WWE Rumor Roundup - Uncertainty over Roman Reigns' next title defense, Major star could make a surprise return despite leaving in February, 13-year veteran re-signs
Welcome back to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's daily WWE Rumor Roundup. The latest lineup of stories unsurprisingly kicks off with a backstage update on Roman Reigns' future.
A veteran superstar could also be on his way back to WWE amidst interest from AEW. A familiar face was also spotted recently on RAW during a pull-apart brawl. It has been revealed that the former champion has re-signed as a producer.
On that note, let's take a look at the day's top rumors:
#1. Update on Roman Reigns' title reign
Roman Reigns continues to rule the WWE as its undisputed world champion. The Tribal Chief is expected to defend his title soon, but there is some degree of uncertainty behind the scenes.
Dave Meltzer revealed in the most recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter, that company officials are yet to take a final call over Reigns' immediate future.
Company executives are unsure whether to book Roman Reigns against Riddle for the championship at Money in the Bank on July 2nd.
With Riddle and Shinsuke Nakamura already having their tag team championship match against The Usos this week on SmackDown, the writers could push Riddle for a singles match against Reigns at MITB. The creative team could also wait for SummerSlam, where Roman is slated to defend the belts against the returning Randy Orton.
"As of this week, no final decision had been made whether Reigns' next title defense would be on 7/2, or to wait for SummerSlam on 7/30, where Randy Orton was the scheduled opponent," noted Dave Meltzer.
Vince McMahon clearly has some big decisions to make as we edge closer to the summer's biggest event.
#2. Will Cesaro return to WWE?
Cesaro "quietly" left WWE in February earlier this year after his contract expired. The former tag team champion has been one of the top free agents on the market. He has also attracted interest from AEW, according to Dave Meltzer.
Tony Khan is reportedly a big admirer of Cesaro, aka Claudio Castagnoli, and could be interested in getting him on board. However, considering Cesaro's age, he would prefer to resume his run with WWE.
Vince McMahon has handed out lucrative deals of late, and the 41-year-old star could be tempted into doing business again with his former employer. It should be noted that nothing is confirmed as of this writing as Cesaro contemplates his next move:
"It's not known if AEW made an offer for him, but Tony Khan has spoke highly of him," stated Meltzer. "But with the size of some of the new contracts WWE has given, there is the feeling a guy like Cesaro, in his early 40s, will return because he's comfortable with WWE even though he recognizes he'll never be used on top, but there's nothing definite in that direction."
Cesaro is a highly-rated superstar who was sadly never a consistent player in the main event picture. It would be interesting to see if the Swiss Superman is willing to once again work with the promotion where he has eight title reigns.
#3. Curtis Axel has re-signed as a producer
Several fans were surprised to see Curtis Axel on RAW for the first time in two years. The former Intercontinental Champion was part of the group that broke up Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes during their altercation.
It was confirmed in the Newsletter that Curtis Axel had returned as a full-time producer. Fightful had reported back in April that Axel participated in a tryout for the backstage producer's role.
The former Paul Heyman guy was released from his contract in April 2020 and has not wrestled a single match since exiting the promotion. Axel's new job could mark the end of his in-ring career; however, the 13-year WWE veteran would surely be happy to begin a new chapter.