Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez is back with a solo show talking all the latest news, injury updates to Piper Niven and Stephanie Vaquer, WWE back to doing house shows again and why it’s important for everyone in wrestling, Sareee and the Owen Hart tournament, the full Dynamite report and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Tag: piper niven
Piper Niven shares update after undergoing neck surgery
After being sidelined with a neck injury since August 2025, WWE’s Piper Niven gave an update Wednesday after undergoing surgery.
Posted to X, the 35-year-old shared some thoughts and an image from a hospital bed after getting an anterior discectomy which is a surgical procedure that removes a damaged or herniated disc in the neck through a small incision in the front of the throat.
In her words, she expressed her “endless love and gratitude” to those who have helped her along this journey.
“I went to California and all I got was this lousy anterior discectomy.
I have so much I want to say about the past 8 months but we can get to that later. For now, I just want to express my endless love and gratitude for every single soul that has helped me and cared for me during this difficult and really scary time. Pain and heartbreak are incredible teachers and the lessons I have learned from this will stay with me forever. I am so grateful to wake up from surgery already feeling better and I know I am coming out the other side of this so much stronger for the experience.
Lots of love P x”
As recently as February, Niven said she was still hopeful to return to something she has done since she was 16. Her last match was a win over Charlotte Flair on an episode of SmackDown in Dublin, Ireland, last August.
Piper Niven hopes for in-ring return, says she’s ‘in a good spot right now’
WWE superstar Piper Niven has been sidelined for months with a neck injury. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like she’ll be coming back any time soon.
Niven updated her status on social media Monday night. Responding to a fan who asked how she was feeling and whether she would be back soon, Niven replied that she was “in a good spot right now” but didn’t know when she would return.
“It’s 5 months on and some days when it’s bad I can’t stand up for more than a few minutes if even a minute,” she explained.
“Do I want to come back? Of course I do. This is all I’ve done and all I’ve wanted to do since I was 16 years old and I can’t imagine doing anything else, I still love it as much as I did the first day I started. And I feel like I was really just starting to get confident again and open up and hit my groove. So all this to say, I hope so. Keep your fingers crossed for me.”
Niven’s last match was a win over Charlotte Flair on an episode of SmackDown in Dublin, Ireland last August. She showed little signs of injury during the match, but was soon pulled from TV and hasn’t been seen on WWE programming since.
Piper Niven responds to William Regal health warning: ‘Take heed my darlings’
Piper Niven — who is currently battling a serious neck injury of her own — hopes that wrestlers listen to William Regal’s health advice.
On Sunday night, Regal sent out a tweet warning wrestlers against doing “stupid” moves where they get dropped on their heads. Regal detailed the consequences that he and others like Bryan Danielson are dealing with from the damage they suffered in their careers — and he pleaded with the younger generation to stop doing moves that carry such great risk toward their future quality of life.
Niven responded by backing up Regal’s advice and asking other wrestlers to heed his warning. She said there’s a very fine line between feeling fine and not being able to feel okay.
The line between
— Slaygent P (@PiperNivenWWE) December 29, 2025
“But I feel fine!”
And
“I just want to feel ok again”
Is horrifically thin and you have zero idea how close you are teetering on the edge of it.
Please take heed my darlings. https://t.co/H276qJLfUg
“The line between ‘But I feel fine!’ And ‘I just want to feel ok again’ Is horrifically thin and you have zero idea how close you are teetering on the edge of it,” she wrote. “Please take heed my darlings.”
Though Regal did not state this in his tweet, most fans assumed he was responding to the spot from AEW Worlds End where Kyle Fletcher landed on his neck while taking a top rope dragon suplex from Jon Moxley. Regal previously worked for AEW before returning to WWE in 2023.
Niven responded to a fan on X who thought Regal was being hypocritical for indirectly criticizing an AEW spot when he hasn’t done so for WWE.
