Rumor Look Back: Jan. 10 - 16, 2022

Welcome to the weekly Rumor Look Back, where we look at the rumors from six months ago and see which played out as originally stated. Let’s jump right to it.

January 10, 2022

• On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said original plans called for Seth Rollins to defend the WWE championship at WrestleMania 38.
• Against Big E? Maybe against McIntyre?
• Sean Ross Sapp notes that despite talk to the contrary, WWE and Becky Lynch are still able to use “The Man” if they want, they’ve just elected not to do so recently.
• They’ve moved away from that, maybe because she was a big babyface using that moniker, and she’s playing more of a heel now.
• Meltzer said on WOR that there’s been talk of doing an Adam Cole vs. Hangman Page feud next.
• They ran that program at Revolution. I honestly don’t remember much about it. (1/1)
• PW Insider notes that Tasha Steelz and Jordynne Grace were the ones who pushed hard to do an Ultimate X match for the Knockouts but they didn’t know it was going to happen until it was announced.
• That’s cool that they got to run that match.
• They also say morale at Impact was high after the Hard to Kill pay-per-view, with excitement surrounding the announcement of Mickie James in the Royal Rumble.
• That was cool a moment with Mickie coming out in the Rumble with the title and her Impact music. We really haven’t seen anything like that since - someone actively working for a different company showing up in WWE, especially holding the other company’s title at that time.

January 11, 2022

• Multiple sources told WrestleVotes they believe “WWE will try for an ‘unexpected’ forbidden door entrant for the Men’s Royal Rumble.”
• If they tried, they missed. (0/1)
• WWE “didn’t really want to use a lot of NXT women” for the Royal Rumble match, per Wrestling Observer Live’s Bryan Alvarez.
• They didn’t use any. (1/1)
• Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne worked a dark match before SmackDown last Friday, and individual matches at last night’s Main Event taping. This has led to the usual speculation about their time in NXT coming to an end.
• They’re both on the main roster now. (2/2)
• Drew McIntyre was seen wearing a neck brace in Pittsburgh over the weekend, according to PW Insider. The head of WWE medical, Dr. Joseph Maroon, is based in Pittsburgh. The site confirmed with their company sources that McIntyre was there for tests on his ailing neck.
• He wasn’t out for too long - back by the Rumble.
• Petey Williams has been hired as a full-time producer by WWE, reports Fightful Select. Jimmy Yang, who started trying out in the role at around the same time Williams did, has left the company. Yang told Insider, “WWE chose not to move forward with me being a producer.”
• WWE recently cut back on producers, but I don’t think Petey was one of them.

January 12, 2022

• Ringside News claims WWE has changed its policy to now being completely open to wrestlers appearing who actively work for outside companies.
• They didn’t do that since Mickie.
• According to PW Insider, Melina and Cameron are both expected for the women’s Royal Rumble this year.
• Both women were in it. (2/2)
• Speaking of which, there’s growing speculation that Paige, who has been doing some teasing, could make a one night return for the Royal Rumble.
• This did not happen. Paige’s WWE contract has expired. (0/1)
• Betting odds have Big E has an early favorite to win the men’s Royal Rumble, with Bianca Belair favored on the women’s side.
• Neither won - Brock Lesnar & Ronda Rousey did. (0/2)
• Karrion Kross claimed to Chris Van Vliet that when he was called up to the main roster in WWE there was talk of him working with Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, Bray Wyatt, and Roman Reigns.
• He was released without working anyone of note.

January 13, 2022

• Seth Rollins played to the crowd against The Usos in a dark segment after SmackDown last Friday, leading to speculation from WrestleNews.co and others that he may at least lean babyface for his Royal Rumble program with Roman Reigns.
• If anything, Roman was the babyface. They played up Seth betraying the Shield as the main crux of the story. (0/1)
• The famous “Rock Concert” main event with The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin has been edited out of the Peacock version of Mar. 23, 2003 Raw. A highlight video of the WrestleMania 19 go home segment is still on WWE.com
• Was it super offensive or something? (Probably.)
• Several people in WWE love Wardlow’s potential and the company will try to lure him away from AEW when his contract is up, tweets WrestleVotes.
• AEW is pushing War Dog big time.
• On his What Happened When podcast, Tony Schiavone revealed AEW picked up a two-year extension on his existing contract. He’ll remain with the company through at least mid-2024.
• Tony Schiavone has been such a big addition to AEW.
• According to PW Insider, Moose & Deonna Purrazzo were “banged up” after their matches at Impact’s Hard To Kill PPV, but haven’t missed any bookings as a result. Trey Miguel and Rosemary weren’t so lucky, and will miss this weekend’s Wrestling Revolver show due to injuries suffered last weekend.
• Being banged up after a big show feels par for the course.

January 14, 2022

• Fightful mentioned that WWE is planning to bring the Elimination Chamber to their next show in Saudi Arabia, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 19.
• That’s correct. (1/1)
• Someone in Saudi Arabia told Mat Men’s Andrew Zarian that WWE might also tape an episode of Raw while they are there.
• They did not. (0/1)
• It sounds like Triple H was “bummed out” by WWE’s sweeping cuts to NXT and Performance Center staff last week, per PWTorch’s Wade Keller. Triple H was building the team he planned to use if he ever ran the main roster, but that group was suddenly dismantled by the releases.
• They really undercut much that he did in NXT.
• While discussing Asuka’s potential return for the upcoming Royal Rumble match, Zarian stated, “she should be cleared now.”
• She wasn’t in the Rumble. There were conflicting to reports of why.
• On his “Les Anti-Pods de la Lutte” podcast, Pat Laprade claimed that former ROH World champ PCO has signed a contract with Impact Wrestling. The deal allows for PCO to work indie dates, but Impact bookings take priority.
• PCO confirmed he’s under contract with Impact. (1/1)

January 15, 2022

• Dave Meltzer tweeted WWE is considering rebranding Elimination Chamber as “WrestleMania Chamber”. He also mentioned that “The Annual Elimination Chamber” has been proposed as a name for the upcoming event in Saudi Arabia.
• While I am surprised they didn’t call it WrestleMania Chamber, they did not use either. (0/2)
• The Wrestling Observer Newsletter says Bayley could return from injury as early as next month, but it’s more likely she’ll be back in March. Sasha Banks is also expected to return in March.
• Bayley still isn’t back. Banks was in the Rumble. (0/2)
• It may have changed due to Roman Reigns missing Day 1 and Banks’ injury, but this week’s Newsletter reports the original plans for WrestleMania 38 were Universal Champ Brock Lesnar vs. Reigns, WWE Champ Seth Rollins vs. Big E, Kevin Owens or Bobby Lashley, Raw Women’s Champ Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair, and SmackDown Women’s champ Charlotte Flair vs. Banks.
• Reigns/Lesnar & Lynch/Belair were the only ones that happened.
• Hiroshi Tanahashi announced he’s re-signed with New Japan.
• A New Japan legend.
• Sunny allegedly threatened to kill her intimate partner with scissors before she was arrested on Thursday, per TMZ. She appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to the officer who witnessed the incident. The alleged victim was not harmed.
• Sunny’s life is in complete disarray. It’s very sad.

This week: 8/18 - 44%

Overall: 4,216/7,417 - 56.8%

Have a great week, everyone!