WWE's Most Controversial and Shocking Stories for the Week of March 23

WWE's always-busy news cycle during WrestleMania season paled in comparison with the very heartbreaking death of Jan Ross, Jim Ross' wife of over 23 years. Jan was hit by a driver while riding her Vespa without a helmet and suffered multiple skull fractures, per TMZ.com. 

This is doubly poignant as I've had the pleasure of meeting Jim Ross on multiple occasions and often refer to him as the classiest act in the entire wrestling business. Nobody deserves to be stricken with such tragedy, especially the Hall of Fame WWE announcer. The outpour of support from fans, friends and giants of the professional wrestling business is truly heartwarming to see, and my deepest condolences go out to Ross and his family. 

Where's Mauro? Week 2 

Last week, it was noted that Mauro Ranallo seemed to have heat with current and former WWE announcers, per Twitter (h/t Wrestling Inc), when several of them publicly objected to Ranallo missing SmackDown Live due to inclement weather. Ranallo has remained mostly silent on social media, and for the second week in a row, rising announcer Tom Phillips—who claimed Ranallo was out sick—took over lead announcing duties. 

The current lead announcer for NXT, Phillips has long been groomed to perhaps one day be the voice of the promotion. Corey Graves, who also started out on NXT just a few short years ago, has already supplanted Jerry Lawler as the premier color commentator on Raw and pay-per-view.

Ranallo's status with WWE seems more up in the air with every passing day, but as controversy continues to surround his absence, and with Phillips filling in admirably, it's possible this could be the beginning of the end for Ranallo in WWE.  

Broken Universe Coming to the WWE Universe? 

According to Pro Wrestling Sheet (h/t Wrestling Inc), WWE has made an offer to Matt and Jeff Hardy. The former WWE tag team champions are currently embroiled in a legal battle with Impact Wrestling for ownership of their "Broken Universe" gimmick. The Broken Universe quickly became a cult favorite among hardcore wrestling fans, and the Hardys seemed to be determined to fight tooth and nail for exclusivity to the characters. 

According to PWInsider (h/t Wrestling Inc), WWE's offer is only to the Matt and Jeff, not Senor Benjamin or Reby Sky. Given how WWE booked the returns of The Dudley Boyz as a nostalgia act, it's unlikely fans will see a reincarnation of the Broken Universe in the mainstream world of WWE. Even if there are elements of these characters in WWE, nothing will match what they accomplished in Impact Wrestling as that entire promotion was built around the Hardys during their memorable run in 2016.  

Paige Embroiled in Another Scandal After Leaked Photos and Videos

Paige has had a rough go of it since suffering a neck injury and being out of commission for close to a year. While WWE's women's division has surged in her absence, Paige seems to be in the midst of a downward spiral. Since being away from WWE, Paige has failed two drug tests, per WWE.com, joined her family in public criticism of WWE on Facebook and Twitter (h/t Wrestling Inc) and, most recently, found herself in the middle of an ugly celebrity hack that leaked very private photos and videos. 

The good news, if there is any, is that PWInsider (h/t Wrestling Inc) reported WWE does not seem to be primed to take any action against Paige or Xavier Woods, who was implicated in this scandal. Still, it's fair to question whether Paige is worth the prolonged headache. 

Ring of Honor to Air on WWE Network? 

According to Pro Wrestling Sheet (h/t Wrestling Inc), WWE is in secret talks to possibly buy ROH. Since the launch of the WWE Network, WWE has dramatically changed philosophically by acknowledging outside promotions and the stars that come from them. 

WWE's celebration of AJ Styles upon his debut at the Royal Rumble led to a lengthy world championship run, and Styles is set to compete in a high-profile match at WrestleMania for the second year in a row. Triple H has taken a liking to booker Gabe Sapolsky and Evolve, who has a working relationship with WWE. Now, WWE is reportedly looking to absorb one of the biggest promotions outside of the worldwide leader. 

With WWE Network always adding both new and vintage content, the addition of ROH could be a coup. By the same token, with NXT already an established "super-indy," WWE airing ROH could come off as redundant or unnecessary. 

Southpaw Regional Wrestling Wins the Hearts of Wrestling Fans  

Southpaw Regional Wrestling, WWE's satirical miniseries about a fictional classic wrestling promotion, won the hearts and minds of wrestling fans and critics. Currently scoring at 9.6/10 on IMDb, through 72 reviews, the series is a critically acclaimed smash hit. 

John Cena urged his Twitter followers, many of whom also enjoyed the quirky parody, to ask WWE for more. As somebody who enjoyed Southpaw Regional Wrestling in all its vintage comedy glory, this would be the perfect fit as a series on WWE Network, which has underdelivered with lackluster original series such as Holy Foley.