WWE Rumors: Controversial Former Superstar Reportedly Booked For ‘WrestleMania 36’ Weekend
A new report suggests that former WWE superstars Brodus Clay and Cameron will be making one-off appearances at WrestleMania 36, which is scheduled to take place on April 5 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
The above rumor was first reported on Wednesday by PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, who wrote that the returns could set a stage for a reunion with Friday Night SmackDown star Naomi, who once teamed up with Cameron as the “Funkadactyls” — Clay’s duo of backup dancers as a fun-loving babyface mid-carder. While Naomi has yet to take part in any major women’s storylines in the lead-up to WrestleMania 36, she did make a good showing at last month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, where she returned after an extended hiatus and was the fifth-to-last elimination in the women’s Royal Rumble match, per Wrestling Inc.
As speculated by WhatCulture, it’s not clear what WWE has planned for the returning Clay and Cameron apart from their potential reunion with Naomi. However, it’s possible that the two may respectively be included in the men’s and women’s battle royals at WrestleMania 36, given how these matches have often served as WWE’s way of bringing back old faces for one-night-only appearances.
A former contestant during NXT’s fourth season as a reality-based rookie search, Clay immediately got a good push after he was debuted in the fall of 2012 with his “Funkasaurus” gimmick. However, it wasn’t long before he began slipping down the card, as he was let go by WWE in 2014.
Cameron — real name Ariane Andrew — made it known several weeks ago that she is returning to the wrestling business after several years away. Apart from her musical endeavors and her appearance on MTV’s The Challenge, she has mostly stayed out of the spotlight since she was released by WWE in 2016. That, however, is not the case for Clay, whose return may come with its share of controversy. As pointed out by WhatCulture, the 46-year-old grappler and political pundit, who also competed in Impact Wrestling under the name Tyrus, was accused last year of harassment by fellow Fox Nation commentator Britt McHenry.
According to a June 2019 report from The Inquisitr, sources familiar with the situation accused Clay — aka George Murdoch in real life — of making off-color comments and “politically incorrect” statements to his female colleagues. McHenry later sued both Fox News and Murdoch, claiming that her experience with the wrestler resulted in “humiliation, emotional anguish, derailment of her career, and significant loss of economic opportunities.”
Clay and Cameron aren’t the only former WWE superstars who were reported earlier this week to be coming back for this year’s edition of the “Show of Shows.” As noted by Wrestling Inc., Santino Marella, JBL, Hornswoggle, and Darren Young are among the wrestlers also expected to make one-off returns during WrestleMania 36 weekend.
