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It's that time of the day again when we put together another stacked edition of the daily WWE Rumor Roundup.
We begin today's lineup with a backstage story from the past about a controversial Superstar rejecting Vince McMahon's offer to become a world champion in the WWE. The world title victory would have been a historically significant moment, but the Superstar turned down the proposal in favor of another offer.
A top AEW star also almost showed up in WWE before being signed up by Tony Khan's promotion, and the details of the incident have now come to light.
Braun Strowman's WWE status is shrouded in uncertainty, and more updates on his immediate future have been revealed.
A WWE Hall of Famer, who currently works backstage in the WWE, is facing a few health issues.
Vince McMahon was also reportedly responsible for a chaotic situation backstage on SmacDown.
On that note, let's get right to the latest installment of the WWE Rumor Roundup:
#5 Vince McMahon offered Chyna the chance to become a WWE Champion
Chyna will always be remembered as a trailblazer in the annals of pro wrestling history. The WWE Hall of Famer was the first and only woman to win the Intercontinental Championship, and there were even calls for her to win the WWE Championship during the peak of her career.
In fact, the 'Ninth Wonder of the World' could have very well had a WWE title reign on her resume.
Chyna's former manager Anthony Anzaldo, who was interviewed as part of Wrestling Inc's 'Documenting Chyna' series, revealed that Vince McMahon offered Chyna the opportunity to become a WWE Champion. However, there was a catch.
Vince McMahon's proposal meant that Chyna would have to give up the chance of modeling for Playboy.
The former WWE Women's Champion chose Playboy over the WWE Championship.
"They offered her the WWE Championship belt, but Vince said, 'But you can't do Playboy' because she got offered to do Playboy. She chose Playboy over the belt. Vince says, 'If you do Playboy, you don't get the belt.' She said f--k the belt. I'm doing Playboy. Highest selling out of the box Playboy, first week Playboy, in the history of Playboy, more than Kim Kardashian. It's top three of all time behind Kardashian and Marilyn Monroe."
Chyna's WWE career spiraled out of control after reaching a memorable high, and she was released in 2001. Chyna passed away in April 2016.
#4 D-Von Dudley dealing with health issues, unable to attend WWE shows
WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley revealed during a recent edition of his Table Talk podcast that he is currently dealing with a few health issues. While Dudley didn't delve deeper into the problems' details, he did admit that it has been a rough phase.
"Hanging in there. I've had some health issues, but I'm hanging in there. I miss you guys. Hopefully, I'll be back soon. I gotta see what the doctors say but, it's been a little rough, but I've been hanging in there, doing what I can." H/t ComicBook
D-Von Dudley has been working in the WWE as a backstage producer since 2016.
PWInsider would later report that D-Von Dudley has not even able to attend the WWE tapings in Orlando for the past few weeks due to health issues.
D-Von Dudley has been an active member of the producers' team backstage for the past four years, and his absence would surely be felt behind the scenes. WWE, however, recently re-hired a few furloughed veteran producers, and that should help the company.
There are no updates on D-Von Dudley's health as of this writing. We at Sportskeeda wish the WWE Hall of Famer a healthy and speedy recovery.
#3 Vince McMahon responsible for a messy backstage situation on WWE SmackDown
It should surprise nobody that the backstage scenes at recent WWE shows have been quite chaotic, and it primarily comes down to Vince McMahon.
It's a known fact that Vince McMahon rips up the script on the day of the show, and several last-minute creative changes have been done before it gets approved.
Dave Meltzer reported in a recent edition of Wrestling Observer's Daily Update that SmackDown was a mess backstage as the show was still being scripted until a few hours before it went live.
Vince McMahon arrived late at the tapings, at around 12:30 PM, and the people backstage had no clue about what was scheduled for the episode until the WWE Boss was in the building.
It was added that what happened on SmackDown this past week has been the case for several weeks.
