WWE News Roundup - Unaired footage of Roman Reigns being attacked by his next opponent (SPOILERS), 6-time Champion returning to RAW and more
It's time for another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's daily WWE News Roundup, and it shouldn't surprise anybody that Roman Reigns continues to be the most trending name in the entire company.
As reported earlier, Roman Reigns will headline WrestleMania Backlash, and we have now received a significant spoiler regarding his opponent for the upcoming event.
WWE also confirmed the long-awaited return of a top superstar to RAW while announcing a few other segments for the show.
We ended the latest news roundup with a veteran superstar talking about Gunther's future following his recent squash victories.
#1. Spoiler on Roman Reigns' next opponent
WWE taped two episodes of SmackDown this week in Albany, New York, and fans in attendance were quick to release snippets of next week's show.
Twitter user Christine revealed unaired footage showing Drew McIntyre confronting Roman Reigns in an explosive segment. RK-Bro and The Usos were involved in a contract signing segment for their Tag Team Title unification match, and all hell broke loose after Roman Reigns interrupted the proceedings.
The Usos attacked Orton and Riddle, which led to Drew McIntyre coming out to have a staredown with The Tribal Chief.
The former WWE Champion tossed Reigns across the ring with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and ended the angle with a message to the undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
You can check out the video below:
#AcknowledgeMe Roman Reigns #bloodline #SmackDown #wwe https://t.co/piHfQBDVtA
#bloodline #wwe #smackdownThis is pretty cool. Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns 😬 #bloodline #wwe #smackdown https://t.co/hP3ZtZ1U0w
Going by the angle taped for the April 29th episode of SmackDown, Roman Reigns will most likely face Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania Backlash on May 8th. You can check out the complete spoilers for the next SmackDown episode right here.
#2. Becky Lynch's WWE return announced for RAW
WWE officially confirmed on SmackDown that Becky Lynch will make her TV return on the next episode of RAW.
Big Time Becks has been absent from the company's programming since she lost the RAW Women's Championship to Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 38.
It's interesting to note that Belair is currently scheduled to defend her championship against Sonya Deville on RAW, and the reappearance of Becky Lynch has added another dimension to the title clash.
While there are no updates on the creative plans for Lynch, the 6-time women's champion should ideally go after Bianca Belair on her first night back on RAW since 'Mania.
As advertised by WWE, RAW will also feature a celebration of Randy Orton's 20th anniversary in the company and also an arm-wrestling contest between Omos and Bobby Lashley.
#3. Dutch Mantell comments on Gunther's work on SmackDown
Gunther's dominance resumed on SmackDown as the former NXT UK Champion decimated a local competitor and extended his winning streak.
Dutch Mantell reacted to Gunther's match on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk and noted that the Austrian superstar has the potential to be a credible opponent for Roman Reigns in the future.
The former manager said that Gunther possessed an excellent look and just needed the support of the creative team to excel as a top-tier talent.
Dutch Mantell was happy that WWE was starting to push new faces, and he was personally looking forward to what Gunther brought to the table:
"So, all they got to do when they finally out a guy in there, and he is a good opponent for Roman Reigns, a good opponent for Drew McIntyre, and a good opponent for Randy Orton," said Dutch Mantell. "So, when you think, now you've got a bench a little bit. The bench is starting to take shape a little bit, but the only heel you've really got is Roman. He is the only heel you've got that's working and marketable. So, if they get Gunther over there, I mean, I love the look. I like his little manager; I like the red outfits they got on." [54:38 - 55:45]
Dutch Mantell spoke about the fan reactions to Gunther's main roster call-up and said it was still too soon to pass a judgment on the superstar.
Mantell stated WWE was clearly grooming Gunther for a massive push and said viewers shouldn't take the SmackDown star's squash matches too seriously. You can read more about what Dutch had to say right here.
Do you see Gunther becoming a main event player soon? Sound off in the comments section below.