Seth Rollins’ health is the top story in wrestling this weekend. After successfully defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Jinder Mahal in the main event of WWE Raw (January 15), the focus quickly shifted to the champion clutching his knee. 

He underwent an MRI anfter Raw. Fightful later reported Rollins tore his MCL and meniscus. Since then, he’s been pulled from live events as fans wonder about how long this latest knee injury will keep him out of action.

Rollins is expected to address the WWE Universe at the start of Raw this coming Monday. We know he was scheduled to be in a featured match at WrestleMania, but is that still the plan?

Seth Rollins’ Current WrestleMania Status

WWE is planning CM Punk vs Seth Rollins for WrestleMania 40. This has been their plan since after Punk was re-inserted into the WWE landscape. The match writes itself, and Triple H wants to put that contest on the grandest stage of them all.

While seeking additional information about Rollins’ status, I inquired about his current WrestleMania situation, and whether they are discussing alternate matches for CM Punk at Mania. I was told by a tenured member of the WWE creative team that as of Friday evening, “Rollins is still on for Mania at this moment.”

That being said, Rollins’ announcement on Monday likely won’t take him out of the road to WrestleMania. The Architect is set to open the January 22nd episode of WWE RAW by addressing his future as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Randy Orton will replace Seth Rollins at this weekend’s WWE live events. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion will get some time off, but WrestleMania is still in the cards for him.

Recovery Time From MCL Injury

Seth Rollins suffered a torn MCL and a partially torn meniscus during that match with Jinder Mahal. The recovery time for such an injury certainly gives him room to heal up before the show of shows.

According to The Cleveland Clinic, a grade 1 (mild) MCL tear usually heals within one to three weeks. After that, a grade 2 (moderate) MCL tear generally takes four to six weeks to heal with treatment. Then, a grade 3 (severe) MCL tear can take six weeks or more to heal with treatment.

As of this writing, WrestleMania 40 is set to take place in 11 weeks. It is unclear how bad Rollins tore his MCL, but it appears that he will have plenty of recovery time unless unforeseen circumstances arise.

Damage CTRL’s Bayley has set her sights on the WWE Women’s World Championship and hopes to capture the gold at WrestleMania 40. 

On this week’s SmackDown, Bayley sat on commentary for the Women’s Tag Team Championship bout between champions Katana Chance & Kayden Carter and challengers Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn. During her time behind the table, Bayley dubbed herself the ‘Mami-Slayer’ and vowed to win the Women’s Royal Rumble. 

Given that IYO SKY is the WWE Women’s Champion, Bayley made it clear she plans to challenge Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania. To add insult to injury, Bayley wore one of Ripley’s shirts for the show. 

Call me the Mami Slayer.
I’m coming for you Rhea Ripley.#RoyalRumble #SmackDown @RheaRipley_WWE pic.twitter.com/HbCK8PKB7n

— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) January 20, 2024

Bayley Vs. Rhea Ripley

Bayley and Rhea Ripley have shared the ring as opponents a total of four times. To date, their only singles match took place on the March 20, 2023, edition of Raw, and saw Ripley get the win. Their first encounter would be a triple-threat on the December 5, 2022, Raw alongside Asuka that Bayley would win. They have also competed in the 2021 and 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble matches, the latter of which Ripley would win. 

Another Challenger

Bayley isn’t the only Superstar with her sights set on The Judgment Day’s resident Mami. On Raw this week, Becky Lynch confronted Rhea Ripley and made it clear she plans to win the Women’s Rumble and challenge the Eradicator. Ripley, who had previously warned the roster not to waste their Rumble win by challenging her, said she is rooting for Lynch to win the match. 

The 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble Match

Bayley was the first Superstar to be declared for the Women’s Royal Rumble Match. She is joined by Nia Jax and former Rumble winners Becky Lynch (2019 winner) and Bianca Belair (2021 winner.)

