6 wrestling rumors we hope are true and 6 we hope aren't: WWE building top RAW star to face Brock Lesnar, Former Champion out for 8 months with injury?

Welcome to this week's edition of wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't. The past week has been filled with uncertainty in the wrestling world, with WWE and other companies being forced to adapt to a situation that they've never faced before.

It's going to be a busy or idle few weeks, but WWE has made it clear that the show must go on. We're going to cut the introduction short this week and jump right into the rumors.

#6. Hope is true: A more 'serious' direction and possible Brock Lesnar challenge

New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE

We're not sure what the status of WrestleMania 36, which is why Drew McIntyre's coronation as WWE Champion could be postponed. Either way, Tom Colohue revealed that Bobby Lashley and Rusev's feud is effectively over, with WWE rebuilding Bobby Lashley as a possible opponent for Brock Lesnar.

The story between Lashley and Rusev is gone, it's simply over. So, they have got to find something new and they have got to find something new fast. So throwing in Lashley with I believe it was Zack Ryder, so they gave him a match as a way to start his rebuild. He will get more as time goes on and really help to rebuild him and establish him even further, as they move towards a match with Brock Lesnar.

He said that Lashley has moved on and the dissension teased with Lana could be the direction moving forward.

That match is still very much on the cards, but it needs quite a bit of rebuilding. Lashley has moved on. They were already teasing dissension, where Lashley was getting annoyed with his new wife. That seems like the way they will go with this

We hope this is true because it's one of the main reasons Bobby Lashley returned to WWE in the first place. He admitted to being frustrated when he didn't get the Brock Lesnar match at SummerSlam 2018 and he's well-deserving of it.

#6. Hope isn't true: Seth Rollins' faction member could be out for 8 months

When WWE consistently warns fans about the risks of imitation, they aren't wrong. Superstars, despite years of training in world-class facilities - are prone to injuries and the nature of their work is such where a freak accident can happen at any moment.

This, unfortunately, happened to AOP's Rezar, who injured his arm on RAW in the multi-man match yet continued to finish it anyway, as per Bryan Alvarez on the Wrestling Observer Radio:

There is Rezar and he can’t even move his right arm. It’s just hanging by his side and he’s running spots with one arm and then he’s outside and holding guys with one arm. He’s catching dives with one arm. I don’t know what happened but if it turns out he tore his biceps, that’s sure what it looked like to me. Something’s wrong with his right arm but he finished the match.

Dave Meltzer then mentioned on WON that Rezar could be out for 6 to 8 months:

Exactly how this effects the AOP on television is to be determined. Surgery usually means six to eight months out. Rehabbing without surgery, which is possible with that injury, would still mean a few months out.

We hope this isn't true because his absence affects Akam and subsequently - Murphy and Seth Rollins. It's a tough time to get the injury as well and could see some unfortunate creative changes as well.

#5. Hope is true: MVP pitching a big idea to WWE creative

Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz on the latest edition of Dropkick DiSKussions that the original idea was to bring MVP for a one-off at the Royal Rumble 2020, which turned into a match on RAW and subsequently, a backstage role.

He said that while there are no plans for a faction right now, MVP is pushing for it and it could happen.

At the moment, there are no plans to give him a faction of any sort but he keeps alluding to that himself, and it's something he's pushing for and it's something that could really work.

Colohue believes that it would be largely beneficial for MVP to do the talking for superstars who aren't confident on the mic:

You can see him with Bobby Lashley, for example. Although that doesn't work at the moment because of Lana. But there are quite a few people, unfortunately, on RAW and on SmackDown, who don't feel that confident with a microphone in their hands. MVP could do them a world of good and he's pitching that and I don't think it's a bad idea.

We hope the rumor is true because MVP's on-screen presence would be a huge boost to any superstar.

#5. Hope isn't true: Talent not being informed of the WrestleMania status

WrestleMania 36 could be on the verge of cancelation or postponement. It's a tough situation for the company, since holding the event would put over 75,000 people at risk. They're under tremendous pressure from the media and Tampa government, who admitted that cancelation is a major possibility.

