BS Meter on Shake-Ups to WWE SmackDown, AEW Plans For MJF and More Rumors

Typically, a lull hits the pro wrestling rumor mill after WrestleMania. That's especially the case with the renowned Raw after WrestleMania, where big storylines pick up and debuts occur. 

But this has been anything but a typical week or so for WWE. 

Drama abounds around WrestleMania itself in the aftermath of an advertisement-riddled event that featured weird things like Pat McAfee's erratic involvement. 

There's even the mystery around the supposed Brock Lesnar retirement to review, not to mention some of the major happenings going down over in AEW.

To help fans keep up with it all, let's put the biggest rumors on the BS Meter, with 10 being the highest form of unbelievable buzz fans can safely dismiss.

Brock Lesnar updates

The Rumor

Is Brock Lesnar really done? According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, (h/t Geno Mrosko of Cageside Seats), some within WWE don't think Lesnar has actually retired. But that said, his feud with Oba Femi was supposed to stretch beyond 'Mania itself. 

Reaction

Lesnar left his boots in the ring and threw up the "x" after his loss to Femi. The announcers seemed a little shook by the whole thing, and WWE broadcasts have since been very careful about how they talk about this. Unless they're shockingly good and playing into this whole thing, it sure feels like WWE was caught off guard by Lesnar's actions. 

BS Meter: 1

Of course, some people in WWE still think Lesnar isn't done. But it's hard to see how his beating Femi and prolonging the type feud would have been better than Femi just getting his 'Mania moment with that win. It's still easy to speculate about Lesnar having a goodbye match at SummerSlam 2026 in Minnesota, too, though. Perhaps against Gunther?

Pat McAfee pulled the plug?

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The Rumor

The McAfee stuff was terrible and he apparently agreed. According to Meltzer (h/t Sean Rueter of Cageside Seats), McAfee himself "opted out" of the Cody Rhodes-Randy Orton stuff. That also allegedly changes the intended plans for Backlash. 

Reaction

McAfee and Jelly Roll had no business around the main event of WrestleMania, especially when the historic lines between Rhodes and Orton didn't need any help. In this behind-the-curtain era, fans were all too meta-aware that McAfee was inserted by outsiders in a ticket-sale ploy. 

BS Meter: 10

Come on. McAfee (and Jelly Roll) was more than happy to insert himself into the main event of a WrestleMania very late in the process, probably with some financial contractual persuasion. And he was still involved with a stretcher spot, then coming back out later as a referee, anyway. This feels like PR spin and hopes to explain why Backlash plans have changed. 

SmackDown changes coming?

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The Rumor

WWE will apparently use the post-Mania scene to refresh some weekly broadcasts. According to WrestleVotes (h/t Cain A. Knight of Cageside Seats), SmackDown will get a presentation refresh. 

Reaction

No word on hard details here, but the report suggests the changes won't impact the logo or theme song right now. From the sounds of it, this could be more about shuffling the roster around a bit, which is probably a good idea. 

BS Meter: 1

Good time for change. WrestleMania feels like it marks the end of the season and the Raw after it starts a new one. Might as well mix things up. And with it sure feeling like the "WWE draft" won't be a thing again, shuffling up the roster a bit as needed could keep things fresh. 

MJF, AEW update after shocker

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The Rumor

MJF is no longer the top guy in AEW right now, but it's not a sign of, nor will it lead to, any problems. According to Fightful Select (h/t Rueter), things are just fine between the parties. 

Reaction

The writeup goes on to confirm that MJF is involved in creative plans not just for next month's Double or Nothing pay-per-view, but well into the summer, too. That would make sense, given the surprising way he dropped the AEW World Championship to Darby Allin on an episode of Dynamite. 

BS Meter: 1

MJF leaving AEW is speculation of the past. If he seems mad in public right now, he's doing his job well. It'll be interesting to see where the story goes from here. But there's no reason to think he won't be one of the headline players into the summer and beyond, even if he doesn't get the belt back quickly.

WrestleMania going back to one night?

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The Rumor

As WWE gets ready for WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia, WrestleVotes (h/t Knight) says the weekend of March 27 is a possible target date and that the event could go back to just a single-night showcase in 2027. 

Reaction

It's not hard to see why WWE might consider going away from the two-night model. As fairly pointed out by onlookers, match runtimes were tiny for the majority of both nights this year. Advertisements run, on the other hand, felt never-ending. 

BS Meter: 5

Here's the thing: WWE might want to experiment with going back to a single night. Surely there's a balance to be found between the exhausting single-night shows of the past and the stretched-out-for-advertising-not-actual-wrestling two nights. One problem: Partners. Companies like TKO and ESPN benefit from two nights of programming, and surely get a big say, so don't expect anything to change.