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Welcome back to another edition of Sportskeeda's daily WWE Rumor Roundup. We kicked off the latest lineup of stories with an update on former star Cesaro's status amidst speculation of his in-ring return.
A well-known executive's phone number has reportedly been "shut off," and it seems like he could be on his way out of the company.
The rumor roundup ends with details regarding the promotion renaming its Talking Smack show. On that note, let's take a look at the day's top rumors:
#1. Update on Cesaro's return
Cesaro "quietly" left Vince McMahon's organization earlier this year in February after his contract expired, and he has since maintained his distance from the pro wrestling world.
Speculation has been rife online about Cesaro being the injured Bryan Danielson's mystery replacement at the AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door show. Fightful Select released a timely update on the former superstar's status and revealed that Cesaro has been training in the ring over the past few weeks.
Claudio Castagnoli has been spotted at the Flatbacks Wrestling School in Orlando a few times, and it seems like the former United States Champion is working towards an in-ring comeback.
However, there is no confirmation that he might appear for AEW as there is no clarity regarding the next move in his career. It was noted that many independent wrestling promoters have reached out to Cesaro, but there was not much interest shown from his side in potential appearances.
It was reported almost a month back that despite being in Tony Khan's good books, the free agent might prefer to return and work for Vince McMahon again. While fans should get all their answers regarding Cesaro's future soon, the 41-year-old star's in-ring return looks certain at this point.
#2. John Laurinaitis' WWE future in jeopardy
John Laurinaitis has not had the best of times since the company's board of directors launched an investigation against him and Vince McMahon over the alleged sexual misconduct allegations.
As reported earlier, Laurinaitis has been replaced by Bruce Prichard as the company's Head of Talent Relations. RingSideNews now says that Laurinaitis' phone number is no longer active, which is not seen as a good sign backstage.
While there was no confirmation of his departure from the company, it was noted that John Laurinaitis' WWE phone number had not been shut off since he received it in 2001. Here's what was reported regarding Laurinaitis' status:
"While it has not been confirmed that John Laurinaitis is no longer with WWE, we were told this latest development is "not a good sign." Ringside News was told that John Laurinaitis' WWE cell phone number has been shut off. Word going around is that he's had this working number since 2001."
John Laurinaitis has not returned to work behind the scenes since the Vince McMahon controversy came to light, and all roads, unfortunately, are pointing towards his WWE exit.
#3. The reason why Talking Smack has been renamed
The promotion recently confirmed the name change for one of its most popular recap shows, Talking Smack, which has now been rebranded as "SmackDown Lowdown."
As revealed in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE renamed the show as A&E has plans to introduce their own Sunday night offering, Smack Talk, featuring Booker T, Peter Rosenberg, and Jackie Redmond as the hosts.
Company officials decided to avoid any sort of confusion and proceeded to make significant changes to Talking Smack. Here's what Dave Meltzer reported about the development:
"Talking Smack on Peacock has gotten a name change to Smackdown Lowdown. The reason seems to be that A&E is doing a new TV show as part of its Sunday night block called WWE Smack Talk with Booker T, Jackie Redmond, and Peter Rosenberg," wrote Meltzer.
A&E's Smack Talk is set to premiere on July 10th and is expected to feature many surprise guests to discuss episodes of the second season of Biography: WWE Legends and WWE Rivals.
