WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton is back in the gym after an illness kept her from working out for weeks. On her Instagram Stories, Stratton shared some workout selfies and revealed that she has been dealing with an illness.
“Haven’t been able to workout in 2 weeks bc (because) I’ve been ill, but we back with a nasty leg day.”
While Stratton’s illness has kept her from the gym, she’s been working through sickness on WWE TV. During this two-week illness period, Stratton was part of the October 10, SmackDown as well as WWE Crown Jewel: Perth. Stratton competed at both shows.
With Stratton back in the gym, the WWE Women’s Champion is ready to tone her skills and find her next challengers. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on the ‘Buff Barbie.’
WWE’s recent tour of Japan will be an experience CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, and Raquel Rodriguez will never forget as the trio ended the tour with matching ink. On Instagram, Ripley shared some photos of the tour and revealed that the three got matching tattoos featuring a Sumo wrestler. The text underneath the ink reads ‘October 18,’ marking the final night of the tour.
The tour saw all three Superstars compete on both nights. On Night One, Rodriguez challenged Stephanie Vaquer while Ripley and IYO SKY faced the Kabuki Warriors. The show’s main event saw Punk earn a disqualification win over Dominik Mysterio. The second night saw Ripley and Rodriguez (alongside SKY) challenge Vaquer, while Punk teamed with Shinsuke Nakamura against Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker.
Japn is a country rich in wrestling history, and fans in the country were treated to some of WWE’s top Superstars. For Punk, Ripley, and Rodriguez, their time in Asia will follow them for the rest of their days.
The nature of Jacob Fatu’s injury has seemingly been revealed.
The report of the heavyweight star dealing with an injury first came out earlier this week. At the time, it was reported that he was dealing with a major injury that could keep him out of action for a long time but no other details were given.
Fightful Select recently provided an update on the situation. They revealed that the former US Champion has actually been dealing with a dental injury and he’s told people that he will be out of action for at least a month:
“It was confirmed by Fightful Select that the injury Jacob Fatu was written off with is a dental injury that will keep him sidelined. He was telling people he wouldn’t be back for at least a month.”
The Samoan Werewolf was written off TV with an angle on this week’s SmackDown. He was originally scheduled to compete in a singles match with Drew McIntyre in the main event of the show.
Nick Aldis confirmed the match to be #1 Contenders bout for the WWE title during the episode. Just before the bell, however, Fatu was shown to have been attacked backstage, and the match was called off. Cody Rhodes then had an impromptu match with McIntyre which ended in a DQ and a big brawl.
Tony Khan has commented on Sting’s WrestleDream appearance.
The Icon made a surprise return to AEW TV during the main event of the company’s latest PPV. He helped his former tag team partner, Darby Allin in beating Jon Moxley at the show.
The AEW President was asked about the return and how it came about during his appearance on WrestleDream post-show. Tony Khan explained that Sting remains a part of the AEW family even after his retirement:
“Sting is still part of AEW and a big part of the family. He’s been away from AEW on-screen, but we’ve seen Sting and he visited us in Philadelphia. We did something off-screen with Sting. It was very awesome for us to see Sting backstage and have him back appearing in the ring.”
Speaking about his WrestleDream appearance, Tony Khan suggested that it had been in the works since their 2300 Arena tapings last month, where Sting had made a non-televised appearance:
“I had talked to Sting about coming back for something special like this and he was always open to returning to AEW, especially if Darby ever needed anything. The connection between those two is really special. It’s a real thing.”
The AEW owner also talked about Bryan Danielson missing the WrestleDream PPV. He gave two reasons behind the American Dragon’s absence which you can check out here.
Tony Khan has commented on the WrestleDream steaming issues.
During the PPV post show, the AEW President was asked about the Amazon Prime video feed cutting multiple times during the show. Khan mentioned that it was something completely out of their control:
“It’s something out of AEW’s control. It was a technical problem with the Amazon delivery. I think our other streams are unaffected. It was something with their systems internally there.”
