Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors: Latest on Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and More

Credit: WWE.com

Is Roman Reigns injured? To what extent? How long will he be out?

Those three questions were on the minds of WWE fans following a report that The Tribal Chief was banged up following Tribal Combat against Jey Uso at SummerSlam.

The answer lies in this collection of wrestling rumors, which also features the latest on Brock Lesnar, an update on the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship and the All Elite Wrestling star WWE was most interested in signing recently.

Undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns may have retained his title by defeating Jey Uso in Tribal Combat on Saturday, but The Head of the Table did not emerge unscathed from the SummerSlam main event.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select confirmed reports that Reigns was injured early in the match, but he is still expected to appear on SmackDown and there are no plans for him to miss any scheduled appearances as of now.

If The Tribal Chief ends up fulfilling all of his appearances and the injury does not keep him out of the squared circle for any extended time, WWE will have lucked out.

Even without knowing the extent of the injury, Reigns is too significant a part of its long-term storytelling plans and the idea of him even potentially missing time has to have had officials in that company sweating bullets.

Luckily, it appears at least for now that the 38-year-old will make all appearances and continue the story that has gripped the wrestling world. Of course, given his schedule, he could probably be injured and still not manage to miss any time.

Still, based on his importance to the overarching storyline in the company, and the role he will likely play come WrestleMania 40 season, WWE cannot afford to lose him now or anytime in the near future, so any positive update on the injury is a win for the company.

Brock Lesnar's acknowledgment of respect for Cody Rhodes surprised many at SummerSlam, but it's likely to be the last we see of him until WrestleMania season.

Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that The Beast Incarnate is not expected back for months, but he will be back in time to build toward The Showcase of the Immortals.

That is the right call, too.

Lesnar has always been at his best as a spectacle, someone who pops up when he is most needed. It keeps him fresh, retains his aura and keeps his matches and segments special.

Considering his star power and that WrestleMania is the biggest show of the year, they go hand-in-hand. The Beast has been a regular entity at the show, and that will not change as WWE tries for another record-breaking show on April 6-7 in Philadelphia.

What the plans for Lesnar are at the show remain unknown, but it's safe to say it will be more meaningful than last year's show-opener against Omos.

Sonya Deville has suffered a torn ACL and will be out of action for an undetermined amount of time, seemingly leaving the status of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship in doubt.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats) reported there is already a plan in place for the titles.

That is a marked improvement from the past, when creative plans were seemingly developed on the fly, devaluing the titles and creating animosity among talent to the point that two of the top stars in the division walked out rather than dealing with the lack of focus and attention they believed they deserved.

With Liv Morgan currently injured, Ronda Rousey on her way out and no active tag teams left on the women's roster, it remains to be seen what those plans may entail. Perhaps Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark go on a run? Maybe Damage CTRL adds to Iyo Sky's gold?

Whatever the case, it is refreshing to hear that the current creative regime has an actual plan because for the longest time, even throughout its stint overseeing the booking of shows, it has felt far too often like that was not the case.

Kenny Omega may have committed to AEW for the foreseeable future by signing a new deal with the company, but according to a new report from Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE saw him as its most-wanted star.

"The other three were under contract until the end of 2023 so WWE wouldn't have been able to pitch for them for many months," he wrote. "No formal offers could have been legally made for months, but Omega was No. 1 on the company's most wanted list."

It is not a particularly surprising report by any means.

Omega is a star, has name value and has succeeded in both New Japan Pro-Wrestling and AEW. He has won titles, earned the respect of fans and is considered by many to be the best wrestler in the world.

Those who do not like the 39-year-old or care for his in-ring style can at least admit there would be few bigger free-agent acquisitions WWE could make that would create the splash that bringing Omega on board would.

Given how over Cody Rhodes was when he returned to the company, and how even more popular he is over a year later, it makes sense that WWE officials would have a desire to ink a deal with Omega.

That is no longer an option, though, so the company will have to keep an eye on other big-name performers with expiring deals if it is looking to secure more talent as it continues the hottest period in its recent history.