The Tribal Chief has expressed interest in pursuing a Hollywood career on numerous occasions, saying that it would be a waste not to use the skills he has learned in pro wrestling for an acting career. Now it appears that the former WWE Champion is actually making moves to make the transition happen.
Hollywood Reporter recently provided an update on the cast for the upcoming Live Action Street Fighter movie, revealing that rapper 50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson has joined the cast. Other names attached to the project include Jason Momoa, and Noah Centineo.
The article also noted that Roman Reigns, real name Joe Anoa’i, is also on the roll call for this upcoming project. He is set to play the role of Akuma.
This isn’t the only recent movie role for the wrestling star as he has a part in the upcoming heist comedy The Pickup, which is set to release in August.
There have been rumblings of the Head of the Table returning to WWE programming soon to start the build for the two-night SummerSlam event.
The Street Fighter movie, however, is expected to begin production in August in Australia. This likely means that Reigns’ WWE return would be short-lived, and he will be off TV again after the biggest party of the Summer.
A new update has emerged regarding the return of Roman Reigns to WWE programming, suggesting “The Tribal Chief” could be back in time for the company’s biggest party of the summer. Reigns was last seen on the April 21 episode of Monday Night Raw, the night after WrestleMania 41.
According to a report from WrestleVotes, Reigns’ name has recently appeared in internal discussions, which typically signals that a return is being planned.
“It seems that time of year again—Roman Reigns’ return is on the horizon,” WrestleVotes posted on X. “Sources indicate his name has popped up internally in recent weeks, typically signaling the wheels are in motion for a return heading into the biggest party of the summer.”
Reigns was written off television after being brutally attacked by Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker. The attack came one night after Reigns’ former Wiseman, Paul Heyman, betrayed both him and CM Punk at WrestleMania 41.
During Reigns’ absence, Seth Rollins has continued to mention his name in promos, hinting that their long-standing feud may be reignited upon his return. We will provide further updates on Roman Reigns’ WWE return as more information becomes available.
The AEW star has been on a prolonged absence from TV with very little information about his status and a potential return timetable.
The 40-year-old broke his recent silence about his status on social media when a fan noted that he misses the wrestling star. The fan hoped that Lee is taking care of himself to which he replied that he is doing fine and his return is out of his hands:
“Again, I am quite fine. It is not up to me when it comes to a return. But blessings to you as well.”
Again, I am quite fine. It is not up to me when it comes to a return. But blessings to you as well. https://t.co/09zb5yQHwn
The fan suggested that they should start a campaign to get Keith Lee back on TV if creative issues are at the helm of his AEW absence. The former WWE star however noted that something like that is not required:
“I’ve been good for quite some time, though I do appreciate the concern. But no campaign required. Things happen the way they are suppose to, and eventually, the purpose will show itself.”
I've been good for quite some time, though I do appreciate the concern.
But no campaign required. Things happen the way they are suppose to, and eventually, the purpose will show itself. https://t.co/UqGjH1nU1P
Keith Lee has not been seen in a wrestling ring since December 2023 when he wrestled on an episode of Collision. The heavyweight star was scheduled to fight Swerve Strickland at the Worlds End PPV that year but he was pulled from the bout.
The AEW star announced at the time that he was dealing with an injury and would have to get double surgery at the start of 2024. There has been no solid update on his status ever since.
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg is taking an “all or nothing” approach to his final match against World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER at Saturday Night’s Main Event next month in Atlanta, Georgia.
Despite recently acknowledging injury setbacks during his training, Goldberg made it clear on the latest episode of the Carcast podcast that he will not be holding anything back.
“I don’t give a fk how I feel walking out of there, I’ll be perfectly honest with you. This is all or nothing,” Goldberg stated. “At 58 and with the injuries that I’ve had, there’s no question that I’ve compromised a little bit, but like I said the other night, I don’t give a flying fk if I walk in there with a football helmet and two knee braces and my arm in a sling — it doesn’t mean anything other than the fact that I’m a little hobbled and I won’t be 100%.”
He noted that when the bell rings, his physical condition won’t matter.
“I’m bringing it, that’s the only way I know how to go,” he said. “When the clock ticks and it’s time to get in the ring, it doesn’t matter if I’m ready or not, because I better be ready.”
Goldberg’s last match was at Elimination Chamber in 2022, where he lost to Roman Reigns. Since returning to WWE in 2016, he has captured the Universal Championship on two separate occasions.
The era of the three-hour WWE Friday Night SmackDown is coming to a permanent end. According to a new report from PWInsider, the show’s return to a two-hour format on the USA Network, beginning with the July 4th episode, is a permanent change moving forward.
The move to three hours began when SmackDown returned to the USA Network at the start of 2025. While it was initially thought to be a temporary measure, reports earlier this year suggested the USA Network was pleased with the viewership for the third hour and considered keeping the extended runtime. However, the decision has now been made to revert to the traditional two-hour structure, a format the show has maintained for most of its run since its debut in 1999.
The final three-hour edition of SmackDown will be a significant one, airing this Friday, June 27, from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The show will serve as the go-home broadcast for the Night of Champions premium live event and will feature the finals of both the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments.
