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.
As the hype for WWE 2K26 continues to build, we may now know when the game will be released.
Gaming insider Billbil-kun of Dealabs Magazine reports that WWE 2K26 is scheduled to be released on Friday, March 13. That’s typically around the time WWE 2K is released each year, with it coming out in March during WrestleMania season. The report states that WWE 2K26 will be released on PS5, Xbox Series S/X , Nintendo Switch 2, and PC, but it’s not yet known if the game will be available on PS4 and Xbox One.
WWE and 2K Games have officially confirmed three special editions of the game: an Attitude Era edition, Monday Night War edition, and a Triple H-themed King of Kings edition. The main cover star has not been revealed yet. The official announcement is set to be made this Friday (January 30), which is the same day that pre-orders will go live.
Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Kane, Kurt Angle, Chyna, Trish Stratus, Lita, Stephanie McMahon, and The Dudley Boyz are on the cover of the Attitude Era edition, while the Monday Night War cover has Austin, Rock, Undertaker, Triple H, Angle, Chyna, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Booker T, and Eric Bischoff.
As far as gameplay goes, it’s reported that CM Punk will be the focus of this year’s Showcase mode. It’s a story mode that spotlights one wrestler and allows you to relive some of their past moments and play through dream match scenarios.
Kit Wilson is a singles wrestler right now — but his Pretty Deadly tag team partner Elton Prince is still always on his mind.
Prince, who has not wrestled since May 2025, is recovering from neck fusion surgery and likely faces a long road to recovery. Given that, Wilson has adopted a new presentation as a singles wrestler, gaining momentum on SmackDown with his catchy new theme music and Titantron video. While he has aspirations for singles gold, Wilson thinks Prince deserves a lot of the credit for any success he achieves as a solo act.
“I think I’d be a really good U.S. champion,” Wilson responded on Insight with Chris Van Vliet when asked about fans calling for him to win the United States Championship. “I’ve always made this point in private, but I guess I’ll say it publicly, again, I’m a tag guy ’til I die. I would love to win the U.S. title, and I would love to cut that thing right in half. I’ll give half to Elton. I’ll take half. I’ll proudly wear the half. I’ll come to SmackDown, but the other half in my eyes belongs to Elton. So I think that’s a venture I’d like to take on.”
The United States title is defended in open challenges on SmackDown nearly every single week. Sami Zayn instituted the practice in 2025, with Ilja Dragunov and now Carmelo Hayes picking up the mantle during their reigns.
Wilson never really expected to be a singles wrestler during his WWE career; Pretty Deadly was always his focus. But now that he’s been thrust into this role, Wilson is going to give everything he has for as long as it lasts. The United States title and Intercontinental title are both goals he’d like to achieve during this run.
“I’m a singles guy now, I am. But, again, my mindset was always tag,” Wilson said. “I just never even remotely considered being a singles guy. And now I’m here, I’m going to commit just as much as I’ll commit to everything. So, yeah, I am a singles guy. I will come for the U.S. title. I really want the IC title. I love the Intercontinental Championship. It’s always been a favorite of mine. So those are two big goals now. I think we’ll get there.”
Kit Wilson played an active role in shaping what his new WWE theme music would sound like.
The theme song — titled “Man Up” — has become a viral hit with fans over the last few weeks. Wilson adopted the new music for his singles run after Pretty Deadly tag team partner Elton Prince was forced out of action due to neck surgery. On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Wilson said he was hoping the new song would be catchy, but it’s exceeded any expectations he had.
“I ended up having a fair amount of input. I was pushing for new music when I kind of found out what the situation was going to be and maybe I was gonna go solo. I started messaging a lot, saying, ‘I would love new music, can I get new music?’ Then eventually I got into contact with Neil [Lawi, the head of WWE Music Group], I believe, and then he called me. We had a little discussion on the phone. He said, ‘What kind of thing are you looking for?’ So I said, ‘Can I send you an email?’ Got off the phone and I started writing this email just with all my references, with all the songs I like, with all the ideas I had, lyrics, kind of the theme of it, the vibe of it. So I had so much [input].”
Some of the artists that Wilson used as inspiration were Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Jennie from the group Blackpink, Harry Styles, The 1975, and Jade Thirlwall. He sent WWE clips of their songs as the idea of the theme was formed.
“There’s just so many references there. I sent them all,” Wilson said. “I timestamped the bits that I like, the choruses, the here, the here. I’m always trying to give as much as I can so as much of me is there. And then they came back, gave me the first draft. It sounded great. A few tweaks, a few tweaks, a few tweaks and we kind of, I felt like we hit it, you know?”
