Zilla Fatu rules out signing with AEW: ‘I think my heart with the E’

Rising indy wrestler Zilla Fatu has family in WWE and has challenged for the AEW World Championship. But there’s no question which of those two promotions he wants to work for. 

Fatu talked about his career aspirations in an appearance on the Bootleg Kev podcast. Kev first asked Fatu about his match against Maxwell Jacob Friedman for the AEW World Championship at a House of Glory show in February.

“You and MJF had a crazy match,” Kev said. “MJF is one of those guys who is a superstar wherever he’s at. How do you prepare for a match like that with a guy like MJF?” 

“That’s the beauty of these independent companies like House of Glory and Fourth Row, we’re able to do stuff like this, 100%,” Fatu replied. “I treat this like every other fight, right? Obviously, MJF is a superstar in his own little world, but I treat it like every other match.”

Kev then asked if it was difficult putting a match like that together. Fatu said the work was done “Everything on the fly.”

Finally Kev asked if Fatu would entertain any offers from AEW. Fatu said no and referenced his late father, Umaga.

No, I think I think my heart is with the ‘E’ right now,” he said.

Kev pointed out that WWE is also where many of Fatu’s cousins work, including Roman Reigns, the Usos, Solo Sikoa, and Jacob Fatu.

“Yeah, yeah, 100%,” Fatu replied. “So, I’m not going to break that cycle. I respect it. And then not only that, I got unfinished business as far as my dad’s legacy to fulfill.”

Daily Update: Ronda Rousey & Gina Carano, Garrett Borden to make wrestling debut

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • Ted Turner’s legacy in sports
  • The history of pro wrestling on the Turner Networks
  • The skyrocketing success and rapid decline of WCW
  • The television heyday of Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • How Ted Turner first got involved in pro wrestling
  • Why Vince McMahon hated Ted Turner and how irrational it was at times
  • The local TV business in the early 70s
  • The 1972-74 Atlanta wrestling war, how it started and ended
  • The start of Gordon Solie and Tony Schiavone on TBS
  • The growth of TBS
  • The launching of CNN
  • How Vince McMahon got on TBS
  • Why McMahon and Turner had issues during their year working together
  • The role Jim Barnett played
  • The death of Mid South Wrestling
  • The death of Jim Crockett Promotions
  • The death of WCW
  • How Barnett manipulated the Crocketts getting on TBS
  • Vince McMahon’s cable power plays and Turner’s reactions
  • The signing of Hulk Hogan and rise of Eric Bischoff
  • Hall, Nash and Bret Hart come to WCW
  • How Bischoff nearly purchased WCW and how it fell through
  • A reprint of a 2001 article on the closing of WCW that Ted Turner himself read and praised
  • Reaction to the death of WCW
  • Numerous people react to the death
  • The tribute on AEW television
  • His exploits in other sports
  • Rupert Murdoch, Ric Flair, Jane Fonda, Tony Khan and others in sports comment on Turner’s death
  • Turner’s life after he lost control of the networks
  • His charitable work
  • Update on Tanea “Rebel” Brooks
  • A first look at how UFC is performing and its revenue driven vs. expense for Paramount
  • WWE cuts continue and are looked at
  • A crazy note about the income of just four of TKO’s top executives and how it compares to the pay for UFC and WWE athletes. This is absolutely shocking
  • Nick Khan’s new contract with TKO
  • Why so many cuts were made this year and more notes on the pay cuts
  • New Day bid farewell
  • WWE & UFC first quarter financials looked at
  • More talk regarding Middle East shows, Zuffa Boxing, and complaints regarding WWE and UFC
  • Backlash preview, business notes and odds
  • Notes on AEW Double or Nothing
  • New Japan Dontaku coverage
  • Nico Ali Walsh on Nick Khan’s testimony before Congress
  • NOAH big show notes
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings from the pro wrestling and MMA shows this past week
  • Fantastica Mania Mexico
  • CMLL vs. MLW at Arena Mexico notes
  • Grande Americano vs. Grande Americano
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Who in AEW was set for a major push that is now on hold
  • Champion Carnival down to final four
  • Cuatrero convicted in domestic violence case involving Stephanie Vaquer
  • Raja Jackson case coming to a close
  • Former WWE wrestler murder case makes pub again
  • Worldwide YouTuber numbers
  • Dana White talks McGregor’s return
  • Notes on Roman Reigns and his schedule
  • When did Nick Khan learn Vince McMahon was being investigate for sex trafficking
  • Janel Grant gets more public
  • Notes from WWE’s television contracts

This Week’s Back Issue

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Monday Update

Garrett Borden to make pro wrestling debut
Garrett Borden to make pro wrestling debut (Image credit: Rhodes Wrestling Association)

— Bryan and I will be back tonight to talk WWE, the Von Erichs, ratings woes, Rousey vs. Carano and more.

— Ronda Rousey was hyping her big fight with Hunter Campbell great today on Ariel Helwani’s show. “He was being so dismissive and just trying to get me and Gina to value ourselves less from the get-go. He was like, `Oh, I know, you guys are just so much older and I just don’t know how it’s gonna do.’ It just really rubbed me the wrong way that like this fucking guy is the person that’s going to be shepherding the company that I helped build. My mom is part of the California Athletic Commission and she had a meeting with him about trying to get Slap allowed for California. He goes, this is a really big opportunity for a lot of these people. A lot of these guys would just be doing meth in a trailer park if it wasn’t for this… We are glorified bum fights to this guy. This guy does not have a job because he’s good at it, he has a job because he is Dana and Lorenzo’s lawyer’s son. He was fing intern when I was there before and now he’s coming up to me saying, ‘I don’t know how you and Gina are going to do.’ Like motherfer I’m gonna put on a bigger fight with Gina than you have your entire fing career. Keep trying to fail upwards motherer. Keep trying to suck the right dicks in the right order. I’m fucking coming for your job.”

