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.

Gail Kim says she turned down WWE offer: ‘Sucks but had to’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Gail Kim says that she had to turn down an offer from WWE.

Kim took part in an online Q&A session recently, and when asked if she will be working with WWE in the future, she responded that she had to turn down an offer from the company.

Kim wrote:

“I had to decline the offer unfortunately…. Sucks but had to.”

Kim did not go into further detail regarding the offer or why she turned it down.

Kim was released from her role with TNA Wrestling in March after having been with the company for 17 years across two stints. In June, Fightful reported that she was backstage at a set of NXT tapings, but it was not clear at that point whether she had been offered a role with WWE.

Kim has taken a handful of bookings for appearances in 2025. She was scheduled to serve as a special referee for Natalya vs. Kenzie Paige at the NWA’s Crockett Cup event but had to pull out due to illness. She made her GCW debut last month at Dream On in New Jersey, cutting a heel promo on GCW fans before being confronted by Joey Janela.

Kim’s social media post is below:

Saraya reflects on eight-year anniversary of near career-ending injury

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Saraya has commented on the eight-year anniversary of an injury that was once thought to be career-ending.

In December 2017, Saraya had just returned to WWE after missing nearly a year and a half with a neck injury suffered in June 2016. Later that month, on December 27, 2017, while wrestling on a WWE house show in Uniondale, New York, Saraya re-injured her neck when taking a kick to the back from Mercedes Mone, then wrestling as Sasha Banks. It would be nearly five years before doctors would clear her to return.

Saraya took to social media on Sunday to reflect on the injury:

“8 years yesterday from when I thought my career was over during a Uniondale house show. What a ride it’s been since. Grateful for my health, family, friends and fans. You truly keep me going! My noodle neck is as strong as ever haha 

Can’t wait for what 2026 has in store ❤️⚡️”

Saraya has taken a sabbatical from wrestling over the past year, having not wrestled since October 2024 and having parted ways with AEW in March. She recently appeared at a show for Insane Wrestling Revolution over the weekend, and also told the Toronto Sun last month that she plans to resume training in January:

“I’m going to get into training in January, and we’ll see where that takes me. Because I feel like I do — if I was to ever come back, not saying I am, but if I was to ever come back, I want to be at the top of my game and be wrestling better than I was wrestling back when I was in NXT. So that’s my goal.”

Alicia Atout reacts to MJF’s AEW World title win

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Alicia Atout may never get to go on her honeymoon.

Atout and Maxwell Jacob Friedman were married in September but MJF’s wrestling and movie filming schedule have consistently prevented the couple from celebrating their wedding. Atout took to social media following MJF’s title win at Worlds End, writing:

“I am beyond proud of you, Maxwell. Any lane you step into, you dominate — effortlessly. It never gets old watching you win, whether in the ring or in life together as my husband. Now let’s bring that gold back to Long Island and celebrate you the way a true champion deserves. And maybe you’ll finally let me hold the title??? 👀✨💋💛 “

She later added:

“WAIT DOES THIS MEAN OUR HONEYMOON IS EVEN FURTHER AWAY NOW 😭”

Atout’s frustration at not having a honeymoon was also expressed when MJF returned to AEW programming in Manchester on December 17, writing:

“WTF MAXWELL. You told me we’d go on a honeymoon after you were done shooting the movie…”

MJF is scheduled to make his first appearance since winning the AEW World Championship on this Wednesday’s edition of Dynamite. The show is scheduled for the Liberty First Credit Union Arena in Omaha.

Atout’s social media posts are below:

The couple also adopted an eight-year old dog back in November:

MJF comments on never getting to wrestle John Cena: ‘He’s an incredible guy’

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MJF says that in a different world, he would have gotten the chance to wrestle John Cena.

During a recent interview with Mostly Sports, the new AEW World Champion was asked if he’s sad that he’ll never get to face Cena. MJF responded:

“Yes, absolutely. I think that there is a different world where that match would have happened. Unfortunately, it’s not this one.”

“I’ve had so many incredible run-ins with John where we’ve shot the shit. He’s an incredible guy. He watches our product. He’s seen my stuff. He was very complimentary. Obviously, I’m super complimentary to him.”

“I’ve said it before in other interviews, but before CM Punk, my favorite wrestler growing up as a kid was John Cena. He was a fathead on my wall in my bedroom. So I’d wake up, salute the OG, and then get ready for school.”

MJF and Cena drew headlines in late 2023 when they appeared in a photo together while attending The Iron Claw premiere. MJF played the role of Lance Von Erich in the film. Cena later told Chris Van Vliet that he said to MJF that day, “maybe we can get you to play for the right team one day.”

