Vince's Reaction to UFC's Adesanya; Lashley Praises Theory; Cody Talks WWE Return

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

Vince Had Positive Reaction to Adesanya's UFC 276 Entrance

SmackDown commentator Pat McAfee said Tuesday that WWE executive Vince McMahon reacted positively to Israel Adesanya's Undertaker-inspired entrance at UFC 276 last weekend.

Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of ThirstyForNews.com), McAfee said the following about the entrance, which he witnessed live alongside Vince, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in Las Vegas:

"I'm sitting there and the obvious question is, 'Did you guys know this was coming? Did we just so happen to be here when one of these things happened?' I don't think they knew that was coming. I'm not saying they were upset about it, though, I think they loved that it was happening.

"At one point I actually looked at Vince and was like, 'Hey, you should think about f--king doing this, seems like a pretty cool thing.' Got a big pop out of him. I guess [Adesanya] is a big WWE fan, we were honored to be over there and got a chance to sit directly behind his corner."

Adesanya had the internet buzzing after making his way to the Octagon with the accompaniment of WWE legend and Hall of Famer The Undertaker's entrance.

The UFC star also wore an Undertaker-style hat and carried an urn with the name of his opponent, Jared Cannonier, engraved into it.

Adesanya backed up the grandiose entrance with a unanimous-decision victory to retain the UFC middleweight title and improve his pro record to 23-1.

Later, in an interview with BT Sport (h/t WrestlingInc's Ross Berman), Adesanya was asked about potentially making the leap to pro wrestling one day, and he revealed that he is a longtime WWE fan who "definitely" plans to wrestle for WWE one day.

Adesanya apparently already has a fan in McMahon, which bodes well for his chances of transitioning to the sports entertainment giant in the future.

Lashley Views Theory as Future Top Star

United States champion Bobby Lashley and Mr. Money in the Bank Theory are in the midst of an on-screen rivalry, but in reality, Lashley sees greatness in Theory.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport (h/t Nitish Vashishtha of Ringside News), Lashley praised Theory and his potential to be the face of WWE:

"Man, by the time he's my age, he's going to be on a stack of money as high as this building. He's gonna be a super-duper star. [Twenty-four] years old, that kid has everything in his future. I can see him being a multiple-time world champion. He's gonna be going after [John] Cena's record, he's gonna be after Ric Flair's record. He's going to be setting some records that you would never, never imagine. The kid is extremely talented."

Lashley alluded to the fact that both Cena and Flair are 16-time world champions, which is a lofty goal for Theory to potentially accomplish.

While he hasn't been world champion yet, Theory was the youngest United States champion in WWE history before dropping the title to Lashley at Money in the Bank.

It was still a great night for Theory overall, though, as he won the men's Money in the Bank ladder match after being a late addition to the match, meaning he can now cash in a title opportunity whenever he desires.

Theory is also continuing his feud with Lashley, as it was announced on Monday's episode of Raw that he will receive a rematch for the U.S. title at SummerSlam later this month.

Regardless of whether Theory wins, he is in an ideal spot, as he can cash in the Money in the Bank contract for a world title match at a time and place of his choosing for the next year.

WWE clearly views Theory as a top star in the making, and Lashley has gotten a firsthand look at just how good he can be.

Rhodes Explains Why He Returned to WWE

In a discussion with fellow WWE Superstar Montez Ford of The Street Profits, Cody Rhodes shed additional light on why he decided to leave AEW and return to WWE this year after six years away.

On the latest episode of WWE's Grit and Glory, Rhodes noted that he would give Ford a "somewhat arrogant answer" but added that he didn't mean for it to sound arrogant:

"For two, three years nobody’s been able to touch me in the ring, and the only way you can say that without having a little bit of doubt is having that chip. Having extra motivation for the biggest prize in our world, which would be the WWE Championship."

Rhodes said that his goal in calling himself the best is for everyone else to view themselves as the best as well, and Ford suggested that it "makes everybody greater."

Since making his return to WWE as Seth Rollins' surprise opponent at WrestleMania 38 in April, Rhodes has established himself as a massive fan favorite and perhaps the hottest babyface in WWE.

The only thing that has slowed Rhodes down is a torn pectoral muscle, which he worked through in beating Rollins in a classic match at Hell in a Cell.

WWE subsequently announced that Rhodes will miss nine months, but Cody has been insistent in wanting to be back sooner, and many fans expect him back as an entrant in the Royal Rumble match before ultimately winning it.

Given how well things have gone for Rhodes since returning to WWE, it is difficult to say he made anything other than a fantastic decision.

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