Kofi and Austin Creed join AEW following recent All In appearance

What’s going on with the AEW contract status for some of the EVPs as well as The Acclaimed? Let’s see what today’s rumors have to say about it! Top rumor of the day: Young Bucks and Kenny Omega’s future, and expiring AEW contracts On the latest episode of Talk’N Shop, Karl Anderson said AEW EVPs Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks are going to be “winding down real soon.” He mentioned that Omega and the Bucks’ AEW contracts are set to expire next year, and “when they hang it up, dude, you’re not gonna ever see these guys ever again.” In a more pressing AEW contract story, Fightful Select claims that Anthony Bowens and Max Caster’s deals with AEW are set to expire at the start of October. There apparently “haven’t been negotiations about a new deal, or word new deals will be offered.” As far as The Acclaimed is concerned, is it possible that Tony Khan is trying to free up that money for signing some notable free agents? The rest of the rumors will get into a couple of those possibilities. The rest of the rumors! Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp says former WWE star Ilja Dragunov is definitely coming to AEW once “his visa stuff is squared away.” Sapp also mentioned that Kairi Sane has not yet reached a deal with AEW. The former WWE star has “options” and “really good offers in Japan” that would “not necessarily prevent her from doing AEW.” For whatever it’s worth, Ibou of Self Made Sessions was “given the indication” that “people don’t anticipate Dragon Lee looking to leave WWE” when his contract comes up. After speaking with people who have “direct knowledge of the situation,” Andrew Baydala believes that WWE could land a AAA media rights deal in North America for the first quarter of 2027. It sounds like “a decision/landing spot could be announced in the not-so-distant future.” Per Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, Tony Khan has “probably never been happier with the future prospects of the [AEW] than he is now,” due to Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. being very close to a done deal. Discuss these rumors and others in the comments below, and share your takes on any topic in The Feed!

Happy Hump Day, as always. Here are some rumors for ya. Lead Rumor: AEW uncertainty One of the major stories in the media industry right now surrounds the looming merger of Paramount and Warner Bros., which is relevant to our interests due to AEW and its ties to Warner Bros. A partnership with Paramount is a tantalizing prospect for the number two pro wrestling promotion here in the States but it’s unclear what, if anything, will even come of that. Tony Khan has spoken glowingly about Paramount-Skydance and its head David Ellison. He hasn’t been shy about his optimism for the future of his company under the new umbrella. On Wrestling Observer Radio, however, Dave Meltzer mentioned that while Khan may be excited about future prospects, no one actually knows how all of this is going to affect AEW. “Obviously it’s giant for AEW,” Meltzer said. “But we don’t know if it’s giant good or giant bad.” He would go on to say there’s probably a good chance of AEW moving to streaming through Paramount like the UFC does but not as good a chance of a special on CBS. For now, it’s still a waiting game but answers may finally be coming soon. As a side note, Meltzer also revealed an interesting tidbit: Another wrestling company was apparently negotiating with Paramount+ over a year ago and there was confidence a deal would be done. It never came to fruition, obviously, and once the UFC deal happened everything went cold. Other rumors floating around Self Made Pro claims multiple wrestlers within WWE reacted to the company counter programming AEW with Worlds Collide with mostly indifference. Business is business and all that. Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford do not have contracts expiring soon, says Fightful Select, and they have multiple years left on their deals. Rob Van Dam remarked on his podcast just the other day that he could still come back for a run but he doesn’t believe anything will come his way. He thinks he’ll have “three or maybe four matches” by the end of this year but he would be open to more if something comes along. Rockstar Spud said on his social media he is still working with WWE as writer/producer despite appearing outside the company. Have you heard anything? You know where to talk about it!

There’s never any time to waste when rumors await. Lead Rumor: WWE/TNA partnership talk It was just the other day that rumors had Dave Meltzer was speculating that WWE would be moving on from the partnership with TNA now that it’s become clear they won’t be opposing Dynamite on Wednesday nights and haven’t done much to hurt AEW. That was, apparently, the reason for the partnership from the beginning. Well, now that all the teams in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic have been announced and TNA is suspiciously absent from the field, folks are curious. To that end, WrestleVotes had some word on the situation. They say the partnership between WWE and TNA is not over but it’s definitely not as strong as it once was, and it’s simply not as important to NXT as it was even six months ago. The focus now is on AAA more than TNA. Which makes a whole lot of sense, for obvious reasons. Other rumors floating around In a Fightful Select Q&A, Sean Ross Sapp told an interesting story: Apparently WWE let Damian Priest’s contract expire while he was holding the Money in the Bank briefcase. Obviously it all worked out in the end. Sapp also brings word that Britt Baker is “back on the road with All Elite Wrestling and expected for several upcoming television dates.” Some folks found WWE filed to trademark “SmackDown” on Sept. 18. Fightful noticed that Mara Sade’s official website listed her as “now” being with AEW in her bio, but it’s since been removed. Sade exited TNA recently, and is dating Kevin Knight. Get in on this with anything you may have heard, y’all.

