WWE News and Rumor Roundup - former AEW star’s status for RAW, The Rock at WrestleMania 40, Absent star calls out Batista 

Welcome to the latest edition of the WWE News and Rumor Roundup, which is being shared just hours before this week's episode of RAW. As ever, there are many stories doing the rounds today with talk of returns, releases, and even debuts ahead of this week's show.

The following article will look at just four of the biggest stories of the day, whether that's news or rumors.

#4. Jamie Horowitz wasn't well-liked backstage in WWE

More than 100 WWE employees were released this past weekend as the budget cuts were made following the merger with Endeavor. It was noted that many entire divisions were gutted as the company looked to get rid of duplicate job roles following the deal's finalization.

Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer opened up about the recent cuts and noted that Jamie Horowitz was one of the bigger names but wasn't well-liked backstage.

"Jamie Horowitz was let go. He was the biggest name, he was one of Nick Khan’s first major hires off of DAZN when Nick Khan was stripping DAZN. There was a lot of negativity when he was hired, a lot of women employees, because of his rep[utation] from ESPN, were not happy. And he wasn’t really well liked in WWE from what I understand anyway. But he was a major exec there."

#3. Karrion Kross calls out Batista

Karrion Kross has been absent from WWE in recent weeks, but the star appears to have remained active on social media. Kross recently shared a memory from back in 2019, where he challenged Batista at Bloodsport.

Kross commented on the memory and noted that he would still be honored to open that door. Batista retired back in 2019 following his WrestleMania match against Triple H, and it appears that he's unlikely to make his wrestling return.

#2. The Rock could be at WrestleMania 40

The Rock returned this past week on SmackDown to confront Austin Theory, and his return has since amassed more than a million views on WWE's social media channels.

This has led to speculation that The Rock could be set to finally wrestle at WrestleMania, especially since he revealed that his match at 'Mania 39 against Roman Reigns was a lock at one point.

Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer recently noted that there is a chance that he could be at WrestleMania 40 next April.

"But right now, he [The Rock] doesn’t have a busy schedule. He’s probably got the least busy schedule that he’s probably had since he started in WWE as a rookie in 1996, because of the strike. We’ll see. There’s a lot of variables so there’s no real answer. I’ve asked around and there’s no answer. Either he’s gonna do it, but the ball’s always in his court on that.”

#1. Jade Cargill isn't expected to be on RAW or NXT this week

Jade Cargill has become a huge talking point in WWE over the past few weeks, and it appears that her AEW contract has now expired, and she could be heading across the pond.

Fightful Select recently revealed that she is expected to be at the WWE Performance Center this week but noted that it's unlikely she will be featured on RAW or NXT.

There have been rumors that the company has huge plans for Cargill once she signs and could become the focal point of the Women's Division. That being said, it's early days, and the former AEW star has to sign a new contract first.