Tag: WWE news

John Cena admits WWE John Cena Classic still ‘a work in progress’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena is “fully invested” in WWE’s John Cena Classic, while admitting that the event is still a work in progress.

At Backlash, Cena announced that WWE will hold a show, named after him, where main roster talent will face off against wrestlers from NXT. A fan vote will be held to determine the John Cena Classic Champion, with fans able to vote for whomever impressed them most — even if that person lost their match.

Cena spoke with Adam’s Apple following Backlash and said he’s “super excited” about this idea. He’s looking forward to seeing how everything comes together. Locking in a date and location is the first step in that process.

“Oh my God, I’m super excited. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” Cena said. “And, again, we’re still working things out. And I like that, I like that it’s a work in progress. But this is absolutely from me. I can’t tell you how excited I am about it. I am fully invested in this. I can’t wait to see what it is. I can’t wait until we announce the date and location. That’s obviously step one, and we’ll go from there.”

When asked if there are any participants he has on his radar, Cena said he’s trying to shut his radar off and see what everyone can do, because wrestlers like himself, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Becky Lynch once weren’t obvious choices to reach the level of stardom they ultimately achieved.

WrestleVotes reported today that Netflix is interested in streaming the John Cena Classic, but there are no concrete plans yet for when and where it will take place.

Cena retired from active competition in December 2025 but still maintains a presence in WWE as an ambassador. He hosted both nights of WrestleMania 42 last month before appearing again at Backlash. Along with that, he’s been involved with the upcoming launch of the Club WWE membership program. There’s no word yet if Club WWE will have any tie-in with the John Cena Classic.

WWE running increased house show schedule this summer

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Domestic house shows have largely been a thing of the past for WWE, but that will be changing a bit this summer.

The company announced today that it has added 10 main roster house shows to its schedule for July-August. Branded as part of WWE’s “2026 Summer Tour,” they include stops in New Mexico, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois, Virginia, New Hampshire, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Here is the full list of dates, with all of the shows happening on Thursdays or weekends:

2026 WWE Summer Tour —

  • 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

A mix of talent from Raw and SmackDown are advertised, with Cody Rhodes, Oba Femi, Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins, Jade Cargill, Trick Williams, and Drew McIntyre featured on WWE’s graphic for the tour. Tickets are going on sale to the general public next Wednesday (May 20) at 10 a.m. local time.

Rhodes has been vocal about wanting WWE to run more house shows, feeling like they would help wrestlers get in reps while creating a team-like atmosphere in the locker room.

It’s unknown whether this will continue into the fall. Internationally, WWE has live event dates coming up in Europe, South America, and one in Canada. House shows in the United States were mostly phased out in the post-pandemic era aside from the annual Christmas-season WWE Holiday Tour.

Daily Update: Upfronts, Bianca Belair, Dixie Carter

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

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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Wednesday Update

Bianca Belair WWE WrestleMania 42
Bianca Belair makes her entrance at WWE WrestleMania 42. (Image credit: WWE)

WWE

  • WWE uploaded the full Kendal Grey vs. Kelani Jordan match from NXT last night.
  • On Instagram, Bianca Belair showed a photo of how enlarged her ring finger still is from the injury she suffered at WrestleMania 41. Belair has gotten her wedding ring back and can wear it again, but the size has gone from a 7.5 to a 10, and her ring finger is now bigger than her thumb.
  • Cody Rhodes, representing WWE/ESPN, was in attendance at Disney’s upfronts in New York City on Tuesday. He sat alongside WrestleMania 42 rival Pat McAfee during a College GameDay panel at the event.
  • In response to Penta vs. Ethan Page being announced for Saturday Night’s Main Event, Rey Fenix tweeted that he also wants a shot at Penta’s Intercontinental title: “I love my brother, but i will like to have my chance.”
  • Brock Rechsteiner, the son of Scott Steiner who has been signed by the New Orleans Saints, named Bron Breakker, Roman Reigns, and Randy Orton as the three current WWE wrestlers he would choose to draft as his teammates in the NFL.
  • Rusev’s Kech Pro Wrestling school is now open in Nashville. Former WWE wrestler Gangrel is partnering with him as a trainer at the school.
  • CM Punk and Ken Shamrock will be among the panelists for a new “UFC Rivals” show that launches on A&E on Sunday, June 21. The first two episodes will focus on the Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz and Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Serra rivalries. Mario Lopez is hosting the show, with Punk, Shamrock, Miesha Tate, and Michael Bisping listed as some of the names who will be part of the expert roundtable.

Other Wrestling

  • An AEW Dynamite graphic featuring MJF, Kenny Omega, Willow Nightingale, Will Ospreay, and Jon Moxley was on display at WBD upfronts today. It was shown alongside graphics for Shark Week, Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions, 90 Day Fiance, and Love & Marriage: Huntsville.
  • AEW/ROH wrestler Billie Starkz celebrated her graduation from college:
    • From ring ropes at 13 to a graduation cap in 2026
    • Years of bumps, bruises, early mornings, late nights, and chasing a dream that started in a wrestling ring before I even stepped into a college classroom. Here’s to proving you can chase your passion and your education at the same time.
    • The grind never stopped… it just earned a degree
  • Renee Paquette interviewed The Conglomeration on a new episode of AEW Close Up.
  • PWInsider reports that Dixie Carter turned down “several invitations” to be interviewed for the upcoming Dark Side of the Ring episode focused on TNA and Jeff Jarrett.
  • Sareee announced that she is taking approximately one month off from wrestling so that she can have neck treatment.
  • Following his release from WWE, Joe Gacy (now going by Joseph Sawyer) has been announced for a Blitzkrieg Pro show in Enfield, Connecticut on August 8 and a Pro Wrestling Junkie event in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey on September 20.
  • Indie wrestler Jay Bishop has signed with MLW.

Triple H, Stephanie McMahon said to be aware of WWE ad issues

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Whether WWE will change anything remains to be seen, but the promotion has been made directly aware of how much fans dislike the increase in advertisements during the TKO era.

Actor O’Shea Jackson Jr. — a WWE superfan and the son of rap icon Ice Cube — appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show today and revealed a conversation he had with Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Stephanie McMahon about the oversaturation of ads on WWE programming. The conversation took place around the start of 2026, so there have not been any changes yet, but Levesque and McMahon didn’t push back on what Jackson was saying. He was told that WWE is working on potentially having better placement for the ads.

“I told this to Triple H and Stephanie when I did Stephanie’s show,” Jackson said. “I told them, the ads and the timing of them are horrendous. This was like five, six months ago or something crazy like that when I went to do Stephanie McMahon’s pod. Afterwards, because I did it at WWE headquarters, Triple H comes down, we’re all talking, and I brought up my transgressions. And I was like, ‘Dude, the ads are crazy. Like, it’s almost unwatchable.’ And, like, they know. It’s just about, they’re working on placement of them maybe.

“I get it, Roman Reigns’ entrance is seven minutes long, but that doesn’t mean that’s the time to throw the ads in. I should not — there should never be a moment where I miss IYO SKY’s entrance because ‘we are back from commercial break.’ It’s a level of respect for them. It’s fine in the middle of a match, but at least picture-in-picture me.”

Fan complaints about the ads peaked during WrestleMania 42. WWE touted that it set a new record with 32 marketing partners for the event, including Snickers, 2K, Riyadh Season, Ram, DoorDash, Wingstop, Wheatley American Vodka, Minute Maid, The General Insurance, MUG Root Beer, and Chumba Casino.

McMahon’s podcast episode with Jackson was released in January 2026. He co-hosts his own podcast “No-Contest Wrestling” that is produced by ESPN/The Rich Eisen Show.

Dragon Lee gives WWE status update

Posted on by Joseph Currier

We haven’t seen Dragon Lee compete in the ring since WWE WrestleMania 42, but it sounds like that will be changing soon.

Lee tweeted out a short message today where he only wrote “2-3 weeks.” While there was no further context provided, former Bodyslam reporter Cory Hays notes that Lee was said to be banged up coming out of WrestleMania.

At night two of the event on April 19, Lee was one of the competitors in a six-pack ladder match for the Intercontinental title. It ended with Penta defeating Lee, Rey Mysterio, Je’Von Evans, Rusev, and JD McDonagh to retain. Penta is now set to defend his title against the newly called up Ethan Page at Saturday Night’s Main Event on May 23.

