WWE Rumor Roundup: Superstar leaving in 2020 as Vince McMahon doesn't want him, Paul Heyman to push surprising name to the top - 12th September 2019

It's rumor roundup time!

Many noteworthy WWE rumors were going around today and as always, we've put together the best of the lot.

Vince McMahon reportedly 'sees nothing' in a Superstar who has been absent for a while, which pretty much ends all hopes of seeing him return to TV.

Over on RAW, Paul Heyman is planning a slow push for a talented Superstar. Talking about the red brand, a top Superstar was said to be very sick for the past few weeks, which may have been the reason why he lost an important match.

There were also big updates provided regarding the future of a WWE show that has been under threat of shutting down for a long time. The company also filed for a trademark on a term that is currently a sensation on the independent wrestling scene.

Let's not waste any more time and get down to the details.

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#1. Vince McMahon sees nothing in Luke Harper

Are you waiting for Luke Harper to return to TV? If yes, then nothing but disappointment awaits you.

As per Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Radio, Vince McMahon currently has no intention to use Harper as he doesn't see anything in the former Intercontinental Champion.

Meltzer stated that WWE is essentially paying Harper to sit at home as the boss doesn't want to use him at all.

Harper requested his release from the company on April 16th earlier this year but it was met with denial from WWE. Instead of letting Harper run out his contract, WWE added another six months to his deal, which was the accumulated time of him being out of action due to injury.

His contract was originally set to expire in November 2019 but with the added time, he will now only be a free agent after April 2020. Until then, Harper will get paid for warming the benches.

#2. Paul Heyman responsible for Cedric Alexander's slow push to the top

Having Paul Heyman on RAW has a lot of benefits and the biggest of them is that underutilized yet proficient Superstars will get their deserved push.

As revealed in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Cedric Alexander is a Paul Heyman project, who is currently in the midst of a slow push.

A.J. Styles defends the U.S. title against Cedric Alexander with Alexander being one of the wrestlers Paul Heyman wants to give a slow push to the top rung.

Alexander took on AJ Styles in a singles match this past week on RAW which ended in a DQ after The OC attacked the former 205 Live Superstar.

A massive 10-man tag team match was booked for the main event that saw Alexander get the win for the babyface team by pinning Styles.

It was later confirmed that Styles will defend the United States title against Alexander at the Clash of Champions PPV, which is scheduled to take place on September 15th.

Cedric Alexander has been on the receiving end of a steady push as he has been featured quite regularly on WWE TV of late. This is all part of the bigger plan, but will Cedric manage to dethrone Styles as the new US Champion? That seems highly unlikely at this point as the belt currently holds more value in the hands of the Phenomenal One.

However, anything can happen in the WWE and a title change is also a possibility, however bad it may seem for Styles' momentum.

#3. WWE and AEW have already had talks regarding signing Cain Velasquez

Cain Velasquez has wrestled only one match and all the top promotions are already aching to get his signature. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion confirmed to Ariel Helwani that he has had talks with both WWE and AEW.

“We’ve been in talks with them (WWE). They’re going pretty good. I’ve talked to them (AEW). I’ve talked to them a little bit, so I want to talk to him (Cody) a little more. I think they are doing great things. Now that I’ve started watching a little more pro wrestling, I think AEW is doing some really cool things. And they have a good relationship with AAA as well, so they have a lot of guys going to AAA, and back to AEW.

"And AEW too does a lot of like, lucha stuff, you know. They do a lot of lucha wrestling, which I think is pretty cool. I really like what they’re doing as far as the wrestling aspect of it. I think they have really good athletes coming in, really good showmen. They’re doing good things right now, yeah.”

Velasquez made his pro wrestling debut at AAA TripleMania XXVII by teaming up with Cody and Psycho Clown in a six-man tag team match against Killer Cross, Taurus and Texano Jr.

He put on an impressive display that garnered rave reviews from all corners of the pro wrestling and MMA communities. Velasquez will wrestle his second match at the AAA show inside the Hulu Theatre at the MSG on September 15th. He will team up with Brian Cage and Psycho Clown for another six-man tag team match against the team of Rey Escorpion, Texano Jr. and Black Taurus.

#4. Update on Drew McIntyre's sickness and surgery

Drew McIntyre has been absent from WWE TV ever since getting eliminated from the King of the Ring Tournament at the hands of Ricochet in the first round.

McIntyre reportedly underwent a successful surgery which was not related to the bone or muscle. The complete nature of his injury has still been kept under wraps.

It was also revealed as part of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that McIntyre was very sick for a few weeks and didn't bother to tell anyone about it while continuing to work.

On 8/26, the day he did the King of the Ring match with Ricochet, he could barely get out of bed. But he kept it to himself and just figured he was run down and had the flu and would work through it. He went to Mexico last week on a promotional tour and when he got back, the company told him to see a doctor. The doctor diagnosed him and ordered him in surgery three hours later. He’s ready to go right about now but was not cleared as of press time, but it should be fairly soon.

McIntyre was one of the biggest favourites to win the KOTR tournament and the ill-timed sickness may have forced WWE to change a few plans that were on the table.

The good news is that McIntyre is fine after the surgery and is waiting for the WWE doctors to give him clearance to return to the squared circle.

#5. The future of 205 Live

During a recent interview with Newsweek, Triple H spoke about NXT's exciting new chapter that will begin once it moves to the USA Network. The Game also revealed what will happen to the 205 Live brand, which is expected to be incorporated into the thriving yellow brand. Triple H hinted that the Cruiserweight show could be a part of NXT going forward when he said:

"You'll start to see 205 begin to. I think it always existed as an island onto itself, a little bit, and it's become lost in this limbo. You'll begin to see it move more towards the NXT banner and the talent there. We have a lot of talent. For them to begin to compete either open against anyone or in the cruiserweight division, but have that title sit under the NXT brand is more meaningful. It creates more opportunities for more people."

It was also additionally reported that WWE is still considering different options when it came to the future of 205 Live, but as things stand, the integration with NXT seems like the best possible option.

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#6. WWE has filed for a trademark on Yowie Wowie and few other terms

It seems Bray Wyatt's Yowie Wowie is a growing sensation on the independent wrestling circuit as the phrase has been chanted at a few non-WWE shows, as per the Wrestling Observer.

Yowie Wowie is expected to be a 'big thing' on the indies in the future and WWE seems to want exclusive rights over it. It was also reported that WWE has filed for trademarks for Legit Boss, Firefly Funhouse, Monster Among Men and a few other names of NXT Superstars.