Tag: paul heyman

Paul Heyman teases adding new WWE clients

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Seth Rollins might not be Paul Heyman’s only new client.

Night one of WrestleMania 41 ended with Heyman aligning with Rollins and helping him defeat Roman Reigns and CM Punk. In the fallout from WrestleMania, Heyman appeared on the Pat McAfee Show today for an interview where he continued the storyline. He was asked if he needs to beef up his client list since he only has Rollins at the moment to fend off Reigns and Punk.

https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1914371707030110515

“And so I shall go shopping,” Heyman responded.

Michael Cole asked if Heyman has anyone in mind. Heyman responded “yes” but did not reveal any names — and he didn’t react when the live crowd for McAfee’s show at WWE World voiced that they want Bron Breakker as a Heyman client.

Heyman will be appearing on tonight’s Raw after WrestleMania in Las Vegas. We should get his first promo explaining why he betrayed Reigns and Punk.

On The Pat McAfee Show, Heyman claimed that he was not responsible for the betrayal. He blamed Reigns and Punk for how they’ve treated him and the position they put him in. The storyline was that Heyman had to be in Punk’s corner at WrestleMania and could not accompany Reigns due to Punk cashing in a favor Heyman owed him.

WOL: WWE WrestleMania 41 night two preview, full Saturday recap

Posted on by Andrew Zarian

It’s the Sunday edition of Wrestling Observer Live on a WrestleMania weekend.

With night two of WrestleMania 41 getting ready to start any minute now, I break down night one, concluding with the big turn at the end with Paul Heyman aligning with Seth Rollins.

The other big story from yesterday was the acquisition of AAA by WWE. I give my thoughts and talk about what we know as of now on this situation, what it means for smaller promotions, including NJPW and others.

I also preview night two of WrestleMania and give my thoughts on the main event between John Cena and Cody Rhodes, and why Bayley was pulled from the Women’s Tag Team title match.

Plus, highlights from some of the bigger independent shows, including Minoru Suzuki taking on Butterbean at the WrestleCon Supershow.

Click here to listen or watch on YouTube

Wrestling Weekly: WWE WrestleMania 41 predictions

Posted on by Victor Sosa

On a new Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and I have our predictions for WWE’s biggest event of the year: this weekend’s WrestleMania 41 from Las Vegas.

Cody or Cena? Uso or Gunther? Whose side is Paul Heyman actually on?

We’ll discuss all that and a very eventful week in AEW.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

WWE Raw live results: WrestleMania 41 go-home show

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: April 14, 2025
Location:  Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA 

The Big Takeaway —

Seth Rollins stood tall to end the final Raw before WrestleMania 41.

**********

Show Recap — 

Jey Uso, Penta (facing Finn Bálor tonight), Judgment Day, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Paul Heyman were shown arriving. 

Gunther interview 

There was a Jey/Gunther video package before Gunther entered. The announcers acted surprised because Michael Cole was meant to interview him later tonight. Cole left the table to join Gunther in the ring. 

The crowd booed Gunther as he spoke. He was in a bad mood over Jey and called him full of crap. The crowd Yeeted, which just upset Gunther even more. Gunther called himself the greatest gift this company ever received. He had been a champion for 80% of his time in the company and was the greatest World Heavyweight Champion of all time. He refused to let somebody like Jey ruin that for him. 

Gunther wanted Jey to enter their match with more confidence than ever because it wouldn’t matter. Gunther would put him down for the fourth consecutive time. Gunther said he did not lose control when he beat up Jimmy Uso. He was in full control when he wiped Jimmy’s blood on himself, and he loved it. Jey should pray to the lord that he was in control, because if he wasn’t, he would have drowned them both in Jimmy’s blood. 

Gunther looked forward to calling his mother and telling her how much he enjoyed beating the living hell out of Jey Uso and walking out of WrestleMania as the champion. He dropped the mic and stormed off. 

This was an effective promo.

******** 

There was a Bianca Belair video promo. She admitted that Iyo Sky and Rhea Riply had brought out a different side of her, but that wasn’t a bad thing. She has been through a lot, but she was still the best. She won the Chamber and has never been beaten at WrestleMania. There was nothing they could do to stop her from winning the title at Mania. 

Cole announced a sold-out crowd of 14,158. 

Bayley (w/Women’s Intercontinental Lyra Valkyria) defeated Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan (w/Tag Team Champion Raquel Rodriguez) (12:54)

The opening match kicked off at 8:19 pm. 

Morgan tried three amigos outside the ring, but Bayley blocked the third one. Morgan managed to stomp Bayley’s hand on the steel steps and hit a vertical suplex off the steps. Morgan controlled through a break, thanks in part to a cheap shot by Rodriguez. Things really slowed down as Morgan applied a rest hold before they came back from break. 

Bayley hit a knee strike after a break, but Morgan avoided a sunset flip bomb and drove her into the turnbuckle instead. Morgan countered Bayley a couple of times before Bayley hit a knee strike and sunset flip buckle bomb for two. Morgan hit a Codebreaker on the apron, followed by a dropkick off the apron for a two count in the ring. 

Morgan tried something off the ropes, but Bayley caught her with a stunner, followed by a Bayley-to-belly. Bayley seemingly had it won, but Rodriguez put Morgan’s foot on the rope to break up the cover. At least she tried to. Morgan’s foot fell off. 

Valkyria went after Rodriguez, but Rodriguez booted her, so Bayley gave her a stunner in the ropes. As the ref got rid of Rodriguez, Morgan hit a backstabber. Morgan tried an Oblivion, but Valkyria held Bayley from behind in the ropes, which caused Morgan to fall backward. Bayley followed with a jackknife cover for the pinfall win. 

They messed up the rope break spot, but the actual finish was clever, and it obviously made sense for Bayley to win. The crowd popped big for the finish. 

Match result: Bayley defeated Liv Morgan 

******** 

Paul Heyman was shown awaiting the arrival of Roman Reigns. 

There was a Rhea Ripley video promo. She didn’t appreciate Belair making her look like the bad guy. She told Sky to cherish every moment with the title while she could. Belair would find out what it felt like when Ripley was the bad guy, and she would walk out as champion at WrestleMania. 

Rey Mysterio (w/LWO) defeated Julius Creed (w/American Made) (10:19) 

A ref distraction led to Chad Gable dropping Rey on the top rope. LWO returned the favour by crotching Julius. The ref saw both teams standing on the apron, so he tossed everyone to the back. 

