ROH tag team issues challenge for AEW Collision

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

The history between Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal has been long and storied—and it looks like it’s about to get a little longer. 

Lethal appeared alongside Lee Johnson for a promo during tonight’s ROH Supercard of Honor show. He addressed his past as Samoa Joe’s protégé in the early days of the promotion, and compared it Joe now mentoring Anthony Bowens in AEW. He then challenged Joe and Bowens to face himself and Johnson on Collision on Saturday night in Salisbury, Maryland.

Lethal started in ROH under the name Hydro in the Special K faction. In 2004, Joe convinced him to leave the group and use the Jay Lethal name. The two would share the ring as partners and opponents several times, with Joe defeating Lethal for the ROH Pure Championship in 2005.

In future years, Lethal would fail in several challenges of Joe in TNA for both the X Division Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship. They would also team up to challenge for the World Tag Team Championships, but were unsuccessful. 

They have met just once in the past decade: In July of 2022, Joe again defeated Lethal to retain the ROH World Television Championship at Death Before Dishonor.

ROH announces next Global Wars event

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

For more than a decade, Ring of Honor has been presenting Global Wars events, matching its roster against wrestlers from all over the world. We now know the date and location of the next Global Wars show, and which promotions will be involved.

During the Zero Hour portion tonight’s Supercard of Honor show, ROH announced Global Wars: Cincinnati would be taking place on Thursday, June 18. They also announced that talent from CMLL and World Wonder Ring STARDOM would be on the show. The event will be available on WatchROH.com.

The first Global Wars show (then known as Border Wars) took place on May 12, 2012, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Kevin Steen (now known as Kevin Owens) defeated Davey Richards in the main event. Eddie Edwards, the Young Bucks, Tomasso Ciampa, and the Briscoe Brothers were among the other names on the card last night. 

The most recent Global Wars event was in Windsor, Ontario, Canada in March. That show was co-promoted with Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling. The main event of that show was a four-way tag match, with the Good Brothers defeating Kaito Kiyomiya & Bishop Dyer, the Gates of Agony, and Bryce Hanson & Sheldon Jean to win the MLP Canadian Tag Team Championships. 

There have been 22 Global Wars events in total, mostly in the US and Canada, but also in Australia, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. This will be the first Global Wars event in Cincinnati and the second in the state of Ohio. In 2017, Kenny Omega teamed with the Young Bucks to defeat the Best Friends & Flip Gordon in the main event of Border Wars: Columbus.

Beast Mortos & Komander away from AEW/ROH due to visa issues

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Two AEW & ROH wrestlers are away due to visa issues.

As Sammy Guevara wrestled Action Andretti on the ROH Supercard of Honor Zero Hour event, announcer Ian Riccaboni noted that Komander and The Beast Mortos were unable to be at Friday’s show in Maryland due to visa issues. It was additionally noted that Tony Khan is looking at the idea of Guverara and Mortos defending their ROH Tag Team titles in Mexico.

Komander hasn’t been seen on ROH television since the March 28 edition of the program where he defeated Dralistico. Mortos was last seen around the same time, with he, Rush, and Dralistico winning a squash match on an episode of Collision that was taped on March 18.

LFI have had total control over the ROH Tag Team titles for months

Guevara aligned himself with LFI back at Death Before Dishonor, turning his back on Ross & Marshall Von Erich to win the vacant ROH Tag Team titles with Rush. After the latter suffered a knee injury, he won the titles again, this time with Mortos.

Zero Hour on Friday saw Guevara defeat Andretti, Rush defeating an enhancement talent in a squash match, Mina Shirakawa & Queen Aminata defeating Lacy Layne & Janai Kai, and The Rascalz defeating the Premiere Athletes.

WWE SmackDown live results: Gunther makes his decision

Posted on by Marc Quill

Last week, Paul Heyman revealed his favor to GUNTHER was getting him an Undisputed WWE Championship match for the upcoming Clash in Italy show, but the “Ring General” refused to officially sign the contract, even as current champion Cody Rhodes dared him to fight.

Tonight, WWE is advertising a segment where Gunther will have to officially decide whether to join the SmackDown brand.

Also announced for the show, Trick Williams will return to the University of South Carolina following his win over Sami Zayn at Backlash. Jade Cargill will also address her attack on Rhea Ripley.

Full WWE SmackDown lineup for Friday, May 15, 2026:

  • Gunther decides whether to join SmackDown to challenge Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes
  • United States Champion Trick Williams returns to the University of South Carolina for a homecoming celebration
  • Jade Cargill addresses her attack on WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley
  • Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs.
  • Damian Priest vs. Tama Tonga
  • Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints

WWE SmackDown on Friday, May 15, is scheduled for the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

Our live coverage kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern.

*******************

– Our show kicked off with the prerequisite arrivals to the arena, including Cody Rhodes, Damian Priest & R-Truth and The M.F.T.s, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, and Jade Cargill’s crew. We then got a shot of hometown hero Trick Williams in the middle of the Gamecocks’ stadium as we went to a recap of last Saturday’s Backlash.

Trick Williams’ Columbia Homecoming

The night kicked off with the arrival of U.S. Champion Trick Williams to a massive hometown reaction. He was accompanied by Li’l Yachty and the Gamecocks mascot to the ring. With the “Whoop That Trick” chants loudly filling the air of the Colonial Life Arena, Williams introduced himself and said that he was back home in Columbia.

Williams said he was proud of representing WJ Keenan High School, and the University of South Carolina growing up. Williams said he remembered driving up the road to his favorite restaurant, “Kiki’s Trickin’ and Waffles”, with the chicken wings so good that you had to eat them while standing up. He recounted eating these mythical chicken wings and how they related to his now-famous “lemon-peppa steppas”.

Williams talked about his family being in the crowd as he recounted his days with the Gamecocks. So, to WJ Keenan, to U.S.C., to his mama, Williams declared himself as the star that they helped create.

The Miz rudely interrupted the celebrations, as he mocked the Gamecocks mascot and the Gingerbread Man last week. Miz said that Williams was being a joke by bringing all these costumed characters to WWE. L’il Yachty stepped up and told Miz and Kit Wilson were being disrespectful to the hometown hero, as he pointed out that this was the reason why Miz was cursed by Danhausen. Kit Wilson joined in with some “slam poetry”, as he called himself “Kit Willy”. Wilson read his supposedly-disparaging slam poetry about Williams and Yachty.

Yacht didn’t like what Wilson had to say and offered his own diss verses against him, stating that Miz and Wilson came out cocky because they had “little tiny balls”. Miz angrily shouted that they wouldn’t bring the Tiny Balls talk back as he demanded for a referee to come ou. Miz said he was going to whoop Williams’ ass in front of his mama. Wilson spoke a bit too much trash an paid for it by getting thrown out of the ring. Miz soon found himself flat on his back, and we learned that we would indeed see this match coming up after the break.

I think it’s no secret that I much prefered this over the Gingerbread Man antics of last week. Williams looked like a natural and had the hometown crowd in the palm of his hands for this opening segment. My only complaint is the “Miz has Tiny Balls” running gag is not really as funny as WWE wants us to believe.

*******************

Trick Williams vs. The Miz

We kicked things off right after the break as Miz backed Williams into the corner. A disrespectful shove from Miz was met by a harder push to the ground from the U.S. Champion. Williams fired up and blasted Miz with a flying shoulder block that sent his foe into the apron. Miz dropped William’s head over the top rope to gain the momentum as he headed up to the top rope. Miz’s dive was intercepted by a gut shot from Williams. Miz responded with a Kitchen Sink strike, followed by the running boot to a seated Williams. Miz choked at Williams across the middle rope as he then struck him with the running kick to the back of the head.

Miz held control of the match with stomps to Williams, but missed with the running boot. Williams turned that into a jumping neckbreaker on Miz, followed by the slaps in the corner and the “Whoop That” stomps. Miz got out of the way of a running boot from Williams by leaving the ring. Miz missed the sliding dropkick to the outside as Williams threw him around the barricades. Behind the referee’s back, Wilson struck Williams with a running elbow, as Miz finally connected with the rope-assisted sliding dropkick. We took a break on Miz getting in Li’l Yachty’s face at ringside.

This opening match returned from break with Miz and Williams exchanging strikes, but it was the U.S. Champion who got the best of his foe with his signature strikes. A scoop slam from Williams was followed by the stylish Book-End for a near-fall. Miz went for Williams’ eyes and almost had the Skull-Crushing Finale, but couldn’t connect. He did, meanwhile, nail the torquing DDT on Williams for the close two-count. Miz went for his kicks to a kneeling Williams, but missed on the last one as that got turned into a pin attempt. Williams dropped Miz with a flapjack as he hyped himself up. Kit Wilson pulled at the foot of Williams, as Miz eventually hit a Skull-Crushing Finale on his opponent.Williams kicked out at two as Wilson tried to distract the referee. The Miz went to grab a kendo stick, but Li’l Yachty intercepted him and stole the weapon. Yachty blasted Wilson with the kendo stick, and meanwhile in the ring, Williams finished Miz off with the Trick Shot knee.

Trick Williams def. The Miz via pinfall

Not gonna lie, I kinda enjoyed this opener. It was far from a great in-ring match, but the crowd was hot for it and giving the hometown hero Williams his moment unspoiled really added to it.

*******************

– Backstage, Carmelo Hayes was interviewed about his match against Ricky Saints later tonight, his first in a while. Hayes said that he was shooting for the U.S. Championship as he was interrupted by Ricky Saints. Hayes talked about how “this place” had a funny way of humbling people like Saints eventually. Saints continued to talk trash to Hayes as he left. “Like looking into a dirty mirror,” Hayes spoke of Saints.

– Elsewhere, after Nick Aldis chatted with Rey Fenix, Sami Zayn approached him and said that he needed to do things the right way, and that he wanted to earn a U.S. Title shot. Problem for Zayn, according to Aldis, he already had his U.S. Title rematch. Zayn angrily pointed out that he had supposedly earned his shot after all that he’s done, and it’s something that his “ride or dies” see. Aldis didn’t see it that way, stating that all he saw from Zayn as of late was nothing but “entitlement” as he left. Zayn looked like he was going to blow a gasket, but Rey Fenix returned and tried to calm him down. Zayn was delusional and didn’t think he had changed.

