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Survivor Series is in the books, and we're back with another edition of WWE Rumor Roundup.
The latest WWE pay-per-view was a run-of-the-mill Survivor Series offering made special by The Undertaker's Final Farewell. We now have several backstage details on what happened backstage with The Undertaker at Survivor Series and what Vince McMahon told The Deadman. Could the WWE Boss call up Undertaker again for another match?
A few big names were absent at Survivor Series, and the reason behind the decision has been revealed. An update on Aleister Black's WWE status has also come to light, and the situation doesn't look good for the former NXT Champion.
WWE has also reportedly considered an innovative idea for the winner of the Royal Rumble match.
We also have some important backstage notes from Survivor Series, including the producers of all the matches and news regarding a few veterans being backstage at the show.
On that note, let's get right into today's WWE Rumor Roundup:
#5. WWE has discussed an interesting booking decision for the Royal Rumble winner
Royal Rumble is just around the corner, and the speculation regarding what could be in store for the pay-per-view has started to do the rounds.
Bryan Alvarez talked about a possible booking decision for the Royal Rumble on the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Live.
Alvarez noted that one plan that has been considered by WWE for years is to have the last two competitors before the 30th entrant to eliminate themselves. The 30th participant would then automatically be adjudged the winner. The idea has been talked about before but never executed at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
The booking plan was particularly discussed a few years ago when there were doubts about Daniel Bryan's in-ring status.
"I can tell you this. They have been considering doing that finish for years. Not with anybody in particular, but I mean, it comes down, and there are two guys left, and #30 hasn't come out yet, and the last two people eliminate themselves, and then #30 saunters on down the ring and wins. And, you know, I've heard the idea before, I'm not sure if they've ever even considered actually doing it, but people there have told me the idea. That one year remember when Daniel Bryan was unable to compete, and we thought he was retired forever. I heard people suggesting it then like, well, no one can touch Bryan."
The plan can be used for either the men's or women's Royal Rumble matches; however, at this stage, it's still a decision that has not moved on from the drawing board.
#4.Update on Aleister Black's WWE status
Based on the latest update coming from Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio, Aleister Black's WWE career could be in significant jeopardy.
Aleister Black's wife, Zelina Vega, was unceremoniously released from WWE recently, and the development has cast obvious doubts on Black's future in the company.
Meltzer revealed that Black was always going to suffer after Paul Heyman was removed as the RAW Executive Director. As you may know, Heyman wanted Aleister Black to be one of his top stars on RAW.
As things stand, Aleister Black feels like he has been forgotten about, and WWE also has nothing planned for the former NXT Champion. It was added that the people in power don't see anything in Aleister Black.
"When Paul Heyman got dumped, I knew it wouldn't be long until Black was jobbing or disappearing."
"He feels like he's been forgotten about. That was not because of Zelina; it just felt like that was already the case. His big thing, he was a big Paul Heyman guy. When Paul Heyman got dumped, I think I said the two people who were going to be hurt the most are Andrade and Black. If you're not even in the battle royal and you're like a middle guy…I would say like for Black right now, he's forgotten about, and it doesn't look good. The people in charge now don't see anything in him; it appears. It's tough; he's a talented guy." H/t WrestlingNews.co
The WWE also rejected Aleister Black's request to move to NXT, and things don't look good for the Dutch Superstar.
#3. Edge spotted backstage at WWE Survivor Series, more backstage notes
WWE Survivor Series was a star-studded affair as many legendary names made on-screen appearances to be a part of The Undertaker's Final Farewell segment.
PWInsider released several notes from Survivor Series. Edge, who is currently out with a torn triceps injury, was backstage at Survivor Series but did not show up on screen.
Unsurprisingly enough, Michelle McCool and members of The Undertaker's family were also backstage at Survivor Series.
It was added that the company filmed several interviews for future DVD and WWE Network projects with the legends brought in for the show.
Regarding the producers responsible for the matches, Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns - which was the MOTN, was produced by Michael Hayes. Tyson Kidd produced the Asuka vs. Sasha Banks match. He was also the producer for the Women's Elimination match alongside Pat Buck.
Chris Park, aka Abyss, was the producer of the Men's Elimination Match. Pat Bucks also produced the match between the tag team champions. It's interesting to note that Jason Jordan was the producer of Sami Zayn's match against Bobby Lashley. Adam Pearce looked after the pre-show Battle Royal match.
It was also revealed that Drew Gulak was under the Gobbledy Gooker costume.
#2. Backstage reactions to The Undertaker's Final Farewell at WWE Survivor Series
The Undertaker left most of his staunch supporters teary-eyed with a simple yet effective farewell segment at the recently concluded WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view.
WrestlingNews.co reported after the pay-per-view that Undertaker told people backstage that he was retired for good this time. It was also added that the expectation is that Vince McMahon will not call Undertaker to wrestle again.
Going by all that was discussed backstage, while Vince McMahon finds it tough to let go of the iconic Undertaker character, the WWE boss realized that it was time to allow The Deadman to retire.
The scenes were predictably emotional behind the scenes at Survivor Series as 'tears were shed' and the cameras were on hand to capture the moments. While the belief is that The Undertaker is done, there were a few wrestlers who joked about the 'never say never' adage, adding that we could see The Phenom back at the next WWE show in Saudi Arabia.
Keeping all the jokes aside and the apparent skepticism around The Undertaker's retirement, The Deadman seems to be done, and there is no coming back this time.
#1. Reason why Big E and Lars Sullivan did not wrestle at WWE Survivor Series
The Survivor Series had some notable absentees, especially when you consider that WWE had a Battle Royal match to fill. Big E and Lars Sullivan did not compete at the show despite being betting line favorites to win the kickoff match.
While Dave Meltzer wasn't sure about Lars Sullivan's WWE status, it was noted that he might have suffered from the three-week rule, wherein WWE often forgets about a Superstar's push after a few episodes.
Big E was not in the Battle Royal as he was saved up for an entrance with The New Day. Meltzer explained that the decision to keep Sullivan and Big E from the Battle Royal made sense when their futures are taken into account.
"You know what's interesting too is that the two betting favourites for the battle royal were Big E and Lars Sullivan, neither of whom were in it. I don't know what's going on with Lars Sullivan. I think maybe we got the three-week rule on him. And Big E was not in the battle royal because they saved him for that ring entrance with the New Day match in costume, I guess. And he might as well not be in because, for both of those guys quite frankly, because they were not going to win. It served no purpose for them to be thrown out for no reason because Big E should be groomed for a championship match and Lars Sullivan is supposed to be an unstoppable monster, so if he wasn't going to win the battle royal, there's probably no point in him being in it anyway. So there you go, but they were like the betting line favourites." H/t Pratyay Ghosh of Sportskeeda
Big E and Lars Sullivan are expected to be major players on SmackDown and WWE would want to protect the Superstars as we approach the new year.
