Author: Bryan Rose

Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.

New stipulation match added to WWE Crown Jewel

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A previously reported match is now confirmed for Crown Jewel.

Roman Reigns opened Monday’s Raw in Dallas, Texas but was immediately interrupted by Bronson Reed and Paul Heyman, who took time to mention that they last time they met, Reed put Reigns in a stretcher, something that never happened to Afa or Sika or other members of the Anoa’i family. Reigns responded by challenging Reed to a match right then and there. Reed seemed to accept the offer but Heyman stopped him, instead issuing the challenge for an Australian street fight at Crown Jewel. Reigns accepted.

Reigns then dared Reed to fight him. Reed walked away, but when Reigns called both “b******,” Reed came to the ring and the two brawled, with security eventually stepping in. Reigns broke free and brawled with Reed to end the segment.

It had been reported earlier on Monday by Dave Meltzer that a match between the two had been listed internally, with a stipulation to be announced.

The two last met at Clash in Paris, with Reigns scoring the win. After the match, Heyman presented to Reigns his shoes that Reed stole from him. Reigns put Heyman in a guillotine choke that opened an opportunity for Reed and Bron Breakker, who attacked Reigns. Reed gave Reigns three tsunamis, causing him to be stretchered out.

WWE Crown Jewel (October 11, 2025):

  • Men’s Crown Jewel title match: WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. World Champion Seth Rollins
  • Women’s Crown Jewel title match: WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton vs. Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer
  • Australian street fight: Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed
  • John Cena vs. AJ Styles
  • Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. The Kabuki Warriors

The Dudley Boyz to appear at NXT vs. TNA Showdown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Dudleyz are heading to Showdown.

Bubba Ray Dudley revealed on social media Monday that he and D-Von will be sitting in the front row at Tuesday’s TNA vs. NXT Showdown. He made the announcement while replying Matt Hardy, who was plugging The Hardys vs. Darkstate title-for-title match on Tuesday.

The Hardys will take on The Dudleyz in a tables match this weekend at Bound for Glory in what is being pushed as the final match between the two teams, whose feud stretches back to the initial TLC matches that took place in the early 2000s in WWE.

Bubba Ray Dudley has also made appearances in NXT over the last year, wrestling last November at NXT’s ECW Arena show. He has also been a judge and mentor on WWE LFG.

Here is the updated lineup for NXT vs. TNA Showdown:

WWE NXT vs. TNA Showdown —

  • Team NXT (Ricky Saints, Trick Williams, Myles Borne & Je’Von Evans) vs. Team TNA (Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose & Leon Slater) — Joe Hendry as special guest referee
  • Team NXT (Jacy Jayne, Sol Ruca, Jaida Parker & Lola Vice) vs. Team TNA (Kelani Jordan, The IInspiration & Mara Sade) — Jordynne Grace as special guest referee
  • Title for title: NXT Tag Team Champions DarkState vs. TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys
  • NXT North American Champion Ethan Page defends against Mustafa Ali
  • The Dudley Boyz appear

Report: The Rock took ‘significant’ paycut for ‘Smashing Machine’

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The Rock reportedly took a paycut for ‘The Smashing Machine.’

Deadline released a story on Monday highlighting the film’s dismal drawing power, only earning $5.9 million in its opening weekend, making it The Rock’s lowest drawing film to date. The article mentions Rock, who considered the movie a personal project, took a significant paycut for the film.

“Johnson took a $4M fee, significantly below his historical $20M+ paycheck plus points. Sources say he even gave a portion of his paycheck to Emily Blunt and [Mark] Kerr,” they wrote.

The article also mentions that despite the low numbers, the film is only estimated to lose around $10-$15 million dollars due to tax credits in Vancouver and New Mexico. The losses. according to the report, will be based on how much film studio A24 would want to push the movie ahead of awards season.

Earlier on Monday, Rock wrote on social media that the film “changed his life” while pointing out the film’s less than stellar opening weekend.

“In our storytelling world, you can’t control box office results — but what I realized you can control is your performance, and your commitment to completely disappear and go elsewhere,” he wrote. “And I will always run to that opportunity. Truth is this film has changed my life.”

Smashing Machine opened third for the weekend behind ‘Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl’ at $33 million and ‘One Battle After Another’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio which opened at $11.1 million.

WWE LFG season two winners revealed

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The winners of the second season of WWE LFG have been determined.

