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Welcome to this week's edition of "Wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't". It's an uncertain and tense time all over the world today and wrestling is one of the things that helps distract us from all that's happening.
We hope we can help contribute to that distraction in some way, which is why we'll cut it short and jump into a special edition of the series:
#8. Hope is true: The Undertaker's 'new' run
The Undertaker has had more longevity than any superstar at any point in WWE history. While the last 5-6 years of his run haven't been the most notable (or easy to watch) part of his career, his upcoming match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36 has seen him change his look for the first time in over 16 years.
The appearance change that happened this past episode of RAW was one that will see a new run for The Undertaker, as per Tom Colohue on Dropkick DiSKussions:
As mentioned in the recording they did between the Undertaker and Steve Austin that The Undertaker is leading into another run, shall we say. He has this particular way of doing things but he wants to have some longevity and maybe The Undertaker character isn't right anymore. The American Badass is unlikely to return. It was much for the time. It was created to sort of keep him going for the attitude era. But it could be that the Deadman has simply run its course and so he has to now evolve and make something different.
He added that we won't be seeing the return of the old Undertaker:
It has been mentioned to me that we are going to see something different, something new we are not going to see a return to the old Undertaker.
He also concluded by stating that everyone involved wants a 'refresher' and it's necessary for the age where kayfabe no longer exists. We hope this is true because a character change is long overdue if he's sticking around.
#8. Hope isn't true: Brock Lesnar's WrestleMania 36 status uncertain?
The coronavirus outbreak has led to a lockdown in several countries - particularly major metropolitan cities. Every major travel service has begun to temporarily suspend operations as well, with the United States-Canada border now closed.
Brock Lesnar was originally scheduled to be on RAW this coming week and we aren't sure as yet whether the appearance has been canned. If WWE is planning to build to WrestleMania 36 with one of their main events, they're going to need Brock Lesnar around, but the fact that all hotels have been closed off in Orlando could prove to be trouble for his WrestleMania status.
However, there could still be hope. Sportskeeda's Phillipa Marie wrote:
On the flip side, if he doesn't show up and WWE are forced to overlook his return much like Paige's on SmackDown last week, then it could be a huge indication that the company's WrestleMania plans with regards to the Beast Incarnate may once again be up in the air.
It is also worth noting that the border will only be temporarily closed to non-essential traffic, which means that it could be opened before WrestleMania.
We hope that the possibility of Lesnar missing WrestleMania isn't true, as it would jeopardize the show massively.
#7. Hope is true: WWE Hall of Fame's new date
The WWE Hall of Fame and NXT TakeOver at WrestleMania weekend is postponed as expected. While NXT will likely happen as soon as possible, the Hall of Fame isn't something that WWE needs to necessarily have at WrestleMania weekend.
While it's a great long-standing tradition, the circumstances mean that WWE will have to postpone it and they have the option of pushing it to a later date. That's exactly what's happening and the Class of 2020, which already includes Batista, nWo, and The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith, will likely have their induction at SummerSlam 2020 weekend, as per Davey Boy's daughter Georgie Smith.
She tweeted out that she contacted WWE and was told that the plan as of now is to hold the Hall of Fame at SummerSlam weekend, which means that 22nd August (a night before SummerSlam) will mostly be the date of the induction.
We hope this is true because it's the perfect time to hold it apart from WrestleMania weekend and Davey Boy Smith's SummerSlam 1992 moment will make it feel more appropriate.
#7. Hope isn't true: WrestleMania being pre-taped?
WWE has reportedly decided to pre-tape the RAW and SmackDown portions of WrestleMania 36. It makes sense to do so since there are two episodes left of each respective show before the WrestleMania and given the circumstances and lack of human resources available, the decision to wrap up tapings of RAW and SmackDown makes a lot of sense.
However, it's now being reported by PWInsider that WWE is planning to tape WrestleMania 36 entirely next Wednesday and Thursday. While we get the logic that they could make a lot of changes and add various bits of material to give it the WrestleMania feel, we hope this isn't true since not having WrestleMania live might take away from the experience. It could be argued that the empty arenas already do that, but WWE is still making an effort to put it in two venues to avoid giving it a monotonous feel.
Either way, it's surreal as to how this entire situation has played out.
Also read: 5 major ways WWE will benefit from an empty arena show at WrestleMania 36
#6. Hope is true: AEW swerves fans with Brodie Lee and Matt Hardy
Let's switch gears to AEW. The company had one of its most incredible episodes behind closed doors - one that saw Brodie Lee fka Luke Harper make his AEW debut as The Exalted One.
According to PWInsider, AEW swerved fans with the Matt Hardy teases and Brodie Lee was always planned to be 'The Exalted One'.
Sportskeeda's Karan Bedi wrote:
The Hardy teases were a blatant misdirection in order to keep the ruse going and mainly cover up Lee's debut. Once AEW confirmed Lee's availability, he was given The Exalted One gimmick.
