WWE Rumor Roundup - Top Superstar ready to retire John Cena, Update on if Roman Reigns has shown interest in AEW, Hall of Famer's in-ring return rejected - 18th April 2021

Welcome back to yet another edition of our daily WWE Rumor Roundup. And as you might have expected, today's lineup features some top names.

We begin with a current champion's desire to compete in John Cena's retirement match. During the recent Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed whether Roman Reigns has ever shown any desire to entertain offers from AEW.

Sami Zayn also revealed that WWE rejected his idea to face a Hall of Famer at a past SummerSlam pay-per-view.

Furthermore, Roman Reigns' storyline is no longer viewed as the most significant angle on SmakDown by WWE officials as another feud has surpassed it in terms of backstage popularity.

We end the roundup with all the notes and updates about a recent WWE release.

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#5. Karrion Kross would be ready to face John Cena in a WWE retirement match

John Cena has not been seen in a WWE ring since WrestleMania 36, where he 'lost' to The Fiend in a Firefly Fun House match.

Cena is a busy man as he is a bonafide draw in Hollywood these days. But there will surely come a time when he will return for another match or two in the WWE.

For what it's worth, Karrion Kross is ready to do the honors of retiring John Cena. A fan proposed a scenario wherein the NXT Champion goes up against the Cenation Leader in the latter's retirement match. Kross was all in for the plan.

Kross even added that he would love to see John Cena embark on another full-time run in the WWE.

While there were rumors and apparent teasers regarding John Cena's possible WrestleMania 37 appearance, the 16-time World Champion stayed away from the two-day event.

What do you think? Does Kross sound like the ideal opponent for John Cena's retirement match?

#4. Has WWE's Roman Reigns ever shown any interest in AEW?

Roman Reigns has indisputably been WWE's biggest star to the extent that the mere thought of him considering AEW as an option sounds ridiculous.

Tony Khan and his family have deep enough pockets to entice the biggest pro wrestling talents from around the world.

Roman Reigns, however, is happy with his position in the WWE. During the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that Roman Reigns has never shown interest in doing business with AEW.

The Tribal Chief and a few other top WWE stars are making a satisfactory amount of money and would rather stay in Vince McMahon's company.

"Roman Reigns has never showed any interest in AEW because he's happy with what he's making," Meltzer said. "A lot of those top guys are making a lot, a lot of money in WWE."

Meltzer noted that Roman Reigns' eventual goal is to make the jump to Hollywood and follow in the footsteps of his cousin Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and 16-time World Champion John Cena.

"Roman Reigns' end game is to be like Dwayne Johnson, to use WWE to springboard to Hollywood when you're done with this, absolutely. His end game is to be, maybe not Dwayne, but absolutely John Cena."

Meltzer had reported back in August 2020 that many current WWE stars had reached out to AEW regarding potential opportunities. While Roman Reigns' name wasn't part of the list, a handful of Superstars did suprisingly 'call up people' in All Elite Wrestling.

"Roman Reigns is not going to AEW, not happening. Virtually everyone in WWE, including guys who have claimed different, at one point or another, have called up people in AEW trying to see what they can get or have had interest. But Roman Reigns, and there's a couple of others, but Roman Reigns was basically, of the top guys; he was the only one who never even enquired. So he ain't going anywhere," Meltzer had said back then.

WWE recently released 10 wrestlers, but how many of them could end up in AEW? We have an update on the situation in the AEW Rumor Roundup if you haven't checked that out already.

#3. Roman Reigns' storyline considered a 'close second' in the WWE

To say that Roman Reigns' WWE Universal Championship reign has been dominating would be a sheer understatement.

Reigns has become a special attraction and has truly shined as the company's top heel on SmackDown. However, his Universal Title storyline isn't thought to be the hottest ongoing angle backstage.

Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated recently revealed that people within WWE had high praise for Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair's efforts at WrestleMania 37. WWE's creative team decided to remove Reginald from the story, and Banks and Belair were given the stage all for themselves to go out and steal the show.

WWE officials now feel that the SmackDown Women's title program is the best narrative, and Reigns' angle is said to be a 'close second.'

"Sources within WWE say there was universal praise for the work of Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair in their match at WrestleMania 37. Only weeks ago, Reginald was shoehorned into their program, but ultimately the decision was made to allow Banks and Belair to have the moment to themselves—and the result was spectacular. Internally, Banks and Belair is the single biggest narrative in WWE, with the work of universal champion Roman Reigns a close second."

Banks and Belair deserve all the plaudits as they had one of the best matches on the entire WrestleMania 37 card. The talented female performers shrugged off a lackluster build to reignite their rivalry and make it the most keenly followed story on TV.

#2. Sami Zayn wanted to face X-Pac at WWE SummerSlam 2019

Sami Zayn has had an excellent run in the WWE since turning heel a few years ago. The two-time Intercontinental Champion is one of the few WWE Superstars who has managed to impress Vince McMahon with his microphone skills.

But while Zayn might have a good relationship with the writers and the WWE boss, his request for a match against Sean Waltman, aka X-Pac, was rejected in 2019.

Sami Zayn faced X-Pac (1-2-3 Kid) in 2011 for Chikara, and he came across a tweet on the 10th anniversary of the match.

Here's the revelation Sami Zayn made in response to a fan's tweet:

I asked if I could wrestle him at Summerslam two years ago. @TheRealXPac, that is. Not the other guy.

X-Pac had revealed at the end of 2020 that he was ready to 'put himself back in the market' and have one final run as an active in-ring performer.

"Now, that's clear. I'm going to get my knee fixed; I've had a torn ACL since the turn of this decade, like 2008 or something. I'm going to get that fixed, and sometime next year; I'll put myself on the market, have a few more matches. Everyone thinks they have one more run left in them. Anywhere I run, it'd have to be a sprint," X-Pac had said.

Sean Waltman is a two-time WWE Hall of Famer, but he is unlikely to get medical clearance from Vince McMahon's company to compete. X-Pac last wrestled a WWE match in 2002, while his last bout for any promotion happened in April 2019.

Sami Zayn - the man formerly known as El Generico - lost to Kevin Owens in a WrestleMania rematch on the most recent SmackDown episode.

#1. Surprising backstage notes on Billie Kay's WWE release

Billie Kay was not just loved by the fans but also by all the members in the WWE locker room.

The former Women's Tag Team Champion's WWE release came as a shocker to her most ardent fans. Recently released backstage notes on Fightful Select have now painted a confusing picture of Kay's backstage situation.

Like the fans, the talent that Fightful spoke to also did not see Billie Kay's release coming. Both Kay and Royce were universally well-liked backstage.

Fightful additionally reported that Kevin Dunn, WWE's Executive Producer and Chief of Global Television Distribution, 'did not get' Billie Kay.

The WWE Executive even reportedly told other WWE officials that Billie Kay had a ceiling in the company.

While Kevin Dunn's perception of Billie Kay has not gone down well with fans, there is no confirmation whether his opinion had any role to play in her release.

The Australian Superstar rose to prominence with her resume gimmick following the IIconics' split. Even though she was just a comedic act, Kay has showcased a wide range of skills over the past few months.

WWE gave her ample amount of TV time and her's was a a name that wasn't expected to feature on the list of released WWE Superstars.

Kay and Royce will be free to sign with another promotion after their non-compete clauses expire in July.