Julius had control during a break, and like in the opening match, he held a rest hold before they came back from break. Right on time, Rey made his comeback following the break. 

Rey sent Julius out of the ring with a hurricanrana. Rey went for a sliding splash, but Julius caught him, held him up high and walked up the steps to the apron. Julius tried a charge, but Rey dodged it, and Julius went shoulder-first into the post. Rey hit a hurricanrana off the ropes, followed by ten punches in the corner and a DDT for two. 

El Grande Americano ran out and leaped onto the apron. Rey tried to rip his mask off, so Julius put Rey in a cradle for two. Rey shoved Julius into Americano, knocking him off the apron. Rey followed with a 619 and springboard splash for the pinfall win. 

The crowd popped big for the finish again. This isn’t a complaint, but it was the second straight match with a babyface outsmarting the heels. 

— After the match, El Grande Americano, now with a loaded mask, hit Rey with a running headbutt. LWO tried to make the save, but Americano laid them all out by himself (with a slight assist from Julius) using the loaded mask. He landed a diving headbutt on Rey and stood tall. 

Match result: Rey Mysterio defeated Julius Creed 

******** 

The War Raiders cut a pre-taped promo on New Day. 

Jackie Redmond interviewed New Day in the back (as Xavier Woods played Clash of Clans). Kofi Kingston said Erik and Ivar might want war, but New Day have been dealing with war from the locker room for months. When New Day won their titles back, the fans would have no choice but to say Thank God for the New Day. 

There was a video package of Undertaker beating Triple H in Hell in a Cell with Shawn Michaels as referee at WrestleMania 28. 

AJ Styles defeated Karrion Kross (w/Scarlett) (9:46) 

This was Kross’ first televised match since he, AOP, and The Miz beat the Wyatt Sicks back in September. Cole said Kross had tights made by the same person who made tights for Styles and deliberately had similar ones made. 

Kross quickly took control of Styles, thanks in part to a cheap shot by Scarlett. For the third match in a row, the two wrestlers sat in a rest hold as the ad break came to an end. Styles did not immediately make a comeback following the break, as Kross hit a DVD for two. 

Styles began fighting back by kicking Kross’ leg. Kross tripped and played it like he was hurt “for real,” but he was faking, and Styles fell for it. Kross was mocking Styles’ injury from months ago. That pissed off Styles who fired back until Kross dropped him with a DDT. 

Kross tried a clothesline from behind, but Styles ducked it and hit a fireman’s carry neckbreaker. Styles followed with a Phenomenal forearm for the pinfall win. 

— Logan Paul entered the stage post-match. He said the people of Sacramento weren’t cool enough to live in Los Angeles and weren’t smart enough to live in San Francisco. He complimented Styles’ win and said they would “cook” at WrestleMania. He wanted to show everyone why they would make money at Mania, so he aired a video package of himself. 

Styles called him a smartass and told him to get in the ring so they could start Mania early. Kross tried a sneak attack, but Styles saw it coming. He fought them both off and gave Kross a reverse DDT. 

However, Paul nailed Styles with his loaded fist and laid him out with Paulverizer. 

Match result: AJ Styles defeated Karrion Kross 

********

Heyman is still waiting for Reigns. 

Gable cut a promo on the stage during a break. He was upset about being screwed out of a Mania spot again, but was happy to see an up-and-comer like El Grande Americano get an opportunity to cement his legacy as the greatest luchador of all time. 

Jey Uso segment

Jey Uso, wearing all black (with white sneakers), entered to a big reaction. The crowd chanted “One more time” when his music cut, so he had them play it again for a moment. 

He cut a promo while standing on the announce table. He shouted out his mom, who was somewhere in the crowd. He said people were wondering where his mind was at, and wondered if he was crashing out. He was crashing out, but he was locked in. Listening to Gunther made him realize that Gunther was afraid. Afraid that Jey would whip his ass in front of 60,000 people for the world title. Jey told Gunther he would get him on Saturday. They played his music, and that was that. 

********

Cathy Kelley tried interviewing Bron Breakker, but he was immediately attacked by Judgment Day. Bálor chucked him into some equipment boxes before officials intervened. 

Finn Bálor defeated Penta via disqualification (11:34)

They wrestled in a tag match a couple of weeks ago, but this was a first-time-ever singles match. 

Penta knocked Bálor off the apron during his entrance and followed with a flip dive. The match began moments later when they entered the ring. Penta was in control early on as a result until Bálor hit a basement dropkick. Bálor did a “too sweet” hand gesture before driving Penta onto the apron ahead of a break. 

They technically broke the rest hold streak from the previous three matches. Bálor did use a rest hold during the break, but Penta broke it during the break instead of as they returned. Bálor hit a superplex as they returned from break for two. Penta fought back and hit a backstabber for two. 

Penta hit a slingblade, but Bálor followed right away with a slingblade of his own. Penta avoided a running dropkick and hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Penta snapped Bálor’s arm, but Bálor countered a Penta driver into a roll-up for two. Penta followed with kicks but became distracted by Carlito and Dominik appearing at ringside. 

Bálor used the distraction to apply a schoolboy for two. Bálor followed with a dropkick, but before he could set up for Coup de Grace, Bron Breakker entered (to his music). 

Carlito was in the same position at the bottom of the ramp as last week, so he ran away before Bron could kill him. Bron instead attacked Bálor for the DQ. 

Carlito and Dom attacked Bron, but he actually hit them both with a double spear. Bron tried to spear Penta, but Penta fought him off and wiped out everyone (minus Bálor) with a dive. 

Match result: Finn Bálor defeated Penta via disqualification 

*******

There was an Iyo Sky video promo (in Japanese). She said Ripley and Belair kept pushing her aside, but they were forgetting that she was the whole reason they were fighting in the first place. Sky was done being ignored and forgotten. She has beaten them before and would do it again. After WrestleMania, they will never forget the name of Iyo Sky, Women’s World Champion. 

The announcers ran down the cards for WrestleMania nights one and two. 

******** 

CM Punk sat down next to Heyman, who still awaited the arrival of Roman Reigns. Punk was amused and said he’s never seen Heyman so stressed. Reigns happened to arrive in a GMC SUV at this moment, as Punk put his arm around Heyman. Reigns stormed off, and Heyman tried to follow. 

