Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Edge's Retirement Reportedly Could Be Imminent
After making a surprise return to WWE in 2020, Edge's retirement is on the horizon, and it reportedly could come as soon as this week.
The Hall of Famer challenged Sheamus to a match on SmackDown Live this Friday, which is the 25th anniversary of his WWE debut. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Edge could possibly call it a career in his hometown of Toronto:
"There's a big thing here. A year ago, Edge had said he was gonna retire at the (2023) summer show in Toronto. And Ron Hutchinson, who is Edge's trainer, and has known Edge for 30 years, he basically said that this is Edge's last match. They certainly did not (build it up like that). But that was interesting where he said it's probably – it's most likely Edge's last match."
Meltzer went on to add that despite the match not being promoted as Edge's retirement match, his desire to end his legendary run in his hometown could influence his decision:
"I think the idea was that Edge thought that maybe SummerSlam was gonna be in Toronto and was hoping for that, and then that would be where he would retire. Because he wants to retire in Toronto, and this is the year he was talking about retiring, for real, the second retirement. This is the last Toronto show for a while, I mean, there'll be another one. So I don't know if this is the retirement, they're not billing it as such, but his trainer said that it's probably his last match."
Edge last wrestled on the July 7 episode of SmackDown where he defeated Grayson Waller. He's at a stage in his career where he's been helping put over younger talent and is unlikely to win a championship, so it wouldn't be farfetched for the 49-year-old to be ready to hang up his boots for good.
WWE Reportedly Happy with Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes WrestleMania 39 Decision
Wrestling fans were left shocked when Cody Rhodes failed to defeat Roman Reigns for the Undisputed Universal Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 39. However, WWE reportedly believes it made the right call to keep the title on Reigns.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), "WWE officials see the company's growth as proof they made the right decision not having Cody Rhodes dethrone Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39."
In April, WWE was acquired by Endeavor in a deal that will see a new publicly traded company that will run both WWE and UFC. The new company is expected to have a valuation of over $21 billion.
In addition to WWE's corporate advancements, the in-ring product has also vastly improved in recent months. In addition to The Bloodline saga involving Reigns and The Usos being the best storyline of the modern era, stars like World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and The Judgement Day have been performing at a high level while being prominently featured across multiple shows.
Fans are surely wondering when Rhodes will finally break through and win a championship to "finish the story." But for now, it sounds like WWE is content with the current direction.
Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens Reportedly to Remain Tag Champs Despite Injuries
While Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are both dealing with legitimate injuries, their reign reportedly will not be ending anytime soon.
Owens was absent from last week's episode of Monday Night Raw while he nurses a broken rib. During the episode, Zayn was attacked backstage by JD McDonagh and fans were left concerned over an apparently gruesome elbow injury:
WWE @WWEAfter <a href="https://twitter.com/jd_mcdonagh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jd_mcdonagh</a> takes out <a href="https://twitter.com/SamiZayn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SamiZayn</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShinsukeN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShinsukeN</a> replaces him to fight alongside <a href="https://twitter.com/WWERollins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WWERollins</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CodyRhodes</a>.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWERaw?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWERaw</a> <a href="https://t.co/lTTpYGmmBr">pic.twitter.com/lTTpYGmmBr</a>
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), "WWE doesn't plan to take the tag titles off" Zayn and Owens despite their injuries. Zayn's elbow issue reportedly "is believed to be a bursa sac infection."
Zayn and Owens have held the unified tag team titles since they defeated The Usos at WrestleMania 39 in April, which ended The Usos' record-setting reign. Since then, the two of them have feuded with the likes of Imperium and The Judgement Day.
It will be interesting to see how the tag titles are handled while Zayn and Owens are recovering from their injuries. WWE's next premium live event Payback is less than a month away on Sept. 2, so fans would be disappointed if the fan-favorite duo isn't able to compete on the show.
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