5 wrestling rumors we hope are true and 5 we hope aren't: Vince McMahon 'ending' RAW star's push, Reason why WWE 'needs' Rollins to lose the Universal title

Welcome to this week's edition of wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't! We're a week removed from WWE Clash of Champions 2019 and the night following that was largely declared as the "Best RAW in years".

Even SmackDown delivered in a big way, instantly creating a lot of hype for WWE Hell in a Cell 2019. The major excitement, however, has been about The Fiend Bray Wyatt and his feud with Universal Champion Seth Rollins.

It's always exciting to see a new character and this renewed version of Wyatt is far more intimidating, scarier and darker than The Eater Of Worlds Bray Wyatt.

Either way, this article isn't just about Wyatt, it's about the wrestling rumor mill - and the mill has been busier than ever this week, with some rather upsetting news, uplifting news, and exciting news as well. Without wasting any time, let's get right into it!

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#5. Hope is true: How WWE hid Luke Harper's return so well

Roman Reigns received a bludgeoning

Last week at WWE Clash of Champions 2019, Luke Harper made his long-anticipated return, aligning with his old partner Rowan to take out Roman Reigns. They made a victim of Daniel Bryan two nights later as they did with Reigns and it seems like we're headed for a tag team direction at Hell in a Cell, where Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan will form an unlikely partnership.

According to PWInsider, WWE managed to hide Harper's return by keeping him away from the locker room up until it was time to attack Reigns. He was seen in the locker room afterwards.

We hope this is true because it's always nice when WWE hides returns so well that they don't even let their own colleagues in on it, making it feel all the more special.

#5. Hope isn't true: WWE cancels Roman Reigns' match against Daniel Bryan

Roman Reigns at Clash of Champions 2019

Roman Reigns was supposed to feud with Daniel Bryan and face him at Clash of Champions. However, plans changed and Rowan was the one thrust right into the spotlight.

According to Tom Colohue on Dropkick DiSKussions, it was a late decision for WWE to not go ahead with Reigns vs Bryan and have him face Rowan instead, even surprising some others backstage. He said:

So what I’ve heard about this and I think a lot of people heard this particular point I’m going to start with was that Roman vs. Bryan was supposed to be where we were headed. That was always in the plans. That was the programme they were working on. At some point, that was changed, either someone in the back has been very impressed with Rowan, which does happen. If you’re very impressed with someone and you think they deserve a better chance that’s certainly an option.

He added the possibility that Bryan's contract is a limited dates one, so they may have chosen this period for him to take some time off. Either way, we hope the above isn't true because Reigns vs Bryan would have been a better direction regardless.

#4. Hope is true: WWE attempting to 'rehab' Robert Roode

Robert Roode was in the RAW main event

Robert Roode has low-key enjoyed some success lately. Not only did he win the RAW Tag Team Championship with Dolph Ziggler last week, but he was also in the main event of RAW.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Strowman "wasn't allowed" to beat up Robert Roode in the opening segment of RAW where The Monster Among Men ruined the tag team summit.

Meltzer stated that the reason why Strowman got everyone but Roode was that he was being protected for the main event. He also added to that, saying:

"Well, I think that the whole idea is that they are trying to rehab Roode. You could see out of all those guys they were trying to protect him. Now why you would have him be in that position were Strowman beats up the whole Tag team division for Roode to get rehabbed, I don’t know."

Obviously, we hope that this is true because Robert Roode has the potential to be one of those "larger-than-life" figures he was in NXT. Down in the yellow brand, he was one of the few top stars who got over with personality more than in-ring prowess. It would be good to see him ascend the ladder.

#4. Hope isn't true: The Big Cass incident

Big Cass was involved in a bad altercation

Big Cass has been a lot more active over the last few months. Not only did he get back to top physical shape, but he also gave up alcohol and even opened up to the world about the crippling depression, anxiety and alcoholism that consumed his life before, during and after WWE.

Unfortunately, he got himself in trouble again, getting removed from a WrestlePro show after showing erratic and aggressive behavior towards AEW superstar Joey Janela. After others got involved, he started arguing with WrestlePro owner Pat Buck, who had his last match in order to focus full-time on his role as a WWE Producer.

He would then get punched in the face by Buck after he spat on the producer and soon after, he was taken away by police. Janela refused to press charges, stating that he wanted Cass to go and get help.

Firstly, we admire Janela for standing up and doing the right thing. Secondly, while we know the incident itself is true, we hope that a lot of the details aren't. Either way, the former WWE Superstar clearly needs help and we hope that he gets back on track someday.

#3. Hope is true: Everybody wants to work with Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt has won over the roster

Bray Wyatt has captured the imagination of not only fans but also people backstage in WWE, from the talent to the producers, according to Tom Colohue. Here's what he had to say:

I speak to a lot of people backstage in different capacities, some wrestling talents, some production, some creative, it varies, everyone, every single person, wants to work with Bray Wyatt. The wrestlers want to work with Bray Wyatt, they are more than happy to lose to him.

He continued, saying:

The production staff are loving how cinematic everything is. They want to be a part of that conversation and creative love writing for this guy. Even though with Bray a lot of it, he’s writing himself or at least he’s writing the outlines and the plans but he makes everything come alive. So they’ll give him some, 'okay we want you to do this, this, this, we want you to mention this' and then he’ll turn that into a full-on Firefly Funhouse episode. He does wonderful stuff."

