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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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MVP Wants Omos to Become WWE Champion

MVP has been Omos' manager since April, and he is hopeful that big things are in The Nigerian Giant's future.

Appearing on Good Karma Wrestling (h/t Smita Singha Roy of Ringside News), MVP discussed his desire to see Omos at the top of the mountain in WWE:

"I hope to accomplish one thing at this point in my career and that is leading The Nigerian Giant to championship gold. He knows what it is to be a winner. He's been a winner his entire life … The WWE Championship, I would say it's an inevitability. We will get there, but it's not easy … You have some amazing talents, amazingly talented people.

"For example, Roman Reigns who is the undisputed champion right now, and we're trying to get there, but, intelligently, step by step. The Nigerian Giant Omos is smashing everyone in his path and the goal, my goal, is to see him hoist the premier championship in all of sports entertainment."

After Bobby Lashley defeated Omos at WrestleMania earlier this year, MVP left Lashley to align himself with the largest athlete in WWE.

While Omos has largely dominated lower-level competition since, he has struggled when met with top challengers such as Lashley and Braun Strowman.

There is no question that the former college basketball player possesses immense potential, but he has a lot of developing to do, and he likely isn't anywhere close to ready for the main event scene.

Reigns is operating at a different level than almost anyone else in the wrestling business as the undisputed WWE universal champion, and he has plenty of challengers lined up in the coming months.

Omos vs. Reigns could be a possibility much further down the line, but Omos must first prove he has the tools needed to move up the card and be a threat in the world title scene.

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Knight Discusses Working with Wyatt

LA Knight has been involved in a rivalry with Bray Wyatt for the past several weeks, and he provided some insight into what it is like to work with one of the most creative minds in wrestling.

Speaking to Ethan Absler of USA Insider, Knight described what the creative process has been like between him and Wyatt:

"Working with Wyatt is a unique challenge in the sense that you've got two diametrically opposed personalities. You have two very different approaches to what we do and in a strange way, it almost brings together a beautiful symphony so to speak, just because of the contrasting way we do things. At the same time, those contrasting pieces can mesh together into something that's pretty creatively satisfying and so far so good."

The feud between Knight and Wyatt began with them interrupting each other's interview segments, but things escalated when Knight slapped Wyatt across the face.

Since then, Knight has twice been found laid out backstage, and while Wyatt has insisted he wasn't responsible, Knight is convinced he was the one who attacked him.

Wyatt and Knight have yet to face each other in a match, but things seem to be trending in that direction, which would be a huge step forward in Knight's career.

Since returning to WWE at Extreme Rules in October, Wyatt has yet to compete in a match. If his first one is against Knight, it would speak to how much confidence WWE's decision-makers have in Knight's ability.

As Knight alluded to, he and Wyatt have very different characters and deliveries, but they are two of the best talkers WWE has to offer, and that could lead to a memorable and entertaining program.

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WWE's Anderson to Compete at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom

WWE Superstar Karl Anderson was officially booked for the Jan. 4 New Japan Pro-Wrestling Wrestle Kingdom 17 show on Wednesday following his match against Hikuleo.

Anderson and Luke Gallows returned to WWE in October after their contracts with Impact Wrestling expired, but it was a unique circumstance since Anderson was the reigning NEVER openweight champion.

While Anderson's November title defense against Hikuleo was called off due to WWE commitments, he was permitted to have the match at NJPW's World Tag/Super Junior Tag League finals this week.

Anderson won the match, but he was confronted by Tama Tonga afterward, and they proceeded to brawl.

According to Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News, the melee with Tonga led to the official announcement of a NEVER openweight title match between Anderson and Tonga at Wrestle Kingdom.

Anderson vs. Tonga is significant not only because it is a WWE wrestler against an NJPW wrestler on a New Japan show, but also because Anderson and Tonga are both former members of Bullet Club.

The previous WWE regime led by Vince McMahon likely wouldn't have allowed a contracted talent to work a New Japan event, but the current regime led by Triple H is seemingly more amenable to such ideas.

Anderson figures to drop the title to Tonga at Wrestle Kingdom so he can be free and clear for WWE, but it could prove to be a landmark match and moment in terms of WWE working with New Japan and other companies more openly in the future.

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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 has reportedly released Mandy Rose after she dropped the NXT Women's Championship to Roxanne Perez on Tuesday night's episode of NXT.

According to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, WWE made the decision to release Rose after officials felt they were "put in a tough position" with some of the content on her FanTime page.

