Tag: WWE news

John Cena has ‘no-fall-downs’ policy in WWE retirement

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena loves that he still gets to be part of WWE after retiring from the ring, but fans shouldn’t plan on ever seeing him take another wrestling bump again.

Cena has always maintained that his retirement would be legitimate and that no amount of money could lure him back for another match. That policy apparently extends to any kind of physicality, with Cena telling The Takedown on SI that there will be “no fall downs” from him in his new role.

“It’s great. Honestly, it’s great,” Cena responded when asked how retirement has been. “Physically, I feel great. Gosh, I love watching the product. You saw me, I was having a bunch of fun at WrestleMania. Really looking forward to the future and my future role in WWE. Very excited about the John Cena Classic.

“This was the confusing thing about retirement. First of all, I will stay retired — no fall downs. I will not do anything physical. But that doesn’t mean I’m away from WWE. I mean, anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about not only the sports entertainment business but WWE as a brand. So it was simply a matter of like, ‘So where do I fit in now?’ And we’re still trying to find out those pieces, but I think we got a clear path.”

Now under WWE contract as an ambassador, Cena hosted both nights of WrestleMania 42, appeared at Backlash, and is part of the launch of the Club WWE fan membership program. He told The Takedown on SI that Nick Khan and Paul “Triple H” Levesque have been “very open-minded” as he figures out his post-retirement role. They have listened to Cena’s ideas and will tell him when something is good, bad, or needs tweaking.

Cena said — after a 4-5 month period of him coming up with the idea and Khan & Levesque digesting the information– they have been working out the details for the John Cena Classic for a couple of months now. It was announced during Cena’s appearance at Backlash, though there is not a date or location locked in yet. The show is an All-Star Game-type event that will pit main roster stars against talent from NXT. It has a fan-voting component where people will be able to vote for the John Cena Classic Champion at the end of the show. Losing their match does not disqualify a wrestler from being voted the champion.

At WrestleMania and Backlash, Cena wore a suit rather than his wrestling gear, which is another policy he has in retirement. He’s vowed to never wear his gear in the ring again.

WWE names announced for UFC White House fan fest

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Several WWE names have been confirmed for the fan fest that’s being held during UFC’s Freedom 250 weekend.

It was announced on Monday that meet and greets with WWE stars would be part of the June 13-14 fan fest that’s taking place in Washington, D.C. during the weekend of UFC’s White House card. No specific names were mentioned in the initial announcement, but WWE confirmed on Raw last night those taking part will include Charlotte Flair, The Miz, Trick Williams, Chelsea Green, The Usos, Tiffany Stratton, and Bron Breakker.

“Hey folks, get ready for two unforgettable days of non-stop action at the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest,” Michael Cole said. “Don’t miss immersive fan experiences, live shows featuring UFC athletes, celebrity appearances, exclusive on-stage music, and more. Plus, meet and greets with your favorite WWE Superstars including Charlotte Flair, The Miz, Trick Williams, Chelsea Green, The Usos, Tiffany Stratton, and Bron Breakker.”

The fan fest is being held at The Ellipse, a park located just outside of the White House. Tickets to the fan event are free, but attendees must request them and then enter a random draw that will determine who gets tickets.

WWE and UFC are sister companies under the TKO Group umbrella. This White House event is a significant moment for TKO, with UFC hyping it as the “most historic sporting event of all time.” It’s happening as part of the United States’ 250th birthday celebration. The actual fights will be held on the South Lawn at the White House.

UFC Freedom 250 (Sunday, June 14 on Paramount+) —

  • Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje for the UFC lightweight championship
  • Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight championship
  • Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi
  • Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis
  • Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler
  • Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus
  • Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia

Road Warrior Animal’s widow blasts ‘disgusting’ A&E documentary

Posted on by Joseph Currier

To put it lightly, Road Warrior Animal’s widow Kim Turman Laurinaitis wasn’t a fan of A&E’s documentary on her late husband.

