Maxxine Dupri says WWE heel might be ‘a little misunderstood’

Maxxine Dupri addressed her conversations with Austin Theory over the past few months on WWE Raw. 

Dupri told Denise Salcedo during her interview that The Vision was misunderstood and Theory was being perceived in a different light. They have been featured in the background of multiple backstage segments on WWE Raw. 

“I’m a friendly girl. I get along with everyone. I’m friends with all the girls in the locker room. I’m friends with a lot of the guys on the roster.”

“I think that The Vision is doing what The Vision needs to do, and maybe they’re a little misunderstood.”  

“I think that if people took the time to get to know them and get to know Austin that maybe they would feel differently. I just think that I’ve gotten to see that other side.” 

She also talked about her feud with Becky Lynch, winning the Intercontinental Championship and training with Natalya at the dungeon. 

“It was nuts. Being in the dungeon is so spooky. Let me tell you, [laughter] it was, I feel so blessed that I was able to train with Natalya and with TJ (Wilson) and I learned so much from them. And one of the main things I learned, and it’s what we call our dungeon lungs, is really building that stamina because when you’re in there with someone like Becky Lynch, you have to have the stamina to not only keep up with her, but to be able to reverse everything she does and be able to stay active and to have the crowd, you have to be present and have those emotions. And you can’t be present if you’re huffing and puffing, you know? So, it was really that stamina that I built there that changed the game for me.”

Dupri won the Intercontinental Championship, which also marked her first WWE title win in November 2025. She defeated Lynch amid a rivalry that had been simmering for months and eventually implodd into a title feud. 

Her victory over Lynch under Natalya’s mentorship established her as a rising force in the women’s division, proving that she can hold her own against one of WWE’s most accomplished stars. 

WWE considering new additions to The Vision

It sounds like Paul Heyman’s faction The Vision could be getting some reinforcements soon.

With Bronson Reed already sidelined, The Vision suffered another blow with Logan Paul tearing his triceps last weekend at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. The World Tag Team titles do still remain in The Vision’s possession with Bron Breakker filling in as Austin Theory’s partner. And Dave Meltzer reports that WWE has discussed the idea of adding other members to the group, even past the teased addition of Maxxine Dupri.

Meltzer wrote in the new edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

  • On Raw, they said that Paul Heyman had put ‘The Vision’ and not individual members of the team in all contracts related to the title, so Theory & Bron Breakker (the only members of the team right now not injured, although I expect them to add members–besides Maxxine Dupri – and there has been talk of that even before this injury) are going to be the tag team champions for now.

The Vision has been snakebitten by injuries since its introduction. Founding member Seth Rollins hurt his shoulder in 2025, which sped up the timeline for him to be kicked out of the group. Breakker then needed to undergo hernia surgery earlier this year before returning at WrestleMania.

A connection between Theory and Dupri has been forming on WWE programming ahead of Dupri possibly splitting off from Otis & Akira Tozawa. Past that, it’s not known who could potentially join The Vision.

Logan Paul’s recovery timeline —

Paul has already undergone triceps surgery and was given a six-month timeline for how long he’ll be out of action. He is hoping to make it back much sooner, though, writing that he wants to be back “in a couple weeks.”

“Tore my tricep, got surgery while wide awake, told doc I wanna feel it all. Still the Tag Team champ just FYI,” Paul wrote on Instagram this Wednesday. “They’re telling me 6 month recovery but I don’t believe them, I’ll be back in a couple weeks with some @drinkprime shake (32g protein).”

First two matches announced for next WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Two matches are already announced for the next Saturday Night’s Main Event.

WWE’s next Saturday special will take place in Fort Wayne, Indiana on May 23. On Raw, two title matches were announced, with The Vision set to defend the World Tag Team titles against The Street Profits. Meanwhile, the Intercontinental title will also be on the line when Penta defends against Ethan Page.

