WWE Rumors: Examining Latest Buzz Around Shawn Michaels, Undertaker and More

Shawn Michaels and Undertaker, the Hall of Famers who battled at both WrestleMania 25 and 26, were reunited in a sense as they both stood at the center of the WWE rumor mill ahead of SummerSlam.

Michaels reportedly received an offer for a trainer gig in the WWE developmental system. It's not yet clear, though, whether The Heartbreak Kid has signed a full-time deal on that front. Either WWE trainees are getting a brief brush with greatness or the Performance Center has found a long-term asset.

As for Undertaker, recent assumption and speculation was all for naught. A photo of him holding a cane was not what it appeared to be.

In other stories, WWE is rumored to be scouring the social media accounts of grapplers on the independent circuit, more Cruiserweight Classic entrants are likely headed to WWE proper and a strange set of guests nearly made their way to SummerSlam.

Hall of Famer at NXT

NXT prospects will have arguably the greatest in-ring performer in WWE history as their teacher. But for how long?

Mike Johnson of PWInsider first reported that Michaels had signed a deal to train wrestlers at the WWE Performance Center and would be "working full time for the company at the facility."

In an update, Johnson added that he heard the deal had not been finalized. He wrote: 

"

One highly placed source has described the situation as a deal "not done yet." The source noted that Michaels has spent two different stints of late as a Guest Trainer for the company and that the ball was in his court as to whether he wanted the deal full-time, but nothing had been 100 percent locked in stone as of today.

"

Joseph Currier later noted on F4WOnline.com that Dave Meltzer confirmed Michaels would be coaching at the Performance Center. Currier also wrote: "The length of Michaels' stay hasn't been confirmed, but he moved his family from Texas to Florida for the role within the company."

Perhaps Michaels hasn't put his name on the dotted line yet as he and WWE try to work out specifics, but if he's already made a home in Florida, that sure sounds like a deal is on the way. If that's the case, the Performance Center has nabbed an invaluable asset.

Not only is Michaels a Hall of Fame performer, but he has a strong reputation as a trainer, including for his work with Daniel Bryan.

Additions From the Indies, CWC

The search for talent continues as WWE looks to deepen the Raw and SmackDown rosters as well as the NXT brand. A pair of backstage reports offered insight into that process.

Meltzer reported on F4WOnline.com: "WWE is very actively scouting indies right now and looking for people who are good but not with the WWE look as the mentality is completely different from two years ago about what type of people they are interested in."

He also mentioned that some talent's social media content has caused WWE to shy away from them. Meltzer wrote: "One person with WWE noted to us to please tell independent talent to either stay off social media or watch what they post."

That's a new aspect of the business to consider. WWE doesn't want a repeat of Zahra Schreiber, a former prospect the company let go after learning of old Nazi-themed Instagram posts, as TMZ reported last year.

WWE is also reaching out to wrestlers competing in the ongoing Cruiserweight Classic tournament.

PWInsider's Johnson wrote: "We have heard that WWE started making contract offers to a few Cruiserweight Classic talents two weeks ago. Some talents will be offered full-fledged deals, while others will be offered NXT/developmental type deals." 

That's not surprising at all. 

For one, some of the tourney entrants are killing it in the ring. And secondly, the event acting as a sort of extended tryout makes perfect sense. WWE can showcase these guys while gauging who would most flourish as a more permanent part of the roster.

Don't be surprised if Gran Metalik, Cedric Alexander and Akira Tozawa don't all ink deals soon.

Muppets at SummerSlam?

SummerSlam is set to welcome Jon Stewart, but it could have been Gonzo and Miss Piggy who provided the celebrity cameos at the pay-per-view.

According to PWInsider (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc), WWE planned to bring in cast members from The Muppets for an appearance at SummerSlam. A scheduling conflict prevented that from happening, though.

Muppets have popped up on Raw and Tribute to the Troops in the past. Those shows are fine for delving into goofy comic relief, but it would have been odd to add the puppets to SummerSlam.

The PPV is going to be better off. Throwing Kermit the Frog on to the same stage as Brock Lesnar, Rusev and AJ Styles would be inviting a creative disaster. 

Undertaker Rumor Killer

Thanks to an Instagram photo of Undertaker, some fans began to worry about his health. 

Team Taker, an Undertaker fan account, shared the buzz-creating shot:

The speculation and assumption was off and running. Pro Wrestling Press wrote: "If he can only get around with a cane, it suggests he is in bad physical shape." WWE fan Haydn Fox tweeted: "He's using a walking cane just to get around."

All the concern was misguided, however. As Scott Lazara of SEScoops noted, the cane wasn't Undertaker's; it belonged to the fan's friend.

Undertaker is past his prime, but he's not in walking-around-with-a-cane shape. 

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet posted a story about Undertaker and Shane McMahon eating a meal in Texas on Monday together. There was no mention of The Deadman's limping around or needing a cane.

This story is a reminder not to let one's imagination run wild after seeing a single image.