5 AEW rumors we hope are true & 2 we hope aren't: Warning sent to Stephanie McMahon for tampering with WWE legend's contract; Jon Moxley's plans; RAW star considered jumping ship?
Welcome to another edition of AEW rumors we hope are true and some we hope aren't.
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have turned the tables on All Elite Wrestling as of late by bringing back some prominent names to reinvigorate the roster.
But even more so, they reached out to a contracted wrestler, an overture that reportedly didn't sit well with Tony Khan.
In this column, we'll divulge the whole story of how Mr. Khan has responded to the rival company's moves.
Meanwhile, Dave Meltzer has learned plans for Jon Moxley's match at the All Out pay-per-view on September 4. Keep reading as we dive into the top seven rumors of the week.
#7. Hopefully True: AEW has sent a legal notice to Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon over contract tampering
Last week, Fightful Select reported that WWE Talent Relations made overtures to a prominent AEW star (who has preferred to remain anonymous) about a potential comeback.
Dave Meltzer followed up on the story and learned that WWE contracted not one but multiple wrestlers, with one of the rumored names being Chris Jericho.
According to PWInsider, Tony Khan and Megha Parekh (Chief Legal Officer) addressed the rumors in what many called a mandatory backstage meeting before Dynamite this week.
The head honcho informed the locker room that the company had sent a legal notice to Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon, alerting them "not to tamper" with their talent:
"Khan also stated that right before the meeting took place, AEW's Megha Parekh, the Chief Legal Officer for the company, who is effectively the #2 in the promotion's hierarchy, sent an email to WWE's Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon warning them "not to tamper" with his talent."
We hope this report is true because Chris Jericho's recent tweet has alluded to WWE reaching out to him for a potential return.
The Wizard used the term "tampering" while responding to a fan wanting him to form a faction with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
While there's currently no word on which other AEW stars have drawn interest from WWE, The Game's signing spree approach as of late suggests there's some truth to the story.
#6. Hopefully True: Jon Moxley vs. CM Punk is still planned for All Out pay-per-view
Jon Moxley decisively defeated CM Punk in under three minutes to become the Undisputed AEW World Champion on Wednesday night, leaving fans baffled about plans for the All Out main event.
Despite Punk seemingly re-injuring his surgically repaired foot during the match, Dave Meltzer reported that the former is still slated to face Moxley in a rematch at the Chicago event:
"We’ve only got just over a week [until All Out], but it is Punk and Moxley. I don’t know if they’re gonna add stips or whatever, but that is the main event. [Punk’s] gonna be back in 10 days. Look, he’ll go in there selling the foot...the rematch is in Chicago. Punk’s gonna be cheered like crazy. Punk can play the babyface with the bad foot...and they can work a great match with that handicap,” said Meltzer. [H/T Cageside Seats]
We hope this report is true. With All Out precisely a week away, time is not on the company's side, and neither is a readymade feud ready to set up Moxley's next challenger.
However, Punk evoking his rematch clause makes the most sense from a storyline perspective, revolving around his redemption story concluding in his hometown of Chicago.
#5. Hopefully True: Johnny Gargano "strongly considered" signing with AEW
Johnny Gargano shockingly returned to WWE on RAW last week, subsequently pouring cold water on some fans hoping to see him in AEW.
Dave Meltzer learned that Gargano "strongly considered" signing with Tony Khan shortly after parting ways with the sports entertainment juggernaut last year:
"Obviously when Gargano didn’t sign a contract when his old deal expired in December, he strongly considered AEW," wrote Meltzer. "His mentality at the time was that with a son coming, money was important but it was also about having fun and for him that is the ability to do the great matches that got him over in NXT." [H/T WrestleTalk].
Meltzer added that despite some people showing interest in the former NXT Champion, Mr. Khan didn't reach out to Gargano and his wife, Candice LeRae:
"For whatever reason, AEW didn’t go after him and had a long time to make him an offer," he continued. "There were those in AEW interested but in the end Tony Khan had to make decisions of who he wanted. There was also interest in Candice LeRae from AEW but not sure if they’ve pursued it hard or what her current status would be."
We hope this is true because Gargano would have added depth to an already stacked AEW roster.
