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.
- Fightful Select spoke to several people in WWE who were confused by The Rock’s decision to not help promote WrestleMania 41 but then go on The Pat McAfee Show to talk about how he would have booked the main event differently.
- I’m sure there was some backstage resentment to all of this. This wouldn’t be a story there wasn’t. I think some fans temporary turned on the Rock after all this, but folks will cheer him next time he shows up I’m sure.
- There was also confusion about The Rock’s claim later in the week that everything he says is a work, even though he made it clear during the McAfee interview that he was not in character.
- We likely won’t see Rock for awhile, especially if he thinks that he can get an Oscar nom for Smashing Machine. (I didn’t see that movie so I have no idea if that’s a possibility based on his performance, but there was a little buzz prior.)
- It sounds like WWE talent are conflicted about The Rock in the sense that they are happy to see him when he shows up, but are worried about the card being at his mercy. For whatever it’s worth, people backstage haven’t noticed any problems or tension between The Rock and Triple H.
- I’m sure they know to keep it civil. Or maybe they’re more on the same page that fans believe.
- WrestleVotes Radio claims that Finn Balor is expected to turn on Dominik Mysterio at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. Their feud will then continue through SummerSlam in August.
- This turn never happened. I swore it would soon after Mania. I have a theory (that is all my own) that the purchase of AAA changed that because they want to use a heel Dirty Dom in that promotion. It looked to me like Dom was going to have a short reign, losing the title soon to Finn Bálor but that would start an actual babyface run. (0/1)
- According to Votes, the main event match at Backlash between WWE Champion John Cena and Randy Orton will be billed as “One Last Time.”
- Looks that way. (1/1)
- Following up on the rumor that Cena will team up with Travis Scott for a tag match later this year, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter says, “The theory was Bad Bunny would be on the other side” along with “a wrestler of the level of Cena.”
- None of that happened. (0/1)
- Luchablog mentioned that people in charge of AAA are saying “everyone on the roster needs to start learning English” and also learn to “work more of an American style” following WWE’s acquisition of the promotion.
- There hasn’t been a ton of AAA shows since then. Do folks who watched a good deal of AAA feel there’s a difference in their shows since the WWE acquisition.
- Cory Hayes from Bodyslam.net says GUNTHER asked WWE for time off. That’s why GUNTHER was indefinitely suspended after choking out Pat McAfee on Raw.
- He’s currently out, but this was because he took time off after SummerSlam to rehab an injury.
- F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer notes that AEW star Brian Cage’s torn quad could keep him out of action for about a year, though Cage is “vowing to come back quicker.” It was noted that Brian “had an injury in the leg for months that he’d been working on” and “he didn’t realize it was as bad as it was.”
- It’s only been six months but no Cage yet.
- WWE is expected to make a tremendous offer to AEW star Mariah May when she becomes a free agent this summer, per Votes.
- We don’t know the offer but they signed her.
- PW Insider says creative plans are still in place for Alexa Bliss to head up the Wyatt Sicks faction upon her return to television, she’s simply waiting for creative and Bo Dallas to return from injury.
- That is not the case. (0/1)
- WrestleVotes notes that Karrion Kross is expected to get “extended opportunities” on WWE television moving forward.
- That is also not really true. He’s not even in WWE any more. (0/1)
- For what it’s worth, Baron Corbin told Busted Open Radio that Gable Steveson “rubbed some people the wrong way” backstage during his time at NXT.
- I haven’t listened to Bishop Dwyer and I think anyone on Busted wants to say thing to get some headlines. But it doesn’t mean he’s wrong.
- According to PW Insider, TNA is planning to hold Bound for Glory on Sun., Oct. 12, 2025, though they haven’t confirmed a location yet.
- Correct date. It was in Massachusetts. (1/1)
- They also say there will be more live episodes of Impact in July, September, and October.
- It looks like July & September but not October. (2/3)
- Per Fightful Select, TNA has already started talking to Ace Austin about a new deal and are hopeful they will be able to sign him again.
- He signed with AEW.
- Lucha Blog noted that Billie Starkz missed the CMLL show on Sunday because it appeared she was hurt in her match the previous night.
- Certainly an unfortunate thing that happens in this business.
