Rumor Roundup (Jan. 28, 2023): Vince McMahon return, Rousey absence, WWE exit, AEW injury, 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:

• According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince McMahon has not been taking part in creative meetings since his return to WWE, nor has he appeared at any TV tapings. McMahon previously had a reputation for working extremely late hours, but “he leaves work now at a normal time since his duties are lessened.”
• The Observer notes that pro-Stephanie people inside WWE say she chose to step down after her father’s return because she expected to be demoted anyway, and had already made the decision when she took a leave of absence last year that she didn’t need the job or the money.
• Dave Meltzer writes that as of a couple days ago, Ronda Rousey is not scheduled to be in the women’s Royal Rumble match. She’s not booked for the show because WWE “didn’t want to marginalize her star power by being just someone in the match since she wasn’t going to win it or be the focal point.”
• Meltzer adds that Charlotte Flair isn’t currently scheduled to be in the Royal Rumble match either, despite rumors suggesting otherwise.
• Fightful Select says Kenny Omega has been off AEW television the last two weeks dealing with visa issues. Wrestling Observer Live’s Bryan Alvarez claims the visa issues almost caused Kenny to miss Game 7 against Death Triangle for the AEW world trios titles. Alvarez says the matter is now cleared up, and Omega is expected to return to TV next week.
• Wardlow has been off AEW television due to an injury, per WON, which is why they did the angle on the Dec. 28 Dynamite where Samoa Joe attacked him with a steel pipe and cut his hair. The injury isn’t expected to keep Wardlow out for long.
• PW Insider says Matthew Drew is the latest executive to leave WWE. He came over from DAZN to join WWE in June 2021 with the official title of Senior Vice President, International. It is unknown if he decided to leave on his own, or if WWE fired him.

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.