Author: Josh Nason

Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.

Adam Copeland pays homage to WWE legend at AEW All Out

Posted on by Josh Nason

On a day when both men will be in competition for different companies, Adam Copeland paid homage to former rival John Cena during Saturday’s AEW All Out.

During Copeland and Christian Cage’s match with FTR that opened the pay-per-view, Copeland hit a spinning back suplex on FTR. He then did the “You can’t see me” hand motion, the Five Knuckle Shuffle punch, and an Attitude Adjustment as the fans chanted Cena’s name.

Cena was never mentioned by name on commentary, but Bryan Danielson noted it was in tribute to “one of the biggest rivals in his career.”

Cena paid Copeland tribute during his August Clash in Paris bout against Logan Paul, using some of Copeland’s mannerisms in setting up and executing a spear. Copeland spoke about that and his rivalry with Cena in an interview this past week.

Copeland and Cage also paid a tribute to Bret Hart during the bout, getting stereo sharpshooters on their opponents.

Copeland and Cage picked up the win over FTR Saturday while Cena will look to defeat Brock Lesnar later in the day at WWE Wrestlepalooza.

Former WWE women’s star debuts at AEW All Out

Posted on by Josh Nason

On a day when husbands and wives will compete against each other on WWE Wrestlepalooza, a less discussed set of spouses reunited during AEW All Out.

Beth Copeland — the former Beth Phoenix in WWE — made her AEW on-screen debut during husband Adam Copeland and Christian Cage’s match against FTR that opened up the pay-per-view.

Following Stokely Hathaway’s continued interference, heavy metal music hit with flames on the video board. Eventually, the word “Beth” was on the screen and Copeland emerged to target the manager. She speared Hathaway and eventually carried him backstage.

After Adam picked up the win with a spear and pin on Cash Wheeler, Beth came back out to celebrate with her husband and Cage when Nick Wayne, Mother Wayne and Kip Sabian appeared and distracted them. FTR attacked Cage and Adam from behind, handcuffing him from behind.

Beth then kissed Adam and got physical with Wheeler and Harwood, slapping and punching them. The two then got her and hit her with a second rope spike piledriver while Adam had to watch.

She confirmed last August that she was no longer under WWE contract, but hasn’t wrestled since a mixed tag bout at 2023’s WWE Elimination Chamber.

WWE touts viewership success of Worlds Collide

Posted on by Josh Nason

WWE issued a media statement Friday touting the success of last Friday’s WWE x AAA Worlds Collide event that aired on YouTube.

The company claimed the show “set a record for the largest concurrent live audience in the event’s history,” peaking at 773,000 live concurrent viewers over their own YouTube channel and that of WWE Espanol, AAA and AAA’s Facebook channel.

That number breaks the previous reported record of 764,389 concurrent views for June’s Worlds Collide event from Inglewood, California. That show aired in the afternoon prior to that night’s Money in the Bank PLE while this past Friday’s show from Las Vegas aired after WWE SmackDown in the evening.

From the release:

“More than 4.1 million viewers watched the broadcast in the first 24 hours, with an additional 127 million digital views generated across social platforms.”

Last Friday was headlined by Dominik Mysterio winning the AAA Mega title from El Hijo del Vikingo on a show that also included main roster and NXT talent like Finn Balor, The New Day, Lola Vice, Grayson Waller, and Penta who did a show-opening promo. Rey Mysterio also made an appearance.

The next such event has yet to be announced with a report out Thursday stating that a show during Survivor Series weekend in San Diego is heavily under consideration.

CM Punk: Vince McMahon hated paying for licensed music & when I bleached my hair

Posted on by Josh Nason

As part of the promotion for Saturday’s WWE Wrestlepalooza, CM Punk did a Q&A session of sorts for GQ Magazine where the outlet provided him various questions from around the Internet that he answered.

Two of his answers gave some insight into parts of his sometimes strained relationship with former WWE chairman Vince McMahon.

He was asked about if he would consider bringing back Killswitch Engage’s “This Fire Burns” as his entrance song and he said he wouldn’t because he loves “Cult of Personality” and made the decision to stick with it years ago.

He loves it so much that he revealed that he negotiated use of the song during a renegotiation of his contract with McMahon specifically because he knew “how much he hated paying for licensed music.” Punk thought he would say no and would take a vacation, but to his surprise, McMahon said yes.

