Being a wrestling fan isn't just watching the countless hours of programming from past and present, or going to live events to splurge on ringside seats and a ton of merch. It also means following along, too. For years, the “dirt sheets” have created a bubble in which wrestling diehards live in, wanting to know what goes on outside the squared circle more so than the wrestling itself.

It's a little harder to find out the inner workings of indie promotions and companies abroad, yet WWE rumors have always been circulating, regardless if it's who dated who, who fought each other backstage, who is in hot water or who is destined to become the next big superstar. There's never a shortage of rumors or leaks, and it seems the onlookers are never satisfied, either, considering they're thirsty for more information week after week.

Despite WWE's efforts to keep things quiet and cover up their future plans, leaks have gone to the internet before, whether it is show scripts or huge superstar returns. You can now go online and find out what is happening backstage at the click of a mouse, and chances are, the stories are more true than not. And you can also find out who is sleeping with who, in case you're interested in that.

Having said that, there are plenty of possible scenarios in terms of what WWE wants to do with its talent, including pushes, punishments and even risks. Here are some of the juiciest leaks going around backstage today:

19 Paul Heyman May Manage A New Stable Soon

Besides the Shield, the WWE is lacking a big name stable with three or more members. The New Day could be considered a stable, but they're more or less a tag team at this point.

Heyman is working as a writer on Raw these days, and when his time runs thin with Brock Lesnar, we can see the brash ECW pioneer return to television with a brand new group.

Regardless of the name, Heyman can surely sell you anything, so we'd have to think his clients would be wrestlers who need work on the mic, like perhaps Ronda Rousey, Jason Jordan, and even Sheamus and Cesaro. One name being thrown around is Kevin Owens, but he's more or less the best talker in WWE.

18 Jason Jordan May Never Wrestle Again

While many fans felt the Jason Jordan/Kurt Angle storyline largely fell flat and many were underwhelmed by him as a singles star, Jason Jordan is a solid in-ring talent under 30 and it's a shame to hear that his neck injury is more serious than initially thought. Jordan was sidelined back in February and he was expected to be back by now, but new reports have surfaced that Jordan's in-ring career may be over. A reunion with Chad Gable was being discussed for Jordan, but at this point, WWE is hoping they can see him back in the ring again.

17 Hulk Hogan Returning At WWE Crown Jewel

Hulk Hogan was recently re-instated into WWE's website and has now been mentioned when WWE talks of members of their hall of fame. Those are all signs that point to Hogan getting another chance in WWE. It's now a question of not if, but when, he returns. With WWE trying to load as much star power as they can into their Saudi Arabia event, recent reports have suggested that Crown Jewel is in fact when Hogan will return to a WWE event.

Recently, Turki Al-Sheikh tweeted a photo of Hogan on his timeline. Al-Sheikh is the Chairman of the General Sports Authority in Saudi Arabia and has been a big part of the WWE going to Saudi Arabia.

16 Drew McIntyre Set For Mega Push

While he's currently in a trio of top performers alongside Dolph Ziggler and Braun Strowman, not to mention a tag champion, too, former TNA standout Drew McIntyre is rumored to be set for a mega push, which will ultimately lead him to a Universal title shot against Roman Reigns.

With the Big Dog set to clash against both Strowman and Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel, McIntyre has impressed backstage officials.

McIntyre will be rewarded with a main event program, which could lead to his presence being in that main event scene for quite some time. The question is, will he still be part of the team, or will he venture off on his own? Only time will tell.

15 Daniel Bryan Has Signed A New Contract

The Daniel Bryan contract saga is a hot topic among WWE fans, since some experts believe Bryan has held out and is looking to sign elsewhere to continue his wrestling career. However, with the announcement of Bryan for video game WWE 2K19, along with his presence announced for multiple live events towards the end of the year, all signs have pointed to Bryan and WWE having agreed to a contract.

They might be keeping it hush from WWE fans, but at this point, Bryan is performing alongside his wife and he's feuding with his longtime nemesis, so he should be around for quite a bit.