Shawn Michaels chose Dani Sekelsky and Shiloh Hill as the winners of this season’s LFG. Sekelsky defeated Penina Tuilaepa while Hill defeated Harlem Lewis. Both winners were on The Undertaker’s team.

https://twitter.com/Brian17505143/status/1975049541847339152
https://twitter.com/Brian17505143/status/1975049105501282642

As a result of the win, both WWE PC trainees will soon be appearing on NXT television. But the runners-up also have some momentum, as Lewis is currently on tour with Pro Wrestling NOAH alongside Charlie Dempsey. Meanwhile, Tuilaepa has a new WWE trademarked name, PJ Vasa.

Jasper Troy and Tyra Mae Steel were the winners of the first LFG season. Both went on to have roles on NXT television. Troy got a big push, wrestling Oba Femi for the NXT World Championship. Although he lost, he continued to show dominance, feuding with Ricky Starks. The two met on the August 19 edition of NXT, with Starks emerging as the winner. Tyra Mae Steele wrestled at Heatwave, teaming with Tavion Heights in a losing effort against Chelsea Green and Ethan Page.

Joe Hendry named guest referee for NXT vs. TNA Showdown match

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Joe Hendry will be refereeing on Tuesday.

TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella announced on social media Sunday that the TNA star will be the special guest referee for the upcoming men’s NXT vs. TNA Survivor Series Elimination match that takes place on this Tuesday NXT Showdown. Santino’s announcement came after Joe Hendry on social media shared his reasons for wanting to be part of the Survivor Series elimination matches, pointing out his Royal Rumble and WrestleMania appearances as TNA Champion.

On this Tuesday’s NXT, Jordynne Grace and Hendry were both disappointed to find out that neither team NXT or TNA had any interest in them, with the TNA captains seemingly not sure what team they really supported. After Jordynne Grace asked NXT General Ava to fix the situation on social media, Ava announced that Grace had been named the special guest referee for the women’s Survivor Series elimination match.

https://twitter.com/avawwe_/status/1974581272417824785

Here is the updated lineup for Tuesday’s NXT special:

WWE NXT vs. TNA Showdown lineup:

  • Team NXT (Ricky Saints, Trick Williams, Myles Borne & Je’Von Evans) vs. Team TNA (Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose & Leon Slater) w/ Joe Hendry as referee
  • Team NXT (Jacy Jayne, Sol Ruca, Jaida Parker & Lola Vice)  vs. Team TNA (Kelani Jordan, The IInspiration & Mara Sade) w/ Jordynne Grace as referee
  • Title for title: NXT Tag Team Champions DarkState vs. TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys
  • NXT North American Champion Ethan Page defends against Mustafa Ali

President Trump reveals date for UFC event at The White House

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A date for the upcoming UFC event at the White House has seemingly been set.

During remarks at a speech on Sunday, President Trump said that the fights would take place on June 14, which happens to be his birthday. UFC has not yet confirmed the date.

“And on June 14, next year, we’re going to have a big UFC fight at the White House, on the grounds of the White House,” he said.

President Trump has frequently brought up the idea of a UFC event at the White House as part of America 250 celebrations taking place next year. Dana White confirmed the event was taking place back in August. Both Jon Jones and Conor McGregor have expressed interest in the event, though Dana White has said that the card has yet to be decided.

Both UFC and WWE officials have enjoyed a relationship with President Trump during his second term. White has been seen frequently with the president, appearing during his victory speech upon being re-elected last year. Trump has also been spotted at a few UFC events since returning to office.

This past week, both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon appeared with President Trump at the Oval Office as part of an executive order on using AI to help pediatric cancer treatments.

Carlos Silva: TNA has ‘a lot of goals to accomplish’

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Carlos Silva outlines his goals for TNA.

In an interview with Justin Barrasso ahead of Sunday’s Bound for Glory, the president of TNA explained the company’s role in pro wrestling, not only cultivating young talent but also providing space for wrestlers who made their names in TNA and elsewhere.

“We have a lot of goals. We can develop young stars,” he said. “Joe Hendry is a great example. I know he wrestled elsewhere, but TNA provided a platform for him to reach new levels–then you saw him at WrestleMania. TNA is a place for young stars like Leon Slater. It’s a place for legends like The Hardys and stars like Eric Young, Nic Nemeth, Matt Cardona, and Frankie Kazarian–and I could go on and on.”