A new episode of “Biography: WWE Legends” premiered on Sunday night chronicling the story of The Road Warriors, Animal (Joe Laurinaitis) & Hawk (Mike Hegstrand). Kim, who was married to Laurinaitis at the time of his death, took to Facebook shortly after the documentary began airing to state that she was not asked to be involved with the project. She called it “disgusting” and took aim at unnamed “phony” people who were interviewed:

  • For all of you, reaching out to me right now, asking if I’m part of the A&E biography….NO HIS ACTUAL WIFE (the one that was with him the [night] he died & years before) WAS NOT CONTACTED TO FILM BELIEVE IT OR NOT.. THE ONE THAT PAYS FOR THE TRADEMARKS AND IS WORKS TO CONTINUE HIS WISHES & LEGACY WITH THE LOD EXPERIENCE AND MANY OTHER THINGS BUT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT RESPECT FOR JOE AND THE LOD/ ROAD WARRIOR RIGHT??? Yeah ok believe what you want…
  • I can guarantee you my husband is NOT happy in heaven BUT his story, the REAL story and TRUTH OF ALL OF IT will come out. This is disgusting literally disgusting at his expense and I will not be quiet anymore.Shame on all involved …THE TRUTH WILL ALWAYS COME OUT!! They only did it this way because he was not here, but I still am and will fight for HIS wishes!
  • Do they give out Oscar’s for acting performances in this?? WOW Some of the people on here never kept in touch, wouldn’t even walk over to speak to him, & talked so much [sh*t]! Phony asses getting their irrelevant ‘moment’

Laurinaitis’ first two wives, Nancy and Julia, were among those interviewed for the documentary. When covering Laurinaitis’ death, his daughter Jessica is the one to tell the story of what happened. Kim especially had a problem with this portion of the documentary and felt like her husband’s death was inaccurately portrayed:

  • WHAT IN THE F**K AM I WATCHING?!!! OMG I AM SO DONE. THIS IS NOT HOW MY HUSBAND DIED & FYI HE DIED 9/22 AT OUR HOTEL NOT A HOSPTIAL,THEY NEVER TOOK HIM TO A F***ING HOSPITAL, HAD TO TRY TO SAVE HIM IN OUR HOTEL ROOM!! I WAS THE ONLY 1 THERE W/PARAMEDICS… ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW? I HELD HIM FOR OVER AN HR TRYING TO WAIT FOR JESSICA AND LINDSEY BOTH DAUGHTERS TO GET THERE BEFORE THEY TRANSPORTED HIM TO A FUNERAL HOME!!! WHAT THE FCK IS HAPPENING!!??? I AM ABOUT TO LOSE MY GD MIND RIGHT NOW. I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO MAD….
  • Can anyone tell the truth anymore???? What fake ass phony people…. People pretending to be friends people pretending to tell the truth at my husband’s expense God Almighty help you all that have you used him for the last freaking time!!!!! wow wow wow wow no words all of you know y’all just put on a fantastic performance standing ovation for that bullsh*t show!!! why didn’t we talk about how disrespected my husband was during his memorial planning, let’s talk about the struggles and how much he went through and cried over the past 10 years about how he had been treated by the people he loved so much… y’all wanna talk about sh*t that’s not true. Let’s talk about the truth!!!!!! and what was really important to Joe!!!! Shady ass produced show NOT endorced by his wife the one who pays for the trademarks, bills, taxes, etc!!!

Laurinaitis, who suffered from congestive heart failure, died of a heart attack in Osage Beach, Missouri while he and Kim were celebrating their wedding anniversary in September 2020.

The Road Warriors episode (directed by Matt Laffey) was part of season five of “Biography: WWE Legends.” The season also included a two-part documentary on The Von Erichs and an episode on The Four Horsemen. A&E producers the show in partnership with WWE.

