Rumor Look Back: Oct. 1 - 6, 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 jump right to it.

October 1, 2018

• WrestleVotes notes that as of now we’ll have a repeat winner for the Royal Rumble next year.
• We most certainly did not. Asuka defended the championship that night so she wasn’t in the Rumble. Shinsuke did not repeat. (0/1)
• Super Show-Down is expected to be where WWE will shoot an angle leading to a Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella title match at Evolution.
• They played nice at the end of that match. WWE re-ran the whole match on Raw a couple days later and then ran the angle. (0/1)
• WWE is expected to sign Punishment Martinez now that he’s done with Ring of Honor but there are more signings expected in the coming months.
• He’s with them now. (1/1)
• PW Insider says Tenille Dashwood’s injury is not an angle and she’s looking at surgery and being out for a while.
• This is the case. (1/1)
• That said, they also say Ring of Honor offered her a contract and it’s expected she’ll sign.
• Hmmm... going to leave this ungraded because maybe they did offer her a short term deal and she signed. But as of just last week, she’s a free agent.

October 2, 2018

• According to WrestleVotes, while there was some talk backstage about having Rey Mysterio return to the company in Australia this weekend, it’s expected WWE will hold off until SmackDown 1000 to bring him back.
• This is the case. (1/1)
• A tweet from John Cena about everything being negotiable led to some speculation he could be having contract issues with WWE, but there have been no changes in his relationship with the company.
• He’s still a company guy. However he did refuse to work Crown Jewel.
• Speaking of those UK and US promotions, PW Insider’s report on changes to WWE Network again mentions Progress, ICW and Evolve’s tape libraries could be a part of a more expensive, possibly TV-14 rated tier.
• There are still no tiers to the WWE Network. (0/1)
• The Network still lists it at 5, but the Observer says Super Show-Down is scheduled to only be 4 hours long and end at 9am Eastern.
• It was just under 4 hours. (1/1)

October 3, 2018

• There aren’t expected to be any title changes at WWE Super Show-Down.
• This is a repeat rumor from the week prior. It was incorrect. Buddy Murphy won the cruiserweight title in his home town. (0/1)
• According to the Observer, it’s still unclear if Liv Morgan has been cleared from her concussion but she is flying to Australia and being promoted as working Super Show-Down.
• Should you fly with a concussion? Either way, she worked the show so she must have been cleared. (1/1)
• There are some who believe The Elite/Bullet Club will be going to WWE come next year, and plans could already be underway for it.
• The Elite ended up starting their own wrestling company, but they listened to the offers. (0/1)
• Speaking of that, Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that a bit on the latest Being The Elite about a Triple H note to Hangman Page was a nod to WWE making a play for him and Page deciding to stay with Bullet Club. So, for now, he’s not coming to WWE but hasn’t ruled it out if that’s where Bullet Club goes.
• He’s in AEW. He’ll be facing PAC at Double or Nothing. (1/1)
• Joey Janela says he will be out for at least a year as his knee injury is even worse than anticipated.
• It’s been about six months and he’s just coming back. So not as much time as initially worried. (0/1)

October 4, 2018

• Shawn Michaels return might not feature dream matches with Daniel Bryan or AJ Styles, says PW Insider Elite. The speculation is it’s more Michaels “trying to fulfill his obligations” to WWE, and HBK views his current storyline as “the only time that we can probably do this and get it done right”.
• It did not feature any of those good things. Just one match in Saudi Arabia. (1/1)
• While a brand vs. brand match might happen, Survivor Series will not focus on the Raw vs. SmackDown theme this year, per WrestleVotes.
• That was the heavy theme. Raw swept. Though there was rumor that Roman having to leave led to them running the brand angle again. (0/1)
• The same source says there is a good chance of a Team Baron Corbin vs. Team Kurt Angle Survivor Series match, with the winning captain getting control of Raw.
• That did not happen. (0/1)
• WWE considered selling New Day pancake batter or syrup, but ultimately decided against it, according to Wrestling Observer Live.
• Get that merch money, New Day!
• Speaking of New Day and pancakes, Wrestling Inc says Mr. Bootyworth from this week’s SmackDown was played by none other than Dewey Foley.
• Better than a caning.

October 5, 2018

• Per the Observer, the idea was always to build to a Brothers of Destruction vs. DX tag team match to headline Crown Jewel, and that that would lead to an Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels program. So it wasn’t ever really about Undertaker vs. Triple H.
• There was no Taker/HBK solo program. But the rest happened. (1/2)
• There is an expectation that someone could be turning in the Shield vs. Dogs of War match at Super Show-Down, though it’s unclear exactly who (and WWE wanted it that way).
• That did not happen. They worked pretty well there and then continued the story with the rematch the following Raw. (0/1)
• The Wrestling Observer Newsletter says there is a new regime in charge at New Japan Pro Wrestling and that there are people in charge who don’t have a background in pro wrestling and that’s led to concern within the company.
• They seem to be chugging along.
• PW Insider notes next year’s New Year’s Day episode of SmackDown Live will be taped on Dec. 29 in Pittsburgh.
• That’s accurate. (1/1)
• That site also says the ALL IN event will likely be released on DVD by Ring of Honor.
• That is not the case. I assume ALL IN is an AEW property now? (0/1)

October 6, 2018

• WWE is trying to get The Rock for SmackDown 1000, per the Observer.
• They unfortunately did not.
• They also say Rey Mysterio’s first match back with WWE will likely be on SmackDown but that may not necessarily be the brand he sticks with going forward.
• He is a SmackDown guy. (1/2)
• WWE promoting the nWo reunion later this month has led to more speculation Hulk Hogan will be back on television for the company sooner rather than later.
• He was back for Crown Jewel in October. (1/1)
• The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes there is talk of an ALL IN 2 and even ALL IN 3 and Memorial & Labor Day are both being talked about with locations possible in Chicago and Southern California.
• I’m going to leave this one without a grade because it is right in some degrees but what they’ve got now is not technically the same thing because ALL IN was kind of a huge indie show while AEW is its own promotion.

This week: 11/23 - 48%

Overall: 2,665/4,846 - 55.0%

Enjoy WrestleMania, folks!