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.
- BodySlam.net claims there were plans for Giulia to enter the main event picture in the women’s division, which could be why she lost the United States championship to Chelsea Green.
- That hasn’t happened. And I don’t think it will. (0/1)
- They also say Zoey Stark’s recovery from her knee injury is progressing well and she’s expected back in mid-2026 with WWE officials still high on her potential.
- She’s since been released. (0/1)
- Chris Jericho posting photos of an improved physique on social media led to speculation about his status with AEW and a return to WWE. He also “liked” a comment mentioning WrestleMania, as though that’s why he’s gotten in such great shape.
- He has since returned to AEW.
- According to Fightful Select, they have sources saying Megan Bayne was upset with Nixon Newell and Miranda Alize during their match on Collision, and she was allegedly not okay with an apparent lack of cooperation on some spots.
- Newell & Alize did not endear themselves to AEW at all.
- AEW has interest in Zayda Steel, former WWE ID talent, and Self Made PW claims she has filmed something for Ring of Honor and there are plans to use her there in the coming weeks.
- She works with AEW on ROH and sometimes Collision. (1/1)
- It’s believed John Cena will be wrestling on his final Raw appearance next Monday, per Bryan Alvarez.
- That’s accurate. It was a 6-man. Cena teamed with Sheamus & Rey Mysterio against Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, & Finn Bálor. (1/1)
- Meanwhile, Ibou of Self Made and Cory Hayes of BodySlam.net are saying Cena is planned to work the men’s War Games match at Survivor Series.
- It was a one on one match with Dom Mysterio. (0/1)
- Drew McIntyre is doing a movie, says the Observer, and that’s why he was written off television via a suspension. He’s expected to be gone for a while.
- He was back in the next couple weeks for the WarGames match. (0/1)
- Although Nixon Newell repeatedly said there’s no bad blood between Miranda Alize & herself and AEW over their Collision walkout, Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer says it’s highly unlikely either wrestler will ever get another AEW or ROH booking.
- No idea what they were thinking.
- Fightful Select initially claimed Bryan Danielson got involved in the situation, saying he personally spoke with both women and he “wasn’t thrilled” but Newell told Fightful later neither she nor Alize has ever met with him in person.
- This was apparently Newell’s final year (her own call) but she kind of derailed what could have been for that.
- On top of his agent refuting the fact that he’s shooting a movie as had been mentioned elsewhere, PW Insider says Drew McIntyre’s suspension was a planned creative move designed to add depth to his current feud.
- We noted already that the prior rumor was wrong. (1/1)
- According to Bryan Alvarez, John Cena was the one who made the call to do main roster vs. NXT exhibition matches at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
- He seems very investigated in that, as seen with his still confusing John Cena Classic.
- Self Made Pro claims there are people within WWE who don’t want Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes on TV at the same time unless they can build to another match between the two.
- That would make sense. I wonder if they’ll do the Crown Jewel gimmick this year where it’s champion vs. champion. I wouldn’t be surprised if they skip it because they don’t want to waste that match on that exhibition title.
- Fightful Select says Tony D’Angelo hasn’t been seen at the WWE Performance Center of late and it seems possible they’re simply waiting on creative for him.
- He’s the current NXT champion.
- Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that Andrade walked out of The Crash XIV Aniversario event and he heard that it was because he was unhappy but he’s not sure why. Andrade joked about it saying he went to a club.
- Nothing came of this.
- On a Fightful Select Q&A show, Sean Ross Sapp was the latest to shoot down speculation that Adam “Edge” Copeland might appear in WWE for John Cena’s retirement tour. Sapp said there have been “no conversations, and no conversations about conversations”
- The fact that got as much traction as it did was something else. This was never going to be a thing. (1/1)
- Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch are being discussed as possible WrestleMania 42 opponents for Stephanie Vaquer, says bodyslam.net.
- It was Liv Morgan. (0/1)
- Jamie Hayter was “banged up” in Blood & Guts on Dynamite last night, and may have chipped several teeth. That according to Fightful Select, which also that despite how it looked Skye Blue came out of the match okay.
- Ouch.
