7 wrestling rumors we hope are true and 6 we hope aren't: Big title change plans canceled; Reason why WWE is set to release Superstars

Welcome to this week's edition of wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't! We had quite an interesting week of television in the pro wrestling front, with WWE and AEW both delivering some really solid programming.

NXT and Dynamite continued to deliver as the best shows with the Wednesday Night War heating up, but the other shows didn't do so bad themselves. AEW was in the midst of the fallout from Full Gear and there has been a lot of buzz surrounding the rival promotion.

As for WWE, the build to Survivor Series continued with the second-last week of programming wrapping up before the 4th biggest PPV of the year. There's still a whole week of programming left, which means that we'll be getting 3 episodes and 6 hours of overall content, so it's going to be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Without going much further, let's take a look at the rumors that we hope are true and those we hope aren't!

#7 Hope is true: Why WWE is releasing a few superstars

In 2019 following Tye Dillinger/Shawn Spears' exit from WWE (where he was granted his release request), the company has stopped granting superstars their release. Naturally, with AEW and more options popping up, many superstars who are creatively frustrated have realized that the Sports Entertainment Giant isn't their only option to earn money and apply their craft.

Luke Harper and Sin Cara are two such recent examples of superstars who were denied their release. However, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that WWE will be giving a few superstars their release - but only the ones who they feel won't go to AEW or won't make a big difference:

"It was noted that they may be giving releases to some people with the idea they don’t believe they would be going to AEW, or if they do, wouldn’t help them."

We hope this is true because, in an increasingly crowded roster, a few superstars getting released upon their request won't do any harm.

#6 Hope isn't true: WWE scrapped plans for a title change

Nakamura would have had to drop the title

The original plans for the Survivor Series "mid-card title match" was originally going to feature Daniel Bryan as the Intercontinental Champion, which meant that he would have defeated Shinsuke Nakamura for the title, according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

“Daniel Bryan, I believe was going to be in the match with Roderick Strong and AJ [Styles], which would have been an absolutely incredible three-way. I just know that Nakamura was losing the title to someone. He was being programmed with Bryan. It could have been Ali [that he would have lost the title to]. When Bryan got moved into the Wyatt match, Nakamura is now not losing so that has changed. So they changed that booking. The rest of the card is largely announced,"

While Bryan vs Styles vs Strong would have been a dream match-up, we hope this isn't true because Bryan is better of challenging for the Universal title, even if he isn't winning it.

#6 Hope is true: WWE changing their booking following Rollins-Wyatt controversy

The booking of the match was subject to huge controversy

Sportskeeda's own Tom Colohue was talking about the upcoming Women's Champions Triple Threat match at Survivor Series featuring Becky Lynch (RAW) vs Bayley (SmackDown) vs Shayna Baszler (NXT).

When asked about the possibility of Ronda Rousey getting involved in the match, Colohue stated that it was possible, but unlikely since WWE has changed their direction with the finishes of matches. The discussion backstage was reportedly increased after the controversial Seth Rollins-Bray Wyatt Hell in a Cell finish, with WWE looking to have more clean finishes to appease fans. He said:

“Ronda Rousey could get involved but I think the WWE, over the last few months, have worked hard to avoid that sort of finish. Particularly since Hell in a Cell, discussions have definitely taken place about making sure we get a few more clean finishes. We saw that in the way that Bray Wyatt won the title [against Rollins at Crown Jewel]. They don’t want to be having those sort of finishes, even in Triple Threats.”

We hope this is true because WWE needs to start having clean finishes more frequently. The excessively over-booked finishes are a thing of the past and should stay that way.

#5 Hope isn't true: Becky Lynch to challenge for another championship

Becky Lynch may have run into a small predicament on RAW following her win over Sasha Banks at Hell in a Cell. She rightfully won a fantastic match and continued to be the face of the women's division on RAW (and WWE in general), but with Banks being drafted to SmackDown, it meant that The Man would have a serious downgrade in the level of competition.

Yes, we know that Charlotte Flair is on RAW as well, but they're not running that back for another few months atleast and right now, she seems to have a lack of challengers post-Survivor Series. It's fine for now since she's occupied with Shayna Baszler and Bayley, her Survivor Series opponents, but after that, there seem to be different plans for her.

TLC is the final PPV of the year and will culminate from Minneapolis, Minnesota in December. According to the venue Target Center, Becky Lynch will be teaming up with Charlotte Flair to take on The Kabuki Warriors in a Tag Team Championship match, which is also going to have the TLC stipulation.

