The main event of tonight’s WWE Monday Night Raw saw Jey Uso defend the Intercontinental Championship — his first singles title in WWE — against former titleholder Bron Breakker. They had a pretty even fight to start but it seemed like the match would never end because both men were unwilling to lose. That’s precisely when a Ula Fala wearing Solo Sikoa appeared and Jey immediately became suspicious. The rest of The Bloodline eventually appeared and Jey wiped all of them out.

Solo and Jacob Fatu were the only men left standing and Bron ended up giving Solo a wicked clothesline. Jey then hopped over the ropes to take out both Jacob and Bron. The Bloodline continued to meddle into the match but they were eventually kicked out. However, the damage to Jey had been done. Bron picked up a victory, winning back the championship.

This makes Bron look even stronger, only having lost the title the first time due to his arrogance. But now he’s defeated two of WWE’s strongest babyfaces, so it’s clear he’s got a bright future ahead of him.

So what does Jey do now? Well, it’s fairly obvious that they’ve been positioning him to be apart of the Bloodline WarGames storyline for Survivor Series. On last week’s SmackDown Jey appeared and threatened his younger brother, letting him know that the next time they meet the outcome will be a lot different.

While his relationship with Roman Reigns appears to be mellowing out, the betrayal from his twin, Jimmy, is something he still can’t get over. But now that he’s no longer champion, it frees up a lot of time for him to reconcile, put the past behind him and take out Solo’s group once and for all, leaving the OTC Reigns standing tall.

Of course from there WWE has plenty of routes to take on the road to WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. The Rock has already claimed he’d be there, and his recent returns surrounding The Bloodline seem to make it clear that he’ll be involved in one way or another.

2024 Hollywood Rock just barely scratched the surface in the lead up to this year’s grand event, so if the final showdown between Rock and Reigns is planned for next year for the title of “Tribal Chief” the seeds could already be being planted. Of course, only time will tell what’s next in the compelling Bloodline saga but it’s looking like Jey will make amends sooner rather than later.

The post WWE: Jey Uso’s Title Loss Sets up Bloodline Reunion at Survivor Series appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Ahead of tonight’s WWE Monday Night Raw, ring announcer Samantha Irvin announced that she’s departing WWE. She first appeared on the NXT brand when she signed in 2021 but her skillset was virtually undeniable and she was soon moved to SmackDown. Last year she officially moved over to the red brand where she’s been a staple ever since.

Irvin expressed her gratitude to the locker room, WWE personnel and the WWE universe for the last several years. “I love you all tremendously and this does not mark the end of my art, I have a lifetime more to share. Thank you to every WWE fan who accepted me,” she wrote, later adding she’s excited to see where her future leads. “To my fans, my entire career I’ve been waiting for you! We are meant to be and I can prove it. Stay tuned.”

Reports that former longtime announcer Lillian Garcia was in town for Raw began to hit the internet fueling speculation that she’d be replacing Irvin. Shortly before the show, it was reported that she’d be returning to Raw full-time. This was confirmed during the opening match, a #1 contenders tag team title match between The New Day and Authors of Pain.

Garcia has had several runs in WWE over the past three decades, first signing in 1999. She helped break down barriers for women in sports announcing. Her original run lasted until 2009 but she’d reappear just a few years later and once again remain a key fixture until 2016. While she’s had various appearances since then announcing for the WWE universe, she hasn’t been full-time since then.

Garcia immediately fell back into step as the night progressed, and the call was certainly a smart one given not many can live up to the power that Irvin brings to television every week. She joins the commentary team of Wade Barrett and Joe Tessitore who replaced Michael Cole over the summer. WWE is shaking things up ahead of Raw‘s move to Netflix in the new year which, according to reports, is planned to be a PLE caliber show that will feature stars from SmackDown.

The premiere definitely seems like the perfect time to make a statement given a lot of people will be tuning in to see the transition. Given Netflix reported over 200 million paid subscribers in the third quarter of 2024, it’ll reach a wider audience as well. WWE signed the $5 billion deal which is expected to include original content of the incredible superstars.

The post WWE Brings Back Iconic Ring Announcer as Samantha Irvin’s Replacement appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Samantha Irvin has been a staple of WWE programming since 2021. The former America’s Got Talent contestant was discovered by WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry and encouraged to try out for WWE, which she initially did as a wrestler. Irvin was hired instead as a ring announcer, a duty that she began fulfilling for WWE shows like WWE 205 Live and WWE NXT. Less than one year after her debut, Irvin was promoted to WWE SmackDown, serving as the ring announcer for the FOX broadcast. Come 2023, Irvin migrated to WWE Monday Night Raw on the USA Network. Irvin began to catch fire in these years for her vocal power and unique tonal tricks for superstars like Chelsea Green and Ludwig Kaiser. WWE doubled down on that popularity by making Irvin the sole ring announcer for all 14 matches of WWE WrestleMania XL this past April.

Samantha Irvin Leaves WWE, Shocks Company

Samantha Irvin is leaving WWE.

Taking to social media, the WWE Monday Night Raw ring announcer revealed that her time “has come to an end” within WWE.

“WWE Universe, my time has come to an end as your Monday Night Raw Ring Announcer,” Irvin wrote in a statement. “I love you all tremendously and this does not mark the end of my art, I have a lifetime more to share.”

Irvin went on to thank multiple people in the company including Brian “Road Dogg” James, Scott Armstrong, Gabe Sapolsky, George Carroll Jr., and Paul “Triple H” Levesque as well as teams like the women’s locker room, production crew, coaches, producers, medical, writers, talent relations, makeup, photography, social media, digital, travel, catering, merchandise, WWE 2K, referees, security, and the announce team.

Thank you to every WWE fan who accepted me,” Irvin continued. “To my fans, my entire career l’ve been waiting for you! We are meant to be and I can prove it. Stay tuned. All my love! And still… Samantha.”

As reported by insider account @WrestleVotes, Irvin’s departure has “genuinely shocked” numerous people backstage at WWE Monday Night Raw ahead of the show’s airing from Philadelphia tonight on USA Network.

Will Samantha Irvin Join AEW?

Based on her statement, it appears that Samantha Irvin already has her next career move planned out. While she references this exit “not [marking] the end of [her] art,” suggesting she could pivot into another artistic venture, there is reason to believe that her ring announcing will continue in an All Elite Wrestling ring.

As reported by Fightful Select, both WWE and AEW sources would “be shocked” if AEW does not make Irvin an offer to join the company. AEW has primarily used Justin Roberts as its ring announcer since its inception in 2019. AEW also utilizes Arkady Aura and Bobby Cruise on occasion.

Irvin’s fiancée, Ricochet, left WWE earlier this summer to take his talents to AEW. Ricochet made his AEW debut at AEW ALL IN: London and has pursued the AEW International Championship ever since, locking horns with longtime rival Will Ospreay in the process. Irvin and Ricochet have been together since 2021 and became engaged in 2023.

Irvin’s situation has parallels to a circumstance that Jon Moxley and Renee Paquette found themselves in a couple of years ago. Moxley and Paquette, then known as Dean Ambrose and Renee Young, met in WWE in the early 2010s and began dating in 2013. The two were married in 2017. Moxley would leave WWE in early 2019 and jump ship to AEW while Paquette remained part of the WWE broadcast team until late 2020. She would pursue some independent media ventures over the subsequent years before signing with AEW in October 2022, sharing a travel schedule with her husband again for the first time in three years.

Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on Samantha Irvin’s next career moves.

The post WWE “Shocked” Over Samantha Irvin Exit: Will She Join Ricochet in AEW? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Professional wrestling is once again taking over Hollywood — next January Shudder will release a horror-themed wrestling film, Dark Match, which they recently acquired rights for. Wrestling legend Chris Jericho, who is no stranger to Hollywood films, is set to star. Jericho most recently appeared in the Terrifier threequel which released earlier this month.

Dark Match, which was written and directed by Lowell Dean, follows a small wrestling company which accepts a well-paying gig in a rather sketchy town — the backwoods. Per the synopsis, they do this “only to learn, too late, that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.”

The film follows on the heels of several major pop culture wrestling-adjacent projects, like STARZ’s Heels starring Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig, A24’s Iron Claw biopic which tells the story of iconic wrestling royalty the Von Erichs, and Netflix’s recent Vince McMahon documentary.

Alongside Jericho, the project stars Ayisha Issa (Transplant), Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead, Westworld), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Michael Eklund (The Call) and Jonathan Cherry (Goon).

The poster pictured below features a variation of what appears to be a pink Cross of Lorraine. Above Issa, who is sporting a wicked bloody lip and bruised eye while holding chains, is a masked gunman. The rest of the crew look ready for battle, surrounded by what looks to be blood splatters.

The film is produced by John K. MacDonald, Don Depoe, Michael Feehan, Rhonda Baker and Michael Peterson. Executive producers include Eleanor Wiebe and Jericho. Additionally, cinematography was done by Karim Hussain, CSC.

Wrestling has been dipping its toes into the horror realm for decades, featuring characters like The Undertaker, manager Paul Bearer, Kane, Mankind and vampy stable The Brood among many others. They all found great success in a landscape that was transitioning away from the ways of the colorful babyfaces that ruled the 1980s. It paved the way for modern characters like AEW’s Abadon and Danhausen to pick up a ton of steam with fans because of their uniqueness.

Jericho isn’t the only full-time wrestling figure following in the footsteps of The Rock, John Cena and Dave Bautista. Drew McIntyre starred in The Killer’s Game alongside “The Animal.” CM Punk has two projects lined up that will likely keep him out of commission in WWE for some time and AEW’s MJF is taking the acting world by storm starring alongside Adam Sandler in the Happy Gilmore sequel.

Dark Match heads to Shudder on January 31st, 2025. In the meantime, get your spooky fix by checking out our list of the best horror movies that are currently available on Shudder!

The post Shudder Releasing Wrestling Themed Horror Film Starring Chris Jericho appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Upon its inception, All Elite Wrestling was the end of a one-way street when it came to talent migration. Within its first two years of existence, AEW brought in former WWE titleholders like Jon Moxley, FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler), Christian Cage, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, and Adam Cole while simultaneously retaining the bulk of its roster. That changed in April 2022, when co-founder Cody Rhodes jumped ship to WWE after his AEW contract expired. Rhodes was followed by Brian Pillman Jr. (WWE NXT’s Lexis King), Shawn Spears, Jade Cargill, and Ethan Page in the years that followed.

Another aspect of talent migration that has shifted has been bidding wars. Gone are the days of WWE being the only show in town where talent can make the best living, as AEW has been able to out-bit the sports-entertainment giant when it came to talent like Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, and Mercedes Moné. That’s not to say that AEW is undefeated in bidding battles, as the young company failed to acquire recent free agents like Stephanie Vaquer and Motor City Machine Guns.

Report: AEW Introducing New WWE Block Clause

AEW is working to put an extra lock on the Forbidden Door.

As reported by Fightful Select, AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling sources are of the belief that when non-contracted talent work future co-promoted shows they would have to reach an agreement “to not immediately go to WWE.” This has yet to be confirmed within the company.

This report ultimately stems from the situation that unfolded with Stephanie Vaquer earlier this summer. Back in June, Vaquer faced Mercedes Moné at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door in a match for all the gold. Vaquer put her NJPW STRONG Women’s Title on the line while Moné defended her AEW TBS Championship. Moné emerged victorious and has reigned as a dual-champion ever since.

Vaquer, who was only under contract to CMLL at the time, impressed enough in that bout to get offered an AEW contract. At the same time, Vaquer was fielding offers from WWE. She ultimately decided to take her talents to WWE, signing with the sports-entertainment giant just 10 days after her AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door match. Vaquer had to get out of her CMLL contract in order to put pen to paper with WWE, and had to vacate both the CMLL World Women’s Title and CMLL World Women’s Tag Team Championship as a result.

Prior to Vaquer, AEW had similar situations happen with Ben Carter (WWE NXT‘s Nathan Frazier) and Dragon Lee. The English star worked a couple of matches for AEW in Fall 2020, including an AEW Dynamite match against Scorpio Sky, but work visa issues prevented him from getting paid. That December, Carter signed with WWE. Today, he reigns as one-half of the NXT Tag Team Champions. Lee wrestled one match for AEW, teaming with brother RUSH and Andrade El Idolo in a losing effort to Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks in Summer 2022. After the bell, RUSH and Andrade attacked Lee, removing his mask, seemingly setting up an AEW feud that ultimately never came to fruition. Like Carter, Lee also signed with WWE that December.

Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on this AEW contract clause.

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Throughout the month of October WWE Superstar Zelina Vega is teaming with ComicBook for a special series, sharing first looks at her cosplays as the Halloween season draws closer. There are less than two weeks to go until the spooktacular day and over the course of the past few weeks, she’s shared jaw-dropping cosplays from Sailor Moon, Naruto, My Hero Academia, and Tokyo Ghoul.

This week, Zelina brings us on a journey to Sendai City with her Gojo cosplay from Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen. In her look which you can see in full below, she focuses on his shades, a key part of his character that acts as his armor. Not only that, she’s rocking his all-black suit which really makes the contrasting white eyelashes and eyebrows pop.

“As Megan Thee Stallion said, ‘Can’t touch me, like Gojo!’ Your cosplay queen is back at it again with Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen. Like many others, I fell for Gojo pretty quickly. Similarly to Kakashi, I love the hint of mystery with these characters, whether that’s in their backstories or literally hiding a part of their face,” Zelina tells ComicBook. “Gojo is both funny AND bad ass, YOWAI MO! Plus, anybody who literally cannot be touched will always be dope to infinity. I couldn’t do Halloween without having my cat (Totty) and I both doing a Gojo cosplay. Two different versions to really cover our bases!”

Totty, one of Zelina’s sweet fur babies, sports Gojo’s blindfolded look which is one of his most recognizable. Why does he wear the blindfold you might ask? Gojo has the Six Eyes ability — a rare technique that allows him to track cursed energy and manipulate it. If he keeps his eyes unprotected and uncovered for long, he will weaken quickly. But don’t worry, it doesn’t mess with his sight much — he’s able to see directly through the dark piece of fabric. Not only that, given his prestigious bloodline, he inherited Limitless as well. In other words, he’s super freaking powerful.

Who is Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen?

Gojo is a vital character in the Jujutsu Kaisen Manga. A teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu High, he is one of the most powerful beings in the series’ universe and has been since he was born. His unique abilities outlined above put a target on his back and bounty hunters have tried — unsuccessfully — to claim the $100 million bounty.

As he’s grown older, the Gojo Clan member has a very complex personality. To his students he’s rather mischievous, cracking jokes and always lending a helping hand. However when faced with the old leaders, he turns quite cold and bitter. Jujutsu Kaisen fans love peeling back his many layers like an onion, and this has made him a fan favorite as his character has evolved.

Keep up with all of Zelina’s cosplays past and present (like her Queen of the Damned Akasha look) on her X and Instagram accounts!

The post Zelina Vega’s Cosplay Countdown: See WWE Star’s Limitless Jujutsu Kaisen Look (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Sting received a new lease on his wrestling life in December 2020. The Icon arrived at Daily’s Place during the first AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming, officially making himself a member of the All Elite Wrestling roster. Sting would work a cinematic match three months later but really shocked fans at AEW Double or Nothing 2021 when he stepped inside the squared circle to compete in a standard in-ring tag bout at 62 years old. This was his first traditional wrestling match since he was defeated by Seth Rollins at WWE Night of Champions in September 2015, a bout that culminated with Sting suffering a back injury that ultimately claimed his career at the time.

Speaking to Kayfabe Friends, Sting revealed that then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon personally pushed for him to retire after WWE Night of Champions 2015 as he wanted the former WCW Champion to hang up his boots “under [WWE’s] umbrella.”

“I didn’t really want to retire at that time. It was kind of like a mutual deal that I did with WWE at the time. Vince [McMahon] wanted me to retire under his umbrella, and at the time, I was okay with that,” Sting said. “It was five-plus years that I was retired, but I came back because I got that phone call from Tony Khan and Cody Rhodes. ‘Want to come back and play one more time?’ So I did, and the rest is history.”

Sting’s wrestling return is one of the sport’s most unprecedented comeback stories. He had already had a full-time wrestling career that had spanned 30 years at the time of his first retirement, and when AEW came calling, he was 61 years old. He went on to work 28 matches for All Elite Wrestling, from ages 62 until 64, many of which saw him execute death-defying dives and take significant weapons-based punishment. Sting officially ended his career this past March at AEW Revolution, successfully defending the AEW Tag Team Championships alongside longtime partner Darby Allin against The Young Bucks. Sting has made one televised appearance for AEW since, coming to the aid of Allin at AEW ALL IN: London this past August.

McMahon’s days in the wrestling industry have also ended, but not voluntarily. The final two years of McMahon’s career as a wrestling executive were plagued with controversy, as the longtime WWE Chairman faced sexual misconduct allegations in mid-2022 that pushed him into a temporary retirement. Shortly after he used his shareholding power to reinstate himself to the WWE Board of Directors, McMahon was hit with a sexual abuse and sex trafficking lawsuit from former WWE employee Janel Grant. The severity of Grant’s lawsuit paired with the fact that WWE was now under new ownership in the form of Endeavor, the parent company of UFC, led to McMahon resigning from his corporate positions within the company completely. McMahon has since sold his WWE shares, effectively severing all ties with his family business. He remains under federal investigation as Grant’s legal team pushes to bring the lawsuit to court.

