WWE Rumors Roundup for Week of Oct. 26 Ahead of Survivor Series

Well, that escalated quickly.

With Survivor Series on the horizon and a cross-brand feud to promote, WWE Creative decided to kickstart the pay-per-view build with a good old-fashioned invasion angle. The SmackDown Live roster sauntered into the Raw locker room and proceeded to beat the tar out of anything or anyone who moved, including a poor production assistant who just happened to be loitering.

It's an exciting way to establish conflict. But the roster has to keep it going until November 19. Here are the latest rumors as the WWE Universe hurtles toward Survivor Series.

Cena the Referee?

Credit: WWE.com

On Monday, Brock Lesnar, through advocate Paul Heyman, accepted Jinder Mahal's challenge at Survivor Series. On its face, this seems like a ridiculous prospect. Brock Lesnar—the guy who has beat Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman and The Undertaker cleanly, is going to put on a competitive match with the weakest WWE champion in years?

But it seems WWE will be adding an extra layer to the bout, which might keep it unpredictable. According to PWInsider (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc.), John Cena is set to be the match's referee.

There are lots of ways the company could make this work. WWE could set up a Cena vs. Mahal match months from now, wherein Cena plays the American Hero and Mahal plays the Evil Foreigner. WWE could set up a contest between Cena and Lesnar, which is always engrossing to watch, no matter how many times fans have seen it.

But the takeaway from this is evident: A Lesnar win, which once seemed like a sure thing, is up in the air. Don't get it twisted, though. A Mahal win, corrupt referee or not, would still be a short-sighted and unbelievable outcome. But Jinder Mahal, against all odds, has a WWE Championship reign that has lasted more days than those of Superstars such as AJ Styles, Edge, Eddie Guerrero and Roman Reigns. Never say never.

Who Subbed In Kurt Angle?

Credit: WWE.com

Kurt Angle fought alongside Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. He did this despite a history of neck injuries that would have retired lesser people. Despite being a large, global company with stockholders to please, WWE risked its skin by putting Angle in an extreme match after a long layoff from active competition. Why?

According to PWInsider (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), the decision was made at the very top—by CEO Vince McMahon. He made the decision on the Thursday before the event, and Angle was medically cleared on Friday.

McMahon has a somewhat checkered history of using performers who are past their expiration dates. The Undertaker, despite being in obvious physical pain, continued wrestling for years after he might have considered retirement.

And Angle, as great as it was to see him, also looked a bit stiff. Was it caused by ring rust or nagging career injuries? Either way, here's hoping that Angle knows his limits and doesn't do more than what his body can handle. He's a legend, and he has nothing left to prove, especially if it lands him in a wheelchair.

When's That Raw Invasion Going to Happen?

Credit: WWE.com

After the SmackDown roster invaded Raw and lit up its locker room, the question needed to be asked: Will Raw get its revenge and return the favor? No doubt fans tuned in on SmackDown on Tuesday to get some answers, but they were left empty-handed.

According to Ortmann, there is a SmackDown invasion plan in the works, but it might have been delayed because of travel scheduling. The Raw and SmackDown rosters travel independently; AJ Styles sat on a flight for 18 hours to replace Bray Wyatt for his match against Finn Balor at TLC on Sunday.

But this invasion delay might be for the best. Survivor Series doesn't take place until November 19. If the company ran two invasion segments in one week, what could it possibly do for a follow-up?

It's better to spread these major spots out—let them breathe and stand on their owninstead of overwhelming the audience by hotshotting.

Advice from The Great One?

Credit: WWE.com

And lastly, an interesting rumor about Nia Jax. She hasn't been seen on WWE television for two weeks, and up until recently, she was dark on social media. Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet reported she was granted a leave of absence, with many speculating via Twitter that she had walked out.

According to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Jax did walk out, and it was due to a backstage decision to have her lose cleanly to Sasha Banks at TLC. And it was her cousin, The Rock, who advised her to walk to express her discontent.

Normally, for someone of Jax's experience level, this would be a poor, ill-advised decision. But having The Rock in her corner changes matters. As WWE's only bona fide Hollywood star—Cena has a ways to go before he can be considered as much—The Rock has that crossover appeal the company dearly covets.

WWE wants to keep him happy. WWE also wants to keep order in its locker room, particularly with younger talent. It's a tough call for the brass to make; no matter how they react to this, someone is going to end up upset.