WWE Rumor Review: Bray Wyatt's absence, Note on Brock Lesnar's return, Face turn for RAW star
Welcome to Sportskeeda Wrestling's WWE Rumor Review, where we look at a few noteworthy rumours from a few months ago and see how they transpired. This week focuses on the internal trajectories of a few interesting names.
In July, Bray Wyatt's WWE absence was a big talking point. We'll also look at a rumour on Brock Lesnar's return to the company. There was a lot of speculation over where The Beast Incarnate would first show up.
A few changes were reported for Naomi and Rhea Ripley around summer, while Baron Corbin nearly got an opportunity of a lifetime during his "broke" phase. Or so we thought.
So, let's get to this week's WWE Rumor Review without further ado.
#5. Rhea Ripley's babyface turn
Rhea Ripley started on the main roster as a heel, eventually playing a tweener role. She won the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania 37 and kept it until Money in the Bank, dropping it to Charlotte Flair. It coincided with reports that The Nightmare had turned babyface.
PWInsider reported WWE quietly turned Ripley face in July and made it clear after she lost the RAW Women's title. She is indeed a babyface to this day, ensuring the rumour was accurate. Since then, Rhea Ripley has been predominantly in the tag team division, partnering up with Nikki A.S.H. and Liv Morgan.
#4. Naomi moving from RAW to SmackDown
.@NaomiWWE is ready to GLOW this show up! 🙌
#SmackDown @SonyaDevilleWWE https://t.co/IT5wf4dRkx
Shortly after Money in the Bank, PWInsider reported Naomi had switched brands. She went from RAW to SmackDown and appeared on the blue brand the week after SummerSlam, confirming the rumour.
WWE instantly planted the seeds for a rivalry for her against Sonya Deville, with the two eventually coming to blows. Naomi defeated the authority figure a few months later. She's now in a tag team with Sasha Banks, with the two vying for the Women's Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania.
#3. Baron Corbin listed as a Money in the Bank participant
It’s been brought to my attention that @DraftKings has Baron Corbin listed as a competitor for the Men’s MITB match tomorrow night. Since I’ve got a few questions on it, as of now - Shinsuke Nakamura is indeed still scheduled to participate. Idk what’s up w/ DraftKings. https://t.co/udfL5vZJPC
Baron Corbin had an interesting summer as he lost his King of the Ring crown and suffered a huge financial downfall. The former US Champion lost Money in the Bank qualifying match to Shinsuke Nakamura but was listed for the ladder match on the Draftkings website days before the event.
WrestleVotes noted Nakamura was always scheduled for Money in the Bank, which means this may have been an error on Draftkings' part. Corbin didn't appear on the show, although he did get a lot of "money in the bank" after SummerSlam, as he transitioned into Happy Corbin.
#2. Rumour on Brock Lesnar's return
With fans returning to arenas, rumours floated around regarding various stars coming back to WWE. Brock Lesnar was among them. However, he wasn't slated to appear at SummerSlam.
Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Wrestling podcast noted plans to bring back The Beast Incarnate at the August event didn't work out. He didn't rule out a return later in 2021.
As we all know, Lesnar came back to WWE at SummerSlam and confronted Roman Reigns. Since then, the two have been linked together, with the issue set to culminate in a world title unification match at WrestleMania 38.
#1. Bray Wyatt's WWE absence following WrestleMania 37
Another potential return fans were excited about was Bray Wyatt. The two-time Universal Champion was last seen on WWE TV on RAW after WrestleMania 37. Come the summer, there was still no timetable for Wyatt's return, according to PWInsider.
Mike Johnson's report added that sources within WWE remained quiet about Wyatt's circumstances and that he was being held off TV for a specific reason. Less than two weeks after this rumour came to light, WWE released The Eater of Worlds.
As a result, this can be branded as accurate, albeit under unfortunate circumstances. Now going by his real name, Windham, Wyatt is yet to return to wrestling.
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