5 Top WWE rumors from this week: Surprising Vince McMahon match set for WrestleMania 38, Major Roman Reigns match in jeopardy (February 26th, 2022)

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly rumor roundup, where we will take a look at the top rumors from the world of WWE.

The last major stop on the Road to WrestleMania 38, Elimination Chamber, is in the history books now and the company is gearing up for its biggest show of the year. With just a little over a month left now, several reports are flowing in about the card of The Show of Shows, including surprising in-ring return plans for WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

There are also reports on why Universal Champion Roman Reigns' rumored dream match might not happen. A two-time WWE Champion has re-signed with the company while a major star decided not to and has quietly left.

Without any further ado, let's take a look at the top rumors from this past week. Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the same in the comments section below.

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#5 WWE Chairman Vince McMahon reportedly set for in-ring return at WrestleMania 38

Vince McMahon is in great physical shape, even at the age of 76. Arguably one of the greatest on-screen heels in the history of professional wrestling, Mr. McMahon is reportedly set for a surprising in-ring return at this year's WrestleMania.

According to a report by John Pollock of Post Wrestling, McMahon is set to have a program with Pat McAfee at The Show of Shows.

"POST Wrestling can confirm that Vince McMahon is expected to launch a program with Pat McAfee, which will include WrestleMania 38. Multiple sources informed us that McAfee was set for something on the show involving McMahon. When speaking with a source with knowledge of the situation and whether it will be billed as an official match on the WrestleMania card, we were told 'most likely,'" the report said.

WWE has already announced that Vince McMahon would be appearing as a guest on The Pat McAfee Show next week and the feud is expected to kick off during this show.

McMahon last wrestled in a WWE ring nearly ten years ago on an episode of Monday Night RAW in October 2012 against CM Punk.

#4 Reason why major Roman Reigns WrestleMania 39 match might not happen

A dream match between Universal Champion Roman Reigns and WWE legend The Rock has been rumored to take place at WrestleMania 39 for quite some time now.

However, Dave Meltzer has now reported that this match might be in jeopardy as The Brahma Bull might be too busy for a return due to the XFL.

“Dwayne being all over next year promoting (the XFL), which could be interesting because next year is the WrestleMania that he was supposed to work with Roman Reigns, and that would be in April, and that’s probably gonna be the middle of the season," said Meltzer.

As for this year, The Tribal Chief is set to face WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a massive "Winner Takes All Championship Unification" match at WrestleMania 38.

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#3 AJ Styles has re-signed and is now one of the top earners

Two-time WWE Champion AJ Styles has reportedly signed a new contract with the company. His contract was set to expire later this year and the company made it a priority to sign him to a new deal and were successful in doing so. This is reportedly a multi-year deal that will see Styles earn over $3 million per year.

Dave Meltzer has further reported that with this new contract, The Phenomenal One is now one of the top earners in WWE.

"If the number is correct, it would put Styles in the top echelon when it comes to money behind Lesnar, Reigns, Rousey and Orton that we know of and Edge, Goldberg and it is believed Miz are the guys right underneath the top four that he'd be at the same level with," reported Dave Meltzer.

AJ Styles most recently competed for the WWE Championship inside the Elimination Chamber last week in Saudi Arabia. He is rumored to have a dream match against a Hall of Famer at WrestleMania 38. More on that in the next slide.

#2 Edge's WrestleMania 38 opponent finalized

11-time world champion Edge made his return to Monday Night RAW last week. He delivered a chilling promo hyping up WrestleMania 38. The Rated-R Superstar then laid out an open challenge to the entire locker room to step up and face him.

During his promo, he dropped teases of facing AJ Styles, Damian Priest, and even Cody Rhodes, without specifically mentioning anyone. This led to speculation that the company is still deciding who his opponent will be.

However, Ringside News has reported that Edge's WrestleMania opponent has been "locked".

"Ringside news asked around about this report and we were told by a tenured member of the creative team that Edge’s WrestleMania opponent is “locked.” That was the strong wording given to us which indicates how firm of a booking decision that is."

Fans eagerly want to see Edge have a dream match with Styles at WrestleMania 38 and The Phenomenal One has himself stated that he wants this bout. Hopefully, we'll see AJ Styles step up and answer The Rated-R Superstar's challenge on RAW next week.

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#1 Vince McMahon's perception of Cesaro as a main-eventer

One of the biggest talking points in the world of professional wrestling this past week was Cesaro reportedly parting ways with WWE and quietly leaving. Several stars have since reacted to the same on their social media and the debate of him being underutilized in the company has started once again.

According to WrestlingNews, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon never considered Cesaro to be a top guy or a main-eventer.

"Vince McMahon was never on board with pushing him as a top guy and the feeling was that he was just a “good hand” but not someone who could be seen as a main eventer," reported WrestlingNews.

The Swiss Superman did enjoy a decent push last year as he faced and defeated Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 37. He then started a feud against Universal Champion Roman Reigns on SmackDown but couldn't win the title.

Where do you think will Cesaro show up next following his WWE departure?