WWE Rumor Roundup: Big push for veteran, former world champion called hard to work with, Roman Reigns willing to walk away, Aleister Black in AEW (8th July 2021)

Welcome to another edition of the daily WWE Rumor Roundup where we highlight the latest backstage stories and rumors from the company. In today's edition, we will take an in-depth look at why a former WWE Superstar joined AEW just a month after being let go by Vince McMahon's promotion.

Plus, what does the future hold for Roman Reigns? Which former WWE Champion was considered difficult to work with backstage? These questions will be answered in today's WWE Rumor Roundup among many other interesting topics.

So without further ado, let's take a look at some of the biggest WWE related stories:

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#5 WWE Superstar Roderick Strong set for a big push

Veteran superstar and former North American Champion Roderick Strong is in for a big push as per Fightful Select. Strong had taken a sabbatical from WWE when he seemingly quit NXT a few weeks back. While it was believed that he would show up on the main roster, Strong recently returned to NXT as part of a brand new faction called The Diamond Mine.

The faction consists of Roderick Strong, Tyler Rust, Hideki Suzuki, and Malcolm Bivens. The reported plan is for Strong to get a major push in NXT. WrestlingInc noted that WWE has big plans for the cruiserweight division in NXT, and Strong might be the pillar who will be tasked with propelling the division:

"The company has big plans to feature the cruiserweight division this year, using more top names and storylines within the division, and word is that Strong is factored into those plans as officials look to add marquee value to the NXT Cruiserweight Title."

Roderick Strong has already started his program with the current Cruiserweight Champion, Kushida, on WWE NXT.

Do you think Strong should become part of the cruiserweight division or join the ongoing feud between his former Undisputed Era partners, Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly?

#4 WWE legend The Ultimate Warrior called "hard to work with"

WWE icon The Ultimate Warrior was known for his superstardom in WWE and his controversial backstage personality. Warrior's issues with other big names like Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon are well documented. The former WWE Champion had a reputation for being very opinionated at times.

Former WWE referee Mike Chioda recently spoke to James Romero of Wrestling Shoot Interviews about his interactions with Warrior. Chioda admitted that Warrior was considered difficult to work with but was always pleasant to him.

“It’s the way it was,” said Chioda. “Warrior was hard to work with with a lot of guys back then. I think Vince just had enough of his bulls*** at the time. He was a great guy to me too. He was always cool to me. I was the referee, so all I had to do was just do my job inside the ring.''

Chioda made an interesting point as to why Warrior was always nice to him. The veteran referee wasn't an in-ring performer, which is why there could be no dispute between them about who would win a match.

#3 Roman Reigns talks about the status of his WWE career

The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, recently talked about his career in WWE. Speaking on the Cheap Heat podcast with Peter Rosenberg, Reigns confidently claimed that he could walk away based on everything he has achieved in the company thus far.

Roman Reigns has been at the top of WWE's food chain since the Payback event last year. He won the Universal Championship at the pay-per-view, subsequently establishing himself as a top heel in the company.

"With what I've showcased in the ThunderDome alone, I could walk away," said Reigns. "On top of everything I've done and taking this last year of performances. Everything I've set out to do, I've done it, or I'm in the middle of getting to that point of achievement." (h/t Fightful)

Roman Reigns has already defeated big names like Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, and Edge in his tenure as the Universal Champion.

He is set to clash with Edge in a one-on-one match at the upcoming Money in the Bank event.

#2 Vince McMahon impressed with Piper Niven, aka Doudrop, in WWE

Eva Marie made her return to WWE a few weeks back, but she didn't arrive alone. Marie was accompanied by her protégé, Doudrop, who was formerly known as Piper Niven in NXT UK.

The storyline between the two women shows how Marie regularly shames and undercuts her protégé despite riding on her coattails. As per PWInsider, Vince McMahon is invested in the angle and is super impressed with Piper Niven's work on WWE RAW.

“We’re going to see a lot of Eva Marie and Doudrop, because Vince apparently loves the end goal,” stated Mike Johnson of PWInsider. “I was told he’s super impressed with Piper Niven so far.”

The report also stated that McMahon wasn't initially on-board with the storyline. However, once Niven started standing up to Marie, the WWE Chairman became highly interested.

“The story that was told to me was, ‘he wasn’t sold on the idea, but let’s do it.' Then after that first week, where Piper stood up to her. He loved it, he loved the facial expressions," added Johnson.

Though many fans and critics hope this angle will not linger on for long, they may be in for some disappointment, judging by Vince McMahon's reported reaction to the storyline.

#1 Reason why Aleister Black joined AEW just a month after being released by WWE

Aleister Black was one of many superstars who were released by WWE as part of budget cuts this year. The former NXT Champion had been on the main roster and in the middle of a push when he was let go by WWE.

Aleister Black, now known as Malakai Black, made his AEW debut last night. Black surprisingly appeared on AEW Dynamite, attacking Cody Rhodes and the legendary Arn Anderson. What's even more surprising is that Black, who was released on June 2nd, 2021, jumped ship a month after his WWE release due to a clerical error, as noted by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer.

"Meltzer states that Aleister Black was bound by a 30-day non-compete clause rather than the usual 90-day clause that most wrestlers need to adhere to. As a result, the former WWE Superstar was able to make his debut on AEW programming on Wednesday." (H/t: Abhilash Mendhe of Sportskeeda)

Do you think Malakai Black can become a major name in AEW, or will he remain a mid-carder in the long run?