We’re starting the week off strong with plenty of rumors to go around. Lead Rumor: Botched finish in Owens-Zayn match Hey, remember how weird the finish was to the Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn WWE championship match on Friday Night SmackDown this past week? The referee seemingly counted to three after CM Punk interfered with a belt shot but the match continued anyway. There was at least some question as to whether or not Owens was supposed to kick out and didn’t. Well, the word from Fightful Select is that Owens did not make a mistake in not kicking out but rather the referee made a mistake in not calling for the bell after the count. That was indeed supposed to be the finish of the match, the referee simply failed to stop it there. The wrestlers involved did a fine job of adjusting on the fly in getting to the finish from there, with Zayn pinning Owens to retain the championship. Other rumors floating around Andrew Baydala claims he has heard that WWE will air the Worlds Collide show live on YouTube. He does say “things change change” but the current thought is they will air the show on YouTube. The Observer notes Dragon Lee and Dralistico have contracts coming up and, seemingly in preparation for it, have trademarked the name “Hermanos Lee,” leading to speculation on their future together. Bryan Alvarez has since followed up to say “there are at least four Latin WWE/AEW talent whose contracts are coming due between October and February.” He specified that does not include the Lee brothers. Many have noticed Paige is now officially listed as a member of the SmackDown roster on WWE.com, when she had been a free agent previously. According to Fightful Select, there were some wrestlers who were released by WWE earlier this year who were making what was thought to be under the main roster minimum. Meanwhile, they offloaded some huge contracts, enough so that they could bring in names like Zilla Fatu, Big Cass, and Baron Corbin on lesser deals. You got any to add in here? Do it!

We made it to the weekend, let’s celebrate with rumors. Lead Rumor: Ilja Dragunov signs with AEW Well, it was only a matter of time, huh? The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is now outright saying AEW has indeed signed Ilja Dragunov and he “should be starting very soon.” Dave Meltzer noted these deals often take weeks to put together and it was “apparent in August” that he was going to be coming in. This was an expectation per prior reports from the likes of Fightful, but the WON is saying it’s done. Fightful Select has chimed in with more to say that AEW has further confirmed the signing by continuing to work on materials for his debut, like graphics and what not. They’re also “sorting out his visa situation.” There isn’t much room on the AEW roster, and it just keeps getting bigger, but Dragunov is an immensely talented wrestler who deserves a spot on television, no matter what company is giving it to him. Here we go! Other rumors floating around PW Insider reiterated word from elsewhere that Roman Reigns went over Penta on Raw in Mexico City not as a reflection of Penta but rather the long term story at play with Reigns — a WrestleMania 43 main event against Oba Femi. Dave Meltzer speculated in the WON that WWE has pulled back from its partnership with TNA due to the promotion failing to secure a TV deal on Wednesday nights to hurt AEW. Because TNA didn’t make a big dent in anything AEW, the promotion may be moving on from it, as evidenced by the lack of WWE involvement in Bound for Glory. Per WrestleVotes, WWE is interested in running Mexico City for Raw and SmackDown around Triplemania next year, thanks to the success of this year’s trip south of the border. The Observer says the issue with Tessa Blanchard and MLW did not involve anything related to the women’s featherweight championship but no one is talking about the real reason for the issues. Get in on this with anything you’ve heard!

What will WWE do if their wrestlers can’t safely travel to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel? Let’s see what today’s rumors have to say about it! Top rumor of the day: WWE’s backup plan for Crown Jewel According to WrestleVotes Radio, WWE is internally discussing the situation after the United States’ warning this week about reconsidering travel to Saudi Arabia. Crown Jewel is currently scheduled to take place on November 7 in Riyadh, so there isn’t much time left for WWE to come up with a backup plan and put it into effect if a change needs to be made. A source in the company told the outlet that even if WWE can’t run an event in Saudi Arabia on November 7, there will still be a PLE on that date at a different location, due to WWE’s commitment and business deal with ESPN. It sounds like WWE will keep the same theme and name for the PLE even if the location is changed. The bigger question that needs to be addressed is if WWE will still send its talent and crew to Saudi Arabia and move forward with running Crown Jewel there despite the updated travel advisory. The rest of the rumors! A source told WrestleVotes that several people in WWE believe Penta is now a main event star and deserves that kind of push after losing the world title match against Roman Reigns on Raw in Mexico City. Even though WWE doesn’t have plans for a Reigns vs. Penta rematch, the company feels good about booking it on a future PLE if needed. Votes indicates that WWE has plans to call up Kelani Jordan to the main roster after her run with the NXT championship is over, which should happen by the end of 2026. They featured her in a Money in the Bank qualifying match on this week’s Raw in order to introduce her to the main roster audience. According to Fightful Select, WWE’s new three-year deal to bring premium live events to Perth, Australia, which begins with the return of Wrestlepalooza this December, could potentially include “a major PLE” in 2028. Royal Rumble and Survivor Series were specifically named as candidates for such an event. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp heard that one reason why AEW rarely ever runs house shows is because President Tony Khan is adamant about being backstage at every single AEW event, and it’s just not feasible for him to fire up the jet so often on a busier schedule of live events. With that in mind, Sapp went on to speculate that the reason why AEW is running the October 3 episode of Collision in northern Kentucky is because Khan’s Jacksonville Jaguars have a road game nearby in Cincinnati that weekend, which makes it convenient for Khan to be there for both the Jaguars game and Collision. Per Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer, AEW star Jeff Jarrett is “very interested” in becoming a “semi-regular” performer in CMLL following his match tonight in Arena Mexico against the 66-year-old Blue Panther at CMLL’s 93rd Anniversary show. Meltzer compared Jarrett’s idea to “what Johnny TV did, except bigger.” Discuss these rumors and others in the comments below, and share your takes on any topic in The Feed!