The interview with Mostly Sports was taped before MJF won the AEW World Championship for a second time at Worlds End on Saturday. He becomes the fifth wrestler in history to win the title multiple times, joining two-time champions Samoa Joe, Hangman Page, and CM Punk, as well as four-time champion Jon Moxley.

MJF’s comments about Cena begin around the 16:53 mark of the interview. The video below is cued.

Kyle Fletcher on AEW Worlds End loss: ‘Where was the screwdriver?’

Posted on by Ian Carey

AEW posted a video featuring post-match comments from Kyle Fletcher following AEW Worlds End on Saturday.

For the second year in a row, Fletcher was eliminated from the Continental Classic in the semifinals, this year losing to eventual tournament winner Jon Moxley.

During the match, Fletcher went looking for a screwdriver that had been placed in the turnbuckle. However, Kazuchika Okada had used the foreign object in the previous match to defeat Konosuke Takeshita. In his post-match comments, Fletcher said the screwdriver not being where it was supposed to be will lead to some “hard conversations.”

Fletcher said:

“I really didn’t think that I would end up here again. One year later, Worlds End, same place, same tournament, same result. Last year, I won the Blue League, this year I won the Gold League and lost in the semis. And losing to a former four-time AEW World Champion, former International Champion, former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, he’s one of the literal best of all time. But I don’t care.”

“I keep saying that I’m going to go down as the greatest wrestler of all time but if I can’t get the job done when it matters, who cares?”

“That’s not even mentioning the screwdriver. Where was the screwdriver? That’s a lot of hard conversations I’m going to have to have.”

“And now 2025 ends exactly where 2024 did. I am aimless. No championship, what’s next? What’s next for the Protostar Kyle Fletcher? I sincerely, truly do not know.”

In 2024, Fletcher won the Blue League with a 4-1 record before being eliminated in the semifinals by Will Ospreay. This year, he finished atop the Gold League with a 3-2 record, earning the top spot via tiebreaker over Kazuchika Okada.

Fletcher’s post-match comments are available below:

Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez praised the Fletcher vs. Moxley match at AEW Worlds End during the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. A clip of the show is available below:

MJF explains why he still wears AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring

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MJF addressed still wearing his AEW Dynamite Diamond ring during a recent interview.

The new AEW World Champion spoke with Mostly Sports ahead of his title victory on Saturday. During the interview, it was noted that MJF continues to wear his Dynamite Diamond ring despite Bandido winning the ring this year. MJF explained that another wrestler winning the ring does not negate the times he previously won it.

MJF said:

“So, here’s the deal. Think of this as a Super Bowl ring. Just because this guy won it doesn’t retract all the ones that I’ve won year after year after year after year.”

MJF won the Dynamite Diamond Ring in each of the first six years of its existence, winning it in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

“Are we up to five or six? I don’t even know. I’ve lost count, frankly. Genuinely, I’ve lost count. It might be six. So, congrats to this guy. He won the ring this year because I wasn’t involved in it. And my boss is a mark and hates my guts, he decided to make this the first year where if you win the ring, you don’t just win money, you also get a guaranteed title shot at Maximum Carnage.”

“I thought that was a little f—ing weird, that I’ve won this ring year after year and I never got a title shot out of it. But anyway, c’est la vie.”

The interview was taped before MJF won the AEW World Championship at Worlds End. With his title win and Bandido winning the AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring in 2025, the two will meet for the championship at AEW Maximum Carnage on January 14 in Phoenix.

Bandido and Ricochet were the final two wrestlers remaining in the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal on the December 17 episode of Dynamite. Bandido went on to defeat Ricochet to win the ring on the December 24 episode of Dynamite, which was taped on December 20.

MJF’s comments about continuing to wear the Dynamite Diamond ring begin around the 9:13 mark of the interview. The video below is cued.

A clip of Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer discussing MJF and the AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring is below:

Report: Update on Chris Jericho’s AEW contract, potential WWE return date

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According to new reports, Chris Jericho could show up on WWE programming sooner than expected.

Alex McCarthy of Wrestling Intel reports that Jericho’s AEW contract expires at midnight on December 31, and WWE is considering having his return take place at the Raw on Netflix anniversary show on January 5 rather than in the Royal Rumble on January 31.

Jon Alba of SI.com also noted that his sources “also believe he’s going to show up on WWE TV very soon.”

Dave Meltzer addressed the latest on Jericho in the most recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter, noting that he believes Jericho’s contract expires soon.

