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Welcome back to another edition of our daily WWE Rumor Roundup. Fastlane is in the books, and all roads now lead to WrestleMania 37.
Vince McMahon has made several significant changes to the 'Mania card in recent weeks, and today's lineup covers all the major stories about the two-night event.
A top superstar is expected to miss WrestleMania 37, and a new title match has now emerged as one of the two WrestleMania main events. Another top championship match has also undergone a major alteration, and it all comes down to the WWE Chairman's change of mind.
Today's top story is about several WWE Superstars reaching out to an AEW star after a recent Dynamite match. Drew McIntyre was one of the WWE talents who sent messages to the popular AEW wrestler.
A veteran name was also once legitimately beaten up for an unplanned spot in a match, and all the details of the incident have been disclosed.
We end the roundup with details of the next wrestler who will be inducted into this year's WWE Hall of Fame.
On that note, here is the WWE Rumor Roundup:
#5. Drew McIntyre was one of many WWE Superstars who sent messages to AEW's Britt Baker
Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa's barbaric Unsanctioned Lights Out match from Dynamite will forever be remembered as a game-changing moment in the evolution of AEW's women's division.
Rosa and Baker put it all on the line to produce one of the bloodiest TV matches in professional wrestling history. The talented women rightfully received all the plaudits from the wrestling fraternity.
Britt Baker was a guest on Renee Paquette's Oral Sessions podcast, and the AEW star spoke about the reactions to her Dynamite match against Thunder Rosa.
Baker revealed that Drew McIntyre messaged her following the match, and she was really hyped about it. Baker also had an interaction with Trent Seven, NXT UK star and one of the funniest guys she knows.
"Drew McIntyre messaged me. I was really excited about that. Trent Seven, who is one of the funniest guys, messaged me."
Baker also spoke to Bayley, and the AEW wrestler had nothing but words of praise for WWE's Role Model. Baker added that she also received positive messages from Candice LeRae and Mick Foley.
"I had a nice message exchange with the other role model in wrestling [Bayley]. One of my favorites; I'm literally a fangirl of her. She's the best. Candice LeRae, who helped train me and is a hardcore legend herself. Mick Foley loved it. We also talked about getting him hooked up with fixing his teeth." H/t Fightful
Britt Baker spoke in length on various other topics during her podcast appearance, and you can find all the best stories here.
#4. Charlotte Flair to reportedly miss WWE WrestleMania 37
Charlotte Flair recently revealed the reason behind her WWE absence on social media. Charlotte stated that she had tested positive for COVID-19 and The Queen thanked the fans for all their love and support.
"I know everyone has been wondering where I have been. I have tested positive for COVID and have been home resting *praying hands emoji* Thank you everyone for your love *heart emoji* *queen emoji*" tweeted Charlotte Flair.
The COVID-19 diagnosis has naturally cast doubts on Charlotte Flair's WrestleMania 37 status, and all signs point towards her unavailability for the PPV.
Ric Flair took to Twitter to react to her daughter's condition, and the Nature Boy seemingly confirmed Charlotte's removal from WWE's WrestleMania plans.
"Praying For A Speedy Recovery! You've Set The Bar So High. WrestleMania Will Not Be The Same Without The Queen! @MsCharlotteWWE"
WWE has already omitted Charlotte Flair from the promotional graphics, and it seems like the former Women's Champion might not be cleared in time for WrestleMania 37.
WWE has already changed the storyline direction for the RAW Women's Championship as Rhea Ripley showed up on the Red brand this week and issued a title challenge to Asuka.
#3. Kurt Angle beat up John Cena during a WWE match for going off-script
John Cena's in-ring skills improved as his WWE career progressed, and just like many rookies, the Cenation leader also faced a few challenges inside the squared circle during his early days in the business.
Arn Anderson recalled a match between Kurt Angle and John Cena during a recent edition of his podcast ARN.
