WWE News & Rumor Roundup: Unfortunate update on Rhea Ripley, Brock Lesnar's gift to Cody Rhodes, Paul Heyman in contact with released star
Welcome to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's WWE News & Rumor Roundup. With Crown Jewel almost here, business continues to be steady for the WWE heading towards the end of 2024.
Rhea Ripley was recently the victim of a vicious attack and it might be the creative's way of writing her off TV for the considerable future due to a real-life setback. Today's roundup features details on her condition in addition to Cody Rhodes revealing a gift he received from Brock Lesnar.
Talking about Lesnar, a released AEW star recently revealed he is still in touch with The Beast's former advocate Paul Heyman. On that note, let's delve deeper into the top stories of the day:
#1. Rhea Ripley is out with a legitimate injury
The most recent NXT episode hosted an unexpected angle as Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez attacked Rhea Ripley, leaving the former Women's Champion in a concerning state. The company issued a storyline statement, confirming that Ripley had fractured her right orbital socket and would be on the sidelines for an undisclosed time.
Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Ripley legitimately suffered the injury, as announced by the WWE, sometime last week. As things stand, the former Judgment Day member is not going to wrestle anytime soon and this is seemingly a huge blow for the promotion.
In the meantime, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez are making the most of Ripley's injury and have not stopped mocking their rival on social media since their planned assault on Ripley. For now, we'll have to wait for any concrete details regarding the timeframe of Rhea Ripley's return.
#2. Brock Lesnar sent a gift to Cody Rhodes
In hindsight, The American Nightmare's story could not have been finished without the seemingly insurmountable roadblock that was Brock Lesnar.
The Beast Incarnate engaged in a multi-match feud with Cody Rhodes and in the end, even put over the babyface in a rare show of respect. Lesnar has not been seen in the WWE since his SummerSlam match against Rhodes due to a lawsuit.
Nonetheless, Rhodes had fond memories of working with Lesnar and opened up about the feud on Flagrant. Cody praised Lesnar for his professionalism and revealed the former Universal champion sent him an "entire cow worth of steaks" as a gift.
"He sent me some of his—he has a farm in Canada. I hope you’re not mad at me for sharing this, but he sent me an entire cow worth of steaks, and he took a picture of himself with the cow because he does it all as a real farmer. I thought, what a legend! But yeah, he was the utmost professional with me.” [H/T RingsideNews]
#3. Paul Heyman is in contact with former WWE and AEW star Parker Boudreaux
Widely known at one time as the next potential Brock Lesnar, Parker Boudreaux continues to build his resume patiently in pro wrestling. The 26-year-old has had stints in WWE and AEW but was released from both companies in 2022 and 2024, respectively. Boudreaux is currently looking to expand his craft by working around the world, including Mexico and Japan.
The star recently spoke to Cultaholic and revealed he regularly interacted with Paul Heyman. Parker recalled how Heyman influenced his decision to transition to professional wrestling after college football. The former NXT star's most recent matches happened for Japanese promotion GLEAT, and Parker stated he'd sent the matches over to Heyman for his review.
"Even Paul Heyman, I still talk to him. Every other week, I still talk — he’s the one that got me into this business and he’s the one that really made my decision from college football to pro wrestling." [H/T POSTWrestling]
Due to his resemblance to Brock Lesnar, Parker Boudreaux always drew a lot of attention from the fans and he is currently in the phase of developing as a performer in the hopes of securing a big-money return to a major organization.