WWE Rumor Review: Roman Reigns facing former Royal Rumble winner, Brock Lesnar's future, plans for huge WrestleMania debut
Welcome to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's WWE Rumor Review. Here, we will look at a few top rumors from a few months ago and determine how accurate they were.
This edition will focus on the build up to Crown Jewel 2021, which saw Roman Reigns defend the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar. The Tribal Chief's short-term and long-term future was subject to multiple rumors. There were notes on other matches from the Saudi Arabia show.
Meanwhile, Karrion Kross was part of the rumor mill amid talk of his character undergoing changes on Monday Night RAW. Finally, we will look at the company's big plans for a certain 22-year-old sensation.
So, without further ado, let's get into these rumors.
#5 The future of Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar following Crown Jewel
WWE made a huge deal out of Brock Lesnar's return last year, as he entered into a program with Roman Reigns over the Universal Championship. The two megastars faced off at Crown Jewel, with Dave Meltzer reporting it was the first of a multi-match series in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Meltzer also said the match's ending would be "interesting," which turned out to be true. Paul Heyman's allegiance was still ambiguous as he didn't particularly help either man. The Usos interfered as their Tribal Chief won in a dirty finish.
The two faced off at WrestleMania 38 and SummerSlam, with another match at Day 1 canceled when Reigns tested positive for COVID-19. They even unified the WWE and Universal Championships at The Show of Shows. This storied set of events confirmed Dave Meltzer's report to be true.
#4 Other title matches at Crown Jewel
#AndStill The CHAMP!
@BeckyLynchWWE #WWECrownJewel https://t.co/VEUPBu7eQH
Speaking of Crown Jewel 2021, another rumor from Dave Meltzer had implications on the results of other matches at the event. He reported on the top two matches planned for WWE's Madison Square Garden live event on December 26: Big E vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship and Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair.
They indicated that E and Lynch would retain their respective titles at Crown Jewel. The former New Day member remained champion after beating Drew McIntyre, while Big Time Becks kept her SmackDown Women's Championship from Belair and Sasha Banks.
However, none of the mentioned superstars wrestled at the MSG show due to the effects of COVID-19. Regardless, Big E and Becky Lynch were RAW's top champions at the time of the show.
#3 Rumored changes to Karrion Kross' character
Karrion Kross had a difficult time on the main roster following his call-up in July 2021, with multiple losses and the removal of most elements that made him special. WWE altered Kross' character and gear, adding a helmet to his entrance attire.
WrestleVotes reported that the former NXT Champion's character would be altered again, with the plan being for him to be a "psycho" but "calm and cool." However, Kross and Scarlett were released shortly afterward. His last match was a week before this rumor.
So, if this was ever the plan, it never came close to materializing. Fortunately for Karrion Kross and Scarlett, though, they are now back in WWE under the creative management of Triple H.
#2 Roman Reigns' opponent at Tribute to the Troops
👏👏👏
@ShinsukeN
@WWERomanReigns
@TributeToTroops
#WWETroops https://t.co/SjvNuFoqOp
WWE taped matches for its Tribute to the Troops show following the October 15 episode of SmackDown. It aired on FOX on November 14, as initially reported by PWInsider.
Before the show, Fightful Select reported that Roman Reigns would face Shinsuke Nakamura at the taping, which indeed took place. The Tribal Chief defeated the then-Intercontinental Champion in an eight-minute match.
Other matches at the taping saw Bianca Belair and Big E defeat Liv Morgan and Dolph Ziggler, respectively.
#1 Rumor on WWE's big plans for Gable Steveson
For most of the past year, it seemed like Gable Steveson would be the next big thing in WWE. The Olympic gold medalist was even picked for RAW in the Draft last October.
Shortly after he was drafted, Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE wanted to feature Steveson as a regular in time for WrestleMania 38. The idea looked to indicate him debuting in a high-profile match at The Show of Shows.
While Gable Steveson did appear at 'Mania, all he did was suplex Chad Gable and celebrate with RK-Bro following the RAW Tag Team Championship match on Night Two. He hasn't been near the product since then, which goes against what the rumored hope was.
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