
WWE WrestleMania 36 Rumors: Latest Reports on Potential Card, Top Superstars
While there is plenty of uncertainty regarding the status of WrestleMania 36 because of the coronavirus pandemic, WWE is moving forward with its storylines in hopes of staging the Showcase of the Immortals at some point, even if it doesn't take place April 5 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, as scheduled.
Regardless of when or where WrestleMania happens, it is shaping up to be a stacked card, with several huge matches already announced, including Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship and Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg for the Universal Championship.
There are plenty of matches left to be announced, though, and no shortage of potential for big names inside and outside the pro wrestling world to have some level of involvement.
With WWE continuing to lay the groundwork for WrestleMania 36, here is a rundown of some of the latest rumors related to the card and the Superstars who could have roles.
Rob Gronkowski's Reported WrestleMania Plans
There are reportedly plans in place for former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski to have a role at WrestleMania 36.
Tony Maglio of The Wrap reported recently that Gronkowski would appear at WrestleMania to set the stage for a future match. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc's Marc Middleton), Gronk's first match could happen at SummerSlam, which is scheduled to take place in Boston in August.
Gronkowski is a well-known name across the nation since he is a five-time Pro Bowler, three-time Super Bowl winner and potential future Pro Football Hall of Famer, but he is most beloved in the Boston area.
Ever since Gronk appeared at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, Florida, to help real-life friend Mojo Rawley eliminate Jinder Mahal and win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Gronkowski's leap to WWE has been rumored.
Rawley confirmed as much on the latest episode of SmackDown and announced that Gronkowski will appear on Friday's edition, which is likely to once again emanate from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
If Gronkowski does participate in WrestleMania 36 in some way, doing something with Rawley again makes sense, and it could even lead to a match against Rawley down the line since Mojo is a heel.
The Rock's WrestleMania Status
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is perhaps the biggest crossover star WWE has ever produced, so bringing him in for an appearance at WrestleMania 36 would create a buzz.
The Rock is primarily focused on his successful career as an actor, but he still has a great relationship with WWE and even appeared on the debut episode of SmackDown on Fox in October. Also, his daughter Simone Johnson recently signed a developmental contract with WWE, which means The Rock could be around more in the future.
The Rock faced John Cena at WrestleMania XXVIII and 29 after many years away. Most recently, he showed up at WrestleMania 32 and beat Erick Rowan in an impromptu match that lasted a few seconds.
According to Meltzer (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), he doesn't "sense" that The Rock will be part of WrestleMania 36 and noted that he hasn't "heard [The Rock's] name mentioned at all."
The Rock appearing at WrestleMania is something that could be kept a secret since the event is already big enough to draw a huge viewing audience regardless of whether The People's Champ appears.
A more likely scenario may be The Rock doing something at next year's WrestleMania since it will emanate from the Los Angeles area, which is where Johnson's star shines brightest.
The Rock appearing at WrestleMania 36 shouldn't be ruled out, though, especially since Reigns is his cousin and figures to have a big moment in the form of beating Goldberg for the universal title.
Gimmick Reportedly Not in the Works for Undertaker vs. Styles
The Undertaker and AJ Styles are set to clash at WrestleMania, but their match reportedly won't involve one of Taker's signature gimmicks.
Many fans speculated on social media after Styles cut a promo on Monday's Raw that their bout would be a casket match. The Phenomenal One referenced putting the nail in The Deadman's coffin, which was the line that got most of the WWE Universe talking.
Despite Styles' phrasing, Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live reported that no casket match will take place at WrestleMania (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News).
If a casket match were to happen between The Undertaker and Styles, it would only be the second in WrestleMania history, joining Taker vs. Mark Henry at WrestleMania 22.
Casket matches tend to be hit-and-miss, so going with a regular singles match is probably the best course of action, especially since WWE will largely rely on Styles to guide The Phenom to a quality match. It has been quite some time since The Undertaker had a great singles bout, but if anyone can get the most out of him, it is The Phenomenal One.
Taker and Styles are scheduled to take part in a contract signing on Monday's Raw, so their match should become official then.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).


.jpg)





.png)

.jpg)

