As we head closer to the Royal Rumble, the flow of rumours is increasing exponentially.
A good portion of the speculations are focused around the possible entrants for the Rumble match. As it has a direct impact on how WrestleMania shapes up, there is some buzz about WWE’s Mania plans as well.
Some interesting permutations and combinations are being thrown around and some of them make plenty of sense. There was also some talk about the return of Paige, who has been out of action due to wellness policy violations.
We are going to list down the top rumours of this past week and take a look at whether they could happen on not.
#5 Undertaker to win the Royal Rumble
Undertaker made a huge announcement this week on Monday Night Raw and made it clear that he will be part of the Royal Rumble match. The entry of Taker into the Rumble has shaken things up and rumours suggest that Undertaker could go all the way to win the Rumble.
If Taker does indeed win the Rumble, and assuming that John Cena wins the title on the same night, WWE could set up a Taker vs. Cena match up for WrestleMania.
Alternatively, an AJ Styles vs. Undertaker match is also a possibility. The third possibility is a Roman Reigns vs. Undertaker showdown which also sounds good provided Reigns wins the Universal title from Kevin Owens.
#4 Rumours about Paige
The women’s divisions in WWE are going through a good phase currently. However, one notable absence is that of Paige’s.
The former Divas Champion was suspended for violating the wellness policy on two separate occasions and there are also reports about Paige struggling with injury.
Rumours are now suggesting that her return could be delayed all the way till summer.
Paige is not expected to be back before WrestleMania and considering the bad blood that exists between Alberto Del Rio and WWE, and since Paige probably has a bad image with two violations, it would be interesting to see what WWE will do with her.
#3 WWE to have more tournaments
The WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament is in the books and it would be safe to say that the tournament was a success story for WWE. WWE managed to provide a platform for the upcoming names from the United Kingdom and according to rumours; the format might be followed for other parts of the world as well.
WWE could be planning to have similar tournaments and crown champions in Asia and Latin America. If the rumours are indeed true, it showcases WWE’s plans to expand internationally and sign up talent from all over the world.
There are still markets that WWE has not explored and such tournaments are a great way of stepping into them.
#2 Dwayne Johnson won’t wrestle at WrestleMania
Rumours are suggesting that Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson would be present at WrestleMania this year in a non-wrestling role only. Last year around, during WrestleMania 32, Rock wrestled, much to the surprise of everyone.
He faced off against Erick Rowan at the event and defeated the Wyatt Family member in just six seconds.
Such a surprise match won’t probably happen this time around. Having The Rock in any capacity at WrestleMania is a huge plus point for WWE and him not wrestling is not going to hurt anyone.
At the same time, this does not come as a big surprise as most us already knew that Rock would be involved in a limited capacity.
#1 AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon being considered
As mentioned earlier, a John Cena – Undertaker match is a big possibility for WrestleMania. This leaves a lot of questions about the WrestleMania plans of AJ Styles and if we go by the rumours, we could see Shane McMahon and AJ square off at the event.
There is no confirmation on the same happening but WWE is apparently going to make Shane McMahon wrestle at the event even if it is not against AJ Styles.
If not AJ Styles, Baron Corbin would be a great choice to face Shane now that WWE has given Corbin a taste of the main event scene. Miz could also be a good candidate to face Shane at Mania.
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