4 Wrestling rumors we hope are true and 3 we hope aren't: 19-time champion in "incredible shape" ahead of WWE return, 8-time world champion's future "uncertain" following major injury
Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/Wrestling rumors we hope are true, and those we hope aren't. This will be the final edition before WrestleMania 38, and it shouldn't surprise you that this week is loaded with WrestleMania-related rumors.
From plans for WrestleMania and the RAW after to plans for the Show of Shows in the future, this article also focuses on strategies discussed for debuting superstars, returning superstars, and as well as unfortunate injuries. Let's begin:
#4. Hope is true: Big news on "Stone Cold" Steve Austin ahead of WrestleMania 38
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin is expected to play a significant role at WrestleMania 38. He confirmed that he would be appearing as a guest on the KO Show, and a rumor has suggested that it's in the running to go on last at Night One of WrestleMania 38.
Given that it could go on last, there has been a lot of speculation that Austin could have a match against Kevin Owens, even if it's a short one. Dave Meltzer reported that Steve Austin, a 19-time champion in his wrestling career, has been training very hard ahead of his WWE return and is in great shape:
“He’s training very hard so it’s gonna be more than that. Will he do a 20 minute match? No, I don’t think so. Will he go 7 minutes or something and have a brawl all over the place? I kind of expect that, yeah.”
We hope this is true because it would be incredible to see Austin get back in the ring, even if it is for a small one-off. It will certainly justify WWE's reported decision to put the KO Show on as the headliner for WrestleMania Saturday.
#3. Hope isn't true: Bobby Lashley's immediate WWE future uncertain following a serious injury
Bobby Lashley hasn't wrestled since before he lost the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar inside the Elimination Chamber. He was taken out and didn't technically compete in the match, and it was used as a way to protect him while losing the title and writing him off TV.
This was supposedly due to an injury that he suffered that requires surgery.
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter thatdidn't get't gotten the required shoulder surgery and his immediate future is in doubt heading into WrestleMania:
"The other match listed is Omos vs. Bobby Lashley. But there is a caveat. Obviously Lashley did not undergo major shoulder surgery, as was feared from his injury suffered in the match with Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, or he wouldn’t be ready. However, the injury was serious enough that he hasn’t wrestled since and is not cleared at this point. We were told this is the mach provided Lashley is cleared. If he’s not, then they’d have to change plans."
We hope this isn't true because it's an unfortunate situation, but we hope that Lashley gets shoulder surgery and returns when the time is right.
#3. Hope is true: WWE's plans for two-night WrestleMania events going forward
The two-night WrestleMania concept wasn't original when WWE introduced it in 2020, but it's a formula that has seemingly stuck around. This will be the third consecutive WrestleMania that will be two nights, and the fan reception has been positive.
The consensus seems to be that hosting WrestleMania as a two-night event with shorter hours is less exhausting and better than having a single show that lasts for over six hours.
Dave Meltzer explained on Saturday Night's Main Event podcast that WWE is likely to stick with the two-night WrestleMania going forward despite not selling out the show at the AT & T Stadium this year:
“I think WrestleMania is gonna be a two-night thing going forward. I think was the first step to see will people buy and they bought in good enough numbers. Did it sell out first day, were the original numbers gigantic? No, but it’s fine. It’s a big stadium. It wasn’t gonna be easy to sell it out two straight days.” (H/T - WrestlingNews)
We hope this is true because the two-night WrestleMania is a far better option and results in better matches. Even great matches have seen crowds being burned out due to the duration of WrestleMania between 2016 and 2019.
#2. Hope isn't true: Gable Steveson spoils the date of his WWE debut?
Gable Steveson was drafted to RAW this past October, but the Olympic Gold Medalist is yet to make his WWE debut. There have been rumors that the company has big plans for the young star, who recently announced his retirement from amateur wrestling.