Evidently there was an issue with Ronda’s mother, who is on the Athletic Commission in California, who told Campbell when he was trying to get SlapFighting approved in the state that she thought SlapFighting was analogous to so many things wrong with society. Rousey has done a great job in building up a Rousey vs. Campbell match. She also doubled down on this being her last fight, saying, “I promised my husband up and down that this is the last one. He’s the one that I really got to convince to get on board for this promoter shit afterwards. He’s not 100 percent sold on it. He’s not going for the fighting at all after this. This is the dream fight. This is the absolute pinnacle. This is the perfect way to end it.”

— Too bad the fight isn’t against Hunter Campbell on Saturday.

— Jake Paul predicted more than 20 million views for Rousey vs Carano. I hope so. Keep in mind that would be easily four times what WrestleMania did worldwide (Mania was on Netflix everywhere but the U.S. and ESPN and the app in the U.S.

— Gina Carano recently turned 44.

— Raw tonight is from Knoxville, TN. I wonder if we’ll get a Kane cameo since he’s the mayor. They had 9,448 tickets out as of this afternoon so a strong crowd. Asuka is there and whatever her situation is would likely be explained. Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu will be doing an angle. Brie Bella & Paige will have an angle presumably with Roxanne Perez & Raque Rodriguez. Oba Femi has an open challenge. The Street Profits & Joe Hendry face Bron Breakker & Austin Theory & Logan Paul.

— Regarding the new dates Roman Reigns has been put back on for Raw (he was listed, taken off last week, put back on two shows this week), I don’t know yet if that means he’s on the Saudi Arabia card. But it does mean the next time someone mocks the term “plans change,” you can laugh in their faces given they change daily.

— We’re looking for your thoughts on WWE Backlash Saturday. You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

— We have a story up on the site for members on the TNA and AEW ratings including a stat that is clearly making zero sense.

— Box Brown noted to us that Labor of Love Wrestling came up with the Danhausen cloning idea and did it at a show three weeks ago in Philadelphia. I was sent the video. It was identical. The only thing is that the wrestler doing the cloning had an identical twin brother who came out. But the box was exactly the same, the smoke was the same, I mean the thing at Backlash was so clearly taken from the show in Philadelphia.

— Garrett Borden, Sting’s other son who was involved in the Sting & Darby Allin vs. Young Bucks match makes his pro wrestling debut as an official competitor on Sunday for Dustin Rhodes’ Rhodes Wrestling Association.

— Tonight’s CMLL show in Puebla was sold out before I even woke up. The main event is Mistico & Mascara Dorada & Atlantsi Jr. vs. Averno & Soberan Jr. & Hechicero. We mistakenly listed that as the main event for last night’s show. Last night was Mistico & Templario & Esfinge over Angel de Oro & Hechicero & Niebla Roja.

— Something notable about the 9/11 and 9/13 TripeMania announcements are that WWE has a tour of South America on 9/9 to 9/12 and Penta and Grande Americano are advertised although I suppose there are two Grande’s and one could at TripleMania and the other in Argentina. But after 5/30 there should only be one Grande, unless WWE changes the tradition and a guy loses his mask and still works with a mask.

— Kevin Gil’s lawsuit against Game Changer Wrestling was settled this week in U.S. District Court in New Jersey. Gill had filed a suit in 2024 claiming that he and GCW agreed to start a Patreon together and he would receive 20 percent of the patreon revenue. He said that he was underpaid his percentage and that he stopped being paid in 2020. He had sued for a figure in excess of $150,000.

— The WWE shareholder lawsuit against WWE is scheduled for a 6/8 trial date, so there are only a few weeks to go before a likely settlement would be reached.

— TNA will debut a Wicked Garden match at its Friday taping in Sacramento. It will be Hardys vs. Righteous and air on 6/4. They are taping Thursday and Friday in Sacramento. Skip Caray, the great grandson of Harry Caray (one of the most famous baseball announcers of all-time) and the A’s announcer, will be on Thursday’s live TNA broadcast from Sacramento.

— Paul Diamond of WWE fame (as opposed to the 60s and 70s wrestlers) turned 65 today. He was a former pro soccer player in the old North American Soccer League. Billy Kidman turned 52. Bobby Roode turned 50. Lince Dorado turned 39. Rollerball Mark Rocco/Original Black Tiger was born on this day in 1951. He was one of the greatest U.K. wrestlers in history and a Hall of Famer. Silver King was 51 when he passed away seven years ago. Sabu was 61 when he passed away last year. Steve Austin debuted on this day in 1989. (thanks to Tony Richards)

— The movie Nacho Libre, where Silver King played the lead heel, was the No. 4 movie for yesterday on Paramount + and No. 8 overall. It had more views than UFC on Sunday (not more than Saturday obviously since that was the No. 1 show for the day on the service and more than Zuffa Boxing.

— WWE sent out a press release saying that the first two-night TripleMania takes place in September. There have been multiple day TripleManias in 1994, 1995, 1996,1997, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

— Jeet Rama, who formerly worked for WWE, has started Pro Wrestling Rebellion in India. Mansoor was announced for the show as both a writer and working in production, and Mark Dallas of Insane Championship Wrestling will also be involved.

