Tag: WWE news

Bianca Belair announces pregnancy at WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Bianca Belair delivered some great news at WWE WrestleMania 42 — though it wasn’t the announcement people were expecting.

Out of action for a year now, Belair made a surprise appearance at night one of WrestleMania, coming down to the ring after host John Cena had announced the attendance. She revealed that Cena would need to add one more to that number, because she and husband Montez Ford are expecting a child.

“Thank you so much for all the love and all the support,” Belair told the crowd. “Whether it’s me at home or me in this ring, thank you so much. Now you know you can’t have WrestleMania without a few surprises now, right? So, John, I think we need to add one more to the attendance list, because the E-S-T is having a baby.”

Cena then thanked Belair for allowing the WWE family to share this moment with her family.

At WrestleMania 41 last year, Belair helped steal the show in a triple threat match against Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY. But Belair suffered a hand injury that night that proved to be significantly more complicated than originally expected. This February, she underwent surgery in hopes of finally fixing the injury. She had been doing post-surgery rehab in recent weeks as fans hoped she would return soon.

The attendance number announced by Cena, before Belair’s addition, was 50,816.

This is Belair and Ford’s first child together, with Ford also having two children from a previous relationship.

Bron Breakker returns at WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An injury disrupted his WrestleMania plans, but Bron Breakker still ended up playing a big role on Saturday night.

The returning Breakker interfered in Seth Rollins vs. Gunther at WWE WrestleMania 42 night one, costing Rollins the match as the two resumed their rivalry. Breakker laid out Rollins with a spear before Gunther used a sleeper to pick up the victory.

Rollins had momentum on his side after giving Gunther a Pedigree onto the announce table and delivering a stomp. But Breakker then ran down and laid out Rollins. After the match, Breakker sprinted down the entrance ramp so he could give Rollins another spear. Breakker then posed with Paul Heyman on the stage.

In February, Breakker was forced out of action due to hernia surgery. He was cleared in time for WrestleMania, but WWE decided to hold off his return until tonight. Breakker vs. Rollins was considered as a potential WrestleMania match at one point as the card took shape over the past few months.

Both Rollins and Breakker suffered injuries on the road to WrestleMania. Tonight was Rollins’ first match since October 2025, when he was sidelined due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. At that time, WWE wrote Rollins off television in an angle where Breakker turned against him and kicked him out of The Vision.

Appearing on The Bill Simmons Podcast ahead of WrestleMania, WWE President Nick Khan named Breakker as one of WWE’s biggest stars for the future. Khan said everyone in WWE is on the same page about Breakker’s path, saying they can’t rush him and need to let him develop at his own pace.

Paige returns, wins gold at WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE is Paige’s house once again.

At WrestleMania 42 night one, Paige returned to WWE and worked her first match for the company in nearly a decade, teaming with Brie Bella to win the Women’s Tag Team titles. It was scheduled to be Nikki & Brie Bella teaming together in the match, but Nikki was unable to be cleared in time after suffering an ankle injury on SmackDown three weeks ago.

Nikki walked out with a crutch as The Bella Twins made their entrance tonight. Announcing that she would not be able to compete, Nikki said an “old friend” would be taking her place — bringing out Paige for her return.

That crutch ended up playing a big role in the fatal four-way match. Interfering during the finish, Nikki used the crutch as a weapon and struck Charlotte Flair with it. Paige then got her knees up when Alexa Bliss went for Twisted Bliss. She followed up with RamPaige on Bliss for the victory.

Nia Jax & Lash Legend were Women’s Tag Team Champions heading into tonight. The four-way bout featured Jax & Legend, Brie Bella & Paige, Charlotte & Bliss, and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria.

On commentary, Michael Cole brought up that Paige won the Divas Championship on her first night on the main roster back in 2014 and had now won gold again her first night back.

Paige was once medically disqualified from WWE due to neck issues, last wrestling for the company in December 2017. She remained with WWE in a non-wrestling role until departing the promotion in 2022. She then joined AEW, returning to the ring there and holding the AEW Women’s World Championship one time.

In March 2025, Paige (Saraya) and AEW mutually parted ways. She took the past year off from pro wrestling but had been training for her return recently.

Emotional John Cena kicks off WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena was a man of his word as he kicked off WWE WrestleMania 42.

