Rumor Roundup for Friday, July 26 - Del Rio, Keibler, Big Show, and More!

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 legitimate news or fact; so remember to take it all with a grain of salt.

Rumors for the Day:

• According to reports, World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio suffered a broken rib in his match with Sheamus on Raw earlier this week. He has wrestled through the injury in the various matches taped since then, and is not expected to miss any time. Rib injuries can turn south quickly however, with the worst case scenario being that the rib punctures the lung. There is believed to be at least some consideration taking Del Rio off of next week's out-of-country tours in order to rest him.
• There is an internal push within WWE going on to develop a main-event level babyface African-American superstar in order to better appeal to that market. Big E Langston would appear to be best suited for the role out of those on the main roster, but it would likely be some time before he could undergo a face turn for storyline reasons. Kofi Kingston has struggled to gain traction above the mid-card and the other options are either too old (Mark Henry) or are currently mired in a funk as jobbers (Primetime Players, Brodus Clay.)
• There were rumors throughout the week that WWE was in negotiations with former Diva Stacy Keibler to bring her back to the company where she worked from 2001-2006. The plan for Keibler would be to set her up as a manager for Daniel Bryan. However, there is nothing to these rumors at this time. Keibler is busy with other projects and WWE has denied that there have been any negotiations.
  
• WWE has released this year's Night of Champions poster for the September pay per view, and it features the currently-injured Kofi Kingston raising the Intercontinental title. Kingston is believed to be returning after SummerSlam, though based on previous rumors, it's possible he's healthy enough to return now but is being held out so as not to disrupt current storylines.
• Speaking of injured superstars, the plan for Big Show, had he returned last week, was for him to make the save in the Shield's attack on Mark Henry rather than the Usos. A handicap match would then have been set up with Big Show and Henry taking on the Shield at SummerSlam. As it stands now, due to Big Show's slow recovery from a knee injury, those plans are in jeopardy.
  
• To hopefully settle the debate from the last several days about whether Jerry "the King" Lawler mistook Dallas for the city he was supposed to be in or if he actually drove the wrong direction, Dave Meltzer stated on Wrestling Observer Radio that Lawler did, indeed, accidentally drive 3 hours in the wrong direction.

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.