With WrestleMania season fast approaching in the WWE, there are some interesting plans which are being laid. Things seem to be quite hectic in WWE right now, as the company has a barrage of PPVs and big events coming up. Be it their first ever Women’s PPV in Evolution or the second trip to Saudi Arabia, WWE is pulling off all the stops to keep their product as entertaining as possible. As a result, there are some really exciting rumors about what can be expected from WWE programming heading into Mania season.

Not only is WWE aiming to bring more talented individuals to the company over the course of the next few months, but there seem to be some surprising returns in place as well. It looks as if WWE is planning to pull out all the stops to make the Road to WrestleMania bigger than ever. It looks like the company is aiming to take big steps forward to improving the state of their programming and regain the interest of the fans. While WWE might have some big plans ahead, some of its rival promotions are also focused on pulling off surprisingly big things in the near future.

It seems 2018 could end with a bang for wrestling fans if certain rumors are to be believed. Let us look at rumors which are currently circulating in and out of WWE

20 WWE: Shawn Michaels To Work Survivor Series

It was quite obvious from his recent shenanigans that Shawn Michaels will return to in-ring competition soon. His first match back looks to be set at WWE Crown Jewel, but it seems like WWE are planning a match for HBK at their next big event in Survivor Series as well. According to rumors, Michaels will take on The Undertaker in a singles match at the event. But there’s an even wilder rumor which suggests that he’ll compete in a traditional Survivor Series match involving him, Triple H, two NXT Guys taking on Undertaker, Kane, John Cena and someone else. The first one seems more viable, and fans will be thrilled to see HBK take on The Undertaker once again.

19 WWE: Nikki Cross Making Main-Roster Debut

There doesn’t seem like anything else left for Nikki Cross at NXT anymore. The crazy lady of the development brand has been playing a vague role in this “Aleister Black” assault angle and WWE are stalling her main roster debut for a while. But it seems likely that she will be making her main roster debut soon, as she has been seen working Smackdown live events with Naomi and Asuka. There have been rumors sparkling about Cross debuting at the blue brand soon and it could come before the turn of the year. While it’s to be seen whether or not she joins the estranged Sanity after making the jump, Cross’ addition could spice up things on Smackdown.

18 WWE: WWE Interested In Signing Bandido

Ever since making an impression by his great work at All In, Bandido has gained a lot of interest from WWE. The company is looking to add more Luchadors to their roster and have been scouting Bandido, whose been doing some great work in the Independent scene. Bandido was part of an exciting match involving Rey Mysterio, Rey Fenix and The Golden Bucks at All In and thrilled fans with his high-flying work. According to rumors, WWE has been impressed with his recent surge and wants to sign him soon. Bandido is doing well in the Independent scene, but will hardly say no to WWE. If things go smoothly, Bandido could be headed to WWE later this year and debut quite soon.

17 Outside WWE: Adam “Hangman” Paige Rejects WWE Contract Offer

The Bullet Club might be rarely mentioned inside the WWE, but the company sure seems to be highly interested in acquiring some of their talents. They’ve tried to sign the Young Bucks in the past and it seems like they attempted to raid them once again recently. According to Dave Meltzer, Adam “Hangman” Page was offered a contract by WWE recently. But Hangman decided to reject that contract and stay with in ROH instead. Page would’ve probably debuted at NXT soon had he accepted it, but he made a bold move by turning it down. He proved how he is Bullet Club through and through and that the bond they share cannot be bought out by anyone.

16 WWE: Jason Jordan’s Wrestling Career Might Be Over

Jason Jordan has been gone for a long time now and hasn’t returned since being sidelined with a neck injury earlier this year. It was speculated back then that Jordan had a successful surgery and might return in a few months, but that isn’t the case at all. According to PWInsider, there is still no timeframe for Jordan’s return because of his neck injury being worsened than what it was thought to be. Jordan is working backstage as a producer for WWE right now and that itself is a good indication that his in-ring career might be over. While one can hope that Jordan can somehow make it through, his awful neck injury might’ve ended what was shaping up to be a promising career.

15 WWE: Drew McIntyre To Receive Push Into Universal Championship Scene

Things have not looked better for Drew McIntyre in WWE and ever since making his main roster re-debut, he’s been booked extremely strongly. McIntyre won the Raw Tag Team Championships recently and is helping defend them all by himself, with Ziggler just sneaking the wins. McIntyre is being revolved around the main-event picture with his feud with the Shield and is being groomed for a push to the top. According to rumors, McIntyre will drop the Raw Tag Team Titles soon and part with Ziggler, after which he’ll be pushed into the Universal Championship scene. The fact that he’s been booked so strongly and picking up important wins are all buildup for him to challenge for Roman Reigns’ title soon.

