WWE Rumors on The Rock vs. Reigns; CM Punk Shoots on Rollins; Bayley on AJ Lee, Naomi
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Reigns vs. Rock Reportedly Won't Happen at Elimination Chamber
Despite speculation regarding a match between Roman Reigns and The Rock at Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia, next month, there are reportedly no plans for their potential clash to occur on that show.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Reigns is not scheduled for Elimination Chamber and has never been advertised, so the match does not appear to be in the cards for February.
The Rock made a surprise appearance on Raw recently that saw him beat down Jinder Mahal, but before the segment ended, The Great One made reference to "The Head of the Table," which is Reigns' nickname.
Fans have long discussed a potential bout between Reigns and The Rock, making it arguably the biggest possible dream match available in pro wrestling presently.
Both Reigns and The Rock have expressed public interest in making it happen at certain points, but the stars have never aligned, until now.
With the Royal Rumble a couple of weeks away and WrestleMania 40 now less than three months away, it seems unlikely that WWE would have had The Rock say the Head of the Table line if there weren't plans in place for a match.
The main issue is the fact that WWE has seemingly been building up Cody Rhodes for a rematch against Reigns ever since Rhodes fell to Roman in the main event of last year's WrestleMania.
If Rhodes isn't part of that story at WrestleMania, it is difficult to envision what he does, and it could significantly damage his momentum.
Meltzer speculated that Reigns vs. The Rock at WrestleMania is the likely path, although it could also be a Triple Threat with Rhodes involved in order to keep him in a top spot.
Whatever the case, it appears that if Reigns and The Rock are going to at it in a dream match of epic proportions, it will be reserved for a major show such as WrestleMania.
Punk Calls Rollins "Younger Sibling" in Their Rivalry
CM Punk continued his rivalry with world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins during an appearance on the Jackie Redmond Show with WWE backstage interviewer and NHL Network personality Jackie Redmond this week.
During the interview with Redmond (beginning at the 11:30 mark), Punk discussed his feud with Rollins and gave his take on why the world champ dislikes him so much (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News):
"Hmm, well, I think it's because I've walked a similar path to his, but I've also walked paths he hasn't ventured into. We're probably too similar, honestly; that's the biggest factor. We share a lot in common. However, the key difference is that I can discuss my career without needing to bring him into the conversation, whereas he often can't discuss his own journey without referencing me.
"I get where he's coming from, I truly do. I think he's always felt like the younger sibling in this rivalry. I've never consciously treated him as such; I've always viewed him as a peer. But sometimes, certain people are just unattainable, and he seems to hold that resentment. He genuinely dislikes me. It's akin to the rivalry between the Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings."
Punk made his surprise return to WWE at Survivor Series in November following his release from AEW, which marked his first WWE appearance in nearly a decade.
Since then, Punk has made it clear that his goals include winning the men's Royal Rumble match and headlining WrestleMania, which are two things he has never done before.
Rollins has had some less-than-flattering things to say about Punk publicly over the years, especially in the aftermath of Punk leaving WWE and taking shots at the company.
The potential real-life issues between Punk and Rollins have translated to the WWE product, and they made for a compelling segment when Rollins ran Punk down on the mic a few weeks ago by airing his grievances.
All signs point toward Rollins and Punk doing battle for the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 40, and the atmosphere should be electric if it happens due to the realism they have injected into their program.
Bayley Would Like to See AJ Lee, Naomi in Royal Rumble
Count Bayley among those who would like to see two former champions make their return in the 2024 women's Royal Rumble match.
During an appearance this week on the Gabby AF podcast (h/t Andrew Thompson of Post Wrestling), Bayley was asked which surprise entrants she would like to see take part in the Rumble.
Bayley named several legends, but she seemed most excited about the prospect of three-time Divas champion AJ Lee possibly coming back, saying:
"Mickie James is always awesome. I would love to see her again. Her music hits hard. Trish [Stratus] and Lita are always so fun to get those reactions, although they were just around not too long ago. Still good reactions. In one of the interviews I just had, they brought up AJ Lee since, you know, CM Punk is here. I mean, I wouldn't mind that. I might actually let her throw me over the top rope if she came back. That's how much I respect her."
AJ, who was the biggest female star of her era in WWE, retired from pro wrestling in 2015, and she has not competed in a ring ever since.
However, since the return of her husband, CM Punk, to WWE programming, there has been a ton of speculation that AJ could come back to WWE at some point as well.
The Rumble would be the ideal spot for it to happen since it would allow her to do a one-off appearance provided she doesn't want to come back for a lengthy run.
Bayley was also asked about Naomi potentially making her return to WWE and competing in the Rumble match, and she was excited about that prospect as well, saying: "Oh! I would love that. But she eliminated me once in a WrestleMania Battle Royal or something so I'd just steer clear of her but it would be fun to watch her come back."
According to PWInsider.com (h/t Upton), Naomi is expected to finish up with TNA and return to WWE as soon as late January, which means she could potentially be free for a Rumble appearance.
Naomi, who is a two-time SmackDown women's champion, officially split from WWE in early 2023, allowing her to sign with TNA and compete under her real name, Trinity.
While she is the current TNA Knockouts champion, it seems as though she will drop the title soon and be back with the company she called home for well over a decade previously.
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