The 35-year-old had previously expressed his desire to face Kenny Omega, and it would have been a dream come true for him and many fans had the company offered him a contract.
#4. Hopefully True: Hangman Page is penciled in to wrestle at AEW All Out
thank you all. you’ve made me feel like a champion. https://t.co/7CTrhvCgP3
Hangman Page is without an opponent/feud en route to the upcoming All Out pay-per-view.
However, the company reportedly has plans for him to wrestle on September 4.
The rumor mill has gone into overdrive with Page getting a spot alongside Dark Order members in the World Trios tournament finals.
We hope this assumption is true because the company could turn the clock back to last year's rivalry pitting The Elite against Hangman (w/The Dark Order).
With both teams into the tournament semi-finals, there's a strong chance we may see them slug it out for the World Trios Championships at the All Out pay-per-view.
Moreover, the company needs to get behind Hangman Page and build him up again as a potential future contender for the AEW World Championship.
#3. Hopefully Not True: Eddie Kingston vs. Sammy Guevara is not happening at AEW All Out
Reportedly, Sammy Guevara said something about the physique of Eddie Kingston.
#AEW #AEWDynamite #SammyGuevara #EddieKingston https://t.co/cdtv30Ldmu
The originally announced match between Eddie Kingston and Sammy Guevara for All Out is seemingly up in the air following surprising revelations in recent days.
The two men got into a fight backstage after The Spanish God called The Mad King a "fat piece of s**t" during an unaired promo planned for Rampage tapings in Minneapolis on August 10.
The incident led to Kingston facing a secret suspension for a few weeks, which has now been lifted.
On that note, Dave Meltzer reported that the match between Guevara and Kingston is no longer happening at the time of this writing:
“At press time the plan was for the match not to take place on the show and has been removed from the lineup. That always could change as they lay out the undercard and time the show but neither has been told the match is happening and those who should know have said that right now it isn’t.” [H/T WrestleTalk]
We hope this is not true, as Tony Khan will miss out on the opportunity to let the two stars settle their real-life heat inside the square circle.
Kingston and Guevara can blur the lines between kayfabe and reality to tell a compelling story on their issues, which fans rarely witness these days.
With All Out still a week away, the company should resume this feud to bolster the pay-per-view card on September 4.
#2. Hopefully True: MJF is closer than ever to returning to AEW
The uncertainty over MJF's future with AEW has been looming large since his infamous pipebomb promo on Tony Khan a few months ago.
Despite having begged the head honcho to get fired, Dave Meltzer reported that The Salt of the Earth is close to making a return:
"MJF is currently scheduled to be returning somewhat soon. We don’t know the exact time but the negotiations for a new TV deal will likely be taking place starting in just a few months and into the spring, so the TV ratings numbers probably September to whenever the deal is closed are the most important to date so this recent drop is the worst time to have a drop," said Dave Meltzer. [H/T WrestleTalk]
We hope this report is true because Mr. Khan can pull off its biggest surprise by bringing back Friedman at the All Out pay-per-view.
The company could insert him directly into the world title picture, possibly as a mystery opponent for Jon Moxley, if CM Punk fails to make it to the Chicago event.
#1. Hopefully Not True: Thunder Rosa allegedly has real-life heat with Dr. Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter
Thunder Rosa has become the talk of the AEW women's locker room as of late, not just because she stepped away as the women's world champion but also because of the alleged real-life heat.
The Voice of Wrestling's Joe Lanza reported that Rosa and Baker hate each other's guts, with the former having the same issue with Hayter:
"There are way more onscreen feuds where the people legitimately hate each other than people think in AEW. Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa cannot stand one another. They have been mortal enemies for years now at this point. Jamie Hayter now cannot stand Thunder Rosa," Lanza said.
The word making the rounds is that La Mera Mera recently hid in a bathroom in fear of Hayter exacting revenge after the champion broke her nose during their match at AEW Battle of the Belts III.
"Thunder Rosa broke Jamie Hayter’s nose in a match, then Rosa was scared that Jamie Hayter was going to beat the living s**t out of her and was hiding in a bathroom. Things are ugly in the back." [H/T: WhatCulture]
We hope this is not true because Thunder Rosa recently dismissed the rumors by asking her fans not to believe everything in the dirt sheet report.
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