WWE Rumors on Drew McIntyre and Finn Bálor Contracts, Kevin Patrick and Tama Tonga
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
McIntyre, Bálor WWE Contracts Reportedly Expiring Soon
Two key players for WWE reportedly could see their contracts expire following WrestleMania 40 in April.
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider Elite (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), McIntyre hasn't yet agreed to a new contract with WWE and could be "free and clear" to go elsewhere after WrestleMania.
It was also reported by Fightful Select (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News) that Finn Bálor's WWE deal is up "within a few months" after WrestleMania, and WWE hasn't yet approached him about signing a new contract.
Rumors and speculation have run rampant regarding McIntyre's contract status for nearly a year, and the fact that he reportedly has yet to sign a new deal calls into question whether he may consider leaving.
McIntyre is one of WWE's top stars, although it has been quite some time since he held a world title with Roman Reigns dominating the undisputed WWE Universal Championship scene and Seth Rollins holding the World Heavyweight Championship since its inception last year.
Despite not having a title, McIntyre has been a key figure on Raw, and the 2020 men's Royal Rumble winner and two-time WWE. champion enters Saturday's Royal Rumble premium live event as one of a handful of contenders to win the Rumble again.
Bálor is a former NXT champion and universal champion, but he has primarily been utilized as part of a group for the past year as an important member of The Judgment Day.
Along with Damian Priest, Bálor is one half of the undisputed WWE tag team champions, and he has been as consistent of an in-ring performer as anyone WWE has to offer.
The 42-year-old Irishman could potentially get a bigger singles push elsewhere, such as AEW, but he is deeply entrenched in WWE and gets regular television time on Raw.
Money likely won't be an issue for WWE when it comes to offering contracts, especially after agreeing to a reported 10-year, $5 billion deal for Raw to stream on Netflix beginning in 2025.
The futures of McIntyre and Bálor may come down to where they feel they will be used best, and that could put AEW in the running to sign them even if WWE wants them to remain in the fold.
Kevin Patrick Reportedly Removed from SmackDown Commentary Team
Kevin Patrick's brief run as SmackDown play-by-play announcer is reportedly coming to an end.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Mukherjee), Patrick is "gone" from SmackDown commentary "unless something changes."
Meltzer also reported that it isn't yet known who will be replacing Patrick as the play-by-play person next to color commentator Corey Graves.
Patrick started with WWE as a backstage interviewer in 2021 before getting promoted to the play-by-play announcer of Raw in October 2022 when WWE decided to shake up its commentary teams.
It was initially Patrick and Graves on Raw with Michael Cole and Wade Barrett on SmackDown, but the teams switched shows last year.
Cole was added to the SmackDown team alongside Patrick and Graves for a period of time, seemingly to take some pressure off Patrick and get him more comfortable in his role.
Recently, Cole was removed from the SmackDown team so he could focus on Raw, but WWE apparently didn't like what it got out of Patrick and Graves as a two-man team.
There are two obvious in-house candidates to replace Patrick on SmackDown with the first being Cole pulling double duty on both Raw and SmackDown.
If WWE doesn't want to do that, it could promote NXT play-by-play announcer Vic Joseph, who already has some main roster experience, as he called Raw from 2019 into early 2020.
The third possibility would be for WWE to make an outside hire, although it could take some time for a good fit to materialize.
It is unclear if Patrick will be reassigned within WWE, but he seemed to work well as a backstage interviewer, so it is possible he could get moved back into that role.
WWE Reportedly Remains Interested in Tama Tonga
Amid his exit from New Japan Pro-Wrestling, WWE has reportedly shown interest in signing Tama Tonga.
According to Meltzer (h/t Nikunj Walia of Ringside News), WWE's interest in Tonga dates back to last year, and the company has had discussions about trying to sign him.
The 41-year-old Tonga has been with NJPW since 2010, and he accomplished a great deal during his tenure, including being a four-time NEVER openweight champion and a seven-time IWGP tag team champion with his adoptive brother Tanga Loa.
Tonga lost the NEVER Openweight Championship to Evil last week at The New Beginning and seemingly gave his farewell to NJPW afterward:
Tonga has some obvious connections to WWE that could help make for a smooth and easy transition if the two sides come to terms.
For nearly a decade, Tonga was part of Bullet Club in New Japan. Current WWE roster members AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Finn Bálor and Cody Rhodes were also part of Bullet Club at various points during Tonga's stint.
Tonga is the adopted son of WWE legend Haku, and although they are not technically part of the famous Anoa'i wrestling family, they are closely intertwined.
The Rock, who is related to the Anoa'i family, posted on Instagram in 2015 that he bought Haku a truck and referred to him as "Uncle Tonga."
Given how close Haku is with the family, it stands to reason that Tonga could potentially join The Bloodline alongside Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa in WWE.
The Bloodline lost some of its strength after Jey Uso and Sami Zayn departed, but Tonga would be a potentially huge addition.
Also, Tonga signing with WWE would likely open the door for his brothers, Tanga Loa and Hikuleo, to join him at some point, and they could be part of The Bloodline as well.
Of course, Tonga could have interest from other promotions such as AEW and TNA, but with so many connections in WWE already, it seems like a strong fit.
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