Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors on Goldberg, Ron Killings and More

WWE and All Elite Wrestling are both gearing up for massive summertime spectaculars, and the top two promotions in professional wrestling also find themselves and their stars in the headlines.

From the potential return of a Hall of Famer to the contractual status of a popular, albeit underutilized star, these are the latest rumors and reports from industry insiders.

Goldberg's WWE Return

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Viper of Bodyslam.net reported that Goldberg is expected to make his WWE return Monday night on Raw, with speculation suggesting he will kick off a retirement feud with world heavyweight champion Gunther, culminating in a July 12 match on Saturday Night's Main Event in his hometown of Atlanta.

The 2017 Hall of Famer was last seen on October 5 at Bad Blood, also in Atlanta, where he confronted The Ring General after Gunther insulted his son.

If there is any wrestler on the planet who can get a respectable match out of Goldberg at this point in his career, it's Gunther. So, it makes sense that Triple H and WWE would trust the two-time world champ with a match of this magnitude.

He is also a clearly defined heel who, unless Goldberg shows up and works another bad match not unlike the ones in Saudi Arabia against The Undertaker and Roman Reigns, the fans should be solidly behind the former WCW megastar.

As an SNME headliner, the proposed match is fine. Should it end up happening at SummerSlam, there is an argument to be made it's a wasted spot that should go to someone else considering the magnitude of the two-night premium live event.

WWE Fears Fan Backlash

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Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE fears fans will "hijack" more shows to make their feelings known following the return of Ron "The Truth" Killings.

The fans vocally demanded WWE brought back R-Truth after he announced his release amid an expiring contract. According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, the company felt it had no choice but to enter discussions with the beloved competitor for a return, with negotiations spearheaded by WWE president Nick Khan.

It is certainly a situation in which fans had their voices be heard and, potentially, a sign that the promotion is more open to hearing the audience and giving it what it wants.

Still, the WWE Universe now knows it has more power than it may have before. How it exercises it, and how frequently, remains to be seen.

WWE Draft Plans

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The WWE draft is an annual excuse for the company to shuffle its rosters and shake things up.

To this point in 2025, the event has yet to be confirmed, but Viper and Cory Hayes of BodySlam reported that the company is planning on holding the event after SummerSlam, as part of a "season premiere" of sorts.

Given the packed schedule between now and the two-night PLE on August 2-3, it makes sense that WWE would hold off on shuffling the Raw and SmackDown rosters until afterward.

Too short of a turnaround, coupled with the culmination of long-term storytelling, would only muddy the waters and threaten how much the company could actually change things.

Given the backlash to last year's draft, when virtually no top stars changed shows, it is for the best that WWE holds off instead of repeating the same problems that adversely affected the 2024 event.

Danhausen's Contract Situation

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Danhausen has not been seen on AEW or Ring of Honor television since the Final Battle pay-per-view, and Sapp reported that his contract is up next month.

"Fightful is told that Danhausen's contract is up in July, unless injury time is added to that deal," he wrote. "Considering there haven't been creative plans for him in months, that would be surprising."

Danhausen arrived in AEW fresh off a red-hot indie run that saw him make a boatload of money from self merchandising and marketing, all while developing a fan-favorite gimmick that entertained in venues around the world.

While AEW took advantage of that popularity early on, an injury and non-existent booking led to his disappearance from TV. The 34-year-old has not had consistent bookings since.

Sapp wrote: "Those that we've spoken to said that Danhausen was welcomed back backstage at Final Battle, and they were under the impression he'd be back in the fold, as was he. However, when Danhausen reached out a number of times following the event, he was told that they didn't plan on bringing him to television that particular week."

It will be interesting to see if WWE has interest in bringing the very nice, very evil competitor into the fold, especially given his friendship with CM Punk and undeniable marketability.