WWE Rumors Roundup for Week of Nov. 9 Ahead of Survivor Series

Credit: WWE.com

With WWE Survivor Series just around the corner and the landscape of the company intriguingly poised going into the final few weeks of 2018, there is the prospect for real change ahead.

And that is reflected in this week's rumor roundup, with talk not only of a push for one major star on the company's roster, but a look ahead as to how a newly crowned champion's reign may play out.

Furthermore, there's news of potential backstage heat on one of Raw's biggest names, as well as the company's never-ending pursuit of new talent.

Here's this week's most important rumors fans should be aware of.

It appears as though Braun Strowman is headed for a feud with Baron Corbin coming out of Crown Jewel.

That means a step away from the main event scene, and one possible explanation for that could be that he allegedly has backstage heat.

That allegation comes from a report made by PWInsider (h/t Marc Middleton at WrestlingInc).

According to that report, 'multiple sources' have reported that Strowman is not great when it comes to showing up to work on time. Furthermore, 'Strowman reportedly also has a reputation of being one who leaves a little early and it's said that sometimes he makes mistakes in terms of etiquette backstage in the locker room'.

If true, it could perhaps explain why the Universal Championship has evaded Strowman for so long. His natural development and progression meant that at some stage by now, it would have surely been likely he would have captured the belt.

However, that's not been the case so far.

WWE's pursuit of the world's top talent is a never-ending process.

In recent years, many of the biggest names from the independent scene have made their way to the company, including guys who have become huge names in WWE like Finn Balor, Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura.

And reports this week suggest WWE have made an attempt to try and sign some more top talent from other promotions: this time, New Japan Pro Wrestling is the company in question.

Speaking on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Tommy Messano at Cageside Seats), Dave Meltzer, revealed that WWE had recently approached three top NJPW stars, including Tetsuya Naito:

“Naito would be one of the three (at least) Japanese top guys feelers have been sent to. The other two that we’re aware of didn’t turn the offers down without thought although one would be a huge surprise and the other would be a great worker who I didn’t see flourishing in the WWE system, but also probably wouldn’t have any reservations about moving to the U.S. like many of the Japanese might.”

Now, this is clearly no surprise. WWE is always on the lookout for big names. But if it manages to convince any of New Japan's top stars to switch sides, that would make huge waves in the industry for sure.

Recent events mean there's a gap to be filled at the very top of Monday Night Raw.

Clearly, WWE's roster is so deep that there are a number of potential picks out there the company can opt for to replace Roman Reigns.

But reports of late seem to suggest that Drew McIntyre is in line for a major push moving into next year. One such report comes from WrestleVotes on Twitter, who suggested the following:

"WWE has been high on Drew McIntyre for months now. The big push is indeed starting. They have major plans for him in 2019."

In truth, this report seems to make plenty of sense. McIntyre has impressed since returning to the main roster, and though his alliance with Dolph Ziggler has been great for both men, it's clear that will probably end at some point.

The two are naturally gravitating away from one another in terms of teaming together recently, and that could be the catalyst for McIntyre to go on a tear as a solo competitor.

He appears to have the full package. Let's just hope WWE makes a better job of pushing McIntyre to the top than it did when he was dubbed The Chosen One by Vince McMahon.

Events away from the ring leading up to WWE Crown Jewel had a significant bearing on Brock Lesnar's winning back the Universal Championship.

But given the way his last reign went down, it's got to be hoped that there are some long-term, semi-regular and exciting plans in the works for Lesnar now he's the champ again.

And a note from one report this week suggests that may well be the case.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Randall Ortman at Cageside Seats) reported this week that a "significant angle that is supposed to be a part of Brock Lesnar’s storyline going forward."

Furthermore, it's also reported that the angle includes someone other than Braun Strowman, which means a new challenger is going to emerge through the ranks.

It's going to be interesting to see who that is. Drew McIntyre feels like the logical choice given the earlier report detailing how he was in for a big push moving forward, but Raw has no shortage of guys who could enter the main event scene at short notice.

Hopefully, it spells an intriguing future for Brock as champion.