WWE Rumors Roundup for Week of Oct. 12 Ahead of Evolution

It doesn't get much busier than this in the world of WWE. 

Not only is SmackDown 1000 on the way, WWE is working a balancing act akin to Undertaker's Old School, promoting both Evolution and Crown Jewel.

Naturally, rumors persist during busy times like this. This week alone offers a landslide thanks to injuries, odd omissions, changes to the events and overall even prep featuring some of the biggest names in the industry. 

Keep in mind it would normally be chaotic with three major events happening in quick succession, but WWE has also added droves of legends into the mix, including countless names for Evolution as well as bringing D-Generation X back from the land of retirement. 

As the build for all three continues, let's take a look at the biggest rumors for the week of October 12. 

KO KO'd for a Long Time?

WWE

The WWE might miss Kevin Owens for an extended amount of time.

Owens, who at this point had one of the better runs with the Universal title, got written off television via an "injury" angle on an episode of Raw. 

Turns out it isn't much of an angle. 

Owens has a knee issue and now the conversation has changed to his possibly being gone long enough to miss WrestleMania. According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Sean Rueter, Cagesideseats.com), there is a "fear" Owners could be out much longer than initially thought. 

"While there’s still no official diagnosis being reported, it’s looking like we should expect to be without the Prizefighter on our screens for at least four months. It’s possible he could be out for as many as eight months," Rueter wrote.

While unfortunate, there is always a silver lining with injuries in WWE. The return pop is gigantic and a return for Owens could mean a character refresh. 

Bobby Lashley's Turn

WWE

Bobby Lashley makes for a monstrous villain...but he returned to WWE as a good guy. 

The move was corrected on the latest episode of Raw, where Lashley helped write Owens off television by beating the tar out of him. 

According to Wrestling Observer (h/t Randall Ortman Cagesideseats.com), the decision to turn Lashley into a heel was made only "hours" before the show itself and came as a reaction to Raw's "need for heels." 

Why it took an injury to Owens for Lashley to get back to being a heel is hard to say, but at least WWE heads in the right direction now.

Some of Lashley's best work, both in WWE and outside of it, came when he was playing the bad guy. The goofy good-guy schtick he has been doing since returning to WWE had him spinning his wheels anyway. 

Now? WWE has another big monster on its hands, should they want to use Lashley that way. And at some point, Owens will return wanting revenge. 

All Things Sasha Banks

WWE

Sasha Banks asked for time off. Sasha Banks is hurt. 

Sasha Banks drives more passionate opinion from fans than most WWE superstars.

It should go without saying, but Banks' omission from Evolution promo material started a fire. She's a major part of the women's push in the sport and one of the top overall names in the company. 

As it turns out, she asked for a "break," according to Barnburner (h/t Ortman). 

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet followed with a report: "Heard from a source that Sasha Banks is dealing with a back injury, but I’m not sure how serious it is. Have had trouble getting more info or additional confirmation from sources."

The four-time Raw Women's champion hasn't wrestled in a match since Sept. 3, so it makes sense the furor and speculation has only grown to a fever pitch with Evolution on the approach. Evolution takes place on Oct. 28, so we'll see if she's good enough to go by then.

Evolution Plans Detailed

WWE

Let WWE tell it, pitting Alexa Bliss and Mickie James against Trish Stratus and Lita at Evolution was a decision made a long time ago. 

This, according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio. 

In other words, WWE says the one-on-one bout between Trish Stratus and Alexa Bliss was never actually going to happen. Neither was Lita against Mickie James so that ultimately they didn't have to spoil the Nikki Bella heel turn just to promote Evolution properly. 

Of course, this is a little silly. Stratus and Bliss facing off is a dream matchup many would love to see as it pits a Hall of Famer against one of the modern greats. Instead, they both get shoved into a tag match now, and one featuring two part-timers, which is probably a bigger part of the reason all four got shoved together. 

WWE is creative and could have come up with some other way to delay announcing Rousey's opponent. And Rousey is Rousey—given the media hoopla, WWE was going to get plenty of casual promotion with her headlining the card either way. 

The Rock and SmackDown 1000

WWE

SmackDown 1000 can't occur without The Rock. 

It's as simple as that. Backlash from fans alone would derail the good WWE plans to do on the anniversary show, which so far features the return of big names like Batista and others. 

But The Rock's missing on the festivities would overshadow everything else given his role with the blue brand over the years. 

WWE knows this and is at least trying to get him to film a segment for the show, according to Barnburner’s No Holds Barred podcast (h/t Ringsidenews.com). Meltzer had initially reported back on Oct. 4 that the WWE was trying to reel in The Rock for an appearance (h/t Raj Giri of WrestlingInc.com). 

At this point, a pre-shot promo is better than nothing for fans undoubtedly expecting to see something from The Rock. Bonus points to WWE if that promo hints at his return at a future date or plants the seeds for a future storyline.