Goldberg Teases WWE Return, Latest Rumors on Rusev's Contract and Joe Hendry at Mania
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Goldberg Says It's "Time to Replicate" WWE Return
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg is set to have his retirement match this year, and he suggested Monday night on social media that he could return to the fold in the near future.
In a post on X, Goldberg dropped the video of his massive return to WWE in 2016, including the caption: "About time to replicate this!"
The 58-year-old Goldberg has not had a match since losing to Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber in February 2022, but his in-ring return is now only a matter of time.
After a lengthy absence from WWE programming, Goldberg resurfaced back in October at the Bad Blood premium live event in his adopted hometown of Atlanta.
Goldberg was in the front row watching the show with his family when then-world heavyweight champion Gunther arrived on the scene and made some disparaging remarks regarding the former WCW and WWE world champ.
Goldberg jumped the barricade and attempted to attack Gunther, but security intervened and prevented them from locking horns.
Shortly after his appearance at Bad Blood, Goldberg was a guest on SEC Network's SEC Nation, which is where he broke the news regarding his retirement match.
Goldberg noted that while it would occur in 2025, he wasn't sure of which event would play host to his final match, nor was he sure of the opponent.
However, Goldberg did mention Gunther as a likely candidate given their run-in at Bad Blood.
With Gunther dropping the World Heavyweight Championship to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41, he is free and clear to rekindle his rivalry with Goldberg when the Hall of Famer shows back up on WWE programming.
Rusev Reportedly Signs 2-Year Contract with WWE
Details have emerged regarding Rusev's deal with WWE following his return to the company on Monday night's episode of Raw.
According to Deadline.com's Rosy Cordero, Rusev signed a two-year contract with WWE. His wife, former WWE Superstar Lana, reportedly signed a legends deal with the company as well.
Rusev first signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2010, and he eventually debuted on the main roster in 2014, going on a lengthy winning streak that saw him win the United States Championship.
In his first WrestleMania match, Rusev dropped the U.S. title to John Cena at WrestleMania 31.
Rusev went on to become a three-time United States champion overall before getting released in 2020. Going by his real name of Miro, Rusev signed with AEW and debuted in September 2020.
He enjoyed a great deal of success at first, holding the TNT Championship once, but his usage declined significantly over the past couple of years, leading to his departure and return to WWE.
On Monday's post-WrestleMania edition of Raw, New Day were set to defend the World Tag Team Championships against Otis and Akira Tozawa, but Rusev made his surprise return by attacking both Otis and Tozawa.
That seemingly solidified Rusev as a monster heel, which was the character he portrayed during his most successful run in WWE.
Given the relatively short-term nature of his reported deal with WWE, Rusev may need to make a sizable impact quite quickly in order to land a longer contract if he desires one.
Details on Hendry Being Chosen as Orton's WrestleMania Opponent
TNA world champion Joe Hendry shocked the pro wrestling world Sunday night at WrestleMania 41 when he emerged as the surprise opponent for Randy Orton.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), WWE began "lining up" Hendry as Orton's WrestleMania opponent even before Kevin Owens' announcement that he would have to miss WrestleMania due to a neck injury.
However, many people in TNA reportedly didn't learn it was going to happen "for sure" until Saturday.
Owens was originally supposed to face Orton at WrestleMania, continuing a feud that started several months ago after KO put Orton on the shelf with a piledriver.
However, with Owens requiring time off due to a legitimate neck injury, WWE decided to have Orton lay down an open challenge on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Hendry arrived to a huge reaction from the fans, and although the match was a relatively short loss to Orton, he got plenty of spotlight and the chance to showcase himself and TNA at the biggest event in wrestling.
During an appearance on Busted Open (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Hendry clapped back against criticism of how the match was booked, expressing his belief that it wasn't a squash.
Hendry also said: "My job as TNA champion and what defines this reign is business and getting as many eyeballs on TNA Wrestling as possible. You know who else lost quickly at WrestleMania in a similar fashion? John Cena."
Additionally, Hendry said CM Punk told him the match against Orton was "exactly how it should've gone."
Orton was always going to win at WrestleMania based on the clear setup for a match between him and new WWE champion John Cena at Backlash next month.
Given Orton's status as a 14-time world champion and one of the all-time greats, losing to him did little to take away from what Hendry accomplished at WrestleMania.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.
WWE Reveals WrestleMania 41 as Most-Viewed and Highest-Grossing Event in WWE History
WWE announced Tuesday that WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas this past weekend set numerous company records in the areas of viewership and revenue.
In a press release, WWE noted that viewership for WrestleMania 41 on Peacock domestically and other platforms globally were up 114 percent from last year's WrestleMania 40, setting a new viewership record for a WrestleMania.
Additionally, the 124,693 fans in attendance over two nights of WrestleMania 41 helped give it the largest gate of any event in WWE history, plus a 45 percent increase from last year's WrestleMania 40 in on-site merchandise sales made WrestleMania 41 the highest-grossing event of all time in WWE.
Other records include a new all-time high for revenue thanks to 28 sponsorship partners, plus a new mark for the most socially viewed event in WWE history, as WrestleMania 41 generated 1.1 billion views on social media over the weekend.
