WWE Rumors: Examining Latest Buzz Around Jinder Mahal, Baron Corbin and More

The surprise push of Jinder Mahal by WWE officials is perhaps the biggest story of the year so far, so it's no surprise to see him feature in the latest batch of rumors circulating online.

Mahal will face Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at Backlash on May 21, and while it remains to be seen whether he will win the belt, there are some interesting developments coming out about the details behind his push.

Elsewhere, there's a look further down the line at what SmackDown Live's main event scene could look like by the summer, with an early favorite to win the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Plus, there's news of heat on a newly traded SmackDown star.

Backstage Heat on Rusev?

WWE fans are still waiting to see their first glimpse of Rusev as a SmackDown Live competitor, but before that even happens, it appears he has some heat on his shoulders already.

Billi Bhatti at Sportskeeda reported this week that Rusev is in "hot water" with the company, for a reason that may surprise a few people.

The Bulgarian Brute has been showing off a new look of late, with a somewhat drastic haircut that is a far cry away from his usual long, black locks.

Rusev is sporting a much shorter cut and, according to Bhatti, that decision to make the change has not gone down well with WWE officials at all.

With merchandise to sell all the time, it's perhaps the reason why the haircut has been such a big fuss. 

Details Behind Jinder Mahal's Push

The big news in WWE this week is undoubtedly the emergence of Jinder Mahal as a contender for Randy Orton's WWE Championship.

The two will meet at Backlash next month with the title on the line, but recently, more details have emerged about Jinder's push.

F4WOnline (h/t Marc Middleton at WrestlingInc) reported this week that the main reason for the push is due to WWE's expansion plans in India.

There's no details on whether Mahal could actually go on and become the world champion, but what is also reported is that the faction including Mahal and The Singh Brothers is going to be a thing moving forward.

But of course, the big detail, which is as yet still unknown, is whether Jinder could actually win the big one.

Baron Corbin to Be Mr. Money in the Bank?

It's well documented that Baron Corbin is destined for big things on the SmackDown Live roster.

The Lone Wolf has made quite an impact since the draft last year, and it's fairly obvious to see that Corbin is being slowly groomed into a future world champion.

And this week, there have been reports detailing when Corbin could make his leap into the blue brand's main event scene.

Randall Ortman at Cageside Seats reported this week that Corbin has been penciled in as the early favorite to not only be in the Money in the Bank match this summer—but win the briefcase.

This would be a smart way for Corbin to be eased into the world title picture. Thrusting him in when there aren't too many openings isn't wise, but with the briefcase by his side, it allows Corbin to instantly catapult in as a potential world champion at some point.