WWE Rumors: Buying or Selling Latest Buzz After Backlash

With Sunday's Backlash pay-per-view in the books, WWE has already begun preparing for next month's Extreme Rules event, which will be the precursor to SummerSlam in August.

Even as the coronavirus pandemic continues to force WWE to run its shows at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, without a crowd in attendance, it is largely business as usual with angles moving forward and big matches getting booked.

Here is a look at some of the biggest rumors that have been making the rounds since Backlash, along with some analysis regarding how likely they actually are.

McMahon Getting More Involved with NXT?

WWE NXT has been running head-to-head against All Elite Wrestling Dynamite on Wednesday nights ever since October.

While NXT has only won the viewership battle on a handful of occasions, the numbers have been close, and NXT's presence has likely prevented AEW from securing even better ratings.

It has long been assumed by fans that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon would eventually have a bigger hand in the NXT product since it now airs on USA Network, and a new report suggests that may be the case.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), McMahon has "taken an interest" in NXT and his influence was being felt on Wednesday's episode.

Meltzer pointed to the finish of the Aliyah vs. Xia Li match, which saw Robert Stone vomit into the ring. He also noted that the Keith Lee vs. Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano Triple Threat match for the North American Championship being followed by an eventual winner-takes-all match between the winner of that match and NXT champion Adam Cole felt like McMahon-style booking as well.

NXT founder Triple H has been fairly clear publicly about the fact that he is the chief decision-maker for NXT. Even so, NXT is a brand under the WWE umbrella, so it is always possible that McMahon could dictate what happens.

Wednesday's NXT didn't feel significant different from any other episode, though, and there is no true indication that anyone other than Triple H is calling the shots for now.

Vince Sees Big Things in Garza

Angel Garza has been one of the breakout stars on Raw in recent months, and McMahon's affinity for him may have something to do with it.

According to Alex McCarthy of TalkSport, McMahon has referred to Garza as a "young Eddie Guerrero" when discussing him backstage.

Garza is a former NXT cruiserweight champion who is oozing with potential. He is a strong in-ring worker, has the perfect look and cuts strong promos despite having been born in Mexico.

At just 27, Garza has a lot of wrestling ahead of him, and he may have a chance to become one of WWE's top stars if Vince's opinion of him is true.

It is easy to see how someone could get an Eddie vibe from Garza, especially since his Lethal Lothario character is fairly similar to Guerrero's Latino Heat gimmick. Garza often hits on interviewer Charly Caruso, while Guerrero was in a storyline relationship with Chyna early in his WWE tenure.

Garza is in a stable with Andrade and Zelina Vega, but there have been major issues between Garza and Andrade, which suggests there may be a plan in place to break them up and allow Garza to go off on his own soon.

Seeing as he recently beat former universal champion Kevin Owens in a match, the sky may be the limit for Garza.

There is some uncertainty regarding whether some of the young talent getting pushed in recent months under Paul Heyman will continue to be utilized in that way now that Heyman has been relieved of his duties as Raw executive director and replaced by Bruce Prichard.

McMahon has always had influence over Raw, though, and the fact that Garza has been receiving a push is almost certainly due in part to Vince seeing something special in him.

McIntyre and Lashley Pitched Feuding with Each Other

The WWE Championship feud between Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley is reportedly a result of both Superstars wanting to work together.

According to Louis Dangoor of WrestleTalk, McIntyre and Lashley pitched the idea jointly since they enjoyed working with each other and felt they could put on some great matches. Heyman reportedly played a big role in booking the program as well.

At Sunday's Backlash pay-per-view, McIntyre and Lashley did battle in a quality match that resulted in McIntyre retaining after Lana distracted Lashley.

On Raw, McIntyre was forced to put the WWE title on the line again in a tag team match on Monday's Raw, as he teamed with R-Truth against Lashley and MVP. Truth pinned MVP, which allowed McIntyre to retain.

Despite the fact that McIntyre has now retained twice in matches against Lashley, it is possible that their rivalry could continue leading up to Extreme Rules given the manner in which both matches ended.

It makes sense that McIntyre and Lashley would want to work with each other since they're both physical forces who can believably go toe-to-toe, but it also feels like the type of matchup that McMahon would support as well.

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