WWE News Roundup: Hottest Stories of the Week (17th May 2019)

On the second edition of WWE News Roundup, we will be taking a broader approach than before, and not only will we look at some of the most talked about stories in WWE, but we will also look at the biggest news that are making rounds this week.

From Sasha Banks finally coming forward and addressing her situation to Big E providing an update on his return date, there's plenty to talk about this week and here's everything you need to know in order to stay up to date with the latest stories in WWE.

If you missed out on last week's edition, you can check it out here.

So here we go, here are the news round-up of the hottest stories in WWE this week:

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#6 Big E provides an update on his possible return date

Big E suffered an injury which put him out of action

The New Day member and former Intercontinental Champion Big E suffered an injury during a tag team match after WrestleMania 35 which caused him to be out of action and it is still unknown as to when he will make his return to the squared circle.

It was revealed that he suffered a torn meniscus on SmackDown Live after WrestleMania and he hasn't been seen on WWE television since the injury.

According to reports, the former SmackDown Tag Team Champion provided an update about when he thinks he will be cleared to return to the ring. Here is what Big E had to say:

“I had a meniscus repair and I think I’ll be back by 2021. That’s my goal," Langston said during the interview. "If I give myself a year and a half, I think that sounds about right. You know you don’t want to rush these things. Maybe even 2022, who knows? Maybe I’ll take some time off. Maybe get some hydraulic knees, because this is my fourth knee surgery. So maybe look into that. Some Go-Go-Gadget legs. I might go bionic, actually. So we might go back to the drawing boards on that. Get some new hardware. So yeah, that’s the plan.”

#5 Raw's viewership increased for two weeks straight

Another win for the Wild Card Rule

The go-home episode of Monday Night Raw for Money in the Bank saw another increase in viewership for the second time in a row, even though the show was pre-recorded from London, United Kingdom. With the introduction of the Wild Card Rule, big names such as Roman Reigns can appear on the show even though their home show is SmackDown Live.

According to reports, this weeks episode of Raw averaged 2.35 million viewers, which was an increase of over 100,000 compared to last week's episode. Raw's viewership usually doesn't increase for pre-taped episodes or go-home shows, but this week was an exception to that historic trend. Here is the hourly breakdown of the May 13th edition of Raw:

Hour one: 2.576 million

Hour two: 2.391 million

Hour three: 2.080 million

This is good news and with AEW set to air on TNT this Fall, WWE needs to do whatever they can to maintain a steady viewership.

#4 Sasha Banks finally responds to rumors about leaving WWE

Sasha Banks has been in the headlines for a while now

Former Raw Women's Champion Sasha Banks has been in the headlines for a while now after it was rumored that she tried to quit WWE after she was told that The Boss N' Hug Connection would lose the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships to The IIconics at WrestleMania 35. Banks was expecting to have a long run with the titles but her dream was cut short at the Show of Shows.

Sasha Banks' husband Mikaze took to Twitter to try and clear the air regarding his wife's situation. Mikaze stated that the rumors regarding his wife were not true, although several sources after WrestleMania said that Banks and Bayley were vocal about how unhappy they were about losing the titles.

Now, according to reports, The Boss finally responded to a fan on Twitter who asked her about leaving WWE. When the fan accused Banks of being "extremely selfish" for quitting because she refused to lose, The Boss simply responded by asking "who said that?", indicating that no such thing had happened.

When the fan responded with "the internet", Banks seemingly replied sarcastically with a GIF of Spongebob.

#3 Nikki Bella suffered an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction live on social media

Nikki Bella

According to reports, former Diva's Champion Nikki Bella recently took to Instagram where she used the 'stories' feature to promote a range of beauty products; N&B - Nicole and Brizee, which are herself and her twin sister Brie Bella’s new project.

While promoting the products on Social Media, Nikki wore a sheer-going-on-transparent shawl, and one sudden movement left her rather exposed to the audience, forcing her to delete the video. Accidents like these do happen and it's not the first time that a WWE Superstar suffered a wardrobe malfunction as the same has happened several times on WWE TV.

Nikki and her twin sister Brie Bella competed in the company together under the name The Bella Twins. They announced their retirement from in-ring competition a while ago and the last time they competed in the ring was at WWE Evolution, WWE's first all-women PPV event.

#2 Lars Sullivan got fined and was forced to complete sensitivity training following inappropriate comments

Lars Sullivan has been fined following the comments he made years ago

'The Freak' Lars Sullivan has been fined $100,000 by WWE and was forced to complete sensitivity training after comments that The Freak made almost a decade ago surfaced online, according to reports.

Lars Sullivan made many homophobic and bigoted comments between the year 2007 and 2013, many of which surfaced back online in November last year and the company was able to brush it under the carpet.

When the comments drew the attention of WWE sponsor Mars Wrigley, owner of the Sneakers chocolate brand, WWE was forced to take action and the company released the following statement via email.

"WWE supports a culture of inclusion regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation, and we are committed to embracing all individuals as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide.

Dylan Miley (aka Lars Sullivan) will be fined $100,000 and required to complete sensitivity training for offensive commentary uncovered from his past. WWE will also facilitate meetings for Dylan with community organizations to foster further discussion around the power of social media and the impact of your words."

#1 Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins are officially WWE's new couple

The Irish Lasskicker and The Architect

There have been numerous social media hints over the last couple of months that Raw and SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch is dating the Universal Champion Seth Rollins.

The news was confirmed on Twitter when Becky Lynch mentioned The Architect in a tweet. Now, Rollins himself took to Instagram to confirm that the two champions are, in fact, dating. The Beast Slayer shared an adorable backstage picture of him and Lynch.

WWE themselves confirmed the news on WWE.com. Fans are obviously pleased with this news because these two are fan favourites and at Money in the Bank, they will defend their respective titles against their respective opponents.

Have anything you would like to share? Let us know in the comments below!

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