WWE News & Rumor Roundup: Major star has been officially replaced by the company, Unseen footage of Rhea Ripley, Roman Reigns update
Welcome to the WWE News & Rumor Roundup for January 19, 2025. In today's edition, we'll look at topics about Rhea Ripley and Roman Reigns.
Plus, the latest update on Corey Graves, and more. Let's get started:
#4 WWE releases unseen footage of The Rock and Rhea Ripley
A behind-the-scenes video from the WWE RAW premiere on Netflix has emerged, featuring many top superstars. Interestingly, The Rock met Rhea Ripley ahead of her title match that night.
Ripley, who went on to win the Women's World Championship, received some words of encouragement from the Hollywood megastar:
"Sorry, I don't want to bother you. I just want to say good luck. Do your thing. Thank you for everything you do. Thanks for carrying the company," said The Rock.
You can watch the heartfelt moment below.
#3 Latest on Corey Graves' future
Corey Graves has been surrounded by controversy, having recently aired frustrations about his move from the main roster to NXT. As a result, the WWE commentator was reportedly pulled from the latest NXT episode.
According to a Fightful Select post, one WWE source believes Graves could be back on RAW or SmackDown at some point this year. However, the company's next official step remains to be seen.
#2 Pat McAfee has been replaced for WWE RAW on January 20
Michael Cole won't be joined by Pat McAfee on the commentary desk for the upcoming episode of Monday Night RAW. McAfee is set to miss the show as he will call the CFP National Championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame instead.
Corey Graves could have been the obvious choice to replace McAfee on January 20. But with Graves' recent controversy still unresolved, a different decision has been made.
It was announced during WWE SmackDown that Wade Barrett will replace Pat McAfee for the RAW episode in Dallas, Texas.
#1 Roman Reigns tops John Cena, CM Punk, and Cody Rhodes!
Roman Reigns was reportedly The Big Dog of World Wrestling Entertainment merch sales in December 2024.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Reigns' OTC T-shirt was ranked number one among last month's top ten estimated merchandise items. This surpassed John Cena's Farewell Tour T-shirt, CM Punk's Best in the World T-shirt, and Cody Rhodes' American Nightmare hoodie.
Interestingly, it's been confirmed that Reigns, Cena, and Punk will participate in the Men's Royal Rumble match on February 1 this year. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is set to defend his title against Kevin Owens on the same night.
Should Roman Reigns win the 2025 Men's Royal Rumble match? Tap on the 'Discuss' button and let us know your opinions.
