There’s still a lot going on in the world of wrestling, so let’s jump right into the rumors:
#5. Hope is true: Triple H wanted to push a released WWE Superstar as a top name
Triple H is a Superstar who has had a lot of backstage influence for over two decades in WWE. He’s worked his way into a much higher role with the WWE and as a result, has transitioned out of being a full-time wrestler a long time ago.
Even then, there was a time when he tried to put over an unexpected name - Curtis Axel. The recently released former WWE Superstar was once involved with Triple H, who reportedly saw him as a potential flagship star for WWE, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON):
He was even given an opportunity and Triple H did his best to put him over:
Ultimately, it didn’t work out too well for Curtis Axel. Either way, we hope this is true because it’s good to see Triple H tried to put over different WWE stars. Ultimately, he succeeded in doing so with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.
#5. Hope isn’t true: Sami Zayn pulled out from SmackDown tapings
Sami Zayn hasn’t been seen since he defeated Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 36. As a result, Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro have aligned with King Corbin. According to WON, Sami Zayn hasn’t been appearing because he pulled out of the tapings.
Sportskeeda’s Nishant Jayaram wrote:
While we respect his and several other Superstars’ choice to not work during a time like this, we hope this isn’t true since he’s an essential Superstar on SmackDown programming. It seems a bit odd to see Nakamura and Cesaro align with Corbin, who they had no previous alliance with.
#4. Hope is true: Vince McMahon discovers a future main eventer?
It’s always exciting to see young talent on the rise, especially when you’ve seen them from the early days where they’re climbing up the ranks. One such name is second-generation WWE star Cal Bloom, who most notably appeared on SmackDown after WrestleMania 36 in a squash match against Sheamus.
While he has a long way to go, Paul Davis of Wrestlingnews.co noted that the young Cal Bloom is touted to be a future main eventer by Vince McMahon, even getting comparisons to a young Edge by those observing him:
We hope this is true because he looks like an exciting future star. It’s going to be interesting to observe how Bloom develops over the next few years.
#4. Hope isn’t true: Brock Lesnar to possibly take a long hiatus
During WWE’s Quarter 1 financial conference call, Vince McMahon made a statement, saying “We no longer have Brock Lesnar anymore, obviously”. This has ramped up a lot of speculation over what his future is, with WON’s Dave Meltzer asking the question “Does that mean he isn’t coming back?”.
The reality is that it’s hard to tell what Lesnar’s future could look like. While he’s contracted for a set number of appearances, the word going around seems to be that he’s set for an extended hiatus.
This could possibly mean missing SummerSlam, something Brock Lesnar hasn’t done since 2012. He’s generally been the focal point of the show, but it’s hard to imagine the show without him.
We hope this rumor isn’t true because it’s best for him to return by the summer. We wouldn’t be surprised to see crowds return to a limited capacity by then, but it’s hard to tell given the unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.
#3. Hope is true: Brock Lesnar set for a big dream clash?
It’s going to be interesting to see what WWE has planned for Brock Lesnar. The last time he was in a non-title feud was against Goldberg between Survivor Series 2016 and Royal Rumble 2017.
Since then, he’s been the Universal Champion three different times and the WWE Champion once. There have only been a few times where he’s had non-title matches (such as Survivor Series 2017 and 2018 against AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan). After losing the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre, it’ll be a few more months before we see Lesnar return.
When he does, he could be set for a major dream match, as Tom Colohue revealed on Dropkick DiSKussions that Cain Velasquez won’t be involved with Brock Lesnar when he inevitably returns to WWE. Instead, WWE is building Bobby Lashley for his much-deserved match against Brock Lesnar:
We hope this is true because Bobby Lashley has been calling for the match for a long time. He’s openly admitted that the reason he returned to WWE was for a match against The Beast Incarnate. He deserves to have a blockbuster clash with him.
#3. Hope isn’t true: Cain Velasquez made three big mistakes before his WWE release
Cain Velasquez had a short-lived and extremely forgettable run in WWE. He was brought in on SmackDown’s FOX debut, immediately confronting the man who he knocked out to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship - Brock Lesnar.
His match against Brock Lesnar opened the show in WWE Crown Jewel, with Velasquez losing by submission in all but two minutes. While he was supposed to return, later on, he was quietly released by WWE recently along with other Superstars.
Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz on Dropkick DiSKussions that there were three major mistakes Velasquez made during his time with WWE.
We hope this isn’t true because it would be bad for an inevitable return in the future. Velasquez in the meanwhile has many options if pro wrestling is what he wants to pursue.
#2. Hope is true: Roman Reigns and another Champion are getting Hollywood offers
Roman Reigns’ name has had a bit of negativity surrounding it post-WrestleMania 36, as WWE has reportedly been avoiding mentioning his name across WWE programming and on their website.
Thankfully, he seems to be a busy man. Reigns has made it no secret that he intends to transition to Hollywood once his wrestling career is over. He’s been getting offers from Hollywood lately and so has RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed that both Reigns and Becky Lynch have bee receiving offers from Hollywood.
Sportskeeda’s Nishant Jayaram wrote:
Roman Reigns, meanwhile, has another project he’s working on:
We hope this is true because it’s always good to see Superstars succeeding outside the WWE realm. It’s a great career option to have, especially since a pro wrestler’s career is normally never an extensive one.
#2. Hope isn’t true: Possible reason why Apollo Crews was pulled from Money in the Bank
Apollo Crews is a Superstar who’s been on the rise since WrestleMania 36. He’s had the best few weeks of his career, including a win over veteran MVP to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match.
He pinned United States Champion Andrade last week on RAW and earned a title shot later that night. While he came close to winning, the match was stopped due to Crews suffering a knee injury, forcing the referee to call a stop to the contest.
Tom Colohue told Korey Gunz on Dropkick DiSKussions that it was a storyline injury meant to garner sympathy for Crews, which is why he was pulled from MITB:
We hope this isn’t true because Crews deserved a good showing at Money in the Bank. Either way, we hope that this leads to his first title win in WWE, as we feel he should dethrone Andrade.
#1. Hope is true: AJ Styles’ return
According to John Pollock of Post Wrestling, AJ Styles could be set to return to WWE in the coming week ahead of Money in the Bank 2020. He hasn’t been seen since his loss to The Undertaker in the Boneyard match of Night 1 at WrestleMania 36.
He’s always been an important main event star for WWE, which is why it makes sense that he might return before Money in the Bank 2020.
Sportskeeda’s Abhilash Mendhe wrote:
Soon after, a match to determine his replacement was announced:
We hope this is true since RAW will always be better with the 2-time WWE Champion in it.
#1. Hope isn’t true: Drew McIntyre only got his World title push due to certain circumstances?
Drew McIntyre had his well-deserved coronation at WrestleMania 36 after defeating Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship. He won the Royal Rumble for the first time in his career to earn his shot against Brock Lesnar.
Tom Colohue and Korey Gunz spoke about Cain Velasquez’s original plans on Dropkick DiSKussions and Colohue admitted that had it not been for Velasquez not being at WrestleMania 36, Drew McIntyre may never have gotten his spot:
We hope this isn’t true because we would like to think that McIntyre would have been in that spot anyway. He was a priority of Paul Heyman when he took over as RAW Executive Director and was pushed and protected well on his way to the top.
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