Rumor Roundup: Samoa Joe absence, Vaquer in WWE, AEW TV deal, Hayter return, more!

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:

• Per PW Insider, Samoa Joe was likely written off AEW television this week to begin shooting season two of Twisted Metal later this month. There might be breaks between episodes, but the show is expected to be filmed until at least October.
• Regarding Twisted Metal, Insider also says that “a number of WWE Stars auditioned for a new character named Axel including Omos, Cedric Alexander, and Apollo Crews.” However, it doesn’t seem like any of them have been cast in the role.
• Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer mentioned that Tony Khan is loading up the next two weeks of AEW Dynamite because TV ratings are important right now “as far as the final payment numbers, and time slots, and all the other stuff that’s going into the negotiations” for AEW’s new TV deal.
• Per Meltzer, CMLL was “very upset” with the way Stephanie Vaquer did business on her way out the door before going to WWE, because she was expected to drop the CMLL Women’s World Championship at Fantasticamania in San Jose on July 13. NJPW was also “very upset” that she pulled out of her advertised match in San Jose.
• Sources told Fightful Select that “matches have been pitched” for Jamie Hayter’s possible return to AEW. She was at an episode of Dynamite in the spring when the roster was having physicals, and the internal feeling is there has been some “positive movement” in her recovery from injury.
• Meltzer claims that Bryan Danielson’s recent interviews where he explained why he doesn’t want to win the AEW world title were “all a work.” The goal was to convince fans that Bryan would lose against Hangman Page in the final match of the Owen Hart Tournament.

If you have heard of any interesting rumors that you’d like to add, feel free to post them in the comments section below. Just remember they are rumors and not confirmed as fact, so please take them as such. And check our weekly Rumor Look Back here to keep track of how often rumors turn out to be correct.