Main event segment with Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, CM Punk and Paul Heyman

Roman Reigns entered, and Heyman followed. Heyman tried handing a mic to Reigns as usual, but Reigns charged past him to grab a different one. Heyman appeared dismayed as Reigns told Sacramento to acknowledge him. They did. 

Reigns said the world can hear the people love and acknowledge him. The world could see that they would never betray him. But not everyone was like them. Some people would betray him. Heyman stared directly at Reigns as he spoke, while Reigns looked past him. 

Reigns finally turned his attention to Heyman and asked how he could betray him. The crowd chanted, “You f—cked up” (which they tried to censor). The crowd booed Heyman (after cheering him earlier when he was shown arriving). Heyman said it was not a betrayal; he paid back a favour that he owed. 

Reigns was confused. You normally pay back a favour yourself, but the only person getting screwed in his scenario was him. Reigns would never ask for a favour. You take what you want. Reigns never asked anyone to join him at War Games. He never asked for this, so he wondered why he had to pay the tab for Heyman’s dumbass favour. 

Seth Rollins interrupted. (He wore a black leather cargo vest with oversized black tactical pants and boots.) Rollins said Reigns was finally starting to put the pieces together after all these years. Reigns was just missing one piece, but it was too late for him. 

Rollins still wanted to end him at WrestleMania because it was still the right thing to do. Rollins called this the most important triple threat match in the history of this industry because the winner would define the future of the industry. That person could not be Reigns because if the industry was filled with people who only showed up when it was convenient and wanted everyone else to do the dirty work, it would die. If the industry was filled with people like CM Punk, who pick up their ball and go home only to come back and leech off others’ success, it would die. 

Rollins didn’t want the business to die—and it wouldn’t if it were filled with people like him. People who sacrificed and would always do what was best for business. There could only be one, and it had to be Rollins. 

The piece that Reigns hadn’t yet figured out was that favours didn’t happen by chance; they were a choice. Rollins chose not to put Heyman in the hospital last week, and now Heyman could choose to pay that favour back to him. But Heyman was a scumbag and Rollins expected nothing from him. Heyman chose to be in Punk’s corner. It wasn’t just a betrayal. Heyman was choosing, and Reigns had to figure out why he was choosing Punk over him. 

Reigns said Rollins was right. Heyman made his choice. Reigns made his choice, too. Reigns decked Rollins and shoved him into the ring post. Heyman was delighted by this, and he acknowledged Reigns. However, Reigns pie-faced Heyman and shoved him to the mat. 

CM Punk ran out and attacked Reigns, knocking him out of the ring. Punk checked on Heyman, but turned around into a spear by Reigns. 

Rollins hit Reigns in the back with a steel chair (the same way he did when he broke up The Shield). Rollins and his large boots handed out curb stomps to both Reigns and Punk. Heyman looked on in fear as Rollins stood tall, chair in hand.

WWE Raw live results: CM Punk, Paul Heyman, Seth Rollins appear

Posted on by Colin McGuire

The second-to-last WWE Raw episode before WrestleMania 41 takes place tonight from the Target Center in Minneapolis.

CM Punk, Paul Heyman, and Seth Rollins are all scheduled for the show. On SmackDown last Friday, Punk revealed that he’s cashing in his favor to have Heyman in his corner at WrestleMania. Punk vs. Rollins vs. Roman Reigns is official for the show and will main event night one

Another triple threat could get announced for WrestleMania with Raw general manager Adam Pearce set to address the Women’s World Championship situation tonight. IYO SKY vs. Bianca Belair is the match that’s currently on the books for Mania, but Rhea Ripley is expected to be added. Last week’s SKY vs. Ripley title bout ended in a chaotic brawl after special guest referee Belair called for a double disqualification.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Bayley for the Women’s Intercontinental title and The War Raiders vs. New Day for the World Tag Team titles have both been announced for tonight. Penta will be in action against Dominik Mysterio. And “El Grande Americano” will compete in Chad Gable’s hometown.

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

**********

– Michael Cole welcomed everyone into the show as shots of Allegiant Stadium aired. The scene then cut to Minneapolis, where Raw is being held tonight.

– Gunther, The New Day, War Raiders, Judgment Day, Penta and Paul Heyman were all shown walking backstage.

– A recap of last week’s IYO SKY/Bianca Belair/Rhea Ripley developments aired.

– RAW GM Adam Pearce was in the ring for the first segment. Pearce welcomed IYO SKY to the ring.

The IYO SKY/Rhea Ripley/Bianca Belair segment

There wasn’t too much to this and if anything it put an exclamation point on the fact that the build for this match has been lackluster and on top of that, there’s a growing number of people who subscribe to the notion that this shouldn’t even be a triple threat to begin with. Ripley vs. Belair would have been great. Ditto for SKY vs. Ripley. Ditto for all the other combinations. Instead, this feels like a triple threat for the sake of being a triple threat. The match will probably be pretty good, but what could have been would have been better. I hope Ripley is OK. That dropkick she took from SKY forced her to konk heads with Belair and Ripley appeared to take the worst of it.

Pearce began by taking responsibility for what happened last week. Pearce said he was wrong to think any of them could handle things like professionals. Pearce then announced to right the wrong, he’s going to make the WWE Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania a triple threat between Belair, SKY and Ripley. Pearce presented a contract for everyone to sign.

Belair hopped on a microphone and said she would normally be mad that Ripley just walked in, did whatever she wanted and is now added to the match. These days, Belair said, she’s not mad, though, because she’s not scared of Ripley. Belair said she will walk out of WrestleMania as the new WWE Women’s Champion and she wil go through Ripley to get it.

Ripley started talking and Belair told Ripley to shut up and pushed the contract into Ripley’s chest, telling her to sign the document. Ripley through the contract back at Belair. SKY intervened and the women pushed her away. SKY was annoyed, threw down her mic and walked out of the ring. Pearce stopped her and SKY dropkicked Ripley into Belair before signing the contract for WrestleMania. Ripley and Belair were left lying as SKY’s music hit and SKY left to end the segment.

**********

– Finn Balor vs. Penta vs. Dominik Mystero vs. Bron Breakker for the Intercontinental Championship was made official for WrestleMania.

– The Judgment Day were shown backstage and Live was attempting to convince Balor it’s best to have two members of their group in the Mania match. Balor noted how some think Dom doesn’t have a killer instinct and is a loser. Things got weird and Balor walked away. Carlito stepped in and said he has Dom’s back.

