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Hello and welcome to this week's edition of wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't! It's been an interesting week of wrestling television, with AEW and NXT delivering great episodes as usual while RAW and SmackDown had some interesting character and story progression.
However, it's been the news outside the ring that has been in the center of attention. This week's rumors are going to focus on storylines, start-and-stop pushes, backstage rumors, public controversies and so much more!
We hope you're ready because these are the wrestling rumors that we hope are true and those, of course, we hope aren't.
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#7. Hope is true: Bray Wyatt unhappy with a certain aspect of his character
It's no secret that the red lights during The Fiend Bray Wyatt's matches are unpopular. There has been virtually no fan who has claimed to have liked it and Seth Rollins, who has wrestled twice on TV under the red lights has openly stated that he's not a fan of the red lights. On WWE Backstage He said:
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[I had] no clue. That was a mess for me, right. Because first of all, you’re in this dark red. The cell is also red, and so then you’re trying to navigate around the edges of the cell and it’s very tight quarters to begin with. It was a mess, it was very difficult to deal with. Especially not knowing it was going to happen. I for one am not a fan. I feel like it affects my performance, personally.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Wyatt himself is not a big fan of the red lights. They reported that he's not happy with the aspect of the red light of his persona. We hope this is true because if Wyatt hates it himself, there's a big chance that they finally stop it.
#7. Hope isn't true: Brock Lesnar's WrestleMania 36 opponents
Brock Lesnar is WWE Champion and as with his first two Universal title reigns, this one is expected to be a relatively long one. By "relatively long", we mean until WrestleMania 36 at the very least and it's unlikely that we see him drop the title before that.
With Royal Rumble over a month away and that being the start of WrestleMania season, many are wondering what's in store for The Beast Incarnate at WrestleMania 36 and from the look of things, fans aren't going to be happy with the options.
According to TalkSport, WWE is planning one of two potential opponents for Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 - Tyson Fury or Cain Velasquez. As you know, Lesnar finished Velasquez in just two minutes at Crown Jewel as the former UFC Heavyweight Champion had a pre-existing knee injury.
Lineal Boxing Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury made his WWE debut later that night against Braun Strowman and has expressed interest in facing Lesnar. We hope this isn't true because it feels like a waste of a WWE title match to have a non-wrestler face, Brock Lesnar.
#6. Hope is true: Controversial AEW commercial was not the company's idea
If you're not aware, a bit of controversy happened this past week. TNT put up an AEW commercial where there were lines featured saying “AEW Dynamite crushes NXT” and "AEW Dynamite Buries NXT". While it's no secret that AEW and NXT are directly in competition on Wednesday nights, Cody Rhodes' company was under serious criticism for fans, most of whom interpreted the advertisement as a "cheap shot" at NXT.
It made them look like the cheaper company and from the look of things, AEW officials wouldn't have been happy with the commercial. According to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio, the commercial was not AEW's idea but a TNT one. It was created by the television network and they took quotes from Forbes and The Wrap but were taken completely out of context.
We hope that this rumor is true because if it were AEW's idea, then it wouldn't be a good look for them. They've taken shots at WWE before, but they need to stop acknowledging them to thrive as a brand.
#6. Hope isn't true: WWE's serious message to Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy hasn't been in the best place these past few months. He had to deal with another DUI arrest while also having to deal with injuries that have kept him out of action since post-WrestleMania 35.
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, WWE has sent a serious message to Jeff Hardy to get his health checked and address it seriously, something which he has since done. Johnson said on PWInsider Elite Audio (H/t Credit: WrestleTalk):
“Jeff Hardy’s deal is that it’s frozen cause he’s hurt. So, they’ve tacked time on so why would they fire him when they can hold him even longer? As we know Jeff is in the middle of another legal quandary. I can tell you from a source very close to the situation that WWE strongly implored Jeff to address his health and we’re told that Jeff is doing that and really aggressively dove right into it. So, you can’t fire the guy when he’s doing what you ask him to do. We’ll see what happens when he goes to court.”
We hope this isn't true because it would be sad if Hardy only addressed his health issues seriously after WWE was forced to tell him to.
#5. Hope is true: More NXT Superstars fighting main roster "call-ups"
Former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa made the headlines earlier when he revealed that he "fought" a move to the main roster to stay in NXT. He told Lilian Garcia:
"I legitimately vocalized to them, if I have to go to RAW or SmackDown then I’m gonna retire. I would love to produce or coach or be a part of it, but there’s no way I’m taking on that load and going, ‘Yeah, I’ll just have a six-month run and then call it quits.’ I just won’t do that. It’s not worth it to me."
