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Welcome to this week's edition of "5 wrestling rumors we hope are true and 5 we hope aren't". It's been a really interesting week for WWE from and both main roster shows delivered big from a quality perspective.
Interestingly enough, Vince McMahon was absent from both RAW and SmackDown tapings due to some XFL announcements. The usual names were in charge and it resulted in two very interesting shows. However, that's not the most intriguing thing you'll read about Vince McMahon in this article.
So we're officially two weeks removed from WWE SummerSlam 2019 and it has been quite a good month for the product as a whole, even if storyline directions aren't progressing as fast as people might hope.
As for the other side, AEW has less than a week to build for their second PPV - ALL OUT. They suffered a huge blow as Jon Moxley pulled out due to an elbow injury, but Kenny Omega will now be facing PAC fka Neville at the PPV's co-main event.
Here are the rumours from the week that we hope are true and those we hope aren't!
#5. Hope is true: CM Punk's agent pitched an idea to work with WWE for FOX
It's no secret that CM Punk has no desire to get back in the squared circle again. Apart from just disdain with how things ended in WWE, he claimed to have lost all his passion for pro wrestling.
With that said, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has reported that CM Punk's agents pitched an idea for him to co-host a WWE talk show alongside Renee Young when the FOX deal begins.
There has been rampant speculation of WWE having a talk show on FS1 and though the idea seems absolutely unrealistic, it would be a big twist if this was the capacity that Punk returned.
#5. Hope isn't true: Shorty-G and Shelty-B
Chad Gable is perhaps the most underrated superstar in WWE purely looking at his capabilities and future potential. While many fans would hope that King of The Ring could be Gable's breakout tournament, it unfortunately doesn't seem to be looking that way at all.
PWInsider first reported that WWE filed a trademark for "Shorty-G" - a name that they're potentially planning to give to Chad Gable. On SmackDown, he was the victim of a little childish prank by Shelton Benjamin, who made a height joke at him.
According to Wrestlingnews.co, not only is WWE planning the "Shorty-G" name for Chad Gable, but they might even be planning a new name for Shelton Benjamin - Shelty-B.
This would also reportedly involve them together again, making them reunite their tag team. That really begs the question as to why they were split up in the first place. Gable's move to RAW was seen as a promising one last year, but they did absolutely nothing with him and the same seems to continue now.
Hopefully, this rumour isn't true and WWE decides to finally push Chad Gable with the same name.
#4. Hope is true: The Undertaker's not wrestling in his next appearance
The Undertaker stated last year in an out-of-character interview that he wanted to be more selective of his dates. That hasn't stopped him from working more frequently this year and he's all set to return to SmackDown for the first time in nearly 3 years.
This year, he has been a part of the Greatest Royal Rumble in a best-forgotten-about main event, while returning quickly for a tag team match at Extreme Rules - where he teamed up with Roman Reigns in a successful effort against Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre.
However, it looks like we're going to see yet another quick turnaround for The Deadman, because he is reportedly set to appear at Madison Square Garden for SmackDown Live this coming September 10th.
It'll be a huge return to The Garden and we're glad that WWE decided to bring The Undertaker - a man who has had countless classics and great moments at The Garden. However, what we hope is true is the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's report that The Deadman won't be wrestling.
Hopefully, he is kept for major events and wrestles tag team matches like he did at Extreme Rules.
#4. Hope isn't true: Reason why Dominick is skipping NXT
Rey Mysterio's son Dominick is progressing a lot faster than many people realize - or atleast WWE wants him to. Mysterio has made it public knowledge for a few years now that Dominick has been training to be a wrestler.
He's in good hands - training with Lance Storm at his wrestling academy. He's been making more appearances on the main roster in 2019, accompanying his father in backstage interviews time and again.
However, despite Mysterio still being able to go at the highest level, the current storyline is that he's the "old veteran" who's struggling to keep up physically and mentally with the stars of today.
On the latest episode of RAW, he teased a retirement, only to be stopped by Dominick, who reminded him of his promise that when he debuts, he will team with Mysterio. The legendary luchador agreed to stay and he's all set for a big debut next year.
However, Sportskeeda's own Tom Colohue has reported that WWE feels the best way to get Dominick over is by debuting him alongside Mysterio and skipping NXT. While we do agree with the first part, we hope that his debut doesn't mean that he skips NXT. He may suffer in the long run.
Hopefully, he has a match with Mysterio and can go and spend some time in NXT developing.
#3. Hope is true: WWE speaking with main roster stars over an NXT move
NXT officially announced the move to the USA Network this past week, revealing that going forward, it will air on Wednesday Nights and will be a 2-hour live show. This is obviously a drastic change for the brand, who have been thriving with the one-hour pre-taped show format.
However, change is inevitable and in order to stack up a two-hour show, WWE knows that they need to add some star power. This is where the "reverse call-up" idea works. As we have seen, Tyler Breeze and Fandango are two superstars who have officially transitioned back into NXT.
