Rumor Look Back: Nov. 7 - 13, 2022

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 7, 2022

• WrestleVotes told GiveMeSport that Roman Reigns isn’t expected to lose the WWE Universal championship for quite a while but Triple H “has an idea” for who will take it from him.
• He still hasn’t lost it. Though I don’t know if they have any idea who is going to take it from him. (1/1)
• According to PW Insider, there is interest between both WWE and Jake Paul to do more work together in the future, though there are no current concrete plans at this time. They also say Logan Paul was universally praised backstage for his work at Crown Jewel.
• Logan Paul worked WrestleMania in a program with Seth Freakin’ Rollins. The man may be a bit of a real life villain, but there’s no denying he’s very good at this wrestling thing. (1/1)
• Another wrestler who received praise both for Crown Jewel and his progress of late — Omos.
• I was a big detractor of Omos, but his latest major matches have impressed me. His matches with Braun Strowman, Brock Lesnar, and Seth Rollins were all good.
• Fightful Select says they spoke to some folks who said WWE has been hoping to restock the women’s division with “several TV-ready, experienced” wrestlers. Emma was one of those, and Tegan Nox could be another.
• Both women returned as an attempt to restock the roster, though there’s word that women’s segments have been cut since Vince has been back in charge, even from afar. (2/2)
• Ringside News claims they were told there are “five or six” wrestlers on NXT right now who are on a list to be moved up to the main roster when the time is right.
• I wonder if those are the folks moved in the draft recently.
• Fightful notes the segment with Braun Strowman hitting MVP with multiple powerslams on SmackDown last week was to explain his not appearing at Crown Jewel. He couldn’t make the trip because he was a practicing Muslim but is now an atheist, and renouncing Islam is a crime in Saudi Arabia.
• It says something that numerous people can’t or won’t go to Saudi Arabia due to religion or background or just principled stance.

November 8, 2022

• WWE currently plans to return to Saudi Arabia in May of next year, per PW Insider.
• That’s coming up in Night of Champions. (1/1)
• Fightful Select got a look at an internal WWE memo that proclaimed Crown Jewel passed Clash at the Castle as the “most-viewed international PLE in company history.” The latest Saudi show had “seven-figure viewership.”
• Puerto Rico isn’t international but I wonder how that show outside the Upper 48 did compared to Crown Jewel.
• Over eight events in the KSA, Wrestlenomics notes WWE’s been paid almost twice as much as they made from every WrestleMania ticket ever sold ($400 million to $250 million).
• WWE’s Q1 numbers were down this year, which included WrestleMania, because the prior quarter and last year’s SQ both had a Saudi show. Those bring in huge money.
• There were several women who’ve appeared regularly for the NWA who felt disrespected by Billy Corgan & Trevor Murdoch’s comments about running a second Empowerrr PPV, according to another Fightful story. It also says the way Corgan treated Mickie James & Nick Aldis around the NWA’s first all women’s show is a “huge reason” Aldis’ relationship with the promotion went bad, but the couple didn’t go public with their issues because of his status as the promotion’s top star.
• Corgan went from a wrestling Golden Boy to pretty much like all the rest of them. Folks, including myself, were hoping he’d win the right to Impact in the lawsuit. But we’d probably all changed our mind after the first couple months of Impact world champion Tyrus.
• When Fightful asked NWA wrestlers if the situation between Aldis & the company is a work, they “each said they weren’t sure either way.”
• They no longer do business together.
• AEW’s first console/PC video game still doesn’t have a release date, but WrestleZone says Fight Forever will be available to play on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service from day one. UPDATE: AEW Games has shot this rumor down on Twitter while promising an update on the game next weekend at Full Gear.
• If AEW Games shot down the rumor, then it’s wrong. (0/1)

November 9, 2022

• PW Insider says Sheamus is scheduled to be back out on the road with WWE as of this coming Friday night’s episode of SmackDown.
• Sheamus returned to further a feud with the Bloodline. (1/1)
• Per Bryan Alvarez, WWE is planning to do some “crazy” things in the WarGames matches at Survivor Series, in part because they need new footage for video packages.
• I don’t recall any crazy, highlight reel spots, even though the show was good. (0/1)
• Ringside News claims they have someone within WWE saying that Austin Theory’s failed Money in the Bank cash-in wasn’t to take him out of the picture and there’s actually optimism about him backstage.
• Yeah, he won the title back. Unfortunately, his run has been rather disappointing and his win over John Cena at WrestleMania did nothing to raise his status. (1/1)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer heard that a match at Full Gear 2022 between The Elite and Death Triangle for the AEW world trios titles is “probable but not 100 percent.”
• That was the match. The first of seven. (1/1)
• WON on themed WWE PPVs: “Regarding rumors of concept changes in PPVs next year, the only thing we were told was as a general rule there will be less themed PPVs.”
• I would say that’s accurate. (1/1)