The post Vince McMahon Pushed AEW Star Into Retiring While in WWE appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WWE’s Tony D’Angelo succeeded where so many faltered when he defeated Oba Femi and became the new NXT North American Champion, and it was a huge moment for D’Angelo, for The Family, and for the NXT crowd cheering on The Don. When you then add the fact that all of it took place during the launch of NXT on The CW and the number of main roster superstars in the mix on the same night, it becomes something pretty incredible, and that’s not at all lost on D’Angelo. D’Angelo will face Femi in a TLS match (Tables, Ladders, and Scares) at Halloween Havoc in what is sure to be an epic rematch, but ComicBook had the chance to speak to D’Angelo after his first landmark win, where we discussed finally overcoming Femi in the ring, the current state of the locker room in the move to The CW, and the growth and evolution of The Family.

It all starts with D’Angelo’s feud with Femi though, which has been quite challenging for The Don at several points along the way. When your nickname is The Don of NXT, it obviously takes a lot to get under your skin, and yet Femi was able to do what many never could and make D’Angelo doubt himself and even his abilities in the ring. D’Angelo was able to overcome that though, and it just shows that even The Don is pretty human at the end of the day.

“Well, you know, everybody’s human, The Don’s a human. I got emotions just like everybody else, and just so happened that Oba was, you know, this big Nigerian guy that…he just smacked me around a little bit. Like I’d never been smacked around before. I had to mentally go somewhere to get prepared, and I had all the training. I had the family, they had my back, and you know it was a mental barrier that I had to jump over, and alongside the family, they got me right. I got my mind right, and we took home the gold, which is always the goal. So it was a good, it was a good time,” D’Angelo said.

A New Era, A Great Start

D’Angelo and Femi were front and center during NXT’s premiere on The CW thanks to their back and forth on Miz TV, and then the very next week they delivered an epic battle in the ring during a stop in St. Louis. D’Angelo’s win is a big moment even without all of those elements, but throwing all those in adds a lot. When asked if the move to The CW has changed the vibe at all, D’Angelo said morale continues to be high.

“I think the overall morale is high, not that it wasn’t before, but, you know, new network, new opportunities, and it’s just more eyes, you know, larger audience,” D’Angelo said. “So people’s names are going to get out there quicker and we’re also traveling more, it seems like. So I’m all for it. You know, the locker room is all for it. They love traveling.”

“You know, we love the PC. We love the fans at the PC, but it’s nice for a change every once in a while. So I think for this to happen on CW, the second week of CW and then the first week going back to my hometown and being on Miz TV and everything, it was, it was a great two weeks and I’m ready to keep the train going,” D’Angelo said.

Holding Their Own

Part of the fun has also been the big names from Raw and SmackDown who have been in the mix over the past few weeks, including CM Punk, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Randy Orton, The Miz, and more. D’Angelo couldn’t be more thrilled to have them in NXT and helping out, and he’s glad they want to be there. That said, he’s also happy that the NXT Superstars are there to show what they can do and hold their own.

“I mean, who’s going to say no to Randy Orton, CM Punk, Miz, you know, all these, these guys wanting to come down and help? I’ll never say no, but I think it’s great that everybody wants to help out and, you know, we’re still new to the game, so of course, any help that we can get we appreciate. But you know, we’re also here to show what we can do. I think the NXT locker room is very special,” D’Angelo said. “I think that everybody is ready to show the entire wrestling community, the entire world, why we got this new network deal and why we’re not so much developmental, in my opinion. But, you know, we’re just here to ball out and I think collectively we’re going to do that. We’re going to take care of business, as The Don would say.”

WWE NXT Halloween Havoc

• WWE NXT Championship – Devil’s Playground Match: Trick Williams (C) vs Ethan Page
• WWE NXT North American Championship – Tables, Ladders, and Scares Match: Tony D’Angelo (C) vs Oba Femi
• NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade vs Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer

NXT Halloween Havoc streams live on Peacock on Sunday, October 27th at 7 PM ET.

Are you excited for the rematch at Halloween Havoc? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Tony D’Angelo On Epic Title Win, NXT Morale in CW Era, and More appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Motor City Machine Guns made their anticipated debut during tonight’s WWE SmackDown, and the only thing that could make that debut better is getting a win at the same time. That would be a tall order, as earlier in the night it was revealed that MCMG would be facing A-Town Down and Los Garza in a Triple Threat match. There were added stakes as well, as a second Tripel Threat was also in the mix, and the winners would face each other for a shot at the Tag Team Championships. Every team had their moments, but MCMG showcased their talents throughout and survived a big wave from A-Town Down to get the win, setting them up for a match against DIY and moving them one huge step closer to becoming WWE Tag Team Championships. To do that, however, they’ll need to take down The Bloodline, and that’s a confrontation everyone wants to see. At this rate, it seems we are getting that sooner rather than later.

Off To A Great Start

Garza and Waller teamed up to attack Sabin to start off the match, with the superstars looking to take the newest WWE additions down a peg. Sabin got up top and hit a crossbody to knock both down and then hit the slick slam on Garza. They then hit sliding kicks and then threw the other two opponents out of the ring before Sabin went between Shelley’s legs with a big dive.

Waller dropped Shelley but MCMG quickly recovered, with Shelley taking control of the match-up against Waller in the ring. Shelley brought down Waller’s elbow painfully but then got rocked with a punch to the face. He got knocked to the mat again when Waller and Theory both punched him, but Garza broke up a pin attempt and then tagged in Carrillo.

Carrillo was in command of the match for a while, with Shelley unable to get to Sabin. Theory and Waller would come racing in to keep Shelley from tagging his partner in, but Shelley was able to stay afloat, even after Carrillo hit double stomps from the top rope and went to pin Waller. Theory broke it up and went to war with Carrillo, and a vicious knee to the back of Carrillo shifted the match his way.

That all changed when Shelley finally got the tag to Sabin, who teamed up and knocked out Theory and then set up Carrillo for the big splash into the neckbreaker, and that was it for Los Garza and A-Town Down. MCMG gets the win in their WWE debut, and they will face DIY in a match next week to decide who will get the shot at the WWE Tag Team Championships.

A Bloodline Battle

Now, that’s where things become interesting. First off, MCMG vs DIY has the potential to bring down the house as a match, but add in the stakes of a Title shot and you have a recipe for a thrilling battle. Secondly, this sets MCMG up for a confrontation with The Bloodline, as Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa are the current WWE Tag Team Champions. It will be interesting to see how MCMG fits into the current Bloodline saga, as right now everything is locked in with Roman Reigns at the moment.

Do Roman and Jimmy find a way to help MCMG get the gold off of The Bloodline? Does MCMG end up developing a feud with Tama and Tonga that in a way helps Reigns and Jimmy? We’ll have to wait and see, but MCMG finds themselves right in the spotlight of SmackDown, and that’s a stellar place to be right at the start of their WWE careers.

What did you think of the Motor City Machine Guns’ WWE debut on SmackDown? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Motor City Machine Guns Take Big Step Towards The Bloodline in SmackDown Debut appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It was all about The Bloodline saga during tonight’s WWE SmackDown, starting with a confrontation between Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Jey Uso. That all took place before Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso were even in the building, and once they arrived, things got even more intriguing, as we finally got to see Roman and Jey reunite and come face to face. It didn’t go like anyone expected though, as Reigns stunned everyone when he told Jey “I’m proud of you”, though it wasn’t enough to draw Jey to his side, who said “No Yeet” and walked away. You can watch the clip right here.

That said, there were cracks in the stoic reaction we saw from Jey during his meeting with Jimmy Uso on this week’s Monday Night Raw. When that happened, Jey was surprised to see Jimmy, and he didn’t even stay to say anything, walking out of the room and leaving Jimmy backstage. Jimmy would find Jey later in the episode and the reaction was mostly the same, but things have chilled a bit from tonight’s encounter.

Main Event and OTC

After Roman and Jey arrive and start to walk into the arena, Jey is walking out and they cross paths. His initial reaction is a smile when he sees Jimmy, and Jimmy is all smiles at seeing Jey back on SmackDown. Then Jey looks at Roman and the expression turns sour, and after a moment he starts to walk away.

Reigns grabs his arm though and Jey walks back a bit, and that’s when Reigns surprises everyone by telling Jey, “I’m proud of you. We all are.” Jimmy is surprised and looks at Jey, and Jey at first seems to be a bit stunned. He looks away and seems confused for just a moment before shaking his head and telling Reigns, “Man, no Yeet.” After he leaves, Reigns says, “I told you. C’mon.”

Later in the episode, Reigns and Jimmy are backstage and joking around a bit, and then Jimmy brings up Jey, saying that Reigns should talk to him again. Reigns says they tried it that way and it didn’t work, adding, “It’s time to do it my way. I’m going to fix this, tonight.” Jimmy says, “How the hell are you going to do that?” Reigns delivers another shocking reply, saying “I’m gonna acknowledge Solo.”

Whether that happens remains to be seen, but Sikoa did tell Jey that there was a spot for him and Roman if they would just acknowledge their Tribal Chief. Jey wasn’t doing it, and neither was Roman, but perhaps he’s changed his mind. This could be part of a bigger plan though to lure Sikoa and his team in so they can take the Ula Fala, though that could go wrong quite easily. Perhaps we’ll see Jey make another appearance before SmackDown is done, but either way, we shouldn’t have to wait too much longer to find out.

What do you want to see for Roman, Jey, and The Bloodline from here? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Roman Reigns and Jey Uso’s Reunion on SmackDown Isn’t What Anyone Expected appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Solo Sikoa brought The Bloodline to the ring and decided to celebrate their big win from last week, which had them attacking Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso to close out SmackDown. Sikoa was happy to take some more jabs at Reigns and Jimmy, but his celebration was cut short by the Intercontinental Champion Jey Uso, who hit the ring to confront his little brother. Sikoa took issue with that name, but still said Jey and Roman were welcome in The Bloodline as long as they acknowledged him. That’s when Jey told Jacob Fatu that he would kick his ass if he kept staring at him like that, and Sikoa had to hold Fatu back from an immediate throwdown. Jey closed things out by saying the next time they met, it would be a different story.

Main Event Jey

During their opening promo, Sikoa then took more shots at them and said Reigns would need to come to the ring to acknowledge him, and then brought up that Jey shot Jimmy down and didn’t want anything to do them either. That’s when the crowd erupted, as Jey’s music hit and the Intercontinental Champion came through the crowd to the ring. Sikoa gave him the go-ahead to finish his entrance with the crowd, but Jey had something to say.

“What’s up little brother? It’s been a minute. I promise, I’m not out here to fight you. Cause at the end of the day, I still care about you. You still my little brother. Look, Jimmy and Roman ain’t here yet, so I came out here to talk to you, one on one, Uce to Uce. Think about what you doing. Think about what you doing to the family. Think about what you doing to The Bloodline,” Uso said.

“Don’t nobody got bigger issues with Roman than I do, but dividing the family like this ain’t it. I left. I left the family I left to be my own man. I left to Raw. I became the Intercontinental Champion little brother,” Uso said. “But look tho. Fighting over the Ula Fala though is not it. That right there is earned, not taken. You know better. But if you want to end Roman’s power, then do it. Just don’t divide the family while you do it.”

“Are you done wasting my time? You come out here, yeet yeet. Who said anything about diving the family? I’m trying to unite the family,” Sikoa said. “And stop calling me your little brother. I’m your Tribal Chief now, and I’ll always have a place for you and Roman in my Bloodline, but all you have to do is acknowledge me. You see, I don’t want you to follow Jimmy’s footsteps because look where it got him. So are you in, or are you out?”

“Look, if what you’re saying is true, and you trying to unite our bloodline, then why did you have to go and get them? Why did you have to get them? Tama, Tonga. Why you have to go get Jacob? There’s a reason we stayed away from them,” Uso said before looking at Fatu and saying, “And if you keep staring at me like that, I’m going to knock your ass out! Forget that, I’m not here for that. Next time I see you Uce, it’s going to be different. Yeet.”

We’ll have to wait and see what happens next, but for right now, Jey is still not joining up with any Bloodline reunion. What did you think of Jey’s return to SmackDown? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @Mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Jey Uso Storms SmackDown to Confront Jacob Fatu and The Bloodline appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The past few weeks WWE has been teasing a major debut for SmackDown, which eagle-eyed viewers deducted were vignettes for the recently signed Motor City Machine Guns. There were a few questions regarding how they would debut, who they would be feuding with first, and if they would actually have their full name or if they would just be MCMG instead, but fans don’t have to wait until SmackDown to find out the answers to any of that. That’s because WWE went ahead and spoiled the debut ahead of time in a video released on social media and YouTube, which shows Nick Aldis welcoming MCMG to SmackDown and using their full name in the process.

As you can see in the video below, Aldis welcomes Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley to the blue brand and then goes about revealing their first match will happen tonight as well. Aldis reveals that they will actually be in a Triple Threat match against A-Town Down and Los Garza, and if they can win that match, they will be only one more step away from a shot at the Tag Team Championships.

Welcome to SmackDown

“I know you were originally slated to face Los Garza tonight in your SmackDown debut, but I’ve had one of my trademark changes of heart, and instead, it’s going to be a Triple Threat match,” Aldis said. “Because let me explain my thoughts here. You’re here to freshen up the Tag Team Division, and you’re here to show everybody you’re the very best tag team in the industry. So I thought, well, let’s jump in with both feet.

“So tonight you’re in a Triple Threat Tag Team match with Los Garza and A-Town Down Under. There’s also another Triple Threat match happening tonight. It’s DIY versus the Street Profits versus Pretty Deadly. The winner of those two matches will face off next week at SmackDown in Brooklyn, and the winner of that match, well, they get a shot at the Tag Team Titles. So, welcome. You’re potentially two wins away from a shot at the WWE Tag Team Championships, so the only thing I have to say is I already know what you can do. It’s time to show them,” Aldis said.

Sabin said “Nick, thank you for the opportunity. Look forward to proving you right.” Shelley then said, Honor and a privilege. You know. We’ll make sure the rest of the blue brand knows too.”

A Stacked SmackDown

In addition to the big SmackDown debut of the Motor City Machine Guns, the card is pretty stacked. There’s the second Triple Threat Tag Team match Aldis mentioned involving DIY, The Street Profits, and Pretty Deadly, as well as a segment involving Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Rhodes is set to address his upcoming match against Gunther at Crown Jewel, and you just never know when Gunther might show up for a face-to-face.

That said, Rhodes being there does mean that there’s a chance we could see Kevin Owens involve himself in some way. Owens delivered an ultimatum to WWE and gave them till today’s SmackDown to show the video he sent them, and as of yet, WWE hasn’t released that video on social media or their official channels. There’s a chance it plays during SmackDown, but with the way this story is going, odds are Owens will end up releasing the video on social media instead.

Complicating this further is the fact that Roman Reigns will be at SmackDown as well, who is part of the reason Owens is feuding with Rhodes in the first place. Reigns has his own problems though, as he will come face to face with the person making his life hell in Solo Sikoa. Sikoa’s Bloodline delivered a beatdown to Reigns and Jimmy Uso last week, which led Jimmy to go and meet with Jey Uso on Raw, but Jey shot down any hopes of reconciliation pretty quickly.

Are you excited to see Motor City Machine Guns make their big WWE debut? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post Watch: WWE Spoils Motor City Machine Guns Debut Before SmackDown appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Lio Rush is All Elite once again. This past weekend at AEW WrestleDream, the Man of the Hour revealed that he has signed a new contract with AEW, bringing him back to the company on a full-time basis for the first time since February 2022. Rush had been in and around AEW storylines since AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door this past June, pursuing the AEW TNT Championship while also reuniting with former tag partner Dante Martin and the rest of Top Flight. Most recently, Rush has been entangled in a feud with MVP and Shelton Benjamin as those two begin to build a new Hurt Business in AEW.

While Rush’s last AEW deal was a short stint, lasting around six months, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion confirmed to ComicBook that his new AEW contract is for three years.

“I am in AEW for the long haul. I can confirm that I’ll be in AEW for at least the next three years,” Rush said. “I’m really excited about that. I’m excited to be able to see a future long term. It makes me really excited for what’s to come, and I’m happy. I’m really happy about it.”

Prior to linking back up with AEW, Rush had been a bit of a journeyman, wrestling on the independent circuit while also contributing to companies like TNA, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and CMLL. He will still lace up his boots for the odd exterior match, but Rush emphasized that his priorities going forward are in AEW.

“I’m all elite, man. I’m here for the long haul. I’m here to commit to AEW. I want to be an AEW wrestler. I want to be seen as somebody who is a face for AEW,” Rush continued. “I do have some interest in some independent promotions. Not too many. I know I have some stuff coming up with RevPro UK, which is a partner with AEW. They do a lot of work together alongside New Japan Pro Wrestling and CMLL. I’m just keeping it all within the family for the most part.”

Part of what excites Rush about his return to AEW is his repaired relationship with AEW President Tony Khan. Back in 2022, Khan made comments on social media about former AEW wrestler Big Swole’s exit from the company, noting he did not renew her contract because he felt “her wrestling wasn’t good enough” after Swole had claimed that her exit was related to a lack of diversity in AEW. Rush did not take kindly to this exchange, calling the situation “f–ked up” and demanding that Khan “apologize.”

This time around, Rush and Khan are on good terms.

