are concerned about the treatment McCool is afforded over and above all the other divas, as well as all the people collecting major paychecks for this year’s biggest show, and not helping the company “on a daily basis.”

Related News: Candice Michelle Says Divas Should Be Mad About Snooki

We want to know what you think .. Is WWE wrong to promote WrestleMania 27 partially around people who are not regular WWE talent (Rock, Austin, Snooki, Trish, etc.)?

— WWE Superstars Chris Masters, Curt Hawkins, Dolph Ziggler and JTG appear on tonight’s episode of Silent Library, which airs at at 7:00 p.m. on MTV. A replay airs at 2:30 a.m.

— NXT Season 3 contestant AJ Lee worked this past weekend’s SmackDown live events, teaming with Beth Phoenix in a tag team bouts against Layla and Kaitlyn. Lee and Phoenix split the series, losing on Saturday and winning on Sunday.

— A Twitter account has been launched for WWE Classics On Demand.

— Last week’s episode of SmackDown featured 32 minutes and 17 seconds of in-ring action, down from 34 minutes and 13 seconds the week before.

source: PWInsider.com

During an interview over the weekend with the Wrestling News Live radio show, former WWE superstar Scott Hall set the record straight as to whether he will be attending WrestleMania weekend and Shawn Michaels’ Hall of Fame induction.

“ I want to announce right now that I wanted to be in Atlanta to see Shawn (Michaels) get inducted into the hall of fame but I had to change my mind because I’m not strong enough to be in that situation right now. All I wanted to be was around all my old buddies in Atlanta where we were over like rover with the NWO stuff, such a fun city… but being with the boys is such a heavy trigger for me to party like that. I’m not ready for that atmosphere, I’m just going to sit at home and watch it on Pay Per View”.

For somebody that’s had a very storied history of battling addiction, you’ve gotta give Hall a ton of credit for making what appears to be a very difficult decision. You can tell how bad he wants to be there, but at this point in his life, he’s putting his sobriety first – and that’s something he deserves a ton of credit for.

To listen to an MP3 of the interview, click here.

— WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart said he will not be on hand for WrestleMania XXVII this weekend. He tweeted on Monday:

“I will not be at Mania this year. Had my fun last year.”

Hart added that it’s Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Trish Stratus, The Rock, Jerry Lawler and the other WWE Superstars’ “time to shine.”

–  With the new season of UFC’s hit show The Ultimate Fighter premiering this Wednesday night on Spike TV, season 13 coach Brock Lesnar will be appearing on “Late Night” with Jimmy Fallon tonight (Monday) to hype the show and discuss his UFC career. The show airs on NBC – check your local listings for airing information.

— The launch trailer for THQ’s WWE All Stars video game has been released.

The game is set for release tomorrow in the United States on Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Sony PSP and Xbox 360.

— Sin Cara is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Super Luchas.

With WrestleMania 27 less than 1 week away, we’ve got some news on what WWE has planned for The Rock, the Corre, Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan and Christian.

– The Rock’s current involvement with WWE has already turned out much better than either side expected. The Rock agreed to guest host WrestleMania earlier this year, but he’s enjoyed being back on WWE television so much that he’s now willing to get back in the ring for a few more matches. WWE is keeping a very tight lid on exactly what The Rock will do at WrestleMania, but most people within the company expect The Rock to eventually wrestle both The Miz and John Cena – with Miz likely being his first opponent.

– The original plan for Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 27 was to have The Bella Twins in Sheamus’ corner and Gail Kim in Bryan’s corner, but it doesn’t look like that will be happening anymore.

– The Corre had been scheduled to face Big Show, Kane, Kofi Kingston and Christian at WrestleMania, but WWE changed gears on this and Christian will now be involved in Edge and Alberto Del Rio’s World Heavyweight title feud.

One angle that’s been discussed would be for Christian to be in Edge’s corner at WrestleMania, turn heel and then cost Edge the World Heavyweight title – setting up an eventual 3-man match between Edge, Christian and Del Rio.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

— The source code on the front page of WWE.com reveals an Eight-Man Tag Team Match taking place at WrestleMania XXVII with The Corre going up against Big Show, Kane, Kofi Kingston and Christian.

