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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Cena Reportedly Planned to Win Elimination Chamber
John Cena fell just short in his attempt to win the men’s Royal Rumble match last weekend, but there is reportedly a huge victory in his future.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlePurists), Cena has been planned to win the men’s Elimination Chamber match “since probably October or November.”
Last year, Cena announced that 2025 would be his final year in WWE as an active in-ring competitor.
On the debut episode of Raw on Netflix, Cena made it his stated goal to win the Rumble, go on to WrestleMania 41 and become a 17-time world champion, which would break his tie with Ric Flair for the all-time record.
Cena seemed destined for victory once he made it to the final two with Jey Uso, but Uso shocked the wrestling world by eliminating Cena for the victory.
After the Rumble, Cena addressed the media during the Royal Rumble post-show and stressed the importance of winning the Elimination Chamber match to earn a world title match at WrestleMania.
Rather than being forced to qualify, Cena was given a spot in the Chamber match, meaning he will be one of six Superstars in the high-stakes match in Toronto.
It was widely assumed coming out of the Rumble that Cena was the Elimination Chamber favorite, so Meltzer’s report about WWE’s long-term plans for Cena to win the Chamber comes as little surprise.
Reported Reasoning for Reigns Injury Angle
Seth Rollins’ stomp to Roman Reigns’ head at Royal Rumble was reportedly done for a reason beyond building a storyline between Reigns and Rollins.
According to Meltzer (h/t WrestlePurists), the stomp was meant to write Reigns off television so he doesn’t have to take a pin in the upcoming Elimination Chamber match.
During the latter stages of the men’s Royal Rumble match, Reigns and Rollins were battling near the ropes when CM Punk emerged and threw both of them out of the ring at the same time.
While admiring his handiwork, Punk was then shockingly tossed out by Logan Paul, taking three of the top contenders out of the equation.
The three Superstars argued outside the ring until Rollins stomped Reigns’ head onto the floor and then threw hands with Punk. Rollins then upped the ante by stomping the Tribal Chief’s head onto the steel stairs.
Punk has already qualified for the men’s Elimination Chamber match along with Cena, and it seems highly likely that Rollins will earn his way into the match as well.
Assuming that happens, it is easy to envision Reigns making an unannounced appearance at Elimination Chamber to screw Rollins and perhaps even Punk out of the victory.
PWInsider.com (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News) reported coming out of the Rumble that Reigns vs. Rollins vs. Punk in a Triple Threat is the current plan for WrestleMania 41.
If that is indeed the case, the stage has been properly set to build toward three of WWE’s top stars clashing on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Stratton Responds to Mandy Rose’s Critical Comments
WWE women’s champion Tiffany Stratton clapped back at former WWE star Mandy Rose in an interview this week.
During an appearance on Ring The Belle, Stratton was asked about Rose recently saying on her podcast that Stratton used her slogan, “Put some respect on my name.” Rose added, “This b—h even used like the same kind of tone.”
Stratton’s response suggested that she isn’t sweating Mandy’s confrontational tone, as she replied: “Honestly, I think it’s a little sad that she felt the need to go on her podcast and say something like that. But, I wish her the best, honestly.”
When Stratton began her WWE run in NXT in late 2021, Rose was in the midst of what would become a 413-day reign as NXT women’s champion, which is the third-longest reign in the history of the title.
Before getting released from WWE in December 2022, Rose had gone back to NXT after experiencing success on the main roster, and she seemed to finally be hitting her stride as a pro wrestler.
At the same time, Stratton established herself as one of the fastest-rising stars in NXT history, and she eventually became NXT women’s champion in her own right.
After getting called up to the main roster, Stratton won the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match last year, and she successfully cashed it in on Nia Jax to become WWE women’s champion last month.
Despite her relatively limited experience, Stratton has been positioned as one of the top women’s wrestlers in WWE, and she is likely to compete in a huge singles match at WrestleMania 41.
With that in mind, it isn’t surprising that Stratton is choosing to avoid engaging with anything that distracts from her rise to the top of WWE.
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