Or perhaps it’s just a great way of getting solid advice to people he doesn’t have a direct line of communication with or see at work to tell them in person. https://t.co/8Mwv2mZQvF
— Slaygent P (@PiperNivenWWE) December 29, 2025
“Or perhaps it’s just a great way of getting solid advice to people he doesn’t have a direct line of communication with or see at work to tell them in person,” she wrote.
Niven is a member of the WWE SmackDown roster but has not wrestled since August due to a neck injury that could be career-threatening.
Fletcher is believed to be fine despite how scary the Worlds End spot looked.
WOL: Updates on Tiffany and Jey, weekend show news, more!
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including multiple injury updates, backstage notes from AEW All Out and WrestlePalooza, full reviews of both shows, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Injury updates on WWE’s Jey Uso, Tiffany Stratton, Piper Niven
Several WWE injury updates are now available.
Bryan Alvarez addressed the status of Jey Uso, Tiffany Stratton, and Piper Niven on today’s episode of Wrestling Observer Live.
Regarding Uso, he took a chair to the face on Saturday during the Usos vs. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed match, which busted him open. He was placed in concussion protocol, which is standard procedure when a performer appears to suffer a head injury, even if a concussion hasn’t been diagnosed. Uso later posted on social media that he is “good” following the match.
“As of this morning, WWE claims that he’s fine, which sounds to me like he’s been cleared,” Alvarez said on the show.
Tiffany Stratton was injured on the September 12 episode of WWE SmackDown in a match against Jade Cargill, hitting her head on the ringside floor after a moonsault attempt. NXT General Manager Ava would later announce that Stratton was not medically cleared for NXT Homecoming and would be replaced by Lyra Valkyria on the show. WWE claims this was all storyline and Stratton was never injured.
“Now they’re claiming she was never hurt,” Alvarez said regarding Stratton.
It was believed that Stratton was to wrestle Jade Cargill and Nia Jax in a three-way bout at Wrestlepalooza. However, the match is now scheduled for Friday’s SmackDown.
“The three-way scheduled for next week’s SmackDown was supposed to be on this ESPN show,” Alvarez continued.
“I think Nick Khan claimed that it was pulled because they ran out of time.”
“Listen everybody, Tiffany was hurt. I presume she’s going to wrestle on Friday. It was not pulled because they ran out of time. It was pulled because she was not cleared. So color me skeptical whenever they talk about anyone’s injury status or anything like that.”
Alvarez also provided an update on Piper Niven, who has been out of action since the August 22 SmackDown in Dublin, Ireland. He noted that Fightful Select reported earlier this week that Niven was injured, though further details were not revealed. Alvarez added that there is concern the injury could be career-threatening.
“There’s concern that it could be career ending, so whatever it is, I mean, it’s serious. Hopefully she can come back but she is out due to injury,” Alvarez said.
The full episode of today’s Wrestling Observer Live is avaialble below.
Report: WWE star out of action with injury
Piper Niven is reportedly out of action.
Fightful Select reported on Sunday that Niven is currently out with an undisclosed injury. She hasn’t wrestled since August 22, when she defeated Charlotte Flair.
“We didn’t hear what the specific injury was, just that they don’t know how bad it is at this point,” their report says.
Chelsea Green wrote on social media over the weekend that Slaygent P (Niven) was “currently out on a top-secret special assignment” and is currently looking for a “fill-in candidate.”
A recent storyline on SmackDown had seen Fyre and Niven looking to challenge Women’s Tag Team Champions Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, with a title match originally set for the SmackDown before Clash in Paris. However, the title match was instead changed to a singles match where Bliss defeated Green. A title match finally took place on this past Friday’s SmackDown, with Green replacing Niven. The challengers were ultimately unsuccessful, with Flair & Bliss retaining the titles.
WWE announces change to SmackDown title match
WWE has announced a change to Friday’s SmackDown lineup, with Piper Niven no longer set to compete on the show.
Niven & Alba Fyre were supposed to challenge Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss for the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles on today’s SmackDown in France. But WWE posted a video this afternoon with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis announcing that Niven is “unavailable tonight.” The Secret Hervice will still be getting their title shot, though, with Chelsea Green stepping in for Niven.
