Speculating on the rumors surrounding pro wrestling is a favored pastime of many fans, perhaps second only to actually watching the matches. In this daily column, we take a look at the latest rumors being churned out by the pro wrestling rumor mill.
Important reminder: Rumors are just that — rumors. None of this has been confirmed as fact, it’s just circulating around the pro wrestling rumor mill. We track rumor accuracy in a weekly feature called Rumor Look Back you can find here. Remember, take it all with a grain of salt.
Rumors for the Day:
This week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter states that Vince McMahon had “nothing to do with the decision-making process” on CM Punk’s return to WWE. Nick Khan and Triple H made the decision together, and Vince was left out of it.
F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer claims WWE “knew Punk would come” because there were “two prior attempts Punk’s side made to come in.” The first attempt happened “before he signed with AEW,” and the second attempt occurred “last year.”
Meltzer also says the reason why CM didn’t say anything about AEW during his return promo on Raw is because “both he and others have signed several NDA’s regarding talking publicly about the other.”
According to PW Insider, WWE’s corporate releases yesterday affected “finance, the sales and partnerships team, human relations, and production.” Some of the Senior Vice Presidents who were fired include Craig Stimmel, Karen Mullane, Michael Weitz, Matt Geyer, and Stewart Frey.
The Observer says Drew McIntyre storming out of Survivor Series was “not a worked angle.” He was “very upset about something” but ultimately cooled down. It ended up “not being a significant issue.”
Per WON, people in WWE think Warner Bros. Discovery is a longshot for Raw’s next TV deal because WBD is believed to own a percentage of AEW. It sounds like WWE CEO Nick Khan made a pitch to WBD in October but “was turned down.”
Now that AEW star Bandido needs another surgery on his injured wrist, the WON notes that his return to the ring will likely be pushed back until summer 2024.
Multiple outlets report that Chuck Taylor has been missing from AEW television lately due to a foot injury.
If you have heard of any interesting rumors that you’d like to add, feel free to post them in the comments section below. Just remember they are rumors and not confirmed as fact, so please take them as such. And check our weekly Rumor Look Back here to keep track of how often rumors turn out to be correct.