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: Unreal’ reveals scrapped plans for SummerSlam 2025

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The new season of “WWE: Unreal” shows how differently SummerSlam 2025 could have looked if early ideas for the show came to fruition.

In episode four of season two of “Unreal,” a whiteboard is listed showing potential matches for SummerSlam. They include Roman Reigns vs. Bron Breakker, a Bella Twins return, and Finn Balor bringing back his Demon character for a match against Judgment Day stablemate Dominik Mysterio.

  • World Heavyweight Championship match: CM Punk vs. Gunther
  • Roman Reigns vs. Bron Breakker
  • Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins (w/ Bronson Reed)
  • Women’s World Championship match: IYO SKY vs. Naomi
  • Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka
  • Jey Uso vs. Rusev
  • Finn Balor (The Demon) vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • Women’s Intercontinental Championship match: Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match: The Bella Twins vs. Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez

Of those, Punk vs. Gunther is the only match that happened exactly as it was listed. They main evented night one of the two-night PLE with Seth Rollins then cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Punk. Rollins’ cash-in is one of the key plot points of “Unreal” season two with WWE trying to keep up the ruse involving his kayfabe knee injury.

Liv Morgan’s shoulder injury from 2025 derailed plans for her to feud with Nikki Bella. The Bella Twins vs. Morgan & Rodriguez tag match never happened — and Brie Bella has yet to return to WWE alongside her sister.

Another whiteboard shown on “Unreal” lists Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship and Trish Stratus vs. TBD as SummerSlam matches. Rhodes vs. Cena ended up headlining night two of the PLE. Stratus did not compete on the card.

Report: Roxanne Perez receiving praise within WWE

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Roxanne Perez’s work ethic has reportedly earned her some internal praise within WWE over the past several weeks.

PWInsider reports that those in WWE have praised Perez for how she’s worked around being banged up, competing during the company’s European tour and the weeks preceding it. The report describes Perez as “gutting through” a culmination of things rather than it being any kind of concerning injury.

At Saturday Night’s Main Event in Montreal this weekend, Perez and her Judgment Day partner Liv Morgan are challenging Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY for the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles. They earned the title shot by defeating Asuka & Kairi Sane and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria in a triple threat match on the January 12 episode of Raw in Germany.

Perez, who has also been wrestling on house shows during the European tour, took part in an angle on Raw this week where Judgment Day laid out Ripley & SKY ahead of their upcoming tag title match

Judgment Day members Perez, Morgan, and Raquel Rodriguez are among the first set of names that have been confirmed for the 2026 women’s Royal Rumble match. Eight entrants have been announced so far, with Ripley, SKY, Asuka, Bayley, and Valkyria also included. The PLE is being held in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, January 31 and will determine a WrestleMania 42 challenger for either the Women’s World Championship or WWE Women’s Championship.

Yota Tsuji’s first IWGP title challenger confirmed

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Jake Lee is officially first in line to challenge Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Championship.

In an angle that took place today, Tsuji finally agreed to defend his IWGP Championship against Lee at New Beginning in Osaka on February 11. The match will be formally announced by NJPW when the full card is revealed in the coming days.

A match between Tsuji and Lee has been building since Wrestle Kingdom 20, when Tsuji was attacked by Lee following his victory over Konosuke Takeshita. Lee returned to NJPW that night when he was unveiled as the newest member of United Empire. Tsuji did not immediately accept Lee’s challenge, instead saying that Lee needed to show why he was worthy of a title shot.

United Empire (Lee, Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young) defeated Unbound Company (Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo) in a 10-man tag match at today’s Road to New Beginning event. To get the victory, Lee pinned Takagi while the rest of United Empire held Tsuji back and forced him to watch.

After the match, United Empire beat down Unbound Company as they continued to force Tsuji to look on. The champion then agreed to face Lee at New Beginning in Osaka, saying he could not watch United Empire do this to his friends.

Tsuji holds both the IWGP Championship and IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship at the moment. He’s set a clear distinction between the titles, saying the IWGP Championship will be defended in Japan against the best competition NJPW has to offer. The Global title will be defended overseas and in Japan against “invaders” from outside the company.

Edion Arena is hosting the New Beginning in Osaka, with the following matches either official or having been set up:

NJPW New Beginning in Osaka 2026 (Wednesday, February 11) —

  • IWGP Champion Yota Tsuji defends against Jake Lee
  • IWGP Tag Team Champions The Knock Out Brothers (OSKAR & Yuto-Ice) defend against Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Aaron Wolf defends against Ren Narita
  • Global title number one contender’s match: Gabe Kidd vs. Andrade El Idolo (not yet official)

NJPW Young Lion Cup 2026 finals set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Either Katsuya Murashima or Shoma Kato is set to be crowned the winner of NJPW Young Lion Cup 2026.

