Hours after her brutal match against Zaria on the April 21, 2026, edition of WWE NXT, Sol Ruca expressed her gratitude to the brand.
Former NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca recently confirmed her jump to the main roster with her latest social media upload. She shared a couple of pictures on Instagram, showing her sitting in the NXT locker room. “Thank you NXT, it’s been real,” she captioned the images.
Her Instagram upload was soon filled with emotional messages from her NXT colleagues, who expressed how much they would miss Ruca. Several top names, such as Lola Vice, Adrian Rizzo, Izzi Dame, and others, commented on her post.
Ruca recently performed on the April 20 edition of RAW after WrestleMania 42, where she faced off against Liv Morgan. Her kayfabe nemesis, Zaria, interfered and cost her the match. The two later clashed on NXT’s Revenge special episode on April 21, where Zaria won. The match concluded with Ruca suffering a nasty fall.
The 26-year-old is a former NXT Women’s North American Champion as well as a former WWE Women’s Speed Champion. Ruca is now a part of the recent NXT to main roster jumps that include Joe Hendry and Ethan Page.
The inclusion of Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll into the Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton WWE WrestleMania 42 program was met with mixed reaction, to say the least.
In his new vlog featuring some of the action from this past weekend, the hit musician suggested both he and the sports talk star get out of the WWE spotlight for a while and back to their respective industries.
While being driving in a golf cart backstage at Allegiant Stadium, Jelly Roll said, “I had one goal tonight and I kind of succeeded. Pat, I love you man. Neither one of us had any business here. I say we get back to what we’re good at. man, even though I’m not actually really good at anything. But you’re great at something, so go do it. I’ll keep searching for what I’m going to do when I grow up.”
The video showed him the night before backstage at SmackDown, saying hi to Damian Priest and Trick Williams before watching the show with his son and friends in a luxury box. It then moved to night one of WrestleMania with him saying hi to music producer and wrestling fan Rick Rubin and John Cena while also watching the show from a box.
The clip of him elbowing McAfee through the announcers’ table was shown followed by him joking he needed to frame the picture of him “levitating” above McAfee.
At one point, it was believed WWE was building to a Jelly Roll/Rhodes vs. McAfee/Orton match but that appears to be a no go after McAfee held to his pre-Mania word that if Orton lost, he would be gone from WWE forever.
Appearing on the latest episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, Ric Flair pitched The Undertaker taking over WWE’s creative head role after Triple H.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani about The Undertaker’s career and his current work as a booker for AAA in Mexico. Helwani asked Flair about his thoughts on it. The 16-time World Champion addressed the current situation and pitched The Undertaker taking over Triple H’s role in WWE if he is ever let go by the promotion.
“If they let go Hunter [Triple H] and Taker [The Undertaker] is physically able to do it, he should be the next head of creative.”
However, when asked if Flair believes Triple H should leave WWE, he responded, “No, no, no. I’m saying if something happens with Hunter, because, you know, he has some very serious health issues. You know that, right? Nothing’s guaranteed.”
In the same appearance, he also opened up about his relationship with Triple H. “Well, it’s good, I mean, we exchange pleasantries, but here’s the deal with Triple H. He did do much for me. He did so much for me after [Eric] Bischoff destroyed me. And when he brought me into the company, which he did, I think more than Vince [McMahon] did, we did Evolution, which restored my confidence because Bischoff had completely killed me. So, I can’t get mad at him. Our relationship is not the same, but he has a lot on his plate. Running the WWE and being in charge of this and that, constantly being scrutinized.”
Triple H and Flair were once part of the villainous stable Evolution alongside Randy Orton and Batista.
Just days after concluding WWE WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the second time in a row, Triple H has shared a grateful message.
On social media, WWE’s Chief Content Officer, Paul Levesque, aka Triple H, shared a message expressing his gratitude to everyone involved in producing and delivering WrestleMania.
