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We are back again with another edition of our daily rumor roundup.
We have a lot to talk about today. An underutilized Superstar is reportedly quite unhappy behind the scenes and there were updates regarding what WWE plans to do with him.
A Superstar was taken off the roster listings on WWE.com, which hints towards another departure from the company.
WWE made another interesting signing in the form of a promising independent star. With Crown Jewel on the horizon, there were backstage murmurs regarding a section of the roster not wanting to work the much-hyped PPV.
We also have John Cena in today's roundup as the absent WWE Superstar opened up about his retirement. Finally, we got another reason as to why WWE seemingly nixed the Firefly Fun House segments.
#1 Luke Harper is not a happy man backstage
You've got to feel for Luke Harper. The former Intercontinental Champion wants out but the WWE just won't let him go.
Harper was recently brought back and paired up again with Erick Rowan during the angle with Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. However, the Bludgeon Brothers split again when Rowan was sent to RAW while Harper was drafted to SmackDown after being a free agent.
During the latest edition of Sportskeeda's Dropkick DiSKussions with Tom Colohue and Korey Gunz, Tom revealed the current status of Harper and stated that the Superstar is still unhappy with his position in the company.
It was revealed that WWE currently has no plans for Harper. The former Wyatt Family member is in a very difficult situation.
Colohue said the following:
“It seems very likely to me he is going back into creative hiatus, hopefully not for long. Hopefully, we’ll see him on Friday [on SmackDown] and they’ll have an actual plan for this. But, to my knowledge, at the moment there is no plan for Luke Harper. He was pulled in late just as a way to pop that story, make it very concise, and wrap it up in a neat little bow.”
“He is not happy. That’s not changed. He has been put in a very difficult position in that they don’t use him but won’t let him leave, and so we’re going to get moments where he tries to force their hand, which is something that has happened recently on Twitter, for example. He wants to move on. He wants to be used.”
#2 John Cena comments on his retirement and future
John Cena last appeared on the RAW Reunion show during which he engaged in a rap battle with the Usos and the Cenation leader has not returned to WWE TV ever since that appearance. He was widely speculated to be a part of SmackDown's first episode on Fox, however, the 16-time WWE Champion had to be a part of the Suicide Squad filming that began during that time.
The WWE veteran recently spoke to Good Housekeeping and shot down all the rumors surrounding his wrestling career.
“WWE is my family, they’ll always be my family and none of any of this exists without them, and I will never forget that, I don’t think I’ll ever retire, because I don’t look at it like that…You don’t retire from your family. I will never, ever stop waving the WWE flag…I don't think I’ll ever separate myself from them.”
However, Cena admitted that he isn't a spring chicken anymore with his advancing age and that he needs to take that into account as well going forward.
“As a 42-year-old, going to be 43 in April…I already know that I’m a little lighter, I’m a little slower, I’m not as strong, so all of the physical signs are like, ‘I’m here, I’m here, I’m here.’"
John Cena may turn 43 soon but he is still physically capable of putting on solid matches for a few more years. A comparison that gets more validity with each passing day is that John Cena is this generation's Rock and he will be used as a part-time talent whenever the need arises.
Could we see him appear at WrestleMania 36 next year? If yes, who would you like to see him go up against?
#3 The reason why WWE ended the Firefly Fun House
In what has been perceived as a mistake on WWE's part, the company booked Seth Rollins in an angle in the closing segment of RAW in which he burned down the Firefly Fun House.
It is widely believed that WWE included the arson attack angle on RAW to write off the popular segments before Bray Wyatt's move to SmackDown.
On the latest edition of Dropkick DiSKussions with Tom Colohue and Korey Gunz, Colohue confirmed that the move to possibly end the Firefly Fun House had a lot to do with The Fiend being drafted to the Blue brand.
“I don’t think FOX really understand Bray Wyatt. I think this may be one of the reasons why we saw the Firefly Fun House burn down. To my knowledge, from what I’m being told as the days go on, FOX really aren’t sure what they can do with Bray Wyatt. How do you market Bray Wyatt to a sports audience? Is The Fiend going to come to a ball game? Is he going to sit during baseball? Do you see The Fiend turning up on one of the kiss cams? Do you see him joining a panel show?”
Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt will face each other again at Crown Jewel in a 'Falls Count Anywhere, Can't Be Stopped for Any Reason' match! WWE is trying hard to make up for the Hell in a Cell finish.
Wyatt is also expected to take on Rollins in a Steel Cage match on the RAW after Crown Jewel. Additionally, he has been advertised to appear on all the episodes of RAW in November in addition to his SmackDown dates.
#4 Kacy Catanzaro removed from WWE NXT roster
NXT Superstar Kacy Catanzaro has officially been removed from the NXT roster, which pretty much ends all the speculation surrounding her status with the company.
It was first reported in September by Squared Circle Sirens that Catanzaro wanted to call time on her career due to a back injury. The former American Ninja Warrior competitor is currently in a relationship with Ricochet and was recently spotted alongside him during the SmackDown premiere blue carpet on FOX.
Ricochet had previously revealed in an interview that Catanzaro wasn't injured or retired from wrestling. He did add that she intended on starting a family and the hectic WWE schedule could be a deterrent factor.
The company has not put out a confirmation about her exit but her absence from the NXT roster page serves as a big indication about her future.
#5 WWE signs Jake Atlas
As reported first by Last Word on Pro Wrestling with more details from SoCal Uncensored, WWE has reportedly signed Jake Atlas, who is expected to begin working with the company from January onwards.
Atlas will report to the WWE Performance Centre just like every other developmental talent.
While the WWE faithful may be unfamiliar with Atlas, independent wrestling fans will know his caliber and value as a performer.
Atlas was impressive during the Battle of Los Angeles tournament for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). He even worked for Ring of Honor at the promotion's Las Vegas show and was on the company's radar. However, Atlas turned down an offer to join ROH and has instead, signed on the dotted line of a WWE contract.
He was once offered a 'Brand Ambassador' contract on the celebrity edition of Undercover Boss that featured Stephanie McMahon in 2018.
Atlas is a talented wrestler who can be a big asset to the NXT brand in 2020.
#6 A section of the roster doesn't want to work at Crown Jewel
WWE is preparing for its tradition of having another WrestleMania-like show in Saudi Arabia. This year's Crown Jewel PPV is being built on the foundation set by two special attraction matches.
Brock Lesnar will defend the WWE Championship against Cain Velasquez while Tyson Fury will take on Braun Strowman in a match that arouses alarming levels of skepticism.
Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue was discussing the Crown Jewel show with Korey Gunz on Dropkick DiSKussions. As per Colohue, many talents have outrightly refused to work at the Crown Jewel PPV.
“I think WWE also chose to bring people in to pad out the card because we have people saying ‘no’. We have quite a bit of talent in the locker room now saying ‘no’. Those numbers are going up. People are refusing to work Saudi Arabia.”
WWE has also booked a huge 10-man tag team match between Team Hulk Hogan and Team Ric Flair. Team Hogan will be captained by Roman Reigns and will include Ali, Ricochet, Rusev and Shorty G while Team Flair will have Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton, King Corbin, Bobby Lashley and another Superstar whose identity is yet to be revealed.
What's interesting to note is that an unnamed Superstar from the aforementioned match has also informed the company that he doesn't wish to make the trip to Saudi Arabia.
“I was told quite recently just by the one person within WWE that there was someone who is already on a Team Hogan or a Team Flair who was considering refusing working Saudi Arabia. It’s not just a case of Sami Zayn anymore, who was told not to come. People are saying ‘no’, people are paying attention, people are more politically active and they are making that decision.”
