John Cena

WWE Superstars were reportedly "stunned" when they heard about the deal Chris Jericho signed with All Elite Wrestling.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Ross Kelly of WrestlingInc.com), some WWE talent were even "freaked out" by the contract, depending on their standing in the company.

Meltzer noted that while Jericho isn't making more than Brock Lesnar or John Cena, his deal is worth more than that of "almost any other star" in WWE.

After signing a reported three-year deal with AEW in January, Jericho called it the "best contract of his career," per Meltzer (h/t Marc Middleton of WrestlingInc.com).

The 48-year-old had been involved with WWE in some capacity ever since 1999 prior to signing with AEW.

Jericho revealed he is also able to continue working with New Japan Pro-Wrestling under his AEW deal.

With regard to Lesnar, Y2J reportedly wants a match against him, which is why he recently referenced The Beast Incarnate on Twitter.

On Monday, he took to Twitter and wrote the following about Lesnar in a since-deleted tweet: "Intimidation and fear goes a LONG way in our business guys. But let's be honest, @BrockLesnar needs to pull up his pants and lose the gut... the dream is over dude. I don't play by the script... @wwe @AEWrestling."

Meltzer noted that Jericho has "a lot of sway" with AEW officials but they won't make a "bad deal" to sign Lesnar just because the veteran wants to face him.

Also, Meltzer believes WWE Chairman Vince McMahon will do whatever it takes to keep his universal champion.

While Jericho and Lesnar are two of the biggest stars in the history of the business, they have never faced each other in a singles match.

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

Brock Lesnar beat Finn Balor in a dream match at the Royal Rumble on Sunday night to retain the Universal Championship.

Balor pushed Lesnar to the limit, even delivering Coup de Grace. Lesnar kicked out from Balor's finishing move, though, and immediately transitioned into the kimura lock. Balor tried to reach the ring rope but eventually succumbed to the submission.

Cultaholic's Adam Pacitti thought Balor looked good given the general constraints of the match:

The bout between Lesnar and Balor wasn't determined until two weeks before the Rumble because of Braun Strowman's losing his title shot.

Strowman became No. 1 contender by beating Baron Corbin at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs and had been building toward a clash with The Beast Incarnate at the Royal Rumble until Vince McMahon removed him from the match.

After Strowman destroyed McMahon's limo while trying to get to Corbin, McMahon fined him $100,000 and denied him the opportunity to face Lesnar for the Universal Championship.

It was a major blow for The Monster Among Men since he was out for revenge after losing to Lesnar in a match for the vacant universal title at Crown Jewel.

To determine Strowman's replacement, McMahon put together a Fatal 4-Way match between Balor, Corbin, Drew McIntyre and John Cena.

He also gave Jinder Mahal a chance to be in the match if he could beat Balor, but the Irishman managed to defeat The Modern Day Maharaja to remain in contention.

In the Fatal 4-Way, Balor hit Cena with the Coup de Grace to pick up the win, and he earned an endorsement from Cena afterward as well.

Balor was the first universal champion by virtue of beating Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016, but he held the title for less than 24 hours since he had to relinquish it because of a shoulder injury.

He has struggled to get back in the title scene since then, but earning the No. 1 contendership to face Lesnar suggested that he was back among the elite Superstars in WWE.

Fans have long clamored for a match between Lesnar and Balor because of the David vs. Goliath dynamic that worked so well when Lesnar faced the likes of AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan.

Balor and Lesnar had similar chemistry, which made their match stand out on a card that was stacked from top to bottom.

While Balor did not leave Phoenix as universal champion, his performance turned some heads, and it may be enough to keep him near the top of the card heading toward WrestleMania.

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

The highly anticipated Men's Royal Rumble Match will be without one of WWE's biggest stars Sunday as John Cena has been ruled out with an ankle injury, per WWE.com.

