Rumor Look Back: June 23 - 29, 2018

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.

June 23, 2018

• WrestleVotes is saying WWE has presented Undertaker with a pitch for a match at SummerSlam and it’s something he wanted himself at some point.
• Whatever it was, it didn’t happen.
• The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes Charlotte had surgery on June 19 and she’s out until the lead up for SummerSlam.
• That’s accurate. That absence was a big part of her story with Becky Lynch, leading to their epic feud. (1/1)
• In other return notes, they also say that Alicia Fox was cleared on June 18, Jason Jordan is “tentatively scheduled” to be back in July, and Dean Ambrose has again been at the Performance Center working on his return.
• I can’t speak to when Fox was cleared, but she was back in action within a month. Ambrose returned right before SummerSlam, but like the Fox portion of the rumor, I can’t speak to when he was at the PC. Jordan is still not back, but recent rumor has him working as a producer as he continues to work on a return. (0/1)
• PW Insider says it was a late decision for William Regal not to go to the NXT TV tapings this week. He hasn’t been around for a number of months now.
• He was looking pretty sick in a backstage segment on the build to TakeOver: Brooklyn. He’s looked much better since.

June 25, 2018

• A Paul Heyman promo on social media has speculation rampant that perhaps Bobby Lashley will be Brock Lesnar’s next title challenger. There have been rumors of a match between the two for a while.
• This still hasn’t happened and probably never will. It’s a match I’m not into, but I wouldn’t mind a single Lio Rush/Paul Heyman promo battle. (0/1)
• According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Tyson Kidd and Fit Finlay were the agents for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match and Kidd was most responsible for its layout.
• Kidd was talking on a podcast saying he thinks his legacy may end up being remembered more for his agent work than his in-ring work. He’s very respected in the role given everyone who speaks of him.
• For that matter, Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax rehearsed their match beforehand and Finlay was the one who laid it out.
• She rehearses most of her matches, though apparently her match with Nattie last Monday wasn’t and was still rather good. Nattie is a vet, and she’s the best choice to work Ronda’s first match that wasn’t strictly rehearsed.
• MLW could be running a pay-per-view next month.
• They had a War Games special, but it was on their weekly TV and not a paid pay-per-view. (0/1)

June 26, 2018

• Ronda Rousey is expected to get involved in the Raw Women’s title match at Extreme Rules.
• She did. She jumped the barricade to go after Alexa Bliss. (1/1)
• A Braun Strowman/Kevin Owens steel cage match will be added to that card, too, says wrestlingnews.co.
• This is true, though I didn’t remember it at all. Apparently, KO won by escaping. Go figure. (1/1)
• WWE’s official Twitter account recently followed Matt Jackson, sparking renewed speculation about the company’s pursuit of The Young Bucks.
• I’m sure they did. Word is the Bucks and Cody were offered a lot of money, but I don’t think they’re going to take it.
• Local ABC affiliate KSAT in San Antonio is promoting AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe in a WWE Title match and Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens for the Sept. 16 Hell in a Cell PPV.
• It was Reigns vs. Bruan Strowman and Styles vs. Joe. I could give this a 1/2 but I’m not going to grade it at all because they never advertise the actual matches that far in advance.
• While there was interest from WWE, Eli Drake has re-signed with Impact. According to PW Insider, the new contract “is a longer form deal that secures Drake’s position with the company”.
• Drake is a good talent for Impact. He has the charisma to be a top guy for them.

June 27, 2018

• PW Insider is saying Shinsuke Nakamura was pulled from SmackDown this week because he was bitten by a dog. Apparently it was a police dog who bit him after sniffing him during a security check at a house show in Bakersfield.
• Oh yeah. I remember the Shin getting bitten by a dog story.
• Per WrestleVotes, despite recent talk to the contrary, everything WWE is doing right now with Brock Lesnar is storyline and he’ll be wrestling for the Universal title at SummerSlam.
• That’s the case. He finally lose to Roman at SummerSlam. (1/1)
• The Bar haven’t been on television of late simply because creative has nothing for them, per Dave Meltzer.
• They eventually found their way into the title scene and are the current champs on the blue brand.
• To expand on word of Eli Drake signing a new contract with Impact Wrestling, the Observer notes it’s a “multi-year deal.”
• Hopefully we’ll be able to actually see him given their crummy new TV deal.
• According to PW Insider, Peter Einstein’s hiring as new Chief Operating Officer at Anthem Sports & Entertainment will not mean any changes to the current Impact management team.
• Yes, there’s still the same men at the top of the company. (1/1)

June 28, 2018

• The apparent cancellation of the multi-man #1 contenders match at Extreme Rules was simply a case of Vince McMahon changing his mind, say Wrestling Observer Live’s Bryan Alvarez.
• That’s probably the reason many things happen.
• Ronda Rousey is expected to be announced as the second pre-order exclusive for WWE 2K19.
• She was. (1/1)
• According to PW Insider, Dolph Ziggler’s WWE contract is up later this summer. He has not signed a new deal.
• Always with these Ziggler rumors. End of the year and he’s still here.
• Rich Swann says he’s been offered a contract by Impact.
• He’s in the promotion currently. (1/1)
• Pro Wrestling Sheet tracked down legal documents pertaining to a case where Alberto El Patron is being sued and counter-suing over a 2016 fight in a Texas karaoke bar. Amazingly enough, this appears to be in addition to numerous other bar-related scandals we already knew El Patron was involved with around that time.
• Good ol’ Alberto.

June 29, 2018

• According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal title is still the plan, and Vince McMahon is sticking with the original story idea from WrestleMania. That’s the point behind all the Lesnar stuff, to get fans hating him and babyface Reigns for his title win.
• That was still the plan (1/1)
• It’s unclear if that will be taking place at SummerSlam, however, and there seem to be a lot of ideas up in the air right now. That includes Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley at Extreme Rules, which could also change.
• The match against Reigns did happen at SummerSlam. Reigns actually lost to Lashley at Extreme Rules but then beat him again later to get to face Lesnar at SummerSlam. (1/1)
• Chris Jericho told Sean Waltman on his podcast that “there are a couple more matches in the pipeline” and he “might decide to stay a little longer” in New Japan because of it.
• We’ll see what happens after his match with Tetsuya Naito.
• Per PW Insider, Triple H made the call to take cruiserweights off Monday Night Raw so they wouldn’t be overexposed and to make sure they were protected by only appearing on 205 Live.
• That’s good way of looking at it, though that was their main exposure. (Later on, some cruisers returned to Raw in different roles. Their GM wet himself. Let’s not forget that.)
• Ryan Satin says a trusted source tells him an announcement of NXT airing on FS1 “may be imminent.”
• It’s been six months and there’s no word on that. (0/1)

This week: 9/13 - 69%

Overall: 2,525/4,583 - 55.1%

Have a great New Years, everyone!