– Paige and Brie Bella were interviewed before their upcoming match as it was clear that the target was on their backs now more than ever. The Irresistable Forces interrupted and stated that they were going to take the WWE Women’s Tag Titles back from Paige and Brie. The Women’s Tag Champs left Nia Jax and Lash Legend hanging as they had a match to get ready for.

Brie Bella & Paige vs. Giulia & Kiana James

James and Brie opened the match for their teams, as the former showed her power off with a forceful shove. Brie avoided a boot from James and followed that with a side Russian legsweep. Paige tagged in as she and Brie showed some nice double team offense with a boot from the Brit and a bulldog from Brie. Giulia entered the match and took it to Paige with hard strikes to the chest in the corner. Giulia then hit the snap suplex and went for the cover, to no success. Paige recovered and hit a version of the Shining Wizard after a snapmare on Giulia. Paige struck Giulia with kicks across the chest, but James tripped her up on the apron. Giulia recovered and threw Paige into the ring post as we took a break in the action.

We returned as Giulia continued to take it to Paige on the top rope. Giulia had her opponent set up for a risky move, but Paige fought back and turned it into a sunset flip powerbomb. Paige struggled to get to her corner, but Brie got the hot tag. Brie went into “Brie Mode” as she blasted both James and Giulia with knee strikes on opposite ends of the ring. Brie then hit them with the Bryan Danielson kicks, followed by the Bella Buster on James. Giulia broke up the count but got thrown out for her troubles. Tag by Giulia as James hit Brie with the lungblower, followed by a Northern Lights Bomb from Giulia. Paige broke up the count. James accidentally sent a running Paige into Giulia, which took her out of the ring.

With James’ partner out of the equation, Paige finished this match off with Rampaige for the three.

Brie Bella & Paige def. Giulia & Kiana James

That was a bit rough, to say the least. The spear that Giulia took from Paige at the end did not look good at all. Not terrible by any means, but really quite evident that there wasn’t any chemistry between Brie/Paige and Giulia/Kiana.

*******************

– Women’s U.S. Champion Tiffany Stratton was interviewed about how the women’s division had strong alliances all around and where she fit in. Just then, Giulia and Kiana James bickering about their loss just now interrupted. Stratton noted that she was doing well enough alone, but Chelsea Green interrupted her. Green tried to get Stratton to be on her team, but got ignored.

Cody Rhodes wants an answer from Gunther

The Undisputed WWE Champion made his way down with the SmackDown contract of Gunther in hand, looking for an answer from his would-be Clash in Italy foe. Rhodes threw some office chairs into the ring followed by a table, looking like he was set to do an impromptu contract signing. With the tables and chairs set up in the ring, Rhodes got down to business.

“Columbia, South Carolina… what do you wanna talk about?” asked Rhodes as he talked about how he had all the formal ingredients for the contract signing, including a SmackDown contract and the Clash in Italy match contract for Gunther, and that’s what they were goind to do right now.

Out came “The Ring General”, and he angrily asked Rhodes about how much time it took to get this roster transfer, and how Rhodes made it all about himself, like a typical American. Gunther pointed out how Rhodes was supposedly complaining and crying every week and made it about himself. All Gunther wanted out of Rhodes was to be professional about it, stating that he had to ask nicely.

Rhodes responded by stating that Gunther was the one who got the drop on him and that he was the one who made the favor with Paul Heyman to get this title match. Rhodes then said “please come sign this contract, so that you’re guaranteed to get your ass kicked at Clash in Italy!”

Gunther said that Rhodes didn’t mean it when he said it, as he was unexpectedly interrupted by Royce Keys. The powerhouse made it simple… “If you won’t sign it, I will,” as Keys made his way down to the ring. Just as Keys was about to sign the contract, Gunther stopped him and got into Keys’ face. Before anything could unravel, Nick Aldis interrupted.

Aldis talked about how that contract was supposed to have Gunther’s name on it, but he overplayed his hand with is antics, so that means the Clash in Italy title shot was up in the air. This led to Aldis making the match: Royce Keys vs. Gunther with the Clash in Italy title shot up for grabs. As Gunther left to argue with Aldis, Rhodes simply told Keys the same thing he told Gunther last week: “I’m easy to find, hard to beat.”

This was a good segment, and setting up a potentially good match in Keys vs. Gunther as our main event is a nice bonus.

*******************

– Solo Sikoa gave marching orders to Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga backstage. Sikoa told Tama to take care of Damian Priest while he and Talla were going to pay Royce Keys a little visit. As Sikoa and Talla left, Shinsuke Nakamura had words for Tama, but Talla charged in and attacked him. Talla chokeslammed Nakamura onto a cargo crate as the ineffective team of backstage staff came too late to stop the carnage.

– Nick Aldis went at it with Gunther backstage, again reiterating that the big man overplayed his hands with his antics and refusal to sign the SmackDown contract. Aldis remarked that maybe Paul Heyman rubbed off on him a bit.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints

Saints got the upper hand with a cheap shot on Hayes as the bell rang. Hayes recovered, but missed on the first dropkick. A second attempt did hit its target as Hayes threw Saints into the corner and chopped him. Saints wrenched the arm of Hayes and went up for a little Old School action that connected. Saints was sent to the apron by Hayes and left in posititon for the springboard leg drop. The former U.S. Champion then soared over the top rope for the Fosbury Flop that left Saints down and out as we took a break.

This match returned from commercial as Hayes pushed Saints off the top rope as he got maximum hangtime on the frog splash for the two-count. Hayes attempted the First 48, but Saints blocked it and hit him with a forearm strike, followed by the high-angle driver for the two-count. Our match was inexplicably interrupted by a “preview” of a movie called Pressure while Saints applied a chinlock on Hayes.

Hayes broke free from the hold and leveled Saints with superkicks a-plenty. He then followed it up with the springboard forearm strike as he had Saints in his sights. The Dirty Diana from Hayes, but Saints kicked out at two. Saints hit Hayes with the boot to the face, followed by a rebound back suplex for the two-count. A frustrated Saints tried to lift Hayes up, but he couldn’t. A couple of stomps from Saints finally had him open for the Revolution DDT. Hayes reversed and turned it into the First 48. One, two….. 2.9999999!!!!!!!!!! Hayes struggled to get himself back up top to the top rope, but he missed the Nothin’ But Net. Saints then followed it with the Revolution DDT, but Hayes somehow kicked out at the very last second.

Saints failed to hit Roshambo, so he pushed Hayes into the turnbuckle and tried to get a dirty rope-assisted pin. Referee Charles Robinson noticed the feet of Saints on the ropes and stopped the count. Saints argued with Robinson as Hayes snuck up and rolled up Saints to get the three… with a little help from the bottom rope.

Carmelo Hayes def. Ricky Saints via pinfall

This was a solid match and a great return for Carmelo Hayes, who was sorely missed after time off from TV. I thought this was Saints’ best match to date in his short time on SmackDown, and Hayes was the perfect opponent for this one.

*******************

– Danhausen was hanging out in his “lab” as he was planning something “even bigger, better, and larger” on the horizon. Danhausen dragged a body on a stretcher with a towel draped over it and was messing about with curious intent on his computer.

Damian Priest vs. Tama Tonga

Tama went right after Priest as the bell rang, but soon found himself being pummeled in the corner with the rights. Tama got cracked with a backwards elbow from Priest. The goozle from Priest was broken by Tama, but the New York native hit him with a big boot. Tama got sent out and Priest was locking and loading for a running attack. Tama intercepted with a dive off the steps, and the sport-style replay of that last spot took us to the break.

The match returned from commercial as Priest had Tama stunned in the corner. He then attempted a Razor’s Edge. Tama turned that into a rear naked choke as Priest broke the hold by backing into the corner. Tama then got Priest with the jumping DDT for the near-fall. Priest withstood Tama’s shots, which agitated him and he launched his own strikes. Step-over shoulder block by Priest, followed by the spinning kick. Tama found himself flattened by the Flatliner of Priest. Body splash in the corner into the Broken Arrow from Priest, but that wasn’t enough for the win. Priest tried for his rebound lariat, but Tama smartly rolled out of the ring to avoid it. Priest sent Tama over the announce table with a pounce as he sent him back into the ring afterwards. Priest headed up top and kind of lost balance off the top rope, which allowed Tama to get him with the swinging neckbreaker. One, two… not quite.

Tama went for a double underhook maneuver, but Priest got ahead of that as he had him held by the throat. Tama escaped the hold, but the rebound lariat made its mark. Straps went down and so did Tama as he took a ride South of Heaven and Priest got the win.

After the match, Talla Tonga absolutely pasted Priest with a kick. Solo Sikoa got Priest with the Samoan Spike with no R-Truth or Royce Keys making the save.

Damian Priest def. Tama Tonga via pinfall

Decent match, but again, my general apathy for the M.F.T.s as a unit is quite clear, especially in this broken down form after recent releases.

*******************

– Sami Zayn was speaking about his troubles of being called to the sad-sack Johnny Gargano, who was still lying down, unmoving.

Jade Cargill speaks her mind

The former WWE Women’s Champion, flanked by her friends B-Fab and Michin, made their way down to the ring, as Wade Barrett referred to them as “Baddies”.

Once Cargill got into the ring, she started by saying that everyone acted so tough when she wasn’t in the building. So, when her music hit, everyone seemed to become more quiet. Rhea Ripley found that the hard way, and at Clash in Italy, the WWE Women’s Championship was coming home with her. Before Cargill could wrap up in her usual manner, Charlotte Flair interrupted, with mic in hand. Alexa Bliss soon followed, also with a mic in hand.