The semifinal round of the tournament took place on Tuesday with Murashima and Kato advancing with respective victories over Daiki Nagai and Masatora Yasuda. Submissions ended both matches with Murashima using a Boston crab to defeat Nagai and Kato tapping out Yasuda with a Fujiwara armbar. The finals will now take place at NJPW’s Road to New Beginning event at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on February 1.

As the most senior of the Young Lions currently in NJPW’s Dojo, Murashima and Kato received byes to the semifinals. The opening round of the tournament saw Nagai defeat Zane Jay and Yasuda defeat Tatsuya Matsumoto. Jay is taking a step up in his career despite the loss, joining United Empire as its newest member.

Bragging rights are on the line in the finals with rivals Murashima and Kato attempting to show they’re the top Young Lion in the Dojo system. They debuted at the same time in 2023. Murashima is a former amateur wrestler, while Kato has a background in baseball, MMA, and grappling.

Prior to this, the Young Lion Cup had not taken place since 2019. It was won by Karl Fredericks that year with Yota Tsuji, Shota Umino, and Ren Narita among the others competing.

The February 1 Road to New Beginning event will air live on NJPW World starting at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time/1:30 a.m. Pacific.

Netflix renews ‘WWE: Unreal’ for season three, update on timeframe and focus

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Season two of “WWE: Unreal” arrived on Netflix today — and we already know when the show will be back with new episodes.

The final episode of the new season closed with the announcement that “Unreal” has been renewed for season three. It will debut in summer 2026, with John Cena’s retirement run set to be a heavy focus. An exact premiere date will be announced in the coming months.

Brock Lesnar returning and attacking Cena is the last thing we see in season two. A teaser then airs announcing that Cena’s final run will be showcased in season three.

“We had a pretty f***ing good year,” Cena says to Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

“Pretty awesome,” Levesque responds.

Among the other clips included in the teaser is Levesque telling the writers’ room that the most important thing for the December 13 Saturday Night’s Main Event episode — where Cena retired against Gunther — was making sure everything went perfect for Cena. There is also a clip of CM Punk and Cody Rhodes in the ring with Cena after his final match where Punk tells Cena that he loves him.

The “Unreal” docuseries is produced by WWE, Omaha Productions, NFL Films, and Skydance Sports. Seasons one and two each consisted of five episodes. Each episode is roughly 50-60 minutes.

Triple H makes Fox News appearance, calls Trump food pyramid change ‘the correct call’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque popped up on television last night with an appearance on Fox News.

Over the weekend, Levesque penned a column for Fox News Digital on his fitness journey and the importance of exercise and nutrition. He is a vice chair of President Donald Trump’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition and plays a role in helping promote the administration’s efforts in those areas.

“The Ingraham Angle” ran a segment on Monday night covering how the Trump administration has been criticized for its recent changes to the food pyramid and focus on promoting full-fat dairy products like whole milk. Levesque appeared during the segment and discussed what he wrote in his column, along with calling the Food Pyramid changes the “correct call.”

“It’s mind-boggling when you look at those numbers, a 270 percent increase [in childhood obesity] from 50 years ago. One in five kids is obese. And, statistically, they will spend the rest of their life obese,” Levesque said. “They will have chronic diseases because of it. We can change that, and the biggest, significant change you can make is exercise and nutrition. It’s not treating it down the line, it’s treating it now while you’re young.

“I truly believe that most nutritionists that disagree with it, it’s because they were taught wrong from the beginning. They were taught nutrition in the wrong way. The flip of the food pyramid is the correct call. I just think that that is in children’s best interest. And exercise, health — people, they just need to put down their phones, get out there, exercise. These kids need to get healthy, work out, play, go outside, ride a bike, play basketball, play baseball. Do something active every day. Get yourself fit. Get yourself healthy. And the accomplishment that you feel from doing those things will lead to success in the rest of your life, I promise you that.”

Levesque was named to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition last summer. It’s an advisory committee that has the stated goal of promoting healthy eating and physical activity among the American public. Levesque serves as the vice-chair under golfer Bryson DeChambeau, with several other athletes and sports executives like Roger Goodell, Gary Bettman, Wayne Gretzky, Lawrence Taylor, Tony Romo, Nick Bosa and Mariano Rivera listed as members.

Buff Bagwell still hoping for one more match after leg amputation

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Having one more match remains a goal for Buff Bagwell six months into his post-amputation life.

