WWE issues a press release on Thursday regarding Shawn Michaels’ upcoming inducting into the company’s Hall of Fame as part of WrestleMania weekend.

Many people in the wrestling industry have been congratulating Michaels this week, including former rival Steve Austin, who called him the best in-ring worker he’s ever seen. As part of today’s press release, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon echoed Austin’s opinion, with this strong endorsement:

“Shawn Michaels was the best in-ring performer in the history of WWE.”

The induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 2 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA, the evening before WrestleMania XXVII.

– Casting is underway for the return season of WWE’s reality competition, Tough Enough.

The show will premiere on Monday, April 4th, the night after WrestleMania, immediately following WWE RAW on the USA Network. The following week, it will move to its normal timeslot of 8pm (Eastern), as the lead-in to RAW.

According to a  WWE source, the company is planning to introduce the cast of Tough Enough either at WrestleMania or on RAW the next night.

– In what seems to be an interesting indicator of how WWE views the RAW and SmackDown brands, WWE charges more for RAW live event tickets than it does for SmackDown shows. RAW tickets range from $20-75, while SmackDown seats go for $15-60.

– WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki underwent gall bladder surgery earlier this month. He’s recovering well but is scheduled to remain hospitalized until next week.

– There is a band called “Owen Hart” that has an album coming out next week on Vitriol Records.

– Wrestler Brandon Barker, a graduate of Lance Storm’s wrestling school, is scheduled to start with WWE developmental soon once he gets his US work visa. Barker was signed to a developmental deal back in October.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– In recent weeks, WWE announcer Michael Cole has been the special guest referee for the dark matches that take place after WWE RAW goes off the air. WWE wants to have Cole take bumps during these matches and there are plans for him to start in-ring training.

Some have also speculated that Cole’s in-ring training will be to prepare him for a match at WrestleMania 27, with his rumored opponent being fellow RAW announcer Jerry “The King” Lawler.

In any case, if Cole training means he’s going to be taking more RKO’s and Attitude Adjustments, we fully support this initiative.

– WWE has hired Dr. Mark Unterberg as the company’s new Wellness psychiatrist. Unterberg is currently the team psychiatrist for the Dallas Cowboys and involved in the NFL Players Program of Substance Abuse.

– WWE legend Jake “The Snake” Roberts will be retiring later this month, with his final match taking place on January 29th at the Pro Wrestling Guerilla show in Los Angeles. Roberts will be facing Sinn Bodhi, formerly Kizarny in WWE.

Fellow legend Terry Funk is also having a (yet another) retirement match on that show.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– Rey Mysterio’s in-ring return is currently scheduled for the SmackDown live event from Philadelphia on February 6th. Myterio, who has been out with injury, is scheduled to face Wade Barrett on that show.

-Former WWE performer MVP left the company on relatively good terms, but had some heat on him prior to his release due to some racial comments he made. Following Michael Tarver and Darren Young being dropped from Nexus, MVP pointed out to a few people that the African American wrestlersdup how all of the African Americans were kicked out of the group quickly, except David Otunga obviously.

– Alex Riley, protege of WWE Champion The Miz, will be back in court today (Thursday, 1/13) for a hearing on his DUI charges from this past November.

• VIEW HERE: Alex Riley’s DUI MUGSHOT (Direct Link)

(Credit to Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

With Shawn Michaels locked in as the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011, several other big names have been considered – and many of them have strong ties to WCW.

Among those considered for this year’s ceremony include Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, Lex Luger, Ron Simmons, Madusa and The Honky Tonk Man, who turned it down last year because he had a prior commitment that paid better.

Vince McMahon reportedly wants to induct former rival Ted Turner, but most within WWE do not expect Turner to accept the invitation.

WWE officials will make a push for Sting to be inducted if he doesn’t re-sign with TNA, but he’s expected to stay with TNA for another year.

As previously reported, Bill Goldberg’s name has also come up – for the Hall of Fame and a possible match.

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Former WWE Diva Trish Stratus is starring in a new action-adventure movie called “Bail Enforcers” – set for release some time in 2011.

The movie is about “a team of down-on-their-luck bounty hunters who run into trouble when they are confronted with the moral dilemma of a local mob boss wanting the team to turn a bail jumper over to him for the price of a million dollars.”

