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.
- On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer made clear that WWE is going with the direction that Seth Rollins will be ready in time for WrestleMania 42.
- He was, though due to Bron Breakker’s injury, Seth just had a random match with Gunther at Mania. (1/1)
- After Senator Gallego’s post asking Tony Khan to sign Bad Bunny to AEW, Bryan Alvarez shot down any chance of that happening on Wrestling Observer Live. “Bad Bunny is going to end up back in WWE very soon. Sooner rather than later, everybody, just so you all know,” said Alvarez.
- He has not ended up in WWE at all sooner or later. (0/1)
- Fightful Select reported that “Multiple wrestlers sent us some eye rolling reactions at fans that were ‘happy’ that Brock Lesnar no sold Ilja Dragunov’s offense in the Royal Rumble.”
- Ilja is at this point MIA.
- Per the Observer, Chelsea Green’s injury is not as bad as it appeared, as it was a bruise and not a break of her ankle. She shouldn’t be out long.
- She didn’t miss any real time. Unfortunately, after winning the (interim) title, she fractured her orbital bone.
- Anna Jay’s contract with AEW is up early this year, says the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, and it would appear the company is preparing to move on from her.
- I don’t think this report got the ire from her that this one did. She ended up re-signed but is out injured. (0/1)
- Despite a scary spot at the MLW Fusion TV taping this past weekend in Chicago, PW Insider says Matthew Justice was checked out and is okay.
- That’s good. It was a nasty spot.
- Fightful Select reports their WWE sources “were optimistic that Bron Breakker could return by WrestleMania.”
- He returned at that show in a run in. (1/1)
- On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said some in WWE are “very disappointed” in advance ticket sales for WrestleMania 42, which has led to “a lot of internal criticism of Paul Levesque” because “they keep changing the plans”. Meltzer defended Levesque, predicting sellouts for both nights of WrestleMania, and pointing to high ticket prices and the decline in international tourism to the United States as bigger factors is slow sales to date.
- Ticket sales were lower than the year before. In general they have been slowing since then.
- Based on Giulia and Kiana James booking in the Rumble and on last Friday’s SmackDown, WOR’s Meltzer also said he thinks WWE’s “kind of come to the idea that Kiana James is actually the bigger star than Giulia”.
- At first, this seemed the way they were going. It was Kiana who beat Charlotte to get a spot on the Chamber. But then they broke them up and Giulia went over. Now – honestly who knows? They’re both not used. Though it looks like Giulia will get to be person who takes the first main roster L to Blake Monroe.
- WrestleVotes says El Grande Americano vs. El Grande Americano is a match WWE sees a lot of money in and it’s planned as of right now for WrestleMania 42.
- It was in AAA. Only time it was in WWE was a random episode of Raw. (0/1)
- TJ Perkins is back at WWE at the Performance Center, possibly as a guest coach, says PW Insider.
- Looks like TJP still wrestles a few times a month.
- AEW Double or Nothing will be in New York City this year, according to Andrew Zarian. Specifically Zarian says the PPV is Queens’ Louis Armstrong Stadium, which is part of the same Flushing Meadow tennis campus that hosts the U.S. Open and includes former Grand Slam site Arthur Ashe Stadium. Bryan Alvarez later added that Double or Nothing will be on Sun., May 24, which is Memorial Day weekend.
- Accurate on the date and venue. (2/2)
- PW Insider says WWE and AJ Styles were deep into contract talks before Royal Rumble but when a deal wasn’t done close enough to showtime the decision was made to have him lose the match. It was his idea to do so, because he found it fitting considering it was the 10-year anniversary of his debut at the same event.
- He re-signed as part of a legends like deal since.
- Having said that, his future is unclear. The two sides are apparently still in communication but a new deal hasn’t been done and he’ll be free to talk to other promotions soon enough. There is no expectation he would jump somewhere else and wrestle again right away, however.