Can LA Knight actually beat Roman Reigns for the world heavyweight championship at WWE Money in the Bank? Let’s see what today’s rumors have to say about it! Top rumor of the day: LA Knight has a chance to beat Roman Reigns According to Ibou of Self Made Sessions, even though this week’s Raw took place in Mexico City, WWE never considered booking home country hero Penta to beat Roman Reigns for the world championship. However, there has been an idea floated around for LA Knight to score a shocking title win over Reigns at Money in the Bank. If the megastar is going to get an upset victory over the OTC, the idea calls for Solo Sikoa and/or Royce Keys to be involved in the finish, which gives Reigns a better reason to be drawn into a War Games match with them at Survivor Series in November. Ibou pointed out WWE’s “ultimate goal” is for Roman to lose the world title to Oba Femi at WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia. Devaluing that moment by doing a quick title change to Knight next month is a lower probability outcome. But there’s at least a chance it will happen, unlike with Penta in Mexico. The rest of the rumors! Ibou spoke to several “people in professional wrestling” who believe the direction of Sami Zayn’s WWE championship win over CM Punk is to get the belt onto Kevin Owens. When asked why Punk didn’t simply drop the belt to Owens in their recent title match on SmackDown, Ibou noted that Zayn is sometimes “used as a bit of a political football.” WWE sources told Fightful Select that it’s possible Worlds Collide will be treated as a house show and not be broadcast live anywhere. PW Insider says the event will definitely be taped. The expectation is that it will eventually be available to watch on either YouTube or Club WWE, even though it won’t air live. Following up on this week’s story about TNA’s interest in bringing in “multiple members” of the former Wyatt Sicks faction, Insider heard that Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy are two specific names being discussed by TNA’s creative team. There’s no word about the remaining members Uncle Howdy, Nikki Cross, and Erick Rowan going to TNA. Fightful mentioned that former TBS Champion Maya World is unable to wrestle right now after recently having an undisclosed procedure done. It sounds like AEW hopes she will be able to return to action soon. Discuss these rumors and others in the comments below, and share your takes on any topic in The Feed!

You made it to another Hump Day. I’m proud of you. Read some rumors to celebrate. Lead Rumor: Wyatt Sicks potential move When WWE cut some of its talent roster earlier this year, it was a pretty big surprise when the entirety of The Wyatt Sicks faction was let go. It’s not that it was an indefensible move, but rather they were used often and seemed to have a lot of potential if the company could just figure out a steady way to use them. It never happened, and they were all let go. Some have popped up in various promotions since then but they haven’t been back on television. That could change in the near future, as The Takedown of SI brings word that TNA has “expressed serious interest in bringing in multiple members” of the group. They couldn’t confirm if a deal has been reached at this time, or even which members of the group could be brought in, but the desire appears to be there. Stay tuned. Other rumors floating around Per Lucha Libre Online, executives backstage at Raw on Monday were very impressed with Penta’s showing in his world heavyweight title match with Roman Reigns and WWE realizes they have a big money player in the long term in Penta. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp said in a Q&A that he actually talked to Drew McIntyre recently at a show and while he didn’t get a timetable for a return to WWE, he was told that McIntyre misses wrestling and wishes he could have worked the South American tour. MLW signed Masha Slamovich in early July and has always had plans for her, per PWInsider, which that site is taking to mean that Slamovich was not signed as a replacement for Tessa Blanchard. Insider’s sources haven’t responded to their past inquiries into what happened between MLW and Blanchard. Meanwhile, Dave Meltzer thinks Blanchard would have won the MLW title if the issues with CMLL hadn’t cropped up. Meltzer also said on Wrestling Observer Radio that he “was told that the championship” wasn’t what CMLL took issue with. AEW filed a trademark on the phrase “For The Sickos” for use on merchandise and in general with “entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests”. Natalya said on Busted Open After Dark that she requested to stay in NXT for her program with Jaida Parker. Get in on this, y’all. Share anything you got.

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - SEPTEMBER 11: Sami Zayn celebrates winning the WWE Championship during SmackDown at Arena Ciudad de Mexico on September 11, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/WWE via Getty Images) | WWE via Getty Images Let’s keep the week moving right along, folks. Rumors are here to be had. Lead Rumor: Sami Zayn’s title win Here’s an interesting one worth pondering, from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio — apparently some folks within WWE did not want Sami Zayn to win the WWE championship from CM Punk on Friday Night SmackDown this past week in Mexico City. The match result was certainly surprising, giving Zayn his second run with a title he had previously held for just nine days. Meltzer said “there were certainly people who were against” but of course they ended up going with it in the end. It sets up quite a few potential scenarios, considering the main event scene on SmackDown is loaded with top talent all eager for the number one spot. That ranges from Punk, to Kevin Owens (who was directly involved in the finish), to Randy Orton (who declared his intent to challenge the winner earlier in the show), to GUNTHER, to Finn Balor. We’ll see where the creative team decides to go in the near future but apparently some didn’t want the current direction at all. Other rumors floating around Wrestlevotes noted they didn’t talk to anyone about a planned Seth Rollins return at the Mexico City episode of Raw, and it’s unclear what he’ll be doing when he does return. They also say Stephanie Vaquer winning the women’s world championship from Liv Morgan at the house show was to reward her in her hometown. Ilja Dragunov either has or is going to sign with AEW, per Fightful Select. While Dragunov doesn’t have a non-compete since his WWE contract expired, Fightful’s report says his AEW debut is delayed by “visa expirations or visa hurdles”. Fightful’s also heard that the former WWE U.S. champ will continue wrestling as Ilja, which is his real first name. Their sources weren’t sure if he’d be able to use Dragunov, even though he used it prior to signing with WWE. The Good Brothers said on their Talk’n Shop podcast that they were never offered pay cuts by WWE but if they would have been, they likely would have taken them. Get in on this, y’all. Heard anything?

