Buying or Selling Rock's Motives For WWE Return, A Potential New Faction, More Rumors

The pro wrestling rumor mill is on fire around the orbit of WWE's Backlash premium live event.

And yet impressively, much of the buzz doesn't even relate to the show in Lyon, France.

No, it comes from some of the usual suspects. We've got rumblings about a big-name free agent coming back to WWE, some whispers about the latest star guest appearance (a guy named Patrick Mahomes from the NFL) and even an eyebrow-raising rumor concerning The Rock and its implications for the future.

Here's a look at the most important rumors and buzz and whether fans should buy or sell on each item as legit.

Let the rumor mill tell it, an expected major event could unfold soon in the form of an Erick Rowan return to WWE.

According to PWInsider Elite (h/t Faden Cloete of Wrestling Inc) the 42-year-old has re-signed with WWE.

That's no big shock and an easy buy. After his death, the Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal documentary suggested his story will continue, and the logical next move is for members of the Wyatt Family to return and/or reappear on WWE programming to make that happen.

Fans have speculated plenty on the likes of Bo Dallas heading up a Wyatt-centric stable, perhaps with former Wyatt-adjacent Superstars like Alexa Bliss and Braun Strowman joining the mix.

Rowan being a part of that would make too much sense, and the timing feels right after Strowman's recent return from injury and some of the supernatural-ish hints thrown out on programming lately.

Verdict: Buying

WWE recently surprised fans with the appearance of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during a segment alongside the likes of Strowman.

But it apparently wasn't WWE.

According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), the event was a "sponsored segment" and WWE didn't book it.

Per the report, that would explain why Mahomes played a "heel" character in the exchange.

This one is a sell, though. To think Logan Paul's company Prime outweighs WWE itself when it comes to booking decisions is a slippery slope indeed.

One would think there was a collaboration and all involved effectively thought the superstar NFL quarterback would get cheered no matter what, so nobody was all that worried about the babyface-heel presentation.

Verdict: Selling

One doesn't have to look far at all for fan complaints about WWE entrance music.

It would appear the company's next step in modernizing is addressing those complaints, too.

According to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp (h/t Ortman), WWE is "very aware" of the complaints.

That in-house music production has been very hit or miss in recent years, with the oft-repeating themes beginning to feel outdated. Indeed, it was disappointing to sometimes see brand-new themes or simple theme changes fall flat in front of live audiences.

Case in point: LA Knight's theme music above, which gets covered greatly by his loud crowd reactions.

As suggested, perhaps this is one of the next big steps for WWE as things continue to change.

Verdict: Buying

Why did The Rock come back to WWE?

It's not a question many fans have asked because, to be fair, The Rock coming back is The Rock coming back—he's one of the modern greats and fits nicely into the Bloodline storyline (after the initial botch that was shoving Cody Rhodes aside).

According to Meltzer (h/t Ortman), though, some within WWE believe he returned in "an attempt to turn around" a "losing streak," referring to his recent struggles in Hollywood.

It's a massive sell on this one, however. The Final Boss wasn't even planned to be a heel until things went south with the miserable booking around his return, so how him being back in WWE would help his movie outlook is hard to say.

Beyond that, it's a non-secret that he has a vested interest in WWE's success now that he's an executive of TKO, which oversees the promotion and UFC.

It's simple math: The Rock returns, electrifies, brings in lots of viewers and WWE prospers, so he does, too.

Any positive impact on his Hollywood career would likely be a happy byproduct, not the main goal.

Verdict: Selling