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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 jump right to it
- The changes to the Clash of Champions card were related to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, according to Fightful Select. They also say WWE had been planning for Nikki Cross to be out since earlier last week.
- Nikki Cross has been out forever - or at least not on TV.
- Two wrestlers who spoke to Fightful expressed frustration about current training methods, which they claim leave people open to being exposed to COVID
- With their multiple outbreaks, there’s an issue somewhere in the PC. People are being careless or protocols aren’t tight enough.
- Angel Garza suffered a legitimate injury in the Raw Tag title match at Clash of Champions, PW Insider reports.
- Angel Garza is a guy who heard may get a push and never did. He’s too talented to meander on Main Event or in catering.
- Despite initial concern about a leg injury, sources told Insider it looks like Garza’s issue was with his hip. They also think it’s not as bad as was feared at first.
- He was wrestling within a couple of weeks.
- The already re-scheduled NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin has been moved again, per PW Insider. It’s now scheduled for June 20, 2021.
- I don’t think that’s been announced officially.
- Most of the talent used on Raw last night found out what they were doing on the show at about 6 p.m. Eastern, according to WrestleVotes.
- That’s always got to be frustrating.
- Speculation about the person being teased for a return to NXT at TakeOver 31 has focused on Bobby Roode and Bo Dallas.
- It was Ember Moon. It’s kind of wild Bo Dallas was even considered given he’s been completely MIA for years. His last recorded match was in November of 2019. (0/2)
- On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that the Raw Tag titles were not scheduled to change hands prior to Angel Garza’s injury.
- So his injury didn’t affect the plan. This was when Garza and Andrade, who has since left, was challenging the Street Profits.
- James Storm told Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet he’d agreed to terms with WWE and was set to debut after WrestleMania 36 until the pandemic changed everything
- I wonder if we’ll ever see the Cowboy in WWE. He had that very brief NXT stint before he returned to Impact years back, but that’s it. I’ve always liked him, but I don’t know where he’d fit in the system. A debut after Mania sounds like a main roster run. Outside maybe teaming with Bobby Roode again, I don’t see more than midcard act.
- RVD and Katie Forbes are done with Impact, per PW Insider and the Observer. They left on good terms and could return.
- RVD didn’t do anything with Impact after this date. Next for the Van Daminator is going into the Hall of Fame. (1/1)
- Per WrestleVotes, WWE is currently planning to have Bayley vs. Sasha Banks headline the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
- It was Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton when Randy won the title. (0/1)
- Not surprisingly, it’s also expected Randy Orton will be getting another shot at Drew McIntyre and the WWE title at that event.
- That he did. (1/1)
- Raw Underground didn’t happen this week due to a shortage of wrestlers after the recent COVID-19 outbreak in WWE, says Fightful.
- It didn’t happen ever again.
- There’s more talk of Chelsea Green being called up to the main roster, with WWE recently filing trademarks on her name.
- Chelsea was called up prior to Survivor Series but broke her hand in the first match. (1/1)
- Kenny Omega told GameSpot the AEW video game is in development and it will still be some time before it’s ready.
- We got a trailer for it. The first AEWGames release was a mobile casino game that just used the likenesses of AEW talent, but had a pretty fly trailer.
- Per PW Insider, NXT is turning both Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly babyface, but Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish won’t turn with them.
- This isn’t how it went. First they all turned babyface for WarGames so they could face Pat McAfee’s Kings of NXT. Then Cole went back to heel to feud with O’Reilly. (0/1)
- In addition to being a Vince McMahon favorite, WrestleTalk’s sources say Peyton Royce is also over with the locker room. Wrestlers are impressed with the work she’s done to improve in the ring, and her attitude overall.
- It’s a shame that didn’t turn into any push. We got a lame tag team with Lacey Evans though!
- Recent call-ups from NXT did not receive new main roster contracts, according to Fightful. New deals will be discussed soon, but the money will be “way, way below” what was being offered last year.
- Meanwhile WWE had their most profitable year ever.
- Heath Slater told TV Insider he’s been contacted by WWE wrestlers who are interested in signing with Impact if or when they get out of their contracts.
- It’s a viable destination.
- Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer said a factor in New Japan President Harold Meij’s exit was that he’d set a goal of $100 million in revenue for the company this year, and there was no way he was going to hit that number without U.S. television. Fightful says the NJPW locker room never “bought in” to Meij’s vision.
- If no one bought in, that’s a problem.
- Fightful notes that many wrestlers are frustrated with WWE’s plan to take the show on the road once the ThunderDome contract expires. There are concerns about more outbreaks of COVID-19 once that happens.
- WWE hasn’t taken the show on the road. They moved to Tropicana Field in Tampa and next they’ll be heading to the Yuengling Center, which is also in Tampa. They’ll have fans at WrestleMania, but that’s it.
- On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that Tegan Nox did not suffer her torn ACL during a match, practice, or training. He claims that “it just popped.”
- That’s tough. It’s tough in general, but if it just happened, that could always be something she has in the back of her head.
- Game 3 of the World Series is scheduled to air on FOX on Friday night, Oct. 23, leading to speculation that SmackDown will be bumped to FS1 that night, just like last year.
- That was an FS1 show. (1/1)
- Fightful also says that prior to the global pandemic, there were talks in WWE of a new show called “NXT Underground.” It would have featured wrestlers who don’t get much time on NXT, as well as Evolve stars.
- The pandemic changed a lot of plans.
- Wrestling Inc mentioned that two Raw referees missed this week’s episode because they are in quarantine as a result of the NXT COVID-19 outbreak.
- Rumors like these pop up through most of last year. And this year so far.
- Raw Underground isn’t completely finished, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, but “all is subject to change.”
- It was completely finished. (0/1)
- WrestleVotes notes that WWE has had Tampa listed as the host for WrestleMania 37 for over a month now and there’s already a legal battle underway for who can cancel the event in Los Angeles.
- I don’t know who canceled what for LA. I’m sure there weren’t any hard feelings since LA will host in two years. (1/1)
- Speaking of that, the Observer says WWE has “tried to lock down every building in Tampa” for the event.
- For what? Are they trying to prevent the indie shows from setting up shop, worried that those could be sources of outbreak prior to WrestleMania itself?
- Wrestling Inc says NXT is leaving Full Sail for the most part because they stopped using students at their tapings. Preventing interaction between students and anyone working WWE tapings was apparently another factor.
- I wonder if they’ll return in the future.
- On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer mentioned Kazuchika Okada is dealing with lower back issues.
- Ouch.
This week: 5/10 - 50%
October 2020: 37/58 - 64%
Overall: 3,700/6,576 - 56.3%
Have a great week, everyone. Stay safe out there.