- He did not. (1/1)
- A report from SelfMade says WWE is expecting Bianca Belair to be involved in WrestleMania 42, but couldn’t get details on if she’d be returning or wrestling on the show. Bodyslam confirmed that, but reminded that Belair’s recovery has been “rough” with “a lot of complications”, and added that on the internal roster she’s listed “with a tag that has no return date designated”.
- She announced her pregnancy there. Is that what this means? Maybe? The office would have known by then. (1/1)
- SelfMade also says CM Punk vs. Finn Balor is happening at Elimination Chamber because the former really wanted to work with the latter.
- Finn made it seem that way, at least in regards to their first match in Northern Ireland.
- Discussing Becky Lynch vs. AJ Lee being booked for Elimination Chamber on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said he was expecting that match at WrestleMania so he checked with his WWE sources and was told, “there’s a reason it’s here and the story goes until ‘Mania” and “Don’t worry, it all plays out to get there.”
- AJ won it at the Chamber and then lost it at Mania. (1/1)
- According to Fightful Select, Samoa Joe suffered an injury in training and AEW has put him in the concussion protocol as a precautionary measure.
- That’s too bad. He next wrestled in April.
- There’s a lot of speculation about Bad Bunny’s supposedly imminent return to WWE, and specifically if the Super Bowl halftime star will be facing or working a program against Logan Paul whenever he comes back. WWE-affiliated podcast host Sam Roberts and sports entertainment insider Andrew Baydala are among those doing the speculating.
- He hasn’t returned so he hasn’t had a program. I wonder if folks were just off base or maybe something changed in plans. (0/1)
- Distributors have told establishments within 50 miles of Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium that they cannot show WrestleMania 42. That from Fightful earlier this week. WWE wouldn’t comment, but the site’s sources say it instituted the policy in hopes of boosting ticket sales.
- They backtracked on that eventually.
- Also from Fightful this week: “WWE is hopeful that Dominik Mysterio will be back in the ring in the near future.”
- It was the following week. (1/1)
- Sources told Bodyslam that David Finlay has been discussed internally at WWE. None said the former IWGP Global champ was signed, but one suggested to the site WWE was prepping for his arrival via the increased role Finlay’s younger brother Uriah Connors has had in NXT lately.
- He went to AEW.
- But after Finlay appeared to say goodbye to New Japan this week, a SelfMade report from last week resurfaced that said there’s “an extremely high chance” Finlay signs a dual contract to “primarily work for AEW and make trips back to Japan when New Japan needs him.”
- That’s more accurate, though hasn’t been back in Japan.
- Regarding Samoa Joe being in AEW’s concussion protocol, Fightful Select also said that it was a “non-contact” injury and had no information on severity or a return timeline. The site did confirm that Andrade took Joe’s place in AEW’s current four-man chase for the World title, and reports that company officials are pleased with the reactions Andrade is getting for his recent wins in that story.
- Joe next wrestled in April.
- Powerhouse Hobbs was at WWE HQ recently to record an episode of Stephanie McMahon’s podcast, per Fightful.
- He did her podcast before appearing on Raw or SmackDown. (1/1)
- WrestleVotes says WWE held a “multi-department company meeting” on Wednesday about WrestleMania 42’s ticket sales, which the company internally acknowledges are below expectations. All departments are now working on developing strategies for boosting the show’s sluggish numbers. However, cutting ticket prices is not one of these strategies: “WWE plans to keep ticket pricing as is for the time being.”
- I know prices on the secondary markets went down. One of their strategies was bringing in Pat McAfee, who is know more known for his music.
- For whatever it’s worth, Andrew Zarian mentioned that his contacts at Warner Bros. Discovery “had not heard of anything” regarding the claim that WBD went over Tony Khan’s head to keep Brody King off Dynamite this week due to anti-ICE chants.
- That would be quite unfortunate if it were the case. Though if we eventually learned it was actually true, I also wouldn’t be shocked.
