Rumor Roundup (Feb. 6, 2023): Charlotte Flair, Dragon Lee debut, NXT wrestlers working indies, 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:

• Booker T speculated on his podcast that WWE is doing Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 39 because of the former’s Hollywood aspirations. Make of that what you will.
• Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that Dragon Lee’s debut in NXT has been affected by issues with his visa. It’s possible they wanted to bring him in for Vengeance Day but it couldn’t happen.
• On that note, he addressed the word going around that NXT would let wrestlers work independent shows. For now, it’s only Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling but the belief seems to be that that could expand to other indies, specifically ones that “have a good relationship with AEW.”
• The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that the reason the rumored Brood Edge vs. Demon Finn Balor Hell in a Cell match at Royal Rumble didn’t happen is because the former was filming a television show and couldn’t be around to build the match up.
• Also per the WON: “There have been a lot more cuts on the corporate side in the past few weeks in different departments since the return of Vince McMahon. The belief is that these cuts are being made to lower the costs to get the company ready for a sale.”
• The Daily Mail’s Alex McCarthy: “Several talents who underwent a character change under Vince McMahon’s tenure have discussed what their future looks like under Triple H, but not all wanted to revert back to their NXT characters or otherwise - but Triple H has welcomed those talks.“

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.