Punk also said that during one period of his Straight Edge Society run in WWE, McMahon “got very upset” with him because he bleached his hair blonde, demanding he dye it back.

“I refused to do it. It turned into a thing,” he said.

Other notes:

  • Punk also said when it comes to retirement, “I’ll f**king retire whenever I want to. There’s work to be done and you’ll miss me when I’m gone.”
  • He said Paul Heyman gave him advice that he still holds onto: “Don’t take sh*t from anybody.”
  • Punk said that he won’t sign autographs at an airport or hotel or when he’s walking his dog. During those times, he’s “Phil and not CM Punk.” When he performs, he said he gives his all to the fans and will sign for them outside.

Punk and wife AJ Lee will face Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch Saturday at Wrestlepalooza on ESPN’s streaming service (U.S.) or Netflix (outside the U.S.).

Nick Khan reveals when WWE decided to enter the site fee ‘business’

Posted on by Josh Nason

Much like its corporate sibling in the UFC, WWE getting site fees and in-kind deals for bringing major events to a city has been a growing focus for both itself and parent company TKO, a topic referenced continually by TKO head Mark Shapiro.

This year alone, WWE will bring in $5 million for November’s Survivor Series in San Diego, California; $5 million in site fees & $4.2 million in tax credits for this year’s two-night WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, and $7.1 million for August’s two-night SummerSlam in New Jersey.

And then, there is the reported $100 million WWE/TKO will receive for bringing WrestleMania to Saudi Arabia in 2027, not to mention this January’s Royal Rumble.

Talking to Puck’s John Ourand as part of a bigger feature on UFC, WWE president Nick Khan revealed when that light bulb went off: when he learned UFC was getting roughly $3 million from Salt Lake City, Utah for an event.

“I looked at our current WrestleMania deal, and we were getting around $150,000 for WrestleMania, and what I call ‘posters around the city’ — otherwise known as value-in-kind. So we got an economic impact report, and got into the subsidy business,” he said.

WWE heads to Indianapolis, Indiana, this weekend for Wrestlepalooza. WWE signed a deal with the Indiana Sports Corp in June 2024, the financial terms of which have yet to be disclosed.

AEW wrestler claims injury won’t keep him off All Out card

Posted on by Josh Nason

Dax Harwood is claiming he has a broken nose after a microphone shot to the face on Wednesday, but will not miss this Saturday’s AEW All Out.

During September to Remember, the FTR team member was bonked in the face by Christian Cage, preceding a skirmish between himself, Cash Wheeler, Cage and Adam Copeland that followed a face-to-face talk ahead of their anticipated match Saturday.

Harwood was visibly bleeding from his nose after the two teams were separated.

Seen below, Harwood took to X on Thursday to say he had an X-ray Thursday and “To the shock of no one, I have a severely broken nose” before saying he will not miss Saturday as he will “embarrass” Copeland and Christian.

It’s unknown if the injury is a work or shoot. Tony Khan did not mention the injury or anything related during his media call Thursday.

Current AEW All Out card | Saturday, September 20 | Toronto, Canada

  • AEW World Champion Hangman Page defends against Kyle Fletcher
  • Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)
  • TBS Champion Mercedes Mone defends against Riho
  • AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada defends against Konosuke Takeshita and Mascara Dorada in a three-way
  • AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido (Brody King & Bandido) defend against The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson), JetSpeed (Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight), and Josh Alexander & Hechicero in a ladder match
  • The Hurt Syndicate (Shelton Benjamin, MVP & Bobby Lashley) vs. Ricochet and the Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
  • Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin in a coffin match
  • AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm defends against Thekla, Jamie Hayter and Kris Statlander in a four-way
  • Tables ‘n’ Tacks match: MJF vs. Mark Briscoe
  • Tailgate Brawl pre-show: Willow Nightingale, Mina Shirakawa, Harley Cameron & Queen Aminata vs. Julia Hart, Skye Blue, Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford in a tornado tag match
  • Tailgate Brawl pre-show: Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata
  • Tailgate Brawl pre-show: Samoa Joe & Powerhouse Hobbs vs. The Workhorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry)
https://twitter.com/DaxFTR/status/1968831887503204658

AEW female wrestler no longer on roster

Posted on by Josh Nason

The AEW women’s roster has apparently lost a member as Kiera Hogan is no longer listed as of Thursday.

