Rumor Roundup (Feb. 5, 2021): WWE roster cuts, NXT call-ups, Royal Rumble changes, 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:

• PW Insider noted that there is some fear within WWE of roster cuts coming in the aftermath of WWE’s earnings report. It’s unknown if the releases of Lars Sullivan and Steve Cutler are the beginning of a new batch of cuts.
• On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer indicated that NXT wrestlers Karrion Kross and Austin Theory are “being groomed for the main roster.”
• He also said that Shaquille O’Neal isn’t wrestling at AEW Revolution on Mar. 7 because that date conflicts with the NBA All-Star game. That’s why Shaq will instead be wrestling on the Mar. 3 episode of AEW Dynamite.
• Per Meltzer, Angel Garza was supposed to be in the Royal Rumble match but was pulled from it. Meanwhile, Fightful states that Toni Storm was the replacement for Mia Yim in the Royal Rumble, and that Kacy Catanzaro was on standby just in case she was needed.
• According to Ringside News, Murphy and Bo Dallas have been showing up to television, but “they haven’t been given anything to do.”

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.