WWE Rumor Roundup: Vince McMahon to give up creative control, Iconic veteran refuses company's offer and joins AEW instead

There has been a lot of newsworthy buzz surrounding the wrestling world this week, and we can't wait to bring you some of the biggest news and rumors today.

Some of the biggest news coming today related to the major changes that are coming NXT's way and how AEW is doing there best to counter WWE to build their strong brand.

Let us take a look at 5 of the biggest news and rumors of today:

#5 205 Live to be canceled?

There has been a lot of talk regarding SmackDown moving to FOX and hence the SmackDown tapings taking place on Fridays. Reports have stated that FOX wants the tapings to be 3 hours long and it isn't certain as of now what the 3 hours would be.

While it would be easy to assume that the third hour might be the 205 Live episode as it is right now, there has been talk about possibly canceling 205 Live as it is seen as a failed experiment.

Here is what Dave Meltzer has stated:

It may mean 205 Live goes to WWE Network although a lot of people think 205 Live is going to disappear and it probably should because talk about a failed experiment, that’s a failed experiment.

(H/T Credit: Themix.net)

While 205 might not be a success in the conventional sense, it has amassed a major following among WWE Network subscribers who look forward to the fast-paced great in-ring action each week. So, canceling the purple brand may not be a very good idea as they have already lost the exclusivity of NXT after the deal with USA Network.

Do you think canceling 205 Live would be a good decision? Let us know in the comment section.

Also Read: 6 most intriguing backstage rumors regarding 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt - WWE unhappy with The Fiend character, Wyatt calls out Vince McMahon

#4 Rusev gets a new look

The Bulgarian Brute has been off WWE television for quite some time now, as the former US Champion is enjoying his vacation from in-ring action. While some reports tried to suggest that Rusev and Lana may not be re-signing with WWE, these rumors have since been rubbished.

Even so, there are no concrete details regarding when the Bulgarian powerhouse will return to action. It can be said that even though Rusev reached the zenith of his popularity during the 'Rusev Day' gimmick, the 33-year-old will surely bounce back and make a major impact once he returns.

Rusev recently shared a photo on his social media which shows him in a brand new look: The last time he had shared an update, he did not have his beard and looked a lot like Bobby Roode aka Robert Roode.

As can be seen, Rusev has gotten rid of his french beard and now sports a completely clean-shaven look. It will be interesting to see whether this is merely Rusev experimenting with his look or could it be an indication of a return soon as many Superstars make their return with a new look.

#3 Tony Schiavone rejects WWE's offer and signs with AEW

The iconic WCW commentator Tony Schiavone has become the latest addition to AEW's star-studded line-up. AEW were able to get Schiavone on board even as WWE was in talks with the legendary announcer.

Schiavone has formerly worked for WWE as well but decided to sign with AEW just ahead of the great AEW vs NXT war is set to begin.

Here is what Dave Meltzer of WOR said:

They (WWE) were in talks in the last week with Tony Schiavone. Tony thought that in the way he left WWE, whatever it was like 20...when did he leave WWE? That's like in the 90s, so what 25 years ago? He thought that the way he left, he could never go back and then they were like clamouring for him. They had no interest in him when WCW went down. There was no interest in bringing in Tony Schiavone into WWF and they never did.

Now! Now there is interest in him because they knew AEW had interest in him. So the deal with Schiavone is, he's going to be with AEW. They worked out a deal with Major League Wrestling. He will still be with Major League Wrestling as well. So that's how that deal is going to work and that's the Schiavone deal.

(H/T: SportsKeeda.com)

#2 NXT moves to USA Network

There had been a lot of speculation that WWE will announce NXT's move to USA Network on this edition of RAW; however, no such thing happened. Instead, WWE broke this major news via Twitter and announced that the yellow brand will move from WWE Network to the USA Network and join other WWE programming such as RAW and Miz and Mrs on the network.

Here is what WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon had to say:

“The move to USA Network provides an opportunity to deepen our relationship with NBCUniversal and further build the NXT brand. Over the long term our goal is to develop a following that can be monetized to the same level as our flagship programs, ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown.'”

Not only has NXT found a new home, but it will also become a 2-hour long show now. However, the move to USA Network does not mean that it won't be part of the WWE Network anymore. The show will continue to air on NXT with a one-day delay and be available on the network on Thursdays.

#1 Vince McMahon to slowly step away from the creative control

As had been reported, Vince McMahon was not part of this week's RAW tapings as he was busy with work related to his upcoming project - XFL.

Here is what Dave Meltzer had stated on the same on WOR:

So Vince was not at the show tonight. He's not going to be on the show tomorrow because he's getting ready for the XFL announcement on Wednesday where they are going to announce all the coaches and all the teams and things like that. So he's busy with that.

Now, Tom Colohue of SportsKeeda has stated that Vince McMahon set to slowly relinquish ‘the chair’. Colohue stated that the reason why Vince McMahon left RAW in the hands of Triple H and Paul Heyman is that he has complete trust in the two.

One of Colohue's sources also stated that Vince McMahon will not be giving up all responsibility abandoning all responsibility but will still have oversight of the product at a distance.

Here is what another source stated: