5 wrestling rumors we hope are true and 5 we hope aren't: Unexpected name to be revealed as RETRIBUTION member, Why Ric Flair is 'unhappy' with WWE over RAW segment

Welcome to this week's edition of WWE wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't! This is essentially the pre-SummerSlam edition of the article since our next one will only be after the Biggest Party of the Summer.

Either way, things are getting exciting and we'll jump right into the rumors of the week:

#5. Hope is true: An unexpected RETRIBUTION member to be revealed by WWE?

While it's purely speculation, there would be some validity to this claim. RETRIBUTION has been setting RAW and SmackDown ablaze (quite literally) in recent weeks and has been a big presence on WWE television.

We don't know much about their identities, but what we know for sure is the fact that it's a stable mixed with men and women. There has been quite a bit of speculation as to who the members are - with one of them reportedly being WWE's newest main roster star Vanessa Borne from NXT.

There was a subtle movement picked up in one of RETRIBUTION's appearances recently and Tom Colohue addressed this and the possibility of Carmella being a member of RETRIBUTION:

"There have also been a few more theories. There was someone doing a moonwalk, so there was the idea that it might be Carmella. I don't think she'd be so clear to give it away."

While we certainly would understand the last bit of what he said, we still hope this is true because we haven't seen Carmella on WWE television for quite a few months now and this would be the most refreshing role to bring her back to TV in. When we last saw her, she was still a babyface singles star but lost the spotlight when R-Truth and her were separated by WWE.

It's going to be interesting to see how her role would be if she's a member of RETRIBUTION. It's been a long time since we've seen her appear on SmackDown.

#5. Hope isn't true: Ric Flair unhappy with WWE after being written off on RAW

WWE has been criticized for allowing the 71-year-old Ric Flair to be a regular figure on RAW as he cornered Randy Orton for a short time. While we all knew that it was going to inevitably lead to Orton turning on Flair, it seems clear that WWE pulled the trigger much earlier than expected.

Now, we understand that Ric Flair wanted to be on TV and was proud of the fact that he's still appearing on RAW at the age of 71. But the fact that his wife contracted COVID-19, as have many WWE staff, makes it a major risk as he falls under the vulnerable category in the virus.

Tom Colohue discussed this and said that WWE was planning to have him corner Randy Orton at SummerSlam, but a change in the situation and policy led to them writing him off.

He should have been in Randy Orton's corner, and then after that, we would have had a segment similar to this but not the same. But with the health situation changing both personally which pertains to Ric Flair and company-wide, the decision was made last week, quite the last second, to write him off.

Tom Colohue then added that Ric Flair wasn't happy with the decision WWE made to write him off:

"Ric Flair wasn't particularly happy about being written off at this stage, but I don't think he would have been particularly happy to be written off at any stage. He referenced that in the promo saying that he was just happy to be on RAW. It was laid out very last second, but I think both men absolutely nailed it."

We hope this isn't true, but ultimately, Ric Flair has to accept the decision and the fact that it's risky for him to be performing on RAW. From WWE's point of view, the risk likely isn't worth it.

#4. Hope is true: WWE's new approach to an interactive fan experience

WWE has been under the microscope of the media after various rumors that they were desperate to get fans involved again. While it's clear that the COVID-19 pandemic won't allow that to happen anytime soon or just yet, WWE is reportedly taking an alternate approach to possible fan interaction.

Michael Cole made a very subtle hint on the August 14th episode of SmackDown, stating that from a week onwards, WWE will be having live shows outside the Performance Center and there will be fan interaction - with no direct implication of fans attending.

WrestleVotes reported that WWE has struck a deal with Amway Center in Orlando and fans will appear on the LED board, with applications to appear on-screen set to begin soon.

As part of WWE’s new long term residency at the Amway Center, a new interactive experience will be introduced with over 2500 sq ft of LED boards, where fans will appear LIVE on the show, hosted by Superstars & Legends. Applications to appear on screen will open next week.
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) August 14, 2020

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We hope this is true because this is a clever and modern way to work around the solution of having no fans. It seems as though we could be seeing empty arena shows until early 2021, so WWE might as well find a different approach to it.

#4. Hope isn't true: WWE has no direction for Kevin Owens this SummerSlam?

It seems to be a story that has affected Kevin Owens' WWE career in the last few years. While he's had some injury spells as well, there have been many occasions where WWE creative simply hasn't had anything for Kevin Owens.

That hasn't stopped him from being a regular part of WWE programming in the last five years, but the level of importance emphasized on him seems to keep fluctuating depending on the time of the year.

For example, earlier this year, he was in a marquee RAW feud against Seth Rollins that started all the way from December 2019 and culminated at WrestleMania 36.

Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed Kevin Owens' WWE SummerSlam situation and stated that as of now, there aren't any plans for him at the Biggest Party of the Summer:

"Kevin Owens was there who is another, you know. He’s fallen out of his program. He was supposed to be in a program with Seth until they just dropped it when Rey agreed to stay.”

We hope this isn't true because even if Kevin Owens vs Seth Rollins was the direction for SummerSlam, it would have been lazy creative on WWE's part.

#3. Hope is true: Vince McMahon's move to cancel the dancers on WWE RAW Underground

Admittedly, we're a bit torn on this one. While Liv Morgan certainly had a point about the dancers on RAW Underground, there was the other side to look at for WWE as well.

