The Miz Wants Tyrese Haliburton Match, Latest WWE Rumors on Goldberg, Braun Strowman

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

Miz Calls Out Tyrese Haliburton

WWE veteran The Miz accused Indiana Pacers superstar guard Tyrese Haliburton of stealing his signature taunt Tuesday night.

In response to a photo of Haliburton doing his "massive balls" hand gesture, The Miz responded on X, writing: "Stealing my gimmick. In my city. Haliburton vs. The Miz, book it!"

After the Pacers surprised the Cleveland Cavaliers by beating them in Game 1 of their second-round NBA playoff series, they were playing with house money in Game 2.

After trailing for much of the game, the Pacers roared back in the closing seconds and Haliburton made the decisive play.

After grabbing his own rebound off a missed free throw, Haliburton nailed a dagger from three-point range with one second remaining to secure a 120-119 win and a 2-0 series advantage over the top-seeded Cavs.

Aside from Haliburton doing The Miz's celebration, the fact that he did it against Miz's favorite NBA team is possibly what compelled The A-Lister to speak up.

The Miz is originally from Parma, Ohio, and he is an unabashed fan of all things Cleveland sports, including the Cavaliers.

Haliburton hit arguably the shot of the playoffs on the Cavs' home floor, and he put them in a hugely vulnerable position, which is something few expected after Cleveland posted a 64-18 record during the regular season.

While Miz was likely joking for the most part, an eventual match against Haliburton may not be too far-fetched since Haliburton is a longtime wrestling fan who has attended many WWE events over the years.

That included being part of the Royal Rumble Kickoff in February when the Rumble was held in Indianapolis.

Haliburton is currently focused on contending for an NBA championship, but perhaps some WWE titles could be in his future.

Goldberg Reportedly Not Expected to Appear at Backlash

Ahead of his anticipated retirement match this year, it is reportedly not believed that WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg will be part of Saturday's Backlash premium live event.

According to WrestleVotes on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Goldberg is "not expected" to be in St. Louis for Backlash.

WrestleVotes added that they have not heard anything regarding Goldberg being at Backlash despite the idea that it could be a logical spot for him to make his return.

Goldberg has not been seen on WWE programming since Bad Blood back in October when he was in the front row with his family.

Gunther got on the mic and degraded Goldberg, which prompted the former world champion to hop the barrier and attempt to attack The Ring General, however, security intervened.

Shortly after his segment at Bad Blood, Goldberg appeared on SEC Network's SEC Nation and announced that he would have a retirement match with WWE in 2025:

Goldberg was unsure of his opponent or where the match would happen, but he named Gunther as a possibility.

While there is still uncertainty regarding the details of Goldberg's retirement match, he confirmed last month to Mia Valdez of MySanAntonio.com that he is in the process of training for the match.

Gunther is set to face Raw commentator and former NFL punter Pat McAfee at Backlash on Saturday.

If Gunther goes overboard in handing out punishment to McAfee, Goldberg showing up to intervene could be a possibility since he is also a former NFL player like McAfee.

That would set the stage for Gunther vs. Goldberg at an upcoming event such as Money in the Bank or SummerSlam.

WWE, Strowman Reportedly Open to Future Return

Braun Strowman was one of several Superstars released from their WWE contracts last week, but that reportedly doesn't mean he is gone from WWE for good.

According to Bill Apter on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), the "door is open" for Strowman to return if WWE shows interest in him in the future.

Apter noted that it wasn't an "angry break," and Strowman would be "willing" to come back to WWE again under the right circumstances.

Strowman, 41, is a former universal, intercontinental and tag team champion who first signed a developmental deal with WWE back in 2013.

The Monster Among Men enjoyed enormous success during his initial stint with the company, but he was shockingly released as part of budget cuts in 2021.

However, just one year later, Strowman was re-signed by WWE, and he had another three-year run in the promotion.

While Strowman had some memorable moments following his return, including his Last Monster Standing match against Bronson Reed, he was marred by injuries, missing time due to neck and groin ailments.

It is fair to wonder if Strowman may have lost a step or two due to the injuries, but because of the rare size and strength he brings to the table, it is easy to envision WWE wanting to work with him again in the future.

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