While the match will undoubtedly be amazing (and could even be the main event match-up), we hope it isn't true because we want Becky Lynch to be defending the RAW Women's title and not challenging for other titles. For all we know, it could result in The Kabuki Warriors losing the titles.

#5 Hope is true: The bridge between CM Punk and WWE is essentially rebuilt

CM Punk broke the internet when he confirmed the rumors and appeared on WWE Backstage, much to the shock of everyone. Various reports were stating that WWE gave FOX their blessing to hire Punk and Vince McMahon is open to Punk re-joining, but that doesn't mean that he'll be returning in an in-ring capacity anytime soon.

On an episode of Dropkick DiSKussions, Tom Colohue revealed that FOX took WWE's consent before hiring Punk

“FOX have not hired CM Punk without speaking to WWE first. That would be a massive risk to the relationship that I really doubt they would take. There has undoubtedly been some discussion with the WWE as to whether or not to give Punk this chance.”

He even stated that nearly 6 years after his WWE departure, the bridge has been rebuilt between the two parties after all the bad blood:

“It [Punk joining WWE Backstage] was very quickly decided. I didn’t believe for a while that it was going to happen – that’s just me personally – but the information that I had definitely suggested that, when it comes to the WWE, that bridge is essentially rebuilt.”

We hope this is true because Punk has always been a valuable superstar to the company and to have him on good terms again just goes to show that time can heal most wounds.

#4 Hope isn't true: Vince McMahon's reaction to fan backlash of the Lana-Rusev-Lashley storyline

It's no secret that the Lana-Rusev-Bobby Lashley love triangle storyline is the most controversial one in WWE today. It's gotten so much heat that even Corey Graves on the After The Bell podcast (the official WWE podcast, might we add), slammed the storyline and openly admitted his disdain for the entire angle, hoping for it to end.

Since it's gotten mostly negative reactions, the buzzword that WWE has used is that it's "polarizing", with Renee Young on WWE Backstage being the only one on the panel to admit she likes the drama. Paige, on the other hand, was also vocally against it.

Vince McMahon is listening and reading all the negative reactions, according to Wrestlingnews.co. The website stated that McMahon is allegedly getting a "kick" out of all the backlash and feels it's helping Bobby Lashley garner a lot of heel heat. The report also stated that Rusev is expected to get the right payoff at the end of it all and that the feud is expected to continue for another two months atleast.

We hope this isn't true because the reaction seems quite surprising and almost as though the audience's reaction is falling on deaf ears.

#4 Hope is true: NXT talent getting a huge upgrade in pay for Survivor Series

NXT talent works just as hard, if not harder than main roster superstars but due to the "developmental" tag attached to the show, the pay they receive is usually lower and they have to wait for an official call-up before getting a pay raise.

Tom Colohue reported that NXT talent, with all the work they've been doing this month building up to WarGames and Survivor Series, will be expecting a big bump in their pay.

Several sources have suggested that any NXT talent working both shows will be expecting a boost in their pay packet at similar or the same rates as the RAW and SmackDown talent that they would be competing against.

An internal source of Colohue told him that they're in a much better bargaining position with all the work they've been doing and they expect to be rewarded for it.

“We’re working harder. We’re working longer. You know the next chance I get I’m getting paid for it. I talk with all the other guys (on Raw and SmackDown) so I know what I’m worth.”

We hope this is true because they deserve a big pay raise for the amount of work that they've been doing.

#3 Hope isn't true: Cody Rhodes to legitimately not challenge for the World title again

Cody Rhodes lost the right to challenge for the AEW World title again

AEW Full Gear saw Cody Rhodes challenge Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship. It was a fantastic feud as a whole, with Rhodes being a top-tier babyface and even added the stipulation that if he lost, he would never challenge for the AEW World title again.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW plans to stick to this and Rhodes will legitimately not challenge Jericho or anyone holding the World title again.

As far as the stips go, Cody had said that if he didn’t win the title, he would never challenge for it again. Those in the company are insistent that is exactly what will happen, and that this is step one in trying to teach people stipulations matter.

While we completely respect the logic behind the decision, we hope that this is one of those "never say never situations". Cody Rhodes is the founding member of the company and one of the core parts of the franchise. To think that he would never challenge for the World title again is shocking because he of all people deserves to have a run with it, even if it's a few years down the line.

All it takes is the right story to do so, but until then, we hope that this rumor isn't true.

#3 Hope is true: Daniel Bryan having a lot of creative control

It's no secret that Daniel Bryan is one of the brightest minds in wrestling. Nearly two years into his in-ring comeback, he still stands tall as one of the best in the world and WWE trusts him more than ever with the creative process.