The URL in question is located here. The page, however, has not been published as it presently reads “Access Denied.”

— WWE Superstar David Otunga is none too pleased with fiancé Jennifer Hudson’s significant weight loss, who has lost a grand total of 80 pounds.

The recording artist, actress and Weight Watchers spokesperson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday where she was asked “What does your fiancé think, does he like the new svelte you?”

J-Hud responded, “He’s getting adjusted to it. He’s not really into change that much so he fusses at me like, “Why do you have to have to get all dressed up to go out and why can’t you just go out like you used to?” And I’m like “I’m a walking billboard now honey.”

Former WWE superstar Chris Jericho is doing some blogging for TVSquad.com to give some behind-the-scenes insight into his current involvement on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars show.

“I’ve performed in front of crowds of up to 70,000 people for more than two decades, but last week I experienced a whole different animal,” said Jericho.

“Something so foreign, so terrifying, so intimidating that, beforehand, I was as nervous as a 12-year-old girl meeting Justin Bieber for the first time. Yes, kiddies, I was about to make my ballroom debut on ‘Dancing With the Stars’! After rehearsing incessantly for more than three weeks with my partner Cheryl Burke, it was finally time to do the first show.

“My dress rehearsals had been a bit shaky — performing my routine in the actual ‘DWTS’ studio was scary. Suddenly the guy who had a so-called advantage because of years of performing live was behind the eight ball.

* VIDEO of JERICHO Doing The Cha-Cha Dance Last Week on DWTS

— World Wrestling Entertainment announced Friday that Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum recording artist Keri Hilson will perform “America the Beautiful” kicking-off WrestleMania XXVII live on pay-per-view this Sunday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. (Keri Hilson to perform at WrestleMania XXVII)

— Maryse will not be on hand for tonight’s Raw taping in Chicago, Illinois as she will be attending Dancing with the Stars in Hollywood, California to watch former colleague Chris Jericho perform. Fellow WWE Divas The Bella Twins and Alicia Fox attended last week’s show.

— WWE is scheduled to hold a Raw live event at the Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. John Cena, Randy Orton, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Eve and Maryse, among others, are advertised to appear.

source: PWInsider.com

— The Cablevision Optimum app is advertising Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian in a Falls Count Anywhere Match for this week’s episode of SmackDown.

Content for the episode is being filmed at tonight’s television taping in Chicago since no taping is scheduled for tomorrow.

— In the latest edition of “Superstar to Superstar” on WWE.com, former Divas Champion Melina talks to the stars of Sucker Punch — Vanessa Hudgens, Jena Malone and Jamie Chung — about the new action fantasy film. (Watch)

— Celebrating a birthday today is former WWE star The Warlord, who turns 49 years old. Today would have also marked as Curt Hennig’s 53rd birthday, as well as Umaga’s 38th birthday.

Rikishi posted on Twitter, “Thank you WORLD for ALL the shout outs remembering my brother on His Birthday “EKI “UMAGA” FATU”, RESPECT.”

source: PWInsider.com

— WrestleMania XXVII host Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is scheduled for Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN. His appearance airs this Thursday at 9:00 p.m.

In January, the talk show filled the time slot formerly held by Larry King Live.

— The cast of Tough Enough are scheduled to appear at WrestleMania XXVII in Atlanta, Georgia. They are also scheduled for the following night’s Monday Night Raw taping.

— The WWE website has posted new studio photos of SmackDown Diva Kaitlyn.

source: ProWrestling.net

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some hilights o

Talent Left Off WrestleMania: “Wrestlemania is a complex time for many talents. Some fret about either not being on the card or being thrown a bone to simply make an appearance ala a battle royal, etc. That’s never been my personal philosophy. Being booked on Wrestlemania is an earned honor, a privilege, and not a performer’s right.”

“Then there are those who are booked and who are not in what one would perceive as ‘high profile bouts.’ My suggest is to go out, maximize ones minutes, and do everything possible to turn heads and steal a small aspect of the show.”

