:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67315970/20200607_NXT_XXX_Kross__6aa3ac64af2eaf4f166a523081c002ff.0.jpg)
Welcome to the weekly Rumor Look Back, where we look at the rumors from six months ago and see which played out as originally stated. Let’s get right to it.
- On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said changes have been made to previously planned WrestleMania 36 matches.
- There’d be plenty more in the future.
- Those changes are mostly on the SmackDown side, apparently, with Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns and John Cena vs. Elias off altogether.
- Yeah, those matches did not happen. (1/1)
- Lastly, Bayley vs. Naomi was previously planned for WrestleMania 36 but moved up to Super ShowDown so plans could be different for the big show now.
- The plans were different. That Bayley vs. Naomi match in Saudi was the one where Bayley caught Naomi’s foot in her long shirt. (1/1)
- PW Insider notes that Jeff Hardy was backstage at SmackDown last week and is expected there again next week. He’s returning soon and will apparently do so on the blue brand.
- It was May that he finally returned, so a bit a ways away. But he did return on SmackDown. (1/2)
- They also say Raven appearing in the crowd at AEW Dynamite was just a way to tease he is The Exalted One but that isn’t actually the plan.
- This is a gimme rumor because of course it wasn’t Raven. Though they do like using older wrestlers in speaking roles. (1/1)
- Capital One Arena in Washingston D.C., is advertising “Edge live to give a medical update on his condition!” for Raw on Mar. 9.
- He was live, though he came out hunting Randy immediately so no medical update. (1/2)
- WWE is sending fewer wrestlers to Saudi Arabia this week to avoid a repeat of what happened after Crown Jewel last fall, per Fightful and Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez.
- Make sense. We don’t know how many people traveled there though.
- Vince McMahon is all in on Drew McIntyre as his next big babyface star, according to WrestlingNews.co. He already has plans for McIntyre’s post-WrestleMania feuds as WWE champ, including one with Seth Rollins.
- That’s accurate. Even with the pandemic, Seth was Drew’s first feud. (2/2)
- Not surprising then that PW Insider says WWE’s marketing for the show in Tampa is built around Lesnar vs. McIntyre.
- That was going to be the main probably, but they never made it to Tampa.
- Insider also says word backstage at Raw was that Bret Hart will induct Davey Boy Smith at this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony.
- I don’t think we got far enough to find out if that was true.
- Dave Meltzer mentioned on Wrestling Observer Radio that Rusev being pulled from Super ShowDown was due to injury. He’s apparently dealing with some kind of back issue.
- Rusev was pretty much done at this point, though it’d be a couple of months until he was released.
- There are currently no plans for NXT involvement in WrestleMania 36 beyond Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair, according to the Observer.
- That’s accurate. (1/1)
- They also say there are 14 matches planned for the show as of right now.
- Given they went to two nights, it was 18 (16 without Kickoff matches). (0/1)
- There’s at least some speculation going around that WWE could be planning three Elimination Chamber matches for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
- There were only two. The men did not have a singles Chamber. (0/1)
- The reason Murphy didn’t lose on Raw this week to help build up The Street Profits challenging for the Raw tag team titles is because he’s a big project right now, per Wrestling Observer Radio.
- That project never went past him being Seth’s disciple.
- Trish Stratus tweeted a video in advance of the 20th anniversary of her television debut on Mar. 19, 2000 edition of Sunday Night Heat. It ends with the image of her and Sasha Banks staring each other down in the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble, and has obviously prompted a lot of speculation.
- That match did not happen. It sounded like Charlotte was her last match. (0/1)
- It’s not known if the offer was for an on-screen or behind-the-scenes role or both, but PW Insider says WWE’s efforts to re-sign Matt Hardy included working in NXT.
- That would have been different and he would have had more say in his creative there likely, but it was time for him to move on.
- Killer Kross was signed for “something big” and not just your typical NXT debut, per Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio.
- He already won the title but then unfortunately immediately had to relinquish it due to a shoulder injury. A real fast track though. (1/1)
- There’s speculation the “glitches” happening on SmackDown and the teasers featuring clocks which started on last night’s NXT could be for Kross.
- SmackDown’s glitches were for the hacker angle we never got a conclusion to. The clock on NXT was Kross. (1/2)
- MLW recently met with executives at CBS/Viacom about TV and streaming rights deals, according to PW Insider.
- I can’t speak to any meeting but they’re not streaming with them.
- Unlike the Crown Jewel nightmare last November, Ryan Satin reported that WWE’s plane left Riyadh without issue after Super ShowDown.
- The lowest bar.
- On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed WWE Wellness suspensions. Vince McMahon is one of the only people who knows about them before the public announcement. He will “will do whatever Vince does”, including waiting months between the failed test and the suspension.
- He is the one man in charge so he does what he wants.
- Heath Slater and Drew Gulak have been used on SmackDown recently because Daniel Bryan suggested they be used in his storyline. That’s from a report from WrestlingNews.co that says Bryan pitches a lot of his own angles, and though they’re not always used, he’s well respected and can get a job behind-the-scenes at WWE after he retires if he wants it.
- He’s actually already got a job in creative apparently. Edge too.
- The site also says there’s talk of doing Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus at WrestleMania 36 to play off their 18 second match in 2012.
- Bryan worked against Sami Zayn. (0/1)
- Kris Statlander had to pull out of her booking with Bar Wrestling last night because of the flu, but it’s not believed she’ll miss Revolution tomorrow.
- She worked Revolution. Unfortunately, Statlander is now out with an ACL injury. (1/1)
- According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WrestleMania 36 is now planned to have 16 matches.
- Oh man, that would have been BRUTAL in one night. Because that’s how many they had (minus Kickoff) in two nights. (1/1)
- Nia Jax is ready to return soon and should be back in time for WrestleMania 36.
- She returned the Raw after. (0/1)
- The current plan is to have stipulations added to the Edge vs. Randy Orton match when it’s announced, says the Observer.
- They did the Falls Count Anywhere match. I wonder if it would have been a gimmick match if it were in Tampa. (1/1)
- Jeff Hardy was backstage at SmackDown, per PW Insider. He’s expected back on the brand soon, with an announcement coming possibly as early as next week.
- It was a little while longer than that in May. (0/1)
- They also note WWE is now filing for trademarks related to The Revival, for whatever that’s worth.
- They certainly don’t call themselves that. FTR now.
This week: 13/23 - 57%
February 2020: 37/69 - 54%
Overall: 3,461/6,159 - 56.2%
Have a good week, everyone. Stay safe out there.