WWE's Top Stories, Rumors and Buzz for Week of January 9

The Royal Rumble is fast approaching, and this year's event is even bigger than usual after a change was made to the yearly Battle Royal.

It's been a busy start to the new year for the men and women of WWE, and unfortunately, some of this week's news is not what you would call ideal.

John Cena Undergoes Surgery

John Cena just returned from a two-month hiatus following the filming of a new reality show, but he is already out of action again after it was discovered he needed surgery to fix his rotator cuff.

WWE.com reported Friday that the procedure was a success, which is great news for Cena and the company, but there was no mention in the article about how much time Cena would be missing.

Cena went almost a decade without taking time off for an injury, but the last few years have not been kind to the 15-time champion.

He is one of WWE's biggest workhorses, and despite his athletic background, his body is clearly showing signs of breaking down.

Cena is nearing the age of 40, and that is usually when athletes need to tone things down and worry about longevity more than anything else. Cena probably has several years left before he thinks about retirement, but if the injuries keep piling up, he might not be the one who gets to make that decision.

Sasha Banks Denies Injury Report

Wrestling Inc reported Sasha Banks has denied claims she is currently injured through her Tumblr account, and if she is indeed healthy, it's great news for WWE fans.

Banks is one of the best performers in the company—not just in the Divas division, but among all talents. It just seems odd she didn't address the rumors through Twitter, which has a greater reach than Tumblr.

If Banks is a little banged up, it makes sense to keep her out of the ring for a week or two. It's the fact that she hasn't appeared on WWE television since her Dec. 28 match against Becky Lynch that has people worried.

Not appearing on a few shows does not mean someone is injured, but rumors spread like wildfire among the WWE Universe, so it's hard to know what to believe sometimes.

Let's just hope Banks is back in action sooner than later because she is too valuable to lose right now.

Royal Rumble Change

We found out during Monday's edition of Raw that Roman Reigns would be defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the 2016 Royal Rumble match.

Instead of defending the title against one person, he has to contend with 29 Superstars looking to take the belt away from him by simply throwing him over the top rope.

Reigns won last year's Rumble, so it's not out of the realm of possibility for him to retain. However, someone else may be entering the match who will make things difficult.

It was revealed on WWE.com this week that Brock Lesnar will be returning to Raw on Jan. 11. Seeing as that is less than two weeks before the Rumble, it makes sense to assume he is going to announce his plans to enter the match.

WWE Poaching New Japan Pro Wrestling Talents?

Rumors began circulating this week about WWE signing four NJPW talents to contracts, but no official statements have been made by WWE or the Superstars rumored to be signing with the company.

What makes things even more interesting is seeing an article by John Clapp on WWE.com acknowledging the rumors. The company doesn't like to promote other brands very often, so it's hard not to take it as a sign of the rumors being true.

The four names being talked about are AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Karl Anderson and Luke "Doc" Gallows. Gallows will be the most familiar name to many due to his run with CM Punk's Straight Edge Society.

Styles has also competed in a WWE ring before, but his run was so short you would be forgiven for not remembering his time with the company. Most of his fame came from working in TNA during its glory years.

Anderson, Gallows and Styles were part of Finn Balor's Bullet Club stable in NJPW, and if they end up signing with WWE, we could see that stable appear under a new name.

It's possible WWE is waiting to reveal the news after some surprise Rumble appearances from these men, but until we get confirmation of a contract being signed, this all falls under the rumor category.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below about which one of these wrestlers would have the biggest impact in WWE.

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.