- According to Votes, WWE still hasn’t figured out what to do with Jade Cargill and the WWE women’s championship at WrestleMania 42. Many options for Cargill’s opponent have been discussed, with Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton being some of the “more pitched” names.
- Rhea Ripley was the one who got the match (and beat her). They had a good match.
- BodySlam.net says a match between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi is “on the table” for WrestleMania 42.
- That was the match. (1/1)
- Per Votes, WWE originally planned for Ilja Dragunov to interfere in last week’s match on SmackDown between The Miz and Carmelo Hayes. The idea of Dragunov attacking the A-Lister made it onto the final draft of the show, but was then pulled late into the live broadcast.
- He’s truly been MIA.
- WWE has filed to trademark the term “Birthright,” which is assumed to be the name of a new NXT stable featuring Lexis King and potentially other second generation stars like Charlie Dempsey, Arianna Grace, and Uriah Connors.
- Indeed. (1/1)
- Fightful Select notes that Drilla Moloney “declined interest from American companies” before re-signing with NJPW on a “very favorable” deal.
- Sounds like he wanted to stay put.
- The Wrestling Observer Newsletter claims there is frustration within WWE regarding WrestleMania 42, because “they had a game plan in place, and it was then changed to a new game plan, and now we could and likely will have other changes.” One person who is “involved” in the situation said WWE “really should be sticking to the plans because the plans are good.”
- There were a lot changes it seemed – not just from the rumors but just how the narrative felt. Like I would have guessed months prior that Tiffany Stratton would have won the Rumble to challenge Jade for the title. (I agreed with going with Ripley when the did.) There was feeling that Bron Breakker would get a title match, but that was off even prior to his injury.
- Fightful Select heard that WWE “isn’t budging” on its WrestleMania 42 blackout in the Las Vegas area, and many establishments there that already had plans for big watch parties are “very frustrated” by it.
- A move like that reeks of desperation, though they did finally budge. (0/1)
- The Observer says Bron Breakker vs. Seth Rollins was meant to be the third biggest match of WrestleMania weekend, but the match is now in jeopardy due to Breakker’s emergency surgery.
- It wouldn’t have been the third. Maybe fourth behind the two men’s title matchs and Oba/Brock (which may not have been in the cards at this point).
- Prior to this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer was told there’s “a lot of leeriness” in WBD regarding the “Fuck ICE” chants for Brody King.
- I get it. But also… fuck ICE.
- Meltzer added, “There’s a lot of forces at work right now, because everybody wants this not to be a story, and it’s an uncomfortable story. Maybe I made too much of it…I went too strong with the idea that it was a directive” by WBD for King to not be on Dynamite.
- The chants didn’t really keep up for long. It did get a little mild media attention though.
- The current odds at BetOnline indicate that MegaBad is favored to win the AEW women’s world tag team titles today at Grand Slam Australia, and Andrade El Idolo is expected to defeat Hangman Page in the AEW world title number one contender match.
- Hanger won as did the Babes of Wrath. (0/2)
- Australian independent wrestling star Lena Kross was spotted at an event in Sydney with Tony Khan on Friday, following a recent rumor that she is close to signing with AEW. This has led to talk that she may debut for the promotion at Grand Slam Australia.
- She did. She is the current tag team champ alongside Megan Bayne. (1/1)
- Fightful mentioned that Jake Doyle had successful surgery to repair the biceps injury that he suffered on the Jan. 28 episode of Dynamite.
- He’s since made his way back.
- According to PW Insider, the NXT event that is scheduled for Feb. 24 at Center Stage in Atlanta will probably be moved back to the WWE Performance Center. The change is happening due to a local permit issue: “WWE production trucks had traditionally taken up residence in a parking lot next to Center Stage when they use the venue but that parking area has been sold off, making it far harder and less feasible to mount the broadcast production, and also requiring additional permits to stage their production trucks.”
- That’s what happened. (1/1)
This week: 13/20 – 65%
Overall: 6,432/10,922 – 58.9%
Have a great week, everyone!
