WWE Rumors on CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Cena, WrestleMania Locations and Josh Alexander

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

WWE Officials Reportedly Torn on Punk's WrestleMania Plans

CM Punk reportedly has some support within WWE to vie for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41, but that viewpoint is not shared by everyone.

According to WrestleVotes on SportsKeeda’s Backstage Pass Q&A (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), some in WWE would rather remove Punk from a proposed WrestleMania Triple Threat against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins and move him into a different Triple Threat against Cody Rhodes and John Cena for the WWE title.

However, the most powerful decision-makers in WWE reportedly don't want to shake things up and would rather keep the plans as is.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlePurists) previously reported that Cena winning the men's Elimination Chamber match next month has been WWE's plan "since probably October or November."

If Cena does win, he will challenge Rhodes at WrestleMania since men's Royal Rumble winner Jey Uso already chose world heavyweight champion Gunther as his WrestleMania opponent.

As for Punk, PWInsider Elite (h/t WrestleTalk) reported that his plans call for a Triple Threat against Reigns and Rollins on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

WWE seemed to tease that match at Royal Rumble when Punk threw both Reigns and Rollins out of the Rumble match at the same time before he himself got tossed out by Logan Paul.

While outside the ring, Rollins stomped Reigns twice, including once on the steel stairs, and he got into a brawl with Punk.

Punk vs. Reigns vs. Rollins would be a huge match even with no title involved, but it is fair to question whether a Triple Threat is necessary if there are no actual stakes.

A strong argument can be made for Punk vs. Cena vs. Rhodes being the more compelling match, especially since it would take some of the heavy lifting off Cena's shoulders, which is significant given that he hasn't wrestled a ton in recent years.

That would also pave the way for a one-on-one match between former Shield brothers Reigns and Rollins, which is something that hasn't ever happened at WrestleMania.

Rumored Future Locations for WWE WrestleMania

WWE is reportedly almost ready to officially name the host city for next year's WrestleMania 42.

According to WrestleVotes and Fightful Select (h/t Carrier), WWE is planning to make the announcement soon, and New Orleans is considered the clear front-runner.

In fact, WWE has reportedly planned for WrestleMania 42 to be in New Orleans for years, and it has already informed many of its partners of the plan.

If New Orleans does become the official host city for WrestleMania 42, it will mark the third time the Big Easy has welcomed WrestleMania after previously being home to WrestleMania 30 and WrestleMania 34.

Beyond WrestleMania 42, things get a bit murkier regarding where future WrestleManias might be held.

There has long been an outside push to take WrestleMania international with London being the prime potential landing spot, but per Fightful Select (h/t Carrier), WWE plans on keeping WrestleMania in the United States for the foreseeable future.

With next year's Royal Rumble set to emanate from Saudi Arabia for the first time, there has been speculation that Saudi Arabia could host WrestleMania at some point as well, but that reportedly isn't on the table currently.

There are undoubtedly logistical challenges that would come along with a WrestleMania overseas with perhaps the most pressing issue being the need for the show to air much earlier in the day in the United States.

That would certainly be doable given that WrestleMania takes place on Saturday and Sunday, but it would be a big adjustment for American fans to make.

It doesn't sound as though WrestleMania is leaving the U.S. any time soon, but it still feels like something that could happen one day, particularly if the passionate international fans keep pushing for it.

WWE, AEW Reportedly Both Interested in Josh Alexander

TNA star Josh Alexander is reportedly expected to garner significant interest once he officially becomes a free agent.

According to PWInsider (h/t WrestlePurists), Alexander will hit free agency "within the next several days," and it is believed that both WWE and AEW will be interested in potentially signing him.

Well-known pro wrestling agent Barry Bloom will reportedly represent Alexander in contract negotiations, which could potentially be a sign of which direction the Canadian star is leaning.

Top AEW performers Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, Chris Jericho and The Young Bucks are among Bloom's most prominent clients.

Alexander would undoubtedly be a good fit in AEW due to the promotion's focus on strong in-ring work, which is Alexander's greatest strength.

However, WWE offers an attractive landing spot as well, and he could potentially be the face of NXT for a while before making the move to the main roster.

Ethan Page, who teamed with Alexander as The North in TNA, made the move from AEW to NXT last year, and he was immediately presented as a top star, winning the NXT Championship in one of his first WWE matches.

It would not be at all surprising if Alexander followed a similar path should he sign with WWE.

On top of that, another big-time TNA star in Jordynne Grace recently signed with WWE, and WWE has an official working relationship with TNA, which would likely allow Alexander to make some TNA appearances in the future.

Regardless of who signs Alexander, they will be getting one of the best in-ring workers in the world and a two-time TNA world champion, which suggests he is more than capable of being a top guy elsewhere.

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