WWE Raw live results: Jacob Fatu, Roman Reigns Acknowledgement Ceremony

Date: May 11, 2026
Location: Food City Center in Knoxville, TN 

The Big Takeaway —

For the twelfth straight week, Raw did not have a main event match, but rather, ended with a non-wrestling segment. 

It was not a particularly noteworthy show, either. It ended with Jacob Fatu standing tall over a fallen Roman Reigns for the third straight week. It wasn’t enough of a beat-down to keep Reigns out of action for any length of time, as it was fairly similar to the angles we’ve seen already. Fatu also laid out the Usos. 

Elsewhere on the show, Iyo Sky said good-bye to Asuka, who appears to be gone, at least for a while. 

**********

Show Recap — 

After a Backlash recap video, wrestlers were shown arriving, and the announcers ran down tonight’s card. 

Adam Pearce approached Roman Reigns as he arrived at the arena in Knoxville. Pearce wasn’t sure Jacob Fatu deserved to even be here tonight after what he did at Backlash. Reigns wanted to know where his title (belt) was and why it wasn’t in his hand. A random stagehand ran up and handed Reigns his belt. 

Pearce reiterated that he didn’t think Fatu deserved to be here tonight, or even at all. Reigns said Pearce couldn’t fire Fatu, at least not tonight. Reigns was the one who brought him in, and he would be the one to take him out. 

******* 

The Vision segment 

Paul Heyman entered with Bron Breakker, Logan Paul and Austin Theory. Heyman talked about the devastation Breakker handed out at Backlash. Heyman said Seth Rollins claimed Breakker wasn’t ready, but it was Rollins who wasn’t. Rollins would never get a victory over any of them. Heyman expunged Rollins from the record of ever being a part of the Vision and said they would never mention his name again. 

They moved on to the Street Profits. Theory said the Street Profits needed the tag titles because they didn’t have Bianca Belair to pay the bills. 

Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins interrupted. Ford said Theory was right that Belair was busy with the baby, so somebody had to come to Raw to beat the Vision’s asses. The Street Profits wanted the titles. (Dawkins did not say anything, and Ford has done most, if not all, of the talking since they returned.) 

Paul called the Street Profits a legendary team, but they were old news, and the only notable thing Ford has done lately was organize a baby shower. Paul asked if Ford’s balls were in his red solo cup. 

Paul was tired of the talk, but was interrupted by Joe Hendry, who randomly appeared at ringside and sang his “Fire Logan Paul” song until they went to break. The opening match began during the break. 

Six-man tag team match: Bron Breakker & Tag Team Champions Logan Paul & Austin Theory vs. The Street Profits & Joe Hendry

Hendry made a hot tag and hit Paul with clotheslines and a fallaway slam before doing his little pose. Theory, not the legal man, attacked Hendry in front of the referee to give his team the advantage again. (Ford and Dawkins were out of the ring while this happened.) 

There was a boring heat segment during commercials until Hendry made a hot tag right in time for them to return from break. Ford and Dawkins knocked Breakker out of the ring before Ford wiped him out with a flip dive. Theory avoided a splash, but Ford gave him a powerslam instead for two. 

Dawkins tagged in, and the Profits set up for a double-team move, but Paul knocked Ford off the top rope. Hendry charged after Paul outside the ring, but Paul sent him into the steel steps. (That was it for Hendry in this match and post-match.) 

Breakker set up for a running spear around the ring, but Seth Rollins appeared and clotheslined Breakker. The referee somehow did not see this. Theory did see it, and it distracted him long enough for Dawkins to apply a schoolboy for the pinfall win. 

— Theory attacked Dawkins after the match, but Rollins dumped Theory out of the ring. 

Rollins helped Dawkins to his feet. However, Rollins dodged as Breakker went for a spear, and Dawkins got speared instead. Rollins superkicked Breakker out of the ring. Ford saw Dawkins down on the mat and got into a shoving match with Rollins. 

Match result: Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford & Joe Hendry defeated Austin Theory, Logan Paul & Bron Breakker (12:20) 

********

Backstage, Pearce met with the Original El Grande Americano, Bruto Credo and Julio Credo. Pearce was trying to clarify their new identities, and the Creeds pretended not to speak English even though it’s already been established that these are the Creed Brothers. 

Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio interrupted. Gable Americano didn’t appreciate being interrupted. Morgan tried to dismiss him, but Americano said this was serious lucha business. Dom said he wasn’t even a real luchador, and Americano was offended. 

Pearce decided to make Dom defend his AAA Mega Championship against Americano tonight. 

As Pearce turned to leave, Angel and Berto approached him to ask for an opportunity. Pearce was more than happy to listen. 

********

Penta and Ethan Page segment 

Penta entered. He called himself a fighting champion, and if Ethan Page wanted a title match, he should say it to his face. Page entered. 

Page mocked Penta for hiding behind face paint and a mask. Page did not hide. He was all ego, Ethan Page, and he hailed from the greatest country on Earth, Canada. He pinned Penta last week, so that should make him the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship, but Penta was probably afraid to lose to him again. 

Penta said he was not afraid and challenged Page to a match right now. Page gave Penta credit for being willing to defend the title, but Page wasn’t ready right now. 

Page said Penta didn’t understand what his title meant. The IC title was the token of excellence in WWE. Every mega star had to hold that title to prove themselves, and Page was the next mega star. The title deserved the spotlight, so Page challenged him to a match at Saturday Night’s Main Event instead. 

