The NXT brand took a major blow this week as it was revealed that Tommaso Ciampa will need to undergo neck surgery and will miss TakeOver: Brooklyn on April 6.
The latest update on his injury and status within the company headlines this week's recap of backstage WWE rumors.
Also on tap is news on WrestleMania matches for new United States champion Samoa Joe and former WWE champion AJ Styles, as well as a report on Ronda Rousey's current contract situation.
Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats reported management knew of Tommaso Ciampa's neck injury prior to his main roster call-up and was hoping he would be able to get through TakeOver: Brooklyn on April 6 before leaving for surgery.
He added, "there is already a storyline drafted for Ciampa’s comeback."
The timing here is disappointing, both for Ciampa and fans.
The performer himself was in the midst of the greatest year of his career, having compiled Match of the Year candidates against Johnny Gargano and impressed in NXT Championship defenses against Velveteen Dream and Aleister Black.
His absence creates a hole in NXT that will be difficult to fill. Triple H and his writing team knew it would have to sooner rather than later with The Blackheart's recent debut on the main roster. Still, two years' worth of storytelling went into Ciampa vs. Gargano, and now, their epic will go unconcluded.
The silver lining? WWE officials are not allowing Ciampa to disappear without having a story already primed for his return.
One of the most gifted heels in recent history, Ciampa still has a ton to accomplish under the WWE umbrella. Here is to hoping he can recover from this ill-timed injury, come back as good as he ever was and succeed on the grandest stage in sports entertainment.
Dave Meltzer reportedJohn Cena vs. Samoa Joe for the United States Championship and Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles are possibilities for WrestleMania 35.
Joe captured the U.S. title from R-Truth in a Fatal 4-Way match also involving Rey Mysterio and Andrade that was part of a United States Championship Open Challenge in homage to Cena. In fact, Truth spent weeks name-dropping the 16-time world champion, potentially setting up a return to action in time for The Showcase of the Immortals.
Cena and Joe have yet to have a high-profile match in the rings of WWE, but they trained together in Rick Bassman's UPW, so the storytelling possibilities are there.
Styles pinned Orton in a multi-man match prior to Royal Rumble to earn a WWE Championship opportunity against Daniel Bryan. The Viper returned the favor at Elimination Chamber, ending The Phenomenal One's night in spectacular fashion with a jaw-dropping RKO.
Their prospective match feels more like an excuse to get both men on the card because there is nothing better to do with either of them.
Meltzer also reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that Ronda Rousey's final date with WWE (as of now) is the Raw after WrestleMania 35.
Though it has not officially been announced, Rousey will defend her Raw Women's Championship on April 7 at WrestleMania against Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch in a match that has been built to and hinted at for months.
That match will cap off one of the most impressive rookie years in WWE history.
Rousey, on just three months of in-ring training, stunned the wrestling world with a Match of the Year-calibre performance at last year's WrestleMania, in which she teamed with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
From there, she embarked on a run that culminated with a women's title victory and show-stealing performances against Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Ruby Riott and the aforementioned Flair.
She has faced her fair share of criticism, but the 2018 UFC Hall of Famer far exceeded expectations and became one of the bright spots of a WWE product that may have looked drastically different without her holding down the proverbial fort in the absence of Roman Reigns and John Cena.
Her presence and star power alone will, potentially, result in the first women's main event in WrestleMania history and for that, her contributions cannot go underappreciated.