State and central governments across the world have been banning public gatherings of over 500 and WWE's biggest show is now at risk. Ultimately, the matter in hand is far bigger than WWE losing money, superstars losing their big opportunity, or fans missing out on a big event.

Given that lives are at risk, it makes sense for WWE to cancel or postpone the show and Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com tweeted that a lot of superstars believe WrestleMania will be canceled, though nothing has been informed to them yet.

Several wrestlers that I'm speaking to don't believe WrestleMania will go on as scheduled. They've not been told anything, however.
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) March 11, 2020

Expand Tweet

We hope the part about no information given isn't true. While we understand that WWE is still on the edge about the entire matter, the talent should be given answers as soon as possible.

#4. Hope is true: Matt Hardy's original plans in NXT

Matt Hardy has officially parted ways with WWE - right before his brother Jeff Hardy made his in-ring return for the company after 11 months away.

It was evident that creative differences played a part in Matt Hardy not choosing to renew his contract and in an interview with PWInsider (via WrestleTalk), Hardy seemingly confirmed the rumors that WWE had creative plans for him in NXT had he re-signed. He said that Triple H had a 'vision' for him, but ultimately, his decision to leave was due to the two parties being on 'different pages' creatively:

"The reason I needed to leave WWE was because, when it comes to my creative stance, and my creative outlook on myself and my career and how I want it to go for these last 3 or 4 years that I have to spend as an active in-ring competitor. I just think myself and WWE are on different pages."

We hope this is true because ultimately, we can only ponder about what could have been. It would have been exciting to watch.

#4. Hope isn't true: No casket match stipulation at WrestleMania 36

The upcoming episode of RAW will feature a contract signing between AJ Styles and The Undertaker for their expected bout at WrestleMania 36. There was some speculation that a Casket Match stipulation would be added, but Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live reported that as of now, there are no such plans for a casket match:

Another update from yesterday. The AJ Styles, he promised to cause Undertaker to die in the ring, he also said that he would literally put the nail in his coffin, which of course, led me to ask, 'well, is it going to be a casket match.' How do you literally put a nail in a coffin if it's not a casket match. The answer is, as of this moment, no, it is not a casket match.

Had the stipulation been in effect, it would mark the first time in 14 years that The Undertaker has had a casket match at WrestleMania 36. Since it seems as though he's going to win (as he should), putting AJ Styles in a casket would be a great way of protecting him.

#3. Hope is true: WWE rehabbing Aleister Black?

Aleister Black defeated AJ Styles at Elimination Chamber 2020

On the topic of AJ Styles and The Undertaker, we mustn't forget the man who has been involved in the background - Aleister Black. The Dutchman has largely played a "third wheel" role in his feud with AJ Styles - with the brief rivalry being used to set up Styles' WrestleMania 36 match against The Undertaker.

Despite this, Black has been well-protected throughout, only losing in rare circumstances. The Undertaker assisted him in beating AJ Styles at Elimination Chamber 2020 and Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio revealed that it was WWE's attempt at rehabbing Black for RAW:

The deal is, they're trying badly to rehab Aleister for Monday. That was the idea, they gave him the win although it was really Undertaker giving him the win. You can't really beat AJ on his own because the whole idea is that Undertaker has to do it. Because you don't want Undertaker going up against the guy Aleister Black just beat clean. This is the only way they could do it. It was the obvious finish.

We hope this is true because WWE may not have WrestleMania 36 plans for Black, but it's good to protect him as he'll be heavily featured from April onwards.

#3. Hope isn't true: Burial plans for The Revival

It's no secret that The Revival's departure from WWE is arriving soon. Dash Wilder is set to be getting his exit as soon as April, while Dash Wilder may have a month and a half more added on due to previous injuries.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (H/T Cultaholic) reported that both Dash & Dawson will likely be sitting out the rest of their contract and they're not going with a planned comedy gimmick that was meant to bury them.

