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

Rhodes to Reportedly Split Time Between Raw, SmackDown

WWE champion Cody Rhodes reportedly may be featured on both Raw and SmackDown for the foreseeable future.

According to Sean Ross Sapp on the Fightful Select podcast (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Netflix requested Rhodes' presence on Raw, and it's "not unreasonable to believe" that WWE will want him to continue appearing on SmackDown as well.

Raw is making its Netflix debut next week, and it will seemingly be an all-hands-on-deck situation with stars from both Raw and SmackDown appearing, as well as potentially some legends.

Along with Roman Reigns, Rhodes is WWE's biggest star currently, and it makes sense from the perspective of both WWE and Netflix to have him on Raw in order to get the switch to Netflix off and running.

Also, since the Royal Rumble is about a month away, it is easy to explain Rhodes appearing on both brands, as Superstars routinely cross over during Royal Rumble season.

Rhodes has been the face of SmackDown in recent months and the WWE Championship has been the main title on the blue brand with the World Heavyweight Championship leading the way on Raw.

The American Nightmare is embroiled in a heated rivalry with Kevin Owens, and it is leading to a ladder match between them for the WWE title at Royal Rumble.

Continuing the Rhodes vs. Owens rivalry on Raw in addition to the time it gets on SmackDown will get even more eyes on the feud, plus Cody's presence on the red brand could potentially help set up whatever is next for him after Royal Rumble and leading up to WrestleMania 41.

WWE Reportedly Interested in Cena vs. Paul Match

There is reportedly some support within WWE regarding a match between John Cena and Logan Paul during Cena's final year as a wrestler in 2025.

According to WrestleVotes on Backstage Pass (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), there is "interest" from Cena and Paul and from WWE as a whole to make the match happen, although it won't occur at WrestleMania 41.

WrestleVotes also addressed speculation regarding Cena and Paul having a match on the debut episode of Raw on Netflix next week after the official announcement that Cena will be on the show.

It was noted by WrestleVotes that Cena vs. Paul will not happen on next week's Raw since WWE would want to have plenty of build and hype prior to a bout of that magnitude.

Cena announced earlier this year that he is retiring from in-ring competition at the end of 2025, meaning the upcoming year will be his swan song.

He has already revealed his intention to compete at Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 41, plus Cena will make many other appearances and have several more matches over the course of the year.

Given Paul's mainstream popularity and the fact that he has quickly developed into one of WWE's top stars, he would be a sensible opponent for Cena at some point in 2025.

As of now, it looks like Cena will simply take part in a promo segment next week on Raw, although it could set the table for what he intends to do at Royal Rumble and WrestleMania.

Orton Reportedly Expected to Return By Royal Rumble

Randy Orton has been out of action since getting attacked by Kevin Owens in November, but his return his reportedly on the horizon.

According to WrestleVotes on Backstage Pass (h/t Mukherjee), Orton will be back by the Royal Rumble on Feb. 1 at the latest, and possibly even before it.

On the Nov. 8 episode of SmackDown, KO and Orton got into a brawl, which ended with Owens shockingly hitting Orton with a piledriver. The Viper was then taken out of the arena on a stretcher with Cody Rhodes by his side.

It was a shocking moment due to the fact that the piledriver has been a banned move in WWE for many years, but Owens has since made it part of his character, as he hit Rhodes with a package piledriver after their match on Saturday Night's Main Event.

With Rhodes and Owens set to face off in a ladder match at Royal Rumble, it is easy to envision Orton returning and interfering on Cody's behalf in order to get revenge on KO.

Additionally, WWE always wants as much star power as possible in the Royal Rumble match itself, and since Orton is a two-time Rumble winner, he would be an ideal entrant either as a surprise or a pre-announced member of the match.

Orton also figures to be part of a major match at WrestleMania as he usually is, and that match could be against Owens, especially if Orton costs him the WWE title.

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