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We welcome you to another stacked edition of SK Wrestling's WWE Rumor Roundup. As you might have picked up from the headline itself, today's lineup features some massive names.
We start with a top AEW star admitting that he will listen to offers once his current All Elite Wrestling contract ends.
An eight-time WWE world champion might also not be interested in returning for a big match against Roman Reigns. Elsewhere, John Cena got called out by a current champion in the company. The superstar in question has been pushing for a money match against the Cenation Leader for several months.
Daniel Bryan's contract status is by far the biggest story in professional wrestling right now. What's next for the Leader of the Yes! Movement? We have a few important updates.
The final story of the roundup is regarding WWE filling trademarks for an old WCW pay-per-view, which was incidentally also used by AEW.
#5 Will WWE make a play to sign MJF?
MJF is currently one of the biggest heels in AEW, and the 25-year-old star will continue to be a mainstay in the company for the next few years.
However, MJF's exemplary work would naturally make him a hot target once he becomes a free agent, but will the AEW star entertain outside offers? He surely will.
MJF recently spoke to Steel Chair Magazine, where the wrestler addressed his future at AEW and what could happen after his contract expires.
MJF noted that AEW "runs deep in him," and he is completely invested in his work and vision for the company. However, MJF is also an intelligent businessman, and he is willing to listen to deals outside AEW once the time is right.
"Don't get me wrong, AEW runs deep in me; I don't want to leave, but I am a businessman at the end of the day, and I can't help myself if somebody's got an offer for me, I'm going to listen to it," MJF said.
MJF's AEW deal doesn't end until July 2024, but will WWE be interested in snapping up his services when the time comes or even before that date?
Dave Meltzer reported at the start of April that several top AEW wrestlers would be eligible to sign elsewhere in late 2022. Meltzer noted that there could be some movement as many prominent AEW stars will get massive offers from WWE.
While Tony Khan can retain his talents, WWE will surely be keeping a close eye on a few AEW talents and their respective contract statuses.
"Some will (go back and forth). People are going to go, so far it's been; I mean, I guess it's all been in one direction, right? No one from AEW that was any good wasn't signed for multiple years, so no one is going to be due until probably late 2022," Meltzer said. "At that point, there could be some movement. I don't know about the top executive guys, you know, I don't see them going, but you never know. You never know where people's minds are and things like that. As far as other guys they are going to get, some of those guys are going to get real big offers. But you know, Tony may keep them, and you know, I mean, it's going to be a story when the time comes."
MJF could be one of the AEW stars targeted by WWE, but there's still a long way to go until that potentially happens.
#4 Brock Lesnar doesn't want Roman Reigns on his WWE return
Brock Lesnar has been on a WWE hiatus since WrestleMania 36, but the Beast Incarnate gets mentioned consistently in the wrestling world. When will Brock Lesnar return to WWE? Who will he face once he's back? The questions are endless.
Fans, however, can strike out another Roman Reigns match from the list. Paul Heyman recently spoke to DAZN and opened up about Brock Lesnar's status.
Heyman blurred the lines between kayfabe and reality by stating that Lesnar will do what he wants to do. He added that Lesnar is not interested in facing Reigns because the former WWE Universal Champion would have been back already if he wanted the match.
"If Brock Lesnar were to return, if is a hypothetical," Heyman said. "Brock Lesnar does what Brock Lesnar wants to do. How you can be cognizant of the fact that Brock Lesnar does not want to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship, or at least not yet, is because he hasn't done it. Because if Brock Lesnar wanted to [do] it, it would have happened already. And it hasn't happened already because he doesn't want to."
Why doesn't Brock Lesnar want to face Roman Reigns? As per Heyman, the best person to answer that question is Lesnar himself.
"Now, there may be reasons why he doesn't want to, and that's for Brock Lesnar to reveal if Brock Lesnar ever decides to reveal it. Man doesn't tweet. He doesn't post pictures on Instagram. He's not a public persona. He's a very private beast," Heyman added.
Another feud between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns might seem a little unwanted, but the storyline dynamics are pretty different this time around in WWE.
Roman Reigns is a heel and has Brock Lesnar's former advocate in his corner. The Beast, however, seems to have other plans
#3 Karrion Kross pushing for a WWE match against John Cena
John Cena is back amongst the wrestling news again, and this time, the Cenation leader has kicked off quite a storm by hinting towards a potential WWE return.
