Backstage WWE Rumors: Latest on Ricochet, Gallows and Anderson and More

On the back of the first WWE Raw under the tutelage of executive director Paul Heyman, there are reports regarding the likes of Ricochet, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, all of whom figured prominently on the July 1 broadcast.

Also reported on after Monday's show? The stage Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley decimated at the start of that episode.

Dive deeper into each of those subjects and fight out what they may mean for WWE going forward.

Paul Heyman Behind Ricochet's Push

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported one of the reasons Paul Heyman plans to push Ricochet is because he believes the United States champion appeals to the younger demographic.

It remains to be seen if that is the real reason behind The One and Only's push, but the new executive director does have a history of pushing smaller, more dynamic performers to the forefront of whichever product he is overseeing.

We saw examples of that in the mid-1990s, when he showcased Rey Mysterio, Psychosis and Juventud Guerrera in ECW. We also saw it in 2002, when he again pushed Mysterio to the forefront of SmackDown.

Heyman recognizes raw athleticism and agility appeals to younger audiences, regardless of what era the industry finds itself in. Add in the fact Ricochet is one of the best wrestlers on the planet, and there really is no downside to putting him out there.

Whether someone higher up the food chain puts a kibosh on the push is the question, though.

Update on Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson's Contract Status

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com noted, "The belief is that Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows have agreed to terms on new WWE deals but may not have signed them yet."

This is a sharp turnaround from last fall, when it appeared as though the tandem was on its way out the door. Absent from any and all creative plans for Raw or SmackDown, they were clearly disengaged with the WWE experience.

A recent heel turn and alliance with AJ Styles, which culminated with their beatdown of Ricochet on Monday's Raw, appears to have changed their minds.

Anderson and Gallows are veteran in-ring performers with whom WWE Creative has not even scratched the surface.

Alongside AJ Styles, they have the potential to form a Club that headlines television, dominates pay-per-views and becomes the heel stable WWE has been trying to manufacture since Evolution.

With new contracts seemingly ready to lock them in, hopefully they won't find themselves back in the creatively bankrupt abyss they have called home for the last two or three years.

A New Set for WWE?

WrestleVotes reported WWE is in the process of implementing a new stage for its television product.

Monday night, Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley crashed through the Raw set, destroying it during their Falls Count Anywhere match. If the report proves correct, this could have been an angle specifically designed to introduce a new stage sooner than later.

That would be a welcome addition to a product Heyman has already started to give a facelift to creatively.

The WWE product has been so bland and stale across the board for so long, including aesthetically. The stage lacks creativity in the same way top stories do. There is no character to it, just LED boards to house the generic graphics that accompany each wrestler.

One can only hope whatever it is the production guys dream up, it at least features a little more thoughtfulness than the nondescript setup this past era of Raw endured.