WWE later announced that Braun Strowman would replace Cena in the match:

Cena suffered the injury earlier this month during a Fatal 4-Way match on the Jan. 14 episode of Raw. The problem began when he tried to break out of an ankle lock submission from Drew McIntyre in that bout, and he hasn't been able to recover in time for the upcoming pay-per-view.

Cena referenced his injury in a Twitter message last week:

The 41-year-old had only recently returned to the ring after an extended absence, and the Royal Rumble in Phoenix could have been a chance to reestablish himself on the big stage. He will now hope the latest injury doesn't keep him out for too long.

On the plus side, Cena is much easier to replace in a battle royal than any one-on-one match.

The men's field is loaded with big-name talent, including Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio. There will be 30 participants all looking to win the elimination battle and earn a title shot at WrestleMania 35.

The Royal Rumble might be the start of The Road to WrestleMania, but for many fans, the first pay-per-view of the year is the more enjoyable show thanks to the titular match.

This will be the second year to feature a women's Royal Rumble bout, and with all of the new faces on the roster, anyone could walk away with a title shot at WrestleMania 35.

Let's take a look at everything you need to know about Sunday's event.

Venue: Chase Field in Phoenix

Start Time: 7 p.m. ET (main show), 5 p.m. ET (Kickoff)

How to Watch: WWE Network

Royal Rumble Card

WWE has booked seven title matches in addition to the two Royal Rumbles. Here is a rundown of the card, according to WWE.com:

• Men's Royal Rumble
• Women's Royal Rumble
• Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor (Universal Championship)
• Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles (WWE Championship)
• Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women's Championship)
• Asuka vs. Becky Lynch (SmackDown Women's Championship)
• The Bar vs. The Miz and Shane McMahon (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)
• Rusev vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (U.S. Championship)
• Buddy Murphy vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Kalisto vs. Hideo Itami (Cruiserweight Championship)

PPV Live Stream

A select few cable and satellite providers still carry WWE PPVs, but for the most part, people will be watching Royal Rumble on the WWE Network. Here is a list of the devices that support the streaming service, according to WWE.com:

• Apple TV
• Kindle Fire
• Amazon Fire TV
• PlayStation 3 and 4
• Roku
• Xbox 360 and Xbox One
• Android devices with the WWE app
• iOS devices with the WWE app
• WWE.com
• Panasonic Smart TV
• Samsung Smart TV
• Sony Blu-ray devices and Smart TV
• Windows 10 devices
• Tivo

Kickoff Live Stream

The Royal Rumble will have an extended two-hour kickoff special before the PPV goes live. Below is a list of places where you can stream the pre-show other than WWE Network:

• WWE.com
• WWE app
• YouTube
• Pheed
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google Plus
• Pinterest

Bleacher Report Writers' Thoughts and Predictions

All week leading up to the PPV, Bleacher Report's writers have been sharing their thoughts and predictions for this year's Royal Rumble.

• Anthony Mango offered up some fun Royal Rumble facts and predictions.
• Graham Matthews looked at which feuds have the biggest WrestleMania implications.  
• Aaron Bower ranked the most likely Rumble winners. 
• Erik Beaston offered an argument for why the Royal Rumble is better than WrestleMania.
• A panel of experts offered predictions for each match.  
• Here is a breakdown of odds and betting props for the Royal Rumble. 

Other Royal Rumble Thoughts

As the first stop on The Road to WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated events of the year.

The actual Royal Rumble matches are always a chance for WWE to do something a little different with various Superstars. Sometimes a person can come out of the event with a big push despite being eliminated.

This year's event has some other great bouts, too. Lynch vs. Asuka is going to be a brutal fight, and some people think Balor has a chance to upset Lesnar for the Universal Championship.

Unfortunately for everyone on the main roster, the NXT roster absolutely crushed it at NXT TakeOver on Saturday, so the pressure is on for the men and women of Raw and SmackDown to prove they are the real stars of the company. 

