Rumor Look Back: Nov. 3

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 2: Oba Femi in action against Rusev during Monday Night RAW at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 2, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images) | WWE via Getty Images Welcome to the weekly Rumor Look Back, where we look at the rumors from

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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.

November 3, 2025

According to Fightful Select, there was frustration within WWE regarding low ticket sales in Salt Lake City for Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Those frustrations would continue.
They also said Triple H and Bruce Prichard were not backstage for the show, which is rare for such a big event.
Wonder if Triple H was at the White House.
For what it’s worth, Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that Tony Khan doesn’t want to use wrestlers he knows are going to WWE. There’s also speculation that could be why David Finlay has disappeared from AEW TV.
David Finlay is in AEW so that’s not why he was off TV. (0/1)
Fightful notes that MJF is set to wrap filming on his latest movie project soon but it’s unclear when he will return to AEW. Apparently he’s having a ball of a time in Hollywood.
He returned in December and almost immediate won the title.
Speaking of returns, the Figure Four Daily Update threw cold water on the idea of Will Ospreay returning in January, saying he is hopeful to start some light weight workouts then but he’s still a ways off from being back.
It was in March. (1/1)
Some have noticed that Zelina Vega’s name appears to have been changed to simply read “Zelina” on the WWE roster page.
She was released recently and didn’t wrestle enough to notice if they dropped that name.

November 4, 2025

Bryan Alvarez on at F4Wonline said “there is a feeling that we might not get Royal Rumble surprises this year.” Why? Because it will be held in Saudi Arabia and much harder to sneak people into the show.
I understand this speculation and even thought it myself. But it ended up not being true. Brie Bella was the biggest surprise for the women. Royce Keyes debuted for the men. It was also Chad Gable’s Americano’s return. (0/1)
Instead of the traditional surprises at the Rumble, Alvarez also said if they have anything planned it will take place at SmackDown and Saturday Night’s Main Event in Montreal the week prior.
Since there were surprises, we know it happened at the Rumble and not those other shows. (0/1)
Fightful Select notes that the AEW Blood & Guts edition of Dynamite will be a two-and-a-half hour show.
It was. (1/1)
For what it’s worth, Rusev told SHAK Wrestling that he never refused to do jobs while he was in AEW.
I mean he would say that whether he did or didn’t. He’s surely OK with doing jobs in WWE. (He gets his wins on Main Event.) It’s possible he’s telling the truth. Or it’s possible he felt he could try to try to push for that in AEW more than he could in WWE.
Outlets in Mexico are gossiping about Ludwig Kaiser and WWE Espanol correspondent Andrea Bazarte, who do appear to be in a relationship. That would likely mean Kaiser and Tiffany Stratton have broken up.
She’s even part of the El Grande angle. (1/1)
Tony Schiavone said on his What Happened When? podcast that former CHIKARA star Archibald Peck (aka former WWE writer Robert Evans) is helping write shows for AEW and also working with talent on promos and what not.
Cool.

November 5, 2025

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer & Bryan Alvarez said WWE is purposely teasing AEW stars possibly appearing in the John Cena Last Time is Now tournament. That’s apparently part of the reason behind his language regarding wrestlers who don’t currently work for the company being in the tourney.
None of them (obviously) did. The biggest surprises were Zack Ryder and Dolph Ziggler.
The opening segment of Raw this week went 10 minutes longer than it was expected to, per Bryan Alvarez. The company “was left scrambling” with the rest of the show.
That was a CM Punk/Logan Paul & Vision segment. On Netflix, they can run any time they want. I get wanting to be in the habit of keeping time but occasionally, they can go long.
According to PW Insider, there are two WWE names who will be featured in Disney’s Zootopia 2 but we won’t know who they are until the world premiere next week.
It was Roman Reigns & CM Punk – the main event of WrestleMania. (1/1)
The Wrestling Observer speculates Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio is likely the plan for Survivor Series in San Diego after the angle they shot on Raw this week.
It was Dom Mysterio vs. Cena. (0/1)
On his Keepin’ It 100 podcast, Konnan claimed El Hijo Del Vikingo turned heel because he was getting booed in Mexico over fans being upset that the title was taken off Alberto Del Rio.
ADR can GTFO.

