Welcome to another edition of the daily WWE Rumor Roundup, where we try and provide the most interesting rumors and stories from the world of WWE. Today's edition features a memorable incident in which a female icon slapped a veteran so hard that he dislocated his jaw.
Plus, this roundup will explore the chances of Brock Lesnar facing Roman Reigns upon his eventual return. It will also dive into a former Universal Champion's claim that he got a lot of locker room heat in WWE because of his storyline with John Cena. So without further ado, let's dive in and take a look at today's biggest rumors and backstage stories.
#5 Vince Russo was slapped by WWE legend Miss Elizabeth
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Speaking on SportsKeeda's Legion of RAW, WWE veteran Vince Russo spoke about a backstage interraction he had with the late Miss Elizabeth. Elizabeth rose to fame as the valet of Macho Man Randy Savage in WWE. However, she was also a prominent player in WCW, where she worked as Lex Luger's manager.
Russo revealed that she did not like him very much while he tried to get her more involved in storylines. Considering how much money WCW was paying her, he wanted her to get more screen time. But he recalled an incident where she slapped him so hard that he dislocated his jaw.
"There was this one scene where when Lex was wrestling, I come down to the ring and I scoop Liz up and I kidnap her, and I'm taking her to the back while Lex is wrestling," said Russo. "As a shoot, she slapped me so hard across the face, she dislocated my jaw. That's how hard she hit me. She did not like me."
Elizabeth joined WCW in 1996, and she initially managed Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan. Later on, she became the manager for Luger and Ric Flair when they were teaming together.
#4 WWE legend Brock Lesnar isn't interested in facing Roman Reigns
For months, fans have speculated about Brock Lesnar's return to WWE. But as of this writing, there has been no official word on when The Beast Incarnate will finally make his way back to the company. If/when Lesnar does return, it probably won't involve a match with Roman Reigns.
Lesnar's former "advocate" Paul Heyman recently told DAZN that despite fans wanting The Beast Incarnate to face Reigns when he returns, the match won't happen. He claimed that Lesnar, a former WWE Universal Champion, is not interested in facing The Tribal Chief anytime soon.
''How you can be cognizant of the fact that Brock Lesnar does not want to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship, or at least not yet, is because he hasn't done it," said Heyman. "Because if Brock Lesnar wanted to [do] it, it would have happened already. And it hasn't happened already because he doesn't want to.”
Heyman explained that Lesnar is a man who does what he wants to do. If he did want to face The Big Dog, then it would have already happened. Of course, the two stars have faced off several times in the past. They have competed in two title matches at WWE's biggest show of the year, WrestleMania.
Heyman added that because Lesnar is a private person, he doesn't know the exact reason why the former champion isn't intrigued by the idea of facing Reigns again.
#3 Kevin Owens faced locker room heat in WWE because of John Cena
Former Universal Champion Kevin Owens recently talked about how the WWE locker room turned on him when he "dropped" John Cena in his main roster debut. Owens opened up about the negativity that he faced from his peers due to the early push he received in WWE.
During an appearance on Talking Smack, The Prizefighter admitted that he faced a lot of animosity on the road. He stated that he did not have a lot of friends in WWE at the time.
''I was on the road, there was a lot of animosity, I didn’t have a lot of friends here," Owens said. "I came in, I was NXT Champion. That’s true [still don’t have many friends], consequences of my actions, right? So, anyway, I don’t have a lot of friends, I’m traveling by myself, I drop John Cena on the first night. That tends to rub some people the wrong way,'' said Owens
Owens explained that he believes many members of the roster were unhappy with his actions against Cena, the face of the company. It's fair to assume that some of this reaction may have been fueled by jealousy, as Owens received a prominent spot upon his arrival.
They might have believed that a new "kid" like him did not deserve such a monumental opportunity.
#2 Update on Jeff Hardy's career in WWE
After Jeff Hardy was absent from Monday Night RAW for months, the former WWE Champion finally made his return this week. Unfortunately for The Charismatic Enigma, he suffered a decisive loss at the hands of Jinder Mahal.
Last week, the same match took place on WWE Main Event. At the time, fans speculated that the match was an experiment to see how well Mahal's new faction came across on TV. With The Maharaja and his new associates coming to RAW this week, it looks like this new faction is here to stay.
As for Jeff Hardy, his contract is nowhere near its expiration date, per Mike Johnson of PWInsider. Fans assumed that Hardy might be on his way out, given how poorly he is being booked, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
"Since the usage of Jeff Hardy the last few weeks [appearing on WWE Main Event] followed by his loss tonight on Raw seems to have sparked questions about whether his WWE contract is coming to an end, we are told by a WWE source that Hardy still has 'a good chunk of time left on his deal,' as he acknowledged last year that he had signed a new deal," wrote Johnson.
Hardy had missed some time because his father passed away in April. Now that he's back on TV, it's unclear what his future holds.
The report also stated that Jeff Hardy's new deal was for at least 2-3 years.
#1 Godfather's backstage heat with WWE legend Hulk Hogan
Former WWE Superstar The Godfather, who also worked under the Papa Shango gimmick, spoke about the rumors of his backstage heat with Hulk Hogan. Though he did not give too many details about the matter, he made it clear that he doesn't think The Hulkster is a nice person.
Speaking to James Romero of WSI - Wrestling Shoot Interviews, The Godfather claimed that many top superstars in WWE history were much better people than Hogan.
''I'm just gonna say, my mom always said, ‘If you ain’t got something good to say about somebody, don’t say nothing,' said The Godfather."It’s just people in that position, such as Stone Cold, such as Undertaker, such as The Rock, they’re just a lot nicer people, and I’m gonna let it go at that. They’re just a lot nicer people."
The issue between Hogan and The Godfather might have started at WrestleMania VIII, when Papa Shango arrived late for his on-screen angle with Hogan. Papa Shango has previously stated that the botch was not his fault, and he never got into trouble backstage because of it. Still, based on his comments, it's fair to wonder how Hogan felt about the incident.