3 AEW rumors we hope are true and 2 we hope aren't: WWE interested in signing 33-year old star; Tony Khan reached out to four-time Women's Champion?

Welcome back to another edition of AEW rumors that we hope are true and those we hope aren't. The wrestling world changed drastically last year when WWE let go of well-established names. Meanwhile, Tony Khan's promotion seized upon the opportunity by bringing in most of these stars.

But with the new year, the two companies will have a different approach towards balancing their roster.

In today's edition, we'll shed light on reports suggesting both WWE and AEW's interest in signing some notable names from the industry. Aside from these intriguing stories, we have plenty of other things to discuss. So let's quickly get down to the top rumor reports of the week.

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#5 Hopefully not true: WWE interested in signing AEW star Wardlow

MJF isn't the only star for whom WWE would be willing to initiate a bidding war with Tony Khan's promotion.

WrestleVotes recently tweeted that people within Vince McMahon's promotion are 'extremely' interested in signing Wardlow once his contract with All Elite Wrestling expires.

"With his biggest match to date happening later tonight, I can confirm, without hesitation, that WWE will be extremely interested in luring Wardlow away from AEW when his contract is due. There are several people within World Wrestling Entertainment that LOVE his potential," tweeted WrestleVotes.

We hope this isn't true. While everyone is fully aware of Vince McMahon's interest in bigger men, we have all seen how the company has mishandled the talents of a few of them.

Besides, wrestling journalists believe that WWE would never offer a contract to someone who has never been a big deal in the industry. Wardlow has now steadily started to gain prominence in All Elite Wrestling over the past few weeks.

Moreover, the Pinnacle member has himself clarified that he would be an AEW lifer.

#4 Hopefully true: AEW possibly reached out to WWE Hall of Famer Lita

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select recently noted that AEW reached out to WWE Hall of Famer Lita back in 2019. As per the reports, the two parties failed to reach an agreement, which led to the pitched plans for Lita falling apart.

The wrestling journalist added that Tony Khan's promotion put up the idea of having a high-profile program between the WWE Hall Of Famer and the current Women's Champion Dr. Britt Baker for All Out 2021. Interestingly enough, the door for the 46-year-old star is still open after the two sides ended their talks on a positive note.

We hope this rumor is true since Lita would have given much-needed momentum to the female roster. On top of that, Baker could have benefitted the most by facing someone of her caliber.

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#3 Hopefully true: AEW planning a program between Adam Cole and 'Hangman' Adam Page

Dave Melter recently reported that All Elite Wrestling is planning to do a potential program between Adam Cole and Hangman Page for the World Championship.

We hope this rumor is true because the Panama City Playboy is currently ranked No.1 in the men's rankings. Meanwhile, Page is presently engaged in a rivalry with Lance Archer, but he would need a credible opponent after the feud is done.

One must note that Cole and Page have a history with each other, and a renewed rivalry between them for the coveted prize would bring eyeballs to the product.

#2 Hopefully not true: AEW's Hikaru Shida written off from television for foreseeable future?

Hikaru Shida may not appear in AEW programming for the foreseeable future if her recent tweets are any indication. Following her crushing loss to Serena Deeb on Dynamite last week, Shida tweeted that she is heading back to her home in Japan.

With the company not having commented in this regard yet, it is unknown if we've seen the last of the former women's champion for some time. After all, the kayfabe injury angle suggests that the company may have written her off from television.

But we hope this isn't true. While Hikaru Shida has returned to her home country, she hasn't clarified how long she will be out of action. Moreover, Shida and Deeb are currently tied at 2-2, leaving the space for a rubber match between the two.

So we hope the Japanese star returns to AEW programming sooner rather than later.

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#1 Hopefully true: Tony Khan has extended the contracts of All Elite Wrestling 'Originals'

Dave Meltzer recently reported that contracts for the original AEW roster that included stars like Hangman Page, Chris Jericho, Cody, and Brandi Rhodes, have possibly been renewed without notifying the public.

The wrestling journalist noted that these wrestlers initially had a three-year contract with the promotion, which could have expired by now. But the fact they're still portraying prominent roles on television sheds light on their future.

We hope this is true since these stars are the backbone of All Elite Wrestling. It is evident that Mr. Khan wouldn't let any of these stars go elsewhere other than in his company.