WWE Rumors on Stone Cold, John Cena, Undertaker and The Rock; McIntyre Rips Rollins
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
WWE Reportedly Making WrestleMania Plans for Stone Cold, Cena, Undertaker
WWE is reportedly attempting to have three of the biggest legends in company history involved with WrestleMania 40 in some capacity.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE is looking to integrate "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, John Cena and The Undertaker into the Showcase of the Immortals.
Meltzer noted that unless it is a "well-guarded secret," there isn't yet any creative "locked in" for Austin or Cena at WrestleMania.
Cena's involvement will reportedly depend heavily on his acting schedule, while anything Austin or Taker do will come down to their "willingness."
While Cena is still technically an active wrestler, he is only a part-timer at this juncture of his career due to the commitments that come along with his highly successful Hollywood acting career.
Cena hung around for a couple of months this past fall and had a handful of matches, plus he competed at last year's WrestleMania, losing to Austin Theory.
Austin has been retired from in-ring competition for the past 21 years with the exception of two years ago when he shocked the WWE Universe by temporarily coming out of retirement to face Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match at WrestleMania 38.
That marked The Texas Rattlesnake's first match since WrestleMania 19, and his performance was excellent given how long he had been out of the game, prompting fans to openly hope for at least one more match out of Stone Cold.
The Undertaker last competed at WrestleMania 36 when he beat AJ Styles in the iconic Boneyard Match.
Taker has made it clear on several occasions that he has no intention of wrestling again and is officially retired, so it seems highly unlikely that he will do anything resembling a match at WrestleMania 40.
WWE has a long history of showcasing legends well on the Grandest Stage of Them All, and fans will almost certainly be thrilled to see Austin, Cena and The Undertaker in Philadelphia regardless of what they do.
Reported Belief in WWE That 'Double Standard' Exists with The Rock
Some in WWE reportedly believe that The Rock's return to the company as an on-screen character and a member of the TKO board of directors has also led to the return of some bad habits within the company.
According to Meltzer (h/t Mukherjee), a source noted that some in WWE feel that "double standards" have returned now that The Rock is in the fold.
The source indicated that there was a feeling Vince McMahon had double standards and favored his handpicked Superstars when he was in charge in the past, and while that went away after he was removed from WWE, there is now a similar feeling with The Rock playing a significant role on camera and behind the scenes.
The latest report on The Rock comes on the heels of a report last week from Aaron Varble of SEScoops regarding The Rock being given special privileges over other performers.
Varble noted that WWE executives Nick Khan, Triple H and Dan Ventrelle recently sent out a memo to WWE talent, reminding them to use PG language on television and social media.
However, The Rock has been cutting profanity-laced promos on social media as of late, and there is reportedly some belief within WWE that he is benefiting from a double standard.
With that said, Cody Rhodes was permitted to curse in the promo he cut Monday night on Raw, so it is possible WWE is softening its stance in special cases.
McMahon was the main person in charge of WWE from the early 1980s until the decision was made last year to sell the company to Endeavor Group Holdings and merge with UFC.
Still, McMahon was in a significant position of power after the merger, however, he resigned in January after a lawsuit was filed against him and WWE by a former employee who alleged they were the victim of sexual assault and misconduct at the hands of McMahon and others.
McMahon's departure seemingly put Khan and Triple H firmly in control of WWE, but with The Rock now holding a major position, it is possible that the balance of power is shifting.
McIntyre Takes Shots a Rollins Ahead of WrestleMania Match
Prior to his World Heavyweight Championship match against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40, Drew McIntyre made his feelings about Rollins known this week.
During an appearance on The Ringer's The Masked Man Show (h/t Mukherjee), McIntyre ripped his WrestleMania opponent, claiming that The Visionary is not a true locker-room leader in WWE:
"You get the moment, winning the title, your responsibility is to lift up the title. I don't hate Seth Rollins, he's not CM Punk, I just don't like the way he goes about things and his selfish attitude. He doesn't see it. He thinks he's a leader, but he's not, he's about himself. A true leader is about the roster and about democracy. And how can you lead the roster and the locker room if you're never in it and you're on your tour bus? You don't have your finger on the pulse."
Rollins and McIntyre have been at odds for months, and their rivalry was elevated even more when McIntyre won the men's Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber premium live event to earn a title bout against Rollins at WrestleMania.
McIntyre has not been world champion since prior to WrestleMania 37, and he has never won a world title in front of fans in WWE, as his two WWE Championship wins came during the COVID-19 pandemic when no fans were in attendance.
The Scottish Warrior has made it his stated goal to have his crowning achievement in front of the WWE Universe, and he has a golden opportunity to make it happen at WrestleMania 40.
In recent months, McIntyre has become the top heel on Raw and arguably the biggest "hater" in WWE. On top of taking shots at Rollins, McIntyre reveled in CM Punk suffering a torn triceps and being unable to compete at WrestleMania.
Punk's loss was likely McIntyre's gain, as all signs pointed toward a Rollins vs. Punk match until Punk got injured.
If McIntyre can beat Rollins for the title at WrestleMania, it could potentially set the stage for a McIntyre vs. Punk match for the World Heavyweight Championship down the line when Punk is able to return.
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