5 Wrestling rumors we hope are true and 5 we hope aren't: Dream WrestleMania 37 match for Roman Reigns teased, Mental health problems on WWE's main roster revealed

Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't. We'll start off by paying respects to Brodie Lee (fka Luke Harper in WWE), who tragically passed away at the age of 41.

This will be the last edition for 2020, so let's begin:

#5. Hope is true: WWE teases a dream WrestleMania 37 match for Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns on the Christmas episode of SmackDown

While this is admittedly less of a rumor, WWE always subtly plants the seeds for major WrestleMania feuds - usually months in advance. In this case, it may have been planted as early as the end of 2020.

As you may know, Roman Reigns defeated Kevin Owens inside a steel cage to retain the Universal Championship - doing so for the second time in six days. With Royal Rumble being the next WWE pay-per-view, the road to WrestleMania is set to start in just over a month.

There's a lot of uncertainty over how things will play out, but one thing we know for sure is that Daniel Bryan was the first to declare himself as an entrant into the Men's 2021 Royal Rumble match.

On Talking Smack, Daniel Bryan cut a promo on Paul Heyman, planting the seed for a possible dream match at WrestleMania 37

“And Paul, I don’t lay claim to being better than many people at certain things, but I’ll tell you this: I’m a better fighter than Roman Reigns, and I’m sure as hell a better wrestler than Roman Reigns. And if I win the Royal Rumble and face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, and he’s still the Champion, I will beat him for that Championship.”

We hope that it's true because Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan is likely the best Universal title match that WWE can go for at WrestleMania next year. To add to it, Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan had an incomplete feud in 2018, and with the roles now reversed, it would be a big marquee match for WWE at WrestleMania 37.

#5. Hope isn't true: Mental health problems on WWE's main roster

Is backstage morale lower than ever in WWE?

One of the biggest assumptions that WWE fans had until 2016-17 was that Superstars who were successful in NXT would automatically become big stars on the main roster.

Given WWE's inconsistent booking, that doesn't always happen. If anything, many of the stars who were largely successful before and during their NXT have floundered on the WWE main roster.

According to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio, the lack of success on the WWE main roster has led to several stars having mental issues:

“There are people who would rather go to the main roster, but when they get to the main roster, that’s when they start having mental issues. The problem is with these guys that people don’t realize is that when they go up there and they’re booked to fail and they fail it really weighs on them. These are guys who have been nothing but successful for years and years and years at everything they’ve done and everything’s been a positive. Then all of a sudden, you start thinking and you start second-guessing yourself," said Meltzer. (H/T WrestleTalk)

We hope this isn't true because it leads to larger backstage morale. However, it is an understandable perspective for NXT stars aspiring for success on the WWE main roster.

#4. Hope is true: Plans for the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in 2021

Batista was the original headlining inductee in 2020

The 2020 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With no fans allowed in the arena, it only made sense that WWE would scrap the ceremony.

While the original plan was reportedly to have it happen at SummerSlam 2020, the pandemic only worsened by the time. According to Dave Meltzer on the latest WON, WWE plans to host the 2021 Hall of Fame ceremony with the 2020 inductees:

Meltzer reported in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the plan is for the 2021 ceremony to go ahead with the planned inductees of 2020. Meltzer added that WWE would most likely conduct a virtual ceremony. However, that decision would depend on several factors.

While it's unfortunate that the ceremony will have to be virtual, we hope this is true because Batista, The British Bulldog, Jushin 'Thunder' Liger, JBL, The Bella Twins, and the nWo deserve to have their inductions done.

#4. Hope isn't true: WWE had to re-shoot a spot on SmackDown

On the Christmas edition of SmackDown, Jey Uso took on Daniel Bryan. While the former WWE Champion was attacked beforehand, he overcame adversity to get one over Jey Uso. It was a good set-up for Daniel Bryan to announce his entry to the Royal Rumble 2021 match.

A report from Fightful Select stated that WWE had to re-shoot a spot in the match to get Daniel Bryan to sell more:

A Fightful Select report has revealed that WWE had to re-shoot a portion of the match when it was taped on Tuesday. Daniel Bryan was reportedly instructed to sell Jey Uso's attack more. WWE decided to put the ThunderDome audience on a commercial break for some time as the spot was filmed again.

We hope this isn't true. Not that it's anything too bad, but it takes away from the authenticity of the original shot, even if it's a better re-take. Had it been live, WWE wouldn't have had that option.

#3. Hope is true: WWE's plans for the 'India special'

Sportskeeda's Riju Dasgupta had first reported about WWE's plans for NXT India. There has been a lot of buzz about it, even though it isn't official just yet.

According to Post Wrestling, the shooting for WWE's India special will reportedly take place on January 22nd:

"As of Thursday morning, we were told by one person that there is a shooting date listed on the calendar for Friday, January 22nd with the calendar stating, “India Special”. There was also a photoshoot this week for the Indian talent to take updated photos. The exact introduction of the India project remains to be seen once WWE makes a formal announcement. We had heard from multiple people that the expectations were for the program to be a series, and that does appear to be the strategy. One person close to the situation indicated that it could begin with a one or two-night event to kick things off. On the surface, that sounds close to the model for NXT UK where it began with a two-night tournament in January 2017 prior to the implementation of the weekly series."