Chyna In The WWE Hall of Fame: “So Trish Stratus endorsed Chyna for the WWE HOF. That’s Trish’s opinion. I’m sure Chyna’s name might come up some day. My thoughts on that matter is and will always remain that I felt it was wrong for Chyna to wrestle men on a regular basis and that her being the Intercontinental Champion was bad positioning. Does that mean that Chyna isn’t WWE HOF worthy? That’s not for me to speculate on as I am not in the decision making process of the WWE HOF.”

WWE All Stars: “WWE All Stars is released next Tuesday March 29 and is going to hopefully be a big hit. For those of us that have spent many hours working on the project, we have a vested interest in this over the top, Arcade game that allows the player to book the greatest matches that never happened. Plus, I had a blast reuniting with the King again.”

Michael Cole directed a homophobic slur yesterday afternoon on his Twitter account to fellow WWE announcer Josh Mathews before deleting it a short while later.

He then wrote on Twitter, “I apologize to any and all who were offended by my tweet toward young Josh Mathews. It was obviously not meant the way it was taken.

“I was not ordered to apologize I said I am sorry because I am. Now can I get back to being a character again please?”

TMZ.com drew attention to the Twitter post and WWE’s recently announced partnership with GLAAD to end bullying based on sexual orientation after John Cena directed a number of ‘homophobic taunts’ towards Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on the February 28 episode of Monday Night Raw. WWE released a statement to TMZ regarding Cole’s conduct.

“WWE has alerted GLAAD to the situation and spoken to Michael Cole about his post. He has removed it and apologized for using hateful language. Michael will be included in the training session being done by GLAAD. WWE takes this very seriously and is against discrimination of any kind based on sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, or other.”

— WWE.com, which was revamped today, has switched the main event listing for WrestleMania XXVII from Triple H vs. The Undertaker to WWE Champion The Miz vs. John Cena.

— WWE has registered trademarks for the following:

* Team Bring It

* Bigger Badder Better

* WWE Capitol Punishment

* Child Proof (movie title of WWE Studios film)

* Tyson Kidd

— WWE is holding a SmackDown live event on Saturday, June 25 at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. Tickets go on sale Saturday, April 30.

source: PWInsider.com

— WWE Champion The Miz is featured on the promotional poster for WWE’s Over the Limit pay-per-view event, which takes place May 22, 2011 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington.

— The theme for WWE Classics On Demand programming during the month of May is the 90s.

— Alberto Del Rio is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Inside Wrestling.

— John Cena wrote the following on Twitter regarding his showdown with The Rock and The Miz tomorrow night on Raw: “CeNation. Already gearing up for monday. Rock said it..and I believe it..the time for talk is over.”

— WWE Tough Enough is expected to be added to the USA Network’s Video On Demand service. Replays of the show will air late Monday night.

The first episode is titled “Get Your Teeth Out of My Ring.”

— Trish Stratus is scheduled to appear on the CBC Television talk show Steven and Chris on Tuesday to demonstrate her workout featured in the latest issue of Oxygen.

source: PWInsider.com

— The Poughkeepsie Journal published an article today on Michael Cole. When asked about his match at WrestleMania XXVII, the Amenia, New York native broke character and said, “The dream’s come true. I’m participating in an event against a man who is an absolute legend and Hall of Famer in Jerry Lawler. I’m so honored and privileged just to have the opportunity to participate in a match against this man.

“Plus Stone Cold is our special referee. To be in there with two of the greatest icons, it’s like a reality check. It’s such a great ride.”

He also said that his 24-year-old son Calvin is working for WWE in the television production department and travels with him on the road. The story can be read here.

— Sin Cara beat Primo via submission at last night’s Raw live event in Evansville, Indiana. His finisher is a huracanrana into an armbar. The match went 10 to 15 minutes.

— John Cena and Vickie Guerrero are featured on the cover of the latest issue of The Wrestler.

source: Pro Wrestling Torch

Michael Cole posted a homophobic slur this afternoon on his recently launched Twitter account as he called fellow WWE announcer Josh Mathews a ‘faggot’. The tweet was in response to Mathews writing “Chicago!”, the host city of this Monday’s Raw taping.

The one word message was deleted approximately half an hour later and an apology was issued.

