WWE Rumor Review: Cody Rhodes' return to AEW, Sami Zayn's contract status, 22-year-old star's potential debut

Welcome to the latest edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's WWE Rumor Review. Here, we take a look at some of the top rumors from a few months ago to determine their accuracy.

In this edition, we'll talk about the rumors surrounding Cody Rhodes' return to AEW. We'll also discuss the buzz on Sami Zayn's contract situation as well as the rumored timeline for the debut of a 22-year-old star. So without further ado, let's check out the top five rumors.

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#5. Gable Steveson's potential WWE debut

22-year-old Gable Steveson signed with WWE shortly after winning the gold medal at the Olympics last year. Given his Olympic background, he drew comparisons to Kurt Angle as rumors circulated about his debut.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Steveson could potentially start his full-time career in May 2022 and get groomed to take the top spot.

Steveson made an appearance at WrestleMania Night Two earlier this year following the RAW Tag Team Championship match and even entered into a physical altercation with Chad Gable. However, he's yet to start his full-time career with the promotion.

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#4. Bray Wyatt's rumored AEW debut

WWE released plenty of superstars in 2021 due to budget cuts that featured several shocking names, including that of Bray Wyatt.

The former Universal Champion was last seen inside the squared circle when he lost to Randy Orton at WrestleMania 37. For months, it was rumored that he would be signing with AEW.

During that time, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Wyatt could be debuting on the 09/29 episode of AEW Dynamite.

However, Wyatt did not make an appearance on the show and is yet to make his return to the ring in any promotion. Recently, there were rumors about him possibly returning to WWE, but his future remains unclear.

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#3. Sami Zayn's contract status

Reports of Kevin Owens' contract expiration led to curiosity among fans regarding Sami Zayn's contract status, with some expecting him to make a move to AEW.

However, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported that Zayn won't be leaving WWE anytime soon.

Fast forward to a year later, the report turned out to be true as Zayn has been an integral part of the SmackDown brand. In recent months, he has been involved in an interesting storyline with The Bloodline.

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#2. Multiple surprises for AEW All Out

AEW All Out featured a stacked card, including CM Punk making his in-ring return against after seven years against Darby Allin. It was widely speculated that multiple former WWE stars could potentially be making their AEW debuts at the pay-per-view.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that there were plenty of surprises planned for the show.

"There will be surprises tonight and people internally are very excited about the show. Belief is they are going to destroy their existing PPV record (Revolution 2021) by a significant margin," Dave Meltzer tweeted.

The report turned out to be true as we saw Ruby Soho make her debut as the Joker in the Women's Casino Battle Royale. Following the main event, we also saw the arrivals of Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson to close the show.

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#1. Cody Rhodes returning to AEW

On the August 4, 2021 episode of AEW Dynamite, Cody Rhodes cut an emotional promo seemingly signifying an end to his in-ring career before being blindsided by Malakai Black with a crutch.

Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net reported that Rhodes would be returning to the promotion in the month of September.

On the September 15th episode of AEW Dynamite, Black confronted actress Rosario Dawson outside the ring. Cody then returned to make the save and went on to brawl with Black all over the arena. The two battled each other the following week, with Rhodes gaining the victory.

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