5 wrestling rumors we hope are true and 5 we hope aren't: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon turn down huge roles in WWE, Controversial Superstar getting a sudden name change?

Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/Wrestling rumors we hope are true, and those we hope aren't. It's a delayed edition this week, but we've got a heavy edition, so let's get started:

#5. Hope is true: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon turned down big backstage roles in WWE

The current WWE Executive Director is Bruce Prichard, who handles things on both the RAW and SmackDown side. While it was originally Bruce Prichard on SmackDown and Paul Heyman on RAW, the latter was removed from his role after reported clashes with Vince McMahon over a different creative vision.

According to Fightful Select, this backstage role in WWE could have belonged to either Triple H or Stephanie McMahon. Sportskeeda's Vatsal Rathod wrote:

As per a new report by Fightful Select, Stephanie McMahon didn't want the role of RAW Executive Director as she was happy with the one she has. The report also adds that after Paul Heyman's promotion on RAW, Triple H could've had the role if he wanted it.

It's interesting to see that they were offered the roles. Triple H has his hands full with NXT and various other roles, while Stephanie McMahon hasn't been a creative force backstage in WWE for a long time now.

Paul Heyman was criticized, and big names like AJ Styles said several WWE Superstars didn't like Paul Heyman backstage. But ultimately, it's hard to deny that he did a good job in his nearly year-long tenure as a backstage figure.

Paul Heyman's utilization of Superstars to the most part was better than a lot of what WWE had done in the previous years, and names who were hardly featured on television started getting regular TV time.

That's why we hope it's true that both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon turned down the RAW Executive Director role. It worked out better, even if Paul Heyman isn't in that same spot anymore.

#5. Hope isn't true: WWE set to change Lars Sullivan's name?

WWE has a way of going about things where they like to drill in catchphrases, nicknames, and several other things via Michael Cole on the commentary desk. It's objective is seemingly to familiarize fans watching about specific things, and the most recent example of that has been Lars Sullivan on SmackDown.

If you observed over the last couple of weeks, almost every mention of Lars Sullivan was preceded by The Freak - a nickname that WWE is trying hard to drill in.

Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio said that while he's going by the Lars Sullivan name now, WWE is reportedly trying to transition his name into just Sullivan:

While they did use the name Sullivan, it's very clear they are trying to put over the name The Freak, which Cole said over and over and over, while only saying Sullivan a few times. It's what they do when the plan is to transition the name.

We hope this isn't true because it doesn't sound as good, and WWE is often quick to revert to their old names.

#4. Hope is true: Drew McIntyre's tribute to Shawn Michaels at WWE Hell in a Cell

Drew McIntyre may not be the WWE Champion anymore, but holding it for 200 days in your first reign and losing it to a legend like Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell 2020 isn't a bad way to go about it.

Drew McIntyre has had to have his entire WWE title reign without an audience. But it's hard to deny that he did a great job as the Champion - having excellent matches in every single pay-per-view title defense.

He made the most of his first Hell in a Cell match by taking a big bump from a height down to the commentary desk. According to Dave Meltzer, this was a tribute to Shawn Michaels, who took a similar bump in the first Hell in a Cell match in 1997.

Sportskeeda's Kishan Prasad wrote:

According to Dave Meltzer, Drew McIntyre wanted to take the fall into the table as a tribute to Shawn Michaels. Mcintyre has fond memories of the Heart Break Kid from his first Hell In A Cell match against The Undertaker in 1997.

We hope this is true because it's a great way to pay tribute while also putting over another WWE Superstar.

#4. Hope isn't true: Formal complaints in WWE over failure to follow COVID protocols

WWE has received a lot of criticism in the last few months over the number of positive cases within the company. There have been several Superstars and other names who contracted the virus, but only a few publicly came out and admitted it.

According to WrestlingInc, many trainees from the WWE Performance Center have complained about daily COVID protocols not being followed:

"Wrestling Inc. learned that it is internally believed that several trainees from the Performance Center and / or NXT talent made formal complaints about daily operations and protocols not being followed. A few weeks ago a couple of people spoke up at an NXT taping about what they called "anti-maskers" not following guidelines outside of NXT and training classes, while potentially putting others at risk due to their actions."

We hope this isn't true because it would be surprising if WWE didn't learn from their COVID-19 issues and deal with it better. The UFC is a perfect example of how they've utilized a bubble and managed to keep most people safe despite ongoing work during the pandemic.

#3. Hope is true: WWE planning a big push for Elias?

Elias was recently drafted to WWE RAW upon his return from injury. The last time he was seen was when he was written off via an accident in the Jeff Hardy-Sheamus storyline on SmackDown post-WrestleMania.

According to Inside the Ropes, WWE management is high on Elias and wants to push him as a staple star on RAW. Sportskeeda's Lennard Surrao wrote:

The report states that the WWE management views Elias 'as a staple of the Red brand going forward.' Elias will be pushed as one of the top guys on RAW, and the decision to draft him to RAW was seen as a 'no-brainer.' The move is designed to benefit RAW as well as Elias' career.

