4 Wrestling Rumors we hope are true and 3 we hope aren't: Vince McMahon views young WWE star as the "next John Cena," Ronda Rousey replaced 9-Time Champion at WrestleMania 38?

Welcome to the post-WrestleMania edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true, and those we hope aren't. It was arguably one of the best editions of WrestleMania we've seen in years and featured a plethora of high-impact action.

It truly lived up to WWE's billing of being the most 'stupendous' two-night event in WrestleMania history, and a cumulative attendance of over 150,000 was certainly a major milestone. This edition features rumors from the Show of Shows and the potential fallout as well, among other things.

Here are the biggest rumors of the past week that we hope are true and those we hope aren't:

#4. Hope is true: Vince McMahon sees a young WWE star as the next John Cena?

John Cena is one of the greatest of all time. His tenure as the face of WWE lasted for a decade - an unprecedented length. Even Hulk Hogan didn't reach the same kind of tenure on top, let alone The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

To be compared to John Cena is a big deal, let alone by Vince McMahon. According to Bryan Alvarez on the Wrestling Observer, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon reportedly views 24-year-old Austin Theory as the next John Cena, which is why he is personally grooming him for a top role:

"Whether you all see it or not, Vince sees this guy as like a John Cena – this Austin Theory. There’s a reason he’s grooming him and he’s always there in his segments. That’s what he sees in this guy," said Alvarez.

We hope this is true, although the comparisons won't do any good in the long run. However, the fact that he views such potential in him is a great sign.

#3. Hope isn't true: Ronda Rousey's spot at WrestleMania wasn't originally hers

Ronda Rousey suffered a shocking defeat to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 38

From start to finish, the Charlotte Flair-Ronda Rousey feud for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship was a rollercoaster affair.

There were rumors in early 2022 that Sasha Banks was in the running to face Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, but it was Ronda Rousey who won the Women's Royal Rumble and took that spot.

According to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio, Ronda Rousey reportedly took Sasha Banks' spot at WrestleMania 38 against Charlotte Flair.

"Because Sasha Banks would seem to be the one, you know, like when the whole thing started, it was always clear when they put the rosters together for this year. It was Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Bianca Belair as the big programs, but then Ronda Rousey came back, so she kinda got that Sasha Banks spot. So Sasha Banks kinda just been twirling around, waiting, and maybe the tag team thing is where she's gonna go. You know, for house shows," Meltzer said.

We hope this isn't true because Sasha Banks would have been the more ideal option as she has faced Charlotte Flair numerous times. The two women have proven to have great chemistry in the ring together and could have given the fans a classic.

#3. Hope is true: Cody Rhodes' WWE deal and the new details surrounding it

Cody Rhodes made a triumphant return to WWE

Cody Rhodes is back in WWE. After all the anticipation, it was revealed that The American Nightmare was going to be Seth Rollins' mystery opponent. In what was possibly the best match overall in WrestleMania 38 purely from a technical standpoint, Rhodes defeated the four-time world champion, Seth Rollins.

There was a lot of interest in what kind of deal Cody Rhodes signed with WWE. Andrew Zarain of The Mat Men podcast revealed on Twitter that a lot went into making sure the deal was completed.

Andrew Zarain's Tweet said:

"Cody’s deal was described as a 'snatched in the middle of the night' situation according to a source at WWE. Told that Bruce Prichard played a major role along with Vince McMahon, and Nick Khan to make sure the deal was completed."

We hope this is true because the top brass in WWE working around the clock to secure Cody Rhodes' signature could be an indication that he will be a major player for them going forward.

#2. Hope isn't true: FOX's original plans weren't for SmackDown

FOX changed WWE's handling of SmackDown entirely. For years, RAW has been the flagship show and was always given preferential treatment over SmackDown except in a few instances.

The five-year, $1-billion deal was the biggest broadcast revenue that WWE has ever made. This ensured that SmackDown was going to be treated as the top priority, and the ratings speak for themselves. Many of WWE's biggest stars are on SmackDown. However, the blue brand wasn't what they originally wanted.

According to Dave Meltzer on the latest WOR, FOX's initial deal was for RAW and not SmackDown. Sportskeeda's Matt Black wrote:

"According to Dave Meltzer on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, FOX's initial deal with WWE was for RAW, but USA Network had the rights to match any offer, and they did. This prompted FOX to set their sights on Friday nights instead."

We hope this isn't true because FOX has managed to shape WWE's handling of SmackDown and instantly put it on the same level as RAW.

#2. Hope is true: Why Drew McIntyre canceled a special WrestleMania entrance

Drew McIntyre had one of the early matches of WrestleMania Saturday. In what was a bout that exceeded expectations, McIntyre not only beat Happy Corbin to end his seven-month undefeated streak but also became the first person to kick out of The End Of Days.

A report from Fightful stated that McIntyre was set to get a grand entrance at WrestleMania 38 but personally called it off. But why did he do that?

As per the report, the former WWE Champion decided to call off a live entrance which involved men with swords and kilts. Instead, he chose to do a regular entrance to connect with the fans better.

We hope this is true because it was ultimately the right call that he made. While special entrances make WrestleMania great, The Scottish Warrior was able to connect better with the crowd and have a more impactful entrance.

#1. Hope isn't true: Roman Reigns suffered an injury at WrestleMania 38?

Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar is a saga that is officially behind us after the main event of WrestleMania 38. Although it was dubbed the biggest WrestleMania match of all time, fans were slightly underwhelmed at the main event lasting only 12 minutes and ending abruptly.

However, new images have surfaced that have led to speculation about why the match may have been called early. Wrestlingnews.co shared the images revealing that Roman Reigns seemed to have a legitimate injury during the match.

We hope this isn't true, however, given how much he competes in the ring, such injuries are sometimes inevitable.

#1. Hope is true: More members pitched to be part of an Edge faction

At WrestleMania 38, Damian Priest's sudden appearance cost AJ Styles as it allowed Edge to hit a mid-air spear to beat The Phenomenal One. It marked the start of a storyline alliance between Priest and Edge, just as rumors were surfacing that there is a faction planned for The Rated R Superstar following his heel turn and character change.

On the latest episode of RAW, the feud with AJ Styles continued, but for now, it looks like it's just going to be Edge and Damian Priest. With that said, there have been more names considered for the faction.

According to Fightful Select, one of the names pitched to be a part of the faction is former RAW Women's Champion Rhea Ripley.

We hope this is true because it would be a unique faction and a star-studded one at that. Having Edge in it would instantly elevate every superstar involved.

Which of the rumors do you wish were true? Let us know in the comments section below.

LMAO. Check out who just called Becky Lynch 'tiny' RIGHT HERE

4 Wrestling rumors we hope are true and 3 we hope aren't: Vince McMahon views young WWE star as the "next John Cena," Ronda Rousey replaced 9-time Champion at WrestleMania 38?