Some fans were able to get refunds from Amazon after complaining to their helpdesk. The E-commerce giant however has not addressed the issues officially or announced wider compensation for everyone who bought the PPV through them.
Tony Khan mentioned how the whole thing reminded him of similar issues with Death Before Dishonor PPV earlier this year. At that time, the company had given free Honor Club credits to users and put the whole show on YouTube for free:
“I thought the show was perfect, the wrestling was perfect and the replay’s gonna be available there for everybody through them and I think they’ll address that and hopefully Amazon will get that figured out but for AEW, everybody here did a fantastic job.
I was really glad to hear that HBO Max delivered the pay-per-view without any issues. All of our other providers did really well. But that was an unusual thing and it did remind me because we had a problem with just certain web browsers that were affected for that Death Before Dishonor show and in that case, I was able to at least address it because it was a streaming service that I owned,”
Apart from this, Tony Khan also addressed the surprising absence of Bryan Danielson from WrestleDream commentary and gave two different reasons for it. You can check out what he said here.
The end of the in-ring career of Shinsuke Nakamura may be closer than fans think, the former WWE NXT Champion has revealed. On X, Nakamura shared a statement, first reflecting on AJ Styles recently competing in Japan for the final time.
“What a special place Japan is. Especially for those of us who wrestle. As AJ said, it’s a place worthy of giving everything you’ve got. Of course, that’s true anywhere in the world… but there’s something sacred here. I don’t know if it’s because I’m Japanese, but I believe the wrestlers and fans who shared this space all felt the same. Maybe.”
“John Cena, AJ — they’ve all chosen to step away from the ring. It reminds me that my own time might not be far off. But I still have things I must do. I’m still struggling, still fighting, not knowing what tomorrow will bring. All I can do is live this day with everything I have.”
Nakamura ended his message with a thank you, but added that he may wrestle in Japan “only one more time.”
What a special place Japan is. especially for those of us who wrestle.
As AJ said, it’s a place worthy of giving everything you’ve got. Of course, that’s true anywhere in the world… but there’s something sacred here. I don’t know if it’s because I’m Japanese, but I believe the…
Shinsuke Nakamura made his wrestling debut in 2002 and has held gold in various promotions around the world. Whether his retirement comes next year or later remains to be seen, but the King of Strong Style knows that the majority of his wrestling career is in the rear-view mirror.
Tony Khan has revealed why Bryan Danielson missed WrestleDream.
The AEW President was asked about the absence of the American Dragon from commentary tonight and his future during the PPV post-show. Khan first gave a storyline reason, saying that it was a decision he made because of the main event I Quit match between Jon Moxley and Darby Allin:
“No, he’ll be back. To be honest, there was a couple of things. I think it made sense given what was happening with the main event.
I think it would have been really, really hard for Bryan to restrain himself, and now knowing what Jon had planned, I also think it would have been really hard for Bryan to sit there at the desk while Darby is in that position.”
Bryan Danielson has a long history with the Death Riders leader. It was Jon Moxley who put an end to Bryan’s full time wrestling career at the WrestleDream PPV last year. Tony Khan later also revealed that the former WWE star was given the night off because of a prior family commitment:
“And since Bryan had a family commitment, I told him, ‘Hey, if you have a family thing, tonight’s probably the night to go to your family commitment, because I don’t want to put you in a position where you might be risking your job if you get up from the desk and interfere in this match.’
So it’s worked out for everybody because Bryan was able to be with his family as planned. We had, I think one of our very best pay-per-views tonight and Bryan didn’t have to risk his job by being in that position at the desk where he’s in a no man’s land, right?”
The media scrum also featured Kris Statlander who named her potential next challenger after her win at the show. You can check out more about it here.
Kris Statlander is ready for any and all challengers.
