5 Wrestling rumors we hope are true and 5 we hope aren't: CM Punk's move to FOX is off, Brock Lesnar update, Popular Superstar's in-ring career over?

The past week has been laden with rumors emanating from the WWE. This edition of the Rumor Round-Up is loaded and we have everything from Drew McIntyre's upcoming push to the latest on CM Punk's move to FOX possibly falling apart.

We also have a distressing update regarding a serious injury suffered by a WWE Superstar who could be out of action for at least a year, if not more. Also in this edition, we take a look at WWE Crown Jewel, Cain Velasquez's contract status, as well as how long Brock Lesnar could possibly hold on to the WWE Championship.

#5 Hope is true: Roman Reigns' injury isn't serious

Roman Reigns picked up a minor injury during WWE's tour of Australia

Despite being somewhat of a polarizing figure amongst WWE fans, Roman Reigns is still one of the biggest stars of the current generation and a vital part of the WWE roster. Reigns was drafted to SmackDown during the WWE Draft earlier this month and looks set to feud with King Corbin in the coming months (more on that later).

We received reports earlier this week that Roman Reigns picked up an injury during the WWE's tour of Australia. Although it looks like the report is true, it seems that Reigns' injury isn't serious and he will not be missing any time from the ring which is great news for both WWE and the majority of its fans.

With SmackDown on FOX having some early trouble with respect to maintaining their ratings, WWE need all the star power they can muster.

#5 Hope isn't true: Randy Orton teases leaving the WWE

Randy Orton

Randy Orton's behaviour on social media turned quite a few heads in the WWE Universe this week. It started off with Revival members Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder tweeting at Orton and commenting about how their partnership never truly got off the ground. Orton replied simply by saying, “2020”.

If that wasn't enough for you to see where this was heading, he also posted the following photo on Instagram:

We know that Orton's current WWE contract ends soon but despite him openly hinting at a move to AEW, rumors suggest that this is just a way to get a better contract with WWE and that he has no intention of leaving the company.

Here's what Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer had to say about it:

“Orton got a lot of talk this past week with a tease on Twitter. He could just be having fun, but Orton’s ten-year WWE deal expires in 2020 and he’s in a great position to play both sides against each other, and that’s the smart thing to do. In the end, for someone like Orton, who is believed to be making in the $3 million per year range, and doesn’t work a full house show schedule, WWE is probably the better place.”

#4 Hope is true: Drew McIntyre set to get a big push

Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre has all the tools Vince McMahon traditionally looks for in his top stars – size, charisma as well as being able to deliver the goods on the mic. Apart from these, McIntyre is also great in the ring and the former NXT Champion seemed destined for big things after getting called up to WWE RAW after WrestleMania 34.

His RAW career has been a little stop-start and a minor injury he picked up a couple of months ago didn't help matters. However, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, McIntyre is in line for a massive push now that he's healthy again.

McIntyre was revealed as the final member of Team Flair last week on RAW. He went on to beat Ricochet in a singles match following the reveal. McIntyre will join Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, King Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura on Team Flair at WWE Crown Jewel.

Things are looking good for McIntyre right now and we hope that WWE go through with their plans to give him a big push. The guy has top heel written all over him.

#4 Hope isn't true: Roman Reigns' next feud will be with Baron Corbin (again)

Roman Reigns looks set to feud with Baron Corbin once again

If I never saw another Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin match, it would still be much too soon. It feels like these two have been feuding on and off in spurts for at least a year now and if rumors are to be believed, we could be set for another lukewarm feud between these two in the coming months.

It all started with Baron Corbin demanding an apology from Roman Reigns for what The Rock had done to him on the debut episode of SmackDown on FOX. WWE have already announced a singles match between the two on SmackDown this coming Friday. Here's hoping that it's just a one-off singles match and won't lead to a full-blown feud between the two.

It's a good thing the WWE Draft is giving us all these fresh match-ups. Sarcasm aside, let's hope WWE start giving us some fresh feuds soon. They have a number of talented guys on the roster and it's time to see something new.

#3 Hope is true: WWE Roster split set to go into full effect after Crown Jewel

It looks like the roster split will go into full effect after the WWE Crown Jewel event

The Wildcard Rule was introduced by Vince McMahon shortly after the Superstar Shake-Up following WrestleMania 35. This saw Superstars from RAW and SmackDown appear on opposing brands on a weekly basis, diluting the whole concept of the brand split. WWE finally announced the end of the Wildcard Rule during the WWE Draft earlier this month.

Although the process of splitting the rosters has begun, we will see a number of cross-brand matches at WWE's Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia later this month including WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins' Falls Count Anywhere Match against The Fiend.

We've also had Rey Mysterio accompany Cain Velasquez to the ring on WWE SmackDown despite himself being drafted to RAW.

On the recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer revealed more details regarding the hard roster split and when the change would go into full effect. Meltzer said that the process has already started behind the scenes and will go into full effect right after WWE Crown Jewel.