14 The Women's Evolution PPV Is Happening Because WWE Is Returning To Saudi Arabia

Remember when WWE put on the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, which was an all-male card? The company took heat from fans, yet nothing really stood in their way from promoting the show. Apparently, the women's roster was rumored to receive a bonus, but months later, WWE announced an all-women's PPV titled Evolution, which seemed to make it all okay.

It turns out, though, that the only reason that is happening is because WWE had already planned their second Saudi Arabia event, Crown Jewel, taking place just a few weeks after the women's card. Will the company face further backlash for promoting in a country where women have very few rights?

13 WWE Kept Neville Away From NJPW After Release

While WWE does have a no-compete clause set for wrestlers that leave the company, Neville's case was an interesting one, because WWE never mentioned his departure.

Rumor has it they kept him on contract and prohibited him from wrestling elsewhere, specifically for New Japan at their Best of Super Juniors tournament.

Fans in Japan are familiar with Neville, as he wrestled under the name of Pac before coming to WWE. The tournament features some of the best junior heavyweights and cruiserweights around the globe, and WWE would not want to see their former champion make it far in that competition.

12 AJ Lee Offered To Return For Evolution

She's not as bitter as her husband, so this one could come to fruition. AJ Lee seems to be enjoying life outside of wrestling, as she's never made appearances in a WWE ring since her retirement. It's been circulating that AJ Lee has come up in the group of names that WWE wants to bring back for its Evolution event. With Trish Stratus and Lita already confirmed for the event, and ticket sales being a little slow, you've got to think that WWE wants to stack the deck and Lee is a huge name that would generate a lot of interest if she's announced – or even makes a surprise appearance.

11 The Rock & Edge Will Appear At SmackDown 1,000

WWE sure does love to stack the deck at their anniversary shows, so it makes sense that they will reportedly have the Rock and Edge make appearances at SmackDown's 1000th show. Both wrestlers were huge players in the early days of SmackDown, with the Rock being one of the show's hottest draws. Edge recently took to Twitter to respond to a fan that he hasn't been invited to the show, yet it's apparently a done deal, with WWE working hard to secure The Rock's services – which seem to be very high in demand these days. Obviously, both wrestlers will not be working in the ring (Edge simply cannot), but don't be surprised if we see a People's Elbow.

10 Kurt Angle Training For A Return To The Ring

For storyline purposes, Kurt Angle has been away from the WWE, and nobody knows when he's coming back. Angle was reportedly sent home by Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, putting Constable Corbin in charge.

It seems like the reason for that is because Angle is working towards a return to the ring, gearing up for his first singles match in a long time.

The plan is to have Angle work against Corbin in a singles match, and the winner gets full control of Raw. The other option is to have Angle work against Corbin at Survivor Series alongside other men to fill a traditional Survivor Series elimination match.

9 WWE Pushing Hard To Sign Cody & The Elite

After a successful venture with All In, the first indie event to sell 10,000 tickets in years, the Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega are a hot commodity in wrestling, and you can't help but think that Vince McMahon feels like the Bullet Club are his true competition. While all those men are mainstays on the New Japan roster, they work plenty of events for ROH, which is stepping in WWE territory at Madison Square Garden next year during WrestleMania weekend. WWE will likely be looking to sign all four men at the same time, making them a faction that can debut together and continue their dominance over the wrestling world.

8 WWE Interested In Signing A Few Big Men

With the recent edition of Keith Lee to the NXT roster, WWE might be looking to buff up its roster with a few other big boys. Current Austrian standout Walter, who has wrestled in dozens of promotions including Evolve, Progress and PWG to name a few, has been on the WWE radar for a while. Also on WWE's wish list is Brody King, an indy wrestler who can move pretty damn well for his size. King isn't as big as Walter, but he can be compared to the likes of Bruiser Brody and Luke Harper, for what it's worth. Don't be surprised if you see Walter in NXT by early next year, though.