The AEW Women’s Champion appeared on the WrestleDream post-show. This came after she picked up another big victory, defeating Toni Storm at the PPV event.
The champ was asked if there was anyone not in the title picture who she thinks deserves a shot at her belt. Kris Statlander mentioned that Marina Shafir of Death Riders is probably someone who thinks that she is owed a title match:
“Well, I feel like it could be anybody at this point, but I think someone who probably thinks they deserve and a lot of people related to her, or in relation to her that want to see her kind of take me out is probably Marina.”
The Death Riders have tried to recruit Statlander on multiple occasions, but they’ve been unsuccessful in this quest. The AEW Champion noted how they might not be so keen on her right now and joked that she would even defend the title against Wheeler Yuta if he steps up to the challenge:
“I feel like possibly Death Riders might have a little bit of a… you know, they might be not so keen on me right now, and if they need me to put her in her place, they will.
Also if Wheeler Yuta wants to step up and challenge for this, I will put him in his place right the same. So whoever is brave enough, I’m open to any and all challenges, and I’m open to giving anyone a shot who is worthy.”
Despite these comments, Kris Statlander will not get a lot of time to worry about Marina as a different star has already laid out a challenge for her at Full Gear. You can check out more about it here.
Bobby Lashley could return to WWE with an obsession with Japanese culture and history, at least according to a WWE-backed AI program. In September 2025, WWE hired Cyrus Kowsari as the new Senior Director of Creative Strategy, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports. Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque introduced Kowsari to staff, sharing that he will lead WWE’s transition to AI-based storytelling and integrate AI into creative services.
WWE currently has a contract with Writer AI, a platform trained on WWE content to generate storyline ideas. One such AI-generated pitch suggested a new gimmick for Lashley centered around his fascination with Japan — a clear misfire, given that Lashley left WWE in 2024 and is now part of AEW, where he is a former World Tag Team Champion.
The cover illustrator WWE 2K24 rejected claims they used AI for the game’s cover, showing how the issue with AI isn’t just confined to live action. Nevertheless, WWE remains focused on bringing in AI-generated storylines, even with this unfortunate idea for Bobby Lashley.
WWE Hall of Faker Rikishi is on the road to reovery after recently undergoing surgery. PW Insider reports that Rikishi underwent an unexpected surgery for “a health issue that came up suddenly.” Rikishi is expected to make an announcement shortly and has pulled out of several upcoming events due to this situation.
It’s not clear what exactly led to this surgery. In December 2024, Rikishi was supposed to appear at Nostalgia Con in Houston, Texas, but had to withdraw due to an illness. At age 17, Rikishi was the victim of a drive by shooting which nearly cost him his life.
Sam Rivers, the bassist and founding member of Limp Bizkit, has died at the age of 48. On social media, the band shared the sad news, sharing that Rivers was “the soul in the sound.”
“From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced. His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous.”
Rivers’ role in the band saw him get involved with WWE several times. For WrestleMania X-Seven in 2001, the band’s track ‘My Way’ served as the official theme of the show, and for the promo video for The Rock Vs. Steve Austin. Two years later, the band performed live at WrestleMania XIX, accompanying The Undertaker to the ring with his theme ‘Rollin.’ The band’s track ‘Crack Addict’ also served as the theme of the 2003 pay-per-view.
We here at SEScoops would like to share our condolences to Rivers’ family, friends, and fans at this sad time.
‘The Icon’ Sting made his triumphant return to AEW at the WrestleDream 2025 pay-per-view to aid Darby Allin against Jon Moxley. In the show’s main event, Allin and Moxley faced off in an I-Quit match, which saw some of the most brutal moments ever shown on AEW programming.
In one shocking moment, the Death Riders filled up a fish tank in the middle of the ring and Moxley plunged Allin’s head under the water in an attempt to drown him. Suddenly, the lights went out and Sting appeared in the ring. The Icon choked Moxley with his baseball bat and fought off the Death Riders.
