Undertaker

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

Big E Progressing From Neck Injury, Avoids Surgery

Former WWE champion Big E has been out of action since he suffered a broken neck on the March 11 episode of SmakDown Live.

The 36-year-old took to Twitter to provide an update on his condition, revealing that he's feeling good in his recovery and surgery is "off the table" for the time being:

Big E was involved in a tag team match alongside his New Day stablemate Kofi Kingston against Sheamus and Ridge Holland. He took an overhead belly-to-belly suplex from Holland outside the ring and landed on the top of his head.

After being placed on a stretcher and taken to the hospital, Big E announced on social media that he had suffered fractures to his C1 and C6 vertebrae, but he added that there was no spinal cord or ligament damage and surgery wouldn't be required.

Big E is a universally popular superstar and his presence has been sorely missed over the past few months. However, it doesn't appear that he will be back anytime soon.

UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya to Join WWE?

Coming off another successful title defense this past Saturday in the main event of UFC 276, 185-pound champion Israel Adesanya already has an idea in mind for his post-fighting career.

"The Last Stylebender" told BT Sport that he would love to make the transition to professional wrestling at some point and sees himself joining WWE

"Definitely, that’s something I’ll try my hand at later on. Just for fun. I’m not saying it’s going to be a full-time job, but I’m definitely going to jump in the WWE or something along that line, just for the entertainment factor," he said. "I grew up, jumping off the couch, broke my arm doing [shooting star presses]."

Adesanya has made no secret of how pro wrestling has influenced him. Prior to his fight on Saturday, the 32-year-old paid tribute to The Undertaker by mimicking his iconic entrance, using his theme music and wearing his hat during his walk to the octagon:

Adesanya went on to defeat Jarred Cannonier by unanimous decision for his fifth consecutive title defense. He's widely regarded as one of the best strikers in MMA, so it will be interesting to see how he brings that background to pro wrestling.

Charlotte Flair to Cut Short Liv Morgan's Championship Reign?

WWE fans were ecstatic to see Liv Morgan win the women's Money in the Bank ladder match and then cash in her contract to defeat Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown women's title at this past Saturday's pay-per-view.

However, it appears that Morgan is not in for a lengthy run with the championship. According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Morgan is set for another match against Rousey at SummerSlam, which will likely open the door for the return of Charlotte Flair.

"The fans won’t be happy with [Liv losing the title at SummerSlam]. But I don’t think the idea is to go with Ronda as a heel, because Charlotte Flair is going to be her opponent when she comes back," Meltzer stated.

Bryan Alvarez suggested that if Morgan is indeed set to drop her title at SummerSlam on July 30, WWE doesn't want to turn Rousey heel. Meltzer replied, "The smart thing for me is for Charlotte Flair to beat her if that’s the way they wanna go, because that will get that heat, you know they’ll hate Charlotte Flair for it, and then Ronda will chase Charlotte Flair for it."

Flair has not appeared on WWE programming since she lost the SmackDown women's championship to Rousey in an "I Quit" match at WrestleMania Backlash in May. She reportedly took time off to get married to AEW superstar Andrade El Idolo, as their wedding ceremony was held on May 27 in Mexico.

It can be expected that Morgan losing her title after less than a month and removing her from the championship picture for the sake of another feud between Flair and Rousey will not sit well with fans.

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

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

Rollins Calls His Run Better Than Reigns'

Much like the character he plays on television, Seth Rollins isn't lacking confidence.

In response to a New York Post article calling his current heel run "maybe even better than Roman Reigns," Rollins tweeted the following Monday:

Rollins and Reigns are longtime friends and rivals dating back to their time together in The Shield, and they wrestled each other as recently as early this year, with Reigns retaining the Universal Championship over Rollins at the Royal Rumble via disqualification.

Referring to himself as The Visionary and The Drip God, Rollins has been one of the most entertaining aspects of WWE programs for weeks thanks to his loud suits, boisterous promos and top-flight matches.

Rollins is coming off an acclaimed feud with Cody Rhodes in which they had highly touted matches at WrestleMania 38, WrestleMania Backlash and Hell in a Cell.

Rhodes won all of them, including a brutal Hell in a Cell match that saw him battle through a torn pectoral muscle in one of the gutsiest performances in WWE history.

Despite Rollins being on such a major losing streak, he has maintained credibility with the fans as a heel, and he got back on track last week by beating AJ Styles to qualify for the men's Money in the Bank ladder match.