It’s a new week, and that means new rumors. Let’s go! Lead Rumor: CM Punk going off script CM Punk losing the WWE championship to Sami Zayn on Friday Night SmackDown this past week in Mexico City is obviously the big story coming out of that show. But a note on Punk’s promo on Zayn beforehand is interesting to me, if no one else. If you remember, Punk said he wasn’t going to lose the title to “a guy who broke his hand jerking it to his nine day fluke title win.” That’s quite the remark to make it to live television on WWE programming. As it turns out, at least according to Fightful Select, that was Punk apparently going off script, as such a line was not included in any rundown for the show. That would indicate he was going with his own material. Hey, he’s one of the few who can get away with as much, right? Why not flex that muscle? It’s just a funny line to use that muscle on. Other rumors floating around Everyone backstage is really happy with Bronson Reed getting himself into such great shape before his return to WWE, says Fightful Select. Per Bryan Alvarez, WWE was filming a mini documentary over the weekend for Stephanie Vaquer and that is likely where her title win over Liv Morgan will air proper. Willow Nightingale is expected to remain on AEW television while her hand heals, says Fightful. They also say Steven Borden is “full steam ahead as an on screen wrestler” moving forward with AEW. False Finish notes that Lady Shani is “doing well” after being pulled from her match at Triplemania and she has shown no signs of a concussion. Share any other rumors you may have below, or talk about them here or in The Feed!

