Author: Ian Carey

Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.

Three matches added to AEW Collision lineup

Posted on by Ian Carey

Tony Khan has made some additions to the lineup for tonight’s AEW Collision.

The AEW president went live on X just hours before the show and announced three new matches for the show.

Khan revealed that Jet Speed’s Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight are both cleared to compete after being attacked on last week’s show. They will team with Anthony Bowens to face The Demand’s Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, and Toa Liona on Collision.

The Death Riders’ Daniel Garcia, PAC, and Wheeler Yuta will wrestle Team SkyFlight’s Scorpio Sky, Dante and Darius Martin.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Lady Frost has also been added to the lineup.

Tonight’s show takes place at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The updated lineup is below:

AEW Collision lineup for Saturday, January 10, 2026:

  • TNT Champion Mark Briscoe defends against Hechicero
  • Komander vs. El Clon
  • Kris Statlander, Harley Cameron & Willow Nightingale vs. Hyan, Maya World & VertVixen
  • Mina Shirakawa vs. Lady Frost
  • The Death Riders (Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, & PAC) vs. Team SkyFlight (Scorpio Sky, Dante & Darius Martin)
  • The Demand (Ricochet, Toa Liona, & Bishop Kaun) vs. Jet Speed (Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight) & Anthony Bowens

Mick Foley: ‘I stand with Jesse’ Ventura after comments about Donald Trump

Posted on by Ian Carey

Mick Foley says he stands with Jesse Ventura.

Ventura, the former Governor of Minnesota and WWE Hall of Famer, was interviewed recently regarding immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota and the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. Ventura was critical of Donald Trump during the interview, calling him a “draft dodger” and saying the United States is now a “third world country.”

Foley posted footage of Ventura’s interview to Instagram on Saturday along with the caption:

“I STAND WITH JESSE

Proud to see the great Jesse Ventura speaking out in Minnesota.  I agree wholeheartedly with “The Body” here, and I don’t know if anyone could have said it better.  We can’t keep letting Trump and his gutless yes men lie to us over and over. America needs to be better than this — we have to move on from this era of domestic and international cruelty.

I would encourage everyone to be like the former Governor here, and use your freedom of speech to stand against injustice.”

Gail Kim responded to Foley’s post, writing, “Me too!”

Ventura also teased a possible run for Governor again in November while being interviewed.

“You know what? Maybe it’s time for Jesse. I only did one term. I’m owed a second,” he said. 

Foley announced last month that he was parting ways with WWE over the company’s relationship with Trump. He also stated he will not sign a new Legends deal with WWE when his current one expires in June. Foley said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel last week that some fans “have dropped out of the fandom” as a result of his stance.

Foley’s post is below:

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Rob Van Dam on Juggalo Championship Wrestling: ‘They’re about to blow up’

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Rob Van Dam sees good things in the future for Juggalo Championship Wrestling.

The promotion founded by Insane Clown Posse’s Violent J made headlines in late 2025 with the hiring of Vince Russo as both its head writer and an on-screen character. RVD recently told GamesHub that he’s spoken with Violent J about a possible role in the company.

RVD said:

“The clowns seem right now to be getting all the news, all the media. They’ve got Vince Russo writing their shows now and before Vince came along, I’ve been talking to some people and some of those are my friends who founded it, Violent J (Joe Bruce) from ICP. And he’s been asking if there’s anything I could do to help their company.”

RVD continued, saying he believes JCW is the most underrated promotion currently and that it’s “about to blow up.”

“So I’m gonna say right now, that’s probably the most underrated (promotion) because people don’t know that they’re about to blow up.”

“Just recently, all the comments that I’ve read are so positive. The fans are so excited about what they’re doing and you want to talk about a promoter who’s a hard worker that’s done everything himself, right from the bottom? That’s Violent J!”

Matt Cardona won the JCW World Championship on the January 1 episode of JCW Lunacy, the promotion’s weekly YouTube show. Following Cardona’s return to WWE on the January 2 episode of SmackDown, Russo released a statement on social media acknowledging the risk involved in putting the title on someone who could return to WWE at any time.

Russo wrote:

“Does anybody really believe that you don’t know the risk involved when you put your belt on a former @WWE WRESTLER? That you don’t understand that he/she could return to the company at any time?”

The January 8 episode of JCW Lunacy, available below, features a number one contender match for the JCW World Championship between Mr. Anderson and James Storm. Cagematch lists the show having been taped at Harpos Concert Theatre in Detroit on November 22, 2025.

