WWE Rumor Roundup - AEW tipped to have the next John Cena, Identity of legendary mystery signing, WrestleMania 37 plans 'blown up', The Rock's message to Bobby Lashley - 7th March 2021

Welcome back to another stacked edition of the daily WWE Rumor Roundup.

AEW is preparing for what is arguably the company's biggest PPV of the year. The promotion is scheduled to have two debutants at the show, and the speculation about the identities of the mystery signings are dominating wrestling headlines.

We have several updates on the potential plans regarding AEW's surprises for Revolution.

Elsewhere, Dwayne' The Rock' Johnson sent a message to Bobby Lashley following The All-Mighty's WWE Championship win.

A respected veteran also revealed who he feels could be the next John Cena of the wrestling business.

A former WWE employee spoke about why Dolph Ziggler never received a top push in the company. A report about potential incoming changes to the original WrestleMania 37 match card has also been covered in today's lineup of stories.

On that note, let's take a look at the latest WWE Rumor Roundup:

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#5. Eric Bischoff says Cody Rhodes could transcend the business like 16-time WWE Champion John Cena

Many consider John Cena to be the last big megastar that the WWE created. The Cenation leader managed to become a mainstream attraction as his career progressed, and the 16-time World Champion is presently one of the biggest names in Hollywood. John Cena enjoyed a long spell at the top of the WWE, and many people would concur Cena has transcended the business.

During the latest episode of the It's Our House podcast, Eric Bischoff tipped Cody Rhodes to follow in John Cena's footsteps and become a notable personality outside of wrestling.

Bischoff explained that John Cena worked extremely hard to be the WWE's face, and his popularity grew to such heights that his name began to be associated with non-wrestling projects.

Bischoff stated that WWE realized John Cena could transcend the business, and the 16-time WWE World Champion went from strength to strength to become a bankable name outside WWE-

"I think when you talk about somebody who has the potential to transcend the business, that means to become a bigger star, or at least a star outside of the wrestling business as inside of the wrestling business. That's how John Cena became a big star because everywhere you looked, including WWE, but outside of WWE, you would see John Cena. He became that."

Bischoff shared that Cody Rhodes has the potential to become the next John Cena-like figure to come out of the pro wrestling scene-

"WWE was preaching outside of the choir. And they connected with people that they weren't connected with just on the wrestling show by using John Cena because he had that potential and ability to transcend the business in that regard. I think Cody Rhodes has the same potential." H/t Danny Hart of SK Wrestling

Cody Rhodes is entering the prime years of his career, and he has dabbled in the entertainment industry over the past few years. The former AEW TNT Champion was recently also a judge on TBS' Go-Big Show.

Do you agree with Eric Bischoff's prediction about Cody? Could the American Nightmare replicate John Cena and be a massive star outside wrestling?

#4. Updates regarding the identity of AEW's mystery signings, rumors of former WWE Superstars debuting

While WWE builds up towards WrestleMania 37, AEW has been making all the right noises of late.

AEW's next PPV, Revolution 2021, is almost here, and there is a lot of speculation about the mystery debuts scheduled to take place on the show. Former WWE Superstar Paul Wight confirmed that a 'Hall of Fame worthy' talent would debut at Revolution. Tony Khan later added that the big name, a male wrestler, has signed a multi-year deal with AEW and is one of his favorites.

Many names have expectedly been tossed around online, and a handful of legends have also dropped teasers about potentially showing up at the AEW PPV on Sunday.

We begin with the most talked about name on the list, Christian. Raj Giri of WrestlingInc confirmed that Captain Charisma is currently a free agent, and while WWE was interested in signing him, talks regarding a potential contract fell through. Christian was under contract with Fox, which might also come to an end soon.

While Raj Giri didn't know if Christian had signed with AEW, it was noted that the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion signing with AEW is a genuine possibility at some point.

Fightful Select also highlighted that AEW's Chief Legal Officer recently followed and then unfollowed Christian on Instagram. A person from AEW told Fightful that Christian coming in would be a positive shock for the promotion.

Christian's name makes sense as while he is not a WWE Hall of Famer, he is undoubtedly a Hall of Fame-worthy talent. However, Christian is not the only WWE Legend who has been rumored to debut in AEW as Kurt Angle also dropped a teaser of a possible in-ring return on Twitter.

