Welcome to the weekly Rumor Look Back, where we take a look back at the rumors from six months ago and see what played out as originally stated. Let’s jump straight to that.

July 29, 2022

• Although Seth Rollins vs. not shiny Riddle has been pulled from tomorrow night summerslam card, Wrestling Observer Live’s Brian Alvarez said he was under the impression Rollins was going to have a match at the show.
• Rollins did not wrestle on the show. He and Riddle would fight instead. (0/1)
• PW Insider notes that both Edge and Beth Phoenix were originally set to appear this week raw at Madison Square Garden, but plans changed after Vince McMahon quit WWE. Edge and Beth were also originally booked for summerslam weekend, but it is not known if this still happens.
• I wonder how Vince’s resignation affected MSG company Edge & Beth. Edge is back in summerslam instead of.
• Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio noted that WWE’s top priority following Vince McMahon’s resignation is maintaining the concept of stability in the business. Brock Lesnar Exit smack down Right after Vince’s departure was the worst case scenario in this regard, so WWE made sure to bring him back into the fold. Brock is back smack down by 8:30 p.m. ET.
• WWE moved on without a problem without Vince. I wonder if it was the fact that he wasn’t burning without bothering him, that caused him to force his way in again. Although if I had to guess, he would always come back.
• Andrew Zarian of Matt Means said that the philosophy of WWE Sports Entertainment “resonates in every corner of that company” and is not just a Vince McMahon thing. A lot of people out there don’t think WWE is a wrestling promotion.
• Yes, that should be ingrained there by now. Vince could actually go away and never come back and there would be aspects of his vision that would stick around for years. The language of sports entertainment and public presentation is in the DNA of that company.
• According to Wrestlenomics, all WWE employees were notified last Friday night that they are prohibited from buying or selling any of the company’s stock.
• I guess there is a legal reason?

July 30, 2022

• Now that Triple H is in charge of WWE Creative, it’s believed that the NXT producer will “somewhat return” to his earlier vision. This comes from this week’s Wrestling Observer newsletter, which also notes that the door is more open to wrestlers who “were not as big as [Vince] McMahon wanted.
• This is very personal. It just seems the same and there is no solid talent pool like there used to be. But one particular talent is de-emphasized, like Nikita Lyons. I’ve spoken to people who work in NXT and they felt this was too vague to say a yes/no answer.
• WON also mentioned that Brock Lesnar “looked very happy” when he returned to SmackDown this past Friday after coming off, indicating that he’s happy with everything WWE has given him for his comeback. It’s not clear if Lesnar was actually upset with Vince McMahon quitting or if it was a “great job” move by Brock after “reading the situation”.
• I think Brock is always business first. I think he trusts Vince, and he probably doesn’t trust many people. But apparently it’s okay to continue making money with them.
• Wrestling Observer Live’s Brian Alvarez said that although Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly have been announced for next week’s AEW Dynamite, neither wrestler has been allowed to compete.
• Cole just got back and O’Reilly still hasn’t come back. (1/1)
• Alvarez also claims Dolph Ziggler is Seth Rollins’ “most likely” opponent for the night summerslam It happened.
• There was no match for Seth. (0/1)
• Johnny Gargano’s appearance on Impact Wrestling this week was a “favor” to Sean Ross Sapp. Gargano is not in active talks with the upgrade.
• He ended up signing with Triple H. (1/1)
• PW Insider heard that during Jonathan Grisham’s heated argument with Tony Khan, Grisham brought up his PWI 500 rating as evidence that he should be better booked.
• I wonder if this is true. It’s a crazy argument if it is.

