Cody Rhodes Injury Update; Madcap Moss Wants Sami Zayn; WWE Rumors on T-BAR's Future

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

Rhodes Provides Update on Pec Injury Recovery

Five months after suffering a torn pectoral muscle, Cody Rhodes provided an update Tuesday on Twitter.

Rhodes called physical therapy "awful" and described the pain he has gone through, but he suggested his family has been a source of inspiration to keep pushing:

In the days leading up to his Hell in a Cell match against Seth Rollins at the Hell in a Cell premium live event in June, Rhodes tore his pec, which left his status for the show in doubt.

Despite the injury causing severe bruising, Rhodes decided to fight through it and compete at Hell in a Cell. In one of the gutsiest performances in WWE history, The American Nightmare overcame the injury to defeat Rollins.

Rhodes was ultimately put on the shelf after another attack at the hands of Rollins, and he has been trying to work his way back into the fold ever since.

When Rhodes initially landed on the shelf, WWE announced that he underwent surgery and would be out for nine months.

That would put him on track to return in March, meaning he could be back in time to begin a program ahead of WrestleMania 39, which is set for April 1 and 2, 2023.

WWE tends to extend injury timetables in order to create surprise scenarios and make its Superstars look better for returning sooner than expected, and that could be the case with Rhodes.

If the nine-month timeline is exaggerated, the overarching assumption from most is that Rhodes will try to make it back in time for the Royal Rumble near the end of January.

Rhodes is making it clear that his recovery has been no picnic, but everything he is going through may ultimately be worth it for the massive reaction he is sure to receive when he returns.

Moss Names Zayn as Preferred WrestleMania Opponent

If Madcap Moss receives a singles match at WrestleMania 39 next year, he wants it to be against Sami Zayn.

During an interview with WWE Deutschland (h/t WrestlingInc's Dakota Cohen), Moss made his choice and explained why he wants to get in the ring with Zayn:

"Sami Zayn, the Honorary Uce. I just can't decide how I feel about him because I just can't take my eyes off of him. He's so entertaining. But, at the time, I have my fist balled up every time I watch him and I just want to punch him right in the face at the same time. ... Either way, he's an unbelievable performer, you know, all craziness aside he's one of the best on the mic, in the ring. You know, what he did this past year at WrestleMania with Johnny, Johnny Knoxville, how fun was that match? An absolutely all-time match right there."

Few figure to argue with Moss' assessment of Zayn, as he has been receiving consistently strong reactions from the WWE Universe throughout his storyline with The Bloodline.

Zayn was initially a sniveling lackey, and while he may still be that to some degree, he has earned "The Tribal Chief" Roman Reigns' respect and become known as the Honorary Uce of The Bloodline.

Thanks in large part to Zayn, The Bloodline's segments have consistently been the most entertaining and intriguing ones on WWE programming, and the company is doing all it can to capitalize on the momentum.

Any Superstar would be wise to hitch their wagon to Zayn and The Bloodline, and that may partially explain Moss' desire to face Sami on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

WWE may have bigger things planned for Zayn in the form of breaking away from The Bloodline to face Reigns or perhaps team with Kevin Owens against The Usos, but a match against Zayn would undoubtedly raise Moss' stock if he can find a way to make it happen.

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T-BAR Reportedly Undergoing Name, Gimmick Change

After an ill-fated run with Retribution and receiving little television time after the group's dissolution, T-BAR is reportedly getting repackaged.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), T-BAR is now being listed internally under the name Donovan Dijak, and he is preparing for a return to NXT.

Prior to getting called up to the main roster and being given the name T-BAR, Dijak competed in NXT under the name Dominik Dijakovic. He made a significant impact during his initial NXT run, taking part in a WarGames match and having a memorable feud with Keith Lee.

Despite his impressive size and in-ring acumen, things didn't work out for Dijak on the main roster, but he could be in line for his biggest push yet.

In recent weeks, WWE has been airing vignettes on NXT showing T-BAR's mask getting burned. On Tuesday's episode of NXT, a silhouetted figure spoke, and it clearly seemed to be Dijak.

Prior to signing with WWE, Dijak wrestled under the Donovan Dijak name in Ring of Honor, so wrestling fans will be familiar with it if he utilizes that name in NXT.

As Donovan Dijak, he won the ROH Top Prospect Tournament in 2015, which gave him a ton of exposure and ultimately set the stage for him to make the move to WWE in 2017.

Talent has never been a question for Dijak, but opportunity has. The opportunity wasn't there for him on the main roster, but that figures to change in NXT, where he has a chance to be a main event-level performer.

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