WWE RAW on Monday is set to take place from the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. According to the latest report from WrestleTix, the show is selling at a far lower rate than the last time the company ran the building.
As of writing, around 8,245 tickets have been distributed for the show, and that number is just over 3,500 less than the 11,883 tickets the company were able to distribute when they were last at the building for the 5/16/2025 episode of SmackDown.
WWE RAW vs WWE SmackDown last year for context
Here is what took place on that show last year for reference, note that this was during the John Cena heel turn and just before the Saturday Night’s Main Event card where he faced R-Truth:
Jacob Fatu engaged in a tense moment with Solo Sikoa after JC Mateo emerged to help The Samoan Werewolf retain his title in the Fatal 4-Way Match at WWE Backlash. LA Knight launched a surprise attack on Mateo to get payback
Alexa Bliss def. Michin and Chelsea Green in a Women’s Money in the Bank Triple Threat Qualifying Match
Fraxiom def. #DIY
R-Truth confirms he will battle WWE Undisputed Champion John Cena at Saturday Night’s Main Event
Aleister Black def. Carmelo Hayes by Disqualification
Drew McIntyre accepted Damian Priest’s challenge for a Steel Cage Match on Saturday Night’s Main Event
Solo Sikoa def. Jimmy Uso and Rey Fenix in a Men’s Money in the Bank Triple Threat Qualifying Match
JC Mateo def. LA Knight in WWE debut match
Tiffany Stratton def. Nia Jax in a WWE Women’s Championship Match
Even though John Cena didn’t appear on the card, it’s clear just how much his retirement tour and him even being in the periphery for the opening stretches of his heel turn made a difference to the live gates in 2025.
“IC 009: 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.”
The filing follows several others WWE has made in recent weeks.
Recent WWE trademark filings
On May 10, WWE filed to trademark the name “WWE Super Scramble,” also for video game purposes.
On May 8, WWE filed to trademark “Samoan Werewolf,” the nickname for Jacob Fatu. The company also filed to trademark “NXT Global Heritage Invitational,” a possible tournament name for the NXT brand.
The May 8 filings also included “Earn The Day” and “Head of the Table,” both for clothing purposes.
Ronda Rousey returns to the MMA cage tonight against Gina Carano on Netflix, but a return to the wrestling ring could still be in the former WWE Champion’s future.
As for what Rousey has said about what comes after tonight, she seems pretty intent on being the “Dana White” of MVP MMA. She certainly has a history of building up financially lucrative fights. Provided her bout with Carano is as successful as Rousey believes it will be, Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian might consider giving her the role.
Rousey will likely be back in wrestling eventually, but how things shake up with MVP MMA could determine where we see her next.
What’s next for Ronda Rousey after Gina Carano fight?
Although she has been very critical of her final run in the company, and of TKO’s handling of the UFC, a potential return to WWE is not out of the question for Rousey.
During an interview with Complex to build up her fight with Carano, Rousey did not have kind words for Vince McMahon, but did say she’d always been “Team Triple H” and had been a big proponent of him taking over.
“I’ve heard it’s been much better since (Triple H’s) taken things over, but unfortunately I didn’t get to experience it,” Rousey said.
That comment just opens the door enough that the two sides could have discussions. If Rousey decides to make a little bit more money with one more WWE run, the option is there for her.
However, all of this depends on Rousey’s potential future involvement with MVP MMA.
Ronda Rousey | AEW (Image credit: @JJWilliamsWON)
Will Ronda Rousey return to AEW?
Given the TKO/UFC conflict with MVP MMA, a Rousey return to wrestling is probably more likely to occur in AEW.
It felt as though the angle at AEW Revolution with Toni Storm was meant to lead to more, but that never materialized following Storm being written off television. However, reports after the show stated it was just a one-off to promote the Carano fight.
Rousey has said she had a good time in the role.
“One thing I really love about AEW is that it’s not PG like WWE. So I can walk in there and flick everybody off and walk out and laugh with my best friend and have a great time. I didn’t feel as edited as before. So yeah, it was a good time,” Rousey said to Complex.
She definitely seemed like she was having a good time when she joined Marina Shafir in giving Jon Moxley a few chops before his match as well.
It sounds like Rousey had the kind of fun during her one AEW appearance that she didn’t have in WWE. Whether that leads to doing more in the future remains to be seen, but something feels unfinished between her and Toni Storm.
