Rumor Roundup (Sept. 14, 2023): Roman Reigns/Royal Rumble, Mandy Rose, AEW ticket woes, 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:

• Roman Reigns wasn’t included in the initial promotional materials for next year’s Royal Rumble. While he can always be added later, this still prompted speculation from WrestlingNews.co and others that Reigns might not be scheduled for the PLE in Tampa.
• While we’re speculating, Mandy Rose responded to a fan question about returning to wrestling via her Instagram Story with: “Funny you asked... your girl may or may not be a free agent very soon.”
• Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics pointed out that there’s a “Buy One, Get One Free” promo code for tickets to AEW Grand Slam next week at Arthur Ashe Stadium. As of Sept. 6, WrestleTix had 6,311 tickets out for the event. Grand Slam 2022’s final count was 13,321.
• Regarding Matt Riddle’s absence from Raw, Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that it was due to illness (specifically, infections in both ears and a case of bronchitis) and not due to his incident at JFK airport on the way back from Superstar Spectacle.
• Riddle said the same thing when he was contacted by Anthony DeBlasi of The Don Tony Show, and added that the ear infection will take 2-6 weeks to clear out.
• Dana White told Big Boy TV that he heard Shane McMahon wanted to buy the UFC in the early 2000s, and Vince McMahon had an opportunity to do it. It didn’t happen because Vince was against the idea.

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.