Allin would batlte back and hit Moxley with the bat, a neckbreaker, and a Coffin Drop. In a fitting tribute to his mentor, Allin locked in the Scorpion Death Lock which forced Moxley to quit, giving Allin the win.
This was a brutal match which included several weapons, including a taser. You can check out some highlights from the match below:
Mercedes Mone has got her wish, but in an unusual way.
The AEW star went into tonight’s WrestleDream PPV holding 10 different championship belts. She was tied with Ultimo Dragon for holding the most titles concurrently in professional wrestling.
The reigning TBS Champion had announced that she’ll be holding an open challenge for the AEW title at the PPV. She made her entrance on the show right after the AEW Women’s Championship match between Kris Statlander and Toni Storm ended.
Mercedes Mone congratulated Statlander on retaining her title before telling her to get the hell out of her ring. The two champions had a brief confrontation before Statlander decided to leave the arena.
The former WWE star then reiterated her challenge, which was answered by ROH Interim Women’s World Television Champion Mina Shirakawa.
Shirakawa put on a great fight, but in the end, Mone’s tactics proved too much for her. The TBS Champion was able to pin the Japanese star by putting her feet on the ropes for the advantage.
The win means Mone is now in the possession of the 11th belt she needed to break the record of Ultimo Dragon. Mercedes will still have to beat the original champion Red Velvet when she returns to action to become the Undisputed champion.
Though this win doesn’t seem to have ended Mone’s quest. After the interaction earlier in the PPV, the wrestling veteran has challenged Kris Statlander for the Women’s Championship at the Full Gear PPV next month.
Mercedes Moné made history at AEW Wrestledream when she won the Interim ROH Women’s TV Championship, giving The CEO her eleventh current title reign. Moné now holds the record for the most simultaneous title reigns, but she’s already on the hunt for #12.
In a post-match segment backstage, Moné reflected on her historic victory over Mina Shirakawa. Looking ahead, Moné made clear she plans on challenging AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander at AEW Full Gear 2025.
With @MercedesVarnado now holding her 11th title as the Interim #ROH Women’s World TV Champion, she issues a challenge to #AEW Women’s World Champion @callmekrisstat!
AEW Full Gear set for November 22, 2025, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest from the pay-per-view event.
The former AEW Champion competed in a big match at tonight’s WrestleDream PPV from St. Louis’ Chaifetz Arena, when he challenged Hangman Page for the World Heavyweight Championship.
The two competitors put on a physical match filled with many impactful moves as expected. In the end, Page was able to retain the title after delivering not one but three Buckshot Lariats.
Both Katsuyori Shibata and “Powerhouse” Will Hobbs joined Joe in the ring after the match. Hangman Page showed respect to his opponent with a handshake, and the two then embraced each other.
Samoa Joe seemed to return the gesture by raising the AEW Champion’s hand, only to drop him with a big lariat. Both Shibata and Hobbs then joined the party, and they started beating up the Cowboy.
The Samoan Submission Machine picked up the title belt and cracked Page with it, after telling Hangman that he wasn’t worthy of the championship. Samoa Joe finally delivered a muscle buster to Page on the belt itself before retreating, leaving the medical staff to check on the Elite member.
After this segment, the commentators confirmed that the Opps will be defending their Trios titles against The Hurt Syndicate at this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite.
The WWE contract situation continues to sting Andrade.
The former WWE star was pulled from AEW TV after making his return to the company earlier this month. Reports have since revealed that WWE believes Andrade to still be under a non-compete clause, and they sent a Cease & Desist letter to the rival promotion which led to this abrupt change.
While the contract situation concerning the 35-year-old remains unsolved, Fightful Select provided some minor updates on the whole situation.
According to the site, AEW had plans for Andrade at the WrestleDream PPV this week. While not confirmed, it’s likely that he would have been involved in a match between Golden Lovers and Don Callis family in some way.