Penta urged Page to work hard if he wanted the title, because he was ready for war and would be ready. 

Rusev interrupted. Rusev said Page amused him. They both beat Penta last week, and it was Rusev who bounced Penta’s head off the announce desk. Page interrupted, but Rusev intimidated him, so Page let him continue. Rusev wanted a title match. 

Page claimed he talked to Pearce earlier and tried to get Rusev a title match first, but Je’Von Evans barged in and questioned why Rusev would get a title match if he couldn’t even beat him. 

Evans immediately interrupted (so he must’ve been waiting around Gorilla in case someone said his name). Evans said Page’s ugly-ass was lying because none of that happened. Evans didn’t talk to Page or Pearce, and didn’t say Rusev couldn’t beat him, even if that last part was true. 

Page shoved Evans into Rusev, which led to a brawl, and the babyfaces stood tall. During a break, Pearce made a match between Evans and Rusev (our second impromptu match so far). 

The crowd didn’t seem to care too much about any of this. 

Je’Von Evans vs. Rusev

Before the match started, Evans flew into the ring and clobbered Rusev with a running knee. The referee separated them to start the match, and Evans hit another knee strike. Rusev got the heat later by shoving Evans into the ring steps. 

Evans came back with a Whisper in the Wind, a hurricanrana, and a dropkick, but Rusev blocked his suicide dive attempt and gave him a fallaway slam onto the announce table. Another boring heat segment led to Evans making his comeback after a break, hitting a springboard clothesline for two. 

Rusev cut him off and hit a Ura-nage and Machka Kick for two. Rusev was frustrated that Evans kicked out, saying, “He’s a freaking child!” 

Evans came back with kicks, a leaping dive, and an OG Cutter for the clean pinfall win. 

Match result: Je’Von Evans defeated Rusev (12:11) 

An ok match, but a nice win for Evans. 

********

Two members of the Tennessee Volunteers football team were at ringside. 

There was a video package for the AAA Mega Championship and the Dom/Americano match tonight. 

Asuka and IYO SKY segment 

Asuka approached Iyo Sky backstage. Asuka gave her a big hug. She said he was looking for someone to take over her position, and finally, Sky was that person. She was glad it was Sky, and she was proud of her. 

Sky said they would always be family, even if they fought. Sky said, “Goodbye, Asuka-san,” and they hugged. Asuka said a few words in Japanese before kissing Sky’s forehead. Asuka left with her luggage. 

********

Paige and Brie Bella answer Judgment Day 

Brie Bella and Paige entered with their tag team title belts. They were ready for a fight, but they wondered where Judgment Day was after they made their challenge last week. 

Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez entered. Perez said she loved watching Paige and Bella on TV back when they were young and still relevant. Perez asked Brie if she remembered meeting her. Perez said Brie told her that she could carry on the Bella legacy, but she set the bar too low. 

Brie said it was Morgan who set the bar low. Brie wanted Perez to make her own legacy, not be a footnote for “the Judgment’s Day.” Brie said, “There’s someone more disappointed in you than me: your mom!” 

Rodriguez held back Perez from going after her. Rodriguez turned her attention to Paige—the girl who’s been given a million chances only to fumble each one. Rodriguez said we were all waiting for Paige’s next big scandal to hit, but they could save everyone the time by handing over the title belts right now. 

Paige and Brie attacked Judgment Day, but Morgan jumped in from behind to even the odds. Judgment Day laid out the champs. 

(This wasn’t good. This particular crowd does not seem interested in these talking segments tonight.) 

********

Jimmy Uso told Reigns that Jey was outside waiting for Fatu to talk him out of going to the ring tonight. Reigns wasn’t sure why he would do that. Jimmy thought Reigns should leave Fatu alone. 

Reigns said they made an agreement, and Fatu put his name on the contract. They were men of their word, and they were on top of the business. If Fatu couldn’t respect his own family, and there wasn’t respect from within, there wouldn’t be respect from those on the outside. Fatu had to acknowledge him. 

Jimmy still didn’t trust Fatu. Reigns said if Fatu didn’t acknowledge him, Fatu’s ass was out of here. Jimmy said he’d find Jey. 

******* 

There was a Rhea Ripley video package where she put over the importance of her time in NXT (including plenty of clips of Triple H showing her the way). 

Michael Cole said Asuka’s future was up in the air, and only time would tell.  

IYO SKY vs. Sol Ruca

They wrestled back and forth for the first few minutes until Ruca hit a springboard corkscrew dive to the outside. Sky came back with a butterfly backbreaker during a break for two. 

After the break, Sky hit an avalanche Spanish Fly for two. Ruca ducked a roundhouse kick and hit a spinning sit-out powerbomb for two. Sky came back with a missile dropkick. Sky missed a running corner meteora, so Ruca hit one of her own, but Sky came back and hit a double foot stomp for two. 

Sky went to the top, but Ruca shoved her off. Sky wrenched Ruca’s knee in the ropes, but Ruca booted her moments later. Ruca went to the top and hit a cartwheel DDT for a nearfall. That drew a modest “This is awesome” chant. Sky fought back and hit consecutive meteoras. 

Sky went for a moonsault, but Ruca got her legs up to block it. Ruca went for the Sol Snatcher, but Sky saw it coming and caught her in a crucifix cover for the pinfall win. 

Match result: IYO SKY defeated Sol Ruca (12:25)

This was a pretty good match, and a different pace than most matches on Raw. It should be fun to see what sort of match they have in a year or two. 

