Rumor Roundup (Feb. 5, 2022): McIntyre plan is cut, Banks update, Bayley & Asuka return, 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:

• Drew McIntyre was supposed to have a moment with Brock Lesnar in the Royal Rumble, standing up to Lesnar and calling back to when McIntyre eliminated Brock in 2020, per Wrestling Observer Newsletter. That was cut, however, because the show was running long.
• Sasha Banks and McIntyre were late additions to the Rumble matches, according to the WON. The belief is Banks’ appearance was kept short as a safety precaution due to her recent injury.
• Royal Rumble was the most watched WWE show ever on Peacock, surpassing both nights of WrestleMania 37. The Observer also noted it was the most searched WWE event on Google since 2019.
• Bayley and Asuka should both be back for WrestleMania 38. PW Insider heard Asuka should return this month, with Bayley returning in March.
• F4WOnline’s Bryan Alvarez said WWE is aware the men’s Royal Rumble match was boring, and their plan is to make sure next year’s match is not boring.

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.