Rumor Roundup (Oct. 17, 2023): The Rock, WrestleMania 40 main event plans, Michael Cole absence, 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 what “multiple sources close to WWE” told Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, there are no plans to have The Rock face Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 40.
• “Unless the situation changes dramatically,” Barrasso writes that the main event of next year’s WrestleMania “belongs to Cody Rhodes.”
• LA Knight is the only name SI gives much of a chance to take that spot from Cody, but he’d need “a Becky Lynch/Daniel Bryan-type of groundswell of support” to have a shot. Right now, “Knight is a building block to get Reigns to April.”
• Regarding Michael Cole missing Raw last night, PW Insider says he requested time off for a “personal commitment” a while ago before the episode was scheduled as the season premiere. “It is not an illness or anything similar,” and Cole is expected back next week.
• Sammy Guevara was doing well in his recovery from the concussion he suffered at WrestleDream but recently had “a setback”, per Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. Guevara wants to return this week when Dynamite is in his hometown of Houston, but it’s not a sure thing he’ll be cleared.
• Jade Cargill filed to trademark her name on Oct. 11. Purposes listed on the filing include, “Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer.”
• On WOR, Meltzer said Tony Khan wants to make the Mistico/Rocky Romero match on Rampage this week “an authentic Arena México match with the Arena México video footage [and] with the Arena México music.”

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.