Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors: Latest on Charlotte Flair, Undertaker and More

In the wake of WrestleMania 36, the WWE rumor mill is churning out reports, updates and speculation regarding the top stars in the industry, including a returning badass and The Queen of all things sports entertainment.

What does the future hold for The Undertaker following his acclaimed Boneyard match, and why did WWE officials decide to book Charlotte Flair to win her 11th championship on wrestling's grand stage?

Find out with this recap of the rumors and innuendo in both WWE and All Elite Wrestling.

Undertaker to Return to American Badass Persona for Good?

WrestleVotes reported the next time we see The Undertaker on WWE television, it will be under his American Badass persona.

If accurate, this is wonderful news for fans of the legendary performer.

Much like it had in 1999, The Deadman character had run its course. While it may be hard to believe, this second run with the gimmick nearly doubled the amount of time he portrayed that particular character the first time around.

His initial run as The Deadman lasted nine years, while the latest stretch lasted some 16 years. He badly needed to change things up, if only because the brawling nature of the badass character will better suit him at this advanced stage of his career.

As we saw in the Boneyard match at WrestleMania, Undertaker can still tell a hell of a story through brawling. While the bells and whistles and overproduced nature of the character may be missed by some, odds are the quality of his performance will be enhanced exponentially under these new circumstances.

Rhea Ripley Still Stateside?

Rhea Ripley confirmed in an Instagram story that, despite reports by PWInsider Elite to the contrary (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc), she is still in the United States.

It was reported that Ripley would miss television time because of an expired work visa that would force her to return to Australia.

Ripley is fresh off one of the best matches on the WrestleMania card, so to see her lose any sort of ring or TV time would be a great disappointment and wholly detrimental to her momentum. She proved against Charlotte Flair that she is every bit as good as the creative team has presented her.

She must follow it up by becoming the antihero babyface once again in the role of the chaser instead of the chased.

The philosophies of management, though, may make it a bit more difficult for her to get back at Flair, who is likely to confront more heels during her run as NXT champion if the following report is to be believed.

Charlotte Flair in NXT Update

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE management sees Charlotte Flair as a babyface, which is why she went over at WrestleMania 36.

That is supported by heel Io Shirai's victory in the No. 1 Contender's ladder match on the NXT TakeOver: USA, setting her up for a showdown with The Queen.

WWE's continued insistence on presenting Flair as a babyface is interesting. Since her arrival in 2015, this will be the third time she has turned babyface despite the fact that her best work has come as the arrogant, confident and sometimes entitled heel.

With Shirai, Dakota Kai, Chelsea Green, Candice LeRae and Deonna Purrazzo as heels to work with on the NXT roster, it makes sense that the company would want a babyface champion. Considering how red-hot Rhea Ripley was entering the year, it is a wonder they did not elevate her by putting her over Charlotte and setting her up to feud with those women instead.

Update on AEW's Offer to Edge

Meltzer also reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that All Elite Wrestling's offer to Edge was nowhere near what WWE ultimately paid The Rated R Superstar.

That is of no surprise. AEW may recognize the level of star that Edge is, but it does not have as rich a history with the performer as Vince McMahon and Co. For McMahon, it was as much about welcoming a member of the WWE family back as it was bolstering his roster with a returning Hall of Famer.

He felt comfortable paying Edge because, assuming he could pass a physical, the owner of the company knew the level of performer he was getting and the storyteller he could use to help elevate anything the creative team comes up with.

As much as squaring off with the AEW talent may be intriguing on the surface, Edge needed to head back to the company in which he became a Hall of Fame talent to wrap up his career on his terms rather than starting over elsewhere.