Sol Ruca’s finisher is not having a good run, however. She hit Morgan with the move in her debut and failed to win, failed to hit the move smoothly on Becky Lynch last week, and, within the context of this match, failed to hit the move at all and lost. She’s now winless in two Raw matches.

********

Jimmy approached Jey outside the arena. Jimmy didn’t feel good about this and thought Reigns was delusional at times. Jimmy and Jey both knew Fatu wasn’t going to acknowledge him. Jimmy said their family was stressful. Jey didn’t like hearing that and reminded him that their family was the reason they were there at all. Jimmy understood. He left to return to Reigns and wished Jey luck with Fatu. They shook hands. 

********

The Street Profits will get a tag title match against the Vision at SNME. 

Dawkins and Ford were about to be interviewed, but they were interrupted by Rollins. He said if they were serious about getting the titles off the Vision, they should talk. Ford was frustrated because he didn’t want Rollins involved. 

Dawkins wanted to hear him out, but Ford wasn’t interested. Rollins admitted he was wrong when he said they should stay out of each other’s way. Ford didn’t trust Rollins and said they didn’t need him to win the titles. Ford and Dawkins left. 

********

Backstage, Sky told Ruca that she was the future, and they would fight again one day. Ruca thanked her. 

Becky Lynch showed up, laughed at Ruca for losing to Iyo Jannetty, and said the lights must be too bright for her. 

********

Oba Femi entered and called out his next challenger, but Pearce came out to say that nobody backstage wanted to answer, so the open challenge was cancelled. The fans booed. 

Femi was pissed, so he marched backstage while calling everyone a coward. Angel and Berto were near Gorilla position in their street clothes, so Femi attacked them and dragged them to the ring. Femi demanded the referee ring the bell, so he did. 

2-on-1 handicap match: Oba Femi vs. Angel & Berto 

Femi hit multiple running corner uppercuts, tossed both guys around (tossing Angel right over the head of a hunched-over Berto) and gave Berto a Fall from Grace powerbomb for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Oba Femi defeated Berto & Angel (0:51) 

*******

JD McDonagh and Dom walked through the back as Dom made his way to the ring, but McDonagh was suddenly blinded by Finn Bálor. Bálor repeatedly shoved McDonagh into some equipment boxes. Dom was stunned. Bálor told Dom, “Looks like you’re gonna have to go out there alone, mate.” Dom said he had gold to defend, something Bálor knew nothing about. 

AAA Mega Championship match: Dominik Myserio (c) vs. Original El Grande Americano

This was the first time this title has been defended on Raw. 

There was a fun spot early in the match, where Dom monkey-flipped Gable Americano high in the air off the apron and into the top of the ring post. Dom was in control during the break, but Gable came back after the break with a superplex, Angle slam, and moonsault for a nearfall. Dom responded with a Michinoku Driver for two. Gable suplexed Dom into the corner before hitting a Dragon suplex for two. 

Rayo and Bravo Americano ran out to distract the referee and Gable. El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) hit Gable with a cheapshot, and Dom followed with a tornado DDT for a nearfall. Bruto and Julio Credo ran out to chase away Bravo and Rayo. 

Gable put Dom in an ankle lock, but Kaiser Americano leaped on the apron right in front of the referee (after he was already distracted earlier). Gable went after him and tried to rip off his mask, but that distraction allowed Dom to hit a 619 and a frog splash for the pinfall win. 

Match result: Dominik Mysterio defeated Original El Grande Americano to retain the AAA Mega Championship (9:04)

Gable looked great here, but this Americano feud needed to end weeks ago, and Gable needs to get out of this mask. 

********

Raw next week in Greensboro: 

  • Oba Femi open challenge 
  • Paige & Brie Bella (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez for the tag team titles 

Not sure how they can advertise an open challenge if nobody even answered it this week. 

*******

Jackie Redmond interviewed Paul and Theory backstage. Paul was still offended by Hendry’s song. Redmond asked if he meant the ‘Fire Logan Paul’ song. Paul told her to stop, “unless you want to get fired, too.” 

Paul said if he had to hear the song again, he would cut off his ears like Vincent Van Gogh. Theory told Paul to relax and told him they should go get dinner. 

Redmond tried asking Theory a question. He ignored the question and asked if she wanted a ride in their car. She said no. They left. (Maxxine Dupri was already in the back seat.) 

********

Acknowledgement Ceremony 

Roman Reigns entered with Jimmy Uso. Reigns told Knoxville to acknowledge him. They did. 

The camera cut to Fatu arriving at the arena, right on time. Jey tried pleading with him to stop as Fatu marched through the back. Jey warned him that he would only be creating problems for himself and his family. Fatu got to Gorilla, so Jey put his hands on him to stop and told him to be smart. Fatu headbutted Jey and laid him out. 

Fatu looked into the camera and told Reigns that if he wanted an acknowledgement, Reigns would have to beat it out of him. Fatu entered through the curtain and was met by Jimmy, but Fatu attacked him and laid him out, too. 

Fatu turned his attention to Reigns. Fatu entered the ring, and Reigns went right after him. Fatu fought him off and clotheslined him out of the ring. Fatu tried a dive, but Reigns hit a Superman punch. 

Reigns attacked Fatu repeatedly with a steel chair while telling Fatu to acknowledge him. Reigns went for a spear, but Fatu hit a superkick and applied the Tongan Death Grip (which did get a reaction from the crowd). Reigns fell out of the ring, so Fatu hit a suicide dive. 

