Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Owens Reportedly Worked Through Foot Injury at Royal Rumble
While Kevin Owens was selling a storyline hand injury during his United States Championship match against Logan Paul at Royal Rumble, he was reportedly nursing a legitimate injury as well.
According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Owens worked through a fractured foot, which he suffered during his win over Santos Escobar to determine the No. 1 contender for the U.S. title.
Owens didn't show any signs of wear during the match, as it went 14 minutes and both Superstars put forth excellent performances.
Paul introduced brass knuckles into the match, but Owens took them and used them on Paul. It appeared that KO was about to win the title, but the referee noticed the brass knuckles before he counted to three and disqualified Owens.
That type of finish suggests WWE isn't done with the Paul vs. Owens storyline, and it could mean there are plans to run it back at Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia, next month or at WrestleMania 40 in April.
It is unclear if the injury could cause Owens to miss any time, but if he worked through it Saturday night, he may be willing and able to make it through WrestleMania season as well.
Owens has been in the main-event match of Night 1 of WrestleMania in each of the past two years, which speaks to his importance to the company.
Provided Owens continues to wrestle, he figures to have a significant spot on the WrestleMania card whether it is against Paul or someone else.
Rhodes vs. Rollins Reportedly Not Scheduled for WrestleMania 40
Despite Monday night's promo segment involving Cody Rhodes and world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins on Raw, there reportedly aren't plans for them to face each other at WrestleMania.
According to Meltzer (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), the current plan is for the winner of an Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber premium live event to challenge Rollins on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Rhodes won his second consecutive men's Royal Rumble match on Saturday night, and after his victory, he pointed at undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns, which seemed to indicate they would have a WrestleMania 39 rematch in the main event of WrestleMania 40.
However, while Rhodes was cutting a promo Monday night on Raw, Rollins interrupted and explained why Rhodes should challenge him instead, noting that the World Heavyweight Championship is the workhorse title meant for blue-collar wrestlers like Cody's father, the late Dusty Rhodes.
Cody said he would think about Rollins' proposal and left Raw without announcing a formal decision.
All signs pointed toward Rollins vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania, but Rollins recently announced that he tore his MCL and meniscus, and Punk announced Monday that he tore his triceps during the Rumble.
While Rollins has vowed to be ready for WrestleMania, Punk will be unable to compete, meaning WWE must find Rollins a different opponent for the Showcase of the Immortals.
McIntyre Reportedly Still Hasn't Signed New WWE Contract
Despite WWE seemingly making significant future plans for Drew McIntyre, the two-time WWE champion reportedly still hasn't signed a new contract with the company.
According to Meltzer (h/t Carrier), McIntyre is not under contract past April, which made his segment on Raw somewhat surprising.
After Punk announced that he suffered a torn triceps, McIntyre came to the ring and said he prayed for it to happen. The Scottish Warrior then ended the segment by attacking Punk and stomping on his injured arm.
Before the attack, Punk said he would come back to not only headline next year's WrestleMania, but to seek revenge on McIntyre as well.
Punk likely won't be back until the summer or possibly even the fall, and if McIntyre doesn't re-sign, they won't be able to pay off the attack angle.
The fact that WWE went through with it anyway could mean McIntyre actually has agreed to a new deal in secret, or WWE may just be supremely confident that he is going to re-sign in the near future.
Given how strongly McIntyre has been booked and how big of a part of Raw he has been in recent months, he stands out as a top candidate to replace Punk on the WrestleMania card.
Both of McIntyre's two WWE title wins came with no fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and letting him finally reach the top of the mountain in front of fans would be a crowning achievement in his career.
Of course, WWE almost certainly won't let him win the title unless he re-signs, so the way McIntyre is booked between now and WrestleMania should be quite telling regarding his future with WWE.
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