5 wrestling rumors we hope are true and 5 we hope aren't: WWE's plan for Edge at WrestleMania 37 revealed, Disappointing change in plans for Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam?

Welcome to this week's edition of WWE Wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't! It's been an intense week of wrestling and following Extreme Rules, we're now in SummerSlam mode!

Let's jump right into the WWE rumors of the week!

#5. Hope is true: Edge's WWE WrestleMania 37 plans

Edge in 'The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever'

Edge was last seen on the RAW after WWE Backlash 2020, but his last match was on the PPV itself. In the main event, Edge would have a rematch with Randy Orton from WrestleMania 36. Their encounter in April was a Last Man Standing match, while their Backlash main event was a straightforward wrestling match.

It was an instant classic and even The Undertaker said that the match brought a 'tear to his eye'. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE's plans for Edge at WrestleMania 37 involves a possible "I Quit" match to wrap up the Randy Orton feud. Sportskeeda's Lennard Surrao wrote:

Dave Meltzer revealed in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Edge vs. Randy Orton in an 'I Quit match' is being pencilled in as one of the pivotal bouts for next year's WrestleMania.

We hope this is true because it would be a fitting way to end the feud. While we would like to see Edge face newer Superstars, the reality is that it might have been the case had he not suffered the tricep injury. Given that he reportedly had to get surgery as well, it means that he's out for the rest of 2020. The rumor mill has indicated that he could be back in time for a surprise return at the Royal Rumble, which would eventually lead to his rematch against Randy Orton. It's no secret that their trilogy was supposed to finish at SummerSlam, but it looks like that won't be the case anymore.

#5. Hope isn't true: Another change in plans for Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam?

The original plan for the main event of SummerSlam 2020 was supposed to be Brock Lesnar facing Drew McIntyre in a WrestleMania 36 rematch. However, Tom Colohue had first reported that WWE didn't want to utilize Brock Lesnar in the Performance Center because he was 'too big' a star to be performing in that small environment.

The plans then seemed to change to Drew McIntyre vs Randy Orton after Edge's injury. However, Dave Meltzer on WON noted that there could still be a change of plans for the main event:

"The 7/20 show originally was going to focus on an angle to set up McIntyre vs. Orton for the SummerSlam WWE title match. But the decision was changed to instead push for McIntyre vs. Ziggler in a rematch on 7/27."

We hope this isn't true because Randy Orton would have made for the perfect WWE title challenger at SummerSlam. Right now, there aren't too many Superstars ready for that spot on a big show like WWE SummerSlam.

#4. Hope is true: MVP pushed for Mustafa Ali's return

Mustafa Ali returned to WWE television after a long time away. He was on SmackDown previously and was supposed to return for the hacker storyline. While we'll get back to that on the next page, this is specifically with regards to Ali's return to WWE RAW.

According to Tom Colohue, MVP was one of the people vocal about bringing Mustafa Ali back. He said that MVP is using his presence backstage to put over the right people:

When it comes to his return, this comes as a result of availability. But I personally couldn't be happier for him. If there were more people there, I worry that he would not have got that chance. And he is someone who deserves to at least be on TV. He has had WWE Championship matches quite recently. He had so much momentum on SmackDown. On RAW, he took his chance and got something good out of it. Everyone else in that match wanted him to pick up that win. MVP has a strong voice backstage, and I think he is using it right to put people over."

We hope this is true because we always like hearing about selfless veterans who have an eye for the future. It also makes sense since Ali pinned MVP on his return.

#4. Hope isn't true: Why WWE was forced to cancel the hacker storyline

It's no secret that the original plans for Mustafa Ali was to be the SmackDown hacker. He was even involved in "exposing" Sonya Deville in her storyline with Mandy Rose, but it seems like there's been no sign of the hacker following WWE WrestleMania 36.

Tom Colohue revealed that Ali was the hacker but WWE took it out of his hands:

"Ali was the hacker, however, it became too convenient of a storyline and WWE essentially took it out of his hands"

He said that with Ali's move to RAW, it's unlikely that we're ever going to see the hacker storyline come to fruition.

"Now, with Ali's move to RAW, it is extremely unlikely that we are ever going to see him as a hacker. However, as long as the Hacker storyline is something that the WWE writing team can use to write themselves out of corner, there will always be a SmackDown Hacker."

We hope this isn't true because we hate seeing storylines with no payoff or continuity. It seemed like it was being built as an essential part of SmackDown until it abruptly stopped. While we're aware that WWE has the option of starting it again, we don't see that happening.

#3. Hope is true: Nation of Domination 2.0 nixed?

On the latest episode of WWE RAW, Ron Simmons made an appearance and the implication seemed to be that he was going to join "Hurt Business" - a duo of MVP and Bobby Lashley.

The roles in the faction are clear. MVP is the "mentor" and manager whose objective is to help get Bobby Lashley over. He's even tried recruiting Apollo Crews and Cedric Alexander after recognizing their talent.

Dave Meltzer noted on WON that WWE had plans for a Nation of Domination 2.0 but that seems to have been nixed:

"There was an idea, I don't know if it was dropped. Originally, it was going to be on the show for a revamping of The Nation Of Domination and Ron Simmons was going to be a part of that angle, but they dropped that angle for this show. They may be building to it later, they may have dropped it completely, but they had brought him in for that angle. So, therefore, that is why he was on television."

