WWE Rumor Roundup - Popular name confirms exit, Superstar fined for unprofessional conduct, Becky Lynch's future - 14 February 2020
Welcome to the daily edition of Sportskeeda's WWE Rumor Roundup where we walk you through all the biggest speculation swirling around in the busy world of pro wrestling.
We have a host of top names featured in today's lineup, including The Undertaker, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Ronda Rousey and many more.
WWE reportedly nixed a big Super ShowDown match, however, there may not be any reason to worry as the company have reportedly booked an even bigger dream match for WrestleMania.
One of the biggest Superstars in WWE could go on a break after WrestleMania, while a popular employee confirmed her unexpected departure from the WWE, which none of us saw coming.
There is also apparently some backstage concern on SmackDown and that could bring about a few changes on the brand.
A massive title change is also reportedly planned to happen before WrestleMania.
We've got a stacked lineup for you today, so let's get right to it and take a look at each rumor in a little more detail:
#8. Cathy Kelly confirms departure
Cathy Kelly released a tweet in which she confirmed her departure from the WWE.
The popular backstage interviewer said that NXT Takeover: Portland will be her last day with the company.
PWInsider reports that Kelly put in her notice weeks ago and the company respected her decision to leave.
Kelly has been with the company since 2016 and has risen to become one of the most popular interviewers and social media correspondents in the company.
She expressed her gratitude towards Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and everyone backstage who helped her during the WWE stint in her statement, which you can read below:
I’ve typed out and deleted this about 20 times over the past few days, still unsure what to write… I have come to the decision to leave WWE, with Sunday’s NXT TakeOver being my last day. If you know me, you know this was much more than a job, you know how much I loved it and how difficult this decision was.
But sometimes in order to have room for growth, you have to step away. I am so thankful for getting to live out a crazy dream the past four years. Thank you to the WWE digital team for being a platform that never stifled creativity. Thank you to Stephanie McMahon for being a mentor and inspiration in every way. Thank you to Triple H for heading up the best wrestling show currently on tv and letting me be a part of it.
And thank you to everyone who has supported me, whether it’s watching a video I’ve done or sending a tweet of encouragement. Words cannot begin to express how much it means. I’m not sure yet where my next chapter will take me, but I am damn excited for it. And I promise this isn’t a goodbye, it’s a see you later. – CK
We wish Kelly all the very best for all of her future endeavours.
#7. King Corbin fined and barred from wrestling on SmackDown this week
In what is surely a work, WWE announced that King Corbin had been heavily fined and barred from wrestling on the most recent episode of SmackDown due to unprofessional conduct.
Per WWE Management, due to unprofessional conduct displayed by WWE Superstar King Corbin last Friday night on #SmackDown, King Corbin has received a heavy fine and has been barred from competing on SmackDown this week.
On last week's SmackDown, Corbin snatched a fan's drink and poured it all over their head, which prompted WWE to punish the Superstar.
Of course, the incident seems to be a work to write Corbin off TV for a week. In case you didn't know, the fan was revealed to be All Pro Wrestling promoter, Markus Mac.
#6. Becky Lynch could go on a short hiatus after WrestleMania 36
Becky Lynch is expected to defend the RAW Women's Championship against Shayna Baszler at WrestleMania 36 and there is a good chance that The Man drops the title to The Queen of Spades.
Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz on the latest edition of the Dropkick DiSKussons podcast that he's heard talk of Lynch possibly going on a break after 'Mania.
It was also noted that the company would have to put the title on Baszler if they wish to make the former NXT Women's Champion a credible talent on RAW.
Here's what Tom had to say:
What we know is that it’s not going to be the main event. So it’s not the send-people-happy-home moment. She doesn’t need to win and she doesn’t really lose anything in a loss. And yeah, there are rumors now that both her and Seth may take some time away after WrestleMania to recharge, maybe go and get married, and to let the fans breathe a little bit because absence does make the heart grow fonder.
So we’ll see if that happens, that is only what I hear though it’s nothing concrete at the moment, I want to make that very clear. But it is what I’m starting to hear, so it would make sense for Becky to lose the title at WrestleMania and I think Baszler will make a really good heel champion because there are a lot of faces on RAW at the minute, and there are a lot of people that can be built up by challenging Shayna Baszler.
#5. Title change could happen before WrestleMania
Andrade is currently out of action, serving a 30-day suspension for violating WWE's Wellness policy, and the Superstar is being advertised to return at the Super ShowDown PPV.
There have been many questions raised regarding Andrade's US title reign and why WWE didn't take the title off him when the news of his suspension first came to light.
Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated now reports that Andrade's days as the United States Champion are numbered. This means that he could end up dropping the title before the Show of Shows.
“From everything I have been told by contacts within WWE, the recently suspended Andrade’s days as the United States champion are numbered. (His 30-day wellness policy suspension expires on Feb. 27.) A hair-vs.-mask match against Rey Mysterio would have been special, but the more pressing question is whether he will even make it to WrestleMania as the United States champion.”
#4. WWE really wanted only Jeff Hardy to return to the company
With Matt Hardy's contract situation being the biggest talking point of the week, there has also been a lot of talk about Jeff Hardy's future.
