5 wrestling rumors we hope are true and 5 we hope aren't: Triple H wanted a big push for released WWE star, Vince McMahon discovers "the next Edge"?

Welcome to this week's edition of wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't! It's been a fun week of wrestling, with the coming week of WWE programming set to conclude the build to Money in the Bank 2020.

There's still a lot going on in the world of wrestling, so let's jump right into the rumors:

#5. Hope is true: Triple H wanted to push a released WWE Superstar as a top name

Triple H vouched for a recently-released star

Triple H is a Superstar who has had a lot of backstage influence for over two decades in WWE. He's worked his way into a much higher role with the WWE and as a result, has transitioned out of being a full-time wrestler a long time ago.

Even then, there was a time when he tried to put over an unexpected name - Curtis Axel. The recently released former WWE Superstar was once involved with Triple H, who reportedly saw him as a potential flagship star for WWE, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON):

He was pushed as one of the top stars in developmental. At the same they liked his athletic ability and that he was tall. He was brought to the main roster and expected to be a star. Paul Levesque in particular thought he was going to be one of the flagship stars of the company. His first run as Michael McGillicutty went nowhere.

He was even given an opportunity and Triple H did his best to put him over:

"Levesque, as Triple H, put him over with the storyline Axel gave him a concussion and collapsed."

Ultimately, it didn't work out too well for Curtis Axel. Either way, we hope this is true because it's good to see Triple H tried to put over different WWE stars. Ultimately, he succeeded in doing so with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.

#5. Hope isn't true: Sami Zayn pulled out from SmackDown tapings

Sami Zayn hasn't been seen since he defeated Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 36. As a result, Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro have aligned with King Corbin. According to WON, Sami Zayn hasn't been appearing because he pulled out of the tapings.

Sportskeeda's Nishant Jayaram wrote:

Zayn has chosen to not appear on SmackDown tapings which is the reason why he was not a part of last week's show. The report further says that Zayn was originally meant to be on the Blue brand last week, but decided to stay back. WWE have given their Superstars the liberty of not appearing on shows if they do not want to, similar to what AEW have informed their wrestlers.

While we respect his and several other Superstars' choice to not work during a time like this, we hope this isn't true since he's an essential Superstar on SmackDown programming. It seems a bit odd to see Nakamura and Cesaro align with Corbin, who they had no previous alliance with.

#4. Hope is true: Vince McMahon discovers a future main eventer?

Sheamus may have squashed a future main eventer

It's always exciting to see young talent on the rise, especially when you've seen them from the early days where they're climbing up the ranks. One such name is second-generation WWE star Cal Bloom, who most notably appeared on SmackDown after WrestleMania 36 in a squash match against Sheamus.

While he has a long way to go, Paul Davis of Wrestlingnews.co noted that the young Cal Bloom is touted to be a future main eventer by Vince McMahon, even getting comparisons to a young Edge by those observing him:

I’ve heard from people in WWE who have seen Cal Bloom’s training at the Performance Center and have said that he is someone who can be a main event Superstar in the next couple of years. 'Everyone is comparing him to a young Edge,' said one WWE source. 'He is rough around the edges but he has something and Vince thinks he can be a big deal...' The coaches at the Performance Center have also had good things to say about him."

We hope this is true because he looks like an exciting future star. It's going to be interesting to observe how Bloom develops over the next few years.

#4. Hope isn't true: Brock Lesnar to possibly take a long hiatus

During WWE's Quarter 1 financial conference call, Vince McMahon made a statement, saying "We no longer have Brock Lesnar anymore, obviously". This has ramped up a lot of speculation over what his future is, with WON's Dave Meltzer asking the question "Does that mean he isn't coming back?".

The reality is that it's hard to tell what Lesnar's future could look like. While he's contracted for a set number of appearances, the word going around seems to be that he's set for an extended hiatus.

This could possibly mean missing SummerSlam, something Brock Lesnar hasn't done since 2012. He's generally been the focal point of the show, but it's hard to imagine the show without him.

We hope this rumor isn't true because it's best for him to return by the summer. We wouldn't be surprised to see crowds return to a limited capacity by then, but it's hard to tell given the unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.

#3. Hope is true: Brock Lesnar set for a big dream clash?

It's going to be interesting to see what WWE has planned for Brock Lesnar. The last time he was in a non-title feud was against Goldberg between Survivor Series 2016 and Royal Rumble 2017.

Since then, he's been the Universal Champion three different times and the WWE Champion once. There have only been a few times where he's had non-title matches (such as Survivor Series 2017 and 2018 against AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan). After losing the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre, it'll be a few more months before we see Lesnar return.

When he does, he could be set for a major dream match, as Tom Colohue revealed on Dropkick DiSKussions that Cain Velasquez won't be involved with Brock Lesnar when he inevitably returns to WWE. Instead, WWE is building Bobby Lashley for his much-deserved match against Brock Lesnar:

They're building Bobby Lashley towards Brock Lesnar. He will be back eventually, but Cain Velasquez won't be involved with Brock Lesnar going forward."

We hope this is true because Bobby Lashley has been calling for the match for a long time. He's openly admitted that the reason he returned to WWE was for a match against The Beast Incarnate. He deserves to have a blockbuster clash with him.

#3. Hope isn't true: Cain Velasquez made three big mistakes before his WWE release

Cain Velasquez was quietly released by WWE

Cain Velasquez had a short-lived and extremely forgettable run in WWE. He was brought in on SmackDown's FOX debut, immediately confronting the man who he knocked out to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship - Brock Lesnar.