Here are some promotional shots of Trish from Bail Enforcers:

— WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin congratulated Shawn Michaels on Twitter for his upcoming induction into the Hall of Fame. Austin, who defeated Michaels to win his first WWE championship in the main event of WrestleMania 14, wrote on @SteveAustinBSR:

“Congrats to Shawn Michaels going into HOF. He is the greatest in ring performer I have ever seen.”

— Ric Flair will be returning to the ring once again later this month during TNA’s UK tour. Flair will wrestle Douglas Williams at the Wembley Arena in London on 1/29.

— It’s also worth noting that Jeff Hardy is being advertised for TNA’s UK tour, which begins on 1/21, the day after he is scheduled to plead guilty to at least one of the drug charges pending against him.

Junior Dos Santos

During a media conference call on Tuesday, UFC President Dana White announced that former Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and top heavyweight contender Junior Dos Santos will be the coaches for the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter. This season, which airs in March, will be 28 Welterweights fighting for a UFC contract and will begin taping shortly.

Brock Lesnar will face Junior dos Santos in June with the winner earning a UFC Heavyweight Championship match against Cain Velasquez.

After Cain Velasquez steamrolled Brock Lesnar in the fall and captured the title, he was scheduled to face #1 contender Junior Dos Santos. Unfortunately for Dos Santos, Velasquez injured his shoulder while training in December and will need surgery, which would keep him out for up to 9 months.

After the Ultimate Fighter announcement, Dana White ruled out the possibility of Brock Lesnar appearing for WWE at WrestleMania.

“There was no wheeling and dealing about the WWE,” White said. “I think everybody knows how I feel about that. He’s under contract with me…

“It’s very rare in this sport that we actually get to announce (stuff) that doesn’t get announced before we announce it,” White said. “I actually liked all the rumors going around.”

Last month, former WWE wrestler Gregory Helms made headlines with a scathing attack against Shawn Michaels, calling him a druggie and one of the biggest hypocrites in the history of the pro wrestling business. Helms blamed Michaels for hurting families by holding people back in WWE and questioned Michaels’ Christian faith.

• RELATED: Shane Helms Launches Scathing Attack Against Shawn Michaels (HBK Responds)

Helms is now back with another rant against Shawn Michaels, who was named as the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010 earlier this week. Helms wrote on Twitter:

“The HOF is great but I take more pride & comfort in the fact that I’ve never “screwjobbed” ANYONE in life or the biz! $$$ isn’t everything.”

Former WWE star Chris Jericho came to Michaels’ defense, calling him the greatest performer of all-time. Helms re-tweeted Jericho’s message, saying Ric Flair is actually the best of all time:

“BS! Flair did more & got more people over.”

Helms didn’t stop there. He continues to back Ric Flair as the greatest of all time, appears to take a shot at Chris Jericho in the process and compared Shawn Michaels to … Hitler?!

“If u got something to say, say it public. Enough ass-kissing. He wasn’t the greatest when he was cussing u out in catering.”

“Flair got over people that absolutely SUCKED!! Shawn hadn’t gotten over anyone but himself in the last decade!!”

“I’m sorry being honest comes off bad on Twitter, I’m not hating, I’m stating FACTS!! Facts that I would swear by on my life.”

“And wearing a cross doesn’t make u right. Hitler wore one too! Don’t be FOOLED by a TV persona!! I’m always honest. NO ONE can accuse me.”

* WARNING: The following contains a major SPOILER for Friday’s SmackDown:

A new Nexus faction was formed at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings.

Following Wade Barrett’s match with the Big Show that took place at the tapings, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater joined Wade Barrett in beating down the Big Show. The four men banded together and made it known they are now working as a unit.

WWE has been teasing Jackson’s SmackDown debut for weeks with video promos, but up until this week’s tapings, there had been no indication he would be aligning himself with Wade Barrett.

Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel were apparently kicked out of CM Punk’s Nexus this past Monday on RAW after they couldn’t accept their initiations.

CM Punk’s Nexus now consists of himself, Husky Harris, David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty.

Wade Barrett’s new incarnation of Nexus is made up of himself, Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel.

WWE SmackDown on Syfy

Thanks to Danny and RealWrestlecrap.Proboards.com for the following spoilers from last night’s WWE SmackDown tapings:

– Smackdown opened with Kofi celebrating his title win from last week. Jack Swagger interrupted, which led to…

– Kofi Kingston defeating Jack Swagger. Not sure if this was a title match. Fun back and forth match, Kofi won with the SOS, but it appeared the ending was botched when Swagger didn’t kick out at the right time.

