WWE Rumors on The Rock, John Cena; Dom Mysterio Rips CM Punk, Omega Shades Logan Paul

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

The Rock Rumored to Make WWE Return This Summer

After playing a pivotal role in John Cena's heel turn at Elimination Chamber in March, The Rock disappeared from WWE programming, and he hasn't been seen on WWE TV ever since.

However, former WWE commentator Jonathan Coachman said Tuesday on The Coach & Bro (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) that a source has told him to expect The Rock to be back in the fold by the end of the summer:

"I have it on good authority that Cena and The Rock will cross paths in one way or another by the end of the summer," Coachman said.

At Elimination Chamber, The Rock was on hand to get an answer from then-WWE champion Cody Rhodes regarding whether he would agree to sell his soul to The Final Boss.

When Rhodes refused, Cena and rapper Travis Scott attacked Cody at The Rock's behest, ending Cena's run of over 20 years as a beloved babyface.

It was widely expected by fans that The Rock would be an important part of the build toward Rhodes vs. Cena at WrestleMania 41, but he was not involved at all, nor did he appear at WrestleMania when Cena beat Rhodes thanks to help from Scott.

During the aftermath of WrestleMania, The Rock appeared on the Pat McAfee Show and explained why he stepped away after Elimination Chamber:

The Rock said he spoke with both Cena and Rhodes after Elimination Chamber and made the decision to remove himself from the storyline so that the spotlight would be solely on Cena and Rhodes.

He also noted that his involvement with Cena and attempts to get Cody to sell his soul were things WWE could potentially go back to in the future.

If there is any truth to Coachman's report, WWE may be preparing to explore the connection between The Rock and Cena a bit more deeply in the coming months.

Dominik Mysterio Takes Shots at Punk

Dominik Mysterio and CM Punk have been on-screen adversaries since Dom was a child, and the new intercontinental champion recently took steps to fan the proverbial flames of their rivalry.

During an interview with The Wrestling Classic (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) on Tuesday, Mysterio took some shots at Punk for numerous reasons, including the long road he traversed to become a WrestleMania main eventer:

"I'm pretty sure we both just equally hate each other. I f--king hate CM Punk. I don't even know what it is about that guy. Maybe it's because he looks like Eddie Munster and I just want to kick him in the f--king face, or maybe it's because everyone was like, 'Oh, he finally did it. He finally got his WrestleMania main event.’ Good for you, old man. Sixty years old, took you what—45 years to accomplish your one goal? Like, god damn. It's about time.

"You know how they say when babies throw tantrums, you give them what they want so they'll shut the f--k up? I'm pretty sure that's what happened here.”

Back in 2010, Dominik appeared in a famous segment on SmackDown alongside his father, Rey Mysterio, and the rest of his family.

They were confronted by Punk and his Straight Edge Society stable, and Punk creepily sang happy birthday to Rey's daughter.

While Dominik was initially an ally of his father when he began wrestling in 2020, he later turned heel on Rey and became one of the most hated villains in WWE, just like Punk was back in 2010.

Punk received a hero's welcome when he returned to WWE in November 2023, so it was only natural that his first match would be against someone who the fans detest.

At a pair of untelevised live events in December 2023, Punk faced Dominik, marking his first WWE matches in nearly a decade.

Punk has gone on to bigger and better things since then, including main eventing WrestleMania for the first time in his career when he faced Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat that closed out Night 1.

Dominik also became IC champ for the first time at WrestleMania 41, which could potentially give Punk something to target if WWE wants to explore the Punk vs. Dirty Dom rivalry further at some point.

Omega Questions Logan Paul's Viability in Wrestling

AEW star Kenny Omega gave his take on celebrities such as WWE's Logan Paul being showcased in the world of pro wrestling during an interview this week.

Speaking Tuesday to Adi Shankar (h/t Mukherjee), Omega seemed to take issue with WWE's utilization of celebrities, suggesting that things are trending toward celebrities being featured more heavily than actual pro wrestlers:

“I don't know if I've ever said this publicly or not, but I think we're headed down a path where, a couple WrestleManias from now, the main event's going to be Logan Paul versus MrBeast. And it's like, what's the wrestling acumen? How many miles have they actually put into this? You know? But does it even matter anymore?”

At various points throughout his career, Omega has had plenty of support for the title of best in-ring wrestler in the world.

He reached that level without ever making it to WWE's main roster, as he made a name for himself in Japan and Ring of Honor before joining AEW as a founding member in 2019.

Omega paid his dues over the course of a lengthy wrestling career to get to that point, whereas Paul had his first-ever match at WrestleMania 38, challenged Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship in his second singles match and won the United States Championship in only his eighth match overall.

Of course, Paul had the benefit of a built-in fanbase due to his work on YouTube, and WWE has taken full advantage of it.

While Paul's celebrity status got his foot in the door, he has adapted to pro wrestling better than anyone could have imagined, which is undoubtedly why he continues to get opportunities.

Still, the likes of John Cena, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair remain WWE's top stars, so there will always be room for established wrestlers at the top.

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