WWE News & Rumor Roundup: Triple H's next 'Roman Reigns' is failing? Major name was brutally written off, Bad news for John Cena

Welcome to another exciting edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's WWE News and Rumor Roundup for 18th October, 2025. Today, we'll dive deep into why Triple H's next 'Roman Reigns' is failing as per a veteran, a major name's brutal sendoff on SmackDown, and some unfortunate news for John Cena.

Let's get started:

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#5. Jacob Fatu was written off on WWE SmackDown

Reports on the internet raised concerns regarding Jacob Fatu's in-ring status as a performer and his future on the blue brand. While it was reported that the former United States Champion was dealing with a non-wrestling-related injury, Nick Aldis announced him against Drew McIntyre in a one-on-one match.

However, the bout never came to fruition, as The Samoan Werewolf was found backstage bloodied ahead of his match against the multi-time WWE World Champion. WWE officials rushed to the scene, and Fatu didn't comment about the attack, which is how he was written off television for now.

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#4. Popular star won a title on WWE SmackDown

While Friday Night SmackDown lost Jacob Fatu for a while, possibly the rest of the year, a popular star returned to the Stamford-based promotion. Last year, Ilja Dragunov got injured in a match against Gunther on the live event circuit in September and quietly went on a hiatus.

On the most recent edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Ilja Dragunov not only returned to the company, but he also answered Sami Zayn's United States Open Challenge and won the title. This was The Mad Dragon's first title win on WWE's main roster under Triple H's creative regime. After the win, he was officially moved to the blue brand.

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#3. Bad news for John Cena ahead of his final WWE match

John Cena's retirement tour didn't deliver, as the abrupt heel turn alongside The Rock in Toronto went nowhere. After months of pushing through, The Franchise Player took some subtle shots at The Final Boss and Travis Scott before he dropped the gimmick and reverted to his old self as a performer.

Many fans wondered and theorized that, with Cena being unhappy with the retirement tour, he might extend it. Unfortunately, that won't be the case, as John Cena confirmed that his final match will take place in December and dismissed the rumors and theories of an extended run.

John Cena

@JohnCena

Despite any speculation or rumors, on July 6, 2024 I announced I would retire from WWE in ring participation. I am far from perfect but strive to be a person whose word has value. 12/13/25 will be my final match. I am beyond grateful for every moment WWE has given me. I am excited for 12/13 & look forward to seeing all of you one last time.

It's awful news for Cena as well, as he could've changed the course if he had extra time on his run.

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#2. John Cena's last WWE match could be a title match - Reports

John Cena has a few appearances left as a performer, and the management is penning down how to end The Franchise Player's story in December when he appears in Washington for his final match. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON), the 48-year-old legend could win the Intercontinental Championship, which would factor into his final match.

The report stated that The Franchise Player could dethrone The Judgment Day's Dirty Dom in San Diego at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames, and the workhorse title would become a key element in a storyline against Gunther, which would lead to a one-on-one match in December 2025, which is Cena's final match.

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#1. Triple H's next 'Roman Reigns' is failing, says ex-WWE star

Ever since Triple H took over the creative duties, Gunther has reached new heights in the Stamford-based promotion as a performer. While The Ring General was doing extremely well under the old regime, The Game made the 38-year-old star a centerpiece to several storylines on the red brand and crowned him the World Heavyweight Champion twice.

Speaking on The Coach and Bro Show, Jonathan Coachman pointed out that Triple H has been pushing Gunther on the crowd, similar to how Vince McMahon pushed Roman Reigns, subtly dubbing Gunther as the next 'Roman Reigns' under the new creative era. However, Coach thinks the experiment is clearly not working even though the two-time World Heavyweight Champion is an excellent performer.

"It almost feels like the early Roman Reigns' days when Vince [McMahon] shoved him down our throats and put him out there for multiple WrestleMania main events when he got booed out of the building, and then at one point it all flipped and switched, and all of a sudden he became the biggest star in the business. I don't see that for Gunther. I really, really don't," Coachman said.

It'll be interesting to see what's next for Gunther when he returns to the promotion.