We hope that it's true and that it has been nixed because the insinuation of a Nation of Domination 2.0 could come across as controversial in today's sensitive political climate. With that said, we hope to see "Hurt Business" become a growing faction that helps put over multiple WWE Superstars.

#3. Hope isn't true: 4 WWE stars released due to bad publicity for Saudi Arabia

WWE has had quite a few issues with regards to their shows in Saudi Arabia - whether it's been media backlash or issues with Saudi officials. Last year in October for Crown Jewel, there was the entire "plane debacle" that happened that kept the WWE roster stuck in Saudi Arabia for far longer than expected.

Dave Meltzer revealed on the Wrestling Observer Radio that Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Rusev, and Joe Hennig (aka Curtis Axel) were all released partly due to the bad publicity that came out of the incident. Interestingly, Andrade was protected:

"The other thing that I didn't know, another thing was that the guys who had given the company bad publicity over Saudi Arabia, which was Rusev and Karl Anderson and, Joe Hennig, I think. The other one was Andrade, but Andrade is in the Flair family, so he was safe. So those guys, there was a lot of bitterness because, you know, whatever, the WWE sees it one way, 'nobody should have said anything.' The reason there was a problem is because guys said there was a problem and everything and there's all those tweets out there that WWE couldn't deny."

We hope this isn't true because it would be an unfair reason to release them. While we're sure that it was only one among a few things that led to their releases, it wouldn't make sense on WWE's part to do so.

#2. Hope is true: Edge and Daniel Bryan have significant creative influence

Edge is a WWE legend and at this point, so is Daniel Bryan. With over ten years in the company (and 7-8 years as an active wrestler), he's one of the most trusted veterans in the company.

Since his comeback over two-and-a-half years ago, Daniel Bryan has continued to prove why he's one of the best wrestlers in the business and best minds as well. It seems like he has the respect of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who trusts him enough to give him creative control.

Dave Meltzer said on the Wrestling Observer Radio that Edge and Daniel Bryan are two stars with significant creative control:

“Edge on Raw and Daniel Bryan on Smackdown both have significant creative influence. The term I was given is they were part of the writing teams of the respective shows right now.”

We hope this is true because Edge and Daniel Bryan have two brilliant wrestling minds. It explains why Daniel Bryan aligned with Drew Gulak on WWE SmackDown.

#2. Hope isn't true: Aleister Black's push in jeopardy?

Aleister Black hasn't been featured as heavily on WWE TV following the release of Paul Heyman as RAW's Executive Director. Unlike AJ Styles, Aleister Black had a great relationship with Paul Heyman, who regularly featured him on TV and saw him as a major star.

Tom Colohue noted that with Paul Heyman gone, things have changed for Aleister Black. He referenced his defeat to Seth Rollins this past week and said that Paul Heyman viewed him as the "headline" of the show. However, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon doesn't feel the same way:

To my knowledge, it is Vince McMahon who has mixed opinions shall we say. Vince added that creek to the entrance when he leverages up and now he has removed the entrance all together. We haven't seen the Aleister Black entrance in a long time. To put it bluntly, Vince thinks that there's something missing about Aleister Black. It's similar to how he feels about Cesaro. Keep an eye on this one because we all know how that went. "

We hope this isn't true because Paul Heyman was right about Aleister Black. WWE have a potential main eventer in him and should continue to push and protect him accordingly.

#1. Hope is true: Rey Mysterio and WWE close to finalizing a deal?

Vince McMahon and Rey Mysterio are set to meet

Rey Mysterio "losing his eye" in the "Eye-for-an-Eye" match at Extreme Rules was an indication of one clear thing - he hadn't signed a new WWE contract. Had he signed one, we would have been likelier to see Seth Rollins wearing an eye patch.

According to Dave Meltzer on WON, Rey Mysterio is close to signing a deal with WWE and will meet with Vince McMahon soon to finalize things:

The last word is that the sides are not far from a deal and McMahon and Mysterio would be meeting once again soon to try and finalize things.”

We hope this is true and that Rey Mysterio manages to sign a short-term contract. It's no secret that Rey Mysterio wants to transition out of WWE once his son Dominik transitions in, which is why it's best if he's around to assist the process. Dominik has a path of his own to follow, but Rey Mysterio knows how to get it kickstarted.

#1. Hope isn't true: Backstage reason why Vince McMahon wants Drew McIntyre to lose the WWE title

Drew McIntyre has been an incredible WWE Champion, even if the ratings suggest otherwise. He's the perfect representative for WWE's top prize and has had great PPV matches so far. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE reportedly wants Drew McIntyre to drop the title to Randy Orton if the match happens at SummerSlam.

The reason? To make the third Edge-Randy Orton encounter for the title. Sportskeeda's Lennard Surrao wrote:

The reason why that may happen is because WWE reportedly wants Randy Orton to go over McIntyre, which would then lead to a match between The Legend Killer and The Rated-R Superstar. WWE might just want to increase the stakes for the third and final match between Edge and Randy Orton.

We hope this isn't true because Edge vs Randy Orton is big enough where it doesn't need the WWE Championship on the line. It's the same mistake WWE keeps making with part-timers over and over.

Kansas City Chiefs draft picks 2024: Full list of Chiefs selections