“I’m really proud of where me and Tony’s relationship is right now,” Rush said. “It’s really cool too because some things had to be mended in order to get to where we are now. I feel like every time we see each other, especially every time Tony sees me, he runs over to me, gives me a hug, says that it’s great to see me, says that it’s great to have me back. He always says we did it. I think that’s really cool, especially coming from him. We did do it. I feel like nobody saw me being back in AEW. I definitely didn’t. I’m not sure if Tony did or if he didn’t, but I do think where we are now is so much more ahead than where we were before.

“I feel like my [previous] time with AEW, it just wasn’t the right fit. I think a lot of things were going on with me personally, professionally. A lot of things were going on with AEW, being a new company, trying to figure out what the direction was going to be, who the faces and where the talent lies within the company. Things were just getting figured out. I think I was just in a not the right place for where the company was in that time, especially during the pandemic. I just had my son, who’s three years old now. I just had a lot of different struggles and was coming into an already new company that had some struggles of their own. I think it just didn’t gel well. It was mutual.”

Rush doesn’t look back at his first run in AEW with any regret, as he believes it was crucial to getting the two on the same side in the present.

“I’m glad that we did decide to separate because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Who knows where the landscape of AEW would be today? I’m not saying that I played a huge role in where AEW was today, but obviously, every action has a reaction,” Rush said. “Everything that is decided upon, new things have to be put in place to figure out what the problem was and how it can be prevented from that happening again. It all plays a part. Nonetheless, I’m glad that we’re in the position that we’re in today. I’m glad that Tony feels that he is comfortable enough with me to put a big smile on his face to sign me back to the company. It’s a huge accomplishment. It’s a huge milestone. I think that was in good faith of being excited for what’s to come in the future.”

Rush competes on AEW Dynamite (TBS) and AEW Collision (TNT) every Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.

The post Lio Rush Reveals AEW Contract Length, Relationship With Tony Khan (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WWE has been teasing the debut of the Motor City Machine Guns for several weeks across all their programming. Vignettes of cars, Detroit scenery and some recognizable spray paint have flashed across the screen, getting fans excited for the arrival of the legendary tag team. On SmackDown this Friday night they are finally slated to appear. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis teased their debut on last week’s episode, explaining to Los Garza’s Angel and Berto that he handpicked a “special team” to face them.

If you’re unfamiliar with the widely respected tag team and what they have to offer, look no further because we’re breaking down all the details before their debut!

Who Are Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin?

The duo have been a dominating tag team across the independent wrestling scene for decades. In fact, much of the style that is currently practiced in tag team divisions across all major promotions was influenced by the Motor City Machine Guns in some way. WWE’s D.I.Y., and AEW’s Young Bucks are two examples that have greatly benefitted from MCMG breaking down doors with their ingenuity.

Formed in the early 2000s, they’d eventually go on to sign with TNA in 2007 and elevate their tag team division to new heights. Winning their first set of TNA Tag Titles in 2010, they have held them for a combined 357 days across their three reigns. Their unique look and move set has put them in the conversation for the best tag team of all time and it’s hard to argue that they are certainly inching toward the top of that list the more accolades they earn.

Outside of TNA, they’ve conquered the professional wrestling landscape worldwide. This includes New Japan Pro Wrestling, the long-standing premiere Japanese wrestling promotion, where the became NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Champions just two years ago.

At this stage in their careers it’s hard to imagine what else there is left for them but they keep surprising fans, and they certainly did when they chose to leave TNA where they’d remained faithful for years, to join WWE. Rumors had originally indicated that they could have been on the NXT brand helping elevate the tag teams over there and giving invaluable advice. Still, there’s plenty of opportunity on the blue brand for them.

The natural first big PLE style match could be against D.I.Y., but they can also run back their TNA feud with the Good Brothers, mix it up with The Street Profits or even the current reigning champions, A-Town Down Under. Really there’s no shortage of feuds for them, and getting the titles on them sooner than later so they can continue to add depth and intrigue to a pretty stale division seems like the way to go.

Not only that, they are extremely well decorated singles competitors as well, so don’t be shocked to see Shelley holding some singles gold in the future. He is a former TNA X-Division and World Champion. Sabin collected his 10th X-Division title in September of last year, holding it through early 2024. He was also the TNA World Champion during the 2010s.

Don’t miss the debut of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin on SmackDown tomorrow night, October 18th, at 8 p.m. EST on USA Network.

The post WWE: Everything You Need to Know About the Motor City Machine Guns appeared first on ComicBook.com.

CM Punk continues to add to his Hollywood resume. The WWE star who starred in indie horror projects Rabid, Girl on the Third Floor and Jakob’s Wife is set to board writer/director Ryan Prows’ Night Patrol, according to The Hollywood Reporter. According to the report, Punk (whose real name is Phil Brooks) is set to have a major role in the film. Justin Long, Jermaine Fowler, RJ Cyler and Dermot Mulroney are also on board to star.

Currently slated for a 2025 release, Night Patrol follows the LAPD — more specifically an officer within the force (played by Fowler — who is forced to set his differences with the local street gangs. He uncovers a local police task force is harboring a horrific secret that endangers the residents of the housing projects that he grew up in. Punk is set to play the right-hand man of the sergeant (Mulroney) — also the father of Long’s character.

Punk’s most recent acting projects include several episodes of Mayans M.C. and STARZ’s Heels where he played Ricky Rabies. He will also have a role in an upcoming indie comedy from Dark Sky Films set for release late this month. Punk is a full-time wrestler, having returned to WWE last fall after a tumultuous run in rival promotion AEW. He just wrapped a huge feud with another top star, former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.

He recently spoke to fans live on WWE Raw, admitting that he doesn’t know when he’ll see them again, but he promises to come back soon. In hindsight it appears that has to do with his filming schedule, so he very well may be returning at next year’s Royal Rumble in February. He’ll have no shortage of enemies to circle back to when he returns: Seth Rollins is still waiting in the wings after threatening the veteran wrestler and he called out Gunther following Bash in Berlin.

Fellow professional wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista recently gave high praise to Punk, explaining that he believes Punk has “unlimited potential” as an actor.

“You know who I think I really overlooked as an actor? I don’t know if he hasn’t pursued it as much as he’d like to because he’s still heavily pursuing professional wrestling, but it is CM Punk, Phil Brooks,” Bautista told Buzzfeed Celeb. “His potential in acting is pretty unlimited. I really want to see more from him in acting. I’d actually love to work with him because I think he has a passion for acting, but I think still his heart is in professional wrestling, and until he’s able to let that go a little bit, he’ll never be able to fully envelop himself in acting. But I think Phil Brooks is a great actor.”

The post CM Punk Announced for New Movie Amidst WWE Hiatus appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Fans of DC Comics received an unexpected surprise a few weeks back when there was a small banner on the lower third of the screen during AEW Dynamite, which was advertising DC’s All In Special #1. That’s obviously a big deal, but tonight DC and AEW took that up several notches, with DC superheroes from the main universe and the recently launched Absolute Universe being featured across all of the barricades around the ring (which you can see right here). Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman from both universes were included, and things got even better when a commercial for DC’s All In initiative and Absolute Universe played during the show as well.

The classic DC blue made the barricades around the ring pop, as did the main universe and absolute character designs for Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. Then during the Mercedes Mone vs Queen Aminata match for the TBS Championship, AEW played a commercial for DC’s All In, though the video really leaned into the Absolute Universe as well.

The commercial featured more detailed looks and full motion graphics for Absolute Batman, and then previewed the upcoming Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Superman. A commercial just showing the DC logo and maybe some covers would have been noteworthy, but the fact that AEW shined a light on All In and several of the highly anticipated Absolute titles really gives this showcase some impact.

Witch Wonder Woman

Part of the fun of the Absolute Universe is that creators can take some big risks with DC’s iconic heroes, and that especially goes for Wonder Woman. Absolute Wonder Woman features writer Kelly Thompson and artist Hayden Sherman at the helm, and they are going for it in a huge way, as this new iteration of Wonder Woman has survived the pits of hell, rides a skeletal Pegasus, and can wield magic. Suffice it to say, this isn’t the Wonder Woman you know. In an interview with Thompson and Sherman, Thompson explained how Wonder Woman’s magic works and how they approached bringing this element into the fold.

”I think I always try to approach magic as magic has a price. I think this Wonder Woman is a little bit more Batman because of the magic. Like, a lot of magic that she’s doing is stuff she’s got in that pouch that’s pre-prepared. Like, I can use this to do that or the other, so it’s a little bit more she’s got some Batman tricks because of her different bag of tricks she’s playing with, quite literally. We gave her a magical pouch that has infinite space or connects to a portal or, you know, like a pocket dimension that she can reach into or whatever we want to call it,” Thompson said.

Thompson also eased any fears that Wonder Woman’s ability to wield magic will make her overpowered. “I will say that while the magic of Wonder Woman, I haven’t really seen people saying this, so I probably shouldn’t bring it up and raise this issue, but I was worried people would think she was just going to be so dramatically overpowered, but I would say there are limitations to the magic,” Thompson said. “She pays prices for that sometimes. It’s nothing unlimited. She’s also not a master magician. Like, she’s a witch, and she can do a lot of this stuff. She was raised in it, but she’s not, that’s not her primary skill set. Her primary skill set is still more Wonder Woman-based.”

DC did just give AEW stars like Swerve Strickland, Darby Allin, and Britt Baker their own mini-comics, so perhaps we’ll get some Absolute versions at some point down the line. We’ll just have to wait and see, but you can talk all things wrestling and comics with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post DC Comics Just Took Over AEW Dynamite appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Lio Rush is in the crosshairs of The Hurt Business. This past weekend at AEW WrestleDream, Rush announced that he had signed a new contract with All Elite Wrestling, making himself an official member of the roster again for the first time since early 2022. Seconds later, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion was interrupted by MVP and Shelton Benjamin, the former of which asked about his availability for the following Wednesday. That question was posed in an effort to book Rush to face Benjamin in Benjamin’s AEW debut.

“We’ve never shared a ring together,” Rush told ComicBook ahead of his AEW Dynamite match against Benjamin. “We have been in the same locker room. We have seen each other in passing.”

While Rush and Benjamin are strangers inside the squared circle, Rush is very much familiar with the Gold Standard’s body of work.

“Shelton to me is an absolute legend, hands down. I remember watching him on television when I was younger, a lot younger. I hope he feels old with me saying that,” Rush continued. “Swerve [Strickland] said it best: without Shelton, a lot of us wouldn’t be here. He was so innovative, so creative, so athletically gifted in his own right. I look at myself as someone who can pave the way for someone who looks like me, moves like me, has the same mentality as me. I want to accomplish everything that he did and more.”

While MVP neglected to hand Rush one of his business cards, speculation has run wild that the Man of the Hour could be recruited into his AEW-based Hurt Business revival.

“I don’t know, man. I don’t really know MVP,” Rush said. “I know we’ve got some mutuals, but I don’t know him. I’m a little wary. He’s got a good business mindset, but his business might be a little different than how I conduct business. There might be a little clash there.”

The biggest mutual that they share, both literally and figuratively, is Bobby Lashley. The All-Mighty was managed by Rush in WWE from late 2018 until mid-2019 before he linked up with MVP in 2020, reforming a union that they previously had in TNA in the mid-2010s. Lashley reportedly signed with AEW a couple of weeks ago and is expected to make his debut imminently.

“I never thought that I’d see Bobby again. If that does happen, I have no idea what I would do,” Rush said. “I have no idea what I would say. Don’t know if I’d hug him or punch him in the face. But it’s cool, it’s really cool, just the path that I’m going on is cool. I hope that if he does come, I hope he gives me a call. He still has my number. I know I still have his. I just like a little heads up. I know that Shelton and MVP aren’t going to tell me.

“Nonetheless, I’m glad that we’re all on screen together. I’m glad that the fans are excited to see it,” Rush added. “This is something that I never thought that would happen. I never thought that I’d have to cross paths with MVP and Shelton Benjamin. Things are going to get interesting for sure. MVP’s already starting to push my buttons.”

Rush takes on Benjamin on AEW Dynamite tonight at 8 PM ET on TBS.

The post Lio Rush Teases Bobby Lashley’s AEW Arrival, Speaks on Hurt Business Possibilities (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Brock Lesnar has been absent from WWE programming for over 14 months. The Beast Incarnate was last seen at WWE SummerSlam 2023 where he concluded his trilogy against Cody Rhodes, losing the rubber match to the American Nightmare and endorsing him in front of the Detroit crowd after the bell. Lesnar was initially scheduled to make his return to WWE TV at WWE Royal Rumble this past January and set up a WWE WrestleMania 40 program against then-WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther, but his link to a sex trafficking lawsuit filed against Vince McMahon days before the premium live event resulted in him getting pulled from storylines entirely.

Brock Lesnar, WWE “Talking” About Return

The Beast Incarnate could be back in the WWE fold soon.

Speaking on Backstage Pass Q&A, wrestling reporter Bill Apter noted that he has heard from his WWE sources that Brock Lesnar and WWE are “talking” about a return. Reputable insider account @WrestleVotes corroborated this report shortly after.

It’s worth noting that Lesnar was referenced several times on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw. Seth Rollins reminded Raw general manager Adam Pearce that he has “slayed beasts” before, alluding to his past feuds with Lesnar. WWE Champion Cody Rhodes also hinted at his Summer 2023 history with Lesnar, noting during his promo that he had “already slain a frightening beast.”

While Lesnar’s name was not spoken verbatim, this is a significant shift from how he has been perceived throughout 2024. Lesnar had been erased from all WWE video packages in an effort from WWE to seemingly distance itself from him.

That distance had only been on WWE television, as Lesnar has been brought up a couple of times at WWE press conferences.

“At one point, there was a conversation with Brock about Royal Rumble, quite a long time ago,” WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said this past April. “Right now, Brock is at home being Brock. We’ll see where that leads to from here. His status is the same as it has been before. Brock is not gone from WWE. He’s just home being Brock.”

This past July, Triple H was asked again about Lesnar, to which he noted that the company is “open” to working with him again.

You’d have to ask Brock Lesnar that. Brock kind of does his own thing. He’s up in Canada, I’m sure, watching his kids play hockey and enjoying life. If and when he decides he would like to do something, we’d be open to the conversation. We’ll see.”

This whole situation stems from Lesnar’s linkage to the sex trafficking lawsuit filed against Vince McMahon this past January. Former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a suit that accuses McMahon of sexually abusing and sexually assaulting her as well as sex trafficking her to other WWE employees. One of those other WWE employees was anonymously named as a “former WWE/UFC Heavyweight Champion.” The Wall Street Journal later identified Lesnar as that former champion, and Lesnar was specifically named as such in Netflix’s Mr. McMahon docuseries. McMahon allegedly instructed Grant to “create personalized sexually explicit content” for Lesnar as he was attempting to re-sign him to a new contract.

“Janel deserves the opportunity to tell her full story, not be a part of someone else’s,” a recent statement from Grant’s legal team states. “She will get her day in court, and McMahon will be held accountable. As we said, in fact, she would like to expedite all proceedings as quickly as possible. And Janel has the right to tell her story in her own way at the right time.”

WWE’s legal team has not yet cleared Lesnar for a return. He reportedly cannot come back to programming until that happens.

The post Brock Lesnar and WWE “Talking” About Return Amidst Vince McMahon Controversy appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Country music superstar Jelly Roll stepped into the squared circle this past August. Following a one-off appearance on an episode of WWE Monday Night Raw in November 2023, Jelly Roll was brought back to WWE as an official guest performer at WWE SummerSlam. The three-time CMT Music Awards winner performed “Liar”, the second single from his tenth studio album Beautifully Broken to kick off the premium live event before returning to his ringside seat. Later in the show, former WWE World Tag Team Champions Austin Theory and Grayson Waller interrupted the program to gloat about themselves, leading Jelly Roll to return to the ring with a steel chair to take out the duo. Jelly Roll didn’t stop there, as he nailed Austin Theory with a ferocious chokeslam to officially send him packing.

Jelly Roll Wants to Wrestle

One chokeslam wasn’t enough for Jelly Roll.

Speaking to WWE superstar Logan Paul on his Impaulsive podcast, Jelly Roll declared that he has “caught the bug” following his WWE SummerSlam appearance and has ambitions to properly train to wrestle.

“I’m telling you, I’m coming. I want to do it big. I caught the bug in a way that I’ve never caught a bug,” Jelly Roll said. “I caught a bug so much I think I’m going to buy a ring. It was awesome.”

Jelly Roll wouldn’t be the first musical artist to make the leap from the recording booth to the squared circle. In recent memory, Spotify’s most streamed artist Bad Bunny tested his luck in WWE, competing at WWE WrestleMania 38, WWE Royal Rumble 2023, and WWE Backlash 2023. Bad Bunny’s first bout was a standard celebrity tag team match, as he joined forces with veteran Damian Priest to defeat The Miz and John Morrison at WWE WrestleMania 38. While he impressed in his limited role in that contest, Bad Bunny’s real showcase came just over one year later when he fought Priest in a Puerto Rican Street Fight at WWE Backlash 2023. That match resulted in one of WWE’s loudest crowds in recent memory, as Bad Bunny’s home-countrymen gave him a hero’s welcome akin to CM Punk in Chicago or “Rowdy” Roddy Piper in Portland.

