WWE News and Rumor Roundup: Video shows who sabotaged Finn Balor during title match at Extreme Rules, Roman Reigns breaks character to praise top superstars (1st October, 2021)

Welcome to another exciting edition of WWE News and Rumor Roundup. While we are looking forward to a big Draft 2021 event that will kickstart on SmackDown later tonight, there are a few stories from the recent past that caught our attention.

Here, we look at some of the biggest stories that have ruled headlines over the last 24 hours. So, without further ado, let's begin.

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#6 Fan video reveals who cut the rope during "The Demon" Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules

Extreme Rules 2021's main event saw "The Demon" Finn Balor lose to Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a controversial fashion. The closing moments of their match saw The Demon's resurrection only for him to trip and fall when the rope unexpectedly gave way.

A fan posted a video on Twitter in which a man can be seen jumping off the ring while holding a camera right after the normal lights came back on, and it appears that he was the one who cut the rope.

It is unclear if the person is another superstar disguised as a cameraman or if he was really a part of the production crew. However, eagle-eyed fans spotted a small knife or possibly bolt cutters in his hands and speculated that he was the one responsible for Balor's fall.

It will be interesting to see if the company is planning to use this as a storyline and provide a legit explanation behind "The Demon" Finn Balor's booking in his big title match.

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#5 Roman Reigns breaks character to praise top WWE Superstars

Roman Reigns tries to maintain his heel persona most of the time, even when it is off-screen. However, he currently broke character in a recent interview to praise WWE Champion Big E and Bobby Lashley. The Tribal Chief hailed them as world-class athletes and was impressed with their swift in-ring movement.

"Everybody's built a really solid package. Just the two guys I was in there with on Monday, Bobby Lashley and Big E—very different physiques, but both top-tier, world-class athletes. Not only with the way they look, but the numbers they can put up in the gym. I'm sure if you put a stopwatch on them, too, it'd be pretty impressive the way they can move," said Reigns.

Last week, Roman Reigns visited RAW and faced both Big E and Lashley. The Tribal Chief stood tall after an impressive performance, but he might face both superstars soon. While he could clash with Big E at Survivor Series, Reigns might find himself involved in a feud with Bobby Lashley, who hinted at a potential move to SmackDown during the WWE Draft 2021.

#4 WWE source reveals the real-life relationship between Vince and Shane McMahon

Recently, backstage rumors suggested that Shane McMahon is "done with WWE." The story took the internet by storm, and several fans speculated about the real-life relationship between Vince McMahon and his son. A WWE source recently confirmed that Shane McMahon only returned to work as a talent and isn't interested in the business side of the promotion.

"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.

The source insisted that Shane and Vince McMahon share a "great relationship" and said he is more inclined towards other business interests.

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#3 Nikki Bella gives an update on her WWE return

Nikki Bella recently addressed her potential WWE return. She said that she would love to step inside the squared circle once again when her son is older so that he could see her "kick ass" inside the ring.

"I would love, one day when Matteo is maybe three and he knows it," said Nikki Bella. "Like to have my son be ringside while his mom kicks ass, that would be amazing to me. But like, because he is my everything, I have to listen to the doctors and as of now, they put me on the retired bench for life and so it would just take a lot of scans and x-rays and all this different stuff for them to actually approve me to do a run and so, that would be — I'm like Brie [Bella]. That'd be years down the road."

While she is keen towards a potential in-ring return in the future, Nikki Bella also feels that it won't happen unless she is medically cleared to compete. The two-time Divas Champion has said that she will listen to the doctors and then decide about her return.

#2 Reason why Triple H apologized to former WWE Superstar

Former WWE NXT star Mercedes Martinez recently revealed that Triple H had apologized to her for not hiring her sooner. She signed up with the company in January last year and was part of RETRIBUTION on RAW. She recalled her conversation with The Game at the time and shared more details about their discussion.

"When I got hired and I finally got to sit down and talk to him [Triple H], or stand up, I guess, because we were standing up while we were talking. It was more like him saying, 'Sorry it took us so long to get you here. It was just never the right time to bring Mercedes in. We always wanted you but there was just never the right time. We didn't know what to do with you' and I was like, 'No,' I was like, 'I'm just glad to be here now. What is my role now to be here?'" said Martinez.

Triple H had also told Mercedes Martinez that he wanted her to stay with the company for a long time and even proposed that she should work as a trainer after her in-ring career. Unfortunately, WWE released her on August 6, 2021.

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#1 WWE veteran wants top RAW Superstar to turn babyface before facing Roman Reigns

Vince Russo recently discussed AJ Styles' possible booking in the coming months. He suggested that The Phenomenal One should move to SmackDown, where he could turn babyface and feud with Roman Reigns.

"He needs a change. Nothing on AJ, Chris, nothing on AJ, he goes out there today at 43 and performs like he's 33. I think he needs a change in environment so he has an opportunity. And hey, bro, I'm gonna ask you this: why couldn't he be a believable babyface against Roman Reigns?" Russo said.

Russo further compared Styles to Finn Balor and said that the former could pose a believable threat to Reigns on SmackDown. He further stated that he would never have bought into Balor beating The Tribal Chief but wouldn't mind Styles winning against him.