Rumor Look Back: Apr. 18 – 24, 2020

WWE.com

Welcome to the weekly Rumor Look Back, where we look at the rumors from six months ago and see which played out as originally stated. But first let’s knock some outstanding rumors out.

October 25, 2019

• Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Xavier Woods is headed for surgery and he’ll likely be out for up to a year.
• I noted that I already graded the surgery part, but we didn’t know about the return when this first came our way. Now we know it really was about a year given Woods just returned. (1/1)

December 25, 2019

• PW Insider notes that Alexa Bliss will be the wrestler getting their own WWE affiliated podcast. She’ll be recording the first episode “in the next few weeks.”
• This is correct. It’s Uncool with Alexa Bliss. I haven’t listened to it yet. If anyone has, let us know how it is in the comments. (1/1)

February 17, 2020

• The Mat Men podcast says Sasha Banks will be in the second season of The Mandalorian.
• This is accurate! I look forward to seeing her character when it drops. Season starts on the 30th of this month. (1/1)

OK, now onto this weeks rumors:

April 18, 2020

• WrestleVotes notes that Money in the Bank will happen on May 10 as originally planned but it won’t be at the Performance Center.
• It was mainly in the PC outside the Money in the Bank match itself. It did happen on May 10. (1/2)
• Speaking of, PW Insider says WWE already filmed some stuff for that show.
• I don’t know when bits were taped for the Titan Tower match, but they definitely taped the match itself well in advance.
• As far as the new schedule WWE is on that was announced just yesterday, Insider noted that several sources within WWE told them it could very well change again at Vince McMahon’s discretion.
• Like everything else in WWE.
• Samoa Joe still hasn’t been cleared from his last concussion, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• He hasn’t come back to wrestle, though that technically could be due to just not having anything creatively. I’m going to say yes that he hasn’t been cleared just because it has that effect. (1/1)
• Per the Observer, there are no plans to cut Lana and she’ll be staying with WWE.
• That’s the case. She had a title match last Monday even. (1/1)

April 20, 2020

• Per WrestleVotes, WWE has started looking into an alternative plan for WrestleMania 37 if it turns out SoFi Stadium isn’t open in time or if an event won’t be allowed at that time.
• That looks to be the case. We’ll see how it plays, but it looks like events like WrestleMania won’t be allowed there unless something drastically changes soon (and it doesn’t look that way). SoFi is hosting NFL football, but not with any fans.
• Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that there were no real plans to follow up on the Lana/Liv Morgan love storyline.
• Yeah, sounds like it was just a shock factor thing. Though it’s possible they had a bad plan and scratched it when much of the response to it was negative.
• Meltzer also seemed to indicate that the reason WWE went back to taping shows is because the networks told Vince McMahon taped shows wouldn’t change their deal.
• It would be crappy if the networks made them run live TV weekly instead of just getting first run content.
• Mandy Rose told TB Series Hub that she was the one who pitched Vince McMahon to do the storyline with Otis.
• I always enjoy stories like this. When talent are involved in their big angles.
• BodySlam.net has alleged designs on ring gear for The Revival that Vince McMahon wanted them to use for the comedy gimmick he had drawn up for them.
• This is accurate. FTR told Jericho about it on his podcast. The idea wasn’t bad. It was to dress like that because the tag division is a joke but then to go out there and kick ass. But it never would have worked. Dax Harwood confirmed that those images were legit though. (1/1)

April 21, 2020

• WWE’s told everyone they don’t want Roman Reigns name mentioned on television right now, per Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Understandable. Why point out the absence of one of your biggest stars?
• There’s speculation within WWE that Sarah Logan could be brought back soon. According to Fightful, “numerous people loudly went to bat for her” after she was released.
• She didn’t come back. Right not she is expecting her first child. (0/1)
• Two fans on Twitter (Gwen Annabelle and James Logan) removed the voice distortion from SmackDown’s mystery hacker segments and claim one promo was Mustafa Ali, while the other was Chad Gable.
• The hacker was dropped, though Mustafa Ali admitted on Raw that it was him. Apparently Xavier Woods also did some voices for the hacker, likely to throw people off the scent.
• Jinder Mahal told wrestlingrumors.net he’s cleared to return and is just waiting on word from WWE.
• He came back the following week but soon got hurt again. Really sucks when that happens. (1/1)
• Released/furloughed WWE Performance Center coach Kendo Kashin told Tokyo Sports he believes he was let go because of an interview he gave them where he talked about the coronavirus and mentioned not having health insurance.
• That wouldn’t be surprising.

