WWE News & Rumor Roundup: Hesitation to book Rhea Ripley in a major match, Backstage officials unhappy after recent show
Welcome to today's edition of the WWE News & Rumor roundup. This week's brief edition features the latest scoops on Rhea Ripley, Cody Rhodes, Dominik Mysterio, and Gunther.
There's also a report about backstage officials being upset about the end of a recent show as well as a real-life Bloodline member revealing which major match he thinks John Cena will have during his highly-anticipated farewell tour in 2025.
So without wasting much time, let's jump right into it!
#4. WWE hesitant to book Rhea Ripley vs Dominik Mysterio
Rhea Ripley's dominance of the Women's division has led many to believe that she would be a legitimate candidate to beat a male superstar - similar to the late, great Chyna a couple of decades ago.
The match that many fans want to see is Rhea Ripley vs Dominik Mysterio. Despite there being some interest for the potential clash, we may not see the match anytime soon.
On WrestleVotes Radio Exclusively on Backstage Pass, JoeyVotes and TC detailed how some people within WWE aren't too keen on booking a Rhea Ripley vs Dominik Mysterio intergender match just yet.
The thought process is reportedly that it doesn't look good if a man lays his hands on a woman even if he's going to lose the match. With the sensitive nature of today's social environment, it isn't surprising that not everyone is on board.
#3. WWE officials unhappy after the ending of NXT this week?
There are some backstage in WWE who aren't happy with how the 22nd October episode of NXT ended.
For context, the main event saw the newest power-duo of NXT Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer emerge victorious in the main event. They posed with NXT Women's North American Champion Kelani Jordan while Cora Jade & Roxanne Perez watched on.
As the wheel was being spun to decide the stipulation of Kelani Jordan's Halloween Havoc title defense, the show cut to the incredible debut of the Australian star Zaria.
Although the moment was meant to have an impact, the feed reportedly cut to black before people could see Zaria - leaving many underwhelmed with the end of the show.
According to Fightful Select, WWE officials were unhappy with how the show abruptly went off the air. Considering how big a moment it was supposed to be, it's not hard to see why the people running the show would be annoyed about it.
#2. A real-life Bloodline member thinks John Cena is going to have a major match in 2025
John Cena's retirement tour is the most highly-anticipated part of WWE programming in 2025 and it isn't even close. The greatest of all time will be putting an end to his career in the later part of the year, meaning that there's only a small window to see some of the biggest blockbuster matches imaginable.
Afa Jr. (fka Manu) recently spoke exclusively to Sportskeeda Wrestling, explaining why he thinks a John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes match is inevitable in 2025:
"I'd have to say maybe Cody. I know that they are pretty close backstage. I know that they would have a really good run, whether it would be one match or it would build, because I think you've got to stretch these things out. You don't want to hotshot such a huge match," said Afa, fka Manu.
Considering how Cody Rhodes now sits on the throne once held by John Cena, it certainly seems like a match between them would be inevitable.
#1. Plans for Cody Rhodes & Gunther after Survivor Series 2024
It should be surprising that the Cody Rhodes-Gunther match at Crown Jewel has little anticipation, but it's also unsurprising considering the prize - the Crown Jewel Championship. Like other novelty titles and trophies seen in Saudi Arabia, they appear to be appealing to the local live crowd and not the global fanbase.
But the big question remains - what will the two World Champions have lined up for them after Crown Jewel?
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the winner of the Cody Rhodes-Gunther match is likely to defend their title next at Saturday Night's Main Event.
Cody Rhodes is expected to face Kevin Owens at Saturday Night's Main Event while Gunther could potentially go up against Damian Priest.
It might come as a bit of a surprise, but the implication seems to be that the winner won't be defending their title at Survivor Series: WarGames. It's going to be interesting to see why that would be the case. Perhaps Cody will have some kind of involvement in the WarGames match we could see take place between The new and old Bloodline.