The Street Profits have been a thorn on Austin Theory and Logan Paul’s side ever since they returned on the Raw following WrestleMania. The two teams met face-to-face in the opening segment of Raw, with Montez Ford saying they were coming after the titles. After Joe Hendry came out and sang his ‘Fire Logan Paul’ song, he and the Street Profits went on to beat Bron Breakker, Paul, and Theory after Seth Rollins ran in and laid out Bron Breakker, causing a distraction and allowing Angelo Dawkins to pin Theory with a schoolboy.

Later in the night, Penta arrived and said if Ethan Page wanted a title match, he should say it to his face. Page came out and said that since he pinned Penta last week, he should get a title match. Penta offered to defend the title right then and there, but Page said he wasn’t ready and challenged Penta to a match for Saturday Night’s Main Event instead. Penta accepted, saying he was ready for war.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (May 23)

  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Penta defends against Ethan Page
  • World Tag Team Champions The Vision defend against Street Profits

Seth Rollins explains motivation for The Vision’s formation ahead of WWE Backlash 

Seth Rollins detailed his decision to choose Bron Breakker for The Vision and shares his mindset heading into their WWE Backlash match this weekend. 

Speaking with Michael Cole, Rollins discussed varied aspects of his relationship with Breakker to promote their match this weekend. He talked about The Vision’s formation stemming from disdain for Roman Reigns and CM Punk, and preventing them from taking the leadership reins at WWE. 

“Maybe a little bit of insecurity? I looked at the landscape and I was kind of starting to pile up enemies – CM Punk, Roman Reigns. When you have Roman Reigns you have the entire Bloodline. So, there was a lot of people who were sort of eyeballing what I was doing and what I was saying, they didn’t like it, so I felt like at that stage there were a lot of pardon the pun visions for what the future of the company could or would or should look like.” 

“And to be honest with you, I just don’t trust Roman Reigns. I certainly don’t trust CM Punk, I don’t trust either of them to be the figureheads and the leaders, so I felt I was the best person suited for that job. I felt like I was in a unique position where I had to take care of those guys, but then I needed to insulate myself on the backside of that. And also, I wanted to not just do this for me, but to pass it on to the next generation, and for me Bron Breakker was the perfect fit for that.”

In October last year, The Vision led by Rollins crumbled as Breakker and Bronson Reed attacked him. Rollins was written off WWE TV due to a shoulder surgery and made his return shortly before WrestleMania 42. He faced Gunther at the Premium Live Event but Breakker returned from a hernia surgery and cost him the bout. 

They confronted each other on the following editions of Raw that eventually led to their upcoming singles match at WWE Backlash on May 9.

Bron Breakker reveals World Championship plans after Seth Rollins feud at WWE Backlash 

Bron Breakker has seemingly got his long term plans laid out. He is hopeful to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship after he’s done with Seth Rollins at Backlash. 

In an interview with ESPN, Breakker revealed that his match against Rollins is the final stop before pursuing the World Heavyweight Championship. He dwelled on history with Rollins in The Vision before things turned awry. 

“I think this means everything, especially for me getting back in the World Title picture. I think the first order of business is getting through Seth Rollins and sort of putting that story to bed because we have a lot of history. Obviously, Seth took me under his wing a little bit over a year ago after WrestleMania to sort of groom me as ‘the next big thing in WWE.’ But things things went a little astray along the way cause I just just had this feeling at some point or another Seth was going to either turn his back on me or pull the rug on me as soon as that things maybe didn’t start going his way or along with his vision that he saw the group going so I just beat him to it really.” 

Breakker also discussed how using the spear in wrestling feels natural to him given his football background. 

“I think it just stems back from my football career. I was a defensive guy for the majority of my career. I played linebacker. I played sort of like a hybrid safety linebacker kind of guy that could play in the box and guy that could play in space with skilled players. And I feel like I’ve just been doing this spear my entire life. It’s second nature to me and it’s pretty cool that I can bring that experience from football and translate that over to wrestling.”

Breakker initiated the attack on Rollins in October 2025, which laid the foundation for their ongoing rivalry. At WrestleMania 42, Breakker returned after a few months away due to hernia surgery and cost Rollins his match against Gunther. 