April 22, 2020

• Regarding that anonymous complaint, “a direct source in the know” told WrestleVotes WWE has “not FORCED anyone to work during this time.”
• Of course they didn’t drag someone into work. But I’m sure people felt there would be repercussions and came to work when they weren’t completely comfortable doing so.
• Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler already have heat on the indies, per PW Insider, as Caleb Konley & Zane Riley have been calling their tag team “The Revolt” name for five years.
• Dax and Cash are no longer the Revolt. It’s just FTR.
• Pictures of the set at Titan Towers in Stamford that are floating around show the corporate ladder matches at Money in the Bank will culminate with a traditional ladder match on the roof.
• I mean traditional as you can get when both Rey Mysterio and Aleister Black were thrown off the roof. (1/1)
• Lots of places, including Wrestling Inc, are speculating that WWE has dropped plans to split Bobby Lashley and Lana up as an on-screen couple.
• They split up when Bobby joined MVP. (0/1)
• On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said WWE’s plans for NXT Japan are off due to COVID-19.
• We don’t know if the plans are off or just on hold.

April 23, 2020

• Boston’s TD Garden is telling fans they haven’t heard from WWE about any changes to the plans for SummerSlam, which is scheduled to happen there on August 23.
• It didn’t happen there. It was at Amway.
• WWE did plan to have Rob Gronkowski wrestle at SummerSlam according to WrestlingNews.co, but it’s now unlikely he’ll do much of anything thanks to his return to football.
• He’s no longer with WWE at all. (1/1)
• The boss’ bad moods are a running joke backstage at WWE, per Mike Johnson on PW Insider Elite Audio: “It’s great to get a raise and a promotion, but the raise and promotion you don’t wanna get is the one that’s gonna put you in the direct sight of Vince McMahon.”
• That work environment must be tough.
• Sources told Fightful “the primary line of thinking in releasing NXT talent were people who had expressed their dissatisfaction creatively, or had long tenures there without plans.”
• Deonna Purrazzo was not happy and didn’t paint NXT kindly after her release. And we already knew Tay Conti had issues with the promotion prior to all of this.
• On his podcast, Arn Anderson confirmed that Cesaro is “not a favorite guy of the [WWE] front office” and that Dolph Ziggler has gotten himself in trouble with management for being too outspoken.
• I don’t think Dolph Ziggler gives a shit at this point.

April 24, 2020

• Vince McMahon believes that Raw’s ratings drop is not because of empty buildings and the coronavirus. Instead, it’s because new talent is being featured who still have to get over, and because Brock Lesnar is no longer WWE champion.
• It had a lot to do with the locale I think. But continuing to push Lesnar in lieu of building stars is his own fault.
• Cody Rhodes recently filed for a trademark of the name Cody Rhodes, per Fightful.
• I don’t think he got it. At least he’s not wrestling with it.
• Fightful also says that Killer Kross’ new name of Karrion Kross was his own idea, rather than WWE’s.
• It’s always good to have talent input on things like this.
• On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that Being The Elite is “not dead” but the end is “probably near.”
• It’s still going strong. (0/1)
• Meltzer also noted that MJF will return to Dynamite at the next set of AEW tapings, and he may already be in quarantine ahead of that.
• MJF returned around this time, with his first match back in early May. (1/1)

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This week: 8/12 – 67%

Overall: 3,521/6,260 – 56.2%

Have a good week, everyone. Stay safe out there.

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