Rumor Roundup (Aug. 5, 2023): Wyatt absence, Orton return, Rousey leaving WWE, The Elite, 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 has been “adamantly told by numerous sources” that Bray Wyatt’s extended absence from WWE has nothing to do with Vince McMahon’s return to power. The reason why Wyatt has not returned yet is because WWE is being “very, very careful with his health.”
• Even though there are reports of Randy Orton being in Detroit for SummerSlam, Fightful Select heard from people close to Orton that he is “nowhere near medically cleared to return” right now.
• The site also confirmed that Becky Lynch is not in Detroit and is not expected to be there for SummerSlam.
• This week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter says Ronda Rousey’s WWE exit will happen “relatively soon,” but it has not been confirmed that tonight’s SummerSlam fight with Shayna Baszler will be her last match.
• Regarding The Elite’s majority rules voting pact to either go to WWE or remain in AEW together, one member of the group told The Observer, “You’d probably be surprised who voted where.”
• Fightful mentions that WWE doesn’t plan to add a last minute stipulation or gimmick to Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. It’s going to remain a standard singles match.
• Robert Roode is in Detroit with WWE and he will work in a producer role at SummerSlam, per PW Insider. Plans also call for him to help out on Monday’s Raw in Minneapolis.

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.