Lyra Valkyria defeated Bayley to retain the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship [13:24]

There were some clunky moments, but the crowd really came around by the end of it and the women worked really hard to get there. Plus … my God, those knees that Bayley laid in were something to behold. The first one, especially, felt a little personal, but thankfully, Valkyria seemed OK. The post-match stuff was odd in that Valkyria seemed surprised that Bayley first shrugged her off and then hugged her. If anything, Valkyria looked confused. Either way, this is one of the better women’s I.C. title matches to date. Not that there have been a lot, but this felt like these two had a point to prove. It wasn’t perfect, but it seemed like they got to where it needed to be by the time it was all said and done.

The two wrestled for control to start things out with Valkyria getting the best of it for a quick moment. Valkyria rolled up Bayley for a two-count and the match reset. Bayley rolled through to pin Valkyria, but Valkyria kicked out at two. Bayley knee’d the hell out of Valkyria’s head and things looked dicey for a couple seconds but Valkyria bounced back and went for a pair of pin attempts to no avail.

Valkyria worked what Pat McAfee called an Irish Swing, which stretched Bayley out. Valkyria eventually got a two-count because of it. Valkyria went to kick Bayley, but Bayley moved and went to the outside. Valkyria landed a dropkick through the ropes onto Bayley. Back inside the ring, Valkyria hit a cross-body from the top rope for a two-count. The show then went to a commercial break.

The show went to a commercial break and Bayley was working a half-crab. The two traded forearms after Valkyria worked her way out of the submission. Bayley hit a neck-breaker and Valkyria fell to the outside. Bayley followed up with a baseball slide, but Valkyria moved when Bayley went for a suicide dive. All of this ended up with Bayley giving Valkyria a Bayley-To-Belly on the outside of the ring. Both wrestlers barely beat the 10-count to get back inside the ring.

Bayley lfited Valkyria, but Valkyria countered with an arm-drag. Valkyria landed Night Wing, but Bayley kicked out at two. Cole sold the fact that Valkyria “didn’t get all of it.” Valkyria lifted Bayley again, but Bayley worked out and landed another stiff knee to Valkyria’s head. Bayley placed Valkyria on the top and went for a super-plex, but Valkyria fought out and lifted Bayley, but that amounted to nothing. As a result, Bayley came back with a Sunset Flip Bomb into a corner.

Bayley kicked Valkyria a few times and went to the arpon. Valkyria cut her off and dragged her back into the ring for a Tornado DDT-Fisherman’s Suplex combination and earned a good near fall because of it. Valkyria went to the top, but Bayley caught Valkyria and worked a Boston Crab. The crowd woke up at the thought of Bayley beating Valkyria. Bayley let go of the hold and set up for a Rose Plant, but Valkyria rolled Bayley up and escaped with the win.

After the match, Valkyria went for a handshake, but Bayley pushed her away. Bayley started to walk away, but turned around and hugged Valkyria.

**********

– Cathy Kelly interviewed comedian Burt Kreischer backstage, but Chad Gable interrupted him. Otis then walked in and ripped his own shirt off. Kreischer did the same to himself and Otis and Kreischer hugged.

– Jackie Redmond interviewed AJ Styles backstage and mentioned how Logan Paul “did a lot of things” last week. Redmond asked Styles where his head was at. Styles said it’s in a good place because he’ll get an opportunity to embarrass Logan Paul. Karrion Kross showed up and asked Styles to explain the situation to him. Kross said he can’t let Styles lose at Mania because if he loses, they all lose. Styles said he’ll give Kross a taste of the better AJ Styles next week on Raw.

American Made (El Grande Americano, Julius Creed & Brutus Creed) defeated the LWO (Dragon Lee, Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde) [10:28]

A fine TV match for what it was. I’m sort of agnostic on the Americano bit, and I’m not sure they got the most out of Gable being in his home state, but this was fun in its own silly way. Wilde and Del Toro deserve better. Shoot. Dragon Lee deserves better. Having covered the SmackDown beat for this site the last few years, I can attest to the fact that the LWO spun its wheels on Friday nights and, now taking this in, it appears the wheels seem to be spinning again on Monday nights for them. All three guys are talented and unless WWE decides to heat Mysterio up, which they haven’t in a while, the LWO feels like a non-starter. That in mind, this was a quality television six-man that had a few memorable spots. So it goes.

Brutus grounded Del Toro to start the match and followed it up with a strong shoulder block. Julius tagged in and Del Toro hit an arm-drag before tagging in Wilde. Wilde spun Julius around with his legs and went for an arm-bar, but that only led to things breaking down as all six men brawled inside the ring. The LWO team stood tall and hit a trio of dives onto their opponents on the outside of the ring. Back inside the ring, the LWO trio went to separate top ropes, but the heels cut them off and landed a series of super-plexes. The show then went to a commercial break.

The show returned and Julius was working over Lee. The two fought on the second rope and Lee turned things around with a double-stomp. Del Toro received the hot tag as Brutus tagged in and Del Toro ran over American Made with a series of fired-up moves. Del Toro briefly stopped to throw his shirt into the crowd. Del Toro kept up the momentum until Americano got involved. Lee tagged in and lifted Americano. I’m not quite sure what happened, but Americano got up and went face-to-face with Lee, who powerbombed Americano. Julius appeared out of nowhere for a Shooting Star Press on Lee. “This is awesome!” chants began.

Wilde jumped 5,000 feet in the air onto American Made on the outside. Wilde followed that up with a Corkscrew. Ivy Nile gave Americano something to put into his mask and Americano headbutted Rey Mysterio, but Lee intervened. That led to Americano headbutting Lee and hitting a diving headbutt – complete with the steel plate in his mask – from the top rope on Lee for the win.

**********

– A recap of what happened between Gunther and the Usos last week aired.

The Gunther/Jey Uso segment

This was really good. Really, really good. The touch of Jey motioning for the crowd to not Yeet along with him because of how serious the moment was turned out to be quite effective, most so because the crowd actually kind of/sort of listened and settled down. I’m not sure I’ve seen more fire ever come from Jey Uso in a promo and Gunther played his part perfectly, grinning until he didn’t, feeling at ease until it was clear he was unsettled. I’ve been wondering all these weeks about how they’d keep heat on this program, considering how early in the season the match was announced, and while there was a lull, this was fantastic in terms of adding another layer to the match. Kudos to both guys. If nothing else, they made this viewer care.

