4 Wrestling rumors we hope are true and 4 we hope aren't: Title feud canceled because of Randy Orton, Former MITB winner to unexpectedly leave WWE?
Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/Wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't. It hasn't been the biggest week in the wrestling rumor mill, but there's still a fair amount to cover.
From storylines to injuries to absences and more, here are the big rumors from the world of wrestling and WWE:
#4. Hope is true: Randy Orton's backstage reaction to a creative pitch by WWE
Randy Orton is in an interesting position in WWE. After a half-year-long feud with Alexa Bliss and The Fiend ended in underwhelming fashion, WWE was quick to make sure he was away from that.
Post-WrestleMania, his storyline has been with a relative newcomer and former United States Champion [Matt] Riddle. The Viper initially lost a match to Riddle on RAW. The week after, Orton teamed up with Riddle and a Tag Team between the two seems to be the direction.
It's an exciting storyline for both men, as Randy Orton will be utilized to elevate a newer Superstar in Riddle. Many would argue that it's far better than anything he did with Alexa Bliss and The Fiend (though that storyline admittedly had a few moments of shock value).
Riddle lost the United States Title at WrestleMania but hasn't gone back for it. According to Fightful (via Cageside Seats), Randy Orton was in favor of working with Riddle:
[Fightful] also says the plan after WrestleMania 37 was for Riddle’s program with Sheamus to continue. Obviously, plans changed. 'Those backstage in WWE said Orton was in favor of working with Riddle, and the changes made.'
We hope this is true because it seems like a fun storyline. "Odd pairing" tag teams are a tried-and-tested formula and it seems to work most of the time when WWE is committed. While there's no idea as to how long this storyline will last, we can only hope that it is a long-term one that leads to a big pay-per-view match.