In the week that followed, Rollins confronted Breakker who claimed he never needed him, and mocked him. This ultimately led to Rollins issuing a challenge for WWE Backlash on May 9.

Four matches to make for WWE Backlash | Opinion

With WWE Backlash less than two weeks away, just three matches have been made: Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu, Asuka vs. IYO SKY, and Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker.

Beyond those, several rivalries also deserve a spot on the Backlash match card, some emerging from the WrestleMania 42 fallout, and others gaining new momentum. 

Here’s a few matches I hope are added to WWE Backlash over the next week.

The Vision vs. The Street Profits for the WWE World Tag Team Titles

Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford made their WWE return on the Raw after Mania, taking out The Vision who were attacking Seth Rollins. 

This week, Joe Hendry kicked off his Raw debut with a concert, encouraging fans to sing “Can we fire Logan Paul?” The Vision interrupted his performance and Paul went on a rant, leading to the Street Profits intervening once again.

Backstage, Rollins approached Dawkins and Ford to extend his appreciation for their support the previous week. To his surprise, Ford cut him off midway, citing their focus is to win the World Tag Team Titles and are in no way interested to be friends. 

That journey should begin next weekend.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams for the WWE United States Title

Their storied rivalry dates back to their NXT days. From allies to rivals, Hayes and Williams battled it out on numerous occasions.

Hayes has established himself as a key member of the SmackDown roster with his United States Championship reign — the same reign that came to an end in March when Sami Zayn defeated him for the title and then lost it to Williams at WrestleMania 42. 

With Williams also recently saying Hayes deserved a spot on the WrestleMania card, Hayes could step up and demand a match for the title at Backlash.

Jordynne Grace vs. Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s United States Title

Stratton ended Giulia’s second U.S. Title reign last Friday. Instead of doing a rematch, WWE should pit Jordynne Grace to challenge Stratton. After all, Strattong did pin Grace to become the top contender for the title. It would lay the foundation for a potential long term feud as well, and re-position Grace as the next big star on SmackDown.

LA Knight vs. Jey Uso

On Monday’s Raw, Knight questioned the Usos on their reunion with Roman Reigns. He proceeded to define Jey’s singles run and accomplishments when he exited The Bloodline. Knight is no stranger to their affairs as he challenged Reigns for the Universal title at Crown Jewel in 2023.

Jey told Knight to stay in his lane before Jimmy took over the conversation, saying that it’s family business. 

In the second half of 2025, The Usos and Knight seemed to be united against The Vision. However on an edition of Raw in September, Jey snapped and speared Knight. A week later, he retaliated and the tension was deflected with their individual storylines diverging on different routes, but it was never resolved.

At Backlash, the two could finally settle their score in the ring and bring closure to their unfinished business.

Drew McIntyre reacts to IShowSpeed’s ‘incredible’ WWE WrestleMania 42 performance

IShowSpeed made his WWE in-ring return at WrestleMania 42. He kicked off Night One teaming up with The Vision against LA Knight and The Usos.  

Drew McIntyre applauded IShowSpeed’s performance at the Premium Live Event in an interaction shared on his Instagram Story. During the WrestleMania bout, IShowSpeed followed Austin Theory’s instructions to run the ropes and set up an attack on Knight. However, that was botched when Knight shoved Theory into IShowSpeed, and hit him with the BFT followed by the pin to win for his team.  Paul was infuriated and attacked IShowSpeed. With help from The Usos and Knight IShowSpeed hit a massive splash off the ringpost onto Paul laid out on the announcer’s table.

“When I was watching the end, the splash was unbelievable. I thought he broke his ribs, you bounced off him. The hardest thing to do – Logan has done the same thing, you and Logan are so similar – the hardest thing you can learn is just to be yourself on screen. You just know who you are.”

“Anybody can learn the moves, maybe not be as good at executing them, but I think that’s easy for you. The personality, knowing who you are, the between the moves s**t, that’s the important stuff. Yourself and Logan, you just got it instantly. The fans know who you all are, the fact that they can connect with you is because you know who the f**k you are. Plus you can do the moves.”