Two new segments announced for WWE NXT

Posted on by Ian Carey

The NXT Championship situation will be addressed on Tuesday’s show.

WWE posted to social media on Saturday that NXT General Manager Ava will speak about the future of the title on NXT’s show on The CW next week.

WWE wrote:

“After being vacated by @Obaofwwe, @avawwe_will address the future of the NXT Championship THIS TUESDAY on #WWENXT! 📺 8e/7c on @TheCW.”

Following successfully retaining the title in a match against Leon Slater in the main event of last week’s show, Femi left the title belt in the ring. WWE announced the following day that the NXT Championship was officially vacated.

NXT later posted on social media that Izzi Dame will be speaking on the show. This comes after she won the Women’s NXT North American title in surprising fashion on Tuesday, defeating Thea Hail in an open challenge.

The updated lineup for Tuesday’s show is below:

WWE NXT lineup for Tuesday, January 13:

  • No disqualification: Joe Hendry vs. Dion Lennox
  • TNA International title: Stacks defends against Shiloh Hill
  • Men’s WWE Speed Championship: Jasper Troy defends against Tavion Heights
  • Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan
  • Ava to address the future of the NXT Championship
  • We’ll hear from Izzi Dame

JBL shares training video, takes first bump in 16 years

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JBL says he took his first bump in 16 years recently.

The 59-year-old WWE Hall of Fame member shared training footage to his social media on Saturday, writing:

“First bump in 16 years. Haha. Like a kid again, a real real old kid. Thanks to my coach Jody Malenko and Al Snow with OVW. I’ll be at the big show tomorrow in Louisville.”

OVW presents the Nightmare Rumble on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at the Hotpoint Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky.

JBL has made a few in-ring appearances in recent months. On November 2, 2025, he attacked former NXT wrestler Patrick Clark (formerly Velveteen Dream) at an MCW show. Later that month, he won a battle royal at the WrestleCade SuperShow in Winston-Salem.

JBL also revealed that there were plans for him to appear at TNA Wrestling’s Slammiversary last summer. Speaking on the Something to Wrestle With podcast, JBL said:

“I was supposed to be there initially and I was originally supposed to have…really a part that people wouldn’t have believed how big it was. That did not work out. The reason that got ended in TNA, it wasn’t because of me..it was a decision made by someone that was no longer there.”

JBL’s training video is available below:

NJPW wrestler drawing ‘a lot of interest in the United States’

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NJPW’s Gabe Kidd has options if he is to hit the free agency market soon.

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that there is “a lot of interest in the United States” regarding Kidd. He also mentioned that it’s likely Kidd’s NJPW deal expires at the end of the month.

“A lot of interest in Gabe Kidd in the United States,” Meltzer said on the show.

“Gabe Kidd is another one that they (WWE) want, I’m sure AEW wants, I’m sure New Japan wants. I’ve been hearing a lot about them because Gabe Kidd’s contract probably is up at the end of the month – I don’t know that 100 percent – because most New Japan contracts are.”

“With Kidd, it’s going to be real interesting with him because I think that he really loves New Japan and New Japan made him a star.”

WWE is also said to have interest in AEW’s Powerhouse Hobbs. In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer wrote that WWE “was very high” on The Opps member. However, it’s not clear when Hobbs’ AEW contract expires. Meltzer and Garrett Gonzales also addressed the situation with Hobbs on Observer Radio.

“There’s more to the Hobbs thing than I wrote,” Meltzer said.

Responding to a question about when Hobbs’ AEW contract expires, Meltzer said, “I don’t know. But I know that those in WWE really want him.”

The full episode of Wrestling Observer Radio is available here for subscribers.

WWE posts video of Drew McIntyre arriving in Glasgow as champion

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Drew McIntyre has returned home to Scotland as the new WWE Champion.

WWE has a live event at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow on Saturday. McIntyre arrived in the city earlier today and WWE posted footage of him at the airport, where he proclaimed that he had fulfilled his promise to return to the country as WWE Champion.

The video is available at this link and below this article.

WWE wrote:

“The NEW Undisputed WWE Champ @DMcIntyreWWE has touched down in Glasgow 🙌”

McIntyre says in the video:

“Said I was bringing this title home. Took a few years, but I never lie. Officially on Scottish soil as WWE Champion. I’d say it’s surreal but it’s not. It was about time. Thank God, I am home.”

