WWE Rumor Roundup: Reason why The Rock's stunning request was declined, Details of Vince McMahon being unhappy revealed (16th May, 2025)
Welcome to today's edition of the WWE Rumor Roundup, where we bring you a daily dose of the biggest happenings in the sports entertainment giant. Today, there are some huge rumors floating about.
These include The Rock's shocking request being declined, Vince McMahon's current unhappiness over something huge, an update on Roman Reigns' return, and news about the possible final match between John Cena and his career-defining rival.
Let's get right into it:
#4. The reason WWE declined The Rock's request to turn Cody Rhodes heel
It's no secret now that John Cena was the second choice when it came to the shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber 2025. The Rock went so far as to admit this himself, revealing that things had to be changed from the original plan.
A report from Fightful Select revealed that Cody Rhodes was, in fact, pitched the idea of a heel turn, but more than him, it seemed to be those around him who weren't up to making it happen. They reportedly cited the ticket sales and merchandise numbers, and this was clearly a sentiment shared high up in WWE because The Rock's request was ultimately declined.
It certainly seemed like the right call to make, but the jury is still out on whether Cena's heel run will be a success or not. There seems to be a lot of emotion against The Rock for his supposed intrusion in the creative plans for WrestleMania 41, especially because he never ended up appearing himself.
#3. Vince McMahon is reportedly not very happy with the current state of WWE
We're quite certain that many of you at some point have asked yourself the question, "What does Vince McMahon think of the Triple H era?". The former Chairman and CEO had an infamous exit in 2022 and 2024. Nevertheless, he's a much richer man. However, for McMahon, it was about a lot more than just the bottom line of the company.
There is no denying that he went the extra mile to keep making the sports entertainment juggernaut money, but he was known to be rigid in his ways. This is drastically different from the current "Triple H era," where there appears to be more ease and flexibility in the creative process.
Vince McMahon's thoughts about the current era of WWE have been allegedly revealed. According to Jonathan Coachman on The Coach & Bro Show, McMahon is not happy with the current state of the company he once owned:
"So, I also got some other information, Vince [Russo], concerning Vince [McMahon]. And he is not happy with things that are going on currently in WWE, as you can imagine," he said. [43:12 - 43:28]
It's not hard to see why. While McMahon would likely be a fan of the amount of revenue the company is generating, he had clear principles by which he stuck. He was seemingly the type of person who would make a dime his own way rather than a dollar by someone else's way.
#2. Roman Reigns' return is not happening soon
The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns was betrayed at WrestleMania 41 by Paul Heyman, who then revealed his alliance with Seth Rollins. It sets up a story for the OTC to come back to, but that may not be as close as you might think.
On the Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer claimed that Roman Reigns isn't going to return anytime soon:
"I guess no Roman Reigns—they’re probably saving that for later. Roman Reigns isn’t coming back for a while. Exactly when, I’m not sure, but it’s not going to be for a while. That’s the Saturday Night's Main Event, and that’s another weekend where they’re going to be running; they have the Saturday Night’s Main Event, and then they’re going to follow with the NXT show. The Saturday Night’s Main Event will be the same day as All In: Texas, and then the NXT show will be the next day. That next weekend is going to be a loaded, a really loaded weekend of shows.” (H/T WrestlingNewsCo)
WWE has a packed schedule this summer, with June set to feature Money in the Bank as well as Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. It's going to be interesting to see when he returns and how it's all set up going forward. Reigns revealed that once his contract ends after WrestleMania 42 in 2026, he may only compete for a year or two more at most.
This means that he has very few WrestleMania appearances left, and his part-time status means that he's likely to have few matches going forward.
#1. Update on the final John Cena vs CM Punk match
John Cena vs CM Punk is a match that many believe must happen before the 17-time world champion hangs up his boots this December. It seems like there are, in fact, discussions to make it happen. However, it may not be at Money in the Bank 2025 as some hoped.
According to PWInsider Elite, WWE is planning to have Cena face CM Punk in 2025, but they're holding off on it. One can only speculate that the mere weeks between Backlash and Money in the Bank have something to do with it.
As we mentioned, we're going to have a jam-packed PLE schedule in the coming few months. It certainly seems like a safe call to hold off on Cena vs. Punk, as it's too iconic a match to rush with the build-up. The rush in the build-up directly affected the John Cena-Randy Orton storyline heading into Backlash 2025.
