4 Wrestling Rumors we hope are true and 3 we hope aren't: Cody Rhodes set for long-term feud with 14-time Champion, Vince McMahon asked record-breaking superstar to lose weight for WWE debut?
Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true, and those we hope aren't. It's the second edition post-WrestleMania, and the wheels have begun to spin in what should hopefully be a great year of WWE programming.
This edition includes rumors about Cody Rhodes' immediate future, Vince McMahon's backstage decisions, reports about WrestleMania Backlash, the reason behind a major face turn, and more. Let's get right into it:
#4. Hope is true: Cody Rhodes set for a long-term feud with a multi-time world champion?
Cody Rhodes is back in WWE after six years away. He made a triumphant return at WrestleMania 38 against Seth Rollins, whom he defeated on Night One. Given the hype behind his return, it was no surprise that it was Cody Rhodes who opened the RAW after WrestleMania.
He would have a tense confrontation with Seth Rollins ending in the two shaking hands but indicating that their match was only the start of a feud. Not only could their rivalry continue, but it could be a long-term one.
According to Andrew Zarain of The Mat Men Podcast (via CSS), Cody Rhodes is reportedly set for a long-term feud with 14-time champion (in WWE) Seth Rollins:
''Mat Men’s Andrew Zarian mentioned that plans for Rousey include 'possibly tagging with Shayna Baszler.' He also said that Cody Rhodes will continue his feud with Seth Rollins.''
We hope this is true because it's the best way to ease Rhodes into WWE before potentially moving into the world title picture and a possible dream feud against Roman Reigns.
#3. Hope isn't true: Vince McMahon asked a superstar to lose weight ahead of his WWE main roster debut
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon now has greater control over NXT after the rebranding from the Black and Gold era into the 2.0 era. The vision and presentation of 2.0 fit into what McMahon looks for in a main roster star, and he seems to be more attentive as to who is being called up.
One name who recently came up to SmackDown was Gunther, who made his WWE main roster debut. Gunther fka WALTER, who is a record-breaking champion (870 days as the NXT: UK Champion), seemed to lose some weight ahead of his SmackDown debut.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Vince McMahon reportedly asked Gunther to lose weight because he wants slim superstars on TV:
''Vince [McMahon] wants slim people on TV. I could see from the Vince perspective, telling the guy, ‘Hey, drop 30 pounds,’ right? I thought what made him special was the idea that he’s a 290-310 pound guy who can fly around and can move and hits really hard and looks like a powerhouse and now he’s just a 6’3” guy,” said Meltzer.
We hope this isn't true because the frame of Gunther is what made him look like a true physical specimen in the ring. Hopefully, he isn't just another big man on the WWE main roster.
#3. Hope is true: Brock Lesnar and multiple top stars advertised for WrestleMania Backlash
Brock Lesnar's WWE run between August 2021 to April 2022 has been nothing short of incredible. In terms of character, it was the best work that Lesnar had ever done in his career. It also resulted in him winning the WWE Championship twice, taking his tally of world titles to ten.
After losing to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38 in the main event, many WWE fans assumed that it would mark the end of Lesnar's run over the next few months. Usually, Lesnar is done after the WrestleMania season finishes. However, that may not be the case this time around.
According to a report by PWInsider, local advertisements have revealed that Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Sasha Banks, among others are scheduled for WrestleMania Backlash.
Sportskeeda's Nishant Jayaram wrote:
"As per a report by PWInsider, local advertisements have shown that Lesnar, Reigns, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Ronda Rousey will be a part of next month's premium live event. Another report had earlier stated that Lesnar would be at the upcoming WrestleMania Backlash as well as Money in the Bank, which is scheduled to take place in July."
We hope this is true because Lesnar would add a lot of star power to the WrestleMania Backlash card, as long as he isn't involved with Roman Reigns again. But more on that in the end.
