4 Wrestling rumors we hope are true and 3 we hope aren't: Backstage news on Shane & Vince McMahon's relationship, 7-Time Champion to undergo surgery and be out of action for WWE

Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't. This edition will be light on WWE Draft rumors as we're still in the midst of the two-day event as of this writing.

This week's edition includes backstage news on Shane and Vince McMahon's relationship, a 7-time Champion being written off WWE TV for surgery, a current champion not being cleared to wrestle, big news on SummerSlam 2022, and more:

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#5. Hope is true: Backstage news on Shane McMahon's relationship with Vince McMahon post-WWE exit

A report from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful revealed that Shane McMahon is no longer with WWE. Although he was written out of his authority figure role two years ago on the SmackDown on FOX, he returned for a few appearances between 2020 and 2021.

In what turned out to be his last match in WWE, McMahon lost to Braun Strowman in a steel cage match at WrestleMania 37. It certainly wasn't the worst way to go out, but it's a shame that Strowman is no longer with WWE.

With regards to Strowman and his future, we'll get back to that later. For now, McMahon's run with WWE seems to be over. It's no secret that his 5-year stint between 2016 and 2021 saw him involved only on-screen and not the business side of the product.

Perhaps this worked out better for him, as he specifically stated that he walked away from WWE in 2009 to prevent any strain between him and his father, Vince McMahon.

As per a report from Wrestlingnews.co, a WWE source revealed that the relationship between Vince and Shane McMahon is great:

"I know that fans want to think that there is this friction between Shane and Vince but their relationship is great. When Shane returned in 2016 it was agreed by everyone that he would only work as a talent. That is what Shane wanted. Shane has other business interests. It was never a secret that he wasn’t involved in the business side of WWE,” said the source.

We hope this is true because it leaves the door open for a Shane McMahon return to WWE. McMahon being in WWE solely as an on-screen character seems to work better for all parties involved.

#3. Hope isn't true: Alexa Bliss to be out of WWE for a while?

Alexa Bliss could be out of action for WWE for a while. She faced RAW Women's Champion Charlotte Flair at Extreme Rules 2021 but failed to capture the title in a good bout between the two multi-time champions.

Post-match, Flair ripped Lily open, with Bliss seemingly teasing a big change in character. However, it was soon reported that the angle was used by WWE to write Bliss off TV.

The reason for her being written out of WWE TV is an upcoming sinus surgery, as per a report by PWInsider:

"Alexa Bliss was written off TV as of the Extreme Rules PPV as she is scheduled for an upcoming sinus surgery. PWInsider.com has not confirmed how long she will be out as of this writing."

We hope this isn't true, but if it is, being written off WWE TV was the best course of action. Alexa Bliss' health should be first priority, although it will be a shame to see her miss a crucial month on WWE TV.

#3. Hope is true: A big promotion is making moves to sign former WWE star Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman was undoubtedly among the top 3 most shocking WWE releases since 2020. Given that he was heavily pushed between 2016 and 2021, as well as the fact that he was a consistent and popular main eventer, he seemed to be safe from the chopping block.

If anything, Strowman's release proved that only a few stars are safe from the chopping block. Strowman, however, had a good stint in WWE, as many missed opportunities as there were.

In the process, he became one of the company's biggest stars and there's no doubt that there will be multiple promotions interested in signing him. According to a report from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Impact Wrestling are confident that they will sign The Monster Among Men now that he is done with WWE:

According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, IMPACT Wrestling is "heavily interested" in signing Strowman to their roster. Ross Sapp also notes that there's been a push backstage in IMPACT for the past month to bring him in. But at this time, there is no confirmation that the two sides have actually signed a deal.

We hope this is true, and that they reach a deal with the former WWE Universal Champion in time for Bound For Glory, their biggest pay-per-view of the year.

#2. Hope isn't true: The possible reason behind Randy Orton's recent absence in WWE

Randy Orton took a hiatus from WWE between late June and July 2021, with the reason for it unknown. However, he returned to successfully capture the RAW Tag Team Championship with Matt Riddle at SummerSlam.