Ronda Rousey makes a surprise appearance at AEW Revolution. (Image credit: JJ Williams)
Will Ronda Rousey disappear into the sunset after Gina Carano fight on Netflix?
Rousey has two young kids and sounds like she wants to have more of them. She’s often spoken about wanting to disappear into the sunset with a large family.
“I feel like I gotta grow up. I gotta grow up and go have some more kids, and go to some soccer matches or something,” she said to ClutchPoints recently (transcription credit: Fightful).
It just seems that there is always something to pull her back into the spotlight, though.
Rousey knows the impact she has on any industry she touches. Nothing sums it up better than this quote from her recent interview with Sports Illustrated.
“I’m very aware that women are headlining WWE because of me,” Rousey said. “That women are headlining and making big paydays in boxing because of me. In bare-knuckle boxing, in full-contact karate, in everything that’s a contact sport. I’m very, very proud of seeing all the success the women are having, because I was able to prove their commercial viability, and everyone’s trying to recapture that lightning in a bottle.
“I’m so happy to see it. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully understand the scope of those ripple effects — nor anybody else — but that’s not why you do it. I’m very, very proud, and it’s very cool to see. I’m glad it’s got to the point that things are so different that people forget how it used to be. I’m not mad at that. I’m proud.”
Rousey knows the impact she can have, and I don’t think she’s done making it.
Bayley wrestled her first NXT house show in 10 years on Friday night at Buffalo RiverWorks in Buffalo, New York.
She was one of three main roster stars, along with Penta and Grayson Waller, who took part in the NXT live event.
Bayley teamed with Kendal Grey and Tatum Paxley in a win over Kelani Jordan, Nikkita Lyons and Zaria.
After her match, she had the following to say to the live crowd in Buffalo:
“As much as I loved my time here, I don’t know if I can hang with this division right now because I want to say this is the best the NXT women’s division has ever been. So Shawn Michaels, Matt Bloom, whoever is listening to this, bring me back all the time, bring me back any time, I want to be here, I want to fight the best!”
Prior to the show, Bayley posted to social media about it having been 10 years between her NXT live event appearances.
“10 years since I’ve done #wwenxt live events. Feeling nostalgic,” she wrote.
Bayley was asked what the most exciting part of wrestling in NXT at this stage in her career was.
“The challenge. It’s not the NXT I once knew and these women are DIFFERENT,” she answered.
Asked how she feels to see younger talent being influenced by her career, Bayley wrote:
“It makes me believe in putting everything you have into what you feel in your heart.”
She was asked about her favorite opponents from previous NXT house shows:
“Mercedes, Asuka, EVA MARIE,” Bayley answered.
Regarding her thoughts on Grey, her teammate for the evening, Bayley wrote, “Annoying how talented she is.”
Bayley, Penta, and Waller will also take part in NXT’s live events on Saturday, May 16 in Canton, Ohio and Sunday, May 17 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
Full results from Friday night’s show in Buffalo are available below.
NXT live event results from Buffalo, New York on May 15, 2026:
OTM defeated BirthRight
Tristan Angels defeated Shiloh Hill
Niko Vance defeated Tate Wilder
Myles Borne defeated Grayson Waller to retain the WWE NXT North American title
The Best of the Super Juniors 33 continued on Saturday.
Valiente Jr. picked up a win in his first tournament match in the opener. He beat Daiki Nagai in the opener, as Chris Charlton speculated that Nagai could go 0-9.
Ryusuke Taguchi scored a quick win over Master Wato in the second match. The bout was basically two minutes of pinning combinations with Taguchi winning on a cradle.
YOH defeated Jackob Austin Young with a Direct Drive in the third bout.
Robbie X hit Xecution on Francesco Akira to get his first win. X is selling his eye a little early in the tournament.
Daisuke Sasaki defeated KUSHIDA with a crossface to get his second win of the tournament.
Titan beat Jun Kasai with a pinning combination in a match that often played into Kasai’s skillset.
SHO used a wrench and other foreign objects before hitting Shock Arrow on Robbie Eagles for the win.
Kosei Fujita beat Nick Wayne in the semi-main event with a Thrill Ride.
El Desperado made Taiji Ishimori tap to Numero Dos in the main event.
Tony Khan and other wrestlers spoke to the media following ROH Supercard of Honor.
Notably, Khan brought up something from the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter regarding people within WWE believing AEW wouldn’t get a TV deal from Paramount when their current television deal expires at the end of 2027. Khan denied those reports while saying he chooses to turn the other cheek regarding the constant speculation.