Update on Stephanie Vaquer’s WWE return

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Stephanie Vaquer is still expected back on WWE programming soon, but her return might not come on Raw tonight

PWInsider reported last week that there were people within WWE who expected Vaquer to return on Raw in Greensboro, North Carolina this Monday. The outlet posted a new update today saying they have not heard of Vaquer being in town for the episode. However, Vaquer is still expected to be back in the mix by WWE Clash in Italy weekend.

An angle took place on the April 27 edition of Raw where Vaquer, who is dealing with a sprained AC joint, had her shoulder attacked by The Judgment Day. The angle was done to explain Vaquer’s absence, with her not having competed in the ring since dropping the Women’s World Championship to Liv Morgan at WrestleMania 42. Their title program had been set to continue after Mania.

Vaquer was Women’s World Champion for 210 days before losing the title to Morgan. With Vaquer’s injury impacting plans, Morgan’s only match since WrestleMania was a non-title victory over Sol Ruca on April 20. Tonight’s Raw will have Morgan in Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez’s corner as they challenge Brie Bella & Paige for the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles.

Raw is in Greensboro tonight and Columbus, Ohio next Monday. Following that, WWE begins an extensive European tour on May 28. Turin will host the Clash in Italy PLE on May 31, along with the following night’s Raw episode.

Kevin Nash says WWE wrestler who took pay cut still making ‘huge money’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Kevin Nash can understand why at least one WWE wrestler was willing to take a drastic pay cut.

Along with making significant roster cuts after WrestleMania, WWE/TKO approached some wrestlers about restructuring their contracts for less money in lieu of getting released. Exactly how many people were approached is not known, and the identity of anyone who accepted the pay decrease has not been revealed. it is known that The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods declined the offer and chose to depart WWE instead.

Some wrestlers are rumored to have accepted a 50 percent pay cut. But even with that, Nash says he’s heard of one affected wrestler who is still making “huge money.” Nash could not believe how much that person was originally making.

“I’ve got enough moles in the business where — I mean, I know the people that took 50 percent cuts,” Nash said on his Kliq This podcast. “I know one of the guys, and when I found out what the person was making, and after I just picked myself up off the ground that he was making that much money, and then realized that even at 50 percent, he was making huge money.”

Kevin Nash’s criticism of TKO —

Nash made headlines last week when he called for TKO to stay out of creative and let Paul “Triple H” Levesque do his job. On this Kliq This episode, Nash clarified that Levesque did not tell him that TKO was interfering with the creative process. Despite being close friends, Nash and Levesque do not discuss insider business like that.

“One thing Paul and I have never done is we have never talked business. Like, I could not call or text him and say, ‘Hey, what’s going on? Are they f***ing [with you]?’ He would never,” Nash said. “Because that’s our deal. Because that takes away the trust that he has with the people he works for. So that’s always been — it’s none of my business. It’s none of my business who’s involved in Paul’s everyday life that he works with.

“Paul’s a big boy. Paul can take care of himself. I just had heard some things, and I don’t know. Maybe I got pissed off last week. Maybe it was just because I did a lot of driving. Maybe I thought I was a wrestler again. Maybe being in a different hotel five nights in a row in a minivan, putting f***ing heavy ass bags in the back triggered some post-traumatic stress that I was holding out for during the 30-year run.”

Nash also said that Ari Emanuel, the head of TKO, has always been great to him in their personal interactions. Nash does not know any of the other TKO executives.

“The only person I’ve ever met from TKO is Ari. He’s the only one that I’ve ever met,” Nash said. “And he was such a gentleman. He came up, he shook my hand. I’ve never been treated better by anyone in management than the way he treated me. He just said, ‘If there’s anything I could do for you, blah, blah, blah, blah.’ And every time I’ve seen him since — he’s the only person I know. He’s the only one. So the other two cats, I don’t know them. I just wanted to lash out at somebody, so they, I don’t know them, you know?”