Wilson knew he wanted a female singer for the song and wanted it to start with a phone call. He wanted a British voice for the call, but the decision was made to go with an American one. The song started to catch on once it was introduced, and it really went viral once WWE created a Titantron music video to go along with it. Wilson noted that he worked with Jeremy Borash (Senior Director, Content & Development) and Rob Fee (Director of Character Development) on creating the video at the WWE Performance Center
It’s possible that Wilson will go back to his old Pretty Deadly presentation one day, but he thought it was important to have a fresh start as a singles wrestler.
“it was scary going from Pretty Deadly [to] being a singles guy, because our whole career in this company was Pretty Deadly,” he said. “And I remember kind of having a discussion, and I think I was talking to Triple H, and he said, ‘Do you still want this music? Do you still want the ‘Yes Boy?’ Do you still want this aspect?’ And I did, and I cherish so much of that. That was so much of who I was as a person. I was scared, but I just felt like if we’re going to this new chapter, we have to go. So I said, ‘I want to get rid of all of that.’ And then obviously it comes back if it comes back, but I just wanted to start new. And I think, as you say, a fresh new start is — it’s going pretty good.”
Wilson competes on SmackDown and is feuding with Matt Cardona at the moment. WWE has leaned into the popularity that his new music and video have generated, including streaming a four-hour loop of it on YouTube.
Taking to Instagram today, Adam Copeland reflected on the six-year anniversary of his return to the ring at WWE Royal Rumble 2020.
Copeland (formerly known as Edge) had been retired for nearly a decade before coming back in that Rumble match. Because of neck issues, he was forced out of action from 2011-2020. He’s now been back for six years for a run that started in WWE and now has him with AEW. Copeland said he views all of this as a bonus — and everything that’s happened since his music hit during that Rumble match has been icing on the cake.
“I didn’t realize that today is six years to the day since I came back at the Royal Rumble. You know, for me, every second after that first ‘You think you know me’ at the Rumble in Houston has been a success, man. You know the story: I wasn’t supposed to do this, yet here we are six years later,” Copeland said
“If you had told me six years ago that I’d still be doing this after six years, I would have thought you were a little crazy. But, man, I’ve been so lucky. I feel like I got my dream career twice. I got to do it the first time, had to retire for nine years, and then get it back again. That’s good stuff. But I’m also a realist, and I know I’m coming close to the end here. So hopefully you’ve enjoyed this ride. If you haven’t, whatever. And if you have, great, little bit more to go.
“Thank you. Thanks for reminding me. Just reflecting — it’s been a four-decade career now. With everything that I did in WWE and then to move to AEW with a whole fresh slate of new opponents, and for six years now just been wrestling a lot of the talent that I never thought I’d get to but have been able to get in there with. So that’s been a blast, and I’m at a stage of life where I don’t do it unless it is a blast. So, yeah, anyway, thanks.”
Copeland last wrestled for WWE in August 2023. He’s now been signed to AEW for two-plus years, though he is currently off television amid an angle where his wife Beth (Beth Phoenix) was taken out by a piledriver from FTR.
Following last week’s heel turn, Natalya will be on WWE Raw tonight to explain her actions.
WWE has announced that Natalya will address her betrayal of Maxxine Dupri on tonight’s show. Dupri had been Natalya’s protege, training with her in real life and aligning with her on WWE programming. But that partnership came to an end last Monday when Natalya cost Dupri a chance to regain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship from Becky Lynch.
“One week after shockingly betraying Maxxine Dupri and costing her protege a chance to win the Women’s Intercontinental Title from Becky Lynch, Natalya will address the WWE Universe,” WWE announced. “Don’t miss all the action of Raw, tonight at 8e/5p on Netflix.”
Along with costing her the IC title match, Natalya beat down Dupri and only stopped the attack once an official was able to finally pull her away. Bringing a more aggressive side of her character to WWE television, like she showed last week, is something Natalya has been hoping to do for a long time.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada is hosting Raw tonight, with the episode serving as Raw’s go-home show for this Saturday’s Royal Rumble PLE in Saudi Arabia.
Here is the updated Raw lineup:
WWE Raw (Monday, January 26) —
Bron Breakker will discuss his suspension with Raw General Manager Adam Pearce
World Tag Team title number one contender’s match: New Day vs. The Creed Brothers vs. Otis & Akira Tozawa vs. Rayo & Bravo Americano
AJ Styles appears ahead of his career-threatening match against Gunther at Royal Rumble
If Becky Lynch could face anyone from outside of WWE, she would choose “Timeless” Toni Storm to go up against.
