4 Wrestling rumors we hope are true and 3 we hope aren't: Top WWE star to return after 6 months and win the Royal Rumble, Unexpected plans for Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins disclosed?

Welcome to this week's edition of rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't both inside and outside of WWE. It's been an exciting week in the world of wrestling and WWE, with the latter looking at the forbidden door more than they ever have before.

This week's edition focuses on the possible Royal Rumble winners, an unexpected twist in the upcoming Universal Championship match, An on-screen figure being cleared to wrestle again, the return of the Elimination Chamber, and more:

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#4. Hope is true: WWE's possible plans for the Royal Rumble winners

The following may contain possible spoilers for the 2022 Royal Rumble.

The road to WrestleMania is set to begin at the Royal Rumble like every year. There is always the anticipation over which male and female superstars will walk out as the winners of the Royal Rumble matches.

Last year, Edge joined an elite list of WWE superstars including Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Batista, John Cena, and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin who won the Royal Rumble two or more times.

Bianca Belair, on the other hand, became the fourth superstar to the win the Women's Royal Rumble match as she went on to headline WrestleMania 37 (Night 1) in a winning effort against Sasha Banks.

Looking back at the history of winners, there is no denying that on almost every occasion, winning the Royal Rumble has had a huge impact on superstars' careers. Bianca Belair, for instance, was instantly elevated to top star status, while Edge went on to headline the second WrestleMania of his career.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there are a few favorites to win the Royal Rumble matches. Sportskeeda's Shiven Sachdeva wrote:

"As per reports, Big E, Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre are the favorites for the men's Royal Rumble whereas Bianca Belair and Bayley are likely to win the women's Royal Rumble match."

Specifically referring to Bayley, we hope this is true because the Royal Rumble is one of the last things she has to achieve in her already-illustrious career. Apart from winning the Royal Rumble, a WrestleMania main event will certainly cement her as one of the greatest women in the company's history, if she isn't already.

As for Drew McIntyre, it's unlikely he will win the Royal Rumble, but we will get back to that in another report later.

#3. Hope isn't true: WWE's planned twist for the Universal title match at Royal Rumble 2022

All of Seth Rollins' world title wins in WWE have either come by pinning Brock Lesnar or Roman Reigns. Seth Rollins recently brought up the fact that Roman Reigns' track record against him in world title matches isn't great.

Given how Roman Reigns is set to become the longest-reigning Universal Champion of all time, and the company's longest-reigning world champion of the 21st century, fans have assumed that Roman Reigns will finally get his win over Seth Rollins in a world title match at the Royal Rumble.

But there could still be a big twist upon us. Dave Meltzer spoke on the Wrestling Observer Radio about how the original plan was always for Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Seth Rollins would also bewalking into the Grandest Stage Of Them All with the WWE Championship.

A big change in plans could reportedly lead to the unexpected this Royal Rumble. Sportskeeda's Israel Lutete wrote:

"Dave Meltzer revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio that the company could be planning to put the Universal Championship on Seth Rollins at Royal Rumble. Brock Lesnar, who is set to face Bobby Lashley for the World Championship, is expected to retain his title. This means that Roman Reigns will go on to face The Beast Incarnate at WrestleMania 38 for the WWE Championship instead."

We hope this isn't true because it doesn't seem like there's enough time to build the story up enough to have the record-breaking run of Roman Reigns end. WrestleMania is the best stage for a Universal title change, but even that may not happen.

#3. Hope is true: WWE's forbidden door plans for the Royal Rumble

WWE announced more than 15 participants for the women's Royal Rumble match, including one by opening the so-called 'Forbidden Door'. It was none other than IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts Champion Mickie James - who the company released not too long ago.

A lot has been made of the promotion opening the forbidden door, something that is rarely done. What was most notable wasn't just the fact that an IMPACT Wrestling star will be in the Royal Rumble, but also the fact that it was acknowledged on TV, with James being referred to as the Knockouts Champion.

It has led to a lot of speculation as to what the possibilities are if the forbidden door is to open up once more. WrestleVotes reported on Twitter that there could be an unexpected forbidden door entrant at this year's Royal Rumble:

We hope this is true because it's a different approach for Vince McMahon, who has always taken the stance of never acknowledging competition. A lot has happened recently to prove that McMahon possibly has his eyes on the AEW product as well.

