WWE Rumor Review: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn leaving for AEW, real reason behind Austin Theory's push, next RAW Women's Champion revealed?

Welcome to the latest edition of WWE Rumor Review, a regular feature where we look at a few rumors from several months ago and attempt to verify if they were true.

In today's installment, we will review a few of the top rumors from December 2021. We have reported regarding the next RAW Women's Champion, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn possibly leaving the company, the reason behind Austin Theory getting a massive push, and more.

Without further ado, let's begin the latest edition of WWE Rumor Review.

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#5. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn leaving WWE?

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2021 was a year full of superstars getting released by Titanland or leaving the company and ultimately joining AEW. Several reports surfaced regarding Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn joining Tony Khan's company.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that the belief inside the company is that the popular duo will leave for AEW unless a great offer is made.

''Owens and Zayn are the two guys people know about whose deals are due soon and obviously both do go back with the Young Bucks, Adam Cole and others to PWG and the indie scene. If nothing else, you’d think they would listen to offers, " said Dave Meltzer.

Thankfully, nothing materialized as the two still work for WWE and competed at Survivor Series WarGames.

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#4. Jeff Hardy released by WWE

As noted earlier, 2021 was the year of releases. Major stars like Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman lost their jobs due to budget cuts. However, not all the stars were released due to budget cuts.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported that The company released the Charismatic Enigma after being sent home from a live event. He also reported that Hardy did not accept rehab offered by the promotion to deal with his demons.

The report was true as the former World Champion was released and later debuted in AEW in 2022.

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#3. Kevin Owens signs a new deal

After a lot of speculation about Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens wanting to head to AEW, their booking started to get better as both stars got involved in rivalries with then-Universal Champion Roman Reigns and WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, respectively.

The company wanted to keep the stars, and according to a report from Fightful Select, Kevin Owens was offered an excellent deal and re-signed with the promotion.

The report came out as true as The Prizefighter has continued to appear as a major star in the business.

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#2. The real reason behind Austin Theory's push

Austin Theory took the professional wrestling world by storm by being booked onscreen with Vince McMahon himself. He appeared as the then-chairman's latest protege.

According to a report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Theory's matches had been getting great viewership from teenage audiences, which was a major reason behind his monumental push.

While one can't be certain, the report made sense as the teenage audience prefers younger stars like Austin Theory. The former United States Champion has continued to shine and has become a two-time United States Champion by defeating Seth Rollins.

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#1. Next RAW Women's Champion revealed?

Becky Lynch returned to WWE at SummerSlam 2021 and shockingly defeated Bianca Belair to become the new RAW Women's Champion. She had stayed as the champion for a long time.

After an excellent performance by Liv Morgan and herself during an episode of RAW, a report from Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio emerged, speculating Morgan as the next RAW Women's Champion.

The report didn't materialize as Liv Morgan didn't win a Women's Championship until Money in the Bank 2022. Better late than never, fans got to see her become the SmackDown Champion.

Click here to check out a previous edition of Rumor Review, where we looked at Brock Lesnar's return plans, the Becky Lynch controversy at Survivor Series, and more.