Lee was not part of the card for Backlash last weekend, but he did make a public appearance for WWE that day, doing a meet and greet alongside Rey Fenix at Cosm in Los Angeles.

There’s been no confirmation regarding the physical issue Lee is dealing with. After the match at WrestleMania, he could be seen favoring his thigh/leg while heading to the back with Penta and Mysterio.

In the 2-3 week timeframe, WWE has AAA Noche de los Grandes taking place in Mexico on May 30. Lee makes appearances in AAA in addition to his WWE Raw role.

NFL team announces signing of Scott Steiner’s son Brock

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Brock Rechsteiner won’t be crossing over into pro wrestling just yet.

The New Orleans Saints announced today that, after a successful stint in rookie minicamp, Rechsteiner has been signed to the team’s 90-man roster. The son of wrestling legend Scott Steiner, Rechsteiner played wide receiver at Jacksonville State and is now attempting to make it into the NFL at that same position.

Rechsteiner will now progress into the offseason with the Saints with the hope of making it to training camp and ultimately earning a spot on the team.

During rookie minicamp, Rechsteiner said he planned to go as far as he could in football before eventually entering the family business with WWE. Rechsteiner was already under an NIL deal with WWE while in college.

“I want to pursue football as long as I can, play as long as I can,” Rechsteiner said. “But once I’m done, I’ll get into wrestling too.”

Rechsteiner said seeing his father get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame helped inspire him to pursue a wrestling career down the line. Bron Breakker — once a football player himself — has been advising his cousin Rechsteiner to get into WWE once football is over for him.

During rookie minicamp, Rechsteiner earned praise from Saints wide receiver coach Keith Williams, who calls him “Stone Cold.”

“Yeah, ‘Stone Cold,'”Williams said. “He’s kind of nasty. I just told him, ‘Hey, if you get mad at me, just don’t put me in a small package. I know you’ve got a few (wrestling) moves up your sleeve.’ But yeah, ‘Stone Cold’ has been great.

Rechsteiner went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft and spent time with the Tennessee Titans before joining the Saints. He has a brother named Brandon who is a college basketball player and also sees wrestling as a potential backup plan for himself.

Hulk Hogan’s former accountant indicted on embezzlement charges

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Hulk Hogan’s former accountant is facing several embezzlement-related charges, though it’s unconfirmed if the late wrestling legend is the victim in the case.

TMZ Sports reports that Melissia Gauthreaux of Accounting Resources and Management Services has been indicted for allegedly stealing $890,000 from a “public figure.” While that person has not been identified, TMZ says she was employed by Hogan during the 2017-2021 period where this embezzlement allegedly took place.

“Melissia Gauthreaux has been charged with six counts of wire fraud, after the feds say she used her business, Accounting Resources and Management Services, to embezzle enormous amounts of money between 2017 and 2021,” TMZ wrote.

“Our sources tell us Hogan employed Gauthreaux during that time period … and one of her duties was bookkeeping.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida says $894,274.26 is the exact amount Gauthreaux is accused of stealing. She could potentially be sentenced to 20 years in prison for each of the six wire fraud charges she’s facing:

  • Tampa, Florida – Melissia Gauthreaux has been charged by federal indictment with six counts of wire fraud. If convicted, Gauthreaux faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also notifies Gauthreaux that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture in the amount of $894,274.26, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
  • According to the indictment, Gauthreaux was the founder, president, and managing member of Accounting Resources and Management Services, LLC. From 2017 through 2021, Gauthreaux used her business to steal more than $890,000 from one of her clients, a public figure who lived in the Middle District of Florida. Gauthreaux had signatory authority on her client’s bank accounts and was able to remove the funds without the client’s knowledge or consent. 

Hogan passed away at 71 years old in Clearwater, Florida in July 2025. During WrestleMania 42 weekend last month, WWE honored him by inducting Hogan vs. Andre the Giant from WrestleMania 3 into the Hall of Fame as this year’s Legacy Award winner.

A Netflix docuseries titled “Hulk Hogan: Real American” debuted on April 22 and includes the final interview Hogan filmed before passing away.

Chelsea Green shares new update one week after heart procedure

Posted on by Joseph Currier

One week removed from a heart procedure, Chelsea Green is already back up on her feet.

