WWE Rumor Roundup: Veteran superstar requests release, Injured former champion to return on SmackDown, Ronda Rousey's WrestleMania opponent

Welcome to another edition of the daily WWE Rumor Roundup, where we bring the biggest stories and rumors from the world of wrestling. In today's edition, we will take a look at what surprises may be coming our way at Royal Rumble this weekend.

There has been a lot of speculation as to who will win the Rumble matches this year. Big E is the current favorite for the 30-man contest, whereas Bianca Belair is pegged to win the Women's Royal Rumble. However, Bianca's chances may take a major hit if a big name returns to the company soon.

We will also take a look at which significant name higher-ups are counting on to return at the Royal Rumble. So without any further ado, let's dive in and check out today's biggest rumors:

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#5 WWE planning a match between Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania

As reported earlier, multiple sources have stated that WWE is in talks with Ronda Rousey for a return. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio said that the former RAW Women's Champion would likely win the Royal Rumble. This will set up a match between her and current RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch.

Ronda Rousey was last seen at WrestleMania 35, where she lost the RAW Women's Title to Becky Lynch in a triple threat match. The bout also featured SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, whose simultaneous loss made the Irish star a double champion at the time.

Rousey's return would be a big deal for the women's division, especially on the road to WrestleMania. Additionally, a big-money match between her and Becky Lynch will help generate buzz for The Show of Shows.

The former UFC athlete had feuded with Lynch during her previous WWE stint, but the two women never went one-on-one against each other.

#4 Brian Kendrick has asked for his WWE release

Former WWE Tag Team Champion Brian Kendrick has asked for his release from the promotion, as per PWInsider. The veteran was part of the company in the 2000s and later returned for the Cruiserweight Classic. After a stellar performance, he became a mainstay on 205 Live, even winning the Cruiserweight Title.

Kendrick has served as a backstage producer for NXT and 205 Live as of late. However, he has been absent from tapings for the past few weeks. Mike Johnson reported that the veteran had asked for his release from the company at least six weeks back.

Kendrick was not just a producer backstage but was also set to make his in-ring return in NXT. It remains to be seen if the company will grant him his release or refuse the reported request like they did with Mustafa Ali.

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#3 Asuka could be returning at Royal Rumble

There have been rumors that WWE has a big surprise in store for the 2022 Royal Rumble event. As per Fightful Select, the word backstage is that Asuka, a former Rubmle winner, will finally make her return at the show.

Asuka has been out of action since July 2021. She was last seen at the MITB show, where she suffered an arm injury. There are currently many spots still open for the Women's Royal Rumble, and it looks like Ronda Rousey and Asuka could be two big surprises.

#2 Xavier Woods to return to WWE on SmackDown

King Woods is another name who is reportedly set to make his WWE return soon. The King of the Ring winner had been absent for a few weeks after suffering an injury. PWInsider recently stated that Woods would be back on the road starting SmackDown this week:

"The New Day's Xavier Woods is expected to return to the road for the company as of this Friday's Smackdown taping in Kansas City, PWInsider.com has confirmed. We are told Woods is expected to be back regularly on the road going forward but there's no word as to whether he has been cleared to return to the ring to wrestle."

It is possible that he will return only to be by Kofi Kingston's side until he fully recovers to compete.

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#1 Otis' botch on RAW

This week on RAW, Otis made a big blunder that was swept under the rug by WWE. During the spelling bee contest between Alpha Academy and RK-Bro, Otis spelled the word 'emmental' wrong but was still given the point. Here's what Dave Meltzer pointed out on Wrestling Observer Radio:

"You didn't hear? Oh my god! You missed the biggest thing in the thing! He spelled it wrong, but because it was scripted that he spelled it right, they said he spelled it right! So, they played that gong thing, so it was said that he won, you know, he spelled it right."

The original plan was for Chad Gable to be the only one to spell his word wrong.