Flair said that nobody wanted to hear Cargill talk, because this was Flair Country, according to Bliss. Flair talked about how she and Cargill had been doing this dance for the last few years, but last week finally pissed her off. Bliss stated that B-Fab and Michin were there to make Cargill look good. Cargill demanded a referee to get out so that the tag match could start.

This was dire, if we’re being honest. I’m just not a fan of Cargill’s faction as a trio, when a better version of them exists in the form of Fatal Influence.

*******************

– Yet another vignette for Blake Monroe aired as the debut is still coming.

Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. B-Fab & Michin

Flair got it going by lifting Michin with a toss, but couldn’t follow it up as Michin grabbed hold of the rope and got out of the ring. Once Michin got in the ring, Flair again dropped her with a takedown, but a shot to the back of the leg turned it around. Flair recovered and threw Michin in the corner as she hit her with a chop and a step-up boot to the face. Michin countered and slammed her after she grabbed her by the hair. Michin kept momentum going with a hurricanrana and a spinning kick afterwards. Flair avoided a drop kick from Michin and wrapped her leg around her foe’s head and slammed her thrice. Bliss and B-Fab entered, as the latte was shelled by a dropkick and the double knees to the back of the head. Michin’s distraction from the apron allowed B-Fab to get the advantage as she punched her repeatedly. Bliss countered with a boot and went up top for a diving attack. B-Fab caught her and slammed her face-first as we took a commercial break.

We returned from the break as Michin and B-Fab kept Bliss isolated for a moment. Michin intercepted Bliss and hoisted her on her shoulder. Too much showboating from Michin led to Bliss capitalizing with a DDT to create some separation. Flair with the hot tag as she launched herself for the crossbody on B-Fab. Flair then leveled both B-Fab and Michin with the chops to the chest. Fallaway slam by Flair to B-Fab and Michin, with the message to Jade Cargill made all the more clear. As Flair headed to the top rope, Cargill stepped to the apron, which allowed B-Fab to trip up Flair. Michin hit a missile dropkick on Flair as she and B-Fab hit a double pump-kick. Bliss broke up the count in the nick of time. B-Fab rolled up Flair for the pin, but that got turned into the Figure-Four leg lock. Michin broke the submission, but found herself clotheslined out of the ring. Bliss blindtagged as Flair delivered kicks to Michin and B-Fab. Sister Abigail DDT from Bliss, but Cargill pulled her from the pin to cause the DQ finish.

Post-match, The Baddies tried to get the jump on Flair, but found themselves waylaid by a determined Flair.

Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss def. B-Fab & Michin via Disqualification

This was a fine enough match, but I was not fond of the DQ finish. Seems like a creative crutch that gets used often in WWE as of late.

*******************

– Fatal Influence were interviewed backstage. Jacy Jayne and crew put themselves over a group that believed loyalty was a currency and that it would soon pay dividends with Fatal Influence holding all the gold in SmackDown’s women’s division.

– Backstage, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss were licking their wounds, as the two conceded that they were going to need help to deal with Jade Cargill and her Baddies.

– A recap of Jacob Fatu destroying Roman Reigns on Raw this past Monday was shown.

– Royce Keys was preparing for his match against Gunther when Solo Sikoa approached him and again offered to help out. Sikoa said that Keys should seek his help, because what happened to Shinsuke Nakamura would happen to him if Keys wasn’t careful. Keys calmly said “I got this” and left, as Sikoa noted that Jacob Fatu said the same thing to him a while back.

Next Week on SmackDown (Lexington, KY):

  • Talla Tonga vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Saturday Night’s Main Event:

  • Intercontinental Championship: Penta (c) vs. Ethan Page
  • World Tag Team Championships: The Vision (Logan Paul & Austin Theory) (c) vs. Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins)
  • Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, & Rhea Ripley vs. The Baddies (Jade Cargill, B-Fab, & Michin)

Gunther vs. Royce Keys (Winner Faces Cody Rhodes at Clash in Italy)

The SmackDown main event began with a test of strength between these two big meaty men. Gunther pushed Keys in the corner and piefaced him, as Keys responded with a punch to the face of his opponent. Gunther backed out of the ring as Keys beckoned him to fight in the ring. Gunther stepped into the ring and again got out. Once Gunther returned to the ring, he hit Keys with a boot to the gut, followed by a chop to the chest. Side headlock by Gunther was broken by Keys, as the two traded running shoulder blocks. Keys finally took Gunther down with a shoulder block, as he took the knife-edge chops and barely reacted. Gunther took a run at the powerhouse and got dropped with the Bulldog-strength powerslam that sent his foe out of the ring. With Gunther looking for a breather at ringside,. Keys didn’t give him any time to breath with the throw into the LED barricades. Keys then threw Gunther over the announce table as we took our final commercial break.

Our main event returned from the break as Keys attempted a suplex on Gunther, who escaped two attempts and hit his foe with a chop. However, Keys turned that around for the suplex on the third try. Gunther got back on it with the knee to the gut followed by a hard chop to the chest and the near-fall. Keys was thrown out of the ring by Gunther, who took time to mock the crowd before he stepped to the apron. Gunther attempted a big boot from the apron, but Keys caught him and dropped him for three World Strongest Slams onto the announce table. Back in the ring, Gunther caught Keys with the big boot, but failed to connect on the second strike. This gave Keys a brief opening, but he got dropped with the Gunther clothesline.

Gunther tried to ascend to the top, but was sent back down to earth with a Keys superplex for a close near-fall. As the two big men shambled back to their feet, Gunther caught Keys by surprise with the sleeper as he brought him down to the ground. Solo Sikoa appeared at ringside to “motivate” Keys. Sikoa’s appearance seemed to distract Gunther, which allowed Keys to escape the hold and then level his opponent with the flying clothesline. Keys made Big E proud as he struck down Gunther with the hard lariat for the near-fall. Keys put Gunther on his shoulders, but once again found himself in the sleeper hold. Keys again fought back and freed himself from the hold. The pounce from Keys pushed Gunther into the referee, which allowed Sikoa to grab a steel chair and try to give it to Keys. An emphatic rejection by Keys unfortunately opened him up for Gunther’s clothesline and powerbomb, and that’s it, over. Gunther will face Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Clash in Italy.

After the match, as Gunther was taunting the camera, Cody Rhodes got the last word in with a Cross Rhodes on his Clash in Italy opponent.

Gunther def. Royce Keys via pinfall (will face Cody Rhodes at Clash in Italy)

*******************

I enjoyed that main event. It was a good “big meaty men slapping meat” contest between Keys and Gunther, and even the expected Solo Sikoa interference worked out well, too to further Keys’ story with him. Keys was fantastic here and hung well with someone as established as Gunther. I think the Rhodes vs. Gunther match at Clash in Italy will be good, so I can’t wait for that.

After a sloppy SmackDown last week weighed down by the Gingerbread Man tomfoolery, this week felt a lot better in comparison. The matches were enjoyable and there weren’t really any overly terrible segments that drew my ire compared to last week.

It was really great to see Carmelo Hayes back in the ring, and his match with Ricky Saints was the standout of the evening. Hopefully, Hayes is back in the U.S. Title picture and gets featured more regularly moving forward.

If there was anything I could call a “negative” about tonight, was, of course, the amount of ads. The promos for “Pressure: The True Story of D-Day” seemed a bit ridiculous, especially when we had one match even interrupted by a promo for the movie. It goes hand in hand with how sometimes, WWE just feels like one big commercial that’s occasionally interrupted by wrestling matches. Thankfully, that wasn’t enough to put a damper for me on this week’s shows, but it’s still an annoyance that can be understandably be too much for some viewers.

What is Ring Of Honor supposed to be? | Opinion

Posted on by Bryan Rose

ROH’s first pay-per-view of the year, Supercard of Honor, takes place tonight. As with most ROH shows under Tony Khan, it is bound to be great. After all, when was the last time someone like Bandido had a bad match? One of the best matches of last year was at Death Before Dishonor, where he retained the ROH title over Hechnicero in a bout that got many match of the year votes in the Wrestling Observer Awards.

But the buzz for Supercard of Honor is minimal. In an era where WWE and AEW compete for attention, ROH often feels in the background, with people focusing on CMLL, NJPW, Stardom, or other international promotions for alternatives to the big leagues. The aim for ROH seems to be a place where you can watch a bunch of great wrestling, but these days that’s commonplace everywhere. There isn’t much reason to watch Ring of Honor, which after all these years under Tony Khan still feels like it’s trying to find an identity.

The weekly television isn’t much to talk about. Everyone wrestles well. There is talent there you don’t see on AEW television on a weekly basis, like Jordan Oliver & Alec Price or Lee Moriarty. But a lot of the matches on TV do feature AEW talent, many of whom don’t win on Dynamite or Collision. That makes ROH feel like the C-show, a Velocity or Heat where people may win there, but often are the ones who get pinned on AEW television. AR Fox, for example, defeated Nick Wayne on yesterday’s ROH television show to win the promotion’s TV title. That’s great, AR Fox always delivers. But his last win on AEW television was last year in a multi-man pre-show match before Double or Nothing and has done nothing but lose on Dynamite and Collision. What does that say about ROH’s champions?

Storylines on the brand just seem to kind of come and go, with nothing generating much attention. The one long-term storyline has Billie Starkz, longtime Athena minion, tired of Athena’s antics but never really pulls away for good and somehow they just stick together. This is good for a year-long build culminating in a big match. But they’ve already had the big match against one another, twice! The two headlined BOTH Final Battle 2023 and 2024, with Starkz coming up short each time. And wouldn’t you know it, the two are fighting again just one day before they are both in a Survival of the Fittest match for the ROH Women’s Championship. What’s the end goal here? Will this storyline ever advance?

Despite all of my criticisms, there are recent moves made that I like. They recently moved ROH’s tapings to a studio in Jacksonville, Florida, giving the shows a more individual feel. Great! The company should go in this direction and go further, perhaps go the NXT route and focus more on younger talent they have plans for in the future. Most importantly, the promotion’s champions and talent shouldn’t be going on AEW television to lose. ROH shouldn’t feel like AEW’s C-show; it should feel like its own brand, and treating it more like a developmental brand to focus on younger talent should be the way to go.