Gunther walked out all smiles, laughing a bit, even. Gunther stood on the commentary table and held up his title as the crowd booed. Gunther was given a microphone on the outside of the ring and Gunther then entered the ring. “We want Jey!” chants broke out. Before Gunther could talk, Jey Uso’s music hit and the arena started to Yeet. Uso walked through the crowd not Yeeting and looking quite angry. Gunther smiled in the ring and took off his suit coat. Gunther rolled up his sleeves as Uso took his time going through the crowd.

Uso entered the ring. He was in all black and he continued to look angry. Gunther continued to giggle. Uso knocked the microphone out of Gunther’s hand with force. Uso took off his all-black sunglasses to show hurt. “Ohhh-Sooo!” chants broke out. Uso spoke in hushed tones and asked Gunther if he had a mom. Gunther looked confused. Uso asked Gunther if he talks to his mom and asked Gunther what they talk about – “Family stuff? How’s the wife? How’s the grandson?” Uso said he has a mother, too, and he had to tell his mom that her son is in a hospital bed.

Uso said Jimmy got 15 stitches in his head. Uso said his mom asked Jey, “Why didn’t you protect him, Joshua?” Jey said he wasn’t going to lie to his mom and he told her that it was because he was afraid of Gunther. Jey said Gunther was playing chess and he had Jey, but it wasn’t enough for Gunther. Gunther had to get Jey’s family involved, Jey said, and recalled how he watched Gunther wipe his brother’s blood all over his body. Jey said he never felt so hopeless, helpless, pissed off, etc. Jey yelled at Gunther and said he violated his twin in front of him and made his heart stop.

Jey said in his darkest moment, a lightbulb went off for him. Jey said he realized he’s not afraid of Gunther no more. “Yeet!” chants broke out. Jey said before WrestleMania, he’s going to lay his head down and say a prayer for Gunther and he’s going to ask the lord to forgive him for the man he’s about to become. Jey said at WrestleMania, he’s going to get Gunther for himself, for his Jimmy and his whole damn family. Jey said he’d take the World Heavyweight Championship and threw the microphone. Jey’s music hit and Jey slowly got himself out of the ring, no Yeeting involved.

**********

– A video recapping what happened between Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, CM Punk and Seth Rollins on Friday aired.

– Natalya and Maxxine Dupri were shown talking to Adam Pearce backstage and Rey Mysterio walked in. Mysterio was angry and said Americano is making a mockery of everything he’s ever loved. Mysterio said he wanted to face Americano at WrestleMania. Pearce and Mysterio shook hands.

– Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joined the commentary team at the desk. He’s hosting the Roast Of WrestleMania, remember?! Yeah. All right.

The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) defeated The War Raiders (Erik & Ivar) via DQ [9:27]

This was flat. Admittedly, I lost a minute or two due to a bad Netflix stream issue, but the finish was nonsense and it appears we’re on our way to the War Raiders vs. New Day at Mania for the tag titles. That’s fine. Trying to heat it up with less than two weeks to go by having the New Day attempt to kill Erik feels a bit rushed, but we are where we are. I like the New Day as heels and I root for the War Raiders to work, considering how they were once on the short end of the booking stick when it comes to the company’s former booker. But does this have any juice behind it? No. It does not.

Ivar and Kingston began the match. Kingston quickly rolled to the outside after Ivar got the upper hand. Woods tagged in and teased getting in the ring until Kingston distracted Erik and from there, Woods and Kingston beat Erik down. Eventually, Erik regained control and slammed both Kingston and Woods. Erik bodyslammed Ivar onto Kingston. Wood was thrown outside and Woods grabbed a chair, but Erik cut him off with a punch. Ivar worked over Kingston on the other side of the outside of the ring and Ivar then hit a splash on Woods on the outside. The War Raiders posed for the camera and the show went to a commercial break.

After returning to action, chairs got involved and the War Raiders were DQ’d because of the chairs. After the match, The New Day set up Erik and ran him into a chair perched in the corner. The heels then sent Ivar into the timekeeper’s area. Woods grabbed another chair and New Day went to work on Erik’s surgically repaired neck. Officials ran out to stop Kingston from coming off the top onto Erik’s neck, which was draped on a chair.

**********

– A video recapping the John Cena/Cody Rhodes program aired.

Penta defeated Dominik Mysterio [8:17]

The winner felt like it was never in doubt. The post-match angle felt like it was never in doubt. Meh. Much like the women’s title match that I whined about earlier, I don’t know why we can’t have a simple one-on-one bout for some of these titles, but Mania is about getting everybody on the card, right? Maybe? How else do you explain those battle royals? Anyway, my preference would have been Penta vs. Bron, but we probably all agree that this is set up for the single reason to give the kill shot to the Judgment Day for good in Vegas. Finally. Mercifully. Hopefully? Whatever it ends up being, this match tonight was predictable and bland.

Dominik had control early, at one point posing on the second rope. Penta ultimately came back with a backbreaker and a kind of/sort of Slingblade. Penta went to the top and landed a cross-body on Dominik and Carlito, who were on the outside. The show went to a commercial break after that. The show returned and Penta jumped into a kick from Dom, who then landed the Three Amigos for a two-count. Dom dropkicked Penta and set up for a 619, but instead ran into a super-kick from Penta .

Penta landed the double-stomp onto Dom in a corner, but Dom got the shoulder up at two. Penta went for his finisher, but Dom countered and hit a Destroyer of his own. Dom then hit the 619 and went for a Frog Splash, but Penta got his knees up to stop Dom’s momentum. Penta tried for a pin, but Dom got out of it and went for a clothesline, but Penta took Dom down and hit the Sacrifice into the Penta Driver for the win.

After the match, Carlito attacked Penta, complete with a Backstabber. Bron Breakker’s music hit and Breakker slowly walked out and speared the hell out of Carlito. Bron did the same to Dirty Dom inside the ring. Finally, the completed the trifecta by spearing Penta. Finn Balor appeared out of nowhere and took out Bron. Balor then picked up the I.C. title and held it high. Bron tried to spear Balor, but Balor rolled out of the ring. Bron’s music hit to end the segment.

**********

– Next week, AJ Styles will take on Karrion Kross. Also next week, Roman Reigns is set to appear.

