Roman Reigns Shares Thoughts on The Rock and Cody Rhodes; Tommy Fury Eyes WWE Career; Oba Femi Absent from NXT Shows
By Mike Chiari – Bleacher Report – November 27, 2024
Bleacher Report brings you the latest buzz from the WWE Universe, including Roman Reigns’ reflections on his WrestleMania 40 opponents, Tommy Fury’s interest in joining WWE, and recent news about NXT’s Oba Femi.
Roman Reigns Reflects on WrestleMania 40 Main Event: The Rock or Cody Rhodes?
In a revealing interview on the SI Media podcast with Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina, Roman Reigns opened up about the shifting plans for the WrestleMania 40 main event. Originally expected to face The Rock, Reigns ultimately went head-to-head with Cody Rhodes. Addressing the speculation around his possible disappointment, Reigns was clear that being in the main event was what truly mattered.
“I didn’t care who it was,” Reigns said. “I was the guy everyone wanted to take out. It’s all about defending this thing at the pinnacle. Whether it’s The Rock or Cody, the task was the same: stop history from happening.”
Cody Rhodes had won the 2024 men’s Royal Rumble and initially stated he would not challenge Reigns for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40, making it appear The Rock, WWE’s Original Tribal Chief, would be the challenger. However, negative fan reactions to this change prompted Rhodes to reverse course. This led to The Rock turning heel and aligning with Roman Reigns under the new persona “The Final Boss.” At WrestleMania 40, The Rock and Reigns teamed up to defeat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins on Night 1, only for Rhodes to capture the WWE title from Reigns in the Night 2 main event.
When probed about the possibility of a future match against The Rock, Reigns expressed optimism that if the fans are passionate enough, WWE would work to make it happen.
“If the people want it and The People’s Champ is willing,” Reigns noted, “we can make something happen.”
The Rock made a surprise return last month at Bad Blood but has since remained off WWE television. With upcoming events like the WarGames match at Survivor Series pitting the new and original Bloodline factions against each other, speculation is rife that The Rock could reappear and rekindle his rivalry with Reigns.
Boxer Tommy Fury Hints at WWE Ambitions
Boxer Tommy Fury stirred excitement among wrestling fans this week after sharing a video of himself backstage at a recent WWE event during the company’s UK tour. Fury’s footage showcased him mingling with WWE Superstars such as Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Gunther.
In the video, he remarked, “It’s been a great night. I look forward to possibly climbing through those ropes one day. Who knows?”
Tommy Fury, aged 25, is the younger brother of former world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury, who has previously dabbled in WWE. Tyson famously defeated Braun Strowman by count-out at Crown Jewel 2019 and later prevented Austin Theory’s Money in the Bank cash-in at Clash at the Castle 2022 with a surprise knockout.
Tommy holds an undefeated record (10-0) in professional boxing and notably handed Jake Paul his first loss, lending extra intrigue to his potential WWE career. Given Tommy’s connections with the Paul family and Logan Paul’s current role as a WWE Superstar, discussions of a possible Paul brothers vs. Fury brothers matchup present a compelling storyline for WWE to explore.
Oba Femi MIA from NXT Following Recent Defeats
Former NXT North American Champion Oba Femi has reportedly been absent from WWE’s NXT tapings over the past month. According to Fightful Select, there have been no reports of Femi backstage since his loss to Tony D’Angelo at Halloween Havoc on October 27. Femi’s absence remains unexplained—speculation includes time off to recover from injury, a potential main roster call-up, or simply WWE’s decision to quiet him down after back-to-back losses.
Since debuting on NXT television in April 2023, Femi made an impressive rise: winning the NXT Breakout Tournament and capturing the North American Championship from Dragon Lee. His 272-day title reign—the longest in that category—ended with a surprisingly quick defeat to D’Angelo last month, followed by a failed rematch at Halloween Havoc.
Observers suggest that when Femi returns, he could be poised to target the NXT Championship, potentially challenging current titleholder Trick Williams.
For more updates and discussions on wrestling, listen to the latest episode of Ring Rust Radio and stay tuned to Bleacher Report for continuing WWE coverage.