WWE Rumors on Drew McIntyre's Injury, Ronda Rousey's Injury and WWE Draft Plans
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and All Elite Wrestliing.
Drew McIntyre Not Returning Anytime Soon
It looks as if Drew McIntyre could be taking an extended break from WWE television.
The former WWE champion is set to miss "at least a few more weeks," according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio.
McIntyre has not appeared on WWE programming since losing in the Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat with GUNTHER and Sheamus at WrestleMania.
Fan speculation has been rising regarding McIntyre's future as his contract is set to expire at the end of 2023. He's recently gone dark on social media, blacking out his profile picture and removing all mention of WWE in his bio.
While that could indicate displeasure with where contract extension negotiations are at the moment, it's also possible McIntyre will wind up refreshing his character once he's healthy enough to return to the ring. He's spent more than three years as a babyface and may be looking for a switch once he's cleared for action.
Ronda Rousey Also Still Injured
The women's tag team division is in a clearly transitional period with Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan taking the titles off Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus.
Rodriguez and Morgan were a relatively thrown-together team in the lead-up to WrestleMania, and the tag belts merely served as a vessel to start the feud between Lynch and Stratus that's set to play out on WWE TV in the coming weeks.
Many expected Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler to be the next in line for those belts, but it appears that won't be the case anytime soon. Meltzer said Rousey remains out of action because of an injury, and there is no timetable for her return at the moment.
The former UFC star has wrestled just four times this year and only twice on television.
Her pairing with Baszler came at her own request, as it seemed Rousey wanted to try her hand at tag team wrestling after her second singles run in WWE drew a tepid response.
As it stands, no one's quite sure what to make of Rousey and when she'll be back in action.
WWE Planned Draft to Coincide with NFL's; Superstars Still Don't Know Their Brands
The first WWE draft since 2021 is set to take place April 28 to May 1—and apparently that's no accident.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported WWE targeted the NFL draft date for its own draft in an attempt to piggyback off the hype. The 2023 NFL draft will take place April 27-29 in Kansas City.
One thing that remains up in the air is the status of where each wrestler will wind up. While Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens will remain on both brands as unified champions, other Superstars are completely out of the loop regarding their future destination.
The brand split has mattered less in recent months given the significant crossover of the two sides. That said, with a new draft coming, we could see WWE returning to a harder split between the two shows.
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