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If there's one thing that has always been a huge part of pro wrestling fandom, it's the rumor mill. Yes, for every headlock and haymaker there are a dozen theories, half-truths, and sometimes out and out fabrications about what's happening in the wrestling business.
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Did the promotion end a feud early because the two wrestlers involved really started hating each other? Was so-and-so fired because he hit on the boss's daughter? And just who is going to sign that big money contract and with which company?
Rumors are an intrinsic part of any form of entertainment. If you need evidence, just look at the literal thousands of websites dedicated to deciphering who is going to survive the latest Avengers movie.
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But what makes rumors in the pro wrestling world unique is that you are dealing with real people. The matches might be predetermined, the dialogue scripted, but at the end of the day, there are still real-life human beings whose fates are being decided.
Here are nine of the hottest wrestling rumors of early 2019, and speculation about how much truth there might be therein.
Disclaimer: The opinions in the article belong to the author and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.
#1 The WWE is planning a huge push for Finn Balor
This is a rumour that has been circulated at least three separate times. The first two times saw Balor remain solidly in the mid-card despite his natural and obvious talents.
The rumour goes like this: The WWE is planning to push Finn Balor as a major, main event star, including a title reign as Universal Champion and a match at the main event of Wrestlemania.
Finn Balor has a lot of fans all over the world--many of the so-called 'smart' fans--who are dying to believe this rumor is true, but how much veracity does it have?
Chances of being true: Actually, pretty darn good. With Braun Strowman out recovering his elbow, WWE needed a solid performer to replace him.
To add further fuel to the fire, Finn Balor won a fatal four-way No.1 contender's match by pinning none other than John Cena. This would seem to indicate that the WWE has big plans for him.
#2 The Revival asked for their release--while still in their ring gear
When you talk about tough, old school tag teams who can still mix it up with the modern indie style, you need to look no further than the Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson, known collectively as the Revival.
The self-proclaimed Top Guys were multi-time NXT world tag team champions but had a lot of difficulties once called the main roster. First Dash, then Scott, were both injured during matches, which led to at least half the team being on the disabled list for some time.
Since then, they've been in a lot of throwaway matches with little to do in terms of storylines and title shots. Rumour has it, after their last match against Lucha House Party on RAW they walked backstage, and--still sweaty and wearing their ring gear--asked for their release, presumably to join the new All Elite Wrestling promotion.
Chances of the rumor being true: About 50-50. It's no secret that the Revival have been frustrated on the main roster, and it's also no secret that the Young Bucks have mentioned them by name prior to the formation of AEW.
However, no one can seem to confirm that the Revival have indeed asked for a contract release from WWE. As far as whether WWE would be willing to grant such a release, we'll cover that later in the list.
#3 The WWE is interested in Kushida
One of the more surprising rumors concerns a top junior heavyweight star from the New Japan promotion, KUSHIDA. The rumor is, the WWE is quite eager to sign him.
Yujiro Kushida dabbled in the world of MMA before he became a pro wrestler, and had an undefeated record in the sport. Then he decided to be a pro wrestler, turning down several contract offers and headed to Mexico for training.
The result is Kushida is well versed in several different styles of wrestling. He can brawl, he can strike--via his MMA background--and he, of course, picked up a lot of high flying moves in Mexico.
Being a former NJPW star, he is, of course, a master of strong style as well. Kushida has held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag team titles (with Alex Shelley) and a one time Ring of Honor television champion.
Chances the Rumor could be true: Almost certainly, it is. Kushida is definitely leaving the New Japan promotion, and the WWE has been keen on hiring more Japanese stars as they attempt to break into the lucrative Asian pro wrestling market. Kushida has a great look and would do well in the WWE.
#4 Kevin Owens will be kept off WWE television until after WrestleMania
If there were ever an unlikely WWE superstar, it's Kevin Owens, AKA Kevin Steen in Ring of Honor.
Kevin Owens raises a lot of red flags for some segments of WWE management. For one, he lacks the classic bodybuilder physique that they adore so very much.
For another, he made his name outside of the WWE, meaning that all WWE can do is make him a bigger star and worth more should he decide to leave the company.
And finally, Kevin Owens is known to be a picky perfectionist when it comes to creative control of his matches.
That all being said, Kevin Owens is a WWE Superstar and a former Universal champion at that. That's what makes this rumor such a head-scratcher; Would WWE really keep a big name star out of action for several months after he's been medically cleared?
Chances of the rumor being true: About 70-30 for. While Kevin Owens is said to be very close to being medically cleared, the WWE has demonstrated a penchant for not knowing what to do with him.
Is he a serious, dangerous world-class competitor, as he was portrayed in his matches with John Cena, or a comedy act, as he was before his injury and subsequent surgery? Keeping him off television while they find something for him to do is sort of WWE's idiom.
