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We're back with another edition of Sportskeeda's daily WWE Rumor Roundup.
The Coronavirus pandemic has led to a necessary worldwide shutdown and most of the major sporting events have either been cancelled or been postponed to future dates.
In the wake of the alarming outbreak, there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding WrestleMania's status and we have the latest updates on the same in today's roundup.
Coronavirus and its drastic effects on the WWE product isn't the only major story that has been covered today.
Will the Undertaker finally drop his iconic gimmick as part of his ongoing storyline with AJ Styles? What happened to the angle between Bobby Lashley and Rusev? What should we expect from Brock Lesnar after WrestleMania 36? Why was Vince McMahon 'freaking out' last week? As always, we have all the answers.
Let's take a look at the biggest stories doing the rounds in the WWE:
#5. The Revival are expected to be done, update on their WWE exit
The headline above shouldn't surprise anyone as Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder have wanted to leave the company for almost a year now.
Dave Meltzer revealed in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that The Revival are done with the company. It was also added that the former RAW Tag Team Champions won't be taking up a gimmick where they would mimic legendary tag teams from the past and in turn get buried in the process before they quit.
Their contracts were originally supposed to end in April, however, WWE claims that Wilder's deal doesn't expire until mid-June.
The Superstars were to be in a multi-tag team SmackDown Tag Team title match at WrestleMania but that plan was nixed due to the contract dispute. Meltzer also added that there is no update whether the tag team will be used in the Battle Royal at 'Mania.
The Revival joined the company in 2014 and after six topsy-turvy years, they are expected to be released in June.
#4. WWE is building up a Superstar for a future match against Brock Lesnar
There are many Brock Lesnar dream matches that the WWE have given us in recent years, however, we are still waiting on the behemothic clash against Bobby Lashley. Thankfully, it will happen, possibly after WrestleMania.
On the most recent episode of Sportskeeda's Dropkick DiSKussions podcast, Tom Colohue and Korey Gunz spoke about Lashley being rebuilt for a future match against the Beast Incarnate.
Lana has not been on TV as she is filming a movie with Bruce Willis, and there is a possibility that WWE ends up splitting the Ravishing Russian and her on-screen husband.
Lana may not be needed in the Lesnar vs. Lashley feud and the creative team could end the alliance in the coming months.
Tom explained:
The story between Lashley and Rusev is gone, it's simply over. So, they have got to find something new and they have got to find something new fast. So throwing in Lashley with I believe it was Zack Ryder, so they gave him a match as a way to start his rebuild. He will get more as time goes on and really help to rebuild him and establish him even further, as they move towards a match with Brock Lesnar. That match is still very much on the cards, but it needs quite a bit of rebuilding. Lashley has moved on.
They were already teasing dissension, where Lashley was getting annoyed with his new wife. That seems like the way they will go with this. We'll see going forwards what ends up happening but the plan at this point is to rebuild Lashley, if Lana is not the right person to do that, then she will not be involved in the storyline.
#3. WWE's future amid Coronavirus fears
As confirmed by the WWE, SmackDown and RAW will happen at the Performance Center due to the Coronavirus pandemic but the company is still going ahead with WrestleMania 36.
WWE released a statement in which they revealed that the situation was being monitored and contingency plans are being set in place if the government officials call for the cancellation of the mega show.
"While we remain committed to hosting WrestleMania at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, April 5, we are putting contingency plans in place if it is cancelled by government officials, civil authorities and/or local venues," the company said in a statement. "The health and safety of our fans, performers and employees are our top priorities and we are monitoring the situation closely with our partners and government officials in Tampa Bay."
WWE also reassured that that have the financial reserves to deal with the possibility of any event getting cancelled, postponed or reclocated due to the COVID-19 virus.
The WWE Superstars are also taking the necessary steps to stay safe and we can only hope that situation gets under control and normal operations resume at the earliest.
#2. Vince McMahon reportedly freaked out over Cain Velasquez's tweet
Cain Velasquez and Ronda Rousey were at the WWE Headquarters last week and a photo of them together was tweeted out by Velasquez.
As revealed by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince McMahon reportedly freaked out over the tweet as Ronda Rousey's appearance at the WWE office was supposed to be kept a secret.
The former RAW Women's Champion was at the WWE HQ to fulfil a few meetings with different departments and a handful of people knew that she was coming to the office.
It was also added that Vince McMahon would have fired the person responsible for the leak had it not been Cain Velasquez, who didn't know about the protocol in this situation.
A source close to Meltzer revealed that the story about McMahon 'freaking out' may have been exaggerated as the people backstage were apparently laughing over the boss' reaction.
That photo caused quite the stir in the office as whatever the plan are for Rousey, her being in the office was supposed to be top secret to the point nobody was supposed to know but a few people, and that includes key people in the company as it was supposed to be that hush-hush. It was said by one person that Vince McMahon was freaking out badly over it knowing he couldn’t fire the “leaker” since it was Velasquez who didn’t know any better, but another said that was overblown and people were more laughing about it than freaking out about it
#1. Will The Undertaker change his gimmick?
From a kayfabe point of view, AJ Styles taking a shot at Undertaker's wife Michelle McCool is the last thing a WWE Superstar should do. It's rare to see the mythical Undertaker get humanized on TV but that's the direction WWE seems to be heading in and it has kickstarted speculation possibly seeing Mark Calaway, the man behind the gimmick, on our TV screens.
Will the WWE allow The Undertaker top drop his gimmick though? The answer is a straightforward no.
Tom Colohue explained on the latest Dropkick DiSKussions podcast that The Undertaker's name is a goldmine from a branding standpoint for the company and they will never let him drop the gimmick.
Absolutely not. It's all branding at this point. The Undertaker is an icon. Mark Callaway is just a guy. They will never let that go. And even if you have subtle character changes, which does seem to be what they are leaning towards, even if you have Michelle McCool accompanying him, you could do pretty much anything. They will never drop the Undertaker name because the name alone makes them money.
You may be wondering, what about the American Badass gimmick? Well, there are no hints about the gimmick making a return but it's possibility that many fans would like to see. Are you one of those fans?