When Tony Khan purchased ROH years ago, I liked the idea, as it gave AEW a library to build upon and people got to keep their jobs when it was clear Sinclair Broadcasting was all but done with professional wrestling. But the promotion needs to stop being treated like an afterthought. AEW has a deep enough roster where creating a distinct talent pool isn’t out of the question. There’s great potential for keeping the ROH brand alive, but right now I’m just not seeing it.

Former WWE wrestler Reginald ‘almost main evented WrestleMania’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

According to former WWE wrestler Reginald, he was nearly inserted into Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair’s match at WrestleMania 37.

Banks and Belair made history in 2021 when they became the first Black women to headline WrestleMania. But the match apparently could have been a triple threat, with Reginald telling Rewind Recap Relive that Vince McMahon wanted to add him to the mix.

“Brother, I have a million,” Reginald responded when Rewind Recap Live asked if he had any stories about McMahon being high on him. “Just one that’s ridiculous off the bat, I almost main evented WrestleMania. It was an intergender match… If I would have been in this match, I would have got so much heat from everyone because this match had such — like, this was a huge match. This was a first… Vince wanted a triple threat between Sasha, Bianca, and myself.”

Around the time of WrestleMania 37, Reginald was involved in a storyline with Banks, Belair, and Carmella. He even worked a singles match against Banks earlier that year. The story was supposed to be Reginald splitting off from Carmella and getting close to Banks — only to reveal that he was joining her match at WrestleMania. Banks and Belair did not respond favorably when they found out the idea.

“So Carmella fired me and I was supposed to fall in love with Sasha, all of these different things,” Reginald said. “So Vince calls all of us into the office. Me, Sasha and Bianca, and we have some producers and writers there. He says, ‘This is what I’m thinking, Reggie, you buy her a dog, she loves you, and you’re playing every week in the middle, but the thing is you have an endgame. You will come out and announce that this is no longer a singles. This is a triple threat.’

“When he said that, Sasha had a look on her face, and Bianca had the same look on her face. And I’m just like, ‘I don’t know what the hell is happening right now. I’m not going to look at anyone, I’m not going to say anything.’ Vince said, ‘Because Sasha and Reginald, you guys have great chemistry.’ And Sasha kept asking Vince, ‘What do you mean? What is this chemistry?’ He’s like, ‘I don’t know, it’s just chemistry.’ She’s like, ‘But what makes us have this chemistry?’ He was like, ‘I don’t know, damn it. It’s chemistry.’ We just didn’t get an answer. It was just: chemistry.

“Lo and behold, they came to their senses. That would have been stupid to throw me in that match. And so they went on to have a great match that’s going to live in WWE history for a long time. Can you imagine? Can’t even, yeah.”

Even if he was added, Reginald might not have been able to compete —

It’s unknown if this triple threat actually would have gone on last had it taken place. And the WrestleMania plans likely would have fallen through even if McMahon did decide to move forward with them, because Reginald ended up testing positive for COVID the day of the show. He told Rewind Recap Live that he was supposed to accompany Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler for their WWE Women’s Tag Team title defense against Natalya & Tamina.

“I was supposed to debut in front of a live crowd that WrestleMania with Nia & Shayna, but I got COVID the day of,” Reginald said. “I drove to Tampa, tested, got horrible news. Legit been clean, negative the entire pandemic. First time I get to go, my first WrestleMania — COVID. I have to drive back home.”

During his WWE career from 2020-2024, Reginald (real name Sidney Bateman) was known as Reggie, Reginald, and Scrypts. He noted during the Rewind Recap Relive interview that he’s now “in the midst of getting a deal done” with AEW/ROH, where he’s already worked ROH tapings with his new character Soleil.

ROH Supercard of Honor live results: Bandido vs. Blake Christian, Survival of the Fittest

Posted on by Joseph Collins

Ring of Honor presents Supercard of Honor 2026 tonight on pay-per-view.

This year’s event takes place from the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center in Salisbury, Maryland. Eight matches are advertised for the show, including seven championship bouts.

ROH Women’s World Champion Athena’s record-setting title reign faces one of its biggest tests yet as she defends against five top contenders in a Survival of the Fittest match. Bandido will also put the ROH World Championship on the line against Blake Christian of The Swirl.

The full lineup is below:

  • ROH World Champion Bandido defends against Blake Christian
  • Nigel McGuinness vs. Josh Woods in a Pure rules match
  • ROH Women’s Champion Athena defends against Maya World, Trish Adora, Yuka Sakazaki, Billie Starkz and Zayda Steel in a Survival of the Fittest match
  • ROH Women’s Pure Champion Deonna Purrazzo defends against Diamante
  • ROH Women’s TV Champion Red Velvet defends against Viva Van
  • AEW National Champion Mark Davis defends against Xelhua
  • ROH Pure Champion Lee Moriarty defends against Ace Austin
  • ROH Men’s TV Champion AR Fox defends against Lio Rush

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Zero Hour!

Sammy Guevara v. Action Andretti 

Visa problems are keeping Kommander and Guevara’s partner The Beast Mortos in Mexico, and Sammy is unable to defend the ROH World Tag Team titles as a result. So Sammy has a singles match with Action Andretti instead. 

Guevara rejected the “Code of Honor” with a middle finger. Sammy and Action exchange arm wringers and cool counters to arm wringers before Action got a couple of quick near falls.  Andretti messed up Guevara’s beautiful hair, and Guevara responded with a thumb to the eye. 

Andretti came back fired up, hitting a dropkick and sending Guevara to the floor with a clothesline. Andretti followed up with a pair of dives to the floor. Guevara came back with a dropkick and his own dive to the floor. Andretti knocked Guevara to the floor with a superkick, then hit another dive. Andretti tried for a springboard into the ring, but Guevara caught him with a jumping knee. 

Guevara dumped Andretti with a Samoan Drop. Guevara shouted that he should be facing Bandido for the World Title tonight and I was honestly thinking the same thing. Andretti did a handspring into a cutter and both guys were down. 

Andretti mounted a comeback with a series of strikes. Guevara tried to come back with a knee strike, but Andretti hit an enziguri and a handspring back elbow. Andretti went to the top, and Guevara dropped to the floor to avoid Andretti. So, Andretti dropped to the apron, then sprang into a an Asai moonsault. 

Back in the ring, Andretti got a near fall after a springboard clothesline. Andretti went for a split-leg moonsault, but Guevara got out of the way. Andretti then hit almost like a Spanish Fly powerslam for two. 

Andretti went for a springboard, but Guevara got his knees up. Guevara put Andretti on his shoulders in a torture rack, then spun him into a DDT. Guevara followed that up with the GTH and got the pinfall. 

Match Result: Sammy Guevara pinned Action Andretti (11:22). 

RUSH v. LSG

I think that was his name? Anyway RUSH killed him dead with the running dropkick in the corner. 

Match Result: RUSH pinned LSG (0:36). 

RUSH might have broken his own record for shortest Ring of Honor match. 

— Shane Taylor Promotions offer an open challenge tonight to anyone but Mance Warner, Eddie Kingston and Ortiz. 

Lacy Lane & Janai Kai v. Mina Shirakawa & Queen Aminata

Shirakawa got the figure-four leg lock on Lane. Kai ran into break up and Aminata floored her with a knee. Kai caught Shirakawa with a knee, and Aminata leveled her with a headbutt. Kai and Lane caught Shirakawa with kicks. Aminata came back with a forearms on Lane and Kai, but she was eventually overwhelmed by the 2-on-1. Shirakawa made the save by hitting both her opponents with a dropkick off the top at once. Shirakawa locked Kai in a figure-four, and Aminata locked Lane in a Texas Cloverleaf. Kai was officially the one to tap out. 

Match Result: Shirakawa & Aminata defeated Lane & Kai when Kai tapped out (7:38).

This was kind of a mess. 

— Jay Lethal and Lee Johnson challenged Samoa Joe and Anthony Bowens for Collision tomorrow night. Lethal and Johnson were also confident that Blake Christian would win the ROH World Title tonight.

The Premiere Athletes (w/ Mark Sterling & Stori Denali) v. Myron Reed & Dezmond Xavier (w/ Zachery Wentz) 

Sterling was appalled that The Rascals like to partake of the “Devil’s Lettuce.” 

Tony Nese started out with Xavier. Xavier caught Nese with a dropkick and then taunted him with some jumping jacks. Nese caught Reed with a double chop in the throat and the Premiere Athletes took control. 

Reed dropped to the floor to go after Sterling, but this was a set up for Denali to floor him with a clothesline. Back in the ring, Ari Davari hit Xavier with a DDT. Davari dumped Xavier to the floor and all the heels took their shots at him. 

Nese and Davari double-teamed Xavier in the ring. Xavier caught Davari with a hook kick and both guys were down. Reed got the tag and took on Nese, catching him with an enziguri. Nese ducked a shot but got caught with a superkick. Xavier recovered and teamed up with Reed for a slingshot neckbreaker for a near fall. 

The Premiere Athletes took out Xavier with a double team DDT. Nese spun Reed into a sit-out tombstone for a near fall. Xavier came back with an enziguri for Davari. Xavier hit Davari with a dive, Nese hit Xavier with a dive, and Reed took out Nese and Davari with his crazy over the top rope cutter on the floor. 

Sterling tried to interfere, but Wentz cut him off. Denali tried to attack Wentz, but he turned that into a cutter on Sterling. 

Back in the ring, Davari took out Reed with a hammerlock clothesline. Nese came off the top with a 450, and Davari followed up with a splash. He went for the cover, but Xavier broke up the pin with a twisting legdrop. 

The Rascals hit Davari with a double superkick. Reed picked up Davari for a burning hammer, and Xavier came off the top rope with a stomp to drive the move home. 

Match Result: Reed & Xavier defeated The Premiere Athletes with Reed pinned Davari (11:19)

During the match Global Wars: Cincinnati was announced featuring talent from ROH, CMLL and Stardom. This will be on June 17th on Honor Club, with matches from shows taped on June 10th and 11th.

