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Today's edition of the WWE Rumor Roundup features a few names that have not been seen on WWE TV for a long time.
Big stories about John Cena, The Undertaker, and Charlotte Flair have been discussed in today's lineup.
Details about the nixed matches for John Cena and The Undertaker have now come to light. The Queen signed a big contract with a sports agency outside WWE.
Elsewhere, a SmackDown Superstar challenged a WWE Hall of Famer to come out of retirement for a huge match.
Following RAW, an incredible observation about Otis' new masked character has also been highlighted by the fans.
Here is the latest edition of the WWE Rumor Roundup:
#5 WWE canceled matches for John Cena and The Undertaker
Elias, who recently returned to WWE TV on RAW, sat down with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated for an interview.
The Drifter revealed that the original plan was for him to have a single match against John Cena at WrestleMania 36. The plan was also to have a faceoff with The Undertaker on the next night on RAW. WWE reportedly wanted Elias vs. The Undertaker at the Saudi Arabia show, but the plan never came to fruition.
Elias explained that the idea was to have a three-year angle between him and John Cena. Elias, who had segments with John Cena at WrestleMania 34 and 35, was scheduled to finally have a match against the 16-time World Champion at the 36th edition of the Show of Shows.
Here's what Elias revealed about the WWE original plans:
"New Orleans, I'm in the mix with John and the Undertaker. The next year, I'm in there with John and the Undertaker again—John at WrestleMania, the Undertaker the night next on Raw. I was supposed to go on and face the Undertaker at the show in Saudi Arabia. That never ended up happening because of Goldberg, but that was supposed to be my match. The year after was supposed to be myself against John Cena at WrestleMania in a three-year running story. Things obviously changed, and that didn't end up happening."
#4 Did Otis reuse the mask and cape of an old WWE character?
WWE found a way to get Otis on RAW this week, and the company did so by debuting the new El Gran Gordo character. The SmackDown Superstar put on a mask and cape and teamed up with Tucker in a match against The Miz and Morrison.
El Gran Gordo was easily the most comical aspect of the entire RAW episode, and it seems like Otis' new luchador avatar is here to stay for a few more weeks.
Several fans have now observed that the mask and cape used by Otis on RAW might have been recycled from an older character that appeared on WWE TV in 2016 and 2017.
Does La Luchadora ring a name? A mysterious female Superstar began appearing under a mask between December 2016 and January 2017.
While Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, and Deonna Purrazzo also donned the mask, the character was booked to eventually reveal the returning Mickie James. Following the revelation, the La Luchadora gimmick was not seen on WWE TV.
The similarities between the mask and cape of La Luchadora and El Gran Gordo are all there to be seen. While Otis' trunks were a separate addition, the rest of his attire seemed to have been picked up from La Luchadora.
What are your thoughts about El Gran Gordo?
#3 Beth Phoenix challenged to a match by a veteran WWE Superstar
Natalya was recently involved in a Q&A session, and the Queen of Harts officially challenged Beth Phoenix to a WWE match.
Natalya and Beth Phoenix go way back as they teamed up together as the 'Divas of Doom' in 2011-2012. Phoenix and Natalya would reunite in 2019 for a series of tag team matches, the biggest of which happened at WrestleMania 35. Phoenix has not entered the ring since Royal Rumble 2020, and she has continued to be an active figure on NXT programming as an announcer.
Natalya, however, wants the Glamazon to end her retirement for another match. Here's the message Natalya had for the WWE Hall of Famer:
"I've wrestled her once and one time only, but Beth Phoenix was one of my favorite opponents of all time. There is only one Glamazon, and she truly is amazing, and I can't wait; I can't wait for the opportunity, one day, for the Glamazon to come back, and I'm basically challenging Beth Phoenix to come back. I'm calling you out of retirement, Glamazon; I'm calling Beth Phoenix out of retirement because I want to challenge her to a match. Glamazon, that was an official challenge to you."
#2 Charlotte Flair signs a deal with a talent agency outside WWE
As confirmed by the VaynerSports agency, former WWE Women's Champion Charlotte Flair has officially signed a deal with the organization.
Here's the official announcement:
"Excited to welcome THE QUEEN to the VaynerSports Family. @MsCharlotteWWE"
Owned by Belarusian-American entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, VaynerSports agency was established in 2016. The agency worked with football until the decision was made in 2020 to branch out and manage athletes and personalities from baseball, combat sports, and e-sports.
It was noted that Charlotte Flair might be the first professional wrestling athlete to have been signed by the VaynerSports agency.
Charlotte Flair has been away from WWE TV as she has taken some much-needed time off. During her hiatus, Flair has also undergone a few cosmetic surgeries.
The multiple-time Women's Champion was drafted to Monday Night RAW during the recent WWE Draft, and as things stand, there are no updates regarding the timeline of her WWE return.
Charlotte Flair recently hit the gym again and is most likely getting ready for her in-ring return. The 34-year-old Superstar is one of the most prominent female performers in WWE and the company would surely want her back in time for the big PPVs.
#1 Elias has long-term WWE goals
Elias recently caught up with Ryan Boman of Sportskeeda for an interview ahead of his concert on WWE RAW.
Elias, who will release his album 'Universal Truth' on October 26th, was asked about his long-term goals in WWE. The Drifter mentioned that he wants to become a legitimate music star while also accomplishing all his WWE aspirations.
Elias intends to win all the top titles in the WWE, and he wants to use the pro wrestling medium to advance his career as a musician.
"Yeah, well, great question. Great question. And I got to say, they kind of go hand in hand, man. And listen, I told you from the beginning of this interview that it's always my dream to be a WWE Superstar. You know, now god blessed me with some incredible talents along the way, one being music, and if I can merge those two as I have, and grow WWE popularity, music popularity, and it kind of shows that. We've seen WWE produce and create these Hollywood stars, you know The Rock, and Batista and John Cena, and maybe one day that's something for Elias. I'm not focussed on that, but right now, as for the music, if we can create a legitimate music star in the process of me doing my legitimate wrestling dreams, man, that would be the ideal ultimate goal there. And of course, from a WWE standpoint, winning a Championship. I always loved the Intercontinental Championship, the Universal, the WWE Championship, whatever it may be, I would love to have that, and I'm going to be doing everything I can to get there. And in the meantime, hey, if I can promote my music through here and show the world my talent this way, all the better."
Elias also liked the sound of looking into acting as a career in addition to wrestling and music. Elias noted that he would entertain all offers as he has learned a very important lesson in WWE.
"Man, I like the sound of that! I really like the sound of that. Listen, I'm for being prepared for opportunities if they come my way. That's one thing. Being in WWE has absolutely taught me: you never know when or how an opportunity is going to come your way but when it comes, make the best of it, put your whole heart into it, and good things could happen, and that's kind of a lesson for life anyways. So, absolutely man, I got to say, if acting opportunities came my way, I'd love to take a swing at it and do everything I can."
Does Elias have it in him to follow in the footsteps of The Rock, John Cena, and Batista in the future?
