WWE Rumors: Seth Rollins’ Return, Finn Balor, AJ Styles Missing, Drew Galloway
The latest set of WWE rumors focuses on the returns of two former world champions, along with the whereabouts of the apparently missing-in-action AJ Styles, the futures of Drew Galloway and Matt and Jeff Hardy, and time off for a prominent WWE referee.
WWE fans have known for a week that on Monday, Seth Rollins will make his first appearance on Raw in a month for a scheduled interview. Rollins has been out injured since he tweaked his knee during an attack at the hands of Samoa Joe, who was making his first appearance after making the step up from NXT. Despite initial fears that he’d face another lengthy layoff, missing WrestleMania for the second year in a row, WWE rumors quickly suggested he will be healthy in time for his much-rumored WrestleMania 33 match with Triple H.
While it seemed Rollins was set only for an interview — likely in the more laidback, one-on-one interview scenario with Michael Cole fans have repeatedly seen WWE pull off successfully in recent year — there might be a little more in the cards for Rollins. This might not be a pre-recorded interview as Rollins is in Green Bay, Wisconsin (from where WWE will broadcast Raw), and may appear live in the ring. There’s every chance he will use the appearance to confirm he will be ready for his WrestleMania 33 match.
'Hey Finn, are you ready?' pic.twitter.com/0rX6LYbCxO
— Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) February 22, 2017
Another former top WWE champion is expected to return to the ring imminently. Finn Balor has spent months on the sidelines after injuring his shoulder while becoming the inaugural WWE Universal Champion at SummerSlam 2016. His target date for a return was always WrestleMania 33, and it seems like he’s almost a certainty to meet that goal.
Balor appeared in a dark segment at the most recent NXT tapings, in which he got physically involved with other wrestlers. He’s also scheduled for appearances at house shows within the next few weeks. Now, WWE rumors indicate Balor might make his return to WWE television before those live events. It seems unlikely that he’ll be back on Raw this week, with Rollins also making his return on that show, but if, as rumors suggest, he is moving to SmackDown Live, Balor could feature on WWE TV again as early as Tuesday.
Speaking of SmackDown Live, a top superstar from that brand missed the live events this past weekend. AJ Styles was advertised to appear, undoubtedly disappointing fans when he was not at those shows. It seems that there was some miscommunication however as Styles was scheduled for a little time off over the weekend, according to Cageside Seats. He’s scheduled to face Luke Harper in a WWE Championship number one contender’s match on SmackDown Live Tuesday.
The path is now apparently clear for Drew Galloway to make his return to WWE after announcing he has left Impact Wrestling. Galloway and Impact could not reach an agreement on a new contract, and Impact apparently dragged its heels in getting the deal done, leading to Galloway deciding to move on. Matt and Jeff Hardy might follow Galloway out of the door, and with Matt Hardy having one of the most popular acts in pro wrestling right now, WWE will surely hold some interest in bringing him back.
Lastly in the WWE rumors digest, Charles Robinson, one of the more recognizable referees on the WWE roster, recently had foot surgery. That will rule him out of counting pins and telling off wrestlers who are on the verge of breaking rules for a while, but WWE rumors suggest that Lil’ Naitch, as he’s affectionately known, be good to go for WrestleMania 33.
Stay tuned to the Inquisitr for the latest pro wrestling news and WWE rumors.
[Featured Image by WWE]