14 WWE: Royal Rumble 2019 To Have A Repeat Winner

The Royal Rumble event is fast approaching and as a result, there are quite a few rumors about what can be expected from the Rumble match itself. The Royal Rumble match is going to be stacked with some big stars this time, but there seems to be a shortlist of potential winners already drawn up. According to WrestleVotes, WWE has planned on having a repeat winner for the 2019 Men’s Royal Rumble match. This means that someone who has already won the Rumble is expected to win it again. It rules out the likes of Seth Rollins & Daniel Bryan who were once favorites to win it but further indicates that The Rock could probably win it if he returns.

13 Outside WWE: Chris Jericho To Debut For Impact At Bound For Glory

Chris Jericho has become a huge deal in the wrestling industry ever since he started competing for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Not only has he won the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, but Jericho even surprised everyone by appearing at All In. Despite stating that he won’t appear in any American wrestling show apart from WWE, Jericho proved that he didn’t really need the company anymore with his most recent appearance. But that isn’t the last time we’ve seen Jericho this year, as he’s allegedly set to debut for Impact Wrestling at Bound for Glory. Jericho was rumored to be interested in working with Impact and could pull off a shocker by debuting at Impact’s grand PPV and helping increase their popularity as well.

12 WWE: Daniel Bryan And The Miz’s Feud To Be Extended Until WrestleMania

Both Daniel Bryan and The Miz have been at each other’s throats throughout the summer and what started as a singles match at SummerSlam has escalated over the months. Their wives Maryse and Brie Bella got involved as well, and the two are set to face off again at WWE Super Showdown. While their feud was expected to cool off after that, it seems like they’re in for even more showdowns in the near future. According to rumors, Bryan and The Miz’s rivalry will be a long one and they could even face each other for the WWE Championship. There are early rumors that they can even face off at WrestleMania for the WWE Championship, which will be a perfect end to their intense rivalry.

11 WWE: WWE To Go All Out For NXT TakeOver Before WrestleMania 35

Like the grandest stage of them all, the NXT Takeover’s before WrestleMania is also grand affairs themselves. Some of the biggest matches in NXT have taken place in the Takeover prior to Mania and it seems like next year, WWE is planning to take it up a notch. According to TicketDrew, WWE is expected to go all out in making the NXT Takeover before WrestleMania a really big event. This is mostly because of them finding stiff competition from the ROH/G1 event at Madison Square Garden during that time and they’ll need to book some amazing things to reap the attention of fans. All in all, the NXT TakeOver before Mania is expected to be more special and will be packed with blockbuster bouts.

10 WWE: Ronda Rousey Vs Nikki Bella At Evolution

Ronda Rousey is being booked like an unstoppable champion right now by WWE, who is using her mainstream power to attract a lot of attention to their Women’s Division. With WWE Evolution fast approaching, WWE will need an able opponent for Rousey and have seemingly found one. Many rumors suggest that WWE is looking for a Ronda Rousey vs Nikki Bella match for the Raw Women’s Championship for their first ever Women’s PPV. They might be fighting side by side at Super Showdown, but the two will dance off at Evolution. It might not be a match fans will get completely behind, but the attracting power of both ladies has seemingly compelled the company to set the match to headline Evolution.

9 Outside WWE: Impact Wrestling Interested In Future Deals With WWE

Not so long ago, WWE and Impact Wrestling were “enemies” in the professional wrestling circuit as Impact even tried to be their competing wrestling promotion at one point. But it seems like that’s all water under the bridge nowadays, with both WWE and Impact now being on relatively good terms. According to rumors, Impact Officials Scott D’Amore and Ed Holdolm met with Triple H recently to improve the working relationship between the companies. It seems that both companies are no longer enemies and Impact are willing to work on future deals with WWE. Be it giving WWE some footage from their library or anything more involving wrestlers, Impact now has a “friend” in WWE.

8 WWE: Punishment Martinez Headed To NXT

WWE is looking to sign talented wrestlers as frequently as possible these days and it seems like they’ve signed one more talented guy from the Independent scene. Punishment Martinez, who made his name at Ring of Honor is seemingly headed to the company quite soon. According to Dave Meltzer, the 6’7’ former Ring of Honor Television Champion is done with the company after dropping his championship to Jeff Cobb recently at a taping. Martinez is going to head straight into NXT, which is interestingly the same place his former Tag Team partner Matt Riddle made his debut. Regardless, things look even more exciting for NXT in the near future as Martinez’s intimidating presence will have definitely a positive impact on NXT programming.

