The "WWE rumor mill" is always fun for fans. Thanks to social media and the internet, surprises are much harder to come by on modern WWE programming. For that reason, rumors swirl like crazy online and oftentimes end up being spoilers.
This is not to say that there haven't been plenty of WWE rumors that didn't turn out to be true. There's also a big difference between a rumor and an urban legend. A rumor is something that people talked about and either happened or was later confirmed to be untrue. An urban legend is a story that's circulated for years even though it cannot be proven true or false. This list will examine 10 WWE rumors that turned out to be absolutely false.
10 The Montreal Screwjob Was A Fix
The Montreal Screwjob It's one of the most well-known moments in the history of the WWE. Although some may consider the idea that the event was a fix to be an urban legend, it's actually a rumor that has been proven false multiple times.
Anybody associated with the event doesn't remember it as a fond moment and although it did launch the Attitude Era, both Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels have spoken about the event from their perspective and have made amends with it. At this point, if the Montreal Screwjob was truly "a fix" it would have been announced on a podcast or something.
9 Kenny Omega At The 2019 Royal Rumble
Kenny Omega is the greatest wrestler to never compete on the WWE main roster. Despite the recent drama at AEW, as time passes it seems even more and more unlikely that Omega will ever compete at the WWE. There have been different rumors that he would arrive at the WWE and none were bigger than the 2019 Royal Rumble.
There was a lot of talk surrounding Ken Omega leaving NJPW, and he hadn't officially signed on with AEW when the rumors were swirling. In the end, Omega didn't show up to the Rumble and eventually signed with AEW.
8 Cody Rhodes At Crown Jewel 2021
Cody Rhodes's departure from AEW was a huge deal in the world of wrestling. He not only competed at the company but was also in an office position and seemed dead set on spending the rest of his career at AEW. He even got a reality TV show working at AEW.
Although rumors swirled that he would return to the WWE, many thought that they would see him at Crown Jewel 2021. This rumor was set aflame when Kenny Omega said in an interview that even he heard that Cody was on a plane to Saudi Arabia. Cody didn't make his return to the WWE until WrestleMania 38.
7 Bret Hart And Sunny
Although there are many moments of animosity between Brett Hart and Shawn Michaels none were bigger than when HBK accused Bret Hart of having a romance with Sunny. During a promo on Raw, Michaels said that he had heard Bret Hart was having "sunny days" and everyone knew what he was insinuating.
It's still unclear why Michaels chose to attack Hart from this angle, but as time has passed many know that there was never any romantic situation between the two and the situation was a rumor fabricated by Michaels to create a storyline on television.
6 Randy Orton To AEW
Randy Orton is a future WWE Hall of Famer. Although he always seemed to work in the shadow of John Cena, he created a great legacy in the WWE as a premiere heel character. In 2019, during contract negotiations, there was a rumor swirling that Orton might be leaving the WWE for AEW.
This rumor was exacerbated when Orton took a picture next to a sign that said "elite." In the years since the picture was posted, Orton has said there was no truth to him going to AEW, and he was just stirring the pot.
5 CM Punk Returns To The WWE
CM Punk's infamous departure from the WWE created a ton of unfinished business. Even to this day, as CM Punk is still signed with AEW, there are still a ton of rumors swirling that he could be returning to the WWE.
The rumors of Punk's return were never bigger than when he made an appearance on WWE Backstage. There were rumors that it could have been the start of a new relationship with the WWE, but it ultimately led to nothing between Punk and the company.
4 Justin Bieber Was The Host Of WrestleMania 27
In 2011, there was a huge rumor that Justin Bieber would be the host of WrestleMania 27. The rumor was met with mixed reactions from fans, but in the lead-up to WrestleMania 27, he was never promoted leading fans to believe that he would just make a guest appearance as a celebrity.
In the end, Justin Bieber took no part in WrestleMania 27 and the entire story just ended up being a big rumor that amounted to nothing.
3 Jon Moxley At The Royal Rumble
Many fans were unsure what the future would hold for John Moxley after he left the WWE. He ended up having a great run in the indies and is now the face of AEW. He'll forever be tied to the WWE for his meteoric rise as a solo superstar and as a member of The Shield.
Although there haven't been a ton of rumors about his return to the WWE, in 2022, there was speculation that the WWE was opening its Forbidden Door and allowing some wrestlers from AEW to compete in their Royal Rumble. It did end up happening with Impact Women's Champion Mickie James, but not Moxley.
2 WWE Buying TNA/Impact Wrestling
The WWE's purchase of ECW and WCW created an endless rumor train that the WWE would purchase another company. In 2016, there was a huge rumor that the WWE might be in talks of purchasing TNA.
At the time, TNA was struggling, and it wasn't clear how the rumor got started or how it would have benefited WWE. It ended up being just a huge rumor started by "insiders in the know."
1 Kane Going Green
One of the strangest rumors in the history of WWE was Kane changing his trademark black and red to green and black. The idea behind the rumor was that he would be paired up with X-Pac and would complement him better with a new color scheme to his attire.
It's unclear where or how this rumor got started but seeing as Kane has never worn anything outside his traditional red and black garb, it was a rumor that ultimately wasn't true.