Speculating on the rumors surrounding pro wrestling is a favored pastime of many fans, perhaps second only to actually watching the matches. In this daily column, we take a look at the latest rumors being churned out by the pro wrestling rumor mill.
Important reminder: Rumors are just that -- rumors. None of this has been confirmed as legitimate news or fact; so remember to take it all with a grain of salt.
Rumors for the Day:
- While rumors are still mixed over whether or not Daniel Bryan will be leaving WrestleMania XXX as WWE World Heavyweight Champion, it does seem all but certain that he will be earning a spot in the match. That may not necessarily mean that he goes over Triple H cleanly, however. It remains a possibility that Triple H wins the match via dirty tactics, but Bryan is inserted into the title match anyway at the behest of another authority figure, such as event host Hulk Hogan or possibly even Vince McMahon. There have been renewed rumors that a Vince McMahon/Triple H power struggle is set to play out over the summer, and Vince going over Triple H's head in regards to Daniel Bryan is one way of kicking that off.
- In other Bryan related news, it is being said that none of these plans for WrestleMania XXX were in place in January when CM Punk walked out. Bryan vs. Triple H was discussed as a "Plan B" match in case they could not talk Punk into returning. Since then, the fan reaction to Bryan has only gotten louder. Now it seems likely that he will be in two matches on the biggest WrestleMania to date, including the main event title match, and could even leave as champion.
- In an interesting change of plans, WWE officials are currently considering moving the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal match to the WrestleMania XXX pre-show. This would be a major change for the match which was introduced by event host Hulk Hogan when he returned to WWE several weeks ago. Alexander Rusev is still considered the early favorite to win the match in order to kickoff a summer push, he just may be doing so on the pre-show instead.
- It was mentioned over the weekend that a Shield breakup seems likely to happen at WrestleMania XXX. One idea being floated right now is to insert Kane into the rumored Shield/Wyatts match, but having him team with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. (As Bray Wyatt will be having a match with John Cena.) Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose would then turn on Roman Reigns during the match, kicking off his babyface run, seeking revenge on his former Shield mates, the Wyatts, and Kane. That would certainly leave him with no shortage of opponents as he rises up the card as a singles competitor.
- After months out of action, WWE Diva Layla returned last Friday night at a house show, teaming with Alicia Fox against Eva Maria and Natalya. There were many, including some backstage at WWE, who believed that Layla's time with the company was done. It is now being said that her absence was not due to injury, but to a "personal issue."
- We mentioned last week that Christopher Daniels and Kazarian were not going to be used at this past weekend's Impact tapings. Their contracts are up in April and the duo will not be present on any Impact episodes for at least the next three weeks. Another big name missing was Austin Aries. Aries contract is not believed to be up that soon, but his absence is thought to be a money-saving attempt by TNA.
If you have heard of any interesting rumors that you'd like to add, feel free to post them in the comments section below. Please remember, these are merely rumors. Try not to take them too seriously, just have fun with them.