WWE Rumors: Latest on The Rock, WrestleMania 38 Main Event and More

Even in the WWE realm, there's nothing quite like the rumor mill surrounding WrestleMania season and right up to the annual biggest event on the calendar. 

Take this year's sprint to WrestleMania 38. It doesn't just include buzz about potential (re)debuts, surprise twists and stunning outcomes, it also stretches to involve possibilities all the way to next year's Show of Shows. 

And one of the big names involved happens to be The Rock. 

To say the current rumor mill is eyebrow-raising would be an understatement, so let's take a look at the biggest notes ahead of the marquee event at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. 

Austin-Owens to Close Night 1? 

It was generally accepted that one of the women's title matches would close the show on the first night of WrestleMania 38, given what we know about the match card. Both the Ronda Rousey-Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch-Bianca Belair bouts will take place on Saturday. 

But a certain home-state hero might nix that idea. 

According to Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc), the segment involving Kevin Owens and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will close the show. 

WWE typically likes to have title matches close its major events, though in this case, Austin sending the fans home happy in his home state after getting involved in a feud based on someone talking smack about Texas might make more sense. 

What's interesting is how WWE approaches it if the supposed talk segment closes the show. Sure, Austin could just escalate things into a brawl, win and celebrate, but it's also interesting to consider whether WWE dangles a carrot for fans by having him agree to an official match on Sunday. 

That would, in a way, be one heck of a way to lean hard into the two-night format. 

Shane McMahon at 'Mania? 

WWE fans haven't seen much of Shane McMahon since he was featured in that calamity of a Royal Rumble that featured him somehow being one of the final four contestants. 

Let the rumor mill tell it, though, the 52-year-old might be about to make a comeback on The Grandest Stage of Them All. 

According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, McMahon will be in town for WrestleMania Weekend. 

Now, whether this is something as innocent as he'll be on hand to see friends get inducted into the Hall of Fame or actually partaking in a match on the 'Mania cards is impossible to say. 

However, we know McMahon was previously supposed to have a feud with Seth Rollins who, up until the Monday before The Show of Shows, wasn't even guaranteed a segment at all this weekend.

Conventional wisdom says the returning-from-All Elite Wrestling Cody Rhodes will be the shocking opponent revealed after Rollins makes his entrance. 

But it could always be Shane. 

Maybe the idea of it being Vince McMahon's son will make a big portion of the fanbase groan, but it would also be one heck of a way to garner heat and fan support behind Rollins. So this added bit of intrigue only makes the wait more excruciating. 

The Rock in the WrestleMania 39 Main Event? 

From a bird's eye view, it looks like Roman Reigns will get the better of Brock Lesnar in this year's main event, unifying the men's top titles and putting an exclamation point on his historic run. 

Then, it's a waiting game until he fights The Rock at WrestleMania 39 in California. 

There's a little more momentum to this idea even before this year's showpiece starts thanks to reporting from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), who says The Great One is interested and it's an idea on the board despite his well-known busy schedule. 

This would make perfect sense, as Reigns' big return as the long-requested heel character got started by him dismantling members of his own family for the world to hear in front of empty arenas during the pandemic, letting fans hear every single thing he said while beating them. 

Since then, The Tribal Chief has conquered everyone from typical main-eventers to John Cena and Lesnar, so family bonds aside, it would make sense that his final big triumph comes against his cousin. 

Granted, that means another year of waiting for that matchup. Technically speaking, Reigns could lose to Lesnar this weekend and have plenty of time to get a title back before Rock's return.

This slight air of uncertainty makes what looks like a predictable main event at least somewhat intriguing as far as the final result goes. 

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