Supercard of Honor Main Show

Ian Riccaboni & Caprice Coleman were on commentary. 

Josh Woods v. Nigel McGuinness in a Pure Rules Match. 

McGuinness’ t-shirt is perfect and I’m gonna have to run and go buy one right now. 

The Code of Honor was adhered to. I love the unique “Pure Rules.” If you’re going to have 18 million titles in a promotion, it’s good to vary up the rules for some of them. But, why don’t they have the clock running on the screen for every match? 

In Pure Rules, each wrestler is only allowed three rope breaks. If it goes to a time limit draw, then three judges at ringside will determine the winner. There is a 20 count outside the ring, no closed punches, and anyone who interferes gets fired. 

Anyway, Nigel set up Josh to push him into the corner and cause a rope break for Josh, showing his smarts. Nigel went for a side headlock, but Josh countered into a judo throw and grabbed an armbar, and Nigel quickly had to go to a rope break. 

Nigel took Woods down with a arm wringer and went to work on the arm. Woods countered an overhead armbar with a small package, but Nigel kicked out at two. Josh backed Nigel into the corner for a hard chop, and Nigel countered that with a thumb to the eye. Nigel tried for the Tower of London out of the corner, but Woods countered that into a sleeper, and Nigel had to use his second rope break! Nigel had to drop to the floor to regroup. 

Nigel grabbed a headset to talk to the commentators about how the match wasn’t going the way he planned. Woods grabbed a second headset and said the match was going exactly how he thought it would. The referee found his own headset and told them to get back in the ring before they both got counted out. 

That. Was. HILARIOUS. 

Back in the ring, Nigel tricked Woods into using his two remaining rope breaks. While this was clever, it fired up Josh, who took the fight to the floor and rammed him into the ring barriers. Back in the ring, Woods hit a backbreaker and locked in an ankle lock. McGuinness had to break that hold by using his last rope break. 

On the floor, Nigel hit the Tower of London, sending Woods face-first to the floor (while Nigel twisted to avoid landing flat on his back). Woods recovered and both guys started exchanging forearms. The referee’s count got to 18 before they slid back in the ring. Back in the ring, Woods and Nigel knocked each other out with simultaneous boots. 

Nigel recovered first and hit more forearms and a running European uppercut. Woods came back with a backbreaker and a clothesline for two. Woods then went back to the ankle lock. Nigel made it to the ropes, but it didn’t matter. So Nigel rolled through and sent Woods into the turnbuckles. 

Nigel went for the “London Dungeon” an overhead armbar. Woods escaped. Nigel hit some weak uppercuts, but sprung back off the ropes and hit a lariat, and got the pinfall. 

Match Result: Nigel McGuinness pinned Josh Woods after a lariat (14:57)

Red Velvet v. Viva Van for the ROH Women’s Television Championship

These two are occasional partners in CMLL, now facing off for the Women’s Television Championship.

Red Velvet busted out a short-arm scissors early, but Van countered that into a cradle to force a break. Van then dropped a knee on Velvet’s arm. Velvet came back with a leg lariat. Van hit a rolling leg lariat of her own for a near fall. 

Van punished Velvet with a stretch muffler, then went to work on Velvet’s leg. Van stretched Velvet with a bow & arrow. Velvet escaped and got a surprise near fall. Both women exchanged open-handed chops, then exchanged forearms. Van went for a heel kick (at least I think that’s what she was trying) that found nothing but air. Velvet quickly covered for two. Van folded up Velvet with a German suplex. 

Van sent Velvet into the corner with an up kick. Van tried an electric chair drop, but Velvet countered with a rana. Van hit a spinning back fist and both women fell down with their arm on their opponent, and it was a double pin attempt, but both kicked out at two. 

Van ducked a spin kick, but Velvet caught her with a superkick. Velvet went for her finisher, but Van blocked it and dumped Velvet with an Air Raid Crash for a near fall. 

Van picked up Velvet in an electric chair again, and then climbed up to the middle ropes. Velvet escaped and pulled Van out of the corner with an Iconclasm for a near fall. 

Van tried for an electric chair suplex, but Velvet spun out of it, but Van drove her down with a sit-down powerbomb for two. Van went for the electric chair again, but Velvet turned that into a cradle for two, but Van reversed that again for two. Velvet then popped up and hit a spin kick on Van to get the pinfall. 

Match Result: Red Velvet pinned Viva Van (11:19). 

That makes 12 wins in a row for Red Velvet. 

AR Fox v. “Blackheart” Lio Rush for the ROH World Television Championship

Fox won the belt “last night” on ROH TV. Whatever this gimmick is for Lio Rush, it’s not going to fail because Rush isn’t putting his heart into it.

Rush has messed up contacts in his eyes and black ooze coming out of his mouth. The Code of Honor was not followed when Rush hit Fox with a clothesline before the bell rang.

Rush took control early with his usual speedy tactics. Fox tripped up Rush on the apron, then flipped over the ropes into a double stomp. Fox followed up with a moonsault to the floor.

Back in the ring, Fox hit a clothesline in the corner and followed up with elbows. Rush came back with a heel kick to send Fox to the floor. Rush went to the top, but Dox followed him up. Rush bit Fox, then wedged him between the turnbuckles and gave him a stunner. Rush hit a crossbody to the floor.

On the floor, Rush threw Fox about the ring barricades. Back in the ring, Rush drove Fox to the mat with a brainbuster. Fox tried to fight back, but Rush cut him off with a running back elbow.
Rush ran into a boot from Fox. Fox hit a spinning DDT off the ropes for a near fall.

With both men down, Action Andretti came out to cheer on the match. Fox hit a flying back elbow in the corner, then a rolling cutter for a near fall. Fox went to the top, but Rush tried to try him up in the ropes. Fox spring into a cutter off the ropes, then hit another cutter, but it only got two.

Fox went for a 450, but Rush avoided it and hit a pop up powerbomb. Rush followed up with a spear for two. Rush stretched Fox, then hit a springboard cutter to send Fox to the floor. Rush followed up by hitting a dive on the floor. The crowd was going crazy for Rush.

Back in the ring, Rush hit another springboard cutter for two. Rush gave Fox a stunner and locked in a cravat. Rush forced Fox into the corner and bit his head. Fox ducked a charge from Rush bt fell victim to a Spanish Fly. Rush then came off the top with a frog splash, but it only got two.

Rush dropped to the floor and took the title belt. He climbed up the ropes with the title belt, but referee Stephon Smith took the belt away from Rush. With the ref looking away, Andretti shoved Rush off the top rope. Fox hit a 450 splash and got the pinfall.

Match Result: Fox pinned Rush to retain the ROH TV title (15:40).

— Sammy Guevara reminded the world he’s beaten the AEW World Champion Darby Allin four times, and tomorrow night on Collision he’ll do it for a fifth time and win the AEW World Title. 

Deonna Purrazzo v. Diamanté for the ROH Women’s Pure Championship 

Purrazzo folded Diamanté up with a big powerbomb and went right into a Fujiarwa armbar. Diamanté immediately used a rope break to escape. 

The fight went to the floor, and Diamanté targeted Purrazzo’s leg, then hit a stunner on the floor. 

Back in the ring, Diamanté worked over the leg some more. Diamanté grabbed an ankle lock on Purrazzo while she was leaning against the ropes, which basically forced her to use a rope break. 

Purrazzo came back with chops in the corner. Diamanté hit a closed fist on Purrazzo, which is her one free closed fist. If she does that again, it will be a disqualification. 

Diamanté hung Purrazzo upside down in the ropes, then dropkicked her to the floor. Purrazzo got back in the ring, and Diamanté worked over the knee some more. Purrazzo came back with a Russian Leg Sweep. She rolled right into an armbar from there, but Diamanté countered with a cradle and hit a kick. 

Diamanté blocked another powerbomb attempt and went back to a spinning toe hold, then transitioned into an ankle lock. Purrazzo flipped out of it, but Diamanté caught her with  a forearm. Diamanté hit a bridging German suplex for a near fall. 

Diamanté caught Purrazzo with an armbar, but Purrazzo countered with a cradle. Purrazzo hit a closed fist and got a warning from the ref. Purrazzo caught Diamanté with a draping DDT, then went back to the arm bar. Diamanté used her second rope break to escape. 

Purrazzo tried for a Gotch style piledriver, but Diamanté escaped. Diamante set up something like a Cross Rhodes, but Purrazzo escaped and went for the arm bar. Diamanté escaped and Purrazzo struck with a Gotch Style piledriver for two. 

Diamanté flipped off Purrazzo and slapped her, trying to taunt her into using a closed fist. Instead, Purrazzo drove her down with a short powerbomb, the locked in the Venus De Milo double armbar. Even though she was close to the ropes (and still had one rope break), Diamanté tapped out. 

Match Result: Deonna Purrazzo retained the Women’s Pure Title over Diamanté by submission (13:01).

— Action Andretti turned on his partner Lio Rush because he was nowhere to be found when RUSH laid him out in the pre-show.

— Coleman and Riccaboni confirm Darby Allin v. Sammy Guevara for Collision tomorrow night. 

Ace Austin v. Lee Moriarty for the ROH Pure Wrestling Championship 

Moriarty is the longest-reigning ROH Pure Champion and the longest-reigning men’s champion of any kind in ROH. 

Austin used a rope break very early to escape a pretty rudimentary hold, so that might have been Moriarty leading him to the ropes. Moriarty went to the arm, but Austin countered with a backbreaker. Moriarty tried for a chicken wing, but Austin slipped out and caught Moriarty with a cradle. Austin locked Moriarty in a Muta Lock. Moriarty escaped by jamming Austin’s fingers against the mat. 

Moriarty again went for the chicken wing, but Austin escaped by backing into the corner. Moriarty went to work on Austin’s arm some more. Moriarty tied up Austin in a straight jacket. Austin was able to reverse that into one of his own. Moriarty escaped and locked in an octopus. Moriarty then leaned towards the ropes, basically leading Austin into using his second rope break. 

