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Jul 21, 2023

WWE Rumors on Vince McMahon, Lesnar vs. Rhodes Gimmick; Bret Hart Names Dream Matches

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

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

Vince McMahon Was Reportedly Backstage for Raw

Longtime WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon was reportedly backstage for Monday night's episode of Raw in Hartford, Connecticut.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), McMahon showed up some time after 6 p.m. ET and sat at the Gorilla position near the curtain, just as he reportedly did during the Raw after WrestleMania 39 in April.

While the Raw after 'Mania was widely panned by fans, Monday night's Raw seemed to draw favorable reviews. Fightful reported that things were "much less hectic" during McMahon's most recent visit and they hadn't "heard of anything out of the ordinary."

There have been no reports indicating that McMahon was backstage for any episodes of Raw or SmackDown since the post-WrestleMania Raw until Monday night.

Still, it wasn't surprising for McMahon to attend a Raw in Connecticut since it is his home state.

Fightful noted that McMahon has reportedly made remote changes to weekly shows in recent months, overriding head of creative Triple H at times. It is unclear what changes he may have made Monday while on-site.

Last summer, McMahon stepped down from his roles as WWE CEO and chairman amid an investigation into sexual misconduct, but he returned as chairman in January.

When UFC owner Endeavor Group Holdings purchased 51 percent of WWE in April and merged it with UFC, McMahon was named executive chairman of the whole operation.

As a result, he continues to have influence over the WWE product, but he may have been even more hands-on than usual Monday since he attended the show.

Rhodes vs. Lesnar III to Reportedly Have Unique Stipulation

Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar will reportedly complete their trilogy of matches this summer with a bout that includes a stipulation.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), Rhodes vs. Lesnar III is scheduled to take place at SummerSlam in August after their previous clashes at Backlash and Night of Champions.

Per Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live, the rubber match between Rhodes and Lesnar will include a stipulation that fans "have not seen in a while."

No other specifics were given, but the report could mean that match types such as Hell in a Cell, steel cage and Last Man Standing are not on the table since all of those stipulations have been used over the past couple of months.

One potential option that would make sense given the storyline and Lesnar's status as a former UFC world heavyweight champion is the Fight Pit.

Two Fight Pit matches occurred in NXT, and the only one to take place on the main roster thus far was nearly a year ago when Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle faced each other inside the Fight Pit at Extreme Rules 2022.

The Fight Pit is a modified cage match that is almost meant to simulate an MMA fight in that the combatants are not permitted to leave the cage.

Within the storyline, Lesnar broke Rhodes' arm prior to Night of Champions, seemingly in retaliation for Rhodes beating him at Backlash.

The American Nightmare wrestled in a cast at Night of Champions and fought valiantly, but Lesnar made him pass out in the Kimura Lock.

Rhodes subsequently challenged The Beast Incarnate to a rematch, and while he has yet to accept, all signs point toward the match happening soon.

Cody has been portrayed as heroic throughout the rivalry, and nothing would drive that home more than an injured Rhodes going toe-to-toe with Brock inside the Fight Pit.

Bret Hart Lists Several Dream Opponents He Never Wrestled

Bret "Hitman" Hart is a multi-time WWE Hall of Famer who competed in many of the most memorable matches in the history of the company, but even he has a list of wrestlers he wishes he could have grappled with.

Speaking on the Johnny I Pro Show (h/t WrestlingInc's Ross Berman), Hart said the following about wrestlers he would have liked to have faced during his career:

"I would love to wrestle Brock Lesnar. I would love to wrestle Roman Reigns. I would love to put John Cena in the Sharpshooter. I just know that when I was the American-bashing Canadian, John Cena would've been the perfect American. We could've danced for a long time.

"CM Punk, Daniel Bryan are also two of my favorites. And also one of the greatest—maybe the greatest wrestler of all time that people often forget about ... is Rey Mysterio."

Given the timeline of his career, the likes of Reigns, Cena, Punk and Bryan would not have been realistic opponents for Bret, but they all could have had spectacular matches with Hart during his prime.

Hart and Mysterio were actually on the WCW roster at the same time and could have had a match, but they never locked horns.

It would have been a remarkable clash of styles, as Hart is arguably the greatest technical wrestler of all time, and Mysterio is perhaps the greatest luchador.

While Hart vs. Mysterio regrettably never happened, Hart gave his fans plenty of classic matches and rivalries against stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, his brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith and his brother Owen Hart.

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