WWE rumor roundup: Stratton’s MITB plan, Rhodes wants Team USA role at Survivor Series and backstage moves
At Crown Jewel 2026, Tiffany Stratton cashed in on Chelsea Green following her October 10 Money in the Bank ladder win, and the aftermath has produced backstage clarifications and fresh speculation across WWE programming. Separately, Cody Rhodes said he would like to captain Team USA at Survivor Series: WarGames 2026 during a post-show appearance after his Last Man Standing victory over Randy Orton.
Stratton’s October 10 Money in the Bank victory secured the briefcase for a second time in her career and was reported by Fightful Select, via the Wrestling Observer, to have been part of a creative plan put in place weeks before the match rather than a late change. Roxanne Perez had been viewed by many as the favorite to win the briefcase, and Stratton’s victory and subsequent cash-in drew criticism from sections of the fanbase who described the outcome as a ‘‘bummer’’ and questioned the promotion’s creative choices. The report specifically linked the long-term planning to an eventual program positioning Stratton as a challenger to Chelsea Green for the WWE Women’s Championship.
Fightful Select’s account, as reported by the Wrestling Observer, states WWE had intended for Stratton to win the briefcase and to be built toward a title program with Green; that direction, according to those reports, was established several weeks in advance of the Money in the Bank match. The Wrestling Observer coverage framed the decision as premeditated rather than improvised, contrasting with outside perceptions that the outcome had been altered at the last minute.
Cody Rhodes raised the prospect of leading Team USA against Rey Mysterio’s Team Mexico at Survivor Series: WarGames 2026 during the PLE post-show following his win over Randy Orton. Rhodes told the post-show, "I would love [to lead] Team USA, lead them along, find a team of my own," and challenged Mysterio to arrange the match after Mysterio had discussed a traditional five-on-five elimination match and indicated he would captain the Mexican side on Stephanie McMahon’s podcast. WWE has not confirmed Rhodes as Team USA’s captain or announced any participants for the proposed Survivor Series matchup.
On Raw, the ongoing conflict between the 946 faction and the Bloodline continued with the surprise main roster debut of Cruz Montana, a move that reportedly surprised NXT personnel. Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the decision to call Montana up was made late and that people within NXT, and possibly Shawn Michaels, were not informed in advance; NXT had been building Montana as a babyface and had him involved in a rivalry with DarkState’s Dion Lennox.
Former champion Nia Jax discussed her post-in-ring intentions on the Keep it Aloha podcast, saying, "I don’t know. And it’s a beautiful thing because when I was younger, I’d always want to plan things, and life didn’t turn out the way I planned it – in a beautiful way." She added, "I definitely wanna stay within the WWE family as long as possible," and expressed an interest in coaching at the Performance Center in Orlando; she has not announced a retirement from in-ring competition.
WWE has not officially confirmed Cody Rhodes as Team USA’s captain nor named participants for Survivor Series: WarGames 2026, leaving the proposed traditional five-on-five elimination match unannounced by the promotion.