Fatu tossed Reigns into the post and steel steps before clearing the announce table. Reigns tried to fight back, but Fatu cut him off and powerbombed him through the announce table. 

Fatu put Reigns in the Death Grip as officials swarmed him. Fatu let go and posed with the world title belt. 

They did the thing where they made it seem like the show was over as Fatu made his way up the ramp, but he instead sprinted back down to ringside. Jey and Jimmy were checking on Reigns, so Fatu hit a wild running hip attack, driving all three men through the barricade.

AEW sues TrillerTV over nearly $5 million in alleged unpaid revenue

AEW has filed a lawsuit against TrillerTV and its parent company.

As first reported by POST Wrestling on Monday, AEW has filed a lawsuit against TrillerTV and its parent company, Triller Group, Inc., alleging that the streaming platform owes the wrestling company nearly $5 million in overdue payments.

The alleged overdue payments stem from AEW pay-per-view events that aired on TrillerTV and from subscriptions to AEW Plus.

According to court documents obtained by POST, AEW attorneys wrote in the lawsuit, “[Triller Group Inc.’s] strategy of robbing revenues generated by TrillerTV’s distribution of AEW content to cover other of Defendants’ operating expenses (much of which was spent on the social media platform endeavor) negatively impacted its relationship with and payments owed to AEW.”

AEW lawsuit filed weeks after Flipps Media suit against Triller Group, Inc.

The lawsuit filed by AEW comes weeks after a separate Delaware lawsuit filed on April 13 by Flipps Media, Inc., the company that operates TrillerTV, against Triller Group, Inc. and other related Triller entities. In that filing, Flipps claimed Triller Group had abandoned the company and left it without a functioning board of directors.

A section of that lawsuit reads: “Flipps initiated this action because it is insolvent, cannot protect value for its creditors, and will soon cease being a going concern unless it its board causes it to promptly action. Flipps, however, has been without a board since October 2024 when its directors resigned and, as a result of Defendant Triller Group, Inc.’s (“TGI”) abandonment, it cannot install replacement directors without intervention by this Court. As of the filing of this Complaint, Flipps has been without directors for nearly eighteen (18) months.”

Roman Reigns added back to multiple June WWE Raw dates

Roman Reigns will be at WWE events this June after all.

Last week, Reigns had been removed from advertising for all June episodes of WWE Raw leading up to the Night of Champions PLE in Saudi Arabia on June 27.

Dave Meltzer later wrote that the change was made because Reigns would not be at the Night of Champions PLE, and therefore wasn’t going to be on the episodes of Raw leading up to it.

On Monday, WWE posted to social media that Reigns is now advertised for three episodes of Raw in June. Last week, he had been announced for four dates in May, including tonight’s WWE Raw in Knoxville.

Roman Reigns’ advertised WWE dates:

  • WWE Raw on Monday, May 11 in Knoxville, Tennessee
  • WWE Raw on Monday, May 18 in Greensboro, North Carolina
  • WWE Raw on Monday, May 25 in Columbus, Ohio
  • Clash in Italy PLE on Sunday, May 31 in Turin, Italy
  • WWE Raw on Monday, June 1 in Turin, Italy
  • WWE Raw on Monday, June 15 in Baltimore, Maryland
  • WWE Raw on Monday, June 29 from Atlantic City, New Jersey

The graphic WWE posted on Monday does not have Reigns listed for the Night of Champions PLE on June 27.

Matt Jackson says there were talks with Triple H on crossover New Day feud 

Matt Jackson revealed The Young Bucks spoke with Triple H and WWE for a crossover match with The New Day. 

On the latest episode of their Being The Elite Vlog, The Young Bucks were reviewing footage with Kenny Omega and The New Day. Matt Jackson revealed they spoke to Triple H for a match with Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods but it did not pan out. 

“We truly were trying to get a New Day, Young Bucks, Kenny match to happen. An Elite vs. New Day match actively. They (WWE) said they were trying on their side. We were definitely talking to our bosses. Even to the point in 2018 when we got on the phone with Triple H and we talked to him and said, ‘Hey, we would really like to do this match.’ I don’t know if he was necessarily interested in just doing that match. I think he was more interested in pursuing us to work for him, but we talked to him about it. We were serious about doing the match and we thought we’d probably be able to do it, and unfortunately we never did.” 

The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, and New Day are video game enthusiasts and often played against each other in varied documented tournaments. While it was never particularly associated with a wrestling promotion, it was featured in their vlogs and social media platforms. 

Earlier this month, Kingston and Woods exit WWE after being reportedly requested to take pay cuts. 

WWE WrestleMania in Ireland reportedly viewed as ‘long-term project’

There are those viewing a WrestleMania held in Ireland as a “long-term project.”

Last week, Kilkenny Councillor Maurice Shortall told the Irish Mirror that Ireland is in a good position to make a competitive bid to bring WrestleMania to the country.

On Monday, Fightful Select posted an update on the situation, saying that those close to the “hoped project” view bringing WrestleMania to Ireland as a “long-term project” and one that is possible if the Irish government views the country as a global sporting hub.

The report added that Ireland would be expected to at least match the $6 million site fee put forth by Las Vegas to host the show, and that sources within the Irish wrestling scene view this as a potential roadblock.

The report notes that it is estimated a WrestleMania in Ireland could bring in close to €300 million to the economy.

