Rumor Roundup (Jan. 18, 2022): Cody Rhodes contract, AEW/Royal Rumble, Kingston & Banks injuries, 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:

• In an update to their report on Cody Rhodes’ AEW contract status, Fightful Select notes they’ve heard Rhodes doesn’t have a deal in place for his Executive Vice-President role either.
• Dave Meltzer wrote on F4WOnline’s The Board that his AEW sources were avoiding him on the Rhodes story, “so either it’s true and they are all mad it’s out or it’s a work and they don’t want to lie to me.”
• Regarding talk of a forbidden door entrant in the men’s match next weekend, Wrestling Observer: “There will be no AEW involvement at the Royal Rumble. Jon Moxley will not be at that show.”
• After Tony Khan announced that Eddie Kingston was injured at last weekend’s Dark taping, PW Insider heard Kingston “would be out a few weeks” and “obviously” off Sunday’s GCW show at Hammerstein in New York. A subsequent report from The Observer said Kingston fractured his orbital bone and expects to be out for three weeks.
• The day after she was injured at a house show, Fightful says WWE creative was told to take Sasha Banks out of their Royal Rumble plans but that she would be available for WrestleMania.

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.