5 Top WWE Rumors from this week: Top star out with serious injury for several months, John Cena's WrestleMania 39 opponent, Hall of Famer to return to the ring after retirement?
Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly rumor roundup, where we will take a look at the top rumors from the world of WWE.
A top star is set to be out of action for several months due to a serious injury. We have interesting reports for some massive WrestleMania 39 plans for John Cena and Roman Reigns. Additionally, a Hall of Famer is reportedly set to make his in-ring return after signing a new deal with WWE.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top WWE rumors from this past week. Be sure to let us know your thoughts and reactions on the same in the comments section below.
#5 Current plans for John Cena's WrestleMania 39 opponent
WWE recently announced that 16-time world champion John Cena would be making his return on the last SmackDown episode of 2022 on December 30th. Fans have already started speculating what storylines could begin following his return and are hoping to see him compete at next year's WrestleMania 39.
According to a report from Xero News, Cena is currently planned to compete at WrestleMania 39. The three stars currently being discussed as his opponents are Austin Theory, LA Knight, and Logan Paul, with the latter being the frontrunner.
"We are told he is still planned for Mania as of a few hours ago. Logan Paul, LA Knight & Austin Theory are the options for Cena at Mania. I was told Theory is the least likely option. I was told Cena vs Logan is the frontrunner, Knight is 2nd option for Cena," reported Xero News.
Logan Paul has already impressed the WWE Universe in his very short pro-wrestling career thus far, with his most recent match being against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel 2022. It would be interesting to see if the company trusts him to go up against a legend like John Cena.
#4 Hall of Famer has reportedly signed a new deal
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg competed against Roman Reigns earlier this year at Elimination Chamber in a losing effort. His social media post ahead of the match indicated that he could hang up his wrestling boots after that.
However, that might not be the case as according to a report from Xero News, Goldberg looks to have signed a new contract with the company for an in-ring return. The report notes that the deal is for two years and five matches, three of which would be against young stars that he hasn't faced yet.
It's interesting to note that Goldberg recently stated in an interview that he's not done with wrestling and hinted at coming after Roman Reigns to take revenge for his loss earlier this year.
#3 Roman Reigns and former WWE Champion out of action with the same injury
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns reportedly suffered a ruptured eardrum during the main event of Survivor Series WarGames a few weeks ago. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Drew McIntyre is also out of action with the same injury. Thankfully, the injuries are not serious and both stars should be back in action soon.
''Both Reigns and McIntyre are out of action for right now due to suffering ruptured eardrums at Survivor Series. It’s a short-term thing and both should be back soon. Reigns is not on any of the post-Christmas shows, not even MSG. McIntyre is expected back for those shows," reported Dave Meltzer.
Roman Reigns is rumored to defend his title against Kevin Owens at next year's Royal Rumble premium live event. As for Drew McIntyre, it is yet to be seen what plans WWE has for him on the Road to WrestleMania 39.
#2 Interesting plans being considered for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39
One of the biggest topics of discussion recently has been Roman Reigns' opponent for WrestleMania 39. With Royal Rumble season starting soon, the company would want to finalize the plans for their biggest star at the earlier.
According to recent reports, there has been an internal discussion to have Roman Reigns compete on both nights of WrestleMania 39. The planned opponents for the event are Cody Rhodes and The Rock, however, there is no certainty if WWE will go ahead with this idea.
"One of the things talked about internally in WWE is for Reigns to wrestle both nights at Mania, with the working ideas being Cody Rhodes and Dwayne Johnson. Nothing is definite and actually today the best bet is that it won't take place like that."
Roman Reigns vs. The Rock has been a dream clash in the making and there doesn't seem to be a better place to do that than at WrestleMania 39 in Hollywood. At the same time, Cody Rhodes is expected to make his blockbuster return in time for WrestleMania and is definitely a top contender to dethrone the Tribal Chief.
#1 Top WWE Superstar out of action for several months
Former NXT Champion Bobby Roode, aka Robert Roode, is reportedly set to miss several months of action. As per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the WWE star recently had neck fusion surgery that will likely keep him out of action for 6 to 14 months.
''Robert Roode, 46, who has been out of action since June, underwent neck fusion surgery on 11/10 in Birmingham. Depending on the type of surgery and recovery, this could be anywhere from six to 14 months out of action.''
While Roode's booking on the main roster has been highly questionable, fans were hopeful that under Triple H, he would be back to his best. His run in NXT as the champion of the brand was incredible and the WWE Universe would want to see that Roode back on the main roster, and possibly go for that world title shot as well. We wish him a speedy recovery!