“Another historic [WrestleMania] in the record books, another opportunity to say THANK YOU to our performers, staff, and crew who make this event the spectacle it has become. No one does it alone.
He finished his message by stating WWE’s International presence and beginning the countdown for WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia.
“Grateful to our fans who bring their energy and passion to wherever [WWE] goes around the globe – we are nothing without you. The countdown to [WrestleMania] 43 begins…”
Another historic #WrestleMania in the record books, another opportunity to say THANK YOU to our performers, staff, and crew who make this event the spectacle it has become. No one does it alone.
Wrestling veteran Ric Flair was not fond of Charlotte Flair’s WWE WrestleMania 42 match on Night One.
At WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Charlotte Flair teamed with her tag team partner, Alexa Bliss, in the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match against Lash Legend, Nia Jax, Brie Bella, and Paige.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Flair was asked about his thoughts on his daughter’s WrestleMania 42 match. Flair opened up and revealed that he did not like the match and pitched his daughter’s return to singles competition.
“I didn’t like her match at all, and I think that Ashley [Charlotte Flair] needs to be [a singles wrestler], and I know she enjoys her relationship with Alexa, but if Ashley is not in a title picture right now, in my life and as a spectator, without her in the main event in a singles match.
“The match she had with Rhea Ripley two years ago, they’ve never had a match like that ever in the history of women’s wrestling, and Rhea’s getting gold as well, I’m putting them both over,” he added.
The first-ever WWE WrestleMania on ESPN saw some impressive numbers for the hourlong portions that aired on ESPN’s linear networks in addition to the ESPN Unlimited streaming service.
First reported by Front Office Sports (a WWE content partner), Saturday’s one hour WrestleMania 42 simulcast brought in 1.62 million viewers on ESPN2. The hour featured Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu in an unsanctioned match as well as LA Knight & The Usos vs. Logan Paul, Austin Theory & IShowSpeed in a trios bout.
Sunday’s hour brought in 1.82 million viewers on ESPN’s main channel with Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi (followed by Lesnar’s possible retirement seen above) and the ladder match for the men’s Intercontinental title.
FOS also reported that the one hour countdown shows did 676,000 viewers for ESPN2 on Saturday followed by 750,000 for ESPN on Sunday.
National competition included both the NBA and NHL playoffs on both nights.
No viewership data has been revealed for the full ESPN Unlimited broadcasts, but in WWE’s media releasing touting the weekend’s overall success, they stated that “WrestleMania Saturday was the most-viewed telecast of the year on ESPN2, while WrestleMania Sunday was the most-viewed telecast of the entire weekend on ESPN.”
It was the first WrestleMania as part of ESPN and WWE’s five year exclusive domestic deal for PLEs that began last September. The networks did a slew of coverage leading into the event on key properties like SportsCenter and Get Up.
Even with fewer ticket sales, WWE’s site fee from Las Vegas for this year’s WrestleMania 42 and accompanying events grew from what they took in from WrestleMania 41.
Revealed in public documents received by Post Wrestling’s Brandon Thurston, WWE will take in $6 million from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, an increase from the $5 million they received for bringing WrestleMania 41 to Las Vegas. It’s termed a sponsor fee in their contract which included WrestleMania 32 and a minimum of 300,000 square feet of convention space for WWE World and their on-site merchandise store.
That will put WWE’s total take at over $10.3 million in incentives as the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development has already approved over $4.3 million in tax credits. The LVCVA got visibility on WrestleMania ads, involvement in press & promotional events, a suite for both nights, ten daily tickets to WWE World, and 20 lower level tickets for Raw, SmackDown and NXT (even though NXT didn’t take place in Las Vegas during the week).
WWE has already touted the business success of the weekend, but did not reveal a total revenue number, only saying it was among the highest-grossing events in WWE history.
A member of Danhausen’s WWE WrestleMania group disclosed plans on how the segment came about. He detailed The Miz approaching them backstage with ideas to hype the comedic moment.
