4 wrestling rumors we hope are true and 3 we hope aren't: Surprising change made to Brock Lesnar's WWE status, 14-Time Champion pushing for WWE release?

Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true, and those we hope aren't. It's been a big week in the world of wrestling and WWE, with the build to Survivor Series beginning.

This week's rumors include a new set of superstars assigned to different brands, a couple of popular superstars looking for a WWE exit, major returns to the ring soon, an unexpected injury, and more fallout from the Charlotte Flair incident on SmackDown. Let's begin:

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#4. Hope is true: Brock Lesnar assigned to a new brand post-WWE Draft?

Brock Lesnar revealed during the WWE Draft that he was a free agent, thanks to his "friend and advocate" Paul Heyman. At the time, it made sense since Lesnar is one of the few part-timers left in WWE, and his megastar status allows him to jump to whichever brand he wants.

For now, his focus will be on SmackDown. Following his controversial loss to Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel, Lesnar launched an assault on SmackDown and WWE authority figure Adam Pearce.

As a result, Brock Lesnar was suspended indefinitely and fined $1 million in the storyline. It's rumored that this is a way to drag out the feud between him and Roman expected to culminate at WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas.

Brock Lesnar is advertised for the 2022 Royal Rumble, which means he could be involved in the Men's Royal Rumble match. As of now, there's been a big change.

According to a report from PWInsider, Lesnar is one among a few names who has been assigned a brand, with The Beast Incarnate now being a SmackDown star.

Sportskeeda's Phillipa Marie wrote:

The annual WWE Draft took place at the beginning of the month, but several current superstars were omitted from the draft pool. According to a recent report from PWInsider, several of these names, including Brock Lesnar, have been assigned to new brands.

"Asuka has remained part of Monday Night RAW, but The Empress of Tomorrow is currently sidelined due to an arm injury. The final name on the list who was handed a brand is former 24/7 Champion Elias, who has been AWOL since his storage vignettes were unceremoniously scrapped. The Drifter has been assigned to Monday Night RAW."

We hope this is true because Brock Lesnar and Asuka should have been assigned brands during the WWE Draft. Lesnar doesn't have many matches, so there are plenty of opportunities on SmackDown, perhaps even a renewal of his feud with Drew McIntyre.

#3. Hope isn't true: Charlotte Flair pushing for a WWE exit?

The issues Charlotte Flair has had in WWE go further back from the on-screen and backstage incident with Becky Lynch. Following that, there were rumors Charlotte Flair was backstage in AEW, supporting her fiancee Andrade El Idolo.

The consequences of all that's been happening might have left a sour taste in Flair's mouth. PWInsider reported that some within her inner circle are pushing for her to request a release from WWE:

"For those who have asked, Flair was not backstage at AEW in Orlando, Florida over the weekend, although she has visited backstage in the past as Andrade El Idolo works for the company. We are told that there were those in her circle that were privately pushing the idea of her trying to get out of her WWE deal, but realistically, no one expects that to actually happen as of this writing" (H/T: PWInsider)

We hope this isn't true, and that Flair isn't granted a release. While there are opportunities for her outside of WWE, she isn't an underutilized superstar.

#3. Hope is true: Chad Gable looking for a WWE exit?

A story of two different potential exits from WWE. While it may seem contradictory, the circumstances of Charlotte Flair's situation and this one are different.

Chad Gable has been considered one of WWE's big potential stars, but his utilization proves that the higher-ups don't perceive him the same way.

Gable has been in numerous tag teams since his main roster debut in 2016 and hasn't found any singles success. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio (WOR), Chad Gable could be seeking an exit from WWE:

"It's been talked about, but I don't think it's going to happen. But it has been talked about, and he has definitely had friends tell him the same thing. I know it's been one of those things that's been under consideration, but I don't think he's going anywhere. I don't know that. Just one of those things. Not everyone's gonna get an offer from AEW, and that would really be the only place to go, and he's making a lot of money in WWE, and he's not gonna make that in IMPACT or anywhere else," said Meltzer. (h/t WrestleTalk)

We hope this is true because Chad Gable has great talent. With Dax Harwood of FTR teasing his exit earlier this year, Gable could be out of WWE, depending on his contract status.