The former WCW star underwent a right leg amputation last July due to injuries stemming from a 2020 car accident. While losing a leg is devastating, the operation has improved Bagwell’s quality of life. He was miserable for years prior to the amputation because not having the ability to bend his knee made everything so difficult.

After his amputation, Bagwell stated that one of his goals was to get back into the ring for at least one more match. That is still something Bagwell wants to cross off his bucket list, but he isn’t going to force it. He’ll only wrestle again if he’s able to do so in a way that does not look “ugly.”

“I know I could wrestle again — another match or two,” Bagwell said on Insight with Chris Van Vliet. “But if I can’t do it where it’s [not] ugly, I’m not going to do it. And I’m not sure that’s possible. I don’t want it to be ugly. If it’s ugly at all, I’m not going to do it.”

One of the biggest hurdles for Bagwell would be climbing the steps to get into the ring. There’s no way for him to make that look good even with his $135,000 prosthetic leg. Still, Bagwell does hope to have another match and is going to start exploring the possibility in the next couple of months.

“That will be the first thing you got to conquer, is getting in, or sliding in and getting up fast. But again, if I can’t do those things without them being [ugly], I’m not going to do it. But I think I can. I think I can do it where it’s not ugly,” Bagwell said. “I just don’t know yet. So we’re definitely going to, in the next couple of months, I’m going to get in the ring and just see what I can do. But I really do think no matter what, I will do one match just because that’s one of my goals.”

Because Bagwell’s amputation was above the knee, he is more limited than he would have been otherwise. His prosthetic leg is unable to move in the same way that a human knee would.

Bagwell is now more than three years and five months sober. Through that sobriety journey, he feels like he’s found himself again and is back to being a good person. He credits his faith and his wife Stacy for making that transformation possible.

The 56-year-old Bagwell is planning a documentary titled “Still Buff” focused on his amputation recovery. He’s also documented his journey through videos on his YouTube channel. The latest milestone that Bagwell hit was being able to walk without the assistance of a cane.

Updated list of WWE Royal Rumble 2026 entrants

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has confirmed some new Royal Rumble entrants, including the first slate of names for the women’s match.

Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Liv Morgan, Roxanne Perez, Raquel Rodriguez, Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, and Asuka are officially set to compete in the 2026 women’s Royal Rumble match. The winner of the 30-woman battle royal earns a title shot at WrestleMania 42, which would be against either Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer or WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill if there are no title changes before then.

The first entrant for the men’s Rumble match was confirmed last week with Cody Rhodes declaring. Now, the field is up to six announced entrants with the additions of Gunther, Jey Uso, Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, and Penta. Gunther will be pulling double duty at the Rumble PLE with him also set to face AJ Styles in a singles match where Styles will retire if he loses.

On the men’s side, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre are the champions heading into Mania season. The Royal Rumble will determine the WrestleMania challenger for one of those belts.

Saudi Arabia is hosting Royal Rumble 2026 on Saturday, January 31. The PLE has a start time of 2 p.m. Eastern, airing live on the ESPN app in the United States and Netflix everywhere else.

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 —

  • Men’s Royal Rumble match
  • Women’s Royal Rumble match
  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against either Randy Orton, Damian Priest, Sami Zayn, or Trick Williams (will be determined at Saturday Night’s Main Event on January 24)
  • Gunther vs. AJ Styles (Styles forced to retire if he loses)

AJ Styles to put career on line at WWE Royal Rumble

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AJ Styles is set to retire at some point in 2026 — and that could potentially happen as soon as the Royal Rumble.

WWE has announced that Gunther vs. Styles will take place at the Saturday, January 31 PLE in Saudi Arabia. It’s a career-threatening match where Styles will retire if he loses. He agreed to the stipulation after it was proposed by Gunther as the only way that Gunther would accept another match after how things ended on Raw last week.

The January 12 Raw episode was headlined by Gunther defeating Styles after hitting a low blow and powerbomb. Gunther had tricked Styles into thinking the match was over by tapping out in a Calf Crusher behind the referee’s back. With Styles letting go of the hold, Gunther was able to pick up the victory soon after.

A promo segment then opened Raw today with Styles attempting to goad Gunther into a rematch by calling him scared. Gunther would not give in, saying there was no incentive for him to face Styles again. But he then came up with the idea for Styles to put his career on the line. He gave Styles the rest of the show to think about his answer. After talking it over with his wife, Styles revealed his decision.

“She said exactly what I was thinking — kick his ass,” Styles said as the matchup was made official.

Gunther has already retired Goldberg and John Cena and will now be looking to do the same to Styles. In their storyline, Styles has taken exception to how Gunther has acted so disrespectfully after defeating Cena.