One of Jelly Roll’s recent collaborators is also a familiar face to WWE audiences, that being Machine Gun Kelly. One decade before he reached massive mainstream success with Tickets to My Downfall, mgk performed one of his earliest hits, “Invincible”, at WWE WrestleMania 28 ahead of John Cena’s entrance for his once in a lifetime contest against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Years later, mgk performed on WWE Monday Night Raw and took a powerbomb from a recently-debuted Kevin Owens off of the entrance stage and through two tables. mgk was also present at WWE SummerSlam as a guest of Logan Paul. He attempted to help Logan retain his WWE United States Championship against LA Knight by slipping him his signature brass knuckles, but a resilient Knight was able to survive the illegal attack and secure the gold.

Jelly Roll’s latest album, Beautifully Broken, was released on October 11th.

The post Jelly Roll Wants to Wrestle Following WWE SummerSlam Appearance appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The main event of tonight’s WWE NXT featured a fierce battle over a shot at Trick Williams’ NXT Championship, and that shot will happen at Halloween Havoc later this month. It would be Ethan Page, Je’Von Evans, and Wes Lee all contending for that spot at Havoc, and the stakes were present throughout the entire match, as all three men left nothing on the table. Evans almost had the win a few times, but it would be Page emerging victorious, and after a spin of the wheel the match was revealed to be a Devil’s Playroom match, adding another stipulation match to Halloween Havoc, and you can find a full preview of the current Havoc card below.

Down to the Last Second

Lee got knocked down immediately by Evans, and then Evans almost pined Page right after. Evans got knocked down for a minute but was back up quickly, knocking around both superstars for a bit before getting rocked by a huge kick from Page that almost got him the win, but Evans managed to kick out in time. Meanwhile, Lee got thrown into the barricade out on the floor, and Page would then get hit by both superstars as Lee got back in the mix.

Lee then went at Evans with big strikes but Evans came right back with some of his own. Page was happy that they were attacking each other, but then got knocked to the floor after they both hit him with superkicks to the head. Lee was back out on the floor and tried to hit a move but then got thrown over Page’s head and slammed into the announce table, but it didn’t break. Then Evans came flying out of nowhere and slammed Page into it, but it still didn’t break.

Evans missed Page and Lee and slammed into the turnbuckle, leaving all three superstars on the mat. Page was able to get to his feet and hit Evans with a powerslam, but Lee broke it up at the very last minute. Lee kept both Page and Evans off balance and then hit a huge DDT on Evans and a Shooting Star Press on Page, but Page managed to kick out of the cover, leading to a moment where all three hit superkicks on each other, knocking everyone down once more.

Page knocked down Lee and then Evans got up top and slammed Page down with a Spanish Fly. Evans then clocked Lee with a kick into a cover, but Lee was able to kick out. Page then kicked Evans and set up for an Ego’s Edge, but Evans countered it and Lee hit a Meteroa on Page. Evans hit a cutter on Lee and went for the pin, but Lee stunned everyone by getting his shoulder up. Evans went up top but Page got to him in time to stop the move, only to get hit by Lee.

Page then grabbed both stars and hit a powerbomb, but Evans landed on his feet. A superkick to Page knocked him out of the ring and then Evans went up top again. This time he got the move but then Page came out of nowhere and rolled Evans into a quick pin, keeping him down long enough to get the 3 count and become the new No. 1 Contender. Page then went to spin the wheel and Williams came out to spin it with him.
They got the Devil’s Playroom match, and then Page hit Williams on the side of the head with a canister of some kind.

The Card So Far

With the main event complete, there were three new matches set for the Halloween Havoc card, with two out of the three carrying special Havoc stipulations courtesy of spinning the wheel. While the Williams vs Page match will be a Devil Playroom match, the battle for the North American Championship will feature an equally violent showdown, just in a different way.

Tony D’Angelo kicked off the show to celebrate his NXT North American Championship win last week, and after he thanked the family, he thanked his opponent Oba Femi. Femi then came out and gave D’Angelo some respect for beating him, though he also said it wouldn’t happen again. That’s when he said they would fight at Halloween Havoc, and after spinning the wheel, it was revealed to be a TLS match (Tables, Ladders, and Scares), and it will assuredly be something special to see Femi and D’Angelo going to war with tables, ladders, and chairs.

There is one other major match confirmed for Havoc, and this one involves four of the brand’s biggest superstars. Stephanie Vaquer had her in-ring NXT debut during the show, and it didn’t take long for Roxanne Perez, Cora Jade, and Giulia to get involved after the match. That led to a challenge from Vaquer for a match against them at Havoc, and it was later confirmed by NXT General Manager Ava Raine. Vaquer and Giulia will team up to take on Perez and Jade at Havoc, but it won’t be a match for the NXT Women’s Championship…at least not yet.

Are you excited for Halloween Havoc? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE Reveals NXT Title Number 1 Contender and 2 Thrilling Stipulations for Halloween Havoc appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Kevin Owens has been in the thick of a lot of chaos recently, brawling with Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton over the past few weeks. Owens tried to state his case on last week’s SmackDown, but his microphone was cut off before he could really start to say anything. That led to a brawl that put him on opposite sides with Orton, and then things went to another level later in the night between the two former friends. Now Owens has taken to social media and threatened WWE with an ultimatum, saying that if they don’t release a mysterious video on this week’s SmackDown he will release it himself. You can watch what he had to say right here.

An Unexpected Ultimatum

The video has Owens looking pretty sullen about how things have played out, and he revealed that he gave WWE a video to play during Monday Night Raw, but they didn’t play it. “Um, ever since Bad Blood there’s been a lot of questions about why I did what I did to Cody. There’s been a lot of judgements too, people judging me for what I did. And as much as I’d love to explain myself and give my side of the story and speak my mind, WWE has not allowed me to do that,” Owens said.

“They have done the opposite actually, they’ve tried to shut me up it seems, because they wouldn’t let me come to SmackDown. They told me to stay home last Friday, even though I belong there. And when I showed up anyway they cut my mic, and did everything they could for me not to be able to talk,” Owens said.

“And then over the weekend I sent them a video that I hope they would air on Raw last night, but they didn’t. So nobody could hear what I have to say, but of course, they have plenty of time for Cody, but not for me. And look the last thing I want to do is do this on social media, because I hate, I hate it. So I’m giving them until Friday, this Friday on SmackDown, to air my video so that people can hear what I have to say, and if they don’t, I guess I’ll post it here,” Owens said.

The Story So Far

This whole issue between Owens and, well, everyone at this point, stems from his close friendship with Rhodes. Owens was one of Rhodes’ staunchest allies throughout his time fighting The Bloodline, which is why he took it so personally when Rhodes said yes to teaming up with Roman Reigns to take on Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu. Since then Owens and Rhodes have had issues, but then Owens took it to another gear and attacked Rhodes outside of his tour bus after Bad Blood.

Then Orton got involved, as he was trying to talk Owens down and patch things up between all three friends. Unfortunately, that didn’t go so well, with Owens attacking Orton in the parking lot and speeding off. Now all three superstars have issues, and Owens seems to think this video will help explain things and allow fans to understand why he did what he did. We’ll just have to wait and see if WWE plays the video during SmackDown or if Owens has to release it himself.

What do you think is in the video? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post Watch: Kevin Owens Threatens WWE With Mysterious Video Ultimatum appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After her surprising appearance on WWE TV during last week’s NXT, Stephanie Vaquer was set to have her first NXT match in the ring during tonight’s episode, taking on No Quarter Catch Crew’s Wren Sinclair. Sinclair impressed early, hanging tough with WWE’s big superstar signing, but it didn’t take long for Vaquer to show just why she’s been accompanied by so much hype leading up to her debut. Vaquer was impressive throughout the entire match, stunning the NXT crowd and even those at ringside, and you can watch all of the highlights from the match in the video below.

The crowd was clearly on Vaquer’s side, but Sinclair got the first hit in, only to almost be pinned by Vaquer shortly after. The two traded counters and then Vaquer was able to spin Sinclair around into a submission, only for Sinclair to impress with her own submission skillset. Vaquer was able to knock Sinclair down and go for a pin, but Sinclair got to her feet, though she ran into a big boot from Vaquer that sent her reeling towards the turnbuckle.

Vaquer’s momentum was halted briefly but she got back into the swing of things with a leg drop that led to several slams of Sinclair’s face into the mat. Sinclair’s crew was pretty shaken after that, but Sinclair wasn’t done yet, fighting back and delivering big strikes to Vaquer. Unfortunately, Vaquer turned things around and knocked Sinclair into the corner, setting up the double knee strike that knocked Sinclair into the turnbuckle. Vaquer then picked up Sinclair and hit the vicious finisher, capping off the match with a painful knee to the back of Sinclair and getting the pin and the win.

Headed for Havoc

Vaquer was all smiles after the win, but she didn’t get to celebrate long, as Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade ran out and attacked Vaquer right after, delivering stomps and kicks to NXT’s newest star. That’s when Giulia ran out to make the save, driving both Perez and Jade back and giving Vaquer enough time to regroup and join her for a kick that knocked both Perez and Jade out of the ring and to the floor. Then Vaquer issued a challenge for Halloween Havoc, but it has yet to be made official.

Stephanie Vaquer signed with WWE earlier this year, and while this is her first match in NXT, she actually had her WWE in-ring debut earlier this year in Mexico. WWE held several live events in Mexico and Vaquer had the chance to jump in the ring for a match against Isla Dawn in an event in Mexico City. She impressed in her debut and also delivered a promo before leaving the ring, saying, “Good evening Mexico City, how are you? Today I am here fulfilling a dream and it is an honor for me to be part of the WWE family. But you know, it is the best that my debut is here in my home and with my Mexican people.”

If she does compete at Halloween Havoc, it will be quite the show, especially if she teams up with Giulia against Jade and Perez. We’ve already had round 1 of Perez vs Giulia, which was interrupted by Jade, so while we wait for round 2, there is still a Vaquer vs Perez one-on-one match we need to see.

What did you think of Vaquer’s NXT in-ring debut? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

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The champion vs. champion spirit of WWE Survivor Series is being resurrected at WWE Crown Jewel. As announced by WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque at WWE Bad Blood, this November’s Saudi Arabia-based premium live event will host the top men’s and women’s champions of WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther and WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, taking on the top men’s and women’s champions of WWE SmackDown, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax, in singles contests. The winners of each match will be crowned the inaugural WWE Crown Jewel Champion, a title that effectively serves as a trophy, as it will not be regularly defended on WWE programming.

While excitement and intrigue are ripe in the build up to WWE Crown Jewel, WWE finds itself in a bit of a booking corner when it comes to deciding how these matches should actually play out.

Why Gunther Should Beat Cody Rhodes

Since returning to WWE in April 2022, Cody Rhodes has only suffered a handful of pinfall defeats. His most recent time being on the receiving end of a 1-2-3 was when Solo Sikoa pinned him at WWE Money in the Bank in a tag bout, a loss that he avenged one month later at WWE SummerSlam.

Knowing how quickly Rhodes is able to bounce back from his rare defeats is all the more reason for Gunther to get this win. The American Nightmare’s whole story is overcoming adversity, and while he’s enjoyed a successful summer, his incoming program against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson becomes all the more intriguing if he’s more vulnerable going into it.

Outside of Rhodes being able to take the loss, Gunther needs the win. His WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign is still very fresh, as he has only defended the gold twice since winning it at WWE SummerSlam over two months ago. Gunther’s reigns are defined by his extensive stretches of being undefeated, as evident by his runs as NXT UK Champion and WWE Intercontinental Champion. While he does not necessarily need to eclipse two years with his current prize, it would be too hard of a 180 if he shows chinks in his armor this early into his time as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Beyond that, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship is still has the lingering consolation prize stink on it. After all, then-Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns labeled it as the “loser’s bracket title” given that it was only introduced because Reigns was too dominant with his unified straps. The WWE Championship and WWE World Heavyweight Title have evened out significantly since they both changed hands at WWE WrestleMania 40 in April, but the fans still see Rhodes’s gold as the ultimate prize in the company. Giving Gunther the win at WWE Crown Jewel narrows that gap significantly and makes both WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE SmackDown feel like even playing fields going into the new year.

Why Nia Jax Should Beat Liv Morgan

Nia Jax is enjoying a career renaissance unlike anyone in professional wrestling today. During her first run with WWE, Jax was a strong presence but never fully executed the relentless dominance that WWE was attempting to communicate.

Since returning to the company last fall, Jax has successfully transformed herself into that “Irresistible Force.” She showcased her main-event-level abilities at WWE Elimination Chamber in February when she headlined that premium live event against then-WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley. In the months that followed, Jax won Queen of the Ring in dominant fashion and parlayed that tournament victory into winning the WWE Women’s Championship at WWE SummerSlam. Jax’s momentum is barreling forward, and WWE would be foolish to show any cracks in her game this early into her reign.

As for WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, her whole game is trickery. She essentially stole her current prize from previous champion Becky Lynch in May thanks to inadvertent help from Dominik Mysterio. Dominik fully intentionally helped Morgan three months later at WWE SummerSlam, giving her the assist to beat main rival Rhea Ripley. Morgan got more assistance at WWE Bad Blood in the form of a returning Raquel Rodriguez.

When WWE Crown Jewel rolls around, Morgan losing to Jax clean would not stall her progress. Her style of heel is one that needs to get her comeuppance every once in a while. And beyond that, if WWE Monday Night Raw‘s Gunther is taking the men’s victory, it’s only fitting that WWE will split the wealth and give the women’s win to WWE SmackDown‘s Nia Jax.

WWE Crown Jewel goes down on Saturday, November 2nd.

The post WWE Crown Jewel: Why Gunther, Nia Jax Need to Beat Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan appeared first on ComicBook.com.

On tonight’s WWE Monday Night Raw, Women’s Tag Team Champions Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair were all about tricks and treats as they rolled up to the red brand in outfits inspired by the iconic horror character, Chucky. While Belair’s outfit was much more understated with a colorful striped t-shirt and denim shorts, Cargill wore a bodysuit that resembles his denim overalls. Due to the nature of copyright, instead of the red “good guys” written across the front, her costume dawns his iconic catchphrase: “wanna play?”

The champions have been a dominating force on both Raw and SmackDown throughout 2024, and they are currently in their second reign with the belts. They appeared on Raw to call out Damage CTRL who were looking to steal back the shiny gold titles.

What’s Next for Chucky Following Series Cancelation

Spooky season didn’t start off too great for the red headed pop culture icon. Last month SyFy and USA Network announced that they’d be canceling the fan-favorite series after three seasons. The show reunited Bride of Chucky co-stars Jennifer Tilly who has long been his sidekick, Tiffany Valentine as well as Brad Dourif, the original voice of Chucky. WWE’s own Liv Morgan, a notable massive fan of the franchise, even made an appearance on the show back in season 2. While she was — spoiler alert — killed by Chucky, she explained in an interview back in May that it was an “honor” to be killed by him.

“I never thought, ever in my life, that I would get to be on the Chucky series and get murdered by Chucky so gruesomely,” Morgan told Insight with Chris Van Vliet. “It was such a pipe dream come true, something that I genuinely did not think could ever conceivably happen. And it was so graphic, I didn’t even think we’d allow it to happen.”

Shortly after its cancelation, Child’s Play creator Don Mancini reassured fans that Chucky would be back. (Because Chucky never REALLY dies!) Fiona Dourif discussed the cancelation, reiterating there was at least hope from the crew that it will continue in the future, given it had pretty solid ratings spread across USA, SyFy and streaming service Peacock.

What do you think of Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair’s Chucky inspired looks? Let me know your thoughts on X and Bluesky @haleyanne_! As always, stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on WWE.

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Several wrestling promotions — namely AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling — will put on a one-of-a-kind show this upcoming January, Wrestle Dynasty. The pay-per-view event will take place the night after NJPW’s iconic WrestleKingdom event at the Tokyo Dome. Current AEW Tag Team Champions the Young Bucks announced that they’ll be at the show, returning to the Dome for the first time since 2019.

In a recent sit down with the ACE and NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi, former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega teased his involvement with the pay-per-view, noting that if he’s cleared he wants to face the Bucks with his rival Tanahashi.

“First priority is making my return,” Omega told NJPW. “If I can come back, I do want to face the Bucks. I want revenge, but more importantly, I want to do it the right way. The first time Tanahashi and I wrestled, it was for the belt, and then in 2019 it was a lot on the line for the both of us.

Now, with the two of us aligned, next time we wrestle, I’d want to do it together. I’ve been a bad guy for a lot of my time, especially in AEW. I cheated to win the AEW title. I don’t want that to be the memory of myself that stays with young fans. If Tanahashi and I meet in that ring again, I’d want to do it as his partner.”

The Young Bucks turned against their Elite stablemate while he was away recovering from Diverticulitis. When he reappeared on television to provide fans an update on his status, they brutally attacked him and he hasn’t been seen since. It’s unclear when “The Best Bout Machine” will return to AEW television, but all signs are pointing to sooner rather than later. He has been spotted training in recent weeks, furthering speculation that he’ll be back soon.

Matthew and Nicholas Jackson retained their Tag Team Championships against AEW’s popular homegrown tag team Private Party this past weekend at AEW WrestleDream. It doesn’t seem like all hope is lost for the duo, but if they don’t win the titles before January, it seems like the decorated tag team vets may have to answer to an unlikely tag team instead. It is worth noting that Tanahashi announced today that he wants his final match to take place on January 4th at WrestleKingdom.

Are you excited to see the Young Bucks return to the Tokyo Dome? Let me know your thoughts on X and Bluesky @haleyanne_! As always, stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on AEW.

