The Rock Teases More Appearances; WWE Rumors on Naomi, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Jey Uso

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

The Rock Teasing More WWE Appearances

If it wasn't obvious from his appearance on Monday's episode of Raw, The Rock made it clear on social media that he is expecting to be on WWE television more in the future.

In a post on Instagram, The Great One wrote "we're just getting started" along with an emoji of a mountain.

"It all hits differently," he added. "The theme, the crowd, the connection, the reaction, the electricity, the chills - the mana. Helluva way to bring in 2024.Grateful, blessed & inspired to forever be, the People's Champ."

By wrapping up his promo on Raw Day 1 by asking the fans if he should sit "at the head of the table," the seeds have been planted for the long-rumored Rock-Roman Reigns showdown at some point.

Reigns is being advertised for Friday's episode of SmackDown where he will presumably address the comments from the Rock, as well as watch the triple-threat match between Randy Orton, LA Knight and AJ Styles that will determine his opponent at the Royal Rumble.

The Rock's tease certainly opens the door for many questions about WrestleMania. Cody Rhodes, who was the first to declare for the men's Royal Rumble, has already cut promos about wanting to finish the story after he lost to the Tribal Chief in the main event of last year's 'Mania.

Is the Rock going to be a surprise entrant in the Rumble? If the Rock-Reigns match happens at WrestleMania, where does that leave Rhodes in this situation?

It's a lot to figure out, but right now all that matters is we are presumably going to be getting a lot more of The Rock in WWE over the next couple of months.

Former Women's Champion Reportedly Returning to WWE

Nearly two years after leaving WWE, Naomi is reportedly going to be returning to the company very soon.

Per Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), it would take "something huge" for Naomi not to end up back in WWE "sooner than later" as she is on the verge of finishing up her contract with Impact Wrestling.

Naomi and Sasha Banks walked out of WWE during a May 2022 episode of Raw due to creative differences.

Since leaving the company together, Naomi and Banks have gone down separate paths. Banks most recently wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling and Stardom as Mercedes Moné, though she's been out of action since May due to an ankle injury.

Banks was reportedly negotiating with WWE recently, but those talks are believed to have fallen apart. She has also been in discussions with AEW, though until we see her on television for either company, no one knows where she is going to end up.

Naomi has been working for Impact Wrestling since April. She is the current Impact Knockouts world champion and is scheduled to defend the title against Jordynne Grace at Hard to Kill on Jan. 13.

Assuming Naomi drops the title in that match, her WWE return could come as soon as the Jan. 15 episode of Raw. It could also be held off until the Royal Rumble when she could be a surprise entrant in the women's Rumble match.

Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Jey Uso Top Merchandise Sales

Even though Rhodes' status for the WrestleMania 40 main event may be up in the air, he remains one of the biggest merchandise-sellers in all of professional wrestling.

Per WWE Shop sales figures tracked by Wrestleomics (h/t Upton), Rhodes sold more merchandise than any other WWE superstar during the month of December.

This is especially notable because CM Punk returned to the company for the first time in nine years at Survivor Series on Nov. 25 and had plenty of new merchandise released as soon as he came back.

Punk isn't hurting for merchandise sales, as he ranked second to Rhodes during the final month of 2023. Jey Uso was in third, followed by LA Knight and Randy Orton to round out the top five.

Uso's successful merchandise sales came amid a string of issues with his "YEET" catchphrase because the trademark was owned by an independent wrestler. The situation appears to have been resolved, since Uso has been wearing his "YEET" t-shirt on television in recent weeks.

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