#3 Hope isn't true: Brock Lesnar won't lose the WWE Championship anytime soon; controversial finish at Crown Jewel

Brock Lesnar looks set to remain WWE Champion for the foreseeable future

Brock Lesnar beat Kofi Kingston in a matter of seconds to win the WWE Championship during SmackDown's debut on FOX. He was then confronted by the debuting Cain Velasquez who will now challenge Lesnar for the title at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.

For fans who are hoping that Lesnar will lose the title, we have some bad news. CageSide Seats is reporting that WWE have no plans to take the title off Lesnar right now or in the near future. According to their report, WWE are going to have a controversial finish at Crown Jewel so that Lesnar can leave with the title while still keeping Velasquez strong.

Here's what the report from CageSide Seats said:

“Brock Lesnar isn’t expected to lose the WWE championship anytime soon, so expect some sort of schmoz finish at Crown Jewel.”

We definitely hope that the plan isn't for Lesnar to hold on to the WWE Championship for too long. We don't need the world title kept off television with a part-timer holding it again.

#2 Hope is true: Cain Velasquez has signed a multi-year deal with WWE

Cain Velasquez has signed a multi-year deal with WWE according to a recent interview

Cain Velasquez will make his in-ring WWE debut at Crown Jewel later this month when he challenges Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. Both men are former UFC fighters and Champions. In fact, Velasquez destroyed Lesnar during their 2010 fight for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. The referee stopped the fight in the first round with Lesnar already bloody and battered.

WWE have provided no details on Velasquez's contract situation with the company. However, we got some details from a pretty reliable source, Velasquez himself. Velasquez was asked by Adam Glyn about his contract situation with the WWE and revealed some details we hadn't heard before:

"Yeah, I'll be here for the next 3 years for sure. And as I get better and better as I'm going to keep doing this. I love it, so I'm going to keep doing it. Yep." h/t Credit: WrestlingInc

Let's hope that WWE confirm these details soon.

#2 Hope isn't true: CM Punk no longer set to be a part of WWE Backstage

CM Punk

We reported last week that things looked good regarding CM Punk becoming one of the panelists on WWE's new studio show on FOX, WWE Backstage. However, according to a report from Fightful, it looks like Punk's move to WWE Backstage is now off. The report states that although Punk's tryout for the role went well, higher-ups from the company decided against hiring him and have now “moved on”.

Here's what Fightful Select reported regarding the situation between CM Punk and FOX:

“Punk's tryout went well and he impressed the [WWE] Backstage team, but it was left in the hands of higher-ups at FOX. [It] seemed like they'd moved on as recently as this week. Nothing is concrete in that regard, though.”

We were looking forward to seeing Punk on WWE Backstage so we definitely hope this rumor isn't true.

On a side note, just because Punk won't be a part of WWE Backstage, it doesn't rule out his return to a WWE ring. Although Punk has repeatedly denied rumors of a return, the stories refuse to die down so there could be some hope of him returning.

#1 Hope is true: A number of WWE Superstars want to jump ship to AEW

Quite a few WWE Superstars could be eyeing a move to AEW

All Elite Wrestling Dynamite has gotten off to a fantastic start on TNT, bringing in strong ratings and beating NXT every week. At the same time, WWE seem to be having trouble creatively and a number of wrestlers backstage seem disgruntled.

An unnamed WWE Superstar spoke to WrestlingNewsCo earlier this week and said that a number of Superstars were willing to jump ship to All Elite Wrestling when their contracts end while others will leverage it for better contracts:

“Let’s just state the obvious. Vince is still in charge and nothing will change until he steps down and that might not happen for another 10 years or more. A lot of guys realize this and some will take the money but some guys have a lot of money saved up and that AEW schedule looks really good.”

“I don’t know how many of us watch AEW but I know a few guys and girls here that watch the show every week. You can’t deny that their shows are great. My friends there say there’s no bull**** politics there and no walking on eggshells like WWE’s backstage. Jericho going there made it okay to say ‘yea, WWE is not the end all be all and I’ll be fine if I decide to leave.’ It doesn’t hurt that [AEW’s] schedule is much easier on the body.”

We hope this rumour is true so that the Superstars who end up leaving fulfil their potential while also helping WWE realize their current issues.

#1 Hope isn't true: WWE legend says Xavier Woods' injury could end his in-ring career

Xavier Woods is out of action with a serious Achilles injury

Lastly, we get to the most disheartening story of the week. We found out recently that Xavier Woods picked up an Achilles injury during WWE's tour of Australia. It was immediately reported to be a serious injury which would keep Woods out of action for at least a year.

On the recent episode of WWE Backstage, Booker T commented on Woods' injury and speculated that it could even lead to the end of his in-ring career. Here's what Booker T had to say:

“I heard when he went down it was like somebody shot him and he just fell out in the middle of the ring. I think [Xavier’s] career, it could be over. It could be done. An Achilles tear is the worst injury one can get in the business.” H/T: WrestlingNewsCo

We definitely hope that Booker T is wrong in his assessment of Xavier Woods' injury. We're big fans of Woods and wish him a speedy recovery.

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