Many fans were happy about this because they don't see Superstar like Ciampa enjoying the same success on the main roster as he has had in NXT. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it's not just Tommaso Ciampa who has fought a main roster "call-up".
It's no secret that NXT's popularity and stock have risen since the move to USA Network this past September and Dave Meltzer stated that many Superstars aren't in it for the money despite getting paid lesser than RAW and SmackDown Superstars.
It's the lighter schedule that many find more appealing and it's perhaps seen as a place where Superstars can be creatively satisfied while not damaging their bodies too much.
#5. Hope isn't true: Communication issues during the Survivor Series main event
Survivor Series 2019 was headlined by the Women's Champions of the three brands - Becky Lynch (RAW), Shayna Baszler (NXT), and Bayley (SmackDown). Many believed that it was put on last so that Ronda Rousey would get her big return, but that didn't happen.
Instead, fans would get an underwhelming match-up with a weird finish, one that even Vince McMahon reportedly wasn't a fan of. According to Fightful Select, there was a big communication issue that happened during the main event:
“Adam Pearce and Sarah Stock produced the WWE Survivor Series main event match between Becky Lynch, Shayna Baszler, Bayley match. We’re told that there was a struggle to communicate from backstage to what was going on in the ring, but weren’t told if that had to do with some kind of equipment malfunction or otherwise”.
We hope this isn't true because it would be a painful situation to be a part of and in all likeliness, Pearce and Stock would have had to take some heat for that. These kinds of issues rarely happen but it's a shame that they did during such a big main event.
#4. Hope is true: Vince McMahon's logic behind the lack of TLC matches being announced
So far, only three matches have been announced at TLC and very recently at that. The three matches are:
Roman Reigns vs King Corbin - TLC Match
The New Day (c) vs The Revival - SmackDown Tag Team Championship
Bray Wyatt vs The Miz - Non-title match
Written a day before a couple of the matches were made official, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that there's a specific reason as to why hardly any matches were announced up to this point. He revealed that it's a new strategy by Vince McMahon where WWE will be in no rush to announce the rest of the matches and could even hold off until the very last minute to make the announcements.
That seems to be the case as there's only a week of WWE TV before the TLC PPV and only three matches from SmackDown have been announced. The approach change is believed to be because of the company's shift in wanting people to sign up for Network subscriptions and the fact that it's not a PPV business as it used to be.
#4. Hope isn't true: Vince McMahon is a big fan of a controversial storyline
The Lana-Rusev-Bobby Lashley storyline is undoubtedly the most controversial and hated one in all of WWE. The sleaziness aspect of it is something that puts many off and most fans simply believe that it's complete misutilization of top-level talents such as Bobby Lashley and Rusev.
The positive aspect of it is that Rusev has gotten over but the reality of it is also the fact that no matter how controversial all of it is, it's getting attention. That's one of the main reasons that WWE hasn't given up on the storyline that started in late September.
According to Wrestlingnews.co, Vince McMahon loved the segment from the penultimate episode of RAW to TLC where Lana and Bobby Lashley were arrested. The segments pull numbers that are higher than most and as a result of the attention it gets, there's no incentive for WWE to stop it just yet.
We hope this report isn't true because we would like to see the storyline end, but even so, one positive aspect of this rumor is that Rusev has reportedly received a lot of praise backstage for his role in the storyline due to the positive response he's been getting.
#3. Hope is true: Paul Heyman's handpicked Superstar to debut on RAW
It seems as though RAW commentator Dio Maddin's role ended before it even started. He had a confrontation with Brock Lesnar at the start of November, was F-5'd though the announcer's desk and hasn't appeared since - effectively ending his brief stint as one of the voices of Monday Nights.
However, it was interestingly noted that Dio Maddin was already done with commentary as the 28-year old has now gone back to the Performance Center to start training as a pro wrestler. That was the official reason that WWE gave and according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, that was a Paul Heyman decision.
The higher-ups were reportedly not that pleased with Maddin's commentary work and aimed to re-train him but he will be pursuing an in-ring career instead. We hope this is true because Heyman has an eye for talent and perhaps he saw dollar signs with Maddin's confrontation of Lesnar on RAW.
We hope it works out well for Maddin.
