4 Wrestling rumors we hope are true and 3 we hope aren't: Top star being built as Brock Lesnar's return opponent, 5-Time World Champion wants to leave WWE soon?

Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't. In a lighter edition this week, we cover injuries that happened in WWE, plans post-WrestleMania, returns, releases, and much more!

Let's start with Brock Lesnar and his potential return to WWE:

#4. Hope is true: WWE building a top RAW star as Brock Lesnar's next opponent?

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Brock Lesnar hasn't been in WWE for over a year now, and since he rarely competes past WrestleMania season, the natural assumption is that he will be back for SummerSlam 2021.

He isn't even under a WWE contract, but that doesn't seem to be a problem. Since WWE is now confident that Lesnar won't return to the UFC, his return to the squared circle seems inevitable.

Many were hoping that 2021 would be the year that we finally get to see the dream match between Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar, and we might be a step closer. According to Wade Keller of PWTorch, Lashley's victory over Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania wasn't a vote of no-confidence for the latter, but WWE building The All-Mighty up as an opponent to Lesnar:

''I have to think that finish was part of building Lashley for a match with Brock Lesnar more than it was any kind of no-confidence vote in McIntyre,'' said Wade Keller of PWTorch.

We hope this is true because 2021 might be WWE's final chance at booking a dream Lashley vs. Lesnar match. Bobby Lashley stated that he returned to WWE in 2018 for the Brock Lesnar match, and now that he is the WWE Champion, there is no better time than SummerSlam.

Given that Lashley might be in the midst of his only World Title reign in WWE, this would be a big reward for him - win or lose.

#3. Hope isn't true: Daniel Bryan looking to join another promotion after his WWE contract expires?

Daniel Bryan shocked the WWE Universe when he said that he felt an "odd detachment" at WrestleMania 37 and didn't feel the need to be in the main event. Despite that, he put on an incredible performance at The Grandest Stage of Them All.

He even revealed that his WWE contract is expiring soon - one that he signed three years back in 2018. It will be interesting to see what his next step is. WrestleMania 37 seemed to be a sign for Bryan that he needed to move into a more part-time role.

According to Fightful, Daniel Bryan might be looking at options outside of WWE once his contract expires:

According to Fightful, while discussing his expiring WWE contract, Daniel Bryan said that he’s trying to find a way to wrestle for WWE and for other companies.

We hope this isn't true because it's most likely just a negotiating tactic from Daniel Bryan to get a better deal from WWE. We fully expect him to sign a new lucrative contract and transition into a part-time role.

#3. Hope is true: WWE fires a big employee over the Mickie James incident

Mickie James received an unexpected package

Mickie James was recently released by WWE for the second time. It was part of the "spring clean" up of April 15th - a dreaded day. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, especially since she wasn't being utilized for a long time, even after her recovery from surgery.

She posted an image on Twitter recently, showing the package that WWE sent her of her remaining items. It was sent in a large garbage bag, which caused quite a stir.

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon confirmed that the employee responsible for the incident was fired. While the name wasn't specified, WrestlingInc reported that Mark Carrano was the one held accountable, and let go as a result:

It is now reported by Wrestling Inc. that the staff member responsible for this fiasco, Mark Carrano, has been fired. Carrano, who held the role of Senior Director of Talent Relations, is a well-known figure in the wrestling business. He has been with WWE for quite some time now and has even featured in a couple of seasons of Total Divas. He has been the subject of controversy in the past as well.

We hope this is true, but only if Carrano was directly responsible for it. While it isn't known whether he took the fall for somebody else, there haven't been good things said about him by former WWE talent.

#2. Hope isn't true: WWE moves Mia Yim to SmackDown?

Mia Yim's WWE career is in a tricky place. She was placed in the RETRIBUTION faction, and after Mercedes Martinez returned to NXT (reportedly upon her own request), Yim was the only female member of the faction.

Instead of getting a good spot, she found herself losing to Dana Brooke. After WWE disbanded RETRIBUTION, all the members went their separate ways. While T-Bar and Mace are seemingly aligned with MVP, there wasn't any word about Mia Yim's position in WWE - especially after she tested positive for COVID-19.

PWInsider reported that Yim has been quietly moved to SmackDown:

“With the demise of RETRIBUTION as an act, RECKONING (Mia Yim) has been officially shifted to the SmackDown brand.”

While it isn't necessarily a bad thing, we hope this isn't true because the RAW Women's division needs more singles stars. Most of the women are occupied in the Tag Team division, and WWE needs to introduce fresh faces to challenge for the title down the line.

#2. Hope is true: The reason why WWE "fined" and "suspended" Charlotte Flair

Charlotte Flair after a big outburst on RAW

Charlotte Flair returned to WWE on the RAW after WrestleMania after missing The Grandest Stage of Them All for the first time in her career. She instantly entered the RAW Women's Title picture, but a loss to Asuka last week led to her having an outburst and attacking a referee.

She was suspended in storyline and fined $100,000 for her actions. It was a way for WWE to write her off - but only short-term. According to Wrestling Daily, Flair has dental work that needs to be sorted out, and that she won't be out for long:

“From what I understand, she’s got some dental work sorting out, but she’s not going to be gone for long,” host Alex McCarthy said.

We hope this is true because Charlotte Flair didn't deserve to miss WrestleMania, and seems to be doing some of the best character work of her WWE career so far. The RAW Women's Title feud is a lot less interesting without her.

#1. Hope isn't true: Randy Orton suffered an injury on WWE RAW?

Randy Orton faced one of the up-and-coming WWE stars Riddle on RAW on April 19th and suffered a shock defeat. It was a simple finish, but it said a lot about Riddle's potential position in WWE and his future.

Orton rarely loses throwaway matches on RAW, and he could be feuding with The Original Bro next based on the nature of the finish. However, it could be halted for now. Bryan Alvarez revealed that Randy Orton suffered a shoulder injury on RAW while wrestling Riddle:

“I don’t know the extent of what happened, but Randy Orton hurt his shoulder. He was fighting out of the corner and Riddle went to give him an exploder and Randy of course didn’t take an exploder. He blocked it and he pulled back and did this very dramatic punch and he punched him and then from that point forward he could no longer use his right arm. He was throwing forearms with his left arm, which looked horrible. They still did manage to do a top rope superplex… it was like that one day when he punched the mat and his shoulder went out,” said Bryan Alvarez.

We hope this isn't true because it would be a big blow to the WWE roster to lose Randy Orton in a time like this. While he isn't competing for the WWE Title, he always has a useful role to be in.

#1. Hope is true: WWE's plan for Roman Reigns after Daniel Bryan

Fans were surprised when WWE decided to give away Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan on free television. On this week's episode of SmackDown, the Universal Title will be on the line, and Daniel Bryan could be written off by WWE with a loss.

Some fans were surprised for a different reason. Despite Cesaro being the person who everybody thought was next in line, he was simply passed over. As it turns out, it wasn't WWE simply ignoring The Swiss Superman.

Roman Reigns' match against Daniel Bryan will reportedly be used to build towards a pay-per-view match against Cesaro, as per WON:

The Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan title match on SmackDown next week is expected to lead to Reigns vs. Cesaro, though it’s unclear exactly how. The Observer noted there are many possible directions that are on the table.

We hope this is true because Cesaro deserves to challenge for the Universal Title in a pay-per-view main event. Even if he isn't going to beat Reigns, it's a great spot to be in - the best in his WWE career.

Edited by Kaushik Das