Backstage WWE Rumors: Latest on AEW Mention, AJ Styles and More

The debut of All Elite Wrestling not only inspired a mention of the company by a top WWE Superstar on Monday's Raw, but it also shined a light on a flawed creative process that led to a previously unexplained stipulation change in the flagship show's highest-profile match, as revealed in this week's rumor mill.

Was the mention of AEW scripted, though, or did Sami Zayn go off-script to try to create controversy in his in-ring promo?

And what is going on with AJ Styles, who found himself out of the planned Fatal 4-Way match against Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman and The Miz?

Find out the answers to those questions and dive deeper into the gimmick change with this collection of WWE backstage rumors.

Update on Sami Zayn's AEW Mention

Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com reported that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was livid over the AEW mention during Sami Zayn's "Electric Chair" interview on Raw.

This conflicts an article by Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin that said Zayn did not go off-script during Monday's broadcast.

Regardless of whether Zayn went into business for himself or he was specifically ordered to mention the upstart company by name Monday night as a means to spark competition, it was a weak attempt by all involved to create controversy and buy WWE some headlines following a weekend in which the wrestling world was buzzing about AEW.

It was cheap and did nothing to negate the goodwill and positivity Cody, The Young Bucks and Tony Kahn built for their promotion at Saturday's Double or Nothing.

AJ Styles Injury Report

Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com reported AJ Styles is sidelined with a back injury.

Monday night's Raw saw The Phenomenal One address his injury, vaguely, before enduring a cheap shot at the hands of Baron Corbin. That angle set up a feud between the two, but that is irrelevant.

Styles was drafted to Raw to be one of the faces of a brand that desperately needs star power. The flagship show benefited from his presence early as he feuded with Seth Rollins over the Universal Championship. With him sidelined for the time being, WWE Creative will have to turn its attention elsewhere.

It could reignite Strowman's push for what feels like the 9,000th time. It could focus on The Miz, or it could seize this opportunity to elevate an immensely talented individual like Ricochet.

Whatever the case may be, Styles' absence leaves a massive void the red brand may not be able to fill.

WWE Raw Booking Change

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com (h/t Cageside Seats) reported that Monday's Fatal 4-Way match between Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, The Miz and Braun Strowman was changed from an elimination match to a single fall bout in order to protect the Superstars involved from taking losses.

While that is an admirable decision on the part of management, it is an indictment of a writing team that clearly does not have the forethought not to put itself or its stars in the right position from the get-go. Instead, it shifts stipulations around, changes them up on the fly and looks entirely disorganized while doing so.

It is a recent trademark of the WWE creative process, lending credibility to recent criticisms by Jon Moxley on Chris Jericho's Talk is Jericho podcast. 

The current WWE product is as unfulfilling as it has ever been, a wrestling product devoid of interesting stories and plagued by ever-changing creative plans that result in inconsistency and sloppy narratives.

How the almighty Vince McMahon did not realize Strowman, Miz and Lashley would all have to eat losses to put Corbin over in the originally booked elimination-style match is mind-boggling. It is also further proof that maybe it is time for the WWE chairman to consider handing over some of the decision-making responsibilities to someone more equipped to manage the day-to-day creative process.