'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Welcome once again to our daily rumour roundup. It's Clash of Champions weekend and there was a ton of speculation regarding the PPV and what to expect in its aftermath.
WWE has reportedly lined up a brand new feud for Seth Rollins after the PPV, a programme that looks great on paper.
There were also updates regarding the WWE futures of two absent Superstars. While one is not wanted anymore, the other is expected to return soon to TV.
Batista has made it to today's roundup as the retired Superstar was called out for a match by a wrestler outside the WWE. A controversial former WWE Superstar also revealed how Vince McMahon is behind the scenes during a recent interview. WWE may have also dropped a spoiler on a big RAW Superstar moving to SmackDown.
Without wasting any more time, here is today's roundup:
#1. Updates on Rusev and Luke Harper; Vince McMahon didn't like Luke Harper's recent match
During the mailbag section of the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer was asked about the current statuses of Rusev and Luke Harper.
Meltzer said that it all depends on Vince whether he wants to use the aforementioned Superstars or not. He did mention that 3-time United States Champion Rusev should be back soon from his hiatus but the same can't be expected of Harper.
Vince McMahon has no intention to use Harper, and the former Intercontinental Champion is expected to see out his contract and leave the company in April next year.
It was also additionally reported that McMahon wasn't a big fan of Harper's match against Dominik Dijakovic at the Worlds Collide event.
"That's up to Vince. I mean, I think Rusev will come back and I think unless they change their tune, that Harper will not come back. I mean if they decide they don't want to lose him, I don't know what it is, but all these guys that wanted to leave, like Gallows and Anderson, The Revival, Sasha Banks is another one, all these people, Vince really pushed them hard and he's trying to keep them from wanting to go. They're trying to make them happy.
"And Luke Harper, they just aren't using him. I mean Vince made the decision after WrestleMania that he's just not going to use the guy. He didn't like his match with Dijakovic, which is funny because it was a really good match but Vince just didn't like it. Then he wrestled EC3 and Vince said whatever, so I would say the odds are pretty good that Luke Harper doesn't come back and whenever his contract is up he goes elsewhere and he'll have offers."
Rusev has been on the sidelines since the Super Showdown event in June and has kept the fans on their toes with multiple appearance changes of late.
As for Harper, the former Intercontinental Champion asked for his release earlier this year but will only be allowed to leave once his contract expires next year.
#2. Batista gets called out for a match by an unlikely opponent
Batista is a happily retired pro wrestler who is currently enjoying a successful life in Hollywood. It's the perfect career transition, however, 'never say never' is a quite proven adage in pro wrestling and you can never count out the possibility of seeing the Animal wrestle again. Well, he did get a challenge but not from a current member of the WWE roster.
Impact Wrestling star Killer Kross issued a challenge to the former WWE Champion after his win against Nick Gage at Bloodsport 2.
Kross said:
"There's a guy out there who says he's retired. He says he's retired, but being in this ring in front of everybody in this building, I f—ing love this business. I f—ing love it, and there's no way that he doesn't love it anymore either. So I don't believe he's retired. So I'm asking, respectfully, Dave Bautista. I don't know you from a hole in the wall. I'm not one of these guys that comes out here and tries to have a match with a celebrity. But you just heard that. You guys want Batista in Bloodsport. Give us what we want!" H/t Credit: Comicbook
Now, while it may seem highly unlikely that Batista positively responds to the challenge and does indeed lace up his wrestling boots again, there are a few things to note.
Also Read: 5 reasons why Batista might come out of pro wrestling retirement
Bloodsport is an MMA-style pro wrestling event in which the worked fights are decided either via knockout, decision or a submission stoppage. Batista has dabbled in MMA before and currently has a record of 1-0. Batista's final match was a losing effort to Triple H at WrestleMania 35 and it would be interesting to see if the 50-year-old former WWE Champion entertains the idea of a non-WWE appearance for Bloodsport.
#3. Seth Rollins' feud after Clash of Champions
Clash of Champions is almost here and the rumors are coming in thick and fast. The PPV may even be done by the time you read this but this particular rumor pertains to WWE's plans for Seth Rollins after the PPV.
