Rumor Roundup (Feb. 17, 2022): Stone Cold comeback, Cody/WWE, Rousey stip, AEW signing, 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:

• After Mat Men’s Andrew Zarian reported hearing rumblings that WWE hoped Stone Cold Steve Austin’s WrestleMania 38 match wouldn’t be a one-off, there’s been speculation Austin could be looking for a Goldberg or Edge-type deal where he works a handful of matches per year.
• Sports Illustrated’s report on Cody Rhodes said that Tony Khan taking over all the booking in AEW was an issue between them. Cody saw that role as a “chance to pay homage to his father [Dusty Rhodes] as a booker while also further cementing his own legacy. Losing that opportunity in AEW hurt Rhodes more than any loss he suffered in the ring.”
• That same Justin Barrasso report reiterated that Cody is headed back to WWE, and speculated he could start filming return vignettes at the Performance Center this weekend. Barrasso’s sources indicated that Brandi Rhodes is not expected to join her husband in WWE.
• In her Elimination Chamber tag match with Naomi against Charlotte Flair & Sonya Deville, Ronda Rousey will have to wrestle with one arm tied behind her back. PW Insider says the stipulation will be announced on Friday’s pre-taped SmackDown.
• AEW has a “working plan” to bring in Buddy Matthews (fka WWE’s Buddy Murphy), according to Fightful Select. The site says several talents were told of the plan last month.

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.