#2. Hope isn't true: WWE makes another big change to NXT

The changes that WWE is making to NXT 2.0 continue. The first was the complete rebranding into NXT 2.0 and a change in theme, appearance, and general direction.

While Triple H's era of NXT has been praised for its quality of wrestling, NXT 2.0 represents Vince McMahon's vision of sports entertainment. Rather than building future professional wrestlers, he wants to focus on creating homegrown stars.

By now, most of Triple H's team has been dismantled, and the recent releases of Road Dogg and William Regal represents that change. Furthermore, the creative direction of NXT will now be under Bruce Prichard and Christine Lubrano. Sportskeeda's Mohammad Haroon wrote:

"The reset [to NXT] came soon after its Wednesday night ratings war with AEW Dynamite. According to PWinsider, internal changes are still ongoing as the creative team has been informed that they will answer directly to Bruce Prichard and Christine Lubrano."

We hope this isn't true, and we aren't taking a dig at Bruce Prichard by saying it. The fact that Triple H's team has been dismantled in such a way seems to present a bleak future for NXT.

#2. Hope is true: Update on WWE commentator Corey Graves' in-ring status

It was in late 2014 when Corey Graves announced that his in-ring career with WWE was over. He transitioned into being a commentator, and in the last few years, many have considered him the modern voice of WWE.

He has shifted between RAW and SmackDown and has generally found himself in big spots, including multiple appearances at WrestleMania. However, things might take a big turn. Corey Graves won the 24/7 Championship in 2021, and although his reign didn't last long, it may have been an indication of something bigger.

According to a report by Fightful, Corey Graves may have possibly been cleared to make an in-ring return after over half a decade of absence.

Sportskeeda's Kevin Sullivan wrote:

"According to the report, Fightful's sources tell the site that Corey Graves may have been cleared by doctors in 2020. The Savior of Misbehavior had previously been put on an internal 'no contact' list within the company. However, his victory of the 24/7 Championship over Akira Tozawa in November 2021 seemingly indicated that he could no longer be on said list."

We hope this is true because it follows yet another series of incredible comebacks to the ring after long layoffs away. The only issue that Corey Graves faces is that he made a bigger name for himself on the commentary booth than he did in the ring.

#1. Hope isn't true: WWE's plans for the Elimination Chamber in 2022

On the road to WrestleMania, WWE has held the Elimination Chamber as one of the main stops. Usually, the Elimination Chamber match can often decide who walks into WrestleMania as champion, or who the contender will be at the Show of Shows. It also serves as a filler show for Royal Rumble winners to get momentum without being in an important match.

While the Elimination Chamber match has only happened once outside the United States, it might be happening for the second time ever, and not in the destination that fans might expect.

As you may have realized, February is usually when WWE holds the first of their bi-annual Saudi Arabia shows, with the second happening in November. While it's not clear whether the Super ShowDown name will return or whether it will be the Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event, the company is reportedly planning to hold the match at Saudi Arabia.

Sportskeeda's Vatsal Rathod wrote:

"According to a report by Fightful Select, WWE is set to return to Saudi Arabia on February 19th for a special show. The current plan is to bring the popular match type [Elimination Chamber] back at the event. It is not yet confirmed whether the name of the show will be based on the match. The report stated that staff in the area have been briefed on the current plan."

We hope this isn't true because it isn't the right place to hold the Elimination Chamber match, and it isn't the right show to begin wrapping up the road to WrestleMania.

#1. Hope is true: When Drew McIntyre is expected to make his WWE return

Drew McIntyre was written off TV at WWE Day 1 following his win over Madcap Moss. During a post-match interview, he was attacked from behind by his Day 1 opponent as well as Happy Corbin.

The angle was used to write him off as he has reportedly been dealing with nagging neck issues for months now. He has been under an assessment period, with information recently unavailable about his medical status.

McIntyre was gaining a lot of momentum on SmackDown, which is why the sudden injury took fans by surprise. There has been a lot of speculation about his return status, but Dave Meltzer of WON gave a vague but small idea about when The Scottish Warrior could make his return.

Sportskeeda's Prityush Haldar wrote:

"According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Drew McIntyre is expected to be back in action ahead of WrestleMania weekend on April 2nd and 3rd. That means McIntyre will miss the Royal Rumble later this month."

We hope this is true because Drew McIntyre deserves to be in a high-profile match at WrestleMania 38. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like WWE has world title plans for Drew McIntyre at the Grandest Stage Of Them All.