Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Rollins Unsure of WrestleMania 42 Status
Seth Rollins has been out of action since October due to a shoulder injury, and he remains noncommittal about whether he will be back in time to appear or possibly compete at WrestleMania 42.
In an interview with week with Men’s Health (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Rollins made it clear that while he still isn’t sure if he will be back in time for WrestleMania 42, he is hopeful:
“Don’t know,” Rollins said. “Don’t know the answer to that yet. The timeline for shoulder surgery and repair is, you know, four to six months or so. Did my rotator cuff back in October. I’m rehabbing, and as long as there’s no setbacks, I hope to be cleared by the time WrestleMania rolls around in April.”
However, Rollins noted that even if everything goes well in his recovery, there is no guarantee he will be cleared for physicality at WrestleMania, saying, “At the end of the day, that decision isn’t mine. I just can do the best I can day after day, get myself in a good position, and hope for the best.”
Rollins suffered the injury during his match against Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel in Australia on Oct. 11.
Two nights later on Raw, Rollins was shockingly attacked by Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, effectively kicking Rollins out of The Vision, which was the stable he created.
As a result of the injury, Rollins was forced to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship, and CM Punk went on to win it.
If Rollins is able to return in time for WrestleMania, one can only assume Breakker and Reed will be firmly in his crosshairs since they were responsible for his injury from a storyline perspective.
Stone Cold WWE Appearance Reportedly Discussed
WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin reportedly could be in line to make a televised appearance for WWE in the near future.
According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE has had talks about Austin making an appearance soon, although the specifics remain unclear.
With the Royal Rumble just one week away and WrestleMania 42 set for April, the report will undoubtedly lead to speculation among fans about whether WWE may be attempting to set the stage for a match.
Austin last wrestled at WrestleMania 38 back in 2022 when he beat Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match in the main event of Night 1.
That marked Austin’s first match in 19 years, as he originally retired from wrestling after his WrestleMania 19 loss to The Rock due to mounting injuries.
Austin, who is now 61 years old, has maintained since then that he is likely still capable of wrestling another match.
During an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet this month, Austin made it clear that while he isn’t looking to have another match and does not believe having one is likely, he isn’t completely ruling it out either, saying, “Could I still do it? Yes—and I’m not advocating for anything here. I’m not selling a match, Chris. You asked me—could I? Yes. Would I? Probably not. I’ll say that, but never say never.”
Given his status as one of the most beloved wrestlers of all time, any type of appearance by Austin would be a welcome sight for WWE fans.
An actual match would create even more excitement, but any talk regarding him wrestling another match is merely speculatory at this point.
Lynch vs. AJ Reportedly Planned for WrestleMania 42
The ongoing rivalry between Becky Lynch and AJ Lee is reportedly expected to carry over to the Grandest Stage of Them All at WrestleMania 42.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select (h/t Mukherjee), Lynch vs. Lee is considered “locked in” for WrestleMania, marking what would be their first one-on-one match against each other.
In September, AJ returned to WWE for the first time since retiring in 2015. She lent a helping hand to her husband, CM Punk, in his rivalry with Rollins and Lynch.
That led to a mixed tag team match at Wrestlepalooza, which Lee and Punk won. Then, Lee was part of the winning team in a women’s WarGames match at Survivor Series, beating a team that included Becky.
Before that match at Survivor Series, AJ distracted Lynch during a Women’s Intercontinental Championship match on the Nov. 17 episode of Raw. That led to Maxxine Dupri shockingly beating Becky for the title.
Lynch later recaptured the championship from Dupri earlier this month, thus starting her second reign as women’s IC champion.
Assuming Lynch holds into the title entering WrestleMania, AJ will perhaps have a chance to win her first championship of any kind since dropping the Divas Championship back in 2014.
