WWE News Roundup - Retired star gets medical clearance after eight years, 4-Time champion from RAW almost fired, Idea for Vince McMahon to lead major faction (February 25th, 2022)

Welcome back to another edition of our daily WWE News Roundup, where we list down the most important stories that have been doing the rounds in the past 24 hours.

After almost eight years of not having a full-fledged match, a well-known WWE personality has finally been cleared to compete again. A top superstar from RAW also revealed that she was close to getting fired from WWE.

It was also revealed that Vince McMahon was one of the names pitched regarding becoming the leader of a big stable. The company also made a huge announcement about Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar's WrestleMania 38 clash.

We ended the roundup with a recently-released superstar revealing that he wanted to face Big E in what would have been an intensely physical match. On that note, let's dive right into the latest news roundup:

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#5. Corey Graves confirms that he has been medically cleared to return by WWE

During a recent interview with TMZ Live, Corey Graves revealed that he had been given the green signal to wrestle again.

Graves was forced into retirement in 2014 after suffering multiple concussion-related issues, and he has since risen to become one of the most recognizable faces on WWE's broadcast team.

The former NXT Tag Team Champion admitted that he got the itch to wrestle again last year and began actively working towards securing an in-ring clearance. That's exactly what Graves achieved, as he revealed below:

"It's crossed my mind. I went and spent some time with, with doctors over the past. Actually, in the middle of the last year, I kind of got the itch, and I think this is one of the first times I'm saying this publicly. Yeah, I have been medically cleared to compete; it's not an immediate goal of mine; it was just something that I, I needed to know that I needed to know for my own sanity," revealed Corey Graves.

Graves' last proper match happened for an NXT show in 2014, and while the announcer featured in a couple of 24/7 title matches last year, he has otherwise been barred from taking bumps.

Corey Graves was glad that he went through the process of getting himself cleared, and the 38-year-old star added that he is patient with his in-ring goals.

"My journey in the ring got cut short, and it's kind of eaten at me for years. Always wondering, 'what if? What if there's a chance? What if there's an opportunity?' And so I went and did the necessary steps. And turns out that I am a little more okay than I thought I was. But you never say never. It's not an immediate goal, but I mean, you can't ever take the wrestler out of my heart. So I'd be remiss if I didn't have any interest," added Graves. H/t WrestlingInc

Could Corey Graves be booked in a major storyline, potentially leading to another full-time run as a performer? Only time will tell!

#4. Rhea Ripley says she was almost fired from WWE

Like many wrestlers, Rhea Ripley didn't have it easy in the WWE as she also had a rough start in the company.

The former RAW Women's Champion revealed during an appearance on "My Love Letter To Wrestling" that she was close to getting released from WWE on multiple occasions in the past.

Ripley was in a tough spot mentally as she struggled with issues in her professional and personal life. The Australian star was told she "was not good enough" and was also one of the names "on the chopping block," as revealed below by Ripley herself:

"A lot of things really. It was sort of the whole year between the Mae Young Classic I and II. I went through a lot mentally behind the scenes. I was having troubles at home. I was having troubles at work. I hated myself. I was very mentally weak at that time. I just didn't feel like I was good enough. I was constantly being told that I wasn't good enough, and I had to do something to improve it. I was on the chopping block a couple times and nearly got booted." [H/T WrestlingNews]

Rhea Ripley made significant changes to her on-screen presentation to become one of the most unique talents in the entire female division, which eventually helped her rise up the card.

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#3. RETRIBUTION members pitched an idea to have Vince McMahon as their leader

RETRIBUTION had a short and forgettable run in the WWE even though the faction debuted amidst great hype. Shane Thorne, f.k.a. Slapjack, revealed that they pitched several names for the group's leader, and one of them was none other than the WWE boss.

The faction's members wanted an established name to be introduced as their chief, and there isn't a more prominent name around than Vince McMahon himself. In addition to the WWE Chairman's name, Shane McMahon and Edge were also in the running to become the face of RETRIBUTION.

"We pitched ideas to have a lot of different people as the leader like Shane McMahon, Edge, or someone higher. We pitched for Vince to be the leader as well. We went as high as possible with who the leader would be. We wanted to be attached with one of the main characters. I guess, at the start, we were. We were doing stuff with Bray Wyatt and The Hurt Business. The only direction we really got was after we did something. We got a lot of creative freedom in that, to an extent. 'Be like this,' then we'd do it, 'sort of not like that.' It was very trial and error, and I think they got bored of it, honestly," revealed Shane Thorne. H/T Fightful

The creative team eventually went ahead with Mustafa Ali as the group's head, and Shane Thorne said they were delighted after getting informed about the creative plan.

Sadly for all the performers, the RETRIBUTION angle failed to take off, and many of them, including Shane Thorne, are no longer even in the WWE.

#2. WWE makes major WrestleMania 38 announcement

As confirmed by WWE, Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar's Winner Take All Match will take place on night two of WrestleMania 38.

The updated listings for the match pretty much confirm that the Universal and WWE titles could be merged into one following WrestleMania 38.

The high-stakes bout will headline "WrestleMania Sunday" and is expected to close out the two-day event in a grand manner. WWE also stated that Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey's SmackDown Women's Championship match would happen on the first night.

Given below is the updated WrestleMania 38 match card:

Night One

• Charlotte Flair (C) vs. Ronda Rousey (SmackDown Women's Championship)

Night Two

• Brock Lesnar (C) vs. Roman Reigns (C) (w/ Paul Heyman) ("Winner Take All" Match for the WWE and Universal Championship)\

Other confirmed matches

• Becky Lynch (C) vs. Bianca Belair (RAW Women's Championship)
• Edge vs. TBA
• Dominik & Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul & The Miz

Do you like how the WrestleMania card is shaping up to be?

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#1. Keith Lee would have loved to face Big E in WWE

Keith Lee didn't have the best of times in WWE as he was released from his contract after a dismal run on the main roster. The Limitless One recently took to Twitter to reveal that he wanted to face Big E in a singles match during his WWE stint.

Keith Lee vs. Big E would have been a titanic clash between the two super heavyweights, and we're sure even fans would have been eager to see the former NXT Champion in a stiff battle.

In a tweet, he said:

"I concur. E is someone I certainly would have loved to battle sans cuffs. Let's be honest, even with cuffs, it would be an awesome fight," wrote Keith Lee.

Big E had an amusing reaction to Keith Lee's tweet, as you can see below:

Keith Lee recently made his debut for AEW and is currently slated to compete in the Face of the Revolution Ladder match on March 6th. The former WWE star will receive a future shot at the AEW TNT championship if he wins the match.