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Welcome back to another edition of the daily WWE Rumor Roundup. As always, we've lined up all the newsworthy stories being discussed in the wrestling world. While there is considerable talk about WWE's upcoming Hell in a Cell show, many other stories have caught the attention of the masses over the past 24 hours.
Becky Lynch is back in trending circles as the former RAW Women's Champion was spotted at the Performance Center. Backstage reactions to her impending WWE return have also been revealed.
A few big-name NXT stars were brought in for try-out matches before this week's SmackDown. We also have all the updates on a potential shake-up in the WWE.
Jim Ross also opened up about how a legendary star was once almost fired for refusing to lose a match.
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Vince McMahon apparently also 'didn't get' a storyline featuring Bray Wyatt and another veteran superstar, and the details of the angle have now come to light.
We wrap up the roundup with a story regarding The IIconics' plans following their WWE release.
#5. Jim Ross reveals WWE almost fired a superstar for refusing to lose
Wins and losses are part and parcel of a professional wrestler's career, but the talent never like to lose too much. In fact, most WWE Superstars would prefer to go on a winning streak, but that's never feasible.
There have been a handful of WWE Superstars who have refused to lose big matches. During a recent episode of the Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross revealed how WWE nearly fired Big Van Vader after the well-respected superstar refused to lose to The Ultimate Warrior.
Vader took on Warrior at a huge house show in Rosemont that surprisingly had a massive turnout of fans. The match card was also stacked with big names, and Vader vs. Warrior was one of the marquee contests.
Vader left the match and was threatened backstage by WWE officials before he got back out. The former WCW Champion would exit the ring for the second time, and the Ultimate Warrior eventually picked up a count-out win.
Vader allegedly wanted to maintain his monster heel persona as he was a massive draw in Japan. The legendary wrestler believed that losing at house shows would hurt his image in Japan and lead to financial losses. In addition to his reluctance to lose, WWE even had issues with Vader's weight at the time.
Jim Ross said that Vader, real name Leon Allen White, was lucky not to have lost his WWE job at the Rosemont live event that night:
"So, Leon is lucky that night he didn't get fired. And a lot of bookers in less tenuous times would have said, 'Well, see, you're done.' You can't lose; we can't win. So, you figure that out. I think we had the WCW thing going on, bubbling and bubbling. Leon might have been out. That would have been a terrible loss because he was a killer heel and got over and all that good stuff. But the Japanese influence on some of those guys. They actually believed that losing at a house show, for example, in Rosemont, would be detrimental to their Japanese career," Jim Ross said. H/t Sportskeeda Wrestling
Jim Ross added that it made no sense for promotions to offer no-loss contracts. The veteran said that superstars who wish to protect their assets should never leave the safe confines of Japan or any other territory where they have a name.
While Vader is recognized as one of the greatest big-man performers in wrestling history, his WWE stint could have looked a lot better had everything worked out backstage.
#4. Becky Lynch spotted at the Performance Center training for WWE return
As reported by PWInsider, Becky Lynch was spotted at the WWE Performance Center earlier this week training for her return.
The visit was seen as part of Becky Lynch's comeback process, and she worked in the ring with NXT star Indi Hartwell.
Here's what PWInsider reported:
Former WWE Raw and Smackdown Women's Champion Becky Lynch was at the WWE Performance Center earlier this week, PWInsider.com has confirmed. The visit was described to us as part of the process for Lynch to return to action for the company after celebrating the birth of her and Seth Rollins' daughter, Roux, in December 2020. Update: We are told Lynch was in the ring working out with Indi Hartwell yesterday.
Fightful Select released additional information on Becky Lynch's PC appearance and added that The Man looked jacked. Many close to the situation stated that Becky Lynch looked like she never left, and that's great news for all her fans.
Lynch also 'took in some of the live PC matches' that happened this week at the Performance Center. WWE has reportedly been hopeful of Becky Lynch's return on multiple occasions this year, and the female contingent of the roster is also excited about the Irish star's return.
Female talent in the locker room believes Becky Lynch's return will also improve the booking.
While Becky Lynch was also backstage at SmackDown, WWE predictably did not utilize her on TV.
WWE is planning on pulling out all the stops for SummerSlam, and a massive match for Becky Lynch should be the company's grand plan. Who should it be against? Sound off in the comments section.
#3. Vince McMahon 'didn't get' Bray Wyatt's WWE storyline with Matt Hardy, canceled plans revealed
Bray Wyatt has had some genuinely twisted WWE storylines over the past few years, and his brief angle with Matt Hardy was one of the most memorable of the lot. Hardy and Wyatt feuded against each other before joining forces to win the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships.
The angle was cut short due to Matt Hardy's injury, but several plans didn't see the light of day. During a recent chat with Signed By Superstars, Matt Hardy revealed that Vince McMahon didn't fully understand the storyline with Bray Wyatt.
Matt and Bray had several incredible ideas, but the WWE boss allegedly just didn't get them! The AEW star revealed that he wanted to film vignettes with Bray Wyatt at the Hardy Compound, and they even had a few segments lined up to explore Wyatt's character:
"We did have input, but I don't think Vince [McMahon] got what we were going for. If we would've followed what we wanted to do, we were gonna have Bray [Wyatt] kind of be homeless because he lost Abigail and Randy [Orton] burned his stuff down. He was gonna come to the Hardy Compound, and we were gonna do a series of vignettes there, as opposed to just wrestlers on the show every week. I felt like that waters down so much. We wanted to do stuff that was gonna be [at] the Hardy Compound that was super entertaining." (H/T Post Wrestling)
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt weren't given the time to tell a complete story, but it was surely fun for as long as it lasted.
#2. WWE preparing for a shake-up, NXT Superstars spotted working dark matches before SmackDown
It seems like WWE is aware of its product's staleness and is making active efforts to add some freshness. PWInsider reports that Karrion Kross, Scarlett and Bronson Reed were present backstage before SmackDown.
The NXT stars were brought over to the Thunderdome in Tampa to work a few dark matches for WWE officials. An updated report revealed that Kross faced Dolph Ziggler while Bronson Reed had a singles match against Robert Roode.
The matches were reportedly taped for future evaluation, and WWE has no plans on airing them for public consumption. There were also talks to bring Kross and Scarlett back for next week's SmackDown to film some promos.
WWE is getting ready for a Draft in September, and the ideal course of action would be to pull up talent from the black-and-gold brand.
Dave Meltzer noted on the Wrestling Observer Radio that Karrion Kross has always been earmarked for a main roster call-up ever since WWE signed him.
WWE officials are high on Karrion Kross, and he is expected to get a fair shot in the big leagues. While the exact dates of the impending main roster debuts aren't known, fans should see all the new faces in action by September.
#1. Post-WWE name of The IIconics revealed?
As revealed by PWInsider, former WWE Superstars Billie Kay and Peyton Royce have filed for a trademark on the term 'The IInspiration.'
Cassie Lee (Peyton Royce) and Jessica McKay (Billie Kay) were released from the WWE earlier this year along with many other wrestlers. The Australian duo filed for the trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The latest trademark filing has kicked off speculation that the former WWE stars could go by the name ''The IInspiration' moving forward.
Given below is the trademark description:
G & S: Hats; Shirts; Socks; Bandanas; Sweatshirts; Hooded sweatshirts IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personalities; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personalities; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; Providing online interviews featuring professional wrestling and sports entertainment personalities in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainment for entertainment purposes.
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce have already mentioned that they would be a unit, and the best friends are seemingly setting the stage for a massive return to wrestling. If you're wondering, the non-compete clauses of the former WWE tag team will expire on July 14th, 2021.
