WWE News Roundup – Roman Reigns spotted hugging a major star off-air, Reason why Cesaro never became world champion, Officials didn't like how AEW star spoke (February 26th, 2022)

Welcome back to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's daily WWE News Roundup as we kick off today's lineup of stories with details of what happened after this week's SmackDown.

Roman Reigns was involved in an excellent dark segment after the episode as The Tribal Chief had an adorable off-air moment with Paul Heyman, which was captured by fan cameras at the show.

Elsewhere, a Hall of Famer revealed why Cesaro never became a world champion as he issued a lengthy statement on the superstar's departure from the company.

An AEW star also revealed how people within WWE didn't like the way he cut promos. Vince McMahon is back in the news as the WWE Chairman is slated for a rare interview appearance, which could potentially set up his WrestleMania return.

We ended the roundup with details of Vince McMahon's advice to Ronda Rousey following a recent promo on RAW. On that note, here's the latest news roundup:

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#5. What happened after WWE SmackDown went off the air with Roman Reigns?

Fans who attended the most recent SmackDown episode were treated to a special dark main event that featured a six-man tag team match.

Drew McIntyre & The Viking Raiders teamed up to face The Bloodline. The match was briefly stopped after fans called out Paul Heyman for looking like a walrus.

Roman Reigns jumped off the apron and consoled Heyman by hugging him near the ringside area. You can check out clips of the off-air moment below:

PWInsider noted that WWE taped a dark match before SmackDown as Aliyah picked up a singles win over Shayna Baszler before the show got underway.

The on-screen relationship between Roman Reigns & Paul Heyman has witnessed its ups and downs in recent weeks, and is again in the spotlight as we approach WrestleMania 38.

Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar will compete in a title unification match on Night Two of the mega show, and Paul Heyman's expected to play a significant creative role. Irrespective of whatever happens at 'Mania, it's always amazing to see Reigns show a tender side of himself when interacting with Paul Heyman.

#4. Mick Foley comments on Cesaro's WWE exit, why the star never won the world title, and more

Cesaro's decision to leave WWE hasn't been well-received by fans as many wished to see him capture the world title someday. Mick Foley opened up about Cesaro's release and was disappointed that he never got a consistent spot in the main event picture.

Foley has been an ardent supporter of Cesaro ever since his independent wrestling days. The Hardcore Legend said that Vince McMahon sadly didn't see Cesaro as a world champion, unlike him and many fans:

"I'm really disappointed because I had been one of Cesaro's biggest proponents for a long time ever since I saw him working in the independents in the early 2000s. Man, Vince McMahon just never saw in him what I saw and what so many of you saw, which was a world champion. But in this case, I feel like WWE's loss is the wrestling world's gain. Because this guy, Cesaro, can work anywhere in the world."

Mick Foley worked with Cesaro during his run as RAW's General Manager several years ago, and the Hall of Famer held the wrestler in the highest of regards.

Foley is confident that Cesaro could win a major world title and felt WWE would eventually realize that letting the 41-year-old star go was a significant loss:

"This is a guy who should be a world champion, who'll be a world champion. Like I said, WWE's loss is professional wrestling's gain because this guy is going to do great things. A class act, a great wrestler, and a bigger loss to WWE than they realize." (H/T - WrestlingNews.co

As things stand, Cesaro is a free agent and eligible to sign with any wrestling company in the world. Where do you see him going next?

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#3. People in WWE did not like the way Keith Lee spoke

Keith Lee revealed on Busted Open Radio that his promo skills weren't appreciated by people backstage in WWE.

When he made the revelation, the former WWE star was talking about possibly establishing a stable with Mark Henry. Lee said officials didn't like the way he spoke and he wasn't sure why that was the case:

"Listen, it's something that (Mark Henry) and I talked about years ago, maybe I think I was still in NXT at the time. He knows I am open to that. Especially since in that particular place (WWE) most people had an issue with the way I speak and my demeanor in how I speak, and my cadence. I don't know what it is about. Maybe my voice or maybe its vocal tone, whatever it may be, was a bit of an issue there. If it ever becomes an issue, I am sure that Mark could take the reins. The guy is very versatile with his microphone skills." (H/T - Wrestling Inc)

Keith Lee recently debuted for AEW and has focused on stabilizing his career following a largely forgettable run in the WWE.

#2. Vince McMahon to appear on The Pat McAfee show

As announced during this week's SmackDown, Vince McMahon will appear on next Thursday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show.

McMahon rarely sits down for extended interviews, and his appearance on McAfee's show is a huge deal. McAfee recently managed to get Brock Lesnar on for a refreshingly fantastic interview. The SmackDown commentator shared his reaction to the development with the following tweet:

Vince McMahon isn't merely going to appear on The Pat McAfee Show for an interview as WWE reportedly has plans for the CEO to make his in-ring return. Reports suggest that WWE will begin a storyline between Vince McMahon and Pat McAfee, culminating in an official WrestleMania 38 Match.

As shocking as the rumors sound, the 76-year-old Vince McMahon is legitimately planning on returning to the ring! You can read more on the ongoing speculation right here.

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#1. What did Vince McMahon tell Ronda Rousey after a recent WWE RAW promo?

Ronda Rousey returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble and is on course for a marquee title match at WrestleMania 38.

On a recent episode of Ronda On The Road, Rousey revealed what Vince McMahon told her on a recent episode of RAW.

Ronda featured in a segment with Becky Lynch on the RAW after Royal Rumble and recalled Vince's backstage reaction after the angle. As amazing as it sounds, the WWE boss told Rousey to smile more during her promos:

"I got through it, and I came out, and Heyman was like, 'You did great, but I'm going to tell you, he's going to tell you one thing, he's going to tell you to smile.' I'm like, okay. So I went and talked to Vince. He was, like, 'That was fantastic. Just — you need to smile.'"

Ronda Rousey hasn't always had the best of equations with fans, but Vince tried to convince her that the WWE Universe had forgiven her. The WWE Chairman explained to Rousey that wrestling was about entertaining the audience, and she needed to look beyond herself while performing:

"I was telling him, like, 'You know, they were booing me on the way out of every stadium.' He's, like, 'Yeah, but they've forgiven you for that.' I'm, like, 'Well, I haven't forgiven them.' He goes, 'But it's not about you. It's about them.' It was such a good point that I'd been thinking about myself and how this relates to myself, and I was forgetting that this is a show about entertaining them." (H/T Wrestling Inc)

As noted above, Ronda Rousey will face Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 38 for the SmackDown Women's title, but will she come out victorious in the Night One Match? Share your predictions in the comments section, and feel free to react to any of the stories mentioned in today's roundup.