Backstage WWE Rumors: Latest on Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman and More

The shakeup Vince McMahon promised this past Monday on Raw could well lead to the return of a former WWE champion who has been missing since the dissolution of his tag team.

That potential return is at the forefront of this week's rumor mill, but it is hardly the only topic of discussion.

Find out which other Superstars joined Bray Wyatt in this week's headlines with this backstage rumor recap.

Bray Wyatt's WWE Status

Monday night during Raw, former WWE champion Bray Wyatt fired off an interesting tweet that had some believing his days in the company may be over:

Mike Johnson reported that is not the case as Wyatt is slated to work the holiday tour shows, most notably Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The tweets that proceeded the one above essentially confirmed they were character-based, perhaps hinting at an upcoming change for The Eater of Worlds.

The question remains whether the Wyatt character can be changed. It has been so watered down, beaten up and banished to the realm of mediocrity that simply altering it in any way but a full reboot would almost certainly result in failure.

Wyatt is a talented performer, and what he lacks in traditional wrestling, he makes up for in character work. It would be nice for that character to benefit from quality storytelling and booking decisions rather than the nonsense it has been exposed to since 2013.

Braun Strowman's Health Update

WrestleVotes reported Braun Strowman is not clear to compete until January 27's Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

The Monster Among Men will battle Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at the event, the second time he will square off with The Beast Incarnate since November.

The company clearly still has big plans for Strowman, but one has to wonder if the number of losses he has already amassed to Lesnar, coupled with the awful booking decision to turn him heel at the peak of his popularity this past summer, will prevent him from becoming the top star in WWE—especially one worthy of scoring a big pay-per-view title win over The Beast.

Shinsuke Nakamura's Future

When asked about the status of Shinsuke Nakamura and a potential contract renewal with WWE, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter responded, "He's not going back to Japan."

The bluntness of the response suggests Meltzer knows Nakamura is not heading back to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. And if that is the case, he will be re-signing with WWE when his contract comes up at the beginning of the year.

Is it possible he signs with Ring of Honor or Impact? Absolutely, but it would be at a great pay decrease.

Though he has likely been frustrated by the creative he has been met with on the main roster, Nakamura still has international exposure and the opportunity to make moments and matches that will solidify him as one of the best of his generation.