The post Young Bucks Opponents for AEW x NJPW Wrestle Dynasty Are Already Being Teased appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Triple H regime is in full effect. This past January, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque officially seized full creative control of the sports-entertainment giant, fulfilling the successor role that he had been working towards for the past decade. Triple H took the reins from longtime WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, as McMahon fully resigned from the company when a sex trafficking lawsuit was filed against him. Previously, McMahon had softly retired from WWE in mid-2022. The WWE under Triple H has been largely praised by fans, as WWE has doubled-down on long-term storylines, restored prestige to its championships, and brought back the big fight feel to its premium live events. The numbers don’t lie either, as WWE has broken its arena gate record several times this year.

Triple H’s Leadership Compared to Vince McMahon

The Cerebral Assassin plays the game a little differently.

Speaking to Notsam Wrestling, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle praised Triple H’s work as WWE Chief Content Officer, pointing out that his former in-ring rival has “more rational answers” than former WWE boss Vince McMahon.

“I love the fact that Triple H is in charge. He was always the one that I knew could run the business and run it properly. He gets it. He gets the comedy. He gets the seriousness. He gets these wrestlers needing to be world class athletes, not just good workers, but great athletes,” Angle said. “He’s one of those guys that is going to take chances, but not as much as Vince did. I think he’s going to have more rational answers and programs that are going to make more sense and not be so outlandish or goofy or crazy. I think Triple H has a great mind for the business. He always has.”

Angle and Triple H shared a locker room within the tail end of the Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression Era in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The two shared the ring 74 times, 27 of those matches being one-on-one. Their final encounter inside the squared circle came at WWE WrestleMania 34 in a mixed tag match, Angle teaming with a debuting Ronda Rousey while Triple H linked up with wife Stephanie McMahon.

Triple H not taking as many chances as McMahon is not necessarily a negative in Angle’s eyes. Like Angle said, there are still elements of comedy and the supernatural in the current WWE landscape, but the entire company is coated in a layer of legitimacy. This is evident within the first minute of WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE SmackDown episodes, as they regularly open with superstars arriving at the arena like professional athletes.

“When I get in the ring with him, he is the one that I feel most secure [with],” Angle continued his praise of Triple H’s wrestling intellect. “Because he can lead you in a match, and then go a separate way for another 10 minutes, improvise, go back to the spot where you ended with. He is just a great improviser. He knows every facet of the business, and I think that he is the one that should carry this company because he has a great mind. He really does. He has the best mind for the business of anybody I’ve known since Vince.”

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The Final Boss watches on. Earlier this month at WWE Bad Blood, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made his first WWE appearance since the WWE Monday Night Raw after WWE WrestleMania 40 in April, closing the premium live event with an ominous “1, 2, 3” warning to WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. While many initially interpreted the gesture as The Rock reminding Rhodes that he pinned him 1-2-3 the night before he won the WWE Championship, reports have since suggested that he could actually be teasing a triple threat match between himself, Rhodes, and Reigns for WWE WrestleMania 41 next year.

The Rock Dismisses WrestleMania Rumor

The Rock still has his sights on the next Showcase of the Immortals.

Taking to Instagram, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shared a series of behind-the-scenes images from his WWE Bad Blood appearance. When one user questioned if he “was really not working” WWE WrestleMania 41 next year, The Rock bluntly shut down the rumor.

“Don’t believe any of that bulls–t,” The Rock replied.

The uncertainty surrounding The Rock’s WWE WrestleMania 41 status stemmed from a rumor shared by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter‘s Dave Meltzer, who claimed that The Rock had informed WWE that he would no longer be able to wrestle at next year’s Las Vegas-based event due to his schedule filling up. As of this writing, the only project on The Rock’s filming schedule is the live-action Moana, which is actively in production.

Contrary to the rumor, The Rock has given nothing but positive affirmation that he will be continuing his WWE storylines in the near future. At the Raw after ‘Mania in April, The Rock noted that he had to “go away for a little while” but declared he would return to wage war on Cody Rhodes at some point soon.

“Your story with Roman Reigns is over, and you did it,” The Rock told Rhodes. “But our story has just begun.”

Off screen, The Rock has emphasized his excitement of what’s to come in his WWE future.

“Now, my sights are set on the next WrestleMania,” The Rock teased in an Instagram Reel one week after his warning to Rhodes. “But that’s down the road, a conversation [for] down the road.”

Two months after that, The Rock added further fuel to that fire.

“We’re on the one-yard line to create the biggest WrestleMania of all time, and the biggest match of all time at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas,” The Rock said in June. “I’ll just leave it at that, Final Boss style.”

The Rock did not appear on either WWE Monday Night Raw or WWE SmackDown last week. It’s likely that his WWE Bad Blood appearance was akin to a post-credits scene, teasing his arrival for a premium live event in the distant months to come. That next appearance could come as soon as WWE Survivor Series in November, as The Rock has reason to get involved in the anticipated Bloodline Civil War, or possibly WWE Royal Rumble in February. Either way, look for The Rock to be in a marquee spot on the WWE WrestleMania 41 card in April 2024.

The post The Rock Shuts Down “Bullsh-t” WWE WrestleMania 41 Rumor appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Bryan Danielson’s full-time wrestling career is over. After winning the AEW World Championship at AEW ALL IN: London in August, Danielson declared that his full-time wrestling career would be tethered to his title reign, meaning as soon as he lost the gold he would hang up his weekly wrestling boots. Danielson had successful defenses against Jack Perry and Kazuchika Okada but ran into a wall in the form of former stablemate Jon Moxley. At AEW WrestleDream, Moxley defeated Danielson in front of the American Dragon’s hometown crowd, viciously choking him out to secure the victory before adding insult to injury with an uncomfortable post-match beat down. “The Final Countdown” on Danielson’s full-time career expired with a deflating whimper, as instead of riding off into the sunset, he was stretchered out of the Tacoma Dome.

While this conclusion makes it feel like Danielson will be back for at least a couple of one-off matches at some point in the future, his days of wrestling on weekly television have ended, capping off his AEW run at just over three years. AEW largely did justice to Danielson’s talents, booking him in dream matches against the likes of Okada and Will Ospreay, but the company also left a number of high-profile bouts on the table.

Raucous Rematch Against Kenny Omega

Danielson’s first AEW match set the tone for his run with the company. He debuted at AEW All Out 2021 and confronted then-AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, setting up a non-title singles clash between the two at the first-ever AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam, a show that, at the time, held AEW’s attendance record.

Danielson and Omega put on an instant classic, but time expired before a decisive winner was determined. The two men went to a rare 30-minute time-limit draw. Everyone inside Arthur Ashe Stadium expected this result to be the seed that eventually sprouted into a pay-per-view headlining rematch, but it never came to fruition.

Renewed Rivalry With CM Punk

AEW was the hottest company in professional wrestling in August 2021, and it was all thanks to two blockbuster signings: Bryan Danielson and CM Punk. AEW appropriately spread the wealth upon their arrivals, but it was always assumed that the two former Ring of Honor and WWE Champions would cross paths when the time was right.

The time was never right.

Punk spent two years in AEW, only being an active member of the roster for 13 of those months. Injuries and backstage issues plagued the post-honeymoon period of his wrestling comeback, and he was fired from the company before he and Danielson could ever come together. Ironically, Danielson was partially responsible for Punk’s AEW firing.

Comeback Contest Against Adam Copeland

Professional wrestling’s two greatest comeback stories shared locker rooms on two occasions, and never once did they meet in a singles match.

In 2018, Bryan Danielson defied science, gaining medical clearance from what was thought to be a series of career-ending concussions. Two years later, Adam Copeland returned to the ring for the first time in nine years, also defying science by gaining medical clearance from what very much was a career-ending neck injury. While they did meet in the main event of WWE WrestleMania 36 in a triple threat match that also included Roman Reigns, Danielson and Copeland never got that one-on-one contest in this stage of their wrestling careers. When Copeland joined AEW in October 2023, the bout was seemingly back on the table, but their paths never crossed.

Sizing Up With Samoa Joe

Much of AEW’s spirit echoes the early days of Ring of Honor. AEW President Tony Khan has paid tribute to AEW’s spiritual predecessor on numerous occasions, even buying the promotion outright, but never renewed one of its most famous rivalries.

Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe went to battle seven times in Ring of Honor, often fighting with the ROH Championship on the line. The two even fought to a legendary 60-minute time-limit draw in 2006. Joe had the slight advantage over Danielson in ROH, holding a 3-2-2 record against him.

While both men have had sporadic injuries throughout their AEW tenures, AEW had plenty of opportunity to rekindle the Danielson vs. Joe rivalry, even if just as a one-off on AEW Dynamite. There was also opportunity to run this bout back in WWE, which the sports-entertainment giant did, just on non-televised live events.

Striking Gold Against Jay White

Bryan Danielson has only shared the ring with Jay White on one occasion, when two did battle in eight-man tag action at AEW Worlds End 2023. The two even shared the inaugural AEW Continental Classic together, but competed on opposite blocks.

While Danielson and White do not have the history that the other pairings on this list possess, their in-ring styles would have made for a worthy clash. Beyond that, there was a ready-made numbers game for a full-on feud between Danielson’s Blackpool Combat Club and White’s Bullet Club Gold.

The post Five Bryan Danielson Matches AEW Missed Out On appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Throughout the month of October WWE Superstar Zelina Vega is teaming with ComicBook for a special series, sharing first looks at her cosplays as the Halloween season draws closer. For those unfamiliar with Zelina, she’s a huge fan of all things nerdy. Whether it’s video games, anime or manga, she incorporates her favorite nerdy things into her in-ring looks. Over the course of the past few weeks, she’s shared jaw-dropping cosplays from Sailor Moon, Naruto and Tokyo Ghoul.

This week, Zelina stuns as Shoto Todoroki, one of the fan-favorites from the My Hero Academia series created by Kōhei Horikoshi. You’ll probably notice that this isn’t the first time she’s made a nod to the character — on recent episodes of WWE Raw, she’s made several tributes to him. Now she’s taking it up a notch, rocking a blue jumpsuit that’s similar to his own.

She completes the look with a the menacing burn which Shoto obtained the injury when his mother, Rei, poured boiling water to his eye. She encountered abuse from Shoto’s father, causing her to snap and pour the water on the side of his face that reminded her of his father. In a moment of panic, she tried to cool it down with her Quirk but all it created was an ice burn which has become his recognizing mark.

“I couldn’t do Halloween this year without doing Shoto Todoroki! Anyone who has seen my hair in recent months can automatically tell who my favorite character is from My Hero Academia,” Zelina told ComicBook. “My friends who had seen the series before I did knew that I would love him right away. Aesthetically, his hair matching his power and personality is DOPE. Guess you can already tell that I have a thing for mysterious, tortured souls.”

Who is My Hero Academia‘s Shoto Todoroki?

As one of the most beloved My Hero Academia characters, that fans have always believed in strongly and connected with, Shoto is also very powerful and skillful. While he battles with his own demons due to his upbringing that has caused him to grow cold as he’s gotten older, he’s also undergone tremendous growth. He’s able to use his fire and ice capabilities that yield him impressive results; he also fares extremely well in his academia which is no easy feat.

His complicated family life and hatred for what others wanted him to be versus what he wanted to be is very relatable and tugs on the heart strings a bit,” Zelina continued. “His journey to acceptance and power is very fun to watch. Fire and ice is also very relatable to this Latina. I’ve always said that I had two sides to me, and you don’t want to piss either of them off!”

For those following along on Zelina’s social media accounts, this year’s Halloween Cosplay Countdown began with Gojo Satoru on September 14th. Keep up with all her cosplays past and present (like her Queen of the Damned Akasha look) on her X and Instagram!

The post Zelina Vega’s Cosplay Countdown: WWE Star Turns up the Heat in My Hero Academia Look (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

As far as the public is concerned, Bobby Lashley is a free agent. The All-Mighty officially exited WWE this past August, following in former manager MVP’s footsteps. MVP was very public with his frustrations with WWE, specifically taking issue with the company’s lack of willingness to book a proper reunion of The Hurt Business, a stable he led alongside Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander. Lashley’s frustrations also stemmed from booking problems, as he had been treading water in and around the midcard after losing the WWE Championship in February 2022. With Benjamin already on the independent circuit again, both Lashley and MVP leaving WWE at around the same time comes with the aspiration of reuniting the core trio of their fan-favorite stable in another company.

Bobby Lashley’s Scrapped AEW WrestleDream Role

The Hurt Business would have officially opened its All Elite office last weekend under different circumstances.

As reported by Fightful Select, AEW ultimately decided to delay Bobby Lashley’s televised debut away from the expected stage of AEW WrestleDream in Tacoma, Washington. This is because Lashley’s arrival would have likely yielded a similar result to the angle that transpired in the pay-per-view’s main event, that being a group of heels beating down a hometown boy.

Lashley’s debut likely would’ve resulted with him leading an attack on Swerve Strickland, a Tacoma native. Considering AEW WrestleDream ended with Jon Moxley defeating Aberdeen, Washington’s Bryan Danielson in his final full-time career match and then leading a vicious attack on him after the bell, AEW wanted to avoid having two angles go down that were not only similar to one another, but deflated the Tacoma crowd by having two of their countrymen on the receiving end of attacks.

Lashley’s imminent AEW debut will mark his first time competing outside of WWE since 2018. He initially got his professional wrestling start in WWE back in 2005 and was immediately envisioned as a top guy, competing for world championships and wrestling in marquee WWE WrestleMania matches.

His first WWE exit came in 2008, and he took his talents across the independent circuit, finding new life inside the squared circle in TNA in 2014. It was there that Lashley first linked up with MVP on-screen, and the two have been close confidants since. Lashley was back in WWE in 2018 and reached the pinnacle he missed out on in his first run, that being winning the WWE Championship. He did so with MVP in his corner as well, as the former United States Champion linked up with Lashley shortly after his own return to WWE in January 2020.

“I still want to wrestle. I love wrestling,” Lashley said in August after leaving WWE. “And the fans, the fans are writing me every day saying ‘when are you coming back, where are you going, I don’t care where you go, we want to be there for you,’ so I love the fans. I have a lot of gas in the tank. I’m in great shape. I feel good. I’m motivated. I’m rested.”

Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on Lashley’s AEW future.

The post Bobby Lashley’s AEW Debut Delayed appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Tonight was indeed the “Final Countdown” for Bryan Danielson. In the main event of AEW’s WrestleDream pay-per-view, Bryan Danielson fought his former best friend and Blackpool Combat Club stablemate Jon Moxley. The group previously turned on “The American Dragon,” explaining that AEW no longer belongs to “them.” They explained that fans and personnel would know what that means in due time, and it seems like taking out Danielson on his full-time retirement tour was just the beginning.

Throughout the match, Danielson took a beating from not only Moxley but Marina Shafir who was perched on the outside in wait. She got more than a few hits of her own in on him, weakening the AEW World Champion so Moxley could get him right where he wants him. Danielson took every beating from the group, but eventually Shafir was ejected from ringside when the referee caught on to her shenanigans.

The match continued for quite awhile and they threw every punch, kick and submission hold at one another. The finish was rather abrupt as Moxley choked out Danielson, leaving the crowd speechless. A hushed tone fell over the crowd as they witnessed the Blackpool Combat Club show no mercy toward their former pal. Then there’s the lone wolf — Wheeler Yuta — who has a huge decision to make. Will he side with Danielson or honor his word to the BCC? Ultimately, he went against the former champion, suffocating him with a bag.

At this point the entire locker room bled into the ring and ringside to stop their torment, but Moxley had already done what he promised. The company doesn’t belong to the rest of them anymore. The rest of the broadcast was rather uncomfortable with the air sucked out of the room. However, AEW’s camera crew did a great job at showcasing the next generation of AEW by showing Darby Allin, HOOK, Daniel Garcia and Orange Cassidy looking on with sorrow.

Danielson has been clear about his intentions to “retire” before the year is up. Not only is his body beginning to break down, but he wishes to spend the time he still has, healthy, with his family. While he’s made his intentions of remaining in AEW post-retirement known, it remains unclear what his on-screen presence will be moving forward.

What did you think of the finish to the match? Do you think it was the right call to wrap up Danielson’s full-time career this way? Let me know your thoughts on X and Bluesky @haleyanne_! As always, stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on AEW.

The post Jon Moxley Retires Bryan Danielson at AEW WrestleDream appeared first on ComicBook.com.

AEW is all set for another big night of wrestling action with WrestleDream, which will have no less than 7 Titles up for grabs between the Zero Hour preshow and the main pay-per-view. The card is stacked across the board with several major standouts, though one of the most anticipated matches coming into the event was the AEW International Championship match, which tasked Will Ospreay with defending his Championship against Konosuke Takeshita and AEW’s newest free agent signing Ricochet. Ricochet and Ospreay deliver a fun start to their in-ring rivalry on Dynamite’s five-year anniversary, but tonight is when fans really got to see the two stars hit another gear.

Ospreay has been rolling since becoming International Champion, and while Ricochet is still early on in his AEW tenure, he’s already accrued some wins too. Meanwhile, Takeshita has been circling several Championships, including Okada’s Intercontinental Championship, but he’s now been brought into the International Title fold as well thanks to Ospreay’s tenuous relationship with Don Callis. Tonight the three stars delivered a thrill ride from beginning to end with a host of near falls, but standing tall at the end of it was Takeshita.

After a hard-hitting match that seemed like it would be never-ending, Ospreay’s long-time best friend Kyle Fletcher turned up in a hoodie with a screwdriver in hand to ensure he wouldn’t walk out of this match victorious. Him turning on his pal helped his Don Callis Family stablemate pick up the win. To add even more insult to injury, he used the Tiger Driver, a move that Ospreay banned from his skillset after his match against Bryan Danielson for being “too dangerous.”

