Might the WWE women's roster be preparing for a toxic injection?
The futures of former NXT women's tag team champions Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne are at the forefront of this week's collection of rumors, along with an update on the contractual status of that brand's former women's titleholder and news on All Elite Wrestling newcomer Saraya.
What's next for Dolin and Jayne, and what can fans expect to see from the self-proclaimed "Revolution" in AEW?
Find out with these rumors and reports from industry insiders.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer reported that a main roster promotion for Toxic Attraction's Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jane has been in the works for awhile.
That shouldn't be much of a surprise to those who have paid attention over the last two months. The pair have already made two appearances on SmackDown, and their run in the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament might have proved more fruitful had it not been for a concussion suffered by Dolin.
Dolin and Jane are two-time NXT women's tag team champions and have been prominently featured in the brand's women's division alongside singles champion Mandy Rose.
Speaking of Rose, she discussed a move to the main roster on Out of Character with Ryan Satin (h/t Blake Lovell of 411Mania), and said it would be great to potentially mix it up with Damage CTRL, but she wants to know Toxic Attraction are ready for the grind of Raw and SmackDown first.
The group has been so dominant in the year or so that it has been together that one would have to assume a call-up is coming.
Rose is a polarizing performer, but she has held her own against more experienced competitors while Dolin and Jayne have been the lifeblood of the NXT tag division for much of their time together.
Taking them to Raw or SmackDown would likely benefit all involved, but only if there are solid creative plans in place. The last thing that should happen to a group as decorated as Toxic Attraction is for them to lose momentum out of the gate and eventually fade into the background.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported Saraya has signed a three-year deal with AEW and the monetary amount "largely implies that she'll be wrestling in some capacity."
The article does state there is no indication that the second-generation star has been medically cleared to compete.
Interestingly, she was not present at ringside for the lumberjack match for the AEW Women's Championship between Toni Storm and Serena Deeb that her promo set up on Wednesday. Instead, she sat in on commentary for the contest.
Saraya has not competed in a match of any kind since December 27, 2017, when she teamed with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville to battle Bayley, Sasha Banks and Mickie James inside the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.
In that match, she reaggravated a neck injury that left her without feeling in her extremities. Her heartbreaking return to the ring, cut short by that injury, was documented in an episode of WWE Chronicle.
The report also stated that interest in the former WWE Divas and NXT women's champion dated back as far as July, when she officially became a free agent.
The 30-year-old brings her name value and legitimacy based on all that she accomplished in WWE, but one has to wonder if she can safely compete. If it is deemed she can, there's no denying the impact she can have on a women's division that is stacked with talent.
She is still young and has plenty to offer AEW. Whether that comes in the ring or outside of it remains to be seen. Whatever the case, her return to the wrestling scene is long overdue.
Sapp also reported that cosmetic changes are "on the horizon" for Raw, SmackDown and NXT.
We have already seen a slight tweak in the presentation of NXT, with the return of the brand's black-and-gold in a reworked logo.
Triple H's creative process is already evident across the main roster shows, with a greater emphasis on in-ring competition and more lucid storytelling. The somewhat stagnant, glossy presentations of Raw and SmackDown would almost certainly benefit from his attention as he further implements his vision for both the short- and long-term future of WWE.
Fresh creative and returning stars are great and have made for an infinitely better product but aesthetically, all three shows would benefit from a makeover.
The report also stated WWE has "at least three new sets of title belts that are finished and currently in hand."
That will be greatly appreciated by fans unhappy with the current designs of top titles, some of which are rather generic. Considering Triple H's appreciation for the rich history of professional wrestling and its many championships, expect those titles to be vastly improved.
If you have watched any of the Ring of Honor content produced by Tony Khan and thought to yourself, "It doesn't seem like he has a plan for this brand," you are probably right.
Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live reported the AEW president had no plans for ROH initially and he simply bought the storied promotion because he knew others, including WWE, were interested in it.
While that may no longer be the case, it would explain the shifting of the company's titles from one wrestler to another with little reason for doing so. Since acquiring the company, Khan has already booked Claudio Castagnoli to defeat longtime champion Jonathan Gresham, then Chris Jericho to knock off The Swiss Superman.
Interestingly, Castagnoli did not look to avenge the tainted loss to the so-called "Ocho" on the September 28 episode of Dynamite, indicating that championship match was more of a one-off than anything.
Things take time and procuring a television deal, much less generating storylines and featuring ROH talent consistently across AEW television when it already struggles to present the wealth of talent it has, is no small task.
Still, it feels as though the momentum the company had following the announcement of Khan's acquisition of the fan-favorite promotion has worn off and uncertainty reigns.
That is, except in the case of the ROH title, which will continue to be prominently involved on Dynamite and Rampage as Jericho looks to "eviscerate every ROH champion."