Regarding the confusion about his contract, people within AEW have put a lot of the blame on the company’s legal department for not clarifying the situation ahead of his appearance on TV.
Andrade is currently in Puerto Rico for the WWC show despite his scheduled match for the WWC Universal title being cancelled after WWE’s intervention. The Mexican star is trying to do whatever else he could do to make up for the cancelled match.
It’s unknown if the wrestling star is any closer to solving the situation with WWE and his status remains very much up in the air at the moment.
AEW’s new “Tailgate Brawl” pre-show, which was introduced before the All Out pay-per-view last month, is reportedly a strategic move by the company to fulfill its contractual broadcast hour requirements with its media partner, Warner Bros. Discovery. The one-hour show, which is also being utilized for tonight’s WrestleDream event, provides fans with several bonus matches before the main card begins and helps AEW meet its annual programming obligations as part of its lucrative media rights deal.
A new report from Fightful Select has confirmed the business reason behind the new show format, noting that the addition of the “Tailgate Brawl” was not a random decision. The report states that the show was specifically created to help AEW meet its annual broadcast hour commitments as part of its media rights agreement.
“AEW Tailgate is added as a part of AEW’s deal with WBD to reach their committed hours as a part of their deal.”
The “Tailgate Brawl” concept is in full effect for tonight’s WrestleDream pay-per-view, which will air live on TNT and HBO Max starting at 7 p.m. EST. The bonus one-hour show features a lineup of FTR taking on the high-flying duo of JetSpeed (“Speedball” Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight), and Willow Nightingale teams with Harley Cameron to face Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford. Eddie Kingston and HOOK are also scheduled for a tag team match. There is a eight-man tag team encounter, as The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy, Tomohiro Ishii, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong) battles four members of The Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, PAC, Wheeler Yuta, and Daniel Garcia).
WWE star Zoey Stark shared a positive update with fans regarding her recovery from a devastating knee injury. Stark has been out of action since the May 19, 2025, episode of RAW, where she tore her ACL, MCL, and meniscus. The severe injury required a grueling three-hour surgery and has kept her sidelined for the past five months.
In a new video posted to her Instagram on October 18, Stark joyfully announced that she has passed a major hurdle in her rehabilitation. Stark explained that her recovery had stalled, and she was facing the frightening possibility of a second procedure, which would have pushed her return date back even further.
“In the last video, one of the reasons why I was having a hard time was because I was told that either I would have to get a scope done, which is where they go in, clean out my knee and scar tissue, or to get a manipulation under anesthesia. One of the reasons being is because I didn’t have full range of motion and that would have pushed my recovery back and that’s why I was so upset and having a really hard time with it.”
Stark powered through her physical therapy, and in the new video, she excitedly confirmed that she managed to avoid the second surgery and is now back on schedule.
“But now we’re back on track. That did not have to happen. Thank God. Now I’m running, I’m jumping, I have full range of motions. Things are going great. Honestly, I’m happy. I’m blessed.”
With this setback avoided, Stark is now focused on her eventual comeback and sent a final message to the fans. “I really, really can’t wait to get back into the ring and get back to you guys. So that’s all—Stark out.”
Rhea Ripley has sustained a legitimate injury during WWE’s recent international tour, suffering a broken nose at the live event in Tokyo, Japan. The incident occurred on Saturday, October 18, the second of two “Supershow” events held at the Ryogoku Sumo Hall. The injury took place in the middle of a high-profile women’s tag team match, forcing the former Women’s World Champion to be taken to the backstage area for medical attention.
The injury happened during a tag team match that saw Ripley teaming with IYO SKY to take on The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane). According to reports from fans in attendance, the injury occurred during a specific spot where Ripley was attempting to catch IYO SKY, who was being thrown over the top rope to the arena floor. The impact of the catch resulted in Ripley suffering a bloody nose. Medical staff immediately attended to her at ringside before escorting her to the back.
