After vowing to “update everyone on the status of the Bloodline” by sanction of the “Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns heading into SmackDown, Paul Heyman was oddly standoffish when his longtime frenemy Kayla Braxton approached him regarding the rumors surrounding the future of The Bloodline.

While Heyman is never opposed to talking, as he might just be the greatest gabber in wrestling today, the term “rumors” bothered him to an incredible degree, so much so that he went on a tirade of his own regarding the etiquette surrounding family members.

“Rumors. Rumors? You are gonna come at me about rumors? What rumors are you gonna come at me about, Kayla? Rumors about Roman Reigns' cousin Jey Uso? Are those the rumors, Jey Uso, who abandoned the WWE Universe? Jey Uso, who quit; who quit The Bloodline, who quit SmackDown? Jey Uso, who quit WWE? You're gonna ask me rumors about Roman Reigns' family, about his cousins? How about rumors about your family, Kayla? Can we talk about those rumors, Kayla? How's your mom? Good? Heard from her lately? I've heard rumors. I've heard rumors about your dad, have you gone on a daddy-daughter date lately with your dad and had a nice time with him? I've heard rumors about your cousins too, but no, you don't want to talk about rumors about your cousins; you want to talk about rumors about the cousin of my ‘Tribal Chief,' Roman Reigns,” Paul Heyman noted.

“You don't even want to come here and ask me about Edge and the 25-year celebration of the great career, oh Edge, no, no, no. You don't want to ask me about Austin Theory and a victory over this, over this wanna-be, this flash in the pan, this soon-to-be yesterday's new ‘L-A-Knight, yeah!' No, no, no, no, you can't ask me about that, you wanna ask me… as they say in Quebec, which is a real Province… I don't know what they say, au revoir?”

After taking a phone call from… someone, Braxton asked if Heyman had any plans to share with the WWE Universe who he was talking to and what they had to say.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Heyman concluded. “That's not a rumor, that's a fact, it's a spoiler: Jimmy Uso will be live right here on SmackDown next week.”

Whoa, well, there we go WWE fans; Jimy Uso will be on SmackDown next week to address turning on and then getting double-crossed by his brother Jey and maybe fans will learn a bit more about the newest male member of the WWE alumni section in the process too. Either way, expect the “Wise Man” to not only make an appearance but have something to say too.

Vince Russo takes issue with Paul Heyman's “bottom of the third” comments.

Speaking of Paul Heyman and his comments surrounding The Bloodline being in the “bottom of the third,” another wrestling elder statesman has taken issues with his baseball analogy, with one of his mid-90s rivals, Vince Russo of WCW fame/infamy, deciding to weigh in on the declaration via UnSKripted, where he, like Kurt Angle, felt as though the “Wise Man's” words after SummerSlam was less than honest.

“Paul Heyman said at the last press conference, they were just at the bottom of the third,” Vince Russo said via Sportskeeda. “Bro, if that's the bottom of the third, I hate to see what the top of the fourth looks like. Basically, it's just a story because that story has been running for a very, very long time. It's also running out of steam, so this is a way to send Jey Uso away, give him a little break, and then somehow refigure him back in the storyline.”

Is Russo right? Is The Bloodline running out of steam as the story inches further and further along with no clear ending, at least in 2023, around the corner? Or are there ways to supercharge the story in whatever inning it may be in order to revitalize both the fans and performers alike? Realistically, it's hard to imagine a world where this story goes on past WrestleMania 40, as Paul “Triple H” Levesque has played most of his greatest hits already, with turns by Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman himself the final shoes that could be dropped on the “Tribal Chief. Still, that doesn't mean WWE can't have fun with the end of its longest-running storyline, as The Bloodline story will largely be defined by its ending as much as anything else. For one more month or eight, The Bloodline will be asking for the acknowledgment of the WWE Universe; at this point, why not see what they have to say?