Roman Reigns, Waller Troll The Rock; Injury Updates on Giovanni Vinci, Braun Strowman
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Reigns, Waller Comment on The Rock's Raw Return
The Rock made a surprise return to WWE on Monday night's episode of Raw and teased a massive dream match in the process.
In the days leading up to Raw, WWE seemingly confirmed a rumor that a former WWE champion would appear on the show. Fans were initially disappointed when Jinder Mahal made his way to the ring and declared that he was the former WWE champion the company was referencing.
After a promo in which he ran down the WWE Universe and the United States, Mahal was finally interrupted by The Rock. The Most Electrifying Man in Entertainment cut a promo on Mahal before taking the fight to him and hitting a People's Elbow.
Just before he left, The Rock teased a match against his cousin, undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns, by asking if he should sit at the "head of the table" when going out to eat after the show.
Reigns quickly reacted to The Rock's promo, posting only a crying laughing face emoji on X, formerly known as Twitter:
SmackDown Superstar Grayson Waller also had something to say about The Rock, referencing his appearance on the blue brand in September:
Waller referenced The Rock's interaction on that show with Austin Theory, who is now the Aussie's tag team partner, and called The People's Champion a "flop."
Much like Monday's Raw, The Rock made a surprise appearance on SmackDown in September, and he put an exclamation point on the segment by beating down Theory.
Fans have long called for a Rock vs. Reigns match, and the real-life cousins have publicly expressed interest in making it happen on multiple occasions, but Monday was the first time one of them made a clear allusion to the match on WWE programming.
The Rock's declaration sent the wrestling world into a tizzy, as fans openly wondered what The Rock possibly re-entering the fold could mean for Cody Rhodes and his quest to "finish the story" by beating Reigns at WrestleMania.
There were theories galore on social media, ranging from The Rock flat-out taking Rhodes' WrestleMania spot to Reigns and The Rock possibly having their match at Elimination Chamber in Australia and leaving the door open for Reigns vs. Rhodes on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
Whatever the case, The Rock is one of the biggest stars in pro wrestling history, and an already red-hot product is now even more interesting with him potentially back in the fold.
Vinci Provides Positive Injury Update
Imperium member Giovanni Vinci helped wrestling fans breathe a sigh of relief after a scary moment on Monday night's episode of Raw.
During a tag team match pitting Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser against Kofi Kingston and Jey Uso, Vinci was the recipient of an inadvertent stiff shot from Kingston.
Instant replay showed that Vinci took a hard dropkick to the face before landing on the mat with great impact and seemingly hitting his head on the canvas.
A doctor quickly rushed to the ring and called the match off, giving Kingston and Uso the victory. Vinci could be seen in the background walking away from the ringside area under his own power with the doctor beside him.
While Raw was still going on, Vinci tweeted the Italian phrase, "Sto bene. Grazie mille," which translates to, "I'm fine. Thank you very much."
It remains unclear precisely what type of injury Vinci suffered, but the quick action on Raw showed that WWE doesn't mess around with anything involving the head and neck area.
When Vinci is able to return from action, WWE figures to continue with the storyline involving Kingston and Uso since it just got started a couple of weeks ago and didn't have the opportunity to progress much on Monday night due to the unfortunate injury.
Strowman Provides Timeline for In-Ring Return
After undergoing neck surgery in June, Braun Strowman is moving closer to his in-ring return.
During an recent appearance on the Ranveer Show (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Strowman provided an injury update, noting that he received clearance to begin lifting weights again:
"I'm doing great," Strowman said. "Every day [I'm] getting better and pushing forward. I just got cleared to start lifting weights again, which is a huge step forward since my surgery. WWE took unbelievable care of me."
Strowman went on to note that while he hasn't yet been cleared to take bumps in the ring, he is progressing toward it quickly:
"I'm putting the size back on. …I'm a little fluffy. ... So yeah, I just got cleared like two and a half weeks ago to fully start lifting weights again. I'm still on the no-contact-to-the-head, no-taking-bumps, and stuff like that. So it's still going to be another month [or] two before we start easing back into the ring. But when it's time to go, we're going."
Strowman underwent a fusion of his C4 and C5 vertebrae, and while he expressed hope last month in an interview with Vineet Ramakrishnan of News18 that he could be back for the Royal Rumble in late January, that may have been a bit ambitious.
Based on the timeline Strowman provided in his latest interview, it may be more realistic for him to come back at some point during the road to WrestleMania or potentially shortly after WrestleMania.
Whatever the case, Strowman is a former world champion and a true attraction due to his size and strength, so he will be a valuable addition back to the roster whenever he is able to wrestle again.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
