WWE News and Rumor Roundup: Major name set to step away, Next challenger confirmed for Rhea Ripley, Brock Lesnar's status for Royal Rumble

Welcome to the latest edition of WWE News and Rumor Roundup. In today's piece, we will cover exciting stories revolving around Rhea Ripley and Brock Lesnar, among others.

Rhea Ripley has been the Women's World Champion for a long time, during which she has taken down a plethora of challengers. However, a new name stepped up to Mami last week, and a match between the two was made official on last night's RAW.

In other news, a major name is set to step away from action for the upcoming few weeks. Let's find it out and more in today's News & Rumor roundup.

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#1. Xavier Woods pulled off WWE programming

Xavier Woods has been absent from TV programming for the last few weeks, with Kofi Kingston being present without his tag team partner. According to a recent report, the former tag team champion is "pretty banged up" and was thus taken off the road to heal up.

Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci attacked Kingston on this week's RAW as the duo tried to take advantage of Woods' absence. However, Jey Uso came to save the New Day star. The former Bloodline member also defeated Kaiser in a singles match.

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#2. WWE RAW results

WWE hosted another edition of RAW on Monday, which emanated from the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. The show was stacked with multiple exciting segments and matches.

The show was headlined by the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship bout that saw Finn Balor and Damian Priest retain their title against The Creed Brothers.

Check out the complete results from the show below:

• R-Truth def. JD McDonagh
• Gunther def. The Miz to retain the Intercontinental Championship
• Kayden Carter & Katana Chance def. Chelsea Green & Piper Niven to become the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions
• Ivar def. Akira Tozawa
• Jey Uso def. Ludwig Kaiser
• The Judgment Day def. The Creed Brothers to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles

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#3. New challenger confirmed for Rhea Ripley

We also found out the new challenger for Rhea Ripley on the red brand last night. Mami is set to defend her Women's World Championship against Ivy Nile on the Day One episode of RAW.

The duo also came face-to-face on RAW last night, where Nile got the better of the Judgment Day member.

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#4. Gunther set to take off from WWE

Gunther has been absolutely dominant inside the squared circle ever since making his main roster debut last year. The Ring General was also in action last night, where he successfully defended his Intercontinental Championship against The Miz.

The A-Lister can now no longer challenge for the title as long as the Austrian star holds it.

After the victory, Gunther revealed that he would be taking time off. The Ring General also issued an ultimatum to his fellow faction members, asking them to step up in his absence.

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#5. Brock Lesnar's Royal Rumble status

Brock Lesnar has been away from action since his loss against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam. While there is still no word on the Beast Incarnate's return, many expect him to return around Royal Rumble.

A recent report provided a potential update on Brock Lesnar's status for the upcoming premium live event, noting that his return is still unconfirmed.

Brock Lesnar also missed this year's Crown Jewel. There are rumors that Triple H and Co. have huge plans for him at WrestleMania 40.

Who do you think Brock Lesnar should face at WrestleMania 40? Sound off below, and let us know!