It was also noted that a likely site for WrestleMania if it were to come to Ireland would be Croke Park in Dublin, which can hold more than 80,000 spectators. However, Fightful’s report noted that the stadium does not have a roof and that Irish weather could also be a factor in bringing WrestleMania to the venue.

Additionally, those close to the project dismissed concerns regarding protests from Croke Park residents, who protested the NFL holding a game at Croke Park last September.

Recent site fees for WWE WrestleMania

In addition to Las Vegas paying a $6 million site fee to host WrestleMania 42, the city also paid $5 million to host the event in 2025. However, in both cases, Nevada tax credits increased the total incentives to $10.3 million for 2026 and $9.2 million for 2025.

Nashville has placed a $3.5 million bid, plus additional tax breaks, to host WrestleMania 44 in 2028, as reported by our own Bryan Alvarez.

Ronda Rousey reflects on WWE chaos during Vince McMahon’s regime

Ronda Rousey discussed the chaos during her WWE run under Vince McMahon’s regime. 

In an interview with Complex News, Rousey revisited her WWE career, stating that she felt she was portraying an impression of herself rather than being authentic. 

“I felt like I was doing somebody else’s impression of myself. You can tell when I was allowed to write my own promos and when I wasn’t. I learned a lot from it and I really enjoyed my time in the ring. I didn’t really enjoy being under the death throes of Vince McMahon’s reign, but there were a lot of great experiences in there.” 

Rousey also talked about working extensively while Vince McMahon was in leadership. She expressed last minute changes were frustrating to work with after much planning for matches and events. 

“I mean the second run, Vince was just more far gone and more difficult to work with and there was a lot of inner turmoil going on in the company. It was kind of a sh*t show and nobody ever knew what was going on. And you would get to the arena and you would be made to do something that somebody threw in your lap that wasn’t, hadn’t thought about it until 15 minutes before. Everything was super last minute and not well thought out and there was no communication, no back and forth.”

Rousey stated the anxiety among the chaos and was rooting for Triple H to take over as the in charge.

“Any attempt to collaborate felt like we were trying to negotiate something as opposed to partnering together to make something great. And unfortunately I love being out there in the ring and doing it, but the process was just like cluster f*ck, sh*t show that it was so much more anxiety than it was worth. I just look back at it and I just remember the anxiety of not knowing what was going on and then at the last minute, maybe we’d be able to pull it out of our a** and have a good night and maybe not. I was definitely team Triple H to get up to take it over. Yeah. So, I’ve heard it’s been much better since he’s taken things over, but unfortunately I didn’t get to experience it.”

Rousey had two stints with WWE from within 2017 and 2023. She made an appearance at AEW Revolution to side with real-life friend and former WWE wrestler, Marina Shafir following her match against Toni Storm. 

Rousey is gearing up to fight Gina Carano on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. It will stream live on Netflix.

Update on Brock Lesnar’s status after move to WWE alumni section

An update is available regarding Brock Lesnar’s status with WWE.

Following his loss to Oba Femi at WWE WrestleMania 42, Lesnar seemingly retired, leaving his gloves and boots in the ring. Lesnar was recently moved to the alumni section on WWE.com, which led to speculation regarding his status with the company and whether he is actually retired.

PWInsider put out a report on Monday stating that Lesnar is still listed as an active performer internally in the company. The report also stated that Lesnar is considered a “free agent” because he is not assigned to a brand.

However, it was not addressed why Lesnar is not listed on the “free agent” page of WWE’s website along with Omos, AJ Lee, Paige, and others, instead of the alumni page, which lists wrestlers no longer with the company.

Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam in Minnesota

Dave Meltzer addressed what is being said internally in WWE about Lesnar’s status with the company in the April 27, 2026 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Meltzer wrote that he’s been told to treat Lesnar’s retirement as an angle:

“Most in the company believed that was not his retirement and nobody would confirm that it was a true retirement. We were outright told to treat it as an angle including from the same person who warned us to treat the first Seth Rollins injury as an angle. Lesnar’s stuff by design is almost always kept secretive, Lesnar was very convincing and the situation came across so big that it would almost be a letdown for him to retire again. Most had expected his retirement at SummerSlam, since it is in Minneapolis this year.”

Kevin Nash addresses TKO’s involvement in WWE decisions: ‘Get your f*cking noses out of creative’

Kevin Nash talked about TKO’s involvement in WWE’s creative decisions while having an experienced personality like Triple H in charge. 

On the latest episode of the Kliq THIS Podcast, Nash addressed TKO taking over creative decisions despite Triple H having control. He claimed their involvement was unnecessary with Triple H, a veteran of the industry, at the helm. 

“Levesque takes over and everybody loves the direction that this Levesque guy is carrying the new flagship WWE program into the Netflix era. And then lo and behold, like every other business on earth, the f*cking guys above him that don’t have a f*cking clue besides get paid more, higher up on the food chain decide to start sticking their d*cks where they don’t need to. ‘We’re going to throw this guy in. Let’s put this guy in. How about him in the main event? What if we throw this guy in? Why would we throw that guy in?’We got a $500 million deal that this guy is locked into. While we’re at it, let’s make the arena look like a NASCAR.’” 

“It doesn’t take anything away from Paul Levesque, because Paul Levesque still knows what the f*ck he’s doing. If anybody out there seems to be, maybe thinks this might apply to them, how about leaving the f*cking company alone? Get your f*cking noses out of creative.”

Triple H assumed creative control in WWE in 2022. Last month, TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro claimed that they were in full control of WWE creative. WWE’s storylines and feuds in recent years sparked widespread backlash and criticism from fans and veterans of the industry. 

