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Welcome to this week's edition of 5 wrestling rumours we hope are true and 5 we hope aren't! We're just off the heels of All Elite Wrestling's ALL OUT PPV and as usual, they managed to deliver.
Also read: AEW ALL OUT Results - First World Champion Crowned, Fired WWE legend makes debut
Even though it wasn't on the level of ALL IN (which was pre-AEW) or Double or Nothing, it was still a solid PPV by any standard - delivering a series of incredible matches and laying out the map as to what is to come. For Cody Rhodes and crew, their big focus is going to be on their television show and going head-to-head with NXT.
They do have the firepower to do so, but this article isn't about AEW's TV show. It's about the world of wrestling and the rumours that we hope are true and those we hope aren't. Without dragging this much further, let's get right into it!
Also read: 5 things AEW subtly told us at ALL OUT: Big match hinted, Top star won't challenge Jericho
#5. Hope is true: WWE has long-term storyline plans for Zayn & Nakamura
The good part about Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura's current alliance is the fact that it makes storyline sense. Nakamura's first-ever match in WWE was at NXT Takeover: Dallas against Sami Zayn (who ended his NXT run that night). To be honest, that match remains the only great match that Nakamura has had since entering WWE.
Regardless, it seems as though there are long-term plans for this current storyline, according to WrestleVotes. The idea is to have it play out as long as Kevin Owens-Chris Jericho did in 2017-18, meaning that this will likely culminate at WrestleMania 36.
We, like WrestleVotes, are admittedly a bit skeptical as to whether they'll let it play out that long, but they should. It's a good match that can end up being for a big title at the end of it.
#5. Hope isn't true: Why WWE is bringing back 'Stone Cold' for the RAW MSG episode
We don't get to see 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin in WWE that often these days. His last appearance was naturally for the RAW Reunion, where he led the charge in the ring full of legends, giving out a toast to the years gone by.
He's going to have a rather quick turnaround. WWE is returning to Madison Square Garden this September 9th and 10th for RAW and SmackDown Live. It was announced that 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin would be appearing for RAW as well and he responded.
However, the reason behind him returning is not a very flattering one to WWE, according to Mike Johnson on PWInsider Elite. According to Johnson, the reason why Austin is being brought back is because they're yet to sell out both shows. They want to have as many special attractions as possible, which is why they are bringing back the Texas Rattlesnake.
While we don't blame WWE, it's not a particularly good sign that they're not able to sell out their big return to MSG for a televised show. September has been a historically bad month for WWE attendance.
#4. Hope is true: The Usos returning to in-ring competition soon
It hasn't been a very good month for The Usos. Jimmy Uso got into yet another DUI situation on July 25th, 2019 and that wasn't even his first of the year, let alone first DUI charge. It seems as though WWE has been trying to keep them away for a short while, perhaps hoping for the storm to pass and for fans to forget about all of it.
Well, for fans of The Usos, we've got some really good news - the six-time tag team champions will be returning to in-ring action very soon, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. We expect them to pick up right where they left off and eventually go after the tag team titles again.
The Usos were drafted to RAW after 3 years of the brand split, with the intention obviously being to make them the top babyface team of the red brand. They're yet to win the RAW Tag Team titles but they have been involved in the picture on multiple occasions. We expect the duo to start contending for the titles right off the bat.
#4. Hope isn't true: Cedric Alexander to be knocked out of the tournament due to "injury"
Cedric Alexander hasn't had the best post-WrestleMania period, but the summer of 2019 has seen him get more TV time and has seemingly set him up for a potentially big push in the future. You've probably read the rumours that Paul Heyman is very high on Alexander and intends to push him alongside the likes of Ricochet.
Alexander's push will have to wait and it won't be coming at the King of the Ring tournament, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio. The idea is that Cedric Alexander has a leg injury in storyline and that is what's going to cost him.
As you probably know, Alexander takes on Baron Corbin next and the winner of that match will take on Ricochet or Samoa Joe. While it does make sense to have Corbin win since he'll almost certainly be facing Ricochet at the Semi-Finals, it would be nice to have a solid babyface vs babyface match.
Ricochet and Alexander would have great chemistry together and would likely have an explosive match that would benefit Ricochet when going to the finals. While we hope this isn't true, it likely will be.
#3. Hope is true: Solid additions to the Clash of Champions card expected
WWE Clash of Champions 2019 is turning out to be a rather solid card. While some of the weeks of RAW in the build have been hit-or-miss, we do believe that there's more of a reason to be positive about the card than there is to be negative about it.
According to a report by F4W Online, there are still a few matches that are going to be added to the card. Here are a few matches that are expected to be added to the card in the coming week.