Moriarty has used none of his rope breaks. 

Moriarty missed a dropkick, and Austin locked in a Koji Clutch. Moriarty had to use a rope break to escape. 

Moriarty swept Austin’s leg. Austin floored Moriarty with a short arm clothesline and dropped a leg. Austin hit a Death Valley Driver. Austin hit a bridging German suplex for a near fall. 

Moriarty avoided an offensive move from Austin by going to the ropes, and some in the crowd called for a rope break. The ref didn’t see it that way. 

Moriarty hit a springboard lariat, then locked in the Border City Stretch. Austin countered with a cradle for two. Austin countered an arm bar with a deep cradle for two. 

Austin tied up Moriarty’s legs and bridged back for a cover, but Moriarty used a rope break to escape. 

This leaves both men with just one more rope break. 

And just like that, Moriarty locked in another arm bar while Austin was tied up in the ropes, forcing Austin to use his last rope break. 

Moriarty escaped a tiger driver and hit a forearm. Austin sprung off the ropes with a spinning kick. Austin charged, but Moriarty caught him with another armbar. Austin got to the ropes, which didn’t break the hold, but he was able to use the ropes to dump Moriarty to the floor. 

Moriarty slid back in the ring, and Austin drove his head into the mat for a near fall. Austin spun Moriarty into a flatliner and locked in the Koji Clutch again. Moriarty had to use his last rope break to escape. 

Austin went for a rollup, but Moriarty escaped and locked in the chicken wing. Austin escaped, but Moriarty rolled him up with a bridge, and in bridging back grabbed the ropes for additional leverage and got the pinfall. This is apparently legal, since all the rope breaks were used up. 

Match Result: Moriarty retained over Austin via pinfall (16:08). 

— Red Velvet feels good about retaining her ROH TV Title, but doesn’t feel good about being left out of the Owen Hart Women’s Tournament. So she’s going to Collision tomorrow night to beat Willow Nightingale for the TBS Championship. 

— Lexi Nair brought out Jordan Oliver and Alec Price. They are “Busta and the Brain.” They plan to be first in line for the ROH Tag Team Titles. But they’re ready for any other tag teams in ROH that are feeling froggy. And just like that, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett, the Kingdom returned to ROH. Surprisingly, this didn’t end in violence, but both teams shaking hands and pretty much agreeing to a fight down the line. 

Shane Taylor & The Infantry (w/ Anthony Ogogo & Christyan XO) v. The Outrunners & Dalton Castle  for the ROH Six Man Champions

The Outrunners and Castle answered the open challenge that Shane Taylor Promotions made during Zero Hour. Castle still gets a big pop from the crowd.

Castle went for the Bangarang on Dean, but Dean was quick to counter. Castle leveled Dean with a forearm, but Bravo caught Castle with a knee from the apron. Truth Magnum got the tag and took Bravo down with blistering chops. 

Magnum missed a dive in the corner, and Dean caught him with a springboard cutter. Bravo drove Magnum into the apron with a cutter, and Taylor followed up with a big leg. 

Magnum tried to fight out of the STP corner, but got triple-teamed by his opponents. 

Magnum almost got to his corner to make the tag, but his opponents made sure there was no one to tag by yanking his partners to the floor. Taylor followed up by splashing Truth in the corner. Taylor also took out Dalton Castle with a splash on the floor. 

Turbo Floyd finally got the tag and took it to the Infantry. He hit Taylor with a dropkick and slammed Bravo and Dean. The Outrunners started gearing up for the Mega-Powers handshake, but Taylor leveled them both. 

Floyd got triple-teamed in the corner by the heels. Castle was still out on the floor. Dean came in with a pendulum elbow drop, then dropped another elbow in the ring for a two count. Taylor and Bravo crotched Floyd against the ringpost. 

Dean suplexed Floyd. Bravo tagged in and he suplexed Floyd. Shane Taylor tagged in and he gave Floyd a big delayed vertical suplex. Dean went back in to suplex Floyd again, but Floyd reversed it. Bravo tried to keep Floyd from getting the tag. Flyod got him with a back suplex, but Dean lured Magnum away from his corner and there was no one for Floyd to tag. 

Taylor charged in and missed an avalanche. Floyd went for a slam, but Taylor is huge and Floyd was exhausted so that didn’t work. Taylor easily slammed Floyd and leveled him with a headbutt. But Taylor missed another avalanche, and Floyd was able to get Taylor up for a slam. Meanwhile, Castle had finally recovered and got back to his corner to get the tag! 

Suplexes for all the heels, including a massive German suplex for Taylor. Castle went for the Bangarang on Taylor, but couldn’t hold him up. Christyan XO distracted Castle, and the heels got the advantage on Castle. Taylor hit a stuff piledriver on Castle, but the Outrunners made the save. 

The Infantry went for a double team on Castle, but the Outrunners crotched them on the ringbolt. Castle hit a massive Bangarang on Taylor. The Outrunners dropped a double-elbow, and Castle caught Taylor with a jackknife cradle and held him down for the three! 

Match Result: The Outrunners & Dalton Castle are your new Ring of Honor Six Man Champions after Castle pinned Shane Taylor (17:47). 

After the match, Shane Taylor Promotions laid out the new champs, but cue the Pixies, Orange Cassidy came out. Mark Briscoe, Cassidy’s Co-Conglomerator, ran in for the save with the chair. They ran off Shane Taylor Promotions, and celebrated with the new six man champions.

I’m so glad to see Dalton Castle with ROH gold. And the way this match was laid out, watching it I was practically begging for the title change.

Xelhua v. Mark Davis for the AEW National Championship

You could hear Tony Khan giving Ian notes on commentary. First, to remind the audience that since it’s an AEW title match, there’s only a ten count outside the ring. And then talking about Mark Davis’ big victory over Jack Perry.

The fight went to the floor, and Davis ran through Xelhua with a tackle. Back in the ring, Davis stomped Xelhua and leveled him with a punt. Xelhua fell back on a bodyslam attempt. Davis hit Xeluha with a lariat, then sent him off the apron to the floor with another lariat. 

Xelhua beat the count to get back in the ring, then got immediately slammed. Davis set Xelhua on the turnbuckles and tried to pull off his mask. Xelhua blocked that, then sent Davis down to the mat. Xelhua came off the top with a crossbody for a near fall. 

Xelhua took Davis down with a Northern Lights suplex for a near fall. Xelhua tied up Davis with a hammerlock and drove him down to the mat. Xelhua punched Davis in the corner “diez” times in the corner, with the crowd helpfully counting along for him in Spanish. 

Davis went for a lariat, but Xelhua tripped him up and tied up his ankle. Davis crawled to the ropes to force a break. Davis came up selling his knee, and Xelhua went to work on it… until Davis killed him with a snap piledriver. 

Xelhua tried to set up a superplex, but Davis countered it and avalanche suplexed Xeluha out of the corner. 

Xelhua slammed Davis, then went to the top. Xelhua went for a senton, but Davis got out of the way. Davis dropped Xelhua with a piledriver, then hit the lariat for the pinfall. 

Match Result: Mark Davis pinned Xelhua to retain the AEW National Title (14:10). 

— Lexi Nair interviewed Shane Taylor Promotions, and they lay out some challenges for the Conglomeration and the new ROH Six Man champions tomorrow night at Collision. 

Collision Tomorrow night: 

  • Darby Allin v. Sammy Guevara for the AEW World Title 
  • The Divine Dominion five minute challenge
  • The Opps Samoa Joe & Anthony Bowens v. Jay Lethal & Lee Johnson 
  • Willow Nightingale v. Red Velvet for the TBS Title 

Next Wednesday: 

  • Tommaso Ciampa v. Mark Briscoe 
  • Jon Moxley v. Kyle O’Reilly 

— Mark Briscoe & Orange Cassidy accept the challenge from Shane Taylor Promotions, and the word of the day is “hometown a$$ whooping!” Kyle O’Reilly will likely be the third partner. 

 Bandido (w/ Jay Lethal & Lee Johnson) v. Blake Christian for the ROH World Championship 

Christian flipped off Bandido rather than adhere to the Code of Honor. 

After a feeling out process, Christian caught Bandido with a dropkick to send him to the floor. Christian went for a dive, but Bandido got back in the ring and took him down with a snap rana. Bandido sent Christian to the floor and followed him with a dive. 

Lee Johnson distracted the referee, allowing Lethal to clip Bandido’s knee. Christian hit Bandido with a twisting through the ropes tope. 

Back in the ring, Christian worked on Bandido’s knee. The referee caught Lethal and Johnson interfering again, and this time he ejected them from ringside. But, not before Bandido took them out with a dive. 

Christian took control with a short-arm scissors. Christian went to the top, but Bandido rolled out of the way. Christian casually dropped back down to the mat and attacked Bandido’s knee. Christian charged into a boot from Bandido. But Christian tied up Bandido’s legs in the ropes and caught him with a tiger feint kick to the back. 

Bandido tried to gorilla press Christian, but Christian slid into a arm scissors out of it. Bandido powered Christian up into a sit-out powerbomb to escape. Bandido came out of the corner with a twisting moonsault. Bandido hit a running knee for two. 

Bandido went for the 21-plex, but Christian escaped and caught Bandido with a splash. Christian took Bandido down with a dragon screw leg whip. Christian tried to roll into a figure-four, but Bandido countered and dropped Christian with a suplex. 

Christian flipped off Bandido while he was on his back, so Bandido came up with a Northern Lights 21-plex, springing off the ropes and pulling up Bandido into the Northern Lights suplex. I think the 21-plex is kinda dumb, but that was pretty awesome. 

Christian staggered Bandido with a kick that sent him to the apron. Christian followed him on the apron. Bandido tried for a press slam again, but Christian escaped and sent Bandido to the floor. Christian then dove through the middle ropes and pulled Bandido into a tornado DDT that looked like it about killed Bandido. 

