WWE News & Rumor Roundup: Huge allegation against top name, AEW connection to new merch, Veteran on Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins (December 26, 2021)

Welcome to the latest edition of WWE News and Rumor Roundup.

Today, we'll take a look at why a wrestling legend made a massive allegation against Triple H. WWE released some new merchandise not too long ago, and it reportedly has a connection to a significant name from All Elite Wrestling.

Many fans want to see a clash between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins' current characters at some point. A veteran journalist has now commented on this topic as well.

Following Ricochet's newsworthy outing in a gauntlet match on SmackDown, the man himself reacted to the outcome of the multi-man battle. Meanwhile, Natalya addressed Ronda Rousey in an amusing statement via Twitter.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at these news and rumor stories.

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#5. Sabu says WWE legend Triple H "probably paralyzed two or three guys"

Although Triple H is often regarded as a safe in-ring worker by those he has wrestled with, Sabu recently criticized the top WWE executive when he spoke to PTM's Vinny Vegas.

While the ECW legend did not specifically name anyone, he alleged that The Game put "two or three guys in wheelchairs" throughout his career. Sabu also called out Shawn Michaels when he made the following comments:

“A lot of guys got paralyzed by Triple H and by Shawn Michaels with their sh***y finishes and stiff finishes… Triple H probably paralyzed two or three guys. There’s two or three guys in wheelchairs because of him. I don’t think I put anybody in a wheelchair. I might have put one person, maybe, they probably deserved it though.”

Interestingly, Triple H and Sabu have never wrestled each other. The latter also claimed during the interview that The Undertaker got superstars fired from WWE if they were too careless inside the squared circle.

The Deadman retired from in-ring competition last year, while Triple H has not had a proper match since June 2019.

#4. Roman Reigns' new WWE merchandise is a dig at AEW star CM Punk

Roman Reigns' 'needle mover' t-shirt has created a lot of buzz among WWE and AEW fans lately. The term itself has often been thrown around in pro wrestling discussions over the last few months, as it equates to any star's impact on the business in terms of numbers.

Reigns previously stated in an interview that CM Punk never moved the needle to the significant extent that megastars like John Cena and The Rock did.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently noted that The Tribal Chief's new merch is a reference to his 'needle mover' comments about the top AEW star:

"The line actually comes from the interview where Reigns claimed C.M. Punk wasn’t a needle mover. Obviously, at least short-term, Punk was. Long-term is more of a question but nobody moved numbers more short-term this year than Punk. But his context was that in WWE, Punk didn’t move the needle like Cena or The Rock, and that is true."

While there are many factors to consider regarding Reigns and Punk's overall impact on the business, both stars have certainly had several newsworthy moments in WWE and AEW, respectively, this year.

#3. Bill Apter believes Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins' WWE feud can be pretty engaging

Future feuds for Roman Reigns in WWE are always a hot topic of discussion.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Bill Apter recently highlighted that Reigns' history with Seth Rollins in The Shield faction could make for an intriguing modern-day rivalry:

"Let's not forget the history between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Although Rollins is a 'semi-final guy,' you still have that Shield friendship that could turn into a very strong rivalry once again if they do a historical thing."

While the feud will undoubtedly attract significant attention, both superstars are currently on different WWE brands at the moment.

The veteran pro wrestling journalist suggested that higher-ups have enough power to make brand switches for their competitors at any time of the year. As a result, Rollins could jump over to SmackDown if WWE wished to make it happen.

"But again, in the interest of who might be next on there, they might have to find some way to move him [Rollins] over. They can do whatever they want," added Apter.

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns' last one-on-one contest took place in October 2019. A lot has changed for them in terms of character development since. Reigns — a babyface back then — became SmackDown's top villain in 2020.

#2. Ricochet reacts to losing an opportunity for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Ricochet played an incredible role in the gauntlet match on the latest episode of WWE SmackDown. Although he came up short in the end, the former NXT star outlasted Sheamus, Humberto, and Jinder Mahal.

Sami Zayn eventually pinned Ricochet to earn an opportunity at the Intercontinental Championship. In a subsequent backstage interview, the 33-year-old stated that Zayn merely got lucky against him.

"It's funny because once again Ricochet has proven that he is not only the most consistent but the most resilient and the most spectacular superstar that WWE has. I lasted longer than anybody in the Gauntlet match. First, it was Sheamus, then it was Humberto, then it was Jinder, then it was Sami. It's funny. I think Sami got lucky tonight. He was lucky that he wasn't my first opponent tonight. He came in and he cashed in on an already beaten Ricochet which is fine and I'm not going to sulk at that," said Ricochet.

The former United States Champion also said his latest in-ring performance proved that he is 'ready to be great' in WWE.

It's no secret that Ricochet has many fans who want to see him feature more prominently on television moving forward. One can only hope 2022 will be a fruitful year for him in the company.

#1. Natalya comments on her incredible WWE milestone; Ronda Rousey reacts

Guinness World Records have officially recognized Natalya for having the most pay-per-view appearances, overall matches, and wins for a female in WWE history.

The Queen of Harts later had a statement regarding her achievements sent out via Twitter. Natalya — in character — boasted of her greatness and had the following to say about Ronda Rousey:

"I said to my good friend Ronda Rousey when the news broke, I said, "Ronda I am of the people, for the people, and for the people." And she said I said the last bit twice, but I don't think I did; that's not something a three time world record holder would do. So long story short, I've stopped talking to Ronda now."

Ronda Rousey responded with a quote tweet, congratulating Natalya for her accomplishments:

Both superstars shared the ring six times on WWE television in 2018 and 2019.

They had a singles match for the RAW Women's Championship back in December 2018, where Ronda Rousey emerged victoriously after an almost 16-minute-long battle. Natalya even admitted that this bout, which aired on Christmas Eve, was one of her favorite matches in WWE.