The result of this match isn’t completely surprising. Recent reports seemed to indicate AEW is high on “The Alpha,” and Fletcher stepping out of the shadow of his fellow United Kingdom member Ospreay is the next obvious step. This is Takeshita’s first title win in AEW. He signed to the promotion in November of 2022 where he saw pretty moderate success but after impressing AEW personnel, particularly with his run in the G1 Climax this year, the push was coming sooner than later.

Takeshita is the latest face of the Don Callis Family after Callis betrayed both Kenny Omega and Ospreay. “The Aerial Assassin” was champion for just short of 50 days in his second reign, however it looks like he will now be moving into the world title scene after a dominating combined run of 101 days as AEW International Champion.

A Long-Awaited Reunion

The fact that this match is happening at all is a dream scenario, as previously it wasn’t possible. Ricochet has been signed with WWE since 2018, and that took any follow-ups to his previous matches against Ospreay off the table unless something changed. In 2023 Ospreay signed with AEW, though he had to finish a few previous commitments before joining All Elite Wrestling full-time. That changed in 2024, and that’s when rumors started hitting that Ricochet’s contract was coming up soon in WWE.

Ricochet was still busy though, even winning the Speed Championship after it was first introduced, but then more and more signs pointed to him leaving the company. He was written off TV after an attack from Bron Breakker, and while it was rumored he was heading to AEW, it was made official at AEW All In.

WrestleDream Card

• Zero Hour – ROH World TV Championship: Brian Cage (C) vs Atlantis Jr.
• Zero Hour – MxM Collection vs The Acclaimed
• Zero Hour – Harley Cameron vs Anna Jay
• AEW World Championship: Bryan Danielson (C) vs Jon Moxley
• AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay (C) vs Ricochet vs Konosuke Takeshita
• AEW Women’s World Championship: Mariah May (C) vs Willow Nightingale
• TNT Championship: Jack Perry (C) vs Katsuyori Shibata
• AEW World Tag Team Championship: Young Bucks (C) vs Private Party
• ROH World Championship: Mark Briscoe (C) vs Chris Jericho
• 2 Out of 3 Falls: Hologram vs The Beast Mortos
• Darby Allin vs Brody King
• Hangman Adam Page vs Jay White

What have you thought of WrestleDream so far? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post Konosuke Takeshita Wins First AEW Title at WrestleDream appeared first on ComicBook.com.

AEW brought the “boom” to the Tacoma Dome. At AEW WrestleDream, fan-favorite wrestler Adam Cole made his long-awaited return. Cole has been absent for over a year battling a severe ankle injury from a freak accident.

Following Jack Perry’s win over Katsuyori Shibata, he wanted to continue his assault on the veteran wrestler. Daniel Garcia, who recently re-signed with AEW, came to his aide to prevent any further injury. Not long after MJF’s music hit and he came gunning straight for Garcia following their match at AEW All Out. He got on the mic and began talking about how he’s been busy filming movies but the last time he saw him, he beat him without breaking a sweat. He continued babbling for several minutes before pulling out the Dynamite Diamond Ring.

Just before he could inflict damage on Garcia, Cole’s theme song hit the speakers and he sided with Garcia against his former tag team partner and best friend, MJF. While it wasn’t his return to television exactly — he portrayed AEW’s “Devil” character — reports have indicated that Cole could be back in the ring any day. There’s certainly no shortage of feuds and matches for him to have, especially because the story with MJF/the Undisputed Kingdom has been stalled and awaiting his return.

Cole last competed at last September’s All Out pay-per-view, teaming with MJF against The Dark Order. He appeared in May to explain his role as the Devil, which is when MJF (dressed as early 2000s Triple H) had originally returned, showcasing a rather cinematic video.

This week, reports indicated the former AEW World Champion may be returning sooner than anyone expected, and it seems like AEW wants to wrap up this story once and for all before it can be derailed again.

AEW WrestleDream Card

• AEW World Championship: Bryan Danielson (c) vs. Jon Moxley
• AEW Women’s World Championship: Mariah May (c) vs. Willow Nightingale
• AEW International Championship three-way: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet
• Jay White vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
• AEW World Tag Team Championships: Young Bucks (c) vs. Private Party
• TNT Championship: Jack Perry (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
• ROH World Championship: Mark Briscoe (c) vs. Chris Jericho
• Darby Allin vs. Brody King
• ROH World TV Championship: Atlantis Jr. (c) vs. Brian Cage

Are you ecstatic to see Adam Cole back in AEW?  Let me know your thoughts on X and Bluesky @haleyanne_! As always, stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on AEW.

The post Adam Cole Ruins MJF’s AEW Return at WrestleDream appeared first on ComicBook.com.

While Kevin Owens was probably the name heard most throughout WWE SmackDown thanks to all the chaos he caused, he was closely followed by one Main Event Jey Uso. That’s perhaps more impressive given that Jey’s name was actually never said out loud, but he was referenced multiple times throughout the evening as Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso attempted to take on Solo Sikoa’s new Bloodline. Jey never showed up on TV, but those who stuck around after SmackDown went off air did in fact see Jey Uso in the building, as he came out to face Bron Breakker. You can watch that video right here (via Tribal Wrestling.

Bron and Jey have been feuding for a bit now, and Breakker wanted a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship Jey defeated him for previously. Bron was part of a Speed match that took place after SmackDown, but then he called out Jey too. Some probably figured Jey wasn’t there due to everything that transpired earlier in the show, but Jey was backstage the whole time and came out to confront Breakker.

What This Means for The Bloodline Reunion

So knowing that Jey was in the building the whole time provides even more intrigue for the current Bloodline storyline, even if the real reason is simply that superstars have dark matches on different brands on a regular basis. That said, WWE is doing a lot of this more organic style of storytelling these days, so perhaps this is something they will blend into the ongoing saga with Reigns and Jimmy.

Those who watched this week’s SmackDown know that early in the night Jimmy and Roman had a pleasant reunion in the ring, but also discussed some harsh truths, including the fact that Reigns is a Chief without much of a Tribe. Jimmy said they needed help, and brought up “him” without saying his name, but everyone knew that was Jey, as the Yeet chants kicked into gear almost immediately. That was still a no-go for Reigns, who said “No Yeet”, but his opinion might have changed by the end of the night.

A Beatdown

That’s because Jimmy had his one-on-one match against Sikoa later in the night, and while he held his own throughout, he couldn’t overcome the constant interference from the rest of The Bloodline. After Sikoa’s win, the whole group started attacking Jimmy, and that drew out Reigns. Reigns hit Fatu with a Superman Punch and then threw out Tonga and hit a Superman Punch on Tonga Loa and then another on a returning Tonga, clearing the ring.

That left Reigns alone against Sikoa, but soon Fatu was back in and the numbers game was too much even for Reigns. Fatu knocked out Reigns in the corner and then hit a returning Jimmy Uso, with Fatu following it up with a moonsault. Reigns and Jimmy were both knocked to the mat and beaten down, but that wasn’t enough for Sikoa. The Bloodline then held Reigns as Sikoa hit the Samoan Spike, leaving the Tribal Chief reeling in the ring.

As The Bloodline leaves Jimmy can be seen talking to Reigns, and you can see him saying ‘we need him Uce”. Reigns is still trying to regroup after getting a Spike to the throat so he doesn’t answer, but Jimmy is making a convincing argument, and Reigns seems to be coming around to Jimmy’s stance on it.

When Does Jey Encounter Roman?

With Jey’s return after the show went off air, in the storyline this would seem to indicate that Jey was in the back for the entire attack and didn’t come to help. There’s a chance he didn’t see it obviously, but it would also make sense if he did and just decided not to involve himself with anything to do with The Bloodline. Jey fought so hard to separate himself from not only The Bloodline but even SmackDown at one point just to get away from it all, so it’s actually pretty understandable.

That said, Jey would likely at least hear Jimmy out, and depending on if Reigns was actually on board and sporting his new more cordial attitude, perhaps it would be enough to gain the new Intercontinental Champ’s help against Sikoa powerhouse crew. With Jey being referenced so much as of late in this particular story, the return is likely going to happen soon, and with Survivor Series not being that far away, that might be the place we finally see the reunion happen on TV. If they are going to build to that, the confrontation between Jey and Reigns would probably start either next week or the week after on SmackDown.

What do you want to see WWE do with the Roman, Jey, and Jimmy Bloodline reunion? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post Watch WWE’s Jey Uso Make Surprise Return After SmackDown, What Does It Mean For The Bloodline? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It was a busy night for WWE’s Kevin Owens, who did himself no favors when he crashed the planned WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships match between Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill and Meta-Four’s Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson. Owens was told not to come to SmackDown after his attack on Cody Rhodes after Bad Blood, and he wanted to address what happened, but his microphone was cut off and then chaos broke out when Rhodes went to confront Owens in the ring.

Randy Orton then came out to try and reign in a furious Rhodes, and Orton then headed into the ring to try and pull back Owens, but Owens hit him in the face with a back elbow strike. It’s not clear if Owens knew he attacked Orton, but what was clear is when Orton turned Owens around and clocked him in the face with a forearm, knocking Owens to the mat. That led to another altercation later in the night in the parking lot, where Owens was found stomping on a battered Orton next to a truck, and you can watch that fight right here.

Crashing the Party

Owens ran into the ring as Legend and Jackson were heading to the ring for their match, and he quickly grabbed a microphone. “I’m very sorry to interrupt but I was specifically told not to come here tonight. People are asking why I turned on Cody Rhodes, but Cody Rhodes…” Owens’ microphone was cut off at this point, and he then moved to the commentary area and picked up a headset to finish what he was saying. Owens said, “Cody Rhodes turned on me. Are you kidding, I’m in the wrong for this?”

Then Rhodes came out and confronted Owens, but security separated them as Nick Aldis came out. Then Randy Orton came out and pulled Rhodes back before going into the ring to address Owens. Then they got into a pushing match and then Orton grabbed Owens but Owens hit Orton with a back elbow. Orton then turned Owens around and struck him the face with a forearm, stunning Owens.

A Battle in the Parking Lot

Owens was in shock as he walked around the ring, and Orton was distraught by what occurred as well. Owens then walked through the crowd and left, and later we catch up to Rhodes and Orton, with Orton telling Rhodes to leave in his bus and let him patch things up with Owens. Orton said he had it handled and that everyone needed to have cool heads, but as we see later, that’s not how things went at all.

That’s because backstage later in the night Nick Aldis got security to go pull Owens off of Orton, as Owens was stomping on Orton and attacking him on the ground. Owens could be heard saying “So now you’re going to pick sides”, and then he left the arena as he did after the previous attack. You can watch that play out right here.

So now Owens has attacked both Rhodes and Orton, though he might not have meant to attack Orton. Either way, he’s attacked both of them now, so any tether of friendship might be gone for the foreseeable future.

What do you want to see next in Owens’ story? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post Watch: WWE’s Kevin Owens Crashes Women’s Tag Title Match, Viciously Attacks Randy Orton appeared first on ComicBook.com.

LA Knight has been quite the busy Champion, defending his United States Championship several times already since dethroning Logan Paul. Last week Carmelo Hayes earned the chance to take on Knight for the Title, and though he gave Knight a run for his money, Hayes’ rival Andrade would show up and cause a few distractions throughout the match. Knight would take down Hayes to retain his Title, but after a confrontation with Nick Aldis, it was revealed that Hayes and Andrade will have the tie-breaker match in their feud next week, and that person will earn a shot at Knight’s United States Championship.

Knight’s On A Roll

Knight knocked Hayes down three times in a row to start the match and then followed with a clothesline that knocked Hayes to the floor. Knight kicked Hayes into the announce desk thanks to a distraction from Andrade, who was standing at ringside watching the match play out. Knight slammed Hayes face-first into the announce desk a few times before throwing him into the table one last time, and then he went over to Andrade to try and shake his hand.

Hayes capitalized and attacked Knight before slamming Knight into the ring apron, following it up with a clothesline to the floor. At this point, Andrade took a seat at the commentary desk, and Hayes hit a leg drop into a cover, but Knight kicked out rather quickly.

Hayes continued to be in control of the match throughout the commercial break, keeping the Champion from gaining any momentum in the ring. Knight was finally able to break the hold and get to his feet, hitting an inverted Atomic Drop into a clothesline. Then Knight caught Hayes and hit the pop-up slam into a quick cover, but Hayes kicked out. Hayes caught Knight with a kick to the head soon after, but he waited too long to capitalize and almost got pinned.

The Big Finish

Knight hit a Neckbreaker on Hayes and then went to the second rope and hit the Elbow Drop into a cover, but Hayes kicked out at 2. Knight went for the BFT but Hayes countered and hit the Scissor Kick and then a Cutter into a cover, but somehow Knight got his shoulder up in time. Hayes went for Nothing but Net but missed, though he almost got Knight’s shoulders down for a pin anyway. Knight hit the BFT after Hayes landed on his feet, and that was enough for the pin and the win. Knight is still the United States Champion.

Later in the episode, Hayes would have a conversation with Aldis backstage, bringing up the fact that Andrade was there causing trouble and if Aldis was just going to let him do whatever he wanted. Aldis then revealed that they are both tied at 3 wins apiece in their rivalry, and the winner of the next match will earn a shot at the United States Championship once more.

It remains to be seen where this goes from here, as this seems like the logical ending place for the back-and-forth gauntlet the two have been featured in. Both superstars have also been locked in a feud with Knight and have had shots at the Title one-on-one, so whoever wins this shot, it would make sense that either Knight would move on to different opponents, or there’s going to be some substantial shakeup to the storyline that will allow for this story to continue in a different way.

We’ll have to wait and see, but let us know what you want to see from this feud. You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post LA Knight Retains US Title on SmackDown, and WWE Reveals Stipulation for New Challengers appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Bloodline saga entered its next thrilling chapter at WWE Bad Blood, which featured the return of Jimmy Uso. Jimmy made his long-awaited return to help out Roman Reigns in his battle with Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline, and his effort successfully gave Reigns and Cody Rhodes the win. Jimmy and Roman would get things started on tonight’s SmackDown, and it was shocking to see Reigns ask the crowd to acknowledge Jimmy before they got down to business. Jimmy brought up some valid points about the status of Reigns and his tribe, and he also said there was someone they could ask for help. Reigns answered “No Yeet”, but Jimmy pointed out that he’s the only one who follows Reigns anymore, and that they need some help, setting up for the anticpated reunion between Reigns and Jey.

Welcome Back Jimmy

Jimmy Uso kicked off the show for his match against the new Tribal Chief Solo Sikoa, and he received quite the greeting from the WWE crowd, who chanted Uso as he jumped into the ring. “For 6 months, your boy been on a shelf, out of action for 6 months. And I was put on the damn shelf…by little brother, Solo Sikoa,” Uso said. “And when I’m sitting at home, this fool didn’t have the balls to do it face to face. This fool had it done by your bloodline, your brothers. So tonight, this is all about big bruh versus little bro. I’m going to do what I’ve done my whole life. Solo, I plan on kicking your a**!”

That’s when The OTC Roman Reigns made his return, and then he surprised everyone when he came out and asked the crowd to acknowledge Jimmy. Reigns then asked the crowd to go up a notch and acknowledge Big Jim. Jimmy then put his hand out as Roman did for the mic, and he got a high five and the two laughed.

“I understand where you’re coming from, but you have to understand, I’m not an older brother. So I don’t understand this revenge. You have to understand that, I’m not a wiseman. I’m not, yet, but I don’t come up with the creative manipulative plans, that’s not me no. I’m a Tribal Chief. And that means I take what’s mine, and for four years now, that’s exactly what we’ve done. We took what was ours. I wasn’t messing around. I called my shots and I delivered. We had it all. We had the money, the power, and the respect. We ran around here and everyone feared us. We had championships around our waist. Jimmy you was asking me about buying a new house, I said buy them all it don’t matter,” Reigns said.

“I don’t like where we’re at right now. I don’t like my position. I don’t like being out of control. It’s very simple. I told ya’ll I was the greatest of all time and I meant it. And when we step foot in these arenas I want ya’ll to know. The G.O.A.Ts are here. When we step foot in this ring I want ya’ll to know, we are the ones,” Reigns said.

No Yeet…Yet

“But we not though,” Uso said. “How? I stand here in the middle of this ring and I see a Chief with no Tribe right now. I see you with no Ula Fala around your neck. At Bad Blood I came back because you needed me. You didn’t ask. You needed help. Yo, we need help.” The Yeet chants started to fill the ring, and Jimmy said, “I know one person, one person that we can get some help from Uce.” After more Yeet chants, Reigns said, “No Yeet.”

Jimmy then told Reigns, “Uce listen to me. You’ll forever be my Tribal Chief man, but I am the only one, the only one in the family that still acknowledges you.” Reigns looked distraught but also rather accepting that this was unfortunately true, and Jimmy walked backstage. Later in the night Jimmy would encounter Cody Rhodes, and Rhodes would tell hi thank you. Jimmy said it was a one-tie deal, and not to expect it again, but also said he respects him before leaving.