November 6, 2025

After Penta posted teasers on Instagram about how “the wait is almost over…” and “521 days,” Luchablog’s analysis indicates this means he will reunite with Rey Fenix on Dec. 20 for AAA’s Guerra de Titanes event at the new 20,000 seat arena in Guadalajara, Mexico. That date is 521 days after Penta and Fenix last teamed together as the Lucha Bros in AEW, prior to signing with WWE.
This was advertised, so it was correct. Unfortunately it didn’t happen due to an injury to Penta. Fenix teamed with Mysterio. No Lucha Bros reunion yet. (1/1)
Luchablog also mentioned that, “They’re going to have to load it up like a PLE to fill that building and that seems to be the plan.”
I checked with our AAA man Manolo and he feels that was a card along the line of a PLE. (1/1)
Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer claims WWE didn’t reveal the full bracket for John Cena’s “The Last Time Is Now” tournament on this week’s Raw because there are surprises planned that they don’t want to reveal yet.
Makes sense.
Fightful Select notes that Drew McIntyre’s WWE contract lasts until at least WrestleMania 44 in 2028, after he signed a new deal with the promotion last year. Drew is said to be making “millions of dollars per year” on this contract.
He’s got a good thing going. I bet he wasn’t asked to take a pay cut.
For whatever it’s worth, Ridge Holland responded with “I wish” to Grok’s claim that he made at least two million dollars in total WWE base pay from 2018 through 2025, prior to his termination.
I guess he did not. Shocked Grok was wrong.
F4WOnline’s Bryan Alvarez said AEW recently moved all of its storage items from Florida to Nashville. As a result of the move, “there is no longer a training ring in Florida,” which is where injured wrestlers “would go to work out and try to get cleared.” Alvarez is “not sure what the plan is now” in that regard.
That’s odd. So many wrestlers are still based in Florida. The PC is in Florida too – that doesn’t have a ring any more?

November 7, 2025

Bodyslam.net says there is a belief in WWE that Bianca Belair will return “in the early stages” of 2026. There is also apparently some optimism that she can beat that projected timeline.
She’s currently pregnant so not yet. And we actually don’t know if her hand healed properly. (0/1)
At Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Vince Russo said “a talent at a high level” in WWE told him that being loved by the internet “means everything to Triple H.” That’s why he booked TNA star Joe Hendry in a match at WrestleMania 41.
That’s a bit surprising because Triple H also doesn’t want to book for the marks or whatever.
Because of increased ticket prices and high demand around John Cena’s final run, Dave Meltzer speculates on Wrestling Observer Radio that the Saturday Night’s Main Event on Dec. 13 in Washington D.C. could be “the largest arena-sized gate in the history of professional wrestling.”
Looks like it. (1/1)
People in WWE told Meltzer that Ridge Holland should have expected that his contract wouldn’t be renewed, because they were going to cut him last year if he didn’t agree to take a pay cut.
Looks like they’re asking a lot of folks to do so, which is why the New Day left. It’s a shame TKO is so poor. Maybe they should start a GoFundMe or something.
Regarding Holland’s early termination, Meltzer said WWE “wanted to send a message to everyone out there that if you say anything bad, you can be cut.”
That was ugly.
Fightful Select claims that NJPW is considering three different opponents for the final match of Hiroshi Tanahashi’s career at Wrestle Kingdom 20 in January. It’s expected that a decision and announcement will be made in the next week. Speculation about Shinsuke Nakamura getting that spot is a “pipe dream” and unlikely to happen.
It was Okada. (1/1)
The TV schedule at TBS indicates that next week’s Blood & Guts episode of AEW Dynamite will be 2.5 hours long, with a possible overrun on top of that.
With two B&G matches, 2 hours isn’t enough.

November 8, 2025

Regarding Jesse Ventura’s absence from Saturday Night’s Main Event last week, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is under the impression that he signed a one-year contract to do SNME, and his deal likely expired with the prior show.
He was back for the Cena’s Last Match show.
The Observer heard that Ventura’s poor commentary in the steel cage match between Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre at May’s event pretty much sealed his fate with WWE management.
He was back so didn’t really seal anything. (0/1)
WON indicates that if Jacob Fatu can return to WWE in time for War Games, WWE will make a choice between LA Knight and Jimmy Uso for the final spot on the men’s team. If Fatu can’t work the match, Knight and Uso will probably both make the team.
Fatu could not work WarGames. Still, Knight did not make the team, despite feuding with the Vision for months prior. (0/1)
During an interview on The Coach & Bro, former WWE star Scarlett said increased ticket prices were “constantly” talked about backstage in the locker room.
Meaning the talent also thought they were too much?
Fightful Select claims that AEW star Adam Copeland (fka Edge) was never considered for a match as part of John Cena’s WWE farewell tour this year.
The fact that was a rumor at all makes me think some folks don’t understand how this works.
The outlet also notes that Kamille is still under contract with AEW, despite her extended absence from its programming, and she has plenty of time left on her deal with the promotion.
She’s returned to AEW.
WWE filed to trademark the term “Tribal Heir” this week. They previously trademarked the term in 2023, but it was later abandoned.
Still not doing anything with it.
Belt maker Dave Millican worked on the new AEW National Championship, per Fightful. It apparently has a bit of a “throwback” design.
I like the occasional re-design.