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Welcome to today's edition of WWE Rumor Roundup, as we bring you the hottest scoops from the world of the sports entertainment juggernaut. It's Friday, so today is our pre-SmackDown edition.Some of the big scoops of the day include a clear timeline given for Bianca Belair's return, massive canceled plans for John Cena that all happened very recently, some shocking news regarding superstars' pay, and some very interesting reports about the state of SmackDown after the latest episode.So without dragging it much further, let's jump right into it:#4. Bianca Belair's return timeline has finally been revealedA stunning photo of Belair from WrestleMania 41 (Pic Courtesy: WWE.com)Bianca Belair has been out of action after it was revealed that a finger injury from WrestleMania 41 would keep her out. It was meant to write her off for months, and in that time, Jade Cargill has ascended to becoming the WWE Women's Champion. Belair's absence has undeniably been felt in the women's division this year, and many fans were shocked that something as simple as a finger injury could keep her out for so long. Even injuries like ACL tears couldn't keep some superstars away for more than six months, but it has now been nearly 7 months since the former Royal Rumble winner announced that she would be out.According to BodySlam.net, there is now a definitive timeline on Bianca Belair's return, and that is set to be in early 2026. Interestingly enough, the report from BodySlam noted that internally, this timeline is earlier than expected. This could potentially mean that Belair will be back on time for WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.#2. There were reportedly plans for John Cena winning #18A still from Wrestlepalooza 2025 (Picture Courtesy: WWE.com)John Cena is now a little over a month away from calling it quits from WWE and professional wrestling. With seemingly only two matches remaining, there are a lot of questions about what could be done. A report from Fightful Select revealed that during the time of Seth Rollins' injury at Crown Jewel 2025, there were backstage plans being made for John Cena to win an 18th World Championship.Ultimately, the plan was made to go ahead and create a battle royal to determine CM Punk's opponent. For those missing context, CM Punk had already won a match to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Instead, the plan was made to create a tournament to determine John Cena's final opponent, and Sheamus, Shinsuke Nakamura, Rusev, and Damian Priest were announced as the first four names on that list.#2. WWE stars not being paid to appear on outside shows?WWE has not been shying away from having crossovers, as we have seen with their partnerships with TNA and NOAH, as well as the incredible acquisition of AAA in a deal that was announced before WrestleMania 41.Since then, we've seen several stars under the sports entertainment juggernaut barrier appear in promotions outside, and Kelani Jordan and Dominik Mysterio now hold the top titles from other promotions - TNA and AAA, respectively. You might have expected that these superstars get paid additional money to appear on these shows, but that doesn't seem to be the case. According to a report on the Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE stars are expected to work for these other promotions with no additional pay, and it was explained that the logic behind this is that, compared to previous generations or even a couple of years ago, the guaranteed pay comes with even fewer dates.This is technically true, as the company has intentionally cut back on house shows to create demand for more lucrative live broadcast shows. However, the decision not to pay superstars extra is one that will more than likely raise some eyebrows.#1. SmackDown ratings are tankingThings are not going well on SmackDown (Pic Courtesy: WWE.com)Despite TKO boasting about record ticket revenues, it seems like ticket prices and creative quality have finally begun to catch up. It was first reported on Fightful Select that there was some serious unhappiness backstage over low ticket sales for the 31st October episode of SmackDown, as fans from the upper areas had to be moved down to the lower rows.Now, a report from the Wrestling Observer revealed that SmackDown's rating for 31st October stood at a measly 933,000 viewers. For context, the previous week saw 1,024,000 viewers tune in, but it shows a rapidly declining rate. While demand for RAW still remains, the creative quality of SmackDown has been highly criticized. Despite rumors of a shake-up of the SmackDown creative team, the results haven't been good.It seems like the rating is reflective of the general sentiment surrounding SmackDown in 2025.
