Author: Joseph Currier

Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade. In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.

WWE NXT Stand & Deliver to air live on YouTube

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With NXT content leaving Peacock soon, there was a big question over where the brand’s next PLE would air. We now know that answer.

It was announced today that NXT Stand & Deliver 2026 will stream live on WWE’s YouTube channel on Saturday, April 4. The show is taking place at the The Factor in Chesterfield, Missouri and has a start time of 7 p.m.

NXT boss Shawn Michaels sent out a tweet this afternoon announcing the broadcast details for the show:

Stand & Deliver has traditionally been NXT’s WrestleMania weekend PLE, but WWE made a change this year by moving both the date and location for the show. Under the old schedule, the event took place in the afternoon before the first night of WrestleMania. It will now happen two weeks before Mania.

NXT content is slated to leave Peacock within the next week. There’s been no news as to whether PLEs airing on YouTube will become a regular thing or if this is just a stopgap until WWE reaches a new deal to find a home for the rights. WWE will still maintain a presence on Peacock going forward with Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Vengeance Day this past weekend was the last NXT PLE of the Peacock era. On the road to Stand & Deliver, NXT has upcoming stops in Houston next week and New York City on March 31 for television episodes.

Shotzi’s brother found, taken to hospital after going missing

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Shotzi Blackheart has shared some encouraging news after her brother went missing earlier this week.

Late Tuesday night, Blackheart (Ashley Urbanski) sent out a post asking for help locating her brother Deano after he was found missing in the wake of a car crash. She followed up today with an update noting that Deano has been found and is being taken to the hospital.

“My brother has been found and is being taken to the hospital. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who shared the post, reached out, and helped spread the word,” Blackheart wrote. “The support and kindness from so many people truly means the world to our family. Thank you all so much.”

The car accident happened in San Francisco, and security footage showed Deano walking away from his vehicle in a possibly disoriented state. Shotzi noted that Deano has been undergoing dialysis and is not his usual self, so they were especially worried about his safety.

It was announced on Tuesday that Shotzi has re-signed with MLW, which has become her home promotion since departing WWE in 2025. She currently holds the MLW Women’s Featherweight Championship as the promotion gears up to relaunch its weekly Fusion TV series.

Shotzi is advertised for Saturday’s MLW television taping at Center Stage in Atlanta.

WWE files trademark for new NXT wrestler name

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE Performance Center prospect Bayley Humphrey has been assigned her in-ring name.

On March 10, WWE filed a trademark application for the term “Myka Lockwood.” Humphrey has since confirmed that it will be her wrestling name. She changed her social media accounts to the new name and sent out a tweet reacting to the trademark news.

The trademark filing lists that it is for goods and services related to pro wrestling performances, which is the standard language WWE uses when applying for a new name:

  • Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment.

Humphrey was a base for Baylor University’s acrobatics and tumbling team while in college. After being part of the promotion’s NIL program, she joined WWE on a full-time basis and was featured on the first two seasons of the A&E competition series WWE: LFG (Legends and Future Greats). The show is returning with an all new format next month for season three.

NJPW legend to make Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport debut

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An NJPW legend is set to make his Bloodsport debut during WrestleMania week in Las Vegas.

Former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata will be competing at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV on Friday, April 17. His addition to the lineup was announced by Josh Barnett today, though an opponent was not named.

The 57-year-old Nagata was one of NJPW’s top stars of the 2000s and still competes to this day, including challenging for the IWGP title in 2025 during Hirooki Goto’s reign with the belt. Nagata and Barnett have a history that includes main eventing the Tokyo Dome against each other in 2003.

Bloodsport XV is being held at Horshoe Las Vegas as part of Game Changer Wrestling’s slate of events during Mania week. While no matchups are officially on the books yet, there are now more than a dozen names confirmed. The show will air live on Triller TV+ with a start time of 6 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Pacific.

Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XV participants —

  • Yuji Nagata
  • Ulka Sasaki
  • Timothy Thatcher
  • Pete Dunne
  • Shayna Baszler
  • Erick Stevens
  • Fuminori Abe
  • Ray Jaz
  • Angel Verduzco
  • Joe Dashou
  • Masashi Takeda
  • Matt Mako
  • Royce Isaacs
  • Miyu Yamashita

Mercedes Mone to make double title defense at RevPro event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mercedes Mone’s belt collection is dwindling down — and she’ll be putting two more championships on the line when she competes at Revolution Pro Wrestling High Stakes 2026.

RevPro has announced that Mone will defend both her Bodyslam Women’s Championship and Discovery Wrestling Women’s Championship when she takes on Alexxis Falcon at the High Stakes event. It’s being held at The Hangar in Wolverhampton on Saturday, March 21.

Bodyslam Wrestling and Discovery Wrestling are indie promotions respectively based out of Denmark and Scotland.

After taking a break from the ring at the end of last year, Mone returned this month and has already lost the CMLL Women’s World Championship and Bestya Women’s Championship. That’s on top of the AEW TBS Championship, RevPro Undisputed Women’s Championship, and ROH Women’s Television title she lost in December 2025.

It’s not yet known when Mone will be returning to AEW programming. Along with this RevPro date, she has upcoming indie title defenses in France, Poland, and Canada.

The High Stakes card also includes an Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship match with Jay Joshua defending against 1 Called Manders.

Road Dogg announced for three appearances following WWE departure

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

It’s now been announced that Road Dogg will also be appearing for Diamond Championship Wrestling in Alabama on March 20.

**********

Following his departure from WWE, Brian “Road Dogg” James has been announced for a couple of appearances.

News broke last week that James — a WWE Hall of Famer — had departed his position on the WWE creative team. He’s now set to make a convention appearance later this month, with Squared Circle Expo announcing that James will be at their event in Indianapolis, Indiana on March 27-28.

James is also set to reunite with his New Age Outlaws tag team partner Billy Gunn for an appearance this December. They’re the first guests announced for Blizzard Brawl 21, an annual indie event produced by Great Lakes Championship Wrestling. The show is being held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Prior to his WWE departure, James served as the co-lead writer of SmackDown. It was his second stint in the role.

While reporting on the situation, Dave Meltzer noted that — before James left the company — WWE had given him permission to take a convention booking later this month before then rescinding it. The report didn’t state whether that was this Squared Circle Expo appearance or not.

“James got his annual review. The belief is that he wasn’t happy with it and left,” Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. “He may say he left over something else and only he would know exactly why he did so. But it was his decision and it came after his annual review. One person close to the situation said that it has been brewing. He was going to do a convention later this month and it was approved, and then the approval was rescinded and he had to cancel, but in pulling out pretty much said that wouldn’t be an issue starting in a little while.”

Ronda Rousey on MMA return: ‘I’m better than I’ve ever been’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After a decade away from the sport, Ronda Rousey believes she’s returning to MMA as a better fighter than she’s ever been.

Rousey will compete in her first MMA fight since 2016 when she faces off against Gina Carano on May 16. Though her UFC career ended with back-to-back losses, Rousey believes she is smarter and more skilled than she was at the height of her fame.

“I’m better than I’ve ever been. I’m definitely better than I’ve ever been,” she told TMZ Sports this week. “It just really helps so much that the landscape of the sport has changed. You know, people forgot that when I was competing before there were no coaches with MMA experience. There was no one with MMA experience with coaching experience. So usually the person with the most MMA experience on the team was the fighter. And everybody else had their own separate discipline and it was up to the fighter themselves to try and piece things together. Finally with this camp, I have help with that. I’m not just guessing and having to go and spar over and over and over again and try and piece things together and figure things out. It’s us as a team actually developing all of this together.

Rousey admits that she’s not as strong and as explosive as she once was, but she feels she’s made more than enough progress in other areas to make up for that.