Roman Reigns vs Daniel Bryan
Becky Lynch (c) vs Sasha Banks - RAW Women's Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs The Miz - Intercontinental Championship
The New Day (c) vs The Revival - SmackDown Tag Team Championship
Unspecified Women's Tag Team title match
It's not yet known who Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross will defend the titles against, but it'll certainly be interesting to see. The card so far comprises of these matches
Seth Rollins (c) vs Braun Strowman - Universal Championship
Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman (c) vs Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler - RAW Tag Team Championship
Kofi Kingston (c) vs Randy Orton - WWE Championship
Bayley (c) vs Charlotte Flair - SmackDown Women's Championship
Drew Gulak (c) vs Humberto Carrillo - Cruiserweight Championship
#3. Hope isn't true: WWE almost brought back AoP on RAW this week
AoP hasn't been seen on WWE television since the Super ShowDown Battle Royal at Saudi Arabia. They haven't even been featured apart from that since early this year due to Akam having knee surgery.
According to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, WWE was actually very close to bringing back AoP for this past week's 8-team turmoil match on RAW. The match, as you probably know, was to determine Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman's Tag Team title challengers at Clash of Champions.
It was eventually won by the newly-formed team of Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode. While no reason was specified as to why their appearance was cancelled, it makes sense to do so. It wouldn't be good if AoP were brought back only to job to Ziggler & Roode.
Regardless, we'd like to hope that this rumour isn't true because it would have been a real shame if they were brought back that way. However, one can only hope and imagine that AoP would have been put in that same spot that Ziggler & Roode were given anyway.
#2. Hope is true: Plans for another draft
The Wild Card rule has negatively affected the WWE product more than it should have. The fact of the matter is that the post-WrestleMania product hasn't been as bad as in previous years.
There are a lot of fresh faces and new names being pushed to the forefront, with a different direction perfectly clear. Sportskeeda's own Tom Colohue had reported last month that WWE was planning to slowly phase out the Wild Card rule and that may happen before SmackDown moves to FOX.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter had reported that WWE is likely planning a draft sometime before SmackDown makes the jump to FOX. He said:
Right now there is a concept of another draft type of thing to build permanent Raw and Smackdown rosters. What we were originally told is that they wouldn't be making major changes, but some changes, but this is Vince. Everything is being kept quiet, and USA and FOX will be the first to know when the concept is decided.
We hope this is true because the distinction between the two brands needs to be re-established and the Wild Card rule needs to end. Each brand needs its own identity again and the draft would be a perfect way to set the roster.
#2. Hope isn't true: Wyatt challenging for a World title soon
The Fiend is easily the most interesting character that we've seen on WWE television recently and it's telling that fans think this despite the fact that he hasn't been on our TV screens for more than a few minutes at a time.
His lack of appearances have certainly created a special air about him and his SummerSlam match against Finn Balor only amped up the excitement as to what this character can bring to the table.
Golden 1 Center, the venue that will be hosting Hell in a Cell in October, put out an advertisement which seemingly revealed that "The Fiend" will be challenging either Seth Rollins or Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship at Hell in a Cell.
While these ads don't always mean that a storyline has been leaked, we really hope this isn't true because it's too early for The Fiend to get in the main event scene again. It's time for WWE to re-establish Wyatt as a threat and have him go on a rampage for quite some time before he eventually challenges for the top title again.
Moreover, it could be argued that his character is such that he doesn't need a title to feel special.
#1. Hope is true: Paul Heyman's recent RAW ideas
This past week on RAW, a new team was formed. The Street Profits revealed that Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode have, in fact, become a tag team and they had a great first outing.
Thanks to the fact that The Viking Raiders & The OC got double-disqualified, it allowed the space and time for Ziggler & Roode to make an impact, winning the 8-Team Turmoil match and becoming #1 contenders right off the bat.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the reason the team was created was to make Braun Strowman look good as well as the fact that they don't believe Strowman's in-ring skill are "up to scratch".
Either way, this isn't the only Paul Heyman idea these past few weeks. The entire Sasha Banks heel turn was the brainchild of Heyman. PW Torch reported that Heyman was very deeply involved in developing her heel character.
We really hope that these are true because Heyman clearly has a vision for these characters. He knew right off the bat that Banks is a natural heel and made sure that she returned in the role that she's best at.
#1. Hope isn't true: Why Vince McMahon was angry at SmackDown
It's a well-known fact that Vince McMahon is a bit of a micromanager. He did claim in an investors' conference call that the hiring of Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff was done to reduce his workload, but that doesn't mean that he isn't hands-on with the product.
There have been multiple occasions in the past where we've reported rumours about Vince McMahon "tearing up" the script for RAW and SmackDown just hours before the show and re-writing it himself. This past week on SmackDown Live, something similar happened.
Just hours before the show, Dave Meltzer took to Twitter to reveal that Vince tore up the script and that the show was going to be a "heavy Vince show".
With that said, we really hope that this isn't true because it doesn't send out a good message to Eric Bischoff or the creative team. While they're probably used to this, it gives out the wrong message and the morale and confidence of the team backstage would be shaken up.
Either way, the SmackDown show turned out to be quite good - better than RAW, in fact.
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