“I apologize to any and all who were offended by my tweet toward young Josh Mathews,” Cole wrote. “It was obviously not meant the way it was taken.”

He later added, “I was not ordered to apologize I said I am sorry because I am. Now can I get back to being a character again please?”

World Wrestling Entertainment recently came under fire from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which took issue with the ‘homophobic taunts’ John Cena directed towards Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on the February 28 episode of Monday Night Raw. Cena’s unsavory verbiage prompted WWE to issue an apology and form a partnership with the organization on an anti-bullying campaign.

WWE subsequently released the following statement:

“WWE takes this issue very seriously, and has already spoken with our talent about these incidents. We are taking steps and working with GLAAD to ensure that our fans know that WWE is against bullying or discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. We strongly value our fans in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and apologize to them for these incidents.”

It was also noted in GLAAD’s press release that WWE has invited the organization to conduct training sessions for their staff of writers and editors.

Rumors recently surfaced online indicating that Rey Mysterio asked World Wrestling Entertainment officials to release him from his contract following WrestleMania XXVII. Mysterio, however, shot down the rumors on his Twitter account, saying he did not ask to be released and that he will be around for a while.

Former WCW star Konnan, a longtime friend of Mysterio, told Pro Wrestling Torch writer Jason Powell via e-mail that the assumption that the SmackDown star is bothered by the recent signing of Mexican sensation Sin Cara is way off. He said Mysterio isn’t the type to be jealous. Rather, he welcomes new talent as potential rivals or teammates.

It would appear that Mysterio and Sin Cara will be kept on opposite WWE brands for the time being as the newcomer is slated to initially work Raw live events. He made his first appearance inside a WWE ring at last night’s Raw house show in Assembly Hall in Champaign, Illinois, defeating WWE Superstars fixture Primo.

Meanwhile, Alberto Del Rio was asked to comment on WWE signing Sin Cara during an interview published earlier this week on latino.foxnews.com. While the article says he is “pleased” to hear WWE sign a fellow countryman, he doesn’t acknowledge Sin Cara in particular. He instead says that he’s happy WWE is using a number of Latino wrestlers, before turning the subject back to himself.

“I’m just happy this company uses so many Latino talent,” Del Rio said. “There is so much talent out there, from Puerto Rico to Mexico, just to name a few. I hope it continues like that. Because of that, I am here and getting all these opportunities.”

According to f4wonline.com editor Bryan Alvarez, the claim of Del Rio being “pleased” about Sin Cara joining WWE is contrary to a behind the scenes story he heard. However, he would not elaborate.

source: Pro Wrestling Torch, f4wonline.com

— Sin Cara made his WWE debut at tonight’s Raw live event at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Illinois, defeating Primo.

A fan in attendance said that while his performance was “solid”, he doesn’t know how to work a “WWE style” match. He also performed about eight headscissors variations.

— Wade Barrett captured the WWE Intercontinental Championship from Kofi Kingston on tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown.

Just as Kingston was about to hit Trouble in Paradise on Barrett, the leader of The Corre countered with Wasteland. Seconds later, her captured his first championship in WWE. Justin Gabriel hit Kingston with the 450 Splash following the match.

— The March 24 episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America scored a 0.57 cable rating, with 544,000 viewers. The midnight replay did a 0.17 rating with 140,000 viewers.

source: PWInsider.com

Randy Orton participated in an interview with ESPN.com to promote THQ’s WWE All-Stars video game, which is hits stores next Tuesday on multiple gaming platforms. Highlights are as follows:

— His match at WrestleMania XXVII with CM Punk: “I think really the character that Punk has become and the promo that he’s able to cut about having faith and being the leader of the New Nexus and taking advantage of his followers and the way he preaches and talks down to the fans, all of that is Heel 101. That’s the stuff that makes fans not like you.

— If his goal is to “steal the show” at WrestleMania XXVII: “There is a lot of star power. Then there is the Triple H vs. Undertaker match with the 18-match streak on the line. There are a lot of things that are intriguing about WrestleMania 27, but I’m hoping when everything is over, people are talking about Randy Orton’s victory over C.M. Punk and the battle that we had.”

