WWE Rumor Review: Roman Reigns' Royal Rumble opponent, absent star's new look scrapped, Bray Wyatt's in-ring future

Welcome to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's WWE Rumor Review. This feature aims to look back at big rumors from nearly a year ago and determine whether they came true.

The middle of December 2021 featured some interesting rumors of the past and future, including Roman Reigns' opponent at the following year's Royal Rumble. There were also updates on Bray Wyatt and Elias, who were gone from television for months at that point.

Two NXT stars were expected to return upon the expiry of their respective contracts, while WWE's plans for SmackDown at the end of the year were made clear. So, without further ado, let's get into the Rumor Review.

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#5. Rumor on Bray Wyatt's in-ring future

Bray Wyatt is back in WWE.

WWE released Bray Wyatt at the end of July 2021 in a move that shocked the wrestling world. Nearly five months later, fans were still waiting on his next move within the industry. Wyatt himself was in no rush to return to the ring.

Dave Meltzer reported in a December 2021 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the former Universal Champion would remain a free agent for a while longer. This rumor was correct, as Bray Wyatt only returned to wrestling over a year after his release.

While The Eater of Worlds came back at Extreme Rules in October, he has yet to wrestle. Wyatt's most recent in-ring outing remains the disastrous WrestleMania 37 match against Randy Orton.

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#4. What was next for Johnny Gargano and Kyle O'Reilly after WWE?

Kyle O'Reilly and Johnny Gargano both bid farewell to NXT after the December 7 episode of the show, as their contracts had expired. Dave Meltzer had multiple things to say about their future at the time.

He reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that both stars were expected to return to the company after "taking time off." Meltzer also noted that Gargano would likely wait until his and Candice LeRae's child was born before taking the next step in his career. This was a mixed bag in terms of accuracy.

O'Reilly signed with AEW shortly after leaving WWE, while Johnny Wrestling remained a free agent for over six months. The former NXT Champion returned on Monday Night RAW in August under the creative management of Triple H.

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#3. Rumored plans for the last two episodes of SmackDown in 2021

With the end of the year being dominated by the holidays, WWE usually tapes episodes of RAW and SmackDown in advance. 2021 was no different.

Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that the blue brand's final two episodes of the year wouldn't be live, with the New Year's Eve edition of SmackDown being a highlights show on FS1.

This was all true. WWE taped the December 24 edition of SmackDown on the 17th, right after that night's live episode. Meanwhile, the following week's episode was essentially a review of 2021.

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#2. WWE's confusing lack of plans for Elias

August 2021 saw Elias get written off WWE television, essentially killing his Drifter gimmick. He even declared that "Elias is dead" before disappearing from our screens. A few months later, WrestleVotes reported that the company didn't have an "end plan" for the vignettes.

This rumor seems true, as does the fact that Elias' rebrand looked too similar to Randy Savage, based on his extended time away from television. He eventually returned on the RAW after WrestleMania 38 with a clean-shaven look as his younger brother, Ezekiel.

However, since then, he was written off again and recently came back as Elias. The past couple of years has been quite a ride for WWE's resident guitarist.

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#1. Roman Reigns' rumored Royal Rumble opponent

Drew McIntyre was rumored to face Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble 2022.

Roman Reigns' feud with Brock Lesnar took up most of his time as 2021 turned to 2022. But The Tribal Chief still needed an opponent for the Royal Rumble between big matches against The Beast Incarnate.

According to WrestlingNews.co, Reigns was set to face Drew McIntyre at the event, especially given the company's house show schedule around that time. However, this rumor would not come to fruition.

The Scottish Warrior had to take time off following Day 1 due to an injury, which ruled him out for the Rumble. McIntyre did return in the titular 30-man match to continue his feud with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss, but Roman Reigns had his hands full.

The Tribal Chief defended his Universal Championship against Seth Rollins in the show's opener, losing by disqualification but retaining his title. Reigns would then face McIntyre at Clash at the Castle in September.

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