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It's time for another edition of the daily WWE Rumor Roundup, and it's safe to say that the wrestling world is still not completely over the recent spree of WWE releases.
We have all the latest updates on Braun Strowman's status and everything that contributed to the superstar's shocking WWE release. In addition, backstage details regarding the promises made to two different recently released superstars have also come to light.
Andrade finally made his big move as he debuted on the most recent episode of AEW Dynamite, and we have all the notes regarding the demands he made before signing a deal.
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WWE also announced the location of SummerSlam not too long ago, and all the rumors regarding the proposed matches for the pay-per-view event have also been covered in today's lineup.
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On that note, here is the latest WWE Rumor Roundup:
#5. Details on Braun Strowman's WWE release, possible replacements, and more
Braun Strowman was inarguably the biggest name to have been featured on the list of released talents. The Monster Among Men is a legitimate main event star who tasted world championship success in WWE and was yet to truly blossom as a genuinely diverse character.
Braun Strowman's WWE exit is one of the most significant talking points, and several factors ultimately convinced the company to let him go.
During a recent Wrestling Observer Radio episode, Dave Meltzer explained why Omos' rise as RAW's 'big guy' affected Braun Strowman's standing on the roster.
Strowman was WWE's go-to monster on RAW, but Omos' arrival instantly resulted in a powershift amongst the giants. Standing at 7 foot 3 inches, Omos is taller than Strowman and a more physically imposing giant on the Red brand.
Omos essentially took Braun Strowman's position on RAW, and the former Universal Champion's uniqueness ceased to exist. WWE has Commander Azeez over at SmackDown, making it extremely difficult for Strowman to continue his run as WWE's top big guy, even on the Blue brand.
"All of a sudden, Braun Strowman at a legitimate 6 foot 6 when you got Omos, who is the new toy who is 7 foot 3…Braun Strowman's big thing was that he had size and power, and now they are going with a new giant. He can't be the giant anymore when you got this guy who is legitimately 9 inches taller than him. Granted, Strowman's got the big body and everything like that, but you can only do the giant thing when you're the giant of the company on the brand, but he isn't that guy anymore. Like with Big Show. If you remember with Big Show, when Strowman came, Big Show was obsolete. They put Big Show in there Strowman to get Strowman over because Big Show was a good enough worker and had pretty good matches with Strowman," said Dave Meltzer.
Meltzer also spoke about a possible Omos vs. Strowman angle which we sadly never got to witness. It was noted that Strowman could have put Omos over on his way out, but the match would not have been of the highest quality.
"The problem is Omos is not as good as Strowman and Strowman is not close to as good as Big Show and so the big thing, under other circumstances, if they were gonna make this cut, they would book Strowman in there with Omos and then have Omos beat him, and they would cut Strowman. The problem is if you think about that…is because [the matches would] absolutely totally s*ck. They got big guys there, you can't be the giant, and he's not versatile enough to be something but the giant monster," said Dave Meltzer.
While Braun Strowman's major WWE contract was also one of the determining factors towards his release, the influx of new mammoth wrestlers affected Strowman's stock as a performer.
"With Strowman (Adam Scherr, 37), who was on a $1.2 million guaranteed deal and had just a few weeks back denigrated all non-WWE wrestling and said he would never work anywhere else, the decision was made because of the feeling he was two years past his peak and he had become obsolete as the roster giant because of Omos on Raw, Commander Azeez on Smackdown, and perhaps Shanky on Raw, being on the main roster who were so much bigger than he is," Meltzer added in the Newsletter.
Braun Strowman recently posted a cryptic tweet hinting towards his post-WWE future, and the 37-year-old star could be preparing to make a big splash once he is free to compete again in September.
Where do you see Braun Strowman going after his non-compete clause ends?
#4. More news on Lana's WWE release, Vince McMahon's assurance, creative struggles, and more
Lana has always been one of the hardest working women in WWE, as her earnest efforts towards improving in the ring can never be undermined. Despite her on-screen popularity and star power, Lana was surprisingly one of the superstars shown the door by WWE.
Fightful Select reported that Lana and Naomi were quite active backstage as the duo consistently followed up with the WWE creative team. Lana wanted to remain active, and the only way to preserve one's TV time is to be relentless behind the scenes.
WWE's booking plans for Lana were wholly different last year before Charlotte Flair's return.
Fightful was told that Vince McMahon promised Lana that the WWE would not stop her character. The WWE Chairman also assured Lana that the company would have more for her from a creative standpoint.