When he retired, Cena said he would not wear his wrestling gear in a WWE ring again. That stayed true as he ditched his signature jorts for a suit as he welcomed fans to WrestleMania. In his first time back since retirement, Cena — the host of WrestleMania 42 — immediately became emotional upon receiving a big reaction from the crowd.

“Wow, I didn’t expect that. Thank you so much,” Cena said. “Sorry, long-time fan, long-time performer, first-time host, how am I doing so far?”

Cena noted that the road to WrestleMania has been chaotic, unpredictable, vocal, and — a word Cena is very familiar with — polarizing.

“One could say it’s — Michael Cole, is it polarizing? Polarizing. Now I see why I got the hosting gig.”

To close his message, Cena said it was “such a great honor” to welcome everyone to WrestleMania. He declared that it was now time to see who would step up and seize the moment.

Cena concluded his WWE retirement tour in December 2025 with a loss to Gunther. Now working for the company as an ambassador, he appeared at the WWE World convention today, took part in a live podcast recording on Six Feet Under with The Undertaker, and is hosting both nights of Mania.

Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the host of this weekend’s event, is also where Cena had his final WrestleMania match last year, defeating Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41.

Royce Keys explains why he worked dark matches after WWE debut

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Working dark matches helped Royce Keys get acclimated to WWE after his Royal Rumble debut.

Between the Rumble and his SmackDown arrival, the former Powerhouse Hobbs wrestled several weeks of dark matches. Keys, while being interviewed by Sam Roberts on SiriusXM, noted that it was actually his idea to have those matches while he was waiting for his official TV debut. He pitched the idea to Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who agreed to it.

Keys said it did get under his skin that fans online were negative about his several-week absence from TV after the Rumble. People backstage reassured Keys that he should not let it bother him.

“It got under my skin for a hot second, and I had Hunter, I had Bobby Roode, and I had Cody, Randy, I have a lot of people tell me, ‘Don’t let that sh*t bother you, because they don’t know what you’re doing.’ It got out there that I did some dark matches,” Keys said. ‘But I asked Hunter and he agreed, if I could do these darks. Like, who wouldn’t want to wrestle in front of a live crowd, open up the show, get everybody ready, you know, get it going in two different cities a week. I did Raw and SmackDown every week until my debut.”

Keys said that, by the time he defeated Berto in his SmackDown debut last Friday, wrestling in WWE felt as comfortable as tying his shoes.

“I’m with it. I’m with the grind, I’ve been grinding my whole life,” Keys said. “I was totally comfortable Friday, the debut. I was comfortable. I was with it. Just like getting up, putting on your shoes, tying your shoes. Like, I was comfortable doing it.”

To help introduce Keys to the audience, WWE produced a video with Keys discussing the adversity he’s overcome in life. It took a lot for Keys to open up, but he feels like he was built for this and wants to do anything he can to help inspire others.

Roman Reigns teases WWE departure if he loses at WrestleMania

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Roman Reigns is, unofficially, raising the stakes for his match against CM Punk at WWE WrestleMania 42.

On its YouTube channel today, WWE uploaded an in-character interview with Reigns speaking with Michael Cole ahead of WrestleMania. Reigns addressed what will happen going forward depending on the result of the night two main event. If Reigns wins, he says it will help bring WWE back to relevancy. But if Reigns loses, he doesn’t see a place for himself in WWE anymore.

“If I lose to CM Punk at WrestleMania, I don’t belong in the WWE anymore,” Reigns said. “I think if I were to lose on Sunday, I’d say my work is done.”

It was stated last year that Reigns’ WWE contract was coming up soon after WrestleMania 42. But he recently said he still feels like he has a lot more to offer WWE, is feeling good physically at 40 years old, and plans to maximize his earnings potential in the company.

The World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line when Reigns challenges Punk on Sunday. A victory would give Reigns his first title reign in WWE since dropping the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.

Pat McAfee mentions AEW while trolling fans at WWE World

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Heading into WrestleMania, Pat McAfee tried to get some more heat on himself by trolling fans at WWE World.

A screen displayed at the convention on Friday teased that a “huge surprise” would be happening. But when the countdown clock ran out, McAfee’s show started playing. He called the attendees “dumb marks” for thinking there was actually going to be a big surprise like a star from AEW crossing over into WWE.

“Surprise, nerds,” McAfee yelled. “The surprise that you thought was maybe going to be your favorite wrestler of all time. Maybe somebody from AEW was going to sign with WWE at WrestleMania and you marks were going to get zipper burn all over yourself. Instead, well, well, well, Pat McAfee is smarter than all of you dumb marks yet again.”