Do you think we’ll get Jey returning to join Reigns and Jimmy at Crown Jewel or at Survivor Series, or is that something that will happen next year? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Roman Reigns Says “No Yeet”, but Bloodline Setting Up Jey Uso’s Return on SmackDown appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Rey Fenix is in All Elite Wrestling for the foreseeable future. The former AEW International Champion joined the company as part of its day one launch roster and immediately established himself as a pillar of the tag division alongside brother Pentagon Jr. Together, the two tagged together as The Lucha Bros. and regularly found themselves in and around major AEW storylines. Their chase for the AEW World Tag Team Championships culminated at AEW All Out 2021 when they defeated The Young Bucks to capture the gold inside a steel cage. In the three years since then, Fenix and Pentagon made waves in the trios division, winning the AEW Trios Titles alongside Pac. Beyond that, the brothers were largely utilized as reliable opponents for blossoming singles and tag stars, but struggled to re-cement themselves as the main focus of on-screen programs.

Going into this past summer, reports began to circulate that both Fenix and Pentagon were on their way out of AEW and heading to WWE. While it appeared that they would be able to jump ship without issue, AEW President Tony Khan ultimately decided to add injury time to both men’s contracts at the midnight hour, keeping Pentagon for another couple of weeks while Fenix is stuck on AEW’s books for an extra 9-10 months.

Why Did AEW Freeze The Lucha Bros. Contracts?

All Elite Wrestling’s top brass were not too keen on a rival promotion making plans for a pair of its former champions before they were free agents.

As reported by WrestlePurists, AEW President Tony Khan ultimately decided to add injury time to both Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr.’s AEW contracts because he “found out what the plan was for them on SmackDown.” Beyond that, Khan reportedly did not want this circumstance to set a precedent in AEW, as he “felt that if he let this thing slide, other people were going to start taking advantage of him.”

The report added that outside of Khan, people within AEW “don’t have strong feelings” on the matter, likely indicating that there is no heat on either Fenix or Pentagon for the contractual situation.

It’s unclear as to what exactly WWE had planned for The Lucha Bros. beyond wanting them to be on the WWE SmackDown brand. Even assigning them to Friday nights comes as a bit of a surprise, as fans had speculated that the two would slot nicely into The Judgment Day feud on WWE Monday Night Raw. Damian Priest is currently battling his former stable at a numbers disadvantage, and he could have called upon Fenix and Pentagon to help him even the odds against Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, Dominik Mysterio, and Carlito.

Even though having both Fenix and Pentagon on its books will have to wait at least 10 months, WWE SmackDown won’t miss out on adding a prestigious veteran tag team to its ranks this fall. Vignettes began airing last week for the arrival of the Motor City Machine Guns, one of the larger wrestling world’s most decorated duos. The unit of Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley were one of TNA’s most popular acts in the 2000s and rode that momentum towards championship gold in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling to boot.

It remains to be seen as to if WWE will attempt to sign Pentagon on his own once he becomes a free agent in a couple of weeks. While The Lucha Bros. are best known for being a unit, both Fenix and Pentagon have their own solo success stories, as both men have reigned with world titles in various promotions over their respective careers.

Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on Fenix and Pentagon’s contract statuses.

The post AEW Discovered Leaked WWE Plans For Pentagon and Rey Fenix appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman has been absent from AEW programming since early September. The self-proclaimed generational talent picked up a sneaky win over rival Daniel Garcia at AEW All Out, resulting in Garcia battering him after the bell. Garcia’s attack on MJF culminated with a top rope tombstone piledriver, a maneuver significant enough to send MJF out of the arena on a stretcher. This was AEW’s way of writing MJF off of television in order to cooperate with his filming schedule, as he was set to shoot scenes for Netflix’s Happy Gilmore 2. MJF’s role in the Adam Sandler sequel is reportedly bigger than just a cameo, as he was present on set for roughly one month.

MJF’s AEW Return Coming Imminently

The Devil’s AEW sabbatical won’t last much longer.

As reported by Fightful Select, Maxwell Jacob Friedman has been in production on Happy Gilmore 2 throughout September and is expected to be back on AEW programming “sooner than later.” There is no specified date for his return.

Videos recently surfaced of MJF filming Happy Gilmore 2, as he walked down a set of stairs alongside titular star Adam Sandler.

MJF had only been back on AEW programming for about four months prior to his recent leave of absence. He made his first appearance of 2024 at AEW Double or Nothing in May, returning as a babyface and attacking former friend turned foe Adam Cole. He then took to the microphone to address his “obvious” contract status, confirming that AEW had won the “bidding war of 2024” and he would remain #AllElite for years to come.

It’s worth noting that MJF’s current adversary, Daniel Garcia, popped up on AEW Dynamite this past Wednesday to announce that he has also re-signed with the company. Garcia had also been absent from AEW TV since AEW All Out. AEW had been holding off on using Garcia because the company did not want to invest weekly television time into him and his storylines if he was planning on leaving when his contract expires. Reports even added that Garcia would have beat MJF at AEW All Out if he had committed to a long-term AEW contract ahead of that pay-per-view. Now that Garcia is in AEW for the long haul, look for his and MJF’s feud to pick back up again shortly.

“I really like Daniel Garcia and I completely understand why he wanted to take some time before making a really important decision in his life and career,” AEW President Tony Khan said when asked about re-signing Garcia. “When Danny came in, he was immediately in big positions wrestling our top stars on television. That showed the confidence I had in him and AEW had in Danny from the very beginning. I was thrilled to extend Danny’s contract and have Danny stay in AEW for years to come.”

As for when MJF vs. Garcia could resume, expect that rivalry to pick up steam heading into AEW Full Gear. The November-based pay-per-view is one of AEW’s original four events and is taking place in arguably MJF’s extended tri-state area home of Newark, New Jersey. Beyond that, MJF has a storied past at both AEW Full Gear and the Prudential Center itself, as he captured his first AEW World Championship at that event and in that arena in November 2022. MJF went on to reign with the AEW World Title for 406 days, a company record.

Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on MJF’s AEW return.

The post MJF’s AEW Return Coming “Sooner Than Later” appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Final Boss has returned. This past weekend at WWE Bad Blood, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made his first televised appearance for WWE since the WWE Monday Night Raw after WWE WrestleMania 40 in April. At that show, The Rock confronted new WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and issued a chilling warning: he will return, and when he does, he is coming after the American Nightmare. The Rock made good on that promise inside the State Farm Arena, as he stared down Rhodes from the entrance ramp, holding up a “1, 2, 3” before making a throat slice gesture and exiting backstage. The Rock’s mute message has been analyzed ever since, with some believing that he is referencing pinning Rhodes “1, 2, 3” at WWE WrestleMania 40 Night One while others think he’s alluding to the “1, 2, 3” men that will compete in the WWE WrestleMania 41 main event, those being himself, Rhodes, and Roman Reigns.

The Rock Addresses WWE Bad Blood Return

The show goes on.

Taking to Instagram, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made his first public comments on his WWE Bad Blood return, declaring that “the show ain’t over.”

“The show ain’t over, until the Final Boss says it’s over,” The Rock wrote in the caption. “There’s no business like show business, and there’s no connection stronger and more electrifying than that of the people and the people’s champ. You can FEEL the MANA. FINAL BOSS. ENGAGED. See ya down the road.”

When Will The Rock Show Face in WWE Next?

As of this writing, The Rock has not been announced for this Friday’s WWE SmackDown. Many believe that his WWE Bad Blood appearance was indeed a one-off, or to make a Marvel Cinematic Universe analogy, a mid-phase post-credits scene several movies (premium live events) before he fully returns for the crossover event (WWE WrestleMania 41).

That said, The Rock could interweave himself again as soon as November’s WWE Survivor Series. That “big four” premium live event is expected to be headlined by Roman Reigns captaining his original members of The Bloodline (Jimmy Uso, WWE Intercontinental Champion Jey Uso, Sami Zayn) against Solo Sikoa’s current iteration of the familial faction (Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, Jacob Fatu). With Solo ominously whispering that The Rock’s WWE Bad Blood return was “part of the plan,” it’s possible that The Rock ends up sneaking onto Solo’s team to officially turn on Reigns ahead of WWE WrestleMania 41.

Speaking of WWE WrestleMania 41, the current rumored main event of the show is a triple threat match between WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Reigns, and The Rock. Reports have indicated that this match has at the very least been “discussed” for next April but is far from a sure fire lock.

Regardless of what’s to come before the end of 2024, expect The Rock to be a regular member of WWE programming again on the road to WWE WrestleMania 41 around next February.

“We’re on the 1-yard line to create the biggest WrestleMania of all time and the biggest match of all time at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas,” Rock teased in April. “I’ll just leave it at that, Final Boss style.”

“WrestleMania 41, I am looking to do what I’ve done three times now and enter the main event,” Rhodes said earlier this month. “But I think it will be something that perhaps is bigger than anyone anticipated.”

Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on The Rock’s WWE status.

The post The Rock Breaks Silence on WWE Return: “The Show Ain’t Over” appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The pandemic era of professional wrestling forced every operational promotion under the sun to get creative. Top televised companies like WWE, AEW, Ring of Honor, Impact Wrestling (TNA), and New Japan Pro Wrestling abandoned their typical fan-filled arenas for empty venues, sending its talent to the ring to compete in front of empty seats or a select group of their peers. WWE’s strategy began with strictly empty arenas, quiet enough that every step wrestlers took in the ring was picked up by camera audio. Months later, WWE filled the WWE Performance Center with socially-distanced prospects in order to create some form of noise. It wasn’t until August 2020 that WWE found its “permanent” pandemic home: the WWE ThunderDome.

WWE SummerSlam 2020 saw the debut of the WWE ThunderDome, a completely virtual wrestling arena filled with fans from around the world that video-called into LED screens that surrounded the ring. The WWE ThunderDome was constructed inside three different Florida-based venues over its 11 months of usage: Amway Center, Tropicana Field, and Yuengling Center.

Tropicana Field Hit Hard By Hurricane Milton

One former WWE ThunderDome venue has been impacted by Hurricane Milton.

As shared in videos on social media, Hurricane Milton has torn the roof off of Tropicana Field, the home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays and the former location of the WWE ThunderDome. WWE ran episodes of WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE SmackDown, and various premium live events out of Tropicana Field from August 2020 until July 2021.

Hurricane Milton is the latest tropical cyclone to ravage through the American southeast, following in the footsteps of Hurricane Helene. Hurricane Milton is described as a “dangerous Category 3” storm. Florida authorities have urged residents to shelter in place in the wake of “extremely dangerous hurricane-force winds” began spreading through the state. Those winds were sustained at 120 mph at landfall but diminished in strength as it progressed inland.

“I loved it. Because it was different, right? It’s so different,” former WWE star Daniel Bryan (AEW’s Bryan Danielson) praised wrestling inside the WWE ThunderDome. “It wasn’t the idea that I’m doing it in front of no one. It’s the idea that the medium has changed. I liken it to the difference between theater and cinema. What we traditionally do in pro wrestling is more like theater. But what we had to do during the pandemic is cinema.

“My realization was that not many people are changing — not many people are realizing that there needs to be this change here, this change in adaptation. I thought that I was one of the best people at adapting to that. It’s a trade-off. You lose some things, but you gain some things.”

Outside of the virtual events inside the WWE ThunderDome, Tropicana Field most recently packed nearly 50,000 fans inside its stands for WWE Royal Rumble this past January. That event saw Cody Rhodes win his second-consecutive Royal Rumble Match, punching his ticket to WWE WrestleMania 40. He would go on to defeat Roman Reigns to capture the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at that event, ending Reigns’s record-breaking 1,316-day run with the title.

ComicBook sends well wishes to everyone in Florida affected by Hurricane Milton.

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The road to WWE WrestleMania 41 has already begun. This past weekend at WWE Bad Blood, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made his first televised appearance for WWE since the WWE Monday Night Raw after WWE WrestleMania 40 in April. At that show six months prior, The Rock gave a chilling warning to new WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, declaring that he would return from his imminent sabbatical in due time and when that time comes, The Rock would be coming after him. This led many to believe that Rock vs. Rhodes will be The Final Boss’s next in-ring contest, whether that be at WWE WrestleMania 41 or sooner. When he emerged from the WWE Bad Blood entranceway, The Rock stared down both Rhodes and WWE WrestleMania 40 tag partner Roman Reigns, holding up a “1, 2, 3” before mimicking a throat slice and exiting the stage.

Rhodes vs. Rock vs. Reigns Rumored For WM41

The Showcase of the Immortals’ triple threat tradition may continue, just one year off.

As reported by insider account @WrestleVotes, The Rock’s “1, 2, 3” tease from WWE Bad Blood signifies that a triple threat match between himself, Roman Reigns, and WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is “on the table” for WWE WrestleMania 41. There is doubt that the match has been finalized in any capacity but “that idea has been floated” backstage.

“We’re on the 1-yard line to create the biggest WrestleMania of all time and the biggest match of all time at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas,” Rock teased in April. “I’ll just leave it at that, Final Boss style.”

“WrestleMania 41, I am looking to do what I’ve done three times now and enter the main event,” Rhodes said earlier this month. “But I think it will be something that perhaps is bigger than anyone anticipated.”

Triple threat matches headlining WWE WrestleMania is nothing new, and they actually tend to follow a pattern. WWE WrestleMania XX saw Chris Benoit defeat Shawn Michaels and Triple H to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Ten years later, WWE WrestleMania XXX saw Daniel Bryan defeat Randy Orton and Batista to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. This began an unofficial tradition of every tenth edition of WWE WrestleMania hosting a triple threat match in its main event slot. The two nights of WWE WrestleMania XL neglected to have a three-man match, but the framework was there to make it happen.

When The Rock returned to programming in January, he appeared to play disruptor to Cody Rhodes’s WrestleMania dreams, not unlike fellow Hollywood star Dave Bautista’s abrupt 2014 comeback that set Daniel Bryan’s Grandest Stage hopes back. In both 2014 and 2024, WWE ultimately agreed to listen to its audience. 2014 saw Bryan get inserted into the scheduled main event of Batista vs. Orton while 2024 had WWE pivot back into its original plan of Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns just six days after Rhodes was forced to give his WWE WrestleMania XL spot to The Rock. The backup plan for The Final Boss was to run a tag match the night prior to the weekend’s main event rather than include him in Rhodes vs. Reigns.

Now, one year later, that triple threat may materialize after all. The Rock appears to be back in the WWE fold for the long game, as he is anticipated to work programs with The Bloodline, Rhodes, and Reigns over the next couple of years. The Rock’s Bloodline ties were teased at the end of WWE Bad Blood when Solo Sikoa whispered to Jacob Fatu that his return was “part of the plan.”

WWE WrestleMania 41 goes down on Saturday, April 19th and Sunday, April 20th.

The post Rumored WrestleMania 41 Main Event Continues WWE Tradition appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The WWE x Netflix era kicks off in just under three months. This past January, the global leader in sports-entertainment inked a 10-year, $5 billion deal with the largest streaming service in the world to bring its flagship show, WWE Monday Night Raw, to the platform beginning in 2025. The contract includes an opt out option after five years or an option to extend for an additional decade. Anticipation has been high from both sides, with Netflix executives believing that there is no telling “how much bigger it can get.” WWE talent have also expressed high excitement, specifically in the freedom of not having the confines of a cable television rating, as stars like Roman Reigns and CM Punk have shown high hopes for what the two media giants can create together.

Joining Reigns and Punk in those ambitions is WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

“I think the locker room is through the roof morale-wise in terms of going to Netflix,” Rhodes told The Pat McAfee Show. 

While the significance of a WWE x Netflix partnership cannot be understated, WWE is no stranger to the streaming era. In fact, the company was one of its pioneers.

“The idea of the streaming era, truthfully, WWE in the past was actually always a little bit ahead of the curve, in terms of banking content,” Rhodes mentioned, alluding to the WWE Network launch back in early 2014, a full five years before modern streaming giants like Disney+ would emerge onto the scene. “At first it was 24/7 on demand, then it was the Network and now Peacock, but Netflix is gonna be huge for us.”

Joining Netflix does put WWE on a different level of pedestal, though. Rhodes mentioned that several WWE talents anticipate their employer’s “public spotlight” is about to shine brighter.

“When I say expanding and I say where we’re going, and I think certain individuals in the locker room, some of the champions, some of the top guys and girls know this as well, we’re going up in terms of our public spotlight,” Rhodes continued. “College football, NFL, those are the biggest things on the planet. We’re moving up and trying to get in that air, and if you know anything about what we’re doing, we’re not far off. Netflix, I think, is definitely a big part of that. This is a huge deal for Netflix, it’s a huge deal for WWE. I’m just excited that we get to kind of ride this new wave.”

WWE is currently two-thirds of the way done with its great broadcast migration. The company began by shifting WWE SmackDown off of FOX and onto longtime cable partner USA Network in late September. Weeks later, developmental program WWE NXT exited USA Network to join The CW, marking the first time that WWE would be airing in-ring content on that channel since WWE Saturday Morning Slam concluded in May 2013. WWE Monday Night Raw will be the last to pivot, as it exits cable television for the first time in its three-decade history, leaving USA Network for Netflix in January.WWE Monday Night Raw makes its Netflix premiere on January 6th, 2025.

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Former WWE employee Janel Grant’s sex trafficking and sexual abuse lawsuit against former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, former WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis, and WWE as a company continues to move forward. The lawsuit came to fruition this past January and resulted in McMahon resigning from WWE and his longtime family business distancing itself from him completely. Laurinaitis had already been fired from WWE in August 2022. The defendants have since pushed for the lawsuit to exit a federal court setting and be settled via private arbitration. In the time since that statement, the Department of Justice has been conducting an ongoing investigation.

