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Word moves fast in the pro wrestling world, and rumors abound. Let’s get to the talk of the town today.
Top Rumor of the Day: WWE releases
The question of who is in control of the recent batch of WWE releases has been raised time and again in the days following the roster cuts that hit the company post-WrestleMania 42. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer spoke on the situation, noting that “nobody above Paul Levesque is saying who to cut.”
This comes on the heels of fan speculation — not to mention a ton of criticism — directed at parent company TKO and those in charge of it, like Ari Emanuel. Meltzer specifically said he is not “sitting there saying we have to fire Zelina and Kairi. By and large the decision maker, for good or for bad here, is Paul.”
Meltzer likened it to past situations where others were blamed for releases when, in fact, the decision came solely from Vince McMahon.
He also stated it’s possible there is a salary cap of sorts, one that would be set by Nick Khan and Triple H would be the one in charge of keeping them under it. Either way, the key point is Triple H is the guy making the decision on who to release from the roster.
However, Fightful Select has sources telling them it was Triple H, Khan, and WWE talent relations who were the “primary decision makers” regarding the cuts. They also said the releases were done with the idea of making room for new talent coming in, such as main roster call ups and in the case of NXT, new Performance Center signings, which will be announced soon.
Other rumors floating around
- Bodyslam+ notes SmackDown will be moving back to two hours within a few weeks.
- The WON notes there was “a ton of chaos backstage” regarding TKO’s involvement in the creative of WrestleMania 42. They have final say but almost never use it, and only chose to do so at what was called “the most inopportune time.”
- We are getting a Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk program right now because Pat McAfee bailed early after all the backlash surrounding his involvement with WrestleMania, says the Observer. Randy Orton was originally going to win the title, and then McAfee backed out and everything had to be changed around.
- Regarding Ric Flair not being invited to WrestleMania due to a situation with Ludwig Kaiser as he claimed, Fightful Select indicates the belief is he is still signed to AEW and WWE doesn’t seem to remember any issue with Kaiser.
- AEW filed trademark a trademark for “Royal Redemption” Friday, which follows April 14 filings for “Redemption” and “AEW Redemption”.
If you’ve heard any other rumors, feel free to discuss them in the comments below!
