Rumor Roundup (July 29, 2021): WWE layoffs, backstage AEW reaction to Punk, Saudi women’s match, 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:

• Fightful reported WWE recently laid off employees in departments like marketing and consumer products. They haven’t heard of any talent being released in this round of budget cuts.
• The finals of WWE’s upcoming Queen of the Ring tournament are planned for the Oct. 21 Saudi Arabia show, according to Mat Men’s Andrew Zarian.
• As of two months ago AEW wrestlers hadn’t heard much about CM Punk coming in, even thought the company’s been interested in bringing him since last year, per Fightful Select. Punk’s been a hot topic among talent lately, specifically among those who don’t know him and want to know what he’s like to work with.
• When talking about SummerSlam’s Raw Women’s title match, Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp mentioned that “a lot of people were expecting Becky [Lynch] to be back, but word is she might be heading to a different brand.”
• Cash Wheeler was cut on the arm when it hit the metal between the turnbuckle and the post during the FTR/Santana & Ortiz match on Dynamite last night. PW Insider called it “a completely freak thing” and said he’s okay, but it’s not yet clear if he’ll miss time.

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.