“I saw a report today saying somebody in WWE is telling people within WWE talking about AEW’s next TV deal and talking about what we’re doing. And I was surprised by that and I’ll say what they said could not be further from the truth and they’re entitled to their opinions,” he said. “I’ve been trying to be respectful to them and try to conduct myself as a gentleman and then for them to go on background and spread these things…I’ll just turn the other cheek, and maybe a couple of years ago I wouldn’t have done it like that.”
Khan also briefly mentioned Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods, who recently departed WWE. Khan said he couldn’t comment because they are still under contract to the company. However, he did say they were great wrestlers, and would say that under any circumstances.
Deonna Purrazzo, Outrunners & Dalton Castle, Red Velvet, Mark Davis, Athena, and Khan all spoke to media following Supercard of Honor on Friday. Here are the highlights:
ROH wrestlers
Deonna Purrazzo said that having three women’s titles in ROH was “beyond her wildest dreams.” She’s excited to create what Women’s Pure Rules wrestling looks like in the future.
Khan seemed interested in the idea of an all pure wrestling-style HonorClub show, but also brought up the idea of a lot of Pure rules matches on one show, including eliminator bouts.
Outrunners & Dalton Castle talked about their Six-Man Tag Team title win on Friday. Castle said this was the one that meant the most to him, while the Outrunners pointed out this was their first title win in either AEW or ROH.
Red Velvet said she was excited to face Willow Nightingale on AEW Collision. She said all she needs is space, opportunity, and three seconds.
Mark Davis said he was open to any and all challengers for the National title.
He also said it was difficult at first to break out as a singles star but there’s nothing else in the world he’d rather do, so it’s been great. Also called Kyle Fletcher one of the best wrestlers in the world.
Athena, Diamante, and Billie Starkz all continued teasing dissension with one another.
Regarding the Owen Hart Foundation tournament, Athena said she is focusing on building herself up so she knows who she thinks she is and will soon be ready to take over AEW, it is her time and she is tired of waiting.
She also mentioned she wanted to surpass Bruno Sammartino’s WWE Championship reign of seven years, saying that was the goal to reach.
Tony Khan
Khan said this year’s SuperCard of Honor marked four years since he started with the company and paid tribute to Jay Briscoe, saying he thinks about him every day.
Said Lio Rush is doing a fantastic job, it’s been really cool to watch him develop and there’s an audience for what he does.
Khan talked more about the visa issues with Mortos and Komander, saying they still haven’t gotten their appointments yet. He again brought up the idea of defending the titles in Mexico.
When talking about the upcoming Sammy Guevara/Darby Allin match on Collision, Khan told a story about a Daily’s Place episode during COVID where only ten people were allowed in the building, saying that Sammy Guevara and Kenny Omega went over 25 minutes in the main event.
He said ROH’s move to Jacksonville has been great for the locker room and this group of younger talent.
Regarding an ROH television deal, he said they have a great set of wrestlers and champions and the way media is moving right now, there are more opportunities for ROH than ever before. He brought up ROH’s successful subscriber numbers. He got offers to put ROH on cable before, but it has to be the right situation. He is excited for Paramount to be merging with Warner Bros. Discovery, saying “you couldn’t ask for better management,” while putting over David Ellison. He painted HBO Max and AEW as challenger brands.
Said Zayda Steel really stepped up and also put Persephone over, saying it was unfortunate she got injured at the hands of the Triangle of Madness.
Khan reiterated that his new approach lately has been turning the other cheek, saying that he thought about Jesus more following Jay Briscoe’s death and has tried to apply that to his life. He says he’s not perfect but still tries to apply it.
Swerve Strickland stepped inside of a wrestling ring for the first time in months on Friday night. And that’s good news for wrestling fans, but bad news for Bandido.
After defeating Blake Christian to retain the ROH World Championship at Supercard of Honor, Bandido was celebrating on his knees when Strickland attacked from behind, laying him out with a house call. After a second house call, Strickland set up a chair in the ring and hit a vertebreaker onto it.
Swerve’s last in-ring appearance was a loss to Kenny Omega on AEW Dynamite in March, a match that Omega won to earn a World Championship match against MJF at Dynasty.
In recent weeks, a series of vignettes had aired on AEW television with Strickland running wild in Bandido’s Old West world. On Wednesday, it was announced the two would be facing off at AEW Double or Nothing in the first round of the tournament for the Men’s Owen Hart Cup.
Strickland and Bandido have only been in the same match once in AEW: in 2023, they were both in the 21-Man Blackjack Battle Royal for the International Championship at Double or Nothing, a match eventually won by Orange Cassidy.
They have been on opposing teams a handful of times in other promotions, but have only one singles match between them: In 2018, Strickland defeated Bandido at an Over The Top Wrestling event in Dublin, Ireland.
Wednesday night’s episode of AEW Dynamite averaged 585,000 viewers on TBS, down 0.9% from the previous week. It’s the lowest audience for the show since January 21st.
Dynamite averaged a 0.10 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s the same rating the show did last week and ties the second lowest rating the show has done in that category since March 11th.
The show went head to head with the NBA playoffs on ESPN and the NHL playoffs on TNT and finished tied for 7th on the cable charts for the night in the 18-49 and finished 16th on cable in terms of total viewers.
As compared with the same week in 2025 the overall viewership was down 14.2% while the 18-49 rating was down 41.2%.
Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership and 18-49 demo ratings as well as the 10 week average in both categories. This week’s show was down 12.2% in overall viewers and 16.7% in 18-49 as compared to recent averages.
The former United States Champion will be wrestling Talla Tonga next Friday in Lexington, Kentucky. This follows an angle backstage on this week’s show where Solo Sikoa told Tonga to take care of Damian Priest. As he and Talla walked away, Nakamura entered and tried to talk to Tama Tonga but was immediately jumped by Talla, who chokeslammed Nakamura onto a cargo crate.
Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa are teasing a split
Over the last several months Tama Tonga has grown increasingly weary of Sikoa, telling him that he was focusing way too much on Bray Wyatt’s lantern that he had stolen from the Wyatt Sicks. Nakamura has been seen several times backstage trying to convince Tama Tonga that he didn’t need the MFTs. But recent weeks have seen Talla interjecting himself into their conversations, tired of Nakamura’s meddling.
Tama Tonga went on to lose his match to Priest, but it was the MFT’s who got the last laugh. Both Talla and Sikoa jumped Priest after the bell, with Talla connecting with a kick and Sikoa laying out Priest with the Samoan spike.
However, Sikoa wasn’t so lucky in the main event. After trying to help Royce Keys by introducing a steel chair into his match against Gunther, Keys responded by throwing a chair directly at Sikoa’s face, sending him reeling on the floor.
Due to visa issues, the ROH World Tag Team Championships were not defended at Supercard of Honor. But there was still a lot to discuss in the promotion’s tag team division.
Former ROH World Tag Team Champions the Kingdom, Matt Taven & Mike Bennett, returned to the promotion on Friday night. They interrupted a promo by Bustah and the Brain, with both teams declaring their pursuit of the current champions, Sammy Guevara & The Beast Mortos.
Taven and Bennett were last seen in ROH in October, teaming with Matt Menard in a losing effort against SkyFlight.
The pair are three-time ROH tag champs, having won the titles from Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian in 2015, Dragon Lee & Kenny King in 2021, and from MJF in a two-on-one handicap match in 2023. They have also won the top tag team titles in New Japan Pro Wrestling and TNA/Impact Wrestling.
In ROH, Taven is a former World Champion, World TV Champion, and World Six-Man Tag Team Champion. Bennett won the Honor Rumble in 2014. Each is a former winner of the Top Prospect tournament, with Bennett winning the inaugural event in 2011 and Taven winning in 2013.
For the first time since last August, the Ring of Honor World Six-Man Tag Team Championships have changed hands.
Dalton Castle & the Outrunners defeated Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor & Carlie Bravo & Capt. Shawn Dean) to win the titles at ROH Supercard of Honor on Friday night.
It’s the first championship in AEW/ROH for either Turbo Floyd or Truth Magnum, and the first for Castle since ROH was purchased by Tony Khan. Before that, he had won both the ROH World Championship and the ROH World Television Championship.
The Outrunners’ only other title in wrestling was the Ohio Valley Wrestling Southern Tag Team Championships, which they won in 2022 and then again in 2023.
Shane Taylor Promotions had held the belts since August 29, 2025, when they defeated Sammy Guevara & Marshall & Ross Von Erich to win the vacant titles. The Von Erichs had been champions along with Dustin Rhodes, but were stripped of the belts after Rhodes underwent double knee replacement surgery.
It was made official on Friday’s SmackDown that Gunther will challenge Cody Rhodes after defeating Royce Keys in an impromptu number one contender’s match. As a result, he will now officially challenge Rhodes in Turin on May 31.
