Rumor Roundup (Oct. 23, 2023): Alleged WWE tampering, Survivor Series tickets, Rhea Ripley, 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:

• There were two alleged cases of WWE tampering that Tony Khan took personally, per Fightful Select’s “SRS Backstage Report” show. One was Swerve Strickland, who was approached for a Hit Row reunion shortly after signing a long-term deal with AEW. The other was it “became abundantly clear” WWE was talking to William Regal about a return with Khan’s mother was in the hospital.
• Demand for Survivor Series tickets is so high that Haus of Wrestling says WWE is not offering comps to talent or staff, and production may be scaled back to open up as many seats as possible.
• After a local television station in Rhea Ripley’s hometown claimed she would “headline” Elimination Chamber in Australia next year, Haus of Wrestling spoke to a WWE source who told them that while Ripley will certainly be on the show, “creative will dictate the match and match position.” Of the 7NEWS Adelaide story, the source said it was “local news doing what they do, but all good.”
• Sites such as Bet Online have LA Knight, The Rock, Nia Jax & Raquel Rodriguez as the early favorites to win the 2024 Royal Rumble matches.
• According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the “down the line” teases from WWE indicate Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch, Jimmy Uso vs. Jey Uso, and Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill are all planned for a major event, though it’s unclear which major show those matches will take place on.
• The WON also says that Matt Riddle’s people “have already been in talks with a number of pro wrestling, MMA and boxing companies regarding working there.” His non-compete goes through December, however, so nothing can be announced before then.

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.