Back in the ring, Christian hit the Lethal Injection for two. In a great touch on commentary, Riccaboni explained how just because that’s a finisher for Jay Lethal (who has perfected the hold), doesn’t mean it will work that way for Christian. 

On the floor, Christian cleared off the commentary table like it’s a WWE main event. Christian set up Bandido for a suplex, but Bandido reversed it and turn it into a brainbuster on Christian. 

Back in the ring, Bandido hit the 21-plex, but Christian kicked out at two. Bandido tried for a top rope fallaway slam, but Christian countered and turned it into an avalanche poisoned rana! Christian followed up with a 450 splash for two. 

Christian tried for a 21-plex, but Bandido blocked it and flipped him over the ropes. Bandido pulled Christian into the ring off the middle rope for a deadlift superplex. Bandido went for a shooting star press, but Christian got his knees up. Bandido went for a springboard, but Bandido caught him with a dropkick and both guys were down. 

Bandido got to his feet first, and Christian was out on his feet… until he hit a superkick and a knee out of nowhere. Christian went for a Lethal Injection, but Bandido countered with the X-Knee. Christian came back with a Spanish Fly for a near fall. 

Christian dropped to the floor, and grabbed the ROH title belt from the timekeeper’s table. He went to use the belt, but the ref grabbed it from him. The ref turned his back, and Christian hit a low blow, then a double stomp. But that only got two. 

Christian went for… something, but it got turned into a Styles Clash from Bandido. Christian was flat on his back, and Bandido hit the Deadlift 21-Plex and got the pinfall. 

Match Result: Bandido retained the ROH World Title by pinning Christian (26:05). 

Tremendous match. After the match, while Bandido was on his knees looking down at the championship he retained… Swerve Strickland ran in with a House Call to the back of Bandido’s head. Prince Nana came out to applaud his boss as he hit the House Call a second time. Just when it looked like he was going to leave, Swerve went back and dropped Bandido with a gringo killer on a chair. Officials tended to Bandido, who was laid out in the ring.

Athena v. Yuka Sakazaki v. Billie Starks v. Maya World (w/ Hyan) v. Trish Adora v. Zayda Steel (w/ Christopher Daniels) for ROH Women’s World Title in a Survival of the Fittest Match

Bliz sang Steel’s music on her way to the ring. Athena is on her way to a 1300 day title reign, the longest reigning ROH champion in history. She’s also catching up to the longest days holding any championship over any number of reigns, nearing Mark and Jay Briscoe, who set the record over 13 tag team title reigns. 

This is elimination rules. 

Athena toasted Starks to the floor and told her to “stick to the plan and let them fight,” but the other women surround them on the floor and attack. 

Adora powerslammed Starks in the ring. Steelz came off the top rope with a double stomp. Starks and Athena went to suplex Steelz, but she countered that into a double-DDT on her opponents. Athena dumped Maya World and Sakazaki with a fallaway slam. 

Steelz grabbed a steel chair and went after her opponents. She wedged the chair between the ropes and tried to whip Athena into it. But Athena reversed it, sent Steelz into the chair, and cradled her with her feet on the ropes to get the first fall (about five minutes in). 

Sakazaki got a near fall after a suplex. Athena popped up and hit Sakazaki with a superkick. Athena went for the chair. Before she could use it (while, we she had it up waiting), Maya World came in with a kendo stick. Starks got a chair and laid in a weak chair shot on Sakazaki (she should never do chair shots again). Adora got the kendo stick and worked over Maya World with it. More kendo sticks, chairs and a trash can made it into the ring. 

Athena set up a bunch of chair on the floor. Adora worked over World on the floor with the kendo stick. Starks pulled a table out from under the ring to the delight of the crowd. Starks and Sakazaki fought near the table. Starks whipped Sakazaki into the ring barricade. 

Back in the ring, Maya World gave Adora a head scissors, and she flew into Athena with a spear. Athena and Adora got into it on the ring apron, and Adora chokeslammed Athena off the apron and into the 30 chairs that Athena and set up earlier. 

Starks saved Athena from further abuse from Adora. Starks and Adora fought up to the commentator’s table. Starks went to suplex Adora off the table, but Adora blocked it and gave Starks a Death Valley Driver on the commentator’s table—which did not break. 

Athena recovered, and Adora laid her out with a forearm than sent her onto the table. Sakazaki then came off the top with a Magical Girl Splash to send Athena through the table. 

Back in the ring, Adora dropped Sakazaki with a backbreaker. Adora hit the Lariat Tubman on Athena, but Sakazaki took out Adora with a spinning slam and got the pinfall (15:37). 

Athena, Starks, Maya World, and Sakazaki are the remaining competitors. 

Sakazaki grabbed the trash can and hit a Magical Girl Splash with the can on Athena. Starks saved Athena, then gave her like an avalanche pedigree to get the pinfall (17:21). 

Athena was down on the floor (but still alive in the match), which left Maya World and Starks to brawl in the ring. Starks ran into a superkick from World. Starks came back with a destroyer for a near fall. 

Athena rolled back in the ring with a pair of kendo sticks. She tossed one to Billie Starks, and they worked over World with the sticks. 

Starks and Athena piled chairs on top of the prone World. Athena pulled a ladder out from underneath the ring. While they’re setting up the ladder, a fan shouted “where’s the briefcase?” That was pretty funny.

World caught Starks with a dropkick, which sent her into the ladder. They brawled up to the top, and Athena accidentally hit Starks. World then hit Starks with a sunset flip powerbomb and got the pin. (21:43)

This left World v. Athena. With roughly a billion weapons around the ring, Athena grabbed her belt to use as a weapon. Athena took a wild swing and missed. World drove Athena’s head into the apron with DDT, but only got two. Maya World hit her finisher, but that only got a near fall. 

World locked in an ankle lock. Athena made it to the ropes, but Mike Posey said no rope breaks. Billie Starks (still at ringside despite being eliminated) was about to throw in the towel for Athena (Starks is Athena’s “licensed second”) but Athena grabbed the towel and drug Starks in the ring, breaking up the hold. Athena powerbombed World, then hit her with a chair. 

Athena stepped on Starks back on her way up the giant ladder. She came off the the ladder with a super-dooper O-face on World, and got the pinfall. 

Match Result: Athena pinned Maya World in the final elimination to retain the ROH Women’s World Title (26:09). 

The main event was pretty disappointing. It devolved pretty quickly into a weapons match and the outcome wasn’t ever really in doubt. Especially once Starks was eliminated.

Diamanté came out to celebrate with the World Champion. Billie Starks sat on the ladder looking upset with herself. Athena yelled at Starks for being upset, and Starks left the ring while Athena and Diamanté celebrated. 

Overall the show was a fine way to spend a Friday night. I don’t know if there’s anything you need to go out of your way to see. I really enjoyed the six man titles change and the world title match. I thought the pure matches were a slice of something different, which was fun. This also set up a lot of things for Collision tomorrow night which has me thinking about driving 3 hours to see the show live.

But overall, this show did not disappoint. Also, even though it was 5 hours long, it didn’t feel that long to me.

R-Truth pulled from WWE SmackDown, new match set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

After initially announcing a tag match for the show, WWE has said that R-Truth is not medically cleared for SmackDown tonight. Damian Priest will now face Tama Tonga one-on-one.

A Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints match has also been added.

**********

A pair of tag matches have been added to the WWE SmackDown lineup for tonight.

WWE revealed this afternoon that Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss will face off against Michin & B-Fab on SmackDown. Along with that, there will be a non-title bout pitting WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest & R-Truth against Tama Tonga & Talla Tonga.

Last Friday, Flair & Bliss teamed with Rhea Ripley against the three members of Fatal Influence. The babyfaces lost after the returning Jade Cargill got involved, with Cargill, Michin & B-Fab then beating down Ripley, Flair & Bliss.

Talla Tonga defeated Priest in a singles match last week after Priest was distracted by saving Truth from an attack by Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa. Royce Keys then stepped in to help Priest and Truth, which led to Keys defeating Tama Tonga later in the night.

Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina is the venue for tonight’s show. Here’s the updated card:

WWE SmackDown (Friday, May 15) —

  • Gunther decides whether to join SmackDown roster to challenge Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes
  • United States Champion Trick Williams returns to the University of South Carolina for a homecoming celebration
  • Jade Cargill addresses her attack on WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley
  • Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Michin & B-Fab
  • Damian Priest vs. Tama Tonga
  • Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricky Saints

Judge rules against McMahons, allows ring boy plaintiffs to stay anonymous for now

Posted on by Joseph Currier

For at least the pre-trial period, plaintiffs in the ongoing lawsuit related to WWE’s ring boy scandal will be allowed to stay anonymous.

Post Wrestling reports that James K. Bredar, a federal judge in Maryland, is allowing the ring boy plaintiffs to maintain their “John Doe” pseudonyms, rejecting efforts from Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon to have their names publicly revealed. The ruling will hold for the pre-trial period but could change once the lawsuit goes to trial.

The lawsuit was first filed in 2024 and lists the two McMahons, WWE, and TKO as defendants. WWE and TKO did not take a stance on whether the plaintiffs should be forced to have their names revealed.

This lawsuit concerns WWE’s ring boy scandal of the 1980s/1990s, where former ring announcer Mel Phillips is accused of having recruited teenagers to the ring crew for the purpose of sexually abusing them. One of the plaintiffs is also claiming to have been abused by Pat Patterson. Phillips and Patterson passed away in 2012 and 2020.

Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, WWE, and TKO are being sued for negligence over their handling of the scandal and not protecting the ring boys from being abused.

There are eight plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit. In this matter, they argued that revealing their identities would “re-traumatize” them by publicly exposing the abuse they endured and even revealing it to people in their lives they have not told. Their identities are known to the defendants who are being sued.

Ronda Rousey: ‘I’m very aware that women are headlining WWE because of me’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

As she returns to mixed martial arts for one more fight, Ronda Rousey is comfortable with the legacy she’s already secured.

Rousey told The Takedown on SI that she’s “very proud” to have made a big impact for women across combat sports. That includes WWE, where Rousey believes women are headlining shows because of her. She proved her drawing power in the UFC before ever getting into pro wrestling, then joined WWE for two separate stints.

