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Welcome to another edition of the daily WWE Rumor Roundup, where we bring to you the biggest stories and updates from the day. There has been a lot of buzz as of late in regards to Brock Lesnar and what his future with WWE might be.
While it is stated that Lesnar's contract with WWE has expired, it is still believed that he will return soon. We will talk about why WWE has not made any statement regarding the expiry of the contract and when Brock Lesnar can be expected back in the company.
So without any further ado, let us jump right in and take a look at the big stories of the day:
#5 Mauro Ranallo officially done with WWE
It was announced that former WWE SmackDown and NXT announcer Mauro Ranallo has officially quit WWE. Ranallo had been serving as the 'voice of NXT' for the past few years. However, he had not been seen on the black and gold brand for the past couple of weeks.
Dave Meltzer of WON revealed that the reason behind WWE and Ranallo parting ways is because Ranallo wanted to step away from his weekly NXT duties. He allegedly believed that it is better to quit now, rather than being pushed out by the company.
Here is what Mauro Ranallo stated:
''I appreciate the opportunity I had to realize my childhood dream of working in sports entertainment, and I wish WWE well in the future. Now I want to direct my focus and devote my time to my other projects and to my mental health charitable activities and the well-being of my mother and myself.''
Former WWE Superstar and 5-time IC Champion Wade Barrett has been brought in by the WWE to join the NXT commentary table as a replacement for Mauro Ranallo.
#4 WWE Superstar AJ Styles reveals he tested positive for COVID-19
AJ Styles is currently involved in a feud with Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy on SmackDown. The Phenomenal One lost the IC Championship to Hardy a few weeks back on WWE SmackDown.
After The Rock announced that he and his family have all tested positive for COVID-19, AJ Styles sent a message to the Brahma Bull and talked about his own experience after contracting the virus.
Here is what AJ Styles stated on his Twitch stream:
"I also tested positive a couple of weeks ago, probably almost a month ago. I feel for people who have to deal with this, but I gotta say, I didn't have that many problems with it. Hopefully The Rock and his family, hopefully, everybody is safe, and everybody is taken care of, and nobody has too bad of symptoms and stuff like that. It sucks, it's not good for anybody."
AJ Styles has become one of the most loved Superstars in WWE and we are glad that the former WWE Champion did not have to face many troubles when he had Coronavirus.
#3 Former WWE Champions The Rock and Kevin Nash also test positive for COVID-19
The Rock recently posted a video on his social media where he revealed that he and his family tested positive for COVID-19. He stated that this was one of the most challenging times he had to endure. Former WWE Champion The Rock added that while he and his family are safe now and that people need to be more careful about the precautions that they take.
"Stay disciplined. Boost your immune system. Commit to wellness. Wear your mask. Protect your family. Be strict about having people over your house or gatherings. Stay positive. And care for your fellow human beings."
In response to The Rock's reveal, another former WWE Champion Kevin Nash revealed that even he and his family tested positive for Coronavirus.
Here is what Big Daddy Cool had to say to The Rock:
''Welcome to the team. Very sorry you're family is infected. I was tired for a while didn't train for the 4th day. My wife still hasn't got smell or tastes back. Son was asymptomatic. Pray you heal up quickly. Thank you for making people realize it's real.''
#2 Big E reveals how The New Day was 'buried' in WWE
The New Day member Big E was the guest on WWE Talking Smack this week. The multi-time Tag Team Champion spoke passionately and talked about his struggles as part of the WWE roster.
When The Miz told him that he needs to get serious in order to launch his singles career, Big E claimed that it is much more important for him to be unique and true to himself than being the stereotypical big guy.
There had been a lot of rumors that the backstage management did not have confidence in The New Day when the group was being formed, and Big E corroborated those by revealing that he was 'buried' by people behind his back along with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.
Here is what Big E said:
''So many people buried us to our faces. So many people buried us behind our backs in 2014. They said this will not work. You will fail. You will be gone... this will not work.''
(Please give H/T credit and link the article on using the quote)
Big E is being pushed as a singles star since both Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have been out of action. Big E has already defeated big names like The Miz and Sheamus since embarking on his singles journey.
However, it seems unlikely that Big E will break away from The New Day even if he becomes a top singles Superstar in WWE.
#1 Update on Brock Lesnar's current status with WWE
It had been reported that Brock Lesnar's current contract with WWE has expired, which makes him a free agent. It was said that the two parties failed to reach negotiations and the contract was allowed to run out.
Though there has been a lot of talk of late that Lesnar might be planning to jump ship as his tenure with WWE is over. However, Tom Colohue has reported why WWE have been tight-lipped about their contract with Brock Lesnar.
''He [Brock Lesnar] is a true and clear free agent at this point. He has no responsibilities with WWE. His contract expired around June. He did have obligations - as I mentioned, he was booked for SummerSlam, so his contract was extended on a non-contract basis. That is why the merch deal expired after SummerSlam and not after his contract expired. You don't have a separate contract and then a merchandise contract. That's not how it works out. Once that ended, we come to a stop.''
Tom Colohue also stated that Brock Lesnar is eventually going to come back to WWE. Once the pandemic has settled down and fans return to the arena, it is likely that the former WWE Champion will return.