Bayley plans on winning the Women’s Royal Rumble match, unless… 

Kazuchika Okada dreams of competing at WrestleMania, and that’s a dream that those in WWE management are well aware of. 

This week, it was confirmed that Okada’s tenure with New Japan Pro Wrestling will finish at the end of this month. While his contract will run out on January 31, Okada will compete at the NJPW New Beginnings events scheduled for February. Okada is a five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and two-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. He is the only person to hold the latter title more than once. 

Is Kazuchika Okada WWE Bound? 

WWE has had interest in Okada for some time and has sought to win him over in recent months. The push of Shinsuke Nakamura in late 2023 was reportedly an effort to show Okada that Japanese talent can thrive in WWE. Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reports Triple H and Shawn Michaels have “significant interest” in bringing Okada on board. 

Multiple sources close to NJPW revealed that he has always wanted to perform at a WrestleMania, a dream Triple H is aware of. The belief is that should a match happen, AJ Styles or Finn Balor would be the right opponents for Okada’s WrestleMania match. Both men have pre-existing relationships with Okada thanks to their respective NJPW runs. 

Is Okada All-Elite? 

WWE may want Okada, but AEW also has its sights set on the Japanese star. Okada has worked with AEW in the past via the Forbidden Door crossover events with New Japan. He is also close with AEW EVPs Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks. Okada has formed a rivalry and friendship with Bryan Danielson, whom he faced at Forbidden Door II in 2023 and earlier this month at Wrestle Kingdom 18. Okada also competed on an October 2023, edition of Dynamite. 

Cody Rhodes has ensured that a club of young wrestling fans will be at WrestleMania 40 when the Showcase of the Immortals comes to Philadelphia this August. 

The Wrestling Club is a group organized by Victor Taylor Perry at KIPP AMP Middle School In Brooklyn, New York. The kids gather to watch wrestling from various promotions, discuss the matches they’ve seen and share their collective love for the industry. The Wrestling Club has proven to be quite popular online and has been visited by the likes of Kenny Omega, FTR, Big E, Shelton Benjamin, Titus O’Neil, and AJ Styles.  

Earlier today, WWE Superstars made a special surprise visit to The Wrestling Club at Brooklyn’s Kipp Amp Middle School for a Black History Month Panel! ?@wallflowerperry pic.twitter.com/n40uP4fLlD

— WWE (@WWE) February 13, 2023

Going to WrestleMania 40

Like any WWE fan, the Wrestling Club dreams of one day attending a WrestleMania. In November, Perry set up a fund that people could donate to that would go towards making this dream a reality. This week, Cody Rhodes decided to make those dreams come true and revealed that he has paid for the tickets and hotels for the club. 

I could buy a bunch of popcorn or I could just tell ya’ ?

I’ve got your tickets and hotels

You’re going to Wrestlemania 40! https://t.co/0A5ovMvrcJ

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) January 4, 2024

Responding, Perry was overwhelmed by the immensely generous offer by WWE’s popular Superstar. 

Unspeakable joy. ?

— Victor Taylor Perry (@wallflowerperry) January 4, 2024

WrestleMania 40

WWE WrestleMania 40 will take place on April 6, and April 7, marking the fifth two-night WrestleMania; a format that debuted during the Covid-19 pandemic. This will be the second WrestleMania to be hosted in the city of Brotherly Love, following on from WrestleMania 15 in 1999. 

No matches have been confirmed for the show, and questions remain as to Cody Rhodes’ involvement with the event. While many predicted that Cody would challenge Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns once more, that may no longer be the case. On this week’s Raw, The Rock teased coming for Reigns’ spot as Head of the Table. 

 WWE has reportedly been considering Jimmy Uso Vs. Jey Uso for WrestleMania 40 though that match has yet to be announced. 

The Rock’s return to WWE television this week sparked a lot of conversation. Fans all over are now discussing the possibility of The Rock vs Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. John Cena also took notice.

The Rock’s Surprise WWE Return

During the January 1st episode of WWE RAW, The Rock made an unexpected appearance, taking the opportunity to address Jinder Mahal to shut down his anti-American promo.

