WWE WrestleMania 36 Rumors: Latest on Vince McMahon, The Miz and Bobby Lashley

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

McMahon Was Reportedly Alone in Wanting WrestleMania to Proceed

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was reportedly the only person in the company who wanted to hold WrestleMania 36 on its scheduled date despite the coronavirus pandemic.

According to PWInsider (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton), wrestlers and behind-the-scenes workers were against the idea, but the show went on due to McMahon's desire for it to happen.

The COVID-19 outbreak forced WWE to move WrestleMania from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, with no fans in attendance. In addition to keeping the show on April 5, WWE made WrestleMania into a two-night event for the first time ever, as Night 1 will air April 4.

WWE was left with limited options because of the coronavirus, and rather than canceling or postponing, the decision was made to hold the show as scheduled under much different circumstances than expected.

Since WWE already had its storylines in place, it would have been difficult to halt them or stretch them out. Also, since there is no telling when mass gatherings will be allowed again in the United States, it would have been difficult to reschedule WrestleMania for a different date.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in some major changes to the WrestleMania card, including Roman Reigns pulling himself from his scheduled Universal Championship match against Goldberg, per Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet.

Reigns reportedly didn't want to put himself at risk since he has a compromised immune system because of his previous treatment for leukemia.

Between that and other potential changes, WWE has been left scrambling to put WrestleMania together, but all signs point toward the show being ready for air on WWE Network on April 4 and 5.

Miz Reportedly No Longer Part of WrestleMania

SmackDown Tag Team champion The Miz reportedly will not compete at WrestleMania 36, according to PWInsider (h/t Middleton).

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Raj Giri) reported that Miz showed up to the tapings at the WWE Performance Center this week with an illness, and that The Usos weren't happy about it. That also reportedly led to Reigns' decision to pull himself from his scheduled match.

On Friday's SmackDown, The Usos were scheduled to face New Day with the winners going on to challenge The Miz and John Morrison for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania.

It is not clear if Miz's absence means there will be no SmackDown Tag Team title match at WrestleMania or if Morrison may have a replacement partner.

If The Miz is not part of the WrestleMania 36 card, it will mark his first absence from the WrestleMania card since WrestleMania 23 in 2007, although he was outside the ring as part of a lumberjack match on that show.

While The Miz's absence would leave a hole on the WrestleMania card and the possibility of Miz and Morrison vs. The Usos vs. New Day not happening may be somewhat disappointing to fans, WWE has a responsibility to protect The Miz and the rest of its performers.

Quarantine Reportedly Kept Lashley From Building WrestleMania Match

Bobby Lashley was reportedly not able to participate in the build to his WrestleMania match against Aleister Black because of concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Meltzer (h/t Middleton), Lashley was supposed to appear on the March 16 Raw to start the build, but he had been in South Africa for promotional work one week earlier, so the decision was made for him to self-quarantine due to the risks involved with international travel currently.

Black vs. Lashley was announced for WrestleMania prior to this week's episode of Raw, and Black won a squash match. While the match was mentioned, Lashley did not appear on the show.

Despite the lack of build, Meltzer reported that Black vs. Lashley was indeed taped as part of the WrestleMania tapings.

WWE has pushed Black hard over the past few months on Raw, and it seems likely that the Lashley match is meant to get him over even more as a rising star.

Lashley has a great deal of value in his own right, though, and a strong performance against Black could be good for his stock even if he doesn't win.

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