The Rock Called Out by Lashley; Logan Paul Signs New Contract; WWE Rumors on Gunther

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

Lashley Vows to Eliminate The Rock If He’s In Rumble

Amid speculation that The Rock could appear at Saturday’s Royal Rumble premium live event and possibly even compete in the men’s Royal Rumble match, Bobby Lashley threw down the gauntlet this week.

During an interview with Sportskeeda WrestleBinge (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Lashley discussed The Rock’s addition to the TKO Group Holdings board of directors and then announced his intentions should The Rock be in the Rumble:

“That [TKO announcement] was incredible. “I mean, it’s The Rock, probably one of the biggest names in everything right now, so when he comes back that always brings a tremendous amount of views.

“You know what, anybody that wants to take a step to that next level, take him out. If he comes in and I have an opportunity to throw him out, I will throw him out. Anything that he has, you have the ability to take from him if you take him out. So, I mean, it’s not gonna be a cakewalk for him.”

The Rock made a surprise return to WWE earlier this month and cut a promo in which he mentioned “The Head of the Table,” which is a reference to undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns.

There has long been talk of the real-life cousins having a WrestleMania match at some point, and The Rock has said on multiple occasions that he is open to it.

After it was announced that he had joined the TKO board of directors, The Rock appeared on ESPN’s First Take and said there is “a chance” he and Reigns have a match.

The Great One suggested that he wants the match to happen at a WrestleMania if it comes to fruition, and he also called himself a “long-gamer” and mentioned his desire to have a proper buildup toward the match.

That led many to wonder if he is planning to face Reigns further down the line, such as at WrestleMania 41 next year, but if the match happens at WrestleMania 40, there is likely a good chance that the People’s Champion shows up at the Rumble in some capacity.

Logan Paul Says WWE Renewed His Contract

United States champion Logan Paul divulged Thursday that his WWE tenure isn’t ending any time soon.

In an Instagram video, Paul said WWE renewed his contract, and that he has been training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, for the past couple of months.

Paul added that if WWE is going to become something of a full-time job for him, he felt that he should maybe “stop treating it as a hobby.”

The YouTube star made his in-ring debut less than two years ago at WrestleMania 38, and in November at Crown Jewel, he defeated WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio to win the first title of his career.

Kevin Owens recently won a tournament to earn a title match against Paul at Saturday’s Royal Rumble, and they have been embroiled in a heated rivalry ever since.

On Thursday, WWE posted video of Paul and Owens getting into an altercation at the Performance Center, resulting in trainees and coaches having to break it up.

Paul has come into his own more quickly and effectively as a WWE Superstar than anyone could have imagined, all signs point toward him and Owens putting on a spectacular match at the Rumble.

As one of the company’s biggest crossover stars, Paul brings a ton of value to WWE, so it comes as little surprise that he has a new contract in place and is set to remain with WWE moving forward.

WWE Sources Reportedly Confused By Gunther Royal Rumble Report

Following a report on intercontinental champion Gunther reportedly winning the 2024 men’s Royal Rumble match, WWE sources commented on the possibility and Gunther’s standing within the company.

On Wednesday, Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reported that WWE was planning to have Gunther win the Rumble, challenge Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40 and beat him for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Barrasso followed up Thursday, noting that what he was told by “previously reliable sources” regarding Royal Rumble and WrestleMania plans was “a deliberate attempt at misinformation.”

Per Fightful Select (h/t Mukherjee), the original report led to Gunter becoming the betting favorite in the men’s Royal Rumble ahead of CM Punk and Cody Rhodes.

However, sources who spoke to Fightful said they were “befuddled” by the report and “confused by elements of the story.”

Those sources added that regardless of whether Gunther wins the Rumble, WWE views him as a “top talent.”

Gunther, who is in the midst of the longest intercontinental title reign of all time, cut a promo on Rollins during Monday’s episode of Raw, vowing to win the Rumble and beat him for the world heavyweight title.

While that could be a possibility, it may have just been a case of WWE establishing Gunther as a threat to win the Rumble.

Gunther has been presented as major star for quite some time, and that will likely continue to be the case even if he doesn’t win the 2024 Rumble.

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