Rumor Look Back: July 4 – 10, 2025

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 in it.

July 4, 2025

• Women at WWE who Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp spoke to about Evolution 2 “felt like it was set up” because it was booked for All In weekend, across the street from a Beyoncé Concert, with the MLB All-Star festivities in Atlanta for Tuesday’s game. They also feel like the show has been “hastily produced”.
• I think that’s understandable. It certainly felt like a last minute announcement.
• Sapp also says AJ Styles quietly signed a one year deal with WWE, though it isn’t clear when exactly that happened.
• He says he’s going to hang it up this year some time.
• Scarlett’s WWE contract is scheduled to expire next month, just like Karrion Kross’. That from Fightful, which added that their sources expect Kross & Scarlett to be re-signed (if they haven’t already been extended) given how they’re being used on screen these days.
• They were not re-signed. (0/1)
• WrestleVotes say they have heard from sources that Jelly Roll’s upcoming appearance on Friday Night SmackDown is expected to be the “start of something more” between the popular singer and WWE.
• He had a SummerSlam match. (1/1)
• Bodyslam.net says the AEW contracts of Renee Paquette and Matt Menard & Angelo Parker expire in August.
• Angelo Parker hasn’t been around in awhile, but he could be on a paternity leave. Menard and Paquette are still on TV.
• Per PW Insider, Rich Swann is expected to make regular appearances for NWA going forward and he will be working the NWA 77 event next month.
• Looks like he’s had a few matches with them and did work that 77 event. But now he’s back in TNA so never got too regular with NWA. (1/2)

July 5, 2025

• The Wrestling Observer Newsletter says WWE still has plans for Nikki Bella at Evolution 2 even though she hasn’t been featured on Raw since her return segment with Liv Morgan in early June. Bella was in the building one week later for a follow-up angle, but it was called off due to Morgan’s injury.
• She was in the battle royal. (1/1)
• Former WWE Women’s Tag champ Isla Dawn was backstage at a recent AEW event and is expected to join the company soon, per WrestleVotes Radio.
• I don’t know if she’s “all elite.” She has wrestled for ROH but we haven’t seen that “Is All Elite” graphic that most contracted talent get.
• On the same show, Votes said there’s “a strong contingency” within WWE who want Corey Graves calling a main roster show regardless of Pat McAfee’s availability. While they “understand the value that McAfee brings to the company”, they believe Graves is “way too good and way too passionate” to be assigned to NXT full-time.
• He made his way there, but part of that is because McAfee stepped down from that role.
• Graves could join McAfee & Michael Cole on Raw, but Votes “can’t confirm as of this moment if WWE has any interest in bringing back the old three-man booths for TV or not.”
• That three-man booth probably could have worked but they never got there.
• While there’s been no official announcement, a Deadline article listing the cast members of the upcoming Street Fighter movie includes “Cody Rhodes playing Guile.” Some folks online have taken that as confirmation of the rumor from earlier this week.
• He is in the movie as Guile. I’m not sure if Deadline is a rumor or they’re in the know enough that it was real confirmation.
• This post from Zoey Stark on X indicates that she might be able to return to the ring in about eight months.
• It’s been 6 months so far.
• Per Fightful Select, AEW has discussed ideas for Sting to return at All In Texas. If Sting is booked on the show, his appearance will probably be related to whatever Darby Allin is doing.
• He was not on that show, but Darby was barely on that show. Sting did show up at Wrestle Dream to assist Darby.

July 7, 2025

• The Wrestling Observer confirmed WrestleVotes saying Jelly Roll is expected to start up something with WWE at SmackDown this week and also said he’ll be doing something at SummerSlam.
• That’s the case. (1/1)
• Per the Fightful Report, WWE could move Survivor Series next year off Thanksgiving weekend to accommodate the November show in Saudi Arabia.
• There isn’t a Saudi show on the books this year outside the Royal Rumble thus far. I don’t think this refers to the last Survivor Series, which was on Thanksgiving weekend.
• Fightful Select says Britt Baker isn’t leaving AEW anytime soon, what with her current contract status.
• It’s been six months and we have nothing on her having left AEW. (1/1)
• WrestleVotes Radio notes that WWE has considered bringing in The IInspiration from TNA for Evolution 2.
• That unfortunately didn’t happen. (0/1)
• Corey Brennan of Fightful talked to many talent who believe the planned NXT Europe promotion is never actually going to get up and running.
• Probably, but I guess we should give it a bit more time.
• Bodyslam.net claims WWE is not currently looking at signing any CMLL talent for AAA but that could change. They are, however, apparently keeping an eye on Mascara Dorada.
• There’s a lot of politics between CMLL & AAA (and AEW/WWE who is partners with one each).

