Welcome to the latest edition of the daily WWE Rumor Roundup, where we aim to bring you the most prominent updates from the world of sports entertainment. In today's edition, we will examine exciting stories revolving around multi-time champions like Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Drew McIntyre.
There has been a lot of speculation on what the future holds for McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior has been out of action since WrestleMania 39, where he lost to Gunther in a triple-threat match. We will look at what might be in store for him, among other interesting topics.
#3 Robert Roode to remain out of action this year
Robert Roode, the wrestler who once held the RAW Tag Team Championship, has been inactive for almost a year. His most recent wrestling performance came at a live event in June 2022, while his last televised match occurred on SmackDown before WrestleMania 38.
Roode has been out of action due to neck fusion surgery. He was forced to take a break from wrestling to recover from the procedure.
According to a recent report by Fightful Select, it seems unlikely that Roode will make an in-ring return anytime soon. The news outlet followed up on the situation and revealed that WWE anticipates him to remain sidelined for the rest of the year. This could be why the former NXT Champion wasn't selected during the 2023 Draft.
#2 Reason why WWE had a change in plan and made Brock Lesnar the world champion in 2022
According to a report by Fightful Select, the promotion had no plans to unify the WWE and Universal Championships before the Day 1 event last year. However, Roman Reigns' unexpected absence from the show due to COVID-19 prompted a quick decision to put the WWE Championship on Brock Lesnar. This decision was made to maintain the storyline's momentum and ensure that the show went ahead as planned.
In the wake of this change, the company booked a title unification match between Lesnar and Reigns for WrestleMania. The highly anticipated bout took place in April last year and saw Reigns emerge victorious, becoming the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
The decision to unify the championships was met with mixed reactions from fans, with some believing it was necessary to streamline WWE's world championship picture. Meanwhile, others felt that it hurt the uniqueness and prestige of each championship.
#1 Drew McIntyre could turn heel upon return
Drew McIntyre was recently drafted to RAW from SmackDown. While there is no official timeline for his comeback, he is expected to return before the Night of Champions 2023, as the company reportedly has plans to re-insert him into the world title picture.
An update from Xero News suggested that the creative team has plans to turn Drew McIntyre into a heel character upon his eventual return. The report added that McIntyre could kickstart a feud with Seth Rollins over the new world title.
The company supposedly planned for McIntyre or Seth Rollins to face Cody Rhodes for the world championship at WrestleMania 39. However, due to a creative change, Rhodes faced Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship instead.