WWE Rumors: Examining Latest Buzz Around Hulk Hogan, Bray Wyatt and More

The latest WWE rumors point to the company pushing Hulk Hogan out of the spotlight and sliding Bray Wyatt into it.

WWE is reportedly cutting Hogan out of one of its movies, an act that is a continuation of a long process of shoving him and his controversy out of sight. And so continues a surreal, arduous year for the iconic wrestler.

As for Wyatt, recent rumblings suggest he's poised to experience a big push. But it may not begin until WrestleMania season is done with. 

In other stories, a report explained the reasoning behind inserting Zack Ryder into the WWE Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania, and Sting's latest interview forces fans to hold back on retirement talk.

More Erasing of The Hulkster

Hogan was set to be a part of Killing Hasselhoff, a WWE Studios comedy, but that was before his infamous, racially charged tirade that the National Enquirer leaked to the world.

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that "Hogan was completely cut from an upcoming WWE Studios film...causing the whole movie to go through major edits." Satin also noted that reshooting wasn't necessary as producers used footage that was already shot—which forced people working on the film to re-edit almost all of it.

There is no surprise here. 

WWE may eventually soften its stance on Hogan, but it has done everything it can to distance itself from him since last year. It fired him, pulling him from his position as judge on a WWE Tough Enough. Search for Hogan on WWE.com and the website redirects you to decidedly non-Hogan results.

Cutting him out of this movie is in line with all those moves. It won't be until the controversy over his use of the n-word is further in the rearview mirror that WWE will stop taking this kind of action.

Ryder's Ticket to WrestleMania

As fans saw on Monday's Raw, Ryder is among the six men who will challenge Kevin Owens at WrestleMania for the IC title in a ladder match. Even with Stardust and Sin Cara in the mix, Ryder stands out in the group. With as little as WWE uses him, it was startling that he suddenly earned a championship match at the biggest show of the year.

He can thank Neville for the opportunity.

According to PWInsider (h/t Wrestle Zone), Neville was originally supposed to be in the WWE Intercontinental Championship match, but his injury is preventing from being cleared. WWE then went with Ryder as an alternate.

Neville fractured his ankle last week. He joined an already overflowing disabled list. 

That opened the door for Ryder to hop up off the bench.

What's Ahead for Wyatt?

Although he doesn't have an official match at WrestleMania yet, Wyatt may be gearing up for some major upward movement. 

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Wrestling Inc) that WWE has big plans for Wyatt following WrestleMania 32. That could include angles with both Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. Meltzer also added that Wyatt is suffering from a back injury, but it's not bad enough to get in the way of those plans.

Wyatt has seemingly being teasing that something major is on the way with his latest promos. 

During last week's SmackDown, he cut a promo where he wondered what WrestleMania would be like without him, warning "I know something y'all don't know. Something wicked this way comes. Run. All of you." Whether that's just a lead-in to him and his crew invading the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal remains to be seen.

Elevating Wyatt to the top tier would be a welcome sight for many. He's been one of the most memorable personalities on the roster for some time. WWE may be set to make use of that.

Sting Refutes Rumor?

Don't start using the past tense for Sting's career just yet. More information has emerged about whether he's done in the ring.

Last week, TMZ reported that Sting's career was over due to a neck injury. The report also noted, "Our sources tell us Sting may make his official announcement next month at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in Texas...but we're told it's a done deal."

TMZ then approached Sting (h/t Wrestle Zone) in a video interview. The Stinger said, “My neck is OK. I'm not officially retired. There's a lot of rumors out there, but I'm not officially retired."

It's worth noting that this video of Sting on TMZ's website is no longer available, although a short clip is up on YouTube.

Perhaps Sting is holding out hope that he can rehab his injury enough to come back, but given his age (57) and the fact that the injury is to his neck, it seems unlikely. And this may just be an issue of semantics.

Sting said he wasn't "officially" retired, which actually doesn't contradict the original report. The door may not officially close until the Hall of Fame ceremony next month. 

Sting clearly hasn't lost his ability to keep us guessing. When WWE asked him in a recent interview whether he had in fact wrestled for the last time, he said, "The only thing for sure about Sting is nothing's for sure."