“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 participated in the first-ever women’s match to main event WrestleMania, facing Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match in 2019. That marked the end of her first WWE run, but she later returned from 2022-2023.

This Saturday, Rousey battles Gina Carano in Netflix’s first live MMA special. Rousey views the dream matchup as the perfect way to end her time in MMA and claims she is not planning to fight again after this.

Saturday’s event is taking place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California and will stream live starting at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Update on Jeff Cobb following WWE release | Exclusive 

Posted on by Joseph Currier

It sounds like Jeff Cobb, newly a free agent following his release from WWE, still has a strong relationship with NJPW.

Dave Meltzer reports in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Cobb was backstage at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku at the start of May. It’s believed that Cobb still has a residence in Japan, though it’s unconfirmed if he’ll be returning to NJPW once his 90-day non-compete clause is up.

Meltzer wrote:

  • Jeff Cobb was backstage at Dontaku. I believe he still has a place in Japan. Unless WWE gives his special dispensation, he would not be able to return in time for G-1 if he does end up here, as the non-compete ends on 7/24. We don’t know if that is what he’ll do. New Japan has its own financial issues. It wouldn’t surprise me if AEW picked up Cobb, but the reality is his chances of going to AEW as a star were much higher one year ago. WWE often enhances someone’s value, but Cobb would not be one of those people.

Cobb had a year-long run with WWE after debuting for the company in May 2025. He was given the name “JC Mateo” and inserted into the Bloodline story as one of Solo Sikoa’s MFTs. But Cobb’s WWE stint was widely considered to be underwhelming, never living up to the time he spent in NJPW. He was released in WWE’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts.

In NJPW, Cobb was one of the promotion’s top foreign wrestlers. He held the NEVER Openweight Championship, IWGP Tag Team titles, and NJPW World Television title.

The 43-year-old Cobb did work some matches for AEW during his NJPW career. He has previous experience in Lucha Underground, ROH, PWG, and represented Guam as an amateur wrestler in the 2004 Olympics.

Five absent WWE stars who need big comeback storylines | Opinion

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

WWE’s uncertain atmosphere amid recent talent releases and prominent absences has led to questions on their wrestling future. 

WrestleMania 42 took place nearly a month ago and Backlash has already come and gone. Still, many talents have still not resurfaced on WWE TV. 

Here’s a few noticeably absent WWE stars whose returns must outshine their last matches and appearances on TV. 

Randy Orton 

He was heavily anticipated to defeat Cody Rhodes and win his 15th WWE World title at WrestleMania 42. Despite Pat McAfee’s involvement, that didn’t happen. Since then, Orton has not made any televised or public appearances, raising the question on what’s next for the WWE veteran. 

Prior to WrestleMania, Dave Meltzer had reported that Orton was hurting, dealing with undisclosed physical health issues. McAfee’s involvement was to also set up a tag team match with Orton against Rhodes and Jelly Roll at Backlash that never came to be.

There is no update or confirmation on Orton’s return timeline, but whenever it does happen, WWE needs to ensure he accomplishes his long-term goal of a World title.

Drew McIntyre 

Jacob Fatu has already moved on from Drew McIntyre after their WrestleMania collision to focusing on the bigger picture and Roman Reigns’ World Heavyweight title.

Reports indicate that McIntyre’s WWE TV absence is to wrap up filming Highlander, a reboot of the1986 movie, also featuring Henry Cavill. 

McIntyre could continue his callous attitude, unfazed by WWE authority on his return. Pitting him against Rhodes for the WWE Championship again would be monotonous as he needs to assert territorial dominance and could ideally challenge relatively new talent on the SmackDown roster like Trick Williams or another heavy hitter like Ilja Dragunov.

LA Knight

Knight has had a complex WWE run over the past couple of years.

He competed in a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania. Prior to the event, he addressed a bursa flare up that was keeping him away from in-ring action of any kind. While this might explain his ongoing absence, there is always going to be concerns about his WWE future given the current environment.

Knight’s return to WWE should be fueled to win the World Heavyweight Title or Money in the Bank which didn’t happen last year. Either way, he needs a defining run to remind fans and WWE management why he is one of the company’s most organically popular stars today. 

Bayley & Lyra Valkyria

The tag team squared off against Judgment Day on the Raw after Mania but have not made any appearances since.

Bayley’s unfortunate luck in capturing the Women’s Tag Team Titles has been looming since WrestleMania last year, but her partnership with Valkyria still has much potential. 

WWE must ensure their alliance is intact while also keeping both women relevant in the women’s division. This would help their positioning as a babyface tag team and possibly develop Valkyria as a singles competitor under Bayley’s mentorship.

WWE NXT does record-low ratings on The CW

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Tuesday night’s WWE NXT episode averaged 498,000 viewers on The CW, down 22.3 percent from last week. This marks the lowest audience total the show has ever done on The CW and is the lowest overall number for NXT since July 30, 2024, when it was moved from the USA Network (the show’s home at the time) to SyFy.

In the 18-49 demo, NXT drew a 0.06 rating. That’s down 45.5 percent from last week and is the lowest rating the show has ever done in that category regardless of network.

The episode went head-to-head with an NBA playoff game on NBC as well as an NHL playoff game on ESPN which topped the network and cable charts respectively. Among the major English-language broadcast networks, NXT finished last in both overall viewers and 18-49.

As compared to the same week in 2025, NXT’s overall viewership was down 25 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 60 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for NXT, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was down 14.8 percent in viewers and 33.3 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE NXT ratings —

DateNXT 18-49NXT total viewers
3/3/20260.09604,000
3/10/20260.08541,000
3/17/20260.07588,000
3/24/20260.08581,000
3/31/20260.08572,000
4/7/20260.08605,000
4/14/20260.09584,000
4/21/20260.1591,000
4/28/20260.07541,000
5/5/20260.11641,000
5/12/20260.06498,000
*10 wk avg0.09584,800
*not including current week

Wrestling Weekly: Ticket prices & attendance trends, WWE house shows return

Posted on by Victor Sosa

On a new Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa go over a ton of items this week including WWE’s decision to do a U.S. house show tour this summer.

We also discuss Kevin Nash’s thoughts on TKO affecting WWE’s booking process, AEW’s busy week outside the ring and how not to make it obvious that something has gone wrong in the middle of a match.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Mick Foley pens tribute to ‘Beyond the Mat’ director Barry Blaustein

Posted on by Joseph Currier

On his Facebook account, Mick Foley penned a tribute to Barry Blaustein, the late “Beyond the Mat” filmmaker who was one of Foley’s closest friends.

Blaustein passed away at 72 years old on May 12 following battles with Parkinson’s disease and pancreatic cancer. Most of his Hollywood career was spent as a comedy writer, but Blaustein is best known to wrestling fans for writing, directing, producing, and narrating the 1999 documentary “Beyond the Mat” which took an inside look at the professional wrestling industry.

The film was released during wrestling’s Attitude Era boom period, but the idea first started to take shape years before that when the business was in a lull. Foley wrote that he and Blaustein first met when they spoke about the project in 1994. At the time, Foley’s story in the documentary was supposed to be a wrestler who once tasted stardom but was now back on the indies. By the time it actually got made, Foley was one of the biggest stars in WWE.

“My role in the documentary changed over time, and chronicled a brutal battle with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in what was Dwayne’s first moment on the big screen. By the time the movie debuted in 1999, Barry had become a trusted family friend and someone I had spent hundreds of hours with – professionally and personally,” Foley wrote. “Although my wife Colette had not seen him in many years, she was extremely sad at the news of his death and was very appreciative of the role Barry had played in my life. ‘I know we both loved him dearly,’ she said through text, ‘especially for us to open our life, issues, dreams, career and family to him. He was family to us. I hold him deeply in my heart. I was very fortunate to have worked with him and see the master mind he possessed. Brilliant.'”

After giving Blaustein access to film backstage in WWE, Vince McMahon later regretted the decision. McMahon did not like the finished product, which put Foley in a tough spot given how strongly he disagreed with McMahon’s opinion of the movie.

“Vince McMahon was not nearly as enthusiastic about the film as I was, feeling it took away the magic of the on-air product,” Foley wrote. “I disagreed vehemently, thinking it showed the outside world there were so much more to the unique world of professional wrestling than a vast majority of people – fans and non-fans alike had ever considered. Barry‘s ability to find the subtle humor and humanity in the lives of its participants was a big influence on how I approached the writing of my first book, ‘Have a Nice Day.’ WWE was not thrilled about my eagerness to embrace and promote the film – at one point telling me, ‘you think that guy (Blaustein) is your friend. He’s not your friend.’ The events of the following decades tell a different story.”

Foley and Blaustein remained in contact and would frequently get together in the decades following “Beyond the Mat.” They were able to see each other one last time this year when, due to Blaustein’s failing health, Foley filled in for him at a screening of the documentary. Foley visited Blaustein’s house and saw him surrounded by family and friends. He attempted to write Blaustein a letter after that, but it ended up being delivered just hours after Blaustein passed away.

“When I reached out to Barry’s daughter, Kasey for her father’s address, telling her I wanted to write Barry a letter, she encouraged me to write it quickly, as he was down to his final days,” Foley added. “I wrote the letter that evening and mailed it out via next day air the following morning. The letter arrived at the Blaustein home at 8 AM, just six hours after Barry had passed. But I hope it serves as a reminder that I loved Barry, thought the world of him, and considered him one of my best friends.”

Foley’s own Hollywood projects and future —

The 60-year-old Foley currently has multiple Hollywood projects of his own in the works. They include a limited series that’s in development where Paul Walter Hauser is slated to play Foley. Plus, Foley has done voiceover work for an upcoming A24 documentary on death match wrestling.

It was reported this week that AEW has “real” interest in working with Foley, whose WWE Legends contract is set to expire soon. A source told The Takedown on SI that they wouldn’t be surprised if Foley appears at AEW Double or Nothing in New York City on May 24.