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It's been a while since our last news roundup and a lot of things have happened in the WWE Universe. In this week's edition of the roundup, we take a look at The Undertaker's upcoming farewell and possible post-retirement plans as well as more details on Zelina Vega's shocking release from the WWE.
We also take a look at what WWE may have planned for Roman Reigns, Dana Brooke opening up about her relationship with Batista as well as a look at Alexa Bliss' experience working alongside The Fiend Bray Wyatt.
Last but not least, we also take a look at a WWE Superstar who came very close to quitting the wrestling business before getting his big break with the WWE.
#1 Backstage WWE plans for Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns has been a dominant force since returning at WWE SummerSlam. Reigns aligned himself with Paul Heyman shortly after and quickly won the WWE Universal Championship at the Payback PPV. Reigns was then involved in a familial feud against his cousin Jey Uso. After beating him twice, Reigns finally got Uso to acknowledge him as his Tribal Chief.
Wade Keller of PWTorch recently had an update on future plans for Roman Reigns and reported that the Tribal Chief could be set for a feud with former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan next:
I suspect Bryan will be part of this storyline for a while now. It’s possible he was just there to get beat up, though, and he’ll move on to other things. Jey really delivered this week and can be proud of his role in this storyline.
Roman Reigns is currently set to face WWE Champion Randy Orton at Survivor Series later this month. However, that could still change with Drew McIntyre challenging Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in the coming episode of Monday Night RAW.
#2 Dana Brooke recently opened up about dating Batista
Dana Brooke was recently interviewed by Forbes. During the interview, Dana Brooke opened up about briefly dating former WWE Champion Batista:
We went out, we were great, great, great friends, we’ve been to the Meat Market down in Tampa, we go to [Edison], also in Tampa, so we kept in great contact. There’s always been interest between Dave and I as far as friendships and everything. We share a lot in common as far as being in the business and outside, and being very passionate about giving back and charity work as well. It’s just with my schedule being so so busy, and Dave doing a lot of movies, our times are very limited. But we still communicate, we still talk on a regular basis, my boyfriend now [Uly Diaz] and him also have a lot in common as far as the fight game goes.
Batista’s last WWE match came at WrestleMania 35 where he faced Triple H. Shortly after the match, Batista announced his retirement from professional wrestling. Batista also has a successful career in acting, starring in Guardians of the Galaxy as well as a host of other films, including a role in the James Bond film Spectre.
#3 Savio Vega could return to WWE after 21 years to be a part of The Undertaker’s farewell
Former WWE Superstar Savio Vega is close friends with The Undertaker. The duo was part of the infamous BSK - Bone Street Krew - back in the day with the likes of Rikishi, Yokozuna, The Godfather, and The Godwinns. Vega left WWE in 1999 when he was released from his contract.
Savio Vega is set to make his WWE return at Survivor Series after 21 years to be a part of The Undertaker’s farewell. The news was first reported by Super Luchas. Here’s what their report said:
The Puerto Rican Mayor, who participated in WWE as Kwang and Savio Vega is set to return to WWE to be present for the retirement of his great friend The Undertaker. Taker will end a great run exactly 30 years after his first [WWE] appearance at Survivor Series 1990.
The Undertaker spoke about what’s in store for him after retirement in a recent interview. You can check out more on that in the next slide.
#4 The Undertaker set for a new role in WWE after retirement?
The Undertaker was recently interviewed by The Wrap. With The Undertaker’s final farewell set for Survivor Series later this month, the Deadman opened up about a possible role in WWE following his retirement.
The Undertaker revealed that he has spoken to Triple H about a possible role in the WWE Performance Center (now known as the Capitol Wrestling Center) and opened up about wanting to help the next generation of Superstars with his experience:
You know, that's the pickle that I'm in right now, is trying to [figure] out what lane I want to take. I've been on the road for so long, that really doesn't appeal to me, traveling and doing all that. I love to teach. Triple H and I have had many conversations about me working with the talent there at NXT, in Orlando at the PC. And I really enjoy that. And we're just trying to figure out how it works because I'd have to come in and go out. I live in Texas. So I'm sure I will do more of that moving forward. I think there's a lot of– I think I have a lot to offer. The product is changing and evolving, but I think there's a lot of what I bring to the table that is still applicable to the product, and these guys need to hear it and see it from somebody who has made it work. So we'll see what happens there.
The Undertaker’s farewell is set for Survivor Series which takes place on November 22nd. The event is expected to be a star-studded affair.
