The Undertaker informally announced his retirement from the ring at the tail end of The Last Ride, but might a celebration of his 30th year with WWE pull him back onto television for one last appearance?
It is a question answered in the most prominent tidbit among this week's rumors and innuendo.
Others include backstage heat between a former WWE champion and a young star who cannot seem to stay out of trouble, as well as the latest on Jordan Omogbehin and his new role as AJ Styles' muscle.
Dive deeper into those topics and Ben Carter's decision to sign with Vince McMahon's sports-entertainment empire over All Elite Wrestling with this recap of wrestling reports.
The Undertaker Returning at Survivor Series?
WrestleVotes reported that Survivor Series will be centered around a celebration of 30 years of The Undertaker and that his return is currently slated for the pay-per-view on Nov. 22.
The Phenom made his on-screen debut at the 1990 edition of the PPV, the start of what is arguably the greatest career in WWE history. The longest-running and most respected character in Vince McMahon's company, he was most recently celebrated in the critically acclaimed documentary, The Last Ride.
Despite the insinuation at the end of the five-part limited series that he has retired from in-ring competition, it makes sense for McMahon and WWE to want Undertaker to make an appearance at what will be a milestone event.
WWE Network is marking the occasion with 30 Days of The Deadman, a month-long event featuring new documentaries and specials dedicated to The Phenom.
It furthers speculation that the iconic competitor will pop back up on WWE TV in some form in time to celebrate three decades with the promotion.
Is There Real-Life Tension Between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle?
Whether it's getting on the wrong side of Bill Goldberg or infuriating Brock Lesnar, Matt Riddle has a reputation for pissing off former world champions, so it's no real surprise that he has drawn the ire of Seth Rollins.
Paul Davis of WrestlingNews.co reported that Riddle and Rollins have heat dating back to a now-deleted social media post (captured here) in which The Original Bro's wife criticized Becky Lynch's physique.
Rollins is Lynch's real-life fiance.
Davis reported that during the WWE Draft Watch Along, Rollins said: "I've got no interest in facing Matt Riddle at any point in my career, so he can go to Raw as far as I'm concerned." That he stated as much on a company-produced streaming special hints at the depths to which the heat reaches.
Riddle did, in fact, go to Raw while Rollins was drafted to SmackDown for the first time in his career.
While a match between the two would probably be quite good, the likelihood it will, or even should, occur appears extremely low at this point.
The possibility Riddle will find some way to further irritate or enrage another former world champion? Much higher.
Update on Jordan Omogbehin
First, Jordan Omogbehin was a ninja and then a bouncer for Raw Underground. Monday night, he made his official Raw debut as the bodyguard for AJ Styles.
But why?
Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that the repeated use of Omogbehin in non-wrestling roles is due to his in-ring work being subpar.
Not that it should surprise anyone. This is hardly the first time WWE officials have utilized massive individuals in non-wrestling roles to cover up for the fact that they simply aren't very good.
Even Kevin Nash, who went on to become WWE champion and one of the biggest stars in the industry, began his run in McMahonland as a bodyguard for Shawn Michaels because he had the imposing look, but not necessarily the in-ring ability to back it up.
Omogbehin's current role is actually reminiscent of Nash's as Diesel in that he, too, is backing up a wrestler celebrated by many as one of the best in his field—regardless of whether Styles actually needed such a gimmick at this point in his career.
Report on Ben Carter Choosing WWE over AEW
Meltzer also reported Ben Carter's decision to sign with WWE over AEW was driven, in large part, by the uncertainty surrounding independent wrestling and the COVID-19 pandemic.
With indie wrestling mostly on hold until 2021 at the earliest, it stands to reason that WWE would be considered a safer and more secure option at this point than AEW, which is still only in its second year.
Carter impressed in several appearances on AEW Dark, making him one of the hotter free agents in the industry.
The Brit will likely appear in NXT first, where he should shine alongside the talented crop of stars Triple H has assembled, but it would also put him head-to-head with the company he spurned every Wednesday night.
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