WWE Rumor Roundup: Vince McMahon has no control over a Superstar, 5-time World Champion to retire sooner than later - 9th October 2019

We're back once again with our daily rumor roundup. We've gathered eight of the biggest stories that have been talked about in the rumor mills and some of the names that have been mentioned today include Edge, Samoa Joe, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg and Roman Reigns.

The WWE Draft will take place this Friday and there was quite a surprising backstage update regarding the same.

We were also provided with new information regarding the potential in-ring return of Edge. Jeff Hardy was in the news for all the wrong reasons.

You may have been wondering about Samoa Joe's absence. We now know the reason behind his sudden disappearance.

Crown Jewel was also spoken about backstage and the latest word on the PPV doesn't sound all that promising.

It was also revealed that a certain WWE Superstar enjoys creative freedom and even Vince McMahon, surprisingly, has minimal control over the top talent in question.

Finally, a decorated former World Champion revealed his intentions to face Roman Reigns.

Today's roundup is loaded!

---

#1 Brock Lesnar calls the shots, not Vince McMahon

As enraging as the statement above may sound, that is the reality. The Beast Incarnate has incredible power backstage.

Dave Meltzer spoke about the relationship between Brock Lesnar and Vince McMahon and revealed that the current WWE Champion is the one who calls the shots when it comes to his own storylines and even Vince McMahon won't have his way.

Lesnar reportedly loses the feuds he wants to lose and is the only Superstar who can get away with anything backstage.

Here's what Meltzer had to say:

Whether he’s a babyface or a heel, Brock’s only going so far for the team. Brock’s not gonna like… when it comes to Brock and Vince, people hate this, but when it comes to Brock and Vince — Brock is the one who calls the shots, not Vince and Brock can get away with anything and people hate hearing that. In the end, it’s still Vince’s company, but Brock isn’t doing anything that Brock doesn’t want to do. Every program, when he loses he wants to lose… every program, that’s just how it is you know it’s an interesting thing. H/t Credit: Sportskeeda

Lesnar became a 5-time WWE Champion recently when he defeated Kofi Kingston in seven seconds at the WWE SmackDown Premiere on Fox. He is expected to take on Cain Velasquez at Crown Jewel for the WWE Championship on October 31st.

#2 Goldberg wants to face Roman Reigns

SummerSlam 2019 was the last time we saw Goldberg enter the ring. The former WCW Champion's destruction of Dolph Ziggler restored some of the credibility that was lost after his forgettable outing with Undertaker at Super Showdown.

Goldberg spoke with Instinct Culture's Denise Salcedo and revealed who he would like to have a match with from the current roster.

Goldberg named Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman as the two men who he would like to test, while specifically elaborating on a potential clash with The Big Dog and why it's a built-in rivalry.

God, who wouldn't I like to face that I haven't? I mean, Roman and Braun are two guys that I would like to test their mettle a little bit," replied Goldberg. "Georgia [Goldberg] against Georgia Tech [Reigns] - it's kind of a built-in rivalry." H/t Credit: WrestlingInc

It has been speculated in the recent past that Paul Heyman plans on using Goldberg as a special attraction. Goldberg is being seen as this generation's Bruno Sammartino, who will pop up every now and then to compete with younger generation talents. Keeping that in mind, Reigns vs Goldberg sounds like a match that could actually happen down the lane.

---

#3 Daniel Bryan to retire from in-ring competition in a couple of years

The in-ring return of Daniel Bryan after overcoming a long-standing battle against concussions and WWE doctors is one of the best feel-good moments in professional wrestling history.

Bryan's return has been a resounding success as he has gone on to become WWE Champion and was also instrumental in Kofimania become a major rage.

However, the Leader of the Yes Movement may not be around for long.

The 38-year-old WWE Superstar opened about his in-ring future on the Bellas Podcast. Bryan stated that his retirement could come sooner rather than later as he intends on taking up the parental role more seriously.

“My retirement from full-time wrestling which will be coming up sooner rather than later in the next couple of years, that probably won’t mean retirement for [Brie Bella] for how busy you are. It will probably be me taking on more of the parental role, and so depending on jobs and that sort of thing, that’s been a nice switch in society that can happen.” H/t Credit: WrestleZone

Bryan underwent a complete babyface turn at Hell in a Cell when he teamed up with Roman Reigns to defeat Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. There was also an injury scare in the aftermath of the PPV as Bryan was seen having difficulties walking after the match.

However, the latest update is that he is fine and is expected to be actively featured going forward.