Seth Rollins recently spoke to Sportskeeda about The Undertaker and his influence on WWE. You can check out the video above.
#5 Originals plans for Dominik Mysterio
Dominik Mysterio has already established himself as an important member of the WWE roster. The talented youngster has impressed in the opportunities given to him and according to reports, Vince McMahon already sees him as a top babyface.
Rey Mysterio and his son Dominik were recently guests on Lilian Garcia’s Chasing Glory. During the interview, Rey Mysterio opened up about original plans for Dominik before revealing that WWE ended up preponing his push. Dominik was expected to be ready by 2021 but ended up grasping his chance when it came along earlier this year:
We weren't expecting this opportunity so quick. We were still giving it about another year of training. We started to negotiate with WWE for him to potentially sign a developmental deal, and we said ok. I told him to go to the Performance Center and get ready and be ready by 2021. This opportunity presented itself. I told him I can't say yes or no. It's up to you. However, you feel. As a parent, the last thing I wanted him to do is fail on his first try. I said all eyes are on you. It isn't an indie show with no TV. You are live worldwide, SummerSlam, one of the biggest PPVs in WWE. He took the opportunity. He had been training for almost three years by then.
Rey Mysterio beat Seth Rollins on the latest episode of SmackDown, possibly bringing an end to the Mysterio family's feud with Seth Rollins. It will be interesting to see what's next for Rey Mysterio and Dominik.
#6 Mustafa Ali almost quit wrestling before signing with WWE
Mustafa Ali got his big break with WWE during the Cruiserweight Classic. Ali was originally an alternate for the tournament but ended up replacing Brazilian star Zumbi after he was unable to take part. Ali grabbed the opportunity with both hands and impressed and ended up signing a deal with WWE. Ali has come a long way as a performer since then.
In a recent appearance of After The Bell, Ali revealed just how close he came to leaving the wrestling business before his big break with WWE:
The Cruiserweight Classic was a tumultuous thing for me. It was that typical indie wrestler moment that we’ve all, anyone that’s you know, done this can understand. I thought this was the year that I’m going to hang up the boots, or the kick pads, or whatever you want to call them because I wasn’t getting any traction. A lot of my friends were blowing up on the indie scene. And like you mentioned, I was a police officer at the time. So traveling all over the world, doing these tours in the UK and Japan just [wasn’t] feasible. The number one thing for me at that time was providing for my family, as a man should. So my dream came second. H/T: 411Mania
Ali leads the RETRIBUTION faction on RAW right now and definitely looks set to have a bright future in WWE.
#7 Alexa Bliss opened up about working alongside Bray Wyatt in WWE
Alexa Bliss and The Fiend’s storyline together has been one of the most compelling aspects of WWE television in recent months. Bliss was recently a guest on Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend and during the interview, the subject of working alongside Bray Wyatt came up. The former women’s champion had a lot of praise for Wyatt and also spoke about how much fun her recent run alongside The Fiend has been:
I have been having so much fun in my recent time with WWE. I've always wanted to be working alongside a character like Bray, and because he is so good at what he does. He puts so much background research into what he does, and he is the true epitome of what a WWE Superstar should be, you know. He is compelling, he is always evolving and changing and being something new and fresh, and to be able to work with someone like that just always gets your creative juices going.
Recently on RAW, fans saw Nikki Cross asking Alexa Bliss to choose between their friendship or The Fiend. Bliss ended up picking The Fiend, much to Cross' dismay.
#8 Details on Zelina Vega’s WWE release
The biggest shock this week has to be the sudden release of Zelina Vega. Reports suggest that the release was because of Vega not complying with WWE’s new policy towards third parties like Twitch.
Shortly before her release, Zelina Vega openly tweeted about her support for unionization. The belief backstage is that Vega knew that her release was coming when she put up the Tweet.
Gabrielle Carteris, the President of SAG-AFTRA - Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists - reached out to Zelina Vega on Twitter shortly after her release.
Zelina Vega opened up about her release on her Twitch stream:
I’m sad and I’m completely heartbroken. Obviously, this isn’t the last that you are gonna see of me…I love you all though and I’m really really thankful to every single one of you. If I go down as someone who stood up for themselves, so be it. I’m still thankful, I’m not angry. I’m just heartbroken because doing this, being a wrestler is all I ever wanted to do. I don’t really know what to say, there’s so many things I want to say but I don’t know how. H/T: WrestlingNewsCo
Former Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang also reacted to Zelina Vega’s release, saying that he hadn't forgotten about Vince McMahon.
