Rumor Look Back: Oct. 9 - 15, 2022

Welcome to the weekly Rumor Look Back, where we look at the rumors from six months ago and see which played out as originally stated. Let’s jump right to it.

October 10, 2022

• PW Insider on Jon Moxley’s contract extension with AEW: “The deal was actually signed right around the All Out pay-per-view...at one point, Moxley’s deal actually expired and he worked on a handshake agreement until they finalized the new deal but there was never any concern internally that he might be looking to go elsewhere.”
• Moxley feels like he’s AEW 4 Life at this time.
• In somewhat related news, Fightful Select says WWE sources have told them they believe Moxley’s wife, Renee Paquette, is headed to AEW.
• That is the case - she’s a backstage reporter/interviewer for them. (1/1)
• A Wrestling Observer source said the issues in the AEW locker room aren’t solved, as the people causing problems were contacted by WWE in some form, and now want to leave but aren’t being allowed to. They also expressed frustration that Tony Khan hasn’t done enough to punish the people who are acting out.
• This was definitely a tumultuous time for the fledgling promotion. And with word CM Punk is on his way back, we’ll see if history repeats itself or if they figured out a way to work it out.
• In a clip making the rounds from his recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Tony Khan mentioned CM Punk along with EVPs Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks as people who have “office jobs” for AEW.
• This was the interview that started some beef between Helwani and Tony Khan.
• Following word he was guest coaching at the WWE Performance Center, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports Oney Lorcan has “actually been back with the company for a while and working full-time in a coaching role.”
• We don’t know the timing but it seems that he’s current working in a coaching role.
• Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Maria Kanellis, and Vincent are all “believed” to have finished up with Impact Wrestling, says PW Insider.
• Taven, Bennett, & Kanellis are in AEW. There was rumor Vincent was going to be part of Wyatt’s stable, but that never happened and Wyatt has been out. If Vincent had a deal in place with WWE, that put the kibash on that. Vincent is in ROH again. (1/1)

October 11, 2022

• Bray Wyatt’s return at Extreme Rules was “well-received” by WWE officials, per Fightful Select. Their report also notes that some of the references used in the White Rabbit teases had to be approved, but otherwise regular members of the WWE creative team weren’t involved in them.
• Unfortunately, the buzz surrounding his return never lived up to the hype. Like with most Wyatt characters, what followed didn’t warrant the actual buzz. I dug what they were doing at his introduction, but this time around I didn’t expect a payoff. And we didn’t get one. Even before he disappeared from TV, it seemed like the plan was changing.
• Wrestling Observer Live’s Bryan Alvarez said there are two reasons why some wrestlers want to leave AEW and return to WWE. First, they have more faith in Triple H leading the way than Vince McMahon. Second, they don’t work enough in AEW and prefer WWE’s busier schedule.
• The latter thing still applies, but with McMahon back in charge, even though Trips is still Chief Content Officer, it makes the first point moot. In fact, it probably becomes a negative.
• Dave Meltzer wrote in Sports Illustrated that WWE contacted Renee Paquette to return to the company for its recent shakeup to the commentary teams, but she rejected their offer.
• With her husband in AEW and a child at home (so likely wanting a lighter schedule), AEW always made more sense.
• Insider confirmed the “Valhalla Awaits” tease that aired on SmackDown last Friday was for the returning Sarah Logan. Fightful says it’s part of a plan to slowly re-introduce her alongside her husband Erik & his Viking Raiders partner Ivar.
• That’s the case. She accompanies them to the ring. She has not done any wrestling. (1/1)
• Mia Yim is officially a free agent after her Impact contract expired recently, according to Fightful.
• She soon joined WWE as part of The Club to try to neutralize Rhea Ripley. The neutralizing didn’t go well. (1/1)

October 12, 2022

• PW Insider notes that Bray Wyatt will be exclusive to SmackDown going forward while Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows will be exclusive to Raw.
• That’s accurate. (2/2)
• For what it’s worth, Andrew Zarian said one of the reasons WWE wants to go TV-14 is due to “holy shit” chants from crowds.
• I think for their current marketing, TV-PG is probably better. But having to edit out “holy shit” chants makes for terrible television.
• According to Fightful Select, R-Truth and Shelton Benjamin are currently listed as a tag team on the internal WWE roster.
• That never played out on TV. (0/1)
• On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer mentioned WWE having interest in signing Matt Taven.
• That did not happen. He went to AEW.
• He also said NJPW could have interest in Taven, as well as Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis, who all recently finished up with Impact Wrestling.
• He hasn’t done any work with Japan.