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. Let’s jump right to it. March 6, 2026 Following Road Dogg’s exit from WWE and Alexandra Williams’ promotion to lead writer of Raw, Wrestling Observer Live’s Bryan Alvarez heard “it’s possible there is more to come” regarding WWE’s creative team shakeup. I’m not sure if that’s the case. I think it was just time for Dogg to leave. Multiple outlets indicate Dogg wasn’t happy about his new position after WWE’s creative restructuring. PW Insider said he expressed that unhappiness in person to WWE and resigned from the job. He’s kept busy on Twitter for sure. (Not a good thing.) Even though Road is no longer on WWE’s creative team, Insider says he is still under a separate Legends contract with WWE. I’m unsure his value as a WWE Legend without Billy Gunn. According to WrestleVotes, WWE has “worked on logos and specialty merchandise” for NFL legend Tom Brady. This includes slogans like “T-Bone” and “The Untouchable Tom Brady.” Good ol’ T-Bone hasn’t done anything with WWE. He claims he wants to but I don’t know if I buy it. Some people in the company think Brady will make an appearance at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas. It likely wouldn’t for an actual match on the card, but it could be related to his recent beef with certain WWE stars. He did not. (0/1) Sources told Bodyslam.net that WrestleMania 42 will include at least 14 matches across both nights, and that number could possibly reach 16 due to the event’s earlier start time. 13 total. (0/1) The outlet also mentioned that WWE is discussing a main roster call up for Ethan Page. However, he will probably work in “the main event title scene in NXT” before moving up to Raw or SmackDown. His last NXT PLE prior to his call up in April was in a 4-way for the NXT title, so this is accurate. (1/1) Votes heard that May 23 will be the date of WWE’s next Saturday Night’s Main Event. The location needs to be finalized, but Nashville is currently “the leading candidate.” It was the date, but in Fort Wayne, Indiana. (1/2) Alvarez notes that Tony Khan’s decision to move ROH tapings to a studio in Jacksonville may be partially related to saving money: “I think that sometimes AEW had to pay extra money because the shows went so long that the building charged them more for those Ring of Honor tapings.” That makes sense. I can’t imagine he’s making a lot of money on ROH so they shouldn’t pay more than planned to tape it. March 7, 2026 According to Fightful Select, WWE wrestlers are “adamant” that the social media feud between Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill this week was “not a work.” Even so, there is “no concern” about the two stars working together at WrestleMania 42. Who knows, but I could buy it wasn’t a work give it seemed to be pretty personal but also sloppy. But the rumors of heat with Cargill make this easier to believe, which also makes it easier to work us if they were. Meanwhile, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter maintains that the situation was “not a shoot, no matter what people tell you.” We’ll split these rumors. (1/2) The Observer claims there has been some genuine “resentment” in the WWE locker room for Cargill due to her “being pushed while not being good in the ring or anything special on promos.” Even with her unique look, the general feeling is that she “didn’t get over to the level others have”,“didn’t improve in the ring,” and “would blame her partners when matches had issues. That would be a damning assessment from her peers. WrestleVotes says WWE currently has at least five women’s matches planned for WrestleMania 42. It was four. (0/1) While speaking at For the Love of Wrestling 2026, Samoa Joe said he’ll be back in AEW “sooner than later.” It was in April. Though he’s been out for awhile again, this time I believe due to Hollywood obligations. F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer mentioned that Road Dogg’s decision to leave WWE came after he received his annual review, which he “wasn’t happy with.” That episode of Unreal was pretty much his annual review. And I could way he’d want to leave after that too given how they buried the shit out of him on that show. A source close to the situation said this has been “brewing” for a while, with Dogg recently hinting that he might leave after WWE made him pull out of a convention appearance. There was rumor he may sign on with TNA creative but nothing came of that. Sources told Fightful that the angle on Raw where GUNTHER pulled off Dragon Lee’s mask went as planned, and the camera angle WWE used to shoot it was not an accident. That’s good. March 9, 2026 On his Phenomenally Retro podcast, AJ Styles said his new role with WWE will be to help scout talent and work with wrestlers from the main roster to NXT on morale and working to get better overall. What does working on morale entail? Dave Meltzer mentioned on Wrestling Observer Radio that there is a strong belief that Chris Jericho’s AEW contract was extended due to time missed in 2025. It’s possible, though he re-signed with them so it doesn’t really matter. Another from Meltzer on WOR: While WWE business is doing great, the booking is being done like WWE is struggling right now and pressure due to unexpectedly poor ticket sales for WrestleMania 42 has led to safer match choices, like Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton. This all makes sense. It feels like they were in a bit of a slump so scrambled to get out of it, but didn’t remember the old adage, “Dig up, stupid!” The Bella Twins told Access Hollywood they will be a part of WrestleMania 42 next month. They were until Nikki got hurt. But both were still there, even if only Brie wrestled. Jordynne Grace is now in a walking boot after her injury from the SmackDown tapings this past Friday, says PW Insider. I’m a fan of Grace, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s on the next batch of main roster releases. She’s been MIA for a long time. March 10, 2026 Before pivoting to Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42, WWE discussed doing Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre in a Hell in a Cell match, per PW Insider. Going to Drew/Cody yet again would have felt like overkill. That did that feud to death. WWE currently plans to keep the Rhodes/Orton WWE title match one-on-one rather than add a challenger or two, according to Wrestling Observer’s Daily Update. That’s the case. (1/1) According to WrestleVotes, Bron Breakker’s injury status is holding up some of the WrestleMania 42 card, and it’s why Brock Lesnar is doing an open challenge gimmick. If Breakker can go he’ll get the match against Seth Rollins and it could be Lesnar vs. LA Knight. If he can’t, Knight could miss the card altogether in favor of Lesnar vs. Rollins. Breakker didn’t make it back in time for the Seth match but it wasn’t Lesnar vs. Rollins either. And LA Knight was on the card. (0/1) Bryan Alvarez said on Wrestling Observer Live he’s heard there is confusion within WWE regarding where NXT’s Stand & Deliver premium live event will air, though there was a mention on Peacock. That was broadcasted on YouTube. Kevin Knight signed a new multi-year deal with AEW earlier this year, per Fightful Select. They’re featuring him often. Discussing reports about Konnan’s health on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said, “He’s been in and out of the hospital, mostly in,” for about the last six weeks. Meltzer said he believed Konnan would address the situation soon, and sent best wishes. Konnan didn’t really address it. According to Disco Inferno, he prefers not to speak about it on the podcast. Sounds like he had both legs amputated unfortunately. March 11, 2026 For what it’s worth, Self Made Pro claims Cody Rhodes himself pushed for the match with Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42. Probably saw that as the biggest match. They also say that LA Knight was moved to Raw from SmackDown because he didn’t want to be there any more and he isn’t shy about how vocal he is with the WWE creative team. I mean that can be true, but I’d be surprised if he made a stink about his brand. One more from Self Made: there was a plan for Giulia vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Jordynne Grace for the United States championship at WrestleMania 42 before Grace suffered her injury. None of those women were on the WrestleMania card. On WrestleVotes Live, Votes said: “There have been conversations that… I don’t want to say WWE has invited Steve Austin to Raw next Monday night on 3/16 in San Antonio, Texas, but there are people who work for the company that are very hopeful Stone Cold Steve Austin will be on that Monday Night Raw.“ He was not. Per Post Wrestling, they have a source who maintains ESPN removed letter grades from WWE reviews of its own volition and without being influenced by WWE as was initially reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Post had multiple sources who corroborated the WON report, however. Much more here. So maybe they did, maybe they didn’t. The only wrestler in AAA signed to a full time WWE deal is El Hijo del Vikingo, says the Observer, but they are working on “getting tons more signed,” which would include “basically everyone who is featured on TV to any real degree.” I would assume they’d have to. The outlet Record out of Mexico claims Nino Hamburguesa was fired by AAA due to pressure from WWE after he struck a fan in the crowd at an independent show. That’s a fair reason for termination. March 12, 2026 The consensus among PW Insider’s WWE sources is that Oba Femi will face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42. Indeed. (1/1) After a recent rumor indicated the injured Jordynne Grace had been planned for a Triple Threat Women’s United States title match at WrestleMania, a report on Bodyslam’s Patreon says the Women’s U.S. title match will now be a one-on-one between Giulia and Tiffany Stratton. Not at Mania it was. It did happen, but it was on SmackDown. (0/1) WWE pulled the “Ricky Saints Absolute Experience” concert from the March 3 NXT from its social media channels due to the negative reaction the segment drew online, according to Fightful Select. It apparently wasn’t Saints’ idea, as he’s been trying to avoid drawing comparisons to The Rock. Ouch. While NXT officials seem to have known the concert wasn’t great, Fightful reports there are no worries about Saints going forward. However, it was noted that WWE hadn’t planned on the former AEW talent spending a whole year in NXT when he joined the brand last February. He’s on SmackDown, but hardly featured. Fightful also says Will Ospreay has been working out in the ring before AEW shows. After neck surgery last year, the Brit seems to be on target for a “return to form as it relates to the level he was competing at before.” The site’s heard they’re hoping Ospreay can be on August 30’s All In, and back for some of the build to this year’s return to Wembley Stadium. He won the title at that show. Before his appearance with Fit Finlay on Tuesday’s NXT, William Regal hadn’t been seen at the WWE Performance Center or on the road with the main roster in quite some time. That per PW Insider Elite, which also heard that Finlay and Regal will be NXT regulars with Birthright. That’s the case, including Regal continuing a very long running bit this week. (1/1) This week: 6/13 – 46% Overall: 6,469/10,976 – 58.9% Have a great week, everyone!

