WWE & AEW Rumours: Latest On When Swerve Strickland Will Return From Injury

A quieter day for professional wrestling rumours has arrived for Thursday, October 23 but there are still a few updates, including when Swerve Strickland will return to All Elite Wrestling.

Billy Gunn, meanwhile, is dealing with an injury and former WWE star and lawyer David Otunga has given his thoughts on what would happen should Andrade El Idolo file a lawsuit against WWE over his one-year non-compete clause.

Pro wrestling rumours for Thursday, October 23, 2025:

Update On When Swerve Strickland Will Return To AEW

Swerve Strickland has been absent from All Elite Wrestling since he was written off TV with a post-match attack from Kazuchika Okada and Wardlow at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door in August. Strickland was written off due to aggravating a torn meniscus he originally suffered back in 2019.

The aggravation of the injury meant Strickland had to undergo surgery and that he would be sidelined for months. In an update, Fightful Select has reported that as of this past weekend, the optimistic hope was Strickland may be ready to make his AEW return in the winter, and December is a possibility.

Nothing is set in stone around a Strickland return, however.

Billy Gunn Injury Revealed

Billy Gunn continues to wrestle on a regular basis at 61 years old, but the WWE Hall of Famer has revealed he has multiple stress fractures in his back.

Appearing on Fuel & Flex with Charlie Williams Parks, Gunn said:

"I love to squat. I don't know what it is. I'm not a huge squatter. I don't know what it is. I love the feeling, I love the movement. But I have two stress fractures in my back that absolutely smoke me when I do it. I refuse not to do it. I'm not gonna do it. I found ways to make myself feel safer doing it just in case my back - every time I squat, I box squat. I just stretch and go, only because if something goes, I know that I have something that I can go to instead of going whoom! Trying to wipe out half the gym."

In addition to being signed with AEW as a wrestler, Gunn works behind the scenes as a producer. He was last featured on TV earlier this year as part of managing Anthony Bowens during Bowens' singles run, although Gunn has appeared less since Bowens and Max Caster began to reunite.

H/T Fightful

Judge Likely To Rule In Andrade El Idolo's Favour If He Takes WWE To Court Says David Otunga

Former WWE talent David Otunga, who now works as a legal analyst due to his law degree and past work as a lawyer, believes a judge would likely rule in Andrade El Idolo's favour if he takes WWE to court over his one-year non-compete clause.

"Under this non-compete clause, technically, a talent could sign a contract, WWE could turn around the next day and fire them for no cause, and then say, 'Hey, we're not going to pay you for one year and you can't wrestle anywhere else for one year.' This is in the contract. This would be enforceable, presuming this contract is valid...They don’t want talent to take them to court and challenge this because a judge would likely rule this invalid," Otunga said.

"If he were to take this to court, I think a judge is very likely to rule in his favour and just throw out the entire clause in the contract. You can't prevent somebody from earning a living for an entire year," he added.

Andrade El Idolo signed with All Elite Wrestling after he was released with cause by WWE. Andrade disappeared following his AEW return, however, with it emerging soon after that he is subject to a one-year non-compete clause that is now standard in WWE contracts if a talent is fired with cause.

H/T WrestlingNews.co