WWE Rumors: Examining Latest Buzz Around AJ Styles, Chris Jericho and More

AJ Styles headlines the latest crop of WWE rumors as the potential centerpiece of a New Japan Pro Wrestling talent raid. 

Are Styles and a handful of fellow NJPW stars really bound for WWE? That certainly sounds like the kind of thing that floats around the Internet only to lead to nowhere. Is this a case of wrestlers trying to gain leverage in contract negotiations, or just smoke without any fire?

One report suggested that Styles and Company are actually preparing to make their way to WWE.

Other online rumblings include information about Chris Jericho's current run, James Storm's potential return to TNA and what officials are reportedly saying about NXT's champions, Finn Balor and Bayley.

Which of these stories should fans dismiss, and which ring true? Let's dive into 2016's first set of rumors from the mat game to try to answer that question.

James Storm, from NXT to TNA?

The Cowboy made two appearances for NXT after leaving TNA. It hasn't been clear, though, whether he was going to stick around.

The current whispers have him headed back to TNA. On F4WOnline, Dan Velten reported, "James Storm is scheduled for TNA's TV tapings all week in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, concluding in a PPV Friday."

Without concrete ties to WWE, it's certainly possible that TNA could have worked something out with him, although Storm himself seemed to be rebuke the report.

Storm tweeted using the hashtag "StillFreeAgent:"

He also mentioned that he would only be "there" for a meeting.

"

Crazy how people know more about me than ME. Just to clarify things. I'm am supposed to be there tomorrow afternoon for a meeting. #

— James Storm (@JamesStormBrand) January 5, 2016"

Assuming that he's referring to TNA, it's too early to confirm his signing with his old company. But if he's sitting down with Dixie Carter this week, that could change in a hurry.

NJPW Raid?

If true, WWE's reported signing binge from the NJPW roster would be the biggest story of the year. A pair of marquee talents are rumored to be on the move to Vince McMahon's company. 

F4WOnline's Bryan Rose wrote, "WWE have reportedly signed former IWGP and TNA Champion AJ Styles, former IWGP Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson away from New Japan Pro Wrestling." Rose noted that the news first broke on MLW Radio and that Dave Meltzer later covered it on Wrestling Observer Radio.

Before you get too pumped and starts dreaming up WWE dream matches for Nakamura and Styles, be sure to read what Mike Johnson reported for PWInsider.

He wrote, "The [part about the] WWE signing is one of the versions of the story that are making the rounds, but to be clear, no sources within WWE or even outside of it, have been able to confirm that, as of this evening, there have been any signings of any of these talents."

This is now a classic wait-and-see situation. The initial reports could just be wrong, or perhaps Styles and Nakamura are trying to use the threat of going to WWE to get better deals.

WWE hesitated to move on Styles in the past. And it hasn't made a habit of signing Japan's biggest names. This rumored talent raid would be a surprise for both those reasons.

Bleacher Report's Matt Camp broke down what the rumored signings would mean for the company:

In a recent interview, Styles offered little help to clear up whether he is headed for WWE. He told Wrestling Inc, "Never say never, right? So I'm going to go where business takes me."

Chris Jericho Update

Y2J surprised The New Day on Monday's Raw, interrupting the group to announce that he's going to enter the 2016 Royal Rumble.

How long will he be around for, though? Is he just going to do another one-off?

It looks more likely that he's set to stick around awhile.

PWInsider's Johnson reported, "Jericho is expected to be working live events very shortly, possibly as soon as this weekend." That's certainly not definitive information on what kind of deal Jericho signed. His run before this featured more house shows than TV appearances. It remains to be seen if that will be the case again.

Either way, his schedule appears to be wide-open for WWE. His band Fozzy's official website features no touring info at the moment.

Backstage Talk About Finn Balor, Bayley

WWE is reportedly mulling over both Bayley's and Balor's futures.

The NXT champ and the NXT women's champ are among the top prospects the developmental brand has to offer. The backstage discussion about them is said to revolve around their expected moves to the main roster.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc), there is some concern about Balor's body breaking down after all the years he worked in Japan and NXT's leaning so heavily on him now. WWE is reportedly also unsure of how Bayley will fare on the main roster. Some officials foresee failure for her, while others think she could be the female version of John Cena. 

After Daniel Bryan has struggled to stay healthy, it's not surprising to hear word of WWE's hesitation concerning Balor's status. That should just be added motivation to call up him soon.

As for Bayley, if WWE Creative can't make a star out of a performer of her caliber who has already endeared herself to the crowd at such a high level, it needs to make some internal personnel adjustments. Bayley is a megastar in the making, a babyface around whom WWE can build the women's division.

McMahon needs to listen to those who see a Cena-like run for her in the crystal ball.