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Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't. We're less than two weeks away from the next premium live event, Hell in a Cell, and there has been a lot going on backstage.
It goes without saying that the primary focus this past week has been multiple reports on Sasha Banks and Naomi following their walk-out on RAW. Some have highlighted the possible reasons behind it while others have been following the aftermath.
Given how much it has dominated the headlines, we're going to keep the Sasha Banks-Naomi rumors to a minimum and focus on some of the other interesting happenings in WWE this week.
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#4. Hope is true: A megastar has a clear schedule for a WWE return in 2023
Roman Reigns now has six WrestleMania main events to his name. He is one shy of tying Triple H and two shy of Hulk Hogan's record eight WrestleMania main events. It won't be surprising to see him catch up to the two in a matter of time, as there have now long been talks of what's in store for him at WrestleMania 39 in 2023.
The stage will be SoFi Stadium when WWE returns to Hollywood. Given the location and context, the return of The Rock to a WWE ring has naturally been the biggest talking point.
Technically, it has been six years since The Rock competed for WWE as he defeated Erick Rowan in six seconds. In terms of his proper last match, it has been nine years.
According to Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer, The Rock's schedule is cleared in the first quarter of 2023, allowing him to potentially return to the ring after seven years. Sportskeeda's Hazel S. Pagador wrote:
"Bryan Alvarez of The Wrestling Observer noted that the former Fast and Furious star's schedule is clear for the first quarter of 2023. Based off of WWE's usual events calendar, this could be in line to build up a feud at WrestleMania 39."
We hope this is true because The Rock returning would be the biggest possible feud for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.
#3. Hope isn't true: Plans for Roman Reigns to change this summer?
Well over 600 days into his Universal title reign, Roman Reigns now has a lack of challengers. An angle with Drew McIntyre was recently teased, but new reports indicate that the feud will be held off until after SummerSlam, with Clash at The Castle expected to be the ultimate stage for their clash.
However, if legendary Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury is to return to WWE, then things could drastically change for the Scottish Warrior, who has called out Fury on numerous occasions.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE could change the Roman Reigns-Drew McIntyre match at Clash in the Castle if Tyson Fury is available:
"The plan for the show as of right now is Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre as the main event, but if Tyson Fury is part of the show, it could change to him against McIntyre."
We hope this isn't true because it's the perfect stage for Drew McIntyre to dethrone Roman Reigns. That bout in that venue with The Scottish Warrior's countrymen in attendance would get the biggest reaction possible.
#3. Hope is true: Why WWE didn't punish Charlotte Flair last October
Last October, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair swapped titles on SmackDown as they were drafted to opposing brands.
What was noted immediately backstage was that the segment didn't go as planned, with Lynch reportedly furious at Charlotte Flair and how it was handled. Given that it was Flair who went off-script, she was the one who some thought would be punished.
According to Dave Meltzer of WON, the company reportedly didn't want to punish Charlotte Flair despite Lynch's fury as they feared she would go to AEW:
"[Becky] Lynch was furious and [Charlotte] Flair, who had expressed concern about thinking the segment didn’t make sense, went out and didn’t do it as told. She was sent home, but was quickly brought back. We were told at the time the decision was made not to punish her or get rid of her because they didn’t want to hand Flair to AEW. With Naomi & Banks, even though neither is pushed at the level of Flair, the idea may be the same."
We hope this is true because even if Flair deserved to be punished, such big and long-term factors have to be taken into account by WWE.
#2. Hope isn't true: Original plans for Sasha Banks and Naomi at Hell in a Cell
As mentioned, we tried to keep this edition less focused on the Sasha Banks and Naomi saga as the number of reports would have been enough to fill out this entire article. Regardless, it would feel incomplete without at least one report from the incident.
Naomi was reportedly scheduled to win the six-pack challenge on RAW to qualify for the RAW Women's title match at Hell in a Cell. Sasha Banks, on the other hand, may have been gearing up for a clash with Ronda Rousey.
According to a report from PWInsider, the original plan was to use the women's tag team champions to elevate the two singles champions:
"The conceived storyline idea was that Naomi would then go on to Hell In A Cell and lose to Bianca Belair. There are some who believe that at this week’s Smackdown, an angle would have also been shot for Sasha Banks to wrestle and lose to Ronda Rousey, likely also at HIAC. So, the Women's Tag Team Champions would have effectively been used to put over the Raw and Smackdown Women's Championship titleholders in the weeks ahead," reported PWInsider.
We hope this isn't true because it would be a bad idea to use the tag team champions to elevate the singles champions.
#2. Hope is true: WWE's next two opponents for Roman Reigns
In the last bit of Roman Reigns rumors this week, one thing is clear: he will not be defending his title at Hell in a Cell 2022. This will mark two consecutive premium live events where he won't be defending, and given that Money in the Bank and SummerSlam are both stadium shows, he will be needed.
Thankfully, he is expected to defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on both shows. According to Brad Shepard, WWE has chosen the next two opponents for The Tribal Chief.
Sportskeeda's Israel Lutete wrote:
"WWE has plans for Reigns to headline Money In The Bank and SummerSlam. The two events will take place in July this year. The report also mentions that the higher-ups are considering Randy Orton and Riddle as potential challengers for Roman Reigns' Undisputed WWE Universal Championship."
We hope this is true because Riddle deserves the spot to test his credibility as a main event star, while Randy Orton is always a safe bet as he is an established multi-time world champion.
#1. Hope isn't true: WWE's original plans for the fourth Judgement Day member
From Roman Reigns, we will head to a Judgement Day double-header. The first of two rumors involves the original plan for the fourth (and final) member of Judgement Day. While Edge has been teasing the likes of Ciampa and Paige, the original plan was an unexpected star who is now released.
A report from Ringside News stated that Edge pushed for Harland aka Parker Boudreaux as the fourth and final member of Judgement Day.
Sportskeeda's Mohammad Haroon wrote:
"A recent report stated that the company had been planning to add a fourth member to The Judgment Day. Ringside News has now revealed that Edge had planned for Harland to be the stable's final member."
We hope this isn't true because as scary as Harland looked, he was far too green to be given that spot, unlike Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley.
#1. Hope is true: Possible plans for the final Judgement Day member
To end this week's edition, we have another bit of news regarding Judgement Day. From the look of things, the plan for the fourth member seems to be finalized. While Harland is no longer with WWE, it could come in the form of somebody already on the main roster - somebody who is already involved with Judgement Day.
In fact, the person in question could be one of the talents already feuding against Edge's faction. We're talking about none other than Finn Balor, who hasn't turned heel at any point during his main roster run.
On the Unleashed Patreon, it was reported that the current plan is for Finn Balor to betray AJ Styles and join Edge:
"The current creative plan calls for Finn Balor to turn on AJ Styles and join Edge’s Judgement Day faction. I do not know when that is planned to happen. We will have to wait and see when Balor will end up turning on Styles and join Judgement Day. The idea of Balor and Styles teaming up hit many fans in the feels, but WWE doesn’t really cater to that kind of booking very often. It is likely to help out Balor in the long run."
We hope this is true because it's a good move for Balor to finally turn heel after having another lackluster run on the main roster.