“I was more strong and more explosive and, you know, more cartilage and collagen before. But always what set me apart is my technique and how skilled I am as a martial artist,” Rousey said. “And I’ve never been more skilled, my technique’s never been better, I’ve never had a better and higher fight IQ. This is definitely the best that I’ve ever been.”

The Rousey vs. Carano fight is being promoted by MVP Promotions and will air live on Netflix. This marks new territory for the streaming giant, which has never broadcast a live MMA event before. Rousey hopes the show will lead to Netflix investing in MMA more.

“I really want to knock it out of the park and be able to bring fighters the kind of paychecks that they really deserve in this sport,” she said. “I feel like MMA has been really left behind in combat sports when it comes to that. And I want to be part of changing that.”

Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins is the co-main event of the May 16 show, which is being held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

Konosuke Takeshita’s NJPW return date announced

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Konosuke Takeshita’s next NJPW appearance will be taking place later this month.

At New Beginning USA, Takeshita defeated El Phantasmo to become the new NJPW World Television Champion. The match initially went to a 15-minute time limit draw before ELP challenged Takeshita to go into overtime. A new champion was crowned, and now Takeshita is set to appear at the New Japan Cup finals on March 21. His match for the show has not been announced.

“March 21 will see Takeshita bring the title belt to Japan for the first time, as he will be in action at the New Japan Cup final!,” NJPW wrote. “What does Takeshita have planned for his first Japanese appearance in NJPW since New Year Dash?”

The New Japan Cup finals are being held in Niigata and will air live on NJPW World with English commentary available. The show will help set the stage for Sakura Genesis on April 4.

Fourteen wrestlers are still alive in New Japan Cup 2026 as the tournament continues deeper into the second round. The winner faces Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the main event of Sakura Genesis.

Takeshita is under contract with all three of AEW, NJPW, and DDT Pro Wrestling. This Sunday (March 15), he is challenging Jon Moxley for the Continental Championship at AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view.

Kenny Omega appears at Capcom Cup event in Japan

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Kenny Omega was back at Sumo Hall in Japan on Wednesday — but it wasn’t for a wrestling match.

The former AEW World Champion helped kick off Capcom Cup 12, a video game tournament for Street Fighter 6. Omega appeared in costume as the character Alex, who is being added to the game on March 17. Motion capture work for Alex was done by Omega and many of his moves and taunts will be included in the game.

“For the past few years, we’ve worked closely with @KennyOmegamanX on bringing Alex to life and we want to thank him for being at Capcom Cup 12!,” the official Street Fighter account tweeted. “Just a few more days before Alex releases on March 17!”

This appearance mean’s Omega won’t be in San Jose, California for tonight’s Dynamite episode and Collision taping. He’s been contractually scheduled to be in Tokyo for Capcom Cup from March 11-15, which would mean that Omega won’t be at Sunday’s Revolution pay-per-view either unless he was able to reach an agreement to leave before the final day.

A feud between Omega and Swerve Strickland was brewing in advance of Revolution, but they instead faced off on the February 18 edition of Dynamite with Strickland getting the victory. Omega did not want to be in a position where he was being teased for Revolution while his status for the show was in doubt.

Strickland will still be in action on Sunday, facing off against Brody King. The PPV is being held in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena.

Lucha Libre AAA wrestler released after fan incident

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A Lucha Libre AAA wrestler has reportedly been released after getting into an incident with a fan at an indie show.

Bodyslam.net and Lucha Blog are reporting that Nino Hamburguesa was released from AAA after elbowing a fan during a match last Tuesday. Video of the incident has gone viral on social media, with it showing Hamburguesa delivering three softer elbow strikes to the fan before then hitting him with a more significant blow.

Lucha Blog’s report notes that other wrestlers were informed of Hamburguesa’s release last Friday.

“Sources claim that the clip did no favors towards the AAA star,” Bodyslam.net wrote. “And despite fans saying that the fan previously provoked Hamburguesa, he intentionally sat on the lap of other person and proceeded to hit him several times with constant elbows straight to the face. He was [notified] of his termination via Zoom Call. WWE and AAA haven’t made a declaration of the incident.”

