WWE Rumors on Stone Cold, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, McIntyre, Rollins, Lesnar, Breakker & LA Knight

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

WWE Reportedly Hoping for Stone Cold Appearance

Next week's WWE Raw will take place on March 16, which is a holiday of sorts in the wrestling world known as 3:16 Day.

Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's legendary career is celebrated by fans on that day, and WWE would reportedly like to have him involved in the festivities.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), some sources in WWE are "very hopeful" Austin will appear on the 3/16 episode of Raw in San Antonio, Texas, which is just two hours from Austin's billed hometown of Victoria, Texas.

WrestleVotes stopped short of saying that Austin was invited to next week's Raw, which suggests it is far from a sure thing that The Texas Rattlesnake will be part of the show.

The 61-year-old Austin has made sporadic appearances over the past several years. His most recent appearance on Raw came on 3:16 Day in 2020, but it was an awkward segment since it occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when no fans were allowed to attend the show.

Two years later, Austin ended his 19-year, in-ring retirement and returned to action at WrestleMania 38, beating Kevin Owens in an impromptu match that main evented Night 1.

Austin was also present for WrestleMania 41 last year, driving an ATV to the ring and announcing the show's attendance figures.

Given his legendary status, Austin always receives a massive reaction from the WWE Universe, so if he shows up for 3:16 Day, it will undoubtedly breathe some life into Raw.

Latest on Rhodes, Orton, McIntyre at WrestleMania

After beating Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship last week on SmackDown, Cody Rhodes is set to defend it against Elimination Chamber winner Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), there are no plans to put additional Superstars in the match, meaning it will be a singles bout between Rhodes and Orton on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Originally, WWE was building toward Rhodes vs. McIntyre at WrestleMania, and per PWInsider.com (h/t Carrier), the plan was to make it a Hell in a Cell match.

Things changed at Elimination Chamber when McIntyre interfered and cost Rhodes the match. SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis ordered McIntyre to defend the WWE title against Rhodes on SmackDown as a result, and Cody was victorious after Jacob Fatu stopped Drew from using a steel chair.

There was some thought that the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania would feature as many as three or four Superstars, but it seems as though McIntyre and Fatu will likely face off in a singles match of their own.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), there was "no real backlash" within the company over the decision to put the WWE title back on Rhodes before WrestleMania.

WrestleVotes added that "people aren't really displeased" with the move given Cody's status as one of the top stars and draws in the company.

Now that Rhodes and McIntyre have completed their rivalry, the focus can shift toward Rhodes and Orton, which should make for a highly intriguing program given their status as longtime friends and former stablemates.

WrestleMania Rumors for Rollins, Breakker, Lesnar, Knight

Multiple WrestleMania 42 matches are reportedly hinging on the availability of Bron Breakker.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Carrier), WWE is "waiting on" Breakker to see if he will be able to compete at WrestleMania after reportedly undergoing hernia surgery.

If Breakker does receive clearance, the plan is reportedly for him to face Seth Rollins, which would allow for Brock Lesnar vs. LA Knight and The Usos vs. Logan Paul and Austin Theory of The Vision.

When Rollins injured his shoulder in October and had to be written off WWE programming, the decision was made for Breakker to attack him and banish him from The Vision.

A masked attacker hit Breakker with Rollins' signature Stomp, resulting in Breakker getting eliminated from the men's Royal Rumble match. Rollins was later revealed to be the ring leader behind the masked man attacks at Elimination Chamber when he took out Paul.

Rollins has continued to cause chaos since then, taking out Paul Heyman with a Stomp last week on Raw.

Per WrestleVotes, WWE may go with Rollins vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania if Breakker cannot make it back. That would still allow for The Usos vs. Paul and Theory, but Knight would likely be the "odd man out" in that scenario.

Rollins and Lesnar have a great deal of history, as Rollins successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract during Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 31, and later beat Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 35.

They have had various other matches against each other as well, so while Rollins vs. Lesnar wouldn't necessarily be fresh and new, it would be an easy story to tell.

Heyman announced a couple of weeks ago on Raw that Lesnar was laying down an open challenge for WrestleMania 42. With Rollins taking out Heyman, it could be a sign that he is preparing to answer Brock's challenge, provided Breakker remains on the shelf.