Rumor Roundup (July 6, 2023): Triple H absence, Rhea Ripley/Natalya praise, Jim Ross, 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:

• Triple H was not at Raw this past Monday, reports Fightful Select. While his absence did catch some backstage by surprise, it’s believed to have just been a planned day off. He’s expected back for SmackDown. Fightful says Bruce Pritchard ran Raw in Trips’ absence, as is standard procedure.
• Vince McMahon wasn’t present for Monday’s show or Money in the Bank, by the way.
• The “higher ups” who were at Raw “were very happy with the gritty nature of the Natalya vs. Rhea Ripley match,” according to Fightful. Ripley was said to have had her mouth busted open.
• While talking about his recent health issue on Grillin’ JR, Jim Ross revealed he doesn’t have much time left on his AEW contract, but said he’s not worried about what happens when it does as he just wants to enjoy helping younger talents for however long he’s there.
• Diamante has been bumped up to a full-time contract with AEW, per Fightful Select. However, the site’s sources tell them she isn’t on an “All Elite graphic level deal”.
• PW Insider says another wrestler, Trench of Swerve Strickland’s short-lived Mogul Affiliates, exited AEW recently when his contract expired.

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.