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WWE Rumors on Roman Reigns vs. Rock at WrestleMania, New Championships and Tyson Fury
Dec 30, 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 26: Roman Reigns is seen in Midtown on July 26, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
WWE's Reported WrestleMania Backup Plan for Reigns
If WWE is unable to secure Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to face WWE universal champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 in April, there is reportedly already a backup plan in place.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE head of creative Triple H knows what direction he wants to go in if the "very real possibility" of The Rock not being available for WrestleMania comes to pass.
Meltzer noted that while the backup plan isn't publicly known, Cody Rhodes is likely the "betting line favorite" to be Reigns' opponent outside of The Rock.
Rumors and speculation have persisted for months regarding Reigns vs. The Rock at WrestleMania, but WWE has never truly teased the match, which would make it easy for the company to pivot if it can't be made possible.
The Rock is as busy as anyone in show business because of his acting schedule, plus he is the owner of the XFL, which is set to relaunch in spring 2023 and could conflict with WrestleMania season.
Reigns vs. The Rock is the biggest possible match WWE could put on, and it would increase interest in WrestleMania 39 significantly, but it isn't necessarily needed for WWE to put on a great show.
WWE could always try for Reigns vs. The Rock at a later date, especially since the fanbase would likely react positively to Reigns vs. Rhodes as well.
Rhodes is seemingly getting closer to a return after missing several months with a torn pectoral muscle, and if he were to win the Royal Rumble and challenge Reigns, it would still be one of WWE's best stories in quite some time.
WWE Reportedly Considering Adding Another Title
With Reigns in possession of both world titles, WWE is reportedly considering the addition of another major championship.
According to Meltzer (h/t Smita Singha Roy of Ringside News), there "remains a lot of talk" within WWE about creating a new title for Raw if Reigns remains on SmackDown or for SmackDown if Reigns gets moved to Raw the next time a draft is held.
Reigns has held the Universal Championship for over 850 days, and he added the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022, meaning WWE is closing in on a full year of only having one world champion.
While that makes being world champion an even bigger deal than if there were two world titles, it has also left Raw without a major men's championship to vie for.
Many fans have clamored for the titles to be broken up again and Reigns to perhaps lose one of them, but WWE has stayed away from The Tribal Chief losing big matches.
If WWE has a desire for there to be two world titles but no desire for Reigns to lose, simply merging the WWE and Universal Championships into one and then creating a new world title could be a viable option.
Adding another world title would give WWE ammunition for some compelling television over the course of several weeks, as the winner could be determined by a tournament involving some of the top stars the company has to offer.
Reigns has been excellent in his role, and it is understandable why WWE has protected him, but if it wants Raw to be as interesting and important as SmackDown, a second world champion may be needed in the near future.
WWE's Reported Feelings on Utilizing Tyson Fury
A source within WWE reportedly told Meltzer (h/t Gunjan Nath of Ringside News) that there are reservations about using heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury in an in-ring capacity.
The source told Meltzer that Fury is "not willing to put people over or even look vulnerable," thus making it difficult to do something like a cameo in the men's Royal Rumble match, since he may not be willing to get eliminated.
The revelation came on the heels of a report by Sunni Upal of The Sun U.S. this week. In the report, Upal noted that WWE had plans to use Fury at the 2023 Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 39, but visa issues are preventing it from happening.
Fury is reportedly banned from entering the United States because of his ties to alleged Irish mob boss Daniel Kinahan.
As a result, Fury is reportedly missing out on millions of dollars that he could have earned by working Royal Rumble and WrestleMania.
Fury has made multiple appearances for WWE, including a Crown Jewel match against Braun Strowman in Saudi Arabia. He also had a presence at Clash at the Castle in Wales in September when he punched out Austin Theory during a Money in the Bank cash-in attempt and consoled Drew McIntyre after his loss to Reigns in the main event.
There is no question that Fury is a huge star in the world of combat sports thanks to his success and charisma, but integrating athletes into the world of WWE can be tricky at times, especially when it comes to an undefeated fighter whose career is built on legitimacy.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).
WWE Rumors: Latest on The Rock's Status for Royal Rumble and WrestleMania vs. Reigns
Dec 23, 2022
Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, enters the ring to talk smack about his upcoming opponent John Cena during the WWE Raw event at Rose Garden arena in Portland, Ore., Monday February 27th, 2012. (Photo by Chris Ryan/Corbis via Getty Images)
With The Rock not having to worry about making any Black Adam movies in the near-future, he may have time to do a long-talked-about match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
Per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Dakota Cohen of Wrestling Inc.), WWE is still discussing the possibility of a Rock-Reigns match at the upcoming event from SoFi Stadium.
