Roman Reigns Reflects on The Rock, Cody Rhodes, Tommy Fury Eyes WWE, and NXT Rumors on Oba Femi
By Mike Chiari | Bleacher Report | November 27, 2024
Bleacher Report brings you the latest updates from the WWE Universe, focusing on Roman Reigns’ recent comments about The Rock and Cody Rhodes, Tommy Fury’s interest in WWE, and developments surrounding NXT star Oba Femi.
Reigns Discusses WrestleMania 40 Opponents and Future Prospects with The Rock
In a recent interview on the SI Media podcast with Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina, WWE superstar Roman Reigns opened up about the dynamics surrounding the main events at WrestleMania 40 and his thoughts on facing either The Rock or Cody Rhodes.
When asked if he was disappointed to face Cody Rhodes instead of The Rock at WrestleMania 40, Reigns stated that the opponent did not matter to him as much as being in the main event spotlight. “It doesn’t matter to me. I was the main event. I’m the guy that everyone wanted to dance with, you know. I am the hot chick, everyone wanted to take me out," Reigns said. “It’s where, we just need to get there and defend this thing. It didn’t matter who it is. They are trying to stop history from happening. They are trying to take us off the pinnacle right now, so it was the same task in hand for me.”
The lead-up to WrestleMania 40 saw some uncertainty, as Rhodes won the 2024 men’s Royal Rumble and initially announced he would not challenge Reigns for the WWE Championship. This led to speculation of The Rock being the challenger instead. However, fan backlash prompted a reversal, with Rhodes ultimately facing Reigns, and The Rock turning heel as “The Final Boss,” aligning himself with Reigns.
During WrestleMania 40’s two-night event, The Rock and Reigns teamed up to defeat Rhodes and Seth Rollins in Night 1’s main event, while Rhodes triumphed over Reigns for the WWE Championship on Night 2. Given that a much-anticipated Reigns vs. Rock match did not materialize at WrestleMania 40, Traina asked if such a showdown could happen in the future. Reigns responded optimistically: “I think our fanbase and the company’s proven that if our fans are loud enough and passionate enough about something, we’re a company who—we’re not being dictated to. We have a vision for where we’re trying to go, but we know who the consumers are. We know who’s paying their hard-earned money, and we want to satisfy those people.”
He added, “If that’s what the people want and The People’s Champ is down, I’m sure we can make something happen.”
Following an unannounced return at WWE’s Bad Blood event last month, The Rock has remained absent from programming since. With the upcoming Survivor Series featuring a WarGames match between the new and original Bloodline factions, speculation is rife that The Rock could reappear to start building towards a confrontation with his cousin Reigns.
Tommy Fury Hints at Possible WWE Future
Beyond Reigns and The Rock, the wrestling world is also buzzing with rumors involving British boxer Tommy Fury, the younger sibling of former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury. Tommy recently shared a video from backstage at a WWE show during the company’s UK tour where he mingled with WWE superstars including Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Gunther.
In his video, Tommy expressed excitement about the WWE environment and hinted at a possible career in pro wrestling, saying: “So guys, that is a night at the WWE complete. All the wrestlers showing love. Big up to Randy Orton. Absolutely amazing guy. Big up to Cody Rhodes, all of them… Thank you to the WWE for showing us such appreciation. And I look forward to possibly climbing through them ropes one day. Who knows?”
With an undefeated professional boxing record of 10-0 and the distinction of being the only person to have beaten Jake Paul, Tommy Fury’s crossover into WWE could generate significant mainstream interest. His connection to the Paul brothers, particularly Logan Paul who is a WWE superstar and former United States Champion, sets the stage for intriguing potential storylines or rivalries, possibly involving tag team matches featuring the Fury and Paul families.
Oba Femi’s Mysterious NXT Absence
Former NXT North American Champion Oba Femi has reportedly been absent from WWE’s NXT programming for roughly a month. Fightful Select reports that Femi has not been seen backstage at NXT tapings since his loss to Tony D’Angelo at Halloween Havoc on October 27. The reasons for his absence remain unclear but could be attributed to giving the young star time to recover following consecutive losses. Femi’s promising run included winning the NXT Breakout Tournament and capturing the North American Championship from Dragon Lee, holding the title a record-setting 272 days before dropping it to D’Angelo and subsequently losing a rematch.
Since those setbacks, Femi’s television absence has sparked speculation whether he is preparing for a main roster call-up, dealing with an injury, or simply being kept off TV to refresh his character.
When he returns, Femi is widely expected to vie for the NXT Championship and could be positioned as a top contender to dethrone current champion Trick Williams.
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Photo credit: WWE/Getty Images — Roman Reigns and The Rock look on after defeating Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 40.
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