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It's time for another edition of the WWE Rumor Roundup. One of the biggest rumors being discussed by the wrestling fans is with regard to virtually every WWE Superstar getting in touch with AEW regarding a potential signing. Braun Strowman's name was also brought up, and he addressed the speculation doing the rounds.
Details of an internal investigation looking into the allegations leveled against a Superstar have also been revealed.
WWE is also reportedly interested in signing one of the most popular UFC fighters in MMA history, and there is a lot of buzz with regards to the former UFC Champion's next move. WWE has also been blasted by a top AEW star for the firing of a veteran employee.
Finally, we take a look at all the details about WWE ThunderDome, which has also managed to resurrect some lost interest in the product.
Before we start with today's lineup of Sportskeeda's WWE Rumor Roundup, here's a recap of all the important WWE rumors from the past week:
#5. WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman addresses AEW rumors
Dave Meltzer recently reported on the Wrestling Observer Radio that barring Roman Reigns, almost every other WWE Superstar had contacted people in AEW with regards to an opportunity to work for the promotion.
Meltzer had revealed the following:
"Roman Reigns is not going to AEW, not happening. Virtually everyone in WWE, including guys who have claimed different, at one point or another have called up people in AEW trying to see what they can get or have had interest. But Roman Reigns, and there's a couple of others, but Roman Reigns was basically, of the top guys, he was the only one who never even enquired. So he ain't going anywhere."
Braun Strowman, whose name had also been attached to the rumor, reacted to a post by HeelByNature contributor Jake. The WWE Universal Champion shot down the report as 'fake news'. Strowman exchanged a few messages with Jake in which the SmackDown Superstar revealed his displeasure about the fake news being spread about him and his fellow WWE colleagues.
You can check out the messages and the screenshot of Strowman's response to Dave Meltzer's report below:
Tom Colohue also revealed on Twitter that not many people in the WWE support the rumor about Superstars reaching out to AEW.
Very few of the people within #WWE that I have spoken to support the rumour that practically everybody has contacted #AEW at some point. In fact, one personally openly told me that: "I don't give a f--- about AEW"
#4. Triple H opens up about WWE's investigation against Velveteen Dream
Velveteen Dream returned to NXT on the last episode of the Black and Gold brand, and he turned heel before having a face-off with Finn Balor to end the show.
Dream has been out of action ever since the allegations of him having indecent online interactions with underage boys came to light. Dream had also recently met with a car accident and he was hospitalized following the same.
During a recent chat with CBS Sports, Triple H revealed that Velveteen Dream was out of action due to the car accident and not because of the allegations that came out during the Speaking Out movement.
The WWE NXT Boss even revealed that the WWE had conducted an internal investigation, in which they looked into the allegations leveled against the former North American Champion. However, Triple H noted that the WWE found nothing.
Triple H added that Velveteen Dream was brought back to TV as soon he was medically cleared to compete.
Here's what The Game had to say about Velveteen Dream's status and the outcome of the internal investigation:
"You know, in this day today, accusations are made and you take them all very seriously. You look into them the best you can, and you find out what is there and what isn't. In this situation, [Clark] was also involved in a car accident. That's what took him off TV. In the moment, all this other stuff happens and you look into it and you find that there is a situation that people bring to everyone's attention, you look into it and find that it is what it is and there's nothing there. Everything that we have done, we are comfortable with him continuing to do what he does and everything else. But he had a car accident. It stemmed down to people thought we removed him from TV for different reasons. We didn't. He was in a car accident. Once he was medically cleared to be able to return to the ring from his car accident, we continued forward the way we did. We looked into what was there and we didn't find anything."
#3. Chris Jericho blasts WWE for firing Mike Chioda
Mike Chioda was released from the WWE on April 15, 2020, along with various other talents and backstage personnel. The veteran referee was the longest-tenured employee in the WWE before his release, and the ouster was a genuine shocker.
Chioda recently made his AEW debut to officiate the TNT title match between Cody and Scorpio Sky as well as the AEW Dynamite main event contest between Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy.
On the recent edition of Chris Jericho's Saturday Night Special live Q&A session, the former AEW World Champion opened up about Mike Chioda's AEW debut.
Jericho noted that while Chioda hasn't signed a full-time deal with the company, the contract should be signed sooner rather than later.
Le Champion then went on to blast the WWE for firing Chioda, who was with the WWE for 35 years. Jericho was critical about WWE's decision to let Chioda go and said that it was a shameful decision.
Here's what Jericho revealed:
"Cody and I had talked about having Mikey come in… We were thinking, like, maybe we should try to bring him in. I mean, we asked Tony Khan [and he said], 'But it's the middle of a pandemic, and bringing in a new referee when we've got referees. But I always said that when the time is right, let's bring him in for a big match."
"I mean, come on, seriously? 35 years the dude has been at your company and you're going to fire him? Besides the fact that the dude is a great guy and such a talented performer, and can run the whole backstage, but after 35 years, what's he supposed to do? Go get a job at freaking 7 Eleven? Like, shame on you WWE." H/t WrestlingInc
#2. WWE is still interested in signing Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier competed in his final pro MMA fight at UFC 252. The former two-division UFC Champion was beaten by Stipe Miocic via unanimous decision at the end of the five-round trilogy decider for the Heavyweight title.
DC is now a retired man, and he is free to entertain offers that would shape the next phase of his career.
Dave Meltzer revealed on the Saturday Night Main Event podcast that WWE is still interested in signing Daniel Cormier. The rumor about DC possibly working with WWE first started to float around in 2019, and the MMA veteran would later even confirm that he had talks with Vince McMahon's company.
In fact, Cormier had revealed in December that he had talked with WWE on several occasions. WWE may finally have the chance to get Cormier on board; however, they do have stiff competition.
FOX also wants to get Cormier in as one of the members of the SmackDown commentary team. UFC is also keen to keep Cormier as he has done an excellent job as a commentator on several UFC shows in the past.
Daniel Cormier is financially secure following his retirement from MMA, as revealed by Dave Meltzer. Still, the long-time professional wrestling fan could be tempted to get involved with the business in some capacity following the end of his MMA career.
#1. WWE ThunderDome
WWE has officially ended their Performance Center stint and moved residency to the Amway Center. That's not all; the company even announced WWE ThunderDome, which is a state-of-the-art set to get the fans back in a virtual setup. It's an intriguing and ambitious idea which was described as following by the WWE:
WWE ThunderDome, featuring a state-of-the-art set, video boards, pyrotechnics, lasers, cutting-edge graphics and drone cameras, will take WWE fans' viewing experience to an unprecedented level starting this Friday, Aug. 21 on FOX, kicking off SummerSlam Weekend.
The fans who wish to be a part of the unique viewing experience can register at http://www.wwethunderdome.com. '
WWE Executive Vice President of Television Production, Kevin Dunn hyped up WWE ThunderDome by saying:
"WWE has a long history of producing the greatest live spectacles in sports and entertainment, yet nothing compares to what we are creating with WWE ThunderDome. This structure will enable us to deliver an immersive atmosphere and generate more excitement amongst the millions of fans watching our programming around the world."
A group of fans will be shown on the LED boards that will surround the ring, and as shown in the video above, Pro Wrestling Sheet also revealed the first look of the set that is currently under construction at the Amway Center.
WWE will run shows at the Amway Center for the next two months, and as reported by Channel 13's Jeff Allen, WWE paid $450,000 to secure the residency.
WWE ThunderDome will begin on the go-home episode of SmackDown before WWE SummerSlam.