August 1, 2022

• Bryan Alvarez mentioned on Twitter that Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan “cut a lot of time” from their match at summerslam due to The Miz and Logan Paul going off early in the night.
• I don’t remember the feeling of the match feeling like it changed for a little while. But it was really all about the controversial outcome.
• PW Insider says Vince McMahon’s name has been removed from everywhere behind the scenes at WWE shows.
• I wonder if he’s started sneaking around again, even though he didn’t seem to be on TV.
• Becky Lynch turns her adorable face into a summerslam It was a Triple H call, which PW Torch says Vince McMahon had no plans to turn in before he quit.
• She was still pretty and getting cheers, even though she played very well against Bianca. She said that Triple H discussed it shortly after.
• According to Fightful Select, there was a new pitch for Bayley, IYO SKY and “longtime” stable Dakota Kai but Vince McMahon turned it down.
• I’m sure he did.
• Fightful also notes that they were unable to confirm IYO SKY signed a new contract with WWE but received word that it “seems to be.”
• It is difficult to know the details of contract statuses unless one of the parties actively talks about them.

August 2, 2022

• Regarding yesterday’s report of Sasha Banks & Naomi returning to WWE, Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer Daily Update, “I don’t know it’s signed yet but it’s moving in that direction and internally they expect it to happen.”
• It didn’t happen. (0/1)
• Despite the corner that was played after the game in summerslamPW Insider says Ronda Rousey is still listed internally in WWE as the best female face on SmackDown.
• She turned heel too soon.
• It’s pretty obvious, especially after his win last night, but Fightful Select reports that Tommaso Ciampa would likely be a huge beneficiary of Triple H taking over WWE Creative.
• Unfortunately, he is currently infected.
• Brock Lesnar’s Tractor Site summerslam Where lifting the ring was “much rougher and more difficult than anyone had planned,” according to Insider. This is despite the fact that WWE had at least one rehearsal on Friday with someone from the production team driving the tractor.
• I can imagine this is a difficult place.
• Bobby Lashley told Fightful he was approached by a “naked boxing company representative” about fighting Mike Tyson. Although negotiations are still in their early stages, Lashley said he is interested.
• I don’t think we’ll see that.

August 3, 2022

• PW Insider says that one of the big changes that has taken place within WWE recently is the relaxation of restrictions around wrestler promotions. They are allowed to improvise more.
• In general, this makes for better promotions, although some people might be better off scripting them more accurately.
• This obviously includes matches, as they are also told that the Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus match has begun smack down Last week a lot of it was called in the ring instead of planning ahead.
• I don’t know if the matches have been rehearsed more under Vince.
• Fightful Select notes that it’s not surprising that there is a lot of optimism within and even outside WWE surrounding Triple H running Creative now. Morale is high now.
• Unfortunately, Vince’s return shook those high spirits, even though he didn’t get back to being creative. At least for now.
• On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said Ronda Rousey is booked for Clash in the castle PPV, so her suspension won’t last long.
• You were not in this show. (0/1)
• AEW’s recent branding of “All Elite Women” has led to speculation that a new show will be created for the women on the roster.
• There is nothing about a female show (0/1)

August 4, 2022

• Following up on MJF’s status, Fightful Select reports that he has not reached out to anyone from AEW or “anyone in wrestling” to “admit to listening to him since” since his promotion on June 1. dynamite. Talented and the AEW staff also say they “have never heard Tony Khan talk about MJF.”
• I wonder if this was work and he was in contact with people, or if he was playing that way.
• The site heard that MJF was filming something with the cast Jokers are impractical Last week in New Jersey, but I can’t confirm if that show was on TruTV (another WarnersDiscovery channel like TNT & TBS) or for a spin-off project.
• I don’t know if it’s in the loop Jokers are impractical. I can’t find a clip if it is.
• Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that AEW could add overtime to contracts for wrestlers like WWE in the past: “Their contracts allow it and it has.”
• In general, the amount of control these companies have under independent contractors is not true.
• On The Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T said he turned down an offer for the Harlem Heat to have their “last game” on Starrcast next year.
• He was in the Rumble for a while, but Stevie Ray hadn’t wrestled in years.
• Romance wrestling alert! Tenille Dashwood revealed on Instagram that she is dating WWE wrestler Madcap Moss.
• They played that up on WWE TV quite a bit.

This week: 2/7 – 29%

July 2022: 26/43 – 60%

Total: 4,443 / 7,799 – 57.0%

Have a great week, everyone!