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Welcome to another edition of the daily WWE Rumor Roundup. We compile the biggest rumors doing the rounds in the WWE and today's lineup has a bit of everything.
A late, great legendary Superstar's son is open to returning to the WWE once his current contract with a rival promotion comes to an end.
Regarding WrestleMania 36, three very big names are not expected to wrestle at the show. An up-and-coming WWE Superstar was also compared to Randy Orton backstage and he may have a bright future if he manages to stay out of trouble behind the scenes.
We also now know why Sami Zayn has not been wrestling as much in the past few months.
Samoa Joe suffered another unfortunate injury and the immediate future does not look good for the Samoan Submission Machine.
Paul Heyman has also brought about a very important change on RAW that has had a positive impact on the product. Finally, we have an update about the Superstar Shake-up that has been planned to take place after WrestleMania.
On that note, let's take a look at each rumor in a detailed manner:
#8. Davey Boy Smith Jr. open to WWE return
As reported first by Dave Meltzer, The British Bulldog AKA Davey Boy Smith will be a part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
His son Davey Boy Smith Jr. will ideally do the honours of inducting his father and that has kickstarted speculation regarding his full-time return to the company.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. was a part of the WWE in the late 2000s as he wrestled for the company under the name David Hart Smith. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling, however, Dave Meltzer revealed in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Smith Jr. will be open to an offer from the WWE once his MLW deal expires. Smith will also appear in All Japan's Champion Carnival Tournament.
Smith will, of course, keep his options open but he will not rule out a return to the WWE, where he was a tag team champion alongside Tyson Kidd before he was released in 2011.
Here's what Meltzer noted in the Newsletter:
Davey Boy Smith Jr. being a key part of the show will naturally lead to rumors of him and WWE. Right now he is under contract to MLW until the end of the year. Right now he only has signed with All Japan for the Champion Carnival tournament, but is hopeful it leads to a regular gig there.
We're told that after his MLW contract expires, he would be open to WWE or anywhere else. Jim Ross has always been a huge proponent of his, but Ross isn’t involved much in the talent signing aspects of AEW, but he’s still a voice people listen to. But Smith did work for New Japan at the same time as many of the AEW decision makers did.
#7. Samoa Joe out with a concussion
As revealed by Pro Wrestling Sheet, Samoa Joe suffered an injury during a recent WWE Commercial shoot. Dave Meltzer added that Joe suffered a concussion, which was his second head injury in four weeks.
Joe reportedly hit his head on the table while performing a table break spot for the commercial. The injury comes as a big blow for the company as Joe recently returned from a similar injury and was all set to be an active player leading up to WrestleMania.
We have no updates regarding his return, however, he could be out for a considerable amount of time as WWE is very cautious when it comes to multiple concussions.
#6. Adam Cole wants to retire Triple H
Triple H will not only go down as one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time but also as one of the greatest minds in the business. While he is busy managing NXT these days, he still makes it a point to wrestle at a handful of big shows.
However, the 50-year-old legend will have to hang up his wrestling boots someday and there are many candidates who would like to retire The Game.
During a recent interview with Steel Chair Magazine, Adam Cole said that he would love to be involved in Triple H's retirement match.
Anybody on our roster would agree. We all idolized Triple H or Shawn Michaels as kids, and now we’ve grown up, we’re working together with them. We’re really getting to see their minds and not only how smart they are, but how much they absolutely love this job. I wouldn’t pass that up for the world, that absolutely is something that I would love to do. I know many NXT talents feel the same way, and I definitely know a bunch of fans would love it.
#5. NXT Superstar compared to Randy Orton
In the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shared some interesting details on how the WWE management views Matt Riddle.
While there a few officials who see 'magic' in the King of Bros, there is also a section of the higher management who don't see much in the NXT Superstar.
A source compared Riddle to the Randy Orton from the early 2000s when The Viper broke through the ranks to become a major star while also being quite a handful behind the scenes.
Riddle reportedly doesn't understand the politics and WWE hierarchy, and has ignored the same by pushing for matches against Goldberg and Brock Lesnar.
Meltzer noted the following:
The current view at the top on Riddle is that there are some who think he’s got magic and others who don’t see it, but the key in his situation is his “lack of understanding of politics” which translated would seem to be trying to do programs with Bill Goldberg and Brock Lesnar without going to them first.
One person compared him with Randy Orton when he first became a big star, and they don’t want someone like that now for harmony’s sake, or other talent that would say things that would get talent upset.