In the case of Hardy, his arrival in the company was already a foregone conclusion as The Young Bucks appeared in his Free The Delete series and had 'buried' him as well. The last video he released coincided with his debut on AEW Dynamite.
We hope this is true because it was an excellent move by AEW - especially since it was always known that Matt Hardy was jumping ship. It'll be interesting to see what Brodie Lee and Matt Hardy can offer to AEW.
#6. Hope isn't true: Andrade in the 'doghouse'?
It's crazy to think that WWE Super ShowDown was nearly a month ago and we're now much closer to WrestleMania 36. One Superstar who hasn't had a good WrestleMania season is the United States Champion Andrade, who was suspended in late January for a month after violating the Wellness Policy.
He returned on time for a Super ShowDown appearance, but since then, he's been on a losing run, only having a victory over Humberto Carrillo in a title match. Even then, he was defeated at first to set up that match.
Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz on Dropkick DiSKussions that Andrade has been in the 'doghouse' for the Wellness Policy violation, but there's more to it:
Kind of, a little bit, yes because of the Wellness Policy violation but also the recent losing streak is just to build other people up for an eventual match.
We hope this isn't true because Andrade can do a lot on the roster. However, we do like the change in direction that they've taken with him for WrestleMania 36.
#5. Hope is true: The change in direction for the United States Championship and Rey Mysterio's son's status
One of the biggest things that WWE fans have anticipated about over the last year is the inevitable debut of Dominick - Rey Mysterio's son. He's been involved in his storylines with Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar - even getting physically involved in the latter, taking damage and giving it to the WWE Champion.
According to Tom Colohue, a tag team match with Andrade and Angel Garza against Rey and Dominick Mysterio could still be in the works. However, he confirmed that Rey Mysterio is right back in the United States title picture:
It's certainly been floated that we could see Andrade and Garza vs. Mysterio and Mysterio. That could still be in the works. People are very happy with the development of Dominick Mysterio. If anything is going to be postponed, it would be this particular match. Andrade vs. Rey is still technically ongoing.
We hope this is true because both are great directions and it's better than seeing Humberto Carrillo involved.
#5. Hope isn't true: CM Punk on his wrestling future
Any time the topic of CM Punk's future comes up, the inevitable discussion is on a possible WWE return. His guest appearances on WWE Backstage gave a surge of hope that an in-ring return might just be possible someday.
However, Tom Colohue said that talking is what he wants to do and 6 years on - he still doesn't have the desire to get back in the ring:
For years now, anytime we've seen a report come out, CM Punk's doing this, CM Punk's doing that, I've asked the question and I've always got the same response. CM Punk has no interest in wrestling. He doesn't want to go back to wrestling. He doesn't want to wrestle for any particular company, he just does not want to wrestle. He wants to talk, which he's doing right now. He seems to have moved on from MMA, but he may be returning to that at some point. I do feel he is really enjoying stoking this fire.
We hope this isn't true because it would still be great to see him return someday. However, we would still understand his decision to stick to retirement.
#4. Hope is true: A major tag team split in the works?
The Otis-Dolph Ziggler storyline is one that would have benefited massively from having a crowd around. Otis was already over before the empty arena shows happened, but the storyline progression has seen Otis take it to another level, with his tag team partner Tucker also showing his best at the most recent Elimination Chamber PPV.
The storyline, also involving Dolph Ziggler and Mandy Rose is expected to have a payoff at WrestleMania and this will involve Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose splitting.
WrestleVotes (via Cageisdeseats) reported about the plan for WrestleMania 36:
WrestleVotes notes that before all the big changes, there was a plan in place to do a Heavy Machinery & Mandy Rose vs. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode & Sonya Deville match.
We hope this is true because it's high time that the two women go their own way. They've been together for long but haven't made much progress as a duo. Moreover, it helps get others on the card too.
#4. Hope isn't true: WWE shuts down the Performance Center
If anything, the current times and circumstances have proved that the WWE Performance Center was one of their greatest investments in the last decade. It was opened up to change the developmental process altogether and many of the current top superstars on the main roster have gone through the grind at the WWE PC.
It's currently being used for RAW and SmackDown tapings and will be the host of one of the two nights of WrestleMania 36 as well. As per The Wrestling Observer, WWE has shut down all operations in the Performance Center, only keeping a small portion around for the taping.
While it's certainly a reasonable decision, we hope this isn't true as the Performance Center has many other aspects which could be utilized by the limited staff there. Either way, nothing can be done and WWE was likely instructed to keep their use of the Performance Center limited.
#3. Hope is true: Daniel Bryan's level of creative control
Daniel Bryan has undoubtedly made the most of his return to the ring - which is now close to two years ago. He had a fantastic heel run with the WWE Championship last year and was the catalyst for Kofi Kingston's incredible rise to the top.
