BS Meter on Tom Brady, Gunther and More Rumors Including New WrestleMania 42 Plans

Leave it to the pro wrestling rumor mill to exceed expectations.

It's WrestleMania season, sure, but the buzz making the rounds right now somehow surpasses the usual whirlwind pace this time of year. 

One glance says it all: There are rumors about 'Mania matches, big creative changes backstage, real heat on a very specific Superstar, and…a Tom Brady name-drop. 

Don't forget Cody Rhodes challenged Drew McIntyre for his top title on Friday night's SmackDown and things still somewhat remain in the air around the Night 1 main event. 

To help fans keep up with the pace, let's throw the biggest rumors against a BS Meter, with 10 being the highest form of unbelievable buzz fans can safely dismiss.

Gunther WrestleMania opponents buzz

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The Rumor

What's the plan with Gunther? According to WrestleVotes (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), the man who retired John Cena will face on of three names: Rey Mysterio, Oba Femi, and Brock Lesnar.

Reaction

This one actually isn't very cut and dry. For a long time, it was easy to wave it off as Gunther taking down Lesnar. But then he retired Cena, so he doesn't really need the rub now. In fact, the far, far better 'Mania match now is easily Lesnar vs. Femi. 

BS Meter: 1

Pretty easy to buy. WWE probably has all options on the table for Gunther at this point. Rey Mysterio would be a downgrade, unless they run a sort of retirement angle there, too. But Femi sure feels like he needs the Lesnar match. 

Shocking Trick Williams plans?

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The Rumor

The buzz around a Trick Williams turn keeps building. According to SelfMadePro (h/t Ortman), a double-turn for Williams and Samiz Zayn is on the table. 

Reaction

Sign everyone all the way up for this one. Who would complain? Williams is super-over with fans and WWE clearly sees him as a top guy. Giving him an excellent veteran heel foil like Zayn and throwing them in a 'Mania feud is a no-brainer. 

BS Meter: 1

Believable because WWE doesn't really have another choice now. It's too late to throw Trick in something else, and anything else would feel like a downgrade. Zayn is the perfect veteran for this role, too, and the main-event title scenes he would otherwise been in are far too crowded. 

Jade Cargill heat?

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The Rumor

When it comes to Jade Cargill, first thing's first: According to Fightful Select (h/t Ortman), WWE is very happy with the buzz and attention she's earning through her interactions with Rhea Ripley as of late. 

Reaction

That out of the way, there's a blurred-lines question around whether Jade and Ripley are actually mad at each other right now. They went on a wild back-and-forth on social media, with Cory Hayes of Bodyslam.net reporting it's not a work while sharing a wild Ripley Instagram message. 

BS Meter: 5

Of course WWE loves this. It's great entertainment either way and perfect fodder for WrestleMania. So much so, it's hard to buy that it's real drama, given how the company keeps trying to modernize its booking to blur the lines more than ever. 

WrestleMania match count

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The Rumor

This 'Mania could be huge, in terms of match count. According to Wrestle Ops, there are six women's matches in the plans so far. Bodyslam.net (h/t Ortman) has the total number at 14 so far. 

Reaction

The women's division was always headed this direction, considering there are now five women's titles on the main roster. 

WWE's looking at some mixture of the following: 

Jade Cargill vs. Rhea Ripley

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan

AJ Lee vs. Becky Lynch

Giulia vs. IYO SKY

Women's tag title match

That leaves out names like Tiffany Stratton and others, by the way. 

BS Meter: 1

Easiest buy of the week. There's apparently an earlier start time for 'Mania this year, too. That's to say nothing about crowd exhaustion and over-saturation of the product, but it's an easy buy, regardless. 

Tom Brady at 'Mania?

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The Rumor

Here's a weird twist. According to WrestleVotes (h/t Ortman), there's an expectation that Tom Brady will be at 'Mania and the company has worked up merchandise for the appearance. 

Reaction

This one feels obvious. WWE wants more eyeballs on 'Mania and Brady has broad appeal, never mind the local connection through his gig with the Las Vegas Raiders. It's hard to imagine he moves the needle that much because of the NFL connection, but for 'Mania, a name is a name. 

BS Meter: 1

No kidding. Brady's been publicly trading verbal jabs with Logan Paul for a little while now. They've all got something to promote. Not many bigger platforms than WrestleMania to do so.