Rumor Look Back: Oct. 21 - 27, 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 just right into it.

October 22, 2018

• The Wrestling Observer Newsletter says that, contrary to recent years, the planned WrestleMania 35 main event is not set and, what’s more, it’s not even clear who Roman Reigns will be working with at that show.
• Roman wasn’t the main event anyway, though if he didn’t get sick, maybe he would have been? Would the women have main evented over Roman if he were a long standing Universal champion?
• The Observer also says WWE is protecting Drew McIntyre right now because they want him to be a top singles star once they go there.
• Putting him in league of evil trios hasn’t helped, but he has taken few direct losses. Hell, they had him walk to the back in a match when teaming with the Bar because the Bar was going to lose. (1/1)
• That site also says Lita will be at Raw tonight.
• She and Trish Stratus only got a backstage interview, but they were there. (1/1)
• Jason Powell at ProWrestling.net said he heard the pro wrestling promotion Jim Ross, Chris Jericho, and The Young Bucks have recently been linked to has been “in the discussion stages for some times” but it can’t be confirmed if it’s just talk right now.
• It’s happening and they’re all involved. (1/1)

October 23, 2018

• As you’d expect, Braun Strowman and Elias’ babyface turns on Raw were to account for losing Roman Reigns from the roster for now and Dean Ambrose going heel.
• Elias turned back heel abruptly. Ambrose turned back face abruptly.
• The Saudi ticket website handling local tickets for Crown Jewel has been telling fans “that WWE has not confirmed to them that the show will go on,” per Wrestling Observer.
• It happened.
• Word is Alexa Bliss was injured on Saturday night in Hartford, but it’s not clear if she broke her nose (as some Twitter accounts claim) or suffered a concussion (as Wrestling Observer says they heard, but could not confirm). No word on her status for Sunday.
• She didn’t wrestle again until the Royal Rumble. This goes more with a concussion than just a broken nose.
• Rey Mysterio, on the other hand, is not injured. Multiple sources said his being taken off the house show circuit after Saturday’s event was just described to them as a change of plans.
• Rey should get a pseudo-part time schedule at his stage. Some house shows but not each loop.
• Undertaker and Kane will be at Raw next Monday in Charlotte, says PW Insider.
• They were both there to continue to build Crown Jewel. (1/1)

October 24, 2018

• The Wrap has said WWE will make a decision on the Crown Jewel event by today, and an announcement could be coming very soon.
• The announcement came the next day. (1/1)
• Dean Ambrose turning on Seth Rollins was always in the plans but Wrestling Observer Live says it wasn’t supposed to happen until around Survivor Series and was moved up after the Roman Reigns announcement.
• It’s almost surprising how poorly that went.
• They also say that only a small number of people within WWE knew about Reigns’ leukemia diagnosis before he revealed it on Raw, so the reaction on commentary and among the wrestlers was at least in part because they had just learned of it like the rest of us.
• Always working their own employees.
• The word is Ronda Rousey has input in all her promos, and even input in what Nikki Bella used against her in a promo on Raw this week.
• Interesting, though it wouldn’t be surprising if true.

October 25, 2018

• According to a post from Dave Meltzer on The Board at Wrestling Observer and a follow-up conversation with Bryan Alvarez on Observer Live, the decision on whether or not Crown Jewel will happen in Saudi Arabia is up to the U.S. State Department.
• WWE was never going to hold it anywhere else unless forced to.
• Meltzer also wrote that Vince McMahon would never decide not to have the show in Saudi Arabia.
• Of course not.
• A fan report of a comic convention Q & A with Kevin Nash posted to reddit claims Nash said the upcoming nWo reunion is to gauge fan interest in having the group inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
• They’ll be in eventually.
• Even though she wasn’t on-screen this week, Shane McMahon’s return to television doesn’t mean Paige is being phased out as General Manager of SmackDown. PW Insider says “the company loves” her in the role.
• She was phased out within a couple months. (0/1)
• Despite there being no word on if her injury was a concussion or broken nose, Alexa Bliss is expected to be cleared for Evolution.
• She was not. She was in the corner of Mickie James and Alicia Fox. (0/1)

October 26, 2018

• The Observer says John Cena is off the Crown Jewel show and his absence will be addressed on television in a storyline writing him out.
• It wasn’t much of a write out. Just Baron Corbin saying he’s taking the place of Cena. (1/1)
• Vince McMahon was not at television this week, which is why he wasn’t shown backstage in the Roman Reigns videos, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Does he run the show over the phone then?
• Dave Meltzer mentioned on Wrestling Observer Live that WWE is going to make a change and find a new way to present house shows, in line with what Vince McMahon mentioned during the Q3 earnings conference call.
• It’s nothing I’m aware of. Anyone know otherwise? Let me know in the comments. (0/1)
• It’s expected that all the women from NXT will be doing something at Evolution, though it’s still unclear exactly what.
• Outside the already advertised NXT title match, they didn’t work the show. (0/1)
• WWE still hasn’t passed along any word on her status, but Mickie James told Busted Open Radio that Alexa Bliss will be wrestling at Evolution despite her injury at a recent house show.
• This was incorrect. (0/1)

October 27, 2018

• Ronda Rousey and Nikki Bella have been practicing their match “all week” to “make sure it goes over well in the main event position,” at Evolution says the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Not surprising as Nikki hadn’t wrestled in awhile and Rousey was so new.
• According to PW Insider, Michael Cole was put on lead commentary duties for Evolution because WWE didn’t want to ask Renee Young or Beth Phoenix to do something they’ve never done in a big spot like that.
• That makes total sense.
• For whatever it’s worth, that site also says WWE was trying to keep Rey Mysterio from going on the Jericho Cruise even though he’s not wrestling on it.
• If they did, they were unsuccessful.
• Cody Rhodes’ deal with Ring of Honor is up at the end of this month, says the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, but his plan is still to remain with The Elite crew so don’t expect any move until 2019.
• Everyone left in 2019. (1/1)

This week: 7/12 - 58%

Overall: 2,699/4,908 - 55.0%

Have a great week, everyone!