Rumor Roundup (Dec. 10, 2021): Jeff Hardy release, O’Reilly & Gargano’s future with WWE, Lynch change, 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:

• While discussing Jeff Hardy’s release from WWE, Mat Men’s Andrew Zarian said he heard the last couple of weeks “have been rough for him.”
• A source told Ringside News that prior to Hardy’s release, Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns were “on board” with the idea of a match between Reigns and Hardy at either Royal Rumble 2022 or the next Saudi Arabia show.
• Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer says that even without a deal in place, people in NXT expect both Johnny Gargano and Kyle O’Reilly will be back in WWE after taking some time off.
• According to PW Insider, this week’s steel cage match on Raw between Big E and Kevin Owens was originally scheduled to main event the show, with Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan taking place in hour two. The change to put Lynch and Morgan in the main event was made after it was pointed out that Trish Stratus vs. Lita headlined Raw on the same date in 2004.
• Insider also says Jerry Lawler’s new contract with WWE is for two years, and lasts until January 2024.

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.