"It's expected The Revival is done and that they aren't going to do a gimmick where they would be doing a comedy act mimicking tag teams of the past which was seemingly meant to bury them."

While we're glad that they didn't go through with it, we hope the rumor isn't true because burying them on their way out wouldn't leave things on good terms. While WWE has had a history of doing so, it's better to simply let them see out the rest of their contract.

#2. Hope is true: WWE's push of Shayna Baszler

There were quite a few reports of how Vince McMahon wasn't impressed by Shayna Baszler and there was a lot of consideration about the spot she was going to have at WrestleMania 36.

It's not an easy spot to be in, to transition from NXT and instantly become a WrestleMania challenger for the biggest female star in the company today. If Elimination Chamber wasn't enough to prove those previous rumors wrong, then Sportskeeda's own Tom Colohue's word on it should, as he mentioned on a YouTube video that Vince McMahon hasn't given up on Shayna Baszler and that he's excited to see what she has to offer:

There was a report recently that Shayna Baszler had already soured Vince McMahon on her by producing a match that wasn't met by unanimous applause. To my knowledge, this is not the case. Vince McMahon is still very excited to see what Shayna Baszler can offer on the main roster and I think Elimination Chamber probably proved that point.

We hope this is true because they're in a rare spot of instantly making a major superstar out of someone. Baszler is ready for the spotlight.

#2. Hope isn't true: A new WWE superstar to get a Brock Lesnar-like deal?

Former NFL player Rob Gronkowski has officially signed with WWE and the big question is as to how he's going to be utilized. Given his star power, one would imagine that the company will put him in a big spot right away.

According to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio, Gronkowski is going to work a Brock Lesnar-like schedule:

So Gronkowski has a deal there. He's going to be on the show on 20th in New Orleans if there is a show on 20th in New Orleans. It could be somewhere else for all we know but he's going to be on the SmackDown side and he's going to be working some dates. It's probably a Lesnar type schedule. So, he's in.

While we're not against Gronkowski for working out a great deal, the only reason we hope this isn't true is that we feel he isn't deserving of the Lesnar schedule just yet. Even a megastar such as Ronda Rousey worked close to a full-time schedule in her year-long stint in WWE and Gronkowski should be made to work more dates to prove his place in the company.

#1. Hope is true: A big return is ready after a year-long absence

Paul Heyman has a major player returning

It's not easy to be out for a year and for the former RAW Women's Champion Nia Jax, it's been 11 months since we've seen her in the ring. It's almost as long as Ronda Rousey has been out and there's no doubt that her presence was missing in the women's division this past year.

She's finally set to return soon, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, who revealed that she's been cleared after her surgery:

Nia Jax has been medically cleared to return after reconstructive surgery on both knees. It’s just a question of when they want to start her back and where. Right now she’s earmarked for Raw, and not Smackdown as has been reported in many places

RAW appears to be the right place for her since the SmackDown Women's division has a little more strength to it. Perhaps a change in direction would be good for her and we hope this rumor is true since she's long overdue for a return.

#1. Hope isn't true: Vince McMahon freaking out backstage

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed that Cain Velasquez's post on Twitter from the WWE Headquarters (with a picture of him and Ronda Rousey) caused quite a stir with Vince McMahon.

While The Chairman couldn't blame Velasquez for the matter, he was reportedly 'freaking out' and knew that he couldn't fire the person who leaked it - i.e, Velasquez.

That photo caused quite the stir in the office as whatever the plan are for Rousey, her being in the office was supposed to be top secret to the point nobody was supposed to know but a few people, and that includes key people in the company as it was supposed to be that hush-hush. It was said by one person that Vince McMahon was freaking out badly over it knowing he couldn’t fire the “leaker” since it was Velasquez who didn’t know any better.

We hope this isn't true because it would be a bad start for Velasquez. It was a mistake but perhaps a 'freak out' would be too strong a reaction.

Edited by Amar Anand