Top 5 WWE rumors of the week and analysis : 1 February, 2015

While Royal Rumble was supposed to be a career launching platform for Roman Reigns, it turned out to be the exact opposite. The fans in Philadelphia showed no mercy for the Samoan Superstar even after the company brought out Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to make Reigns look good.The Cancel Network tag was trending all over social media but within no time, the number of subscribers passed the one million mark. It was a bitter and sweet week for Vince McMahon and his promotion to keep it short, but the real battle has only started.With WrestleMania just around the corner, a lot of things need to be fixed by the company and the rumor mills have been buzzing a lot about the same. So here is a look at the best speculations that came out last week.

#5 The alternative to Bray Wyatt vs. Undertaker

The speculations about a possible match between Bray Wyatt and Undertaker gathered momentum when Bray came out looking strong at the Royal Rumble. Taker is expected to return at Fast Lane if the match is going to happen and if it isn’t then the possible angle for Bray might be with Daniel Bryan.

Bryan does not have a match set on stone for Mania as things stand. The names of Sheamus and Ziggler are in the mix as possible opponents but if Bray is not involved in an angle with Taker, the company will go with Bray vs. Bryan.

It is an exciting prospect considering the amount of chemistry that these two men have and will be a lot better than seeing Bryan and Sheamus in another forgettable match.

#4 Dust Brothers to lock horn at Mania

The friction that was there between Goldust and Stardust at Royal Rumble is apparently the start of a long term feud which will culminate at WrestleMania. The fans have wanted this one for a long time and with Goldust likely to retire after Mania, there would not be a better time.

Despite the rumors, the feud will only be used if the company has no other major midcard attraction for WrestleMania. As for now, the Dust Brothers may work against Ascension at Fast Lane so that to prepare the new team for a potential clash with Usos.

If the rumors of Goldust retiring are indeed true, then the writers should think about pushing the idea of Cody vs. Goldust rather than letting it go by just like that.

#3 The reason for Orton not returning at Rumble

Randy Orton was actually present in Philadelphia during the time of Royal Rumble but WWE decided not to bring him back. Orton will be returning as a full-fledged baby face and the company did not want him to lose in his first match after return.

Other names like Sheamus, Bo Dallas, Alex Riley and Chris Jericho were also in the mix for a return but all that were put on hold for some reason or the other. Apart from these names, ECW originals, Tommy Dreamer and Blue Meanie were also in consideration but WWE went with Bubba Ray Dudley in the end.

Unlike the popular opinion, there were no hopes for the NXT talent to make it into the Rumble and from the looks of it; there will not be any presence from the NXT guys at WrestleMania as well.

#2 Multi men match at Fast Lane

The problem that WWE fans have with Reigns headlining WrestleMania with Brock Lesnar might be solved at Fast Lane. There are rumors of a multi men match being set up at the pay-per-view to decide the direction of all the top superstars in the company.

The match is supposed to feature the likes of Reigns, Daniel Bryan, Bray Wyatt and some others with the main intention being Bryan’s inclusion into the WrestleMania match.

If that does not work out, the company will break apart all the men into different singles feud with Reigns going over. It would be a great thing to put Reigns over at Fast Lane as it will make it more credible before the showdown with Lesnar.

#1 Double turn for Lesnar and Reings

In a rumor that contradicted with the last one, WWE might not be changing the Reigns vs. Lesnar match at WrestleMania as well. There are not going to be any changes to the match but the characters of the two men is likely to go a big turn if Lesnar decides to sign a new contract.

After the match at Mania, WWE might turn Reigns heel and Lesnar face. This would be similar to what they did with Steve Austin and Bret Hart back in WrestleMania 13.

There is an immense amount of potential in Lesnar being the top baby face of the company and they could only use it if the Beast sticks around rather than jumping ship to UFC. The increase in Network Subscriptions will be crucial to this as Lesnar could earn more than what he does now.