Bayley Hopes Sasha Returns to WWE; Rumors on Original WrestleMania Plans, Matt Riddle

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

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Bayley Thinks Mercedes Moné Will Return to WWE

Bayley has not given up on Mercedes Moné (formerly Sasha Banks) returning to WWE.

The five-time WWE champion said her longtime friend's "home" is still in WWE despite Moné leaving for New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

"I'll say yes. Because I mean, this is her home," Bayley told Ariel Helwani of BT Sport. "This is her dream, and I love to see what she's doing and what she's going to be doing over the next few months. She's going to literally take over the world, take the world by storm, but I know this is her home and where her heart is. By her heart, I mean me, so she needs to come back to me, you know? I need her, I need my travel partner, but I'm gonna say yes like I'll never give up hope that she'll come back."

Moné, who defeated KAIRI for the IWGP women's championship this month, is under contract with New Japan, but it's undetermined how long she'll be active with the promotion. It's possible she winds up taking a short sabbatical in Japan before ultimately returning to WWE.

Bayley was in attendance for Moné's Japan debut and her victory over KAIRI at Battle in the Valley.

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WWE Considered Splitting Titles Ahead of WrestleMania

Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns was not always WWE's first plan for WrestleMania 39.

The Rock was long thought to be Reigns' potential opponent, and WWE reportedly had a contingency plan of splitting up its top two titles so that Rhodes could main-event after winning the Royal Rumble.

Fightful Select reported Rhodes could have wound up facing Seth Rollins in a championship match if The Rock was made available.

WWE ultimately altered course when Rock informed the company he would not be ready in time for the event, leading to Rhodes taking the top of the marquee. Rhodes was always slated internally as the Rumble winner.

Even though WWE would have made a ton of money off selling Reigns vs. Rock, this scenario is probably the better storytelling device. Rhodes and Paul Heyman have done an excellent job of setting the stakes for WrestleMania while also including Sami Zayn as The Bloodline storyline bleeds all over the program.

Rock's inconsistent availability would have hampered week-to-week storytelling, especially with Reigns also being on a limited schedule.

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Matt Riddle's Return Plans Still to be Determined

Matt Riddle has exited rehab, but he's not returned to a WWE ring yet.

The former tag team champion has been out of action since December, when he was written off television to address ongoing substance abuse concerns.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported Riddle is not slated for WrestleMania and does not have a determined return date.

However, Riddle's suspension has been lifted and he's able to return. It would not be a surprise to see him make a comeback immediately after WrestleMania, given there's no availability on the card at this point.

Randy Orton's return to the ring is also undetermined, so if Orton is nearing a return, the two could come back together.

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