It’s unknown if her contract expired or if she requested a release, but she had been under contract since September 2021, making an expiration a more likely situation.

Last month, Hogan was announced as part of a reality show on Zeus Network called Joseline’s Cabaret California that will include a touring component. She hasn’t wrestled anywhere since April 2024.

During her intro on the show, she said that wrestling was a “stepping stone” for her which caught her some heat on social media. She acknowledged the comment and said wrestling was her first love, “but I’m multi-talented and unapologetically ambitious. I knew from the jump that wrestling would open doors for me in fashion, TV, and beyond. Just like it has for so many others before me.”

The 31-year-old hadn’t been on AEW TV since February 2024 and Ring of Honor since April 2024. She wraps up her run with 41 AEW matches and 22 ROH bouts. She suffered a shoulder injury during what would be her final ROH appearance in April 2024 and never returned.

A longtime TNA wrestler at one point, Hogan is a former two-time TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with Tasha Steelz.

Tony Khan AEW media call: All Out opener revealed, ‘big’ spring 2027 event teased

Posted on by Josh Nason

The opener for Saturday’s AEW All Out has been revealed.

AEW head Tony Khan said during Thursday’s pre-event media call that Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. FTR will open the pay-per-view from Toronto that kicks off at 3 PM Eastern.

He was also asked if he was interested in running a big event in 2027 while WWE was in Saudi Arabia for WrestleMania where indies could host shows around it, Khan said he was “very interested” in that and said they will run a “big show in the spring of 2027.” He then talked about Revolution, but it’s unclear if meant that was the show and if it will have a bigger presence than in years past.

He also casually mentioned Revolution again during an answer about whether he would be interested in running Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

Khan was also asked about a political question from a non-wrestling reporter and whether he feels his company is more left-leaning with Brody King’s recent anti-ICE t-shirt and the Hangman Page character, and how politics plays into AEW given WWE’s more right-leaning affiliations.

Khan said wrestlers are presented as their authentic selves like King and Page. Khan said he loves wrestling because it brings fans from all walks of life together, and that AEW is a place where everyone can come and enjoy wrestling.

Here’s some other highlights from Khan’s hour-long media call (audio below):

  • Khan was non-committal on whether they would continue to move PPV times if WWE opposed them and put over the financial success of both All In and Forbidden Door running earlier in the afternoon. He said fans seemed to prefer it as well and that he made the move for the benefit of the fans.
  • Khan took umbrage with recent reports that Wardlow was set to challenge for the AEW World title at All Out. He confirmed Wardlow was indeed injured, but didn’t provide any details.
  • Khan said it will be the most-attended All Out in AEW history, but didn’t add anything about the gate.
  • Asked if the Tailgate Brawl will be a regular pre-PPV thing, Khan intimated that it depends on how it performs on Saturday on HBO Max and TNT.
  • Asked about ticket prices, Khan said AEW has always been about being affordable for families “because we are a family-friendly company.”

Click here to listen

WWE reportedly holding dual pre-holiday TV taping

Posted on by Josh Nason

WWE is going to reportedly give their talents and production crew the day after Thanksgiving off according to a new report by Wrestlevotes.

The outlet reported Thursday that WWE will hold a dual taping of WWE SmackDown on Friday, November 22 in Denver, Colorado. The show taped after the live SmackDown will then air the following Friday after Thanksgiving.

As of now, WWE has yet to announce any event for Denver that night in addition to their mid-to-late December events.

If it comes to pass, it will be the go-home show for that Saturday’s Survivor Series premium live event in San Diego, California. Raw will be live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that Monday.

It’s the second adjustment to WWE’s holiday schedule as they will not run Madison Square Garden for their traditional post-Christmas Day show as they will instead run the venue for a November Raw in John Cena’s final appearance in the arena.

Report: WWE considering AAA event for upcoming PLE weekend

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

Coming off their second Worlds Collide show of the year, WWE is reportedly considering another AAA event before the end of the year: that being during Survivor Series weekend.

First reported on WrestleVotes Radio Thursday, the outlet cited sources within WWE with the news that “at least one more AAA streaming event” is being considered by year’s end with speculation pointing to San Diego where the PLE will be held.

This past weekend’s Worlds Collide was held in Las Vegas as part of a weekend that featured the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford boxing match on Saturday. The show aired after Friday’s WWE SmackDown which was held on the East Coast.

