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Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true, and those we hope aren't. We're a week removed from WWE Clash of Champions, so let's jump right into the big scoops of the week!
#5. Hope is true: WWE's long-term plans for Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns' heel turn is a decision that fans have wanted WWE to make for over five years now. While many WWE fans would argue that it would have been better in 2015, sometimes it's better late than never.
Many fans were a bit surprised at WWE's decision to bring back Roman Reigns as a heel, and from the look of things, his character and dynamic with Paul Heyman is going to see a big change on a personal level for him.
The argument that fans made five years ago was that if WWE decided to turn Roman Reigns heel while he was getting booed, it could lead to him developing a more authentic personality that would eventually get him cheered - similar to The Rock's path.
According to WrestlingNews.co, that's exactly what WWE is aiming for now. A Roman Reigns heel turn is reportedly set to lead to a long-term story that will eventually result in him turning babyface. Sportskeeda's Vatsal Rathod wrote:
WrestlingNews.co is reporting that the idea behind Roman Reigns' return as a heel was that fans would cheer him as a heel and he would eventually turn into a babyface. It will be interesting to see how that plays off since this heel version has been doing wonders for Reigns so far.
We hope this is true because it would lead to a more organic way of building Roman Reigns as a top babyface. By the time the crowds return, we'll have witnessed a good deal of character progression, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him become the big box office draw that WWE has always wanted him to be.
#5. Hope isn't true: Vince McMahon's lack of interest could jeopardize two WWE stars
Two WWE RAW Superstars who enjoyed steady pushes in early 2020 were Andrade and Aleister Black. Paul Heyman, when he was the RAW Executive Director, chose to push Aleister Black and Andrade as two among a few Superstars on his list.
However, with WWE removing Paul Heyman as the RAW Executive Director, the landscape of the Red brand has changed. According to Dave Meltzer on WOR, Vince McMahon isn't as keen on pushing Aleister Black and Andrade, which could jeopardize their careers. Sportskeeda's Lennard Surrao wrote:
Dave Meltzer revealed on the latest post-RAW edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio that Vince McMahon doesn't see a lot in Aleister Black and Andrade when compared to what Paul Heyman saw in the two WWE RAW Superstars. Meltzer was told that following Heyman's ouster, Black and Andrade were always going to be in a troublesome spot, possibly jeopardizing their WWE careers.
We hope this isn't true because both men are potential future WWE main-eventers. It's an opportunity that mustn't be squandered.
#4. Hope is true: WWE veteran Mickie James' status after bizarre finish to RAW Women's title match
WWE veteran Mickie James took on Asuka in a rematch four years in the making. It was an exciting bout but had a rather bizarre finish, as Asuka was in a position to be pinned, only for the WWE referee to call the match in her favor.
Mickie James seemed a bit flustered towards the end, and everyone, including the commentators, were confused about what went down. There was instant speculation that it could have been abruptly ended due to an injury, with Mick Foley even stating that he heard Mickie James might have injured her shoulder.
However, Bryan Alvarez of WON tweeted that Mickie James is fine and that it was the WWE official who made the incorrect call by ending it too quickly:
It's an unfortunate botch from the WWE referee, but these kinds of things happen. However, about her not being injured, we certainly hope that's true and that we see her return to WWE TV quickly.
#4. Hope isn't true: WWE planning an Aalyah Mysterio-Murphy romance angle?
Rey Mysterio's family has had an increasing presence in WWE television since the summer of 2020. With Dominik Mysterio making his long-anticipated debut, his mother Angie and sister Aalyah started appearing as well.
On the September 14th episode of RAW, the headlining match saw WWE newcomer Dominik Mysterio take on WWE veteran Seth Rollins in a steel cage match. While he lost to Seth Rollins, one of the turning points of what happened was the post-match angle, where The Monday Night Messiah turned on Murphy.
There was a subtle moment where Aalyah Mysterio went in concern to check on Murphy while her mother and father went to Dominik Mysterio. Dave Meltzer mentioned on WOR that the idea is for WWE to build a possible Aalyah Mysterio-Murphy storyline:
I guess it's the idea that, well, we can see what it is. Somehow Aalyah is getting hooked up with Murphy. That's the end result of all this.
We hope this isn't true because there's no need for Aalyah Mysterio to be a part of WWE programming. Even Angie can take a backseat now that Dominik Mysterio has been introduced to the WWE Universe.
#3. Hope is true: WWE's plans for Sasha Banks and Bayley's first match
WWE's decision to pull the trigger on the Sasha Banks-Bayley split finally came to fruition six days after Payback 2020, when The Golden Role Models failed to regain the tag team titles. Bayley viciously assaulted Sasha Banks and took her out.