Meltzer wrote:

“Most in wrestling think he’s going to WWE as a surprise for the Rumble. It’s nothing confirmed but it’s also something that I don’t imagine will be confirmed because if he is going, I think Paul Levesque will keep the circle very small who is told.”

Jericho took part in a live episode of The Winnipeggers podcast on YouTube on Saturday night. When asked about a potential return to WWE during the show, Jericho responded, “You never know.”

Kevin Owens sends message to Carmelo Hayes after WWE US title win

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Kevin Owens has commented on Carmelo Hayes winning the United States Championship on WWE SmackDown.

Hayes defeated Ilja Dragunov for the title in a match taped on December 19 that aired on the December 26 episode. After the match, Hayes responded to a WWE post featuring a clip of his title win, writing:

“Craziest feeling ever , I felt the people lift me to top rope, can’t even explain it.”

Owens responded to Hayes’ comment, writing:

“Special moment. Well-deserved moment. Congrats, man!”

Shane Helms responded to Owens, “Deserved and earned!!”

The United States Championship win marked Hayes’ first title on WWE’s main roster. He previously won the 2025 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and is a former NXT Champion, NXT Cruiserweight Champion, and two-time NXT North American Champion.

Owens underwent neck surgery in July. He made a public appearance at a NASCAR event the following month and spoke about his hopes of returning to the ring in 2026.

“Fingers crossed, I get to come back to wrestling in the next year. I really don’t know. My goal is to come back, so hopefully that happens,” Owens said.

According to a report from PWInsider earlier this month, Owens is also set for a role on the next season of WWE LFG.

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/2005096705533100523

Harley Cameron performs ‘Babes of Wrath’ song at AEW Worlds End post-event scrum

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Harley Cameron found an interesting way to address the media at the AEW Worlds End post-event media scrum.

Cameron brought out a guitar while the Conglomeration were being interviewed, dedicating a song she just wrote to her Babes of Wrath tag team partner, Willow Nightingale.

She titled the song “Babes of Wrath” and some of the lyrics include:

“I wasn’t looking but now that I’ve found her, if I let you go I’d be crazy. You’re so damn strong, I love your power bomb. Everything you do is amazing.

I wrote this song hoping you’d sing along, little bit of something I’m confessing.

And it feels so right, it feels like I’ve tagged with you my entire life.
And I’ve just done that, we’re your AEW Tag Team Champions and we’re the Babes of Wrath!

Babes of Wrath!
Babes of Wrath!
Babes of Wrath!”

Following Cameron’s musical performance, she and Nightingale were asked about their win over Athena and Mercedes Mone on the pay-per-view.

“We knew we were up for a challenge but I am proud to say that we brought it, and we delivered and we are still your AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions tonight,” Cameron continued.

Tony Khan then noted that Nightingale got the pin over the TBS Champion at Worlds End and is now scheduled to challenge Mone for her title on Dynamite this Wednesday.

Cameron’s song begins at the 13:20 mark of the interview. The video below is cued.

Tony Khan, Dustin Rhodes, more comment on AEW signing Hyan & Maya World

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Tony Khan and several other names associated with AEW have commented on the company’s recent signings of Hyan & Maya World.

Khan announced Hyan & World’s signing following their loss to the Sisters of Sin, Julia Hart and Skye Blue, on the AEW Worlds End Zero Hour show. He addressed their signing again at the post-event press conference.

Khan said:

“I think they’ve been doing a fantastic job.”

“Hyan and Maya World came in, they’ve delivered time after time. They’ve been putting on great matches. They’ve been getting more and more competitive.”

“Everybody in the locker room really respects them. They bring something great to the roster. We’ve been having great women’s tag team matches and having more and more strong wrestlers on the roster for singles and tag teams, because they are both great individual wrestlers too.”

“Every experience I’ve had with both of them individually and as a team has been positive. They had another great match on the Zero Hour.”

Dustin Rhodes also posted about their signing, writing:

“Super proud of Hyan and Maya!!! Welcome to the team!!! LFG!!!!! #AEW”

Several wrestlers also commented on AEW’s Instagram post announcing World and Hyan’s signing.

Mercedes Mone wrote, “😍🔥”

Leila Grey wrote, “Congrats ladies!! 👏👏👏👏”

Anna Jay: “👏”

Red Velvet wrote, “Well deserved 👏👏 congrats ladies!”