New report details Asuka’s current status with WWE

A report from PWInsider has shed new light on Asuka’s current relationship with WWE.

Following WWE Backlash on Saturday, Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that he’s been told Asuka is semi-retired, although specifics on what that entails are not clear.

On Monday morning, Mike Johnson wrote that PWInsider has been told that Asuka is “believed to remain aligned with the company.”

Johnson also wrote that a story has been making the rounds among some at WWE that Asuka is returning to Japan for an extended period of time due to a family matter that Johnson writes he will not disclose and cannot confirm to be accurate.

Johnson is also reporting that Asuka is in Knoxville, Tennessee on Monday, which is where WWE Raw is scheduled for. It’s not clear if Asuka will be on tonight’s Raw, however. Neither she nor IYO SKY has been advertised for it ahead of time.

Asuka’s status with WWE

Fightful Select also put out a report early on Monday, stating that Asuka had signed a long-term contract with WWE in the summer of 2024. While an exact timeframe for the deal is not known, many WWE wrestlers around that time were signing deals for five years.

Several WWE wrestlers have also been commenting or posting tributes to Asuka online. However, none of the tributes mention anything about whether Asuka is retired, semi-retired, or stepping away from the ring.

Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Nattie, IYO SKY, and several others have posted photos or comments to Asuka in the days since Backlash. Some of those posts are available below.

Paul Wight reflects on acromegaly diagnosis and being told wouldn’t live past 45

Paul Wight discussed his acromegaly diagnosis and surgery that saved his life.

In an interview with High Performance, Wight talked about his visit to the Mayo Clinic when he was at University, and the doctor informing him about the acromegaly diagnosis.

“I was 19. I went my whole life, I thought I was just gifted because I had incredible endurance. I ate whatever I wanted. I could run all day, and strong and all that. Then, I went to Wichita State, and the doctor there had worked at the Mayo Clinic and was familiar with (it). He looked at my hands, and there’s different things. Like the roof of my mouth is very high, jawline, sinuses, and stuff like that.”

“He says, ‘I think you have acromegaly.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ Then, within a week, I was at the Mayo Clinic, and they’re telling me they got to do this pituitary surgery. What, I had a tumor? This is why I’m this way? I would have been big anyway. I would have been probably 6’7″, 6’8″, anyway, because my family’s big so I didn’t, I got the benefits of it, but I didn’t have a lot of the trauma that a lot of people that get acromegaly go through because they weren’t made to be bigger people. So they really got the bad end of the deal for the bone growth and other problems.” 

He further highlighted that the doctors warned him of life expectancy until the age of 45 and advised him to undergo surgery. 

“That was just a figure that I was told because I almost didn’t get the surgery. They were telling me, ‘Well, if you don’t get this surgery, you’ll probably be dead by the time you’re 45.’ Because this will shut down, this will happen. I remember thinking like, ‘45’s a long time away. I don’t know.’ I mean, you know, I’m going to start my sophomore season at Wichita State. I don’t know. Maybe I should just, you know, not get the surgery. And I remember my sister was very adamant at the time. No, you’re getting the surgery.”

Wight was associated with WWE for a little more than two decades with multiple runs in the company. He signed with AEW in 2021 where he was a commentator for Dark. Wight has also been working on his physique transformation in his time away, and is already hopeful of an in-ring return soon. 

WWE files trademark for video game 

A new trademark filing for WWE Superstar Scramble was implemented on May 10. 

It seems to be for a WWE video game with the filing including ‘video game tapes and computer game discs’. There is no confirmation yet on the exact nature and detailing of the game. 

  • Video and computer game tapes, video and computer game discs, video and computer game cassettes, video and computer game cartridges, video and computer game CD-roms, video output game machines for use with televisions; video and computer game software; video games for use with wireless devices; online video games; video games for use via a global computer network and wireless devices; coin-fed amusement gaming machines; interactive video game programs and computer game cartridges; interactive multimedia computer games on all platforms comprised of computer hardware and computer game software; electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device; video and computer game tapes, video and computer game discs, video and computer game cassettes, video and computer game cartridges

Meanwhile, WWE 2K26 was released on March 13 worldwide for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam (PC), and Nintendo Switch 2. The game boasts of 400 playable characters. And CM Punk is featured on the cover of the standard edition of the game. 

https://x.com/WrestleTalk_TV/status/2053806520811327892

Bayley teases match with WWE NXT name for The John Cena Classic 

At Backlash, John Cena announced The John Cena Classic – a new event and championship to launch the next big star in WWE basis fan votes. 

A fan posted on X showcasing interest in voting for Bayley vs. Tatum Paxley. Bayley tagged and called out Paxley in the post thread whether she was ready for a match. Paxley responded that she was. 

Paxley is the NXT Women’s North American Champion. She signed with WWE in 2021 and has been actively competing on the NXT brand. Last year she defeated Jacy Jayne to win the Women’s Championship despite being for a short reign of 24 days. 

Bayley’s eagerness to foster and mentor talents has been evident in WWE and beyond. She hosted a couple of Lodestone Wrestling Seminars to give back to the industry and uplift the next generation of talents. 

Last year, she teamed up with Lyra Valkyria and competed for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. They participated in the fatal four-way tag team bout at WrestleMania 42 for the titles eventually won by Brie Bella and Paige.

Bayley returned to AAA last weekend and assisted Lola Vice and La Catalina from Las Toxicas’ ambush.