WWE Rumors on CM Punk's WrestleMania Plans, Seth Rollins' Injury and Andrade's Return
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Punk vs. Rollins Reportedly Locked in for WrestleMania 40
The direction for CM Punk at WrestleMania 40 that has been theorized by fans since his return is reportedly indeed in the plans for WWE.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Punk challenging Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship is the plan for WrestleMania 40.
Punk and Cody Rhodes are considered the top two candidates to win the men's Royal Rumble match, and if Punk prevails, all signs point toward him challenging Rollins.
Rollins often had less-than-complimentary things to say about Punk during his nearly decade-long absence from WWE, and the real-life tension has been used to create an on-screen feud.
When Punk returned to WWE at Survivor Series in his hometown of Chicago, video later surfaced of Rollins yelling angrily. While some thought it was a legitimate reaction, it seems more and more likely that it was part of an angle.
Several weeks ago, Rollins cut a scathing promo on Punk during an episode of Raw, and Punk announced his intention to enter the Rumble at the end of it.
Punk has made it clear that his main goal is to headline WrestleMania since he has never done it before, and winning the Royal Rumble would be the best way to secure that spot.
Assuming Punk vs. Rollins happens, it will almost certainly be the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 40 with Roman Reigns headlining Night 2 against either Rhodes or The Rock.
WWE Sources Reportedly Keeping Quiet About Rollins' Injury
Sources within WWE reportedly aren't saying much about the injury world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins appeared to suffer during his match against Jinder Mahal on Monday night's episode of Raw.
Wade Keller of PWTorch initially reported that Rollins suffered a legitimate leg injury in the match and noted that he had to be helped to the backstage area. Rollins was reportedly able to put weight on his leg eventually, but he walked with an obvious limp.
In an update, Keller (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) said that he believes bad news may be forthcoming about Rollins' injury since sources have been unwilling to comment on his status.
Keller added that while it is possible WWE is keeping things quiet in order to run an angle in which Rollins' injury is portrayed as worse than it really is, he feels someone would have downplayed the injury to him if it wasn't thought to be significant.
Two anonymous wrestlers did talk to Keller with one saying, "I don't think it's good," and another suggesting that since Rollins has a lengthy injury history, the fact that he finished the match against Mahal could be a positive sign that Rollins didn't feel the injury was overly serious.
If Rollins is indeed injured and it is serious, it comes at a horrible time for him and WWE as a whole.
Ever since CM Punk returned to the company in November, WWE has clearly been building tension between them and seemingly building toward a massive showdown at WrestleMania 40.
Punk is favored to win the men's Royal Rumble match, and if he does, the assumption is that he will challenge Rollins for the world heavyweight title in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania.
However, if Rollins' injury is significant and he won't be available for WrestleMania, WWE may have to alter its plans in a major way.
Andrade Reportedly Has Deal in Place with WWE
Andrade reportedly has an agreement in place with WWE after a long, winding road led to his AEW departure.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Upton), Andrade initially signed a two-year contract with AEW, but time was added due to him missing some action with an injury, which took the deal to the end of 2023.
Andrade reportedly told multiple fellow wrestlers that he intended to stay with AEW at one point, but he eventually changed his mind and told his peers by the end of his AEW run that he intended to return to WWE.
After starring in Mexico and Japan under the name La Sombra, Andrade signed with WWE in late 2015 and began going by the name Andrade "Cien" Almas.
Andrade started in NXT and won the NXT Championship before making the move to the main roster and becoming United States champion.
He requested and was granted his release in 2021 and made his AEW debut later that year under the name Andrade El Idolo.
While Andrade had his moments in AEW, he never won a title and was rarely featured on pay-per-views. What was likely his final AEW appearance was a PPV match, though, as he lost to Miro at Worlds End last month.
A return to WWE makes sense for Andrade since his wife, Charlotte Flair, is entrenched as a top star in the company. Also, Triple H is firmly in charge of creative currently, and he pushed Andrade in a big way during his time in NXT.
With the Royal Rumble scheduled for Jan. 27, it seems likely that Andrade will be a surprise entrant in the men's Rumble match.
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