The Royal Rumble usually features a few surprises in the form of legends and NXT rookies making special appearances, so it's the best way to see the past, present and future all in one ring. 

Make sure to join Bleacher Report on Sunday for live coverage and reactions throughout the pay-per-view. What are your Royal Rumble predictions?

The WWE announcement that John Cena suffered an ankle injury that has left him questionable for Sunday's Royal Rumble pay-per-view was reportedly part of a storyline rather than a legitimate setback.

On Tuesday, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (via Robert Gunier of Wrestling Inc.) reported the injury is a work and "may have just been a way to write Cena out of" the Rumble after he traveled to Vancouver, Canada, to begin filming his latest movie.

The update falls in line with a December report from Paul Davis of WrestlingNews.co, who noted Cena was set to start work on the unnamed film Jan. 20 and remained coy about his WWE future during an interview.

WWE's statement said the two-time Royal Rumble winner injured his ankle during a Fatal 4-Way match against Finn Balor, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre on last week's Raw and he "exacerbated" the ailment during a gym workout Monday.

Cena had announced his entry in the Royal Rumble match during the Jan. 7 edition of Raw.

The 41-year-old Massachusetts native is tied with Ric Flair for the most WWE-recognized world championship reigns with 16.

John Cena may not be able to compete in the WWE Royal Rumble 2019 on Sunday.

According to WWE, Cena "appears to have suffered an ankle injury" in last week's Fatal 4-Way bout with Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin. The company listed the 16-time world champion as "questionable" for the Rumble match.

Although the injury may have originated from that match, WWE reported on its official website Cena tweaked the problem Monday as he was training.

Of course, there's always the chance WWE is casting doubt on his availability for the Rumble with a storyline injury only to make his arrival feel more dramatic. The company's explanation, however, seemingly points to the issue being legitimate.

If this was the plan all along, WWE almost certainly would have had another wrestler attack Cena on Raw Monday night to kick off a long-term feud, rather than announce the injury online without any fanfare.

Given his reputation, Cena is always a threat to win the Royal Rumble match any time he takes part. According to OddsShark, he's +600 to be the last man standing this year, the fourth-best odds in the field.

Now, WWE might have to replace one of the top contenders in the 2019 Rumble with less than a week to go before the event.

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

Shawn Michaels Affirms Desire to Stay out of the Ring

Shawn Michaels ended his retirement to team with Triple H in a tag match against Kane and The Undertaker at Crown Jewel in November, but the WWE Hall of Famer doesn't feel the need to step back inside the ring.

In an interview with Sky Sports, he reiterated how Crown Jewel was a one-off.

"No, it was a really special thing and I really felt that one for a while," Michaels said. "I'm good with what I've done."

The Heartbreak Kid also emphasized how he's content to work behind the scenes at NXT and help groom WWE's next generation of stars.

"I feel like I lived the greatest life a man can ever live," he said. "If I can help anybody have that same opportunity I'd like to do it because it's a wonderful way to live your life."

Kane Appears at Live Event in Tennessee

After he was elected the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, Kane has effectively stepped away from professional wrestling. He only agreed to compete at Crown Jewel and Super Show-Down in October after WWE donated $100,000 to the Knoxville Public Safety Foundation.

Kane was on hand to present that check when WWE made the trip to Knoxville for a live event last Saturday.

Luckily for the city, Kane didn't immediately summon his mystical powers to set the check on fire.

John Cena Embraces Lucha Alter Ego

When his contract with WWE was kayfabe terminated during his feud with The Nexus in 2010, John Cena embraced a new persona: Juan Cena. The character was clearly Cena, with his lucha libre mask the only discernible difference from his usual look.

During a live event in Huntsville, Alabama, he crashed Lucha House Party's backstage interview while in character as Juan Cena.

With Cena's in-ring career appearing to wind down as he focuses more on his acting, at least WWE fans got one more glimpse of lucha superstar Juan Cena.