Rollins hasn't held a title all year long, but he hasn't needed one thanks to the remarkable character work he has done and his ability to make the fans care about him no matter what.

There may be even bigger and better things in Rollins' immediate future, and if that comes to pass, it will be difficult to argue against his run being better than Reigns', especially considering that Reigns has essentially been a part-time Superstar since April.

Undertaker Has Reportedly Recorded Multiple Podcast Episodes

The Undertaker's upcoming podcast series, which is reportedly set to air on Peacock, is apparently already getting off the ground.

Appearing on the A2theK Wrestling Show (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), The Godfather, his longtime friend and fellow WWE Hall of Famer, commented on Taker's podcast, saying: "Undertaker has his own podcast. I don't know when they're going to release it, but he has his own podcast where he's already shot a bunch of episodes and I am the second episode; it's me and him."

The Godfather essentially confirmed a previous report from WrestleVotes in April, which stated that The Undertaker was getting a podcast series similar to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions on Peacock.

At the time, WrestleVotes noted that the podcast would begin airing "within the next few months."

While The Undertaker was a dark, brooding and mysterious character for most of his WWE career, things have changed since he retired during the aftermath of his WrestleMania 36 match against AJ Styles.

Fans got a deep look at the man behind The Undertaker character during the Undertaker: The Last Ride docuseries as well as his two appearances on Broken Skull Sessions.

The Undertaker also spoke out of character during a lengthy Hall of Fame speech in April, which was as heartfelt and memorable from any induction in WWE history.

With The Undertaker essentially stepping aside in favor of Mark Calaway (his real name), it has opened up a world of possibilities for him that weren't available when he was committing fully to his character.

The Undertaker is one of the most experienced and respected figures in the history of pro wrestling, and there is little doubt that fans will tune in to see him talk shop with his friends and contemporaries on Peacock.

Danielson to Clarify Injury, Forbidden Door Status on Dynamite

Bryan Danielson has not wrestled since the Double or Nothing pay-per-view last month because of an apparent injury, but the Blackpool Combat Club member will address his status this week.

AEW President Tony Khan announced Monday that Danielson will appear on Wednesday's episode of Dynamite to discuss his availability for Sunday's Forbidden Door pay-per-view and next week's Blood & Guts edition of Dynamite:

In the wake of Danielson competing in a brutal and bloody Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing, Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t F4WOnline's Josh Nason) reported that Danielson was slated to miss one or two weeks of action with an undisclosed injury.

Danielson has already exceeded that timeline, although it is unclear if that is because he hasn't been cleared or simply out of an abundance of caution.

If Danielson is cleared, he seems likely to face fellow technical wrestling wizard Zack Sabre Jr. at Forbidden Door, as Sabre called Danielson out after New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Dominion event.

Danielson vs. Sabre is considered a dream match for many wrestling fans, and not having it on the show would be a major blow, especially with AEW world champion CM Punk already out because of injury.

Danielson is also slated to be part of Blackpool Combat Club's team against the Jericho Appreciation Society in Blood & Guts on Dynamite next week, but if he can't go, BCC will need a replacement.

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

The Undertaker is the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2022. 

WWE announced on Friday that the Phenom will join the ranks of the immortals during the WrestleMania weekend ceremony:

There was never any doubt Undertaker would go into the Hall of Fame. It just became a matter of when it would happen after he announced his retirement at Survivor Series in November 2020. 

WWE did hold a Hall of Fame ceremony prior to last year's WrestleMania, but that was already a loaded affair. The 2020 and 2021 classes went in at the same time after the 2020 event was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Per Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, WWE is currently planning to air the 2022 Hall of Fame ceremony live on Peacock on April 6 starting at 10:30 p.m. ET after Friday Night SmackDown. 

The ceremony will be held at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, where SmackDown is also being held. Friday's show will also be the go-home show for WrestleMania 38. 

The Undertaker is one of the biggest stars in WWE history. His career with the promotion spanned 30 years, beginning at Survivor Series 1990 when he debuted as a member of the Million Dollar Team in a four-on-four survivor series match. 

Over the course of his career, the Dead Man won the WWE championship and world heavyweight championship a total of seven times. He won 21 consecutive matches at WrestleMania from 1991-2013 before losing to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX. 

Undertaker's final bout was a boneyard match against A.J. Styles at WrestleMania 36 in 2020. He buried Styles in a grave to win the match, giving him a 25-2 career record at WWE's biggest event.    

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

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

Goldberg vs. Reigns Reportedly Scheduled for Elimination Chamber

WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg is reportedly set to make his return to the ring this month.

