Cody Rhodes

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and All Elite Wrestling.

Big E Talks Potential WrestleMania Match vs. Tyson Fury

WWE champion Big E is open to a massive crossover match at WrestleMania against one of the top boxers in the world.

In an interview with Gary Stonehouse of The Sun, Big E suggested the possibility of locking horns with Tyson Fury on The Grandest Stage of Them All:

Tyson Fury is arguably the best boxer on the planet. Some say Canelo [Alvarez], but Fury is a mega-star and a fan of what we do. He's dipped into it and he's a guy who understands entertainment. I can't say there's a better choice than Tyson Fury. I think Tyson Fury would be a lot of fun.

That's what we do at WrestleMania. It's about theatrics, entertainment, and being larger than life. So, if we are going to do it, that would be the place to do it. So I am open to a Tyson Fury WrestleMania match. As absurd as it may be to some, it would be a lot of fun.

In addition to being an undefeated heavyweight champion coming off a knockout win over Deontay Wilder in October, Fury has some WWE experience.

In 2019, Fury entered into a short-term feud with Braun Strowman and beat him by count-out at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. He later joined forces with Strowman on an episode of SmackDown in England to take down The B-Team.

Fury's size, athleticism and charisma make him an ideal fit for professional wrestling, and it seems possible he will return to WWE at some point.

Earlier this year, Fury divulged he was supposed to have a match against Drew McIntyre at a pay-per-view in the United Kingdom in 2020, but it was called off due to COVID-19.

An eventual match against McIntyre could still be on the table, but facing Big E for the WWE title at WrestleMania 38 in Arlington, Texas, next year would be a huge deal, and it may be realistic since there is no clear opponent for Big E right now.

WWE Reportedly Changed Plans for Lesnar

After being off television since the Oct. 29 episode of SmackDown due to a storyline suspension, Brock Lesnar is set return Friday night.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), the original plan called for Lesnar to return on the Dec. 10 episode of SmackDown in Los Angeles. The angle would have seen Lesnar appear while still suspended by buying a ticket.

Instead, Lesnar will appear on Friday's SmackDown in San Antonio after last week's SmackDown focused on Kayla Braxton getting confirmation of The Beast Incarnate's return.

Lesnar was given a storyline suspension after attacking referees and WWE official Adam Pearce on SmackDown the night after losing a Universal Championship match against Roman Reigns at WWE Crown Jewel.

That match ended in controversial fashion, as Paul Heyman threw the title belt in between Reigns and Lesnar, leading to questions about who Heyman is actually supporting.

Lesnar figures to continue his rivalry with Reigns on Friday night, which could lead to a rematch between them either at the Day 1 pay-per-view on Jan. 1 or at the Royal Rumble in late January.

Lesnar has long been one of WWE's biggest stars and draws, and with him being involved with WWE's biggest full-time star in Reigns, Friday's SmackDown looks like a can't-miss affair.

Major AEW Contracts Reportedly Expiring Soon

Some big names in AEW reportedly could see their contracts expire soon.

According to Meltzer (h/t Mukherjee), many of the wrestlers who have been signed with AEW from the start have contracts that run through Dec. 31, 2021, although the deals include two option years as well.

That means AEW President Tony Khan can exercise the options, which would take the contracts through Dec. 31, 2023.

Meltzer noted that Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes, Brandi Rhodes and AEW World champion "Hangman" Adam Page are among those who fit into that particular category.

The Young Bucks also would have been part of that group, but Meltzer reported that Khan already picked up the two option years in their contract.

While it is possible some of the AEW wrestlers with expiring contracts could become free agents at the end of the year, Meltzer wrote that he "would expect" all of their options to be picked up.

Omega, Cody and Brandi are all AEW executives in addition to on-screen performers, while Jericho and Page are two of the company's biggest stars, so it would be surprising if any of them are let go.

AEW may need to be more selective with who it re-signs, though, as its roster has grown significantly over the past year because of some of the released WWE Superstars it has signed.

That means there could be some turnover in the middle and lower parts of the roster, but the top-tier performers don't figure to be going anywhere for quite some time.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.

Cody Rhodes and PAC beat Malakai Black and Andrade El Idolo in a tag team match at AEW Full Gear on Saturday.

PAC hit Andrade with the Black Arrow for the win, but after the match, FTR stormed the ring to attack the victors.

As noted on the pay-per-view, the Pinnacle sold FTR to Andrade for two weeks, so their services were utilized on Saturday.

The match was essentially an intersection of two rivalries since Black and Rhodes have been at odds for the past several weeks, as have Andrade and PAC.

Black immediately took aim at Rhodes and Arn Anderson after making his AEW debut in July, leading to a series of three singles matches between Black and Cody.

The first was Black's debut match in AEW, and it saw Black beat Rhodes in dominant fashion. Cody took a few weeks off after that defeat before returning and laying down a challenge for the Grand Slam edition of Dynamite at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City.

Black was once again victorious in the rematch thanks to the use of black mist, which blinded Rhodes and allowed Black to hit his finisher.

A frustrated Anderson put Rhodes through the wringer in order to prepare him for a third match against Black, and his tactics seemed to work, as Rhodes rose to the occasion in a No Holds Barred match and finally picked up the victory.

Meanwhile, Andrade and PAC have twice locked horns on Rampage with each performer scoring one victory over the other.

Their issues started when Andrade was seemingly trying to break up Death Triangle by enticing The Lucha Bros to join forces with him instead.

Black and Andrade have a real-life connection since Black's wife, WWE Superstar Zelina Vega, managed Andrade when he was in WWE.

As a result, the Black and Andrade partnership feels natural, and it has seen them attempt to help each other in their matches.

Most recently, both Black and PAC got involved during a singles match between Andrade and Cody on the Nov. 3 edition of Dynamite, which Andrade won.

In a bout that was chock full of top-flight talent, Rhodes and PAC prevailed at Full Gear, perhaps putting both of them in line to move up the card and challenge for a title in the near future.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).