WWE Rumors: Examining Latest Buzz Around Batista, the Miz and More

As 2017 comes to a close, the wrestling rumor mill heats up with rumors and speculation regarding Superstars who will play a key role in the upcoming Road to WrestleMania.

Batista has not been featured on WWE programming since he departed in 2014, but his name popped up in an intriguing report this week.

Joining him was The Miz, though the news surrounding him was not nearly as intriguing.

Rounding out this week's rumors and speculation is a handful of NXT stars who may find themselves on the main roster in the wake of WrestleMania 33. Who are they and what impact may they have on the WWE product?

Batista Returning to the Ring

Batista may be a major motion picture star, particularly for his work with the Guardians of the Galaxy films, but the wrestling bug continues to bite, if a report from The Wrestling Observer (h/t Cageside Seats) is any indication.

"There are increasing talks of Batista coming back for something like a six-month run to close out his career in WWE, per the Observer."

If that is the case, one can only hope WWE officials recognize the many issues that faced him during his last return and do not make the same mistakes that plagued it. 

Batista was one of the biggest stars of his generation, one of the faces of the Ruthless Aggression Era. He was integral to the company's efforts to move on from the Attitude Era icons and one of the best big men in WWE history.

He deserves better than a botched return that put him opposite the hottest star in the industry, forcing fans to choose between the two, as was the case in 2014.

An Awesome Return

Filming on The Marine 6 has wrapped and former Intercontinental champion The Miz is on his way back to Raw, according to Cageside Seats.

The Miz was one of the MVPs of Raw in 2017. He was the rare heel an entire show could be built around, thanks to his ability to incite passionate responses from fans. None of Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe was able to fill that role quite the way the Hollywood A-Lister did.

His absence has been felt, even though it has only been a few weeks. His return should be one that fans greet with open arms, thrilled at the idea of the extraordinary villain.

The question becomes what role he fills.

Sheamus and Cesaro have filled in admirably as the workhorses of the brand, and Samoa Joe's return has helped bring star power in his absence, but his ability to cut a promo that inspires genuine emotion from the audience is missed.

He almost certainly deserves an even bigger role on the show than being constantly stuck in the midcard, the intercontinental champion.

Whether he gets it or not remains to be seen.

NXT Call-ups

According to Cageside Seats' Randall Ortman, the next round of NXT call-ups is not slated to occur until after WrestleMania 33, and the call-ups could feature two dynamic duos and a fun-loving babyface when they finally do happen.

"There likely won't be any NXT call-ups until after WrestleMania—even if there are cameo appearances in either Royal Rumble match—but No Way Jose, Authors of Pain, and The Iconic Duo are all names on the list who are expected to come up next."

No Way Jose may struggle to be taken seriously on the main roster but has the ability between the ropes and the personality to be, at the very least, a superb opening-match performer.

The Authors of Pain have consistently grown and developed into an extraordinary team in NXT. Jumping to the main roster, hopefully, SmackDown Live would only bolster the impressive crop of tag teams that currently make up the WWE roster.

Finally, there is The Iconic Duo of Peyton Royce and Billie Kay.

The duo has become one of the best acts in the women's division, heels that have gotten over with audiences thanks to the over-the-top nature of their on-screen personas. A leap to either division and the injection of their personalities into them would help provide a spark for either Raw or SmackDown.