WWE News Roundup: Top superstar relinquishes championship because of injury, Becky Lynch reacts to top name leaving, Veteran wants megastar to change character
Welcome to another edition of the daily WWE News Roundup, where we look at the top news stories and updates from the world of sports entertainment. In today's edition, we'll look at some interesting news items revolving around Paige, Roman Reigns, and Ilija Dragunov.
As reported earlier, the company hasn't renewed Paige's contract. The former Divas Champion has been out for several years due to injury, but she appeared sporadically in other roles. However, she revealed that WWE didn't make a contract renewal offer, so she'd be leaving the company.
#3. Becky Lynch on Paige leaving WWE
I met Saraya when she was only 13 years old. Even then you could tell that she was going to be a star. Before she could legally drink in America, she had changed the game completely and forever. #thankyoupaige twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/s…
Big Time Becks had an emotional message for Paige after she bid farewell to WWE on Twitter. Paige thanked everyone who supported her and hinted at a possible return down the line. Lynch noted that Paige completely changed the game at a very young age:
"I met Saraya when she was only 13 years old. Even then you could tell that she was going to be a star. Before she could legally drink in America, she had changed the game completely and forever. #ThankYouPaige," wrote Lynch.
Lynch and Paige worked together in SHIMMER long before they signed with WWE. The two made a name for themselves in NXT and went on to become champions on the main roster as well.
#2. Ilija Dragunov vacates the UK Championship
personify passion. https://t.co/S7pZtLWiG2
Russian star Ilja Dragunov relinquished the NXT UK Championship due to injury. The man who won the title from WALTER at NXT: TakeOver 36 in a five-star classic ended his reign abruptly.
Dragunov held the title for over 300 days before he appeared on a recent taping of NXT UK in a protective boot, giving rise to speculation that he has an injured leg. He then vacated the coveted championship. A tournament was held to crown the next UK Champion, and Tyler Bate emerged victorious.
#1. Will Roman Reigns turn babyface after a major betrayal?
🏽
Unstoppable. Undisputed.
From Day One.
Acknowledge Us. ☝🏽
@WWEUsos @HeymanHustle twitter.com/WWE/status/152…
Former WWE writer Vince Russo stated that Roman Reigns could turn babyface after getting betrayed by someone from The Bloodline. Speaking on SportsKeeda's Writing With Russo, he described how the company could stack the entire roster against Reigns to get him some babyface sympathy:
“You can stack the entire deck against Reigns,” Russo said. “There’s The Usos, there’s Heyman, there’s Brock [Lesnar]. You can literally stack the entire deck against him to get him some babyface sympathy.”
Russo also stated that it's time for Reigns to turn face due to the absence of top stars like Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. He also noted that Reigns has run through all the top faces over the last two years, so he needs a change now.
You can watch the video here: