4 Wrestling Rumors we hope are true and 3 we hope aren't: Released legend "refused" WWE Hall of Fame induction & return, Backstage concern over Triple H's future

Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't. It's the post-Royal Rumble edition and the road to WrestleMania 38 has officially begun.

Since we're only coming off Royal Rumble right now, some of this week's rumors include the plans for WrestleMania, some backstage notes, possible regrets on the Jeff Hardy release, backstage concern over Triple H's future, and more. Let's jump right into it:

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#4. Hope is true: Jeff Hardy's response to WWE's John Laurinaitis

When Matt Hardy said that there was more than meets the eye with regards to Jeff Hardy's WWE release, he wasn't wrong. It seemed odd that there was no reaction out of either brother, and Matt simply said that the company may have jumped the gun when it came to The Charismatic Enigma.

For the uninitiated, we'll give a little context. Jeff Hardy was in the middle of a tag team match in December 2021 during a Live Event. He abruptly seemed to walk away, with the security in the arena chasing after him.

His tag team partner, Drew McIntyre had to finish the match on his own and even seemed visibly confused as to where his tag team partner had gone. This also led to a lot of concern that Hardy may have relapsed.

Soon after, the news came out that he was released from the company, and unlike many other occasions, a lot of fans sided with WWE assuming that Jeff Hardy was still facing issues. He seemed completely normal and has resumed his life outside the ring as normal.

The issue of the drug test came up again, and Hardy was reportedly called by John Laurinaitis, the head of talent relations. Not only was he offered a return, but even an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2022.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON), Jeff Hardy refused and asked for his drug test results instead:

'"Here is an update on Jeff Hardy. John Laurinaitis called Jeff Hardy to get him back a few weeks ago, including an offer to put him in the 2022 Hall of Fame class. Hardy turned it down and asked for his drug test results because he knew he wasn’t going to test positive for recreational drugs. It took Hardy and his wife six weeks to get the results back,'' said Meltzer.

We hope this is true because it gives Hardy the upper hand for any future negotiations. When Matt Hardy said that the company jumped the gun with the test results, he wasn't lying.

It's also good to hear that The Charismatic Enigma is in a good place and is enjoying his life as usual.

#3. Hope isn't true: Concern over Triple H's future in WWE?

Triple H had been trending following a lot of the releases that WWE made. Not only were they NXT releases, but it seems as though the company has wiped out a lot of his hires, including the likes of Road Dogg and more shockingly, William Regal.

There hasn't been much word from The Game following his cardiac issues last year, and he hasn't been back in the office or running NXT as he did earlier. In a somewhat concerning update, Dave Meltzer of WON revealed that there are no plans right now for Triple H to return to run NXT:

"There are no plans right now, or even if Paul Levesque will return to running NXT, or for him to do any creative in the company due to health issues. Obviously, if his health improves and if he wants to, that could change but the word is that it’s not anything people have been told is happening imminently,'' said Meltzer.

We hope this isn't true because The Game made NXT what it is, even if the vision is something that the likes of Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard don't agree with. However, the report stated that WWE is impressed with how Shawn Michaels has handled everything in Triple H's absence.

#3. Hope is true: WWE's original plans for the Women's Royal Rumble

Ronda Rousey is back in WWE after nearly three years away, and she has already booked her ticket to WrestleMania 38 via the Royal Rumble. Rousey became the fifth women's Rumble winner, joining the likes of Asuka, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Bianca Belair before her.

The speculation and rumors regarding Ronda Rousey's return only came before the Royal Rumble, and surely enough, she entered at number 28. Once she entered the 30-woman contest, it was obvious that it was only her who was going to win it.

According to Dave Meltzer of WON, the plan was "always" for The Baddest Woman on the Planet to win the Royal Rumble:

"I'd seen things being said that the women's match finish was changed, and it was not. You know, ever since like the deal was done for Rousey to do the show and it all came out and everything, she was winning. You know, that was always the finish. So, I'm sure it's with Flair even though they probably, I mean they were a lot of changes probably. I know the men's match was taken whatever, you know, there were a lot of changes made, but I'm sure the end result was the end result. The Rousey end result was also what was scheduled and everything like that," revealed Dave Meltzer.

We hope this is true because Rousey is a big-money superstar, and it's great that WWE finally managed to secure her signature again. Despite some fans complaining that a "full-time" superstar didn't win the Women's Rumble match, one needs to look at the value that a name like Ronda Rousey brings to the company.

#2. Hope isn't true: WWE has no proper plans in place for Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 38?

