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Welcome to today's WWE Rumor Roundup, where we try and bring you the best updates from the world of wrestling. From two retired WWE Superstars planning their big return, to The Rock and Steve Austin being "uncomfortable" with WWE's idea for their feud, we have it all covered.
Adding to that, we also have some backstage news on Aleister Black and Charlotte Flair. So let's get to the two headline-makers of the day:
Daniel Bryan teases WWE retirement
Daniel Bryan was cleared for his in-ring return to WWE in March 2018. Three years on, the 4-time WWE Champion wants to end his career on his own terms and be with his family.
Bryan has not yet confirmed his plans to retire but hinted at it while talking to talkSPORT's Alex McCarthy. The 39-year-old confirmed his contract is coming to an end and he has not yet made any plans for the future. He is caught between the idea of spending time with his family and signing that one last contract. He said:
"For me, my contract is up soon and that sort of thing, so it's really just an evaluation of what's more important to me. Going out and doing this thing that I love every week, but being away from my family, being away from my wife and kids three days a week, and they're at this stage that you don't ever get back. I think it's a little bit different when they get to be in school and time isn't as slow as it is now. But we're not having any more kids and our boy is seven months. Our daughter is going to turn four in May and it's going by so fast."
While rumors suggest Daniel Bryan could be added to the WWE Universal title match at WrestleMania, the 39-year-old has other ideas. He wants to face someone like Cesaro at the Grandest Stage Of Them All before calling it quits. He said:
"There's also this idea of doing something with Cesaro, somebody like that. Somebody where it's like, 'Hey, we've grown up together, now we're adults together. Let's just do one big, cool WrestleMania match together! Let's just throw it all out there!' Another one I've always wanted but I've never been able to do was Shawn Michaels. He trained me and I just think the story there would be really cool."
WWE is very likely to confirm Daniel Bryan's addition in the Edge vs Roman Reigns match on SmackDown tonight.
WWE WrestleMania match changed
Bad Bunny has challenged The Miz to a match at WrestleMania 37, and it caught the WWE Universe off guard. Rumors suggested it would be a tag-team match with Bad Bunny and Damian Priest teaming up to face The Miz and John Morrison.
Reports from PWInsider now suggest that WWE changed the match because Morrison and Priest are carrying minor injuries. The reports add that the match at WrestleMania could very well turn into a tag-team match in the end, but it depends on the competitor's health.
Aleister Black spotted at Performance Center
Aleister Black's WWE future has been uncertain for a long time now, and with him being off WWE TV, it was speculated that he could be leaving soon. However, he has been spotted at the Performance Center in the past few weeks, and the former NXT Champion could make his return to the ring soon. PWInsider reported:
"Yes, he's [Aleister Black] been seen at the WWE Performance Center the last several weeks, but as of this writing, has not returned to TV."
Aleister Black is a part of SmackDown right now but has been off TV since October 2020.
Charlotte Flair to make it to WWE WrestleMania?
Charlotte Flair was penciled in to face Asuka at WrestleMania this year, but those plans were scrapped earlier this week. Rhea Ripley debuted on Monday Night RAW and challenged the current RAW Women's Champion as Charlotte was out due to COVID.
The change in plans saw WWE remove Charlotte from the WrestleMania poster. The space is still not filled with any other superstar, and she could be added back in before the PPV begins.
However, PWInsider reported that she could be on SmackDown this week and be added to the WrestleMania card. They reported:
"There was talk at WWE that Charlotte Flair might be on this week's SmackDown."
The report does align with Charlotte Flair's fiancé and former WWE Superstar Andrade's tweet from earlier this week. He revealed she would be back in action after 4 days, but given that she is just recovering from COVID, the possible appearance on SmackDown could be from home.
There was speculation that Charlotte's absence on WWE TV was related to Andrade getting released, but these rumors were put to bed earlier this week.
The Rock and Steve Austin were 'uncomfortable' with WWE's plan
Vince McMahon has the final say when it comes to most WWE storylines, but sometimes, the superstars voice their opinions. Ahead of WrestleMania 17, the WWE Chairman wanted to involve Debra in The Rock vs Steve Austin storyline.
The former WWE diva was Steve Austin's wife back then, and Vince McMahon wanted her to be the on-screen manager of The Rock. However, both superstars were uncomfortable with the idea, and WWE quickly dropped the plan.
Jim Ross revealed the backstage news during his latest podcast – Grilling JR – and said:
"I think they both, I think Rock and Austin were both uncomfortable with it. It just seemed like, 'Why are we doing this?' You know, Debra always made the picture better because of her beauty, and she was a gorgeous Alabamian. But her services in that role were not needed. I think Rock and Austin just wanted to keep it serious and transact their business because neither of them was overly sure of how this thing was going to be received."
In the end, not involving Debra turned out to be a good decision as The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin produced one of the best matches in WrestleMania history.
The Bella Twins plan their WWE return
The Bella Twins rallied for the Women's Tag Team Championship to be created for a long time, but the titles arrived in the WWE after they retired. The twins are keen on returning to the ring soon and getting their hands on the titles.
During the latest episode of The Bellas Podcast, Brie Bella revealed that they are planning to make a return in the next year. She said:
"I really want to do a WWE return with Brie and go after the tag titles. That's one thing I really want to do before I hang up the Nikes for good."
Daniel Bryan also spoke about when The Bella Twins could make a return to the ring and said:
"I don't think my wife [Brie Bella] would come back until maybe next year or something if she does. I think her and her sister [Nikki Bella] want to do something together. With the whole time they wrestled, there was no Women's Tag Team Championships. To them, that's really cool [they now exist]. So yeah, that may happen."
The Bella Twins are very likely to return soon and it would not be a surprise if they went straight for the title holders at that point.
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