5 WWE Rumors from this week you need to know (August 19th, 2019)

The WWE is a busy place, and with the Sports Entertainment juggernaut now having shows and Live events almost every day of the week, it can be hard to keep up with the day-to-day happenings in the company.

With the biggest party of the summer, SummerSlam, now behind them, the company will be gearing up to its next big Pay Per View, Clash of Champions, which will see titles defended as well as the new King of the Ring be crowned.

Here are five WWE rumors from this week you really need to know about.

Note: It should be noted that these rumors are just that, rumors. Though some may seem more likely than others, each one should be taken with a pinch of salt, as something to have fun with.

#5 "A number of people they’ve never had any interest in"

WWE has signed a lot of huge stars from the Indies recently, including NXT's Matt Riddle.

The WWE is the biggest wrestling game in town, and there's a reason for it. Over the decades, the McMahon-led promotion has been at the forefront of wrestling development, whether it be the Rock & Wrestling connection that thrust the promotion into the mainstream, the Attitude Era that brought in a legion of die-hard fans, or the introduction of the PG rating, which though unpopular, has been very profitable for the company.

Part of WWE's success is its roster, and though the company currently boasts some of the biggest stars around, it could be expanding soon.

According to the Wrestling Observer, WWE has shown interest in "a number of people they’ve never had any interest in", as it seems the company is hoping to horde talent against rival promotions, both new and old.

#4 SmackDown Tag Team Title plans

The WWE could pit the SmackDown Tag Champions against a huge team from RAW.

2019 has clearly been the year of The New Day. At WrestleMania 35, Kofi Kingston's eleven-year odyssey culminated in him defeating Daniel Bryan to capture the WWE Championship in one of the most emotional stories in recent history. And though Kingston has been riding high with the top prize on the Blue brand, he isn't the only one with gold.

At Extreme Rules, Xavier Woods and Big E added the SmackDown Tag Team Titles to the group's trophy case, defeating Rowan and Bryan, who must really be fed up by the trio. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter this week, a planned feud between Woods & Big E and the Revival has been pitched, but nothing has been approved just yet.

If true, this feud would open up a lot of questions, as the team of Dash and Dawson are RAW Superstars, and though the Wild Card rule technically would allow them to compete for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, rumors suggest that the Wild Card rule will soon become a thing of the past, so we'll have to wait and see what happens.

#3 Stratus to come out of retirement already?

A match between the pair was announced for Evolution but had to be changed due to a concussion.

At SummerSlam 2019, the WWE Universe saw the final match of arguably the greatest female to ever lace up a pair of boots in the company's history: Trish Stratus. Going up against Charlotte Flair, the Canadian gave an incredible performance and though she came up short against the Queen, she had a contest deserving the crown of her final match.

At least, that was the idea, as according to our very own Tom Colohue, Stratus is already looking at a new opponent, before she hangs up her boots for good.

According to the report, Stratus is eager to face Alexa Bliss, after the pair were unable to compete at last year's all-female Pay Per View 'Evolution,' after the Petite Powerhouse suffered a concussion.

According to Colohue, Bliss is eager to face the former seven-time WWE Women's Champion, and a match against Bliss is definitely on Trish's list. With Stratus being announced for October's SmackDown debut on FOX, could the company sow the seeds for something when the blue brand celebrates it's 20th Anniversary in just a few weeks?

#2 Real reason behind house show cancellations

The company recently canceled several house show events in a response to falling attendance figures that WWE don't want investors to see.

It's safe to say that this year so far hasn't been the easiest one for WWE. Despite huge shows like WrestleMania 35 proving to be a huge success, 2019 has been a difficult time for WWE, especially when it comes to getting people watching.

Across the board, viewing figures have dropped, both for TV, as well as the attendance numbers at Live events, TV tapings and Pay Per Views. Recently, the company has taken to canceling some WWE Live events, and there is a reason for this.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the company canceled these events to avoid low attendance figures, and to keep the average attendance of Live events at a steady rate.

This, according to the Observer, will hopefully keep investors from seeing a drop in attendance, which could have major ramifications on the company from a financial standpoint.

It's unclear what WWE could have planned to turn around their attendance figures, but with AEW set to launch their own show in October, something needs to be done and soon.

#1 NXT on the USA Network

The developmental brand could be moving to the USA Network to compete with AEW.

On October 2, All Elite Wrestling will launch their TV show on TNT with a world of buzz. Though the company is still less than a year old, AEW has quickly become one of the hottest things in wrestling today, with the new promotion's first World Heavyweight Champion set to be decided this month between Chris Jericho and Adam 'Hangman' Page.

Though both WWE and AEW have said that competition is good for the industry as a whole, it's clear that this war is being taken seriously, and according to PW Insider, the WWE could be prepared to make a major change.

A report by the Insider claims that WWE are considering moving NXT to the USA Network, which will put it at direct odds with AEW.

A strong gambit if true, this would move the developmental brand from the WWE Network, meaning there would be a gap needing to be filled. Since it's 2012 relaunch, NXT has been one of WWE's most beloved ventures, though it may have tough competition for viewers if it went up against AEW.