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 in it.
- According to WrestleVotes Radio, WWE is planning to run NXT Heatwave on Sunday, August 24, in South Carolina. That’s the same date as AEW’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view in London.
- It was on that date but it was in Massachusetts. (1/2)
- The outlet heard that WWE is intentionally scheduling shows on the same days as AEW events in order to control the narrative and momentum online. This counterprogramming strategy is a directive that’s coming from WWE and supported by TKO; they will be doing more of it going forward.
- After Forbidden Door, WrestlePalooza was on the same night as All Out. They did not counter program WrestleDream, Full Gear, or Worlds End. I believe there’s some effort to do so, though they didn’t really do it much at the end of the year. That said, the end of the year is kind of a lull for wrestling so it doesn’t mean they will do more coming up.
- Votes was also told that WWE’s “leading idea” for the return of Roman Reigns is to use “the moniker ‘OTC1’ — or ‘Tribal Chief One.’” Reigns is expected to be back for SummerSlam.
- OTC1 never became his moniker. It may have found its way on some merch with the one, but no one calls him that. Just OTC. But because it’s on his tron/shirts, I’ll give it to them. But it’s never uttered. (1/1)
- Wrestling Observer Live’s Bryan Alvarez claims there are “a lot of women that have been contacted” and “there will be surprises at the Evolution show” on Sunday. He goes on to speculate there’s a “good chance” that Paige will return to WWE at the event.
- There weren’t really any surprises, including Paige. (0/2)
- PW Insider was told that Cody Rhodes is not the “top babyface” star who will be aligned with Jelly Roll during tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown.
- It was Randy Orton. (1/1)
- Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer says Shayna Baszler “has been at NXT tapings” and “has agented other matches” besides Kelani Jordan’s match on this week’s show.
- I mentioned last week that I thought she’d work more on the indies than she has. But she’s been doing this for 20 years so entirely possible she’s looking for her next step and enjoys the production aspect.
- On the latest episode of The Claw, Ross and Marshall Von Erich said their father Kevin Von Erich signed an official AEW contract. They described it as “sort of a Legends deal.”
- That’s good. They’ll usually show up when they’re in Texas.
- The Dallas Morning News notes that Dustin Rhodes signed a new six year contract with AEW towards the end of 2024 to work as a coach, consultant, ambassador, and occasional wrestler.
- He been a day one guy. I thought it possible when his last contract ended, he’d consider going to WWE where Cody was. But thinking back, that never would have made any sense. He haD a spot in AEW (prior to his injury), even if it’s in ROH. He’d never see much TV time in WWE outside whatever brief thing with Cody they’d consider booking.
- Sources told Fightful Select that NJPW star Hirooki Goto will play E. Honda in the new Street Fighter movie. Speculation has followed that this might be related to why Goto unexpectedly dropped the IWGP world championship to Zack Sabre Jr.
- Someone who higher up in that movie must love wrestling.
- WrestleVotes Radio mentioned that Jack Perry has been backstage at recent AEW tapings.
- He returned to TV at All Out in September.
- According to The Wall Street Journal, Warner Bros Chairman David Zaslav was in talks with The Rock about leading the studio’s reboot of their beleaguered DC Comics cinematic universe, but talks immediately ended when Black Adam (The Rock-led DC movie he promised would change “the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe”) flopped.
- The Rock took a gamble and lost on that one.
- Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp noted that WWE originally planned to schedule Evolution 2 for last weekend on either July 5 or July 6 in the northeast, but “it was pretty blatant that they did it this weekend for a reason.”
- It wasn’t really a counter program since it was the night after All In. Instead the women just had to be the last on weekend of a lot of wrestling (NXT, All In, and Saturday Night’s Main Event were all the night before), which was a tough spot to be. They rose to the challenge because was still a very good show.
- Sapp went on to state that “WWE views AEW as competition regardless of what the dumbest fans say.”
- I think their actions show that.
- Per Andrew Baydala, during Bryan Danielson’s panel at Starrcast, he said WWE recently asked him to stop doing the “Yes!” chant.