We hope this is true because Wyatt has become a sensation in itself and deserves to be put over by everyone!

#3. Hope isn't true: Jason Jordan probably isn't coming back

Jason Jordan backstage

Jason Jordan was viewed as one of the most promising Superstars in WWE in 2017. He was put in a big spot and pushed as the next big top star in WWE, with the company clearly positioning him there.

An unfortunate injury has meant that Jordan has been out of action since early 2018. For a while now, fans have been questioning when Jordan will return but ultimately have given up on potentially ever seeing him in the ring again.

There really hasn't been any specific details about it, but from the looks of things, he won't be returning to the ring. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter mentioned it on his radio show:

Jason Jordan, who also gets asked about, is less likely to return. You never say never, but in his case, it wasn’t looking good and there has been in the past the feeling that his career could be over.

We hope this isn't true because Jordan was an incredible talent. While he was getting booed, the direction they were taking was an interesting one and he clearly had the athletic prowess to become a main event Superstar.

#2. Hope is true: Vince McMahon still wants to make Drew McIntyre a World Champion

Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre had a slight slip down the card in late 2018 and early 2019. People were quick to conclude that because he hasn't been as prominently featured as before, it probably means that Vince McMahon is done with him again.

According to Tom Colohue, this couldn't be further from the truth. He said:

Everything I have heard about Drew McIntyre has been very positive backstage. They are thoroughly behind him. Vince McMahon still wants to make him a world champion. He wants him to be the chosen one and essentially prove himself right from twelve years ago. I still see that happening.

He even stated that prior to his illness, there were plans in place for McIntyre to win the entire King of the Ring tournament.

I’m hearing he was supposed to win King of the Ring, get his championship opportunity right afterwards as an end result for winning the tournament, which is of course what originally happened with the tournament."

We hope this is true because McIntyre is still the future of the company and has a lot of potential to be fulfilled. He's still one of the most exciting names in WWE long-term.

#2. Hope isn't true: Eric Bischoff unaware of the Brock Lesnar-SmackDown appearance

Brock Lesnar may be a SmackDown star moving forward

According to Tom Colohue, the entire segment on SmackDown after the opening match was all Paul Heyman. The Executive Director of RAW was reportedly behind the Brock Lesnar-Kofi Kingston confrontation.

A #WWE source has mentioned to me that Paul Heyman scripted the segment between himself, Brock Lesnar and Kofi Kingston despite it taking place on #SDLive.

— Tom Colohue (@Colohue) September 18, 2019

What he implied in all of this was that while Eric Bischoff knew Lesnar was appearing, he didn't request for him and wasn't aware until the end as to what they had planned. It was undoubtedly quite telling that Heyman as RAW Executive director got to have his hands on the SmackDown Live product as well.

This further puts into question what role Bischoff has exactly on SmackDown and perhaps it's true that he was hired mainly to handle the executives at FOX Network rather than the creative side of things. Colohue said:

Question marks remain over Eric Bischoff’s particular role in the company. Rumors abound that the two Executive Directors of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live do not have the same role or the same responsibilities despite having the same title. With McMahon and Heyman making roster and scripting choices, this would seem to confirm that Bischoff’s involvement will be more limited than that of his peers.

#1. Hope is true: Seth Rollins could be changing brands

Rollins' time could be up

Seth Rollins is all set to face The Fiend Bray Wyatt at WWE Hell in a Cell 2019. Not only is this the most anticipated Universal Championship match since Seth Rollins won the title at WrestleMania 35, but it may also just be the single most-anticipated Universal Championship match since the lineage began 3 years ago.

It's mainly to do with Bray Wyatt and his Fiend character, which has captured the imagination of the WWE Universe. WWE has even had Rollins and Wyatt face each other twice in live events in the past two weeks, with Rollins winning as a result of a disqualification.

When reviewing Clash of Champions 2019 on Dropkick DiSKussions, Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz that WWE may have to take the title off Rollins because of a potential move to SmackDown Live.

"There is a possibility that they need the title off of Seth Rollins because he is going to be changing brands."

We hope this is true solely because we would love to see Wyatt as Universal Champion. However, we're a bit mixed on the idea of Rollins going to SmackDown, primarily because they've really built him up as Mr. Monday Night RAW of this generation. Either way, the change should be an exciting one!

#1. Hope isn't true: Vince McMahon canceling Cedric Alexander's push?

Cedric Alexander at Clash of Champions 2019

Cedric Alexander has been on a roll over the last few months, clearly being pushed as one of the most promising stars on RAW, similar to the way Ali is being pushed on SmackDown Live.

Both men have impressed the Executive Directors in their respective brands - Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff, with Heyman reportedly being a huge advocate for Alexander and wanting him to be a big part of WWE programming going forward.

After Alexander lost at Clash of Champions 2019, he was on the receiving end of another beatdown by The OC the following night on RAW. Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio was a bit pessimistic about it, stating that WWE wanted to bury Alexander.

"I was told last night that Vince McMahon wanted to bury him. I don't know why, why would you want to do that?"

He continued:

"Maybe they are going to set him up for something else. I don't know. I don't see a good sign for him right now."

We hope that this isn't true at all because Alexander is easily among the top 5 prospects in WWE right now. He along with the likes of Andrade, Ricochet, Ali, Buddy Murphy, etc. make for an exciting group of future Superstars who could all be top level at some point. Moreover, Alexander has a great story left to tell in WWE.

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