Rumor Roundup (Sept. 15, 2023): Major WWE talent cuts, Jade Cargill leaving AEW, Elias status, 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:

• A WWE source told Haus of Wrestling that “major cuts” are expected to hit WWE’s main roster and NXT talent. These cuts have been planned for a while, but it’s not clear if they will coincide with today’s WWE corporate employee layoffs.
• AEW sources indicated to PW Insider that Jade Cargill’s contract could expire as soon as this week. AEW has had contract negotiations with her, but a new deal has not been reached. There are people in AEW who believe she will be leaving as a free agent to join WWE’s NXT brand.
• Fightful Select claims that the likelihood of Cargill signing with WWE was talked about backstage at this week’s Raw, with some top stars even hearing about it last week.
• Wrestling Observer Live’s Bryan Alvarez said Cargill’s AEW exit is not “100% a done deal” but “the feeling from those within AEW is that she’s gone. She’s going to WWE.”
• However, Wrestling Inc. founder Raj Giri pushed back on the Cargill-to-WWE rumors, stating that “from what I’ve heard is she re-signed with AEW.”
• According to BWE, WWE is discussing “new title schemes” following its merger with UFC. This includes “new names, weight class, trios, etc.”
• The account also claims that Elias is “without a professional contract at the moment,” but he is still with WWE.
• Alvarez heard that Tony Khan “obsessed” over providing an accurate number of paid tickets for AEW: All In London because he didn’t want to be wrong.
• BWE mentions that Drew McIntyre will be re-signing with WWE soon.
• Fightful notes that Heath Slater’s contract with Impact Wresting is expiring soon. He will be a free agent in October if a new deal is not reached before then.

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.