While there aren't many details available of John Cena's current in-ring status, a current champion from WWE is eager to share the ring with the 16-time world champion.
Karrion Kross recently spoke to BT Sport, and the WWE NXT Champion once again expressed his desire to face Cena.
Kross understands that there are many big matches out there for him to dip his toes into; however, a showdown with Cena on a massive stage allures him the most. Kross also highlighted Cena's influence on the present-day generation of wrestling.
"I think John Cena would probably be the match that I would most likely be interested in for the immediate future. Everybody has already called out The Rock. Everyone already called out Brock Lesnar. Everyone has exercised interest in seeing Scarlett and I versus The Fiend and Alexa Bliss. But I think having the opportunity to work with John Cena on a really big stage, hopefully with people, would be awesome, and I think it's two different generations meeting. I attribute a lot of my modern-day inspiration to his generation," said Kross.
Karrion Kross has not met John Cena but recognizes that the veteran wrestler's work ethic is second to none. Kross went on to state that Cena is responsible for many wrestlers having a job.
"I've never met him before, but it's very easy to see, very easy to tell he's one of the hardest working people ever in this industry. He's the reason why a lot of us have a job today. Personally, it would just be an honor to work with him," added Kross. H/t James Sullivan of Sportskeeda Wrestling
Would you be willing to spend the big bucks to watch Kross vs. Cena at a WWE pay-per-view?
#2 The latest on Daniel Bryan's WWE status
Daniel Bryan's WWE contract expired a week ago following his loss to Roman Reigns on SmackDown. The former WWE champion has been "banished" from the blue brand, but what's next for him?
WrestlingNews.co reports that WWE officials are very hopeful about Daniel Bryan's return to the company. One particular WWE official was "very confident" about the prospects of seeing Bryan back on TV.
The report stated that there are no grudges on either end of the table, and Vince McMahon reportedly feels that Bryan needs some time to recharge his batteries.
Money isn't the problem in Bryan's situation as the WWE has kept him financially satisfied since he ended his retirement in 2018.
Vince McMahon likes Daniel Bryan a lot, and the boss also has a backstage role in place for the former WWE Champion. Bryan can permanently retire and take up a new behind-the-scenes gig in the WWE, but what does the 39-year-old wrestler want to do with his career?
It's a known fact that Bryan still wishes to be an active competitor, and WWE is willing to have him back for a massive SummerSlam match. While WWE management is counting on him to re-sign, the decision ultimately lies in Daniel Bryan's hands.
#1 WWE files trademarks for "Bash at the Beach"
As noted by HeelByNature, WWE recently filed a couple of identical trademarks for "Bash At The Beach." WWE filed the trademarks on May 4 for merchandising purposes.
The description of the fillings can be found below:
International Class 025: Clothing, namely, tops, shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, hoodies; outerwear, namely, coats; bottoms, pants, shorts, underwear, dresses, pajamas, lingerie, clothing ties, scarves, gloves, swimwear; Halloween and masquerade costumes; footwear, namely, shoes, sneakers, slippers, flip flops, boots; headwear, namely, hats, caps; wrist bands as clothing; bandanas;
Intent to Use: The applicant has a bona fide intention, and is entitled, to use the mark in commerce on or in connection with the identified goods/services.
The latest filing comes after a lengthy trademark battle between WWE and Cody Rhodes. WWE had previously filed six trademarks with the USPTO back in November 2020 for several WCW themes. They were namely Bash At The Beach, SuperBrawl, Battle Bowl, Bunkhouse Stampede, The Match Beyond, and Slamboree.
Cody Rhodes had initially filed for the trademarks on the terms mentioned above, but he abandoned five and focused on getting the rights to use "Bash at the Beach."
The United States Patent and Trademark Office denied the trademark owing to the confusion regarding the term - "The Bash," which was owned by WWE.
AEW eventually used "Bash at the Beach" for a Dynamite special in January 2020. The trademark situation changed in November 2020 as WWE nixed its trademark for the "Cody Rhodes" name.
It was additionally reported that WWE and Rhodes struck a deal that allowed WWE to pursue trademarks for WCW properties.