- Do they somehow own that? I don’t know much on copyrights and I’d understand how WWE could copyright it so he can’t put it on a shirt. But saying it and doing the motion? I guess it’s possible?
- Hulk Hogan’s wife Sky Daily refuted a recent rumor that he was on his deathbed: “No, he’s definitely not in a coma! His heart is strong, and there was never any lack of oxygen or brain damage… none of those rumors are true.”
- This was what most of the people around him said, but he was dead within two weeks.
- PW Insider says WWE’s plan for Jelly Roll is to work a tag team match at SummerSlam, with Randy Orton as his partner.
- That’s the case. It was a rare celebrity loss. (1/1)
- A study by CryptoManiaks concluded that pro wrestlers receive “more online abuse from fans” than any other sport they analyzed. The wrestlers who are harassed the most are Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, Mercedes Mone, Saraya, and Tegan Nox, in that order. The outlet points out that “women were significantly more likely to be targeted than men.” CM Punk, Chris Jericho, and the Young Bucks are listed as the most harassed men in wrestling.
- Super.
- For whatever it’s worth, “people in WWE” told Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer that Jonathan Coachman is “the worst.”
- That’s harsh given he hasn’t worked there in a long time. Maybe it’s become a guy who speaks on behind the scenes stuff and supplies rumors, and he’s not actually there.
- According to WRKD Wrestling, GUNTHER is currently penciled in to be John Cena’s final opponent.
- That’s the case. (1/1)
- Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that he heard from someone he trusts that Seth Rollins’ injury at Saturday Night’s Main Event may not be real because they “heard about it on Thursday.” Everyone else, however, says it’s real.
- It was a work. (1/2)
- Bryan Alvarez, meanwhile, said “the last 40 minutes of the show were changed on the fly, and there was something that was supposed to happen later that didn’t as a result of the injury.”
- I guess that’s wrong? (0/1)
- Fightful said he was backstage at Evolution 2 in a knee brace and walking around on crutches.
- He was working everyone – at least that’s how they sold it. We’ll learn more on their controlled behind the scenes show in the second season of Unreal.
- More from Meltzer in The Daily Update: Rollins was not scheduled to cash in on GUNTHER or Goldberg and he presumes CM Punk will be the title challenger for GUNTHER at SummerSlam.
- It was Punk/Gunther at SummerSlam. That’s when Rollins cashed in. (1/1)
- On the Will Ospreay & Swerve Strickland vs. The Young Bucks match at All In, Bryan Alvarez said they only decided about a day before who would be winning and Tony Khan was going back-and-forth on it.
- They did some real fun stuff with the broke Bucks.
- PW Insider says the reaction within WWE regarding Evolution 2 was that it was so good they’ll have to do another one, although there’s no timetable for that. It hasn’t been decided but the belief in it is there.
- We’ll see if there’s another in 2026.
- They also said there was never any connection between WWE recently uploading AJ Lee content and a possible return.
- She did eventually return down the road.
- Jelly Roll will be hosting Jimmy Kimmel’s show this week and PW Insider says they were told to expect an angle for SummerSlam, as Randy Orton is scheduled to appear on the show that same night.
- They ran an angle with Jelly, Randy, Drew McIntyre, and Logan Paul. (1/1)
- For whatever it’s worth, Insider spoke out as strongly as possible against any idea that the Seth Rollins injury is a work, saying it’s not and calling it disrespectful to the man himself.
- Disrespectful, eh? (0/1)
- According to Fightful Select, Trish Stratus is expected to wrestle in WWE again this year.
- She did not. (0/1)
- They also say Samoa Joe was written off AEW television so he can do promotional work for Twisted Metal.
- I still need to watch season 2. I really enjoyed season one. But I am super behind on TV.
- Red Velvet is dealing with a neck injury, says the Wrestling Observer. No word on the severity but she is out indefinitely.
- She returned in November.
- According to Fightful Select, WWE responded to Goldberg’s claims of having his retirement speech cut off by saying it was not done intentionally or with malicious intent. They simply ran out of time for the live broadcast.
- They should have planned it better, but oh well.
- TC at WrestleVotes claims that Roman Reigns going by OTC1 was his very own idea.
