WWE's Rollins Eyes Taylor Swift, Kelce Bros; Charlotte Update; Waller Backs The Rock
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Rollins Invites Taylor Swift, Kelce Brothers to WrestleMania
Celebrity involvement is the hallmark of WrestleMania, and world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins is backing the idea of some of the biggest current stars in the United States making an appearance at WrestleMania 40 in April.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated (h/t Fightful's Jeremy Lambert), Rollins invited pop star Taylor Swift, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce to the Showcase of the Immortals:
"I would extend an invitation to both [San Francisco 49ers tight end] George [Kittle] and Travis. We're in Philly, his brother [Jason Kelce] is there. We can have both of the Kelces there, why not? Let's have a party. Bring your girl. Bring all the Swifties. Let's go. I love everybody. Let's party. George, he's coming to WrestleMania anyway. He was at WrestleMania last year, he comes to all the WrestleManias, he's coming anyway. I'd love to have the Kelces there. All of them. Bring the whole crew."
At Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, Travis Kelce and the Chiefs defeated Kittle and the 49ers 25-22 in overtime, giving Kansas City two Super Bowl wins in a row and three in the pas five years.
Jason was on hand to support his brother one year after his Eagles lost to he Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. Also present was Swift, who has been dating Travis for the past several months.
Swift was arguably the biggest music star in the world before she got together with Travis, and Travis was already a future Hall of Fame tight end, but their collective star power has gained them even more fans.
Jason has become a bigger star as well, due in part to his successful podcast with Travis called New Heights.
Due to their athleticism and big personalities, Travis and Jason Kelce would seemingly be a perfect fit for the world of pro wrestling,
The same can be said for Kittle, who is a longtime wrestling fan and was in attendance at last year's WrestleMania 39. Kittle even got physically involved, helping Pat McAfee beat The Miz.
While it is unclear if Swift or the Kelces have any intention of being in Philadelphia for WrestleMania, WWE will undoubtedly welcome them with open arms if they want to attend due to the extra attention they would bring to the two-night spectacular.
Charlotte Provides Positive Update on Knee Injury
Charlotte Flair is setting a strong pace in her recovery from a torn ACL suffered in December.
During appearance Monday on CNBC (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Charlotte said she is ahead of schedule and looking forward to returning to the ring:
"I'm six weeks out Thursday. I'm ahead of schedule, and every day, all I can think about is returning back to the ring, especially with all the excitement with Raw going to Netflix, WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, all I can think about is getting back and winning that No. 15."
Flair suffered the injury during a match against Asuka, and it came at an inopportune time since WrestleMania 40 is right around the corner in April.
The Queen is always a huge part of the WrestleMania card, including last year when she and Rhea Ripley clashed in what was perhaps one of the best women's matches in WWE history.
Charlotte's absence will allow other stars to step up, including the recently called up Tiffany Stratton and the returning Naomi, but she is a significant loss for the biggest event of the year nonetheless.
The 37-year-old Flair is already a 14-time women's champion, making her the most decorated female Superstar in WWE history.
Her father, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is a 16-time world champion, tying him with John Cena for the most major world title reigns of all time. However, it is likely only a matter of time before Charlotte surpasses both of them.
The knee injury was unquestionably a setback, but several videos that have been released on social media in recent weeks suggest Charlotte is attacking her rehab and will perhaps be better than ever once she returns.
A torn ACL typically keeps an athlete out anywhere from six months to a year, but if Charlotte remains ahead of schedule, she could be back by the summer, and perhaps has a chance to be part of the SummerSlam card.
Waller Calls Out WWE Fans for Bashing The Rock
Grayson Waller had something of a social media feud with The Rock over the summer, but the Aussie star is now siding with The Great One.
In an interview with Kenny McIntosh of Inside The Ropes (h/t Alex Hunt of Inside The Ropes), Waller questioned the fickle nature of fans who have expressed their displeasure with The Rock since his WWE return:
"I have never in my life seen so many people who can barely read and write caring about a story. It absolutely boggles my mind. A few months ago everyone was [saying] Oh Rock come back! How long have they wanted The Rock vs. Roman Reigns? People have been begging for it for years, then they get it and now they're complaining about it. It just shows in a way how stupid these fans are. They want this, but [then they say] we don't want it now, we want it here. It's like just shut up. I was backstage for that. Maybe I don't like The Rock, maybe I do, who knows?
"But the energy in that arena that night is wild. As I stood there with Theory, and Theory has been someone who stood across The Rock, 150 million hit man Austin Theory. And that's just a different vibe to it. So you have these people who are chronically online, who don't know what things actually feel like because they don't leave their house. Go to the arena, feel the energy in the arena that night and then come talk to me."
Two weeks ago, The Rock showed up on SmackDown, and it appeared at the time that Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes was stepping aside to allow The Rock to face Roman Reigns for the undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40.
A vocal portion of the WWE fanbase wasn't happy with the apparent decision to the point that they got #WeWantCody trending on X for multiple days.
Last week, at a WrestleMania 40 press conference in Las Vegas, Reigns chose The Rock as his opponent, but Rhodes wasn't having it, as he reversed course and announced he would face Reigns at WrestleMania instead.
The Rock played up to the crowd booing him at the press conference, as he portrayed a heel character and slapped Cody due to a perceived slight against his family.
Now, WWE is building up a power struggle storyline, as head of creative Triple H has supported Rhodes' choice to challenge Reigns, while The Rock may wield his power as a member of the TKO board to push for what he and Reigns want.
WWE took a controversial situation and turned it into a compelling angle, and to Waller's point, The Rock's presence is a big reason why there is so much interest.
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