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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 will be taking 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.
Jack Swagger's Arrest: How Will WWE Handle It?
As you may already be aware, Jack Swagger was arrested following Tuesday night's (Feb. 19) taping of SmackDown in Biloxi, MS. Swagger had earned the #1 contendership for the World Heavyweight Championship in the chamber match at Sunday's (Feb. 17) Elimination Chamber pay per view event.
Swagger, along with his new manager Zeb Coulter, had also been under fire from news media outlets for their portrayal as xenophobic and racist ultra-conservatives. Needless to say, it has been an eventful couple of days for the self-titled "Real American."
So how will WWE handle the situation? The most drastic course of action would be the immediate dismissal of Swagger, an option provided by the WWE Wellness Policy. However, it is considered extremely unlikely that WWE would consider this option.
Based on the current rumors, a more likely course of action for WWE to take would be similar to the one they took with Rob Van Dam following his 2006 arrest for marijuana and vicodin possession. At the time, Van Dam held both the WWE and ECW championships. In the week following his arrest, he dropped both belts and was then suspended for 30 days.
One plan supposedly being considered, is to write Swagger out of his WrestleMania 29 match for the World Heavyweight Championship by holding the match on Raw or SmackDown instead. After losing the match, Swagger could then be suspended or otherwise punished if WWE chose to do so, while a new #1 contender is chosen for the WrestleMania spot. (The early favorite for the spot being Mark Henry, with Randy Orton also being a possibility.)
Regardless of how Swagger is handled, it does not seem likely that WWE will want to drop the storyline with Zeb Coulter. If Swagger is written out, ideas have been floated about pairing Coulter with another superstar who could pull off the "ultra-conservative" angle, such as Bray Wyatt, currently in NXT. The angle could be adjusted to include other non-American opponents, such as Sin Cara, the Great Khali, or Justin Gabriel.
Unfortunately, or perhaps "fortunately" (depending on your point of view), the most likely option will be for the incident to simply be ignored until after Swagger's match at WrestleMania. While driving under the influence is an incredibly stupid thing for anyone to do, Swagger being heavily pushed recently may actually save him from punishment at this time.
This is a story we will continue to follow here at the CSS Rumor Roundup, so make sure you stay tuned for any news as it becomes available.
Other Rumors for the Day:
- Darren Young will be out until April with a knee injury. The exact nature of the injury hasn't been revealed at this time.
- As previously noted, Christian has been cleared to wrestle and is only waiting on WWE creative to write him back into a storyline for his return.
- NXT Diva Davina Rose has been given a new ring name. She will now be going by "Bayley."
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 some fun with them.