With WWE, there are many things to take into account, especially since they're a global brand that has to appeal to all the markets. Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed the reason behind WWE's decision to scrap the dancers on RAW Underground:

An interesting note between week one and week two is they dropped the dancing girls. Since last week and this week were taped together, that says after they taped the first installment, somebody convinced Vince, or Vince himself on his own decided the dancing girls don’t fit. It’s probably a good call because when you spend so much time pushing yourselves as leaders in women sports, even if you’re actually 50 plus years behind the actual leaders, presenting a show with that type of dancing girls does counteract that.

We hope this is true. While we certainly didn't have anything against the dancers, it's a valid point of view to look at from WWE's perspective.

#3. Hope isn't true: More COVID-19 positive cases in WWE result in the cancelation of SmackDown tapings?

WWE seems to be doing better with regards to the COVID-19 cases, but we can't help but feel that things would have played out a lot more different had they started testing Superstars, backstage staff, and employees from the start of the pandemic.

Especially given the fact that WWE hasn't stopped programming for a week since the pandemic, it would have made a lot more sense for them to start testing early on.

Either way, the number of cases within the company seems to have reduced and we can only assume that most of the positive cases will now have tested negative after a two-week mandatory quarantine. According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, more positive cases within WWE has led to them canceling SmackDown tapings:

“They were supposed to tape two SmackDown episodes last week, and I’ve been told by 3 different sources that the second SmackDown taping got canceled at the last second because they had more positives.”

We hope this isn't true for the obvious reason that we don't want more COVID-19 cases anywhere, let alone within WWE.

#2. Hope is true: WWE's last-minute plans for AJ Styles at SummerSlam

AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy on SmackDown, August 14th.

It seems as though WWE had no concrete plan for AJ Styles at SummerSlam 2020. While Matt Riddle would have been an ideal direction for him, that was changed after Riddle's feud with King Corbin poured on (and will presumably happen at SummerSlam).

PWInsider reported that WWE is planning a Jeff Hardy feud for AJ Styles. While we know that the latest episode of SmackDown seemed to confirm that, they didn't officially tease a SummerSlam confrontation.

Instead, the two veterans and former WWE (and TNA) World Champions will be facing off next week on SmackDown for the Intercontinental title. Either way, we hope this is true. Not because we feel Jeff Hardy is the best opponent for AJ Styles - but because of the possibility that he can give Jeff Hardy his best match since returning to WWE more than three years ago.

AJ Styles' SummerSlam opponents include John Cena, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and Ricochet.

#2. Hope isn't true: WWE Champion Drew McIntyre responsible for AEW canceling the push of a few Superstars?

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre has been the unfortunate victim of the COVID-19 pandemic circumstances in the sense that we may never realize what the true potential of his first World Championship run could have been.

The Scotsman didn't get the moment he dreamed of in front of a roaring audience of over 70,000 people, but there's no denying that he's done a great job as the face of Monday Night RAW - with every WWE title match on PPV delivering in a big way.

Dave Meltzer on WOR (via Cageside Seats) noted that Drew McIntyre could be responsible for AEW canceling the push of certain Superstars:

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that AEW has held off peaking the push of some wrestlers right now without fans in the arena, because they don’t want “to do the Drew McIntyre thing” to them.

We hope this isn't true, but at the same time, we understand AEW's perspective when looking at how it's panned out for WWE, especially in the ratings.

#1. Hope is true: Shane McMahon pushed for a specific WWE star on RAW Underground

One of the surprising entries into RAW Underground this past week on WWE TV was that of Shayna Baszler - who dominated in a setting that she was always going to thrive in.

On the latest episode of Dropkick DiSKussions, Tom Colohue revealed that Shayna Baszler has been 'in and out' of WWE's plans constantly, but Shane McMahon is a big fan of Shayna Baszler and pushed for her to be on RAW Underground:

But what I will say is that Shane McMahon is actually a very big fan of Baszler. So he saw a chance to use her, and I thought in that particular environment, he used her very well."

We hope this is true because it's good for a McMahon to push for Shayna Baszler in WWE. She hasn't gotten off to the best start, but things can still change in time. It's not often that we see a woman in WWE getting pushed to the top instantly.

#1. Hope isn't true: A possible spoiler on the result of the WWE title match at SummerSlam

The WWE Championship match at SummerSlam 2020 between Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton is the best one that WWE could have put up considering the circumstances that they're in right now. It's been a good story now and has featured the best promo work on WWE television right now.

The Ric Flair assault only added to the story, but there could be a lot more than what meets the eye. Discussing the WWE title match on the Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez revealed a possible twist that we could see in the match at SummerSlam 2020. (WARNING: Could contain spoilers):

Why would Randy turn on Ric Flair now, as opposed to after the match with Drew McIntyre? If Drew McIntyre is going to win, Randy Orton turning on Ric Flair the next day is the best way to get his heat back and he can blame Ric Flair. There’s a million things you can do. I think Randy Orton is beating Drew McIntyre. If Randy Orton is beating Drew McIntyre, look at how hard they have pushed Drew McIntyre. I think the only way that Randy wins is with help. I think that this is a swerve and that Ric Flair is going to come out at SummerSlam and he is going to help Randy Orton win the 14th World Title and they will have been in cahoots and they’re on their way to this gold that they talked about.”

We hope this isn't true, but only for the reason that we feel Drew McIntyre should be the man to carry WWE forward in the pandemic era. The ratings may not be flattering to him, but if WWE isn't worried about the ratings right now then Drew McIntyre deserves to have a nice run with the title.

How did Ric Flair spend $1500 at a pizza place? More details here