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We welcome you to another edition of the daily WWE Rumor Roundup, and as always, we've got some big stories lined up.
Roman Reigns continues to grab all the headlines as the commanding Universal Champion on SmackDown, and we have all the backstage updates on WWE's plans for The Tribal Chief.
A top superstar also admitted to stealing one of Samoa Joe's moves during a recent interview. Another popular star revealed details of there being 'giant heat' between two former world champions.
We also have all the latest backstage notes regarding the company's plans for Eva Marie.
We ended the roundup by focussing on the rumors surrounding the next WWE Draft.
#5. WWE's plans for Roman Reigns, Hell in a Cell opponent, new member joining his faction, and more
Roman Reigns is indisputably the biggest star in the WWE at the moment, and The Tribal Chief's reign as Universal Champion isn't expected to end anytime soon.
WWE is also looking to strengthen his on-screen act by lining up some big booking plans.
WrestlingNews.co reported that the current plan is for Roman Reigns to face Rey Mysterio at Hell in a Cell for the Universal Championship.
WWE's long-term plan is for The Usos to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. The feud between Usos and The Mysterio Family will go on into the summer and the twins should ideally capture the tag team belts by the end of the program.
"We're told that The Usos vs. Mysterio's feud will continue into the summers, and the idea is that Jimmy and Jey will eventually be fully onboard with Reings' vision, and they will win the SmackDown tag team titles by SummerSlam."
A source close to the situation told WrestlingNews.co that WWE wants Roman Reigns to be on the same level as The Rock and John Cena. The company also intends to build up The Usos, and the expectation is that WWE will achieve its goal by SummerSlam.
"Obviously, the plan is to build Roman up, so fans see him as being on the level of Cena and Rock, but this is also about making Jimmy and Jey look strong, and we will get there by SummerSlam. This will be a tight-knit unit in a few months."
WWE also plans to expand Reigns' faction in addition to Jimmy and Jey Uso, with the promotion considering adding another member to the group.
While the superstar's name who could join him and The Usos has not been revealed, SummerSlam will be a big night for The Bloodline.
Roman Reigns is set to be the focal point of WWE programming for the time to come, and the idea of having another superstar join his team sounds really promising. Who do you see joining with his stable?
#4. Big E admits to stealing Samoa Joe's move in WWE
It's an unfortunate fact that Samoa Joe is no longer a part of the WWE as he was one of the many big names released recently by the company.
Joe's WWE run could have been entirely different had it not been blighted by untimely injuries, but he still influenced the product, fans, and the talent in many impactful ways during his time in the company.
During a recent episode of New Day's Feel The Power podcast, Big E opened up about stealing the Uranage from Samoa Joe.
Big E revealed that he adopted the move and did feel bad about it when WWE eventually signed Joe.
The former New Day member initially thought about giving up the Uranage out of respect for Samoa Joe. However, the former TNA world champion didn't seem to have any problems with him incorporating the move into his set. The former Intercontinental Champion also recalled tweeting at Joe regarding using the Uranage maneuver.
"The uranage, I just stole from Samoa Joe. Straight up. I felt bad once he got signed and he was using it. I was like, 'Out of respect, maybe I should stop using it,' but he never gave me any flack. Joe was always cool about it. Once, I tweeted him 'Sorry, Uce,' and that was my way of saying, 'Sorry, but I'm still gonna keep using it.' It's a great move. Joe is a stand-up dude; I feel like he would've said something," said Big E. H/t Fightful
As noted above, Samoa Joe was released from his WWE contract on April 15th earlier this year, and as things stand, The Samoa Submission Machine is yet to make his next big move.
#3. Hornswoggle on the backstage heat between The Big Show and The Great Khali in WWE
Former WWE star Hornswoggle sat down with James' Wrestling Shoot Interviews for an engaging chat, during which he opened up about the backstage issues between The Big Show and The Great Khali.
Hornswoggle confirmed the long-running story regarding the heat between Paul Wight and The Great Khali. He stated that Khali knew how to get under The Big Show's skin as they constantly shared intimidating glares backstage.
Swoggle added that Khali was always fun to be around and that the recently-inducted WWE Hall of Famer had a great sense of humor.
"Him and Big Show had this giant heat, and they would glare at each other from across the way, and Khali knew how to get under Big Show's skin. It was very evident that he knew because he would do these little things to poke and prod the bear. I love the Great Khali. He was so much fun to be around. He had an awesome sense of humor even with his broken English," said Hornswoggle.
While Swoggle wasn't there backstage when The Big Show and Khali had their infamous backstage fight, the former WWE Cruiserweight champion later heard about the altercation and was upset about missing out on the action.
"I wasn't on that show. Punk, Regal, they were in there, and I just heard that it was such chaos, and I'm so upset that I missed it," added Hornswoggle. H/t Pratyay Ghosh of Sportskeeda Wrestling
Want to know more about the backstage scuffle between the giants? Carlito also provided some incredible details of what went down backstage that day.
#2. WWE's plans for Eva Marie
As announced by WWE, Eva Marie will be returning to TV on the next episode of RAW, and the company has some big creative plans for the polarizing star.
WrestleVotes was the first to report on the company's booking plans for Marie in the hours leading up to RAW.
The reported idea is for her to be accompanied by some 'muscle' and speculation suggests that WWE could pair the returning superstar up with an NXT talent.
The names of Mercedes Martinez and NXT UK's Piper Niven have even reportedly been discussed by WWE officials
"Hearing the plans for Eva Marie's return include her having a "muscle" of some sorts by her side. The two names I've heard most discussed to pair w/ her are Mercedes Martinez -OR- NXT UK star, Piper Niven."
Dave Meltzer confirmed the WrestleVotes report but was unsure about who would eventually play the role.
Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp also verified the rumor and added that Piper Niven's name was actually brought up backstage a few weeks ago.
WWE has spent a lot of time hyping up Eva Marie's return, and while she might not wrestle upon her comeback, the 36-year-old star could be used as a vehicle to put over another promising wrestler from NXT.
#1. Details on the next WWE Draft
Mat Men's Andrew Zarian was the first to report regarding WWE's plans for the next Draft. It has been revealed that the company WWE scheduled the next Draft for the end of August.
The final episode of RAW in August could kickstart WWE's Draft festivities. The Draft could then conclude on the SmackDown episode of September 3.
Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer confirmed Zarian's report and noted that while the dates mentioned above have been agreed upon backstage, the plans could still change in the WWE.
"Mat Men's Andrew Zarian first reported this year's Draft is scheduled for Monday, August 30, and Friday, September 3. Dave Meltzer says the dates are penciled in as of this point but could change."
The previous two editions of the WWE Draft took place in October, and the company has also featured a few routine shake-ups along the way since the revival of the brand split.
The timing of the proposed Draft is interesting to note as WWE has placed it right after SummerSlam, which is set to occur on August 21 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
WWE would ideally want to shuffle up the roster after the highly-anticipated SummerSlam event, but who do you see trading brands? Let us know your early Draft predictions in the comments section below.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