Silva took over for Scott D’Amore, who departed the company in 2024. Silva complimented the team that has taken over since.

“TNA has been around 23 years, so I’m building off a really good foundation,” he said. “We have some great minds in the company like Eric Tompkins, Tommy Dreamer, and Ross Forman. We brought in sports executives for production and marketing, too. We’re bringing best practices from sports and applying them to our live events. It’s a team that is pulling all together, and that makes a big difference. It’s been a great nine months, but we’re not going to slow down.”

Bound for Glory is set for this weekend at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachussetts. Top matches include Trick Williams defending the TNA Championship against Mike Santana and The Hardys taking on Team 3D in a tables match for the TNA Tag Team titles.

Killer Kross returning to MLW next month

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Killer Kross is returning to MLW.

During Saturday’s Slaughterhouse show, a video hyped the upcoming return of Kross. He will be making his return at next month’s MLW event, a collaboration with Don Gato Tequila called Lucha de los Muertos, which will take place on November 20 in Charleston, South Carolina.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1974677871517172087?

The video featured imagery from a music video uploaded by Kross shortly after his WWE release in August, then displayed the date for Lucha de los Muertos followed by the words “Killer Kross fights in MLW,” indicating he will be in action.

Kross wrestled his last match in WWE at SummerSlam, losing to Sami Zayn. His contract expired shortly thereafter, becoming a free agent. Although there was speculation regarding if his release was part of an elaborate work, Kross has competed in independent matches since his release, including appearances in DEFY and WrestlePro. He wrestled on Friday teaming with JD Drake to take on Darby Allin and Steven Borden, who was making his pro wrestling debut.

Matches announced for next week’s AEW Collision Homecoming

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New matches are set for next Saturday’s AEW Collision Homecoming.

The show, which will take place at Daly’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida, already has six matches announced. One will see Kota Ibushi make his return, taking on Josh Alexander of the Don Callis Family.

Eddie Kingston, who defeated Dralsitico on this week’s show, will face The Beast Mortos next week. Meanwhile, Max Caster and Anthony Bowens will team with one another once again, taking on Big Bill and Bryan Keith after words were traded. Despite teaming up together again, both noted in the segment that they have still not reunited as The Acclaimed.

After the Triangle of Madness attacked Toni Storm and Kris Statlander during their promo to hype their upcoming Wrestledream match, Harley Cameron came down for the save, setting up a six-person tag team match for Jacksonville. After Megan Bayne laid out Willow Nightingale, Bayne will team up with FTR to take on Nightingale and Jetspeed.

Following this week’s show, Tony Khan also announced that TayJay will be in action.

Current AEW Collision Homecoming lineup:

  • Kota Ibushi vs. Josh Alexander
  • Max Caster & Anthony Bowens vs. Big Bill and Bryan Keith
  • Edde Kingston vs. The Beast Mortos
  • Kris Statlander, Toni Storm, and Harley Cameron vs. Triangle of Madness (Skye Blue, Thekla, and Julia Hart)
  • Mixed tag team match: FTR & Megan Bayne vs. Jetspeed & Willow Nightingale
  • TayJay in action

New matches and stipulations set for AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday

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New matches and segments are set for AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday.

The start of this week’s Collision saw PAC confront Orange Cassidy, challenging him to a match for Tuesday which will air on head-to-head with NXT Showdown.

This will be his first match back since April when he was injured during a match against Swerve Strickland. He returned at All Out, helping Jon Moxley defeat Darby Allin in a coffin match.

Moxley will also be in action on Tuesday, taking on Tomohiro Ishii. Moxley will soon face Allin once again, this time in an I Quit match at WrestleDream.

Hangman Page and Samoa Joe will also meet face-to-face on Tuesday. The two teamed up together on last week’s Dynamite, but Joe became hostile towards Hangman after some miscommunication following their match, setting up the World Championship match at WrestleDream on October 18.

A TNT title match was also added, with Kyle Fletcher defending the TNT title against Kyle O’Reilly in what is being billed as ‘Kyle vs. Kyle 2.’ It will the second time they go against one another, with fans during their last match frequently chanting for “Kyle”.

New stipulations were also added to the upcoming Brodido vs. Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita match. It will now be a double jeopardy match: if either Okada or Takeshita win, they earn a future AEW Tag Team title match. But if Bandido or Brody King win, whoever scores the pinfall faces Okada for his AEW Unified title.

