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Welcome to another edition of Sportskeeda's daily WWE Rumor Roundup. It's been a newsworthy week in WWE and the day that went by also had many big stories that were discussed fervently amongst the WWE Universe.
The biggest story has been Drew Gulak's WWE departure and we now know the reason why the Superstar decided to leave the company. There is also an interesting twist that could potentially lead to his WWE return.
Elsewhere, we were informed about the original WrestleMania 36 plan for Braun Strowman, which involved him going up against another accomplished former WWE Champion.
There was an update about Seth Rollins' character possibly going in a different direction in the weeks to follow.
We were also provided with the latest details with regards to Roman Reigns' return and what could happen if WWE stops paying him during his indefinite hiatus.
Finally, there was a rumor about WWE not wanting to push two Superstars to be solo acts.
It's a stacked lineup as always, so let's get right to it. Here is the latest WWE Rumor Roundup:
#5. Backstage notes on Drew Gulak's WWE exit
Drew Gulak parted ways with WWE after his contract expired following the recent SmackDown taping.
Dave Meltzer had reported on the Wrestling Observer Radio earlier in the day that WWE didn't renew Drew Gulak's contract as the Superstar wanted a pay raise.
It all reportedly came down to the financial aspects of the deal and WWE officials were just not willing to give Gulak the figure he desired. Vince McMahon and co. also rescinded their original offer and the decision was made to let Gulak leave.
Meltzer revealed:
The story going around is essentially that he asked for a raise, they said no, and they pulled the offer that they had originally offered. It was something along those lines. It was definitely a money situation where, you know, the basic situation is that they are not giving any raises right now, which I guess understandable because they cut so many people.
Could Drew Gulak re-sign with WWE?
However, the whole contract scenario may not be a dead issue just yet, as revealed by Bryan Alvarez during the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Live.
As noted by Bryan Alvarez, it was hinted to Dave Meltzer that Drew Gulak could still be interested in re-signing with the WWE if he is offered a better deal. Barry Bloom is representing Gulak during the ongoing negotiations with the company and there is still some hope of him signing a fresh deal with WWE.
It should be noted that Gulak is still a free agent but that could change depending on the outcome of the negotiations.
#4. Roman Reigns is in no rush to return, update on his earnings during the hiatus
When will Roman Reigns return? That has been the burning question that no one knows the answer to. What we do know is that Roman Reigns is reportedly in no hurry to return to TV.
Fightful revealed all the latest updates on Roman Reigns' WWE status in an exclusive Fightful Select report.
The Big Dog, as stated above, 'does not seem to be in any rush' to return and there is also no heat on Reigns for his decision. Highly-placed sources in the company don't know when Roman Reigns will be able to return, as it could take 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months or even more. His return timeline, as things stand, is uncertain.
It was revealed that Roman Reigns is expected to make more than $1000 a day on Cameo - a website on which fans can pay and get personalized video shout-outs from featured celebrities. Roman Reigns is charging $250 per message, and even if WWE stops paying him right now, it shouldn't matter to the former WWE Champion.
Regarding WWE's recent attempts at reportedly 'erasing' Reigns from some aired footage, various sources didn't know the reason behind WWE's move. It was added that there may not be much to look into that story.
There have also been no hints of WWE pressurizing Roman Reigns to return to work and considering all the updates that have been reported, The Big Dog is not expected to make his comeback anytime soon.
#3. The reason why WWE doesn't want Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura to have solo runs
Sami Zayn being stripped of the Intercontinental title has not only affected WWE's plans for the Championship but also the current storyline direction for Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura.
With the leader of The Artist Collective out of the picture, there was an opportunity for WWE to push Cesaro and Nakamura as singles Superstars. However, WWE isn't too high on the idea.
It was revealed by Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue on the latest edition of the Dropkick DiSKussions podcast that the general belief backstage is that the Swiss Superman and the King of Strong Style don't have the right amount of charisma to stand out as solo performers.
That could be the reason why WWE has temporarily paired the duo with King Corbin, who has seemingly taken up the role of leading Cesaro and Nakamura in Sami Zayn's absence.
Well at the moment they have been immediately paired up with Baron Corbin, which will at least give them someone new to lead them. The WWE, unfortunately, have the general belief that neither of them nor Cesaro or Nakamura have the right amount of charisma to be in a solo position or have a leadership role. With everything they are rewriting around Sami Zayn they need someone else to talk for them, so, for now, they have paired them up with Corbin, after that, it's really hard to see.
#2. A new direction for Seth Rollins?
Seth Rollins' gimmick has undergone drastic changes since the beginning of the year and it seems like WWE is still not done tweaking around with The Monday Night Messiah's TV character.
Seth Rollins, despite being a heel, was part of a typical babyface moment after his match against Drew McIntyre at Money in the Bank. Unlike most heels, Rollins accepted the WWE Champion's handshake offer after a solid WWE title match.
However, on the following episode of RAW, Rollins unleashed a vicious side of himself after he snapped and barbarically attacked Rey Mysterio's eye.
What's interesting to note here is that Seth Rollins was involved in a backstage segment after the assault in which it looked like he regretted his actions and wanted to apologize to Mysterio.
Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue speculated on the Dropkick DiSKussions podcast that Seth Rollins could still be heading for a babyface turn based on how he was booked in the backstage segment. Colohue told host Korey Gunz that WWE could be keeping their options open and there is a possibility that Rollins' character does change again pretty soon.
Tom noted the following:
When it comes to the Money in the Bank finish, I do think they are still going face despite what happened. The reason I think that is because Seth went to apologize after he injured Rey. I don't know whether this is going to be the whole Bray Wyatt/Fiend thing but he definitely had an out-of-body experience, attacked Rey as he did...but if he was a heel, he would not have apologized. So I'm not entirely sure which way they are going but they are keeping their options open.
#1. Original WrestleMania 36 plan for Braun Strowman and Sheamus
Just like every person around the world, WWE officials also wish that the COVID-19 pandemic had never happened, as the ongoing health crisis has forced the company to make unprecedented changes in every department.
Various storylines have been altered or nixed in the past few months and one of them involved a potential IC title feud between Sheamus and Braun Strowman.
Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue reported in the Dropkick DiSKussions podcast that the plan originally was for Sheamus to return and face Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 36 for the Intercontinental Championship.
The reported plan underwent late changes as WWE chose to book Braun Strowman as the Universal Champion. Tom stated that while WWE could revisit the idea of having Sheamus feud with Strowman, it may not happen anytime soon as The Monster Among Men is currently in an angle with Bray Wyatt.
Tom did, however, speculate that Sheamus could be a good fit in the IC title picture going forward.
Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz the following on Sportskeeda''s Dropkick DiSKussions podcast:
Sheamus talked about the IC title a lot because originally there was a plan to have Sheamus vs. Braun Strowman for the IC title at WrestleMania. But that is one of many things that underwent very late changes. Obviously, the title changed and then Strowman has ended up as the Universal Champion. We could still see that feud but having Strowman feud with The Fiend has sort of suggested that Sheamus won't be tangling with him soon. With everything going on now, we may still see Sheamus revisiting the IC title. They need people in that tournament and they don't have that large a group.
Sheamus is in the tournament to crown the new Intercontinental Champion and he will face Jeff Hardy in a first-round match. The IC title is the only missing accolade in the Celtic Warrior's resume and he is unsurprisingly one of the favourites to capture the vacant title at the end of the tournament.
