WWE News Roundup: Hottest Stories of the Week (9th May 2019)

On this week's edition of WWE News Roundup, we will be taking a little deeper approach, and not only will we talk about what's making rounds in WWE, but we will also look at the hottest stories of the week that fans are talking about. From Sasha Banks' situation to Lio Rush's current status, there's a lot to talk about this week and here's what you need to know in order to stay up to date with the latest stories in WWE.

Here is a comprehensive round-up of everything you may have missed out on this week and some of the new most talked about stories in the pro wrestling community. We will also include some rumors that are making rounds just so you know what's happening.

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

#7 Becky Lynch says Sasha Banks has fallen from grace

Becky Lynch has been making headlines since she made a shocking heel turn at SummerSlam in 2018. Fast forward to 2019, The Man has main-evented WrestleMania, became the first-ever concurrent Women's Champion and she was the first person to pin Ronda Rousey in WWE.

However, her fellow Horsewomen member, Sasha Banks, has also been making headlines lately, but not in a good way. Sasha Banks is currently unhappy in her role in WWE and she reportedly requested her release from the company after she was informed that she and her former tag team partner Bailey were going to lose the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 35.

According to reports, Becky Lynch opened up to Sports Illustrated on the controversy surrounding "The Boss", Sasha Banks. Lynch stated that her 4 Horsewomen counterpart has fallen from grace, and "can't hack it".

Becky also laid down a challenge for Banks, adding that the two have had some incredible matches down in NXT, but it has been a long while since they squared off inside the ring. The Man finished off by saying that she isn't The Irish Lasskicker anymore.

#6 Sasha Banks' husband reveals the truth about the alleged WrestleMania incident

By now every wrestling fan is aware of the news regarding Sasha Banks trying to leave WWE after she was informed that she and her former tag team partner Bayley were going to lose the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships to The IIconics at WrestleMania 35 a month ago. This led to a lot of speculations on the internet and now The Boss' husband, Sarath Ton AKA Mikaze, has come out to reveal what really happened.

According to reports, Mikaze recently took to Twitter to try and clear the air regarding his wife's situation. Mikaze said that the backstage incident reported following WrestleMania 35 did not happen, although several sources after WrestleMania said that Banks and Bayley were vocal about how unhappy they were about losing the titles. He also took to Instagram where he wrote:

Keep steady. No matter what you do, they'll always find a way to justify their disdain. Let your silence speak volumes. #wcw @sashabankswwe

#5 Rhyno rejects new deal with WWE confirms exit from the company

Former Smackdown Tag Team Champion Rhyno rejected a new deal with WWE and confirmed that he will not re-sign with the company. Rhyno is known for his time in the defunct ECW promotion and for his part in the invasion storyline in 2001. After leaving WWE in 2005, The Man Beast appeared in other promotions including Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor before he returned to WWE as part of NXT in 2015.

According to reports, Rhyno told Chris Van Vliet that he is contracted to WWE for the next two months and he will then begin to work on the independent scene again. He added that WWE offered to double his salary but he rejected the contract because he would like to compete in more matches. Here is what he had to say:

“July 17th is my last date there. They actually offered me more than twice my downside [guarantee] but it wasn’t where they would have to use me because the downside is so large. It wasn’t about money – it was about me wanting to be on the road working.”

#4 WWE fires lead writer for Raw

WWE has released another one of its writers, and this time it was Raw's lead writer, Ryan Callahan. According to reports, there are 'home' writers and 'road' writers for both Raw and SmackDown Live. The 'road' writers travel to each show with the roster. The report goes on to say that Callahan's firing allegedly had nothing to do with ratings, viewership or storylines, but rather with ongoing issues between him and the lead writer for Raw, David Kapoor.

Apparently, 'Kapoor felt that Callahan took creative changes a little too personally' and felt Callahan 'was difficult to work with', which didn't set a 'good example for the rest of the writing team.' The change was also reportedly made on Thursday, May 2. The report also revealed that Callahan had also been helping out with SmackDown recently and that he and Kapoor had been 'butting heads a lot often.

#3 Lio Rush reportedly urged WWE to release him rather than send him back to NXT

"The Man of the Hour" Lio Rush has not been seen for a while on Raw, as the Hype Man is the on-screen manager for The Almighty Bobby Lashley. Multiple reports came out that Rush had backstage heat and he was banned from the main roster. PWInsider reported that Lio Rush may be on his way back to NXT.

Rush reportedly turned down a $300k deal recently and has since been urging WWE to release him rather than sending him back to NXT. PWInsider released more details regarding Lio Rush's status within WWE.

As previously reported on PWInsider.com, there has been talk of sending Rush back to NXT with the idea of building him a new character and presenting him as something more than just a mouthpiece. We are told that Rush has, at on at least one occasion, instead suggested the company release him so he can “show them” what he could accomplish outside of WWE.

#2 WWE announces Wild Card Rule

After the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, several big names switched brands, such as AJ Styles moving to Raw and Roman Reigns moving to Smackdown Live. What happened a few weeks later left WWE in a tough spot when both ratings for Raw and Smackdown considerably dropped. WWE tried to come up with a way to stop the declining ratings, so Roman Reigns tweeted that he would open Raw, going against WWE management.

Reigns did show up on Raw and so did three other superstars. Vince McMahon then came up with the Wild Card Rule, which allows four Superstars from RAW or SmackDown Live to move between brands.

The Wild Card Rule came into effect on SmackDown as well when several Raw Superstars; AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, The Miz and The Usos showed up on the blue brand. While the rule received mixed reviews, especially since the Shake-up just happened, we can only wait to see if this is in fact what WWE needs to maintain sufficient viewerships.

#1 Triple H likes tweet blaming Vince McMahon for low ratings

A fan took to Twitter, posting a tweet to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon about some of the issues in WWE, such as poor ratings and Superstars not being given health insurance. The company's on-screen COO Triple H liked the tweet and 3 hours later, proceeded to unlike it. The tweet read:

@VinceMcMahon maybe the problem with the Raw and SmackDown ratings isn't due to wrestlers injured, it's that you put confusing and pointless storylines. Although it wouldn't hurt if you gave your wrestlers insurance. Just a thought

@StephMcMahon @TripleH @WWE

You can check out the full story here. The fan is apparently not happy with what's happening in WWE and possibly wants The Game to do something about it. HHH is known for his incredible work in NXT, which produces better quality matches and storylines than that of Raw and Smackdown.

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

Edited by Zaid Khan