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It's been a busy week for in the WWE rumor mill. On the heels of Survivor Series, many things have been shaken up and some would say complicated by an ever-changing pro wrestling landscape.
This week has been a big one with plenty of important stories breaking along the way. But it was also Thanksgiving week for those in the USA so it might have been hard to keep up with everything. So, since the news feed is full of potential big stories, we've handpicked five that you might need to pay closer attention to because we care.
#1. AJ Styles' retirement
The Rumour
AJ Styles appeared on Houston's The Box to hype the Survivor Series and he let something slip. Then again, maybe it was intentional because The Wrestling Observer Newsletter said AJ Styles has plans to retire at the age of 42. With his WWE contract running out in 2019, this means there is likely to be some validity to the statements he made on the radio which sent everyone into a tizzy about The Phenomenal One's impending retirement.
“Work hard now, you enjoy it later. In a couple of years, I’ll be able to catch every football game, every baseball game, every basketball game, cheerleading, gymnastics, whatever they’re in.”
The Potential
AJ Styles has wrestled for most of his life at this point and has amounted a lot of accolades and wealth in the process. But some of the things he treasures the most involve his family and this is something Styles is obviously tired of missing out on.
If a 2019 retirement is in the cards for AJ Styles it would be a great ending to his career, especially if he goes out on top of WWE in a big match situation.
The Fallout
WrestleMania 36 could very well mean a retirement match for AJ Styles. Of course, if his contract is set to expire at the 2019 Royal Rumble, just three years after his WWE debut then a short contract extension of some kind could be in order to get him to The Show Of Shows.
But no matter when AJ Styles decides to hang up his boots he will have accomplished more in his short time with WWE than most Superstars do with a decade-long career.
#2. Kurt Angle's injured
The Rumour
Kurt Angle showed up at Survivor Series sporting a rather thick layer of tape covering his leg. It was certainly enough to catch anyone's attention. Angle was asked during a Facebook Q&A whether or not his leg is okay and although said his leg is fine, he did disclose that he worked with a couple of torn muscles at WWE's big November Classic.
"Leg is ok. I tore a muscle in it doing wind sprints 2 days before PPV. It's okay though. I feel good and should be 100% in a week."
The Potential
Kurt Angle injuring himself during training like this might present a problem for some big matches down the road for The Olympic Hero. Hopefully, he'll be able to stay healthy and take it easy. But his ability to work with an injury has been a sad running theme in his career and it doesn't look like it will end anytime soon.
The Fallout
Fans might not see Kurt Angle work in the ring again until WrestleMania. Angle might need to consider taking on a very light schedule, especially for his body's sake. After all, he's done a lot of damage to himself over the years. It's been nice seeing Kurt Angle wrestle so many times in such a short period of time, but hopefully, he'll stay out of the ring until a moment worthy of his presence so his body can recover.
#3. Big debuts on Raw and SmackDown making talent nervous
The Rumour
The Raw after Survivor Series saw Paige making her grand return and she brought some friends with her in the form of NXT call-ups Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. The Blue Brand also saw the debut of Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan which is great news. But the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported this recent surge of fresh female talent has made some women on either roster nervous.
The Potential
You never know when WWE could ax some more contracts. After all, nobody saw Emma's release coming. But WWE might also do themselves a big favour by keeping so many women on the active roster so they'll have plenty of bodies for a possible first-ever Women's Royal Rumble match in January.
The Fallout
These new additions of NXT talent to the main roster might have a common thread in Paige as a mastermind, but that remains to be seen. As this story develops both factions might continue to run roughshod over their respective rosters for a very long time leaving some marginal talent with the task of doing nothing but putting them over in the process.
#4. Finn Balor's Royal Rumble Status
The Rumour
Finn Balor never really lost his Universal Championship. He gained the big red title at SummerSlam 2016 and was the first to hold it. However, his reign as champion lasted less than 24 hours due to a bad bucklebomb to the barricade on the outside that destroyed his shoulder.
Sports Illustrated said Vince McMahon didn't see Balor as a top guy and took him out of the planned match against Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble for the Universal Title (if he was even being considered). After this, Balor seemingly hit back with a well-placed picture showing how over he was on social media. Since then, many fans have come out in droves to support Finn Balor's right to challenge The Beast Incarnate.
The Potential
If the fans would like to see Finn Balor challenge Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble then they might just get their wish. After all, he's a logical choice. But he has suffered some defeats on television recently that he needs to recuperate from.
There's still plenty of time to get him into a position on television where he could be set up into a main-event program going into the big January pay-per-view event which will kick-off the Road To WrestleMania.
The Fallout
Regardless of who Brock Lesnar faces at the Royal Rumble, The Beast Incarnate is likely to win. After all, the main event for WrestleMania 34 was in place before WrestleMania 33 even started so anyone in Brock Lesnar or Roman Reigns' way in the meantime is likely just someone to get through before the Show Of Shows.
#5. WWE in talks with Fox and other networks
The Rumour
WWE has been in talks to bring their programming to Fox Network. They have also apparently been talking to several other networks as they've gone on a "road show" where they've talked to several other networks. In case you were wondering, their current deal with USA Network allows them to do this.
The Potential
The Sports Business Journal put out a story about UFC's television negotiations which could see them taking in $450 million a year in revenue. This is a huge chunk of change and WWE is in that same space. With proper negotiations WWE could find themselves with a much bigger money deal than USA Network is currently able to offer them, especially if they land on a network like FOX which could see their programming on several extensions of the network.
The Fallout
Even though USA Network has been WWE's home for quite some time there could be changes in the future. After all, WWE has left USA before and they could always do it again. With the media opportunities always shifting, WWE has the ability to pick and choose what would be best for the company. If they find a better home, there's always the possibility fans in the USA could be tuning into a different network every week to take in their favorite sports entertainment programming.
