WWE Rumor Review: Roman Reigns' "shoot" demands, John Cena's brand, WWE's interest in Braun Strowman
Welcome to another edition of the WWE Rumor Review. Here, we discuss some of the top rumors from a few months ago and determine their accuracy.
This week, we have rumors that originated regarding the brand John Cena would be a part of following his return in July 2021. We'll also look at the rumors on why WWE was interested in bringing back Braun Strowman.
We'll see whether the reports stating Roman Reigns having some "shoot" demands turned out to be true. We'll also understand why a multi-time world champion got involved in Edge's feud.
Without further ado, let's check out the top rumors.
#5 John Cena's brand following his return
16-time world champion John Cena made a surprising return to WWE at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view and confronted the Universal Champion Roman Reigns to kickstart their feud.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported that The Leader of Cenation wasn't tied down to one particular brand but was a free agent. He also confirmed that Cena would be free from his movie schedule up until SummerSlam.
After his shocking return at WWE #MITB... @JohnCena is NOT going to make you wait for answers!
The Cenation Leader will be LIVE on #WWERaw in Dallas! https://t.co/8hGOZ5Jzir
The report indeed turned out to be true as Cena appeared on RAW the very next night. Then he appeared on SmackDown to build on his feud with The Tribal Chief, which culminated in the main event at SummerSlam.
#4 Reason for Daniel Bryan's involvement in Edge's feud
Before his confrontation with John Cena, Roman Reigns was involved in a feud with Edge for the the Universal Championship. The two previously shared the ring in a triple-threat match at WrestleMania which also featured Daniel Byran.
During the feud between The Head of the Table and The Rated R Superstar, Bryan was name-dropped multiple times, despite not being contracted to WWE then, which led to speculations of his return.
Roman Reigns takes out Edge and Daniel Bryan to retain the Universal title!
#Wrestlemania https://t.co/p1YZxEtq2H
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Bryan was being name-dropped only for the narrative to build the feud between Edge and Reigns..
"They keep mentioning his [Daniel Bryan's] name because he is part of the story of building Reigns vs. Edge, since they are using him as the reason Edge didn’t already win the title. Regarding all the mentions of Daniel Bryan on television of late, we’re told this isn’t an indication he’s coming back. Nobody really knows what he’s doing past if he’s made a secret deal with any company, they are keeping it a secret until they do a dramatic reveal when they want to," stated Dave Meltzer.
"If you want a badge of honor from the Black Pool Combat Club, there's only one way to get it - the hard way." @JonMoxley and @BryanDanielson with @RealKingRegal putting the entire #AEW locker room on notice! #AEWDynamite is LIVE on TBS right now! https://t.co/FjrK4xXa6E
The report turned out to be true as Bryan went on to sign with AEW and even competed for the world title. He's currently in a team with former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley.
#3 Dates for WWE Draft
The Draft acts as a reset button in WWE where superstars switch brands, leading to some exciting matches and overall freshness in the product.
There were reports stating that the 2021 Draft was supposed to take place immediately following SummerSlam. Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro-Wrestling Podcast reported that the Draft would take place in October.
So hearing some changes.
Previous had reported the draft would take place 8/31 & 9/3. Hearing it’s getting delayed by a month.
I was just told a 10/4 date but not sure if that’s night one or two
So the possible dates now are:
10/1, 10/4 or 10/4,10/8
#wweraw https://t.co/DzL1SVEPm2
The Draft was indeed held on the October 1st episode of SmackDown and October 4th episode of RAW. Roman Reigns was the first overall pick while Big E was the second pick and the first for Monday Night RAW.
#2 WWE's interest in Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman was released from WWE in June 2021. His release came as a shock to everyone as he was one of the biggest stars in the company and a former Universal Champion.
WWE has come to terms on the releases of Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Murphy, Ruby Riott and Santana Garrett.
WWE wishes them the best in all of their future endeavors.
ms.spr.ly/6018VAu2m https://t.co/b77AeeLuDn
Just one month after his release, there were rumors that stated WWE was interested in re-signing him. The speculation started when the promotion added some of his merchandise options to the WWE Shop website.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that there was interest in bringing Strowman back due to new acquisitions from AEW.
"There is interest in bringing Strowman back, especially after recent AEW signings."
Contrary to reports, Braun Strowman never returned to the promotion and instead joined hands with former WWE star EC3 to form a new wrestling promotion, Control Your Narrative (CYN).
#1 Roman Reigns' "shoot" demands
Roman Reigns is arguably the biggest star in WWE at the moment. Since his return in 2020 and winning the Universal Championship, he has elevated his game to a whole new level that he calls "GOD Mode."
Good night everyone💤💙
#RomanReigns #GodMode https://t.co/lI4Zo5qavd
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that The Head of the Table wanted to either open shows or be slotted in the main event.
“You put the most important first or last. That’s the big argument right now with Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns will either go first or last. He won’t go anywhere else, that’s a shoot. He doesn’t want to go (anywhere) but first, because that’s okay, or last, which is preferable because he’s the main event and he doesn’t want to go second or fourth or second from the top,” said Dave Meltzer.
Reigns has mostly been the main event or the show opener throughout. However, there have been a few exceptions, most recently on the March 4th episode of SmackDown.
"I want Brock to make it to #WrestleMania I want him to hand deliver that WWE Championship to his Tribal Chief!"
@WWERomanReigns #SmackDown https://t.co/5PWq8jMLNe
The Tribal Chief appeared ahead of The Usos' title defense against the Viking Raiders. The show opened with an Intercontinental Championship match between Sami Zayn and Ricochet and closed with Ronda Rousey's SmackDown in-ring debut.
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