“Went to University 30 minutes from here. That’s a lie, probably 15 minutes from here. Grew up 40 minutes from here.”

McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match on Friday’s SmackDown to win the title for the third time. Also a former World Heavyweight Champion, McIntyre is now a four-time world champion in the promotion.

Report: Update on two potential NXT call-ups to the WWE main roster

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Two NXT wrestlers who have been discussed for main roster call-ups may not be headed there imminently.

Fightful Select reported Friday that while Blake Monroe and Jacy Jayne have been discussed for potential moves to the main roster, neither is expected to appear there in the immediate future.

“Although there have been some names like Blake Monroe and Jacy Jayne discussed for call-ups, we aren’t expecting those two imminently,” Fightful’s report reads.

Speculation regarding Jayne’s call up comes after a report last week that NXT higher ups have been impressed with her work over the last year.

“NXT higher ups believed she did a good job rising to the occasion during her 2025,” wrote Fightful. Jayne successfully defended her NXT Women’s Championship against Kendal Grey at New Year’s Evil.

Monroe recently dropped the NXT Women’s North American title to Thea Hail on the December 16 show after a botched finish. She then attacked Hail before a scheduled rematch at NXT New Year’s Evil on January 6. NXT General Manager Ava ultimately stripped Monroe of her title shot as a result.

Stardom announces signing of former AEW, TJPW wrestler

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Maki Itoh has officially signed with World Wonder Ring Stardom.

At Stardom’s show at Korakuen Hall on Saturday, Itoh was revealed as the mystery woman behind a series of vignettes that had been airing. Stardom president Taro Okada announced the signing and presented Itoh with an official Stardom tracksuit to commemorate her becoming a full-time member of the roster.

Okada said on today’s show, “Today, Stardom has signed a contract with pro wrestler Maki Itoh.”

Itoh said, “After 9 years of professional wrestling, this is the first time I’ll be doing it as a part of this organization. I will be joining STARDOM. Nice to meet you!”

Itoh’s debut match with the promotion will take place on tomorrow’s show, also at Korakuen Hall. She will team with Saori Anou against Aya Sakura & Sayaka Kurara on the show.

Itoh left Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling in August 2025 after having been with the promotion since 2016. Outside of Japan, Itoh made several appearances with AEW from 2021 to 2023, with her last match having been on the June 14, 2023 show in Washington. She also regularly performs for GCW, with her last match for the promotion having been on the November 22 Dream On pay-per-view from New Jersey.

Big developments at WWE SmackDown taping in Berlin

Posted on by Ian Carey

Today’s WWE SmackDown in Berlin saw some notable developments.

Drew McIntyre is the new WWE Champion after defeating Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match on the show. McIntyre defeated Rhodes after a low blow and Claymore Kick in the first fall, which was a straight wrestling match. The second fall was contested under falls count anywhere rules and saw Rhodes win with a Cross Rhodes through the announce table.

The third fall of the match was contested inside a steel cage. As McIntyre was attempting to exit the cage via the door, a man in a hoodie and face mask stopped him. The person then revealed himself to be the returning Jacob Fatu. At first, Fatu attacked McIntyre, but as Rhodes attempted to intervene, Fatu attacked him. As Fatu and Rhodes were brawling, McIntyre exited the cage and won the championship.

Also on the show, Jordynne Grace was confirmed as the newest member of the SmackDown roster. She also defeated Alba Fyre later in the show.

Nick Aldis announced there will be a number one contender four-way match at the January 24 Saturday Night’s Main Event, with the winner going on to challenge for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. There will be four qualifying matches on next week’s SmackDown from London. The qualifying matches were announced as Randy Orton vs. The Miz, Matt Cardona vs. Trick Williams, Damian Priest vs. Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn vs. Ilja Dragunov.

We will have coverage of SmackDown tonight beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern.

WWE SmackDown spoiler notes from Berlin, Germany

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE SmackDown started at 2 p.m. Eastern today from the Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany.