The Royal Rumble is being held in Riyadh on January 31 and has a start time of 2 p.m. Eastern. Gunther will be pulling double duty on the show with him also confirmed as one of the men’s Rumble entrants.

Here is the updated card:

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 —

  • Men’s Royal Rumble match
  • Women’s Royal Rumble match
  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against either Randy Orton, Damian Priest, Sami Zayn, or Trick Williams (will be determined at Saturday Night’s Main Event on January 24)
  • Gunther vs. AJ Styles (Styles forced to retire if he loses)

Je’Von Evans injury forces WWE Raw match stoppage

Posted on by Joseph Currier

While competing on WWE Raw today, Je’Von Evans suffered an injury that caused his match to end in a referee stoppage.

The 21-year-old Evans faced off against El Grande Americano in a singles bout on Monday’s show from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Shortly into the contest, Americano was declared the winner when it was announced that Evans was not medically cleared to continue. It’s not clear what happened, but Evans sustained what looked to be a shoulder injury that required medical attention. There’s been no announcement as to what the exact injury is or how severe it may be.

Evans performed a springboard clothesline and looked fine as the show went to a commercial break. The injury did not occur during the break, so it had to have happened on the springboard clothesline landing or a different spot that occurred earlier. Evans was holding his shoulder/upper chest when heading to the back after the match.

One of the brightest young stars in WWE, Evans was called up from NXT to Raw on the first episode of 2026. He’s recently been wrestling in house show matches on WWE’s European tour, which wraps up in Brussels tomorrow. Those have either been singles matches against Bron Breakker or tag bouts with Evans & CM Punk facing The Vision (Breakker & Bronson Reed).

Evans has already earned high praise from some of his main roster peers, including The Miz calling him a really special star who has unlimited potential.

Heel turn takes place on WWE Raw

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Natalya could be one step closer to her long-desired character change.

A heel turn took place on Monday’s WWE Raw with Natalya stopping her protege Maxxine Dupri from defeating Becky Lynch to reclaim the Women’s Intercontinental title. Dupri was about to get the three count, but Natalya pulled Lynch’s foot up to the ropes to break the count. As a confused Dupri looked at Natalya wondering why she did that, Lynch connected with a Manhandle Slam tor retain the IC title.

Natalya then beat down Dupri after the match, putting her in the Sharpshooter and refusing to let go. She continued her attack after that until the referee was finally able to pull her away.

This vicious side of Natalya is closer to the “low-key legend” persona she’s displayed in the non-WWE appearances she’s made at promotions like GCW Bloodsport. Bringing that Nattie Neidhart character to WWE is something that Natalya has repeatedly said is a huge goal for her.

An explanation for the heel turn was not given on Raw. Presumably, the storyline will have something to do with Natalya being jealous over the opportunities Dupri has gotten. Natalya has been a mentor to Dupri both in real life and in WWE storylines, with Dupri regularly attending training sessions at Natalya’s Dungeon. Those training sessions helped Dupri become one of 2025’s most improved wrestlers.

Dupri is a former Women’s Intercontinental Champion, having won the title from Lynch in November before losing it back on the first Raw of 2026.

WWE SmackDown moving networks for two weeks in February

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE SmackDown is shifting networks for a couple of episodes next month.

Because of the Winter Olympics, SmackDown will not be airing on USA Network on either Friday, February 13 or February 20. Post Wrestling reports that the show will instead air on Syfy those nights, with a spokesperson from USA Network confirming the change. Both USA Network and Syfy are owned by NBC Universal, so Syfy is where WWE programming has been moved to whenever there is a conflict with sporting events like this.

SmackDown moved back to a three-hour format at the start of 2026 and will continue to be a three-hour show for at least the next several months. The Syfy episodes will be three hours as well, airing in SmackDown’s regular 8-11 p.m. Eastern time slot. The respective episodes are taking place from Dallas, Texas and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Outside of the United States, these shows will air live on Netflix as usual.

SmackDown then returns to USA Network on February 27 for the final episode before Elimination Chamber.

The Winter Olympics begin on February 6 and run through February 22, serving as significant competition for the wrestling shows airing during that stretch.

MLW, NJPW, CMLL partnering together for joint event

Posted on by Joseph Currier

MLW is linking up with its partners NJPW and CMLL for a joint event this April.

The three promotions announced today that Fantastica Mania USA 2026 will be held in Charleston, South Carolina on Sunday, April 12. The card will include wrestlers from MLW, NJPW, and CMLL, though no names have been confirmed yet. MLW notes that participating talent will be announced soon.