In an interview with Rewind Recap Relive, Richard Fitzwell of MicroMania Midget Wrestling cited the initial plans for the Danhausen segment evolved as they ran through rehearsals. He cited that The Miz came up with the idea of the little people carrying him out of the ring after Danhausen’s attack, and did a trial run in the dressing room.
“It was phenomenal. It was supposed to be something simple, just walk out with him down the ramp and it evolved into something bigger.”
“We had The Miz come to our dressing room, he asked us if we could pick him up. He started that. Backstage, we lifted him up and he said, ‘Alright, I’m gonna go to production and see if we can add it to the skit.’ Then we went to rehearsal, John Cena was sidestage, Danhausen asked John Cena to be part of the production.”
“Then they asked if we would come into the ring and then one of the gentlemen gets pushed, and then one of our other guys punched Kit in the lower area, then we pummel him. Then, again, we go to Miz and carry him out.”
“So that was all built out, evolved, like I said – it was simple and then it evolved into something big. And to have John Cena out there, plus The Miz, and Danhausen, that’s like a dream come true.”
Fitzwell appreciated Cena and Triple H commending their work after the segment. He added that Triple H looked forward to their return for another collaboration in the company.
“And then after the fact, John Cena and Triple H came to us and said, ‘What a great job and we would love to have you back in the future.'”
In a spirited hearing regarding the controversial Muhammad Ali Boxing Revival Act being pushed by TKO, a United States Senator decided to make a pitch for his state to host a future WrestleMania.
Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, a Republican, asked WWE president and Zuffa Boxing promoter Nick Khan what it would take for WrestleMania to come to Ohio, mentioning their soon-to-be-built domed stadium in Cleveland right across the street from a major airport.
“2029 or 2023…what’s better for you to bring WrestleMania to Cleveland?,” Moreno said, adding they hosted a “successful” SummerSlam in 2024.
Khan, who looked surprised at the pitch, played along, joking that Logan Paul pressures him weekly to bring WrestleMania to Ohio and now he has the pressure of Moreno to go along with it.
Both WWE and AEW have benefited from Ohio tax credits in recent years for bringing events to the state.
Khan was the only TKO representative at the hearing which also featured all-time great and current promoter Oscar de la Hoya who is against the revision to the Ali Act to create a new “Unified Boxing Organization” that critics feel is too similar to the UFC model and would hurt fighters.
The bill has already cleared the U.S. House of Representatives with Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, a Republican, saying he would bring the bill to the Senate and is open to bi-partisan modifications.
Senator Bernie Moreno asking Nick Khan what it will take to bring WrestleMania to Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/D1yVboXeQ1
Even though WWE already announced that next year’s WWE WrestleMania 43 was heading to Saudi Arabia, there was apparently an idea of it heading to Nashville, Tennessee, at one point.
However, according to local tourism groups, that plan “didn’t work out” due to the dates involved, but they are looking to host it in future years.
Reported today by Fox 17 in Nashville, “leaders with the Tennessee Titans and Nashville tourism groups” had previously said the biggest event of the wrestling year would be coming to the new Nissan Stadium in April 2027, just two months after the venue is set to be completed and which would be one of the first big events to be hosted there.
However, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp (aka Visit Music City) told the outlet that, “the date didn’t work out, and we are looking at future years.”
It’s unclear where the comments and confidence from the city came from and at what point they were out of the running for 2027. The venue is where the NFL’s Titans will play after moving from the existing stadium in the city.
Tiffany Stratton is hopeful Brock Lesnar returns for WWE SummerSlam after apparent retirement at WrestleMania 42.
Stratton told Adrian Hernandez that she almost cried when Lesnar started unlacing his boots at WrestleMania 42 and hopes he returns for a last match at SummerSlam.
