SmackDown once again got the better of Monday Night Raw this week with another crisp show after the success of Backlash. While the Monday night show sowed the seeds for Clash of Champions, it was clearly left behind and this was one of the talking points that came out this past week. Elsewhere, WWE also crowned their inaugural Cruiserweight Classic winner this past week as TJ Perkins became the Cruiserweight champion as a result.
The eventful week resulted in busy movements on the rumor mill as well. There were some interesting rumors that made the rounds and here are the top ones from the lot and a closer look at them.
1- Eva Marie not returning soon, Paige will
Eva Marie’s suspension period has come to an end and she is cleared to appear on this week’s SmackDown. But from the looks of it, Eva will not be returning anytime soon as she will be busy shooting the film project that she took up earlier. Eva will be starring alongside Nicolas Cage in the film titled 'Inconceivable’ and the shooting is expected to start next month.
Paige, on the other hand, has sorted out her relationship with WWE and is expected to return soon. She is scheduled for the television shows but that does not guarantee her return in the upcoming week itself. WWE had thought about firing Paige but later decided against the same.
2- AJ Styles to remain champion for some time
AJ Styles won the WWE championship from Dean Ambrose at Backlash and is not expected to drop the championship anytime soon. The backstage officials of WWE are very happy with AJ Styles and this could have a direct impact on the length of his title reign. Styles will have his first title defense at No Mercy where he will defend the WWE championship against John Cena and Dean Ambrose.
Cena comes in with the desire of beating Ric Flair’s record and this was an attempt to raise the stakes of the storylines. The Cenation fans will have to wait dor it to happen as Styles will hold on to the gold for quite some time.
3- Heath Slater and Rhyno to drop titles
Another great story that came out of Backlash was the championship win of Heath Slater and Rhyno. They were crowned the SmackDown Tag Team champions at the pay-per-view and this resulted in Slater getting a contract with the brand as well. The free-agent gimmick came to an end due to this booking and the fans would be expecting a long reign from Slater and Rhyno.
The rumors suggest otherwise. WWE wants to move the Tag team titles fast and we might get to see Usos winning it from Slater and Rhyno soon. This would then result in a Usos vs. American Alpha feud for the tag team championships.
4- Plans for Hogan
WWE is planning on bringing back Hulk Hogan in time for WrestleMania 33. The company had completely ignored Hogan after the racism scandal broke out but his lawsuit win over Gawker has turned the tides in favor of the Hulkster. WWE, who did not mention Hogan during the time of the scandal, has slowly increased their coverage on Hogan and eventually, this could culminate in a return of Hogan.
The rumors also suggest that Hogan would be brought in as a General manager of either SmackDown or Monday Night Raw. No matter what WWE does with Hogan, it would be great to see the legend make his return to WWE programming.
5- Goldberg at Clash of champions, Kurt Angle update
The never-ending rumors on Goldberg came up this week as well. This time, the rumor mill suggested Goldberg showing up at Clash of Champions. The former WCW champion has been teasing the same and it would be a big boost for WWE as well if he shows up at the pay-per-view.
Meanwhile, the Kurt Angle return could happen but it will not be a full-blown wrestling role. Angle is likely to take the same path that The Ultimate Warrior and Sting took. Angle could feature as a big add-on to one of WWE’s 2K edition games. Expecting more than that at this point would probably end up in disappointment.