During WrestleMania weekend, it was announced that WWE was set to purchase AAA along with Mexican-based holding company Filip. The deal has yet to officially go through, but is believed to be in the final stages of completion.

Starting with the first Worlds Collide in June as part of the impending deal, WWE has sent talent to AAA shows and also aired last month’s Triplemania on their YouTube channel. WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio won the company’s Mega title last Friday, pictured above.

CM Punk ‘Night Patrol’ horror movie to get theatrical release

Posted on by Josh Nason

CM Punk’s next movie is getting a theatrical release and now has an official release date.

Revealed Thursday during the multi-day Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, Night Patrol will be released on January 16, 2026. The film is set to premiere Friday at the festival which Punk was originally supposed to attend, but was unable to due to this weekend’s Wrestlepalooza.

First announced last October, Punk plays a character in the film as a police sergeant’s “brutal right-hand man.” The indie film also stars Justin Long, Jermaine Fowler, RJ Cyler, Dermot Mulroney, Freddie Gibbs, YG, Flying Lotus, Jon Oswald, and Nicki Micheaux.

The logline of the film is “An L.A. cop discovers a local task force is hiding a secret that puts the residents of his childhood neighborhood in danger.”

Punk signed with Paradigm Talent Agency last summer with the goal of expanding his presence in entertainment. He’s had several film and television roles since making his acting debut in 2019. His last role was on the Syfy TV show Revival, appearing in four episodes that are available on Peacock.

Punk will be in action Saturday alongside wife AJ Lee as they take on Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch at WWE Wrestlepalooza, the first PLE of WWE’s new five-year deal with ESPN.

Scott D’Amore confirms Brock Lesnar TNA story

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

Former TNA head Scott D’Amore has confirmed that Brock Lesnar was interested in signing with the company back in 2007.

This past week, Kurt Angle revealed the news on his podcast, saying Lesnar (then a free agent) called and asked Angle if he could get him into TNA. Angle said Lesnar asked him what he was making and that if Angle could get Lesnar the same deal, he was in. Angle said he then asked TNA management and was told no, speculating it was a budget issue due to the amount of talent they were already paying high salaries to.

In his weekly column for Uncrowned, D’Amore, no longer with TNA, confirmed part of that story as “absolutely true” and that Angle approached him about it.

“Kurt was very excited about this and, obviously, it would have been a huge, maybe trajectory-altering signing for TNA. I passed it on to Dixie Carter, who owned TNA at the time. But, as you already know, it didn’t happen.

“It’s a huge what-if, not just for TNA, but for Lesnar. If he came to TNA on a big contract in 2007, would he have still debuted in MMA that year? Would he have felt the need to go fight in the UFC in 2008 and help usher in a legion of new fans for the UFC? I suppose we’ll never know.”

Lesnar left WWE in 2004 due to burnout and the travel schedule among other reasons. After several matches for NJPW and a memorable run in UFC that saw him become one of their biggest stars and their heavyweight champion, Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012 and has been there in some form or fashion ever since. He competes against John Cena at Saturday’s WWE Wrestlepalooza in his first match back in more than two years.

New matches added to AEW All Out Tailgate Brawl pre-show

Posted on by Josh Nason

Two new matches have been added to the Tailgate Brawl pre-show airing prior to Saturday’s AEW All Out pay-per-view on HBO Max/TNT.

Announced during Wednesday’s September to Remember edition of Dynamite, Daniel Garcia will take on Katsuyori Shibata for the third time.

It came about via separate backstage promos from reigning AEW Trios Champions The Opps and former champions The Death Riders accompanied by Garcia. Samoa Joe, Shibata and Powerhouse Hobbs took umbrage with Garcia’s move to the Jon Moxley-led group with Garcia saying if they had an issue, they could come see him Saturday.

The two squared off at 2023’s ROH Death Before Dishonor with Shibata successfully defending his then-Pure title. They rematched in AEW this past January on Collision with Garcia successfully defending his then-TNT title.

Also announced were Joe and Hobbs taking on The Workhorsemen’s JD Drake and Anthony Henry.

The show begins at 2 PM Eastern with the PPV kicking off at 3 PM Eastern from Toronto, Canada. A separate Zero Hour show with no matches will air per usual on YouTube and other outlets.