November 10, 2022

• Not only will John Cena appear at WrestleMania 39, WrestleVotes told GiveMeSport Cena “should be wrestling.” The Twitter account downplayed the notion Cena wouldn’t come back out of loyalty to Vince McMahon, and thinks Cena will be motivated to wrestle on the Hollywood ’Mania as part of his efforts to “be ‘the next Rock’”.
• Cena wrestled Austin Theory, after cutting a promo on Theory lining out how Theory can’t win even if he wins. And he was right. Again, this really hurt Theory because they didn’t anything to disprove Cena’s point. So everyone was left thinking, “Yeah, I guess Cena was right about him.” (1/1)
• The WrestleVotes/GiveMeSport team also claims, “There’s a very good chance that King of the Ring is back, and likely back in the format that had happened in the late 80s,” meaning a single night tournament on a premium live event.
• The King of the Ring was not back - it was going to be but then they changed it to Night of Champions. (0/1)
• Logan Paul posted video of himself working with a physical therapist at Sports Rehab LA to his Instagram Story, leading fans to assume he won’t need surgery for the injuries he suffered at Crown Jewel.
• That’s the case. (1/1)
• MJF is currently shooting The Iron Claw, and that’s part of why he was written off AEW television leading up to Full Gear, according to PW Insider. The site says he’ll be playing Lance Von Erich, a wrestler who wasn’t a part of the family but who was given a “Von Erich” gimmick.
• This is accurate, though not really a rumor because it had already been announced.
• WWE recently filed for a trademark on “Queen of the Ring”. They’re also trying to trademark “Ucey” and “Feeling Ucey”.
• They didn’t put anything “Ucey” on a shirt which makes me wonder if they weren’t able to.
• While we’re at the USPTO, The Young Bucks recently filed for a trademark on “The Wayward Sons”.
• They come out to the Kansas tune as a trio but never call themselves that.

November 11, 2022

• WrestleVotes told GiveMeSport that Bray Wyatt wants to work with both Bo Dallas and Erick Rowan in WWE. It remains to be seen if either or both will happen.
• Neither happened.
• For what it’s worth, Alexa Bliss told WWE Deutschland she’s trying to change her current character right now.
• If her character is “person not on TV” then she succeeded.
• Per PW Insider, there’s hope Bobby Roode will be back soon and “he’s been talked about for the SmackDown brand” when he does return.
• Unfortunately, we just learned that Big Bob had to go under a second spinal fusion. All power to him to keep working on coming back, but I also think there comes a time where he could have to decide he’s done a lot in his career and maybe it’s time to move on. But I definitely understand going out on his own terms. (0/1)
• On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said Cameron Grimes will be getting called up to the main roster after his feud with Joe Gacy is over. That could be very soon.
• It wasn’t until just now, which isn’t really “very soon.” (0/1)
• Fightful Select says the new AEW Docuseries has drawn interest from Warner Bros. Discovery and there’s renewed optimism of a new rights deal being struck down the line.
• We’ll find out about a new deal eventually. Upfronts is coming next Wednesday, and we should have info on their new show then.

November 12, 2022

• There is heat on Braun Strowman for his post-Crown Jewel tweets, per Fightful Select. While Strowman’s been on his best behavior backstage since returning, WWE is now watching “social media Braun” more closely after his behavior on Twitter last weekend, which one person at the company called “immature”.
• Maybe as a rib, this turned into a pretty long standing tag team with Ricochet. It’s possible they decide to break them up since they’ve been moved to Raw, but they already got decent mileage out of this pairing.
• The site’s sources say Braun’s tweets weren’t a part of any angle or storyline and won’t be turned into one, but Strowman may be ribbed on-screen or joked about on commentary because of them.
• I would say it was used to start the angle between Braun and Ricochet - first feuding in the world cup (where Ric won) and then turning into their team. The whole bit was a rib to some degree, but it was part of the angle as well. (0/1)
• WrestleVotes told GiveMeSport that when Triple H took over WWE creative in July, he didn’t like the idea of The Judgment Day gimmick. He has since changed his mind, and the group will “be around longer than anticipated.”
• I’m surprised as that type of stable seemed right up Triple H’s alley from the get go. They’re currently thriving.
• WrestleMania 39 will be a star-studded affair if WWE’s plans work out. The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports the company is “trying to get a lot of celebrity involvement in the show with the theme of being from Hollywood, and the mainstream attention that comes from celebrities being there.”
• There really wasn’t a lot of celebrity involvement. There was some cross brand promotion that had Russell Crowe doing a taped promo narration for the Hell in a Cell match, but no celebrities that weren’t already connected to WWE otherwise (i.e. Snoop Dogg). (0/1)
• This week’s newsletter also says The Elite may have been backstage at recent AEW television tapings because they’ll be a part of the behind-the-scenes reality show being filmed for Warner Bros Discovery.
• They’re a heavy part of All Access.
• F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer was told that WWE is looking for “great visual shots of big spots” at War Games this year. The gimmick is going to be a staple on the main roster in future years and they don’t want to rely on NXT footage to hype it up, especially when the modern day War Games matches from NXT include so many wrestlers that are gone from the company.
• We’ll see if they run it at Survivor Series again this year. It’s surely a gimmick Triple H loves, though I also like the traditional elimination tag as long as there’s a good story behind it. (i.e. Not brand loyalty)
• WWE filed a trademark on “Michin”, which Google tells us is Korean for “crazy”.
• That was Mia Yim’s official name. For like a day.

This week: 11/18 - 61%

Overall: 4,558/7,987 - 57.1%

Have a great week, everyone!