The heavyweight Hamburguesa had remained with AAA after the promotion was acquired by WWE, including working matches at Guerra de Titanes in December 2025 and AAA’s Fox Latin America premiere this January. He is a former AAA Mixed Tag Team Champion and won the 2025 Rey de Reyes tournament.

Rey de Reyes 2026 is taking place this weekend and will see La Parka, Original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable), El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser), and Santos Escobar face off in the finals.

Swerve Strickland says AEW pays better than WWE ‘by far’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After experiencing both, Swerve Strickland prefers the pay structure in AEW over the way WWE operates.

Strickland was interviewed on Baller Alert ahead of AEW Revolution and noted that his contract is set for the next 3-4 years. He likes how AEW and Tony Khan handle things by negotiating with wrestlers like they’re athletes. And he believes the pay is better in AEW than WWE because it’s “guaranteed.”

“AEW by far. By far,” Strickland responded when whether AEW or WWE pays better. “Because it’s guaranteed. [WWE has their] select few up top, like, top, top, top that are just untouchables. But a lot of those guys are starting to retire now. You know, [John] Cena just retired. AJ Styles just retired. Those are like the top, top earners. Taker can’t go no more. So that pyramid is starting to get really pointy and small at top.

“If I could compare the two, Tony Khan owns AEW. He’s also the part-owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Fulham soccer team in the U.K. He treats the roster like — not talent but athletes. You know how there’s players’ coaches?… He’s a players’ booker. He’s in tune with his talent and his roster and where to put those guys. Like, he utilizes us very well and it’s like a scheme on a football team. So me and him gel very, very, very well. Because he knows my strengths, he knows where I belong, he knows how to utilize all of his players in the right way. So therefore he knows how to pay them too and motivate them in certain ways.”

Strickland was released by WWE in 2021 and has since become one of the top stars in AEW, including making history as the first Black wrestler to ever hold the men’s AEW World Championship. This Sunday’s Revolution pay-per-view will see Strickland face off against Brody King.

During the Baller Alert appearance, Strickland named Shingo Takagi, Shawn Michaels, Adam Copeland, Rey Mysterio, and Chris Jericho as his five favorite wrestlers because of how they influenced his in-ring work. He also said he’s looking forward to seeing how emerging WWE stars Oba Femi, Trick Williams, and Je’Von Evans grow as young wrestlers in the industry.

Swerve Strickland: Buddy Matthews has ‘a lot to offer’ AEW

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Swerve Strickland is a big believer in his AEW colleague Buddy Matthews.

Since February 2025, Matthews has been out of action due to an ankle injury that did not heal properly and ended up requiring surgery. He is still working through the recovery process, and it’s not known when he’ll be back in the ring. But Strickland told the Battleground Podcast that he’s looking forward to Matthews’ return and would like to have a match against him.

“Honestly, I’m waiting for probably one of the best talents, like, all around in the business to come back. Hopefully he’s healthy and hopefully he can do even better than what he was giving before — Buddy Matthews, shout out to him,” Strickland responded when asked if there are any first-time opponents he’s eyeing.

“He’s one of those guys that’s just like a dawg in the ring. I think me and him could do some great work, and I look forward to seeing him back doing his own thing. I think he has a lot to offer in the wrestling world, and I would like to see him back healthy again.”

Matthews was a member of the House of Black, which disbanded when Aleister Black left AEW and returned to WWE. Before Matthews’ injury, he and Brody King were still aligned as a tag team despite House of Black no longer existing.

The card for this Sunday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view includes Strickland facing off against King in a singles match. Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is hosting the event.

Update on AJ Francis’ TNA Wrestling contract

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AJ Francis will be with TNA Wrestling through at least the end of this year.

It was announced today that Francis — previously known as Top Dolla in WWE — has re-signed with TNA. Skubie Mageza of ESPN reports that the deal is for the remainder of 2026. Francis is a former football player who attended the University of Maryland before joining the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 2013. He spent time with several teams prior to his football career ending in 2018.

“Former Maryland Terrapin, and NFL Defensive Lineman, A.J. Francis has re-signed with TNA for the remainder of 2026,” Mageza tweeted. “He said a major reason behind his decision is the continued exposure and growth of the partnership between TNA & AMC.”

Francis was a member of the faction Hit Row during his two separate stints with WWE. He debuted for TNA in 2024, plays a heel in the promotion, and is a former Digital Media Champion.

TNA announced more contract news this week with it being confirmed that Steve Maclin has re-signed. The promotion’s next major event is Sacrifice 2026 on March 27, where Maclin is slated to challenge Mike Santana for the TNA World Championship.

Charlotte Flair thinks poor mental health contributed to past WWE knee injury

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Charlotte Flair believes poor mental health contributed to the knee injury she suffered in December 2023.

Flair suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus on the December 8, 2023 episode of SmackDown and ended up being sidelined for more than a year. The injury occurred at a time when Flair wasn’t in a great place mentally, and she feels like it could have been avoided if she was in a better headspace.

“I definitely think when I hurt my knee — I tore my ACL — I don’t think I was in the right state of mind, meaning whether it was imposter syndrome, that dialogue [of] how we talk to ourselves, that inner self-talk. I feel like I was in a very negative space and not opening up about it and the anxiety of, you know, being a woman that’s approaching 40, what that looks like, the demands. I want to be able to say, ‘I’m a woman and what I want more of is time.’ And all that pressure adding up, I feel like the reason I hurt my knee is because I wasn’t all there performing,” Flair told Bloomberg Talks.

“And for someone who has — I always looked at myself as the iron woman, and when my knee took me out, I was like, all I viewed myself was as a professional wrestler. Like, that’s all I am. And that’s not all I am. And I do have a voice and maybe this is the start of something bigger for me. Like, I love being Charlotte, but taking Charlotte to the next level and making these conversations more accessible or not taboo for people in any kind of industry, I think is so important.”

Focusing on self-care and mental wellness has now become a priority for Flair. She’s become an investor in the apparel company Self-Care is for Everyone, which produces clothing with positive messages and promotes self-care tools.

Flair and her tag team partner Alexa Bliss defeated Giulia & Kiana James on SmackDown last Friday to become the number one contenders to new Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Lash Legend.

Dustin Rhodes would ‘absolutely’ be interested in WWE Hall of Fame induction

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Dustin Rhodes isn’t interested in returning to WWE as a wrestler, but he would be honored to go into the company’s Hall of Fame someday.

The 56-year-old Rhodes has been with AEW since 2019 and is under a long-term contract with the promotion as both a wrestler and behind-the-scenes contributor. He feels like he’s done the best work of his career in AEW and is not interested in reprising his old Goldust character. Rhodes would accept a Hall of Fame invitation if WWE offered, though.

“Absolutely,” Rhodes responded when Fox News Digital asked if he would be interested in going into the WWE Hall of Fame. “I’m a very humble guy though, it’s like, if it comes, it comes, whatever. I would love Cody to do it and my daughter, specifically both of them. That would be just great, the most meaningful, heartfelt. But if it comes, it comes, if it doesn’t, no big deal. I’ve had an awesome, incredible career, doing some great things.

“I feel like these last seven years in AEW, I’ve been really on top of my game because I’ve had more freedom to enjoy it, and it’s happier and you’re more passionate, find your passion sometimes again, and you want to grow this company the best we can, and we’re all on the same page in AEW. We are doing the best that we can to get it to where it needs to be, and it’s growing. It’s getting huge.”

Rhodes, who underwent double knee surgery in 2025, is hoping to return to the ring within the next few weeks. He plans on wrestling for another couple of years before continuing with AEW in his backstage role.

This year’s WWE Hall of Fame class is taking shape with Stephanie McMahon, AJ Styles, and Demolition already confirmed as inductees.