— The Undertaker vs. Triple H match at WrestleMania XXVII: “I hate to say the obvious, but I think Triple H vs. The “Undertaker is going to be very interesting. The only thing that they don’t have going for them is the amount of time both guys have been outside of the ring the last year.

“But if there’s anyone who has been around and knows what they’re doing, nobody knows better than The Undertaker. And I think no matter what happens, this is going to be one of the most anticipated matches on the pay-per-view.”

— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s return to WWE thus far and what people can expect when they face off this Monday on Raw: “I know them both and I know Cena a lot better than I know The Rock, obviously, but I’ve been in the ring with both cutting promos and wrestling. I have to say, though, talking about the whole ring rust thing, John Cena has had about 2,000 matches in the last seven years. The Rock? A big, fat zero. So when it comes to ring rust, I don’t care what type of athlete you are, and The Rock is obviously an athletic dude, but Cena has been in the ring. He’s been at every show and in every show and making appearances and he has been on the road with the WWE over 300 days a year for the last seven years. The Rock? Virtually nonexistent.

“You see the interviews that The Rock does and he says that he doesn’t want to be known as a wrestler. He doesn’t want to be known as a sports entertainer or a performer with WWE or a WWE superstar. He wants to be known as an actor. Now all of a sudden he’s back in our world telling the fans what they want to hear. He’s telling them, “I promise that I will never go away again. I promise that I’m back for good and that I’m here to stay.” He said that, what, six or seven weeks ago? Have we even seen him live since then? No. Via satellite. I think Cena will own The Rock. I think Cena is wittier and can go off the cuff. Cena writes his own stuff, while The Rock has stuff written for him.

“It just all comes down to who you are in the ring and what kind of performer you are in the ring, and I think Cena is 10 times the performer in the ring that The Rock is. This Monday in Chicago, he’ll prove it.”

The interview can be read here.

source: ESPN.com

– WWE is expected to release several people in the weeks following WrestleMania 27. With Superstars’ run on WGN ending and the company bringing in lots of new talent through developmental and NXT, some mid-card talent will be let go.

– The recent WWE storyline of John Cena suffering a concussion at the hands of The Miz and Alberto Del Rio was an angle and not a legit injury. There was no mention of the concussion on Monday’s RAW.

– WWE’s live event from Madison Square Garden last weekend drew 18,500 fans and took in $795,000, making it one of the most profitable domestic live events (excluding PPVs) in company history. The RAW brand live event the night day in Newark, New Jersey drew 9,600 fans for a gate of $420,000.

(Source – Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Earlier this week, we posted a cartoon that WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart drew of “roid king” Hulk Hogan.

Now, Bret is selling that cartoon – along with another one he drew of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair – with 100% of the proceeds going to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

Say what you want about the ongoing trading of insults between Hart, Hogan and Flair, but at least Bret is turning the negativity into something positive ..

Check out the eBay auctions below:

• Ric Flair Cartoon by Bret Hart
• Hulk Hogan Cartoon by Bret Hart

Monday Night Mayhem with Candice Michelle
Hosted By The Big Mosh & “The Chairman of the Board” Todd Vincent
Heard LIVE Monday Evenings @ 7PM ET/6PM CT

Former WWE Diva/WWE Women’s Champion, former Playboy cover model, & Go Daddy Girl Candice Michelle was one of the featured guests on this week’s live edition of Monday Night Mayhem.

Candice Michelle Discusses Her Transition From Leaving The WWE Into The Role Of Motherhood, Why She Believes That Her WWE Release Came At A Perfect Time In Her Life, Her WrestleMania Memories, If She Was Approached To Join TNA’s Knockout Division, Whether Or Not The In-Ring Chapter Of Her Career Has Come To A Close, Her Forthcoming Projects With Go Daddy, The Return Of The WWE Diva Search, Plus Her Message To The WWE Divas That May Feel Their WrestleMania Spot Is Being Taken By Snooki.

You can listen to an MP3 of the radio show by clicking here.

