WWE News Roundup: Top star had COVID when asked to face Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes changes his look, Hall of Famer set to return (February 24th, 2022)
Welcome to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's daily WWE News Roundup, where we bring you the biggest news stories from the world of sports entertainment. In today's edition, we have some big stories featuring the likes of The Undertaker and Roman Reigns.
The Deadman got a big booking decision changed by Vince McMahon - one which everybody is thankful for. Meanwhile, a top star has claimed he had COVID when WWE called him to return for a feud with The Tribal Chief.
A WWE Hall of Famer has confirmed a brief return to the company for a couple of Live Events. Also set for a potential return is Cody Rhodes, who briefly changed his look.
So, without further ado, let's dive in and take a look at some of the biggest news stories surrounding WWE.
#5 The Undertaker's reaction to unpopular WrestleMania 25 booking decision
#OnThisDay in 2009, Shawn Michaels took on The Undertaker at #WrestleMania 25 in whats considered the greatest Mania
Match in history
Been to dozens of Wrestling shows over the years, nothing touches the atmosphere in the stadium during that match. Magic!
#hbk #undertaker https://t.co/hpcMerpl8P
The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania 25 is widely considered one of the greatest matches in WWE history. However, it almost turned out very differently. Marty Elias, the referee of the match, spoke about it in a recent interview on the Chat Grapple and Cheap Pops Podcast.
Vince McMahon wanted the match to be third on the card and allocated just 15 minutes to their in-ring encounter. The Undertaker complained about this when informed about it by WWE producer Michael Hayes. Here is what Elias said:
“We’re sitting there and ‘Taker looks at Shawn and he goes, ‘Shawn, how long you been with this company?’ Shawn goes, ‘Most of my life.’ And he goes, ‘Hmm, 15 minutes? Third? That ain’t gonna fly.’ Michael Hayes, ‘Oh, hey, hey, I’m gonna go talk to Vince. Don’t worry, we’ll see if we can get it changed,’” Marty Elias narrated. (H/T Danny Hart of Sportskeeda Wrestling)
After The Deadman confronted McMahon, the match ended up being over 30 minutes and was seventh on the nine-match card.
#4 Cody Rhodes changes his look
Cody Rhodes has been in the news a lot recently, following his departure from AEW. He has been rumored to rejoin WWE and has even changed his look, albeit without any pictures.
The American Nightmare posted an Instagram story stating that he grew an "amazing goatee" which gave him a Robert Downey Jr. (RDJ) vibe. However, he did not share a picture of it and his wife Brandi Rhodes was not a fan of it.
Whether or not Rhodes shows up with the aforementioned goatee remains to be seen, although it is unlikely given that he himself is in doubt over it.