WWE has been highly unpredictable ever since the pandemic kicked off, and it seems like pre-existing assurances don't hold any weightage during the company's extensive budget cuts.
Lana will be eligible to sign with another company when her 90-day non-compete clause ends in the first week of September.
#3. Former WWE star Andrade's demands before AEW signing revealed
Andrade was released from WWE on March 21st earlier this year, and the former United States Champion has wasted absolutely no time getting back to business.
Andrade made his AEW debut on the most recent Dynamite episode, and the fans inside Daily's Place gave him a solid reception. WrestlingInc has now revealed more details on Andrade's AEW signing.
Tony Khan met Andrade during the same week in which the superstar was handed his WWE release. Andrade didn't sign a deal when he first met the AEW president but added that Khan was quite motivated to get the former WWE star's signature.
Tony Khan was particularly excited that Andrade didn't have a 90-day non-compete clause to finish. Andrade, however, had some massive demands before he penned a big deal with AEW.
Andrade reportedly wanted complete creative control and also the power to veto losses. However, Andrade and AEW compromised, and the star was given a limited amount of creative control over his match finishes.
It should also be noted that IMPACT Wrestling and ROH were also interested in signing Andrade. IMPACT held talks with the Mexican superstar, and the company was willing to guarantee part of his creative control demands. Unfortunately, the talks fell through as both sides couldn't decide upon the number of dates he would work.
Andrade finally signed a contract with AEW earlier this week, and AEW officials spent a lot of time on the contract's wording. Andrade left WWE due to frustrations regarding his booking, and he expected to get a lot of creative freedom in AEW.
However, AEW and the former NXT Champion seem to have reached a common ground, and it will be interesting to see how it impacts his immediate future in the company.
#2. WWE used original SAnitY plans for another faction
Former WWE star Alexander Wolfe sat down for an interview with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, and the former SAnitY faction member revealed some explosive details about his time in the company, which were separately covered on Fightful Select. Wolfe was one of the many NXT wrestlers recently released as part of WWE's budget cuts.
Wolfe was in SAnitY when the faction was the top group in NXT under Eric Young's tutelage. Triple H and Shawn Michaels informed SAnitY about the SmackDown call-up back in 2018.
Mark Carrano, former Senior Director of Talent Relations, told SAnitY that WWE had big plans for the stable on SmackDown.
Wolfe, however, revealed that Carrano's comments ended up being 'empty promises.' The ex-NXT star added that most of the original plans for SAnitY were later used by WWE for RETRIBUTION.
The SAnitY members pitched multiple ideas for their introduction to SmackDown, and WWE recycled them and utilized them to unveil RETRIBUTION nearly two years later.
Eric Young is presently leading a faction called 'Violence by Design' in IMPACT Wrestling. Wolfe stated that Eric Young is just using the same ideas he got along the way when he was the leader of SAnitY.
Wolfe added that most talents backstage were surprised when WWE booked SAnitY to lose their first match on the main roster.
#1. Major backstage updates on WWE SummerSlam 2021
WWE has finally announced the SummerSlam 2021 location, and the biggest party of the summer is all set to take place at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on August 21st.
Rumors and speculation regarding WWE's plans for the SummerSlam 2021 match card have been running rampant for the past few weeks. WWE, however, is potentially gearing up for its most stacked pay-per-view of the year by the looks of it.
Andrew Zarian of The Mat Men podcast reported that WWE officials were actively trying to get Brock Lesnar back for SummerSlam.
'I would say expect to see all of the big names that make sense. Lesnar was early on for SummerSlam plans; they were trying to do something. I think the concept behind Lesnar is to justify what we're gonna pay him [and] we need a more consistent touring schedule so we can build to this, and those appearances by Lesnar will help sell tickets, obviously," Zarian revealed.
All signs unequivocally point towards Brock Lesnar's impending WWE return at SummerSlam, but who will he face?
In the most recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that the apparent angle on the table right now was for Brock Lesnar to have another feud with Roman Reigns.
"The obvious angle right now for a Lesnar return is a storyline involving Heyman and thus Reigns," Meltzer noted.
There is, of course, a lot of confusion following Brock Lesnar's name being mentioned on the latest RAW episode. WWE could finally be heading towards a Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar match as well, and in such a scenario, Roman Reigns could end up facing John Cena.
WWE has several options, but what are the matches that you'd like to see on the SummerSlam card? Sound off in the comments section.