The injury was later confirmed by Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline, who reported to subscribers on X, “Rhea broke her nose on the house show loop”. Despite the painful and legitimate injury, Ripley displayed her toughness by returning to the ring for the show’s final segment. She joined the other WWE superstars in the ring to participate in AJ Styles’ emotional farewell speech to the Japanese crowd, as it was likely his final match in the country as part of his retirement tour.
Following the event, Ripley took to her social media accounts to address the injury, posting several images of her swollen and bruised nose. In one post directed at the fans in Japan, she maintained a positive and humorous attitude, writing: “Thank you Japan ? I still love you!”.
Bound For Glory was a time of celebration for the entire TNA Wrestling roster. For McKenzie Mitchell, it was a time to reflect on the company’s rollercoaster journey. Her start into the business came through a three-year stint with the company. Earlier this year she returned home back in the role of ring announcer. Certainly, things like introducing the Hardy Boyz and Team 3D in their “One Final Table” will be a career highlight.
“Standing in the ring at Bound For Glory in Boston with nearly 8,000 people. Sometimes you don’t take the moment to stop and truly look around and look at what is happening before your eyes. For me, it was a moment to soak everything in,” Mitchell said. “You talk about the ‘One Final Table’ match with the Hardyz and Dudleys. That is the last time those two iconic tag teams will be in the ring together.
“I was lucky to be a smart part of that. I told Bubba this the other day that I wanted to really do them justice of their careers and everything they’ve done putting their bodies on the line year after year. For me, I was very lucky. I was very honored to be a part of that. Again, in wrestling because it moves so quickly…For Bound For Glory, before I did the announcement for the Dudleys and the Hardyz, I just stopped and looked around and saw everyone on their feet for this moment. It was really an opportunity to pay respect to them. It was so cool I was just a small part.”
It’s a great time to be a pro wrestling fan in this landscape of collaboration. Among those partnerships has been an unheard of one between TNA and WWE’s NXT brand. The two sides have been sharing talent, meshing, and overall working together. So much so that Mitchell was able to go back to her old stomping grounds at the WWE Performance Center where she helped ring announce for the NXT x TNA ‘Showdown’ special. An added bonus was getting to see her husband, voice of NXT Vic Joseph, at work.
“Obviously, I started my career at TNA for three or four years of my life. I remember back then, in my resume reel I was submitting to WWE to get hired by WWE, it was almost this feeling that I’m this TNA girl,” Mitchell recalled. “I think back then…I applied on the website, WWECareers.com. I also made a new resume reel that was things that were outside of professional wrestling, that wasn’t just TNA wrestling. I didn’t know that for a fact, but it kind of felt like it was hurting my chances of being able to make the transition to WWE. I went out and filmed other things to show my versatility and what I could do as a broadcaster.
“Now you fast forward to this partnership, something we thought would never happen because they were separate brands. You were either TNA or WWE. Now to see this seamless blend of this partnership. I think it’s something the fans can appreciate. True TNA diehard fans are getting their feel. WWE fans are getting their feel. These are matches you would never have thought would happen. Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater, what in the world? The talent these two have in the ring is really cool. What’s really awesome, to put it in a one-word way, but it’s awesome to see the growth that has been had and is still to come. Talking about working with my husband, it’s almost like this full-circle moment. Starting in TNA, going to WWE, and going back to TNA and still doing this handshake moment is really awesome for me.”
Mitchell loves wearing many hats. Her skillset has taken her from ring announcing to broadcasting to interviewing. However, one part of the pro wrestling show we haven’t seen is an actual in-ring performer. Will that ever happen?
“I have never taken a bump,” Mitchell answered. “In all of my years in professional wrestling, I’ve been in wrestling for 10 years, I’ve never taken a bump. Now something you say in wrestling is never say never. I always have to say never say never. I would like to take one kind of bump, whether it’s in a match or just behind the scenes just so when I have kids one day I can say, ‘your mom did that one time and it hurt really, really bad.’ I think I would want to because I would then be able to relate what these athletes do week in and week out, putting their body on the line.
