WWE Royal Rumble Rumors on Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns, Rollins, Bliss

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

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Lesnar, McIntyre Reportedly Had to Rush Royal Rumble Ending

The Men's Royal Rumble match came down to Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre as planned, but their interaction reportedly didn't play out the way WWE originally wanted it to.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), the plan was for Lesnar and McIntyre to have a longer interaction, but they had to go to the finish quickly because time was running short.

Lesnar and McIntyre did have a brief back-and-forth in the latter stages of the Rumble, but The Beast Incarnate ultimately dumped McIntyre over the top rope with an F-5 before McIntyre could get much offense in.

The interaction marked the first between Lesnar and McIntyre since McIntyre beat Lesnar for the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 36.

Both Lesnar and McIntyre were surprise entrants in the Rumble, as McIntyre made an unexpected return from a neck injury and Lesnar came in at No. 30 after losing the WWE title to Bobby Lashley earlier in the night due to interference from Roman Reigns.

Lesnar has already announced his intention to face Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 38, and he will also be in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship, meaning it could be title vs. title.

Meanwhile, there is no telling what the WrestleMania plans are for McIntyre, as it doesn't appear he will be vying for a world title.

His impressive performance in the Rumble suggests WWE still has big plans for him, but clearly not to the level of what Lesnar and Reigns will be doing on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

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WWE Reportedly Changed Ending of Reigns vs. Rollins

Reigns retained the Universal Championship in a disqualification loss to Seth Rollins at the Royal Rumble, but WWE reportedly had other plans in mind initially.

According to Meltzer (h/t Jenkins), the original plan called for Reigns to beat Rollins, but a change was made after the post-match attack was settled on.

Rollins trolled Reigns by entering to The Shield theme song and wearing his old Shield gear. He also had Reigns on the ropes on a few occasions and nearly pinned him after a stomp.

Ultimately, Reigns locked Rollins into a guillotine choke, but Rollins reached the ropes. Rather than relinquishing the hold, Reigns kept it locked in past the five count, which led to him getting disqualified.

After the bout, Reigns attacked Rollins with a steel chair, much like Rollins previously did to him and Dean Ambrose when he broke up The Shield.

Per Meltzer, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon decided to go with the DQ finish because he felt having Rollins lose and then take the beating with the chair would have done too much damage to him.

Reigns got involved again later in the pay-per-view, as he cost Lesnar the WWE Championship against Lashley, setting up Reigns vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania.

Meanwhile, Rollins has been given a spot in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship at the upcoming Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

Bliss Was Reportedly Planned to Be in Royal Rumble Match

Alexa Bliss was not part of the Women's Royal Rumble match, but that reportedly wasn't always the plan.

According to Meltzer (h/t Jenkins), Bliss was meant to be in the Rumble, but it was decided that putting her in the match would distract from her current story.

After months away, Bliss returned to WWE programming a few weeks ago and has been part of weekly vignettes since then on Raw.

The vignettes feature Bliss speaking to a psychiatrist about her mental state and her relationship with the possessed doll Lilly.

Bliss has yet to appear in front of a live crowd or compete in a match, and WWE's decision to hold her out of the Rumble suggests the company has big plans on that front.

WWE seems to be working on better defining Bliss' character before she returns in front of fans, which could be a sign the company is planning on having her revert to her old Goddess gimmick.

Aside from Bliss, WWE used essentially every available female Superstar it has on the main roster, plus several legends brought back to compete in the match.

Bliss was highly unlikely to win with Ronda Rousey making her return, so holding her out of the Rumble helped protect her mystique and prevented her from losing her first match back.

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