McAfee was not in Las Vegas yet but told everyone he would be by SmackDown tonight, continuing to insult the fans by saying that he could already smell them from where he was.

The build to WrestleMania 42 took a turn two weeks ago when McAfee returned to WWE programming and aligned with Randy Orton. Playing a heel, McAfee has promised to save the business by helping to get Orton elevated back to the top of the card. He will be in Orton’s corner for the main event of WrestleMania 42 night one this Saturday, where Orton is challenging Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

While there’s been backlash from fans over McAfee’s inclusion in the WrestleMania build, Paul “Triple H” Levesque told ESPN today that he believes it’s a good thing that McAfee has people talking about WrestleMania.

McAfee has promised to leave WWE forever if Orton does not win on Saturday.

New Brandi Rhodes reality show in development

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A new reality show starring Brandi Rhodes is currently in development.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Brandi and production company Magilla Entertainment are partnering together for “All Rhodes,” a non-scripted show that will document Brandi’s life at “the center of family, fame, and a rapidly expanding business empire.” There is no network attached at the moment, with the show set to be shopped “imminently.”

Magilla Entertainment is also the entity former WWE wrestler Braun Strowman is working with to launch his new production company Meat Castle Media.

“I’m thrilled to be partnering with Magilla Entertainment on this new docuseries,” Brandi said. “I’ve long admired their work, and couldn’t imagine a better team to capture the ambition, chaos and heart it takes to build and grow a business.”

Brandi and Cody Rhodes were previously featured in the WBD reality series “Rhodes to the Top” during their time with AEW. On YouTube, Brandi hosts the “A Shot of Brandi” interview show that is currently hosted by WWE.

It’s noted that Brandi’s business ventures include Naked Mind Yoga & Pilates and Pinkerton’s Baby & Kids boutique.

Cody Rhodes told The Breakfast Club last month that, while Brandi isn’t actively involved in pro wrestling right now, he was happy that his wife got to see how much fans supported her when she was part of his WrestleMania 40 entrance.

Report: Nikki Bella won’t be cleared for WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

It’s being reported that the returning Paige could factor into WWE’s plans for the Women’s Tag Team title match with Nikki Bella unable to compete.

*********

The card for WWE WrestleMania 42 looks to have taken a hit with Nikki Bella unable to wrestle at the show.

PWInsider reports that Bella will not be cleared to compete at WrestleMania 42, where she and her twin sister Brie were scheduled to be part of a fatal four-way match for the Women’s Tag Team titles. The report does not say if WWE plans on adding a different team to the match or if it will proceed as a triple threat.

The match is scheduled for night one of WrestleMania this Saturday and was supposed to be Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Lash Legend defending against The Bellas, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria.

Bella suffered an ankle injury on the March 27 episode of SmackDown. Though she was initially optimistic about making it back in time for Mania, Dave Meltzer noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter this week that her status was still in question.

The Bellas — who are already WWE Hall of Famers — have never held the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles before. Winning the belts is one of their biggest goals before retirement, with Nikki & Brie planning to finish their in-ring careers when their current WWE contracts expire in 2027.

Triple H: Love him or hate him, Pat McAfee makes people talk

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paul “Triple H” Levesque is happy that Pat McAfee has people talking heading into WrestleMania 42.

WWE’s Chief Content Officer stopped by ESPN’s First Take on Friday morning to preview this weekend’s show. While discussing the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton night one main event, Levesque teased that we could potentially see McAfee have some physical involvement with someone getting payback on him.

“There’s something on the horizon for this, for sure. You know, when you run your mouth as much as Pat does, eventually somebody is going to try to shut it,” Levesque said. “Really, as a WWE fan, what I’m really looking forward to is that moment — mentor-student, Cody Rhodes-Randy Orton, locking up over that WWE Championship. It’s just a moment that transcends a couple of generations to me, and that’s what’s really cool about it.”

McAfee will be in Orton’s corner for the Undisputed WWE Championship match. Though McAfee’s inclusion in the storyline has brought a lot of criticism from fans, Levesque thinks it’s always good when people are talking about the product.

Levesque was asked if he feels any added pressure when fans question his decisions.