Charlotte & Bliss won the Women’s Tag Team titles at SummerSlam earlier this month and began feuding with the Secret Hervice shortly after. On SmackDown last week, Niven defeated Charlotte in a singles match with interference by Green and Fyre helping her get the win.
Lyon is hosting SmackDown today in advance of Clash in Paris. Outside of the United States, the episode will air live on Netflix at 2 p.m. Eastern time. It will then be shown in the U.S. later tonight in its regular 8 p.m. Eastern time slot.
WWE SmackDown (Friday, August 29) —
- John Cena appears
- United States Champion Solo Sikoa defends against Sami Zayn
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss defend against Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre
- WWE Tag Team title number one contender’s match: The Street Profits vs. Carmelo Hayes & The Miz
- Michin vs. Kiana James
Updated WWE SmackDown lineup: Two new matches added
Two new match announcements have been made for this week’s WWE SmackDown in Dublin.
As part of WWE’s pre-Clash in Paris European tour, SmackDown will be held in Ireland for the first time ever this Friday night. The show is taking place from 3Arena and will be broadcast live on Netflix outside of the United States prior to airing later that night on USA Network.
It was announced today that Charlotte Flair vs. Piper Niven has been added to the SmackDown card, along with a tag team match between The Street Profits and The MFTs.
Charlotte & Alexa Bliss became the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions at SummerSlam earlier this month and have begun a feud with Chelsea Green & The Secret Hervice (Piper Niven & Alba Fyre) ahead of a likely title defense. Green, Niven & Fyre laid out Charlotte & Bliss last week after Bliss defeated Niven in a singles match.
WWE has not yet announced which two MFTs will be competing in the tag bout. United States Champion Solo Sikoa leads the group that consists of Tonga Loa, Talla Tonga & JC Mateo.
Here is the updated SmackDown lineup for tomorrow:
WWE SmackDown (Friday, August 22) —
- John Cena appears
- R-Truth vs. Aleister Black
- Charlotte Flair vs. Piper Niven
- Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. Melo Don’t Miz (Carmelo Hayes & The Miz)
- The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. Two MFTs
Michin vs. Piper Niven added to WWE SmackDown
Before her dumpster match against Chelsea Green, Michin is set to go one-on-one with Green’s tag team partner.
Michin vs. Green in a dumpster match is taking place next Friday on the October 4 edition of SmackDown. On tonight’s episode of the show, Michin will face off against Piper Niven. It comes after an angle where Niven attacked Michin with a trash can during an interview on The SmackDown LowDown last week.
Michin owns a victory over Niven from the September 13 episode of SmackDown, but she was laid out by Green and Niven after the match. A distraction by Niven had helped Green defeat Michin one week before that.
SmackDown is being held at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City tonight. Here’s what’s been announced for the show:
WWE SmackDown (Friday, September 27) —
- Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline appear
- Number one contender’s match: Bayley vs. Naomi (winner challenges Nia Jax for the WWE Women’s Championship at Bad Blood)
- Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes (Andrade leads series 3-2)
- Michin vs. Piper Niven
WWE Clash at the Castle preview & predictions: Puckering up for a Glasgow kiss
Saturday’s Clash at the Castle 2024 (1:30 PM Eastern on Peacock/WWE Network) in Glasgow, Scotland, seems likely to continue WWE’s trend of putting on fast-paced international PLEs in front of hot crowds.
The Scottish fans will be just as loud and rowdy as the crowds in Lyon at Backlash or Jeddah at King & Queen of the Ring, if not more so. Neither of those shows really featured local talent (Sami Zayn in Saudi Arabia was pretty close), but three of the five matches scheduled for Clash at the Castle do with Drew McIntyre, Piper Niven, Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre all having a chance to perform in their home country.
It should create an interesting atmosphere because all four are heels on WWE programming, but will be cheered by the live crowd.