“I have been approached several times about having the match. For me it’s a matter of, I think I’m a better talker than I am wrestler or would-be wrestler. I did grow up an athlete. I was a cheerleader. I was a dancer. I played volleyball, so I was athletic growing up. If the right opportunity would present itself, maybe I would have my Michael Cole moment at WrestleMania. We all remember that moment. Never say never, but it would have to be the right opportunity for me.”
Though she might be a little too busy these days to buckle down for training. After all Mitchell is a mogul in the making. Not only does she have her commitments to TNA, but she is a business owner and brand boss within the jewelry industry. The entrepreneur owns a Headline by MM online store, as well as a formal store in Nashville. For Mitchell, the business venture follows in the footsteps of her family, which spans more than 75 years in the jewelry business. Her Drippin collection took off thanks to those who have worn custom pieces from Seth Rollins to Trick Williams. Jeff Hardy even sported a piece of Mitchell’s collection during Bound For Glory. She also has some of country music’s biggest names like Sarah Evans and Lainey Wilson wearing her jewelry.
“I wanted it to be the perfect blend within my professional life and personal life kind of creating this moment coming together,” she said. “…It has snowballed, and I’m so excited to see where we go with this and how we can build this dream.”
“I say this to my husband all the time. I know a thing or two about fashion, why do you not want to just listen to me,’ she explained. “Put on a necklace, a lapel pin, there are so many things we can do. My husband is very set in his ways, and so we’re working on it. The other day we were at Disney with the Garganos, and Johnny was wearing a nice bracelet. I said, ‘See, Johnny is wearing a bracelet. Why can’t you wear a bracelet?’ Shawn Michaels was wearing a nice watch the other day. I said, ‘See, Shawn is wearing a nice watch.’
“This is how it goes. Maybe, maybe he’ll start wearing something. But to keep it simple, he owns zero pieces. It is one of those things too when you’re growing up and your mom says you should wear this. And you think, ‘mom that’s a dumb idea.’ It’s similar. The fact he still doesn’t believe I know what I’m talking about. Maybe one day he’ll realize, ‘hey, maybe my wife does know what she is talking about.’”
A veteran of the Japanese wrestling scene, Katsumi Sasazaki, has reportedly passed away from a bear attack.
The 60-year-old had worked as a referee for promotions such as All Japan Women’s Wrestling and Marigold in Japan and was known as Katsumi Tiger. Though he seemed to have retired from the industry and had been working at an inn dubbed Semi Onsen in Kitakami, Iwate, recently.
According to Japanese news outlet Asahi Shimbun, Sasazaki went missing early on Thursday morning, when he was cleaning an outdoor bath by the Getogawa River alone. The police officers who responded to a missing persons complaint from the Inn manager found animal fur and bloodstains scattered near the bath alongside Sasazaki’s personal belongings, such as glasses and slippers.
A search party consisting of local police, city officials, and the local hunter’s association started looking for the wrestling veteran in the afternoon, but they had to call off the search after 30 minutes due to bad weather. A body believed to be of Sasazaki was discovered only 50 meters northwest of the hot spring inn when the search was resumed the next day.
This wasn’t the only bear attack in the area recently, as another man who had been picking mushrooms was found dead about 2 kilometers west of the Semi Onsen site last week, on October 8. After the latest incident, the search and rescue team killed an adult male Asiatic black bear near the area where the body was found.
Britt Baker hasn’t competed in an AEW ring for close to a year and questions remain about her status with the promotion. Recently, it was pointed out that Baker had removed AEW from her bio on social media, but more has come to light on this situation.
In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer pointed out that Baker no longer references AEW in her X bio, which now reads “Professional Wrestler. Dentist. #WeAre#HereWeGo.” Baker’s bio on Instagram also avoids mentioning AEW, but makes reference to her being a profession wrestler, dentist, and actor.