“It’s always pressure, but the thing is — talk is good, right? People are talking,” he responded. “And that’s a good thing. Love him or hate him, Pat makes people talk. I think that’s what is important here, is people are talking. This is going to be an amazing show. This will be incredible, and it will deliver on all levels.”

Each night of WrestleMania 42 has a start time of 6 p.m. Eastern, streaming live on the ESPN app in the United States and on Netflix internationally this Saturday and Sunday.

Nick Khan not worried about criticism of WWE WrestleMania 42 build

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Nick Khan isn’t worried about the criticism WWE’s build to WrestleMania 42 has faced.

Ahead of Allegiant Stadium hosting WrestleMania 42 this weekend, the Las Vegas Review-Journal published a feature story on Khan, a Vegas native who now serves as WWE’s president. He was asked to address fan complaints about the build to WrestleMania.

“Let’s see the reaction [when] the show is done,” Khan said. “I think a lot of times with WWE storylines, they take a moment to develop. We have the good fortune when we’re on the inside of knowing where we’re going. If you look at the two main events, there is real heat there and when the storylines are blurred between reality and pre-determined outcomes in WWE, we think that always delivers. And with the (Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton) especially with the addition of Pat McAfee, we think both will overdeliver.”

“Let’s see.”

McAfee’s insertion into the Rhodes vs. Orton storyline has been one of the main criticisms of the WrestleMania build, with fans feeling like it was not necessary given the 20-year history Rhodes and Orton have together. McAfee will be in Orton’s corner when Orton challenges Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship this Saturday.

Sunday’s main event will then see CM Punk defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns.

This is the second straight year WrestleMania has been held at Allegiant Stadium. Given that and high ticket prices for the event, attendance won’t be at the same level as it was in 2025, though WWE says it will still be among the biggest gates in company history.

Khan told the Review-Journal that the economic health of Las Vegas is important to WWE and its parent company TKO, especially with the city being UFC’s home.

“There’s no city that can handle big events greater than Las Vegas can,” Khan said. “It was a no-brainer to come back again. It motivated us further when we read that Vegas was in a bit of an economic downturn because we think big events like this can help stimulate an economy and that local economy matters to me and it matters to our business at TKO, especially with UFC headquartered in Las Vegas as well as Zuffa Boxing. We’re excited to have the event and fingers crossed on people leaving the event happy. We believe that will be the case.”

CM Punk responds to Roman Reigns WWE WrestleMania promo

Posted on by Joseph Currier

While appearing on ESPN’s Get Up this morning, CM Punk gave one last response to Roman Reigns ahead of their WWE WrestleMania 42 match.

Reigns posted a social media promo yesterday, calling out Punk for not being a fighting champion and saying Punk’s “not even a fighter.” Reigns said it blows his mind that Punk thinks they are equals — and he vowed to end Punk when they face off this Sunday.

The Reigns promo received a lot of praise from fans online. Punk seemed to have respect for it too, telling ESPN he wishes Reigns brought this kind of material when they were actually in the same building together.

“My response is: man, I wish he brought that energy the days he actually decided to show up on a couple of Mondays,” Punk said. “Look, I take nothing away from Roman. Tremendous superstar, he has the credentials. He’s a heavyweight. He’s going to be a tough out for me. But I am not looking to lose on Sunday. I’m sure he isn’t either. But this is about pro wrestling versus cinema.

“I’m glad that he had four days to shower and think about what he would say to me in a rebuttal and did it in a car while I wasn’t around. But I’m going to be around and in his face on Sunday. I’m going to send him to the orthodontist. I’m going to make his orthodontist a very rich person.”

Punk vs. Reigns is headlining night two of WrestleMania 42 this weekend. They were also opponents last year at WrestleMania 41, losing a triple threat to Seth Rollins.

WrestleMania is back in Las Vegas again this year, which Punk does not mind even if business is down from 2025.

“We’ve run into a little bit of trouble running the same venue twice in a row,” Punk told Get Up. “But, logistically, for me, I’m selfish. It’s fun for me. I like Vegas. There’s great food. There’s great atmosphere. You can always do something at any time of day.

“But we want your sights focused on Saturday night and Sunday night, Allegiant Stadium, for WrestleMania. Because this is going to be our biggest show of the year. We always like to say it’s our Super Bowl. I like to say the Super Bowl is the NFL’s WrestleMania.”

Nick Khan: It would be crazy to run political angle with ICE arresting WWE talent

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Don’t expect to see WWE try to mirror real-life political issues on Raw or SmackDown any time soon.