Interview highlights courtesy of The Mayhem’s official correspondent, Paterson from New Jersey:

Her transition from leaving the WWE into the role of motherhood & why she believes that her WWE release came at a perfect time in her life: “For me, it’s been an awesome transition. I think it’s because I loved my time at the WWE. I loved the people I worked with, and I felt blessed there. And then when my released happened, I think it came at a perfect time in my life. I don’t think I was quite ready to say ‘I’m done,’ but when they released me, I realized that my life had a new venture. And then when motherhood came along, it was the best thing in the world. Her smile warms my heart everyday, so it’s been an awesome transition, and I feel very blessed in life.”

Her message to the WWE Divas that may feel like their WrestleMania spot in being taken by Snooki: “The WWE is smart for putting her in WrestleMania because of the advertising it will bring. However, if I was a WWE Diva currently in the locker room, I’d be pissed off. You’re busting your ass every night, you’re going overseas, and traveling, and driving, and someone just comes in that has never wrestled a day in their life and has your spot? That’s sh*tty. My advice to them is be who you are, do the best you can, and get noticed. Snooki is noticed for what, being a drunk on a TV show being wild & crazy? Do I respect her? Yes. Does she deserve that spot? No.”

Why she feels the in-ring chapter of her career is closed & whether or not she was approached by TNA to join their Knockouts division: “When I first left WWE and my non-compete clause was coming to an end, there was a mention that there was an interest in that door to be opened. For me, I was on the biggest stage that there was, and it felt like it was just a time in my life to close that chapter. I think TNA is great, and I sometimes prefer to watch TNA. My friends are there. I think the product is awesome. I love what they do with the girls division over there. It’s different. I feel like I’ve been watching the same thing over & over sometimes with the storylines getting redundant on WWE. I’ve always said ‘never say never,’ but in reality, I think that chapter is closed for me.”

The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown on Syfy:

* Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk

* Edge vs. Drew McIntyre

* LayCool vs. Rosa Mendez & Kelly Kelly

* Intercontinental champion Kofi Kingston vs. Wade Barrett

* The Undertaker will make an appearance to hype his WM27 match with Triple H

* Jake Swagger vs. R-Truth

* Christian w/ Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio

*SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Tonight

USA PREMIERES ITS NEWEST REALITY COMPETITION SERIES “WWE TOUGH ENOUGH” ON MONDAY, APRIL 4 AT 11/10C

Hosted by WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin,
TOUGH ENOUGH Moves to its Regular Timeslot, Monday, April 11 at 8/7c

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and PSYCH Star James Roday to Guest Star

USA Network unveils its new Monday night programming block with the premiere of WWE TOUGH ENOUGH, a non-scripted series in collaboration with World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and Shed Media US. Hosted by WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, WWE TOUGH ENOUGH premieres April 4, 2011, featuring a group of twelve individuals looking for an once-in-a-lifetime shot to become the next WWE Superstar or Diva. The grand-prize winner will be awarded a contract with WWE, joining its roster of talent.

WWE TOUGH ENOUGH will premiere at 11/10c, the day after WrestleMania XXVII and immediately following USA’s ratings juggernaut WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW, and then will move into its regularly scheduled timeslot, Mondays at 8/7c, starting on Monday, April 11. The series premieres with a one-hour episode followed by nine (9) one-hour episodes.

Renowned WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Booker T and Bill Demott – from the original WWE TOUGH ENOUGH series – serve as trainers to a diverse group of men and women will live, train and compete together in a house in Simi Valley, California. To see who has what it takes to be the next WWE Superstar or Diva, the contestants will battle it out each week in a series of unique challenges designed to test for such characteristics including showmanship, creativity, athleticism and desire. Each episode will feature a current WWE Superstar, who will introduce the contenders to a quality that they must possess to make it to the top of the sports entertainment world. Along the way, viewers will witness the trials and tribulations of what it takes to be one of the best in the world’s greatest sports entertainment organization.

Each episode will conclude with the elimination of one of the hopefuls who is left outside of the ring, while those that remain will move one step closer to their dream.

In the final episode, the remaining contestants will battle it out for the grand prize.

Hollywood star and former WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and star of USA’s PSYCH, James Roday, will guest on the series.