Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors: Latest on Bray Wyatt, Adam Cole and More

Could All Elite Wrestling be on the verge of adding two more incredible talents to a roster brimming with them?

If this week's rumors are any indication, Bray Wyatt and Adam Cole may be joining CM Punk and Malakai Black in Tony Khan's company.

The latest on their statuses highlights a collection of reports that also features the eye-raising new look sported by Karrion Kross on Monday's Raw.

Dave Meltzer reported on Saturday Night's Main Event that Impact Wrestling is "really after" Bray Wyatt. Despite this, higher-ups in AEW still believe the former WWE and Universal champion is signing with their company.

If there is one star who would benefit from making the jump to Impact over AEW, it is Wyatt.

Impact has long been home to more outlandish creative. From Wrestle House to the demonic possession storylines involving Rosemary and Su Yung, the company has been more willing than others to take chances and present characters that may never have had a chance elsewhere.

Wyatt is uber-creative, and as we saw with The Fiend persona, WWE was not the company to see his vision through. AEW is more grounded in reality, hardly making it the most beneficial landing spot for a guy with ideas beyond than your typical wrestling storyline.

An Impact run would likely help him rediscover his passion for wrestling while allowing him to exercise those creative muscles without interference in a way no other major promotion would. While he, like so many others recently, is still most likely to head to AEW, it would be worth his time to sit back and listen to anything Impact has to say.

WWE sources are under the impression Adam Cole is finished with the company and is officially a free agent, per Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com. 

Cole competed against Kyle O'Reilly Sunday at NXT TakeOver 36, losing to his former teammate in a brutal 2-out-of-3 Falls match.

Cole has a long history with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, previously starring on their web show, Being The Elite. His character was killed off when he signed with WWE, but recently, the Bucks and Omega have dropped significant hints about bringing Cole "back from the dead." 

If Cole were to sign with AEW, he arrives in a company adding talent at a rapid pace. From CM Punk to Malakai Black and the potentially impending debut of Daniel Bryan, the company is acquiring new pieces with a rapidity that makes one wonder whether it can possibly do right by everyone.

Cole is a world-class talent, though, and would be difficult to pass up if he becomes available. His prior friendship with The Elite makes it even more likely he signs on the dotted line.

Karrion Kross was the talk of the wrestling world for all the wrong reasons Monday when he appeared on Raw sporting a studded helmet that looked like something Demolition may have worn in the 1980s or Quentin Tarantino featured in Pulp Fiction a decade later.

Andrew Zarian of Mat Man Pro Wrestling Podcast reported the change in appearance is for marketing and merchandising purposes.

The fact that WWE thinks the helmet and suspenders look is one that will make Kross appeal to audiences rather than letting him head to the ring with Scarlett Bordeaux and beat people up speaks volumes about the creative process within the company.

The days of over-the-top looks and gimmicks are over, but never underestimate WWE's ability to ruin a character in the hopes that it sells a couple more T-shirts and action figures. The moment a wrestler trends online because of his look rather than his work, it is extremely difficult to recover. Throw in that one-minute loss to Jeff Hardy, and you have every reason to believe Kross is facing an uphill battle on the main roster.