We made it to the weekend. Let’s get it started with some rumors. Lead Rumor: Possible WrestleMania plans When WWE heads to Saudi Arabia next year, they will do so for the company’s biggest show of the year — WrestleMania 43, which still doesn’t have an official date but will take place in April 2027. Because it’s in Riyadh, the expectation has been that they’ll pull out the big guns for the main event, like maybe even getting The Rock for the show. That may not be the case after all. Indeed, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter indicates the current belief is WWE is building to having Roman Reigns defend the world heavyweight championship against Oba Femi on night two. Dave Meltzer was quick to note, however, that plans can and likely will change between now and then but as of right now at least, that appears to be the plan. It makes sense, considering they started building to that after Femi’s dominant win over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42, and they’ve done a great job of fanning the flames in the months that have followed without going too far into it. There’s plenty of backstory to draw on once we get to WrestleMania season and WWE is trying to decide who should win the Royal Rumble. Again, this isn’t set in stone just yet but it’s no surprise they are working with the idea for now. Other rumors floating around The Wrestling Observer Newsletter also brings word of an update on Bayley’s contract status — she has not signed a new deal with WWE but apparently she did agree to terms a few weeks back and that’s when they started treating her like a member of the roster again by mentioning her on TV and then bringing her back. The expectation is she will sign the new contract. WWE is planning to do a taping for both Raw and SmackDown in Brooklyn on Nov. 2 to account for Crown Jewel travel, says PW Insider Elite. Former WWE ring announcer Samantha Irvin was on a non-compete that covered two years, says the Observer, and it will end next month. Per False Finish, there have been “creative discussions regarding a potential team of Ivy Nile and Jordynne Grace.” Both are currently off television. WWE filed to trademark “Iron Built”. The language used in the filing matches what they usually use when trademarking wrestler or faction names and catchphrases. Get in on this, y’all, or just share your thoughts below or in The Feed!

Was it a work or a shoot when Oba Femi elbowed Bronson Reed’s foot off of him? Let’s see what today’s rumors have to say about it! Top rumor of the day: The incident between Oba Femi and Bronson Reed According to WrestleVotes Radio, there was “definitely backstage chatter” in WWE about the heated moment on this week’s (Sept. 7) Raw when Oba Femi shoved Bronson Reed’s foot off of his body. Oba’s swift reaction was apparently not part of the script for their segment. It sounds like people in WWE were caught off guard by the incident and not happy about what they saw. It’s not clear if that negative reaction is directed towards Bronson putting his foot on Oba, Oba knocking it off, or both. Perhaps we’ll be able to tell if either star now has backstage heat based on their booking in the coming weeks. The debate among fans will continue on from here, but at the very least, it sounds like we can rule out the notion that everything that happened on camera was all part of WWE’s creative plan. The rest of the rumors! A source told WrestleVotes that WWE’s interest in working with Disney predates its current business deal with ESPN, so WWE has been trying to build this relationship for a while. One idea on the table involves WWE using the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando for “events, festivals, and larger fan experiences.” The discussions also include a WWE concept similar to ESPN Fan House, and WWE talent appearing on Disney+ programming. Just in case it wasn’t obvious, Votes mentioned that the reason why WWE scheduled the start time for Worlds Collide at 8 pm ET is to “directly compete” with AEW All Out, as both events take place in the Chicago area that night (Sept. 26). The outlet also heard that WWE has some “unexpected elements in store” for this weekend’s Triplemania 34, with night two being the card to especially keep a close eye on. PW Insider mentioned there was a “huge group of visitors” backstage at this week’s Rebel Heart episode of AEW Dynamite. Killer Kross, Scarlett Bordeaux, Gail Kim, Dasha Gonzalez, and Christy Hemme were among the visitors on hand to “show their love and support” for Tanea Brooks aka Rebel as she battles ALS. When asked about why the Young Bucks lost a Tables match on Dynamite, Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer speculated it could mean the plan is for them to win the AEW world tag team championship later this month at All Out when they face FTR and Adam Copeland & Christian Cage in a 3-way Ladder match. Discuss these rumors and others in the comments below, and share your takes on any topic in The Feed!