Festival Hall in Charleston is hosting the show, which will be the second event MLW has held in its new home city. It was announced in November that MLW was relocating its headquarters to Charleston. The city is also home to Hollywood star Danny McBride, who has formed a partnership with MLW through his Don Gato Tequila brand. Don Gato will be a sponsor of this Fantastica Mania event.

“As the owner of Major League Wrestling, it matters to me that our hometown always gets the very best this sport has to offer,” Court Bauer said. “Charleston welcomed MLW home, and now it’s only right that we make history here. We’re proud to partner with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and CMLL to bring Fantastica Mania to the Holy City. I want to thank Mr. Naoki Sugabayashi, Mr. Salvador Lutteroth Lomelí, and Mr. Hiroshi Tanahashi for collaborating with us to make this event possible… Three of the world’s great organizations will converge in Charleston, and Festival Hall is going to feel it while sipping world championship tequila.”

The show is listed as a TV taping, with MLW hyping that it will “bring together elite fighters from the United States, Japan, and Mexico for one unforgettable night of competition, championship stakes, and cultural crossover.” Tickets are going on sale this Friday (January 23) at 10 a.m. Eastern time.

Former Sonya Deville reveals how TNA debut came together, whether she’ll wrestle

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daria Berenato (the former Sonya Deville) had good timing when reaching out to TNA Wrestling about joining the company.

Now known as Daria Rae, Berenato arrived in TNA last week as a new on-screen authority figure. Her debut took place on the company’s AMC premiere — and Berenato revealed in a new interview with Denise Salcedo that she actually reached out to TNA right before news of the AMC deal broke. She viewed the serendipitous timing as a sign that she was making the right decision by returning to the pro wrestling industry.

Berenato departed WWE in February 2025 when her contract with the company was not renewed. She explained to Salcedo that her first contact with TNA actually came shortly after her WWE departure, but she wasn’t ready to get back into wrestling at that time.

“I took a much-needed break, and then as we rounded the end of the year, I just had an epiphany,” she said. “I looked at my wife and I was like, ‘Babe, I think I want to go back to wrestling in some capacity.’ And she was like, ‘Yeah, I think you should.’ So that was kind of it. I had been talking to TNA kind of from the moment I left [WWE]. Because TNA is owned by the same company that Invicta FC the MMA company is owned by — Anthem Sports. So I had met [TNA President] Carlos [Silva] at an Invicta event. We had talked back then, and I just wasn’t ready then. And then I was. So I reached out and I was like, ‘Let’s do this.’ And it happened to be the day before they were going to announce the AMC TV deal.”

Aside from her wife, Berenato did not tell anyone about her TNA debut in advance. She received supportive messages from Natalya, Liv Morgan, CJ Perry (Lana), and Bianca Belair after popping up on Impact.

Berenato said she’s very passionate about her TNA character and is having so much fun putting it together. Working alongside Santino Marella was one thing that drew her to TNA, with Berenato thinking they could have a really fun dynamic as opposing authority figures.

It remains to be seen whether Berenato will ever wrestle again. When asked if we could see her without a suit in TNA, Berenato did not close the door on competing.

“Well, I don’t know. I really like wearing suits,” she told Salcedo. “But if you were to ask me a year ago if you would ever see me in heels, I would have told you no. So anything can happen, I’ll leave you at that.”

MLW raises stakes of Battle Riot match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

MLW has raised the stakes of Battle Riot VIII by announcing that the World Heavyweight Championship will now be on the line.

It was confirmed today that Mads Krule Krugger will enter the January 29 Battle Riot match and put his MLW World title up for grabs. The annual 40-man battle royal usually determines a future challenger for the belt, but this will be the second straight year the title itself has been defended. Matt Riddle retained in Battle Riot VII in 2025 before later dropping the championship to Krugger.

The Battle Riot is also set to include Alex Hammerstone, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Killer Kross, KUSHIDA, Templario, Bishop Dyer, Donovan Dijak, Adam Brooks, Ikuro Kwon, Okumura, Matthew Justice, Paul London, Mr. Thomas, Diego Hill, Jesus Rodriguez, Anthony Greene, Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, and Austin Aries.

Since the Battle Riot was introduced in 2018, it’s been won by Tom Lawlor, LA Park, Hammerstone, Jacob Fatu, Alex Kane, and Riddle (twice).

This year’s event is taking place in Kissimmee, Florida and will air live on MLW’s YouTube channel.

MLW Battle Riot VIII (Thursday, January 29) —

  • 40-person Battle Riot match for MLW World Heavyweight Championship (no DQ battle royal, eliminations occur by pinfall, submission, or being thrown over the top rope)
  • MLW Middleweight Champion Templario defends against Kushida