Green shared a new update today announcing that she is no longer on bed rest. She had an operation done on May 4 to correct an irregular heart beat known as SVT (supraventricular tachycardia), which is a common type of abnormal heart rhythm that starts in the upper chambers of the heart and causes it to beat too fast.

“1 week post op – off bed rest!,” Green tweeted this morning. “One thing about me: sitting still is my nightmare. Thank you to everyone who called, texted, dm’d, etc. I felt very, very loved this week.”

Along with the tweet, Green shared a photo of several flower arrangements that friends have sent during her recovery. One of the arrangements was from the “WWE: Unreal” docuseries team.

Green had been dealing with this heart issue for some time, but it wasn’t found until she suffered an episode around WrestleMania 42 where her heart rate rose to 228 beats per minute for a nearly 15-minute stretch.

Despite being on bed rest, Green’s presence was still felt on SmackDown last Friday in the form of a social media video that aired on the show. Green — who has been trying to make friends with Tiffany Stratton — said she’s been attempting to reach Stratton but hadn’t heard back. She apologized that she couldn’t be there for Stratton’s Women’s United States title defense against Kiana James.

Green is a two-time Women’s United States Champion, with her second reign lasting from November 2025 to January 2026. An ankle injury has kept Green out of action since February.

‘Beyond the Mat’ director Barry Blaustein passes away at 72

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Barry Blaustein, the filmmaker behind one of the most popular and well-received pro wrestling movies of all time, has passed away at 72 years old.

His death was announced on Tuesday following a battle with pancreatic cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Blaustein was the writer, director, producer, and narrator of “Beyond the Mat” — a documentary that was fortuitously released in 1999 during wrestling’s Attitude Era pop culture heights. A comedy writer with experience working on “Saturday Night Live” and collaborating with Eddie Murphy, Blaustein was able to make “Beyond the Mat” a documentary that balanced comedy with respect for the wrestlers putting their bodies on the line, while offering an inside look into the traditionally closed-doors industry.

Mick Foley, Terry Funk, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and New Jack were some of the performers that “Beyond the Mat” focused on. WCW refused to grant Blaustein access for the project. WWE and ECW both gave their permission, but Vince McMahon ultimately regretted doing so and refused to promote it.

The climax of the film is Foley’s “I Quit” match against The Rock from Royal Rumble 1999, where Foley takes repeated chair shots to the head as his wife and children watch on from the crowd. Foley is later shown watching the footage and says he feels like a bad person for making his family experience that.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Blaustein — a long-time wrestling fan — described “Beyond the Mat” as “the favorite thing he had ever done.” The film was not nominated for an Academy Award but was among the 12 finalists for best documentary.

Blaustein was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2017 and found out last month that he had stage four pancreatic cancer.

Cuatrero sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison for domestic violence against Stephanie Vaquer

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Former AAA and CMLL wrestler Cuatrero has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison for attempted femicide against WWE star Stephanie Vaquer.

After being found guilty earlier this month, Cuatrero (Rogelio Reyes) was sentenced today to 12 years and eight months in prison. He has already served two of those years, meaning he has 10 years and eight months left to serve. El Planchitas reports that Cuatrero could potentially only serve four-plus more years if he is able to receive a sentence reduction for good behavior.

El Planchitas adds that Vaquer’s side is expected to appeal for a tougher sentence.

The domestic violence incident took place in March 2023 while Vaquer was wrestling in Mexico and in a relationship with Cuatrero. Vaquer claimed that an argument turned physical, with Cuatrero grabbing her violently by the throat and throwing her into a wall, which caused an object to fall off the wall and onto her.

On International Women’s Day this year, Vaquer shared a message vowing to keep fighting for truth and justice in the case. When the incident first happened, there were people in wrestling who tried to protect Cuatrero and convince Vaquer not to go to the police. One of those was said to be AAA wrestler La Hiedra, who was dating Cuatrero’s brother at the time.

Cuatrero, who is the son of wrestling legend Cien Caras, had gotten out of jail in 2025 as he awaited the resolution of this case. He returned to the ring for indie matches this year.

London not in ‘specific discussions’ for WWE WrestleMania 44

Posted on by Joseph Currier

At least at the moment, London, England is not in active discussions to host WWE WrestleMania 44.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has expressed his desire to bring WrestleMania to the city and even met with Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Nick Khan a couple of years back. It doesn’t sound like there has been much movement on the possibility, though, with a spokesperson for the mayor’s office telling Post Wrestling that there are no “specific discussions” as of now regarding London hosting WrestleMania in 2028.