October 13, 2022

• WWE and USA Network are very happy with the direction of Raw, per Andrew Zarian. He also speculated that Brock Lesnar’s appearance might have been a “make good” for Bray Wyatt not being on Monday’s show after his return at Extreme Rules generated a lot of buzz.
• Raw was definitely better with Triple H running the show.
• Expect to continue seeing main roster stars on NXT, sources tell Fightful Select. The appearances are seen as helping with the television numbers, giving NXT talent a chance to work with experienced wrestlers, and giving veterans a chance to weigh in on how the developmental roster is progressing.
• The New Day won the tag titles at one point so this is correct. (1/1)
• After Carmelo Hayes & Von Wagner worked this week’s Main Event taping, Fightful noted that more NXT stars are expected to “get looks” on the show.
• It looks like that’s the case. (1/1)
• There’s “significant interest” at WWE in re-signing Chelsea Green, according to WrestleVotes. That Twitter account believes she’d be offered a main roster deal.
• She returned very recently. She has a tag title match alongside Sonya Deville next week. (1/1)
• Vice’s Nine Lives of Vince McMahon documentary is no longer listed as airing on Tues., Oct. 18. Wrestling Observer speculates that’s to avoid going head-to-head with NXT and Dynamite that night, and thinks it will still air on a future Tuesday prior to Tales from the Territories.
• It sounds like that ended up being disappointing.

October 14, 2022

• According to Fightful, Triple H was “shocked” by Vince McMahon’s decision to not renew Saraya’s WWE contract this summer. Triple H did try to bring her back to the promotion before she signed with AEW, and she remains on good terms with WWE.
• Saraya got a chance to go wrestle for AEW so she made the right choice. But Vince not making any offer to a woman was very important to their division is disappointing.
• The site also says not only did WWE’s old regime have no interest in keeping her, but they also made no effort to have her medically examined for a potential return to the ring. There was no chance she would ever wrestle again in WWE with the old regime in power.
• Part of me understands the reluctance not to risk it with wrestlers with bad sidelining injuries because it’d look awful if they got hurt again in a severe way. That said, they eventually came around on Edge & Daniel Bryan. I wonder if Saraya being a woman made them more cautious solely in a PR aspect.
• While discussing Adam Cole’s “real bad concussion,” Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Metlzer provided the following timetable on Cole being cleared to return to an AEW ring: “It could be tomorrow, or it could be never.”
• It was just a few weeks back.
• Meltzer says even though WWE discussed changing the date for next year’s Day 1 pay-per-view, it looks like it will remain on Jan. 1, 2023. However, the uncertainty surrounding the date is probably why tickets are not on sale yet. The goal is for the show to become an annual holiday tradition in Atlanta.
• The PPV was scrapped completely. (0/1)
• WWE filed for trademarks on “Uncle Harper” and “Uncle Howdy.”
• Uncle Howdy ended up being part of Bray’s muddled story. Uncle Harper would have been a nice gesture.
• Following news that Chris Bey has signed a multi-year contract with Impact Wrestling, Fightful says the company has extended Eric Young’s deal through the end of 2022.
• Chris Bey has been a featured player for Impact. EY was killed off Impact TV very early December. There’s possibility he signed with WWE prior to the year being up, but we don’t have anything concrete on that.

October 15, 2022

• WWE has plans for the “Wyatt 6” group through WrestleMania 39, according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Dave Meltzer also wrote that “while obviously this won’t happen” now, Malakai Black was discussed for the Wyatt 6 at one point.
• Wyatt 6 never happened. This is another thing that illustrates that whatever the plays for Bray never came to fruition. I don’t know if this would have been worse than what we got, but I also don’t think anyone could say with sincerity that the Pitch Black match was actually good. The feud got LA Knight over at least. (0/1)
• The Observer says Becky Lynch is close to returning from her shoulder injury, and that Charlotte Flair is scheduled to be back soon.
• It was about a month later for Lynch. Two months for Flair. (1/1)
• Jon Moxley will be doing fewer independent dates on his new AEW deal, per the WON. Tony Khan didn’t want Mox to do any. The ones he does work now won’t be advertised in advance so Moxley can back out if he’s “hurting, or if he just feels like spending a weekend with his family.”
• I’m sure indie shows would prefer to advertise someone so big to help sell tickets.
• NXT’s Cameron Grimes will be at Monday’s Raw taping, per PW Insider. It’s expected he’ll wrestle on Main Event.
• Looks like did work that Main Event, going over Akira Tozawa. (1/1)
• Triple H is interested in re-signing free agent Mia Yim, according to Meltzer.
• She signed with them. (1/1)
• The Good Brothers have been working in New Japan without contracts, says Fightful. NJPW was aware of their WWE appearance, and Karl Anderson said he’s still “planning to work the Tokyo Dome”, but Sean Ross Sapp hasn’t been able to confirm if Anderson was working or shooting when he made that comment.
• Anderson did work the Toyko Dome this year.

This week: 12/15 - 80%

Overall: 4,526/7,933 - 57.1%

Have a great week, everyone!