#3. Hope isn't true: Original plans for Kevin Owens after the 2019 Draft
It feels like it's taken almost the entire year for WWE to get it right with Kevin Owens. His character has flip-flopped from face to heel to face again, with the most significant happening of 2019 for him is the fact that he got rid of Shane McMahon from WWE programming.
He was since drafted to RAW and with the ongoing storyline involving Seth Rollins and AoP, it seems as though he's finally been getting his footing as a legitimate babyface again. However, that may not have always been the case.
For Owens, SmackDown seems to have been a place where he's been far more limited despite having his moments as a heel. RAW has always been the brand that he's thrived more in and that can be seen in his latest run on the red brand as well.
According to Tom Colohue, the original plan was for Kevin Owens to stay on SmackDown and he was a last-minute swap.
"He [Owens] was a last-minute swap as well. The plan was very much to keep him on SmackDown based on the specific order they were reading things out and the leaked information that was in WWE.com."
We hope this isn't true because Owens should have been on RAW in the first place! You can listen to the full episode of Dropkick DiSKussions below:
#2. Hope is true: Braun Strowman's immediate plans
Braun Strowman hasn't done too much in 2019 and it's no secret that it hasn't been his best year as a whole. He took a major backseat as being a Universal Championship challenger and in October, he got a fresh start by being drafted to SmackDown.
He was a part of the Survivor Series team and played his role well but since then, there's been nothing significant planned for him. However, that may change soon as The Monster Among Men could be a title challenger.
The Champion that he's supposedly going to face? Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, according to Dave Meltzer on WON. While it's not set in stone yet, we could see WWE adding it as a last-minute match on the card. While we certainly wish there would be a storyline, we also hope the rumor is true because Strowman needs to be utilized more again and fans would much rather watch him become Intercontinental Champion than see King Corbin smear dog food over Roman Reigns' face.
#2. Hope isn't true: Bobby Lashley potentially injured
Bobby Lashley has been a part of the hottest yet most controversial storyline on WWE television. He has been the on-screen boyfriend of Lana, who is soon set to "divorce" Rusev on live television.
It's expected to lead to a grudge match at TLC between Rusev and Lashley and despite the bad storyline, some unfortunate news has come of it. According to the Wrestling Observer, Lashley has suffered an arm injury.
It wasn't specified as to how severe the injury is, but we presume it's one that he's going to push through until TLC atleast. This also means that if it's severe enough or gets worsened during a match, he'll have to be written off television for a while.
If not, then it'll be worse for fans as WWE will be forced to delay the match even further. We hope this isn't true because we wouldn't wish an injury upon any performer. We hope that it's either a minor injury at the most or one that he can work through.
#1. Hope is true: The nature of Seth Rollins' heel turn
There has been a lot of confusion about Seth Rollins' recent character arc. It's quite an interesting one, with the face of Monday Night RAW teasing a turn for the darker side. The association with AoP has certainly led many to believe that there's a possible alliance brewing and a heel turn for The Architect as well, which would make sense especially given the level of unpopularity he has had in the recent months.
However, Dave Meltzer on WOR (via Cageside Seats) suggested that the nature of Seth Rollins' heel turn isn't going to be a conventional one - it'll be similar to that of Bret Hart circa 1997.
We're not sure how exactly it would work, especially since Bret Hart's "heel in the United States and face outside of it" character was based more on nationality - something that WWE doesn't bring up in storylines as much as they used to.
However, we hope this is true because it would be an interesting change in character for Rollins and something unique to watch.
#1. Hope isn't true: Vince McMahon has "cooled down" on well-liked Superstar
Humberto Carrillo was the latest Superstar who reportedly lost his push after not getting the desired reactions. However, one man who many feel should be getting pushed at this juncture is Cedric Alexander - a man with phenomenal in-ring talent and charisma.
Alexander has never had any issues backstage and is a hard-working, dedicated talent who tries his best week after week. However, that isn't enough to get him pushed despite Paul Heyman reportedly being one of the men who backed him.
According to Wrestlingnews.co, the reason for him not being pushed is simply that Vince McMahon has cooled down on him.
"Everything I’ve heard about him is that he is well-liked backstage and I have not heard of anything that he might have done to rub people the wrong way so it looks like McMahon simply cooled off on him."
We hope this isn't true because Cedric Alexander is a talent deserving of a push. Many believe he's one of WWE's big future stars and he can be as long as he's utilized properly. Hopefully, he's allowed to prove himself more.