The Paul Heyman/Seth Rollins segment

This was really kind of good, but my biggest quabble comes in the form of this: Why the hell did it take CM Punk so long to rush out to the ring? Rollins said more than enough and left more than enough space to allow for Punk to stop everything Rollins was doing. The final straw was Heyman snapping at Rollins? I’m not so sure about any of that. The entire build to this match has felt absentminded and when you combine that with the fact that nobody really wants to see it and it’s going to headline a night at WrestleMania … the world is against Punk, Reigns, Rollins and Heyman, but maybe they can pull a rabbit out of a hat. Time will tell. As for this, it was a solid talking segment that put everything about Heyman into question, which is a good thing. Rollins did a nice job antagonizing not just the Wise Man, but the situation, writ large. With one Monday left, I’m interested to see how they tie a bow on this heading into the Big Show.

Paul Heyman was in the ring back from commercial and Heyman did his regular introduction. Heyman launched right into it and said he will always be loyal to his Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Heyman said he will always be loyal to his best friend in the world, CM Punk. Heyman said just because he is loyal to both of them, it doesn’t mean he will ever be disloyal to either of them. Heyman said when it comes to WrestleMania, he wanted to get one thing perfectly clear … until Seth Rollins’s music hit and cut Heyman off.

Rollins grabbed a microphone and went right up to Heyman before screaming, “Minneapolis!” Rollins welcomed everyone to Monday Night Rollins. “Tonight, it’s not about me,” Rollins said, because tonight “is about Paul Heyman.” Rollins called Heyman out for talking about loyalty and asked Heyman whose side Heyman is on. Rollins asked Heyman if he will be the very best friend to CM Punk or if he will be the wise man to Roman Reigns. Rollins said Heyman is trying to convince everyone he can do both at the same time, but it occurred to Rollins that Heyman is neither thing.

Rollins took off his glasses and told Heyman that Roman Reigns doesn’t give a damn about Heyman. Rollins said Reigns uses Heyman and he said Reigns doesn’t respect Heyman. Rollins brought up WrestleMania last year and said Reigns lost his title thanks to Rollins. Rollins noted how Reigns left Heyman after Mania last year and left Heyman in the hands of Solo Sikoa, who did not treat Heyman well. Rollins said everyone wondered when someone would come save Heyman and brought up how Reigns did not come to save Heyman. Instead, Reigns left Heyman to get massacred in his hometown, in front of his children.

Rollins said CM Punk, his best friend in the world, was also not there to save Heyman. Rollins recalled how Punk walked out on everybody in WWE, Heyman included. Rollins said Punk tried to tear down everything Heyman created while he was in WWE. Rollins talked about how Punk and Heyman love to reminisce about War Games. Rollins brought up the fact that Punk was not the first choice to join Heyman’s team at War Games; instead, it was Rollins and Rollins declined the invitation. Rollins said Punk was the last choice and he said Punk only did because he knew he could get a favor out of Heyman. Rollins said Punk loves nobody but himself and he is not Heyman’s best friend.

Rollins said he feels bad for Heyman because he is between a rock and a hard place. Rollins said it would easier if Heyman just removed himself from the equation and let Punk, Rollins and Reigns battle it out “for the soul of this industry.” Rollins wondered aloud about a way to remove Heyman from the situation. Rollins told Heyman it would be for his own good. Rollins said he would take it as a privilege to remove Heyman from the situation “right here, right now.” Rollins said it’d be quick and easy – one quick stomp and it’s all over. Rollins said nobody was there to save Heyman.

Rollins asked Heyman how much he was worth and slightly pushed Heyman. Rollins asked Heyman how much he was worth and slightly slapped Heyman. Rollins pushed Heyman repeatedly. Heyman broke and yelled, “Don’t put your damn hands on me again.” Heyman threw his microphone and Rollins pie-faced Heyman. CM Punk’s music hit and Punk ran out to brawl with Rollins. Punk threw Rollins into the ring stairs. Punk put Rollins’s head on the ring steps, but Rollins moved and Punk rolled into the ring, where Rollins gave Punk the stomp. Heyman tended to Punk and Rollins tried to Stomp Heyman, but Heyman moved slightly. Rollins pulled back anyway and grabbed the microphone to say that Heyman now owes Rollins a favor. The show ended with Rollins standing tall and Heyman looking confused at Rollins.

CM Punk, Paul Heyman, more set for WWE Raw

Posted on by Ian Carey

More additions have been made to the lineup for tomorrow night’s Raw.

Raw General Manager Adam Pearce posted a video on Sunday revealing that CM Punk and Paul Heyman will be on the show. This comes after Punk revealed that the favor Heyman owes him is to be in his corner for the main event of WrestleMania.

“After what happened on SmackDown, one man will be in the house. His name is Paul Heyman, and I’m sure he’s gonna have plenty to say. And where the wiseman goes, apparently, so goes CM Punk. He will be in the house, as will Seth ‘Freakin’’ Rollins,” Pearce said.

Additionally, Pearce revealed that both Jey Uso and World Heavyweight Champion Gunther will be on the show. This comes after Gunther bloodied Jimmy Uso on last week’s episode.

“Don’t miss it, Jey Uso and Gunther under the same roof. What does Jey got to say after what happened in London to his brother Jimmy? We will find out.”

Also announced is The War Raiders will defending the World Tag Team Championships against The New Day. Pearce added that he plans to make a ruling on the Women’s World Championship following last week’s match between Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley, which had Bianca Belair as the special guest referee.

“The War Raiders will defend against The New Day. And after all the chaos surrounding the Women’s World Championship, I’m finally going to handle it—and it will be done tomorrow night live in Minneapolis.”

Earlier in the day, WWE also confirmed a singles match between Penta and Dominik Mysterio.

WWE Raw advertised lineup for Monday, April 7, 2025:

  • WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria defends against Bayley
  • World Tag Team Champions The War Raiders (Ivar & Erik) defend against New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston)
  • Penta vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • CM Punk, Paul Heyman and Seth Rollins to appear
  • Gunther and Jey Uso to appear
  • Adam Pearce to handle the Women’s World Championship situation
  • El Grande Americano returns to action

WOL: AEW Dynasty preview, CM Punk’s favor revealed

Posted on by Andrew Zarian

On today’s Wrestling Observer Live, there are some things to preview and review on a busy weekend.

