WWE News & Rumor Roundup: Unexpected original plan for released star, Veteran praises Roman Reigns, Note on Bray Wyatt's release (December 20, 2021)

We're back with another exciting WWE News and Rumor Roundup. A former NXT star spoke about higher-ups' original plan for her not too long ago.

Roman Reigns has received significant praise from a veteran who is currently part of the company's roster. Meanwhile, there has been a recent backstage note regarding Bray Wyatt's release from WWE.

Today's roundup will also feature a report on Mustafa Ali's status. Additionally, Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan took part in an exciting angle, away from Monday Night RAW, as part of their ongoing feud.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at these news and rumor stories.

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#5. WWE wanted Scarlett Bordeaux to manage Damian Priest

While Scarlett and Karrion Kross received their releases from WWE on November 4, 2021, the real-life couple had joined the promotion at different points.

Kross' fiancée signed a contract with the sports entertainment giant a few months before him. During a recent autograph signing with Signed By Superstars, Scarlett revealed that the initial plan for her included a run alongside Damian Priest as his valet:

"I don't know if you know this, but the original plan was for me to manage Damian Priest because we weren't sure if Kross was going to be free. Then Kross got signed."

As Kross eventually joined the company, Scarlett's suggested run with Priest never translated to television. The real-life couple had a notable stint together as a superstar-valet combo on NXT, which sadly didn't become a main roster act in the long run.

Interestingly, Damian Priest had his last NXT match against Karrion Kross. After losing that battle, The Archer of Infamy got called up to RAW and has had a fruitful time there thus far — featuring alongside Bad Bunny in a newsworthy WrestleMania match and winning the WWE United States Championship as well.

#4. R-Truth praises WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns has received a lot of praise from fans and industry veterans ever since he became a top villain in WWE last year.

In a recent appearance on Corey Graves' After the Bell podcast, R-Truth highlighted how The Tribal Chief had helped him out in and out of the company on a few occasions. He also mentioned that Reigns' growth as a WWE Superstar is still ongoing.

"I think he's the best thing we’ve got going on in the company right now. He's the face of the company, he's the man. I’m glad and fortunate to be able to spend time with him. He’s helped me out, not even at work but outside of work. To watch him grow into what he’s becoming, because he isn’t finished growing yet. What we’re seeing now is just the sprinkles on the cake that’s been baked, we ain’t even tasted it yet," said R-Truth.

Both men indeed share a close bond in real life. Back in 2019, Roman Reigns said he considered R-Truth like a family member and even called the latter 'one of the greatest of all time.'

#3. Speculation on why Bray Wyatt departed WWE

Ever since Bray Wyatt got released by WWE on July 31, 2021, several reports have noted that he wasn't too ecstatic over the company's creative direction regarding his 'Fiend' character.

Now, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio has stated a belief that the former WWE Champion might have "made a lot of noise" about wanting to leave the company, thus contributing to his eventual release.

The wrestling journalist also mentioned why the departure of a top star like Wyatt "scared a lot of people."

"Bray Wyatt is a completely different situation. Wyatt scared a lot of people because if someone like Wyatt gets fired, then only guys like Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar are safe. I think that’s not really the case when you are at that level. The only reason someone would want to cut someone like that would be if they wanted out and made a lot of noise about it," said Meltzer.

Many fans are looking forward to what Bray Wyatt will do next in professional wrestling. However, another recent report from Meltzer suggested that the former WWE Champion is not in a rush to return to the squared circle.

#2. Mustafa Ali is ready to return to WWE television

Mustafa Ali had his last televised match on the October 29, 2021, episode of WWE SmackDown. Ali had been on paternity leave since before the Survivor Series pay-per-view with the recent news of his daughter's birth.

According to Fightful Select, that time has passed, and he is ready to make an on-screen comeback. The latest episode of SmackDown took place in his hometown of Chicago. Unfortunately, higher-ups had no plans for Ali from a creative standpoint, and he wasn't in attendance for the show.

WWE also pre-taped the blue brand's upcoming Christmas Eve episode on the same night, which is why he will be absent from that show too.

Not too long ago, Ali posted a series of cryptic tweets featuring smiley faces. Check out one of his tweets below:

From the dissolution of his faction, RETRIBUTION, to the end of his months-long partnership with Mansoor, Mustafa Ali has certainly not had the best year as far as his on-screen creative direction is concerned. One can only hope he has a better 2022 in the world of sports entertainment.

#1. Liv Morgan attempts to ambush WWE RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch

While WWE Superstars engaging in brawls on RAW and SmackDown is certainly not out of the norm, there have been times when the company has made intriguing storyline developments in between shows.

Such is the case with the current feud between Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan. WWE recently put out an exclusive video that showed Morgan attempting to ambush the RAW Women's Champion during training.

In a turn of events, she accidentally attacked a redhead who looked similar to Lynch, as Big Time Becks soon entered the scene. An ensuing brawl saw Morgan emerge dominantly. Check out how the events unfolded below:

Both women later reacted to their recent altercation via Twitter. Lynch tweeted out the following GIF in response to Morgan's plan of attack:

The former Riott Squad member was bound to attack Becky Lynch sooner rather than later. The RAW Women's Champion not only used unfair tactics to beat Liv Morgan in a title match earlier this month, but she also crushed the latter's arm in the steel steps last week.

As their feud continues to intensify, many wonder if Big Time Becks could finally lose the top title to her current rival soon.

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What are your thoughts on any of the topics covered in today's roundup? Sound off in the comments section below.