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Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't. It's a big week in the world of WWE and wrestling as crowds are officially back.
This edition is post-Money in the Bank 2021 and things are gearing up. This week features rumors about SummerSlam, injuries, brand swaps, WrestleMania 38 plans and more.
Let's jump right into it:
#3. Hope is true: Veteran superstar unhappy with WWE over Bayley's injury?
Bayley was expected to compete for the SmackDown Women's Championship at Money in the Bank 2021. Her match against Bianca Belair was canceled after she suffered an injury during training. The injury is expected to keep her out for 9 months.
The frustrating part about Bayley's injury is how unnecessary it was. It reportedly took place in the WWE Performance Center while training to get back on the road. For Bayley, who has been so active for the last year, even in the pandemic era, it seems to make no sense that she would be needed as a part of training.
It seems to be a mandatory rule by WWE for every superstar except a select few. It is admittedly bizarre and confusing for WWE talent since many of them don't live in Orlando and have to go out of their way on days off to train in the WWE Performance Center.
Dave Meltzer of WON was informed by a veteran WWE superstar (who chose not to reveal their name), who expressed a great deal of frustration about the in-ring drills:
"I wrestled full time for 15 years. If you are in shape enough to do TV and PPV matches you need zero conditioning or preparation to go back on the road and do live events. My entire regular career I never did a single in ring drill for conditioning. I did cardio at the gym sure but never additional ring time. The only time I did in ring drills for conditioning was when I took post "retirement" bookings and had to have a big match for the first time in a year or so but that's because I hadn't had a match in a year and was going to have to do 30 minutes at a top level. When I went from working 1 match a week locally. . to 7 nights a week I did zero drills to prepare. The only thing harder about 7 nights a week to once a week is the wear and tear on your body, so doing more wear and tear with drills to prepare makes it worse not better."
It goes without saying that we hope the veteran's frustration is true and not the WWE in-ring drills. It seems to be a step too far and hopefully Bayley's injury is a wake-up call for WWE.
#3. Hope isn't true: Reason why WWE hasn't booked a Bobby Lashley-Brock Lesnar feud
When Bobby Lashley won the WWE Championship, it once again opened the window for a dream match against Brock Lesnar. It's the match that Bobby Lashley wants the most and it's the match that he deserves.
From the look of things, it will be a Sting vs Undertaker-like match-up - a dream bout that simply isn't meant to be. Brock Lesnar's WWE status has appeared uncertain throughout the year, though the company seems hopeful that he will return sooner rather than later.
As of this writing, it's the window between Money in the Bank and RAW. Goldberg is rumored to be Bobby Lashley's WWE title opponent at SummerSlam and not Brock Lesnar.
According to Dave Meltzer of WON, there was an odd reason why WWE keeps denying the dream Bobby Lashley-Brock Lesnar match:
"The Lesnar match was talked about a lot but constantly denied. The feeling was that Lesnar isn’t coming back for a number of shows right now, so he’d have to lose. And those in the Reigns camp see Reigns vs. Lesnar with the Heyman history as a big program not to be weakened by Lesnar doing a job or doing a non-finish with Lashley right now. Like I’ve said before, in 1985 that would be how I’d see it, but today I don’t see a Lesnar loss to Lashley this year hurting a 2023 program with Reigns vs. Lesnar," stated Meltzer.
We hope this isn't true because there seems to be no logic in this. Firstly, Meltzer is right - Brock Lesnar losing in WWE this year won't affect a 2023 program against Roman Reigns.
Secondly, why is a program against Roman Reigns such a top priority for WWE? It was done to death in 2018 and finally ended when Roman Reigns dethroned Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. It's a sad and frustrating reason to deny Bobby Lashley and the WWE Universe a dream match.
#2. Hope is true: WWE planning a new role for Bayley during her injury spell?
Bayley's injury will keep her out of WWE for at least 9 months. This, however, may only be restricted to her in-ring role. Her recovery is a top priority, and as mentioned earlier, the injury seemed so unnecessary.
Bayley was one of the MVPs of WWE in 2020 and she didn't even get a spot on the WrestleMania card. She was Bianca Belair's first post-WrestleMania feud, but WWE revealed a week before Money in the Bank that she would be out of action for 9 months.
According to Dave Meltzer of WON, Bayley could be put in a role similar to The Miz. While she can't compete inside the ring, she could still continue an on-air role:
"Pam Martinez (Bayley) suffered a torn left ACL doing training drills on 7/8 at the Performance Center. She was doing the mandatory training that almost all (everyone but the tippy top) talent were told they had to do to get ready for the return of road shows. There’s never a good time for an injury and this certainly wasn’t, in the middle of a program with Belair. She could wind up like Miz being kept on the air to do her talk show," stated Dave Meltzer.
We hope this is true because it's the best way for WWE to utilize Bayley. Her in-ring run for 2021 is over and 2022 will present a fresh start. Maybe a role on the WWE commentary desk alongside Michael Cole and Pat McAfee would best suit her abilities.
#2. Hope isn't true: WWE makes a surprising swap for Mandy Rose
Mandy Rose joined a list of a few WWE superstars who jumped from the main roster to NXT. It was abrupt, especially since she was in a tag team with Dana Brooke.
Not only this, but Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke were in the midst of a WWE Women's Tag Team Championship program against Natalya and Tamina. Now, the champions are without a rivalry and it all ended too abruptly.
Mandy Rose's NXT appearance came as a big surprise to WWE fans. It was later confirmed that Mandy Rose's move to NXT is permanent. But it isn't simply a move - it is reportedly a part of a swap.
According to WrestleVotes, Mandy Rose has reportedly moved from RAW to NXT, while long-time NXT superstar Aliyah will join the Monday Night RAW roster. On the most recent episode of NXT, Aliyah was seen turning on Robert Stone, ending their alliance and marking the end of a 5-year run in NXT.
We hope this isn't true because a swap isn't necessary. Aliyah undoubtedly deserves a WWE main roster call-up, but a trade isn't the best option.
#1. Hope is true: WWE's plans for John Cena
John Cena finally made his return to WWE at Money in the Bank 2021, instantly setting up a SummerSlam match against Roman Reigns. Many assumed that John Cena would stick to SmackDown because of the Roman Reigns feud, but that may not be the case.
If you recall a few years ago, John Cena was a part-timer in WWE but he changed from being a SmackDown superstar to being a "free agent". According to Fightful Select, WWE is planning to use John Cena in several upcoming shows, which is why he announced post-Money in the Bank that this was only the start.
This means that his Free Agent role will continue and that's why he is booked to appear on the RAW after Money in the Bank 2021. Sportskeeda's Nishant Jayaram wrote:
As per Fightful Select, John Cena has been booked to be on "several upcoming shows" following his return on Sunday night. Cena is reportedly not tied to either RAW or SmackDown and is a free agent of sorts.
We hope this is true because it's always good to see more of John Cena. It's been a while since he's had a proper WWE run and this allows other superstars to be in the ring with John Cena as well.
#1. Hope isn't true: WWE's backup plan for The Rock vs Roman Reigns
It seems to be no secret that WWE is reportedly targeting Roman Reigns vs The Rock as the main event of WrestleMania 38. It's another potential "Once in a lifetime" match that can happen.
But as it turns out, whenever WWE tries to approach The Rock to compete at WrestleMania, obstacles come in the way. When they tried to get him to face Triple H at WrestleMania 32, that fell out. When WWE reportedly tried to get The Rock to team up with Ronda Rousey for WrestleMania 34, that didn't work out either.
It stands to reason that there's a big chance of The Rock simply being unable to compete at WrestleMania 38. According to Dave Meltzer of WON, there's a bizarre backup plan in case The Rock isn't able to compete in a singles match:
"One idea that has been talked about, as the goal is Reigns and Rock in Dallas for the 2022 Mania, is that if concessions have to be made regarding Rock and movies and injury fears, that they do Reigns and an Uso vs. Rock and an Uso, so Rock can be protected from doing too much and it keeps it all in the family with the idea and Rock and Reigns as who is really the tribal chief. Obviously the singles match is the preferred match but any involvement of Rock is preferred over him not doing the show," stated Dave Meltzer.
We hope this isn't true because it's a waste of an appearance for The Rock and Roman Reigns. If Roman Reigns isn't facing The Rock in a singles match, he should face a younger, up-and-coming star.
