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Last night, WWE held the 2019 Draft on SmackDown, where the future of several Superstars was determined as they were moved to RAW or remained on SmackDown. It's not all over, though, as we will have another round of the draft set to take place on Monday on RAW.
Earlier in the day, WWE made several big announcements with regards to the Crown Jewel PPV, which will be held on October 31st in Saudi Arabia. In today's rumor roundup, we cover news and rumors regarding Crown Jewel, WWE signing a huge Superstar, the future of Ronda Rousey, and more.
Read on to find out more:
#1 Cain Velasquez reportedly signs with WWE; retires from MMA
According to ESPN, Cain Velasquez, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, has signed a deal with WWE and has retired from MMA. Velasquez has reportedly secured a "lucrative, multiyear contract" with Vince McMahon's promotion.
Velasquez made a surprise appearance on last week's SmackDown - the first one on FOX - and began a feud with Brock Lesnar, who had just moments earlier defeated Kofi Kingston to win the WWE Championship.
It was announced on Friday in a press conference for the Crown Jewel PPV that Velasquez will face off against Brock Lesnar in a singles match for the WWE Championship. The 37-year-old is a newbie in the pro wrestling industry but has wrestled in Mexico, and even was at WWE's Performance Center last year, honing his craft.
Velasquez appeared on this week's SmackDown as well, confronting Lesnar and warning him that he will give him a "matching scar" on the other side of his face.
#2 Tyson Fury vs Braun Strowman for Crown Jewel
Another match that was announced for Crown Jewel at the press conference yesterday is the match between boxer Tyson Fury and Braun Strowman. Their feud also began on SmackDown's debut show on FOX, where Strowman threw Dolph Ziggler on Fury, which infuriated the boxer.
The two almost came to blows on RAW, when Fury arrived to seek an apology from Strowman. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer has revealed that the Fury-Strowman match will be a one-off match as Fury has a fight in February.
“Tyson Fury, for now, is a one-match thing. He’s got a fight in February, so they asked Tyson Fury and he said, ‘Hey you know what? I don’t have a fight until February, I’ve got some time.’"
"He’s been in the Performance Center training every day. He’s really, you know, he’s really gung-ho, he’s not going to go in there to embarrass himself... you know, I mean, I’m not saying he’s going to have a great match, but he’s working very hard at it," said Meltzer.
The report also said that the Saudi Prince is a fan of Fury, which could have been a reason for this match.
#3 Spoilers for Draft on RAW
Last night was the first night of the 2019 WWE Draft, on SmackDown, and on Monday, we will see more Superstars make their move to RAW or SmackDown.
Becky Lynch and Roman Reigns were #1 and #2 picks, and they stayed on RAW and SmackDown respectively while Bray Wyatt moved to SmackDown and so did Sasha Banks.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer has given us some hints as to who else could move to Monday nights.
"Vince (McMahon) does like to beat people that he’s going to move to the other show, and I thought when this was over, that it felt like Baron Corbin might go to SmackDown."
“Charlotte Flair, because of the way she lost, I thought she might be going to Raw. Paul Heyman’s like a huge Charlotte Flair fan, so that makes sense. But, it’s like she’s been doing nothing but promotion on FOX for so long and then they start and they move her is, you know... but if she was staying, she could have lost, but would she have lost that way?" said Meltzer. (H/T WrestleTalk)
Charlotte Flair lost the SmackDown Women's title to Bayley on this week's SmackDown, while Baron Corbin defeated Shorty Gable.
#4 Triple H reveals Ronda Rousey's WWE future
Ronda Rousey has not been on WWE television since her loss at WrestleMania 35, with her revealing that she will be stepping away to concentrate on her family.
Rousey, though, is still signed with WWE, and Triple H revealed what the future holds for the former RAW Women's Champion.
“Don’t have a specific timeline but she’s with us. This is family for her. She’s coming back. She has said it, she calls us all the time. I think the biggest tear for her right now is trying to do what she wants in her personal life and just missing this. There’s… it’s hard to explain, this is like a family and there is a brotherhood, and a sisterhood, here that’s deep with people," said Triple H.
He also revealed that Rousey is "constantly pitching her return" and it will be only a matter of time before she returns to WWE television once again. Reports had suggested that Rousey's contract with WWE will expire in 2021, which means that she still has a long time to go on her current deal.
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