He also has creative control of his storylines, according to Tom Colohue, who explained to what extent he has it:
"Daniel Bryan is really involved in the planning of this feud and in fact in the planning for a lot of his feuds recently. You find it popular and often when someone wins the championship they'll get asked, who do you want to work with, whereas with Daniel Bryan there is no Championship involved, he's still going out and saying, I want to work with this person, I want to work with this person and Drew Gulak looked amazing throughout this whole match."
We hope this is true because his alliance with Drew Gulak has been incredible so far and it could lead to him becoming Intercontinental Champion at WrestleMania 36.
#3. Hope isn't true: 2 major WWE stars were told that they were signed to be enhancement talent
NXT has changed a lot over the years and two major names that have dominated since 2017 have been Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Their series of classics saw them become the centerpieces of NXT - a journey that started with the two oddly being paired together.
Dave Meltzer detailed the situation on the Wrestling Observer Radio, stating that WWE brought the duo in to be enhancement talent:
They were brought in because they were good workers that were supposed to come in to put over the NXT guys but what happened was is when they put them together in a tag team, to put other people over, they actually got over and by doing that they actually decided to sign.
We hope this isn't true since they were always good workers, but perhaps the fact that they defied the odds to become such big stars from the brand is a better story. They're now feuding together with the roles reversed - Gargano as the heel and Ciampa as the babyface.
#2. Hope is true: WWE's backstage trust in a 'disliked' superstar
King Corbin, or Baron Corbin, has become one of WWE's most hated Superstars. While his heel heat peaked during the 'Constable Corbin' era, he's been one of the most consistently featured heels in WWE, even if he hasn't gotten a world title push yet.
The criticism of Corbin often lies in his in-ring work, but Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz on Dropkick DiSKussions that Baron Corbin has a lot of trust backstage:
I've mentioned before, there is a lot of trust in Baron Corbin to make sure that whatever he does is very clear cut, very clinical, and very trusted. He always delivers. So he's very much getting to that old-pro level already.
We hope this is true because it shows what a great professional Corbin is. While it's easy to hate him, that's the sign of a good heel. He rarely does anything to break character off-screen as well, even though it seems to be well-known that he's a good figure to be around backstage.
#2. Hope isn't true: Backstage reaction to empty arena matches
The empty arena shows have certainly added a unique element and experience, but wrestling is one of those things that thrives with an audience. Iconic moments are exactly that because of iconic crowd reactions.
According to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio, the backstage reaction is that empty arena matches don't work, with Meltzer adding that it especially won't work if you don't have good wrestlers:
If you watched RAW tonight, I'm sure many of you did, there was about four minutes of new wrestling on the show, maybe three minutes. There was one match that was broken up by a commercial. They felt from the SmackDown show that this empty arena match stuff doesn't work, and I think it doesn't work if you do long matches with people who aren't great.
We hope the backstage reaction isn't true, but ultimately, WWE knows that it's a sink or swim situation. Hopefully, they're able to learn how to adapt to the style of working in an empty arena.
#1. Hope is true: Reason behind a 2-day WrestleMania
WrestleMania 36 being a two-day event isn't unprecedented, but it's the first WrestleMania in the modern era to have multiple days. Given the circumstances, WWE may have been forced to do so and as you know, it'll be behind closed doors.
PWInsider reported that the idea behind a two-day WrestleMania is to sort out the logistics while also respecting social distancing:
If they broadcast the entire Wrestlemania card over one day, they would run into a lot of production issues just in terms of the logistics of having and managing so many talents, producers, staff, etc. in one place at the same time under the current restrictions.
We hope this is true because it's a smart move by WWE. Moreover, it also allows them to experiment freely with a 2-day WrestleMania. After NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 14 in 2020 became a 2-day event, there was an argument that WWE should follow suit with WrestleMania. For all we know, we could see this bring out an entirely new format of WrestleMania as we know it.
#1. Hope isn't true: Unrest in the locker room after the WrestleMania announcement
WWE's decision to host WrestleMania 36 in the Performance Center (and an undisclosed venue for the second day) is one that's a result of Vince McMahon simply wanting to get the whole show over with.
While it's not the same issue as Crown Jewel in 2018, it's a tricky one for WWE as they faced tremendous pressure to cancel WrestleMania 36 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Tom Colohue reported that the entire WrestleMania announcement was like a 'bolt out of the blue' for WWE employees, with certain superstars upset by the decision:
According to backstage sources, the news that WrestleMania would be taking place on site in an empty arena was "a bolt out of the blue". There was apparently a lot of frenzied discussions, disagreements and unrest backstage after the news initially broke. Certain superstars are said to be upset at the decision.
Further, he said that Vince McMahon and his team were determined to go through with WrestleMania at the expected date.
Over the last few days I have been told by a number of different sources that the WWE, including Vince McMahon and the wrestling team in particular, were determined to put on a show on the date of WrestleMania however they were able to do so.
We hope the part about the backstage reaction isn't true, but it's only expected and understandable as well. It's just a frustrating situation for everyone. However, we do hope that the show goes on - and it happens without any leak of the results.
