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WWE Rumors on Cody Rhodes; Undertaker Jokes About Sting; Mike Tyson vs. Logan Paul

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVMarch 15, 2024

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 11: Cody Rhodes talks to the crowd during WWE Monday Night RAW at Toyota Center on March 11, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)
Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.


Rhodes to Reportedly Be Portrayed Like Rocky at WrestleMania

For the second year in a row, Cody Rhodes is set to challenge Roman Reigns for the undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the main event of WrestleMania.

Rhodes fell just short at WrestleMania 39 due to interference from Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline, and he is looking to avoid that at WrestleMania 40, as The Bloodline will be banned from getting involved if Rhodes and Seth Rollins can beat Reigns and The Rock in a tag team match on Night 1 of WrestleMania.

Regardless of the result of that match, WWE is reportedly looking to draw inspiration from a fictional character with deep ties to the WrestleMania host city of Philadelphia when it comes to its presentation of Rhodes.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE wants to portray Rhodes in a similar light to Rocky Balboa, who is the titular character in the legendary film franchise Rocky.

Meltzer noted that WWE is developing a promotional video for Rhodes, and the goal is for Rhodes to come across as a "Philadelphia-style underdog."

The Rocky character is from Philly, and he is among the most beloved figures in movie history due to his status as an underdog and his penchant for overcoming the odds.

Rocky did plenty of losing, but he always bounced back and scored some big victories as well, which is what Cody is hoping to do at WrestleMania 40.

Reigns is one of the greatest and longest-reigning world champions in WWE history, and The Bloodline has helped him retain on numerous occasions.

It seems likely that Reigns and The Rock will win on Night 1 so the odds are stacked against Rhodes again. And if Cody finally overcomes them, it will be one of the biggest moments in the history of pro wrestling.


Undertaker Jokes About Dream Match vs. Sting

The Undertaker vs. Sting is arguably the biggest match that never happened in pro wrestling, and with both legendary performers now retired, it will always be viewed as a huge "what if."

Taker retired nearly four years ago following his WrestleMania 36 match against AJ Styles, and Sting enjoyed one last run in AEW before wrestling his final match earlier this month at Revolution.

Answering questions on his Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway Patreon page (h/t Nikunj Walia of Ringside News), The Undertaker noted that while he still struggles with wanting to get back in the ring at some point, he intends on staying retired:

"It's still tough for me. I'm still coming to grips with it. I may or may not have said to my wife recently that I was going to make a comeback. Fortunately, I think I've talked myself out of that. No, there's not one more match. I just got back from Australia. I was tired and I knew I had a lot of stuff coming up and that was me just feeling comfortable saying it. That's the only thing I do know. Don't expect it. There's not going to be one more match. Don't even start."

Taker went on to joke that if Sting didn't retire, he may have ended his retirement for one final match against The Icon: "Well, I mean, if Sting hadn't retired, maybe. He ruined the whole thing. I got new knees and he went and had to go and retire. … Oh my gosh, we're going to get so much heat for that."

During the Attitude Era and Monday Night War, The Undertaker and Sting were among the top stars for their respective companies in WWE and WCW, and they both remained loyal.

They both portrayed dark and ominous characters as well, so it is only natural that fans routinely talked about wishing they could see them clash in the ring.

It could have happened after WWE bought WCW in 2001, but Sting opted to take time off and then went to TNA rather than signing with WWE.

Sting finally made the jump to WWE in 2014, but rather than booking him in a match against The Undertaker, WWE pitted him against Triple H at WrestleMania 31.

His only other pay-per-view singles match was a loss to Seth Rollins at Night of Champions 2015, and Sting never wrestled for WWE again due to a neck injury.

The Undertaker vs. Sting feels like a huge missed opportunity, but it doesn't take away from what both men accomplished during their illustrious careers.


Jake Paul Denies Logan's Tyson Fight Claim

Rising boxing star Jake Paul denied this week that his brother, WWE Superstar Logan Paul, was offered a fight against legendary heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson.

Speaking this week on his Impaulsive podcast (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Logan claimed that he denied the opportunity to fight Tyson, saying: "I said no to fighting Mike Tyson. I was offered it, but not on Netflix and not for a big-ass bag. My answer is yes [I can beat him]. I just think he's too old, it's crazy. He's senile."

Jake, who is going to fight Tyson on July 20 in a bout that will be streamed live on Netflix, disputed his brother's comments.

Talking during a stream with Adin Ross (h/t Carrier), Jake said: "It is not true. We are the ones that brought the deal to Mike Tyson. My team struck a deal with Netflix, and then went to other fighters to get them involved."

Jake rose to fame as an actor and YouTuber, and he has increased his stardom by compiling a 9-1 record as a professional boxer.

Many of his wins have come across former UFC stars such as Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz, but he beat actual boxers in his past two bouts.

Tyson will present an entirely different challenge than he is used to, as Iron Mike was a multi-time world heavyweight champion with a career record of 50-6 with two no contests.

However, Tyson is 57 years of age and hasn't had an official pro fight since 2005, although he did look good in an exhibition against fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.

Logan has had a handful of boxing matches, including an exhibition against undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr., but his primary focus over the past couple years has been on wrestling.

He has quickly established himself as one of WWE's top stars and is the reigning United States champion, so even if the Tyson fight was an option, he has a lot on his plate currently and is perhaps best off putting all his eggs in the wrestling basket.


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