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If you saw the Top 5 Rumors of the Week - January 29th, 2018 you'll already know that the road to WrestleMania is well underway and with it comes a ton of 'Mania related rumors flooding the internet, and this week's rumor mill is certainly no different.
The only difference is that the rumors surrounding the fallout from the Royal Rumble seem to have died down, and why wouldn't they? Elimination Chamber is just around the corner, and WrestleMania shortly after that.
So without further delay, let's take a look at the Top 5 WWE Rumors of the Week - February 5th, 2018
#5 The Big Red Machine possibly injured
You'd be forgiven for forgetting that Kane was in a Triple Threat match for the title at the Royal Rumble as he definitely didn't feature much during the match with the focus definitely falling on Strowman and Lesnar.
Kane also barely did anything the following Monday night on RAW when Strowman defeated him in the Last Man Standing match to earn a spot in the Elimination Chamber match for the #1 Contendership to Brock Lesnar's Universal Title at WrestleMania.
So, what's the reason for Kane's in-ring involvement being minimal at best? Well, Dave Meltzer has speculated that the would-be politician is working injured at the moment, hence the brevity of his in-ring actions.
#4 Where have several NXT Superstars been?
NXT recently filmed two days of television tapings (February 1st, and February 2nd) leading up to March 14th, but several of its top stars didn't feature in them. So where exactly are the likes of Oney Lorcan, Lars Sullivan, and The Iconic Duo?
Well, The Iconic Duo haven't been seen since November, and won't be seen now until at least late-March. Dave Meltzer has stated that they are training at the Performance Center but there isn't anything for them to do on television. However, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay have also been totally absent from house shows, which is unusual for two popular female wrestlers who are apparently fit and healthy.
Lars Sullivan is also someone who looked to be receiving a push with feuds against Roderick Strong and Killian Dain coming up, and the reported main event title match against Almas at TakeOver: New Orleans. However, none of this could happen as Sullivan picked up an injury, derailing his plans.
Someone else who is injured is Oney Lorcan. Lorcan had just formed a tag-team with Danny Burch but then also disappeared around November. Dave Meltzer and Casey Michael of Squared Circle Sirens has corroborated Lorcan's injury.
#3 Tyler Bate is losing so much recently for a reason
Someone asked Dave Meltzer why Tyler Bate was losing so much recently. He lost to Enzo Amore on 205 Live, lost to Pete Dunne in a WWE UK title match on NXT, lost to Roderick Strong in a #1 Contendership match for the WWE UK Title and then lost to TJP in the Cruiserweight Title Tournament.
Meltzer suggested that the reason for this was because Bate had backstage heat within the WWE for not making himself available for some dates and as a result, the WWE was deliberately putting the 20-year-old through a losing streak.
Personally, I think this is nonsense from Dave Meltzer. If Bate had heat he wouldn't be used at all, just like Mark Andrews and most of the other UK guys that signed deals with the WWE (not that there's heat on them either.) In fact, this seems to be part of a storyline for Bate, as evidenced by this tweet.
#2 Ronda Rousey speculation continues
Ronda Rousey made quite the impact with her Royal Rumble appearance but has disappeared since, leading the WWE Universe to go on a speculation rampage about what the WWE has in store for the former MMA fighter.
In last week's Top 5 Rumors we heard that she'll either be facing Charlotte in singles action at 'Mania or will be teaming up with one of Braun Strowman/Kurt Angle/Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Now we're being told that Rousey might turn heel ahead of 'Mania and that she might be paired with Paul Heyman, making her a 'Paul Heyman Girl.'
My opinion is that they haven't decided what they're going to do with Rousey yet, which is why they left the Rumble appearance as ambiguous as possible.
#1 The Miz might miss WrestleMania
This is less of a rumor and more of a factual possibility but there's a chance the current Intercontinental Champion, The Miz, might not be at the 'Grandest Show of Them All.' But, to be fair, he has a pretty good reason.
The Miz could miss WrestleMania because his wife and fellow WWE Superstar, Maryse, is set to give birth to the pair's daughter just two days before the event, on April 6th. Which means that if the baby is late and Maryse goes into labor on the same day as 'Mania, The Miz will obviously be at his wife's side rather than inside a ring.
