WWE Rumor Roundup - Bobby Lashley legitimately injured, 7-time world champion's return nixed, and more (February 19th, 2022)
We're back with another stacked edition of the WWE Rumor Roundup and as expected, today is all about Elimination Chamber.
One of the biggest stories coming out of the show has been about Bobby Lashley dropping the WWE Championship.
The latest backstage updates don't paint a good picture of Lashley's immediate future as he could potentially miss WrestleMania due to a legitimate injury.
It has been revealed that company officials also flirted with the idea of getting a legendary star back for a special appearance at Elimination Chamber. The said plan, unfortunately, didn't see the light of day.
We concluded the Elimination Chamber special of our daily rumor roundup with an important backstage note on Madcap Moss' status following his scary bump at the Saudi Arabia event.
On that note, here is the WWE Rumor Roundup:
#1. The reason why Bobby Lashley dropped the WWE title
BREAKING NEWS on @fightbobby coming out of #WWEChamber. https://t.co/FzBUA4to2D
As seen at the recent Elimination Chamber show, Bobby Lashley didn't even get to wrestle in his title defense as officials took him out of the match after a planned spot.
Seth Rollins drove Austin Theory through Lashley's Chamber pod with a buckle bomb, and the angle was booked to write The All Mighty out of the contest.
Former WWE writer Kazeem Famuyide revealed on the The Ringer Wrestling Show that Bobby Lashley has been dealing with a shoulder injury for quite some time now.
He reportedly worked 'shoot hurt' against Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble, and the former world champion was seemingly always expected to take some time off due to the injury.
It was noted that Lashley is preparing for shoulder surgery and could miss four months of TV time, including the WrestleMania 38 show.
"I have under good authority that Lashley is shoot hurt and has been hurt since the Rumble match. If you've noticed, he hasn't worked any Raw's. He hasn't really defended his title. He was shoot hurt at the Lesnar match at the Rumble. From what I'm told, it's for at least 4 months. Shoulder surgery. I'm hearing that he might not even make it to Mania," Famuyide said. H/t WrestlingNews.co
As per the storyline, Bobby Lashley has been placed under "concussion protocol," and based on the most recent update, he could be away from WWE programming for the foreseeable future.
#2. WWE had plans to get The Undertaker at Elimination Chamber
As announced recently by WWE, The Undertaker will go into the Hall of Fame Class of 2022.
PWInsider reports that the promotion originally wanted to fly The Phenom over to Saudi Arabia for a special non-wrestling appearance at Elimination Chamber.
Vince McMahon and his team discussed the idea of celebrating the news of The Undertaker's HOF induction by having the legend himself address the development in front of the Saudi Arabia crowd.
The creative team never had a full-fledged angle in place for The Deadman, as revealed in the PWInsider report below:
"While he did not make the trip, at one point, there were plans for newly minted WWE Hall of Famer Undertaker to make a non-wrestling appearance to celebrate his impending induction on the WWE Elimination Chamber PPV but the plans were dropped. We are told the idea was pretty much a cameo appearance as opposed to any sort of angle."
The Undertaker has not appeared for WWE since announcing his retirement at Survivor Series 2020, and the entire wrestling world is eager to see him back for the Hall of Fame ceremony on April 1st.
#3. Backstage note on Madcap Moss' condition after taking a scary bump at Elimination Chamber
OMG!!!!! Hope Madcap Moss is okay.
#WWEChamber https://t.co/IzZcqYcA8C
Madcap Moss raised a lot of concern amongst fans after taking a scary-looking bump during his "Falls Count Anywhere" match against Drew McIntyre.
Moss tucked his head during the Alabama Slam and the entire spot made for an uncomfortable viewing experience. PWInsider's Mike Johnson revealed that Mapcap Moss looked fine backstage after the match.
The medical team evaluated him, and he thankfully didn't show any signs of suffering a severe injury.
"For those who have asked, Madcap Moss is said to be OK backstage after taking a scary bump when tucking his head during the Alabama Slam during the Drew McIntyre Falls Count Anywhere match at today's WWE Elimination Chamber PPV in Saudi Arabia. Obviously, there was concern in the moment but we are told he was checked out and the word is he looks to be fine," reported Mike Johnson.
Moss competed in a nine-minute match at Elimination Chamber, which ended with a pinfall win for McIntyre after the Claymore kick.
The Chamber event was incredibly newsworthy, but what was your favorite moment from the latest premium live event? Sound off in the comments section.