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Welcome to another edition of the top SmackDown rumors that could have a major impact on the Blue brand. This week on SmackDown, we saw some major headway being made for the upcoming Fastlane pay-per-view. A match between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns was finalized for the event. Between Edge and Jey Uso, one of them will serve as a special guest enforcer for the match.
Seth Rollins and Cesaro's feud also continued this week, with Rollins saving Murphy from the Cesaro Swing. Does this mean that Murphy and Rollins are back as teammates? We will take a deeper look into Murphy's booking in this article.
So without further ado, let us dive in and take a look at some of the biggest stories and rumors related to SmackDown:
#5 AEW's Dax Harwood hints that SmackDown's Chad Gable will not be in WWE after two months
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Former Tag Team Champion Chad Gable has finally found a foothold in SmackDown ever since he started teaming with Otis. The two men have established their dominance on the Blue brand and are currently feuding with Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio.
Even though Gable has had many different gimmicks throughout his WWE career, nothing stuck in the long run. As a result, the former NXT Superstar always went back to being a lower mid-card act.
In a recent tweet, AEW's Dax Harwood implied that Chad Gable's WWE contract is only two months away from expiring. He also hinted that he would want to face Gable once his contract expires.
"Wait, what’s all this #1 talk?! I know you’re not allowed to respond to me publicly for about 2 more months, but c’mon man! HE’S your #1?!"
Although it is believed that AEW has an interest in Chad Gable, it remains to be seen if the former Olympian will choose to jump ship given his current push in WWE.
#4 SmackDown's Murphy lashes out at Rey Mysterio and Aalyah Mysterio
Last week on SmackDown, Murphy tried to reunite with Seth Rollins after months of absence from WWE television. Murphy turned on Seth Rollins late last year to join the Mysterio family as Aalyah's boyfriend. However, due to the lack of any creative ideas for Murphy, he wasn't featured on SmackDown for a while before his recent return.
While many fans found his sudden change of heart hard to digest, Murphy clarified on Instagram as to why he chose to ditch the Mysterio family.
"Aalyah used me to be on tv and advance an acting career. Dominik used me so he had a reason to stand ringside. Rey was jealous that I became the new face of the cruiserweight(s) and he was left out of the discussion."
#3 Identities of Apollo Crews' bodyguards on SmackDown
SmackDown Superstar Apollo Crews has received a significant makeover in the past few weeks. Crews has gone back to his roots and now claims to be part of Nigerian royalty.
To support his claims, the former U.S. Champion was accompanied by two bodyguards dressed in Nigerian military outfits on last week's SmackDown. These two Superstars are reportedly NXT stars Denzel Dejournette aka Desmond Troy and Matrick Belton.
While Troy has been a part of WWE since 2018, Belton is a member of the most recent class of signees.
#2 Edge to return to in-ring competition on SmackDown after 11 years
The Rated-R Superstar returned to WWE at Royal Rumble 2020 after a hiatus of around nine years. However, Edge has not once wrestled on SmackDown since his return to WWE. That is set to change as the former multi-time WWE Champion will wrestle Jey Uso on SmackDown next week.
The winner of this match will earn the right to become the special guest enforcer for Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan's Universal Championship match at Fastlane. This is the first time in 11 years that Edge will compete on SmackDown.
#1 Daniel Bryan won't be part of the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania
As discussed earlier, Daniel Bryan will get a shot at Roman Reigns' Universal Championship at Fastlane. For those hoping that the leader of the YES Movement will become the world champion again, we have some bad news.
As per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the match that has been finalized for WrestleMania 37 is a one-on-one bout between Reigns and Edge.
"The key matches at WrestleMania appear to be a lock, with Roman Reigns vs. Edge for the Universal title, Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE title, Randy Orton vs. The Fiend in some kind of a gimmick match, Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon, Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair for the SmackDown women’s title all either announced or a clear direction."
If this rumor stands true, Daniel Bryan won't become Universal Champion at Fastlane. Additionally, he will be removed from the Universal Championship picture after the pay-per-view is over.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
