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It's that time of the day again when we bring you another stacked edition of our daily WWE Rumor Roundup.
A lot has gone down in the world of WWE and pro wrestling in general in the past week, and several vital stories need our attention.
Details of Vince McMahon visiting a recently released veteran have come to light, and it's an intriguing story when you consider the ongoing pandemic.
A five-time Champion, who left WWE in 2011, has reacted to reports about a WWE return.
Vince McMahon also reportedly turned down the proposal of having one of the biggest dream matches in pro wrestling history.
Backstage information on what prompted Sting to ditch WWE in favor of AEW has also been disclosed. There is also still a considerable amount of backstage heat on a controversial WWE Superstar.
A big update on WWE and AEW being interested in a highly-rated free agent has also been revealed.
On that note, let's take a look at the latest edition of the WWE Rumor Roundup:
#5. Vince McMahon visited recently released WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco
Gerald Brisco was officially released from WWE on September 10 after initially being furloughed on April 15.
Brisco had been with WWE since 1984 and had taken up several backstage roles over the years.
Gerald Brisco spoke to Nick Hausman on the latest edition of The Wrestling Inc. Daily podcast. The respected veteran opened up about his WWE release and the conversation he had with Vince McMahon following his departure.
Brisco had nothing but praise for Vince McMahon, and he holds no grudges against the WWE boss. Brisco was proud of his contributions to WWE. While he admitted that he was a little angry, Brisco reminded himself of the relationships and accomplishments during his 36-year tenure in WWE. Brisco has a clear conscience, and he believes that Vince McMahon has reimbursed him for all his efforts.
Brisco also revealed that Vince McMahon drove to his property following the release. WWE wanted to shoot a Bray Wyatt segment, and Bruce Prichard got in touch with Brisco about using the property. Much to Brisco's shock, Vince McMahon also showed up for the tapings. Brisco said that Vince McMahon drove over to Keystone, FL from Orlando, and he was touched that the WWE Chairman came over to say hello.
Here's what Brisco said about the meeting with Vince McMahon after the release.
"Well, I was a real fortunate. We did a taping here right after I got let go, matter of fact. I've got some [property] here in Keystone, FL, and Bruce knew about it. Bruce called me. 'Hey, would you allow us to come in and do some filming? We want to do some filming with Bray Wyatt,' and I said, 'I got the perfect spot for it.' So they did, and I was really shocked because Vince never shows up to these remote tapings or anything. And we got a phone call in the middle of the afternoon that Vince was coming by for me. He was going to drive over from Orlando. [He's going to] have a car bring him over from Orlando, come over and say hello to me.
"It didn't shock me that Bruce was coming over because Bruce is my brother, but it did shock me that Vince would take the time out of his schedule after flying all the way down from Connecticut, going through all the protocols and everything that you got to go through, get in the car and drive another hour and a half, come over and visit me for an hour and a half. So we got to talk a little bit. To get a relationship with Vince takes effort on your part because Vince, contrary to what you see on TV, is not one of those guys that's really in your face all the time." H/t WrestlingInc
Gerald Brisco made a WWE TV appearance on the most recent SmackDown as part of the Pat Patterson tribute segment along with the rest of the roster, which also had Vince McMahon.
#4. Vince McMahon didn't want a proposed dream match in WWE; the reason why Sting signed with AEW
The fans are still reeling from Sting's monumental AEW debut on the 'Winter is Coming' episode of AEW Dynamite. Sting's AEW debut was rumored to happen ever since his WWE contract reportedly expired in May earlier his year. However, when he finally debuted AEW Dynamite, it still managed to catch the fans off guard.
Now, several details about his WWE departure and the AEW signing have been revealed.
Sting has signed a multi-year deal with AEW, and Tony Khan intends on using The Icon as a regular on-screen character. WWE was never high on the idea of Sting being regularly featured on TV.
It was added that Sting wanted a cinematic match with The Undertaker in WWE, but Vince McMahon rejected the proposal as the match never appealed to the WWE head honcho.
Meltzer noted the following in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
Khan wants to make him a regular television character, although he very clearly has to be protected when it comes to not taking bumps. Still, it is known Sting wanted to do a Cinematic match with Undertaker, and for whatever reason, while fans have clamored for Undertaker vs. Sting for years, it has never been a match that appealed to McMahon.
