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It's been a big week in pro wrestling, especially in WWE news. There have been several rumours that caught us off guard to remind us why we love this business so much because you never know what could be around the corner.
Although not all of the stories this week are on the lighter side, that comes with the territory when you're talking about news. So let's not waste any more time and get right into the top 5 rumours of the week.
#5 2018 Hall Of Fame
The WWE Hall Of Fame is a special night of the year for the WWE Universe where we can witness some of our favourite Superstars really display a tight-knit pro wrestling family. Each year fans wait eagerly to see who will be forever enshrined in the WWE Hall Of Fame and it looks like we have a pretty good idea about five future inductees already.
Goldberg, The Dudley Boys, Ivory, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Kid Rock are all said to be in line to be members of the 2018 class of inductees.
With the obvious headliner as Goldberg, it looks like WWE is going to have a stacked ceremony before WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans. There will be a couple Hall Of Fame acceptance speeches that will be worth catching for sure, especially Kid Rock's. Because who knows what Kid Rock's going to say when he's given a live microphone.
#4 WWE getting back into pro football
Vince McMahon likes to expand his business ventures whenever he can and it looks like something big might be in the pipeline. McMahon has created Alpha Entertainment which is a sports and entertainment company which could also include pro football.
To make things even more interesting, Vince McMahon's VKM has bought the copyright for the name "United Football League" and it looks like there could be an announcement on the matter taking place on January 25th.
We'll have to see where this one leads but for now, this story could be the start of something very big. It might not be called the XFL this time around, but maybe that's for the best.
#3 Royal Rumble main event
The WWE Universal Championship is on Brock Lesnar's waist for a reason because WWE reportedly wants to keep it there until Roman Reigns can take it at WrestleMania 34. With the Royal Rumble drawing closer, fans were starting to wonder if WWE would have Lesnar defend the Universal Championship in Philly at all.
Finn Balor was rumoured to be the choice but was pulled from the spot because Vince McMahon didn't think he was over enough. Then a #1 contender's match between Kane and Braun Strowman was booked but it didn't have a winner.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports the plan at this point is to have Lesnar defend the Universal Title against Braun Strowman and Kane at the Royal Rumble in a triple threat match.
This would not only create a huge Universal Title match for the show but also give Lesnar a way to get to WrestleMania with the title in tow after Kane probably takes the loss leaving Braun Strowman's heat left intact.
#2 Backstage reaction to Rich Swann arrest
Rich Swann was recently arrested in connection with charges of battery and kidnapping/ false imprisonment of an adult. These are pretty stiff charges and WWE has a 0 tolerance policy on the matter. Therefore, WWE acted swiftly and indefinitely suspended the popular WWE Cruiserweight.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that friends of Swann and his wife said that both Swann and his wife are "broken" people due to events that took place before they were ever in pro wrestling.
Swann credit pro wrestling for saving his life because it helped him get out of a pretty hard situation. Swann spoke to Highspots on "Best Friends with Rich Swann" about his past where his mother was abused when he was young. His father was murdered by his girlfriend at the time when Swann was only twelve-years-old as well.
This led to a pretty rough time for Rich Swann where he started doing drugs from a young age after his mother died when he was 16. It also led to a stint where Swann was homeless but he cleaned up after his drug supplier died of a heart attack, and with the help of his aunt he stopped using.
There is no way to justify Rich Swann's actions toward his wife, but with this glimpse into his past, it does help paint a better picture of the situation. This could obviously be a financially devastating situation for the couple, especially if Rich Swann is released from WWE.
#1 More talent coming soon
WWE is always looking for more talent as they continue to have the most stacked roster in pro wrestling. Now it looks like one promotion's loss could be WWE's gain once more as a few pro wrestling stars look like they could be headed WWE's way soon enough.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted Ethan Carter III and/ or Bobby Lashley are likely to show up in WWE once their Impact Wrestling contracts expire. Impact Wrestling is looking at a transition in the company once again as they dump some of the bigger top-dollar contracts and seem to be filling the gaps with Canadian talent.
War Machine from ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling fame also look like they could be WWE bound as well. After the last ROH show, they took what seemed to be a final bow. Both Raymond Rowe and Hanson are huge men with uncanny ability being their size. Needless to say, they could give any tag team a huge run for their money in WWE.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