– Next, they filmed the opening and pyro. Del Rio came out and put himself over and talked about winning the Rumble. He was interrupted by R-Truth, who was interrupted by Dashing Cody Rhodes, who was interrupted by Rey Mysterio. A brawl was broken up by Teddy Long, which led to..

– Rey Mysterio and R-Truth defeated Cody Rhodes and Alberto Del Rio. Another fun back and forth match, Rey won after a 619 and top rope splash onto Rhodes. Mysterio slipped off the rope performing the splash, and laughed it off afterward.

– Trent Barretta beat Drew McIntyre. Drew dominated the match, was looking to Gorilla press Barretta over the top, when he slipped off for a quick roll-up win.

– McIntyre attacked Barretta in the back, but stopped when Kelly Kelly walked in. He apologized and told her he had aggression issues, and she told him she didn’t like being around people who cause others pain, and told him to grow up.

– Wade Barrett vs Big Show went to a no contest. When Big Show had the upper hand, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel stormed the ring to help Wade. Ezekiel Jackson also showed up and joined in on the beat down. They all joined hands and celebrated together.

– Beth Phoenix defeated Michelle McCool. McCool controlled most of the match and worked over Beths injured knee. Finish came when Beth went for the Glam Slam and Michelle rolled through for a pin, but Beth rolled back through for the win. Layla and Michelle are both great looking women, and Beth is pretty hot too.

– Cutting Edge with special guests Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero. Lots of back and forth and jabs at Vickie. She gets amazing heat, I could barely hear when she talked, and I was front row. She said Dolph was a real man, and showed footage of Edge making out with Alicia Fox the day before he married Vickie. Edge said he also had some footage to share, and showed AJ and Primo walking in on Dolph and Kaitlyn making out 2 months ago. Edge knocked Dolph out of the ring. Vickie slapped him several times, and he looked to spear her, but was pulled from the ring and beat down by Dolph. He and Vickie stood over Edge and made out to close the show. Very good segment.

— A number of older independent wrestlers were informed by World Wrestling Entertainment officials that they are solely seeking to hire talent under the age of 30, especially those that would enter the company’s developmental system.

While not an official edict, more than four wrestlers were told this in recent weeks when looking into potential work with the organization.

— WWE.com announced today that Florida Championship Wrestling, the official developmental territory of WWE, is holding a four-day talent evaluation clinic March 4-7 in Tampa, Florida. For more information on the camp, click here.

NXT season three contestant AJ Lee and Raw Superstar Darren Young are the most notable wrestlers to land contracts with WWE via FCW’s talent evaluation clinic. Both signed developmental contracts immediately following a tryout in May 2009.

source: PWInsider.com

Monday’s episode of WWE RAW scored a 3.05 rating, virtually idential to last week’s rating. The show did hours of 3.0 and 3.1.

RAW averaged 4.60 million viewers over the two-hour broadcast, with the first hour doing 4.55 million viewers and the second hour doing 4.65 million viewers. Overall, the show was up around 100,000 viewers from last week.

While a 3.05 rating does not sound like anything to celebrate, there was fear within WWE that the rating was going to dip below 3.0 due to the stiff competition that RAW faced from the BCS Championship college football game on ESPN, which was the most-watched show in cable history. The BCS game drew a 17.8 rating and averaged 27.3 million viewers.

(Source: PWTorch.com)

— John Cena issued an apology on Twitter for using the word “ass” on RAW, claiming he was fined for the non-PG language. Cena wrote on Twitter.com/JohnCena:

“Lots of posts about my language last night on Raw. I do apologize. It was out of line and I was indeed fined. If I have offended anyone it was not my intention.”

“I was very frustrated about being hurt and not able to compete. I lost my cool. I am sorry. Next time I will use something more creative like ‘whoop yer crap locker’ or ‘whoop yer dump box.'”

This is almost certainly a storyline and Cena actually being fined is highly unlikely.

Cena’s gotten a lot of criticism for his childish insults (such as using the word “poopie”) – so please John, let’s stay away from “crap locker” and “dump box.”

— When the rating is announced for last night’s episode of WWE RAW, it likely will not be pretty. Monday’s BCS National Championship game on ESPN (between the Oregon Ducks and the Auburn Tigers) drew a staggering 16.1 overnight cable rating, according to TVByTheNumbers.com. If that number holds up, it would make that game the most-watched show in the history of cable television. The record is currently held by an NFL Monday Night Football game on ESPN between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings (10/5/09). That game did a 15.3 rating with almost 22 million viewers.