We made it to another Hump Day. Your reward? More rumors, of course. Lead Rumor: Bayley’s situation Bayley returning to WWE television on Monday Night Raw this week was supposed to clear up all the confusion regarding her status with the company. The expectation was if she came back at all, it would likely be because she had signed a new deal. Then, Dave Meltzer outright said that was the case before PW Insider chimed in to say it wasn’t. She has unless she hasn’t, and all that. Fightful has chimed in to say “AEW doesn’t necessarily have that information yet (about Bayley likely re-signing with WWE), and they definitely had high hopes that they would at least be able to make a play for Bayley.” AEW, of course, is where her good friend Mercedes Mone is plying her craft, and they did plenty of teasing for the duo reuniting there. Unfortunately, we don’t seem to be any closer to definitive answers either which way. For now, we’ll just have to enjoy Bayley on WWE television. That doesn’t seem so bad, right?!? Other rumors floating around TKO boss Mark Shapiro said at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference that TKO is working with Disney on holding some special events with WWE in 2027. The current plan is for Johnny Gargano to be featured more after his WWE championship match against CM Punk on SmackDown, says Fightful Select. They also say Jordynne Grace could be back on WWE television soon, doing something “categorically different” than she was doing before. Self Made Pro claims WWE is putting Worlds Collide opposite AEW to try to get a TV deal for AAA while proving it can be successful running up against the number two promotion. Netflix is “constantly” meeting with WWE talent to see if there are way to use them in the streamer’s scripted shows or sports coverage. That from VP Gabe Spitzer’s appearance on Richard Deutsch’s pod, where he also said he expects Bears superfan Seth Rollins will be on the pre-game again when Chicago plays rival Green Bay on Netflix’s Christmas Day NFL game. You heard anything? Share it!

OTTAWA, CANADA - AUGUST 24: Royce Keys makes Jey Uso watch as Bronco Nima and Lucien Price of OTM put Jimmy Uso through the announce table during Monday Night RAW at Canadian Tire Centre on August 24, 2026 in Ottawa, Ontario. (Photo by Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images) | WWE via Getty Images A new week is here, and so are some rumors. Drink freely. Lead Rumor: 946 faction We just recently learned that Royce Keys’ new group with OTM will be known as “946.” We still don’t know exactly what they’re trying to say with that but surely we’ll get more info on it soon. There seems to be a hunger for it, and that’s a good sign for the faction. There’s also apparently already talk of adding a new member. That’s the word from False Finish, who say that while nothing is locked in at the moment, there’s a chance it happens in the relatively near future. Keys will be the leader, and OTM will be his muscle for the time being. At least while they’re being more firmly established on TV. Speaking of which, False Finish also brings word Keys personally chose OTM to become part of his crew and they’ve already filmed material to better explain the connection between Keys, Lucien Price, and Bronco Nima. Finally, they say they’ve received a positive reaction backstage for what they’ve done so far. It feels like a fresh group of monsters that could certainly get over with the right presentation. So far so good. Other rumors floating around Bryan Alvarez noted on his X that “the whole Performance Center was shocked that Wendy Choo was released” by WWE in recent cuts from the NXT roster. A funny one from Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live: he says he’s been asked by folks who work for AEW if Dave Meltzer helps Tony Khan book the shows. He denied as much, of course. TJP told The Certified Mark Show that there have been folks, himself included, pushing for WWE to bring back the Cruiserweight Classic. For what it’s worth, Rush said on his YouTube channel that he should be back on AEW television “in just a few weeks.” You hear anything? Let us know!

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 23: Kofi Kingston makes his entrance during Monday Night RAW at State Farm Arena on February 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/WWE via Getty Images) | WWE via Getty Images We made it to the weekend, let’s keep going. Lead Rumor: New Day pay cut The New Level’s debut with AEW has gone so well, folks are back to taking digs at WWE over the disrespect of asking the legendary duo to take a pay cut. That pay cut is what is being talked about now, with folks like Conrad Thompson making claims that it was “as high as 75-percent.” Kofi & Austin Creed themselves said it was more than the originally reported 50-percent cut, and now Ridge Holland has spoken out and said he was looking at a 56-percent pay cut. To that end, Bryan Alvarez said he believes that “was almost exactly what New Day was asked to take.” We may never know the actual number, but either way it’s clear WWE probably should have tried harder to keep them around. Then again, they claim it wasn’t about the money, so maybe it wouldn’t have mattered? Other rumors floating around PW Insider notes CM Punk has filmed a role for RJ Decker, a series on ABC. According to Fightful Select, Rusev is waiting to get cleared following an undisclosed illness. He should be back on TV soon. Matt Hardy said on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy that his brother, Jeff, is expected back within a few weeks. Get in on this, y’all.