#5 WWE is returning to a more risque style, akin to the Attitude Era
It's no secret that Raw has experienced a few low rated episodes of late. Between flagging ratings, and more competition entering the sports entertainment market.
And their top star Roman Reigns being unexpectedly sidelined with leukemia, the WWE has good reason to want to shake up their programming.
The rumour attests that in order to drive ratings up Vince McMahon wants to increase the sex appeal of his programming, while still maintaining a PG rating.
Chances of the rumor being true: It's all but confirmed, with Alexa Bliss' incident when an assistant didn't bother to knock on her dressing room door.
However, the segment hasn't been as well received as WWE might have hoped; It got record youtube plays, but many are questioning the good taste of the segment in the post #MeToo era.
#6 The WWE's annual Post Wrestlemania 'Purge' has been cancelled
There are a lot of traditions in the WWE. Some are celebrated, like the annual Royal Rumble, or Survivor Series being on or near the Thanksgiving holiday.
And others aren't so celebrated, and in fact, the company rarely mentions them at all. One of these 'unmentionable' traditions is the act of releasing several talents post-Wrestlemania.
This is done as the WWE 'trims the fat' of their rosters to make room for new acquisitions and to focus on other wrestlers.
However, the rumor is that this year there will be no post Wrestlemania 'purge' of talent, because of one simple fact; All Elite Wrestling.
Chances the rumor is true: Almost one hundred percent. The WWE has been releasing talent after Wrestlemania because there hasn't been any big-time competition for those wrestlers to sign with.
Now that All Elite Wrestling has become a reality, the WWE will be looking to hold on to talent for longer, even if it's just to keep them out of the other company's hands.
#7 Dolph Ziggler is unhappy in WWE, will possibly seek his release
When you speak to wrestling fans, critics, and journalists, and you ask them which pro wrestler is being wasted the most, one name always seems to come up; Dolph Ziggler.
For a man who's been compared to Shawn Michaels and AJ Styles in the same breath, you'd think finding success would be easy.
In fact, Dolph Ziggler is a triple crown champion in WWE, holding the World tag team titles, United States title, Intercontinental title, and even the WWE World title, albeit briefly.
But every time it seems like Ziggler is about to make it to the main event picture and stay there, something happens and he winds up moving back down the card.
This has fueled the rumour that he is quite unhappy with the promotion and will be seeking his release.
Chances of the rumor being true: About 50-50. One thing that is NOT up for debate is that Ziggler is less than pleased with where his WWE career has gone.
He claims he feels like a 'gatekeeper' and a stepping stone for NXT call-ups. Whether this will result in him actually asking for his release remains to be seen.
#8 The WWE is offering to double the offer of any other promotion on contract renewals
With the fall of WCW back in 2001, WWE has had the luxury of being the only major pro wrestling promotion in North America.
Yes, TNA/Impact has garnered its own audience, but it fails to compare to the massive amount of fans and television exposure the WWE can generate.
Likewise, Ring of Honor is content to remain a niche form of pro wrestling entertainment, catering to a different sort of fans than the WWE.
Now, with the advent of Cody Rhodes' All Elite Wrestling promotion, the WWE has serious competition for the first time in nearly two decades.
The rumor is, the WWE is offering to double any offer that a wrestler has, provided the offer is in writing.
Chances of the rumor being true: About 90% likely. None less than Dave Meltzer has reported that the WWE is offering to double contract offers on the spot.
While Meltzer isn't always correct, he is more or less a reliable source of information. The rumor also jibes with the WWE's mindset of not losing talent to other promotions.
#9 Kenny Omega turned down a million dollar deal to sign with All Elite Wrestling
The hottest free agent of all time in pro wrestling has to be the Cleaner Kenny Omega. Kenny Omega first got on the radar of wrestling fans in the United States after his contract came up in 2017.
Rumors abounded that Kenny Omega would wind up signing with the WWE, and make his debut as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble as AJ Styles had earlier.
However, as history tells the tale, that was not meant to be. Kenny Omega wound up signing with New Japan Pro Wrestling and won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from his longtime rival Kazuchiko Okada. Now, the rumor is that WWE offered him a big money offer but he turned it down to sign with AEW.
Chances of the rumor being true: About 50-50. At this point, no one knows officially who Omega has signed with, as he cannot make any such announcements until his NJPW contract is officially up.
There are a lot of good arguments for either side, and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter seems to think the AEW contract is a done deal, but fans will just have to wait and see.
There you have it; nine current wrestling rumors and speculation about how much truth, if any, might be found in them.
Questions or comments? Please leave them below the article and as always thanks for reading!
