WWE Rumor Roundup: WrestleMania plans for top stars, Reason for Royal Rumble returns from Mickie James, The Bella Twins, & More (January 15, 2022)

We're back with another exciting WWE Rumor Roundup.

Today's roundup features reports regarding the original WrestleMania plans for top stars like Brock Lesnar and Charlotte Flair, among others. Additionally, a few women have already been announced to return for this year's Royal Rumble match, and we'll look at the backstage reason behind that decision.

Rumors related to WWE's policy for talent release requests and a possible name change for the Elimination Chamber have also emerged.

With that in mind, let's dive straight into these topics.

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#5. Original WWE WrestleMania plans for Brock Lesnar and Charlotte Flair

It's no secret that Roman Reigns dropping out of the Day 1 event due to COVID-19 unleashed a chain of unexpected events.

The Tribal Chief's rivalry with Brock Lesnar is briefly on hold heading into Royal Rumble 2022, as he will face Seth Rollins at the upcoming show. Meanwhile, WWE has finally pulled the trigger on Lesnar and Bobby Lashley's long-awaited dream match.

As per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the initial plan for The Beast Incarnate and Reigns — before their Day 1 match got compromised — included a rematch at WrestleMania 38. It remains to be seen if the company will get back on track with this creative direction following the Royal Rumble event.

Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women's Championship was reportedly the original plan for both women at this year's Show of Shows. But with Banks suffering a foot injury earlier this month, it should be interesting to see whether or not higher-ups will maintain that course when she eventually returns to in-ring action.

This week on SmackDown, viewers witnessed a significant tease for a dream clash between Charlotte and Lita. Both superstars will be in this year's Women's Royal Rumble match as well, and from a booking perspective, there seem to be several paths leading towards their potential WrestleMania showdown.

#4. Initial WWE WrestleMania plans for Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch

Seth Rollins may have lost his WWE Championship opportunity at the Day 1 event, but he has his sights set on Roman Reigns' Universal Title for now.

In addition to original WrestleMania plans for Brock Lesnar and Charlotte Flair, Dave Meltzer also reported on Rollins' initial status for The Show of Shows:

"Rollins as WWE champion defending against either Big E, Bobby Lashley or Kevin Owens, but likely whoever wins the Rumble and E was the favorite."

Meltzer also listed Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair among the other initially planned title matches for WrestleMania 38. Big Time Becks will defend her RAW Women's Championship against Doudrop at Royal Rumble, and the odds seem to favor the titleholder in terms of booking.

Meanwhile, the company hasn't officially announced Belair as a Royal Rumble match entrant. But it would be strange not to see her in the contest, especially as she won it last year from the third position.

The EST has chased Lynch ever since she suffered a 26-second loss against the latter at SummerSlam 2021. So it would be a full-circle moment for Belair if she got to defeat the RAW Women's Champion at WrestleMania.

#3. Reason why WWE has brought back female stars from the past for the 2022 Royal Rumble

More than half of the entrants for the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble match have already been announced by WWE. The list of confirmed names includes some from the company's past, like current IMPACT Knockouts Champion Mickie James, Nikki & Brie Bella, Lita, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, and Summer Rae.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted that higher-ups don't want to bring up many NXT names for the Rumble. In addition to that, the slim women's roster for the multi-person contest is why stars from outside had to be brought back:

"Essentially, there simply aren’t 30 women on the roster available and they don’t want many from NXT, so The Bella Twins, James, Lita, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly and Summer Rae are all coming back for the match," stated Meltzer.

WWE has reportedly planned more surprises (possible spoilers) for fans regarding the remaining unannounced female entrants. Here's the list of all the confirmed Women's Royal Rumble participants as of this writing:

• Charlotte Flair
• Naomi
• Rhea Ripley
• Nikki A.S.H.
• Brie Bella
• Nikki Bella
• Carmella
• Queen Zelina
• Lita
• Michelle McCool
• Kelly Kelly
• Dana Brooke
• Natalya
• Mickie James
• Tamina
• Shayna Baszler
• Summer Rae
• Aliyah
• Shotzi

#2. WWE's reported policy on talent release requests

Unlike most WWE departures over the past several months, Toni Storm seemingly left the company of her own volition because of 'burnout.' This scenario has made many fans question how far the promotion is willing to stretch its policy on talent release requests.

Steve Carrier of Ringside News tweeted that since frequent releases will not stop happening soon, it's hard to decline requests from those who want to leave willingly. Additionally, the website stated the following as far as any exceptions in higher-ups' policy on this matter are concerned:

"Ringside News asked around about WWE’s open door for release requests. We were told that there is an “open door until it’s requested by someone we don’t want to release.”"

It's reportedly possible that with each new wave of talent releases, fans might see more names leave the promotion on their own. Toni Storm isn't the only name to have done so in the past, as others like Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado requested their departures from the company.

While Metalik and Dorado were let go by higher-ups on November 4, 2021, Storm left the sports entertainment giant a month later.

#1. WWE to possibly change the Elimination Chamber's name

As previously reported on Fightful Select, WWE's Saudi Arabia event on February 19 could feature the return of the Elimination Chamber match stipulation.

However, the stipulation's name has negative connotations in certain parts of the world. For instance, the Elimination Chamber event is called "No Escape" in Germany to avoid any implications of gas chambers from World War II.

According to Dave Meltzer, the company recently looked to rebrand the concept as "WrestleMania Chamber" at first:

Meltzer posted an update a few hours later, highlighting that the proposed name change for the upcoming Saudi Arabia event was "The Annual Elimination Chamber."

Irrespective of the name change, the multi-person stipulation match could hold much importance if used for the Saudi show next month. Meltzer noted the following in the Newsletter:

"There is only one (Premium Live Event) between Rumble and Mania, which is 2/19 in Saudi Arabia, built around Elimination Chamber matches where the winners would also be WrestleMania title match possibilities or they could have both titles at stake in those matches."

Whether or not these reports come true, what are your predictions for the Elimination Chamber concept in 2022? Let us know in the comments section below.