Baker’s absence has left fans wondering as to whether her time with AEW may also be coming to an end. In January, Chris Jericho cast doubt on the idea that Baker will leave AEW, following reports of alleged heat on the former Women’s World Champion.
Whether Baker returns to AEW programming or not, only time will tell. For now, the woman who was one the top star of the company’s Women’s Division remains MIA, with no sign of an imminent return.
Blake Monroe made her surprise SmackDown debut this week.
This week’s episode of the Blue Branded show, coming live from SAP Center in San Jose, California, featured the Women’s tag team champions Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair in action.
The champs defended their title against NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca and her partner Zaria. The former AEW Women’s Champion was shown sitting in the crowd for this bout.
The ending of the bout saw Zaria countering a hurricanrana attempt from Alexa Bliss outside the ring and then throwing the Goddess into the barricade.
Flair then attacked Zaria, only to be taken out by Ruca herself. Instead of focusing on the match after this, however, the Women’s North American Champion got into Monroe’s face.
Charlotte did not miss this opportunity and she targeted Ruca’s leg. The Queen then got her opponent back in the ring and locked in the Figure Four, which ended up being the deciding move of the bout.
Blake Monroe had explained recently why she chose to start her WWE career in NXT, and tonight’s appearance doesn’t seem to indicate a main roster call-up for the former champion.
The company did confirm after this match that Monroe will get a shot at Ruca’s NA title at the upcoming Halloween Havoc event. You can check out the other matches announced for the NXT special here.
WWE is always on the hunt for new talent to join its roster, but that doesn’t include Goldenboy Santos at this time. On social media, Santos shared that he was not signed by WWE after participating in a series of tryouts earlier this year.
Santos tore his calf during tryouts in London, England, but was invited back for the tryouts in New Jersey over SummerSlam weekend. Santos said that the news was “The hardest video I’ve ever made,” and was grateful to learn from some of the best during his tryouts.
Santos was met with a ton of support in the comments of his video. One fan was confident that Santos “will get there” and encouraged the wrestler to stay positive. Another said that Santos is “the pride of Brazilian Wrestling,” while a third called the WWE rejection “just a setback on a path that is still beginning.”
Santos has been wrestling for several years in promotions around the world. He is known for his time in Ireland’s OTT, the UK’s Revolution Pro Wrestling and Germany’s wXw promotion. Earlier this year, he held the OTT European Championship, defeating Charlie Sterling at the company’s Reckoning show in May.
Santos’ openness about his WWE experience demonstrates that he wants his fans to know about his wrestling journey every step of the way. While these tryouts did not result in a WWE contract, he remains determined to be a success in pro wrestling.
FTR’s Dax Harwood and his family have been dealing with a stalker for over a year and a half on social media, the AEW wrestler has shared. On his Instagram Stories, Harwood shared the worrying news and said that he and AEW will be working with the authorities to put an end to this.
“Unfortunately, over the last year and a half, myself, my mom, and now my wife have all been either stalked, threatened, or verbally attacked by an individual on Instagram. AEW and I will be working with authorities to put this matter to rest. They know your name, who you are, and where you live.
“Please be fans, but leave it at that. I try to be as polite as I can to people waiting in hotels and airports, and even ignore the ones who hate me. However, when you bring my family into it, we have to draw the line.”
Harwood is sadly not the first wrestler to deal with a stalker. A man accused of stalking Liv Morgan is expected to stand trial in November of this year. In 2020, Sonya Deville was the victim of an attempted kidnapping, which resulted in her taking months off of WWE TV to deal with what had transpired. In early 2025, Deville through her support behind stricter stalking laws in the hope that others will avoid what she had to face.
Harwood’s message demonstrates why fans should always be respectful, whether it be in person or online. We can only hope that after a year and a half, Harwood and his family won’t have to deal with this stalker for much longer.