WrestleMania 41 took place at the Las Vegas Raiders' Allegiant Stadium on Saturday and Sunday, and it featured no shortage of memorable matches and moments.
Chief among them was the main event of Night 2, which saw John Cena beat Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship thanks to help from rapper Travis Scott.
By virtue of his victory, Cena set a new all-time record in major professional wrestling by becoming a 17-time world champion.
Additionally, Paul Heyman shocked the wrestling world in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 41, turning his back on both CM Punk and Roman Reigns to help Seth Rollins win a star-studded Triple Threat.
Other notable results include Jey Uso beating Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship, Iyo Sky defeating Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley to retain the Women's World Championship and Tiffany Stratton taking down Charlotte Flair to retain the WWE Women's Championship.
Also, after being off WWE programming for nearly a year, Becky Lynch made her triumphant return, teaming with Lyra Valkyria to beat Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.
WWE is already making preparations for next year's WrestleMania, which will emanate from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on April 11 and 12, 2026.
WrestleMania 42 will mark the third time WWE's biggest event has been held in New Orleans.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.
Rusev Returns to WWE Raw After WrestleMania Following 5 Years in AEW as Miro
Rusev made his long-awaited return to WWE during Monday Night Raw after a fiver-year stint at AEW.
Fans were stunned by the unexpected mid-match return during a tag-team clash between Otis and Akira Tozawa and The New Day.
or the first time since 2020, Rusev made his dramatic return to Monday Night Raw, with his name echoing through the arena, earning a thunderous pop from the crowd for the eight-year WWE veteran.
Rusev's AEW run peaked in 2021 when he defeated Darby Allin to become the TNT Champion. However, not much came to fruition for the former champion after that. His last televised appearance with the program came in December 2023.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com had first reported that the three-time United States champion had visited the WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut and signed a contract to return.
Fans were expecting a return for the big man at WrestleMania, but they thankfully got one the following Monday, on the coveted Raw after WrestleMania.
Leaving the WWE was not his decision, after he was a part of a large wave of roster cuts that happen usually after WrestleMania.
In the fall of 2020, he debuted in AEW under the new name Miro. His wife CJ Perry AKA Lana in WWE, also moved to AEW for a short stint, raising eyebrows about a potential Lana return alongside Rusev.
Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez Regain WWE Tag Team Titles, Becky Lynch Turns on Lyra
Perhaps one of the shortest-lived reigns in recent memory, Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria dropped the Womenâs Tag Team Titles back to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguezâless than 24 hours after defeating them on Night 2 of WrestleMania.
The devastating loss Monday one day after Lynch's triumphant return to the ring after nearly a year led to The Man turning on Valkyria in frustration.
However, on the Raw after WrestleMania, the two teams met again in a rematchâthis time ending in victory for the Judgment Day duo.
As Valkyria and Morgan battled in the ring, Rodriguez climbed onto the apron to support her partner. Valkyria aimed a punch at Morgan, who dodged it, causing Valkyria to accidentally strike Rodriguez and take out Lynch in the chaos.
Seizing the moment, Morgan hit Valkyria with an Oblivion and secured the pinfall to reclaim the titles.
Morgan and Rodriguez, now four-time Womenâs Tag Team Champions, have totaled 111 days with the belts but suffered a crushing WrestleMania loss to Valkyria and her surprise partner, Lynch.
Lynch had stepped in for the injured Bayley, who was originally slated to team with Valkyria at WrestleMania.
After their failed title defense, Lynch appeared to console Valkyria with a hugâonly to suddenly attack her in frustration, bringing an abrupt and bitter end to their short-lived tag team.
John Cena RKO'd By Randy Orton on WWE Raw After Championship Win at WrestleMania 41Â
Following John Cena's historic 17th title win on Night 2 of WrestleMania, he declared that he would ruin wrestlingâsomething Randy Orton clearly wasnât a fan of as he hit him with an RKO out of nowhere.
After the incident, Orton posted a picture on social media of himself sneaking up on Cena:
Orton's rebuttal came swiftly after Cena boldly declared, "I am the last real undisputed champion of the WWE," during his opening appearance on WWE Raw Monday night.
The 17-time champion followed it up by telling the crowd, "The title is coming home with me," signaling his intent to reshape the WWE landscapeâand possibly force the company into a new era following his departure.
A departure that's just 27 dates away, as Cena broke it down for the crowd, counting down from his original promise of 36 dates at the start of the year.
Even before defeating Cody Rhodes on Sunday to become the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cena was already making plans for what came nextâdoubling down on them during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show Monday morning.
"I'm gonna shut down wrestling...I'm going to make wrestling start over...that championship is coming home with me and I will be the last Undisputed WWE Champion. Period," Cena said.
After dethroning Roman Reignsâwho held the title for a record-setting 1,316 daysâCody Rhodes carried the championship for 378 days before his reign came to an end.
In the main event of Night 2 of WrestleMania in Las Vegas, Rhodes faced John Cena, who turned heel for the first time in his career, with a little help from special guest Travis Scott.
Orton had a WrestleMania win of his own against surprise guest, TNA wrestler Joe Hendry, who he made quick work of.
Now that heâs got the belt, Cena looks like he plans to hold it foreverâbut Randy Orton made it clear from Day 1 of Cenaâs 17th championship reign that he wonât let that happen without a fight.