RK-Bro has had momentum on their side and quickly established themselves as one of the most popular teams on the WWE roster. Orton entered WWE title contention, but his WWE title bout against Bobby Lashley was moved from Extreme Rules to RAW.

Orton failed to capture the title and has been inconsistent with his appearances.

According to a report from PWInsider, Randy Orton was pulled from a recent house show as well and hasn't been cleared to compete:

"WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Randy Orton was not at this past Monday's Raw taping, PWInsider.com has confirmed. The word making the rounds backstage was that he was not "cleared to perform."

We hope this isn't true because it's a slippery slope for him to be on while being one-half of the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions. Hopefully, it's only a minor issue that gets cleared up soon.

#2. Hope is true: WWE planning for SummerSlam 2022 to be abroad?

It's been nearly 30 years since WWE held SummerSlam in the UK. The last time it happened was at SummerSlam 1992, where WWE hosted over 80,000 people. Every single member of the audience went wild as The British Bulldog pinned Bret Hart to become the Intercontinental Champion.

Up until 2016, it was considered the second-largest crowd in WWE history, with some stating that the inflated WrestleMania 3 numbers made it the legitimate largest crowd.

However, a report from Alex McCarthy of TalkSport revealed that WWE is in talks to host SummerSlam in the UK following a successful international tour. Not only this, but it may not be Wembley playing host to the bigger party of the summer:

We hope this is true because it feels long overdue for WWE to host a pay-per-view in the UK, let alone SummerSlam next year. UK crowds have always been fantastic, and an atmosphere with tens of thousands of people would surpass the regular RAW, SmackDown, and house shows.

Not to mention, the UK has consistently proven to be one of WWE's biggest markets. If there's any other region in the world that should host SummerSlam next year, it should be the UK.

#1. Hope isn't true: WWE's pitch to Adam Cole before his departure

Although Vince McMahon met Adam Cole to convince him to stay with WWE, it didn't work. Adam Cole is All Elite, and he seems to be enjoying life reunited with some of his closest friends in the wrestling business.

Adam Cole will be a success wherever he goes, but his WWE main roster run may not have gotten off to the best part if the pitch that was suggested was true. It was first rumored that Adam Cole was to be paired up with Keith "Bearcat" Lee as a cowardly heel manager.

A report from Fightful Select claimed that WWE pitched the idea of Adam Cole reinventing his look, an idea that he supposedly turned down. Sportskeeda's Kevin Sullivan wrote:

Per Fightful Select, WWE pitched the idea of having Cole cut his hair in order to "establish a new look." Much like his stance on keeping his Twitch channel, Adam Cole made it clear that he was not interested in this idea. So, whatever was involved in the final pitch WWE offered before Cole's exit, a haircut wasn't part of the package.

We hope this isn't true because it just reaffirms that he made the right decision by jumping ship from WWE to AEW. With that said, it appears as though he left on good terms, which is always a great thing.

#1. Hope is true: When WWE informed talent about their drafts

Over a decade ago, Jim Ross was abruptly drafted to SmackDown without his knowledge in the WWE Draft, and his live reaction was caught on camera. He revealed that he wasn't pleased with the surprise draft.

Although it might just be two different brands from fans' point of view, for the performers, it's a bit different. Superstars and their partners are normally paired up on the same brand, although there are usually exceptions each year.

This year, however, they decided not to go with the traditional approach of making superstars find out about their draft move with the rest of the world. According to a report by PWInsider, the company officials told superstars about their brand switch shortly before the announcement. Sportskeeda's Abhilash Mendhe wrote:

PWInsider is reporting the talents scheduled to switch brands were told about the same shortly before the official announcement. This was done to make sure the superstars wouldn't be caught off guard.

We hope this is true because it's far better than catching superstars off guard with surprise drafts. It should be a concept carried forward each year.