WrestleTalk's Louis Dangoor additionally reported that Sting decided to leave WWE in favor of AEW as the Hall of Famer was unhappy with how he was treated in Vince McMahon's company. Sting wants the fans to enjoy his last full-time run, and he feels AEW is the right place to do it.
Dangoor noted the following:
WrestleTalk's Louis Dangoor can now exclusively reveal that Sting was unhappy with how WWE treated him during his time with the company. We were also told that he joined AEW to do "something good" for the fans for his final full-time gig.
Sting will appear on next week's AEW Dynamite in an interview segment with Tony Schiavone, and it is expected to draw the highest number in the promotion's history.
#3. Melina provides an update on the reported WWE return, unhappy with the rumors
PWInsider was the first to report back in September about Melina's WWE return. There was a lot of hype towards seeing the five-time Champion (two-time Divas and three-time Women's Champion) back in WWE as a full-time performer after a nine-year absence.
Here's what PWinsider's report had revealed on 18th September:
Former WWE Womens Champion and WWE Divas Champion Melina Perez has come to terms for a return to World Wrestling Entertainment, PWInsider.com has confirmed. There had been interest in Perez earlier this year as the company attempted to book her for the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble, but at the time, she was under an agreement with the NWA. That agreement has since expired. PWInsider.com is told by multiple sources that Perez will be returning to WWE programming within the next week.
Melina had reacted to the reports days after it circulated on the internet, and she was not too pleased with the accuracy of the information.
Melina Perez has now commented on the reports yet again while responding to a fan. Perez targetted the dirt sheets yet again and claimed that the story about her return was a lie.
The dirt sheets lie about stuff like that for clicks. That's why I was upset a few months back. The dirt sheets lie about so much & fans deserve better. Best to follow the promotions & the wrestlers, along with people like @VickieGuerrero , @LilianGarcia & @ChrisVanVliet .
Plans in WWE change quite often, and the report regarding Melina's return could be one of those cases as PWInsider is often accurate with their stories.
Melina Perez made her last WWE appearance at the RAW Reunion show in July 2019.
#2. Backstage update on Jaxson Ryker's WWE status
Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake, who were previously part of The Forgotten Sons stable, made their WWE TV returns on the recent SmackDown episode as King Corbin's henchmen.
While it was great to see Cutler and Blake back on TV, several questions were raised regarding the absence of the third Forgotten Son, Jaxson Ryker.
Fightful Select reports that there is still backstage heat on Jaxson Ryker in WWE. Ryker has been at his residence in North Carolina for months with no plans for him to be brought to Orlando's tapings.
The report noted that Ryker's name wasn't even on the internal roster sheets at one point. Ryker attracted a lot of heat for his controversial tweet a few months ago in which he supported Donald Trump. The locker room was not happy with Ryker's social media activity, and he still seems to be in the doghouse.
A source close to the situation told Fightful that Jaxson Ryker 'wasn't worth the risk of bad publicity of being on TV.' It was added that the WWE management was never really high on Ryker, and it's interesting to note that the former IMPACT Wrestling star also didn't have a single match on SmackDown after the call-up.
WWE has no creative plans for Ryker, but it's promising to see the company give Blake and Cutler another deserved shot on SmackDown.
#1. Big backstage news on Tessa Blanchard's future amid interest from WWE and AEW
Tessa Blanchard wrapped up a historic run with IMPACT Wrestling on June 25th earlier this year. Despite all the speculation, the former IMPACT Wrestling World Champion is yet to choose her next destination. Where would she land up? WWE or AEW?
Blanchard is quite a controversial figure due to her questionable comments from the past coming to light. Blanchard was accused of using racial slurs against La Rosa Negra in Japan, and she has often been at the center of all the attention due to her reported attitude problems. It was added that AEW would not pursue Tessa Blanchard's signing due to the alleged bad reputation.
However, there is no truth in the speculation. An exclusive report from WrestlingInc has revealed WWE and AEW are still interested in Tessa Blanchard's signature.
Blanchard is currently still celebrating her recent marriage to former IMPACT Wrestling star DAGA. The newly-wed couple are in Mexico and are taking it slow to decide their next move.
Blanchard and DAGA will wait for the COVID-19 pandemic to end or be brought under control before deciding on the next company.
The couple is also expected to move back to the United States before choosing the promotion.
What do you guys think? Which company will the third-generation wrestler choose? AEW or WWE?
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