The match came about after IShowSpeed accidentally cost The Usos the World Tag Team Championship on Raw last month. Later, Knight crashed one of IShowSpeed’s livestreams at his home and attacked him. 

On the other hand, McIntyre faced Jacob Fatu in an unsanctioned match the same night. Their rivalry intensified earlier this year when Fatu’s return and interference in McIntyre’s Undisputed WWE Championship reign. In the brutal showdown at WrestleMania 42, Fatu walked away with the victory.

Austin Theory explains reason for 2025 WWE absence 

In July 2025, Austin Theory was abruptly sidelined due to an injury, the nature of which was undisclosed.  

Speaking on the The Mark Hoke Show Pro Wrestling Radio / Podcast, Theory revealed that he was dealing with a hernia that had worsened over time. Despite the condition, he continued to compete regularly leading to an incident of being rushed to the Emergency Room before a Main Event match. 

“Everything happens for a reason. But, I was actually wrestling with a hernia for a very long time, and as gross as it is, I was having to pop it back in after certain matches and yeah, just stuff people don’t know about. They don’t know when somebody goes to the ring what the damage is but, I was in a good spot, and even when it was hitting a low for me, I was doing everything that I could to just stay and keep the wheels turning on the car, and it reached a point, I had a match on Main Event, and it would not go back in. So that night, I went to the emergency room, and it blew my mind because I was like, ‘wow, I just had my gear on, and I went out there and I wrestled and now I’m in the E.R.’, and now it’s like, well, ‘where does this go from now?’ Because now I’m out of the picture.” 

He elaborated that his WWE contract was nearing expiration at the time which became an additional cause of worry. 

“My contract was actually coming up so, a lot of things were hitting me personally and that’s kind of one of those things, that’s a low point in your life where you get really rocked, and to me, those points are where you really,  you either stay down or you pick yourself up and you become a version of yourself that’s always been in you but it takes you to that next level, and it helped me reframe my mindset and everything and coming back, I just knew, this is my value and this is what I need to be doing. So, and as you see, it’s clear vision now.”

In December 2025, Theory returned to WWE and revealed his identity as the masked man who targeted Seth Rollins at Survivor Series:WarGames. This forged his union with The Vision.  

Last month, he and Logan Paul defeated The Usos to win the World Tag Team Championship. At WrestleMania 42, the champions will team up with IShowSpeed against The Usos and LA Knight. This escalated after IShowSpeed cost The Usos their tag team titles on the March 30 edition of Raw leaving them furious. 

Six-man match official for WWE WrestleMania 42

A six-man tag match is official for WrestleMania 42.

After iShowSpeed inadvertently got himself involved again during a match between LA Knight and Austin Theory on Monday, Adam Pearce came out and made it official that Knight and The Usos would team up to take on iShowSpeed and The Vision in a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania.

Raw saw the massively popular streamer attempt to get uncursed by Danhausen, but found himself out of luck. Pearce suggested he go home, but The Vision convinced him otherwise and brought him out for Theory’s match against Knight. The finish had Paul shove Speed into Knight on the outside, causing Knight to get upset. Speed attempted to flee but was met by The Usos. Speed leaped over Knight and fled back to the ring, there Knight attempted to grab Speed. Knight took out Paul on the apron but the distraction was enough for Theory to roll up Knight for the win.

Ever since being cursed by Danhausen, Speed has found himself knee deep in the problems between The Vision, The Usos, and LA Knight. After attacking Knight by accident and inadvertently costing The Usos the World Tag Team titles on last week’s Raw, Knight retaliated during the week by attacking Speed during one of his livestreams.

Here is the updated card for WrestleMania:

  • World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defends against Roman Reigns
  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Randy Orton
  • Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer defends against Liv Morgan
  • WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill defends against Rhea Ripley
  • Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi
  • Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
  • Unsanctioned match: Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion AJ Lee defends against Becky Lynch
  • United States Champion Sami Zayn defends against Trick Williams
  • Ladder match: Intercontinental Champion Penta defends against Rey Mysterio, Je’Von Evans, Dragon Lee, Rusev, JD McDonagh
  • Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Lash Legend defend against Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, The Bella Twins, and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
  • Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • The Vision & iShowSpeed vs. LA Knight & The Usos

Matt Hardy reacts to WWE Raw Tag Team title change

Matt Hardy, a veteran of the tag team division, reacted to The Vision’s victory over The Usos on Raw. 