His match against Brock Lesnar opened the show in WWE Crown Jewel, with Velasquez losing by submission in all but two minutes. While he was supposed to return, later on, he was quietly released by WWE recently along with other Superstars.

Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz on Dropkick DiSKussions that there were three major mistakes Velasquez made during his time with WWE.

"With Cain Velasquez, this is not that big a surprise for a lot of people. He hadn't appeared since his match against Brock Lesnar in Saudi Arabia which he lost in very short order. And he rubbed people the wrong way. He didn't say anything about his initial injury when he signed his contract. He said he was going to be in the Royal Rumble when it hadn't been announced, so he was pulled. He posted a picture with Ronda Rousey in the WWE HQ when nobody was supposed to know they were there. He unfortunately just made a catalog of errors early on."

We hope this isn't true because it would be bad for an inevitable return in the future. Velasquez in the meanwhile has many options if pro wrestling is what he wants to pursue.

#2. Hope is true: Roman Reigns and another Champion are getting Hollywood offers

Roman Reigns' name has had a bit of negativity surrounding it post-WrestleMania 36, as WWE has reportedly been avoiding mentioning his name across WWE programming and on their website.

Thankfully, he seems to be a busy man. Reigns has made it no secret that he intends to transition to Hollywood once his wrestling career is over. He's been getting offers from Hollywood lately and so has RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed that both Reigns and Becky Lynch have bee receiving offers from Hollywood.

Sportskeeda's Nishant Jayaram wrote:

Becky Lynch is reportedly set to feature on a women's magazine soon, while Hollywood is also keen to cast her in a few roles, thanks to her popularity and on-screen charisma. She is set to appear on the Billions TV series, where she has a small cameo appearance.

Roman Reigns, meanwhile, has another project he's working on:

Roman Reigns, meanwhile, will be a part of a movie that will be released later this month called The Wrong Missy. Reigns has acted in a few movies, having last featured alongside The Rock in the Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw movie last year

We hope this is true because it's always good to see Superstars succeeding outside the WWE realm. It's a great career option to have, especially since a pro wrestler's career is normally never an extensive one.

#2. Hope isn't true: Possible reason why Apollo Crews was pulled from Money in the Bank

Apollo Crews will no longer compete in the Men's MITB ladder match

Apollo Crews is a Superstar who's been on the rise since WrestleMania 36. He's had the best few weeks of his career, including a win over veteran MVP to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match.

He pinned United States Champion Andrade last week on RAW and earned a title shot later that night. While he came close to winning, the match was stopped due to Crews suffering a knee injury, forcing the referee to call a stop to the contest.

Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz on Dropkick DiSKussions that it was a storyline injury meant to garner sympathy for Crews, which is why he was pulled from MITB:

"It's a kayfabe injury. He was taken out of the match. They knew it was going to happen beforehand, so before they filmed this, they had the match. They knew it was coming, they knew it was planned, so it was definitely written ahead of time. It does get some sympathy for the character. With Apollo Crews, the concern has never been his wrestling. He's a very talented performer. It's always been about the character and naturally connecting to the audience. You think back to how many times people going all the way to the promised land and pulling it back. Daniel Bryan in 2013 was an example. These are things that make people care."

We hope this isn't true because Crews deserved a good showing at Money in the Bank. Either way, we hope that this leads to his first title win in WWE, as we feel he should dethrone Andrade.

#1. Hope is true: AJ Styles' return

AJ Styles hasn't been seen since WrestleMania 36

According to John Pollock of Post Wrestling, AJ Styles could be set to return to WWE in the coming week ahead of Money in the Bank 2020. He hasn't been seen since his loss to The Undertaker in the Boneyard match of Night 1 at WrestleMania 36.

He's always been an important main event star for WWE, which is why it makes sense that he might return before Money in the Bank 2020.

Sportskeeda's Abhilash Mendhe wrote:

There's a possibility that The Phenomenal One could be announced as one of the competitors in the "Last Chance" Gauntlet match on WWE RAW. This past week on RAW, Andrade took on Apollo Crews. The match didn't reach a conclusion, as Apollo suffered an injury while in action. It was later announced that Apollo was pulled from the Men's Money In The Bank Ladder match that's going to take place at the WWE Headquarters.

Soon after, a match to determine his replacement was announced:

Days later, Kayla Braxton announced on WWE's The Bump that a "Last Chance" Gauntlet match will take place on the upcoming episode of WWE RAW, to determine who would be Apollo's replacement.

We hope this is true since RAW will always be better with the 2-time WWE Champion in it.

#1. Hope isn't true: Drew McIntyre only got his World title push due to certain circumstances?

Drew McIntyre had his well-deserved coronation at WrestleMania 36 after defeating Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship. He won the Royal Rumble for the first time in his career to earn his shot against Brock Lesnar.

Tom Colohue and Korey Gunz spoke about Cain Velasquez's original plans on Dropkick DiSKussions and Colohue admitted that had it not been for Velasquez not being at WrestleMania 36, Drew McIntyre may never have gotten his spot:

"There was a plan for a storyline going into WrestleMania that has been completely abandoned. Drew McIntyre was chosen instead. Honestly, I'm not sure Drew McIntyre would have been chosen in that place if Cain Velasquez had been there."

We hope this isn't true because we would like to think that McIntyre would have been in that spot anyway. He was a priority of Paul Heyman when he took over as RAW Executive Director and was pushed and protected well on his way to the top.

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