WWE Rumors: Examining Latest Buzz Around Sting, Brock Lesnar and More

Uncertainty surrounds whether Sting will ever wrestle for WWE and what the company has planned for Brock Lesnar at Hell in a Cell.

The latest WWE rumors provide some insight, but even after digging through backstage reports and scouring Twitter, one is still left with a number of questions. Is Stone Cold Steve Austin coming back to the ring? Who exactly is playing Adam Rose's Bunny?

As for Sting and Lesnar, it appears that it's possible that both men will be at WrestleMania 31. Don't buy tickets based on that, though.

There's no guarantee that they'll step between the ropes, just as there is, surprisingly, no guarantee that we're going to get Lesnar vs. John Cena again at Hell in a Cell.

Sting Headed to WrestleMania?

Sting is in WWE 2K15. That much we know.

The question of whether we will see him in the flesh in a WWE ring remains unanswered. A new report, however, suggests that WWE is confident that he will indeed wrestle a WWE match. 

F4WOnline (h/t Wrestle Zone) is reporting that Sting has yet to sign a deal to wrestle with WWE. He currently only has a merchandising deal and one involving WWE 2K15. Even without a deal in place, WWE officials reportedly believe Sting will compete at WrestleMania 31.

His desire to have one last match is public knowledge.

He told Mirror reporter Rob Leigh back in July that he'd like to compete at WrestleMania to have "one last hurrah." As for his desired opponent, he has been adamant about taking on The Undertaker, saying that he would "love to wrestle him one time" before retiring.

If Sting only does one match, it makes sense to do it on WWE's grandest stage. Undertaker is not certain to be at the event, though.

He's beaten up, 49 years old and followed his last bout with a trip to the hospital, per WWE.com.

One has to think that even if Undertaker is not an option, Sting and WWE have to come to terms on a one-match deal. There is too much money to be made to pass this chance up.

Will Steve Austin Have One More Match?

If the rumors of an Austin comeback aren't just the annual Internet chatter, then WrestleMania 31 stands to be choked with star power.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes (h/t Wrestle Zone) that there is speculation backstage that Austin may be training for a return match at WrestleMania 31.

There's not much more to go on here, but it's enough to get fans dreaming up scenarios for his return. Could he battle Cena in a matchup of franchise cornerstones? Would a match with Austin be enough to lure CM Punk back?

Before one goes dreaming too hard, though, take a look at Austin's tongue-in-cheek tweet:

Him making fun of the rumor doesn't make it false, but it's a reminder that we've heard this kind of thing before. Longing for Austin to come back is so strong that it doesn't take much to get the rumor mill churning.

In an interview with Marc Graser of Variety, he didn't sound keen on making a comeback. 

He spoke of his wrestling career in the past tense. He talked about not wanting to take bumps and joked about his video game self competing for him at WrestleMania. Just to leave things open and keep the rumors on life support, he said, "I'm always a business man, ready to listen to an idea."

Who is The Bunny? 

The Bunny of The Rosebuds has been giving Heath Slater and Titus O'Neil fits over the last few weeks. The oversized rabbit has mixed it up with Slater Gator with a number of exciting moves.

His speed had some folks wondering if Tyson Kidd was under the mask. Kidd shot down the rumor on Twitter:

There have been rumblings that Justin Gabriel and Sami Zayn have played The Bunny at different times, but neither the Wrestling Observer Newsletter nor PWInsider have yet to confirm that. Both wrestlers are plenty agile enough to pull off the moves The Bunny has been performing.

A tweet from May hints that Gabriel has been slipping into the costume:

Whoever The Bunny is now is likely not permanent. WWE could eventually have O'Neil's former partner take over the role. PWInsider's subscribers-only section (h/t Wrestling Inc) reported earlier this month that Darren Young may be revealed as The Bunny at some point.

The problem with that is that The Bunny's hands clearly belong to someone with lighter skin than Young's.

There is a continuity issue there, but it's doubtful that Vince McMahon and company will care about that detail. Only the most attentive fans are going to remember or notice.

What's Next for Brock Lesnar?

Neither Lesnar nor Paul Heyman showed up on Monday's Raw. That may be due to WWE being undecided about where to take the champion next.

According to PWInsider Elite (subscription required) (h/t Wrestling Inc), a possible reason for Heyman not appearing is that WWE is not sure what to do with Lesnar at Hell in a Cell. The report also notes that there are currently no plans for Cena to take on Lesnar at that event.

Credit: WWE.com

It seems strange that there isn't already a plan in place for the pay-per-view, but apparently, there wasn't a plan in place for Raw itself. F4WOnline reports (h/t PWMania.com) that WWE was changing Raw as it was on the air.

When word of a situation like this slips, it makes perfect sense that some stories feel so thrown together. That's because they are.

With Cena winning only by disqualification, the logical step would be to have Lesnar vs. Cena at Hell in a Cell to cap off their 2014 trilogy. Maybe, though, WWE plans to save Lesnar, letting Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose headline the show.

That leaves Cena without a dance partner—and the event without the world champ.

Perhaps Hell in a Cell then becomes the showcase of the rising star, with Rollins, Ambrose, Cesaro, Bray Wyatt and Rusev all being featured. The focus should be on building new stars so that the success of future WrestleManias don't have to rely on whether retired stars come back or someone like Sting inks a deal.