Earlier this week, Grant’s legal team is calling for WWE to waive non-disclosure agreements that several former WWE employees are under in relation to their histories with McMahon.

The full letter requesting the NDA waivers has since been released.

Within the written statement, Grant’s team calls on WWE to show that it is “truly committed to change” by allowing “survivors to speak their truth without fear of reprisal.” WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said at the WWE Royal Rumble press conference, his first public appearance since Grant’s lawsuit was filed, that the company does “everything possible” to ensure people in positions of power cannot take advantage of employees within WWE.

The letter calls on both “former and current employees and contractors” to be allowed to speak out without fear of reprisal.

In the wake of Netflix’s Mr. McMahon docuseries, a six-episode case study on Vince’s bipolarity (or lack thereof) when it came to him as a human being vs. him as an on-screen character, Grant’s team had previously said that the docuseries only “scratches the surface” of McMahon’s criminal behavior. The letter adds that what has been “publicly reported” is only “part of the picture,” noting that witnesses have spoken to Grant’s team confidentially and detailed a “sexualized culture at WWE” that “victimizes women and men.” It adds that many victims are “currently afraid to come forward” due to NDAs in place. McMahon has paid over $12 million to at least four women in the past to ensure they remain quiet regarding his sexual misconduct.

“Forced silence only deepens the wounds of sexual abuse,” Grant’s team’s letter concludes. “Survivors are revictimized every time they are muzzled and forced to live in fear of attack from a multi-billion-dollar business that can hire an army of lawyers to bury them in legal fees if they speak the truth. Even unenforceable NDAs, like the one our client was coerced to sign, have a chilling effect because individuals do not have the will or resources to fight them. WWE must clarify that any NDAs that it has entered are not intended to prevent disclosure of sexual misconduct, abuse, or assault, and disclaim and waive any claims it may have under those NDAs if current or former employees and contractors choose to speak out. WWE wants people to believe the company has changed, this is its chance to prove it.”

Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on Grant’s lawsuit.

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Former AEW​ World Champion Swerve Strickland​ will make his awaited return at WrestleDream this weekend, per tonight’s AEW Dynamite. Swerve hasn’t been seen on television since his major loss to “Hangman” Adam Page at AEW All Out in September where the two went to war inside of a cage​. While he himself hasn’t been on television, his manager Prince Nana has provided fans with updates. The star was noticeably beat up after the bloody and brutal match that appears to have marked the end of their tumultuous feud​ — at least for now. But that doesn’t mean another man isn’t waiting in the wings waiting to strike.

On a recent episode of AEW Dynamite, MVP made a shocking debut and called out Swerve and Prince Nana​. In the same promo, he teased the debuts of The Hurt Syndicate — Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. The latter made his debut last week to a thunderous applause. Swerve recently revealed that he had officially signed his new AEW contract, expected to be one of the biggest in AEW’s five-year history​.

AEW WrestleDream Matches

This weekend AEW heads to Tacoma for the second annual WrestleDream pay-per-view. There are nine confirmed matches alongside Swerve’s appearance. On the main card, Mariah May will put the Women’s World Championship on the line against Willow Nightingale who defeated former champions Nyla Rose, Jamie Hayter and Saraya on Dynamite to earn the opportunity.

Not only that, Bryan Danielson returns home to defend the World Championship against his former BCC stablemate Jon Moxley who turned on him at All Out and suffocated him with a plastic bag. With Danielson’s time in the ring literally being on a final countdown, it’s certainly possible that this weekend will be his final match in AEW before he retires. Who wouldn’t want to go out celebrating with their friends and family? As far as non-title action goes Hangman will go up against Jay White who injured his foot in his last match with the cowboy. A lot has changed in the last few months, and Hangman is no longer the wrestler he used to be. 

Check out the full AEW WrestleDream card below!

• AEW World Championship: Bryan Danielson (c) vs. Jon Moxley
• AEW Women’s World Championship: Mariah May (c) vs. Willow Nightingale
• AEW International Championship three-way: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet
• Jay White vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
• AEW World Tag Team Championships: Young Bucks (c) vs. Private Party
• TNT Championship: Jack Perry (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
• ROH World Championship: Mark Briscoe (c) vs. Chris Jericho
• Darby Allin vs. Brody King
• ROH World TV Championship: Atlantis Jr. (c) vs. Brian Cage

Will you be watching WrestleDream to see Swerve’s AEW return?  Let me know your thoughts on X and Bluesky @haleyanne_! As always, stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on AEW.

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WWE’s had a rather busy free agent season over the past few months, and tonight’s episode of NXT actually saw two of WWE’s latest signings get the spotlight in Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer. They aren’t the only signings WWE has been teasing though, and tonight the newest addition to the elite NXT Women’s Division received a cinematic teaser video that played out like a Wonder Woman meets 300 mini-movie. The teaser shows Delta Brady facing four opponents in a dystopian city, and she absolutely decimates them in thrilling cinematic fashion. You can watch the full teaser in all its glory in the video below.

One Versus Everyone

The teaser begins with Delta walking down the path toward four opponents, and they get the call to charge at her and keep her from her destination. Things don’t go very well for them though, as one by one they all get taken down with brutal efficiency. The first challenger gets knocked out with a powerful punch to the face that knocks her out cold, and the person that runs in behind her meets a wall with a vicious clothesline.

The third person up gets picked up with ease and then slammed down to the ground, and that leaves her last opponent. Delta walks over to the last person left, grabs her by the throat, and delivers a massive chokeslam that leaves a crater in the ground before walking off towards her ultimate goal. You can watch the full video above.

Who Is Delta Brady?

Brady has been wrestling as part of Riot City Wrestling (RCW) for several years, debuting in 2021. She has since held the RCW Women’s Championship and the RCW Championship, which led to Riot combining the Champions to become the new RCW Grand Championship. Not super long after that Title’s creation, Brady was reportedly signed by WWE, and now her debut is right around the corner.

Reports say that Brady impressed WWE officials at the Elimination Chamber WWE tryouts, which led to her being offered a contract. She was allowed to finish out her remaining dates in Australia before heading stateside to debut in NXT, and with two teases having now been aired, she is likely to make her WWE debut either next week or the week after, or at Halloween Havoc, which takes place at the end of the month.

Debuts are typically slated for bigger episodes like premieres or special events, but right now WWE is all about making this first month on The CW as big as it can be, and having yet another big debut happen during one of the weekly episodes would certainly be a way to do that. Stephanie Vaquer recently made her debut on TV, and Giulia made her debut at No Mercy, so it just remains to be seen which route WWE goes with Delta.

Whenever she shows up, it’s bound to be epic, especially if this video is any indication of the impact she will have on an already talented roster. You can already come up with a few big match-ups that would deliver in the ring, but before those can happen, Delta has to make her actual debut.

Are you excited for Delta Brady in WWE NXT? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

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WWE’s Oba Femi has had Tony D’Angelo’s number, not only taking him down the last time they met over the NXT North American Championship but also instilling a level of fear in The Don that he’s pretty unaccustomed to. That was even the case at the beginning this their rematch, but D’Angelo would face his fears and take the fight to Femi throughout their Title battle during tonight’s NXT, and after threats were made to The Family, D’Angelo turned it up a few notches. D’Angelo was finally able to stun Femi and the world by taking him down and ending his reign, becoming the new NXT North American Champion in the process.

The Disrespect

Femi was outright disrespectful to The Don by faking an attack and causing D’Angelo to flinch, but D’Angelo got back on track and started pummeling Femi with strikes. Femi then gained back control with a hold and an elbow drop, and then D’Angelo fought his way up but Femi then quickly slammed him back down again. D’Angelo almost got to his feet but Femi went for another hold to wear down the challenger, and D’Angelo then got hit with yet another takedown.

D’Angelo hit a shoulder tackle and then knocked Femi to the floor with a clothesline, and he kicked Femi but then got caught by the Champ and slammed into the ring apron. Back from break, Femi gained back control but then somehow D’Angelo lifted Femi over his head and threw him to the mat, shocking the Champion.

Then a crowbar was given to D’Angelo by Stacks, but he threw it back. Femi charged at him but D’Angelo caught him with big forearm shots, only to get rocked by a knee strike. Femi then clotheslined D’Angelo over the ropes to the floor below. Femi came back with a clothesline of his own on the ring apron and then stared down the rest of The Family before shoving them to the ramp.

Another Gear

D’Angelo saw all of it and got up quickly, fuming and spearing Femi on the floor. More strikes followed, and then D’Angelo slammed Femi’s head into the ring apron before slamming him into the steel steps. Then D’Angelo threw Femi onto the ramp and rolled him back in the ring for another spear into a cover, but Femi kicked out.

D’Angelo hit another clothesline but then Femi hit a spear and a chokeslam, but D’Angelo got his shoulder up in time. D’Angelo got hit with two clotheslines in a row but caught the third and hit a suplex, and then followed with a second one. D’Angelo went for the third suplex but Femi managed to break it up and throw D’Angelo to the other side of the mat.

Femi hit a big uppercut and got D’Angelo up on the top rope, but The Don kicked the Champ to the mat, only to get caught with an elbow to the face. Femi started to clear the announce table and went to lift up D’Angelo, but The Don countered into a spinebuster and slammed Femi through the table. Then back in the ring D’Angelo almost had him pinned but Femi kicked out at the last minute. Femi got back to his feet but D’Angelo then countered his move and slammed him into a pin, getting the 3 count and finally taking down Femi to become the new North American Champion.

What did you think of D’Angelo finally taking down Oba Femi? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Tony D’Angelo Delivers Stunning Upset in NXT North American Title Win appeared first on ComicBook.com.

On AEW Dynamite, Daniel Garcia​ made a surprising appearance for the first time since September’s All Out pay-per-view. For weeks internet speculation that Garcia may depart AEW​ for a spot on WWE’s NXT roster left many AEW fans uneasy. Garcia offered fans an update in the ring about his optimistic future. While he’s had the time to sit and think, he knows the answer isn’t always the easy one or the most popular. However, he recognizes that it was important to look the fans in the eye and let them know his plan.

He says that he came to the conclusion he can do whatever he wants because he is one of the best professional wrestlers in the world. Because he is one of the best, that it’s only right that he stays where the best wrestle — AEW. But this Garcia isn’t someone that is going to get walked all over; this is the Garcia that AEW builds the future on the back of and starts changing things in AEW. He calls his shot to all the champions letting them know he’s not safe and he’s coming for them because the feeling is restored.

Garcia is one of AEW’s original young stars that has been in the company since the AEW Dark days. He’d eventually win fans over with his in-ring skills and charisma, which earned his television time on both AEW Dynamite and Rampage. He would eventually align with Jericho for quite a few years, getting stuck into the internet-coined “JerichoVerse” but in the last few months he’s gotten a real chance to shine on his own. 

While he’s taken some pretty big defeats over the last year — including to Will Ospreay​ in July — perhaps a shift is finally taking place. At AEW All Out when he competed against MJF, although he lost, he made a statement by attacking the star after the bell, finally putting that “happy to be here” persona aside. There’s certainly no shortage of champions for him to take on, including the AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson whose days are quite literally numbered in the squared circle​. 

What are your thoughts on Garcia re-signing with AEW? Would you prefer to see him in NXT? Let me know your thoughts on X and Bluesky @haleyanne_! As always, stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on AEW.

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WWE NXT was lively in St. Louis for the second week of its CW launch, and the Women’s Division had one of the biggest surprises of the night. Last week the much-anticipated showdown between Roxanne Perez and Giulia for the NXT Women’s Championship ended with the surprise return of Cora Jade, and Jade and Perez both addressed the NXT Universe and what led to their unexpected reunion. Giulia made her return as well, but she wasn’t alone, and the NXT crowd was stunned when Stephanie Vaquer made her NXT in-person debut alongside Giulia, and the two superstars would clear the ring of Perez and Jade and even tease a showdown with each other before the segment came to a close.

Reunited

“Your international sensation, your chosen one was going to dethrone me and become your new NXT Women’s Champion, but nope. Because once again, there you guys are, disappointed, and here I stand with this,” Perez said. “Maybe now all of you guys will start to believe everything I’ve been saying since April, but I’m not going to hold my breath on that. In no time you’ll prop someone else up, and I’ll be here drinking all the tears of your flavor of the month. But thankfully I don’t have to drink by myself anymore, because an old friendship has been reignited.”

Jade made her way out to the ring, and she had her own issues with the NXT audience. “For the past 9 months, I had to sit at home and hear everyone talk about how this is the deepest division in NXT, hell in WWE, and everyone was listing all the women in WWE, and somehow, my name was left off that list,” Jade said. “And you know what, that pissed me off, so when I came back I wanted to make sure everybody paid for forgetting about Cora Jade.”

“So when I cost Giulia that Championship, no one saw it coming, not even Roxanne. The woman you used to know was a new girl trying to make it in NXT, but the woman you’re looking at now is the woman who is going to make NXT,” Jade said. “Roxanne Perez deserves to be NXT Women’s Champion. This is the version of Roxanne I always knew she could be. That’s why after so many years, our friendship is being mended, and unfortunately, that’s really really bad for the deepest division in WWE.”

Not Alone

That’s when Giulia’s music hit and she made her way to the ring and was promptly welcomed by Jade. Giula didn’t take the bait though, as she had another surprise up her sleeve. That would be the sudden appearance of Stephanie Vaquer, who came out and helped Giula storm the ring, and the two collided with Perez and Jade. They cleared the ring and threw Perez and Jade to the floor, and then looked down at the mat. The NXT Women’s Championship was lying on the mat between them, and both went to pick it up at the frustration of Perez and Jade. The two held onto the Title at the same time, making it clear that while they are both against Perez and Jade, they were still after that Championship gold.

As for what’s next, the next Premium Live Event is Halloween Havoc, and that seems like the most likely place for a Championship showdown to happen. Tonight’s events seemed to set up a Tag Team match at some point with all four participating, which would then set the table for whoever is going to be battling for the Title.

A rematch between Perez and Giulia would make a lot of sense, but with Jade and Vaquer both in the mix now, there are other compelling options too. The one that seems the most likely is some sort of Triple Threat match involving Jade, Vaquer, and Giula to decide the next challenger, but you could always see a Triple Threat for the actual Title too between Perez, Giula, and Vaquer. We’ll have to wait and see, but things are only going to get more entertaining from here.

What do you want to see for Stephanie Vaquer in NXT? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Stephanie Vaquer Crashes NXT and Teases Title Showdown appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WWE NXT held court in St. Louis for tonight’s second episode of the CW era, and the first match of the night featured a big time trio and an anticipated return. After coming to Kelani Jordan’s rescue last week, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill returned for tonight’s episode to take on Fatal Influence, and while everyone impressed during the match, it was a special homecoming for Belair, who put on an absolute show throughout. Belair, Cargill, and Jordan would get the win as well, making Belair’s return a home run across the board. A later segment would then reveal a new challenger for Belair and Cargill’s WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles, and it would be Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson up to bat next.

A Warm Welcome

Jordan started things off against Fallon Henley, and Henley quickly trapped Jordan in Fatal Influence’s corner. Jazmyn Nyx tagged in and threw Jordan around a bit before Jordan hit a dropkick, and then Cargill and Belair did the same, with all three superstars hitting vertical suplexes on the opposition.

Jordan and Nyx were the active stars afterward and then Jordan almost got a near fall before Belair tagged in, making her in-ring NXT return. Belair did some impressive squats with Nyx and then knocked Henley to the mat. Belair did some taunting and then speared Henley in the corner before delivering 12 big strikes to the back of the head. Jayne tried to intervene by pulling the braid but Belair showed her why that’s always a bad idea, knocking her back to the mat.

Belair hit the big splash for a 2 count on Henley, and then Cargill tagged in. They slammed down Henley with authority and then Jordan tagged back in, with Cargill picking her up in the air and throwing her down into a combo slam for a near fall. Henley was able to get to her feet and Nyx tagged in, hitting a running bulldog on Jordan. Henley threw Jordan to the outside and Jayne took advantage of the distraction by her teammates, slamming Jordan onto the floor.

Cargill On A Mission

Back from the commercial, Henley slammed Jordan down and Jayne went for a cover, but Jordan got her shoulder up. Jordan got stomped in the corner soon after but missed on the cannonball attempt, and Jordan knocked Jayne down with the big kick to the head. Jayne tried to keep her from tagging Belair and Cargill, but Jordan finally got to Cargill, who knocked down all three members of the opposing team.

Cargill hit a spinebuster on Jayne and then slammed Henley down before hitting a fallaway slam on Nyx. Cargill bounced between Jayne and Nyx and then slammed Nyx down with a powerslam before tagging in Belair. Cargill and Belair hit the combo finish but Henley broke it up, only to get rocked by Cargill. Jayne slammed her down but Jordan hit a DDT on Jayne, clearing the way for Jordan to knock both Henley and Jayne onto the floor.

Nyx caught Belair with the Nyx Kick but it wasn’t enough for a pin. Nyx got caught by Belair and slammed down face-first, and then Belair and Cargill hit the big finish on Nyx. Jordan came in and hit the split-legged moonsault for the pin and the win. It was quite the return to NXT for Belair, and hopefully, it’s not so long before she makes another appearance. The good news is that later on, Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson finally got their Title shot, and it will happen on this week’s SmackDown.

Do you want to see more of this trio? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Bianca Belair Puts on a Show in NXT Return, Women’s Tag Titles Match Official appeared first on ComicBook.com.