Rumor Roundup (May 26, 2021): John Cena apology, Adnan Virk release, Stadium Stampede, 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:

• For whatever it’s worth, Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast noted that John Cena’s apology to the people of China for calling Taiwan a country is “NOT going over well at WWE right now.”
• According to Dave Meltzer, the decision to let Adnan Virk go was made by the company, despite the wording in the official release stating it was “mutually agreed” upon.
• Despite the way she’s been booked on Raw, WWE still sees Rhea Ripley as a babyface, says Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live.
• Fightful Select says AEW is planning a “unique live experience” for the Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing.
• Deadline notes that WWE Studios had its film, TV, and social media departments hit with layoffs.

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.