Rumor Roundup (Aug. 23, 2023): Doom & gloom at WWE, Kairi Sane, Dakota Kai, Rey Fenix issue, 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:

• PW Insider is claiming there is “a sense of doom and gloom among some WWE employees” because folks are expecting layoffs once Endeavor takes over in September.
• The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that Kairi Sane signing with WWE again was partly due to Iyo Sky having so much success and partly due to Triple H being in charge of creative.
• Meltzer also said “the basic issue is that she was and still is very close to [Stardom booker] Rossy Ogawa. [New Japan & Stardom parent company] Bushiroad wanted her exclusive. She wanted to work more dates but Bushiroad wanted exclusivity regarding the more dates which would also mean more money.”
• Dakota Kai wasn’t originally planned to go back out on the road with WWE after her appearance at SummerSlam, says Insider, but that’s changed and she’ll now be appearing on TV moving forward.
• Rey Fenix is likely to miss All In, according to the Wrestling Observer. He’s trying to establish residency in the United States and hasn’t left the country because he has yet to do so. That’s also apparently why he didn’t work AAA Triplemania. This is one of the changes to All In Tony Khan was referencing on the media call.
• Fightful Select also said Fenix is being taken off the card but added there are plans in place to explain it.
• Before it was determined how serious her back injury was, plans called for Thunder Rosa to challenge for the women’s title she never lost as soon as she returned to AEW, says the Observer. That seems like it will still be the plan whenever she comes back, which she says is close but still isn’t confirmed.

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.