WWE Rumors on The Rock vs. Roman Reigns, Kazuchika Okada; Cena Talks WrestleMania 40
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
When and Where Reigns vs. The Rock Could Happen
Despite plenty of talk regarding a potential match against undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns, The Rock reportedly hasn't committed to competing at WrestleMania 40 yet.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), The Rock wants to compete at this year's WrestleMania, but it is "not a done deal" as of yet.
Meltzer added that some are interested in potentially doing Reigns vs. The Rock at the next event in Saudi Arabia, but The Rock's preference is for the match to occur at WrestleMania.
After it was announced Tuesday that The Rock was named to the board of directors for TKO Group Holdings, he appeared on ESPN's First Take and discussed the possibility of wrestling Reigns.
The Rock said there is "a chance" the match happens and noted that if they clash at WrestleMania, it will make for the biggest WrestleMania of all time.
The Great One went on to add that he is a "long-gamer" who wants to build toward the match and tell a great story, which led to speculation that he may be eyeing the match at a later date rather than WrestleMania 40.
While The Rock didn't get into any specifics, the way he was talking suggested he could be content to potentially do the match at WrestleMania 41 rather than WrestleMania 40.
That would allow for a proper build, and it would also pave the way for Cody Rhodes to have his rematch against Reigns after losing to the Tribal Chief in the main event of WrestleMania 39.
Everyone would be satisfied if WWE did the Reigns vs. Rhodes rematch followed by Reigns vs. The Rock the following year, and The Rock could even get involved at WrestleMania 40 in order to set the stage for WrestleMania 41.
It sounds as though WrestleMania 40 is still on the table for The Rock vs. Reigns, however, that decision will likely have to be made soon with WrestleMania only a little over two months away.
Okada Reportedly Hasn't Made Choice in Free Agency
While Kazuchika Okada is officially set to leave New Japan Pro-Wrestling with his contract expiring at the end of the month, it isn't yet known where he will go next.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Nikunj Walia of Ringside News), rumors that surfaced this week regarding Okada signing with WWE and reporting to NXT are "very premature."
Sources indicated that Okada is "early in his process" of deciding where he will sign with both WWE and AEW believing they are in the running to sign The Rainmaker.
New Japan announced last week that Okada would leaving the promotion on Jan. 31, and Okada later confirmed his departure.
As the two biggest wrestling promotions, it comes as little surprise that WWE and AEW are both reportedly vying for a star of Okada's caliber.
Both WWE and AEW can likely make the seven-time IWGP heavyweight champion a significant financial offer, so Okada's choice may come down to other factors.
He has already made a handful of appearances for AEW and has worked with several members of the roster. Also, AEW may be able to offer him the opportunity to continue living in Japan.
Okada would likely have to relocate to the United States in order to sign with WWE, but doing so would allow him to work for the unquestioned top company and to have several never-before-seen dream matches.
Whatever the case, one of the biggest stars in wrestling is set to make a major move, and more eyes will be on him whether he signs with WWE or AEW.
Cena Coy About Availability for WrestleMania 40
WWE legend John Cena suggested this week that he isn't sure if he will be available for WrestleMania 40.
During an interview with Monica Sisavat Solis of ET Online, Cena said the following when asked about potentially wrestling or appearing on the Grandest Stage of Them All:
"I don't know if I'll be free that weekend, but it is a weekend, and movies don't typically shoot on the weekends. But when I say I'm done— in WWE, they say never say never, and a lot of people retire and then make surprising comebacks. I'm just being honest with myself. There's such a phenomenal new generation of talent now. It's time to pass the electrifying torch on to those who can be there every day."
In the same interview, Cena said he wants to retire from in-ring competition by the time he is 50. That means the soon-to-be 47-year-old veteran only has about three years left in the business.
Of course, the 16-time world champion has worked a limited WWE schedule in recent years as he has primarily been focused on his burgeoning Hollywood acting career.
Still, Cena has found time to have at least one WWE match every year, and he was perhaps a bit more active than expected in 2023, facing Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39 and then returning for another WWE run during the fall.
Cena's most recent match saw him get decimated by Solo Sikoa at Crown Jewel in November, which could have been the setup for him to return and redeem himself at WrestleMania.
If Cena truly only have three years of wrestling left in him, it stands to reason that he would have interest in having as many WrestleMania matches as possible proverbially riding off into the sunset.
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