WWE Rumors on Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn, The Rock, Royal Rumble and Stephanie McMahon

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

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Rhodes, Zayn, Returning Stars Reportedly Considered for Rumble Win

A small handful of Superstars are reportedly in the running to win the men's Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble premium live event Saturday.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc's Kieran Fisher), either Cody Rhodes, Sami Zayn or "an outsider" is likely to win the Rumble.

Rhodes has long been the odds-on favorite, and his status was solidified in recent weeks when it was announced that he was returning from a torn pectoral muscle suffered in June and would be a participant in the Rumble.

While Rhodes remains the favorite, Zayn has become a sentimental choice among fans because of the entertainment value of his storyline with undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns and The Bloodline.

Meltzer reported that while it could change, Zayn was not planned to be Reigns' opponent at WrestleMania 39 as of a couple of weeks ago.

Another popular choice to win the Rumble in recent months has been The Rock as a surprise entrant. Although WWE has never teased or suggested it, fans and reporters have long speculated on a potential match between Reigns and The Rock at WrestleMania since they are real-life cousins.

Meltzer noted that it is now "unlikely" The Rock will be in the Royal Rumble or be Reigns' opponent at WrestleMania since he is focused on his Hollywood commitments and the impending launch of the XFL.

The only other "outsider" who could make sense is Stone Cold Steve Austin, who ended his 19-year retirement at last year's WrestleMania with a win over Kevin Owens.

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp recently reported that WWE made Austin a "huge money offer" for a match with Reigns, but it was unclear when the match would take place or if Austin accepted the offer.

Austin vs. Reigns at WrestleMania would be a massive spectacle, which at least leaves open the slight possibility of Austin winning his record-extending fourth Royal Rumble match.

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Uncertainty Surrounding Women's Royal Rumble Participants

As of Friday prior to SmackDown, WWE had only announced seven participants in the women's Royal Rumble match.

According to Meltzer (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), NXT Superstars are still awaiting word regarding whether any of them will be included in the women's Royal Rumble match.

Since WWE doesn't have enough women on the main roster to comprise an entire Royal Rumble field, it is likely that participants will have to be found elsewhere, either in the form of NXT Superstars or past legends.

One major star who reportedly won't be part of the Rumble match is former SmackDown and Raw women's champion Ronda Rousey.

Rousey dropped the SmackDown women's title to Charlotte Flair in an impromptu match on the final episode of SmackDown for 2022 last month, and she has not appeared on WWE programming since then.

It was widely assumed that she would make her return at the Rumble, but Meltzer reported that WWE is not planning to use Rousey in the Rumble match because it "didn't want to marginalize her star power by being just someone in the match since she wasn't going to win it or be the focal point."

Rousey won last year's women's Royal Rumble and was a WrestleMania main eventer four years ago, so not putting her in the match takes away some significant potential star power.

It does create more room for surprises, though, and the women's Royal Rumble match promises to be chock full of them.

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Reported Reason for Stephanie McMahon Resigning from WWE

The reported internal belief within WWE is that Stephanie McMahon's decision to resign from the company this month was done without any hard feelings.

When Stephanie's father, Vince McMahon, retired from his roles as chairman and CEO in July, Stephanie returned from her leave of absence to become chairwoman and co-CEO along with Nick Khan.

Vince returned to WWE's board of directors earlier this month, and Stephanie's resignation from the company coincided with his being reelected chairman of the board.

While there was speculation about Stephanie essentially being forced out, Meltzer (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) reported that those in WWE who were sad to see her go believe she did great in her roles and decided to step away rather than take on a lesser role since she didn't need the money and originally wanted to take a leave anyway.

Stephanie's planned leave of absence was short-lived due to Vince's retirement, but now she is able to take a step back from WWE completely with Vince controlling the board and her husband, Triple H, in charge of creative.

There has been plenty of speculation regarding Vince's intentions, including concern about his returning to his position as head of creative, but current indications are that such a move isn't on the table.

Vince's WWE return is primarily based on his desire to explore a sale of the company, with CNBC's Alex Sherman reporting that a sale would potentially go down in the next three to six months to coincide with television rights negotiations.

Stephanie stepping down from the board means she won't be involved in sales talks, but WWE stands to fetch a massive price on the open market regardless.

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