The report does note WWE would likely need a decision from The Rock before the Royal Rumble, as his return would potentially impact how the men's Rumble match gets booked.
The Rock did include a potential easter egg in a recent episode of Young Rock with a scene showing his trophy case that included the universal championship in the background.
Hey, anyone else notice in #youngrock the championships on display? This takes place about a decade in the future. Notice future @TheRock has apparently held the current Universal Championship. 🤔 @bfg728pic.twitter.com/mNilPkJT5x
Meltzer previously reported WWE's "pie-in-the-sky" hope would be for the Great One to be a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble, win the match and challenge Reigns for the undisputed WWE universal championship in the main event of WrestleMania 39.
Any of these scenarios coming to fruition depends on The Rock's schedule and if he can make the dates work.
There has certainly been enough smoke around this possible match happening over the past year that there would be some level of disappointment from the WWE Universe if it doesn't take place.
But there are certainly plenty of alternative options WWE could look to for a main-event match with Reigns. Cody Rhodes could make his return in the Rumble and challenge the Tribal Chief for the undisputed title.
Many of the questions will likely be answered at the Royal Rumble on Jan. 28.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).
49ers' George Kittle Open to Wrestling; WWE Rumors on Roman Reigns and Bronson Reed
Dec 21, 2022
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 15: George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter of the game at Lumen Field on December 15, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Christopher Mast/Getty Images)
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
George Kittle Open to Wrestling
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle could be the next NFL player to try his hand at professional wrestling.
Appearing on KNBR's Murph and Mac show (h/t Andre Porter of Ringside News), Kittle said he is "open to all opportunities" when asked about stepping into the squared circle at some point.
Rob Gronkowski, Lawrence Taylor, Steve McMichael and Goldberg are among the many former gridiron stars who have made their presence felt in wrestling.
Kittle doesn't hide his wrestling fandom. The three-time Pro Bowler pays tribute to AEW star Penta El Zero Miedo's "zero fear" hand gesture whenever he makes a first down during games.
Penta gave Kittle a custom mask when the 49ers played the Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City for Monday Night Football on Nov. 21.
It will likely be a little while before Kittle is able to get in the ring, if he ever does. The 29-year-old is preparing for the postseason after helping the 49ers win the NFC West for the first time since 2019.
WWE Taped Roman Reigns' Raw Segment
Even though Monday's episode of Raw was built around The Bloodline taking over the red brand, the group's leader wasn't actually on the show.
Per Fightful Select (h/t Sunil Joseph of Ringside News), Roman Reigns' segment at the start of the show was filmed during Friday's SmackDown taping.
Monday's show kicked off with the Tribal Chief warning Kevin Owens that he would need more help than just John Cena to take out the Bloodline. The segment continued by showing Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa beating up Mustafa Ali in the locker room.
It was pretty apparent that Reigns wasn't at the building, otherwise he would have come out in front of the live crowd. When Zayn and the Usos were in the ring for a promo later in the show without the group's leader, it seemed like a tipoff he didn't make the trip to Des Moines, Iowa.
Even without Reigns at the arena, the Bloodline were all over the show. Zayn defeated A.J. Styles with an assist from Sikoa. The Usos didn't fare as well, losing a tag match to Owens and Seth Rollins.
Reigns will be back on TV for the Dec. 30 episode of Friday Night SmackDown when he teams with Zayn to take on Owens and John Cena in a tag match. It will be Cena's first television bout since he lost to Reigns at SummerSlam in August 2021.
Triple H Prioritized Bronson Reed
Bronson Reed made his return to WWE on Monday to help The Miz beat Dexter Lumis in their ladder match.
Per Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), Triple H considered Reed a "priority hire" when he took over as WWE's chief content officer.
Since taking over as the top creative voice in the company over the summer, Triple H has brought back several superstars who were released by Vince McMahon in recent years.
Reed joins a group of returning superstars that includes Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, Emma, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
WWE originally signed Reed in 2019 and assigned him to NXT. Triple H clearly saw a lot in the Australian big man because he defeated Johnny Gargano to win the NXT North American championship in May 2021.
Reed was released by the promotion three months later. He has since been working for New Japan Pro Wrestling, with Sapp noting the promotion was "hopeful" it would have been able to keep Reed.
It will be interesting to see how the pairing of Reed and Miz works out. A number of the stars Triple H has brought back haven't made a huge impact thus far, but there's nothing wrong with having more depth on the roster to build around.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).
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