“There are general discussions with WWE, but at present no specific discussions around bringing the 2028 WrestleMania to London,” said Tom Degun of the Mayor of London’s Press Team. Degun noted that the mayor remains committed to bringing worldwide sports attractions like WWE’s biggest events to London and continues to discuss future opportunities for that to happen.

Potential future WrestleMania host cities —

WWE has yet to confirm where WrestleMania will be heading in 2028 after WrestleMania 43 is held in Saudi Arabia in 2027. The city of Nashville, Tennessee has interest in hosting the 2028 event and is reportedly already involved in the bidding process. When getting WrestleMania, any host city would likely have to provide a site fee and other tax breaks.

WrestleMania was held in Las Vegas in both 2025 and 2026. Indianapolis and New Orleans are owed future WrestleManias per agreements the cities have with WWE. There has recently been talk that Ireland is hoping to host its first WrestleMania, though that is considered more of a long-term project.

‘Serious’ talk about Stephen A. Smith WWE crossover | Exclusive

Posted on by Joseph Currier

There has been “serious” talk about ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith getting involved with WWE.

On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed Kevin Nash’s comments where Nash urged TKO to stop messing with WWE’s creative. Meltzer noted that TKO does not actually get involved much, but they seem to do so at the worst times, like Pat McAfee being inserted into the WrestleMania 42 build. We’ll have to see how WWE/TKO adjust to the criticism McAfee’s role received, but Meltzer knows there are people internally who have been favorable to the idea of McAfee’s ESPN colleague Smith crossing over into pro wrestling.

“They really don’t do a lot, but as I was told, they don’t do it much but they seem to always do it at the most inopportune times,” Meltzer said. “It happened this year at WrestleMania, it sure did, yeah. We haven’t seen anyone forced on them. I mean, we haven’t seen anything with Stephen A. Smith — yet, although, boy, that name has been talked about. And I know it’s serious talk. Put it this way, a lot of the people who were not happy about Pat McAfee in fact are favorable to Stephen A., as far as internally it goes.

“But we’ll have to wait and see. I mean, it’s like, we haven’t had — other than Lil Yachty, he’s around a lot — but other than that, we haven’t had any celebrities since right after WrestleMania, I guess.”

Smith mentioned last month that WWE President Nick Khan had once talked to him about getting involved on-screen, but the 58-year-old Smith was not interested in a role where there would be any kind of physical involvement. A fan of old-school heel managers like Bobby Heenan, that would likely be the type of character Smith would play if he were to appear for WWE.

One of the biggest personalities in sports media, Smith hosts ESPN’s First Take every weekday and is one of the faces of the network. He originally started out as a basketball reporter before really making his name on sports debate shows. Smith has even crossed over into pop culture with a recurring role on the soap opera “General Hospital,” along with teasing potential political aspirations.

WWE has had a regular presence on ESPN since the two sides began their PLE deal in September 2025. During WrestleMania week, WWE was more prominently featured on ESPN’s daytime lineup than all other sports except for the NFL and NBA. There was also cross-promotion leading into Backlash with WWE stars like Danhausen, Seth Rollins, and more appearing on ESPN.

John Cena hypes Backlash as another ‘defining moment’ in WWE career

Posted on by Joseph Currier

John Cena isn’t doing anything to cool down the hype for his appearance at WWE Backlash.

At tonight’s PLE in Tampa, Florida, Cena is set to deliver what he’s promised will be history-making news. He’s said the announcement will “shock the very foundation of WWE” for both wrestlers and fans. There’s been no confirmation of what Cena’s announcement will be, but it’s expected to have something to do with the new Club WWE membership program that the company is introducing.

Cena sent out one more tweet before Backlash stating that tonight will be another defining moment of his time in WWE.

“My time in @WWE has been filled with defining moments. We’re hours away from what will certainly be another,” he wrote. “C U Tonight at #WWEBacklash!”

Club WWE was first announced last month, with fans who sign up set to receive benefits like exclusive ticket pre-sales, merchandise collections, and bonus WWE content. There will be an annual fee for the gold tier, but WWE has not disclosed the price as of now. Sign-ups for the program are not officially open yet.