The AEW personality noted that John Cena went off-script in one of his matches against Kurt Angle and the 16-time WWE Champion left the ring to join the crowd. Cena crossed the guardrail and went 15 rows deep to grab a fan's foam hands and point it towards Kurt Angle.
John Cena returned to resume the match, but an infuriated Kurt Angle greeted him. Arn Anderson also explained that John Cena was apparently unprofessional towards Angle during the WWE match. Cena was a little stiff with his strikes, and Kurt Angle had an unforgiving response for Cena.
Anderson said that Kurt Angle 'beat John Cena John Cena to death' during the match.
''All of a sudden, I see John, out of nowhere during a random time in the match he roles out of the ring, goes over the rail about 15 rows deep, grabs one of those big foam hands and folds it into a bird and points it at Kurt Angle. The audience popped, but as he gave it back and came over that rail to re-join the match, guess who was waiting on him and not too happy about what just happened? That would be Kurt Angle, and he proceeded to beat John half to death.'' H/t Shiven Sachdeva of Sportskeeda Wrestling
John Cena would learn the ropes the hard way, and thankfully for all parties involved, the Cenation Leader established himself as a trusted in-ring worker in the WWE.
#2. Vince McMahon's big change to the WWE WrestleMania 37 match card
The WWE Universal Championship match is set to main event night 2 of WrestleMania 37. Despite losing to Roman Reigns at WWE Fastlane after getting assaulted by Edge, Daniel Bryan is expected to be added to the title match at 'Mania.
Dave Meltzer revealed several details regarding the significant WrestleMania 37 change during the Wrestling Observer Radio's recent edition. Meltzer noted that Vince McMahon tore up the major WrestleMania plans not too long ago, and the WWE Universal title match was of top priority.
Vince McMahon understood that the Universal title showdown is a crucial contest on the WrestleMania card, and there were many ideas pitched backstage by the WWE creative team.
"The story on this is when Vince decided to tear up the show…he wanted some changes, he wasn't satisfied. Evidently, this is the match he wanted changed, the key match. There were all kinds of ideas thrown around, and from what I was told, most of them weren't good, but this was the best of the ideas was to make it a three-way.
Meltzer noted that making the match a triple threat was the best option on the table. Edge, Roman Reigns, and Daniel Bryan are considered excellent in-ring workers, which was cited as the main reason behind the change
"The idea is it's three guys who are really good workers. I thought that it was one of those things where they were afraid that Roman Reigns was gonna get cheered against Edge and f**k up the match. I thought that, but that is not the reason…I think that he just felt that it wasn't what he wanted and it was what he wanted, and now it wasn't what he wanted. So Daniel Bryan is in there, and Edge is a heel, which I guess is what he wanted, so there you go." H/t WrestlingNews.co
Fightful Select additionally reported that the creative decision to include Daniel Bryan in the WrestleMania match was made in the last week of February.
#1. Rob Van Dam to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, the reason why Batista will not go in this year
As reported first by Fightful Select, Rob Van Dam will be announced as the next inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
Fellow ECW Original Sabu also confirmed the news on The NWC Show. Here's what he had to say:
"Rob Van Dam is getting into the Hall of Fame this year. I wasn't supposed to say nothing."
The former WWE and ECW Champion will also be featured as part of the new WWE icons documentary series. RVD will join Molly Holly and Eric Bischoff in the Class of 2021. The 2020 Class - without Batista, currently includes nWo, The Bella Twins, JBL, Jushin' Thunder' Liger, and The British Bulldog.
Batista also revealed why he wouldn't be able to make it to this year's ceremony. The Animal confirmed that he would receive the honor at the future event.
To the @WWEUniverse Unfortunately due to previous obligations I am unable to be a part of the @WWE #HOF this year. By my request they have agreed to induct me at a future ceremony where I'll be able to properly thank the fans and people who made my career possible🙏🏼 #DreamChaser
The joint WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will air on the WWE Network (which can be found on Peacock) on the night of Tuesday, April 6th.
