WWE Rumor Review: Previous plan for Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins, nixed idea for Becky Lynch's return, Vince McMahon impressed by surprising name

Becky Lynch; Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins
Becky Lynch; Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins

Welcome to this week's edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's WWE Rumor Review. We will take a look at rumors regarding WWE from a few months ago and see how they played out.

This time, we will look at a few reports from June, as anticipation was building for the return of fans to arenas the following month. Becky Lynch was among various stars who were getting ready for their returns. However, this was only after a potential WrestleMania 37 comeback from The Man was reportedly nixed.

Vince McMahon had a few ideas to mark the occasion, while also being impressed by a surprising name on RAW. There may also have been plans for Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to face each other in 2021. These rumors certainly make for an interesting read.

So, without further ado, here is this week's WWE Rumor Review. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.


#5 WWE's plans to bring back King of the Ring and Cyber Sunday

As WWE returned to the road, there were several exciting plans to mark the occasion. Aside from the expected comebacks from big stars like John Cena and Brock Lesnar, several concepts were reportedly discussed to be brought back as well.

WrestleVotes tweeted that the promotion was looking at more "themed" live shows after fans returned. The concepts mentioned were King of the Ring, Cyber Sunday, and Old School RAW.

King of the Ring did return in October, with the final taking place at Crown Jewel. Xavier Woods defeated Finn Balor in Saudi Arabia to win the tournament and achieve his lifelong dream. Its female counterpart also took place. Zelina Vega won the inaugural Queen's Crown Tournament.

While the promotion may have discussed bringing back the other concepts, neither Old School RAW nor Cyber Sunday has happened as of January 2022. While the former could still happen any week, the latter would make for a solid premium live event after WrestleMania 38.

#4 Adnan Virk's replacement on WWE RAW

Adnan Virk's time as the play-by-play commentator on WWE RAW was not easy, especially considering his lack of experience in wrestling and the weekly travel. The MLB Network sportscaster parted ways with the promotion only seven weeks after his first show, the night after WrestleMania 37.

A couple of names were brought up as Virk's replacement on RAW. There were initially conflicting reports over whether former MMA fighter Jimmy Smith would join or if Tom Phillips would return to the role.

It was eventually reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Smith would join the RAW commentary team. He made his first appearance on the May 31st edition of the show, proving the report in the Newsletter to be correct.

Jimmy Smith slotted in well to the role and has formed a solid partnership with Graves and Saxton on RAW.

Meanwhile, Tom Phillips was released by Vince McMahon's promotion around the same time Smith started. He is now the lead play-by-play commentator in IMPACT Wrestling under his real name, Tom Hannifan. He made his debut in the booth at the Hard to Kill pay-per-view earlier this month.

#3 Vince McMahon was impressed by Reginald on WWE RAW

Vince McMahon's mind constantly changes over time, which guarantees the ever-flexible state of affairs in WWE. He has been impressed with multiple stars over the years, including a surprising name. Reginald; or Reggie.

Sean Ross Sapp reported on Fightful Select that the WWE Chairman was impressed by everything about Reginald, from his presentation and delivery, to his in-ring skills. It's hard not to be, considering his incredible athleticism. The report also mentioned Reginald was easy to work with.

He debuted on SmackDown as Carmella's sommelier but went on to manage Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler on RAW. Shortly after this report from mid-June, Reginald won the 24/7 Championship and has been the star of the division since then, which likely proves the report to be accurate.

After being renamed, Reggie continued to wow the fans as his insane flips and tricks led to a 113-day reign with the belt. He is now in a partnership with Dana Brooke and is helping her protect the 24/7 Title.

Reggie has the potential for bigger things and it will be interesting to see if Vince McMahon's opinion of him remains intact.

#2 Scrapped plans for Becky Lynch's WWE return at WrestleMania 37

One of the hottest topics of the summer for WWE was Becky Lynch's highly-anticipated return. Fans were ready to see The Man return to the ring after her pregnancy enforced a year-long hiatus from the promotion.

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Lynch was originally planned to appear at WrestleMania 37, potentially interrupting Bayley's segment. However, it did not happen due to a couple of reported reasons. WWE was waiting for her to sign a new deal and officials did not want to jump the gun on her return.

The promotion opted to wait before bringing Becky Lynch back, as April would have been too soon for her to resume wrestling. While an appearance at WrestleMania would have been great, the reasoning makes sense.

Lynch slotted seamlessly into the scene following her comeback at SummerSlam, winning the SmackDown Women's Title in a squash match. She began wrestling proper matches at live events a few weeks later.

As for her contract, Liv Morgan alluded to Big Time Becks receiving a new and improved deal a couple of months ago on RAW. Becky Lynch is currently on top of the red brand, as its Women's Champion.

#1 WWE's plans for Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins in the fall of 2021

WWE placed Seth Rollins on the periphery of the Universal Title picture throughout 2021, with him constantly angling for a match against Roman Reigns. Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that the two former Shield brothers could have faced off after SummerSlam.

Rollins and Reigns both had high-profile matches at the August event, against Edge and John Cena respectively. While The Tribal Chief won his match, The Drip God did not.

His feud with The Rated-R Superstar continued, while Brock Lesnar and Finn Balor kept the Universal Champion occupied during the fall. Those two factors squashed any chance of Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins happening in 2021. the latter ended up moving to RAW in October.

Reigns and Rollins find themselves against each other in 2022. However, this was a last-minute move due to Brock Lesnar winning the WWE Championship at Day 1 and Drew McIntyre being out injured.

Roman Reigns will defend the Universal Championship against Seth Rollins at the Royal Rumble, but it won't be as was reported back in June. Special circumstances have forced the company's hand in this case.

Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE

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