#2. Hope isn't true: Sonya Deville was reportedly ready to fight Charlotte Flair following WWE SmackDown

Sonya Deville was part of the on-screen title exchange between the two WWE Women's Champions. She initiated the title exchange that fans seemed to dread, perhaps because it already happened last year with the tag team titles.

However, she wasn't happy with what played out. Given a recent report that no woman wanted to work with Charlotte Flair, it only makes sense that Deville was less-than-pleased with what went down.

According to PWInsider, Deville was so mad that she was ready to legitimately fight Charlotte Flair. Sportskeeda's Abhilash Mendhe wrote:

"Two different sources have now told PWInsider that Sonya Deville wasn't happy one bit with Charlotte Flair. Deville had an argument with Flair as well, after SmackDown went off the air. She was reportedly 'mad enough to want to fight Flair.'”

We hope this isn't true because it could prevent a future program between the two. Sonya Deville has long been considered a future Women's Champion, but she hasn't been active in the ring for over a year.

While she technically faced Naomi, it was Shayna Baszler who did all the work.

#2. Hope is true: Bray Wyatt's future post-WWE

Bray Wyatt has occasionally posted on social media since his WWE release. Wyatt wasn't the most active star on social media anyway, but a recent post seems to have given clarity on his future.

It seems unclear which company Wyatt will sign with. However, AEW and IMPACT seem to be the two most obvious options. For Wyatt, it will be a fresh start. He had only been with WWE and was a homegrown talent and a potential "lifer".

Jason Baker, the man behind The Fiend's lantern and one of his masks revealed on Twitter that he was working with Wyatt again:

We hope this is true because Bray Wyatt is officially finished with his non-compete clause. It's time for him to jump ship, and it'll be interesting to see what he chooses.

#1. Hope isn't true: AJ Styles removed from WWE TV due to unexpected injury?

AJ Styles and Omos failed to regain the RAW Tag Team Championship at WWE Crown Jewel 2021. Following that, it seemed as though their feud with RK-Bro was over, but it was announced that they would face off for the RAW Tag Team titles.

However, AJ Styles and Omos were quietly pulled from the match. The Dirty Dawgs were their replacements (following a #1 contender's match win), and some wondered why AJ Styles and Omos were suddenly pulled from the title match.

Dave Meltzer explained on WOR that the match was canceled due to a potential unforeseen injury to AJ Styles:

"Wrestling Observer Radio's Dave Meltzer explained why the match was canceled. He suggests that Styles' absence could most likely be due to an unforeseen injury."

We hope this isn't true because it's never good for superstars to suffer injuries. Of course, it's always possible that AJ Styles was dealing with nagging injuries, and it potentially caught up with him, keeping him away from in-ring action for a while.

The severity of any potential injury to AJ Styles is unknown.

#1. Hope is true: Sheamus set for a big in-ring return to WWE soon?

Sheamus hasn't wrestled in WWE for over a month now. While he was in the thick of a United States title feud against Damian Priest, his ultimate role was to elevate the younger star.

That's what happened and, post-that, Sheamus moved to SmackDown in the WWE Draft 2021. Sheamus is officially advertised for the upcoming UK tour, where he will be facing RAW superstar Finn Balor. Below are the dates for the WWE UK tour:

• The Brighton Centre, Brighton – November 3
• Utilita Arena, Sheffield – November 4
• Utilita Arena, Birmingham – November 5
• SSE Arena, London – November 6
• M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool – November 7
• First Direct Arena, Leeds – November 8
• Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham – November 9
• AO Arena, Manchester – November 10

We hope this is true because it means that Sheamus has had a quick recovery. It's believed that Sheamus injured his nose again during his Extreme Rules clash against Jeff Hardy and Damian Priest.