Rumor Roundup (July 4, 2019): Backstage reaction to Heyman & Bischoff hires, Triple H snub, Ricochet, 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:

• WWE wrestlers who spoke to Fightful about the hiring of Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff weren’t suddenly optimistic about the future.
• While some did think Heyman’s familiarity with the roster would be a plus, reactions ranged from faint praise like “it couldn’t possibly get worse” to pessimism such as “Vince is still in charge, so that’s all you really need to know”.
• There was some confusion among talent about why Triple H didn’t get either job. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer indicated part of the reason why Trips wasn’t given SmackDown was so it wouldn’t reflect poorly on him in the future if the numbers don’t turn around.
• Post Wrestling reports Eric Bischoff was not on hand for SmackDown in San Antonio on Tuesday.
• Regarding WWE’s efforts to win back teen viewers, Meltzer says that one reason Heyman plans to push Ricochet is he thinks he appeals to that demographic.

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.