Since retiring from the ring in December 2025, Cena has shifted into an ambassadorial role for WWE. He’s been the promotional face of Club WWE’s launch, along with hosting both nights of WrestleMania 42.

Backlash begins at 6 p.m. Eastern time tonight. Here is the announced card:

WWE Backlash 2026 (Saturday, May 9) —

  • World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns defends against Jacob Fatu
  • IYO SKY vs. Asuka
  • Danhausen and a mystery partner vs. The Miz & Kit Wilson
  • John Cena delivers an announcement
  • Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker
  • United States Champion Trick Williams defends against Sami Zayn

Another Steiner planning WWE career down the line

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Another member of the Steiner family is planning to enter the wrestling business down the line.

After going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, Brock Rechsteiner — the son of Scott Steiner — is currently attempting to make it into the league with the New Orleans Saints. The wide receiver is part of the Saints’ rookie minicamp and is committed to going as far in football as he can. But whenever football inevitably ends, Rechsteiner intends to become a pro wrestler.

“For sure,” Rechsteiner responded when WDSU News asked if watching his legendary father inspired him to pursue wrestling. “It really inspired me when he got inducted into the [WWE] Hall of Fame, back in Dallas, I think it was 2022. That inspired me to, once I’m done playing football — I want to pursue football as long as I can, play as long as I can — but once I’m done, I’ll get into wrestling too.”

Rechsteiner played for Jacksonville State in college and has already been under a WWE NIL deal. His road to WWE could closely mirror his cousin Bron Breakker, who played fullback in college and spent time in training camp with the Baltimore Ravens before joining NXT.

“I work out with him all the time back home,” Rechsteiner said about Breakker. “I go fishing with him a lot, because he moved back to Georgia. And he really convinced me to, once I’m done playing football, he said play football as long as I can and once I’m done playing football, get into the wrestling business.”

Scott Steiner’s sons are both athletes with Brock playing football and Brandon playing basketball. Brandon Rechsteiner sees wrestling as a potential backup plan for himself as well, but he knows Brock will be in WWE one day because of the charisma and talent his brother has.

When asked what his wrestling name would be, Brock said he hasn’t given much thought to it but hopes that he would just be “Brock Steiner.”

Breakker — Rick Steiner’s son — was given a new last name in WWE instead of directly continuing the Steiner lineage. A grudge match is taking place at WWE Backlash tonight with Breakker facing off against Seth Rollins.

WWE files four new trademark applications

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE made multiple trademark filings on Friday, though all were new applications of past trademarks.

Records show that WWE applied to trademark four terms on May 8. They include the respective nicknames of Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu, a past NXT tournament, and a catchphrase that has been used by John Cena:

  • Head of the Table
  • Samoan Werewolf
  • NXT Global Heritage Invitational
  • Earn the Day

Given that they were all filed on the same day, it’s unclear if WWE is actually planning to use any of these trademarks for new purposes. The most interesting of them is the “Earn the Day” trademark and whether it has any connection to the announcement Cena is making at Backlash tonight. However, WWE first trademarked the term in 2021 in conjunction with a Cena merchandise collection that was released at that time. The new application also says that it is for merchandising purposes:

  •  Clothing, namely, tops, shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, hoodies; outerwear, namely, coats; bottoms, pants, shorts, underwear, dresses, pajamas, lingerie, clothing ties, scarves, gloves, swimwear; Halloween and masquerade costumes; footwear, namely, shoes, sneakers, slippers, flip flops, boots; headwear, namely, hats, caps; wrist bands; bandanas; championship trophy belts.

Cena has promised that his announcement tonight will “shock the very foundation of WWE” for both fans and wrestlers. It’s expected that the announcement will, in some form, relate to the soon-to-be-launched Club WWE membership program that was unveiled last month.

The top match at Backlash is pitting Reigns and Fatu against each other with Reigns’ World Heavyweight Championship on the line.

NXT’s Global Heritage Invitational was a round-robin tournament that took place in 2023 and was won by Pete Dunne, who earned a Heritage Cup title shot but was unsuccessful when he challenged then-champion Noam Dar. The Heritage Cup is no longer being featured on NXT television but is technically still held by Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo.