WWE Rumor Roundup: Misused Superstar to get a new gimmick after return, Former World Champion wants star fired, Edge's return - 22 December 2019

Welcome to today's edition of the WWE Rumor Roundup where we try and bring you all the exciting stories from the day. On yesterday's edition, we spoke about WWE's plans for Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania and the most likely opponent for Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble.

We have a stacked line-up for you today as well, as we talk about an underrated Superstar likely to get a new gimmick, and the reason behind a former World Champion's heel turn, among other things.

So let us take a look at the biggest rumors and news stories of today without any further ado:

#6 Bo Dallas hints at a new gimmick

Even though Bo Dallas is a former NXT and Tag Team Champion, the young Superstar has failed to break through on the main roster and has been limited to a comedy character.

Whether it was as part of The Miztourage, Social Outcasts or B-Team, Dallas has not been able to shine as a singles star. Dallas was one of the biggest names during the early run of NXT and his rivalry with Neville is still talked-about.

The Boliever tweeted a cryptic message saying that we will get to see a new avatar of him when he returns.

I’m on a life changing expedition right now and the next time you see me it will be a Bo You’ve never seen #Bosway #WWE

Dallas was last seen on SmackDown making a joke of himself along with his partner Curtis Axel when the two were annihilated by Braun Strowman and Tyson Fury.

Dallas' fans will certainly hope that the 29-year-old will finally get a chance to portray his heel character that made him so popular in NXT, but it is too early to say what exactly WWE has in store for him.

#5 Mark Henry wants Superstar fired

Unless you have been living under a rock, you could not have missed the viral video of an AEW Superstar completely botching his punches while hitting Dustin Rhodes. This masked star who is a member of the faction called The Dark Order was seen throwing punches that did not connect at all.

Fire this person now. https://t.co/igoWG4QykE

— TheMarkHenry (@TheMarkHenry) December 20, 2019

This video has drawn the ire of a lot of fans and Superstars across promotions. WWE Megastar Randy Orton completely ripped apart the Superstar in a way only the Master of RKO can. Even Dustin Rhodes tweeted out his displeasure at the incident.

Former World Heavyweight Champion, Mark Henry probably had the harshest of all reponses as he stated that this wrestler needs to be fired immediately.

Even though it is a well-accepted fact that pro-wrestling is 'scripted', such callousness will only lead to a mockery of the sport that is loved by fans all across the board, and Mark Henry was justified in his anger.

Do you agree with the WWE Hall of Famer? Let us know in the comments section!

#4 Edge likely cleared to wrestle

The Rated-R Superstar was forced into retirement in 2011 due to a bad neck. Doctors had told him that he ran the risk of being paralysed if he ever stepped into the ring again.

While Edge has made sporadic appearances for the WWE every now and then, it has been 8 years since we have seen the Ultimate Opportunist compete in a match. However, that might change soon as rumors have indicated that Edge may be returning to the ring sometime next year as he has been cleared to wrestle.

Bryan Alvarez stated on WOR that there is a high chance Edge is medically cleared to compete:

So, all I can tell you about this is that they did a show and in a [kickoff show] segment he got in the ring and delivered a spear.”

“Now, let me tell you something there’s no way that a guy who isn’t cleared for in-ring action is going to return and do a spear. If you call Paige retired because of an injury and when they wanted to write her out of storylines there was zero physical contact. Asuka blew mist in her face and she sat down and laid down.”

“They are not letting Edge deliver a spear unless there is at least some semblance of clearance. Now, I don’t know if he’s fully cleared, I don’t know anything about this. All I know is Edge did this and it’s what I was told and there was a denial.” (H/t: Wrestletalk)

#3 Possible winner of the Women's Royal Rumble match

In yesterday's Rumor Roundup, we discussed who is the most likely winner of the men's Royal Rumble match. Unlike the men's match, it looks like there is still some dispute over who the company wants to see win the Women's Royal Rumble this year.

Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue revealed that there is a strong chance for Shayna Baszler or Sasha Banks to walk away from Royal Rumble with a guaranteed match at WrestleMania 36.

When it comes to Shayna Baszler, she is a new favourite and looking at what's happened in NXT, with Rhea Ripley winning the Championship, she is definitely a very strong contender. Becky Lynch might have to get eyes at the back of her head. She is out of competitors at this point, there is an outside chance that we may see Nia Jax back soon and she may be a contender to take on Becky Lynch, but Shayna seems the most likely at this point. Unless, of course, Asuka wins at the Royal Rumble.

There is still an outside chance that Sasha Banks may win, that would be good for Bayley, that would give Bayley a strong contender because the SmackDown roster is not particularly strong when it comes to the women's side. We can have someone like Io Shirai win the Rumble, shock contender, then take on Bayley, that would be interesting, don't see that happening though. (H/t: Sportskeeda)

#2 Reason for Finn Balor's heel turn on NXT

Finn Balor sent shockwaves across the WWE Universe when he returned to NXT a few months back and announced that he 'is NXT' now, indicating that The Prince will become an NXT mainstay even though he was previously a main roster Superstar.

Wade Keller of PWTorch revealed why Balor turned heel on NXT instead of on the main roster:

Finn Balor, he is better on NXT. He is a smaller guy and if he was not a top priority for Vince McMahon when he lost to Bray, moving him to NXT and having him compete with wrestlers more his size makes him more palatable to be a heel. It's tougher to do on WWE's main roster - RAW or SmackDown - where the wrestlers are typically bigger than those on NXT.

He also stated that it would be hard for Balor to be a heel on the main roster and not get cheered or make the babyface look bad for being bigger than him as a babyface is supposed to be the underdog and smaller than the heel.

#1 Kofi Kingston talks about retiring

Former WWE Champion and current SmackDown Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston recently spoke to The Newsweek about the possibility of retiring once his recently signed contract is up.

As per his new contract, Kingston will be part of WWE for at least 5 more years, and the 38-year-old spoke about why he has thought about retiring after the end of his deal:

I've definitely thought about that. Five years is such a long time away, but you'd be a fool if you didn't plan ahead. It's really early to say, but at the end of this five years [it] might be the end of my career, not just from an injury or physical perspective, but just not being home.

Being away from my kids is very difficult. We had to go an extra day last week and we had a live event and then media day in Minneapolis, and then we had TLC and then I came home Monday and then back on the road Tuesday. I'm doing the WWE holiday party in Stanford. And then I'll go back home and come back to New York early on Friday to do a whole bunch of interviews and the live taping.