The Rock on John Cena at Oscars; CM Punk WWE Return Update; Jey Uso Hypes Jimmy Feud
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
The Rock Jokes About Cena's Oscars Stunt
John Cena went viral Sunday night at the Oscars when he participated in a bit that saw him take the stage in the nude with only a note card covering his private area.
Fellow WWE legend The Rock was also in attendance, and he was spotted shaking hands with Cena backstage once the 16-time world champion finished his much-talked-about segment.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night, The Rock was asked if he might have missed an opportunity to promote WrestleMania 40 by not attacking Cena:
In response (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), The Rock joked that Cena was too covered up for him to think about engaging in fisticuffs: "Right, a half-naked John Cena isn't the guy who I want to attack. ... I need him fully naked before I attack him."
The Rock and Cena are old rivals, as they did battle in the main event of WrestleMania 28 and 29 over a decade ago.
In fact, The Rock has not wrestled a pre-advertised match since WrestleMania 29, but that will change with his involvement at WrestleMania 40 next month.
The Rock has aligned himself with his cousin and undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns, and they are set to team up against Cody Rhodes and world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins in the likely main event of Night 1.
It is unclear if Cena will be able to compete at WrestleMania, especially since he may have other obligations as a rising star in Hollywood.
Given the significance of the 40th edition of WrestleMania, however, it seems likely that he will be involved in some way.
Based on their history and their run-in at the Oscars, perhaps an interaction between Cena and The Rock on the Grandest Stage of Them All would make some sense.
Punk Comments on Upcoming Raw Appearance
CM Punk has been out of action since suffering a torn triceps during the men's Royal Rumble match in January, but he is set to make an appearance shortly before WrestleMania.
WWE announced Monday that Punk will be present for the March 25 episode of Raw, which is taking place in his hometown of Chicago:
Punk suggested that the announcement may have created more demand for tickets to that show, writing on Instagram: "We opened up some seats, come hang out!"
The March 25 Raw is the second-to-last episode before WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, so it figures to be a newsworthy show with plenty of WrestleMania implications.
Had Punk not gotten injured, he likely would have been putting the finishing touches on the build toward a World Heavyweight Championship match against Seth Rollins.
However, with Punk out of action, Drew McIntyre has stepped into that spot as Rollins' opponent, and he has established himself as arguably the best and most compelling heel in pro wrestling.
One of McIntyre's most despicable acts saw him attack Punk shortly after Punk announced that he would have to miss WrestleMania due to injury.
Given Punk's interactions with Rollins and McIntyre, all signs point toward him getting involved with their rivalry in some way on the March 25 Raw.
Jey Uso Hypes Potential WrestleMania Match vs. Jimmy Uso
Prior to Monday night's episode of Raw, Jey Uso discussed the possibility of facing his twin brother, Jimmy Uso, at WrestleMania.
Speaking on the Battleground Podcast (h/t Mukherjee), Jey expressed excitement over a potential match against Jimmy and the build toward it:
"Personally, I'm a little kid all over again. Hopefully it's me and Jimmy at WrestleMania. If it is, I'm a little kid. It's going to be so easy. We're just going to do what we do all the time. What I'm most excited about is the lead up, the promos. I love talking. I'm trying to talk. You thought you had emotion in the Bloodline storyline with me and Roman [Reigns], and me and Sami [Zayn], watch me and my twin go at it. Ya'll are going to be like, 'They are 100 percent real.' That's what is going to make it fire. It's going to be real. I'm excited to pump that out to the fans and give them that. It'll be different from every other angle."
Jey and Jimmy have been at odds for the past several months, dating back to Jimmy costing Jey in his undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Reigns at SummerSlam 2023.
Jimmy realigned himself with Reigns after that, while Jey left SmackDown and aimed to go on a successful singles run on Raw.
While Jey has established himself as one of the top babyfaces on the red brand, Jimmy has foiled multiple attempts by Jey to win a title, including interfering during a recent Intercontinental Championship match against Gunther.
On Monday's episode of Raw, Jey laid down a WrestleMania challenge to Jimmy, meaning that if Jimmy accepts, the brothers will do battle on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
The Usos are one of the greatest tag teams in the history of WWE and pro wrestling as a whole, but they have never gotten a chance to shine on their own at the biggest event in sports entertainment.
If Jey vs. Jimmy happens next month in Philadelphia, the twins could have a legitimate chance to steal the show.
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