Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors: Latest on Chad Gable, Ricochet, and More

Contract talk continues to dominate the pro wrestling rumor mill, with the latest on Chad Gable and Ricochet headlining this collection of reports from industry insiders.

Will Gable stick around beyond Saturday’s Clash at the Castle premium live event, where he challenges for the Intercontinental Championship; and might Ricochet make at least one more appearance for WWE before his current deal runs out?

Find out the answer to those two questions, as well as the latest on the impending arrival of the Uncle Howdy-led, Bray Wyatt-inspired faction, and the status of The Grizzled Young Vets in All Elite Wrestling, with these latest rumors from behind the scenes.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider Elite reported that Chad Gable is close to, or already has, re-signed with WWE (h/t Cageside Seats).

The Olympian is one of the hottest characters on Raw, and he is in the middle of one of the best storylines in the company.

A verbally abusive and manipulative “coach,” he has spent weeks berating his Alpha Academy pupils, Akira Tozawa, Maxxine Dupri and Otis, while targeting Sami Zayn’s Intercontinental Championship.

The payoff could come as soon as Saturday’ when Gable challenges Zayn in one of the most anticipated matches on the card.

Not only will the celebrated technician have the chance to win the IC title, but the ongoing story of Otis growing increasingly angry at the abuse he and his teammates suffer at the hands of their leader will also likely write its climactic chapter.

The payoff is, eventually, Otis unloading on Gable in a moment that will generate one of the loudest reactions in recent memory, a testament to the heel work the latter has done.

Work that has earned him a new deal with the biggest wrestling company in the world.

Ricochet’s run in WWE appeared to come to an end Monday night on Raw when Bron Breakker brutally beat him down backstage and slammed him through the windshield of a car.

Fans watched as the former NXT North American and WWE United States champion was wheeled into an ambulance and taken away, with fiancee Samantha Irvin joining him.

Johnson also reported that, while the angle was originally intended to be the write-off for the character, the attention that Ricochet has received and the discussion surrounding his potential departure has WWE considering the possibility of bringing him back one more time to “maximize the situation” (h/t Cageside Seats).

WWE posted an update on The One and Only, potentially hinting at the possibility of a return at some point before his contract officially wraps up.

If there were no plans for him beyond Monday, WWE likely would have allowed The One and Only to leave and, other than some video packages to maximize Breakker’s badassery, not talk about him again.

If nothing else, the update suggests there is a possibility Ricochet could have one last appearance before he heads elsewhere, if that is what the future holds for the high-flyer.

Johnson provided an update on the Uncle Howdy-led team that is expected to debut as soon as Monday’s Raw as the payoff to WWE’s latest QR-code creative campaign.

He wrote: “PWInsider.com has been told by multiple sources that the group was slated to film vignettes this week in advance of their unveiling, which may come as soon as this Monday.”

It is an interesting update in that it suggests the first appearance of Howdy and Co., which is expected to include Nikki Cross, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy and Erick Rowan, will make its first appearance in a series of vignettes rather than live in the arena.

After months of building through social media puzzles and some intriguing storytelling straight out of a horror movie, WWE risks losing the fans’ attention the longer it keeps the group out of the arena.

Sure, the Wyatt Family debuted to great fanfare following a series of pre-taped vignettes, but the QR code stuff was meant to introduce the gimmick, leading to a debut that will likely draw plenty of excitement.

It’s possible that the group still pops up on Raw, beats down unsuspecting Superstars and basks in the crowd reaction, but the filming of vignettes creates the impression that we could be in for a few weeks of video packages before Uncle Howdy leads his band of misfits to the squared circle.

James Drake and Zack Gibson of The Grizzled Young Vets made their AEW debut in April on an episode of Collision, losing to The Acclaimed, and have not been seen since.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported that the team had not signed at that point, and still have not, but there remains interest on both sides.

“We’re told that there have been ongoing AEW contract talks between the two sides, but that as of last week, it wasn’t a slam dunk that they’d end up there,” he wrote. “All Elite Wrestling does maintain interest in the team.”

It is not surprising that AEW would remain interested in signing the duo. One of the more celebrated tandems in the industry for their work on the independents, as well as in NXT and TNA Wrestling, Gibson and Drake would be an enormous boost to the AEW tag team division.

With the revelation from Dax Harwood that he is recovering from a significant hematoma, leading to FTR missing considerable television time, the division could use a gritty tag team that can counter some of the more frenetically paced duos.

Bringing the GYVs in and letting them mix it up with The Young Bucks for the titles would enhance the tag division more than whatever the Jacksons have going on with The Acclaimed right now.

That Gibson and Drake have unfinished business with Anthony Bowens and Max Caster only enhances the potential positives of bringing them in.