A hot week for the pro wrestling rumor mill is inevitable when John Cena comes back to the sport's orbit. 

So it goes this week with Cena on his way back for an appearance. There's a newfound buzz around the so-called upcoming John Cena Classic as the big-ticket item there. 

Tack on big upcoming events from WWE and AEW, with the former still heading overseas in some capacity. There's rumblings not only of major plans for certain wrestlers, but even a big backstage shakeup that could impact every single piece of weekly WWE programming.

To help fans keep up with the rumor mill, let's toss the must-know rumors on the BS Meter, with 10 being the highest form of unbelievable buzz fans can safely dismiss.

Major backstage shakeup

The Rumor

Big things happening behind the scenes in WWE, it seems. According to PWInsider (h/t WrestleOps' Harry Smith), Bruce Prichard is stepping away from his spot as creative writing executive director, with Shawn Michaels stepping into the void it creates. 

Reaction

Talk about a major development while promoting from within. Justified or not, Prichard has been a sour talking point for a chunk of the WWE fanbase. Michaels, on the other hand, has seen mostly nothing but praise since rising to control most of the creative direction of NXT since 2021. 

BS Meter: 1

Easiest buy of the week. Michaels was always headed for bigger things if a spot opened up. We'll see if his arrival is enough to alter the feel of bigger weekly programs and who takes his spot in NXT. But the change is expected. 

Big Cass, Rusev updates

The Rumor

It seems Big Cass and Rusev are closely linked. According to WrestleVotes (h/t Cageside Seats' Geno Mrosko), Cass currently holds the spot intended for Rusev before injury. And it gets stranger: According to Self Made Pro (h/t Mrosko), the two will link up and form a stable with Ethan Page once everyone is back. 

Reaction

Ok then. Cass has been propping up others since his return, losing to the likes of Dragon Lee and Je'Von Evans, among others. Pretty much the same story for Rusev before his absence. 

BS Meter: 1

Just randomly throwing two or three guys together for a stable is a pretty WWE thing to do. There's nothing wrong with Cass and Rusev being the guys to take losses and prop up others right now, but there is certainly more upside for storytelling if they can create a little faction and get some momentum for themselves, too. 

Crown Jewel advertised match?

The Rumor

Are there still plans in the works for some big names? According to Cageside Seats' Cain A. Knight, various outlets report that a Gunther vs. Finn Balor match is being locally advertised before the Crown Jewel PLE. 

Reaction

Much of the news cycle before Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia next week has been on where and if it will take place at all. That has, indeed, made it easy to overlook that, as of this writing, there are only four matches planned and some major names like Balor and Gunther haven't been included. 

BS Meter: 5

We'll see on this one. What's advertised locally, even around the United States, doesn't always match up with what happens. Plans change, injuries happen, advertising partners aren't informed, etc. We can all agree, at least, that WWE has largely mishandled Gunther since his spree of retiring pro wrestling legends. 

Where is Seth Rollins?

The Rumor

Here's a weird one: Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp (h/t Knight) reported that WWE knew almost right away that the Montez Ford lap dance incident would cause problems and that it might just explain why Seth Rollins hasn't been on weekly programming too. 

Reaction

For those way out of the loop, a guard involved with an on-screen interaction with Ford is suing the wrestler and WWE. Rollins was mostly last seen getting help from The Street Profits in a bit of faction drama before fading to the background again. 

BS Meter: 5

Oddity of the whole lawsuit thing aside, it would make some sense if this sudden bit of news has caused a bit of planning chaos around Rollins. There's no reason to rush him off into something else if the off-screen stuff gets settled soon. On the other hand, this is Rollins, and keeping him off television for any reason when healthy is, well, pretty silly. 

John Cena Classic update

The Rumor

Ready for more weird John Cena Classic buzz? According to WrestleVotes Radio (h/t Knight), there has been "an incredible" number of creative meetings about what to actually do with the new event. It also apparently will now stream on more than one platform after initially being pitched as a Club WWE thing. 

Reaction

So, for those who forgot, Cena announced this new WWE event but offered no details. Buzz suggested it would be a tournament where perhaps wins and losses didn't matter while fans voted on the real winners. Or something. The makings of an interesting, fan-engaging idea were there, but WWE has been radio silent about the whole thing since for good reason. 

BS Meter: 1

Kudos to WWE and Cena for not just pretending the whole announcement never happened. At least they still plan to try something. Whether that something turns out to be any good very much remains to be seen. But it sounds like fans could find out more when Cena returns to Raw next week.