“I don’t know. When I saw Brock unlace his boots, I almost shed a tear. I was sad for him. He looked like he started crying a little bit too. He’s just a boy. It’s his first time living too. So hopefully it’s not his last match. Hopefully in SummerSlam in Minnesota we’ll get to see him. I think that would be iconic, retiring in your hometown. But yeah, I’m really sad but happy for him.”
Lesnar kicked off Night Two of WrestleMania Sunday going up against Oba Femi, who won his first match at the event. After the bout, Lesnar sat in the middle of the ring, took off his gloves and shoes, which is a common gesture when a wrestler retires.
Paul Heyman had accompanied him for the showdown and was reduced to tears with what unfolded before him. On the Raw after Mania, WWE aired a video tribute to his career in the company. Additionally, there are multiple reports that not many within WWE are convinced that Lesnar has completely retired from wrestling.
Ric Flair says he wasn’t allowed to attend last year’s WrestleMania 41 and never received a call back about a potential role at the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.
Flair called in to The Ariel Helwani Show on Wednesday. During the interview, Flair revealed that he was not permitted to attend WrestleMania 41 in 2025 after making threats toward Tiffany Stratton’s partner at the time, Ludwig Kaiser, who Flair mistakenly referred to as Stratton’s husband.
Flair said:
“I threatened to beat up Tiffany Stratton’s husband last year, and I wasn’t allowed to go. A 24-year-old kid being threatened by a 76-year-old man, and I can’t go to WrestleMania. Are you kidding me?”
“That English kid, he’s gonna go as far in wrestling as a gnat. He’ll be a fly on the wall in a year,” Flair continued, referring to Kaiser, who is 35 and from Pinneberg, Germany.
Helwani asked Flair to clarify what happened.
Flair said:
“They had that thing where Tiffany made a smart remark about Ashley’s divorces, which we both know she’s not smart enough to have written. Somebody gave her the script.
And then he implied that, I’m just going based on social media, once again, which is a lot, that he was implying that he wouldn’t mind a one-off with Ashley.
And I went, okay, I need your number. I got it, which I can get anybody’s number I want any minute of any day. And I called him. I said, ‘Hey, when I see you, I’m gonna beat the s–t out of you.’
So he went like a little b—h, told Hunter, and I wasn’t allowed to go.”
Flair then implied he wasn’t sure if Kaiser was still on the WWE roster.
“Where is he now? Is he even on the roster?” Flair asked.
Helwani confirmed Flair was referring to Kaiser and told him Kaiser was wrestling in Mexico.
“I’m sure he is. I hope he stays,” Flair responded.
Flair continued by saying that, because of the contributions he has made to wrestling, there should be a red carpet rolled out for him wherever he goes.
“There should be a red carpet for me, a red carpet to the front row. And that’s how I feel about it.
With my contributions in this business and the work that I put in, hours and hours of trying to make wrestling something that it is today, and I gotta have problems with politics. Give me a break.
I’m not mad at anybody. I understand it’s politics now. It’s too much politics and not enough wrestling.”
Flair also revealed that Dennis Rodman asked him to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame. Flair said he contacted WWE, but never heard back from the company.
“Dennis Rodman called me and said, ‘Will you induct me into the Hall of Fame?’ And I said to the powers that be, ‘Dennis wants me to induct him.’ I never got a call back.”
Rodman was inducted into the Hall of Fame last Friday by fellow NWO members Sean Waltman and Kevin Nash.
The full April 22, 2026 episode of The Ariel Helwani Show is available below. Flair was the first guest.
Ric Flair believes all pro wrestling fans should be showing their appreciation for Vince McMahon.
During a Wednesday appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Flair was asked to give his thoughts on the “Thank you, Vince” chants that were heard from fans during Stephanie McMahon’s WWE Hall of Fame speech.
“They should,” Flair responded. “They should all be thanking Vince. Everybody. Everybody in the world that likes wrestling should be thanking Vince McMahon.”
