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Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly rumor roundup, where we will take a look at the top rumors from the world of WWE.
A former women's champion is seemingly considering leaving the company but could reportedly decide to stay for one interesting offer. A top star reportedly has major backstage heat due to her behavior. Meanwhile, a major heel turn could be happening very soon for a popular RAW star. Also, we have potential spoilers for major matches set to take place later this month at SummerSlam 2022.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top WWE rumors from this past week. Be sure to let us know your thoughts and reactions on the same in the comments section below.
#5 Former women's champion could likely stay in WWE if she gets a main roster deal
Former NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai has been in the news recently after reports emerged that her WWE contract is about to expire soon and she hasn't signed a new deal with the company. The backstage talks were that she is on her way out of the company and could be moving back to Japan to stay with her family.
Now, a recent update from Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via Cageside Seats) stated that Io Shirai has always wanted to be on the main roster and could likely stay with the company if she is offered a main roster deal.
Io Shirai has been training at the Performance Center again, and the WON now says her goal in coming to WWE was to reach the main roster, so she’d likely stay if offered a main roster deal.
Io Shirai has been with WWE for nearly five years now, during which she has become quite a big name. A former NXT Women's Champion, she is currently out of action with an injury. There's no denying her talents and amazing in-ring work and if given the chance, she could prove to be the next big star on WWE's main roster women's division.
#4 Vince McMahon buried RAW lead writers on the company email list
Vince McMahon has been in the limelight recently for all the wrong reasons. This adds to the fact that fans and critics have been criticizing the quality of content on WWE's weekly shows for years now.
Ringside News recently reported that Vince McMahon buried the lead writer of Monday Night RAW Jon Baeckstrom and Ryan Ward recently.
"Ringside News was told by a tenured member of the writing team that Vince McMahon grilled the RAW writing team, especially lead writers Jon Baeckstrom and Ryan Ward, in front of everyone on the company’s television mailing list."
Mr. McMahon apparently hit the "reply all" option which resulted in everyone in the company email list receiving it. The message from Vince clearly stated that the writing of the show was "uninspiring" and the team needs to do better.
#3 RAW Superstar's major heel turn could happen soon
Ever since Dominik Mysterio made his WWE debut, fans have been speculating a heel turn and a match between him and his father, the legendary luchador Rey Mysterio. Recently, there have been teases of the same happening.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that we might see Dominik turn heel on his father at the upcoming RAW in Madison Square Garden on 7/25. Interestingly, this show will also mark the 20th anniversary of Rey Mysterio in WWE.
"It feels like if they are going to do the Dominik turn, and it’s certainly being teased hard, this ceremony would be an idea of where to do it. Plus, Vince McMahon has a special affinity for MSG so one would expect a show with more major stories coming out of it and for it to be pushed much harder than usual to draw a bigger rating,” said Dave Meltzer.
Rey Mysterio and Dominik have been teaming up together for quite some time now. The father-son duo even won the SmackDown Tag Team Championships last year. The story is there to be told about a betrayal and Dominik defeating Rey to take the mask over from him. It's only a matter of when the company decides to pull the trigger!
#2 Potential spoiler on Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam 2022
WWE's second biggest show of the year, SummerSlam 2022, is merely two weeks away. Multiple major matches have already been announced for the show, including a massive main event "Last Man Standing Match" between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
[Potential Spoilers ahead]
We now have the latest betting odds for the show that suggest that Roman Reigns is the favorite to win his match against Lesnar at SummerSlam. Here are the full betting odds for the show so far via BetOnline.
Note: The odds show the favorite as either a (-) or the smallest number and the underdog as either a (+) or the biggest number.
- Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (-200) vs. Brock Lesnar (+150)
- SmackDown Women's Championship: Liv Morgan (-300) vs. Ronda Rousey (+200)
- WWE Unified Tag Team Championship: The Usos (-400) vs. The Street Profits (+250)
- United States Championship: Bobby Lashley (-250) vs. Theory (+170)
- Pat McAfee (-220) vs. Happy Corbin (+160)
With still two weeks to go, fans can expect many more matches to be added to the card of the show. Logan Paul is also reportedly set for a match at SummerSlam this year against The Miz, which should be announced officially soon.
#1 Top star reportedly has major backstage heat due to her behavior
Former SmackDown Women's Champion Natalya reportedly has major backstage heat and has grown a reputation for being a problem with producers and writers. Ringside News reported that the situation got to a point last Friday where writers even contemplated taking the matter to Vince McMahon.
"A tenured member of the writing team informed us that “Nattie was a serious problem backstage last Friday, so bad that several producers and writers were talking about whether they go straight to Vince McMahon," reported RSN.
The report further stated that Natalya was complaining about being treated as a "jobber" but her behavior changes entirely in front of Mr. McMahon. A video went viral recently of Natalya no-selling Liv Morgan's finisher at a recent show and walked away immediately after the pinfall.
This raised questions among fans as the behavior of the veteran seemed rather questionable and unprofessional. But many were also of the opinion that it was all a "work" and she was just being in her character.
What are your thoughts on this backstage report regarding Natalya and her alleged unprofessional behavior? Sound off in the comments section below.
Check out Sportskeeda Wrestling's weekly WWE Rumor Review by clicking HERE.