– WWE is now selling the new Nexus “Uprising” shirt that CM Punk and Nexus wore on RAW.

– Tyson Kidd’s bodyguard Jackson Andrews didn’t appear with him on RAW, the second week in a row that Kidd went to the ring alone. Andrews was with Kidd at this past weekend’s RAW live events, but it looks like WWE is unsure of whether to keep the two together.

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:

Shwan Michaels Joining WWE’s Hall of Fame:

“HBK is SO deserving and is arguably the greatest in ring performer of all time and let me tell you folks that statement covers a lot of ground.”

“HBK was a ‘natural’ for the wrestling biz. He was a life long fan. He was a very good athlete. He had a natural swagger and loads of confidence, some critics would likely say too much confidence, once he stepped inside the ring. HBK knew that he was going to be great because he was willing to put in the work and study to get there.”

“Congratulations Shawn. You are special in so many ways. The man you have grown to become is admirable. I am so proud of you for a multitude of reasons but nothing as much as you becoming the wonderful husband and father that you are.”

Jerry Lawler’s Recent Push On RAW:

“Outside of John Cena, Orton, and John Morrison, perhaps, Jerry Lawler is on as nice a protagonist roll as any one on Raw. Good for Jerry and perhaps this will necessitate the King finally getting his long awaited, highly desired wrestling match at WM27.”

CM Punk As The Leader Of Nexus:

“CM Punk is ultra talented and in the span of a couple of episodes he has given me reasons to reinvest in Nexus again as I am curious as to how the Punk leading Nexus business plays out over time. More importantly, I’m curious as to what young athletes will ‘breakout of the group in time as individual stars.”

As always, visit JRsBarBQ.com to check out JR’s great line of BBQ products!

On RAW, it was announced that the one and only Shawn Michaels will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April as part of the Class of 2011.  Michaels returned for an in-ring segment with SmackDown star Alberto Del Rio .. If you didn’t catch it on Monday – here’s a clip of what went down, courtesy of WWE’s YouTube channel:

The main event of next week’s episode of RAW from Little Rock, Arkansas will see John Cena return to action against the new leader of Nexus, CM Punk.

Based on Cena wrestling next week, he could be healthy and past his injury, or WWE could have an angle planned that would allow an injured Cena to participate in a match with limited physical requirements.

Cena vs. Punk is a huge match to give away on RAW, another indication that we won’t get a full match between the two RAW headliners.

After it was announced that Shawn Michaels will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 2nd, longtime friend Sean “X-Pac” Waltman wrote the following on Twitter.com/TheRealXPac:

“I have no words right now to describe how happy I am for Shawn,” Waltman wrote.

“No one deserves it more. I will be there to see him inducted if I have to f—ing hitchhike to get there… I would love for the Wolfpac to be in attendance that night. I’m trying to think of the last time The Kliq were all together. 2002?”

• Keep Reading: HBK Comments On HOF Induction

— Shawn Michaels was announced tonight on Raw by Jerry “The King” Lawler as the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2011. He took to Twitter to comment on the honor, writing: “Surprise! Surprise! Seriously, thanks to all of u for making my career such a joy. I will carry those moments w/me all my life. Thx 4 sharing it w/me.”

The term “HBK HBK HBK” topped Twitter’s worldwide trend list shortly after the announcement. “Shawn Michaels” and “Sweet Chin Music” also trended.

— F4WOnline.com reports that tonight’s WWE Hall of Fame inductee announcement is one of “three big ones” that have been finalized.

— WWE has released a new trailer previewing The Chaperone via Facebook.com.

As reported earlier, the film is slated for a brief theatrical run beginning on Feb. 18. The film will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Mar. 8.

— It was announced tonight on Raw that Derrick Bateman and his NXT Pro, Daniel Bryan, will be going on a double date with The Bella Twins on tomorrow night’s episode of NXT.

— The bodyguard of Tyson Kidd, Jackson Andrews, did not accompany his associate for his match on tonight’s Raw. It is the second consecutive week in which Andrews was MIA for Kidd’s televised match. Andrews, however, accompanied Kidd for his matches against David Hart Smith at live events over the weekend.