Triple H stated in a conference call that superstars like Cesaro and Drew McIntyre constantly ask him about making appearances at NXT and it looks as though they're not the only ones being spoken to.
According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Triple H and WWE have been speaking to many superstars over potential NXT appearances down the line. It'll be interesting to see who they send back. Hopefully superstars like Apollo Crews who need a big change in scenery in order to thrive again and reach their potential.
#3. Hope isn't true: Street Profits' role going forward
We're not going to lie - The Street Profits have been extremely entertaining on the main roster. They've been one of the few superstars who have constantly been pulling double-duty, but if you've noticed, they're yet to make their in-ring debut on RAW.
That's alright because they have been good in their role so far. Simply viewing the product from backstage has made them entertaining comedy characters, but that can only go so far.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Street Profits won't be leaving NXT anytime soon, probably because of the new USA Network deal. With that said, they also will continue appearing on RAW, but only in a non-wrestling capacity.
Cageside Seats wrote:
Despite what happened at the recent NXT tapings, the Observer says the Street Profits are not on Raw. The plan is for them to remain in NXT going forward while still appearing on Raw in a non-wrestling capacity.
We hope this isn't true for one main reason - this type of arrangement isn't going to work in the long run. While they do have a good role now, it's going to tire out eventually and they won't really be favoured if they're constantly fluctuating from show to show.
#2. Hope is true: Paul Heyman set to give a big push to another superstar
What seems perfectly clear is that Paul Heyman is quite a big fan of many of the superstars he works with on RAW. He sees the potential in many of them and knows their capabilities. As a result, there have been rumours of multiple superstars getting a big push, whether it's Braun Strowman, Ricochet or anyone else.
Well, you can add one more to that list, as Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio discussed that Paul Heyman is very high on Cedric Alexander and it seems clear that he's in his plans for the future.
All three of the 205 Live "graduates" so far - Alexander, Ali and Buddy Murphy have recently been thriving, with Ali set to get a chance in the future. However, Alexander's push may come sooner as he seems to be an important part of Paul Heyman's plans.
We really hope this is true because Alexander is a phenomenally underrarted talent. Those who saw him on 205 Live know how he can tear it up in the ring and hopefully, this translates to more opportunities and a huge push for the former Cruiserweight Champion.
#2. Hope isn't true: 205 Live potentially being scrapped
It's not secret that 205 Live isn't exactly WWE's most popular show. For the last 3 years, it really hasn't been give a fair shake since it always airs right after SmackDown, when most of the crowd leaves and they're also more or less burned out.
However, that hasn't stopped the Cruiserweights of WWE from going all out week after week, putting on a string of incredible matches constantly. Men like Cedric Alexander, [Mustafa] Ali, Buddy Murphy and many others played a vital role in building the brand and making it what it is today, with a fresh set of faces and talent.
Even if you watch the show today, you're guaranteed to have an entertaining one hour, but that may not be enough for WWE's purple brand. The NXT to USA Network deal was being discussed on the Wrestling Observer Radio and they spoke about how NXT won't be a Network exclusive anymore. Unfortunately, the same may be the case for 205 Live.
The 205 Live brand might be in jeapordy and it has a lot to do with the next "Hope isn't true" point, but we'll get back to it right after the next one. However, we sincerely hope that this isn't the end for 205 Live.
#1. Hope is true: Vince McMahon to slowly step away from WWE
Vince McMahon is now 74 years old and many fans keep wondering when the day will come that he steps down. However, there's no man in the world who works harder than he does and he has openly stated that he never wants to retire.
However, the day will have to come when he does step down or rather "steps back". The coming of XFL in 2020 has clearly indicated that his role in WWE is going to wind down inevitably.
According to Sportskeeda's own Tom Colohue, there have been major talks over Vince McMahon and his role in WWE. One source told Colohue that while McMahon doesn't want to step down or let go, he knows that it's the right move and that he has a lot of faith in his team.
Moreover, he has three very important figures for three different shows - Paul Heyman for RAW, Eric Bischoff for SmackDown Live and Triple H for NXT.
From what it looks like, if he doesn't fully step down, he'll be overseeing the happenings of WWE at most. XFL seems to be his next long-term commitment and we hope it's true because it's time for a change.
#1. Hope isn't true: A huge change to SmackDown Live
One of the best parts about watching WWE SmackDown Live is the fact that there is one less hour - making it feel like less of a chore to watch. While RAW can get really good on certain weeks, the fact of the matter is that from a quality perspective, RAW has dropped thanks to the third hour.
However, the third hour has been on for a while now and merely due to the amount of extra money they make, it's not something that will be changed anytime soon, or ever. Unfortunately, the reason why WWE might cancel 205 Live is because there are discussions to have SmackDown become a 3-hour show.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE and FOX have been holding major discussions to make SmackDown Live a 3-hour show just like RAW. We really hope that this isn't true because it's the worst possible move WWE could make to SmackDown Live.
If they do that, there will be practically no difference between the two shows except the colour of the brand. It's a huge mistake that WWE needs to avoid at all costs.
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