Vince was not at the ceremony and has been gone from WWE since January 2024, when he resigned in the wake of a lawsuit filed against him and the company by former employee Janel Grant. The still-ongoing suit accuses McMahon of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault, and sex trafficking.
During the Helwani interview, Flair was asked if he has been in contact with McMahon recently.
“No, I have not. I feel like there’s so much that’s going on that I would be wasting his time,” Flair said. “He knows how I feel about him. He lent me $800,000 [in the 2000s], and unlike what people portray, it was not for the IRS. It was to help me get through three divorces at one time. And the thing of it is, they hate hearing this, I paid him back every dime. When he called me and said I can write this off, I paid him back because I didn’t want to let him down.”
Flair — who is currently under contract with AEW — wasn’t in attendance at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Dennis Rodman wanted Flair to induct him, but Flair never got a call back after inquiring about it. Flair believes there is a “lack of respect” for him in WWE but doesn’t know where it stems from.
Along with being there for Rodman’s induction, Flair wishes he could have attended the ceremony for Stephanie.
“I don’t think I’m in bad graces with any of the talent. I don’t think I’m in bad graces with Hunter,” Flair said. “But here’s the deal, one of my favorite heels of all time — and I honestly believe she is one of the top 10 heels in the history of the business was Stephanie McMahon. I needed to be there.”
"Everybody in the world who likes wrestling should be thanking Vince McMahon… He knows how I feel about him.
He lent me $800k, and unlike what people portray, it was not for the IRS. It was to help me get through three divorces at one time.
Montez Ford shared a detailed list on what occupied him during his time away from WWE, also revealing that he and Bianca Belair kept the pregnancy a secret for six months.
In February while competing at an NXT live show, Ford was spotted with a somewhat healthy physique as compared to his usual self. It sparked concern among fans. Later, Belair jokingly posted that she keeps him well fed. Ford’s latest Instagram post showcased the varied projects during his time away from WWE TV.
“GAINED SOME WEIGHT. MADE A BABY. KEPT IT A SECRET FOR 6 MONTHS. TRAINED 8 WEEKS. LOST THE WEIGHT. FINISHED THE ALBUM. COMPLETED 8 MILLION “HONEY-DOs” RETURNED THE MONDAY NIGHT AFTER MANIA. KINGS BACK.”
The Street Profits (Ford and Angelo Dawkins) made a surprise return to WWE Raw after Mania and targeted The Vision during Seth Rollins’ attack on Bron Breakker. Their last main roster appearance was on the October 10 edition of SmackDown for a Tag Team Title match against then champions, Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis.
Meanwhile, Belair had been away from in-ring competition since last year’s WrestleMania. She suffered a finger injury during the triple threat match with Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY. Towards the end of the year, there was anticipation on her potential comeback for the Premium Live Event this year.
Cody Rhodes left WWE WrestleMania 42 with his left eye swollen and almost shut following his match with Randy Orton.
As reported by our own Dave Meltzer, Rhodes was placed in concussion protocol as a precautionary measure, with evaluations yet to be completed. There was no orbital bone fracture, the seriousness of which could have led to him being sidelined.
Rhodes shared an update on Instagram Stories that doctors informed him he ‘won’t lose the eye’.
‘“You won’t lose the eye…’ has to be the most positive yet absurd thing I’ve ever heard in a doctors office,” posted Rhodes.
The main event at Night One of WrestleMania 42 saw both men bloodied by the end of it. After the match, Orton delivered a Punt Kick to Rhodes out of frustration for not winning the WWE Championship.
Rhodes appeared on the Raw after Mania with a bruised eye. He confronted CM Punk who was in an unusually upbeat mood after losing the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns the night before. And his mood was contradictory to what Rhodes was expecting from him.
The segment concluded with Punk stating ‘you never know when a championship opportunity is just gonna fall out of the sky’ and looked down at Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Title. As he made his exit, Rhodes responded ‘just say when’.