Rose posted some explicit photos and videos on the page, and WWE reportedly felt they were "outside of the parameters" of her contract.

The 32-year-old Rose had been in the midst of one of the most dominant title reigns in NXT history before she shockingly lost the NXT Women's Championship to Perez on Tuesday.

Rose's reign of 413 days was the third-longest in the history of the NXT Women's Championship, behind only Asuka's 522 days and Shayna Baszler's 416 days.

At NXT Deadline on Saturday, Perez outlasted four other women to win the first-ever Iron Survivor Challenge and earn a future shot at the NXT Women's Championship.

Most assumed the match between Perez and Rose would occur at Vengeance Day in February, but when Rose attacked Perez after her promo on Tuesday, Perez challenged her to put the title on the line later in the night.

Rose obliged, and the 21-year-old Perez beat her, adding the NXT Women's Championship to a resumé that already included the Ring of Honor Women's World Championship.

Fans were left in shock by Rose's sudden loss and wondered if it was meant to set the stage for her to get called back up to WWE's main roster. Instead, it was apparently a precursor to her departure from the company.

Rose first joined WWE in 2015 as a cast member on Tough Enough. At the time, she had no wrestling experience, as she had come from the world of fitness competitions.

She eventually landed a contract with WWE and spent time in NXT before getting called up to the main roster as part of Absolution with Paige and Sonya Deville. A neck injury forced Paige out of action shortly thereafter, but Rose continued to team with Deville for the next few years.

After Rose and Deville broke up and feuded with each other, Rose formed a tag team with Dana Brooke. When they struggled to find success, Rose was sent back to NXT last year.

That was seemingly the best possible move for her career, as she formed Toxic Attraction with Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne, and won the NXT Women's Championship after only a few months.

Rose improved significantly in the ring, on the mic and in terms of character work, and she seemed destined for big things on the main roster in the future.

While her run with WWE is apparently done for now, it isn't outside the realm of possibility that the door could be open for a Rose return in the 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).

John Njue Kibue died Tuesday after falling three days earlier while on security duty for the men's World Cup at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, per Larry Madowo and Chris Eldergill of CNN.

He was 24 years old and had travelled to Qatar from Kenya for work.

Madowo and Eldergill noted a medical certificate revealed he suffered a "severe head injury, facial fractures and pelvic fractures."

The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which organized the World Cup, released the following statement: "We regret to announce that, despite the efforts of his medical team, he sadly passed away in hospital on Tuesday 13 December, after being in the intensive care unit for three days."

However, Kibue's family said it is still waiting for an explanation about what happened.

"We don't have the money to get justice for him, but we want to know what happened," his sister Ann Wanjiru said. " … We want justice. We want to know what caused his death. They have never sent us a picture to show where he fell from or given us any other information."

The Kenyan embassy in Qatar told CNN it is "undertaking necessary consular assistance whilst awaiting official communication from Qatar's Supreme Committee and competent authorities."

The safety of migrant workers has been a significant concern surrounding this World Cup.

Kibue is the second migrant worker to have been confirmed as dead since the event started, and Sammy Mngqosini of CNN noted World Cup chief Hassan Al-Thawadi told Piers Morgan of TalkTV on Monday that there have been between 400 and 500 migrant worker deaths due to projects connected to the World Cup.

His comments came after a report from the Guardian suggesting 6,500 migrant workers died since the preparations began after Qatar was given the World Cup in 2010.

A Qatari government official told CNN, "The 6,500 figure takes the number of all foreign worker deaths in the country over a 10-year period and attributes it to the World Cup. This is not true and neglects all other causes of death including illness, old age and traffic accidents. It also fails to recognize that only 20 percent of foreign workers in Qatar are employed on construction sites."

The producers of Netflix's popular Drive to Survive series providing a behind-the-scenes look at Formula 1 racing are taking their talents to another sport.

Netflix released a trailer for its Break Point series, which is made by the same producers as the F1 series and will focus on tennis. The docuseries debuts on Jan. 13 ahead of the 2023 Grand Slam season.

Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press noted the series' first five episodes will be released in January, while the next five will be released in June.

This will allow the show to focus on various tournaments, including the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.

Nick Kyrgios, Iga Swiatek, Sloane Stephens, Frances Tiafoe, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and more were featured in the trailer.

Drive to Survive is largely credited with spreading the popularity of F1, especially in the United States. It remains to be seen if such an effect will happen with tennis given it was more established with a longer history, but fans will surely receive new perspectives about some of the game's biggest stars and rising names.

