Double standards are always going to exist in wrestling

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 15, 2024

• Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer heard from people in WWE who think Triple H didn’t realize how charismatic Will Ospreay is, and that’s one of the reasons why WWE offered Ospreay “a lot less money” to sign with them instead of AEW.
• I do think his charisma may have been underrated by folks who didn’t watch him regularly prior to AEW. I count myself as one of those people who didn’t realize just how charismatic he is.
• Meltzer mentioned there were 9500 fans in attendance for the AEW debut of Mercedes Moné at this week’s Big Business episode of Dynamite at TD Garden in Boston.
• Good showing.
• According to Fightful Select, CM Punk kept a low profile at this week’s NXT taping, with many people backstage unaware he was even there until they saw pictures of him online.
• Getting in and getting out without people knowing you’re there is a move I generally respect.
• The site also heard from AEW sources who confirmed that Mercedes Moné has already been with the company for “over two months,” and it sounds like she’s signed to a multi-year deal.
• Likely just waiting until she was cleared until debuting her.
• PW Insider says WWE is planning to bring in the following legends for WrestleMania week: JBL, Ron Simmons, Michelle McCool, Kane, and Jimmy Hart.
• This bring in a lot of folks for their biggest week. None of them were on TV. JBL is currently working outside WWE.
• Per F4WOnline, this June’s Forbidden Door event will include Stardom and CMLL wrestlers. It’s believed that more than one Stardom wrestler will also be scheduled for the ROH Supercard of Honor PPV on April 5.
• This is accurate for both shows. (2/2)
• AEW star The Butcher claims that an image of Snoopy was on the other side of Kyle O’Reilly’s backwards hat during his promo on this week’s Dynamite. The director saw the image of Snoopy and told Kyle to turn the hat backwards. “Don’t believe what anyone else says.”
• I know he’s not public domain so I guess they want to avoid showing a trademarked character on TV?

March 16, 2024

• F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer says Bray Wyatt was “on the list at one point” for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024, but that’s no longer part of WWE’s plan. However, Meltzer is under the impression that Bray “will be put in soon.”
• I guess we’ll have to wait a year or two on “soon.” He wasn’t in last year, which I think was the right call. They had the documentary that time. Now we can honor him again in a year or few. (1/1)
• Fightful’s NXT sources were skeptical about Booker T’s claim that he and CM Punk almost had a backstage altercation at this week’s taping. The sources weren’t aware of any confrontation taking place, security wasn’t aware of a confrontation, and there was no talk of a backstage incident between Punk and Booker T.
• This was Booker being full of shit.
• The people that Fightful spoke to were frustrated about Booker T making this claim about Punk, especially “given Punk’s history with backstage altercations.” It was reiterated that CM has not had any backstage issues since he returned to WWE. He has generally been helpful behind the scenes and was in good spirits this week at NXT.
• The frustration was definitely understandable, but it didn’t up being a thing at all.
• Sean Ross Sapp was told there will be more focus on the AEW women’s division now that Mercedes Moné is on the roster. It sounds like there will be a Mercedes segment in addition to the normal women’s segment on the TV shows.
• I think that’s accurate though now that she has the TBS title, that is filling a segment that would have had time anyway. (1/1)
• One of the women’s stars in WWE told the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that they heard Moné is now “the highest paid woman in pro wrestling.” The WWE star is thrilled about Moné’s deal because it creates a better market for the top women wrestlers in the industry.
• I wonder if we’ll learn that other women get big deals in the future.
• WWE is considering changes to their PLE pre-shows that could be implemented this year, per PWInsider Elite. WWE is said to be looking at ESPN College GameDay as a model, and hoping to have the Kickoffs feature more “live, high-energy, free-flowing discussion” about events and big matches.
• We looked back and it looks like prior to this time, they were all studio shows with someone like Bryon Saxton on site. But at a show like Bash In Berlin, it was a panel in front of folks which is similar to GameDay. (1/1)

March 18, 2024

• SEScoops claims that recently a memo was sent out internally by WWE brass emphasizing talent adhering to PG guidelines on TV. However, this apparently led to some discontent considering the nature of The Rock’s promos on television including so much profanity, something he recently joked about on social media.
• I’m sure some every day wrestlers feel that it’s a double standard for the Rock. But they also have to understand why that is. If WWE feels someone is going to draw more and get them more attention, they’re going to have looser restrictions. It seemed like Lesnar had a lot more freedom too. In general the idea is if someone is drawing well, everyone in the back benefits. Though that was more the case when there were individual draws that changed gate numbers as opposed to WWE being the star itself.
• Sticking with Rocky, Fightful Select claims his segment on SmackDown went over time and some changes were made because of it. However, Brian Gewirtz responded to this by saying “the segment went 30 seconds under its allotted 20 minutes.”
• I don’t look at Gewirtz as an obvious reliable source since the Rock’s his guy so him saying it doesn’t make it definitely true. Not that it’s not. So we don’t really know.
• For what it’s worth, Booker T claimed on his podcast that Sami Zayn was “so literally upset about the online heat that he got from fans” after he beat Chad Gable to win the Gauntlet match on Raw last week.
• Booker T claiming a lot of things this Look Back.
• Shawn Spears told Fightful that he tried to enter the Royal Rumble this year but it was “too late.”
• #10.
• PW Insider says a ticketing issue is to blame for May TNA TV taping events not going on sale as scheduled this past weekend. Once it’s resolved a new on sale date will be announced.
• Tough snag.

