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… 

Pro Wrestling Revolver and House of Glory Wrestling will come together to host a giant show during the weekend of WrestleMania 40. 

On Twitter, it was announced that the two companies will host an event on April 5, from Philadelphia, PA, the home of WWE’s upcoming two-night megashow. More details about the event are set to be released very soon. 

?BREAKING?

We’re coming to Philly to make some noise.@PWRevolver x @HOGwrestling

Friday, April 5th
Philadelphia, PA

Major announcement coming THIS FRIDAY, Jan 19th at 8pmET! pic.twitter.com/Gsv6lxOUau

— House Of Glory Wrestling (@HOGwrestling) January 18, 2024

Wrestling Revolver & House of Glory

Wrestling Revolver was founded in 2016 by Sami Callihan. The promotion’s next event will take place on January 25 from Dayton, Ohio. Upcoming events are set for Grand Prarie, Texas, and Clive, Iowa. 

House of Glory Wrestling was created by Amazing Red but is currently owned by Master P. The promotion’s current World Heavyweight Champion is Mike Santana, who defeated Matt Cardona at The Darkest Hour 2023 last month. 

WWE WrestleMania Weekend

The city of Brotherly Love will have more than its fair share of pro-wrestling entertainment this April. The same night as the Revolver/HOG Wrestling show, WWE will host its SmackDown show and the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The Saturday will feature WWE NXT Stand & Deliver & WWE WrestleMania 40: Night One, while Night Two will take place on the Sunday. The action won’t stop there with Monday Night Raw set for April 8. 

With WrestleMania set for Philadelphia, an ECW experience has been announced for the weekend. ECW legend Masato Tanaka is also coming to Philly and plans to wrestle during the weekend. 

Cody Rhodes recently went the extra mile for some fortunate young fans… 

WWE Superstar Bayley may be a founding member of Damage CTRL, but the Role Model is eager for a singles match at WrestleMania 40. 

WrestleMania 40 will take place from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on April 6, and April 7, 2024. The show will be WWE’s fifth two-night WrestleMania, a tradition that began in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Bayley Wants WrestleMania 40

With WrestleMania 40 still months away, no matches have been confirmed for the show. Plans for WrestleMania 40 will be much clearer after the Royal Rumble PLE set to take place this month. Speaking to Cageside Seats, Bayley shared her excitement about the upcoming Women’s Royal Rumble match and hopes that a win will be the launching point for her first singles match at WWE’s biggest annual event. 

“Everybody knows that when you win the Royal Rumble, you get to point at the sign and the fireworks go off. That’s the stuff you dream about. I’m excited to feel that. I wanna feel that and I wanna get that singles match at WrestleMania.”

While Bayley has competed several times at the Showcase of the Immortals, she has yet to have a singles match at WrestleMania. Instead, she has competed in battle royals, six-pack challenges, tag-team matches and won a four-way in 2017 to retain the Raw Women’s Championship. 

Bayley Reacts to Triple H

Bayley’s lengthy tenure in WWE (in addition to her exemplary work during the pandemic) has resulted in plenty of praise for the Role Model. During the post-Fastlane press conference, WWE COO Triple H called Bayley the all-star of the Women’s Division, and someone who doesn’t always get the credit she deserves. In the interview, Bayley reflected on the Game’s comment. 

“I hope he really meant it. It’s all over Twitter, so he can never take it back (chuckles)… to hear [Triple H] say that makes me feel like we’re like right there, because everything he said [at Fastlane] is everything I’m trying to be and more.”

Bayley has plans to win the Women’s Royal Rumble match, unless… 

WWE will also have international events in Saudi Arabia as part of the promotion’s decade-long agreement with the nation. The dates of these events have yet to be announced, but two will take place in the year ahead.

2024 is shaping up to be a big a year for the world’s premiere pro wrestling promotion, but they’ve got their work cut out for them if they want to make it their biggest year ever. WWE executive Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque recently touted last year’s record-shattering success:

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. 

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. 

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.

Fans in the United States will soon get to see Masato Tanaka back in the ring as part of WrestleMania weekend next April.

The 50-year-old continues to wrestle to this day and is looking for a role during the already-stacked weekend. On Twitter, Kikataru, the agent for Tanaka, shared that the Japanese wrestling legend is open to bookings for WrestleMania Weekend.

for US Promoters,

i doing booking agant for FMW&ECW Legend Masato Tanaka,

he is available international booking for Wrestle mania weekend,

contact me DM, pic.twitter.com/2kTvxQcQ3e

— kikutaro (@kikutarosan) December 18, 2023

Masato Tanaka

Masato Tanaka began his wrestling career in July 1993 as part of FMW and would later find his way to ECW. In December 1999, Tanaka captured the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, becoming the first champion not to be an American citizen. Tanaka has competed twice for WWE, with these matches being at the ECW One Night Stand shows in 2005 and in 2005.

WrestleMania Weekend

The highlight of WrestleMania weekend in April 2024 will, of course, be WrestleMania 40. The two-night event will take place on April 6, and April 7 from Lincoln, Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. This will be WWE’s fifth annual two-night WrestleMania, a concept introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With wrestling fans around the world descending on Philly, it’s hardly a surprise that other companies are heading to the city of Brotherly Love. Game Changer Wrestling will host its annual The Collective next year: a series of events featuring numerous promotions. There will also be an ‘ECW Experience’ event for WrestleMania weekend, but it won’t come cheap. For $9,000, fans can enjoy the EXW experience with Rob Van Dam, floor seats at WrestleMania 40, and a pre-show party with The Undertaker.