I start off recapping Friday’s WWE SmackDown where the favor Paul Heyman owes to CM Punk was revealed, and a very interesting promo between Tiffany Stratton and Charlotte Flair that got people talking, regardless of whether they went off or stayed on script.

Also, I go into last week’s story regarding AEW viewership numbers on Max and why traditional measurements of viewership, such as Nielsen, don’t work when it comes to streaming numbers.

I also recap Saturday’s AEW Collision and break down tonight’s AEW Dynasty with thoughts on what direction they are going in as they head to All In later this year.

Plus, Kevin Owens’s injury, a four-hour TV block for AEW this summer, and more!

Click here to listen or watch on YouTube

CM Punk reveals favor Paul Heyman owes him on WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

CM Punk has revealed the favor that Paul Heyman owes him.

With Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in the ring, CM Punk finally revealed the favor Paul Heyman owes him dating back to Survivor Series on this week’s SmackDown. He said that at WrestleMania, Heyman would be in his corner instead of Reigns. First amused by the announcement, Reigns told Heyman to reject the idea. However, Heyman responded by becoming emotional, eventually telling Reigns through tears that he couldn’t deny Punk’s favor.

As Reigns started to corner Heyman, Punk attacked him from behind, laying out Reigns with a GTS. Rollins was amused and left the ring once Punk turned his attention to him, ending the show.

On last week’s show, Heyman revealed that after all of these years, Punk would be getting his WrestleMania main event, as the triple threat bout between Punk, Reigns, and Rollins will headline WrestleMania Saturday. As Punk reacted to the news, Reigns replied that instead of thanking the fans, Punk should be thanking him for the main event. Punk thanked Reigns, but then revealed that the main event wasn’t the favor that Heyman promised. 

Cedric Alexander: I was more of a Paul Heyman guy than Triple H guy

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In WWE, Cedric Alexander felt more like a Paul Heyman guy than a Triple H guy.

Alexander and Paul “Triple H” Levesque shared a special moment in 2016 when Alexander was signed to a WWE contract after his stellar match against Kota Ibushi in the Cruiserweight Classic. On a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Alexander revealed that he actually was technically signed a week before that match — but the moment he shared with the fans and Levesque will always be one of the highlights of his life.

“I don’t think I ever could have picked anything better, unless you made me WWE Champion on the spot [laughs],” Alexander said. “I will cherish that moment forever. That’s a career, life-defining moment.”

Alexander spent almost nine years with WWE before being released from his contract last month. When asked about his relationship with Levesque, Alexander said things never really developed past the endorsement he got from Levesque at the Cruiserweight Classic.

“Honestly, it didn’t go past that, funny enough,” Alexander said. “Like, you would think from that moment I’d be a Triple H guy, right? No, I mean — so there was a point where we were in 205 Live that he kind of had some say in there a little bit, and kind of took care of me. But, like, I was never really a fully Triple H guy. I was more of a Paul Heyman guy when he was writing Raw and they drafted me out of 205 Live into Raw. I was more of a Heyman guy than anything else. Heyman gave me a bunch of little sidebar conversations and this, that, and the other way more than Triple H ever did.”

Van Vliet asked Alexander what the biggest lesson he learned from Heyman was.

“Patience, for better or worse, patience,” Alexander responded. “I remember there was one point I went to Heyman and I was just like, I was probably on Raw for like a year, but they haven’t really done anything with me. And I was like, ‘Hey, Paul, what do I have to do? Like, what do you need from me in order to get to that next level?’ I think this was maybe right after we did the whole thing with AJ [Styles] and the squash match we did on [Clash] of Champions in Charlotte. He was just telling me, ‘No, just wait. We’ll take care of you. If you gotta wait six months, wait six months. If you gotta wait a year, wait a year.’ And I just remember going, ‘I will be the best soldier I can be and just wait it out.’ And every time they called me for something, whether it was the Gary Garbutt thing or any other random thing they asked for, I was, hey, I’m here. What do you want me to do?”

Alexander was released from his WWE contract on February 7 and will officially be a free agent this May. He told Van Vliet that he’s hoping to end up in AEW for a reunion with his former Hurt Business stablemates Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP.

JNPO: MLW’s Rich Palladino on 31 years of ring announcing, road stories & ECW memories

Posted on by Josh Nason

On a brand-new Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, I am joined by first-time guest Rich Palladino, a 31-year veteran of ring announcing in the Northeast United States in addition to MLW.

Ring announcers are such a key part of the live show experience and are often overlooked which is why I wanted to have an extended talk with Rich on why he does what he does and why he’s done it for so long.

Some of the topics:

  • The unusual way in which he got his first opportunity in the business
  • How he got hooked up with MLW and how it’s taking him to places he has never been before
  • Working for Paul Heyman as part of ECW’s New England events
  • His connections to the many wrestlers seen on national TV every single week
  • What it’s like to work a WrestleMania weekend string of shows
  • His method going into events and memorization vs. reading cards
  • How The Sandman and Bobby Cruise helped change his career

Click here to listen or listen for free on Spotify or Apple Pods

Triple H: I have Paul Heyman spending a lot of time coaching Bron Breakker

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque has enlisted the help of Paul Heyman to help develop Bron Breakker’s promo and character work.

In a feature story The Hollywood Reporter published on Heyman’s contributions to WWE on-screen and backstage, Levesque named Breakker as a talent that Heyman has been helping coach. Levesque described Heyman as a “conduit” between Breakker and the creative team.

“He’s a young guy, incredibly athletic, great character, he’s a sponge,” Levesque said about Breakker. “I have Heyman spend a lot of time with him to help develop him with his promos, to help develop his character, to help push him in a direction. Then Paul talks to me and talks to the writers about where do we want to take that, and then he’s the conduit for where we want to go to that talent.”

Breakker — the son of WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner — is WWE’s current Intercontinental Champion. A former college football player who spent time in NFL training camp with the Baltimore Ravens, he signed with WWE in 2021 and started out in NXT, where he had NXT Championship reigns.

The Hollywood Reporter story also included Roman Reigns discussing how Heyman has helped him up his game to the highest level.

“As a top guy, there’s a billion different things you’ve got to worry about on game day,” Reigns said. “And there’s a lot of people pulling you in a lot of different directions. A lot of people want this and that, and he can become that filter that makes it really easy to go out there on game day and perform at the highest level.”