Hardy commented on Logan Paul and Austin Theory’s WWE Tag Team Title win while teasing a return for WrestleMania 42. He cited the fans would go wild if The Hardy Boyz targeted their titles at the Premium Live Event next month. 

“It’s a travesty to watch the @WWEUsos get beaten by @LoganPaul & @_Theory1 for the @WWE Tag Team Titles on #WWERAW. I bet the@WrestleMania 42 crowd would go CRAZY if The Hardy Boyz beat their ass & brought the titles back home to our home, the WWE.” tweeted Matt Hardy. 

Matt and Jeff Hardy’s surprise return at WrestleMania 33 is considered one of the best fan-favorite moments in WWE. They were a mystery tag team added at the last minute to the Raw Tag Team Championship ladder match. 

The brothers competed on NXT last year amid the brand’s partnership with TNA. They are in their fourth reign as TNA World Tag Team Champions. 

In WWE, The Vision were persistent in their pursuit of tag team gold backed by Paul Heyman. LA Knight was ringside at commentary during the Raw title match. 

Chaos erupted when Logan Paul’s mother handed him brass knuckles to use in the match but Knight prompted to stop him. IShowSpeed got involved when he fell over the barricade and accidentally knocked out Knight with the brass knuckles. Paul used the weapon against The Usos. And ultimately leading Theory to pin Jimmy Uso. 

The Vision win World Tag Team titles on WWE Raw with iShowSpeed’s involvement

iShowSpeed accidentally helped The Vision win the World Tag Team titles.

The finish to the street fight that took place on Monday’s Raw saw Logan Paul go to his mother in the crowd who handed Paul his brass knuckles. Speed, who was sitting next to Paul’s mother, told him not to use them. LA Knight got involved, with Paul dragging Speed to ringside. Speed grabbed the brass knuckles and put them on as Knight then approached Speed from behind, accidently getting punched out in the process. Speed placed the brass ring on the apron and walked away, stunned by what had just happened.

Back in the ring, The Usos fought off Paul’s attempt to use the knux but Jimmy was smacked with them as he went for a dive. Jey Uso took out Paul as Theory dragged himself on top of Jimmy, covering him for the win and the titles.

Later backstage, The Vision were seen celebrating with Speed, who seemed unsure about everything that just went on. Heyman instructed the trio to go celebrate, declaring that the Usos were going to beat up Speed right as they were out of earshot.

Speed also appeared on last week’s Raw, encountering Danhausen who ended up placing a curse on the extremely popular streamer. In the time since, Speed has declared on his streams that he has been experiencing bad luck.

Tag Team titles to be defended on WWE Raw

WWE has raised the stakes for one of the matches scheduled for Raw next Monday.

On WWE’s website, it’s listed that Logan Paul & Austin Theory will challenge The Usos for the World Tag Team titles on the March 23 episode of Raw. The matchup had already been announced for the show but was not listed as being for the titles until now.

“Paul Heyman has made it clear to Austin Theory and Logan Paul that they need to take down The Usos,” WWE.com wrote. “Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso will put the World Tag Team Title on the line against Theory and Paul, Monday on Raw at 8 ET/5 PT on Netflix.”

If The Vision were to win the belts, this would be Paul’s first Tag Team title reign in WWE. He previously had a run as United States Champion in 2023-2024. Theory is a former WWE Tag Team Champion with Grayson Waller.

The Usos’ current reign began when they won the belts from AJ Styles & Dragon Lee at the end of December 2025. Their only televised defense so far has been a victory over Akira Tozawa & Otis.

TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts is hosting Monday’s Raw. It’s one of only four Raw episodes remaining before WrestleMania 42. Brock Lesnar is slated to make an appearance, which comes one week after he was laid out by his WrestleMania opponent Oba Femi.

