WWE News & Rumor Roundup – Details of Paul Heyman's backstage fight, New photo of Jeff Hardy after release, Former star announces 'retirement' (December 18, 2021)

Another day has passed by in the busy world of the WWE, and we've compiled all the biggest stories for you in today's News & Rumor Roundup.

We kick off the roundup with details of Paul Heyman's backstage fight with an influential writer. A new photo of Jeff Hardy has also emerged online following his recent WWE release.

Another former WWE star announced his retirement from Sports Entertainment and confirmed his plans in the wrestling business. Backstage notes regarding the nixed plans for Sonya Deville have also been covered in the latest roundup.

We concluded the lineup with a respected veteran calling a recent SmackDown segment the worst he's ever seen in his career.

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#5. Details of Paul Heyman's backstage fight with Brian Gewirtz in WWE

Paul Heyman has had his fair share of backstage troubles in WWE, and Jim Cornette recently revealed an incident involving Heyman and former writer Brian Gewirtz.

The former WWE writer created several iconic comedy segments and was particularly known for his close association with The Rock. Heyman and Gewirtz were in WWE's creative team in the early 2000s, and they once had a massive disagreement behind the scenes.

Cornette recalled the backstage atmosphere when Heyman and Gewirtz got into a screaming fight.

Here's what Jim Cornette revealed on his Drive Thru podcast:

"I guess he (The Rock) loves that fu**ing Brian Gewirtz character, the comedy writer. Everybody has got a flaw, and The Rock likes the comedy writer. I still wish I could see video of the fu**ing screaming fight that Gewirtz and Heyman got into, where everybody was like, 'Please let them fight, please let them fight. We got to see this.' It was over wrestling because Gewirtz is a fu**ing comedy writer - whether you like him or not, everybody's on different sides of that fence - Heyman's a wrestling guy. So, I could see that being enough," said Cornette.

Paul Heyman left WWE in 2006 and returned in 2012 when Brock Lesnar made his way back into the company. The WWE manager has taken up multiple roles in the company ever since, and he is presently in the midst of one of the hottest storylines in all of pro wrestling.

Roman Reigns recently even fired Paul Heyman on SmackDown, and WWE is expected to book a few more twists in the ongoing Universal title program with Brock Lesnar.

#4. Jeff Hardy spotted in a new photo following recent WWE release

The controversial nature of Jeff Hardy's WWE release is still a huge topic of discussion in wrestling circles. Updates on Hardy's status continue to make the rounds online, and now, the Charismatic Enigma himself has been spotted at a recent meet-and-greet.

The former WWE Champion showed up in Rockford, IL, and interacted with several fans during his ongoing tour. A report from the event stated that Jeff Hardy was in good spirits and was seen having a great time while talking to fans.

You can check out the photos below, via WrestlingNews.co:

Jeff Hardy won't return to the ring until his non-compete clause ends, and he will be eligible to wrestle after March. In the meantime, Hardy will continue his concert and meet & greet tour, and the tickets to the same can be purchased right here.

Hardy is expected to make a significant move once he becomes a free agent, and massive hints have already been dropped regarding an AEW signing.

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#3. Former WWE star Shane Thorne announces "retirement from entertainment"

Shane Thorne, fka Slapjack of RETRIBUTION, released a statement on social media about his future and announced his retirement from sports entertainment.

The Australian star admitted that he had a fruitful time in the world of 'entertainment,' but it is now time for him to return to professional wrestling. Thorne, who now goes by the name Shane Haste, promised fans that he would be making his comeback in 2022:

"The last five years in entertainment have been very good to me. So, I think I'm done. I'm done with that. But now, it's time to get back to what I do best, and that's why I'm here to announce that in 2022, I am coming out of retirement and back to the world of professional wrestling."

Shane Thorne didn't reveal details of the promotion he might join but confirmed that he would be at many indie events next year.

Thorne was released from the WWE in November after spending nearly five years with the company. After the failed RETRIBUTION experiment, Thorne began testing out a new gimmick in dark matches and fans, hoping he would be introduced as a repackaged star on TV.

Unfortunately for the 36-year-old, he was one of the names released as part of WWE's budget cuts, but he seems motivated to script a new chapter in his career.

#2. Canceled plans for Sonya Deville's WWE in-ring return

Sonya Deville's work as a WWE on-screen authority figure has received a lot of praise, but several fans still wish to see her make a full-time return to the ring. Barring a recent handicap match, Deville has stayed away from the squared circle since losing to Mandy Rose at SummerSlam 2020.

Fightful Select reports that WWE had plans for Sonya Deville to return and compete in women's Money in the Bank match in July. The company reportedly even made graphics featuring Sonya Deville; however, the plans never saw the light of the day.

Fightful had no further information on the original ideas that were in place for Sonya Deville at Money in the Bank.

It was also reported that WWE's creative team made several pitches regarding Sonya Deville's in-ring return this year. Deville's feud with Naomi has also been well-received backstage, and it's only a matter of time until the former NXT star wrestles again.

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#1. Dutch Mantell is not a fan of the "Happy Talk" segment on WWE SmackDown

Dutch Mantell revealed on this week's Smack Talk episode that Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss' angle from SmackDown was the worst segment he'd ever seen.

The former WWE manager couldn't find any positive takeaways from the segment as he felt even the jokes failed to hit the mark. Drew McIntyre's appearance also did nothing to help WWE's cause, as per Dutch Mantell:

"That's the worst in-ring segment I've ever seen. These jokes bombed; I didn't even know what he was talking about. It was just a bad, bad in-ring segment. Even Drew McIntyre coming out at the end couldn't save it. It is what it is, and it sucked."

Mantell believes that WWE might have lost a lot of viewers as the unimpressive segment aired at the worst possible time during SmackDown:

"The top of the hour is where you don't want to lose them [viewers] because that's when they are switching," added Dutch. "But I think when they saw Madcap and Corbin come out, they switched before the top of the hour." (H/t Prityush Haldar of Sportskeeda Wrestling)

Do you agree with Dutch Mantell's opinions on the SmackDown segment? You can also share your thoughts on any of the other stories featured in today's roundup in the comments section below.