After Collision went off the air, it was announced that Jurrassic Express will also be in action. It will be their first match as a team since 2022:

Here is the updated lineup for AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday. It was announced that like the last episode of AEW Dynamite, this show will also be two in a half hours.

Current AEW Dynamite Title Tuesday lineup:

  • TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher defends against Kyle O’Reilly
  • Orange Cassidy vs. PAC
  • TBS Champion Mercedes Mone defends against TBA
  • The Demand (Ricochet, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) vs. Hurt Syndicate (MVP, Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin) in a street fight
  • AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido (Brody King & Bandido) vs. Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita in a Double Jeopardy match
  • Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • Jurrassic Express in action
  • Samoa Joe/Hangman Page face-to-face

Tag team officially splits up on WWE SmackDown

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Melo Don’t Miz is no more.

After Carmelo Hayes told Miz on Friday that they were done being a team, the former WWE Champion cemented the end of their association with one another by attacking Hayes from behind as he was challenging Sami Zayn for the United States Championship. Miz took out his now former tag team partner with the skull crashing finale, leaving Aleister Black to take the open challenge instead.

Minutes before, The Miz confronted Hayes backstage, asking why he didn’t make the save for him in their tag team match last week. Melo told Miz that he thought Miz was in his way and chose to end their relationship amicably.

The Miz and Melo have been associated with one another for most of the year, though Melo seemed reluctant to fully associate himself with Miz. A split had been hinted at in recent weeks, with Hayes choosing to focus more on winning the United States title instead of the Tag Team titles, which Miz wanted. The two did end up getting a number one contender’s match on last week’s SmackDown against The Street Profits, but Hayes chose not to help Miz as he was being pinned, causing this week’s confrontation.

NXT stars compete on WWE SmackDown

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Three NXT stars competed on this week’s SmackDown.

Sol Ruca, Zaria, and Je’Von Evans all wrestled on this week’s show in Cincinnati. Ruca & Zaria were looking to earn a future Women’s Tag Team title match against Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, while Evans teamed with another high flyer in Rey Fenix.

Ruca & Zaria appeared backstage on Friday talking to Nick Aldis when they were interrupted by Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre, who attempted to recruit them into the Secret Hervice. The NXT stars rejected the offer and instead challenged them to a match, which they won thanks to Ruca’s sol snatcher finish.

Later, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair said they were impressed by their victory, saying they better be ready when the time comes for their title match.

Je’Von Evans, meanwhile, was seen talking to Alids about a possible move to SmackDown when Rey Fenix arrived, with the two forming a friendship. Los Garza arrived and talked trash, setting up their tag team match. In a competitive bout, Fenix scored the win for their team, hitting a muscle buster for the victory.

All three are set to compete at NXT Showdown this Tuesday, representing the brand as they take on wrestlers from TNA in two 4 vs. 4 Survivor Series elimination matches.

Updated lineup for next week’s WWE NXT Showdown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Teams are official and a new title match are set for next week.

The main focus on Tuesday’s show was setting the stage for next week’s Showdown event between NXT and TNA talent, including two NXT vs. TNA Survivor Series-style elimination matches. Additionally, Ethan Page will defend the North American title against TNA’s Mustafa Ali.

NXT GM Ava at the start of the show named Ricky Starks & Jacy Jayne the captains of Team NXT while TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella named new TNA Knockouts Champion Kelani Jordan and Mike Santana the TNA team captains. Two matches were set up to determine members of the NXT teams, with Myles Borne defeating Josh Briggs and Lola Vice defeating Fallon Henley.

In the final segment, the teams were officially named. For the men, Starks, Borne, Trick Williams, and Je’Von Evans of NXT will take on Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose, and Leon Slater of TNA. For the women, Jayne, Vice, Sol Ruca, and Jaida Parker of NXT will take on Jordan, The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay), and Mara Sade (the former Jakara Jackson) of TNA.

The final moments of the show inevitably broke out into yet another interpromotional brawl as Shawn Michaels appeared in front of the crowd smiling, watching the chaos unfold.

A new match was set up on Tuesday when Mustafa Ali made his first appearance in NXT since his release from WWE in 2023. He told Page about the time that he had earned a North American title match, only to get released nine days before the match took place at NXT No Mercy 2023. He told Page he had talked to Ava and would see him next week. The segment ended in a brief brawl, with Ali dropkicking Page out of the ring.

