WWE News & Rumor Roundup: World Champion forced to drop the title for 'losing steam'; top name to finally return; more on Roman Reigns' absence - 28th December 2021

Welcome to another edition of the WWE News and Rumor Roundup, where we bring the biggest news and rumors from the world of WWE. Today, we will talk about top names like Roman Reigns and Vince McMahon being missing from action. We'll also discuss a possible return that may be set to take place soon.

We will take an in-depth look into why former Universal Champion Goldberg had to drop the WCW World Championship despite his massive popularity. It was a decision taken by Eric Bischoff, even though Goldberg wasn't in favor of it.

Apart from that, we will take a look at Roman Reigns' status after being pulled from a recent live event. So without further ado, let's dive in and checkout some big news and rumors related to WWE:

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#5 Reason WWE Superstar Goldberg had to drop the WCW World title

WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff revealed the real reason why Goldberg was made to drop the world title on his podcast 83 weeks. He said they had to make someone else champion because Goldberg wasn't helping WCW beat WWE in the ratings. He said that they were losing steam on him and it was time for a change:

''Does anybody think if we were making money hand over fist and were continuing to beat WWE in the ratings the way we had for the previous couple of years or year and half that we would have taken the belt off Bill? We were losing steam on Bill and it was time for a change. It was necessary, but I do think we could have done a much better job particularly in light of his lack of comfort based on his lack of experience,'' said Bischoff

He also pointed out that they were not making much money with him as the world champion, and they were answerable to the networks.

#4 Lacey Evans hints at WWE return after 11 months

WWE Superstar Lacey Evans has been out of action since February 2021. She was in the middle of a major program with Charlotte Flair when she had to take a sabbatical due to her pregnancy.

A fan commented on a video of her daughter playing with an action figure saying that she is excited for Evans to finally return:

“I would say, Santa did good with bringing her @LaceyEvansWWE! She was over the moon and then shortly after, she asked when Lacey would come back, I told her I’m sure she is training to come back and she said I can’t wait! She loves you so much! Merry Christmas!” wrote the fan.

To this, Lacey Evans responded by saying 'Tell her I'm coming'. This could indicate that the RAW superstar is ready to make her comeback. A lot has changed since Evans left, but she would be a welcome addition to the women's division on RAW or SmackDown. It will be interesting to see which brand she ends up joining upon her return.

#3 Roman Reigns absent from another WWE live event

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns was absent from yet another live event. The show held at the Amway Center in Orlando did not feature The Tribal Chief. This was after he was pulled from the live event at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida as well.

It has been reported that multiple top superstars had to be pulled from live events due to a COVID outbreak. Reigns wasn't the only big name to have no-showed. Names like Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch also did not make an appearance despite being advertised. Here is what SportsKeeda had stated:

''WWE recently hosted a live event at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The show featured SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair and Drew McIntyre facing off against their former rivals while Universal Champion Roman Reigns remained absent.''

Reports have also said that there is worry backstage regarding the state of Day 1 pay-per-view. But the company is hoping that most of the big names will be able to attend the first show of the year.

#2 Vince McMahon was not present backstage during WWE RAW

PWInsider has reported that top executives like Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard were not present at WWE RAW this week. Apart from being a key backstage figure, McMahon has started making television appearances on RAW. He currently has an ongoing storyline with Austin Theory.

''According to PWInsider, Senior Vice President & Executive Director Bruce Prichard; Executive Producer & Chief of Global Television Distribution Kevin Dunn; Producer, on-air talent & Director of Live Events Adam Pearce; Senior Producer, Hall of Famer & Vice President of Creative Writing & Booking Michael "PS" Hayes were absent backstage.''

The report also stated that WWE head writer Ed Koskey and Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis were in charge of the show. The reason behind these top names being absent is not known at this point.

It could be speculated that the COVID outbreak within the company could have a role in so many names missing from action. Even former tag team champion Omos was pulled from RAW this week, as per PWI.

#1 Toni Storm talks about her main-roster call-up in WWE

Toni Storm has made a great impression on WWE fans since she made her main roster debut. The Australian superstar has been feuding with Charlotte Flair over the SmackDown Women's title.

Speaking to Ryan Satin on Out of Character, Toni Storm opened up about her run on SmackDown. She also went into detail about how much she has learnt during her time there. She said that it has been a 'crazy ride' ever since she joined the blue brand:

''My whole life has changed... I have this undying respect for this industry, it’s what I’ve been doing my whole life but now, I’m like, ‘oh wow, I have so much respect for what people do up here,’ and it really is top-notch quality. I’m just putting everything into bettering myself and showing I can hang here," said Storm.

She revealed that she was initially asked to do a few dark matches for the main roster but thought she would remain on NXT. However, WWE was impressed with her and decided to bring her on to the blue brand.