WWE Insider Tom Colohue revealed in the new Dropkick DiSKussions podcast episode that when the WWE brought back The Hardy Boyz years ago, they really wanted only Jeff while Matt was just seen as a chaperone.
The company never wanted to work with the Broken Universe - which they were forced to eventually - and the idea was to always give Jeff Hardy a healthy push as they saw him as a more valuable asset than Matt.
However, history repeated itself and Jeff landed in legal issues outside the company.
Regarding his return, Tom explained that he expects to see Jeff back and get pushed by the company as well.
Here's what Tom had to say:
When they brought him and Matt back, the idea for the tag team was that they didn’t want to just bring Jeff back but Jeff was the one they really wanted. They really didn’t want to bother with the Broken Universe, even though they were eventually into it, they really didn’t fancy that. They wanted Jeff Hardy and they brought Matt Hardy to be sort of a chaperone, the idea being that with Matt there, Jeff’s more wild impulses will be a bit more tempered. That has not proven to be the case.
It will be interesting now because to my knowledge, Jeff Hardy will happily return, and once he is fit and ready to go, we will see him again and there would be storylines and there would be death-defying stunts.I think Jeff will be someone we will be seeing again soon, but when I talk about history repeating itself, Jeff gets a solo push, and then he goes and finds Matt. That’s how it has always been.
He goes so long without his brother and then he misses his brother and I can’t blame him for that. I don’t think those two men will finish their wrestling careers with the WWE, but I do think they are surefire Hall of Famers in the future.
#3. Big Undertaker match nixed
As revealed by Tom Colohue in his YouTube video, The Undertaker was slated to compete at the Super ShowDown PPV in Saudi Arabia, however, the match, unfortunately, fell through.
While the opponent wasn't revealed, there is a chance that it could have been Sting, who has been rumored to make an in-ring return in recent weeks.
When it comes to The Undertaker, he was down for a match in Saudi Arabia as I reported here, that match apparently fell through. I’m not sure who his opponent was supposed to be. It could be that it was Sting, as has been theorized, however, I’m not sure.
The match was unavailable. So it is what it is. It does mean, however, that he continues his fitness regime and potentially makes a 'Mania match. We’ll have to see if he does. He could still be a part of the build for a Super ShowDown match after all.
The good news, according to a report from WrestleZone, is that The Deadman is reportedly set to face AJ Styles in a dream match at WrestleMania 36.
#2. Backstage concern on SmackDown
Despite the highly-publicized move to FOX, SmackDown isn't the brand it used to be and the deteriorating quality of the product has also influenced the ratings, which have not reached the expected heights.
Tom Colohue revealed on Dropkick DiSKussions that there are people at FOX who are legitimately concerned about the ratings. FOX initially projected an average rating of 2.8 to 3 Million, however, SmackDown has failed to achieve that target.
The returns of John Cena, Goldberg and Hulk Hogan have quite possibly been done to appease the folks at FOX.
Tom explained:
A large part of why Eric Bischoff left was according to contacts in FOX, rather than contacts in WWE, let me make that clear, he simply wasn't keeping promises that he had made. To my knowledge, the expectations when it came to ratings was like 2.8 to 3 Million. That's what they were thinking.
That's what they were looking at. That's what their projections were. It has not reached that level. It has, in fact, been extremely close at 2.4 or 2.5 and not only that, the opinion of the show isn't particularly strong when it comes to the viewership. A lot of people view NXT more highly, a lot of people view RAW more highly once Paul Heyman came in.
So they are not getting what they paid for. It's not the flagship, some of that comes down to the fact that Edge returned for RAW. So you have the big moment like that, and it's stuff like where are you expecting the next legend to appear.
The next Undertaker appearance, the next Triple H appearance.I do think there is a bit of appeasement going on with Goldberg, with Cena and of course, with the Universal Championship moving over, which at the time, felt like the more important championship because of links to Brock Lesnar. But they were given Lesnar, Lesnar was taken away. There are a number of people at Fox who have concerns about the ratings at the moment.
#1. Ronda Rousey negotiations
As revealed by Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue in his new YouTube video, Ronda Rousey is trying to negotiate an improved deal with WWE which would enable her to work fewer dates than before.
It was revealed that Rousey will return to the company and any news regarding her new contract will only be revealed once she comes back.
It's worth noting that the negotiations have been ongoing since the day she went on a hiatus to spend more time with her family.
Tom revealed:
Ronda Rousey has been speaking about her contract recently, now she's completed her full 12 months, and what she was saying is that she was unhappy with the amount of work involved in that. There were a lot of days, she worked 200-so events, 200 days, and she did mention that a lot of the other talent were working a lot more, however, with the amount she was doing and the amount of time she wants to spend with her family at home.
She is looking for fewer dates, so that's part of the contract negotiations going forward for her return. Negotiations have been ongoing since pretty much the day she left. So we are expecting to hear news of a new Ronda Rousey contract but we will only hear that after she has returned, I'm sure.
She is still expected to come back to the company. I'm sure we'll see soon, what she chooses to do, how she chooses to do it, because ultimately it is up to her, what she offers to the WWE because she does have that drawling power that allows her to make some decisions for herself in that regard.
Quick Links
Arvind Sriram