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It's a slow news day today where the stories have been hard to come by in the usually happening world of WWE.
We hate days like these here at Sportskeeda, but we've still managed to spot a few rumors that are doing the rounds which are worthy of being mentioned in our daily round-up. Surprisingly enough, the most exciting rumor comes from NXT, where a Superstar has managed to impress the officials backstage with his work ethic and professionalism.
A female Superstar teased the introduction of a new gimmick in a bizarre video. Elsewhere, speculation regarding the chaotic backstage scenes from SmackDown Live was also talked about.
Oh, and SummerSlam! The stacked PPV card will reportedly not feature three major title matches. Last but not least, WWE is in the running to sign an experienced former Lucha Underground star by September.
Now that you have a gist of what to expect, let's take a deeper look into the best rumors of 3rd August 2019:
#1. Teaser for Liv Morgan's new gimmick
As we all know by now, Liv Morgan is currently undergoing a character transformation. The arrival of a 'new' Liv Morgan has been expected to happen for a while and we may have finally gotten the first hints of the apparent change.
In an alarming video posted by Morgan's 'professional assistant' Dante Hall, the WWE superstar can be seen sitting aimlessly in a driveway while getting drenched in the rain.
Hall asked whether Morgan was okay, to which there was no immediate response. She would later take to Twitter and commented, "Rain is cleansing."
It seems like an obvious hint at Morgan cleansing her old-self, effectively paving the way for a new gimmick. Morgan's Twitter handle also reflects the character shift that is in the works.
The teaser does far seems very interesting and we can only hope that it successfully translates to engaging TV.
#2. SummerSlam card may not feature 3 titles
SummerSlam 2019 is shaping up to be quite a packed event. The card already consists of nine confirmed matches.
Here's the confirmed line-up:
- Brock Lesnar (C) vs. Seth Rollins (WWE Universal Championship)
- Becky Lynch (C) vs. Natalya (WWE Raw Women's Championship)
- Bayley (C) vs. Ember Moon (WWE SmackDown Women's Championship)
- Kofi Kingston (C) vs. Randy Orton (WWE Championship)
- AJ Styles (C) vs. Ricochet (WWE United States Championship)
- Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte Flair
- Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon (KO leaves WWE if he loses)
- Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
- The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler (Rumored to be a red herring, expected to be changed to Ziggler vs. Goldberg)
In addition to the matches mentioned above, WWE will reportedly add the following matches:
Rumored bouts:
- Drew Gulak (C) vs. Oney Lorcan (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
- Drew McIntyre vs. Cedric Alexander
- The IIconics (C) vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville vs. The Kabuki Warriors vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (Fatal 4-Way for the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles)
- Aleister Black vs. Sami Zayn
The addition of the aforementioned bouts would take the overall count to 13 matches. Now here's the problem.
According to the Wrestling Observer, matches for both the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Titles and the Intercontinental title are not part of the current listings that are doing the rounds backstage.
Those matches can always be added next week or hours before the show, but as of this writing, those three titles may not be defended at SummerSlam.
#3. Vince McMahon changes the SmackDown Live script
It can be tough to work with the WWE boss. If you had doubts about that statement, the latest speculation may help in changing your mind.
As revealed by the Wrestling Observer, Vince McMahon showed up on SmackDown Live hours before the show and completely changed the script. It was additionally stated that McMahon was still working on the script for the second hour while the first hour of the show was underway. The reason behind the impromptu alterations, you ask?
Mr. McMahon felt that the script didn't properly follow-up on the angles from last week's episode and he believed that the show didn't do justice in the build-up towards SummerSlam. It's interesting to note that while Eric Bischoff has begun his stint as the Executive Director of the blue brand, he still isn't involved in the creative side of things, which is still in Vince McMahon's control.
All we can do here is sympathize with the producers and talents who dealt with the last-minute changes on the most recent episode.
#4. NXT officials are high on Riddick Moss
Riddick Moss is an NXT Superstar who doesn't get enough credit. The Minnesota native has been with the WWE since 2014, however, he has never been able to become a top singles star on the yellow brand. He does possess the look as well as the tools to make it big. So what's going wrong? A long-drawn tag team angle and an unfortunate injury slowed down his progress but that may all change for the good.
As revealed by WrestleVotes, NXT officials are very impressed with Moss. The NXT Superstar is considered to be a stand out performer at the Performance Center and he has been hailed as a true professional due to his mindset and work ethic.
NXT officials like what they see and could reward him with a crucial push on NXT TV if he continues on the same path. Former Impact Wrestling star Robbie E, whose real name is Robert Strauss, was made Moss' manager recently and that is a big hint of WWE getting behind Moss.
#5. WWE to sign El Hijo del Fantasma
WWE does have a very talented Hispanic Superstar in Andrade at the moment but there is no harm in expanding the roster with more Latino stars. As reported by Dave Meltzer, Jorge Alcantar - also known as El Hijo del Fantasma in Mexico and King Cuerno from his time with Lucha Underground - is expected to be roped in for the September batch at the WWE Performance Center.
It's being said that WWE has had their eyes on Fantasma for a long time and could be closing in on the big signing. There are many reasons why WWE wish to get him on board. He can speak English well, has a documented history of being a solid worker inside the ring and has the look of a top-tier star.
Fantasma was always on WWE's radar but communications never went through as he was bounded by a Lucha Underground contract. With LU out of the way, WWE may finally be able to land their long-term target, who should be reporting at the PC as soon as September.
