Rumor Look Back. Mar. 10 - 16, 2017

Welcome to the weekly Rumor Look Back, where we look at the rumors from six months ago and see which played out as originally predicted. Let’s get right to it.

March 10, 2017

• Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar is expected to be the main event of WrestleMania 33.
• It was not. Roman Reigns vs. Undertaker was. (0/1)
• What it is not expected to do is go very long. It won't be as short as their prior encounters at Survivor Series and in the Royal Rumble match but don't be surprised if it's a 5-7 minute match.
• According to our statistician Cain A. Knight, it was just under 5 minutes. So not the squash it was before. They packed a lot of fun in that time. (1/1)
• Current plans call for Roman Reigns to beat Undertaker at WrestleMania 33.
• He did. (1/1)
• Tamina's introduction to the SmackDown Live women's division could be as a surprise in the Alexa Bliss title match.
• It wasn’t, but instead she debuted a couple weeks afterwards. (0/1)
• The Observer notes Mike Bennett and Maria know where they'll be signing but don't want to let it out before anything happens. Ring of Honor is the expected destination.
• They’re in WWE now. (0/1)

March 11, 2017

• The expectation is Daniel Bryan will leave WWE when his contract expires unless the company allows him to wrestle again.
• We’ll have to sit on this one for a little while longer.
• There's been some talk that Kurt Angle could be used as the new General Manager of Monday Night Raw, possibly as an immediate replacement for Mick Foley.
• This is correct. (1/1)
• The Observer notes WWE has been contacting women about a taping in mid-May for the tournament that has long been rumored.
• The taping was in July. But it did happen. Finals were just last week. (1/2)
• The WWE UK television taping in May is expected to be for actual television and not the WWE Network.
• It aired exclusively on the WWE Network. (0/1)
• Bruce Prichard may have gotten the spot he has in TNA over Vince Russo because he has better numbers on his podcast.
• Definitely the best way to choose someone for your creative team. Is that why Jim Cornette is in now? Did they crunch the podcast numbers and realized Corney had better numbers than Bruce?

March 13, 2017

• Rusev may be getting shoulder surgery, as we were told Big Show is telling fans that's the case. Either way, he's taking time off.
• Yeah, he missed a decent amount of time. (1/1)
• There has been word going around that Kenny Omega may appear at the ROH Supercard of Honor show but the Observer is saying that isn't happening.
• Kenny wasn’t there. (1/1)

March 14, 2017

• With Finn Bálor back and Chris Jericho now a babyface (and planning to stick around), Sami Zayn isn’t expected to be featured in high-profile angles on Raw moving forward.
• This is true. He was moved to SmackDown after Mania, but it’s true there too. (1/1)
• William Regal will be added to the WWE Hall of Fame class later this week, according to PWInsider.
• He’s still not in it. Maybe next year? (0/1)
• No confirmation on the nature of Rusev’s injury or how long he might be out, but the Observer says he’ll likely miss WrestleMania 33.
• He certainly did. And a few months after that. (1/1)
• TNA’s reason for legal action against the Hardys, sources tell PWInsider, is to collect royalties from their use of the “Broken” gimmick elsewhere, not because they plan on using it on Impact.
• The story that never ends...

March 15, 2017

• Brock Lesnar vs. Shane McMahon was the plan coming out of SummerSlam. That changed when the Goldberg signing became an option, per Wrestling Observer.
• Probably for the better.
• Lana is expected to focus on wrestling in NXT while Rusev is out of action rehabbing from shoulder surgery.
• She worked house shows, but didn’t actually work the TV. (1/1)
• According to PWInsider, who yesterday reported he was in, William Regal is no longer expected to be added to the WWE Hall of Fame class of ‘17.
• Yup. (1/1)
• There will be at least one “Legacy” name revealed, likely next Monday.
• They were Legacy names revealed, but not on that Monday. To be honest, I didn’t even know about the Legacy inductees until grading this rumor. (1/2)

March 16, 2017

• The two roster trades Vince McMahon is most interested in seeing involve AJ Styles moving to Raw while The New Day head to SmackDown.
• AJ Styles remained a SmackDown guy. The New Day is also on Team Blue now. (1/2)
• Styles’ current storyline with Shane McMahon might be the reason he’s moved to Monday nights.
• I wonder if it was actually in the cards and they changed their minds (and if so why) or if it was never the plan.
• There’s said to be a good deal of concern backstage that Seth Rollins is rushing his rehab to make WrestleMania despite significant risk he could re-injure his knee.
• If they were that worried, he wouldn’t have had a 45 minute match with Triple H.
• Erick Rowan was backstage at SmackDown this week, but there’s no plan to introduce him into the World title story at this time.
• Instead, they subtracted Luke Harper, which I will never stop thinking was a terrible move.
• Shawn Michaels is expected to be involved in WrestleMania 33 in some capacity, possible as a Kickoff show panelist.
• Yes, he was part of the Kickoff show panel. He wasn’t part of the show itself, which is fine at this point. (2/2)

This week: 14/22 - 64%

Overall: 1,723/3,159 - 54.5%

Have a great week, everyone!