Lynch recently spoke with Billboard and was asked to name her non-WWE dream opponent. She pointed to Storm, praising the work that she’s currently doing in AEW. Lynch said she wanted to face Storm even back when they were in WWE together, but the matchup never happened.
“Well, I’d probably wrestle Toni Storm,” Lynch said. “I always wanted to wrestle her. I was bummed when she left and she’s doing amazing work over there at [AEW]. It’s absolutely amazing. Let’s make it a Dublin Street Fight. I do love a good street fight or maybe a Hell in a Cell. Yeah, let’s make it a Hell in a Cell.”
Storm has thrived in those types of specialty matches during her AEW run, including the highly regarded Hollywood Ending match where she defeated Mariah May to end their rivalry at Revolution 2025. Storm is a four-time Women’s World Champion for AEW and has earned plaudits across the wrestling industry for the character work she’s doing.
Heading into the Royal Rumble this weekend, Lynch is the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion. With all she’s accomplished, Billboard asked what drives her at this point in her career.
“Right now, it’s all the purpose of a story,” Lynch responded. “I think that’s the thing when you kind of accomplished everything, you come back to the bare bones. You come back to, ‘Why do I do this in the first place?’ Well, I love it. Well, okay. How can I make this better than it was when I found it? How we can lift up the next generation? Who’s gonna be the people that take over next and how we can make sure that they’re in a position to succeed. How can we tell the best stories? How can we get the audience invested? How can we get new eyes on the business? How can I make people feel the way I felt when I was a fan?”
Seth Rollins isn’t going to be in Saudi Arabia for the Royal Rumble this weekend — if he can be believed about his own injury status.
While promoting the event on ESPN First Take, Rollins said he won’t be ready to return in time for the Rumble. He injured his shoulder in October 2025 and has been doing well in the rehab process, but WrestleMania is a more realistic timeline for when he’ll be able to return. Whether he’ll be able to compete at Mania depends on whether WWE doctors will clear him in time.
“Let’s pump the brakes on me participating in the Royal Rumble. I’m not ready there yet. I just had my rotator cuff done in October. I’ve got a couple months left to go. I wish I could get myself in there, but that’s not going to be the case,” Rollins said on First Take.
“I’ll give it away: I’m not going to be at the Rumble. I just can’t. I would love to be in there and dump all those dudes over the top rope, punch my card to WrestleMania. But the doctors are just not going to let it happen this time around unfortunately.”
Rollins has admitted that he blew his credibility when it comes to injuries when he participated in the fake knee injury angle prior to SummerSlam last year. This is a legitimate injury, though, with Rollins having hurt his shoulder against Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel: Perth. Rollins was forced to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship after that, and WWE ran an angle where he was betrayed by Bron Breakker and the rest of The Vision.
Riyadh is hosting the Royal Rumble this Saturday (January 31). The PLE has a 2 p.m. Eastern start time airing on the ESPN app in the United States and Netflix everywhere else.
Triple H is front and center on a newly unveiled special edition of WWE 2K26.
We still don’t have a release date for the game or know who the main cover star will be, but it was announced today that there will be a special “King of Kings” edition featuring Triple H on that cover. Like with the recently announced “Attitude Era” and “Monday Night War” variants, this is a special edition of the game priced at a higher point with some additional add-ons. Details regarding the pricing and features have not been announced yet.
This Friday (January 30) is when pre-orders for the game will go live. Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Paul Heyman starred in 2K’s advertisement announcing this new edition.
Triple H is also included on the “Attitude Era” and “Monday Night War” covers alongside other stars from that period.
While not much about the gameplay is known yet, Insider Gaming reported earlier this month that CM Punk will be the focus of the annual Showcase mode, which is a story mode that spotlights a specific wrestler and allows you to play through their journey. The mode will allow you to relive some of Punk’s past matches as well as play through some dream matches that never got the chance to happen.
Claudio Castagnoli is heading down to Mexico City for a title defense this Friday — and we now know who his challenger will be.
Last night, CMLL shared a promo with Castagnoli issuing an open challenge for his CMLL World Heavyweight Championship. He wanted “a young luchador who thinks they have what it takes” to step up and answer the call. The 21-year-old Xelhua has now responded and will be facing off against Castagnoli at Arena Mexico on Friday (January 30).
⌛🌎🇨🇭 🇲🇽 🔥 ¡Ya hay retador!
El Gigante Cholulteca, Xelhua, levanta la mano y responde al reto abierto de Claudio Castagnoli para enfrentarse en un duelo por el Campeonato Mundial de Peso Completo del CMLL, este viernes 30 de enero en la Arena México.#CMLL#AEWpic.twitter.com/FTPnGzYWXg
Castagnoli was crowned the CMLL World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Gran Guerrero for the belt on November 28. His two title defenses since then have been split across Mexico and the United States, defeating Ultimo Guerrero and Roderick Strong. The latter of those headlined this past Saturday’s episode of AEW Collision.
