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Welcome to another edition of the daily WWE Rumor Roundup where we bring you the biggest updates from the world of WWE. In today's edition, we will talk about the controversies surrounding WWE's PPV in February which will likely be taking place in Saudi Arabia.
We will also take a look at the possible alliance between Bray Wyatt and former Impact Wrestling World Champion and why AEW Superstar chose not to sign with WWE, among other stories.
Let us take a look at the biggest stories from the day:
#5 Superstars refuse to be part of next Saudi Arabia show
There have been multiple reports stating that WWE will soon be announcing the next Saudi Arabia show, which is likely to take place in February - with February 27th being the tentative date, but other sources suggesting it will be February 20th.
However, it is not the date that matters but the unwillingness of multiple Superstars to be part of the show. There was a major controversy after the last Saudi Arabia show - Crown Jewel. The Superstars were 'stranded' in the country due to a delay which was apparently caused by 'mechanical errors,' although many believe the problem was something else entirely.
Many Superstars had stated publicly and privately that they will not be a part of the next Saudi Arabia show. A new report from WrestlingNews.co has stated that more Wrestlers are deciding against being part of the PPV.
Several wrestlers said privately around the time of the “mechanical issues” that they were not planning on going back to Saudi Arabia. Now, with the heightened tensions in the Middle East, specifically the recent issues in Iran, there are more wrestlers questioning whether they should fly out for the next show. I was told that at least two more wrestlers have decided against going to the next Saudi Arabia show.
#4 Bray Wyatt wants to 'heal' Matt Hardy
With rumors circulating stating Matt Hardy is AEW-bound once his contract is up this year, Hardy played a masterstroke on Twitter. The former ECW Champion tweeted out saying that he is confused, and asked 'will HE hurt me or heal me' - directly tweeted at The Fiend.
Bray Wyatt has responded to Matt Hardy's tweet and stated that he would 'heal' his former Tag Team partner. He praises Matt Hardy and says that 'I never forget.'
Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy are former RAW Tag Team Champions when the duo used to call themselves The Deleter of Worlds and ran roughshod over the RAW tag team division.
Before the two paired up, they were bitter rivals and even took part in the highly entertaining Final Deletion match.
Before making his lacklustre return to RAW, Matt Hardy had hinted that he would love to work with Bray Wyatt again.
Could we finally see the pairing re-unite or will Matt Hardy continue to be a RAW Superstar up until his contract expires and he leaves for AEW?
Only time will tell.
#3 Vince McMahon's reaction to R-Truth's Royal Rumble idea
Vince McMahon is known to be a quirky person, and it is always a risk for a Superstar to share his ideas with him, lest he gets upset. However, luckily for the multi-time 24/7 Champion R-Truth, his idea was loved by the Chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon.
Speaking on the Notsam Wrestling podcast, R-Truth revealed that he had a unique idea for the 2016 Royal Rumble and also shared Vince McMahon's reaction to this stroke of brilliance from himself:
When I came up with that idea, I went into Vince’s office and said, ‘Hey, I got an idea.’ He was like, ‘What?’ … ‘What if I had a ladder underneath the ring for the Rumble?’ and he looked at me and burst out laughing, and said, ‘We’re doing it.’”
As promised by Vince McMahon, the segment did take place during the Royal Rumble match and was loved by the fans. R-Truth has come to be known for his silly antics and this certainly was one of his best ones.
#2 Sonya Deville reacts to the Lana/Liv Morgan love angle
The story featuring Lana, Lashley, and Rusev took a weird new turn on RAW a few weeks back during the wedding segment between Lana and Bobby Lashley. While many fans were expecting Rusev to come out and interrupt the wedding, it was Liv Morgan who came out first and alleged that she had an affair with Lana.
There had been reports stating that Sonya Deville, who is a part of the LGBT community was not happy with WWE over this. Deville recently spoke to Bleacher Report and stated:
I mean, at the end of the day, we work for a sports-entertainment company, and the segment was very entertaining. That's not to say Mandy and I don't get our storyline in the future. You know, there's room for plenty of LGBTQ storylines."
I've been working hard over the past two-and-a-half years since I've been on Raw and SmackDown with executives and GLAAD and organizations in trying to do exactly that. I think it's very important to have representation of every human there is, right? Just like you would see on a TV show or a movie in Hollywood.
"That's something that's personally important to me and the company as a whole. There's definitely talks going on about more representation in the years to come. I'll definitely make it my personal duty and passion to help pursue those."
#1 AEW Superstar reveals why she did not sign with WWE
AEW Superstar Kris Statlander spoke about a variety of topics while catching up with Alicia Atout. 'The Alien' revealed why she was confused when she came to know that WWE was interested in signing her.
You know, there were a lot of thoughts that were going through my mind because it was like WWE was interested in me, which put a lot of stress on me. I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't know what was the right choice. You'd think it's a dream come true for anybody to be offered a contract, but for me, getting signed was never a legit goal of mine in wrestling. I was like, am I going to be happy? Is this something I want to do? I was very nervous and stressed about it, but I am thoroughly enjoying all my time that I've been with AEW and all the opportunities that they've given me so far. I have no regrets about it."
She also revealed that it was pro-wrestling that had saved her life, and she is very grateful to AEW for giving her the opportunities she has had.