Trade rumors involving the Los Angeles Lakers have been swirling throughout the first two months of the 2022-23 NBA season. At this point, it seems inevitable that the team will make at least one move prior to the trade deadline on Feb. 9.

The Lakers continue to get linked to various players from around the league. And recently, some of those rumors have featured Detroit Pistons guard Bojan Bogdanović.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Los Angeles has discussed the possibility of sending a protected first-round draft pick and some type of salary (such as Patrick Beverley) to Detroit in exchange for Bogdanović. That doesn't mean a trade is imminent, though.

"I think the holdup in that deal is that the Pistons really value Bojan Bogdanovic and they've been reluctant when they speak to other teams," Charania recently said on Bally Sports' The Rally. "Dozens of teams have called them already on Bojan Bogdanovic and they've been really reluctant to engage and even move him."

It's always possible that could change. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that executives from around the league are "hopeful" the Pistons will change their stance. After all, they're in last place in the Eastern Conference at 7-22 and will be without guard Cade Cunningham for the rest of the season due to a left shin injury.

Scotto also shared that the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks are among the teams that have expressed interest in Bogdanović in addition to the Lakers. So it doesn't seem Los Angeles will be along in its pursuit of the 33-year-old forward.

So far, Bogdanović is having an impressive season, which is his first in Detroit. He's averaging a career-high 21 points through 28 games. And he's been efficient, shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 43.7 percent from 3-point range (both of which would be career bests).

The Lakers saw up close the type of success Bogdanović is having on Sunday, when he dropped 38 points in Detroit's loss to Los Angeles. It marked the third time this month that he's scored 30 or more points in a game.

Bogdanović seems like he'd be a great fit in Los Angeles, considering the Lakers need to add a wing player with a strong outside shooting ability. He would fill that role and be a great complementary piece to Los Angeles' core featuring LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook (assuming he doesn't get traded himself at some point).

It's a bit of a steep price for the Lakers to part with a first-round pick (they own only two for the rest of the decade) and Beverley, who has made 21 starts in their backcourt this season. But Bogdanović isn't set to become a free agent until after the 2024-25 season, so he's a player Los Angeles could build around the next few years as it tries to win another championship in the late stages of James' career.

Because of that, it would be wise for Los Angeles to try to bring in Bogdanović. In order for that to happen, Detroit will need to become more open to moving him. But there's still plenty of time for that to occur before the trade deadline.

The Lakers, who are 11-16 after losing four of their past five games, could use the boost that the addition of Bogdanović would bring to their lineup.

The cause of death for soccer journalist Grant Wahl was revealed Wednesday.

His family announced he died while covering the men's World Cup in Qatar because of a ruptured blood vessel leading from his heart, per Apoorva Mandavilli and Andrew Das of the New York Times.

An autopsy showed he "experienced a catastrophic rupture in the ascending aorta, which carries oxygenated blood from the heart."

Wahl collapsed in the press box while covering the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands. Medical personnel attempted to revive him before he was transported to the hospital, where he was eventually pronounced dead.

Mandavilli and Das noted there were suggestions following his death that COVID-19 vaccines or foul play could have been factors.

Dr. Celine Gounder, Wahl's wife, is an infectious disease physician and was part of the transition team that advised President Joe Biden during the coronavirus pandemic.

"She and the rest of the family rejected, in particular, the speculation linking his death to vaccines, saying that it was especially insulting because of her work," Mandavilli and Das wrote.

Eric Wahl, Grant's brother, initially believed there could have been foul play because Wahl had recently posted an article criticizing the Qatari response to the death of another migrant worker at the World Cup. What's more, he detailed difficulties he ran into while wearing a shirt with a rainbow to support gay rights in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal:

I’m OK, but that was an unnecessary ordeal. Am in the media center, still wearing my shirt. Was detained for nearly half an hour. Go gays 🌈 https://t.co/S3INBoCz89

— Subscribe to GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) November 21, 2022

Free to read: What happened when Qatar World Cup security detained me for 25 minutes for wearing a t-shirt supporting LGBTQ rights, forcibly took my phone and angrily demanded that I remove my t-shirt to enter the stadium. (I refused.) Story: https://t.co/JKpXXETDkH pic.twitter.com/HEjr0xzxU5

— Subscribe to GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) November 21, 2022

Yet Eric tweeted the following Tuesday: "The family will release a statement as to cause of death soon. I no longer suspect foul play."

Wahl was covering the eighth World Cup of his career in Qatar.

He was often held up as the gold standard of soccer coverage, especially in the United States. His career featured stops at Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports and CBS Sports.