As a WWE Hall of Famer with acting experience, Nash has called for pro wrestlers to become union members by joining the Screen Actors Guild. Political figure Andrew Yang sent out a tweet last week supporting that call.

Former WWE wrestler Reginald ‘almost main evented WrestleMania’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

R-Truth pulled from WWE SmackDown, new match set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

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

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

**********

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

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

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

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

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

WWE SmackDown (Friday, May 15) —

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

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

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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

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

“I’m very aware that women are headlining WWE because of me,” Rousey said. “That women are headlining and making big paydays in boxing because of me. In bare-knuckle boxing, in full-contact karate, in everything that’s a contact sport. I’m very, very proud of seeing all the success the women are having, because I was able to prove their commercial viability, and everyone’s trying to recapture that lightning in a bottle.

“I’m so happy to see it. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully understand the scope of those ripple effects — nor anybody else — but that’s not why you do it. I’m very, very proud, and it’s very cool to see. I’m glad it’s got to the point that things are so different that people forget how it used to be. I’m not mad at that. I’m proud.”

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

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

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

WWE NXT does record-low ratings on The CW

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

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

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

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

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

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

WWE NXT ratings —

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

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

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Foley’s own Hollywood projects and future —

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

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

Updated preview for WWE SmackDown Backlash fallout episode

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has made its first slate of announcements for tonight’s Backlash fallout edition of SmackDown.

– Gunther all but joined the SmackDown roster last week, but he’ll officially decide tonight if he’s going to be part of the brand going forward. If he does sign his SmackDown contract, Gunther challenging Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship will be confirmed for Clash in Italy on May 31.

– Tonight’s show is taking place at Colonial Life Arena on the campus of the University of South Carolina, where Trick Williams once played college football. A special homecoming celebration will be held for Williams on SmackDown. He’s coming off a successful United States Championship defense against Sami Zayn at Backlash.

– Last Friday, Jade Cargill returned for the first time since dropping the WWE Women’s Championship to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 42. She immediately set her sights back on Ripley, with Cargill, B-Fab & Michin interrupting a six-woman tag match and causing Ripley, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss to lose to Fatal Influence.

Cargill will appear on tonight’s show and address the fans following last week’s attack.

WWE SmackDown (Friday, May 15) —

  • Gunther decides whether to join SmackDown to challenge Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes
  • United States Champion Trick Williams returns to the University of South Carolina for a homecoming celebration
  • Jade Cargill addresses her attack on WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley

Chelsea Green heading back to WWE SmackDown following heart procedure

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Chelsea Green is already returning to work less than two weeks after undergoing a heart procedure.

No longer on bed rest, Green has announced that she’ll be in Columbia, South Carolina for WWE SmackDown tonight. She and husband Matt Cardona were in Los Angeles on Thursday to attend the premiere of the new Star Wars “Mandalorian and Grogu” movie.

“From #TheMandalorian and Grogu premiere tonight in LA straight to #SmackDown in Charlotte!,” Green wrote.

Green underwent a procedure around the start of May to correct an abnormal type of heart rhythm known as SVT (supraventricular tachycardia). Though the issue was present for years, it was not caught by doctors until Green suffered an episode around WrestleMania 42 where her heart rate reached 228 beats per minute for a 15-minute stretch.

At the time of this procedure, Green was already sidelined with an ankle injury. She’s remained on SmackDown while injured and even appeared last week in a pre-recorded video where she continued her storyline with United States Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton, trying to make friends with Stratton despite Stratton rejecting her attempts.

Thursday was Cardona’s 41st birthday. He sent out a tweet overnight thanking everyone for the messages they’ve sent.

“Thanks everybody for the birthday wishes,” he wrote. “Had a great day with my hot wife. Flew to LA, ate steak and eggs, drank good coffee, trained legs, saw the new Star Wars movie, and now taking a red eye flight to #SmackDown.”

WWE’s reason for running more house shows | Exclusive

Posted on by Joseph Currier

In the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided some insight on WWE’s decision to run more house shows this summer.