Xelhua, an up-and-coming technical star, also recently got an ROH Pure Championship shot but came up short against Lee Moriarty when they faced off in Mexico.
One of pro wrestling’s all-time greats is mourning a tragic loss in their family.
Mick Foley announced today that his mother, Beverly Foley, has passed away following a battle with dementia. Foley noted that his mother was a private person — not wanting a funeral or an obituary — but he decided to write a tribute to her in hopes that it would help other families who have a loved one battling dementia know that they are not alone with what they are going through.
“It is with a heavy heart I report the passing of my mother, following a lengthy battle with dementia. She was a strong, fiercely independent woman who beat polio as a child, became the first member of her family to attend college, and instilled in me a belief that I was capable of doing anything,” Foley wrote. “She made me feel no dream was too big to dream, and nurtured my imagination and my love for reading, writing and storytelling. Simply put, without Mrs. Foley and the gift she gave me, no one would know Mrs. Foley’s baby boy. I love you Mom.”
In a long-form tribute posted to Facebook, Foley shared how his mother helped shape his life. With her being born in 1938 as the United States was nearing the end of the Great Depression, Foley credited his mother for the “legendary Foley thriftiness” that has served him well over the years.
Beverly Foley attended college and eventually received two master’s degrees — despite her own father not seeing the value in a woman striving for higher education. Her love of learning is one of the biggest things that she passed down to her children.
“She loved reading to me and my brother, sparked my imagination and nurtured my own love for reading and writing. Although I did not realize it until years later, when I sat down with my notebooks to write ‘Have a Nice Day,’ I was not doing it all on my own; my mother’s love was guiding me – all those years of encouragement allowing me to believe I had the necessary tools to write my very own book. Following the book’s release, my mother carried it with her everywhere – and that 570-page behemoth wasn’t light by any means,” Foley wrote. “I do believe her proudest moment as my mother was seeing my name on the cover of a book I had written. There’s no way I could have done it without her.”
While hoping that a cure for dementia will be found one day, Foley encouraged everyone to appreciate every moment with their families and always let them know how loved they are.
February’s AEW Grand Slam Australia special will have an expanded time slot on TNT.
The TNT schedule lists that Grand Slam Australia will be two and a half hours long, airing from 8-10:30 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, February 14. Because of the time zone difference, the show is scheduled to be taped earlier in the day before being broadcast on TNT. It’s a special episode of Collision.
AEW’s trip to Australia is a two-show visit with events in Sydney and Brisbane. Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney is hosting Grand Slam on February 14, then a house show will be held at Brisbane Entertainment Centre on February 15.
In February 2025, AEW made its Australia debut with last year’s edition of Grand Slam. The card was headlined by Toni Storm (raised in Australia) defeating Mariah May to win the AEW Women’s World Championship.
After the Australia trip, AEW heads home to the United States with Dynamite (in Sacramento) and Collision (Oceanside) being held in California on February 18 and February 21. The shows are happening in advance of Los Angeles hosting AEW Revolution 2025 on March 15.
WWE star Bayley is already putting plans in place to hold a second edition of her Lodestone women’s wrestling camp.
The inaugural Lodestone weekend, held in Orlando in December 2025, was a seminar open to indie wrestlers with prior experience. After choosing the attendees from a group of applicants, Bayley paid for all expenses except for travel. John Cena, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Natalya, and Lyra Valkyria all made surprise visits during the seminar and spent time with the indie prospect.
Bayley documented the first Lodestone weekend in a YouTube vlog. It ends with the announcement that there will be another camp taking place in Las Vegas in 2026. No dates have been announced yet, but it presumably will be happening during WrestleMania week this April.
“This first Lodestone seminar camp experience has just exceeded all of my expectations,” Bayley said. “And I already felt while I was reading the emails and while I was going through everything that I’m going to need to do this again, because the list that I have is so long. There are so many talented women out there. This is definitely something that I’m going to continue to do.”
Flatbacks — a wrestling school run by Shawn Spears and Tyler Breeze — hosted the first camp. The Lodestone name is a reference to a magnetite that some believe helps with attraction and manifestation.
Establishing her own wrestling school is a long-term goal for Bayley, who would also be open to potentially working behind the scenes in WWE whenever her in-ring career ends. She is part of a tag team with Lyra Valkyria at the moment, with both confirmed as entrants for the 2026 women’s Royal Rumble match this Saturday.
