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Welcome back to another exciting edition of AEW rumors that we hope are true and those we hope aren't.
WWE's talent release saga is still one of the most talked-about topics in pro wrestling today. In a shocking development that surfaced a few days ago, Vince McMahon's promotion has reportedly reached out to a recently released star in an attempt to lure him away from becoming a potential AEW signing.
Meanwhile, a 44-year-old star has renewed his contract with Tony Khan's promotion. We also came across reports suggesting whether Seth Rollins referencing Jon Moxley's name in his promo was scripted or spontaneously delivered.
With so much to discuss, let's quickly dive into the top rumor stories of the week.
#5 Hopefully True: WWE reached out to Jeff Hardy to avoid a potential The Hardy Boyz reunion in AEW
Precisely a month after his WWE release, Jeff Hardy was reportedly reached out by John Laurinaitis, who offered the former World Champion a place in the Hall of Fame class this year.
Interestingly enough, Jeff Hardy rejected the offer and even asked the company for his drug test results.
Here is an update on Jeff Hardy. John Laurinaitis called Jeff Hardy to get him back a few weeks ago, including an offer to put him in the 2022 Hall of Fame class. Hardy turned it down and asked for his drug test results because he knew he wasn’t going to test positive for recreational drugs. It took Hardy and his wife six weeks to get the results back,'' said Meltzer.
Furthermore, Meltzer believes WWE probably doesn't want The Charismatic Enigma in AEW because of a potential The Hardy Boyz reunion, which could bolster the promotion's tag team division.
"There is a feeling right now that this is one guy they don’t want in AEW because of the realization the Hardy Boys will be revitalized as an act given the level of teams like the Young Bucks, FTR, Santana & Ortiz, Penta & Fenix and so many others,'' claimed Meltzer.
We hope this rumor is true and Jeff Hardy isn't going back to WWE anytime soon. The Charismatic Enigma still has a lot left in his tank, and AEW might be the place that allows him to write the final chapter of his wrestling career.
Although the men's roster is stacked, a wrestler of Jeff Hardy's stature has a very low chance of getting lost in the shuffle.
#4 Hopefully true: Frankie Kazarian has signed a new contract with AEW
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, Frankie Kazarian has re-signed with AEW. While the details of his new contract are still unknown, the former Tag Team Champion will continue to be a part of All Elite Wrestling for the foreseeable future.
We hope this report turns out to be true. While Kazarian's role as a performer has shifted more towards elevating other wrestlers in recent months, the promotion can get behind him at any given time.
Plus, Tony Khan could also give him a prominent role backstage years from now, as a trainer or similar to his former partner Christopher Daniels, who works as head of talent relations.
#3 Hopefully true: WWE approved Seth Rollins' promo in which he namedropped Jon Moxley
During the build-up to the recently concluded Royal Rumble Premium Live Event, Seth Rollins surprisingly namedropped Jon Moxley during a war of words with Roman Reigns on SmackDown. Here's what Rollins explicitly said during the promo:
They (The Usos) are the ones who hold you up, just like me and Mox did in The Shield; The Usos are your (Roman Reigns) pedastal," Seth Rollins said.
Ringsidenews recently reported that The Drip God referencing AEW's Moxley was 100% scripted and approved by the higher-ups:
Ringside News asked around about Seth Rollins namedropping Jon Moxley’s name on SmackDown. We were told that line was 100% scripted and approved to be on the show," per the report
We hope this report is accurate because it suggests that WWE is not keen on erasing the history of The Shield. The company usually doesn't allow superstars from mentioning wrestlers of rival promotions on television.
But given the success of Reigns, Rollins, and Moxley achieved during their time as The Shield, the legacy of the trio must live on despite these men no longer working together.
#2 Hopefully true: No return date set for Kenny Omega's return to AEW programming
Dave Meltzer recently reported that Kenny Omega was initially expected to be back on AEW programming in March this year.
However, as of this writing, there's no timeline planned for his return. The wrestling journalist noted that The Best Bout Machine has been dedicating a lot of time to getting himself back in shape. Unfortunately, he has tested positive for COVID-19, which may halt his return period.
We hope the rumor is true. Given the severity of the injuries Kenny Omega has been dealing with lately, he shouldn't push himself too hard in hopes of returning soon.
Omega must give himself a good amount of time to get his body in good shape, before making his big return to AEW.
#1 Hopefully not true: AEW and Johnny Gargano haven't started formal talks about a deal?
Johnny Gargano's next potential wrestling destination has become one of the hottest topics in pro wrestling today.
With that said, wrestling fans speculated that the former NXT Champion could potentially debut on the Beach Break edition of AEW Dynamite, which emanated from his hometown of Cleveland last week. However, that presumption ended up becoming mere talk.
Fightful Select recently reported that Johnny Gargano has made himself unavailable until his wife, Candice LeRae. gives birth to their first child. Interestingly enough, people within AEW have been in contact with Gargano. But there have been no reports suggesting that Tony Khan and Gargano have held talks regarding a potential AEW contract.
We hope this isn't true because even though Gargano is busy at home, Mr. Khan should have talked through him about a potential AEW appearance.
One would assume that once the 34-year-old star starts taking bookings, Tony Khan would jump at the opportunity to sign him up.