Another thing we are learning about the Paul Levesque era that we will see on Saturday is that this regime produces tight shows with small lineups and each match being given the time it needs. WWE PLEs have begun to resemble what Triple H would do for NXT TakeOver events in that regard. I can’t say I have any complaints about that.
Below are previews and predictions for each match at WWE Clash at the Castle:
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against AJ Styles in an I Quit match
The result here isn’t really in question as Rhodes is a -5000 favorite to win.
Does anyone think WWE is going to have their best babyface champion since John Cena say “I Quit” only a couple of months into his reign? Even going the Mick Foley/Rock route of having the heel use a recording of the babyface saying “I Quit” to pick up a tainted win seems entirely out of the question here.
The thing with Rhodes’ title reign right now is that fans know he’s not dropping the belt anytime soon, so it makes it harder to get invested in a story if you think you already know what the ending is. With that being said, WWE has done a tremendous job of making us care about this match over the last few weeks even though we know Rhodes is winning.
The Styles/Rhodes homage to Mark Henry’s famous retirement angle done on June 1st was done very well, right down to the pastel blue suit (I’ve also heard the color described as “Dumb & Dumber Blue”). Then on the June 8th SmackDown, Rhodes cut a superb promo, revealing the stipulation with the line, “I’m going to make you say what you should’ve said last week and that is “I Quit!”
The I Quit stipulation coming off a fake retirement angle is perfect and Rhodes’ promo about it was as well. 10/10, no notes.
So, yes, we know Rhodes is going to win and retain the title. However, the real fun will be seeing how he makes Styles quit and wraps the angle up.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes wins and retains
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest defends against Drew McIntyre
The oddsmakers aren’t sure what is going to happen here. As of this writing, McIntyre is listed as a -175 favorite which are the closest odds on the show. I feel pretty strongly that McIntyre is winning, however.
Betonline has a prop bet available for this match as well on whether or not CM Punk will interfere. Currently, the odds of him doing so are listed at -300. McIntyre is still favored to win, but Punk is favored to interfere. I don’t recommend betting on wrestling, but if you’re going to do so, there could be some interesting parlays made there.
I’m not sure if Punk will interfere or not as it depends on how close he is to returning. The angle they did on Monday leading to The Judgment Day being barred from ringside certainly creates the opportunity for him to do so.
If McIntyre doesn’t win the title, it leads to the very real possibility that the Scottish wrestlers on this show go winless as neither the Unholy Union nor Piper Niven have very good odds in their matches. I have a hard time believing WWE is going to go into Glasgow and have Scottish wrestlers lose every match they are in. If it was Vince McMahon still in charge and they were in Canada, then I could see them doing something like that, but not here in the Levesque era.
While having McIntyre get screwed out of the title yet again does fit with his story, I don’t think it’s going to happen. I’m expecting McIntyre to win the big one in front of his home fans, Punk or no Punk.
Prediction: McIntyre wins the title
WWE Women’s Champion Bayley defends against Piper Niven
Niven winning the title here is not altogether out of the question, but is not likely.
Bayley is listed as a -3000 favorite and at one point, she was as big a favorite as Rhodes is. While she probably will win and retain, I’m pretty shocked they have her listed as such a heavy favorite.
Niven will be wrestling in her home country and the fans will be behind her. She has always been kept very strong and cut a solid promo on SmackDown recently when she told Bayley that she was a world champion before even arriving in WWE. Having Chelsea Green at ringside doesn’t hurt her chances either.
I believe Bayley will likely win, but if the plan is for Punk to cost McIntyre the title elsewhere on the show, either Niven or the Unholy Union needs to win or the Scottish wrestlers will go 0-3. They could do that, but it feels like you want at least one feel-good moment for a Scottish wrestler.
It should be an interesting atmosphere in Glasgow. Bayley, normally beloved in Europe, won’t have too many fans singing for her to “be their girl” this time around so I’m intrigued to see what kind of story they tell with the heel getting cheered and the babyface booed.
