Top SmackDown Rumors: The Usos to split? ; 6-time Champion to return by January; Details on Roman Reigns' 'highest stakes' announcement; Becky Lynch spotted backstage (23rd October)

Welcome to another edition of the top SmackDown backstage rumors that could have a major impact. The WWE Draft is over and last week on SmackDown we saw the 'season premiere' of the blue brand. While there are some new and exciting faces on the show, Roman Reigns continues to carry SmackDown on his back.

One of the biggest rumors this article will talk about is the possible return of a major Superstar who has been out since WrestleMania. Apart from that speculation on Paul Heyman managing a tag team and Becky Lynch's future will also be discussed.

So without further ado, let us take a look at the 5 biggest rumors and stories affecting SmackDown:

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#5 SmackDown Superstar Roman Reigns to make an announcement

Roman Reigns continues to dominate SmackDown as the Universal Champion and Tribal Chief of the blue brand. Reigns have been feuding with his cousin Jey Uso over the past few weeks.

Last week on SmackDown, Jey Uso attacked The Big Dog with a steel chair only to get beaten by his elder cousin once again. The two men will be facing each other at Hell in a Cell and WWE.com have revealed that Roman Reigns will be making a major announcement this SmackDown.

The long-standing family rivalry between Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Jey Uso was only intensified when Uso refused to acknowledge his cousin as The Tribal Chief. And now, following a vicious altercation between them last week on the season premiere of SmackDown, The Big Dog will reveal the consequences for what he’s promised will be the highest stakes in WWE history.

It will be interesting to see what The Big Dog will have in store for Jey Uso on SmackDown. It has already been announced that the two cousins will face each other in the first-ever I Quit match to take place inside Hell in a Cell.

#4 Return update on Jimmy Uso and future of The Usos on SmackDown

SmackDown stars Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso have established themselves as one of the biggest tag teams of this generation. However, Jimmy Uso suffered a leg injury at WrestleMania 36 and has been out of action since.

While WWE hardly use one member of a tag team if the other one is out of action, Jimmy's brother Jey has been on the receiving end of a major push as he is involved in a feud with his cousin Roman Reigns with the latter's Universal Championship on the line.

As per Dave Meltzer of WON, Jimmy Uso has undergone surgery and will be returning to action before January next year. It will be interesting to see how Jimmy Uso's WWE return would play out in the ongoing family saga between his brothers.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter has revealed that the six-time tag team champion has undergone surgery and should return anytime between November and January.

The report also states that Jimmy will not be heading to RAW because his wife Naomi was drafted to the red brand, and will stay on SmackDown after his return.

#3 Details on SmackDown Superstar Big E's new character

One of the biggest shockers coming out of the 2020 WWE Draft was the split of The New Day. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have joined the RAW roster whereas Big E was retained by SmackDown.

As per Dave Meltzer of WON, the idea behind the move is to have Big E get a new character and be pushed as a major singles Superstar on SmackDown.

Perhaps the most talked about aspect was the split up of The New Day, with Kingston & Woods moving to Raw as tag team champions and Big E staying a single. The idea is to get Big E away from the act and make him more serious for a singles push.

He also noted that WWE wants to get Big E out of a comedic role and turn him into a serious competitor.

One would suspect E getting a major singles push, which was talked about weeks ago and somewhat started. The idea is to get him out of the comedic mode.

#2 Becky Lynch to join SmackDown?

For what it’s worth, Becky Lynch WAS backstage at SmackDown this week.I believe Ringside News reported it. I asked about it and it’s accurate.

— Alex McCarthy (@AlexM_talkSPORT) October 17, 2020

Becky Lynch has been out of action after announcing her pregnancy soon after WrestleMania 36. There is a lot of speculation regarding the future of The Man in WWE once she returns. In a recent report by RSN, it was stated that the former SmackDown Women's Champion was spotted backstage.

The rumor has led to speculation that Becky Lynch may join the SmackDown roster once she returns considering her fiance Seth Rollins has also been drafted to the blue brand.

Here is what Alex McCarthy had to say:

For what it’s worth, Becky Lynch WAS backstage at SmackDown this week.

While there is a chance that Becky Lynch might be joining SmackDown, it is likely that her being backstage this week was merely to support her fiance Seth Rollins and meet her friends backstage.

Here is what Lennard Surrao of Sportskeeda stated:

It does seem like Becky Lynch was just in attendance to catch up with her WWE colleagues and be a part of the special season premiere edition of SmackDown.

#1 Paul Heyman to manage The Usos on SmackDown?

There have been rumors of late that The Usos may soon be joining Roman Reigns to form a new faction on SmackDown. If that were to happen, Reigns' manager Paul Heyman would automatically become the manager of the Uso brothers as well.

SmackDown's Jey Uso talked about the possibility of being managed by Paul Heyman and hinted at the reason for him wanted to be managed by The Advocate. Here is what Jey Uso told Gorilla Position:

“When Paul Heyman is in the mix, you know it’s going to be lit. When I wasn’t even a part of this and I saw Roman come back and Heyman was sitting with him, as a fan I was like yeah. That man is a creative genius too. That’s why he is still in the game for so long. I would love for him to manage us one day too.”

Jey Uso will take on Roman Reigns in an I Quit match at Hell in a Cell inside the deal structure. His brother Jimmy Uso may have a role to play in the match as well.