The Rock got some “Day One Douche Bag” chants going for Jinder Mahal, and then the segment was kicked up a notch.

In an attempt to ambush The Rock, Jinder Mahal jumped Dwayne Johnson in the ring. However, The Rock acted fast, responding with a series of punches, his signature spinebuster, and ultimately delivering his People’s Elbow.

The Rock then picked up the microphone and engaged with the San Diego crowd, asking them whether he should sit at the “head of the table” when he goes out to dinner after the show.

John Cena Reacts To The Rock vs Roman Reigns Hype

That dig at Roman Reigns was apparent, and they even called attention to it after the next commercial break. It appears that John Cena saw that go down as well, and he responded on Instagram.

Although John Cena never uses captions on Instagram, he certainly didn’t need to in this instance. The Greatest of All Time dropped a graphic of The Rock and Roman Reigns, adding to the hype of this perspective match.

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C1mZ8AoO7jD

Exclusive Insight On Roman Reigns vs The Rock at WrestleMania

Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns was the match at WrestleMania 40. At this time, the WWE creative team is totally in the dark regarding the possibility of that match changing. I personally spoke to members of the creative team this morning about this very subject.

This is all happening in real time, but The Rock 100% has the pull in WWE to claim that match if he wants it. This will be a very interesting road to WrestleMania. 

Dana White is feeling in a generous mood and is giving away tickets for the biggest WWE show of 2024: WrestleMania 40.

White is the President of UFC, which alongside WWE, makes up TKO Group Holdings. TKO was launched in September of this year and operates under the Endeavor banner. It was back in April that Endeavor announced that they would be acquiring WWE for the sum of $9.3 billion. Endeavor acquired UFC back in 2016. 

Dana White & WrestleMania

With WWE & UFC now both under the TKO Group umbrella, there has been speculation of a potential crossover between the two companies. While we’re yet to see talent from either promotion appear for the other, Dana White is now giving away tickets for next April’s WrestleMania 40. On Twitter, White shared that he would be giving away two tickets to the two-night event, as part of his 12 days of giveaways. The video was also shared by WWE’s own Twitter account. 

Day 11 of my #12DaysGiveaways! I'm working with @WWE to giveaway a badass trip to Wrestlemania!

Enter now: https://t.co/SQrHLXBhW1 pic.twitter.com/ABOoN5lOT0

— danawhite (@danawhite) December 24, 2023

WWE WrestleMania 40

WWE WrestleMania 40 will take place on April 6, and April 7, marking the fifth two-night WrestleMania; a format that debuted during the Covid-19 pandemic. This will be the second WrestleMania to be hosted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, following on from WrestleMania 15 in 1999.

WWE has confirmed zero matches for WrestleMania 40 at this point. With that said, many have predicted that the show’s second night will be headlined by Cody Rhodes facing Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a rematch from their encounter at this year’s WrestleMania. WWE has reportedly been considering Jimmy Uso Vs. Jey Uso for WrestleMania 40, but suspect the wait may be too long and fans could lose interest in their storyline. 

Could ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin compete at WrestleMania 40? Never say never. Click here to find out more. 

Snoop Dogg is a long-time pro wrestling fan, and he’s a WWE Hall of Famer for a reason. The Doggfather was also given a special golden WWE Title belt, but he’s going to let the Eagles hold it for a while.

Snoop Dogg Has A Gift For The Eagles

As preparations for WrestleMania 40 next year are underway, Snoop Dogg handed over his golden WWE Title belt to the Philadelphia Eagles. Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson are now responsible for keeping track of that title.

WWE posted a video of Snoop Dogg formally handing over the Golden WWE Championship to the Philadelphia Eagles, hoping that they keep the title safe until WrestleMania 40. This was quite a viral moment that drew attention from the pro wrestling, hip-hop, and football worlds.