Now that The Creed Brothers are back in NXT, what does Ivy Nile’s future look like in WWE? Let’s see what today’s rumors have to say about it! Top rumor of the day: Big change for Ivy Nile According to Fightful Select, Ivy Nile’s WWE contract is set to expire this fall. Even though Ivy has been relegated to mostly working on WWE’s C-show Main Event this year, it sounds like WWE has a “big change” planned for her if she does indeed re-sign with the company. That comes from sources in WWE Creative, who also claim that these plans for Nile have been under development “for quite a while.” If it’s true that WWE has recently been discussing creative plans for Ivy Nile, there’s reason to be optimistic about the two sides working out a deal for her to remain with the promotion. Then again, all it takes is an insulting 50% pay cut offer for any negotiation to go south. The rest of the rumors! Don’t get your hopes up about the return of UpUpDownDown now that The New Level and Austin Creed (fka Xavier Woods) are in AEW. That’s because former WWE star Tyler Breeze confirmed on X that WWE owns that intellectual property. There is a lot of speculation that WWE superstar Stephanie Vaquer and NXT wrestler Myles Borne may have broken up after they unfollowed each other on social media and deleted various comments and pictures of themselves together. For whatever it’s worth, Andrade told Luchando Por Tus Sueños that he’s currently making more money in AEW than he was being paid in WWE. After Nick Hogan recently told TV Insider that his relationship with his sister Brooke is “in a really good place” right now, Hulk’s daughter clarified to Us Weekly that she and Nick are “not in communication, and his characterization of our relationship does not reflect my experience.” During an interview with 12 News, Jake “The Snake” Roberts said Andre the Giant once got him down in the corner of the ring and laughed while he “sat on me and farted for a good 30, 40 seconds. It was the most amazingly long fart in all mankind. I didn’t think it was ever gonna stop…It was horrible.” Discuss these rumors and others in the comments below, and share your takes on any topic in The Feed!

DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 21: Bronson Reed makes his entrance during SmackDown at Ball Arena on November 21, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Mike Owens/WWE via Getty Images) | WWE via Getty Images Happy Hump Day, rumors are here to greet you. Lead Rumor: Bronson Reed return imminent It’s been quite some time since Bronson Reed has graced our television screens. He suffered a torn bicep in late February and just days later underwent surgery to repair the damage. He’s been working hard to get back in the best shape of his life, and you can absolutely tell from some of his recent posts. The good news is we won’t have to wait much longer to actually see how his new look will translate to television. That’s because PW Insider brings word that Reed is now 100-percent healthy and the expectation is he will be back on the roster on a full time basis within the next month. He will be back on Monday Night Raw, with The Vision holding the world tag team titles while Logan Paul recovers from injury, Austin Theory has shacked up with Maxxine Dupri, and Bron Breakker is obsessed with proving he’s the future over Oba Femi. Can’t wait. Other rumors floating around Self Made Pro are saying The New Level will be “facing The Elite very soon,” so that appears to be the direction for Kofi & Austin Creed in AEW after their Trios title win at All In. Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that Sunday’s double header AAA/NXT event was an “eye opener” within WWE because of how many people treated AAA like the bigger show and left without sticking around for NXT. According to False Finish, Netflix censored the blood on Raw this week due to restrictions in several countries where the show is broadcast. Triple H posting the uncensored version on social media was a response to that. Sean Ross Sapp mentioned in a Fightful Select Q&A show that he hasn’t heard anything about Bo Dallas wrestling after being let go by WWE. Fightful also brings word that Anthony Bowens’ contract with AEW comes up on Oct. 1 and he hasn’t signed a new deal just yet. What’s more, it’s unclear if there are even negotiations between the two sides at this time. Got anything to share yourself? Do it then!

We’re all on a new level on this fine Tuesday, right? Rumors will get you there if not! Lead Rumor: The New Level in AEW Kofi & Austin Creed are the talk of the town after they debuted in AEW at All In, and how they were backstage is also being talked about in the aftermath of their big appearance. According to PW Insider, the word making the rounds is the two were an absolute delight to deal with and never once came across like they were above anyone. What’s more, they went out of their way to introduce themselves to everyone and quite a few folks were impressed by the duo and how they carried themselves. Pretty much the least surprising thing to hear of all time, right? Morale in AEW is great right now, it seems, and The New Level are only adding to that with quotes like “they are everything you always heard about, plus more” and “WWE’s loss is AEW’s gain” attached to the team. The future is bright indeed. Other rumors floating around WrestleVotes notes that WWE is hoping Rhea Ripley will be healthy in time for Wrestlepalooza on Dec. 12 in Perth but “she’ll be there whether she wrestles or not.” Per PW Insider, WWE is working to secure new work visas for AAA talents, trying to get out ahead of any issues for wrestlers they may want to use in the United States going forward. AEW had a really tight schedule for All In, says Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, and talent were told they would get heat for going over time because they wanted to make sure Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay got all their time in the main event. Fightful Select indicates Britt Baker didn’t arrive in London until Sunday morning and didn’t make it to Wembley Stadium until after call time. Her name was brought up multiple time over the couple years she was out, and overtures were even made about a return before All In but it’s unclear why nothing ever came to fruition. According to Bryan Alvarez, Nigel McGuinness legitimately suffered a foot injury in the Continental Challenge Cup tournament and they “turned it into a storyline to get through to Wembley.” Got any to share yourself or just want to yak about these? You know where to do it.