4 Wrestling Rumors we hope are true and 3 we hope aren't: WWE "impressed" by released superstar after AEW debut, 4-time Champion wants to leave WWE after 6 years?
Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't.
As we are just coming off WrestleMania Backlash, there aren't too many rumors about immediate future plans. But this week's edition features backstage notes, delayed plans for a Roman Reigns feud, and Bray Wyatt's reported lucrative WWE deal (pre-release).
Also, the company being impressed with a released former star, a 22-year veteran asking for his release, and much more. Let's get right into it:
#4. Hope is true: WWE officials impressed with W. Morrissey upon his AEW debut
W. Morrissey fka Big Cass has had an incredible resurgence in the past few years. While his late WWE years were clouded by issues with alcoholism, depression, and more, he eventually fought an uphill battle to reach where he is today.
His run with IMPACT Wrestling since 2021 has been great, and the door of opportunity opened for him to make his AEW debut recently.
Although he fell short to rising star Wardlow, the match was praised as was Morrissey for his performance. But it wasn't just fans who took notice. According to a report from Andrew Zarian of the Man Men Podcast, WWE officials were highly impressed with Morrissey upon his AEW debut:
"I got a couple of messages about him from people. People wanting to know when his contract ends. I’m not gonna say that WWE is gonna take him but I can tell you that WWE is definitely impressed by him. There’s no way around it, man. I got a message last night while he’s coming out and somebody wrote, ‘did you see this F’N guy?”
We hope this is true because it's always great for wrestlers to have options. Given his look and raw talent, there is no doubt that the sports entertainment juggernaut will look to re-sign him someday.
He has also stated before that he never blamed WWE for releasing him and took full responsibility for his actions. There will be another opportunity someday.
Suggested: W Morrissey on if he is with IMPACT Wrestling for a long time, nZo & more
#3. Hope isn't true: Roderick Strong no longer wants to be with WWE?
Roderick Strong is a 22-year-veteran in the wrestling business. The last six years of his career have been in NXT, where he has won the tag team titles twice, the North American Championship once, and the now-defunct Cruiserweight title.
He had an eventful run with the brand, but it seems as though he feels his time with the company is over. As per Sean Ross Sapp on Fightful Select, Strong asked for his WWE release multiple times but was denied. Sportskeeda's Matt Black wrote:
"According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Strong has asked for his WWE release "multiple times over the last several months." All of Strong's requests have been denied by WWE despite the NXT star being "frustrated" by multiple things in the multi-colored brand."
We hope this isn't true because WWE often lets go of superstars while denying those who request their release. Does it not make sense to release superstars who specifically request it after not being utilized properly?
#3. Hope is true: Clarity on speculation of Sheamus' injury during the European tour
Sheamus is a full-fledged veteran and is one Intercontinental title win away from becoming a Grand Slam Champion. Barring that and a WrestleMania main event, he has done it all and won it all in the company.
His role at the moment is to lead Ridge Holland and Butch in their run together on SmackDown. The Fight Night faction has been a success so far. Recently on WWE's European Tour, Sheamus didn't wrestle for a few events, leading to speculation about his injury status.
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the future WWE Hall of Famer wasn't injured during the European tour. Sportskeeda's Matt Black wrote:
"According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, an injury doesn't appear to be the reason for Sheamus' absence. Johnson stated that The Celtic Warrior didn't compete during the second half of the tour was by design, as the company wanted Butch to get more in-ring time in front of the crowd."
We hope this is true because it's a good way to get Butch more acquainted with the WWE Universe.
#2. Hope isn't true: WWE trolled fans with tag team title unification story?
The main event of WrestleMania Backlash felt like a glorified SmackDown main event. However, it seems as though this was what the company intended in the first place. If you recall, the originally planned match was to feature a tag team title unification bout between RK-Bro and The Usos.
A change was made beforehand when Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre got involved, making it a six-man tag team bout and canceling the original unification plans. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE never intended to go through with the tag team title unification match:
"The little bit we do know is that the six-man tag match was always the planned match. There was never a plan to do the unification match. So while most feel this was the usual weekly plans changed, it was not. That also explains why last week nobody would confirm Reigns vs. McIntyre to me, only that Reigns would be in the main event."
We hope this isn't true because it seems like a waste of time to falsely advertise a match only to set up a more underwhelming one.
#2. Hope is true: Charlotte Flair to take a hiatus following WrestleMania Backlash?
BREAKING: @KaylaBraxtonWWE reports that @MsCharlotteWWE has suffered a fractured radius following her brutal #IQuitMatch with @RondaRousey at #WMBacklash. https://t.co/UygccnAyIm
Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair had the best moment of their feud with the "I Quit" match. While the feud was criticized by fans, they certainly made up for it with the best bout they could have.
Rousey would eventually capture the SmackDown Women's Championship in the match of the night. Later on, Kayla Braxton revealed that Flair suffered a fractured radius - putting her out of action.
As per Sean Ross Sapp on Fightful Select, the injury angle will be used to write Charlotte Flair off TV for a while. Sportskeeda's Divesh Merani wrote:
"According to Sean Ross Sapp on Fightful Select, WWE creative were told that Charlotte Flair would take a little time off. Hence, the injury angle was booked so she could go off television. There is no confirmation on how long the second-generation superstar's absence will last."
We hope this is true because Flair has dominated the women's division for a while now. Her run as SmackDown Women's Champion was seven months, and that isn't even accounting for the fact that she held the RAW Women's title for two months before that without losing it.
Overall, it was a nine-month reign that needed to end, and it's good for The Queen to take time off, so that her return is more special.
#1. Hope isn't true: WWE delaying a key feud for Roman Reigns due to a lack of fan interest?
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Born with this blood.
#WeTheOnes ☝🏽
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Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre is a feud that seems to have fully kickstarted on SmackDown. Fans were surprised that it happened so early, especially with the company dipping in and out of a potential Shinsuke Nakamura feud.
Despite McIntyre and Reigns' presence on opposing teams at WrestleMania Backlash, their rivalry and singles match could still be delayed.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is reportedly holding off on Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre due to a lack of fan interest:
"What we were told is that the decision was made to save Reigns vs. McIntyre for the bigger summer shows. The idea is with the smaller building, and coming four weeks after WrestleMania, the interest level wasn’t going to be that high, and they need big matches for the bigger shows.''
We hope this isn't true because it makes little sense to start the rivalry and then delay the actual match for months on end. It seems as though the company has backed themselves into a corner with this.
Suggested: Drew McIntyre on Roman Reigns, Theory, The Undertaker & more
#1. Hope is true: Bray Wyatt's reported WWE salary pre-release
Bray Wyatt's release still feels surreal, nearly a year after it happened. He was a homegrown superstar, a popular one, as well as a proven merchandise seller. There's a reason why WWE was paying him what they were.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Bray Wyatt's salary pre-release was a lucrative amount of approximately $4 million:
"At the time he left the company, he was believed to be the third or fourth highest paid performer on the roster with a contract in the $4 million per year range at the time he was cut and was a major merchandise draw."
We hope this is true because Wyatt fully deserved it for the value he brought. When looking at actual statistics, one might find that he likely deserved even more. However, it puts into perspective the rumors of him having an asking price that's far too high.
Suggested: Here's the list of highest paid WWE superstars