Rumor Roundup (Nov. 24, 2022): Cody Rhodes return, Finn Balor push, WWE star Black Panther audition, 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:

• There’s been increased speculation that Cody Rhodes’ WWE return is imminent after Brandi Rhodes told The Ten Count’s Steve Fall that her husband “looks like the same Cody to me... he looks ready to me, but I’m not a doctor.”
• Finn Balor’s improved standing with Triple H in charge of creative is no coincidence, WrestleVotes tells GiveMeSport. Balor was one of the first big names The Game signed, and the two men have always worked well together, so “Hunter sees almost like a reclamation project, but one that he can get behind because of their personal relationship.”
• A WWE Superstar was considered for a role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, according to Fightful Select: “Sources familiar with the situation say that Damian Priest was asked to read for the role of Namor, one of the most heavily featured roles in the film, or one of the other featured members of Talokan.”
• Wrestling Observer notes that SmackDown will air on FS1 next Friday (Dec. 2) because the PAC-12 College Football Championship will be on FOX.
• WWE trademarked the term “Valhalla”, in reference to the Viking Raiders and Sarah Logan.
• Chris Jericho also recently trademarked “Christory”, “This Day in Christory”, and “Seltzer Man”.

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.