WWE Rumors on Bayley's Return, Stars Cut from Raw; Paul Heyman Reveals New Contract

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

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Bayley Reportedly on Verge of In-Ring Return

After nearly nine months on the shelf because of a torn ACL, Bayley reportedly may be close to an in-ring return.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc's Matthew Wilkinson), Bayley's return to WWE programming could occur at any time.

WrestleMania season tends to be the perfect time for returns, especially on the Raw and SmackDown after the event. If Bayley is indeed cleared to return, an appearance at WrestleMania 38 this weekend or on the ensuing Raw or SmackDown seems like a strong bet.

Bayley was one of the driving forces in the women's division before getting injured, as she had developed into a top heel and held the SmackDown Women's Championship for a record 379 days.

When Bayley tore her ACL, she was in the midst of a rivalry with Bianca Belair, who is set for a high-profile match against Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania.

Bayley interfering in that match would be an impactful way to return, or she could confront Belair on the Raw after WrestleMania, especially if The EST beats Lynch for the title.

WWE has no shortage of options at its disposal for Bayley's return, as she could be a great fit on either Raw or SmackDown.

She could also remain a heel or make the transition back to babyface since she figures to get a hugely positive reaction from the crowd.

Even if a WrestleMania weekend or post-WrestleMania Raw or SmackDown return isn't in the cards for Bayley, the notion that she is close to being back means the WWE women's division is in store for a huge boost.

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Details on Alpha Academy Missing Raw

WWE reportedly made a late call to keep Alpha Academy off Monday night's WrestleMania Raw.

According to Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc's Marc Middleton), Alpha Academy had been scheduled to be on Raw, and they remained on the internal run sheet as of 7 p.m. ET.

WWE advertised Alpha Academy vs. The Street Profits in advance of Monday's Raw, but the match never happened, and Chad Gable and Otis never made an appearance on the show.

Fightful noted that internal documents called for the match to occur after Brock Lesnar's opening segment, but it never took place for an unknown reason.

In the main event of Raw, Raw tag team champions RK-Bro defeated SmackDown tag team champions The Usos by disqualification when The Street Profits interfered and attacked RK-Bro.

Raw went off the air with Randy Orton and Riddle celebrating after taking out Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins.

The segment seemed tailor-made for Alpha Academy to get involved since they are scheduled to be part of a Triple Threat tag team match for the Raw Tag Team Championships against RK-Bro and The Street Profits at WrestleMania.

The Street Profits have been showing more of an edge recently and displaying heel tendencies, but their decision to attack RK-Bro seemed out of place and may have been meant for Alpha Academy instead.

While no specifics have been made available regarding why Gable and Otis were absent, they are still scheduled to vie for the Raw tag team titles on Night 2 of WrestleMania.

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Heyman Reveals Long-Term WWE Contract Extension

Paul Heyman divulged Tuesday that he is set to remain with WWE for the foreseeable future.

Appearing on Sports Media with Richard Deitsch (h/t Michael Perry of Ringside News), Heyman divulge that he signed a new, long-term contract with WWE in 2021:

"It was public knowledge that my contract came up last year and I kept it very close to the vest because I'm not one of these people that, A, want to negotiate in public and, B, I'm reading an awful lot lately about who signed and for how long and how much, and I never want that to be me.

"This much, I will say, I re-signed with WWE last year. It was a long-term agreement. They created a situation where I would have been a fool not to take them up on their offer. I'm locked in for a while."

Heyman initially joined WWE in 2001 after ECW folded, and he remained with the company until 2006. He then returned in 2012 to manage Brock Lesnar, and he has essentially been with the company ever since.

Currently, Heyman is opposing Lesnar, as he is the special counsel for universal champion Roman Reigns, who will face Lesnar in a title unification match in the main event of WrestleMania 38 on Sunday.

Heyman suggested that WWE allowing him to work on outside projects while remaining under contract played a big role in his decision to re-sign.

It also stands to reason that getting to work closely with Reigns contributed to his choice as well given that Reigns is WWE's biggest star and doing the best work of his career.

Heyman added that he and WWE are "mutually satisfied" with one another, and it sounds like there is no imminent end in sight to their partnership.

The fast-talking Heyman adds a ton to Reigns' presentation just like he did previously with Lesnar, and he could have a huge hand in deciding how Sunday's main event plays out.