Welcome to another edition of the WWE Rumor Roundup where we try and bring the biggest rumors from the world of WWE. We are living in some interesting times as wrestling fans as the war between WWE and AEW continues to heat up.
With reports saying that AEW Dynamite beat RAW in the key demo of the ratings, WWE took a drastic step of making Big E the new WWE Champion in response. We will talk about Big E's WWE Championship win and many other interesting topics in today's edition.
This article will also talk about two former world champions who could be heading to AEW soon. So without further ado, let's dive in and take a look at some of the most interesting WWE rumours:
#5 Brock Lesnar to face WWE newcomer Gable Steveson at WrestleMania
Brock Lesnar has been at the top of the WWE foodchain for a long time. The Beast Incarnate is one of the most dominant superstars in WWE today. There are very few men who can boast about a win over Lesnar and it is believed that the company lacks believable stars who can beat him.
However, it looks like the company has decided on who they plan on having Brock Lesnar pass the torch to. As per Dave Meltzer of The Observer, that's none other than WWE's recent signee Gable Steveson. The 21-year-old is an Olympic star and is reportedly personally close to Brock Lesnar as well.
"It's already been teased and talked about that (Brock) Lesnar would eventually wrestle him in a passing-of-the-torch type moment at a WrestleMania," said Meltzer. (H/T to F4WOnline)
In a recent interview, Stevenson had called Lesnar his mentor and said that it is good to have a role model like him. The young superstar believes that Brock Lesnar can teach him how to become a dominant superstar, much like The Beast Incarnate himself.
#4 WWE changed plans for Big E's title win on RAW
Big E cashed in his MITB contract on RAW and became the new WWE Champion. Andrew Zarian of Mat Men tweeted that the original plan was for Big E to become WWE Champion during the draft date on RAW.
However, WWE decided to prepone Big E's coronation by having him beat Bobby Lashley on RAW. Many fans have speculated that the reason for this change could be the fact that AEW defeated RAW last week in the key demo ratings.
Regardless of whatever prompted WWE to change their original plans for Big E, fans are elated that the former tag team champion has finally gotten a chance to shine as a singles star on RAW.
#3 Backstage details on Kevin Owens' WWE contract
There has been speculation that former Universal champion Kevin Owens may leave WWE once his current contract with the company ends. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful has reported that Owens' contract will come to an end on January 31st, 2022, after which Owens will become a free agent.
Kevin Owens has himself posted cryptic tweets lately hinting that he may be going to AEW once he is finished up with WWE. He would then join a long list of superstars who have decided not to renew their WWE contracts in order to go to All Elite Wrestling. Superstar names who have done so include Jon Moxley, Miro, Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson, among others.
#2 When former WWE Champion Bray Wyatt will join AEW revealed
Former WWE champion Bray Wyatt was released by the company a few months back. The former Universal Champion could be AEW-bound despite reports suggesting that even Impact Wrestling have shown interest.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has said that it is highly likely that The Fiend will join AEW after his non-compete clause ends. The episode where he will likely return will be the September 29th episode of Dynamite in Rochester, New York.
"They also say if Bray Wyatt goes to AEW, there’s talk of debuting him on the Sept. 29 episode of Dynamite in Rochester, New York," read the report.
Bray Wyatt is considered one of the most intelligent men in the wrestling business and having him on their team will be a big boost for AEW.
#1 Samoa Joe was set to return to RAW this week?
Samoa Joe relinquished the WWE NXT Championship due to an injury. It was reported that the real reason behind it was that he will have a more administrative role in NXT going forward.
However, Fightful Select have reported that the former NXT Champion was originally scheduled to be on RAW this week. Joe was part of the original script for RAW, but was later taken out of the show.
Samoa Joe had been fired by WWE as part of budget cuts, but was later re-hired to be a part of NXT by Triple H. With NXT's rebranding, Joe will not have a prominent on-screen role as the show will only focus on young talent