Rumor Roundup (Jan. 16, 2023): WWE decision making, Cena-Theory, Mercedes Moné issues, 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:

• With Vince McMahon focused on the sale of WWE, Nick Khan is currently making the final call on other decisions at the company, per the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Fightful Select says WWE filmed something with John Cena and Austin Theory when the former came in for the Dec. 30 SmackDown show but it’s unclear what it would be used for.
• On the PWTorch VIP podcast, Wade Keller said that while Mercedes Moné isn’t “CM Punk level of unpopular” at WWE, “she has her critics, and the details I’ve been given indicate that she’s earned it.” He brought this up while saying he’s not surprised the former Sasha Banks apparently didn’t come to terms for a return to WWE or for an AEW debut.
• According to PW Insider, Doudrop is expected to return to WWE around the time of Royal Rumble. She will be on the Raw brand.
• Bill Simmons said on his podcast that he’s still working on the Vince McMahon documentary series for Netflix that was announced years ago.
• Cody Rhodes tabbed Carmelo Hayes and Joe Gacy to help him train in preparation for his return to the ring in WWE, says Fightful.

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.