While Nikki Cross is going to be Bayley's Smackdown Women's title challenger at Clash of Champions, the inevitable goal is to reach the Sasha Banks-Bayley feud. According to Dave Meltzer on WOR, WWE will be going ahead with the program heading into Hell in a Cell, with their bout happening inside the gargantuan steel structure. Sportskeeda's Kishan Prasad wrote:
On this week's Wrestling observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer noted that a match between Bayley and Sasha Banks would take place at the PPV after Clash Of Champions, Hell In A Cell. The episode also pointed out that the former two-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champions will clash in a Hell in A Cell match at the PPV.
#3. Hope isn't true: AJ Styles missing an important event due to WWE's taping schedule
AJ Styles always has a prominent role on WWE television, regardless of which brand he's in. Now a part of SmackDown again, AJ Styles is currently in a feud with WWE legend and Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy, and Sami Zayn too.
While SmackDown has been pre-taped for most of the COVID-19 era in WWE, the ThunderDome appears to have changed the schedule. As a result, WWE stars on the SmackDown brand may have had to change their plans and one Superstar isn't happy about it - AJ Styles.
According to Dave Meltzer on WOR, AJ Styles is unhappy with the fact that he's missing his son's football games due to the SmackDown taping schedule:
"On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that AJ Styles is not happy with missing his son’s football games on Friday nights due to SmackDown. This became an issue once the Thunderdome concept changed WWE’s taping schedule."
We hope this isn't true because AJ Styles reportedly had to move to SmackDown due to a level of unhappiness on RAW. More of it won't be good for overall morale.
#2. Hope is true: WWE still intends to push Keith Lee despite no immediate plans
Keith Lee is a Superstar who has taken to the WWE main roster right away. When WWE books any Superstar's first feud against a name like Randy Orton, it's evident that there are big plans for them.
Keith Lee faced Randy Orton at Payback on his main roster pay-per-view singles debut and defeated him clean in just six minutes. Dave Meltzer stated on WOR that while there are no immediate plans for Keith Lee, WWE still intends to push him:
“I didn’t a sense at all that [Keith is] going heel, but they’re just running by the seat of their pants when it comes to Keith Lee. You can tell. There’s no plan in place at all other than he’s still on the list of people they are pushing as opposed to the other guys who are no longer on the list.”
We hope this is true because Keith Lee can be a big name on RAW going forward - and WWE needs more babyfaces.
#2. Hope isn't true: Major concern about The Viking Raiders' future in WWE
Ivar of The Viking Raiders will be out of action from WWE for a long time after reportedly suffering a neck injury. Neck injuries are no joke, and as a result, he will likely be out of WWE for a year or more.
Dave Meltzer mentioned on WOR that WWE usually keeps the other tag team member away or they just 'job them out' like they did to Erik this past week on RAW:
Yeah, that's a bad deal because usually, neck surgery means about a year out. It could be long or even longer. So, it impacts him greatly. It impacts Raymond Rowe a lot too because as you've seen, usually when they have a tag team and one of the guys gets out and is injured, sometimes they'll send the guy home and wait for the other guy to come back, which in this case is a year, or they will just job the other guy out.
We hope this isn't true, but in all likeliness, it is.
#1. Hope is true: What WWE intends to establish with the Paul Heyman-Roman Reigns dynamic
Paul Heyman's alliance with Roman Reigns isn't just WWE's attempt at recreating Brock Lesnar. Their alliance means business, and WWE wants to establish that Paul Heyman works for Roman Reigns.
Rather than referring to himself as an advocate, WWE has made sure that Paul Heyman refers to himself as "Special Counsel to the Tribal Chief." Dave Meltzer explained on WOR what the difference between Paul Heyman's relationship with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns is:
On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer talked about the idea behind the pairing of Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. As per the report, WWE wants it to be known that there is no friendship between Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. Hence, we won't see Reigns smiling during Heyman's promos, unlike Brock Lesnar.
We hope this is true because it would get tiring quickly if Roman Reigns became a carbon copy of Brock Lesnar. It's good to add some intensity to their alliance on SmackDown.
#1. Hope isn't true: Drew McIntyre's WWE title reign coming to an end soon?
Drew McIntyre has been a fantastic WWE Champion. It's a shame that we've never seen a crowd witness Drew McIntyre as the WWE Champion, and in all likeliness, we won't until he regains the title.
It appears as though the end of his title reign could be near. Randy Orton is set to face Drew McIntyre for the WWE title at Clash of Champions in an Ambulance match. Dave Meltzer of WON stated that Drew McIntyre's WWE title reign could come to an end as soon as Clash of Champions:
An ambulance match in WWE is almost a lock for a fluke finish. It’s not known if Orton is getting the title, but a few signs have been in place, such as him losing the first match clean in the middle to build a rematch, and his loss to Lee on the last pay-per-view show. In addition, there was at least talk that the planned Orton vs. Edge match at WrestleMania this coming year would be for the title.
Meltzer added that the ambulance stipulation is a good way to protect Drew McIntyre. We hope this isn't true because Drew McIntyre can still carry the WWE title for a longer time. However, WWE may want to have Orton win to set up a trilogy at Hell in a Cell.
