Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Rollins Open to MMA Fight vs. Punk
Seth Rollins is set to face CM Punk in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 41 on Saturday in a Triple Threat that also includes Roman Reigns, but Rollins may have his sights set on another clash with Punk as well.
During an appearance on Outta Pocket with former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Rollins suggested that he wouldn’t be against competing in an MMA fight against Punk for UFC, saying:
“For real? Uh, sure, yeah. I would. Look, I’m not gonna just bust into his locker room backstage and start, you know, lighting him up. But like, if [UFC president] Dana White wanted to book CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins, you know, the first non-UFC fighter vs. non-UFC fighter fight on one of his cards?
“I’d put on the gloves and give it a go. It might be the only one I do, but yeah—I would. You put me in there with like any of the other guys in my weight class? I’m out. But yeah, I mean, Dana—you want to make some money? Book it, brother. That would be fun.“
Rollins has not been shy about airing out his issues with Punk ever since Punk returned to WWE in November 2023, and their apparent real-life turmoil has made for an entertaining on-screen rivalry.
Even so, Punk and Rollins have managed to keep things professional, and there is no indication that their dislike for each other has prevented them from working together effectively.
However, if Punk and Rollins were to ever go toe to toe in the Octagon, it could conceivably result in things getting far more personal.
Punk would actually have the experience advantage in that scenario since he had two fights for UFC following his WWE departure in 2014.
His first bout was a submission loss to Mickey Gall in 2016, followed by a unanimous decision loss to Mike Jackson in 2018, although the latter was overturned and changed to a no contest after Jackson tested positive for marijuana.
That marked the end of Punk’s MMA career, and it is unclear if he would ever be open to giving it another try.
Since WWE and UFC are now under the same umbrella as TKO, it makes crossovers more plausible than ever before, so it is fair to wonder if White would actually consider the idea if Rollins and Punk were to become serious about it.
Goldberg Discusses Retirement Match Details
Ahead of his anticipated retirement match this year, WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg provided some insight this week into what fans can potentially expect.
In an interview with Mia Valdez of MySanAntonio.com, Goldberg said his retirement match will occur “at some point prior to the end of 2025.”
He noted that while he is training hard for the match, he doesn’t yet know for sure who he’ll be facing or at which event it will take place.
Goldberg made a surprise return to WWE programming at Bad Blood back in October, as he was in the front row for the event, which took place in his adopted hometown of Atlanta.
World heavyweight champion Gunther got on the mic and taunted Goldberg, prompting the three-time WWE world champion to jump the barricade and go after the Ring General.
Security broke things up before Goldberg could attack Gunther, but it may have set the stage for a future match between them.
In November, Goldberg appeared on SEC Network’s SEC Nation and announced that he would have a WWE retirement match in 2025:
Goldberg wasn’t sure at that time who his opponent would be, but he named Gunther as a strong possibility.
If Gunther drops the world title to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41 this weekend, it could open him up to progress the program with Goldberg and set the stage for a match.
When it may happen remains unclear, but SummerSlam could be a sensible target given that it is a two-night event for the first time ever this year and could benefit from an attraction such as Goldberg’s retirement match.
Knight Addresses Reported Backstage Heat with McIntyre
LA Knight gave his take this week on rumors that there were backstage issues between him and Drew McIntyre coming out of Royal Rumble in February.
During an appearance on Gorilla Position (h/t Mukherjee), Knight acknowledged that he and McIntyre worked out their issues, saying: “Look, I can’t tell you the inner workings here, but there were some conversations had, I’ll tell you that. There were no problems.”
Following the Royal Rumble, PWInsider Elite (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats) reported that McIntyre was frustrated with Knight due to his belief that Knight’s “errant movement killed the drama and momentum” of Damian Priest eliminating McIntyre.
PWInsider.com (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News) added that McIntyre was “screaming and cursing” backstage afterward, and that he “stormed out of the building” before the men’s Rumble match ended.
That part of the story was news to Knight, who told Gorilla Position:
“He stormed out? I didn’t even know. No, no idea. I got to the monitor, I saw the rest of the deal, and—no, he was already back there before I was. His ass got tossed already. I didn’t know anything about it, okay? I didn’t know anything about it until I was sitting at home Sunday night and somebody sent me an article. I was like, ‘Ah, that’s interesting.‘”
Regardless of what actually happened at Royal Rumble, every indication is that both McIntyre and Knight moved past it and remained professional.
Knight went on to win the United States Championship back from Shinsuke Nakamura, and he is lined up to defend it against Jacob Fatu at WrestleMania 41 this weekend.
Meanwhile, McIntyre and Priest will do battle in a Sin City Street Fight to settle a rivalry that began last year at WrestleMania 40.
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