Prediction: Bayley wins and retains
WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn defends against Chad Gable
I’m assuming that if WWE wasn’t confident they will re-sign Gable, he wouldn’t be in this match. However, much stranger things have happened in wrestling. As of this writing, he’s a -250 favorite to win the title.
There are a few different ways this match could go. The obvious route is Otis finally standing up for himself, turning on Gable, and Zayn retaining the title. Another possibility is that Otis stays loyal to Gable and helps him beat Zayn for the title. Still, a third possibility exists: one where The Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile join with Gable and help him fend off Zayn, Otis, Maxxine Dupri, and Akira Tozawa, winning the title in the process.
Prediction: Gable wins the Intercontinental Championship
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill defend against Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark, and Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn in a triple threat
Cargill and Belair are listed as -3000 favorites to win and retain, but I wouldn’t rule out them dropping the belts here.
Even though it feels too early for them to lose the titles, a triple threat match is always a great way to get championships off wrestlers you don’t want to beat. If the plan was just to give Belair and Cargill something to do for a little while, I could see a heel team winning the titles here. You could put the titles on Dawn and Fyre and give them a win in front of their home country fans, but it doesn’t feel like that’s what will happen.
What happens here all depends on what the long-term plans are for Belair and Cargill. If the plan is for one of them to turn heel and feud with each other, it’s too early. They haven’t teased that at all, so it happening at Clash at the Castle doesn’t seem likely. They could just take the titles off of them without beating them and move them both in separate directions or the most likely result is they retain the titles and keep their story going for a few more months until inevitably one turns on the other.
Prediction: Cargill & Belair win and retain
Women’s Championship match added to WWE Clash at the Castle
Bayley will defend the WWE Women’s Championship at Clash at the Castle.
WWE revealed late Friday that Piper Niven will challenge Bayley for the WWE Women’s title at Clash at the Castle set for Saturday, June 15 in Glasgow, Scotland.
In an angle on Friday’s SmackDown, Niven & Chelsea Green attacked Bayley as Bayley made her way to the ring for Nia Jax’s Queen of the Ring coronation. Green then announced Niven’s intention to take the title from Bayley.
Later on SmackDown, Niven & Green defeated Bayley & Naomi in tag team action with Green pinning Naomi, with the storyline being that Bayley was not at one hundred percent after the attack earlier in the show.
The Women’s Championship match joins the Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre World Heavyweight title bout as the first two matches set for Clash at the Castle. Both Niven and McIntyre are natives of Scotland.
The lineup for Clash at the Castle so far:
- World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest defends against Drew McIntyre
- WWE Women’s Champion Bayley defends against Piper Niven
WWE Main Event results: Legado Del Fantasma vs. The Creed Brothers
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri before Monday’s episode of Raw.
Katana Chance & Kayden Carter defeated Chelsea Green & Piper Niven (5:14)
This was fine, but a tepid crowd throughout made for a tag match that ended up being pretty much what you would expect.
Green and Niven double-teamed Carter in the early going, as they cut the ring in half, talked trash, and got their shots in.
Niven missed a cannonball to the corner so that Chance could get a hot tag and then the match got pretty good.
They went back and forth with both teams having to break up pins, first Niven and then Chance. When Carter ducked, Niven caught Green with a running clothesline and so Carter followed it up with a superkick.
Chance and Carter then combined to hit the After Party on Green who is now joining the SmackDown touring roster and so you would think won’t be doing too many Main Event shows for a while now.
The Creed Brothers defeated Legardo Del Fantasma (5:57)
You would be forgiven for expecting a little more out of a tag match between these four, but the Creeds were entertaining once again. Surely it is only a matter of time before they get some main roster television work.
You have to go back a long time to find episodes of Main Event with Carrillo and Garza in action together. It was November 2021 when they were last working on the Raw crew and the pair had a run of excellent performances on the show.
Much like their bouts over previous weeks, the match was built around a hot tag after the break. The Creeds took the early going until the heels used a blind tag so that Garza could nail Julius with a high knee to clear the ring and send us to the ads.
