WWE Rumor Roundup - Massive news on Alexa Bliss's hiatus and future in the company, details of plans to create a new championship revealed, and more
We're back with another edition of Sportskeeda's WWE Rumor Roundup, and as always, there is a lot to get into in today's lineup of stories.
One of the most popular names on the women's roster could vanish from TV for a while, as reports suggest she might be preparing to take some time off.
The recent promo segment featuring Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman has also become a major talking point as backstage notes regarding the angle have now emerged online.
Elsewhere, we also have details of the original WrestleMania plans for the American Nightmare. On that note, here are the day's top rumors:
#1. Backstage news on Alexa Bliss's immediate future
Fans of Little Miss Bliss might want to brace themselves for her absence if PW Insider's latest report is anything to go by.
Alexa Bliss faced Bianca Belair at the Royal Rumble but was unsuccessful in dethroning The EST as the RAW Women's Champion. Following the match, WWE aired another Uncle Howdy teaser in which Alexa Bliss was tempted to retain her dark and twisted persona.
While we don't know much about the company's creative plans for Bliss, the former women's champion is reportedly preparing for a hiatus. PW Insider's Mike Johnson noted that Bliss' time off isn't injury-related, and the same had been planned for a few weeks or days.
In case you missed it, Bliss also reacted to rumors of her rumored hiatus, and you can check out her comments right here.
#2. Backstage news on Paul Heyman and Cody Rhodes' promo segment on RAW
If you weren't invested in Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns before, the recent Monday Night RAW segment featuring Heyman and The American Nightmare might have altered a few perceptions.
Rhodes and The Wise Man engaged in an intense back-and-forth as they set the stage for WrestleMania's main event. Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that the Rhodes/Heyman angle was booked, keeping in mind how hot Sami Zayn had gotten during WrestleMania season.
While the former Honorary Uce will face Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber, WWE considers Rhodes vs. Reigns to be the most important match, and the RAW promo was designed to make it seem like a big deal.
Considering Sami's current momentum, WWE had to present a powerful segment to ensure Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns' scheduled bout seemed like a "WrestleMania main event angle."
Here's what Meltzer revealed about the recent RAW segment:
"Well, the thing tonight, we probably should've opened with this. It was fantastic. This was done because they were well aware of how hot the Sami Zayn thing is, and it was imperative not to have this WrestleMania main event angle feel secondary. They knew going in that they had to do something, and they did. They used a lot of real history there with Dusty Rhodes and Paul Heyman," Meltzer stated.
Was the promo battle between Rhodes and Heyman enough to get you hyped about the world title match at WrestleMania?
#3. WWE originally planned on creating a new title before WrestleMania 39
As things stand, Roman Reigns is expected to defend the undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Cody Rhodes at the Show of Shows in April.
It's also well-established that WWE initially wanted The Rock to face The Tribal Chief at WrestleMania Hollywood. Since The Great One isn't available, Rhodes has been tasked with competing in the most high-profile match on the WrestleMania card.
However, even if The Rock was available for WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes was still apparently in line to win a major title at the event. Dave Meltzer revealed that WWE originally planned on creating a new title if The Rock had returned to wrestle Roman Reigns.
The pitched idea would have involved Rhodes battling either McIntyre or Seth Rollins, or both, for a world title that would have possibly been reserved for the RAW brand.
It was also noted that WWE officials have always wanted to revert to having two separate world championships.
"If it was Roman and The Rock, they were gonna create a championship on Saturday night that Cody probably would have ended up winning," Meltzer said. "It was Cody, Drew [McIntyre] or [Seth] Rollins that was gonna come out of that one. Because they wanna go back to two titles."
Are you happy with WWE's current creative direction for WrestleMania? Sound off in the comments section below.