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Welcome to this week's edition of wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't! It's been an interesting week in the world of wrestling and WWE. The media has been watching heavily over WWE after the confirmation of multiple COVID-19 positive cases and rumors of "dozens" of talent and staff testing positive.
While that's not what this edition is centered around, let's jump right into the rumors of the week!
#5 Hope is true: Becky Lynch's selfless move before her pregnancy leave from WWE
Many WWE superstars over the years were reported to have attitude problems. Becky Lynch isn't one of them. One of the best parts about her meteoric rise to stardom in WWE between 2018-2020 was the fact that she truly scratched and clawed her way to earn her spot.
For The Man, the timing was everything and it took her three years since her WWE RAW debut to finally start getting the push she deserved. It led to a WrestleMania main event and a year-long reign as RAW Women's Champion - one that ended after she vacated the title one night after WWE Money in the Bank 2020.
When talking about Asuka's status post-Paul Heyman, Tom Colohue revealed that Becky Lynch always pushed hard for Asuka:
I would say definitely. Asuka is someone Paul Heyman really worked hard to push, but also Becky Lynch worked very hard to push Asuka. She chose to work with Asuka and put Asuka over a much as possible, and that definitely had a play in Asuka's ascension to the Championship. So definitely would have an effect but that doesn't necessarily mean her push is going to be harmed.
We hope this is true because it only confirms how selfless Becky Lynch has been. In her book, Charlotte Flair stated that Becky Lynch never complained even when she was losing in her earlier years and The Queen was the one getting the push.
She's an example of how good things can take time and she not only proved that she was ready for the main event of WrestleMania, but she also proved that she was the right person to be the face of the WWE women's division. We look forward to seeing how she fits in when she returns - since the division will likely change a lot by then.
#5 Hope isn't true: WWE changed Brock Lesnar's plans for SummerSlam
Brock Lesnar has only been in WWE World Championship feuds since 2017. It's a long-running streak that's quite impressive and it goes to show that WWE has never stopped pushing Brock Lesnar.
While Tom Colohue first reported that WWE officials desperately wanted to book Brock Lesnar vs Bobby Lashley at SummerSlam 2020, it appears that plans have changed. According to Colohue, the main event of WWE SummerSlam 2020 will be the rematch of the WrestleMania 36 main event:
Well, there is obviously a lot of change going on at the moment, but to my knowledge, the planned main event for SummerSlam is Drew McIntyre vs. Brock Lesnar.
We hope this isn't true because Brock Lesnar vs Bobby Lashley would have been a fresher and more exciting match-up. We're not sure why WWE keeps missing the opportunity to book the dream match when they have the place to do so. Bobby Lashley admitted in an interview that the reason he returned to WWE two years ago was to fulfill the Brock Lesnar dream match. Give him what he wants, WWE!
#4 Hope is true: Jon Moxley's potential AEW Fyter Fest status
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley's status for the upcoming PPV Fyter Fest has been put into question after his wife and WWE personality Renee Young was confirmed positive for COVID-19.
Moxley informed Tony Khan of secondhand exposure and so far, reports have indicated that he's tested negative for COVID-19. While multiple tests are one precaution, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that AEW asked Moxley to isolate himself in a hotel until Fyter Fest.
However, he chose to stay by his wife Renee Young's side and they've reportedly been self-isolating in different parts of their house. The report further stated that the former WWE Superstar will be ready for Fyter Fest if his tests continue to be negative. Sportskeeda's Kishan Prasad wrote:
The former WWE Superstar has taken multiple COVID-19 tests this week, and none of them have come out positive. However, AEW has other plans if Jon Moxley does test positive for the Coronavirus. The promotion has decided that it will tape the match in an Empty Arena on a later date and add it to Fyter Fest the day it is aired.
We hope this is true because Moxley would be integral for Fyter Fest and they need a solid main event. However, we hope that the back-up plan is good enough.
#4 Hope isn't true: Reason why Vince McMahon canceled Liv Morgan's push
Liv Morgan has been in a weird place in WWE. It looked like WWE was getting ready to start utilizing her by the end of 2019 when she returned for the final WWE segment of the decade.
However, it turned out to be an on-off situation as Morgan was inconsistently utilized and never put in any serious storyline after WWE abandoned the Rusev-Lana-Bobby Lashley storyline.
She's appeared a few times on RAW, losing most of the time. Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz on Dropkick DiSKussions that Vince McMahon was never too big on Liv Morgan and her push might be over:
Her vignettes that they were showing were pulled last minute by Vince, because he wanted to change her back out of a singles push and the vignettes were pushing towards that singles push. I've been told that he's never been a fan, which is a bad sign.
We hope this isn't true because WWE would be missing out on a potentially big star for the women's division for years to come.
#3 Hope is true: Why WWE didn't sign Tessa Blanchard
This is a question that many wrestling fans have been asking over the last few years - why didn't WWE sign Tessa Blanchard? She's the daughter of a WWE Hall of Famer Tully Blanchard and also happens to be among the best female wrestlers on the planet.
Many believe that Blanchard is the best American female wrestler not signed to WWE and it's hard to disagree when Impact Wrestling valued her so highly. However, she recently parted ways with Impact Wrestling and it seems to trace back to the core reason why WWE didn't sign her. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed the reason why WWE chose not to sign Tessa Blanchard. Sportskeeda's Lennard Surrao wrote:
Meltzer noted that WWE passed on the opportunity to get her on board 'for a number of attitude-related issues'. Blanchard was one of the standout performers in the Mae Young Classic, and WWE surprisingly didn't pursue a full-time signing.