Two wrestlers are set to debut at Revolution, and one of them will compete as the sixth competitor in the The Face of the Revolution ladder match. Could it be the Olympic gold medalist?

Bully Ray, aka Bubba Ray Dudley, also posted an old promo video in which he mentioned the word 'revolution.'

CM Punk and Batista have already ruled out their chances of appearing in AEW, but the other teasers have added to the anticipation for AEW's upcoming PPV.

#3. Vince McMahon wants WWE WrestleMania 37 to be a bigger show; major changes expected to be made to match card soon

WrestleMania 37 is already just around the corner, and WWE's plans for the megashow's match card are slowly but surely taking shape week to week on TV.

WWE has already confirmed two title matches for the WrestleMania 37 card involving the Royal Rumble winners, Edge and Bianca Belair. In addition to these main event-calibre bouts, there are various other match-ups now also rumored to be taking place at the PPV. However, Vince McMahon might be considering a selection of significant changes to the original ideas that the creative team had laid out for WrestleMania 37.

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Vince McMahon has started to change his mind about WrestleMania 37 and the WWE boss wants the show to seem even bigger than it already does.

Many people within WWE are now expecting several changes to be made to the show's original lineup in the coming few days. Meltzer noted-

"Vince McMahon decided this week that the show needs to be bigger and to blow up the original ideas and how else can we use everyone, so there people are expecting changes this coming week from the original lineup and direction."

Provided down below are both the confirmed and rumored matches for the WrestleMania 37 line-up, all of which, it should be noted, are subject to change as of this writing:

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Confirmed matches

• Roman Reigns (C) vs. Edge (for the WWE Universal Championship)
• Sasha Banks (C) vs. Bianca Belair (for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship)

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Rumored matches

• The Miz & Morrison vs. Bad Bunny & Damian Priest
• Randy Orton vs. The Fiend in a gimmick match
• Asuka (C) vs. Charlotte Flair (for the WWE RAW Women's Championship)
• Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon
• Bobby Lashley (C) vs. Drew McIntyre (for the WWE Championship)

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More matches are also more than likely going to feature on the final card, but the backstage uncertainty regarding the plans continues to remain pretty apparent at this point in time.

#2. The Rock sends a message to WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and the Hurt Business

Bobby Lashley deservedly won his first WWE Championship on the latest RAW episode, and the 'Era of The All Mighty' is well and truly upon us all. MVP recently got involved in a Twitter exchange between two fans about representation in wrestling.

MVP responded by refuting a fan's viewpoint on the matter with the following response-

"No. He's not. That is a beautiful statement about representation and inspiration. It means something when your heros look like you."

The Rock reacted to MVP's comment by applauding the Hurt Business leader. Dwayne Johnson showered props on WWE's Hurt Business, and the Great One revealed that he was very proud of the faction members and their recent work.

The new WWE Champion would also share his thoughts and give The Rock credit for paving the way for African American performers to shine in the wrestling business-

"You and so many others paved the way for us to do what we do. Without The Great One, there might not be an All Mighty."

Rock would unsurprisingly get back with another response by urging Lashley to go ahead and grab the imaginary brass rings in the WWE-

"Appreciate the kind words brother. Very happy for you and proud. Grab that brass ring and go for it all. You know what to do, champ. Represent. #allmighty #peopleschamp.”

The All Mighty has the endorsement of The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment, and it doesn't get any bigger than that.

#1. Mike Chioda reveals why WWE did not push Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler might have two world title victories to his name, but the Showoff was never booked like a legitimate top star in the WWE. He never got a lengthy push at the top and was mostly used to make other talents look good.

During a recent interview with WrestleZone, former WWE referee Mike Chioda explained the possible reason why WWE officials were hesitant about pushing Dolph Ziggler.

The veteran referee claimed that Dolph Ziggler was one of those Superstars who never got through the political standpoint of the WWE. Chioda highlighted the company's stop-start pushes for Dolph Ziggler and stated that many wrestlers couldn't quite make it big despite having all the potential in the world-

"I believe he (Dolph Ziggler) is getting somewhat pushed now, but there were so many years where that kid had so much good talent, and I've seen a lot of talent that had a lot of potential and just never made it. Just didn't get through the political standpoint of the company. They kept giving it to Dolph and taking it right back. It's hard."

Dolph Ziggler is currently one half of the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions with Robert Roode, and the veteran performer has found a comfortable spot in the company's mid-card and tag team scenes.