- WWE Developmental pay has been a trending topic due to Ridge Holland’s financial woes and a recent Priscilla Kelly interview with Denise Salcedo where the former Gigi Dolin said that NXT contracts can be for “as low as $30,000 a year”. Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez countered that, writing that “nobody is making $30,000” on a “confirmed” NXT deal. Those “start at $75,000”, and “big-name talent brought in from the outside obviously make more than that.”
- It’s hard to live off 30K, especially if they need to get their own health insurance. So I’m not surprised that’s not the minimum.
- Alvarez explained that Kelly’s $30K figure could apply to those on ID contracts, which isn’t the same as “an official TKO contractual salaried deal” and only “paid a small amount to help upgrade their look, etc.”
- The ID folks are still making more of their money with indie shows I guess.
- The lawsuit musician Wesley Eisold filed against Cody Rhodes and WWE over a 2021 agreement Rhodes and Eisold made for use of “American Nightmare” is being settled, per Post Wrestling. Brandon Thursrton’s report adds that the parties informed the judge they have an agreement and are drafting it for the court.
- Isn’t this a separate use thing? I’ll admit I don’t know much about copyright law
- LV SportsBiz reported that TKO will make up to $6 million from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for WrestleMania 42 and the associated Raw, SmackDown, NXT Stand & Deliver, and WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony shows, and the WWE World attraction.’
- Isn’t that nice for them.
- Fightful Select says Joe Hendry has signed a full-time contract with WWE.
- He’s a Raw talent now. (1/1)
- Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer was told that John Cena will not be in the men’s War Games match at Survivor Series.
- Accurate. (1/1)
- Meltzer also heard that Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio is not happening at Survivor Series, even though the event takes place in their hometown of San Diego.
- Also accurate. Many of these are correcting prior reports. (1/1)
- When the No-Contest Wrestling Podcast asked AJ Styles to explain his shoot promo during a commercial break on Raw in September, Styles said, “It was something I was trying to set up that I don’t think is gonna happen. And it’s not necessarily not true, but I’m not talking about Triple H…that’s about all I can say about it.”
- Nothing really came of that.
- Sports Business Journal mentioned that WWE’s Elimination Chamber 2026 will take place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on February 28. It will be WWE’s first PLE in that venue in over 30 years.
- That’s correct.
- AEW has filed for trademarks on the following four terms: AEW Fire, AEW Blitz, AEW Firestorm, and AEW Tidal Wave.
- None of these have been used yet.
- F4WOnline’s Bryan Alvarez says Darby Allin is fine after getting thrown through a flaming table at AEW Blood & Guts.
- This a very Darby Allin rumor.
- Sources told WrestleVotes that WWE and USA Network have decided to change SmackDown back to three hours starting on the January 2 episode in Buffalo, New York.
- That’s the case. Sounds like it’ll be a rotating thing. (1/1)
- Regarding Andrade’s status, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter says, “There are those now claiming that his WWE non-compete clause is worldwide and not just for the United States.” However, there is “no way that would hold up in court if he tried to challenge it.”
- He got out of it after a few months.
- The Observer says “it stunned everyone” in AEW when Nixon Newell and Miranda Alize walked out of Collision after their request was denied for their tag team match to be “ten minutes and more competitive.”
- Really overestimated their worth.
- Megan Bayne “felt they sandbagged her” on the double German suplex spot in their tag match on Collision the week before. Alize and Newell “told management that they were squashed” in that match, while “management felt they got offense in and weren’t squashed.”
- Damn.
- PW Insider says WWE has signed gymnast Jessica Bogdanov and former college football player Cyrus Habibi-Likio, who attended this year’s SummerSlam tryouts in New Jersey. They will both soon be heading to the WWE Performance Center.
- It looks like she recently worked an NXT house show and he has been on Evolve. (2/2)
- Fightful Select notes that Dezmond Xavier (fka Wes Lee) is not under contract with TNA even though he appeared at Turning Point last night. There are creative plans in place for him with The Rascalz going forward.
- Makes sense since the Rascalz are AEW. (1/1)
- Someone in WWE told F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer that one of the company’s issues with rapper Westside Gunn is that he “had a suite at [SummerSlam 2024] and some of his crew were posting on social media that [they] were bored and sleeping during the show.”
- Yeah, that’s understandable.
This week: 11/16 – 69%
Overall: 6,271/10,681 – 58.7%
Have a great week, everyone!