The show will air in the United States in its usual 8 p.m. Eastern time slot on USA. The show aired live internationally on Netflix. Our coverage of the show will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern. Notes from the show are below:

WWE SmackDown 1/9 match results:

  • Trick Williams defeated Rey Fenix
  • Women’s United States Champion Giulia defeated Alexa Bliss
  • The MFTs defeated The Wyatt Sicks
  • Jordynne Grace defeated Alba Fyre
  • United States Champion Carmelo Hayes defeated Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Drew McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes 2-1 in a Three Stages of Hell match to win the WWE Championship

Spoiler notes:

  • Michael Cole announced that the last hour of the show will be commercial free.
  • Randy Orton cut a promo to kick off the show but was interrupted by Trick Williams. Miz came out later as well and took an RKO. Williams then beat Fenix in the first match of the show.
  • Jordynne Grace was confirmed as the newest member of the WWE SmackDown roster in a backstage segment with Nick Aldis that also set up her match against Alba Fyre.
  • Lash Legend interfered in the Women’s US title match, pushing Bliss off the top turnbuckle leading to the finish.
  • Matt Cardona told Cody Rhodes he was coming for his title in a backstage segment.
  • Kit Wilson appeared in a backstage segment complaining to Nick Aldis about his match against Cardona last week.
  • Tama Tonga pinned Uncle Howdy in the MFTs vs. Wyatts match after Howdy was distracted by Solo Sikoa picking up the Wyatt lantern outside the ring.
  • A vignette for Oba Femi aired.
  • Jade Cargill came to the ring just as Jordynne Grace was walking back after beating Fyre. She told Grace that she was on “her show.”
  • Sami Zayn was interviewed in the back and asked to predict the winner of Rhodes vs. McIntyre, ultimately picking Rhodes.
  • Johnny Gargano wore an Axiom mask and attacked Nathan Frazer backstage just before the US title open challenge, which was answered by Shinsuke Nakamura.
  • Nakamura working on Hayes’ leg was the story of the US title match. The two shook hands after and Nakamura raised Hayes’ arm.
  • Nick Aldis announced a new number one contender for the WWE Championship will be determined in the coming weeks. On next week’s show in London there will be four qualifying matches with the winners meeting in a fatal four way match at the January 24 Saturday Night’s Main Event. The winner of that match challenges the champion at the Royal Rumble.
  • Randy Orton vs. The Miz, Matt Cardona vs. Trick Williams, Damian Priest vs. Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn vs. Ilja Dragunov were then revealed as the four qualifying matches.
  • Drew McIntyre came to the ring wearing Dusty Rhodes’ watch, which had been gifted to Cody Rhodes.
  • McIntyre won the first fall of the match after hitting a low blow behind the ref’s back following by a Claymore Kick.
  • McIntyre and Rhodes brawled throughout Uber Arena during the second fall. Rhodes evened up the match at 1-1 after giving McIntyre at Cross Rhodes onto the announce table.
  • Rhodes appeared to sustain a cut to the back of his head during the third fall.
  • As McIntyre was attempting to exit the cage, he was stopped by someone in a black hoodie and mask, who then revealed himself to be Jacob Fatu. Fatu then attacked McIntyre but as Rhodes attempted to intervene, Fatu turned his attention to him. With Fatu and Rhodes fighting, McIntyre exited the cage via the door and won the championship.

WWE SmackDown lineup for January 16 in London:

  • SNME Contenders match qualifier: Randy Orton vs. The Miz
  • SNME Contenders match qualifier: Matt Cardona vs. Trick Williams
  • SNME Contenders match qualifier: Damian Priest vs. Solo Sikoa
  • SNME Contenders match qualifier: Sami Zayn vs. Ilja Dragunov

WWE wrestler reveals recent neck fusion surgery

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Elton Prince has undergone neck fusion surgery.

Prince has been out of action since May 2025. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Prince has been sidelined with a “significant neck injury.” On Friday, Prince took to social media to reveal that he successfully underwent a two-level neck fusion on Thursday.

Prince wrote:

“Back in May I took a bad landing in the ring, the top of my head hit the mat and what felt like burning hot electricity exploded through my neck and my arms, I lost control of my hands as all my fingers curled in and were stuck for a moment. It was pretty terrifying and what followed has been 7 months of tests, questions and well pain. But thanks to the efforts of the WWE medical staff and Dr Kanter, Gina and the Hoag team we found the problem and yesterday I successfully underwent a 2 level neck fusion. Not exactly where I hoped to be at 28 but we are owed nothing in this life and I am just grateful to be on the road to recovery. I want to thank everybody who has messaged or commented to ask how and where I am its been nice to not feel forgotten and I will try my hardest to overcome all the obstacles and get back in the ring for you. 