WWE announced this week that it will be holding 10 main roster house shows in the United States as part of its Summer 2026 Tour. The dates are set for July-August and will be happening on either Thursdays or weekends. They include stops in New Mexico, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Virginia, New Hampshire, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Domestic house shows had mostly been phased out in the post-pandemic era, but Meltzer reports that, with a significant amount of young talent added to the roster, WWE thought it was a good idea for them to get more experience at non-televised events.

Meltzer wrote:

  • What we were told is that with more younger wrestlers on the roster than before, they felt it was good for them to get more experience away from television so this was the time to expand the schedule. Plus, unlike a few years ago when the company wasn’t as popular, there will almost surely be a nice profit margin doing the house shows. The idea in the past was less shows created more of a demand for shows and that was one of the reasons for cutting back, and the belief that the older roster could use less dates and wear and tear and they had enough experience. The attempt is to get a younger roster now and they could use more reps before a crowd.

Cody Rhodes, Oba Femi, Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins, Jade Cargill, Trick Williams, and Drew McIntyre are advertised for the tour. Rhodes, the current Undisputed WWE Champion, has been a big proponent of WWE having more house shows and even pitched the idea to the company’s top brass.

It’s expected that ticket prices for these events will be more affordable than other WWE events.

The promotion also has live events in Europe and South America coming up, along with one house show date in Canada.

Here is the full list of newly announced domestic dates:

WWE Summer Tour house show schedule —

  • Saturday, July 11: WWE Summer Tour at Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico
  • Sunday, July 12: WWE Summer Tour at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Thursday, July 16: WWE Summer Tour at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania
  • Saturday, July 25: WWE Summer Tour at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, California
  • Sunday, July 26: WWE Summer Tour at Dignity Health Arena in Bakersfield, California
  • Thursday, July 30: WWE Summer Tour at Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield, Illinois
  • Thursday, August 6: WWE Summer Tour at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia
  • Thursday, August 13: WWE Summer Tour at SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire
  • Saturday, August 29: WWE Summer Tour at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia
  • Sunday, August 30: WWE Summer Tour at North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, South Carolina

Daily Update: Jim Ross, Finn Balor, Jelly Roll

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • Ted Turner’s legacy in sports
  • The history of pro wrestling on the Turner Networks
  • The skyrocketing success and rapid decline of WCW
  • The television heyday of Georgia Championship Wrestling
  • How Ted Turner first got involved in pro wrestling
  • Why Vince McMahon hated Ted Turner and how irrational it was at times
  • The local TV business in the early 70s
  • The 1972-74 Atlanta wrestling war, how it started and ended
  • The start of Gordon Solie and Tony Schiavone on TBS
  • The growth of TBS
  • The launching of CNN
  • How Vince McMahon got on TBS
  • Why McMahon and Turner had issues during their year working together
  • The role Jim Barnett played
  • The death of Mid South Wrestling
  • The death of Jim Crockett Promotions
  • The death of WCW
  • How Barnett manipulated the Crocketts getting on TBS
  • Vince McMahon’s cable power plays and Turner’s reactions
  • The signing of Hulk Hogan and rise of Eric Bischoff
  • Hall, Nash and Bret Hart come to WCW
  • How Bischoff nearly purchased WCW and how it fell through
  • A reprint of a 2001 article on the closing of WCW that Ted Turner himself read and praised
  • Reaction to the death of WCW
  • Numerous people react to the death
  • The tribute on AEW television
  • His exploits in other sports
  • Rupert Murdoch, Ric Flair, Jane Fonda, Tony Khan and others in sports comment on Turner’s death
  • Turner’s life after he lost control of the networks
  • His charitable work
  • Update on Tanea “Rebel” Brooks
  • A first look at how UFC is performing and its revenue driven vs. expense for Paramount
  • WWE cuts continue and are looked at
  • A crazy note about the income of just four of TKO’s top executives and how it compares to the pay for UFC and WWE athletes. This is absolutely shocking
  • Nick Khan’s new contract with TKO
  • Why so many cuts were made this year and more notes on the pay cuts
  • New Day bid farewell
  • WWE & UFC first quarter financials looked at
  • More talk regarding Middle East shows, Zuffa Boxing, and complaints regarding WWE and UFC
  • Backlash preview, business notes and odds
  • Notes on AEW Double or Nothing
  • New Japan Dontaku coverage
  • Nico Ali Walsh on Nick Khan’s testimony before Congress
  • NOAH big show notes
  • The most detailed look at the TV ratings from the pro wrestling and MMA shows this past week
  • Fantastica Mania Mexico
  • CMLL vs. MLW at Arena Mexico notes
  • Grande Americano vs. Grande Americano
  • Lots of injury updates
  • Who in AEW was set for a major push that is now on hold
  • Champion Carnival down to final four
  • Cuatrero convicted in domestic violence case involving Stephanie Vaquer
  • Raja Jackson case coming to a close
  • Former WWE wrestler murder case makes pub again
  • Worldwide YouTuber numbers
  • Dana White talks McGregor’s return
  • Notes on Roman Reigns and his schedule
  • When did Nick Khan learn Vince McMahon was being investigate for sex trafficking
  • Janel Grant gets more public
  • Notes from WWE’s television contracts