Company president Nick Khan told The Bill Simmons Podcast that, with the political environment being what it is, it would be “too tough” to run politically charged angles like having ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) referenced on WWE programming. Khan mentioned that NXT tried to do a politically correct angle with Joe Gacy a few years ago, but it did not work.

  • Simmons: Would you ever consider doing the 80s thing, using WWE to mirror things that are going on in real life, like some of the political stuff? That seems like that ship sailed 20 years ago?
  • Khan: Too tough. It’s too tough with the political environment now. Like to have ICE officers arresting like Dragon Lee…
  • Simmons: You could never do any of that stuff. That would be crazy. Yeah, that would be awful.
  • Khan: You couldn’t do it, yeah.
  • Simmons: But could you do like, I don’t know, somebody like a super left liberal wrestler as a heel, who’s just like constantly correcting everybody? Or do like a super MAGA? Like, you just would stay away completely from all that stuff?
  • Khan: We did it for a moment in time in NXT when we were coming out of COVID. The guy who’s in the Wyatt Sicks now, Joe Gacy, before he would, let’s say, body slam you, he would apologize that he had to.
  • Simmons: That didn’t work? [laughs]
  • Khan: No, it didn’t work. But he was like, ‘I’m very sorry that I have to wrestle you.’
  • Simmons: So like a politically correct angle?
  • Khan: Right. For everything, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.’

The Gacy angle took place when he was the leader of The Schism in NXT. He’s now part of the SmackDown roster, with tonight’s pre-WrestleMania episode of the show set to feature an eight-man street fight between The Wyatt Sicks and MFTs.

When asked about himself potentially becoming a character on WWE television, Khan said it will “never, ever, ever” happen. Khan is solely a behind-the-scenes person.

WWE President Nick Khan praises Rhea Ripley

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Nick Khan believes Rhea Ripley will be one of the faces of WWE for years to come.

While being interviewed on The Bill Simmons Podcast before WrestleMania 42, Khan was asked who he thinks WWE’s biggest star will be in 2033. The first name the WWE President pointed to was Ripley, who is only 29 years old right now as she enters her seventh WrestleMania.

“I think there’s a shot for a couple people, I think. Keep in mind Rhea is in her late 20s, Rhea Ripley,” Khan said. “She’s amazing. She has a chance. She’s already up there.”

Ripley will be in one of the top matches at WrestleMania 42 night two this Sunday, where she is challenging Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship. The match has a high standard to live up to after Ripley helped steal the show at WrestleMania 41 in a triple threat with IYO SKY and Bianca Belair.

Khan also listed Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, Oba Femi, and Trick Williams as options for WWE’s top star in 2033.

“I’m high on Logan Paul. He’s good, dude. And by the way, he puts in the work,” Khan said. “I’m high on Bron. We cannot rush it, though. Gotta sort of let him develop at his own pace. And he’s an excellent athlete who obviously grew up in the wrestling business, but let it develop at its own pace, which we’re all on the same page about.

“I think all three of those. Oba is an obvious one. I’m high on Trick. I like the fact that he’s an SEC athlete. I like the fact that he sort of inherently understands media. I like the fact — I always look for people whose inner voice matches their outer voice. I look for that in wrestlers. I look for it in political people. You know, if your inner voice matches your outer voice, you have a shot. Trick Williams is Trick Williams. So I like that.”

Nick Khan addresses WWE house show schedule

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Nick Khan doesn’t sound too interested in running a more expansive WWE house show schedule.

Holding more main roster live events is something Cody Rhodes has called for, even making a pitch for the company to test out bringing back one house show loop per month. Rhodes believes it would help keep the wrestlers in rhythm and create a team-like atmosphere in the WWE locker room.

Appearing on The Bill Simmons Podcast ahead of WrestleMania 42, Khan agreed when Simmons said there are “real reasons” WWE wrestlers aren’t on the road as much as they used to be.

“Think about every wrestling documentary you’ve ever seen,” the WWE President said. “Usually about wrestlers in the 80s started off with, ‘I was on the road 300 days a year.’ It’s no way — and then you saw the results of that. Forget family life, but you saw what people would do to make sure that their bodies could perform at that level.”

WWE still runs some main roster house shows, but they usually happen on international tours or domestically on the Christmas-season holiday tour. The company has a trip to Europe scheduled for this summer and will be holding house shows in South America in September.