BS Meter on the Biggest WWE Rumors of the Last 3 Months Since WrestleMania 35

WWE rumors have had more bite than usual as of late. 

The rumor mill isn't anything new to wrestling in this era. So-called dirtsheets allege to have the inside scoop on a business that isn't so secretive anymore in the post-kayfabe landscape. Superstars openly talk about the business and extend their feuds and character work to social media, of all places. 

Pair this environment with poor ratings, a dull product and the rise of competitors and one gets loose lips firing off rumors in every direction. While WWE is grappling with the realities of these problems by bringing aboard Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as executive directors, the rumor mill has been alight since WrestleMania 35.

Looking back over the last three months, a few notables stand out. Let's throw them on the BS Meter, with a ranking of 1 being almost assuredly true, and 5 being patently false. 

Sasha Banks Gets Time off to Decide Future

WWE

One can forgive WWE fans who view Sasha Banks in the same light as Dean Ambrose right now. 

The Boss has been mysteriously gone from WWE since WrestleMania on April 7. She hasn't been 100 percent out of the public eye by any means, yet Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported she was granted time off by the company so she can figure out what to do with her career. 

And Banks has every right to be disgruntled if that's the case. Her and Bayley were very public advocates for women's tag titles, finally got them created and became inaugural champions, only to unexpectedly drop them to The IIconics at 'Mania. 

Now, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce are amazing, but it was safe to presume the poorly named Boss 'n' Hug Connection would hold the titles a long time to prop them up. Instead, they lost, Banks is gone and Bayley has since been rewarded with a solo title run atop SmackDown Live. 

This one is hard to say. Is it true time off so she can work her way back? Or is Banks just up and gone? She seems the likeliest next departure from the company given the circumstances, so it wouldn't be a surprise if she never walked back through the door. 

BS Meter: 3

Drew McIntyre Gets a Push

WWE

There was a time when it looked like Drew McIntyre was the next big thing in WWE. 

It all made sense: He was a laughingstock of sorts on his way out of the company some years ago. He turned his career around in other promotions, overhauling his look and rounding out his entire skill set. He then returned to dominate NXT before getting called up. 

Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats reported the following, even after The Scottish Psychopath's loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania: "WWE is still protecting Drew McIntyre because there are still plans for him to get a push."

Too little, too late. 

McIntyre's character has been ruined in the way Bray Wyatt's was before he disappeared for half a year. The Scot keeps taking random losses during special events and regular programming. He's falling victim to showing up in random tag teams and cutting the same promo all the time ("look me in my eyes...I'll destroy you!"). 

Now? McIntyre is in an odd pairing with Shane McMahon and randomly feuding with The Undertaker and others. He's not protected now, he's just another henchman without direction. 

BS Meter: 5

Money in the Bank Will Mean Something BIG

WWE

One rumor really helped to build hype for this year's Money in the Bank pay-per-view. 

And it had a simple premise: the briefcase will actually mean something. 

WrestleVotes reported: "Strong push within the creative team to really have this years [sic] men's Money In The Bank winner coming out of the whole process looking like a STAR. The feeling backstage is that they have completely blown the winners and cash-ins the last two years."

That rumor was a little too on the nose and wishful thinking at the same time. Baron Corbin had it in 2017 and did nothing with it. Braun Strowman had it after and randomly lost it without so much as a peep. 

This year? Brock Lesnar came out at the end of a respectable match with plenty of worthy contestants who could have won it (Ricochet, Ali, Finn Balor, Andrade, etc.) and stole it. He proceeded to breakdance while pretending it was a boom box and had several would-be attempts thwarted. 

Instead of making the briefcase holder a star and doing something meaningful with it, WWE tossed it on a part-time talent who likely won't lose his actual attempt, and meanwhile threw Seth Rollins into a storyline with real-life girlfriend Becky Lynch.  

BS Meter: 5

Shane McMahon Headed for Kofi Kingston?

WWE

When it comes to the ill-advised Shane McMahon thing right now, the worst-case scenario is probably the truest. 

WrestleVotes reported the following in early June: "I've asked what the payoff is to this major Shane McMahon push and TV time allotment. No one seems to have a solid answer. One source said he could see (JUST HIS SPECULATION HERE) Shane being the one to defeat Kofi for the title. That would be something."

And yes, it is easy to see things swinging in that direction. 

Given McMahon's prominent placement on pay-per-views and his endlessly showing up on both Raw and SmackDown Live, this has a clear direction. He has titled himself the "Best in the World," derailed someone like Drew McIntyre as a crony and picked up wins over The Miz and Roman Reigns. 

Granted, Kofi Kingston is currently in a feud with Samoa Joe for the title. But let's be real—McMahon ripping the title off the New Day man over the summer naturally creates Reigns gunning for him and the title on SmackDown just as the blue brand shifts over to Fox and needs a big feud to reel in viewers. 

BS Meter: 1

Ricochet's Push Is a Response to Ratings

WWE

It's Ricochet time in WWE. 

That much was clear in recent weeks as WWE slapped the United States title on him and threw him into a high-profile feud with AJ Styles while main-eventing Raw. 

For now, Ricochet is merely a vehicle to make The Phenomenal One snap back into heel form and form a version of Bullet Club again. But the fact he's been entrusted with the role and a title at all says it, well, all. 

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported the man behind the push here is Paul Heyman because Raw's new executive director believes it is a way to reel in and retain more teenage fans. 

And while it sounds a little silly, ratings are very much a problem for WWE right now, at least going by a comparison to one year ago perspective.

Ricochet isn't perfect by any means, but Heyman has an innovative mind who would clearly target someone like him to help in this area. It should work, too, as few on the planet can do what The One and Only can in the ring.

It seems just a matter of time before fans get behind him and he jumps to bigger and better things. 

BS Meter: 1

New Set on the Way?

WWE

When Braun Strowman slammed Bobby Lashley through the stage on Raw last week, it was mostly viewed far and wide as a way for Paul Heyman to help the program get away from its PG-only slant. 

Fair enough, that sort of shocker is what gets fans interested again and revives ratings. 

But there might be something else at play here too, according to WrestleVotes: "Well, WWE was/is in the process of having a new stage designed and built. I wonder if this speeds up its debut."

This all reeks of a well-placed plan. With the arrival of Heyman and Bischoff as leading faces of WWE's top two brands, it makes sense that a visual facelift could help represent the era shift the company wants fans to believe is underway.

While this might not mean a new stage right away (maybe they keep trotting out the broken one for a few weeks?), it's safe to presume a redesign could debut sooner rather than later, with Strowman's actions as the storyline reasoning. 

BS Meter: 1