Wrestling Rumour Roundup: Dalton Castle's back injury, backstage news on the Undertaker, WWE UK TV show and much more! (August 31, 2017)


Did Cena and Reigns go off-script?

The wrestling world has not stopped talking about the confrontational promo that Cena and Roman Reigns had during a contract signing. It's been the biggest talking point of Raw, and set in motion the match that these two giants will have at No Mercy. 

Speculation began online when people started questioning whether or not the promo was scripted. According to the Wrestling Observer Radio (by way of Sportskeeda), the promo between Reigns and Cena was completely scripted, and did not deviate at all. However, there was a moment in that promo that was entirely off-the-cuff.

As always, the stars began throwing out some very personal jabs to one another. And to give it an extra level of "shootiness", they were actually opinions that are widely shared among wrestling fans. Reigns mentioned how Cena carries a shovel, in order to "bury younger talent", but Cena retorted by letting Reigns know that he is a "cheap ass, corporately created John Cena bootleg."

What do you think about the shooting from the hip in this promo? Was it unscripted in your opinion? Let us know in the comments below!

Where was Braun Strowman last Monday?

Many viewers of Monday Night Raw may have noticed a very big void in the show. Braun Strowman was nowhere to be seen - which is strange as he is in a red-hot feud with Lesnar right now, so you would think the WWE would want as much air time for the two of them as possible. However, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (by way of 411mania.com), Braun Strowman was not on Raw this week as a creative decision for the Lesnar vs Strowman program.

The company felt that the two superstars needed to be kept apart following last week's physical angle. The creative team have supposedly decided that the two are not to appear on the same show separately, but instead must have some form of interaction with one another anytime they are both in attendance at the same show. The next time the two will clash will be the September 11th episode of Raw.

The Undertaker planning a return?

A backstage news report from PWInsider (by way of wrestlezone.com) has stated that the ending of WrestleMania 33 may not have been what it seemed. While the "Showcase of the Immortals" ended with the Undertaker ceremoniously leaving his garb in the ring, this may not have signalled the death of the Deadman's career. 

On Raw this week, during John Cena and Roman Reign's back and forth, Reigns boasted that he did what Cena has never done - which was retire the Undertaker. Cena's shock value response was "I'm not the Undertaker, I'm not a battered veteran at the end of his career with a bad hip." 

However, this comment was not just to illicit a reaction from the crowd. It may have been the starting point of a potential story line between John Cena and the Undertaker in the future. The report from PWInsider says that the Undertaker was seen working out in a ring, which may have been him preparing for a return. 

Further evidence to back this claim is that in the No Mercy promo vignettes, a gong is rung at the end of the video. The use of a sound so heavily associated with 'Taker may further indicate the a future return. Speculation suggests that the Undertaker's return will create a story line that retires him for good at next year's WrestleMania, where he will take on John Cena. If that's the case, then hopefully he'll retire for good this time!

Dalton Castle out with a back injury

Fan favourite Dalton Castle was last seen during the August 19th iPPV show in the UK, where he was set up to be the next challenger for Cody Rhodes' ROH world title. However, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (by way of 411mania.com), Dalton Castle has been suffering from numerous ongoing back issues, and they have only gotten worse. Surgery became so urgent that they had to halt Dalton's momentum and film an angle where the Bullet Club beat Dalton and gave him an injury, so that he could take a few weeks out of programming to recover. This sets up the feud nicely for when he gets back, as he can go straight back into the Cody rivalry.

New WWE UK TV show to air before 2018

A rumour from Wrestling Observer Newsletter (by way of 411mania.com) stated that the WWE are currently planning a UK TV show, with all of the contenders from the UK special tournament. Originally, the show was supposed to air after the UK special aired back in June, however this never happened. The WWE have a lot of "logistical issues" to iron out before this show can hit the TV screen, because the UK title tournament (which took place in January) was actually a big money loser for the company. 

Heard any interesting wrestling rumours? Let us know in the comments below!

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