We got one report that Smackdown was a mess as the show was still being worked on a few hours ago. Nobody knew anything, which is why nothing has been advertised. Vince McMahon arrived at about 12:30 p.m. Another person confirmed people not knowing anything until Vince came but said that had been the case almost every week of late, and it's nothing new.
Fightful Select also reported that the Amway Center's move didn't change the Vince McMahon situation. Vince McMahon was always in his office when WWE filmed shows at the WWE PC.
However, Vince McMahon has now been appearing at Gorilla Position in recent weeks, changing the trend that has been prevalent for months.
#2 Braun Strowman WWE status update
The decision to write Braun Strowman off WWE TV via a suspension angle caught us all by surprise. As reported first by Dave Meltzer, Braun Strowman vs. Drew McIntyre was the originally scheduled WWE title match for the TLC PPV.
However, that plan might have changed over the past few days.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that Braun Strowman does indeed have a knee injury, which explains his absence from WWE TV.
Meltzer believes that Strowman will not be able to compete at TLC, and the Triple Threat No.1 Contender's match will be for the spot in the WWE title match. In case you didn't know, AJ Styles won the contest and will face Drew McIntyre at TLC.
"So Braun Strowman does have a knee injury because he's being treated for it. I don't know the severity of it. The impression I have is that he is not going to be at TLC, so I think the three-way is going to be for the spot, but I don't know that 100%. I don't think anyone knows anything anyway. From what someone told me, the writing team still thinks it's Strowman; that could be wrong. As of Monday, I had heard that part." H/t WrestlingNews.co
The confusion around Braun Strowman's WWE status should be cleared as we get closer to the PPV. As of this writing, WWE and Strowman are yet to release statements on the injury situation.
#1 MJF nearly appeared in WWE before AEW signing
MJF is considered to be the most promising young talent in all of pro wrestling. Maxwell Jacob Friedman is the most polished star amongst all the young prospects around the world, and he is destined to be one of the cornerstones of AEW in the future. MJF rose to fame with his work in Major League Wrestling (MLW), and there was a time when WWE was also interested in working with him.
During a recent appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, MLW boss Court Bauer revealed that WWE wanted MJF to do a crossover appearance for the company back in 2018.
MLW was doing some business with the WWE back then, and Vince McMahon's company needed some indy talent, which would have been similar to their EVOLVE and PROGRESS deals. The WWE also seemed interested in signing him, which could have taken him to NXT.
WWE asked questions about MJF, and the people in the company were shocked to know that he was just 21 years old.
MJF wasn't sure whether to take WWE's reaction as a compliment or an insult. Bauer praised the skillset and appreciated MJF's efforts to use the fundamental aspects of pro wrestling to shape a modern version of a throwback character.
"At one point, we were doing some business with WWE in 2018 - we were going to. We were fairly friendly, I guess you could say, and there was talk about MJF possibly doing a crossover thing with them. We were taping, primarily at the time, out of Orlando, and they were-- NXT, of course, is down the road. So they start asking questions about him, and one of the things they asked was, 'So he's what, 26, 28, 29?' I'm like, 'No dude; he's 21.' They're like, 'What?' I'm like, 'Does he look that way, or just the experience? What is it,' and I remember telling MJF that. "He's like, 'I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult.' I'm like, 'I don't know either.' He has certain qualities you just don't see in a lot of wrestling. A lot of wrestling, I think, as JR would say, 'Do you have the sizzle there or what?' And he kind of blends a lot of those qualities. Very much a throwback, but he doesn't think he's a throwback. He just takes those positive attributes and incorporates it into a modern character that works." H/t WrestlingInc
MJF is currently a part of The Inner Circle in AEW, and as stated earlier, the 24-year-old star is earmarked for the top spot in the company in due time.
MJF was involved with the WWE Tough Enough series in 2015 but was never signed by the promotion. MJF was also used as one of the security guards at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II in 2016 during Samoa Joe's entrance.
