Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors: Latest on Full Gear, Seth Rollins and More

Just days before the first pay-per-view of the Dynamite era, a report on the main event of All Elite Wrestling Full Gear headlines this week's collection of backstage rumors, but it is hardly the only newsworthy inclusion.

The headline bout of WWE's Crown Jewel pay-per-view saw The Fiend dethrone Seth Rollins as universal champion, but that match reportedly nearly had a conclusion that would have altered the course of the company creatively for quite some time.

What was that original finish?

Find out that and more, including injury updates on two of the more popular stars in McMahonland, with this collection of rumors and reports.

Dave Meltzer reported on his Twitter account that the planned main event for AEW Full Gear was the unsanctioned Lights Out match between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley.

"I was told Moxley vs. Omega because a Lights Out match theoretically has to go on after all the regularly scheduled matches are over," he said. "Tony Khan is taking from Eddie Graham with this as the type of match that tells fans [an] all-out brawl is coming."

Given how much emotion and production has gone into Cody vs. Chris Jericho for the AEW world heavyweight title, it would be something of a surprise if those two didn't headline the event. At the same time, there is a precedent for the Lights Out match going on last.

At Fyter Fest, Moxley and Joey Janela squared off in the main event, while AEW Dark's debut episode was headlined by Omega and Janela. The violence and high-risk associated with the match makes it almost impossible for anything else to follow. Therefore, putting it after a world title match may be doing Cody and Jericho a favor.

Omega and Moxley have had some red-hot staredowns and face-offs in the weeks leading into Full Gear. Theirs is a program fans are invested in and accepting of. The backlash for a brawl headlining over a world title match should, therefore, be minimal.

If, that is, plans do not change prior to the show.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported the original finish to Seth Rollins vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt at WWE Crown Jewel was a double-turn. 

Rollins has been on the receiving end of a negative reaction from the WWE faithful for weeks, mostly because of the one-dimensional nature of his character. Couple that with the cool factor of The Fiend character, and you have all the reason you need for the fans' backlash toward the now-former universal champion.

The idea that WWE would have acted on that fan sentiment, initiating a double-turn that would have reversed the roles for the Superstars involved, is refreshing. WWE, after all, has a reputation for being stubbornly persistent when it comes to sticking to its creative plans despite the audience's reaction.

Even though it did not happen, the suggestion that WWE took it under consideration is a welcome change of pace.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported he "has been told by multiple sources that Bliss is dealing with a shoulder injury. Bliss has not been brought into WWE TV tapings the last few weeks due to the injury."

Bliss was last seen teaming with Nikki Cross in a losing effort against The Kabuki Warriors, dropping the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships to Asuka and Kairi Sane at Hell in a Cell in early October.

It has been an up-and-down, injury-plagued year for Bliss. The former Raw and SmackDown women's champion battled concussion issues earlier in 2019 but bounced back to forge an unlikely partnership with Cross. Their tag team became one of the pleasant surprises of the Raw brand before this latest shoulder injury put her out of action.

Back on SmackDown as a result of the draft, Bliss likely was slated to play a significant role on the blue brand before the injury bug bit again.

Who knows how long she will be out or what awaits her when she does return.

Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that Velveteen Dream is suffering from an injury, hence his non-involvement in the ongoing NXT invasion of Raw and SmackDown.

Dream has been one of the cornerstones of NXT for the past year-and-a-half, delivering show-stealing performances on nearly every TakeOver special on which he appears. So trusted was he by management that he was in the first main event of NXT when it jumped to the USA Network, losing his North American Championship to Roderick Strong.

Despite a follow-up promo that suggested the feud would continue, Dream disappeared from television and has not made his presence felt on the show since.

The injury itself was undisclosed, but it must be significant for Dream to miss out on a major Survivor Series pay-per-view, preceded by NXT's massive War Games event just 24 hours earlier.

Hopefully he returns sooner rather than later to bask in the increased spotlight the brand he has been such an integral part of has received recently.