According to Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc's Marc Middleton), WWE is planning to have Goldberg compete at the Elimination Chamber event in Saudi Arabia, and he will challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship.

Reigns vs. Goldberg would be a first, but it was scheduled to take place in 2020.

Goldberg was Universal champion at the time and he was set to put the title on the line against Reigns at WrestleMania 36. The landscape changed, however, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced WWE to hold WrestleMania at the WWE Performance Center with no fans in attendance.

Rather than taking part in the match, Reigns decided to take time off to be with his family, which led to Braun Strowman stepping in as a replacement and beating Goldberg for the title at WrestleMania 36.

Stepping away was likely the best possible move for Reigns' career, as he returned at SummerSlam 2020 with a heel persona and has done his best work ever since.

Reigns is in the midst of a 500-plus-day run as Universal champion and he is set to defend the title against Royal Rumble winner Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38. Because of that, it seems likely that The Tribal Chief would beat Goldberg at Elimination Chamber.

Goldberg has said in multiple interviews that he has only one match left on his WWE contract, so if he faces Reigns at Elimination Chamber, it could be the final match of the 55-year-old veteran's career.

Details on Shane McMahon's WWE Departure

New details have emerged regarding why WWE Chairman Vince McMahon reportedly decided to cancel creative plans for his son, Shane McMahon.

Shane was a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match and was reportedly brought in to help produce the match as well. After several apparent behind-the-scenes issues, Ringside News reported that Shane was "quietly let go" from WWE, and Meltzer later confirmed the report.

Wade Keller of PWTorch (h/t Middleton) provided more information on what led to Shane essentially being removed from WWE.

Per Keller, Shane was "self-centered" on the day of the Royal Rumble and was primarily worried about his own ideas and how he could look strong in the Rumble match.

Keller also noted that Shane "pulled the McMahon card" and went "way overboard," which led to some push-back from some within the company.

Shane also reportedly took issue with the plans in place for him at Elimination Chamber, as he was originally supposed to be part of the Chamber match for the WWE Championship.

It was at that point that Vince reportedly decided he'd had enough and wrote Shane out of the plans for Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania.

Shane has not been a regular presence with WWE recently, as his last match was at last year's WrestleMania against Strowman.

Still, he has competed at every WrestleMania besides WrestleMania 36 since returning for WrestleMania 32, so WrestleMania 38 will feel a bit different if Shane-O-Mac is indeed not part of the show.

WWE HOF Ceremony Reportedly Planned for April 1 After SmackDown

WWE is reportedly taking a new approach this year when it comes to the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.

According to PWInsider (h/t Middleton), the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled to take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on April 1, shortly after SmackDown emanates from the same arena.

The reported plan is for the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony to air on Peacock at 10:30 p.m. ET on April 1 after SmackDown on Fox ends at 10 p.m. ET.

For several years, the Hall of Fame ceremony would take place in the days leading up to WrestleMania or even the night before, and it was its own event.

No Hall of Fame ceremony was held in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while it returned last year, it was held without any fans in attendance.

By combining SmackDown and the Hall of Fame ceremony, it ensures there will be a live crowd, and it also provides fans with more bang for the buck with regard to SmackDown tickets.

WrestleMania 38 is a two-night event that will emanate from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on April 2 and 3, meaning the Hall of Fame ceremony will take place one night before Night 1 of WrestleMania.

WWE has yet to name any inductees for the 2022 Hall of Fame class, but there has been speculation that The Undertaker could be the headliner since he is a Texas native.

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

The road to WrestleMania officially begins on Saturday with the Royal Rumble, but WWE and 2K are also giving fans more reasons to get excited. 

2K released an official gameplay trailer Saturday for the upcoming WWE 2K22 video game featuring Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker and many more superstars:

Last week provided initial details about some of the changes 2K made to the video game. ESPN's Tim Fiorvanti noted one of the biggest differences is "completely redesigned gameplay engine."

In the game's official announcement trailer released on Jan. 20, it was revealed gamers who preorder WWE 2K22 will get three playable versions of The Undertaker. 

Another feature of the game is 2K Showcase, which will allow players to go through some of the biggest matches and moments from Mysterio's legendary career. 

2K has yet to announce the full roster for the game. The original nWo, with Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Syxx, will be available in the nWo 4-Life edition of the game. 

WWE 2K22 will be available on Playstation, Xbox and PC on March 11. Players who preorder the deluxe or nWo 4-Life editions will have early access on March 8.