But when is the Olympian set to make his debut? Gable Steveson may have spoiled his debut date on Twitter. Sportskeeda's Matt Black wrote:
"Following his win, Steveson took to social media this weekend to reveal that he would be at WrestleMania 38, stating that "It's time!!" alluding to his in-ring debut for the company. However, the tweet didn't last long and Steveson quickly deleted it. But not before many members of the WWE Universe were able to screencap it ahead of time."
You can see the deleted tweet here.
We hope this isn't true because it would have been better as a surprise debut. With that said, the RAW after WrestleMania seems to be the perfect time for WWE to debut the young superstar.
#2. Hope is true: Big plans for the post-WrestleMania edition of RAW
The RAW after WrestleMania is considered the most important episode of free WWE TV in the calendar year. The aforementioned show has resulted in several incredible moments throughout the years. However, the post-WrestleMania episodes of 2020 and 2021 have been incredibly underwhelming.
The upcoming RAW after WrestleMania will be the first edition since 2019 to have fans in attendance. As a result, WWE could be stepping up their game with big surprises and moments in store.
According to a report from Cageside Seats, we are likely to see the RAW after WrestleMania resemble iconic episodes from the past few years:
"There’s talk that the Raw After WrestleMania will be booked like it has in years past, with big surprises and returns on the show,"
We hope this is true because it's a crucial episode, and it should be treated as such. It essentially sets the pace and tone for an entire year of programming.
#1. Hope isn't true: Why Vince McMahon never put the world title on Scott Hall
You never realize how much you love someone until you can't. https://t.co/jKRUehYMBF
Scott Hall tragically passed away recently following several health complications. It was a big loss to the wrestling world and a painful death of a two-time Hall of Famer. Many from the current generation may not be as familiar with Hall's work, but those who watched wrestling in the 1990s saw him as a prominently featured superstar in both WWE and WCW.
However, as both Razor Ramon and Scott Hall, he didn't pick up any world championships. It didn't seem to be an issue for him, and it certainly didn't affect his standing as one of the most crucial stars in the business at the time.
Dave Meltzer of WON revealed via a source close to Scott Hall that the reason why Vince McMahon never made him world champion was due to The Chairman's preference for his real-life best friend, Kevin Nash fka Diesel:
"With the benefit of hindsight, he felt Razor Ramon could've been WWF Champion, but he felt Vince liked Kevin Nash more and Nash was bigger than he was," wrote Meltzer.
We hope this isn't true, but it likely is. It would have changed the course of wrestling history if Razor Ramon was the one to get a world title push.
#1. Hope is true: A Hardy Boyz-style return being planned for Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania?
Surreal day - the production was totally locked-down and I remember there were only 2 camera operators in the bowl, so all I saw was a red light(no crowd, no countdown, no cue, silence) - live to millions and trying to put them at ease. Felt like radio. Beautiful moment. twitter.com/StarWarsTiffan…
Cody Rhodes' rumored return to WWE is one of the most anticipated ones in the last few years. It was hard to imagine for fans that Rhodes would return back to the company that he left six years ago. He established himself as one of wrestling's biggest superstars in that time and was one of the major faces of AEW.
As of this writing, the rumored direction for Cody Rhodes is a return match against Seth Rollins on WrestleMania Sunday. So why isn't WWE pulling the trigger on Rhodes' return to get publicity for WrestleMania?
Dave Meltzer reported on the Wrestling Observer Radio that we could be seeing a Hardy Boyz-style return from 2017. For the uninitiated, The Hardy Boyz were a last-minute addition to the RAW Tag Team Championship ladder match, and they received one of the most iconic return reactions in the last decade. We could be seeing something similar for Cody Rhodes:
"Every impression I have is that he’s doing the Hardys thing where you show up on the day of the show," said Meltzer. "I mean he could show up tomorrow. We got two Raw’s left. Like The Hardys when they showed up on the day of the show at WrestleMania. I know that that’s been talked about."
We hope this is true because it's the best way to handle his return. At this point, everybody seems to know when he will return to WWE, and the reaction when he does will certainly make it worth the wait.