Rumor Roundup (Sept. 14, 2020): AJ Styles not happy, AOP release, Heyman parody, 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 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:

• On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that AJ Styles is not happy with missing his son’s football games on Friday nights due to SmackDown. This became an issue once the Thunderdome concept changed WWE’s taping schedule.
• In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer notes that WWE waited for Rezar to recover from surgery before releasing AOP. Vince McMahon gave up on AOP in 2019, well before they joined with Seth Rollins, and their run with Rollins was Paul Heyman’s idea.
• The Observer Newsletter also says that Vince’s edict banning third party deals would have happened much earlier this year, but COVID-19 delayed McMahon’s decision.
• A source told Ringside News that Wobbly Walrus as a parody of Paul Heyman is Bruce Prichard’s idea. Prichard’s power backstage has increased and the writers are too afraid to speak up against his shots at Heyman.
• On Talk is Jericho, Chris Jericho said he believes that AEW signed Serena Deeb after her match against Thunder Rosa on the Sept. 2 episode of Dynamite.

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