WWE News Roundup: SmackDown star undergoes drastic appearance change with a new name, Major star set for in-ring return? Roman Reigns breaks character
Welcome to the latest edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's daily WWE News Roundup, where we look at the top news stories over the last 24 hours.
Today's jam-packed edition consists of interesting news stories surrounding some of the top stars in the company. Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns broke his character to send a heartfelt message to the fans at a recent live event. Liv Morgan took to Twitter to send out a message to fans after a massive scam.
The company has seemingly changed the character of a SmackDown star with an odd new ring name and a new appearance. There is also an interesting update on a major potential in-ring return.
Without further ado, let's dive straight into today's news roundup. Be sure to let us know your thoughts and reactions in the comments section below.
#5 Roman Reigns breaks character after WWE live event, cuts a heartfelt promo
Roman Reigns broke character at the end of last night’s WWE live event. https://t.co/Z6wF8ob9UR
Roman Reigns is undoubtedly the biggest heel on the current roster. His character work with the Tribal Chief gimmick is widely renowned. However, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion broke character during a recent live event.
The company held a show in Erie, Pennsylvania, Saturday Night's Main Event, where Reigns successfully defended his titles against Drew McIntyre. Following the match, Reigns broke character to cut a heartfelt babyface promo. He thanked the fans for their support and stated that their energy helps the wrestlers to keep going.
#4 Liv Morgan's message to fans after a massive scam
Your NEXT #WWE Women's Tag Team Champions?
@RheaRipley_WWE @YaOnlyLivvOnce #WWERaw https://t.co/NX53DadJFK
Social media has been a great platform for wrestlers to interact with their fans since they can't meet them all in person. However, some scammers take unfair advantage ofit.
Monday Night RAW Superstar Liv Morgan recently revealed a tragic incident where a fan lost everything including his home, thinking that he was trying to help her but was in fact just getting scammed. She sent out a series of tweets, asking fans to beware of these scammers and making it clear that she would never ask for a single penny.
"Guys I’ve been sent so many emails of horror stories about people making fake accounts and emails pretending to be me & asking for huge amounts of money. This really makes me so sad. Please don’t use my name to con people out of their hard earned money. Please please please," wrote Liv Morgan in her tweet.
Liv Morgan is currently in a tag team alongside former RAW Women's Champion Rhea Ripley. Together, the two stars have become even more popular, and they've also enjoyed some in-ring success. They have picked up multiple victories over the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, Sasha Banks and Naomi.
#3 Dutch Mantell comments on Drew McIntyre's current booking
Man of the people #Smackdown https://t.co/gd8RwPYnLT
Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell recently commented on Drew McIntyre's current booking on SmackDown. The former WWE Champion faced Sami Zayn on this past week's episode of the blue brand. During the closing moments of the match, Zayn fled into the crowd and took another count-out loss.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell claimed that WWE does not have anyone to book against Drew McIntyre. With this in mind, he argued that McIntyre should appear on both brands.
"Well, it's not that they're figuring out what to do, they don't have anybody to put McIntyre with, I think. Unless they bring somebody from RAW and let him start going back and forth too. I think they should have an all-star TV crew. That's all they need to have. Then they'll be fine," said Dutch Mantell.
Drew McIntyre was in a lengthy feud with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss that ended at WrestleMania 38. At the moment, there is no confirmation on what WWE has planned for him next. It's possible that he'll enter a major feud against Roman Reigns soon, as this clash has been teased a lot recently.
#2 SmackDown star undergoes character change, gets renamed "Face"
Before this past week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown, NXT star LA Knight cut a promo and introduced MACE under his new initiative Knight Model Management. The former RETRIBUTION member was completely repackaged with a new character and appearance. As seen in the video above, Knight even renamed him from MACE to "Face".
Over the last few days, several superstars have undergone name changes. However, this one is being called the most absurd of them all by fans on social media. It should be noted that this segment took place before SmackDown and WWE might just be trying out this pairing to see how it works.
#1 Did WWE accidentally spoil Paige's in-ring return?
Paige moved to current section! https://t.co/LIzuY3kWS6
Former Divas Champion Paige was forced to retire from in-ring competition in 2018 on the RAW after WrestleMania 34 due to her neck injury. However, she has teased an in-ring return over the last year on multiple occasions.
Now, a recent change has caught fans' attention, who are wondering whether WWE has accidentally spoiled Paige's in-ring return. Working as an ambassador for the company, Paige was recently moved to the "Current Superstars" section on WWE.com. However, she is not listed as part of any brand and it is to be seen whether this leads to anything in the near future.
The first-ever NXT Women's Champion, Paige is a fan favorite, so the WWE Universe would surely like to see her return for another run.