WWE Rumor Review: Roman Reigns losing title, star cleared to wrestle after 8 years, major event being renamed
Welcome to this week's edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's WWE Rumor Review, where we look back at big rumors from around a year ago and determine whether they were accurate.
The road to WrestleMania 38 began with a slew of interesting reports, some being true and others being way off the mark. Among them was talk of Roman Reigns losing his Universal Championship and a few retired stars being cleared to return to the ring.
Ronda Rousey's name was also among the rumors following her return in the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble Match. So, without further ado, let's get into this review.
#5. WWE possibly renaming Elimination Chamber
WWE is looking at rebranding the Elimination Chamber the "WrestleMania Chamber." Not official until it's announced.
WWE held the Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia last February, prompting talk about the name of the iconic match being changed. This was because the term "Elimination Chamber" may hold negative connotations in certain places.
Dave Meltzer reported that the company was looking at rebranding it as the WrestleMania Chamber. Of course, this rumor didn't come true, and the name remains. Elimination Chamber this year is set to happen on February 18th in Montreal.
#4. Corey Graves being cleared to wrestle
Corey Graves is currently one of WWE's most prominent commentators. However, he was a wrestler before joining the booth upon his forced retirement in 2014. A return to the ring for Graves might not be out of the question, though.
Shortly after Fightful Select's report that the RAW commentator had been cleared for an in-ring return, Corey Graves confirmed the news himself. However, he is yet to wrestle since getting cleared.
#3. Ronda Rousey's future following WWE return
Following rumors of Ronda Rousey returning at the Royal Rumble, Dave Meltzer further reported the potential plans for her. He said The Baddest Woman on the Planet would be a regular on SmackDown to appease FOX, but Rousey would face Becky Lynch for the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania 38.
While she was on the blue brand following the Rumble, the former UFC megastar challenged Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Title instead. So the above rumor can be considered half correct.
#2. Was Paige set to return at the Royal Rumble?
With the Royal Rumble days away, many names were being speculated as major surprises. One of them was former Divas Champion Paige, with WrestlingNews.co reporting that she would return at the Rumble, having been cleared to return to the ring for the first time since late 2017.
Paige did not appear at the event in any capacity. So, while she would eventually return to in-ring competition, this rumor was false. She left WWE in July 2022 and debuted for All Elite Wrestling in September under her real name, Saraya.
#1. Rumor on Roman Reigns losing the Universal Championship before WrestleMania 38
Is @WWERollins inside @WWERomanReigns' head?
#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #UniversalTitle https://t.co/34T3GIMMWw
Seth Rollins challenged Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble last year and defeated him via disqualification. However, according to Dave Meltzer, The Visionary was set to win the title and defend it at WrestleMania 38, with The Tribal Chief challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship.
Meltzer cited the supposed original plans for the Day 1 premium live event, which had Rollins and Lesnar winning the world titles of RAW and SmackDown, respectively. However, Reigns kept the Universal Title, while The Beast Incarnate lost and regained the WWE Title.
The two bitter rivals had a world title unification match at WrestleMania, with Roman Reigns winning the belts.
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