WWE Rumors on The Rock vs. Rhodes, Gunther vs. Logan Paul; Malakai Black's AEW Status

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and All Elite Wrestling.

---

The Rock vs. Rhodes Reportedly Not Happening

Despite teases dating back to last year, a match between The Rock and Cody Rhodes is reportedly no longer in the cards.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlePurists), The Rock vs. Rhodes was planned as the main event of WrestleMania 41 at one point, but it has been canceled.

Back in May, Meltzer (h/t BodySlam.com's Shounak Chakrabarti) reported that The Rock and his People's Championship vs. Rhodes and his WWE Championship was penciled in for WrestleMania 41.

However, Meltzer (h/t Sean Reuter of Cageside Seats) later reported in October that The Rock "gave word" to WWE that he would not be able to work WrestleMania.

The Rock responded to the rumor on Instagram, though, writing: "Don't believe any of that bulls--t."

While The Rock appeared on the debut episode of Raw on Netflix this week, he sported a surprising demeanor, as he praised Rhodes, hugged him and congratulated him on his success over the past year.

The Rock also presented his cousin, Roman Reigns, with the Ula Fala after Reigns beat Solo Sikoa in Tribal Combat for the title of Tribal Chief.

Last year, it initially looked like The Rock was going to challenge Reigns for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40, but in the wake of fan backlash, WWE went with Reigns vs. Rhodes instead.

The Rock did compete in a big WrestleMania match, though, as he turned heel, began referring to himself as The Final Boss and aligned himself with Reigns.

Reigns and The Rock beat Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 40, but Rhodes beat Reigns for the title on Night 2, and The Rock suggested the next night on Raw that he would eventually come for Rhodes and the WWE Championship.

It remains unclear if The Rock will be involved with WrestleMania 41 in any capacity, but based on his actions on Raw, a Rock vs. Reigns match now seems more likely than a Rock vs. Rhodes match.

---

Gunther vs. Paul Reportedly Discussed for WrestleMania

An unexpected challenger for Gunther's World Heavyweight Championship reportedly may emerge for WrestleMania 41.

According to PWInsider Elite (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), there have been pitches in WWE for Gunther to defend against former United States champion Logan Paul on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Gunther won the world heavyweight title back at SummerSlam, and he has had some major rivalries since then, including a run-in with WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg at Bad Blood.

Goldberg later announced that he is going to have his retirement match in WWE at some point in 2025, although the date, location and opponent aren't yet clear.

Meltzer (h/t Carrier) recently reported that Gunther vs. Goldberg was a planned match, and while WrestleMania 41 was a potential destination for it, he was unsure if that would be the case.

While Gunther is still a heel, he leaned face in his recent feud with Finn Bálor, and he would likely have to commit even more to the face role if he were to go against Paul.

Paul is among WWE's most hated heels, and there is little doubt that the majority of the fanbase would support Gunther over him.

Although it remains to be seen how Gunther would fare as a face, it can be argued that the Gunther and Paul characters would make great foils for each other.

Gunther is a pro wrestling machine known as The Ring General, and he often talks about the mat being sacred to him. Conversely, Paul is a cocky and arrogant villain who brags about his rapid ascent despite not being a longtime wrestler.

A strong argument can be made for Gunther being the best in-ring performer in the world, while Paul consistently impresses despite his lack of experience, so there is reason to believe that they could pull off something special if paired up at WrestleMania.

---

Malakai Black Reportedly Expected to Leave AEW, Return to WWE

Malakai Black is reportedly believed to be done with AEW, and he may soon return to his old stomping grounds.

Fightful Select (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) was the first to report this week that people in AEW were of the belief that Black was "finishing up with AEW if he hadn't already."

In a follow-up, PWInsider.com (h/t Carrier) reported that Black is expected to officially become a free agent in either February or March.

Meltzer (h/t Carrier) added that "nobody" expects Black to return to AEW, and people in WWE do expect him to sign with WWE once he is able to do so.

Black, 39, previously worked for WWE from 2016 to 2021 under the name Aleister Black. He quickly rose to prominence, winning the NXT Championship, but he was the victim of start-and-stop pushes after getting called up to the main roster in 2019.

WWE surprisingly released Black amid a spate of cuts in 2021, and he joined AEW later that year under the alias Malakai Black.

While Black had a high-profile feud with Cody Rhodes early in his AEW run, he spent most of his stint in the company as a tag team wrestler, teaming with House of Black stablemates Buddy Matthews and Brody King.

Black held the AEW World Trios Championships once, but was never able to secure a singles title in AEW.

In addition to the success Black had in NXT when current WWE head of creative Triple H was booking him, he has deep ties to WWE due to the fact that his wife, Zelina Vega, works for the company.

---

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.