As per WrestleVotes, WWE has reportedly lined up Drew McIntyre as Seth Rollins' opponent after Clash of Champions.
WrestleVotes also claimed that the WWE officials were seriously considering the possibility of Rollins dropping the Universal Championship to Braun Strowman at the PPV.
Hearing there’s been discussions - serious ones - about taking the title off Seth Rollins tonight.
More Seth Rollins news: I’m hearing his next program will be with Drew McIntyre, who is expected back at any time now.
As we had reported earlier in the week, Drew McIntyre was quite sick in the past few weeks, which forced the WWE to take him off the King of the Ring Tournament. McIntyre lost the first round match to Ricochet and has not been featured on WWE TV ever since. He underwent surgery to fix an undisclosed injury, which was said to be unrelated to the muscle or the bone.
As revealed in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, McIntyre was not even in condition to get out of bed on the day of his scheduled match against Ricochet.
The Scottish Psychopath is in good health again and is expected to return to the ring anytime now. If there is any truth in WrestleVotes' report, then McIntyre should ideally be back on the RAW after Clash of Champions to confront The Beastslayer.
#4. Enzo Amore reveals how Vince McMahon really is backstage
Enzo Amore was recently a guest of the 'Ya Never Know' Podcast where he opened up about a host of topics. During the discussion, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion gave insights on how Vince McMahon is behind the scenes.
There have been many rumors doing the rounds regarding McMahon's incredible work ethic and how he conducts himself backstage and most of them are indeed true if Amore's word is to be believed.
"Vince is the craziest m*********r I've ever met because he works like a dog. He sleeps three hours a night. He's a control freak; he freaks out if he sneezes because he can't control it. So if he sneezes, he doesn't like that function because he can't control it. He lifts at 3:00 AM. He works out in the gym like a sick f**k. I'm pretty sure he partied his a** off back in the day and lived it with all the boys and saw a crazy life for a long time. He's friends with Donald Trump; his wife was in the cabinet. He runs it the f**k up." H/t Credit: WrestlingInc
Amore further said that Vince McMahon's totalitarian regime over the WWE could be coming to an end soon.
Amore was in the news recently as speculation of WWE reaching out to him and his partner Big Cass regarding a return were the talk of the town in wrestling circles.
The rumor was shot down by WWE but Big Cass reignited those claims when he revealed that he has had talks with WWE officials. Cass even added that he would be willing to return to WWE without Amore.
#5. WWE confirms the next Draft, possible spoiler on one big Superstar moving to another brand
As announced during the NFL game on FOX, WWE will conduct the next Draft on October 11th on SmackDown, which will conclude in the October 14th episode of RAW.
WWE issued a confirmation of the same moments after the announcement was made by FOX:
The destinies of WWE Superstars will be determined during a two-night WWE Draft taking place live on Friday Night #SmackDown on Oct. 11 on FOX and #Raw on Oct. 14 on USA Network.
To promote the SmackDown shift to the FOX Network, WWE and FOX also confirmed 'WWE on Fox Moving Company', which will see moving trucks visit different cities to hype up the premiere episode of SmackDown on FOX. It should be noted that the idea of having a moving truck for promotional purposes was first reported by Wrestling Observer in July.
It is interesting to note that RAW Superstar Becky Lynch is being advertised as part of the promotional material used for 'WWE on Fox Moving Company.'
A lot of importance will be given to amping up the ratings of SmackDown once the blue brand finds its new home and having one of the most popular Superstars on RAW move to SmackDown is a logical decision to achieve that goal.
However, don't expect too many changes to take place on NXT as the focus is solely on creating strong boundaries between the RAW and SmackDown rosters, as per Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue.
According to sources within #WWE, the next brand shakeup isn't expected to bring in sweeping changes because the previous shakeup was already made with a view to the #FOX move. There may be notable changes, but it's more to draw a line under the #RAW and #SDLive rosters.
Follow Sportskeeda Wrestling and Sportskeeda MMA on Twitter for all the latest news. Do not miss out!
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
