What is the story about?
Welcome
to the weekly Rumor Look Back, where we look at the rumors from six months ago and see which played out as originally stated. Let’s jump right to it.
- The Observer says Friday’s WWE cuts weren’t budget-related. Bryan Alvarez on his subscription Twitter/X: “WWE cuts were not budget related, they have over 130 people in developmental and hire more regularly. If you’re not progressing fast enough or they feel you don’t have what it takes for main roster, you’re out to make room for someone new. Possible more cuts coming next week.”
- That makes sense. It’s kind of like a school letting a ton of people in but having a high attrition rate early on. (My veterinary school was like that.) It basically gives you a chance but then you have to prove it.
- There has been some criticism of Triple H regarding his “political priorities,” says the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, pointing to his US politics as opposed to within pro wrestling. He’s apparently missed some television dates, though they were known in advance. There are also those close to him and others near the top who say his attempt at becoming the Dana White of WWE have not hurt the product in any way.
- I guess the question is has it been a loss of focus that affected the booking or a rough patch? And I doubt that’s the case. I’ve watched Triple H’s booking since NXT so I think he will find a flow again. I wonder if this year they had a plan but there were injuries and some talk of a stale product so they panicked and started changing things and then had to keep changing things, which is not really Triple H’s style. I’ll be very interested to see how the creative is after Mania and if it seems more steady.
- Elimination Chamber is scheduled for Feb. 28 in Chicago but the WON says it wouldn’t shock them to see the “date changed a week in either direction if they want to compete with AEW.”
- There was no change. (0/1)
- According to Fightful Select, AJ Styles had no idea about the special introduction he was going to get at Crown Jewel courtesy of John Cena. They also say the two received a standing ovation once they made it backstage following their outstanding match.
- John Cena later said that he didn’t tell anyone about that but he regretted not telling those backstage prior.
- There are many contracts within TNA coming up by the end of the year and one big one is the Hardy Boyz, though TNA hopes to retain them, per Fightful.
- They’re still in TNA. Matt confirmed that they re-signed
- They also say The IInspiration’s deals are up after Bound for Glory but they are expected to be re-signed.
- They worked past Bound for Glory but only short term as they’re now with AEW. I’m not sure if they signed something brief or that was the remainder of the contract.
- Fightful Select notes that WWE is keeping Seth Rollins’ injury status under wraps, but he was widely credited for gutting out the remainder of the Cody Rhodes match despite being hurt.
- This one was a real injury, though I understand anyone who maybe thought otherwise.
- Having said that, some believe the fact that he was cleared for the Vision turn segment on Monday Night Raw could be a really good sign.
- Not a great sign since as he was out 4 months. (0/1)
- More from Fightful: The Vision turn was hinted at being a heavy creative shift, and original plans didn’t call for this to happen until into 2026.
- This was probably the start of those creative changes I alluded to above. Though I think some were just panic moves that had nothing to do with injury. I bet this break would have happened after this upcoming WrestleMania.
- Other plans that appear to have changed now based upon this are the War Games matches scheduled for Survivor Series that had previously been rumored to involve The Vision and The Bloodline.
- They still did involve those group, but Drew McIntyre was in there likely as a Seth replacement.
- Jon Alba at SI says WWE played a role in the controversial time limit draw finish in the X-Division title match between Leon Slater and Je’Von Evans at Bound for Glory.
- I guess they didn’t want their guy taking a loss.
- During a talk with The Sportster, Bam Margera hinted that he could make an appearance in AEW alongside his friend Darby Allin at some point in the future.
- I thought he was dead.
- Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE did indeed plan to have Seth Rollins wrestle Roman Reigns at WrestleMania next year.
- Oh interesting. I figured it would be Punk/Rollins. Punk/Roman is a better match the Rollins/Roman.
- He also said there was a plan for a world heavyweight title match against CM Punk at the next Saturday Night’s Main Event.
- I wonder if Punk vs. Seth wasn’t the plan at Mania, who would be the champion coming out of that feud when it finally came to a close.
- Bodyslam.net claims Def Rebel, who produces music for WWE, is on their last contract with the company, though it’s unclear when it comes up exactly.
- We’ve been hearing about this contract for awhile.
- According to Fightful Select, IShowSpeed was at the WWE Performance Center filming his show “Speed Goes Pro,” centered on his training to see if he has what it takes to go pro in various sports. Randy Orton will serve as his mentor, and WWE hasn’t ruled out his doing a match with the company at some point in the future.
- His first match was yesterday. (1/1)
- Per PW Insider, Rey Mysterio is expected to be at the Performance Center this week in the next step of his recovery from injury. He’s expected back relatively soon.
- He did returned in November. Then got hurt again in January and only just returned again. (1/1)
- Andrade has disappeared from AEW since his surprise return, and there are people who know what’s going on but they aren’t talking, per the Observer.
- Three was a non-compete that WWE was trying to enforce for a year but it was just a few months.
- In a Fightful Select Q&A, Sean Ross Sapp said sources that have spoken to Andrade told him Andrade “seemed in good spirits” but didn’t know or wouldn’t say why the Mexican star’s been pulled from recent shows and off AEW television since re-debuting. Those connected to AEW Sapp’s spoken to told him “Andrade is in fact signed”. One person said the issue isn’t “AEW or Andrade’s specific fault”.
- That sounds right. (1/1)
- The same Fightful Q&A included word that AEW looked into opening their own “Performance Center” facility, possibly in the Asheville, North Carolina area with FTR and Adam & Beth Copeland among the coaching staff. Plans got far enough along that at one point Sting’s son Steven Borden was going to train there. The project never got off the ground however, a decision believed to be based on the cost of building and running the facility.