— On Monday’s RAW, Shawn Michaels was announced as the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011. No announcement was made regarding who would induct Michaels. This year’s ceremony will take place at the Phillips Arena from Atlanta, Georgia on April 2nd during WrestleMania 27 weekend. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10:00 A.M. EST via Ticketmaster.

Related News:

• HBK Comments On HOF Induction
• Sean Waltman Comments On HBK’s HOF Induction

— An 8-Man Tag Team Match was taped tonight in Nashville, Tennessee for this Thursday’s episode of WWE Superstars pitting Yoshi Tatsu, David Hart Smith, Primo and Darren Young against Zack Ryder, William Regal and The Usos. Also taped was a match between Gail Kim and Alicia Fox.

— John Cena is featured on the cover of the latest issue of WWE Kids Magazine.

— To update The Undertaker’s health situation, the dead man began physical therapy following recent rotator cuff surgery. He was backstage at the TLC pay-per-view last month and was said to be in good spirits and good physical shape.

WWE and The Undertaker remains optimistic about his chances of working WrestleMania 27, although him being healthy by then is a “best case” scenario. As has been discussed before, the possibility exists of the Undertaker working in a tag match if he’s not able to wrestle singles.

— Last week’s episode of WWE Smackdown on SyFy drew a 1.95 cable rating and averaged 2,845,000 viewers for the 2-hour broadcast.. That is the show’s best rating since moving to Syfy.

– Former WCW World Television Champion Arn Anderson is now considered a lock to be inducted individually into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class WrestleMania weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. WWE officials previously contemplated inducting him into the Hall as part of a group with the Four Horsemen, but the idea is now considered dead.

World Wrestling Entertainment has been issuing copyright claims to YouTube regarding the trailer for WWE Studios’ upcoming Triple H themed movie The Chaperone in an effort to have it vanquished from the video sharing website. Company officials were reportedly upset over the version that hit the web, feeling that it is of poor quality. WWE, however, launched a website featuring the very same trailer as well as a promotional photo for the film. The website is www.TheChaperone.com.au.

The Chaperone is slated for a short theatrical release starting the weekend of February 18th. The film will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 8th. This is the same strategy WWE went with for Big Show’s “Knucklehead” movie, with a limited release prior to the DVD release.

– Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. No matches have been announced for the show, but we can expect more on CM Punk assuming the role of Nexus leader and more build towards the Royal Rumble on January 30th.

The dark match main event that’s being advertised has John Cena and Randy Orton teaming up against The Miz and CM Punk with Michael Cole as referee. With Cena’s health still not 100% and reports that he will be taking it easy until then, his involvement tonight is up in the air.

– Former Nexus member Michael Tarver is ready to return to action full-time now after recovering from a groin injury that kept him off television for several months. He has been working at Florida Championship Wrestling.

– WWE developmental talent Wes Brisco recently underwent knee surgery with Dr. James Andrews in Alabama. Brisco, son of WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco, was scheduled to be called up to the main roster before getting injured.

– Former WWE NXT Rookie and FCW Divas Champion AJ Lee is now working as a full heel in WWE developmental.

– WWE has extended its ten year relationship with Sky Deutschland in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for another three years, taking the partnership through the end of 2013. The new distribution agreement, starting in January 2011, sees Sky Deutschland broadcasting the full length versions of WWE’s flagship show “RAW” for the first time, as well as WWE’s 13 annual pay-per-views.

The deal also brings NXT and highlight shows, “Experience” and “AfterBurn”, to Sky Deutschland’s more than 2.5 million homes across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. For the first time ever WWE’s weekly programs will air in HD on Sky Sports.

For more on the new TV deal, visit WWE’s corporate website at Corporate.WWE.com.

— Former WCW World Television Champion Arn Anderson is now considered a lock to be inducted individually into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class WrestleMania weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. WWE officials previously contemplated inducting him into the Hall as part of a group with the Four Horsemen, but the idea is now considered dead.

— World Wrestling Entertainment has been issuing copyright claims to YouTube regarding the trailer for WWE Studios’ upcoming Triple H themed movie The Chaperone in an effort to have it vanquished from the video sharing website. Company officials were reportedly miffed over the version that hit the web, feeling that it is of poor quality. WWE, however, launched a website featuring the very same trailer as well as a promotional photo for the film. The website is www.TheChaperone.com.au.

— Marcus “Buff” Bagwell turns 41 years old today while former WWE Tag Team Champion Brian Christopher turns 39.

source: Pro Wrestling Torch