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 will be taking 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 legitimate news or fact; so remember to take it all with a grain of salt.
Rumors for the Day:
- The situation around CM Punk's injured knee continues to clear up. It is believed that he has a strained ACL in addition to several torn minor ligaments. Doctor's have recommended that he stay out of the ring for at least 6 weeks, putting a potential return off until around the end of June. It is also believed that TV ratings will play a part in his return. If ratings slide, he could be brought back sooner in a televised role without actually wrestling, while good ratings would mean his return could be pushed back further. It had previously been rumored that Punk could be out until as late as SummerSlam in August, which is still a possibility if Punk wants more time to recover from the mental fatigue and burnout.
- One big complaint coming out of the WWE European tour so far is that neither of the world champions (John Cena and Dolph Ziggler) are working the "Smackdown" branded events. (Both are working the "Raw" events.) Early reports are that it hasn't harmed attendance yet, but keep an eye on the situation as the tour through Europe continues.
- As many expected, Ryback vs. John Cena continues to underwhelm on the European tour. Their match on 4/20 from Paris, France sounded like a step up from their previous meeting, but was again relatively short and awkward. (The "Goldberg" chants were also out in full force from the Parisian WWE fans.)
- After starting out dominant as US Champion following last year's SummerSlam, Antonio Cesaro seemed to decay into a mere decorated jobber. (In fact, he lost more than twice as many televised matches as he won since the start of 2013.) Despite Cesaro seeming to have everything WWE wants in its superstars, why was his reign buried towards the end? Backstage word is that Cesaro didn't do anything wrong, but he fell into the dreaded "creative has nothing for you" hole that has claimed the promising careers of so many other superstars before him.
If you have heard of any interesting rumors that you'd like to add, feel free to post them in the comments section below. Please remember, these are merely rumors. Try not to take them too seriously, just have fun with them.