- Sting’s son is training, and wrestling, but not at an AEW performance center.
- Ridge Holland’s last WWE contract was for “NXT money” per Wrestling Observer. Fightful confirmed that Holland was on a standard main roster deal, but that expired in 2024 and he accepted a one-year extension for $200K less.
- It always sucks to take a pay cut, even if he wasn’t on the main roster any more.
- Fightful also notes that Holland was not paid extra for the TNA show he was injured on, and WWE probably had to pay for his rehab even though they’re no longer paying him. Otherwise, he likely would have had grounds for a successful lawsuit.
- Just seems like a shitty situation all around.
- Wrestlenomics confirmed last week’s report that WWE is currently planning next year’s Elimination Chamber for Feb. 28 in Chicago.
- That’s the case. (1/1)
- On social media, WWE promoted that new ID program prospects ”are coming soon”.
- The Single A level of WWE minor leagues.
- Regarding the release of WWE LFG’s BJ Ray, Booker T indicated on his Hall of Fame podcast that Ray had the same attitude issues off-camera that he had on-camera: “The same way BJ Ray was on television, he was that way off television — you can’t be that way.”
- Sometimes people live their gimmick.
- Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer says Seth Rollins will probably miss out on a match next year at WrestleMania 42 if he has surgery to repair his shoulder injury.
- He had the surgery and made it back in time for Mania. (0/1)
- AEW sources told Fightful Select that Andrade’s sudden absence affected creative plans for both Dynamite and the WrestleDream pay-per-view. However, it sounds like there isn’t any heat on Andrade for the current situation regarding WWE’s non-compete clause. The plan is still for him to work in AEW when the matter is resolved.
- I can’t imagine there would be heat.
- For whatever it’s worth, the outlet also heard that Andrade has a “very good lawyer.”
- Kind of need to in this business.
- Someone in WWE told Meltzer there is a plan for how to handle AJ Styles’ retirement in 2026. The plan is not “fully locked” in yet, but the idea is that “We’re gonna do something.”
- “We’re going to do something” is not a rumor. Of course they’re doing something. They had Gunther retire him at the Rumble.
- F4WOnline’s Bryan Alvarez mentioned that RUSH suffered a dislocated elbow towards the end of his match on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. He “put his elbow back in” before returning to the ring to do a post-match attack on Samoa Joe.
- It looks like he wrestled the next night, then missed a month, wrestled once, and then got hurt again and was out until March.
- During a call with the media on Thursday, AEW President Tony Khan hinted that there could be two Blood & Guts matches this year, with one for the women and one for the men.
- He wasn’t lying.
- There is a lot of speculation that Jay White will return to AEW soon after he posted “Ready?” on his X account, following several months of no activity there.
- Maybe he wanted us to just be ready in general. If you stay read, you don’t have to get ready. (0/1)
- Meltzer says it’s possible that Kota Ibushi “won’t be able to make it back to wrestle” after doctors said he’ll be out of action for two years due to a broken femur.
- That’s tough injury. Looks like he’s started to train.
- According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has discussed the idea of John Cena beating Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental championship at Survivor Series, and then defending the title against GUNTHER in the final match of his career at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December.
- That was not how they went.
- Per The Observer, “Those at the top in WWE have bragged that the White House itself took their own storyline inspiration from WWE talent.”
- Sigh…
- More specifically, “a White House press office official texted a major WWE official” during the height of the Epstein Files scandal. This led to Triple H telling people in WWE that Paul Heyman’s remarks defending Brock Lesnar’s return to WWE were “part of the inspiration” for the Trump administration’s response to the scandal.
- Sigh… Sigh…
- WON notes that the person who is managing WWE’s AI creative storytelling, Cyrus Kowsari, is also there to “be a liaison to the White House as [Paul] Levesque is taking on more duties in politics in some form.”
- Sigh… Sigh… Sigh…
- Regarding Lesnar’s return to WWE, The Observer says some people in the company were “strongly against it,” and “some women on the staff were even more unhappy with one using the term privately disgusted.” What’s more is that “many production team members don’t believe [Lesnar] moved the needle past the first week and many felt the segment with R-Truth was embarrassing.”
- I don’t blame those reactions. As for moving the needle, his match with Oba has to be one of the most anticipated this year so I don’t know if that’s entirely the case.
- Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp thinks Nikki Bella has been absent from Raw lately because WWE didn’t have any plans for her to be in Australia for Crown Jewel. The latest he’s heard on Bella is that she “would be around here and there,” and that WWE expects her “to be on the show for a while.”
- She was supposed to have a tag title match last night but an ankle injury cost her that.
- F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer claims that AEW originally planned to book Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi in a tag team match together at WrestleDream, most likely against Hechicero and Josh Alexander of the Don Callis Family. Those plans changed when Ibushi suffered a broken femur.
- Missed out on a Golden Lovers reunion.
- Meltzer also said that before Seth Rollins injured his shoulder, there were plans for The Vision “to dominate Raw even more very shortly,” with Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker set to win the world tag team championship.
- I could see that. They would have been a good pair to hold that gold.
- Bryan Alvarez points out that some of the matches at WrestleDream where anything is allowed (like Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley) may face restrictions: “Missouri has a pro wrestling commission, so they are likely going to have very strict rules as to what everyone is allowed to do on the show, which will surely impact all of the no rules matches.”
- I don’t remember that being an issue.
This week: 4/8 – 50%
Overall: 6,232/10,618 – 58.7%
Have a great week, everyone!