Shane McMahon couldn’t be more proud of his wife Marissa for achieving a lifelong dream.
Last week, Marissa McMahon earned her first-ever Oscar nomination for “Train Dreams” — a film that she served as a producer of. The movie received four nominations in total, including one for Best Picture. When a movie is nominated in that category, producers of the film are listed as the nominees. Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, and Michael Heimler are the nominees for “Train Dreams.”
“Congratulations Marissa Mac on a dream come true. You are in rare air with your movie Train Dreams receiving 4 Academy Award Nominations. This movie would not have been made without you,” Shane wrote on Instagram last night. “You are an inspiration to me and our three sons. Declan, Kenyon Rogan and I could not be happier for or more proud of you. So well deserved Let’s Go!”
Shane and Marissa (Marissa Mazzola) have been married since 1996 with three children that were born in 2004, 2006, and 2010. Marissa is the founder of production company Kamala Films, which produced “Train Dreams” alongside Black Bear productions.
“The 12 year old girl who dreamed this dream is humbled and grateful for this nomination,” Marissa reacted when the nominees were announced. “My heart is so full. Thank you @theacademy for this incredible honor.”
“Train Dreams” stars Joel Edgerton and was released on Netflix in November 2025. Here is the official synopsis:
Based on Denis Johnson’s beloved novella, Train Dreams is the moving portrait of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker who leads a life of unexpected depth and beauty in the rapidly-changing America of the early 20th Century.
The 2026 Academy Awards ceremony is taking place on Sunday, March 15 and will be broadcast on ABC.
After his recent WWE Championship win, Drew McIntyre got to experience a cool moment backstage with his peers and some members of his family.
McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match on the January 9 episode of SmackDown to become the new WWE Champion. When asked what the reception in the locker room was like, McIntyre told TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast that fellow Scottish wrestlers Nikki Cross and Alba Fyre were there waiting to congratulate him. He received an ovation from the other talent backstage and also got to spent some time with his cousin, uncle and friend, who had made the trip to Germany for the show.
“It was pretty cool. Again, just trying to take it in, believing it was real. And everybody’s right there, and a couple of interviews had to be done right away,” McIntyre said. “Nikki Cross and Alba Fyre were right there, a couple of fellow Scots to congratulate me. And there was a lot of congratulations going on, but there was also, ‘Drew, we have to get this interview done right now.’ I believe it was SportsCenter. So we had to just get on the ball right away.
“It wasn’t until everything calmed down that I got to really let it sit in. And the coolest moment, this is my cousin’s favorite part, just by chance, my cousin, my uncle, and my friend came to Berlin the night before Glasgow just to see the show and hang out and catch up. And then they saw the title win. Once everything had calmed down, I went to the room, got myself together, called the Mrs. We went to catering, where a lot of the talent are, and everyone kind of like stood up and clapped. That was probably the coolest moment for me. It’s cool how the fans react positively, but when your peers kind of react in that kind of way, that’s the most important thing.”
McIntyre’s first televised title defense is set to take place at the Royal Rumble on January 31. It will be against either Randy Orton, Trick Williams, Sami Zayn, or Damian Priest, with those four competitors set to face off in a number one contender’s match at Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend.
Seth Rollins doubts that he, Roman Reigns & Jon Moxley will ever reunite as a trio — unless it happens down the road at a WWE Hall of Fame induction.
To promote the new season of “WWE: Unreal,” Rollins and his wife Becky Lynch participated in an “Actually Us” interview for GQ. They fielded questions that have been posed on the internet, with Rollins addressing one post that asked if The Shield will ever get back together. Because Rollins and Reigns are rivals in storyline and Moxley is now with AEW, he thinks the chances are “very slim.”
“Not a lot of love lost between myself and Roman Reigns. Dean Ambrose — Jon Moxley — not currently with the company. Don’t know if he’s ever coming back,” Rollins said. “I would say chances are very slim. Maybe one day there will be a Hall of Fame induction where all three of us will be in the same place at the same time. I would say we’re looking at like a real, real [slim chance]. Maybe Kurt Angle [who once teamed with The Shield for one night] has a better chance.”
The Shield debuted for WWE in 2012 and last teamed together in 2019, when Moxley departed WWE for AEW. Moxley has been one of the faces of AEW throughout its existence, earning praise from Tony Khan as the most consistent presence in company history.
Rollins, who has been sidelined since October due to a shoulder injury, noted during the GQ interview that his rehab is going “quite well.” He’s hoping to make it back for WrestleMania 42, but that all depends on whether WWE will clear him in time.
