WWE Rumors on Roman Reigns' Contract, Charlotte's Injury; Trish Stratus Talks Return

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

Roman Reigns Contract Update

Roman Reigns cut a cryptic promo at a Newark house show in Trenton, New Jersey, over the weekend, sending fans into a frenzy speculating over his future with WWE. 

"I've been here a couple of times in the past 10 years. I'm starting to work into a new phase in my career, and I honestly don't know if I'll be back here again," Reigns said in the promo. "If that's the case, I just wanna say thank you for all these years of support."

Reigns was also cryptic about his future in a video posted to WWE's Twitter account Monday afternoon, saying (2:15 mark) t he wasn't "going anywhere, unless I am, who knows?" 

The good news? It seems Reigns' WWE career isn't stopping anytime soon.

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The bad news? Fans may be seeing a whole lot less of him on the road.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio said Reigns recently signed a new contract that calls for him to work "far less dates." Meltzer did not know how many house shows Reigns would be doing in the future, but his new deal will allow him more freedom to pick and choose when to work.

Even as WWE's live touring schedule remains a big part of the company's brand, their television deals are the backbone of their revenue. Reigns eschewing house shows is probably in his and WWE's long-term interest. Their biggest star takes fewer bumps, which keeps him healthy longer and available to extend his run as the Head of the Table potentially well into his 40s.

Reigns is 36 and has a family. The overwhelming odds are he'll want to be cutting down his travel and work larger house shows and television dates.

Charlotte Written Off WWE TV

One star we won't be seeing much of for a little bit? Charlotte Flair. The former SmackDown women's champion was given a storyline injury after her loss to Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania Backlash, with WWE saying she suffered a "fractured radius."

Fightful Select confirmed the injury was designed to write Flair off television as she prepares to take a break from the company. Meltzer further confirmed the storyline injury was put in place so Flair could take time off for her wedding.

"If you do a broken arm injury, you're going to have to be out of action for at least a couple months," Meltzer said. "Or else it's kind of a stupid injury to do, because it would be so fake if you say you broke your arm and you're back in four weeks."

Flair recently revealed to Ariel Helwani of BT Sport that she plans to marry Andrade El Idolo this summer. 

“We have a [wedding] date. It’s this summer in Mexico, I have my dress,” Flair said. “I think Manny (Andrade) would be a little angry if I walked down the aisle with my title. He was like, ‘Mami, for the wedding, I do not want your hair to look like Charlotte.’ I was like, ‘what does that mean?’ Just less makeup, he likes the fresh face.”

It's unclear when the actual date for the wedding is, but we shouldn't expect to see Charlotte on television anytime soon as she celebrates with her new husband. 

Don't be surprised if that also means a break for Andrade from AEW programming as well.

Trish Stratus Could Return in GM Role, Wants to Be a Heel

It does not appear we've seen the last of Trish Stratus in WWE. The Hall of Famer has been increasingly open about a potential return and recently spoke at a For the Love of Wrestling panel about her desire to play an on-screen authority figure.

"I would gladly accept that role. I always think—like I said, to go back, it has to be something challenging, something different, something different for you guys," Stratus said. "You know, you just don’t wanna see me being a babyface, kicking butt, winning championships, boring, right? I always say if I go back, the one thing I’m missing is a heel run, so that would be kind of fun, you know?"

Stratus has not wrestled a match since losing to Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam in 2019. Based on her comments, if she were to return, she does not want it to be a one-off retirement match, either.

If Stratus were to become a regular part of WWE programming, it would be a fun little wrinkle that could give her a way to write her own exit. Edge is two years older than Status and is currently deep in the midst of a heel run; he doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

Of course, WWE already has a heelish authority figure running things right now in Sonya Deville. 

A little fantasy booking idea: Have a returning babyface Stratus replace Deville, then have Stratus turn heel once the nostalgia pop starts to wear off. That would allow Deville to move back to a full-time role in the ring and makes sense in kayfabe given she's been reprimanded for abusing her power several times in recent weeks.

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