Lesnar, Reigns Removed from WWE MITB Ad; Cody Rhodes on AEW Exit; Zelina Injury Rumor

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

Reigns, Lesnar, More Removed from MITB Advertising

After switching to a smaller venue, WWE's Money in the Bank pay-per-view may feature less star power.

According to WrestlingInc's Sai Mohan, several Superstars who were previously advertised to appear at Money in the Bank were removed from the advertising following Thursday's announcement.

In the wake of WWE moving Money in the Bank from Allegiant Stadium to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Bobby Lashley were all removed from the pay-per-view poster.

Also, Reigns, Lesnar, Flair and Rousey were removed from the WWE.com Money in the Bank event page.

Some of those names aren't surprising, while others were widely expected to be part of the show.

Lesnar has not appeared on WWE programming since WrestleMania last month, while Flair was recently written off television with a storyline injury so she can get married.

Meanwhile, Reigns is the undisputed WWE universal champion and Rousey is SmackDown women's champion, so they seemed like sure bets to compete at Money in the Bank.

With WWE going from a 60,000-plus-seat stadium to a normal-sized arena, however, the company may feel like it is no longer as necessary to stack the card with star power.

The men's and women's Money in the Bank ladder matches may be enough in their own right to sell the show, which is now scheduled for July 2 at the MGM Grand.

Rhodes Discusses AEW Departure

Cody Rhodes reiterated the reason for him leaving AEW in favor of WWE once again this week.

Responding to a tweet accusing AEW President Tony Khan of lowballing him financially, Rhodes made it clear that his decision was not driven by money:

Cody called going back to WWE a "personal" decision based on his desire to "go for the big one."

"The big one" almost certainly refers to winning the WWE Championship, which Rhodes made his stated goal in his first promo after returning to WWE as Seth Rollins' mystery opponent at WrestleMania 38.

In that promo, Rhodes noted that his father, late WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, came agonizingly close to becoming WWE champion but fell just short.

Cody wants to fill in that gap in his family's legacy, and the only way to do it was by returning to WWE after six years away.

Rhodes was a central figure in the creation of AEW and one of the promotion's top stars during his time there, but he has made it clear in multiple interviews that he felt he had run his course in AEW and needed a new challenge.

Cody is facing that new challenge in WWE and conquering it thus far as arguably the most over babyface in the company.

Zelina Vega Reportedly Out After Undergoing Surgery

Queen Zelina Vega's recent absence from WWE programming is reportedly because of an injury.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t Mohan), Vega underwent surgery after suffering an injury in the ring, and the expectation is that she will miss another 6-8 weeks.

Vega has been out for about a month-and-a-half after she and Carmella dropped the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships to Sasha Banks and Naomi in a Fatal 4-Way at WrestleMania 38. She then lost a singles match to Bianca Belair on the April 11 episode of Raw.

Zelina and Carmella had a storyline falling-out before Vega was removed from television, which suggests she may be a solo act when she returns.

WWE released Vega in November 2020, but she returned to the company last July and has since experienced a great deal of success.

In addition to holding the WWE women's tag titles with Carmella, Vega won the inaugural WWE Queen's Crown tournament, beating Doudrop in the final at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.

Vega has consistently been one of the top heels in the women's division since returning, and it will be a huge addition when she returns to the fold.

Based on the timeline PWInsider.com provided, Zelina could potentially be back in time for SummerSlam on July 30.

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