Ahead of #WrestleMania 40 in Philly, @SnoopDogg has entrusted the Philadelphia @Eagles with his #WWEGoldenTitle! Let’s see if they can hold onto it until WrestleMania

Ahead of #WrestleMania 40 in Philly, @SnoopDogg has entrusted the Philadelphia @Eagles with his #WWEGoldenTitle! Let’s see if they can hold onto it until WrestleMania ? pic.twitter.com/qAJE3hlgrh

— WWE (@WWE) December 21, 2023

The Golden WWE Championship’s Journey

The journey of Snoop Dogg’s golden WWE Championship all started when he received it from Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch at the WrestleMania Launch Party held at SoFi Stadium in August 2022.

Snoop Dogg then brought it on the Holidaze of Blaze Tour, only for it to be stolen during the course of the events. That was all an angle, as other celebrities like Pete Davidson, Rob Gronkowski, William Shatner, and several others were spotted with the championship.

With WrestleMania 40 scheduled to go down at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, April 6th, and Sunday, April 7th, 2024, WWE seems ready for some sort of storyline around Snoop Dogg’s Golden WWE Championship. We will have to see what they have planned for the showcase of the immortals, but the Eagles are keeping that title close.

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:CmR6XtbvH7w

Rob Van Dam has been associated with WWE for the past two decades, but his appearances might not be plentiful now. RVD made a surprising debut in AEW during the August 2nd episode of AEW Dynamite this year. That may have tainted his relationship with WWE.

During Marty Jannetty’s “Party with Marty” podcast, RVD hinted that his AEW debut might impact his chances of appearing at WrestleMania 40 in 2024. That is a shame, because the show of shows is going down in Philadelphia next year.

While RVD confirmed his presence at next year’s WrestleCon, he provided a somewhat elusive response regarding his WrestleMania 40 status, implying that there might not be a planned appearance. 

“Allegedly I got booked for an appearance, and then allegedly that appearance was canceled when I showed up on an alleged competitor’s TV program, and then allegedly I might be pre-booked — either way, I’m going to be there at WrestleCon!” 

WrestleMania 40 is set to take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the former stomping grounds of ECW, sparking fan speculation about The Whole F’N Show being a natural addition to the festivities. If anything, Philly fans would love to chant “R-V-D” once again.

RVD never inked a contract with Tony Khan, and he was on a per appearance deal. He still made some waves in the pro wrestling world with that debut, as another WWE Hall of Famer graced an AEW ring.

We can only hope that RVD is included in WrestleMania 40 in some way, because Philadelphia really would be a great place to see him re-appear under WWE’s bright lights. If that booking is going to happen, RVD isn’t saying anything about it at this point. At least fans know RVD will be at WrestleCon.

The 2024 WrestleMania event now has a location.

The “Grandest Stage of Them All” is WWE’s biggest yearly event. This year’s WrestleMania two-night event took place inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas back in April.

The 2023 WrestleMania show will be held inside SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

But what about the 2024 location?

The City of Brotherly Love

WWE has announced that WrestleMania 40 is scheduled for Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7 in 2024. Playing host to WWE’s biggest event will be Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA.

In a press release, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney expressed his excitement:

“We are proud to welcome WWE fans from around the world to Philadelphia to be a part of the historic 40^thWrestleMania in 2024,” said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. “The week-long series of events will help put a global spotlight on our great city while also generating a major impact for our local economy.”

Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau President & CEO Gregg Caren was also ecstatic over the news and he welcomes WWE fans to the “City of Brotherly Love.”

“Philadelphia is excited to host WrestleMania for the first time in 25 years,” said Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau President & CEO Gregg Caren. “The combination of Philadelphia’s passionate fans joining forces with WWE’s worldwide fan base will create an incredible electricity throughout the city for the events at Lincoln Financial Field, Wells Fargo Center and the Pennsylvania Convention Center.”

WWE claimed that a combined 156,352 fans attended WrestleMania this year and the live gate and attendance record from WrestleMania 32 inside AT&T Stadium back in 2016 was broken.