WWE Rumors: Buying or Selling Buzz on Big Cass, AJ Styles and More

The excitement and momentum WWE built coming off its Money in the Bank pay-per-view Sunday night was tempered somewhat by the surprise release of a Superstar who played a rather significant role in one of the more prominent feuds heading into the show.

The reasoning for Big Cass' unexpected release was at the forefront of this week's rumor mill, as was the successful title defense by WWE champion AJ Styles at the extravaganza.

Reasoning For Big Cass' Release from WWE

Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reported the reasoning behind Big Cass' shocking dismissal from WWE Tuesday afternoon.

"Multiple sources told Sports Illustrated that Cass was drinking the majority of the European tour and had attitude issues when drunk. Being intoxicated in public is one of the underlying reasons the WWE office was down on Cass."

Cass was last seen losing to Daniel Bryan in the opening contest of Sunday's massive Money in the Bank event.

Barrasso would go on to state that Cass had impressed officials with his performance in that match and there was some internal surprise regarding his release.

Buy or Sell?

Buy. WWE is a publicly traded company that just signed a massive television deal with Fox and has a ton of momentum on its side. 

Cass had a ton of potential to be a significant player on SmackDown Live, the same brand that will be featured on broadcast television as part of that aforementioned deal with Fox. But potential only gets one so far and does not make up for his conduct away from the ring.

Sure, he is hardly the first Superstar to allegedly have acted a fool outside the squared circle, but in this day and age, where media scrutiny is at a high, the company simply cannot afford it.

Reason AJ Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura at Money in the Bank

Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live reported the suspected reasoning for AJ Styles' successful WWE Championship defense over Shinsuke Nakamura Sunday night at Money in the Bank in their Last Man Standing match was Styles' status as the cover athlete for the WWE 2K19 video game.

This is Styles' first time on the cover of the popular WWE release. 

He defeated Nakamura with a low blow and breathtaking Phenomenal Forearm from the top rope on to Nakamura and through the announce table.

The game will be released on October 9.

Buy or Sell?

Buy. It may seem a bit odd that WWE would allow such a thing to dictate its creative direction, but booking trends suggest the company was not completely sold on Nakamura as its champion anyway, so this is really no harm, no foul.

Had Vince McMahon and Co. really been invested in Nakamura as a potential face of the SmackDown brand, they would have switched the title at The Greatest Royal Rumble. Or Backlash. Delaying it only built more and more momentum for a potential Styles victory, which is exactly what occurred.

Styles as the cover athlete for the game is huge for him as it essentially puts a stamp of approval on his star power and the trust the promotion has in him. It is an honor that has yet to be bestowed upon Roman Reigns, the company's top star.

Rey Mysterio and WWE Working on Three-Year Deal

Lucha Central's Eric Mutter reported former two-time world heavyweight champion Rey Mysterio and WWE are working on a three-year contract that would see the legendary masked Superstar return to the promotion.

The report did warn, "As of now no deal has been reached; it’s presumed that this deal being completed hangs on Mysterio being granted a part-time schedule, something he has reportedly sought during negotiations."

Mysterio was last seen on WWE television during the Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia.

Buy or Sell?

Buy. There is no way a guy with as many miles on his knees as Mysterio has, with the injury history he has, can be a full-time performer in today's WWE, so it makes sense that he would be angling for a return, but only as a part-time competitor.

Mysterio has impressed in his performances for WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling this year, appearing to be in his best physical shape since he took the United States by storm with ECW and WCW in the mid-1990s. He is faster and appears motivated to prove doubters wrong that he is not some washed-up veteran still seeking the spotlight.

WWE's young roster could benefit from having someone as knowledgeable and experienced in the locker room as Mysterio.