NXT/TNA Showdown (October 7, CW)

  • TNA vs. NXT Survivor Series men’s match: Team NXT (Ricky Starks, Trick Williams, Myles Borne, and Je’Von Evans) vs. Team TNA (Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose, and Leon Slater)
  • TNA vs. NXT Survivor Series women’s match: Team NXT (Jacy Jayne, Sol Ruca, Jaida Parker, and Lola Vice)  vs. Team TNA (Kelani Jordan, The IInspiration, and Mara Sade)
  • Title for title: NXT Tag Team Champions Darkstate vs. TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys
  • NXT North American title: Ethan Page defends against Mustafa Ali

Stephanie McMahon & Triple H appear with President Trump at the Oval Office

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Triple H & Stephanie McMahon were at The White House.

Both were seen on Tuesday at the Oval Office as President Trump signed executive orders. Stephanie took time to speak to reporters about one of the orders, which relates to using AI to help improve treatments for childhood cancer. Stephanie spoke about her and WWE’s relationship with Connor Michalek, a young WWE fan who fought cancer.

“Kids shouldn’t even know what cancer is, let alone have to face it. And this incredible team believes that too. This executive order makes kids with cancer the first focus of AI innovation across health care in America,” she said. “If there is one thing in the world that could bring us together, please let it be our children because I can almost guarantee if your child was diagnosed with cancer, you wouldn’t care what party your doctor belonged to, you would just want the best. And President Trump is doing just that, enabling every child with cancer gets the best care possible. And we couldn’t be more grateful.”

Later on social media, Triple H praised Stephanie for her words.

“I cannot begin to describe how proud I am of @stephaniemcmahon. Her dedication to #ConnorsCure and tireless advocacy in the fight against pediatric cancer over the past decade has been truly inspiring,” he said. “Today’s Executive Order, which she spearheaded, marks a historic breakthrough in this incredibly important cause.”

The charity fund Conor’s Cure was established by WWE in 2014 to support pedicatric cancer research across cancer centers worldwide. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are part of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Triple H is the vice-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Earlier this year, he and Stephanie visited the US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who was also in attendance Tuesday.

The McMahon family continues to have a strong relationship with President Trump during his second term, with Linda McMahon serving as the current Secretary of Education. She was at the Oval Office on Tuesday and spoke briefly to praise Stephanie for her efforts.

Daily Update: CM Punk, Triple H & Stephanie McMahon, The Rock

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Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

The new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is out with the fallout of three major shows this past weekend and what key things we learned from them:

  • Reader polls on the weekend shows
  • Key points we learned from WWE going after AEW
  • Numbers for all three shows and how they did
  • Does the price make a difference, how is afternoon vs. evening?
  • What we’ve learned about AEW that goes against the grain of 30 plus years of PPV numbers
  • Mistico vs. MJF looked at as well as Mistico’s place in Lucha Libre history
  • Misconceptions about John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar
  • The next big shows from WWE & AEW
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Advanced ticket sales for the major shows over the next month
  • Odds for last weekend and next weekend
  • Where wrestling shows stood in the weekly ratings and comparisons with the same week in 2024 and 2023
  • Exactly how much the audience makeup has changed for AEW on television this past year
  • For every major TV show, what percentage of viewers were women this past week
  • Blue Panther wins title at 65 years old
  • Big head-to-head battles in Mexico City on Saturday and Sunday this week
  • Lineup for the women’s Grand Prix match in Mexico City with talent from RevPro, Stardom and AEW/ROH
  • Notes from the Pokemon CMLL crossover event
  • Story about the changes in the crowds at Arena Mexico and leading reporter opposes the story
  • Lots of health updates
  • Real American Freestyle signs first woman gold medalist
  • Masha Slamovich controversy
  • Zuffa Boxing close to announcing TV deal
  • Former WWE developmental talent signs with UFC for November debut
  • International promotion in talks with ESPN Unlimited
  • Jake Paul vs. Tank Davis silliness
  • Cody Rhodes talks Paul Levesque’s successor
  • Mark Shapiro talks how WWE & UFC will decide on locations for big shows
  • ESPN review of Wrestlepalooza and the controversy allows ignoring the far bigger story
  • Jazmyn Nyx turns down WWE offer, says it’s too low

This Week’s Back Issue

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Tuesday Update

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AEW & Other Wrestling