We hope this is true because Elias has been long overdue for a push. While it's still hard to imagine him as a World Champion, WWE could still push him as an important star. He has knocked the ball out of the park with almost every opportunity WWE has given him.

#3. Hope isn't true: Possible bad news regarding the in-ring skills of WWE's latest 7-footer

Jordan Omogbehin went from being the WWE RAW Underground boncer to former WWE Champion AJ Styles' bodyguard. It's an interesting role for him since he is back on RAW again, and he isn't aligned with anyone. With that said, he might be slightly limited in terms of his in-ring performance.

Usually, big men with a stature of over 7 feet tend to struggle inside the ring and with their overall movement. Dave Meltzer reported on The Wrestling Observer Radio that Jordan Omogbehin, WWE's latest giant, is a very limited and unimpressive in-ring performer from what he's heard.

It was noted that Jordan looks excellent as a character due to his physically imposing stature; however, he was described as slow and unimpressive inside the ring.

We hope this isn't true, but given his size, it might be. However, that doesn't mean that WWE won't have a role for him on their roster. There will be a lot of different roles WWE can fit him in.

#2. Hope is true: Reason why WWE is booking better storylines for SmackDown

SmackDown has been the better brand for a while now.

SmackDown on FOX has been vital for WWE. It's their biggest television deal by a mile, and it's not surprising to see that they have been putting a lot of emphasis on the quality of the show.

The recent WWE Draft saw several top names move to SmackDown, and over the last few months, the quality of the show has been significantly better than the flagship show RAW.

According to Dave Meltzer, WWE is intentionally booking the best storylines to please FOX executives:

The report stated that WWE did this on purpose to please those at FOX, which airs the SmackDown show every Friday. Meltzer said that WWE feel that their relationship with FOX is more important than that of USA Network, which airs RAW every Monday night. Meltzer said that WWE are guaranteed their show on the USA Network as the network requires a brand like RAW each week.

We hope this is true because it's a logical move for WWE to make.

#2. Hope isn't true: Paul Heyman rejected Braun Strowman while being the WWE RAW Executive Director

As we mentioned earlier, Paul Heyman did a great job as the RAW Executive Director, but it became problematic for certain WWE Superstars. With that said, there is still a lot more positives to take away from his tenure as a backstage figure than negatives.

One is the fact that he utilized several of WWE's most underutilized stars - a group described as the catering crew. One Superstar that Paul Heyman reportedly rejected, however, is Braun Strowman.

According to Fightful Select, Paul Heyman passed on Braun Strowman to RAW:

The Fightful report has claimed that Paul Heyman passed on Braun Strowman, who was on RAW when Heyman became the RAW Executive Director. Strowman was moved to SmackDown during the 2019 Draft and became the Universal Champion earlier this year at WrestleMania 36 when he defeated Goldberg.

We hope this isn't true, but it worked out for the better when Braun Strowman became the Universal Champion at WrestleMania 36.

#1. Hope is true: WWE's plans for Roman Reigns' faction

Roman Reigns is currently having what many consider the best run of his WWE career. Now WWE's top heel, Roman Reigns, has made an immediate impact as The Tribal Chief and Universal Champion.

He most recently brutalized his cousin Jey Uso at Hell in a Cell, and after putting the guillotine on his brother Jimmy Uso, Jey was forced to quit the match. As a result, Roman Reigns was officially crowned the head of the family.

With rumors that WWE is planning for The Usos to join Roman Reigns to form a faction, Wrestlingnews.co followed up by stating that there is a plan in place for The Usos to join Roman Reigns and align in a new faction:

As per a report by Paul Davis, The Usos will listen to Roman Reigns and follow his orders as he is the head of the family. Sources told WrestlingNewsCo that the storyline would see The Usos being reluctant to join Reigns at first but then get on board with it as time passes.

We hope this is true because a heel faction would only further Roman Reigns' character development in WWE and make for more excellent storylines.

#1. Hope isn't true: WWE still not going for Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley?

Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar is perhaps the biggest dream match that WWE can book once the latter returns. Brock Lesnar has been absent since WrestleMania 36, with WWE reportedly not interested in bringing him back until the crowds return.

On the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that WWE won't be going with the Bobby Lashley direction for Brock Lesnar when he returns and will save him for a more marquee WWE Superstar:

"Probably not. I mean, it's not impossible but you know, maybe on a Saudi Arabia show but you know, even though Bobby Lashley's being protected and pushed pretty hard, I don't know that with all the money they're going to pay Brock Lesnar to do a show like that, I think that they are going to want a more marquee name if that's the right way to put it. It just seems like that's where they're going to go if they use him again. If they're going to use him I think it's probably Drew [McIntyre] or Roman Reigns rather than Bobby Lashley and who knows, Brock maybe home, you know what I mean?"

We hope this isn't true because Bobby Lashley deserves to have the Brock Lesnar match that he has campaigned for. He returned to WWE two years ago with the intention of facing Brock Lesnar and had the opportunity taken from him multiple times.

Edited by Zaid Khan