Speculating on the rumors surrounding pro wrestling is a favored pastime of many fans, perhaps second only to actually watching the matches. In this daily column, we take a look at the latest rumors being churned out by the pro wrestling rumor mill.
Important reminder: Rumors are just that — rumors. None of this has been confirmed as fact, it’s just circulating around the pro wrestling rumor mill. We track rumor accuracy in a weekly feature called Rumor Look Back you can find here. Remember, take it all with a grain of salt.
Rumors for the Day:
- This week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter says “Caesar Sikoa was the first idea” for Jacob Fatu’s name in WWE, but they ultimately decided not to use it for him. WWE does own the name and could potentially give it to another wrestler.
- According to Fightful Select, Warner Bros. Discovery has had an offer to AEW on the table for months for a new TV deal. Both sides are confident a deal will be reached as conversations continue. It sounds like AEW and WBD are also trying to figure out which nights, time slots, and time blocks make the most sense for AEW’s television shows.
- F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer estimates that AEW’s current rate of spending on talent salaries works out to a little less than $104 million over a full year. A figure that high means “they’d need a great deal from WBD to break even.”
- Meltzer goes on to estimate that “around 50 to 55 percent” of AEW’s total revenue goes to the wrestlers. The percentage of WWE’s revenue that goes to its wrestlers is some number below 20%. It was as low as 8% at one point but it is believed to have gone up over the last five years due to increased competition. WWE’s very low percentage is one reason why the company is “so ridiculously profitable.”
- Donovan Dijak told Fightful that the WWE Draft “is a shoot...nobody knows what’s happening.”
- Per The Observer, Bryan Danielson is “expected to have a major turnaround” in his kayfabe success in AEW after losing several big matches so far in his final year as a full-time pro wrestler.
- WrestleTix points out there’s a Ticketmaster listing for AEW Grand Slam on Wednesday, September 25, at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. This taping includes both Dynamite and Collision.