#2. Hope isn't true: The reason why Ronda Rousey lost to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 38
Ronda Rousey's loss to Charlotte Flair was a bit surprising to WWE fans. Most seemed to view it as a foregone conclusion that Rousey would beat Charlotte Flair to win the SmackDown Women's Championship, but instead, she lost, and the feud will continue.
The two are scheduled to meet in an "I Quit" match at WrestleMania Backlash. According to Dave Meltzer of WON, a long-term plan was the reason why Ronda Rousey lost to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 38:
"Charlotte Flair beat Ronda Rousey to keep the Smackdown title after a ref bump. The idea is for this to be a long-term program and thus the belief was Flair had to win the first match, even if Flair got the better of Rousey as well in the angles leading up to it. One thing that looks obvious is that Rousey is not going to be over and have the meaning she did when she first came," said Dave Meltzer.
We hope this isn't true because the feud hasn't gotten WWE fans excited, and it isn't the best utilization of the SmackDown Women's Championship.
#2. Hope is true: The reason why WWE turned Logan Paul babyface at WrestleMania 38
Logan Paul exceeded WWE fans' expectations at WrestleMania 38 with a great performance in the celebrity spot. After his win with The Miz over The Mysterios, The A-Lister would turn on Logan Paul, effectively turning the latter into a babyface.
According to Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio (WOR), Logan Paul turning babyface was reportedly part of the deal he made with WWE:
“I didn’t know this, I didn’t know it, but it makes perfect sense," said Meltzer. "Do you know why they did the Logan Paul/Miz thing at the end [of their match at WrestleMania] that we couldn’t understand? Because when they made this deal with Logan Paul to do this angle, part of the deal was when the angle was over [Paul’s] gonna be babyface."
We hope this is true because it opens the doors for a Logan Paul vs The Miz match at another big stage - potentially even SummerSlam 2022. Given how well he did, WWE fans will have warmed up to the idea of cheering Logan Paul.
#1. Hope isn't true: Many people backstage in WWE weren't keen on the idea of Vince McMahon's WrestleMania match
WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!
#WrestleMania @PatMcAfeeShow @VinceMcMahon https://t.co/uf8oPdUvfn
The matches featuring Pat McAfee vs Austin Theory and then Vince McMahon were one of the highlights of WrestleMania. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's appearance made things even better.
The biggest surprise was the fact that Vince McMahon stepped into the ring for the first time in years to beat McAfee. While his performance wasn't exactly stellar, nor was his sell of the stunner, it was an all-around entertaining program. However, not many backstage were keen on McMahon stepping back into the ring.
According to Sean Ross Sapp on Fightful Select, many people backstage in WWE tried to talk Vince McMahon out of competing at WrestleMania 38.
Sportskeeda's Matt Black wrote:
"According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Vince McMahon had made the decision to compete at WrestleMania 38 months ago. However, numerous people, including the creative team, tried to tell him that it was "a terrible idea."
We hope this isn't true because it was a great WrestleMania moment that entertained WWE fans. Moments matter more at WrestleMania than technical matches.
#1. Hope is true: The future of the Roman Reigns-Brock Lesnar feud revealed
Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar will be viewed as the defining WWE rivalry of this generation. Although their first match in 2015 was easily the best of their series, their latest bout was considered as the most important one yet.
Reigns defeated Lesnar to unify the two WWE world titles, and fans hoped that this would be the definitive end of the feud. Dave Meltzer of WON confirmed that the long-standing seven-year rivalry has come to a definitive conclusion:
"But the finish was sudden and while a good match, came nowhere close to the hype. It was surprising Lesnar would lose so clean if he is sticking around. He was billed for future PPVs, but this clearly was the blow-off of Lesnar vs. Reigns, and this feud ended with Reigns getting two wins and Lesnar zero. Plus Heyman turned on Lesnar in the build-up, rather than at Mania, which would have at least kept the door open to continue things."
We hope this is true because it makes no sense to extend the rivalry beyond WrestleMania 38 - which was billed as the most crucial match in the history of the show and WWE.