Current AEW All Out card | Saturday, September 20 | Toronto, Canada

  • AEW World Champion Hangman Page defends against Kyle Fletcher
  • Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)
  • TBS Champion Mercedes Mone defends against Riho
  • AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada defends against Konosuke Takeshita and Mascara in a three-way
  • AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido (Brody King & Bandido) defend against The Young Bucks and two TBD teams in a ladder match
  • The Hurt Syndicate (Shelton Benjamin, MVP & Bobby Lashley) vs. Ricochet and the Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
  • Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin in a coffin match
  • AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm defends against Thekla, Jamie Hayter and Kris Statlander in a four-way
  • Tables ‘n’ Tacks match: MJF vs. Mark Briscoe
  • Tailgate Brawl pre-show: Willow Nightingale, Mina Shirakawa, Harley Cameron & Queen Aminata vs. Julia Hart, Skye Blue, Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford in a tornado tag match
  • Tailgate Brawl pre-show: Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata
  • Tailgate Brawl pre-show: Samoa Joe & Powerhouse Hobbs vs. The Workhorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry)

Final competitor qualifies for Unified title match at AEW All Out

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

Mascara Dorada has advanced to the three-way Unified title match at this Saturday’s All Out, joining champion Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita.

Dorada of CMLL fame defeated The Beast Mortos in the final of three qualifying matches that took place over the last five days, getting the pin after a 450 splash. The result was somewhat spoiled earlier this week when it was revealed Mortos was replacing Dorada at CMLL’s 92nd Anniversario event on Saturday.

Okada and Don Callis came out after the match to confront Dorada, joined afterward by Takeshita who has made it known he has no love for fellow Callis Family member Okada. Dorada then sprung off the top rope with a crossbody on Okada outside the ring to leave him laying, staring down Takeshita afterward.

Okada advanced with a title defense over Michael Oku while Takeshita defeated Anthony Bowens, both this past Saturday on Collision.

This will be the first time Dorada has shared the ring with either man. In October 2024, a fake graphic featuring a match between Dorada and Takeshita made its way onto X, prompting Tony Khan to later say he then wanted to make the match.

Current AEW All Out card | Saturday, September 20 | Toronto, Canada

  • AEW World Champion Hangman Page defends against Kyle Fletcher
  • Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)
  • TBS Champion Mercedes Mone defends against Riho
  • AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada defends against Konosuke Takeshita and Mascara in a three-way
  • AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido (Brody King & Bandido) defend against The Young Bucks and two TBD teams in a ladder match
  • The Hurt Syndicate (Shelton Benjamin, MVP & Bobby Lashley) vs. Ricochet and the Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
  • Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin in a coffin match
  • AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm defends against Thekla, Jamie Hayter and Kris Statlander in a four-way
  • Tables ‘n’ Tacks match: MJF vs. Mark Briscoe
  • Tailgate Brawl pre-show: Willow Nightingale, Mina Shirakawa, Harley Cameron & Queen Aminata vs. Julia Hart, Skye Blue, Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford in a tornado tag match

Stipulation added to World title match at AEW All Out

Posted on by Josh Nason

Last week, it was verbally agreed between AEW World Champion Hangman Page and challenger Kyle Fletcher that there would be no outside interference in their title match at Saturday’s All Out.

However, Page made it more official, revealing on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite after both men were about to sign a contract for the match that if the Don Callis Family interferes, the match will end in a DQ and Fletcher will lose his TNT title.

Callis didn’t care for that news, but Fletcher said he was fine with it and remained confident he will leave Toronto as the champion. He later promised Page that while he would adhere to no physicality during the signing or the All Out stipulation, Page would be unable to leave the arena Wednesday on his own two feet.

Fletcher is looking for his first AEW World title while Page will be looking for the third successful defense of the title he won at July’s All In.

Current AEW All Out card | Saturday, September 20 | Toronto, Canada

  • AEW World Champion Hangman Page defends against Kyle Fletcher
  • Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)
  • TBS Champion Mercedes Mone defends against Riho
  • AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada defends against Konosuke Takeshita and TBD in a three-way
  • AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido (Brody King & Bandido) defend against three TBD teams in a ladder match
  • The Hurt Syndicate (Shelton Benjamin, MVP & Bobby Lashley) vs. Ricochet and the Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
  • Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin in a coffin match
  • AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm defends against Thekla, Jamie Hayter and Kris Statlander in a four-way
  • Tables ‘n’ Tacks match: MJF vs. Mark Briscoe