#4. Backstage update on Sami Zayn's in-ring status
Sami Zayn has taken to his role as a heel manager like a duck to water but we all know that the former NXT Champion is in his element when competing inside the squared circle. That has, however, not happened too frequently for many months.
Zayn last wrestled at a live event on January 20th and he has not had many matches on TV either.
Dave Meltzer reported that Zayn is still bothered by the issues in his shoulder and that's one of the main reasons why he has continued to be a manager.
Zayn's in-career isn't over by any means but he is not a 100 per cent fit and we still don't know when he will get back to being a full-time in-ring competitor.
#3. Three big names not wrestling at WrestleMania 36
WrestleMania is a special show that always has a few special-attraction matches featuring legends and part-time talents from the past and present.
Dave Meltzer revealed that Triple H, Goldberg and Ronda Rousey are currently not scheduled to wrestle at the Show of Shows on April 5th.
Triple H has made it a habit to work a match at 'Mania but he may give this year's edition a pass due to his NXT commitments.
Goldberg will wrestle The Fiend at Super ShowDown later this month and the former WCW Champion is expected to take the loss and go on another hiatus.
Ronda Rousey, as reported, is currently negotiating a new deal with the company and will return soon, but not for a WrestleMania match.
#2. RAW promos are reportedly less scripted than before
Paul Heyman always has his finger on the pulse and his influence has brought about a refreshing change to the product on RAW.
Jerry Lawler revealed on The Steve Austin Show that Paul Heyman has also convinced the company to move away from the scripted nature of its promos. The Superstars have been given a chance to be themselves and cut promos more freely.
"Now that Paul Heyman is sort of in charge of RAW, it's so much not the characters that are being predetermined by the writers or creative. They're giving the guys a chance to be themselves just like [Austin was] back when [Austin] became 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin.
Nobody was telling you, 'oh, this is how it [has] got to be.' [Austin was himself] and [he] was given that opportunity and [Austin] took it. When you've got somebody micromanaging you and telling you every single thing to do, you kind of turn into a robot and you think, 'am I doing this right? Am I doing this wrong? Am I screwing this up?'" Austin added, "you're too much in your head." H/t Credit: WrestlingInc
#1. Plans for the WWE Superstar Shake-up
As revealed by Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue back in December 2019, WWE has lined up a Superstar Shake-up that will take place after WrestleMania 36.
Tom opened up about the planned Shake-up in his new YouTube video. The plan hasn't changed and the rosters will experience a shuffle in April.
NXT will also have a role to play in the Shake-up and Tom speculated that the Undisputed Era and Shayna Baszler are most likely to change brands in the Shake-up.
WWE would also be looking to fix the apparent balance issues with regards to the roster that is particularly prevalent on SmackDown.
Here's what Tom said:
I reported this on Sportskeeda back at the end of December. It still looks likely now. With the amount of time between the report and actuality, there is always a possibility to change but that is the working plan at the moment. I know there was a Draft back in October, the situation hasn't changed too much since then but there are some balance issues that are starting to become apparent now particularly with the lack of faces at the top of SmackDown.
Now that we've seen The Miz turn back heel. Daniel Bryan is not a 100% face, there are a few quandaries there that could be very interesting, and also a few issues with the women's division now that Becky Lynch has beaten quite a lot of them, to be honest, beaten quite a lot of them and that's why we're seeing Shayna Baszler appearing now as the opponent.
I did report back at the Royal Rumble that Baszler was the likely winner, the end result was this match, this match is of course now happening, or at least it will be happening if Shayna Baszler wins at the Elimination Chamber. The Superstar Shake-up is planned to have NXT Stars involved. This is becoming more clear as to who it might be based on current storylines and current championships.
Rhea Ripley is now getting challenged by Charlotte Flair, a victory for Charlotte surely means a trade of some sort there, a victory of Shayna Baszler challenging Becky Lynch surely means some trade there.
But also when you look at Gargano/Ciampa going one last time, hopefully, one last time, when you look at Undisputed Era losing a lot of their championships recently, only the actual NXT Championship remains. It seems highly likely that Adam Cole will be defending the title against Finn Balor in the coming weeks leading up to WrestleMania at Takeover: Tampa.
Undisputed Era and Shayna Baszler are the most likely candidates to get the call-up, of course now it's a call sideways, but there are believed to be a number of changes planned. When it comes to moves to NXT, it will maintain the NXT spirit that the fans have come to expect, that is a direct quote from a source.