After Julius was briefly in peril, hung in the tree of woe, they got the hot tag to Brutus. This is what most of their matches are like on this show, sort of exhibition pieces that get the pre-Raw crowd pepped up for the main show.
We had suplexes galore, including a Northern Lights, and then two Brutus Bombs got it done – one to Garza outside and the one to defeat Carillo on the mat.
Fun while it lasted, but I had hoped for something a little more spicy.
Piper Niven returns to action on WWE SmackDown
Piper Niven is back in the ring after spending two months on the shelf with a broken hand.
There was a tag match on Friday’s SmackDown where Niven teamed with Chelsea Green in a loss to Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair. It was Niven’s first time wrestling since February.
Cargill, who squashed Green on Raw earlier this week, pinned Green again to win the tag match.
Before the match, a segment aired where Niven & Green spoke with general manager Nick Aldis. They wanted an opportunity to show what they can do together. Aldis said he’d try and find them opponents, which ended up being the dominant Cargill & Belair.
During an interview with Gorilla Position over WrestleMania week, Niven said she wasn’t cleared to return at the time but was hoping that she would be soon. She explained that her broken hand happened during training:
I broke my hand [at] training, trying to be a better performer. So obviously the universe was like, ‘No, no, no, you’re too good.’ It was like, ‘Hey bro, you can’t – come on, you got to give everybody else a chance.’ So yeah, broke my hand, unfortunately. And it still looks gnarly. This happened the 7th of February. So just over two months. But it’s getting a little better.
Niven & Green are former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
WWE has announced that Niven & Green vs. Katana Chance & Kayden Carter will take place on Raw this coming Monday (April 15).
EXCLUSIVE: As @ImChelseaGreen gets into it with @wwe_alba & @IslaDawn, #SmackDown General Manager @RealNickAldis lets Green and @PiperNivenWWE know that @ScrapDaddyAP has put them in a match against @Katana_WWE & @wwekayden this Monday on #WWERaw. pic.twitter.com/ydhOIKoiqB
— WWE (@WWE) April 13, 2024
WWE Main Event results: Apollo Crews vs. Bronson Reed
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Enterprise Center in St Louis, Missouri before Monday’s episode of Raw.
A good-to-fair episode this week with a fun tag bout to open and a battle of two giants to top off the show.
Tegan Nox & Natalya defeated Chelsea Green & Piper Niven (5:32)
This was an entertaining enough tag match to open the show and the crowd thought so too, but the ending felt a little confusing.
Niven and Green cut the ring in half, bullying Natalya in the corner. She gave as good as she got, but quick tags thwarted her attempts to tag in Nox.
Eventually, Nox got the hot tag and ran wild, knocking Niven off the apron and nailing Green with running European uppercuts, a cannon ball and a top rope cross body for two.
Natalya and Nox teamed up on Green, but Niven broke up the pin. Natalya then locked in the sharpshooter on Green but Niven grabbed her hand. When the referee broke the hold, Niven entered the ring and Natalya tried to put her in the submission hold too.
The finish was a bit messy here, but essentially Niven was sent packing and after a few moments, Green finally tapped to the sharpshooter.
It looked like they were expecting another distraction from Niven, but it didn’t happen so they just went home.
Bronson Reed defeated Apollo Crews (6:35)
This was a good hard-hitting match that gave Bronson Reed his third consecutive Main Event win of 2024.
The early going saw Crews take the advantage, leading to a standing moonsault off the apron to the outside. This meant that they took an early break for the ads.
After the commercials, Reed defaulted to some chin locks before using the ropes to nail Reed with a flapjack. He then got greedy and went for a senton but Crews rolled out of the way and they both stayed down.
Crews was up first and used two running clotheslines, an enzuigiri and a top rope high cross to finally get Reed off his feet. After battling, Crews then finally managed to hoist Reed up onto his shoulders, but Reed fought his way out.
Reed then seized the opportunity and knocked Crews down to leave him prone to receive the Tsunami.
The win for Reed made sense as the way they are booking him now makes him look like an absolute giant.