Bobby Lashley defeated Brock Lesnar in their dream match to become a two-time WWE Champion. It was a pleasant surprise for Lashley fans, who had longed for the bout against Lesnar. After the way The All Mighty was constantly brushed aside by The Beast Incarnate, it added a new level of legitimacy to him.

It was either Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar who was losing their Universal or WWE title at the Royal Rumble. While there was speculation that Rollins would dethrone Reigns, that didn't happen.

Instead, Lashley dethroned Lesnar for the WWE title and it also set up the Lesnar-Reigns match for WrestleMania 38 as The Beast Incarnate won the Royal Rumble for the second time in his career.

According to a tweet from WrestleVotes, WWE legitimately has no plans at this moment for Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 38:

We hope this isn't true because Lashley deserves a marquee world title match at WrestleMania Night One. Hopefully, he will be able to main event on the first night rather than open the show. However, we can only assume that WWE's creative team is brainstorming various ideas for Bobby Lashley's WrestleMania 38 match.

It should be noted that Ringside News reported that there is a plan in place for Lashley at The Show of Shows.

#2. Hope is true: The real reason why Kevin Owens chose to stay with WWE

Kevin Owens made the headlines in late 2021 when it was revealed that he had signed a new contract with WWE. He soon confirmed the decision, and the next in line was his real-life best friend Sami Zayn.

It was in early 2022 when Zayn would also put the pen to paper for a new WWE contract, and along with Owens, he will be with the company for the next few years at least.

Unlike a lot of cases, both Owens and Zayn seem to be happy in the promotion. KO, in particular, had reportedly signed a lucrative seven-figure deal to keep him with WWE for the next few years. Dave Meltzer reported on WON that the reason why Kevin Owens stayed was that he felt it was best for his family:

"Both he [Sami Zayn] and [Kevin] Owens are believed to be signed through early 2025. Unlike with Owens, where AEW was at least teased by him and the Young Bucks on social media at one point, he made the call to stay because it was the right thing for his family and got the great offer,'' said Meltzer.

We hope this is true because both superstars are of great value to the company. Owens may not have won a world title since his run ended in 2017, but he is constantly utilized, he has been in several high-stakes WrestleMania matches, and is a popular star.

As for Sami Zayn, many have compared his role to that of the late great Roddy Piper - something that even he can be happy about.

#1. Hope isn't true: WWE not booking a big-money match for Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania?

Ronda Rousey is back, and there has been a lot of excitement over what WWE has planned for her. She finds herself in a similar yet different situation from 2019. Three years ago around this time, it was Becky Lynch who won the Royal Rumble, and Rousey who held the RAW Women's Championship.

Now, the two superstars' roles are reversed, but there won't be a triple threat match. Instead, Ronda Rousey will have to pick between RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch and SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair.

According to a report from Dave Meltzer of WON, the plan for Rousey vs. Lynch may only happen at WrestleMania 39 in 2023:

"Soon as I did the reporting of the thing, you know people where like, it should be Becky, it should be Becky, which at one point, it was, but the whole thing is that. The best I can tell is that the plan is for Ronda and Becky for the 2023 WrestleMania. So, it's not like that match isn't happening. Of course, between now and then, people can get hurt, a million things can happen between now and 2023, but that's basically the deal," reported Dave Meltzer.

We hope this isn't true, but it may have to do with the other report stating that the company needed to "appease" FOX Executives by having The Baddest Woman on the Planet appear on SmackDown.

Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey is the big-money match and one that needs to happen while it's hot. Anything can happen in the next year.

#1. Hope is true: The reason why WWE made Roman Reigns repeatedly hit Seth Rollins with chair shots

The highlight of the Royal Rumble was the opening match between WWE's two biggest stars of this generation - Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. The Universal title bout was praised as the best of Reigns' incredible 500+ day run, and the storytelling was second to none.

It surpassed anything on the show in terms of quality, and the intensity of it only amplified post-match when Roman Reigns took a steel chair to repeatedly slam The Visionary in the back as an act of revenge. Although seven-and-a-half years had passed, the wound still felt fresh.

So why did WWE choose such an intense spot post-match? According to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio, the spot was reportedly made to get people to boo The Tribal Chief:

"To get out of the people booing it, Roman hit him with a million chair shots when it was over, including a chair shot to the back. This was basically to mimic the Seth Rollins chair shot to the back when The Shield broke up. So, you know that was to turn boos for the match into boos for Roman at the end of the segment and it pretty much worked that way. So, that was the plan. That's the whole gist of it," said Meltzer.

We hope this is true because it was a brilliant bit of storytelling and made fans hate Reigns even more. It was a spot that worked and effectively helped turn Rollins babyface.