- I think the idea was to put that against QB1 but it sounds like that Roman/Cody match won’t happen this Mania.
- They also say that they were told Travis Scott was “not a quick learner for the business.” That seems to be why we haven’t seen him more of late.
- I think they’d be OK with that if he seemed dedicated. I sense they did not perceive it that way.
- On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said the plan was to be Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins at SummerSlam but the latter’s injury derailed that and now it looks like Reigns vs. Bron Breakker or Reigns & Jey Uso vs. Breakker & Bronson Reed.
- It was the tag match. But if the Seth thing was a work, then that was never the plan. (1/2)
- They also speculated that Jacob Fatu vs. Solo Sikoa, AJ Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio, and Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss challenging for the women’s tag team titles could all be on the books for SummerSlam.
- That’s accurate. (3/3)
- For what it’s worth, Charles Robinson claimed on his Instagram that he suffered a cracked rib from Goldberg’s spear at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
- Ouch. But Robinson is a tough guy. Randy Savage collapsed Lil Naitch’s lung with an elbow drop back in the late 90s.
- Per the Observer, Adam Cole and Tony Khan were both “really shaken up” by Cole needing to miss All In. Wrestling Observer Live went so far as to say Cole was prepared to retire at the show.
- It sounded like it was close.
- “Multiple sources” have now told Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez that Seth Rollins’ Saturday Night’s Main Event injury was a work. One source said that Rollins is hurt, but with a “very minor” knee injury he had heading into his match with LA Knight that isn’t expected to keep him out for “much time at all”. WWE’s idea, per Alvarez, is to convince fans Rollins will be out for a long time so he can return “early” for a surprise cash-in.
- Seems accurate. (1/1)
- According to Fightful Select, Will Ospreay being stretchered off during All In Texas’ main event was done to write him off television for a while so he can recover from wear & tear done by his recent matches and general travel schedule. AEW hasn’t confirmed it, but sources close to Ospreay tell Fightful he’ll likely take over a month off.
- He took a month but now is taking a lot more time after neck surgery. (1/1)
- Following up on TNA president Carlos Silva teasing that Sunday’s Slammiversary PPV will be “phenomenal”, PW Insider Elite’s Mike Johnson spoke to WWE sources who told them “there has absolutely been talk that [AJ] Styles will be making an appearance this weekend.” In Johnson’s opinion, “if you are hoping to see the prodigal son finally return home, I believe you will be happy if you order or attend Slammiversary.”
- Seemed pretty obvious. Styles was also on the AMC premiere episode.
- Discussing All In Texas’ six-hour runtime on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reports that timing the show to overlap with Saturday Night’s Main Event “was 100% intentional”: “The idea was to make sure their main event was still going on when WWE’s broadcast began. AEW didn’t want to be bullied.”
- That’s fair but I wish the show wasn’t 6 hours.
- On another edition of WOR, it was said that AEW talent were “very, very happy” with All In Texas, believe they “peaked for a big show” and that they company has “turned things around”.
- That was a good show.
- As JoJo Offerman has a “positive relationship with both companies”, Fightful Select says some at WWE “were very, very happy” to see Offerman sing Swerve Strickland to the ring at All In Texas and are “hoping that she would end up getting signed with AEW in some capacity”. Some at WWE also mentioned it being “very classy” by AEW to have “fireflies” on the screen behind JoJo as she sang.
- I wonder if “some at WWE” are more talent and less higher ups but don’t know. When it comes to how they approached wrestlers who we tragically lost, both companies seem like they’ll put their shit aside for that.
- Names Fightful reported were backstage at All In Texas last Saturday include: Shotzi Blackheart, Priscilla “Gigi Dolin” Kelly, Monty Brown, Joey Janela, and Brian Myers. They also say Wardlow was in town for the event, but didn’t arrive until after Saturday’s show started.
- A lot of people dropping by.
- Kamille filed to trademark “The Cat 5” for wrestling purposes, leading to speculation about her return to the ring.
- She had one match a week later but none since.
This week: 14/22 – 64%
Overall: 6,076/10,387 – 58.5%
Have a great week, everyone!
