Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors: Latest on Apollo Crews, Live Dynamite and More

WWE and All Elite Wrestling may have major pay-per-view events coming up, but the bulk of this week's wrestling rumor mill centers on young stars in Vince McMahon's company and plans to return to live television for his competition.

What is the buzz around United States champion Andrade and top contender Apollo Crews? Which rookie performance has captured the attention of management and is generating comparisons to a Hall of Fame Superstar?

Find out the answers to those questions with this week's stroll through the speculation in pro wrestling.

Apollo Crews Dealing with Legit Injury?

Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats reported Apollo Crews may be dealing with a legitimate injury, hence his removal from the Money in the Bank ladder match on May 10 and the angle we witnessed on Monday's Raw.

If true, this is a crushing blow for a guy who had finally started to build some momentum on the red brand. His lengthy match against Aleister Black the night after WrestleMania announced to the world that he was relevant again, while his pinfall victory over Andrade in Monday's six-man tag team Match suggested he was in store for a push that could result in a United States Championship run.

As we found out later in the same episode, that was not to be the case.

If he is injured, his momentum has been halted yet again. It will be interesting to see whether he has an opportunity awaiting him when he returns.

Update on Andrade

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported that United States champion Andrade, when asking what he needed to do to improve his position in the company, was told by CEO Vince McMahon to learn English.

This is of no surprise to anyone who has paid attention to WWE television.

Connecting with audiences through promo work is key for top stars, and while Zelina Vega is phenomenal as El Idolo's business associate, there will come a time when he has to make that connection with fans on his own.

We recently saw Andrade address WWE champion Drew McIntyre on the April 13 episode of Raw. Expect to see more mic work from the U.S. titleholder going forward as he attempts to prove his worth as a main event-caliber talent.

Vince McMahon High on Prospect

Paul Davis of WrestlingNews.co reported WWE officials, including McMahon himself, are high on prospect Cal Bloom.

"Everyone is comparing him to a young Edge," one WWE source said, per Davis. "He is rough around the edges, but he has something, and Vince thinks he can be a big deal, but it will take some time."

The comparisons to Edge are probably a bit premature given we have only seen him in one televised match, a squash against Sheamus on the April 10 episode of SmackDown. But his performance in day-to-day activities at the Performance Center has likely impressed enough to earn the sort of praise Davis reported of.

Bloom is the son of former WWE Superstar Wayne Bloom, who performed with the company as Beau Beverly, one-half of the Beverly Brothers, from 1991 to 1993.

AEW Plans for Live Dynamite Broadcasts

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported the plan is for AEW Dynamite to resume airing live Wednesday. The May 23 Double or Nothing pay-per-view will also air live, per Johnson.

The report, which notes the Dynamite will be broadcast live every other week, is destined to draw many reactions, including from fans who will question where is the backlash toward AEW for going live when WWE incurred significant heat for doing the same.

That is to be expected.

With AEW planning to use the next couple of weeks of television to build to its live pay-per-view, it makes sense that the company would want to get a few live productions under its belt before producing Double or Nothing.

Whether WWE sees this as an opportunity to follow suit and resume live productions remains to be seen.