7 Asuka Unhappy With Her Role

There were reports that Asuka had stormed out a la Neville recently at a WWE show, but that seems to be blown out of proportion, according to some insiders. However, you can't blame Asuka for doing so if she did, considering she's been on the tail end of some high profile losses against Charlotte and Carmella.

Asuka was a dangerous force in NXT, never losing the NXT Women's title and vacating it when she got called up, but now, she's working a comedy gimmick alongside Naomi.

Asuka seems to be frustrated since she was a mega star in Japan, and she hasn't quite lived up to the billing in WWE territory.

6 UFC Fighter Cyborg Might Be Heading To WrestleMania 35

When Ronda Rousey was dominating her foes in the UFC and in Strikeforce, one name that always came up was Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino, who was seen as one of the only women who could truly dominate Rousey. There's been bad blood brewing between them for years, and rumor has it that Ariel Helwani asked Cyborg about the details on his ESPN show and Justino was more than interested about making a WWE appearance at WrestleMania 35.

Whether it would be a full match or just an in-ring showdown is unclear, yet this would be a monumental achievement should WWE make the match happen.

5 Dean Ambrose Is Going To Turn Heel

The Shield may be riding high again in WWE, but a split could be looming for the purpose of having the three men square off at next year's WrestleMania in a triple threat match. Dean Ambrose has a new attitude since he's been back, and thankfully, he's left the corny jokes at home. Rollins is a mega star right now, and love him or hate him, Reigns is currently the top guy in WWE.

This could lead to Ambrose turning heel, citing being “unstable” or unable to cope with the success that Rollins and Reigns had while he was away. He will probably turn on Rollins first, if we had to guess.

4 Brock Lesnar Will Return After His UFC Fight

He did appear at Hell In A Cell, and that was to promoted a triple threat match for the Universal title at Crown Jewel, pitting the Beast against Reigns and Strowman. But Lesnar has other fish to fry, specifically in the UFC where he will be challenging Daniel Cormier for the Heavyweight Championship sometime early 2019.

When that fight is said and done, Lesnar will apparently return to WWE whether he wins the UFC gold or not.

McMahon still has plans for Lesnar in a WWE ring, and the part-timer will probably be featured at WrestleMania 35, and SummerSlam 2019.

3 Shawn Michaels Returning To The Ring

You may have seen him on Raw a few weeks ago sound off with the Undertaker to promote a match between the Phenom and Triple H in Australia at Super Show Down. But it felt as if HBK was getting at a last match with Taker, whom he's had a storied rivalry with. The plan is to have Taker team up with fellow brother of destruction Kane to take on Triple H and Michaels at the Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia, meaning Michaels will likely have one last match where he can take it easy in the ring and not tear himself to shreds.

That match is also rumored for Survivor Series, but one would think the Saudi payday would be a lot bigger.

2 WWE Wants To Raid Lucha Underground

By now, you've maybe heard that WWE is trying to take talent from all over the wrestling world to not only enhance their product, but to make the competition weaker and raid promotions of their talent. It's nothing new if you've been following Vince McMahon from the 1980s.

One promotion they have their eye on is Lucha Underground, and WWE is reportedly interested in Pentagon and Fenix, two luchadores who have been tearing it up all over the world.

Recent reports have suggested that the two have re-committed to Lucha Underground through 2019, but nothing's been confirmed. We'll see if WWE can finally land that long-time sought after replacement for Rey Mysterio.

1 WrestleMania 35: Roman Reigns vs. The Rock

Remember when Reigns won the Royal Rumble and was booed out of the building, even with the Rock as his cousin hoisting up his arm? Well, that could be revisited if WWE plans to book a cousin vs. cousin, showdown pitting the current Universal champion against The Great One.

While one rumored plan is to have The Shield disband and face each other at Mania next year, another rumor being thrown around is that this monumental match could very well headline the card, with The Rock expected to 'pass the torch' (again?) to Reigns as the biggest deal around. We're sure that the Brahma Bull can still go in the ring, but given Reigns' multiple Mania main events, how will this match be received?