Queries on HBK, the Hardys, and WWE buying TNA, new book project, WWE injury updates, Questions about Punk returning to WWE, Morrison cutting promos, depushes after title wins, and WWE going PG against TNA, Impact Wrestling rating, ROH talent talks possible WWE run, Low Ki talks WWE, TNA, and ROH, WWE press in South Africa, Australian ratings, HBK talks Savage, TNA headed to Belgium, plenty of UK ratings, Hall begins jail sentence, Smackdown rating, GLAAD to work with WWE talent following Punk incident, WWE confirms Punk's departure, No Surrender location announced, and a number of WWE talents have luggage stolen

To address a few questions sent in to the blog:
1. I haven't seen anything about Shawn Michaels wrestling since his retirement match or any indication that he will be doing so any time soon.

2. No, the Hardy Boys won't be in WWE 12. They're still under contract to TNA. The game is for active members of the WWE roster only.

3. No, WWE isn't buying TNA, and there are no serious plans for them to do so. As far as I know, TNA isn't even considering putting itself up for sale. Oh, and there isn't going to be a "WWE vs. TNA" game this year either, which is another rumor apparently going around. The two companies don't have any sort of agreement to do anything together.

As for things that are actually happening, there's a new book coming together about stipulation match types that is seeking fan input.

Conor O'Brien, recently eliminated from NXT, is said to be nursing a knee injury. The Great Khali and Kane are also said to be hurting, though the latter doesn't seem to be affected in the ring. That would explain why Khali has been in a background role on Smackdown. I hope all 3 get some time to heal up. O'Brien can take some time off before returning to FCW with a renewed sense of purpose, and they can use Khali and Kane sparingly on TV and give them house shows off if need be (following Kane's announced appearances in South Africa that he's already flown in for). I'm not sure how much of that will actually go down, though. Thankfully Kane doesn't "need" to do much in Money In The Bank as far as take a bunch of bumps or jump off of ladders or anything. It's not really his kind of match.

After the break, I go into PWInsider.com's questions for the day, starting with a pitch for C.M. Punk to return to WWE at January's Royal Rumble.

1. John Cena vs. The Rock one-on-one is what the draw is for Wrestlemania. I honestly think putting Punk in that match dilutes how big of a deal it is. Punk's a great worker and all, but as big of a draw as Cena or Rock? That's stretching it. Punk winning the Rumble? Fine. Challenging for the WWE Title at Mania? That works, too. But that match is for Cena and Rock alone. And it's a good deal too soon to say "next Stone Cold" for Punk. He's damn good, but that's pretty lofty praise.

2. What they said. He can cut them before the show or backstage with agents and the like to see what they think of them. He could work with an acting coach. Or I guess he could do YouTube videos? There are a number of options.

Nothing to add to #3; that's something only they can answer.

4. I agree that they could do a better job with some of their former champions and contenders, but I think it still gives the talent some credibility and importance that they didn't have previously. And maybe they figure that it's much harder to break through to main event level the first time than subsequent times. So theoretically when the time comes to push Ziggler or Swagger or whomever, they can say "well, he's been champion once before, so the fans will be more likely to buy them as champion again than if they had never gotten there previously". I think it worked for Edge, Mysterio, Batista and Cena. Maybe Orton as well. I suppose some of it could also be that they're "testing the waters" with them and they don't want to push someone too much, too fast in case they have another Brock Lesnar situation.

5. They're not directly competing with TNA for ratings, since none of their shows are up against each other (anymore). Their main televised shows are doing better numbers than Impact Wrestling, so they really don't have a reason to change tactics in the battle with that show. If TNA became the number one wrestling company in the world and negatively affected WWE's business with a more edgy product, then they might consider making a change, but for now, I wouldn't expect them to go in that direction.

The rating for the most recent edition of Impact Wrestling (with limited commercial breaks) was a 1.27. That's a good sign!

Claudio Castagnoli, perhaps known best for his Ring of Honor work discussed the possibility of he and partner Chris Hero going to WWE in a recent interview. I know very little about either of these guys, but if they can add something to the product (as a tag team or individually), I hope to see them do so.

Low Ki had a number of things to say about his career with the three top wrestling promotions in the U.S.. While he is indeed accomplished and credible, I don't see a problem with them re-introducing him to the TNA product this way. Not just for the newer fans to learn more about him, but it's an actual storyline to give him a boost instead of just throwing him out there in a return.

As for his time in WWE, I think some of the "entertainment" stuff he went through with Laycool and earning his way up the ranks was somewhat of a test to see if he could make it there. They put Daniel Bryan through some goofy stuff as well, but now that they know they can count on him, he's being booked more seriously. I wish things would have worked out better, because by the time his run was over, he was starting to gain some steam in the Smackdown midcard. WWE didn't have any specific plans for him when he requested his release. I don't know if his last match was a result of him wanting out or part of a cause of it, but he lost very quickly to Drew McIntyre to plant him squarely in midcard purgatory.

There's quite a bit of press for WWE's return to South Africa:
Here's an interview with Kane,
Here's one with (hometown guy) Justin Gabriel,
Kane and Christian both were interviewed here,
and here's one with Big Show.
Note that everyone on the tour spent over a full day on an airplane. Yikes. Hopefully it wasn't too rough on them.

Raw was once more the only wrestling show in the top 100 in Australia with 27,000 viewers.

Shawn Michaels discussed what he learned from Randy Savage in a recent interview.

TNA will be doing its first ever show in Belgium on 1/24/12. More expanding business for them. Hopefully they get a good house.

Here's a rundown of ratings for Raw, Smackdown, Impact Wrestling, and PPVs in the UK. It's easier to notice fluctuations when the numbers are comparatively small. Interesting to look at.

Scott Hall began his jail sentence for his May 2010 incident in Florida. He'll be in the medical unit, and will serve 8 days or so.

Smackdown's rating dropped to a 1.63 this week for the start of the holiday weekend. Hopefully that's just a one-week thing.

As a result of Punk's recent remarks in Australia, GLAAD is in discussions to "train" WWE's on-camera talent to attempt to avoid this happening again. WWE noted in the article that Punk will legitimately be leaving the company following Money In The Bank.

TNA No Surrender will once more come from the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando on 9/11/11. I still haven't seen anything definite for Bound For Glory.

Finally, a number of Smackdown talents had things from their luggage stolen in South Africa when the locks were cut off. That REALLY sucks. I hope they get it back or replaced.

That's all for Tuesday's news. More to come tomorrow. Thanks for reading!