Rumor Roundup (Oct. 15, 2019): Backstage reactions to WWE Draft, Kanellis, Punk’s Fox status, Moxley, 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, 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:

• Backstage reactions to the Fox Sports/NFL draft segments on SmackDown weren’t good, sources told WrestlingNews.co. One wrestler allegedly told the site, “[WWE] can’t help themselves. It always makes me cringe when you see them trying so hard to show everyone how mainstream they are.”
• The draft pools being posted in the order talent were selected on Friday was a miscommunication, per Wrestling Observer Radio. The web team was supposed to alphabetize the list, but somehow missed the message.
• The initial belief is WWE will not honor Mike Kanellis’ latest release request.
• CM Punk’s Pro Wrestling Tees store removed all but one of the shirts which were selling there, adding to speculation he’ll soon be announced as part of Fox’s WWE studio show team.
• The weather-related travel issues which led to John Moxley vacating the IWGP United States title were legit, according to Wrestling Observer, so they didn’t have anything to do with friction between New Japan & AEW.

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. Have fun with it. And check our weekly Rumor Look Back here to keep track of how often rumors turn out to be correct.