March 19, 2024

• Regarding the recent report about The Rock’s profanity use on WWE television and social media, Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer has heard from talent who are upset about there being a double standard at the PG company. One said that Rock can do whatever he wants because he’s on the TKO Board, and has “an entire team of representatives that he surrounds himself with” who handle any issues that come up so Rock “stays out of the mess”.
• I mean that’s a totally fair reaction from that talent.
• Meltzer downplayed the idea that FOX is upset about Rock’s profanity, as they get scripts of his segments in advance and know when to bleep him.
• Fox is probably happier if he brings in ratings.
• Both WWE and AEW offered Mercedes Moné contracts that would have been worth $10 million or more over their duration, according to PW Insider. That means the one she signed with AEW likely makes her the top paid female performer in pro wrestling history.
• I think AEW was the right call for her to help add to her overall legacy/reputation.
• Insider’s sources told them WWE had “top flight execs” involved in recruiting her and “absolutely wanted Mone back ‘in the family’”.
• I also think we’ll see her in WWE again one day. Sounds like she does too.
• Mercedes chose AEW as she felt it gave her more flexibility to pursue outside acting, music, and fashion ventures. PW Insider also reports she decided based on which deal “would allow for stronger potential, not just for herself but for additional and future women in professional wrestling.”
• I think she’d have that opportunity in WWE more than she did prior. But likely more freedom in AEW.
• A recent ESPN profile on Moné confirmed she signed a “multiyear” deal with AEW.
• I couldn’t imagine they’d sign her just for a year.
• After Shayna Baszler was announced for Bloodsport, Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer wrote that allowing a WWE-contracted wrestler to work the WrestleMania week indie show Triple H’s call: “Paul Levesque has a different view on these things than Vince McMahon had”.
• He definitely seems more flexible. It’s still going to have the standard WWE rigidness though.
• Meltzer said on Observer Radio that he knows other indies want to bring in WWE talent in the wake of the Baszler/Bloodsport announcement.
• If the door is open, of course they’d want to get in on the action.

March 20, 2024

• Cody Rhodes was given special permission to curse on Raw this week because they wanted him to “stay babyface” and have a strong response to The Rock’s promo in Memphis, according to the Wrestling Observer.
• When the Rock is part of the story, you’re going to get more flexibility.
• On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said Tony Khan blames Jack Perry for CM Punk leaving AEW for WWE and that’s part of why he’s been gone for so long now. He’s not fired, however.
• I think the Scape Goat character that Perry made from this incident is one of the best things to happen to Jack, meaning in general, he’s benefitting from all this in the end.
• Also per Meltzer, Matt Hardy attending Raw this week wasn’t a big deal but posting a video about it “kind of changes it a little bit.” His contract with AEW is coming up here soon.
• He ended up in TNA.
• Meanwhile, Fightful says Hardy did not meet with anyone from WWE while he was at the building for the show.
• Given the TNA partnership with NXT, we could see him on NXT at one point. But not yet.
• Fightful Select says Oba Femi has been receiving high praise backstage since he became North American champion, and they see a bright future for him in WWE.
• He’s still NA champ.
• PW Insider notes that there is a belief that Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin have TNA deals that are expiring soon, “possibly as soon as the end of March” and they could be moving on from the promotion.
• Apparently, they’re headed to WWE. (1/1)

March 21, 2024

• WrestleVotes hears that up to four more matches could be added to WrestleMania’s card: “As of now, the working plan is to feature 7 matches per night on the main card.”
• It was 7 and 7 (one of those on Night Two being the surprise/unadvertised cash in). (1/1)
• Speaking of WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre & Bayley are currently favored to win gold in Philadelphia at online sportsbooks like Bet Online. The latest odds have Gunther, Rhea Ripley & Logan Paul retaining their titles.
• Gunther lost but the rest is accurate. (5/6)
• In response to an internet rumor that WWE is trying to get AJ Lee to return, SEScoops checked with their contacts at the company. One “tenured source” told them that the former Divas champ is “very well liked, and respected. Just not a topic at the moment.”
• I still think she needs to kick Drew McIntyre in the balls in this feud, but I don’t think that’s happening.
• While confirming that Motor City Machine Guns’ TNA contracts are expiring at the end of the month, Fightful Select learned that the company’s recent offers to talent have been “categorically different than what many were expecting”. It seems TNA is offering more per-date deals rather than full-time contracts, but it’s not clear if that’s across the board or just in certain cases.
• Interesting. You’d think they’d want to lock certain folks up. And likely some have been.
• During an appearance on Mandy Rose & Tino Sabatelli’s Power Alphas podcast, Mojo Rawley said that WWE planned to have Megan Thee Stallion do something with Sasha Banks/Mercedes Moné at SummerSlam “in years previous” but “it just never materialized and fell through for one reason or another.”
• Megan’s song is the new SmackDown theme.
• MLW is interested in bringing in commentator Mauro Ranallo, per Fightful. Ranallo & MLW owner Court Bauer have worked together in the past and they’ve had talks about the former WWE & New Japan announcer coming to MLW, but it’s not a done deal.
• He’s actually the voice of Scott D’Amore’s new promotion. I know his style ended up being divisive but I was always a fan of his energy. (0/1)

This week: 12/14 - 86%

Overall: 5,283/9,145 - 57.8%

Have a great week, everyone!