Backstage WWE Rumors: Latest on Lana, Charlotte Flair, Cesaro and More

The WWE Universe is rife with underrated Superstars, the likes of which popped up in a survey issued by management to its writing team, which is one of the topics presented in this week's wrestling rumor mill.

Also discussed was the injury angle that seemingly wrote Lana off television for the immediate future and backstage opinions on Riddle, who has seen his television time increase significantly over the past month.

Dive deeper into those topics with this collection of WWE rumors.

Lana Update

Lana is expected to be off television for three to four weeks following the injury angle also involving Nia Jax Monday on Monday's Raw, per Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com.

Johnson also reported on speculation that the angle is being used to set up Charlotte Flair's return. Flair has not been seen on television since the summer when, coincidentally, she was written off in an injury angle featuring...Jax.

It would certainly be appropriate for Flair to return to TV by partnering with Asuka to battle the woman who caused her monthslong absence, so it is difficult to find fault with that particular development. Still, it is quite interesting that WWE would devote months of time and energy to Lana's story, only to write her out of the equation before her triumph on pay-per-view.

If Flair is the replacement, it is also perfect timing as she can enter the Royal Rumble and look to successfully defend her crown in one of WWE's marquee bouts.

Underrated WWE Stars

WrestleVotes reported Tuesday that, "Recently a group of writers were asked to make a list of underutilized talents they felt could shine if given the proper opportunity. Those lists ranged wide, but nearly all of them included Cesaro, Angel Garza, Chad Gable, Carmella and Peyton Royce."

It is encouraging to see some of the names on that list and, more importantly, that the writers recognize how good and underutilized those Superstars are.

Gable has long been one of the real head-scratchers in WWE, as his charisma and ring work would seemingly make him a surefire hit among fans. He has the tools that a young Kurt Angle had, without the opportunity to expand on them by working with top stars as the Olympic gold medalist did early on in his career.

Garza's charisma and confidence are off the chart, and he has also shown a propensity for excelling in high-profile positions. Whether working with Drew McIntyre, against Rey Mysterio or in a tag team with Andrade, he has proved he can be a top-shelf performer with the company. The comparisons to the late, great Eddie Guerrero do not hurt.

Cesaro is arguably the best wrestler on the planet, but for whatever reason, he has routinely been shoved into the role of glorified enhancement talent or tag team specialist. Peyton Royce has "star" written all over her but has lacked the opportunity to shine.

Then there is Carmella, who has been an asset for WWE as a singles competitor before but is now, with a new character and attitude, on her way to realizing her potential as she prepares for a SmackDown Women's Championship match against Sasha Banks at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on Sunday.

Hopefully hers is but the first push for the stars on the proposed list.

Vince McMahon's Opinion on Riddle

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reports that WWE CEO Vince McMahon finds Matt Riddle hilarious "in his own way."

That means you should expect The Original Bro to be shoved down the throats of fans as McMahon finds any number of ways to incorporate "bro" into overproduced punchlines.

Riddle has already become something of a comedy act, but that should not be surprising. He was in NXT too. Look no further than his team with Pete Dunne for how others not named McMahon saw him.

And that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Like Chad Gable, Riddle boasts attributes that make a comparison to Kurt Angle favorable.

He can do the comedy stuff, but he can also ground his opponents and beat them into submission. He just has to be aware of when he's crossing that fine line between character and joke because McMahon has zero recognition of said line.