:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70140429/Dz5Sd2lWkAAn8Ng.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!
- Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer was told that when WWE returns to touring by August/September, they will never go back to the old schedule, but it won’t be significantly different. They will be on the road “every weekend” for “a couple shows”.
- This sounds accurate. (1/1)
- Meltzer also says the first hour of the Blood & Guts episode of Dynamite was taped a couple weeks ago. That’s because it would take too long to set the cage up live in the middle of the episode. The actual Blood & Guts match itself was the only live match on Dynamite.
- That makes sense.
- The live crowd watched the taped first hour on the big video screen. Their real audio was used during the TV broadcast of that taped portion. Audience members who were unhappy with it being a one match show were offered refunds; five total refunds were issued.
- I can see being somewhat annoyed buying tickets for a two hour Dynamite and getting just one match and maybe a bunch of Dark matches. But Blood and Guts was the match they wanted to see.
- PW Insider notes that Darby Allin’s plunge down the concrete stairs at Daily’s Place was also live. Insider was told that Cody Rhodes and “several talents” in the Blood & Guts match were busted open hardway. There was more blood than planned in the main event match, but no major injuries.
- Cody Rhodes never misses a chance to gush blood.
- On Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez claimed that no crash pad was used for Chris Jericho’s fall off the cage at Blood & Guts. He said it was just a bunch of cardboard boxes there to break his fall.
- It didn’t look as impressive as it should have. It was a pretty big production mess up, but didn’t cause any longterm issue.
- WrestleVotes says that WWE is hoping for SummerSlam to be their official return to touring, and the event may take place earlier than its typical date on the calendar.
- They returned a month prior. SummerSlam was on a Saturday instead of Sunday but same time of year. (0/2)
- Jon Alba indicates that WWE wants to be out of Florida for SummerSlam, and a “major venue out west” is under consideration.
- They were out by SummerSlam, which was in Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium. (2/2)
- Ringside News was told that AEW’s Blood & Guts match was viewed by many people in WWE as “barbaric” and “a bad image for the industry.”
- It didn’t hurt their numbers at all.
- In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer notes that despite ongoing rumors, AEW hasn’t made any contract offers to Tessa Blanchard or Daga, and it’s not close to happening. The hesitancy is due to allegations about Blanchard’s past conduct.
- I don’t know how close it came if close at all. But they didn’t sign her.
- Salina de la Renta is officially done with MLW, and there’s speculation that WWE and AEW are interested in signing her. In another contract update, Fightful claims that former NXT UK wrestler Killer Kelly will be signing with Impact Wrestling.
- Salina is not in either major promotion. As for Killer Kelly, it doesn’t looked like she signed with Impact. She had two matches with them in 2020. That doesn’t sound like signing a contract. (0/2)
- According to Ringside News, Becky Lynch signed a new contract with WWE a few weeks ago.
- She returned at SummerSlam and won the SmackDown Women’s championship. We don’t know when or if she signed a new contract.
- Even though Daniel Bryan’s name was edited out of a clip last week, PW Insider claims there is no rule in WWE that forbids anyone from using his name on WWE programming.
- I don’t recall if Roman Reigns mentioned his name to gloat about retiring him.
- Insider also says there are people in WWE management who hated AEW’s Blood & Guts match and think it “set the business back 30 years.” On the other hand, several WWE wrestlers would love to have a match like that.
- I think the business is fine.
- Another Aleister Black vignette was supposed to air on the Throwback edition of SmackDown but it was cut due to time constraints, per Insider.
- He was soon released.
- WWE has filed a trademark for the extremely exciting name “Blair Davenport.”
- Blair Davenport is the former Bea Priestley.
- WWE has big plans for the Usos in coming months, according to WrestlingNews.co. The site’s sources say Jimmy & Jey will win the SmackDown Tag titles from a babyface team soon, which means Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode will be dropping them - perhaps as early as this Sunday.
- The Mysterios won the titles from the Dirty Dogz at that Sunday’s WrestleMania Backlash. The Usos won it from them a couple months later. So this is very accurate. (2/2)
- In a story first reported by Ringside News, Mia Yim was set to debut on SmackDown last Friday. Like the latest Aleister Black video, her appearance was cut for time.
- She never debuted and was recently released. Rumors of their plans for talent they eventually cut shows there’s a disconnect between what areas of the company are doing what.
- While confirming that report, Wrestling Observer added that Yim is tentatively scheduled to appear on this week’s show. Fightful Select noted Yim was going to start a feud with Carmella.
- That tentative schedule did not happen. (0/1)
- Writer and academic David Dennis appeared in Sunday’s A&E Biography on Booker T, but he tweeted (and deleted) that producers filmed but didn’t use a much longer segment where he “went in about” Triple H going over Booker in their WrestleMania 19 feud.
- I can see why WWE would want that left out.
- Velveteen Dream was backstage at Raw last night, per Wrestling Observer.
- He was soon released too. I don’t think he’ll ever work in the business again, and if so, that was a precipitous fall for one of their hottest prospects.
- WWE is considering Madison Square Garden for SummerSlam on Aug. 22, according to Wrestling Observer.
- It was in Vegas. (0/1)
- WrestleVotes says AEW returning to the road in July won’t change WWE’s plans to resume touring in August.
- WWE returned to touring in July, as did AEW. I don’t know if WWE’s plans were tied into that though.
- Jeff Hardy’s loss to Jinder Mahal on Monday wasn’t a sign his contract is up soon. PW Insider reminds us the deal he signed in 2020 was for two or three years. WrestlingNews.co says Hardy’s booking isn’t a sign he’s “getting buried,” but that “WWE is simply rotating talent so some people will be moved to the backburner for now.”
- Hardy is still with them. He’s on the SmackDown Survivor Series team.
- Mansoor was scheduled to be used at Monday’s Raw per Insider, but “creative changed”.
- That’ll happen.
- The site also says there were never plans for Velveteen Dream to be used, but his being backstage was noteworthy because “he has not been seen much at the WWE Performance Center in recent months.”
- He wouldn’t be seen forever soon enough.
- PW Insider notes that AEW called an audible for the finish of PAC vs. Orange Cassidy on last night’s (May 12) Dynamite. The match was supposed to end in a time limit draw, leading to a three-way match with Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing. But Cassidy was legitimately hurt on a powerbomb in the match, so they kept him down and changed the finish.
- He was cleared to compete in the triple threat.
- When asked about Keith Lee’s current status, F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer said, “He’s okay, but obviously he’s not being used.”
- He’s since been released.
- Wrestling Observer Live’s Bryan Alvarez was told that the original finish for Sheamus vs. Humberto Carrillo on this week’s (May 10) Raw was for Sheamus to go over, so that’s why he was suddenly declared the winner when the match needed to be stopped.
- I suppose it’s tough to make a call like that on the fly.
- On his Living the Gimmick podcast, Jon Alba indicated that Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is a potential venue that WWE might use for SummerSlam 2021.
- That’s accurate. (1/1)
- Moose recently revealed that his contract with Impact Wrestling expires in June.
- He’s their champion now. So if this is true, he re-signed.
This week: 6/12 - 50%
Overall: 3,934/6,974 - 56.4%
Have a great week, everyone!
Loading comments...