WWE Rumors on Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes; Swerve Talks WWE and AEW Forbidden Door
Featured Columnist IVJune 3, 2024
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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and AEW.
Reigns Return Reportedly Tabbed for July
A July return for Roman Reigns is looking likely, according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (via Ringside News’ Subhojeet Mukherjee).
Reigns hasn’t stepped inside the ring since losing to Cody Rhodes on the second night of WrestleMania XL. A mid-summer return time for SummerSlam was always logical if he intended to take some time off.
The Tribal Chief’s absence created a power vacuum within The Bloodline, one Solo Sikoa has been all too happy to fill. All signs point toward a confrontation between warring factions within the group, one led by Reigns and the other by Sikoa.
SummerSlam is Aug. 3 in Cleveland. Bringing Reigns back to WWE programming in July would allow for ample time to hype up a match of this scale.
Rhodes Reportedly Leads WWE Merch Sales in May
Rhodes’ victory at WrestleMania carried a larger significance. By being the guy to end Reigns’ 1,300-day reign, The American Nightmare was positioned to carry WWE in the same way Reigns, John Cena and others had before him.
If merchandise sales are any indicator, he’s doing just that.
According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics (via Mukherjee), Rhodes was the best seller through WWE’s official shop. CM Punk, despite not having wrestled since the 2024 Royal Rumble, was second on the list, and Stone Cold Steve Austin also cracked the top five.
Rhodes’ status as a merchandise draw was readily apparent even before he dethroned Reigns, and becoming a world champion only raised his profile further.
Strickland Lobbies for AEW, WWE Event
Cross-promotional shows aren’t uncommon in wrestling and All Elite Wrestling has already broken one “forbidden door” by joining forces with New Japan Pro-Wrestling for the aptly named AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door.
AEW world champion Swerve Strickland would like to see the company go another step further:
Wrestle Ops @WrestleOps
AEW World Champion Swerve believes that now is more likely than ever for WWE and AEW to work together.
“If there’s ever a time it could happen, now’s more likely than it’s ever been. I don’t think either person [Triple H and Tony Khan] is opposed.”
(Bootleg Kev Pod) pic.twitter.com/K9ScmleU11
He acknowledged this is still a long shot, saying the “percentage went from 0.04 to maybe 2.4, and that’s more than we’ve ever gotten (via WrestleZone’s Colin Tessier).
A co-branded event with AEW and WWE would undoubtedly be massive, but it’s difficult to envision it happening in the foreseeable future. For one, the two are more direct rivals than AEW and NJPW are by sharing the same broad market. WWE probably doesn’t have much to gain by teaming up, either, when its bottom line is already strong.
Fans will have to settle for fantasy-booking matches between the top names from the two biggest wrestling promotions on American soil.
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