Rhodes came to the ring Friday holding the contract that was given to him by Heyman last week. Rhodes demanded Gunther arrive to sign it, ready to defend the title later this month. The former World Heavyweight Champion came out and instead played games, asking Rhodes to say please. Keys interrupted the proceedings and told Gunther if he wasn’t going to sign it, he would. The two argued over who was going to sign until Nick Aldis interrupted, setting up the main event.
The finish of the main event saw Solo Sikoa arrive and introduce a steel chair to the match despite Keys telling Sikoa earlier in he show he didn’t want his help. Keys proceeded to throw the chair at Sikoa’s head, sending him out to the floor. Gunther cut off Keys and pinned him following a powerbomb.
Another match seemed to be made for Turin, as Jade Cargill said she would be taking the WWE Women’s title back from Rhea Ripley at Clash in Italy. However, the match has yet to be confirmed. What was confirmed was a six-woman tag team match for Saturday Night’s Main Event which will see Cargill team with Michin and B-Fab to take on Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss.
WWE Clash in Italy (May 31)
WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes defends against Gunther
Big AEW Collision news on ROH: Supercard of Honor tonight. A pair of championship matches for tomorrow’s TV show were announced during tonight’s premium event.
First, because Darby Allin hasn’t been defending the AEW World Championship frequently enough lately, another challenger has stepped up. Sammy Guevara, one-half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions alongside The Beast Mortos, noted that he has won many singles championships. He also said he has beaten Allin four times in the past, and challenged him for Collision.
Allin and Guevara have met several times in AEW, in singles, tag team, and other matches. Their most recent one-on-one encounter was the Four Pillars tournament final in April of 2023, when Guevara won by disqualification.
Later in Supercard of Honor, ROH Women’s TV Champion Red Velvet complained about not being in the Owen Hart Cup brackets. She then challenged Willow Nightingale for her TBS Championship, also for Collision.
Velvet and Nightingale have met just once before, with Velvet coming out on top in an Owen Hart qualifier in 2022.
A six-woman tag team match is set for next weekend.
Following events that took place on SmackDown, Jade Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab will team together to take on Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Fort Wayne, Indiana on May 23.
After returning during last week’s show, Cargill on Friday said she would meet Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley at Clash in Italy, and the Women’s title would be coming home with her. Flair and Bliss interrupted, demanding their match against B-Fab and Michin start now. The match went ahead as advertised but ended in a DQ when Cargill pulled Bliss out of the ring.
Following the bout, Michin and B-Fab started to attack Flair, who fought back and laid out both women. Later backstage, both Flair & Bliss admitted they needed help in order to deal with Jade Cargill and the numbers game.
Ripley moved to SmackDown following her WrestleMania 42 title win but quickly found herself dealing with the debuting Fatal Influence. She has attempted to seek Bliss & Flair’s help in handling matters, but to middling results. While Bliss has seemed interested in helping out, Flair has not, still struggling to be a team player after years as a solo star.
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (May 23)
WWE Intercontinental Champion Penta defends against Ethan Page
World Tag Team Champions The Vision defend against Street Profits
Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss vs. Jade Cargill, B-Fab, and Michin
Not many wrestlers can say their first ever match came on WWE SmackDown. But Sidney Akeem can, and soon we may be seeing a lot more of him but in a different company.
Akeem spoke about his career in a conversation with R3 Jonah and the Rewind Recap Relive podcast. Discussing his career in Cirque du Soleil and WWE, Akeem mentioned his potential future plans.
“Because of where I come from and as a kid from St. Louis, my options as an adult were very limited,” he said. “And now to think that I made it to the mountaintop in the circus world, I made it to WWE, I wrestled for TNA. And now, I am in the midst of getting a deal done with AEW…Ring of Honor.”
Akeem has wrestled a handful of times for ROH, sometimes under that name, sometimes as Soleil.
“I’m just like, what is this world?” he said. “What is this life that I’m living? And it felt so great to not only debut on Ring of Honor. I’ve done that years ago. But to put something that wasso close and personal, Soleil, on Ring of Honor, and then to get see the reception that it got … I mean in in in some ways it’s better than my WWE debut.”
After some time in Cirque du Soleil, Akeem made his pro wrestling debut as Reginald Thomas, Carmella’s personal sommelier, on SmackDown in December of 2020. His first match was a loss to Sasha Banks in January of 2021.