The two have gone 0-4 in tag matches for the promotion, dating back to their loss to Anna Jay and Tay Melo on the November 8 Collision taping. Individually, they’ve each wrestled a handful of times for AEW in the past, with Hyan having once challenged for the ROH Women’s World title against Mercedes Martinez on an episode of Dark: Elevation. Maya World was beaten by Megan Bayne on an episode of Dynamite in February and also lost to Thunder Rosa on Collision in July 2024.

Saraya makes rare indie appearance: ‘I forgot how fun indies are!’

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Saraya made a rare appearance on an indie show this weekend.

The former AEW Women’s World Champion has been on a sabbatical from wrestling since announcing a mutual parting of the ways with AEW in March. However, Rhino’s Insane Wrestling Revolution booked her to make an appearance at Season’s Beatings Fest in Monroe, Michigan on Saturday, December 27.

Saraya had been announced for the event back in October. She entered to her old WWE theme song “Stars in the Night” and cut a promo that led to a tag team match being booked on the show.

Saraya posted to social media after the show:

“I forgot how fun indies are! Minus my dad’s shows it’s been 14 years since my last one. Was supposed to be a one off but man what a blast, might have to do more 🤔..  Thanks to IWR for having me. We packed the place out and and they were loud af. So fun!! 

Till next time ⚡️🖤”

Saraya hasn’t wrestled a match since October 2024, but told the Toronto Sun last month that a return to the ring could happen in 2026, saying:

“I’m going to get into training in January, and we’ll see where that takes me. Because I feel like I do — if I was to ever come back, not saying I am, but if I was to ever come back, I want to be at the top of my game and be wrestling better than I was wrestling back when I was in NXT. So that’s my goal.”

Clips of Saraya’s appearance at Insane Wrestling Revolution’s Season’s Beatings Fest are below:

Tony Khan announces AEW Worlds End will be a ‘clean sellout’

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Tony Khan says AEW Worlds End is a “clean sellout.”

Tonight’s pay-per-view is set for the NOW Arena just outside of Chicago. On the afternoon of the show, Khan posted to social media that the event is now sold out.

Khan wrote:

“TONIGHT’s #AEWWorldsEnd PPV will be a clean sellout, with the @NOW_Arena packed with awesome wrestling fans!
AEW is having a fantastic year, and the final @AEW PPV of 2025 is TONIGHT!
Join the wrestling world that will be watching AEW Worlds End TONIGHT!”

As of press time for the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, just over 8,200 tickets had been distributed to the show. WrestleTix reported on Saturday afternoon that the number had risen to 8,836. The last pay-per-view AEW held in the building was All Out 2024, which drew 8,660.

Dave Meltzer wrote of the event in this week’s newsletter:

“A true sellout would be 9,412 but staging could lower that to a little less. It will be very close to a sellout and look full for television, but it’s not a sure thing it will actually sell out.”

“The last AEW PPV show in Chicago at the building was All Out 2024, the traditional show, which did 8,660, so this should beat that number. But to me Chicago should sell out the NOW Arena for a PPV show and this will come very close to doing so”

He noted that the get-in price on the secondary market was $54.

AEW’s Buddy Matthews shares injury update

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Buddy Matthews shared a small injury update recently on Instagram.

Matthews has been out of action after suffering an ankle injury during his ring entrance at AEW Grand Slam Australia on February 15. He went on to wrestle a 13-minute match with Kazuchika Okada despite ligament and nerve damage.

In June, Matthews revealed that the injury was not healing properly and later announced that he would need surgery. Last month, he noted that he was still dealing with some numbness that he hoped would subside soon.

In a post to his Instagram Stories, Matthews said he is still dealing with nerve issues.

Matthews wrote:

“It’s been a long process! Still having nerve issues with a lot of numbness! But accepted that it’s gonna take time. Really thought I’d have returned to the ring by now but can only control what I can.”

There is no timetable for Matthews’ return to the ring. His post is below:

New match, opening segment announced for WWE Raw

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A new match and a new segment have been announced for Monday’s episode of WWE Raw.

In his weekly rundown of the lineup for the show, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce revealed that the newest member of The Vision, Austin Theory, will go one-on-one with Rey Mysterio. This comes after Theory and Bronson Reed defeated CM Punk and Mysterio in the main event of last week’s show, with Theory giving Mysterio a curb stomp.

Monday’s Raw is scheduled for the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. As of press time for this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 10,866 tickets had been distributed for the show. The updated lineup is below.

WWE Raw lineup for Monday, December 29 —

  • Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer defends against WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella and Raquel Rodriguez in a triple threat match
  • World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Dragon Lee defend against The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso)
  • Austin Theory vs. Rey Mysterio
  • The Vision will open the show