We hope this is true because it's a big market for WWE to tap in to, even if the tapings take place in the United States. Since NXT UK has been established for a while, it's a good next step to take for WWE.

#3. Hope isn't true: WWE planning a Mexican Lucha Libre series?

Could Chavo Guerrero Jr. be back in WWE?

While NXT India is an exciting new step, WWE could be on the verge of oversaturation with their shows again. According to Wrestling Inc, WWE is reportedly planning a Lucha Libre series.

Additionally, Chavo Gurrero Jr. is being planned as a major consultant for the Lucha Libre series:

The show is currently in the early stages of planning, and the idea is for it to air in the United States. It was additionally reported that Chavo Guerrero Jr. is one of the names being considered as a consultant for the Lucha Libre Series project. Chavo Guerrero was a top agent when Lucha Underground was thriving, and his work in the promotion has made him a frontrunner for the new WWE role that could be opening up soon.

While the idea of a Lucha Libre show is exciting, it appears as though WWE is rushing to add more content. It's likely to oversaturate the amount of content they produce. There are already seven hours of programming between RAW, SmackDown, and NXT.

#2. Hope is true: News on backstage heat for WWE star who left RETRIBUTION

RETRIBUTION has been largely underwhelming since they started frequently competing in WWE. The Mustafa Ali-led faction already lost one member in Mercedes Martinez.

Martinez had reportedly told WWE that she didn't want to be a part of RETRIBUTION, and she was quietly removed from the faction. While there was speculation that she may have had backstage heat in WWE, apparently that isn't the case, as per Fightful Select.

Sportskeeda's Lennard Surrao wrote:

A new Fightful Select report has revealed that there is 'no significant' heat on Mercedes Martinez for rejecting the RETRIBUTION spot. A person on RAW told Fightful that Mercedes Martinez didn't ruin anything by expressing her desire to leave the stable. It was noted that the plans for RETRIBUTION weren't affected by Martinez wanting out of the storyline.

We hope this is true because Mercedes Martinez returned to the Black and Gold brand and has started a feud with NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai. It's a better spot for her to be in, and she could be a staple of NXT for the next few years.

#2. Hope isn't true: The actual reason for Chyna's WWE departure

While this is less of a rumor, only one person has confirmed it. Jim Ross, during his days as WWE's Talent Relations Executive, was also a commentator in the highly-regarded Attitude Era.

Speaking about Chyna, he stated that her falling out with WWE was over the fact that she wanted the same guarantee that top stars 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and The Undertaker were making:

"Her deal was, ‘No, I don’t want a $400,00 guarantee, I want a million dollar guarantee’ because she wanted exactly what Austin and Undertaker and some of those cats were making," said Ross. "She was never going to be cast in their light or used in their way. It would not have been a good investment for us to make.

We hope this isn't true, since Chyna wasn't nearly as big a draw as Steve Austin and The Undertaker despite her status in WWE at the time. However, given Jim Ross' position in WWE at the time, it likely is true.

#1. Hope is true: The Undertaker's WWE Hall of Fame status for 2021

The Undertaker said his final farewell to WWE at Survivor Series 2020, and that was a fitting end for a character that lasted 30 years - an unprecedented run.

The Undertaker's induction into the WWE Hall of Fame is a matter of when, and not if. While some hoped to see him inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021, that is unlikely to be the case:

According to a recent report from WrestlingNews.co, The Undertaker is unlikely to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 as Vince McMahon wants that to be in front of fans.

We hope this is true because there isn't any rush to induct The Undertaker into the WWE Hall of Fame. However, we imagine that 2022 could be the year it happens, especially with crowds likely to return in full capacity by then.

Either way, it's better than The Undertaker making an in-ring return to WWE again. It would be a waste of the farewell and The Last Ride documentary.

#1. Hope isn't true: WWE keeping a tab on the contracts of top IMPACT Wrestling stars

WWE has the best talent in the wrestling world. While AEW and NJPW boast some impressive names, none have the depth of the pro wrestling/sports entertainment juggernaut.

One of the biggest criticisms that WWE has received in the last few years has been about 'hoarding' talent just to prevent competitors from signing them. According to Dave Meltzer on WON, WWE is reportedly keeping an eye out for top IMPACT Wrestling Superstars to check when their contracts expire:

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that WWE has begun making overtures towards some of the top IMPACT Wrestling talent to find out when their contracts expire.

We hope this isn't true because there's no actual need for WWE to try to gut IMPACT Wrestling of its top Superstars. While it's ultimately up to the talent whether they want to stay or leave, WWE has enough talent that they haven't been utilizing. The idea of signing more talent to drain out other promotions seems a bit too outdated.