WWE News & Rumor Roundup - Another former World Champion leaving, Interesting Fiend update, Released star willing to return in a new role (8th December 2021)

Welcome back to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's daily WWE News & Rumor Roundup, where we gather all the main stories being discussed in and around Vince McMahon's promotion.

Reports suggest that another former world champion could be on his way out of the WWE as his contract expires soon.

It's been a while since Bray Wyatt's WWE release, but his name continues to pop up, and this time, we have an interesting update regarding The Fiend. Another recently released star revealed that she would be willing to return to the company, however, not as a talent but in a different capacity.

A WWE Producer also disclosed details of the backstage reaction to Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan's recent RAW main event.

We concluded the roundup with a positive update on a WWE Hall of Famer's health.

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#5 Kevin Owens expected to leave WWE

Kevin Owens' WWE contract is set to expire at the end of January 2022, and all roads presently lead to the former World Champion's exit.

Fightful first reported on Kevin Owens' contract status a few weeks back, and not much has changed regarding his decision to sign a new deal.

On this week's Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Kevin Owens is still expected to leave WWE once his contract expires.

Owens is currently scheduled to compete in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship at the Day 1 pay-per-view. Bobby Lashley will most likely be added to the contest to make it a four-way bout, with Meltzer reporting that Owens is in the match just to take the pin.

The former Universal Champion can afford to get pinned as he is reportedly not leaning towards re-signing with Vince McMahon's promotion.

"They also say it's still expected that Kevin Owens is leaving WWE soon and he's been added to the title match at Day 1 to take the pin and keep everyone else strong," stated the report (CSS).

AEW looks like the most probable destination for Kevin Owens once he officially becomes a free agent in 2022.

The RAW Superstar has already dropped multiple hints of an AEW move, and the next few weeks of WWE programming should give fans a clearer picture of the Prizefighter's future.

#4 WWE's new merchandise for The Fiend

Bray Wyatt was shockingly released from the WWE in July earlier this year, and there continues to be a lot of speculation about his wrestling future. Amidst all the rumors, WWE has now gone ahead and released fresh merchandise for The Fiend.

"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt Holiday POP! Vinyl Figure can now be purchased on WWEShop despite the superstar no longer being a part of the company.

WWE owns the rights to The Fiend character and can churn out new merchandise without any restrictions.

Bray Wyatt's WWE non-compete clause expired on October 29th, and he is currently one of the hottest free agents on all of professional wrestling. Wyatt, real name Windham Rotunda, recently even bagged a role in a horror film, and it might be a while until we see him back inside a wrestling ring.

AEW and IMPACT Wrestling are both reportedly in the running for Rotunda's signature, and it will be interesting to see where he eventually lands.

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#3 Mercedes Martinez willing to return to WWE for a new role

Mercedes Martinez was released from her WWE contract in August, and the former NXT star recently appeared as a guest on Renee Paquette's Oral Sessions podcast.

Martinez was asked whether she'd be interested in working again with WWE and the 41-year-old star said she would be ready to become a coach or trainer for the company.

Coming back as an active talent isn't on the table anymore for Martinez as she would instead like to help the next generation of superstars in the WWE.

"I'm not going to say that I won't be back; I just think that if I ever go back to WWE, it won't be as a talent. It's going to be helping the new generation, which is what I hope to do in the long run," admitted Martinez.

The veteran wrestler even revealed that she had talks with Triple H about taking up a backstage role when she first signed with WWE.

"When I did get signed, talking to Triple H, we always talked about that maybe when my contract ended, or when it was nearing the end of my contract, then maybe we can transition to coaching or help coaching or agenting, or something like that," Mercedes Martinez revealed.

Martinez has been wrestling since early 2000s, and she is one of the most respected female stars in the business who will undoubtedly be an asset to WWE if they re-hire her as a coach.

However, Martinez is in no mood to hang up her boots just yet as she is one of the most recognizable faces on the IMPACT Wrestling roster.

#2 Backstage reaction to Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan's WWE RAW main event

Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan closed out the most recent WWE RAW episode with a phenomenal Championship match, which ended with The Man picking up a controversial victory.

Shane Helms, aka The Hurricane, revealed that Gorilla Position was 'sold out' during the bout. People behind the scenes wanted to show their support for the two superstars as they swarmed the backstage area during the main event.

"I'm not naming names, you know who you are, but Gorilla was sold out for Liv-Becky. Seeing that kind of support was just awesome," wrote Shane Helms.

Liv Morgan and Becky Lynch are incredibly popular backstage, and it's really heartening to see the roster react positively to the efforts of both women.

Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan's rivalry isn't expected to end anytime soon as their RAW bout's finish leaves the door open for a rematch.

It has also been speculated that WWE could book a surprise title change, and you can read more on that right here.

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#1 WWE Hall of Famer "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan has defeated cancer

The legendary "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan posted a video on social media and announced that he had finally overcome another battle against cancer, the second since he beat kidney cancer in 1998.

The WWE Hall of Famer was diagnosed with prostate cancer almost a year back and successfully underwent surgery at the end of October at the Medical University of South Carolina Hospital in Charleston, SC.

Hacksaw posted the following on Instagram and announced the fantastic news:

"Hi everybody, I just wanted to share with everybody the great news I just received, that the cancer was all encapsulated inside my prostate. They checked my bones - that came out clear. The surrounding tissue came out clear - the lymph nodes came out clear. So, thank God I'm cancer-free. You know, this was my second bout with cancer. Twenty years ago, I had kidney cancer, now prostate cancer. Folks, remember – early detection saves lives. And Merry, Merry Christmas, Ho, Ho, Hooo!" said Jim Duggan.

Sportskeeda Wrestling sends its best wishes to "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and hopes to see the 67-year-old legend back at wrestling conventions and other shows in 2022.