WWE Raw (Monday, March 23) —

  • World Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against Logan Paul & Austin Theory
  • Brock Lesnar reacts to being taken out by Oba Femi

Report: WWE optimistic about Bron Breakker return before WrestleMania 42

WWE has reportedly begun planning Bron Breakker’s return ahead of WrestleMania 42.

According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, there is a lot of optimism within WWE on Breakker being medically cleared and ready for a return before WrestleMania 42. On the chance that he is not cleared on time, WWE has a backup plan in place for Breakker, the details of which are not yet available. 

Breakker last competed at the Royal Rumble. He was the second entrant in the men’s Rumble but was taken out by a masked attacker. This contributed to his elimination by Oba Femi within seconds of entering the match. Breakker kicked off the February 2 edition of Raw upset about his spot being taken away from him at the Royal Rumble and demanded answers from Adam Pearce. Breakker flipped over the commentary table before The Vision tried to calm him down. 

On the February 10 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Breakker needed emergency surgery for the hernia.

“That had nothing to do with the Royal Rumble,” Meltzer said. “People are going like, ‘Oh, that’s why they did the thing at the Rumble.’ It’s like, it had nothing to do with the Rumble, even though, yeah, he probably had it long before that. It had nothing to do with any bookings, anything that they were doing. And then it was just like he got checked out and had to have emergency surgery. That’s the basic story on that.”

The Vision vs. The Usos added to next week’s WWE Raw

A tag team match is set for next week’s Raw.

It was announced that next week’s show in Boston will see The Vision’s Logan Paul and Austin Theory taking on The Usos, who they have been feuding with for the last several weeks. Paul Heyman instructed The Vision backstage to focus on The Usos for the time being, with both agreeing they needed to be taken out.

Several weeks ago, Heyman was attacked by Seth Rollins, who struck Heyman with a steel chair and gave him the stomp. As Heyman was being stretchered out, The Vision were jumped by The Usos as LA Knight was seen speeding away in the ambulance with the battered Heyman.

This week’s show opened with Heyman returning to television, disheveled but bringing in someone to confront Seth Rollins: Brock Lesnar. The two met face-to-face after Lesnar took out Rollins’ group of masked men. Plans were interrupted when Oba Femi came out. Rollins exited the ring, causing a brief distraction on Lesnar’s part that allowed him to walk into a pop-up powerbomb by Femi, who then placed his foot on Lesnar and pointed at the WrestleMania sign.

WWE Raw (March 23)

  • Logan Paul & Austin Theory vs. The Usos
  • Brock Lesnar will appear

Paul Heyman compares Austin Theory to WWE Hall of Famer

Paul Heyman is setting the bar high for Austin Theory.

In an interview with Busted Open, Heyman compared the newest member of The Vision to one of the biggest stars in WWE history, noting that he had the size and discipline to become a major player.

“He’s Shawn Michaels when Shawn Michaels was in The Rockers,” he declared. “My apologies to Austin Theory if that’s too low of a bar to set for him. Why not? Why not. If that kid can’t figure out the things that he’s doing wrong and accentuate the things that he’s already doing right then please tell me who can. What doesn’t he have? He has decent size and he’s only getting bigger. He has tremendous discipline, he’s not one of these guys that is out all night in Europe at the eurotrash rave in Paris at 4:30 in the morning, he’s in the gym at 4:30 in the morning and he’s back in the gym as soon as the matches are over.”

Heyman went as far to say that if Theory was able to get everything together, he would be ‘untouchable.’

“He’s highly intelligent. He speaks to the youth. He looks great and can work his balls off,” he added. “So once he figures out the difference between a really good match and a money match, once he understands that being out of character while in character and relaxing within the skin of that character, Austin Theory is going to be untouchable.”

Theory was introduced as the newest member of The Vision at the end of last year after aiding the group at Survivor Series, helping them win their War Games match. In the months since, he has regularly teamed with stablemates Bronson Reed and Logan Paul.