7 WWE: The Women’s Tag Team Championships To Be Unveiled At Evolution

The Women’s Revolution has worked really well in the WWE so far, with the fans gaining more and more interest in the wrestling aspect of the women. As a matter of fact, many fans are also demanding for more championship belts to be introduced in the division as well. It seems like the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship is going to be unveiled quite soon. There are talks of it being unveiled at Evolution itself, with an impromptu match deciding who will be the first ever Women’s Tag champions. In fact, the leaked Evolution match-card had a match for the tag team belts, which indicates that the titles are ready to be unveiled at the first ever all-female PPV.

6 WWE: The Rock Returning During WrestleMania Season

The Rock hasn’t been seen in WWE programming for over a year now hasn’t been able to make it because of scheduling problems. But, there have been rumors floating of the Rock negotiating a deal with WWE, which will see him compete at the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania PPVs. But there seem to be recent developments in this negotiation as the Saudi Arabia management are trying their best to bring him to their country. Saudi Arabia is planning to pay The Rock $20 million to compete in the planned April show. In that case, WWE might make The Rock win the Universal Championship at WrestleMania and work one more event in the Middle East before he returns to acting.

5 Outside WWE: Cody Rhodes And Young Bucks Planning All In 2

All In was quite the success for Independent wrestling and even bigger achievement for Cody Rhodes and the Young bucks. The three Indy darlings used all of their own hard earned money to make sure the event can take place in Chicago. After garnering an 11,000 strong crowd at All In, Cody seems to be planning another one already. There have been rumors that have indicated that the second All In is being planned to take place at Madison Square Garden. At a recent interview, Cody himself indicated that All In 2 is currently being planned. Whether or not it takes place at MSG is to be seen, but All In 2 seems to be close and could take place anytime next year.

4 WWE: The Cruiserweight Tag Team Titles Were Scrapped Due To Poor Ratings

205 Live! has undergone a lot of change in the past few months and after Triple H taking over proceedings, it seems to be in a better condition. The cruiserweights were moved to a Wednesday slot recently and the show seems to be doing better than before. But it seems like WWE are still not that satisfied with the Cruiserweight Division and the rumoured Cruiserweight Tag Team titles have been scrapped. According to rumors, even after the designs of the bel were commissioned, the company have discarded introducing the new titles. Apparently, WWE isn’t happy with 205 Live’s poor ratings and lack of interest among fans, which is why we won’t be seeing any sort of tag team belts in it anytime soon.

3 WWE: Stone Cold Steve Austin Training For In-Ring Return

WWE’s deal with Saudi Arabia is proving to be really fruitful for the company, which is earning a lot of money from the shows. The cash-rich Saudis are paying huge money to see old part-timers compete live and WWE has been seeking to bring back former stars as a result. Among those legends is Stone Cold Steve Austin, who, according to rumors, is training for an in-ring return. Austin last competed in WWE 15 years ago, but the insane amount of money being offered is making him think strongly about returning. While Austin has a persistent knee problem which was the reason for his retirement, he seems to be trying his best at wrestling one last match, which would send fans into a frenzy.

2 WWE: The Street Profits To Be New Members Of The New Day

The Street Profits have been a really entertaining part of NXT for quite a long time with their unreal charisma. Both Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins have done fantastic work in developing these goofy characters who fool around for the entertainment of the fans. They’ve both gotten hugely over at NXT and have really impressed the bosses upstairs. According to PWInsider, there have been talks going on about calling up the Street Profits to Smackdown. The top WWE officials have started talking about adding them as new members of the New Day. With the New Day getting stale, the Street Profits can help light up things for the stable with their irresistible groove and style.

1 Outside WWE: Tenille Dashwood To Sign New Contract With Ring Of Honor

Ever since leaving WWE, Tenille Dashwood has actually done a great job at Ring of Honor and is one of the highlight points of their Women’s Division. But she, unfortunately, suffered an injury recently and will be sidelined for a number of months, something which clashes with her ROH contract running out. Despite much speculation about her future, Dashwood seems set to remain at ROH and return to the company after recovering. There are rumors floating around of Dashwood being offered a new and improved contract by Ring of Honor recently. It is expected that she will sign the contract to secure her position at the company and will look to return with a bang after her shoulder heals up.