WWE News & Rumor Roundup - "Unexpected forbidden door" surprise for men's Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns breaks character, Another major injury (January 10th, 2022)

We're back with yet another edition of our daily WWE News & Rumor Roundup, where we list down the most relevant stories in professional wrestling.

The company could be getting an unexpected name for the men's Royal Rumble as rumors suggest the company is open to another 'forbidden door' surprise.

A video of Roman Reigns breaking character at a recent live event has also gone viral, as it was a welcome change to see him have positive interactions with fans.

The promotion's injury troubles don't seem to be going away as another top SmackDown Superstar has not been cleared to compete.

Brock Lesnar has also tied one of the greatest superstars of all time for WWE Championship reigns, and the company issued a great tweet to inform fans about the Beast Incarnate's latest achievement.

The roundup ended with a well-known former referee explaining why Liv Morgan might not be ready to win the women's title just yet.

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#5. WWE could have another "forbidden door" surprise for Royal Rumble

Vince McMahon and his team are seemingly leaving no stone unturned for Royal Rumble as the promotion is now willing to bring in contracted talent from outside.

Mickie James' announced return was a pleasant shocker, but that may be the beginning of many more surprises to follow. WrestleVotes reported that the men's Royal Rumble match could feature a massive surprise entrant.

Here's what WrestleVotes revealed:

Fans should not expect any AEW stars to feature in the Rumble, as that is still an unlikely scenario at this point. While John Laurinitus has reportedly had talks with Tony Khan, the discussions have not been regarding any in-ring deal.

World Wrestling Entertainment could ideally reach out to a star from another company, and it could potentially end up being an IMPACT Wrestling talent. Moose has already teased a possible match with Roman Reigns and added fuel to all the speculation regarding a working partnership between rival organizations.

However, who could be the unexpected surprise? You can share your predictions in the comments section. Moving on with the roundup...

#4 Roman Reigns breaks character at WWE Live Event

Roman Reigns' transformation into WWE's best heel has been truly magnificent to watch. The Tribal Chief has incorporated all the great traits of a wrestling villain into his gimmick, but he briefly shed them all during a recent live event.

Roman Reigns was at a WWE Live Event at the TD Garden, where he broke character and issued a message of gratitude to the attending fans. Here's what the Universal Champion said to the audience:

"I'd like to take this time to thank you guys for coming out," Reigns said. "We all know what's going on with this pandemic. I just want you all to stay safe. I want you to protect yourselves so that we can see you all next time. Also, goodnight and thank you," stated Reigns.

While WWE often ends its house shows with top stars addressing the crowd, the task is usually reserved for babyfaces. However, heels have also assumed the role in the past, with Roman Reigns also following a similar path.

As seen on SmackDown, Roman Reigns will defend his Universal Title against Seth Rollins at Royal Rumble, and the battle between the former Shield brothers could have a significant twist.

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#3 Rick Boogs confirms the reason for Shinsuke Nakamura's in-ring absence

During an appearance on "Out of Character with Ryan Satin," Rick Boogs revealed that Shinsuke Nakamura had not been cleared to wrestle due to a hand injury.

Nakamura's last match took place on December 18th at a house show in which he teamed up with his partner to defeat Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin.

Rick Boogs talked about a possible singles run for him while disclosing details about Shinsuke Nakamura's brief hiatus. While Boogs knows that the split will eventually happen, the superstar feels there is still much to explore in his alliance with Nakamura.

Here's what Rick Boogs had to say, including an injury update about the reigning Intercontinental Champion:

"I think it's inevitable that it's gonna happen. I'm not looking to like rush it by any means because I feel like me and Shin have not even scratched the surface yet of what we can do together, combining our forces. We're just getting cooking here. We've only had a couple of tag matches together. And he suffered a hand injury that's kept him out for close to two months now, it seems like. So, I'm kind of just looking forward as of right now for him to be healthy and cleared and then us just kick some tail. And then from there, down the road we'll branch off. I'm in no rush with that," revealed Boogs.

Sportskeeda Wrestling conveys its best wishes to Shinsuke Nakamura. We pray for his speedy recovery and hope to see him back soon.

#2 Brock Lesnar ties with Steve Austin for major WWE record

It's 2022, and Brock Lesnar is once again WWE Champion. The Beast Incarnate pinned Big E at the Day 1 event to begin his latest run with the title, which has incidentally also got him level with Stone Cold Steve Austin for total reigns.

Brock Lesnar and Steve Austin both have five reigns with the Championship, as noted by the company in the tweet above.

In case you missed it, Brock Lesnar also broke Hulk Hogan's record for the longest gap between their first and last world title victories.

Lesnar will put his Title on the line against Bobby Lashley at the Royal Rumble, and the dream match is expected to be an intense clash between two of the most destructive wrestlers ever.

But will Brock Lesnar be able to extend his ongoing reign heading into WrestleMania 38? Leave your predictions in the comments section before you go.

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#1 Jimmy Korderas feels Liv Morgan is not ready for the top spot

Liv Morgan is finally getting a deserved push on TV as she has been embroiled in a high-profile feud with Becky Lynch in recent weeks.

While Morgan has shown significant progress as a performer, Jimmy Korderas felt she is still not ready to carry the women's division. The former referee opened up about his concerns regarding Liv Morgan's rise on The Wrestling Inc. Daily.

Korderas had no problems with Liv Morgan's in-ring work and explained why she needed to spend more time developing her character and microphone abilities. Here's what he said:

"I thought she performed well against Becky; the match was good. I just don't think Liv, in my opinion, is ready for that spot just yet," he claimed. "Not from an in-ring standpoint. It's more from a character standpoint and working on her character and working on her ability on the microphone; I don't think she's quite there yet. To be at that level, to carry the women's division just yet."

While Korderas was pleased to see Becky Lynch get booed, he was not particularly impressed with how fans have reacted to Liv Morgan as he believes she can get a louder babyface pop every time she comes out to the ring.

"At least from what I was hearing on my television, there were some boos for Becky, finally, which is the desired reaction for the company, but at the same time Liv wasn't getting that babyface pop that you wanted her to get," Jimmy said. "They were still a little bit quiet for her, which is not the reaction that you want." H/t WrestlingInc

Do you agree with Jimmy Korderas' assessment of Liv Morgan's current push?