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The past three days had a lot of WWE rumors ruminating. While we wish that some of them do come true, a lot of them shouldn't.
What role will Mick Foley play in the Hell In A Cell encounter? Will Batista show up at the 1000th episode of SmackDown? Is EC3 still injured?
In this section, we take a look at all those enervating rumors and hope that it stays so. Without any further ado, here are 7 WWE rumors that shouldn't come true.
#7 Mick Foley taking a bump
This Monday on Raw, Mick Foley confronted Elias while the latter was insulting the WWE Universe. Mr. Hell In A Cell further told the crowd in attendance that he will be the special guest referee in the Hell In A Cell match between Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship.
Many fans started wondering why he had been assigned the role all of a sudden. For those of you who speculate that Mick Foley is going to fall from twenty feet again, we have some bad news for you.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer of Newsletter (via Cagesideseats), he will not take any significant bump. Moreover, he has been assigned the role of the special guest referee to promote his WWE Network one-man show premiering after the Hell In A Cell PPV.
If that's the case, WWE's decision to book him as a special guest referee is extremely bizarre. The special guest referee usually plays a huge role in deciding the outcome of the match or is a prominent tool in the storytelling of the match. Making him the special guest referee doesn't tick either of the boxes and is a cheap way to gain viewers.
#6 Batista not returning for the 1000th episode of SmackDown
Batista was one of the regular main-event players in the blue brand before WWE decided to make him face John Cena. The Animal was extremely "over" with the crowd and was the top babyface in his time at SmackDown.
So, it is natural for the fans to expect him to be a part of the 1000th episode of the show. However, when one fan asked if the company reached out to him for the 1000th episode of SmackDown, he denied that.
WWE superstars are known for keeping their character alive in Twitter and other social media platforms. However, Batista is not one of those people. We don't think it is a work and WWE has indeed not reached out to him despite the show taking place in his hometown.
#5 EC3 still not cleared to compete after his TakeOver injury
This August at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV, ECIII and Velveteen Dream had one hell of a match which resulted with the latter getting the upper hand. However, it was reported that the former suffered a concussion midway through the match and has been injured.
Mike Johnson in his PWInsider Elite Audio clarified that EC3 is still nursing an injury and will be out of action. Here is the complete transcript via Ringsidenews:
“EC3 as of today has not been cleared to return to action. So it just shows you how badly banged up he was because it’s been 3 or 4 weeks now since that show. So he’s still hurting.”
A superstar not being fit to compete is always a bad news for WWE fans. We wish EC3 a speedy recovery and hope that he returns soon.
#4 Rey Mysterio's return to WWE not guaranteed
Rey Mysterio is arguably the biggest luchador to step foot in the WWE ring. While the company has seen a lot of Latin American stars light up their show, none of them have been as successful as the "Master of 619." So, it is natural that the rumors of him returning back to the Stamford headquartered company keep on circulating.
Rey Mysterio was a guest on the Apter Chat podcast, and when hosts Bill Apter and Josh Shernoff asked him about the possibility of his return, he brushed it off. Here is the full transcript via wrestlinginc.com:
“There’s nothing locked in. There’s nothing secure that says that I am going back. I’m doing what I’m doing right now. I’m enjoying my independent wrestling life."
It looks like we have to wait a little longer if we want to see the masked luchador competing inside the WWE ring again. While it may be bad news for WWE fans, it is a good news for those people who follow independent wrestling.
He can have five-star classics with stalwarts like Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada among others before calling his time out in the independent circuit.
#3 Jason Jordan's career as a wrestler is over
It looks like Jason Jordan's injury is a lot more serious than all of us earlier thought. While speaking to the fans at PWInsider Elite Audio, Mike Johson alluded that he might never recover and might transition into a backstage producer.
Here is the full transcript via Ringsidenews:
“I heard there is no time frame on when Jordan will be returning to the ring, if at all. That’s why they got him backstage working in production. Apparently it’s a lot worse [his neck] than they thought it was going to be."
Professional wrestling, despite being a pre-determined sport, is quite dangerous. The fact that Jason Jordan's career as a wrestler might be over at such a young age proves it. We hope that this rumor stays a rumor, and that the kayfabe son of Kurt Angle returns back in the ring soon.
#2 Matt Hardy has retired from professional wrestling
Matt Hardy will go down on many people's list as one of the greatest wrestlers to never become a WWE World Champion. There was a lot of speculations that Matt Hardy will never wrestle again due to the fact that his lower back and pelvis began to start fusing. And now we have an update which says that his time is finally up.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter published a report where they mentioned that Matt Hardy has officially retired from competing in professional wrestling. Here is the excerpt via Daniel Wood of Sportskeeda:
According to a report we got, after a three-way tag title match on the 9/7 Raw show Birmingham where Ziggler & McIntyre retained over The B Team and Matt Hardy & Wyatt, a fan after the match begged Hardy not to retire. His response was, “Unfortunately, I don’t have a choice. This was probably my last match ever.”
It would be too cruel on our part if we ask Matt Hardy to continue wrestling despite being injured. However, WWE could have dealt with his retirement in a better way. Being a future Hall of Famer, he should have been given a proper farewell match in Raw or a PPV.
#1 Neville to not wrestle until November
After not performing for over a year, WWE finally released Neville and transferred him to the Alumni section. However, "The Man That Gravity Forgot" still can't compete in the independent circuits.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he has brushed off the promoters who were interested in booking him. Here is the full transcript via Daniel Wood of Sportskeeda:
Regarding Neville, while he’s said nothing publicly and WWE has told us that he is free and clear to work anywhere he wants, when he has been contacted by promoters, he has said that he can’t accept dates yet but will be able to very soon."
If Neville has been released by the corporate juggernaut but not accepting dates in the independent circuit, it could be due to the non-compete clause of the WWE. A typical non-compete clause usually lasts till 90 days which means that Neville would be back in action this November.
