WWE Rumors: Besides WWE’s Night of Champions in 2023, the rumor mill has been buzzing around pro wrestling every week.
May has suddenly turned out to be one of the biggest months in pro wrestling.
WWE’s Backlash wowed fans following WrestleMania 39. On May 27, fans will be treated to Night of Champions from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, followed by AEW’s Double or Nothing 2023.
As Roman Reigns and The Usos compete for titles and Ronda Rousey makes headlines, the buzz has actually picked up compared to other years.
Check out the latest rumors, plus whether fans should buy into them.
Is a Reigns and Sikoa vs. Usos match on the way?
Considering how WWE might use Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and The Usos beyond Night of Champions is never too early.
In spite of the fact that Reigns and Sikoa will challenge Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for the unified tag titles, Monday in the Bank won’t take place until July 1.
Reigns and Sikoa may challenge The Usos at Money in the Bank, according to WRKD Wrestling (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats).
One reason such a development would make sense is that Reigns doesn’t have much else to do. Other solo acts would compete for the briefcase and possibly the right to challenge him. In addition, as the walls close in around Reigns, it feels like a natural progression in the Bloodline story.
Even if Reigns and Sikoa do not win at Night of Champions, there is plenty of time for titles to change hands if necessary. However, Cody Rhodes and others are taking care of other matters until perhaps SummerSlam, so it makes sense to continue the tag team route.
The verdict is: Buy
Did Drew McIntyre’s absence extend due to his creativity?
McIntyre hasn’t competed since WrestleMania, and his absence has been felt around the main event.
If not for creative reasons holding up his return from injury, McIntyre might have already returned, too, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News).
It is well known that McIntyre has been struggling with injuries for quite some time now, and his contract is reportedly set to expire early next year.
As a creative person, it’s not surprising to see McIntyre take some time off and only return for the big summer events.
McIntyre’s prominence in the company as the guy who took down Brock Lesnar and a serious threat to Reigns means that WWE wouldn’t want to keep him away for too long because of booking reasons.
Selling verdict
Ronda Rousey, to take a hiatus?
As for Ronda Rousey, she just returned for the first time since ‘Mania but might be on her way out again very soon.
Rousey had planned to take some time off once the ongoing story with tag partner Shayna Baszler was concluded, according to Meltzer (h/t Upton). She returned with a surprise attack on Raquel Rodriguez, a then-tag team champion alongside Liv Morgan. These titles have since been vacated, and Rousey and Baszler are now competing to regain them.
It seems that at least sets the stage for a small program, but this one doesn’t swoop in as much as that one does. Rousey’s usage around ‘Mania and even before was a bit of a head-scratcher. At that time, fans knew she was injured, and speculation suggested she wanted to do more with the tag division than solo work.
As always with Rousey (and plenty of other Superstars, really), absence always makes the fans cheer louder upon her return. Inevitably, this will be the case with her again, and WWE is taking a break before its biggest summer events, which feels like a natural transition.
The verdict is: Buy
There are three main events at NoC.
Night of Champions looks like one of the best cards of the year so far.
This show has a little bit of everything and is a must-see at the moment. It features the Reigns-Sikoa tag match, Rhodes vs. Lesnar, Gunther and Bianca Belair defending their titles, and even Seth Rollins and AJ Styles fighting for the World Heavyweight Championship.
WWE wants to make the event even more exciting by classifying it as a card with three main events, according to Better Wrestling Experience (h/t Ortman).
It’s the problem with a small card like this that somebody is going to get left out despite being in a championship match and be considered less than. It’s fair that the event’s theme is title matches (besides Lesnar-Rhodes), but nearly every match feels like a main event when the entire thing is devoted to title matches.
It isn’t a good idea to muddy up the messaging around the event.
Selling verdict