July 8, 2025

• WWE’s long-term plans call for Bron Breakker to turn on Seth Rollins, according to Bodyslam.net’s Viper. The turn is still a ways off, but it’s said seeds have already been planted.
• That was not far off at all because of Seth’s real injury. But it did happen. (1/2)
• When Breakker eventually splits off from Rollins, Viper’s heard that Paul Heyman will stick with Bron.
• That’s the case (1/1)
• Fightful Select notes that WWE is already discussing turning Blake Monroe heel.
• She is a heel currently. (1/1)
• For what it’s worth, in a social media exchange with a follower Michelle McCool indicated that WWE hasn’t called her about appearing at Evolution 2 this weekend.
• She wasn’t on the show, even in one the ‘legends in the crowd’ shots.
• Tamina Snuka isn’t listed on internal WWE rosters and is rarely seen backstage at events, but Fightful Select says she’s technically still under contract.
• Really?
• Zack Sabre Jr’s IWGP World title win had been planned for last month’s Tanahashi Jam well in advance of Hirooki Goto’s injury issues, according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter. New Japan wanted to have a big moment for the TV special, and for their last show at Nagoya’s Dolphins Arena before its impending closing.
• He lost it to Konosuke Takeshita in October.

July 9, 2025

• PW Insider notes that Alundra Blayze and Jazz are both scheduled to be at Evolution 2 this weekend, though it’s unclear exactly what they’ll be there to do.
• They were both in the crowd. (2/2)
• They also say TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich is scheduled to appear at NXT’s Great American Bash event.
• It was to set up their champion vs. championship match at a TNA show. (1/1)
• According to Fightful, All In Texas is currently “slated to conclude before Saturday Night’s Main Event airs.”
• That show went well past 8 pm, which should have obvious. The best we can hope for is more early shows that aren’t on until after midnight on the east coast. It’s not for me as I’m worn out by the end of the marathon, but I know plenty of AEW fans dig it and the man who runs it digs it so it is here to stay. (0/1)
• For what it’s worth, Tyler Bate recently claimed on Instagram that he’s not injured he’s just waiting to be used by WWE.
• Seems like he’s under a mask as an Americano currently.
• Mike Straw of Insider Gaming claims “talks have picked up more on the AEW games front.” He did say they won’t announce anything too early this time, however.
• They were bullish on games early on but maybe less than stellar returns changed that.

July 10, 2025

• A source at 2K told Fightful Select that a Wyatt Family story is coming soon to WWE 2K25 that will feature “a lot of unused Bray Wyatt content” and full videos of Bo Dallas/Uncle Howdy. It’s said to be “a very deep story” that the source believes “will get people emotional”.
• That’s the case, though I don’t know how emotional it was as I didn’t play it.
• Unsurprising given their report on All In Texas’ runtime, Fightful also says that the card will feature fewer matches than it has in the past. One more is expected to be added on Collision tonight, which Fightful heard will have “a number of performers”. Speculation is it could be a trios title match.
• It had 9 matches on the main show, which is the exact same as the show prior. A match was made on Collision but it was an 8-man tag. (1/3)
• Oddsmakers at sites like betonline currently have Hangman Page with a close to 90% likelihood of winning the AEW World title at All In Texas. Elsewhere on the card, The Hurt Syndicate is being given a 75% likelihood of keeping the tag belts, Mercedes Mone, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks are slight favorites in their matches, and Adam Cole/Kyle Fletcher is a toss-up.
• Hanger won, as did the Hurt Syndicate. Mone, Omega, and the Bucks all lost. Fletcher/Cole didn’t happen due to Cole’s injuries. (2/5)
• Shayna Baszler was listed as a producer for the Kelani Jordan vs. Lainey Reid match on this week’s NXT, per bodyslam.net’s Cory Hays. Chris “Oney Lorcan/Biff Busick” Gerard (a regular coach at the WWE PC) also produced the match.
• I figured she’d have wrestled more after her release than she does.
• In an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show yesterday, TNA president Carlos Silva said a new TV deal for the company could get done “in a 60-90 day window”. He also said that while going live with Impact 52 weeks a year is the goal, they might not be live every week at the start of their next TV contract.
• They announced the AMC deal just recently.
• WWE is planning a full integration into this year’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Orlando. That also from Fightful Select, which adds that an announcement is expected soon.
• This must be referring to the Wyatt Sicks house. I enjoyed that house, though given the way Horror Nights works where you’re really in a line of people walking through the house, you can’t really stop and take in all the small details, which I would have liked to do in that house. (Of last year, I think I enjoyed the Terrifier house the most and I’ve only seen the first of those movies. (1/1)

This week: 15/25 – 60%

Overall: 6,062/10,365 – 58.5%

Have a great week, everyone!