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Welcome to another edition of the top SmackDown rumors that could have a major impact on the blue brand. While RAW struggles to keep up in the ratings or give fans enjoyable content, SmackDown continues its strong programming.
This week we saw the final SmackDown in the Thunderdome as next week's show will take place in front of a live audience. Despite being the last show in the ThunderDome, some major angles advanced, including Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso finally coming onto the same page and joining The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns.
In today's edition we will take a look at what the future holds for SmackDown's Universal Champion Roman Reigns, management being upset with Jimmy Uso and much more:
#5. Management unhappy with Jimmy Uso getting arrested and risking his storyline on SmackDown
Top SmackDown superstar Jimmy Uso was arrested for a DUI in Pensacola, Florida on Tuesday, after failing sobriety tests. This came as a major blow to WWE as the 6-time Tag Team Champion is involved in the biggest storyline on SmackDown involving his brother Jey Uso and cousin Roman Reigns.
Multiple outlets, including WrestleVotes and Fightful Select, reported that WWE management was not happy with Jimmy Uso and his behavior. It was reported that Uso has disappointed the higher-ups by jeopardizing his own push on SmackDown. Here is what Fightful Select stated:
"To follow up on WrestleVotes' report that Jimmy Uso has 'high level people in power' extremely disappointed & legitimately pissed off over his DUI arrest, we can expand on that, and confirm it," wrote Ross Sapp. "Fightful has spoken to numerous talent, staff, and high level WWE names this week about their feelings on Uso, and there's unanimous concern across the board for him personally."
Do you think Jimmy Uso will be punished by WWE or will he keep getting pushed by the company on SmackDown? Tell us in the comments.
#4. Truth about SmackDown's Seth Rollins' heat with Riddle
There have been a lot of rumors about SmackDown Superstar Seth Rollins and RAW Superstar Riddle not seeing eye-to-eye. The problem between the two men started when Riddle's wife made some body-shaming comments towards Becky Lynch and other female superstars on the roster.
Speaking to Alex McCarthy of TalkSport, Riddle cleared the air and gave details regarding why he had real-life heat with SmackDown's Seth Rollins and how the two men finally resolved it:
“I’ll be honest, I’ve met Seth multiple times and he’s met me and I don’t think we’ll ever be best friends (laughs). I don’t think we like one another, we’re just two different people. (Although) we both love wrestling,” said Riddle. “I know my significant other said something about Becky that they didn’t like and I also did not like or agree with. Seth didn’t like me after that and I don’t think Becky liked me or my wife either, which is understandable. It is what it is.”
Riddle said he went to have a word with Seth Rollins backstage at Survivor Series. He apologized for what had happened and made it clear that he did not think what his wife had done was right. He said that Rollins accepted his apology and was very graceful about it.
#3. John Cena set to return for a match against SmackDown's Roman Reigns
There has been some speculation that WWE might have to drop their original plans for a SummerSlam match between SmackDown's Roman Reigns and John Cena. However, Dave Meltzer of WON has reported that John Cena is locked in for a SummerSlam match.
Meltzer noted that John Cena vs SmackDown's Universal Champion Roman Reigns is almost guaranteed to happen at SummerSlam:
"No word on when he shows up for television, but Cena is free of responsibilities for acting work at this point and until after SummerSlam. Cena vs. Reigns is locked in as the main event for the show. However, Cena is in a movie called 'Argylle,' a spy thriller which will be shooting in Europe in August. It’s possible he could start after or end prior to the date, or even get a few days off."
The rumors started when it was announced that Cena will be part of the upcoming movie Argylle, which will start production in August. SummerSlam is set to take place in August as well which could result in Cena having to back out due to prior commitments.
#2. Reason why Daniel Bryan is being mentioned on SmackDown
Soon after WrestleMania 37, Daniel Bryan was barred from SmackDown after he lost a singles match for the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns. Initial speculation led to the belief that Bryan would be moving to RAW or NXT after leaving SmackDown.
Incidentally, Bryan's WWE contract expired soon after his match and the former WWE Champion chose not to re-sign with the company. With Edge's return to SmackDown a few weeks back, Bryan's name is being used a lot on SmackDown. This has lead to speculation that he might be returning. However, that is not the case as per Dave Meltzer of WON:
"Regarding all the mentions of Daniel Bryan on television of late, we’re told this isn’t an indication he’s coming back. Nobody really knows what he’s doing past if he’s made a secret deal with any company, they are keeping it a secret until they do a dramatic reveal when they want to."
Meltzer also noted that the main reason WWE keeps using Daniel Bryan's name on SmackDown is to make Edge look better. Bryan had inserted himself in the WrestleMania 37 match between Edge and Reigns, making it a triple threat. WWE wants to show that Edge couldn't beat Reigns because of Bryan's involvement.
#1 Former WWE Superstar Killian Dane reveals why Sanity failed on SmackDown
There is no dearth of superstars and teams that made major marks in NXT but failed on RAW and SmackDown. One such group was Sanity. The group, led by Eric Young, made their SmackDown debut in 2018. After a brief push, the group was largely ignored and couldn't make any impact. Eric Young was released soon after with Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain being sent back to NXT and later released.
The only member of the group who found success on the main roster was Nikki Cross. Riju Dasgupta of SportsKeeda spoke to Big Damo (f.k.a. Killian Dain) about multiple topics, including why Sanity did not work-out on the main roster. Here is what Big Damo had to say:
"We went from being faces towards the end of our NXT run. We go into SmackDown, completely brand new as villains, and the top villains at the time were the Bludgeon Brothers. They were champs for a long time, and then I think it was Sheamus and Cesaro. There wasn't a great amount of room for us, so a lot of it comes down to time, and a lot of it is luck."
Damo also talked about how the major creative flip-flops that took place backstage in WWE hindered their push as a team.
