Brock Lesnar to Retire?; Stone Cold Denies In-Ring Return; WWE Rumors on Ronda Rousey

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

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Angle Believes Lesnar Wants to Retire from WWE

Speculation has run rampant regarding Brock Lesnar's WWE future, and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle added to it this week.

In an interview with Rewind Recap Relive (h/t Sunil Joseph of Ringside News) on Thursday, Angle said the following about WWE's change in leadership and Lesnar potentially retiring:

"You know what, Triple H is a great leader," Angle said. "He's a great boss. I don't have a problem with him. I don't think anybody has a problem with him. Vince [McMahon] was different, yeah. Vince was unique. He was one of a kind, nobody else like him, cared very much about his talent, so does Triple H, though.

"I mean, I'm not gonna knock Triple H because if anybody was gonna replace Vince it was gonna be Triple H and Stephanie [McMahon]. And you know, that's basically what they did. So, I don't think Triple H is the reason why Brock's retiring. I don't believe that for second. I just believe that Brock's had enough. He's ready to quit. He's ready to retire."

It is well-documented that Lesnar and Vince McMahon have long had a close relationship, and it has helped produce plenty of memorable moments for WWE.

McMahon retired from his roles as CEO, chairman and head of creative last summer, and while he returned to the chairman position in January, Triple H has remained head of creative.

Lesnar is scheduled to face Omos at WrestleMania 39 next weekend in what would perhaps be the lowest-profile WrestleMania match of The Beast Incarnate's illustrious career.

It is unclear if the booking is at all reflective of Lesnar's future in WWE, but Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) noted that there had recently been reports of Lesnar telling some people within WWE that he would be leaving soon.

Meltzer was unsure of the authenticity of those conversations, but added that only a select future in WWE would know what the future holds for Lesnar.

Brock is unquestionably one of WWE's biggest stars, and he was been among the company's top draws as well since returning in 2012.

Lesnar has taken extended time off at times over the past 11 years, so it is possible he could be preparing for a hiatus, but at 45 years of age, retirement isn't out of the question.

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Austin Suggests He Won't Be at WrestleMania 39

Amid rumors of a potential match or appearance next weekend at WrestleMania 39, WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin tempered expectations Wednesday.

Speaking to Michael Duarte of NBC Los Angeles, Austin claimed he had not been contacted about doing anything at WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, saying: "Man … I've just been busy working on this show. I haven't got a phone call yet and it's about two weeks away so I don't expect to be there, but anything can happen."

Meltzer (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of ThirstyForNews.com) reported earlier this month that Austin had been offered matches against Lesnar and Roman Reigns. It is unclear when the pitched Reigns match would have taken place, but Austin vs. Lesnar likely would have occurred at WrestleMania.

The Texas Rattlesnake apparently turned down both offers, so WWE pivoted to Lesnar facing Omos and Reigns defending the undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes.

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported (h/t H Jenkins of ThirstyForNews.com) recently reported that WWE had pitched Austin on other ideas for WrestleMania as well, including a segment with LA Knight.

Last year, Austin returned to in-ring action at WrestleMania 38, ending his 19-year retirement.

While Austin was advertised to appear at WrestleMania 38, it was only for a KO Show segment with Kevin Owens. That turned into an impromptu No Holds Barred match with Stone Cold defeating Owens.

Despite being 58 years of age, Austin looks to be in excellent physical condition, which led to talk of him possibly wrestling again this year.

There has been no indication that it is happening yet, but Austin did at least leave the door open for a WrestleMania appearance if an agreement can be reached.

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Reported Reason for WWE Changing Rousey's WrestleMania Plans

WWE reportedly decided to go in a different direction for Ronda Rousey's WrestleMania 39 match because of an injury.

According to Meltzer (h/t Upton), Rousey was originally slated to team with Shayna Baszler in a match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Meltzer noted the idea was changed because Rousey is dealing with a fractured arm that wouldn't have allowed her to have the desired role and impact needed in the build toward the match.

Instead, it is reportedly expected that Rousey and Baszler will be part of the women's showcase Fatal 4-Way tag team match at WrestleMania. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez have qualified for the match thus far.

If Rousey and Baszler win at WrestleMania and Rousey is healthy enough to continue working, it stands to reason that they could receive a future tag title shot.

Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky had been the WWE women's tag team champions, but they dropped the titles to Becky Lynch and WWE Hall of Famer Lita a few weeks ago.

As a result, Lynch, Lita and Trish Stratus will team up to take on Bayley, Kai and Sky at WrestleMania.

Since Rousey and Baszler are heels, they would be a sensible choice to take the titles off Lynch and Lita, perhaps as soon as the Raw or SmackDown after WrestleMania.

Rousey has been involved in some huge WrestleMania matches during her WWE career, including the main event of WrestleMania 35 against Lynch and Charlotte Flair, and a title match against Flair last year, but she is poised to take something of a backseat at WrestleMania 39.

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