WWE Rumors on Cody Rhodes' Recovery, Charlotte Flair's Return and Naomi's Contract

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

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Rhodes Reportedly Ahead of Schedule in Recovery

Cody Rhodes is reportedly healing more quickly than anticipated from a torn pectoral muscle that has kept him out of action for the past four months.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Rhodes is "a little ahead of schedule" in his recovery, and is working with WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page in an effort to prepare himself for his return.

Meltzer added that there is "no firm date" for Rhodes' in-ring return, and it is likely WWE will try to keep it a surprise.

Despite dealing with a torn pec that left half of his chest badly bruised, Rhodes wrestled through the injury in June when he defeated Seth Rollins in a Hell in a Cell match, delivering one of the gutsiest performances in WWE history.

Rhodes underwent surgery shortly thereafter, and WWE announced that he was expected to miss nine months.

If that timeline holds true, Rhodes would be able to return in early March, putting him in position to have one month of build toward a match at WrestleMania 39.

WWE has been known to embellish injury timetables for the betterment of storylines, however, and most assumed that the company purposely announced a longer healing time in order to open the door for him to be a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match in late January.

That would put Rhodes' recovery at a little under eight months, and if he is ahead of schedule as Meltzer reported, there is seemingly a strong chance he will be ready for the Rumble.

Rhodes would likely be favored to win based on how strongly he was being booked before getting injured, and he would undoubtedly receive a massive reaction from the live crowd as a surprise entrant.

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Charlotte's WWE Return Reportedly Approaching

It has been more than five months since Charlotte Flair last appeared on WWE programming, but her absence reportedly may be coming to an end in the near future.

According to Meltzer (h/t Amit Shukla of Ringside News), Flair is "scheduled to return soon."

Charlotte defeated Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 38 in April to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship before dropping the title to Rousey at WrestleMania Backlash the following month in an "I Quit" match.

Flair got married to AEW star Andrade El Idolo later that month and has largely remained off the radar since then.

Last week, Andrade spoke to Mas Lucha (h/t WrestlingInc's Matthew Wilkinson) and said Charlotte has been taking time off for "personal reasons," before adding "she will specify them in future interviews."

While a portion of WWE's fanbase seemingly resents Flair for all the success she has enjoyed, there is no question that she is one of the company's biggest stars and an all-time great in the women's division.

Charlotte's 13 career title reigns between the Raw, SmackDown and Divas Championship is a WWE record, and she is almost always in the title mix when she is around.

If Charlotte is indeed poised to return in the near future, she could add a ton of credibility to a SmackDown women's division that is currently lacking star power outside of Rousey and Liv Morgan.

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WWE Reportedly Could Freeze Naomi's Contract

The state of Naomi's and Sasha Banks' relationships with WWE remains a mystery, but WWE reportedly has an extreme option at its disposal if it wants to ensure Naomi remains under contract.

According to Meltzer (h/t Mukherjee), WWE could freeze the remainder of Naomi's existing contract, meaning she would not be eligible to become a free agent and negotiate with other promotions until returning to WWE and finishing her deal.

Prior to the May 16 episode of Raw, Banks and Naomi walked out because of reported issues with the creative plans for them. WWE subsequently suspended them and stripped them of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.

Banks and Naomi have not been seen in WWE or any other wrestling company since then, although reports surfaced after Triple H took over for Vince McMahon as head of creative in July that they were believed to be coming back.

Meltzer (h/t Nitish Vashishtha of Ringside News) reported in August that there was an "agreement in principle" between WWE and both Banks and Naomi for them to return.

That hasn't happened yet, which could be a case of WWE biding its time before bringing them back, or it could be possible that negotiations hit a snag.

Meltzer noted this week that Naomi is still talking with WWE about a new contract, as her previous contract was close to expiring before she left in May.

There is seemingly nothing set in stone, but the change in leadership likely improves the chances of both Naomi and Banks remaining with WWE.

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