#4 Superstars kept in the dark about the upcoming Draft

WWE is all set to conduct another Draft, which will begin this Friday on SmackDown and conclude on the episode of RAW on October 14th.

Fightful Select reports that the Superstars have no clue which brand they will end up on.

Here's what was revealed by Sean Ross Sapp -

It shouldn't come as a surprise, but thus far every talent on the WWE roster we've spoken to (that has responded) doesn't know what brand they'll be heading to in the WWE Draft. One said that this is the case every time, regardless of networks, implications or future plans.

As stated above, WWE is known to keep its talents in the dark about the possible movements across brands. It was the case with the Superstar Shakeup as most Superstars were informed about their new brands at the last moment.

The company has already put out teasers and hints regarding the potential swaps that could take place in the Draft. As we had reported earlier via the Wrestling Observer, two Paul Heyman guys could be on their move from SmackDown to RAW.

Brock Lesnar has been advertised to appear on SmackDown shows which make us believe that he will be a full-time member of the blue brand. The fans should also expect a few NXT Superstars to be integrated into either the SmackDown or RAW rosters in the coming few days.

As for all the speculation going around, we can only wait and watch as to what WWE officials have up their sleeve for the highly-anticipated Draft episode.

#5 The reason why Samoa Joe is out of action

The last time we saw Samoa Joe on TV was during the King of the Ring tournament. The Samoan Submission Machine was involved in a Triple Threat match in the semi-finals of the tournament on September 9th.

The former NXT Champion has since been sidelined due to a thumb injury, as revealed by PWInsider.

Joe broke his thumb sometime back and the injury has forced him out of action. While the recovery time for serious thumb injuries is pegged at three months, we're still not sure about the severity of Joe's injury and return date.

Samoa Joe is currently waiting for a clearance from the WWE doctors and should be back on WWE programming soon. We could even see the popular Superstar make his comeback during the WWE Draft.

---

#6 Big update on Edge's return

We just can't keep Edge out of our roundup these days as everyone's talking about the Rated-R Superstar's in-ring return.

The latest update on the same, as per PWInsider, is that the 11-time WWE Champion was spotted in Pittsburg, Pensylvania. The reason why this new detail has the fans all excited is that Pittsburg is where Dr. Joseph Marron operates, who if you didn't know. is WWE's head doctor.

The speculation is running rife that Edge was there regarding the clearance required to wrestle again.

Edge recently quit the Edge and Christain podcast to reportedly get back into the ring. While he put out a tweet squashing the rumors of the comeback, many believe that it was just a diversion to understate what's actually happening behind the scenes.

WWE is known to keep such returns a secret and with Edge actively pursuing an in-ring return, the coming few months are set to have a few big surprises.

#7 Jeff Hardy had a bloody nose from a fight with his wife before his DWI arrest

Brother Nero is in trouble yet again.

As revealed by TMZ, Jeff Hardy was arrested on a DWI charge by the Carthage Police Dept. on October 3rd after authorities had been tipped off about a reckless driver.

Hardy was seen exiting a liquor store with a case of beer in his hands by the police and they kept tabs on him until they witnessed his erratic driving. Hardy was pulled over and the first thing they noticed was some dry blood on his nose.

When questioned about the blood, Hardy stated that he fought with his wife. The police then questioned him about whether he had consumed any alcohol. Hardy admitted to having two vodka shots, which made the police have him take a field sobriety test. Hardy failed the test and was reportedly not cooperating with the cops when it came to providing his blood samples.

The police obtained a warrant and Hardy was subsequently arrested for two charges - driving on a revoked license and driving while impaired.

WWE released a typical statement on Hardy's arrest by stating that the former WWE Champion was responsible for his own actions.

Jeff Hardy needs help by the looks of it and we sincerely hope he gets it before it's too late.

---

#8 Backstage uncertainty regarding Crown Jewel

WWE is all set to return to Saudi Arabia for the Crown Jewel PPV on October 31st, however, many Superstars still aren't sure whether they are needed for the show.

As revealed on Fightful Select, Superstars backstage are still unsure about making the trip to the Middle East.

“There are several people we’ve spoken to who still aren’t sure if they’re even supposed to make the trip over to Saudi Arabia in three weeks.”

The Crown Jewel PPV is expected to be headlined by a WWE Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez.

Braun Strowman vs Tyson Fury is also in the works for the show that will also see a massive ten-man match between Team Hogan and Team Flair.

It's a show you may or may not want to miss depending on what your preferences are.