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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Styles Talks Outlasting Retirement Plans
At 44, AJ Styles has already far exceeded his own expectations for how long he would be an active wrestler.
In an interview with Ryan Satin of Fox Sports on the Out of Character podcast (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), the Raw Tag Team champion admitted he originally thought he would’ve been retired years ago, saying: “I remember thinking, ‘I’ll be 40 years old when I retire. That’s when I’m gonna retire.’ So I was dead wrong, by the way.”
In 2019, The Phenomenal One said he had signed his final contract and called WWE the “perfect place for me to be.”
The length of Styles’ contract is unclear, but the two-time WWE champion remains a vital part of Raw and is still going strong two years after signing the extension.
Currently, Styles is in a tag team with Omos, and they are the reigning Raw Tag Team champions after having beaten New Day for the titles at WrestleMania.
Styles and Omos are now embroiled in a rivalry with The Viking Raiders that will culminate in a title match in two weeks on the first episode of Raw with fans in attendance in more than a year.
After that, all signs point to Styles and Omos potentially facing off with Randy Orton and Riddle at SummerSlam, which could be one of the biggest matches on the card.
It has been a while since Styles last held a world title, but he is a key member of the roster nonetheless and could easily be elevated into that spot at any time.
Given how valuable Styles is to the product, one can only assume WWE will do everything within its power to keep him in the fold for as long as possible.
McMahon Reportedly Enjoys Eva Marie-Doudrop Storyline
The Raw storyline involving Eva Marie and Doudrop reportedly has a big supporter in WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
According to PWInsider (h/t WrestlingInc.com’s Marc Middleton), McMahon initially wasn’t sold on the angle and has since changed his mind. He especially “loved it” when Doudrop stood up to Eva a couple of weeks ago during a tag team match.
McMahon is also reportedly “super impressed” with Doudrop individually following her recent call-up from NXT UK.
Doudrop wrestled under the name Piper Niven in NXT UK, and there was some backlash among fans regarding her name change, although it all seems to be part of an angle that should result in her becoming a big-time babyface.
It was Eva who dubbed her “Doudrop,” much to Piper’s chagrin, and the story seems to be trending toward Doudrop eventually tiring of Eva, turning on her and possibly going back to her old name.
Eva has essentially been using Doudrop by having her win matches on her behalf only to announce herself as the winner afterward.
That was the case once again on Monday’s Raw when Eva, Doudrop, Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax beat Asuka, Naomi, Alexa Bliss and Nikki A.S.H. in an eight-woman tag team match.
Provided McMahon is indeed a fan of Doudrop’s work, the Scot could be in line for a big push to the top of the Raw women’s division in the not-too-distant future.
Gable Reportedly Has ‘Plenty of Time’ Left on WWE Deal
Chad Gable’s WWE contract reportedly isn’t set to expire anytime soon.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Upton), there is “plenty of time” left on Gable’s WWE deal despite some speculation to the contrary.
In March, AEW star Dax Harwood, who previously wrestled in WWE as Scott Dawson, tweeted the following at Gable:
In the tweet, Harwood said Gable couldn’t respond to him publicly for two more months, implying that Gable’s WWE contract was up in May.
Gable is still with WWE as the calendar has turned to July, and he is part of a consistent storyline on SmackDown that has seen him coach Otis into an unstoppable force.
Previously, Gable was part of the American Alpha tag team with Jason Jordan, and they held the Tag Team Championships together on both NXT and SmackDown.
While in NXT, Gable and Jordan had some great matches against The Revival, now known as FTR in AEW. Harwood was one half of The Revival along with Cash Wheeler, who went by Dash Wilder in WWE.
Gable and Otis are embroiled in a rivalry with another great tag team in The Street Profits, and it’s possible they could find themselves in the SmackDown Tag Team title hunt soon.
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