This Week’s Back Issue

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Thursday Update

Finn Balor WWE Demon
Finn Balor competes at WWE WrestleMania 42. (Image credit: WWE)

WWE

  • Finn Balor told Stephanie McMahon that, while he loves Japan, he doesn’t think he wants to wrestle there full-time again before the end of his career:
    • I always kind of imagined myself going back to Japan to finish my career in Japan. I didn’t want to leave Japan, but I kind of wanted to roll the dice with WWE and give it a try. And like, if I had a year at NXT and then it didn’t work out, I would have happily went back to Japan.
    • I like how everything [in Japan] is just exactly as you see it. There’s no bullsh*t. Like, people are straight with you. It’s ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. Everything’s clean, organized. Maybe I was immune to the politics because I didn’t speak the language so good. So I was kind of ignorant to that stuff, you know? And obviously, when you look back on any time, romantically, you always kind of hold that up.
    • I fell in love with Japan, but I don’t want to go back to wrestling in Japan, I don’t think. I’d love to go back to Japan and spend time there. When we go back with WWE, it’s absolutely incredible. To perform for WWE in Japan, that’s the dream.
    • Maybe we can set up an NXT Japan. [Triple H] might need a right-hand man to run it. Me and Shinsuke [Nakamura] I think would do a good job over there, right? God, that would be incredible. Go back to my dojo training days.
  • DJ Bootleg Kev shared that his friend Jelly Roll was “very self aware” that fans would not like him getting involved in the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton WrestleMania 42 story:
    • I’m pretty comfortable in saying this. I’m really close to Jelly Roll — he was very self aware that he was being pushed into a storyline that he probably didn’t need to be pushed into. And he was pushing, he was being very vocal about wanting to be involved in a storyline that is still playing out currently that was more comedic.
    • And he was like, ‘Guys, if you put me into this thing, I promise you it’s going to cook. It’s going to f**k.’ I was there at SmackDown in Phoenix and I heard him having these convos with certain people at WWE. And they still decided to – and, look, if you’re him, you’re like, ‘Hey man, if you’re going to push me into the main event of WrestleMania, I’m not going to say no. But I don’t think people are going to [like it].’ And then to me it wasn’t even him so much, the McAfee thing was like – it was just weird. It just made no sense.
  • US Weekly asked Cody Rhodes how he would feel about his daughters Liberty and Leilani becoming wrestlers:
    • I would say the same thing my dad said, which was cool. ‘You can go into it, but you have to be the best.’ And that’s easier said than done, but I think they could certainly do it, those two.
  • Jimmy Hart, Diamond Dallas Page, and Fallon Henley have recorded interviews for future episodes of Rhodes’ “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast.
  • DDP posted some photos from WWE Headquarters after spending the day there yesterday for the podcast.
  • Jake Paul claimed that TKO has “major beef” with him over the back and forth he’s gotten into with UFC boss Dana White:
    • From my side, I’m just having fun. And the fact that one of the biggest organizations in the world, the TKO Group, has this major beef with me – they won’t even let me be in my brother’s WWE matches because they hate me so much. And so it’s pretty wild how much under their skin we are. And to me, yeah, it’s just been a fun journey. I enjoy sh*t talk. I like when people make fun of me. I’m easy to make fun of. You know, I’m able to make fun of myself, so the beef to me is just fun and entertaining for everybody.
  • Gunther shared a video working out in the gym with Ilja Dragunov.
  • Italian YouTuber Enry Lazza has an interview with Gunther.
  • Sami Zayn appeared on Huge Pop! with Donnie DaSilva and Jimmy Korderas.
  • Ethan Page was the guest on Complex’s Graps podcast this week.

