Rumor Roundup (Aug. 27, 2021): Lesnar contract, USA network not happy, COVID, 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:

• Brock Lesnar’s new contract with WWE is expected to include eight matches over the next year and a half, per Fightful.
• According to Mat Men’s Andrew Zarian, USA Network officials are not happy with WWE’s decision to stack the SmackDown roster with both Brock Lesnar and Becky Lynch. WWE has assured the network this is temporary, and rosters will be reshuffled during the upcoming draft.
• Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer says there are many wrestlers across several promotions who have COVID and have “disappeared quietly” without their names coming out.
• Meltzer also indicated that Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi is eventually going to happen. The reason it wasn’t booked for AEW’s All Out is because NJPW needed Tanahashi, and there were “other political things in play.”
• PW Insider noted that with Adam Cole and Karrion Kross gone from NXT, Johnny Gargano will now be positioned as the top heel on the brand, with Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong right behind him.

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.