We hope this is true because WWE would have avoided a lot of trouble. Given the past allegations against her, she would possibly have been out of the door quickly.
#3 Hope isn't true: Bad sign for Braun Strowman?
It doesn't take much to realize that Braun Strowman is the WWE Universal Champion purely by circumstance. Had Roman Reigns not pulled out (and in hindsight, it was the best decision he made at the time) of WrestleMania 36, he would be the current Universal Champion.
Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz on Dropkick DiSKussions that Braun Strowman doesn't have many people in his corner and his reign as Universal Champion could be in jeopardy:
As regards to Strowman, he was the right guy at the right time, but he lucked into this Championship. This was never the plan. Unfortunately for Braun, there is a lot of dissenting voices backstage that aren't necessarily in his corner. There is a lot of debate almost constantly to whether Strowman is the right guy, but the top-level on SmackDown is it's so bare at the moment. What I think we're going to see, is if The Fiend loses, then The Fiend is probably going back to RAW, whereas if The Fiend wins, Roman Reigns is probably returning soon. As regards to Strowman, I'm not sure, and I think that's a bad sign.
We hope this isn't true because Strowman deserves a decent run as Universal Champion. We wouldn't be surprised to see Bray Wyatt beat him for the title, but Strowman's reign is guaranteed to last until SummerSlam at least as his Extreme Rules 2020 match is a non-title match.
#2 Hope is true: Reason why Dominik is expected to skip NXT
It's not often that you see a WWE Superstar skip NXT and jump directly onto the big stage like RAW and SmackDown. Braun Strowman is one such example - where he had little experience under his belt, no match on NXT TV, and just a few live event matches to his name.
He was thrust into the Wyatt Family and he did a great job considering the spot he was in and the lack of experience he had. He was essentially learning on the job and not many people can succeed the way he did.
WWE, however, has faith that one person can follow suit - Dominik Mysterio. The 23-year-old has been making an increasing number of appearances since last year and according to Tom Colohue, this may not be a coincidence:
Well, my initial report was August 23rd 2019 as to Dominik Mysterio skipping NXT. To my knowledge, it was part of a conversation topic with Rey Mysterio. I don't know if it was part of his contract negotiation when he first signed up, but I do know it was wasn't long before we started to see Dominik appear on TV right after Rey signed.
He further stated that it was a 'favor' to make sure Rey Mysterio signed on with WWE again. We hope this is true because Dominik is a name who can skyrocket with the right storyline.
#2 Hope isn't true: Has Vince McMahon given up on Shayna Baszler?
Shayna Baszler is a name who hasn't been utilized much post-Money in the Bank 2020. While some reports indicated that they didn't want her on TV without a serious program, the latest rumors via Cageside Seats indicates that Vince McMahon has 'soured' on Shayna Balzer as a legitimate star. Sportskeeda's Vatsal Rathod wrote:
As per the latest rumors, Vince McMahon has soured on the idea of pushing Shayna Baszler as a legitimate star.
Shayna Baszler has been missing from WWE programming in recent weeks and it is to be seen when does she get her chance to shine. She was the favorite to win this year's Women's Money in the Bank match, but WWE instead decided to go ahead with Asuka as the winner, who was then crowned the RAW Women's Champion the next night.
We hope this isn't true because the RAW women's division desperately needs a top heel as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would have been pointless building her up so much ahead of WrestleMania 36.
#1 Hope is true: The Swamp Match to be a cinematic one
It was announced that Bray Wyatt vs Braun Strowman at WWE Extreme Rules 2020 will be a "Wyatt Swamp Match". While the first part of their post-WrestleMania storyline involved Bray Wyatt appearing as the Firefly Fun House host and nothing else, this leg of their rivalry will see him return to his past gimmick - The Eater of Worlds.
It's a good play on their dynamic since it was this character that Strowman was aligned with back in 2015. Raj Giri of WrestlingInc revealed more details about the cinematic match-up:
The plan is to have various spots and storytelling telling of their past to the present. They want to go back to what made the Boneyard match special "but in a Bray Wyatt kind of way." Wyatt is said to be heavily involved in creating this match along with Jeremy Borash. Triple H will be involved as well when it comes time to film along with a few others. They are trying to keep this shoot close to the vest.
He went on to describe what the match could look like:
One source noted to me that this will be a cross between a Terminator and a horror movie, noting Bray's ability to always revive himself. The plan is for the match to be more action packed than Wyatt's "Firefly Funhouse" match against John Cena at WrestleMania this past April.
We hope this is true because it would likely be the best option for the Extreme Rules main event. It makes since the PPV is now named Extreme Rules: The Horror Show. This should be a fun bout and a different trip down memory lane than the Firefly Fun House match at WrestleMania 36.
#1 Hope isn't true: Renee Young wasn't contacted by top WWE officials after her COVID-19 announcement
Renee Young put out a Tweet confirming that she tested positive for COVID-19. She was reportedly feeling sick and tested positive in a test outside of WWE.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed that top WWE Executives including Vince McMahon and Triple H didn't reach out to her following her announcement:
Dave Meltzer revealed in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that neither of the top WWE Executives including Vince McMahon, Triple H, Kevin Dunn and Mark Carrano contacted Renee Young as of June 25th to ask her how she was doing. It was noted, however, that many talents reached out to Renee Young and checked up on her status.
We hope this isn't true because it gives WWE a worse look than the one they have right now following their overtly-late testing of staff and talent. It's also being reported that WWE Superstars and staff who tested positive for COVID-19 have been instructed to be quiet about it.
WWE announcer Kayla Braxton is another name who confirmed that she tested positive.
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