But my focus right now is just getting healthy and reclaiming the basics like being able to be the best dad I can be for my daughter as @kellykincaid_wwe is long overdue a good nights sleep! I Can’t thank her enough for the support and help during all this and while im recovering im excited to watch my brother @kitwilson_pd crush everything he does and get a well deserved spotlight shone on him ⭐️”

Prince hasn’t wrestled since Fraxiom defeated Pretty Deadly on the May 2, 2025 episode of SmackDown.

Prince’s tag team partner, Kit Wilson, has since been wrestling in singles matches on WWE programming. On the January 2 SmackDown, Wilson debuted new ring music before losing to the returning Matt Cardona.

Prince’s full statement is below:

Women’s United States title match announced for WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Ian Carey

A new match has been added to the lineup for today’s WWE SmackDown.

Women’s United States Champion Giulia will defend her title against Alexa Bliss on the show. WWE revealed the news today in a clip posted to social media.

WWE wrote:

“🚨 #SmackDown announcement: @giulia0221g will defend her Women’s #USTitle against @AlexaBliss_WWE TONIGHT! Who will leave Berlin as United States Champion?”

On last week’s episode of SmackDown, Giulia defeated Chelsea Green to win the Women’s US title for a second time. Her first reign with the belt lasted from the June 27, 2025 SmackDown when she defeated Zelina Vega for it until losing it to Green on the November 7, 2025 SmackDown.

Today’s SmackDown takes place at the Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany. It begins at 2 p.m. Eastern and 8 p.m. local time. The show will stream live on Netflix outside the United States. It will air in its usual U.S. timeslot at 8 p.m. Eastern on the USA Network.

WWE SmackDown (January 9)

  • Three Stages of Hell for WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes defends against Drew McIntyre
  • Eight-man tag: Wyatt Sicks vs. The MFTs
  • Trick Williams vs. Rey Fenix
  • Women’s United States Champion Giulia defends against Alexa Bliss

Update on WWE creative structure following shakeup

Posted on by Ian Carey

WWE’s creative team has undergone a mild shakeup.

Our own Dave Meltzer addressed the structure of the team in this week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, noting that Ryan Ward has received “a little push” while SmackDown co-head writers John Swikata and Brian “Road Dogg” James have received a “little push down.”

Meltzer wrote:

“This is the current breakdown of creative. Paul Levesque drives the show. Bruce Prichard and Ed Koskey weigh in on creative but they also handle the company-wide distribution of information. Ryan Ward is in charge of handling all the creative pitches to Levesque. Jonathan Baeckstrom and Alexandra Williams are the co-lead writers for Raw. John Swikata and Brian James (Road Dogg) are the co-lead writers of Smackdown. Ward has been picking up a lot of the slack on Smackdown. William Regal and Michael Hayes are also involved.”

“Nothing has really changed in the last few months on this except there were issues with Smackdown creative that have been said to now be improved, but it was said to be a minimal shakeup, basically a little push up for Ward and a little push down for Swikata and James.”

Meltzer also noted in the article that one WWE source mentioned it’s a shame that Michael Hayes came off so poorly in the WWE Unreal series, because when he’s on his game Hayes makes meaningful contributions.

The creative change comes as WWE SmackDown recently moved back to three hours beginning with the January 2 episode. In 2025, SmackDown ran as a three hour show from January to July. It reverted back to two hours from July until recently. On a recent episode of The Bryan and Vinny Show, our own Bryan Alvarez noted that he’d been told the show would likely following a similar format in 2026, with it reverting back to two hours this summer.

Jeff Hardy reveals he’s been working injured since NXT Halloween Havoc

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Jeff Hardy revealed during a recent interview that he has been working with two bulging discs in his neck.

Hardy said he has been dealing with the injury since he and his brother Matt Hardy dropped the NXT Tag Team Championships to DarkStage in a Broken Rules match at NXT Halloween Havoc.

Hardy made the comments during a recent appearance on The Budget Cut podcast.

“I’ve been dealing with an injury since we dropped the titles at NXT. I actually got two bulging discs on the left side of my neck,” Jeff Hardy said.

“It’s definitely better than it was at first, but we’ve been slower for two months now. Naturally, that’s a little stress creator for me, but I’m cleared.”

The Hardys have two TNA matches scheduled for next week. They will team with Elijah on the TNA Impact debut on AMC on Thursday, January 15. The Hardys will then put the TNA World Tag Team titles on the line against The Righteous at Genesis on January 17.

Hardy’s comments about his injury begin around three minutes into the interview. The video below is cued.