Paul Heyman: WWE is ‘driving pop culture now’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Paul Heyman says WWE is no longer a niche interest. 

In a new interview with Variety, Heyman said that with the move to Netflix, WWE has evolved from being a “boutique industry” to a driving force in global pop culture. 

“We’re no longer a boutique industry,” Heyman said. “We’re not on the fringe. We’re driving pop culture now, and with the fact that Roman Reigns is the undisputed top box office attraction, the number one star in the entire industry, and his Wiseman, are driving these cultural phenomenon, I would suggest the youth of this world is in very good hands right now.”

Heyman also said during the interview that the upcoming WWE 2K25 video game featuring him and Roman Reigns on the cover and The Bloodline in this year’s Showcase mode is a “mainstream acknowledgment” of their contributions to the industry. 

“It’s truly a reaffirming moment for The Bloodline and the members within The Bloodline that Roman Reigns and I are on the cover of this video game,” Heyman continued. “It’s a mainstream acknowledgement of the contributions to the entire sports entertainment industry by the Tribal Chief and his Wiseman. It’s a huge step into the mainstream. It’s an encapsulation of this moment in time in which the disruption of the entire industry by Roman Reigns is hereby acknowledged.”

Heyman revealed Reigns as the cover star of the game’s standard edition during WWE Raw on Monday. The announcement was teased at the WWE Raw on Netflix debut show during a backstage segment with Reigns and Heyman. Reigns told Heyman that he needed a platform to be acknowledged on now that he is once again Tribal Chief. As the two left the room, a WWE 2K25 logo appeared on the door.





Roman Reigns revealed as cover star for WWE 2K25, release date announced

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Roman Reigns is front and center in WWE 2K25.

On Raw Monday, Paul Heyman came to the ring and officially revealed the cover for the latest WWE video game release, WWE 2K25. It features Roman Reigns front and center, with Heyman looking on in the background.

Once the cover was revealed, 2K shared a new trailer focusing on Reigns. The trailer also revealed that the game will be released on March 14 for Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation. Pre-orders begin on January 28.

Additionally, WWE’s social media channels officially revealed the cover for the Bloodline edition of the game, with Reigns as the focus but also featuring members from both incarnations of the group: Heyman, Jimmy & Jey Uso, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, Jacob Fatu, and Solo Sikoa.

Behind-the-scenes footage featuring Reigns was also shared:

Earlier on Monday, 2K announced that there would also be a special Deadman Edition for WWE 2K25. Those who purchase either the Deadman and Bloodline editions of the game via pre-order will receive all five members of the Wyatt Sicks: Uncle Howdy, Joe Gacy, Nikki Cross, Erik Rowan, and Dexter Lumis.

Paul Heyman: Wrestling has ‘enabled its fanbase to embrace long-term storytelling’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Paul Heyman says the wrestling industry has embraced long-term storytelling.

During an appearance on Impaulsive with Logan Paul on Monday, Heyman was asked how he would book Paul in 2025. Heyman said he would plan out Paul’s creative much farther in advance than just one year. 

Heyman said:

“If the question is how I would book Logan Paul in 2025, my answer is I wouldn’t book him just for 2025. My question would be, who’s Logan Paul’s opponent for WrestleMania 42, which is in 2026, and more importantly, who’s Logan Paul’s opponent in 2027, which is WrestleMania 43?”

He continued:

“In an industry that has now enabled its fan base to embrace long-term storytelling, I’m capping you at 18 months. ‘Oh, who’s my opponent for 42? That’s only 18 months from now. Who’s your opponent for 43?’ And once we figure out who your opponent is for 43, let’s back-tell that story.”

“I never have written a script or answered an idea without knowing the final page. I write the final page first. Here’s the end. It may transition to something else, but here’s how this story ends. Now, how do we get there? How do we milk it? How do we tease them? What’s the intrigue? What are the other characters’ dimensions that play off of this? How does this story affect all others?”

“If everything drives to this point, then you know the narrative that you want to tell. Making sure Solo never said ‘acknowledge me’ before he said it in Madison Square Garden. Making sure he’s never referred to as a Tribal Chief before. Making sure that all roads led to that moment, that 15-minute segment that engrossed everybody because everything since WrestleMania built to that moment.”

Also during his appearance on Impaulsive, Heyman took issue with Wikipedia listing him as being “widely regarded as one of the greatest managers and creative minds” in wrestling history. Heyman says he’s not “one of” anything; he’s the greatest of all time. 

Heyman said:

“Anybody that follows this industry knows I’m not ‘one of’ anything and that I am the GOAT and that it should be acknowledged, and accepted, and respected, and worshiped. And that when they read Wikipedia and it goes, ‘one of’ they simply look at that and they go, ‘F–k Wikipedia.’ And if Wikipedia would like to un-f–k that f–k, then they are welcome to change that biography into what is historically accurate.”

Heyman’s Wikipedia page has since been changed.

Heyman’s full appearance on Impaulsive is available below.

Paul Heyman to present Ula Fala to WWE Raw Tribal Combat winner

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A WWE Hall of Famer’s role in the Tribal Combat match set for the Monday, January 6 Raw on Netflix premiere has been revealed.

Part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024, Paul Heyman will present the Ula Fala to the winner of the Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa Tribal Combat match as Raw kicks off its Netflix era this coming Monday.

In an in-ring promo segment on SmackDown, Sikoa charged Heyman with keeping watch of the Ula Fala necklace during Tribal Combat, then said that Heyman must present the necklace to the winner of the match, and that the loser of the bout must acknowledge the winner as their Tribal Chief. Heyman agreed to the stipulations on Reigns’ behalf.

Heyman has served as the storyline manager and “Wise Man” for Reigns for a number of years, and was briefly aligned with Sikoa’s iteration of The Bloodline earlier this year, before the Sikoa-led group featuring Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu put Heyman through an announce desk at Madison Square Garden in 2024.

Reigns returned to WWE at SummerSlam this year after a hiatus following his WrestleMania 40 loss to Cody Rhodes, then reunited his version of The Bloodline alongside Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, and Jimmy Uso.

The lineup for the WWE Raw Netflix premiere on Monday, January 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern time:

  • Tribal Combat: Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa
  • CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins
  • Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan defends against Rhea Ripley in a Last Woman Standing match
  • Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso
  • John Cena returns
  • Penta El Zero Miedo debuts
  • The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. Rey Mysterio & TBA