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Welcome to today's edition of the WWE Rumor Roundup, where we take a look at the top stories of the day. With WrestleMania Backlash in the books, we are now gearing up for WWE's Hell In A Cell next month.
The WWE Universe won't be back in arenas for the pay-per-view next month, but the company has confirmed plans for fans to return. Starting with the July 16 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, WWE Universe will be back in the arena, and Money In The Bank will be the first pay-per-view to have fans since WrestleMania.
We also have news of The Miz confirming that he refused to do a spot with Bad Bunny at WrestleMania 37, a WWE Hall of Famer sending Vince McMahon explosive text messages and more.
Without further ado, here is today's WWE Rumor Roundup:
What WWE Chairman Vince McMahon thinks of AEW
Ever since All Elite Wrestling was announced, there have been talks about a 'war' between AEW and WWE. The newly formed promotion has consistently beaten NXT in the ratings on Wednesday nights, but Eric Bischoff claims they never bothered Vince McMahon.
On the latest episode of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff claimed WWE Chairman Vince McMahon does not care about AEW. He believes there is no 'war' between the two promotions as far as the WWE Chairman is concerned.
"I don't think Vince cares, I know wrestling fans like to think that there's this battle between AEW and WWE. The very fact that I made an appearance on AEW a month before they inducted me into the Hall of Fame suggests to me that they really don't care," Bischoff said. "Are they aware? Sure. Is Vince McMahon walking around kicking people in the a** saying 'God dammit, how did they beat us to the punch?" (H/T SeScoops)
Eric Bischoff is not the first person to make this claim. CM Punk made a similar claim after AEW Superstar Chris Jericho appeared on Stone Cold Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions. He said:
"Honestly, my knee-jerk reaction, opinion on it is, I think that shows that Vince McMahon isn't afraid of AEW at all, 'cause if he was, he wouldn't allow it to happen. Anytime anybody is talking about you, it's good."
NXT are now on Tuesday nights, while AEW continues to do well on Wednesdays.
Hint on John Cena's next WWE opponent
John Cena has confirmed he wants to get back to WWE, and one RAW Superstar is waiting to welcome him back. MVP has issued a challenge to the 16-time World Champion to face Bobby Lashley on his return.
In an interview with Den of Geek last week, John Cena claimed he was eager to get back in the WWE ring and that he wants to work in front of the WWE Universe.
"I really, really want to get back to WWE," he said. "I really want audiences to get back to WWE. Heck, I'm with everybody I think around the world saying I just want the world to get back to normal, but these are interesting times, and I have a lot of interesting opportunities at my feet, and I really do appreciate the WWE Universe understanding that after so many years."
WWE on FOX's Instagram account posted the quote on their page, and MVP issued a challenge straight away.
Will we see Bobby Lashley take on John Cena soon, or will the current WWE Champion get his wish and face off with Brock Lesnar?
The Miz refused a huge spot at WWE WrestleMania
WWE Superstar The Miz has revealed he was supposed to be in the spot instead of John Morrison when Bad Bunny performed the Canadian Destroyer at WrestleMania 37. However, he was not in favor of the move and thus opted out.
The Miz teamed up with John Morrison to take on Bad Bunny and Damian Priest at WrestleMania 37. The match was one of the best on pay-per-view, with the Canadian Destroyer spot turning out to be the highlight.
In a recent interview with Looper, The Miz claimed he was unwilling to be on the receiving end of Bad Bunny's Canadian Destroyer as it was a move he could not perform perfectly. But the former WWE Champion heaped praise on Bad Bunny and John Morrison for pulling it off:
"When they brought it up, I was like, 'Absolutely not.' One, because I can't even do a Canadian Destroyer, let alone Bad Bunny doing one. But man, that was an incredible move. And the way John got hit with it, I was in awe."
The Miz reportedly injured his ACL at WrestleMania Backlash. There is no suggestion of the extent of the injury but the former WWE Champion could be off WWE TV for some time.
Kurt Angle reveals he sent WWE Chairman 'explosive texts'
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has revealed he used to send Vince McMahon explosive texts that could have easily offended the WWE Chairman in 2006. The five-time WWE Champion claimed he was working on painkillers at the time, with a lot of the WWE talent out injured.
On the latest episode of 'The Kurt Angle Show' on AdFreeShows.com, he revealed the texts were sent because the WWE Chairman was not willing to take him back.
"Well, up until 2006, we were pretty close, but my behavior became erratic," Angle said. "I started behaving out of control, sending Vince text messages, threatening to beat him up. I had the painkiller problem that nobody knew about.
"I was injured so much, you know, and I couldn't take any time off because a lot of the other talent were injured. So, a lot of top guys. So, I was kind of there to keep the product intact, and mentally I was just losing it, and I was texting Vince more and more. He wouldn't respond, so that would piss me off even more. After I joined ECW, it got even worse."
However, Kurt Angle did patch things up with Vince McMahon before returning to WWE in 2017. He worked as the RAW General Manager and was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He retired from in-ring action at WrestleMania 35.
The big WWE WrestleMania 33 secret is finally out
When The Hardy Boyz returned to WWE at WrestleMania 33, Big Cass, aka W. Morrissey, whispered something in Enzo Amore's ears. Four years down the line and the WWE Universe was still left in the dark regarding what the former WWE Superstar had said.
Inside The Ropes recently caught up with W. Morrissey, who finally opened up about what he had whispered. Big Cass revealed he was talking about the pop The Hardy Boyz received from the crowd at the arena.
"I'm sure I said something along the lines of… 'Did you hear that motherf***ing pop? That was crazy!' But yeah, being in the ring, like, there was speculation but really… The six people in the ring and the few people backstage were the only people that knew what was about to happen."
Of the eight WWE Superstars who took part in that fatal 4-way tag-team match, only Jeff Hardy, Cesaro, and Sheamus remain with the company. Matt Hardy joined AEW after his contract expired while the others were released from their contracts.