In a conversation on the Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez revealed that Daniel Bryan was in the production meeting, with Dave Meltzer confirming that Bryan is heavily involved in the backstage process of his own angles, giving him creative control.

Bryan Alvarez: "This person here says on WWE Network’s Day of SmackDown they show a production meeting and Daniel Bryan is in that meeting, my question is, is he working as an agent or doing production on SmackDown?"

Dave Meltzer: "Daniel Bryan is pretty, what is the word I’m looking for? Daniel Bryan is in his own angles. He is someone who, you know, he’s a genius and he comes up with a lot of his own stuff, so maybe that has to do with it."

We hope this is true because Daniel Bryan is the kind of superstar who deserves to have creative control of his character as the last thing he'll do is exploit it to put himself over constantly.

#2 Hope isn't true: Vince McMahon's backstage reaction to the "Big Dog" segment

The latest episode of Friday Night SmackDown was an underwhelming one and many fans have claimed that the Roman Reigns-Baron Corbin feud has killed off a lot of interest in Friday Nights. That may reflect in the ratings and the segment where Corbin brought out a man dressed as a big dog was one such segment that sparked a lot of negative reaction.

According to a report by Wrestlingnews.co, Vince McMahon was "howling with laughter" during the segment and appeared to love the entire thing.

For obvious reasons, we hope that this isn't true, but we tend to believe that it is true. The reason why is the Dean Ambrose/Jon Moxley podcast on Talk is Jericho a few months ago where he revealed that Vince McMahon was crazy about the segment where Ambrose was getting injected in the backside, calling it "good s**t".

This seems to be the type of humor that only Vince McMahon seems to love, but we hope that it isn't true either way.

#2 Hope is true: Rey Mysterio got a special contract from WWE

Rey Mysterio is enjoying a great run in WWE right now, one where he will be challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series. Although he's expected to lose, it's still a good position to be in and the company seems to be putting a lot more value in him now than they did towards the end of his run over five years ago.

Dave Meltzer, on the Wrestling Observer Radio, revealed that the Lucha Legend got a 2-year contract with WWE and it will enable him to give his notice after 18 months should he leave. He said:

"Rey Mysterio got an 18-month deal because, essentially, he didn’t need to go. He got a good deal all around because they knew full well that if he wasn’t happy, he wouldn’t sign and he had many options."

The ultimate point of that discussion was that wrestlers should sign short-term deals instead to prevent any future regrets. Sin Cara, for example, has requested his release from WWE but recently signed a 3-year deal with the company which works against his favor.

As for Mysterio, he will enjoy a contract that most superstars don't get.

#1 Hope isn't true: A ridiculous stipulation match for Roman Reigns is being considered at TLC

As mentioned, the Roman Reigns-Baron Corbin feud has been one that looks to be killing off a lot of interest in SmackDown and this is exactly how to undo the brilliant work they've done with The Big Dog this year.

As far as Baron Corbin has come, it seems as though the booking of him is a momentum killer for other superstars as well. With Vince McMahon reportedly being a fan of the segment where the man in the dog costume came out, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that WWE plans to hold a ludicrous stipulation match for Roman Reigns at TLC - a "dog collar match":

"Besides Rusev vs. Lashley’s first major match, which right now is planned for a non-stip match, there will be a TLC match with Asuka & Kairi Sane defending the women’s tag titles against Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair and a Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin match. It will be a gimmick match but the gimmick has not been decided upon. It could be tables ladders or chairs, but dog collar match has also been up for consideration."

We hope this isn't true because that's new levels of ridiculousness that will hurt every superstar involved!

#1 Hope is true: Becky Lynch's WrestleMania 36 plans

Becky Lynch has risen to a whole new level of superstardom in 2019 after WWE established her as the face of the Women's division following a win in the main event of WrestleMania. She's yet to lose the title and from the look of things, is going to be the champion for the rest of 2019.

Not only that, but her title reign may even last for well over a year. According to Tom Colohue on Dropkick DiSKussions, the plan for WrestleMania 36 may very well be Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey.

Going forwards, I think the Rousey versus Lynch storyline is still very much the main storyline they want, but I think that’s more likely to be heading into a WrestleMania. We’ll have to see. Asuka seems to be lined up to be the next challenger, at least for the December pay-per-view, and then at the Royal Rumble, we’ll see. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Ronda Rousey as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble.”

We hope this is true because it's a match that will have far more interest than Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair again. They need to keep the two away as long as possible and a win against Rousey would further cement Becky Lynch as the face of WWE's Women's division.