Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Stone Cold Reportedly Not in Talks for WrestleMania 42
There reportedly isn’t any indication yet that WWE and Hall of Fame Superstar “Stone Cold” Steve Austin have had talks regarding a match at WrestleMania 42 next year.
According to Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), WWE sources haven’t provided any information on potential pitches for a WrestleMania match involving Austin.
Fightful noted that while Austin reportedly told people during WrestleMania 41 weekend that he might “have one left in him,” the comment has not led to anything being in the works for this coming WrestleMania in April.
Earlier this year, Austin made an appearance at WrestleMania 41, which took place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Austin rode to the ring on an ATV, read the official attendance for the night and celebrated with a beer bash.
WrestleMania 42 is back at Allegiant Stadium in Vegas, sparking speculation that The Texas Rattlesnake might appear again and even have a match.
After WrestleMania 19, Austin retired from in-ring competition due to neck injuries, and it seemed as though he was done with wrestling for good.
However, he shocked the wrestling world at WrestleMania 38 when he had a match against Kevin Owens that served as the main event of Night 1. An appearance on The KO Show turned into a match, and Stone Cold impressed during the No Holds Barred bout, as he came out on top.
Now, Austin is 60 years old, and he will be 61 by the time WrestleMania 42 rolls around, so it is fair to wonder if his in-ring days are behind him.
Even if Austin does not have a match at WrestleMania 42, though, it likely won’t stop speculation from running rampant again regarding a match at WrestleMania 43.
That particular WrestleMania will take place in Saudi Arabia, and since legends have been utilized many times at WWE events in Saudi Arabia over the years, there will almost certainly be plenty of talk about Austin and other legends being part of the event.
WWE Reportedly Changed Rollins Title Stripping Segment
Seth Rollins was forced to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship on Monday night’s episode of Raw, but the segment reportedly played out differently than originally intended.
According to TC of WrestleVotes, there were several “late changes” to the segment, and the final product was a departure from initial plans.
On last week’s episode of Raw, Bron Breakker shocked the wrestling world by hitting Rollins with a spear and breaking up the Rollins-led version of The Vision. Bronson Reed followed up by hitting Rollins with a Tsunami, and Paul Heyman raised the arms of Breakker and Reed.
This week on Raw, general manager Adam Pearce opened the show by announcing that Rollins had been stripped of the world title due to the fact that he is injured and not medically cleared to compete.
Breakker, Reed and Heyman interrupted Pearce’s announcement, and Breakker had the World Heavyweight Championship belt in tow.
Pearce announced a battle royal to determine CM Punk’s opponent for the vacant world title at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and he also asked Breakker to hand over the title.
Breakker resisted and forced Pearce to say please. After some further intimidation, Breakker eventually gave Pearce the belt.
The attack on Rollins was reportedly done due to Rollins dealing with a legitimate injury suffered during his match against Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlePurists) reported that Rollins required surgery, although the exact severity of the injury would not be known until the surgery was done.
Meltzer added that WWE decision-makers “hope” Rollins will be back in time for WrestleMania 42 in April, but regardless, he is in line to miss months of action.
Expected Return Timeline for Jacob Fatu
Jacob Fatu reportedly may be back in time for WWE’s next premium live event despite requiring surgery.
According to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Fatu needs surgery “involving his teeth,” and the expectation is he will be back in time for Survivor Series weekend in late November.
It was previously reported by PWInsider Elite’s Mike Johnson (h/t WrestlePurists) that Fatu was recovering from a dental procedure and would be back “very soon.”
The dental procedure reports make sense given the angle that played out involving Fatu on last week’s episode of SmackDown.
Fatu was supposed to face Drew McIntyre in the main event with the winner earning an opportunity to face Rhodes for the WWE Championship.
However, before the match started, Fatu was shown backstage, trapped under a steel truss. A pool of blood and teeth were on the floor next to Fatu as well.
With Fatu laid out, Rhodes made his way to the ring, accused McIntyre of being responsible for the attack and challenged Drew to a title match on the spot.
The bout ended in a disqualification, likely leading to a rematch between Rhodes and McIntyre in the near future.
While the timeline laid out by Alvarez suggests Fatu will be out of action for the next month, the idea that he should be back for Survivor Series and subsequently Royal Rumble is a positive for WWE.
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