- PW Insider says there’s word going around within WWE that next week will be a “big one” for Liv Morgan. They later clarified it appears that the time off she asked for on Raw is indeed for film she apparently has a major role in.
- She was out to film a movie. (1/1)
- A report on PW Insider’s Elite pay site says that Roxanne Perez and Giulia are being called up to the main roster, and will continue appearing on Raw.
- Giulia was put on SmackDown within weeks. (1/2)
- The office of London Mayor Sadiq Khan released a report on the economic impact of recent major sporting events in the city which says the Mayor “remains committed to making London WrestleMania’s first international destination”.
- Sorry, Sadiq.
- Per Fightful Select, Indi Hartwell was one of the international wrestlers they reported would be signing with TNA a couple weeks ago. The site says TNA & Hartwell have been talking for about a month, and that she signed around the time of their initial report.
- Fair enough. When we looked at that initial rumor last week, we thought that she was wrestling in the states for so long that the rumor didn’t make it sound like she’d be specific international appeal.
- AEW Grand Slam Mexico officially sold out Arena Mexico, according to Insider.
- I know folks have their issues with them, but it’s good when they do well.
April
30, 2025
- Fightful Select notes that WWE hasn’t intended for Seth Rollins, Paul Heyman, and Bron Breakker to be compared to any past stable. They also say there are no plans to add any new members as of this time.
- They didn’t take long to add Bronson Reed. (0/1)
- According to PW Insider, multiple talent have already expressed interest in working with Rusev in WWE.
- He’s currently working with Penta and Dominik Mysterio. If he was hard to work with in AEW, I get not using him much. But felt like there matches on the table that could have been good. I remember when he went there hoping he’d mix it up with Kenny.
- They also say Zelina Vega winning the United States championship was kept under wraps so much that even personnel backstage were shocked by it.
- I’m glad she got that chance.
- Fightful says the TLC tag team title match got rave reviews backstage and all the members of the match came out relatively healthy.
- Always glad to hear folks come out overall unscathed from a match like that.
- Whatever project Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff are teasing is expected to be revealed by the end of the week, per Insider. However, it seems many wrestlers who would be free to work on a new venture with them haven’t been approached about anything, they say.
- It was the freestyle wrestling promotion. The fact that Hogan was out in media promoting this was a sign he was rather sick prior to his death.
- One more from Insider: they say Drew McIntyre is next in line to move over to Hollywood.
- He’s going to be in the Highlander reboot. (1/1)
- Wrestlevotes says Roman Reigns is scheduled to return to WWE in early June.
- It was July. (0/1)
- June is also when Votes says SmackDown will revert to two hours. Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer confirmed that, adding the change will happen “one of those weeks right around” June 6.
- It was July 4. (0/1)
- PW Insider reports that Liv Morgan, her talent agency, and WWE are working together to coordinate her time off for filming Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo so as to minimize her absence’s impact on WWE storylines.
- It’s cool to see so many WWE wrestlers get some acting gigs.
- At sports books like betonline, John Cena, Becky Lynch, and Gunther are all heavy favorites in their Backlash matches.
- Becky lost but the other two came out on top. (2/3)
- Plans involving the eventual winner of this year’s Owen Hart tournament and the AEW World title match at All In Texas are “closely guarded” internally, per Fightful Select.
- It was Hangman.
- Thekla, a former stablemate of Giulia’s, left Stardom recently and is believed to be headed to the United States. Meltzer said on Observer Radio that WWE has wanted to sign the Austrian wrestler “for years and years and years”, and speculated Iyo Sky’s current title run might sway her. Fightful’s AEW sources believe Thekla will be signing with them, however.
- She landed in AEW (1/2)
- Buddy Matthews told Chris Van Vliet he hopes to return from his ankle injury “sooner rather than later” and specifically “in the next couple of weeks, fingers crossed”.
- He hasn’t wrestled since February unfortunately. (0/1)
- Mexico’s Publimetro says there’s concern backstage at AAA about a major restructuring and job losses when WWE’s acquisition of the lucha libre promotion is final.
- Unfortunately, that’s very likely.
This week: 10/22 – 46%
April 2025: 63/93 – 68%
Overall: 5,928/10,144 – 58.4%
Have a great week, everyone!