Other Wrestling

  • On his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross said he plans on being in New York for AEW Double or Nothing on May 24:
    • I tell ya, AEW’s TV shows, and I know people expect us to ballyhoo it, to put it over – it’s easy to put it over when it’s good. And their TVs lately have been very good. And what they’re doing with Darby, they’re not doing anything more important on their television than featuring Darby Allin and letting us support him and get behind him and all that stuff. So he’s very resilient, and I like his approach a lot. So we’ll see how that materializes over the next few weeks. I plan on being in New York in a couple of weeks. And I’m excited about this card. It’s loaded, man. It’s got some good sh*t on it.
  • During an interview with Bootleg Kev, Swerve Strickland recalled seeing WWE star Oba Femi at the gym and telling Femi that, if it were up to him, Femi’s debut would have been winning the WWE Championship:
    • I met Oba at the gym and I said, ‘If I had the pen, your debut would be winning that belt.’ I was close because his debut was against Cody. And [Femi] was like, ‘How did you do this, man?’ I was like, ‘I just call it how I see it, it’s you, bro.’
  • Strickland gave his thoughts on influencers/celebrities crossing over into pro wrestling:
    • There’s a time and a place for it, for sure. Once again, it always comes back to the connection to the fan base. Like, how much have you connected with the fan base to warrant your level of involvement in said space in wrestling? You always got to listen to the fan base. They’re going to tell you what they’re receiving well. 
    • They’re like children, they cry when they’re getting something they don’t want. Or they’re going to cry when they want something. And then you feed it to them and they’re going to be like, ‘Oh, that satisfied me. You answered what I was [looking for].’ It’s the same way. They’re going to tell you when they don’t like it or they’re not digesting it well.
  • While looking ahead to his Best of the Super Juniors matchups, Jun Kasai gave his thoughts on Nick Wayne:
    • Yeah, we’ve been in GCW together and we’ve talked a bit. He’s younger than my son! If I lose to him, how can I look my own boy in the eye? [laughs]. But he really is a prodigy. You have this young protege and an average old vet. But even though I’m average, what I have in spades is passion. That’s what I’ve had for 28 years. That’s hard to beat.
  • Kasai, who is known for being a death match wrestler, described his BOSJ inclusion as a win-win:
    • I mean, if you eat your favorite food every day of the week and eventually you get sick of it. So for a misfit toy like myself to be in a top flight tournament for BOSJ it’s different for the tournament, and it’s different for me. So it’s win win.
  • After suffering a knee injury last September, CMLL wrestler Zandokan Jr. is set to return in La Copa Junior 2026. 
  • The Battleground Podcast interviewed AJ Francis.
  • ESPN published a feature story on Ronda Rousey ahead of her MMA return.