'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Welcome to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's daily WWE News Roundup, where we bring you the biggest news stories from the world of sports entertainment. In today's edition, we have some big stories featuring the likes of The Undertaker and Roman Reigns.
The Deadman got a big booking decision changed by Vince McMahon - one which everybody is thankful for. Meanwhile, a top star has claimed he had COVID when WWE called him to return for a feud with The Tribal Chief.
A WWE Hall of Famer has confirmed a brief return to the company for a couple of Live Events. Also set for a potential return is Cody Rhodes, who briefly changed his look.
Trending
So, without further ado, let's dive in and take a look at some of the biggest news stories surrounding WWE.
#5 The Undertaker's reaction to unpopular WrestleMania 25 booking decision
The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania 25 is widely considered one of the greatest matches in WWE history. However, it almost turned out very differently. Marty Elias, the referee of the match, spoke about it in a recent interview on the Chat Grapple and Cheap Pops Podcast.
Vince McMahon wanted the match to be third on the card and allocated just 15 minutes to their in-ring encounter. The Undertaker complained about this when informed about it by WWE producer Michael Hayes. Here is what Elias said:
“We’re sitting there and ‘Taker looks at Shawn and he goes, ‘Shawn, how long you been with this company?’ Shawn goes, ‘Most of my life.’ And he goes, ‘Hmm, 15 minutes? Third? That ain’t gonna fly.’ Michael Hayes, ‘Oh, hey, hey, I’m gonna go talk to Vince. Don’t worry, we’ll see if we can get it changed,’” Marty Elias narrated. (H/T Danny Hart of Sportskeeda Wrestling)
After The Deadman confronted McMahon, the match ended up being over 30 minutes and was seventh on the nine-match card.
#4 Cody Rhodes changes his look
Cody Rhodes has been in the news a lot recently, following his departure from AEW. He has been rumored to rejoin WWE and has even changed his look, albeit without any pictures.
The American Nightmare posted an Instagram story stating that he grew an "amazing goatee" which gave him a Robert Downey Jr. (RDJ) vibe. However, he did not share a picture of it and his wife Brandi Rhodes was not a fan of it.
Whether or not Rhodes shows up with the aforementioned goatee remains to be seen, although it is unlikely given that he himself is in doubt over it.
#3 Trish Stratus set for WWE return
WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus is set to make a brief return to the company on the weekend of March 26th. She will be the guest host of a pair of WWE Live Events in Ontario, Canada on that weekend.
Stratus even confirmed these appearances on her website, although it isn't known whether she may get physically involved in the show. She remains in tremendous shape and after her best friend Lita pulled off a brilliant match against Becky Lynch, an in-ring return for Trish Stratus may not be out of the question.
#2 Mr. Kennedy's honest reaction to Hornswoggle replacing him as Vince McMahon's illegitimate son
Ken Anderson (fka Mr. Kennedy) was a recent guest on Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted, where he discussed several topics. One topic discussed was the illegitimate son storyline with Vince McMahon in 2007.
Anderson was the original choice to be revealed as McMahon's "son" but he got suspended for violating WWE's Wellness Policy. As a result, he was replaced in the angle by Hornswoggle. Here are his honest thoughts on the former Cruiserweight Champion taking his spot:
"Being honest, he killed that role. He really did. And they ran with it for a long time. I don't know that we could've gotten as much mileage out of me being the son than as they did out of Hornswoggle being the son," said Ken Anderson. [7:42-7:58]
The former Mr. Kennedy was earmarked as a top star by Vince McMahon, but several factors derailed his push.
#1 Goldberg had COVID when WWE called him to feud with Roman Reigns
Goldberg made a brief return to WWE this month, challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. He has now revealed that he had COVID when he received the call to return for the match.
Appearing on the Car Cast podcast, Goldberg spoke about his preparations for the Universal Championship bout. He hadn't trained in three months and had two weeks to get ready to face Reigns at Elimination Chamber:
"I obviously have an extremely short period of time to get ready for it. I hadn't trained for three months, I have COVID when I get the phone call to go. I literally had two weeks in the gym to get ready for this. It is it's tough to do that as a 20-year-old, it's more difficult as a 30-year-old, a 40-year-old, it's almost impossible, a 55-year-old, I'm one of the .003% humans on the planet that can pull something like that off," said Goldberg. (h/t Fightful)
Goldberg did a solid job in putting Roman Reigns over at Elimination Chamber. The match lasted six minutes and ended when the Universal Champion made the icon pass out.