The first show back in the two-hour format will be the July 4th episode, which is scheduled to be pre-taped this upcoming Monday, June 30, following the live broadcast of Raw.
Rhea Ripley has revealed an injury that has been bugging her.
The Mami spoke to Chris Van Vliet recently. During the interview, she talked about things such as how working with Judgment Day and Dominik Mysterio was a turning point for her main roster run, how she never envisioned herself to have this kind of success in wrestling and more.
Most wrestlers are dealing with atleast some kind of physical issue at any given time. When asked if there is anything that is bothering her right now, Rhea Ripley revealed that she has been dealing with lower back pain:
“Normally my lower back, especially lately, I don’t know what’s been going on. I think it actually started from the match I had with Raquel in NXT, where she gave me the back body drop onto the announce table, but we undershot it and I hit the very edge of the table, like right on my lower back.”
Rhea Ripley squared off against Raquel Rodriguez a number of times during their NXT tenure. Their last singles match under the banner came during the New Year’s Evil special in 2021 where Raquel defeated the former champion in a Last Woman Standing match.
The former Judgment Day star revealed that she has a masseuse who has been helping her through her injury and has kept her going:
“After that, my lower back was never the same. But I mean, I do whatever I can to try and make it better. I have a masseuse Matthew come over and he works on it.
He helps stretch me out, and puts my hips back in line pretty much, and just fixes all that. And thank God for him that he comes over to help. Because sometimes it gets really bad. I didn’t think that I would be able to wrestle at WrestleMania 41.”
The 28-year-old noted that her back pain was really bad leading up to WrestleMania 41 and she had to bring her masseuse to Las Vegas for the show. He worked on her back on days leading up to the PPV, without which she wouldn’t have been able to wrestle at the event.
Rhea Ripley has revealed the turning point of her WWE career on the main roster.
The former Women’s Champion recently spoke to Chris Van Vliet for a new interview. She talked about things such as never thinking she would become as big of a star, the back injury she has been living with and more.
During the interview, The Mami also discussed how being paired with Judgment Day and Dominik Mysterio changed her career. Rhea Ripley explained that it made her open up as a performer:
“I think that was like another turning point in my career, being partnered with Dom and also being a part of the Judgment Day. It made me open up as a performer. It made me have to work a lot more because I was doing nine segments in a 16-segment show. Sometimes more.”
Rhea Ripley explained that Vince McMahon did not understand her character when she first came to main roster. Despite everyone’s saying that she was a babyface, the former Chairman booked the female star as a heel based on her looks. The former champion noted how she found it hard to connect with the audience due to the adverse booking.
Things changed after she joined the Judgment Day in 2022. The faction’s popularity led to her being part of many different stories and angles. The partnership with Dirty Dom then further helped her character transform:
“We were doing everything as a part of Judgment Day. I was running around helping Finn and Damian, and then helping Dom and doing promos, making business deals, wrestling myself, doing women’s storylines. And I was just like, I had no time to think about absolutely anything. I just had to go. I was like, What do I need to do? Cool. Going live in 3, 2, 1, do what you got to do.”
The former Judgment Day member also revealed that she originally wanted to push The Papi nickname for her but ended up being called The Mami instead.
Rhea Ripley never thought she would become this successful in wrestling.
The Mami recently spoke to Chris Van Vliet for a new interview. She talked about things such as the back injury she has been living with, working with Dominik Mysterio and Judgement Day and more.
During the interview, the former Women’s Champion was asked if she thought the kind of success she has gotten was even possible. Ripley recalled her tryout for Riot City Wrestling in Australia and discussed how their coach told everyone on the very first day that the WWE dream was not realistic:
“I’ve always been someone that likes a challenge, but I never thought that I would be able to make it as far as I’ve come.
Even by the time that I did get signed and I moved to America and I started NXT, I never thought that the name Rhea Ripley would be as big as it is now, and it’s just wild to see, especially the last couple years how much I’ve blown up.”
Rhea Ripley explained that even now she sometimes forgets that she is a celebrity. She still gets annoyed with the attention of the people, and the first thought in her mind in such scenarios is wondering if something is wrong with her appearance:
“I forget who I am sometimes. I’m walking around and I’m like why are these people looking at me? Do I look like a 13-year-old boy? Just staring at me because I look stupid, what is wrong with me right now? Is my hair staticing to my face or something?
Why are they looking at me? And I get mad. I’m like, look away. Take a photo. It’ll last longer. And then I’m like oh sh*t. They probably know who I am.”
The WWE star later reiterated how people staring at her makes her mad sometimes because she doesn’t remember her popularity. If she did, she would be nicer to people and even invite them for photos.
A WWE star is expected to get a big push in the coming times.
Damian Priest has solidified himself as a main eventer for the company in the last couple of years with his work with the Judgment Day as well as his world title reign.
Now PWInsider has provided an update on another star who has been receiving praise in the creative circles within the promotion in recent times.
According to them, the same source that reported on Priest’s push a couple of years ago is now saying that the management has been discussing about raising the profile of Aleister Black the same way.
The former NXT Champion returned to the company in April this year, after a four-year stint with AEW. He was leading the House of Black faction in Tony Khan’s promotion but had very few singles matches.
WWE has reestablished Black as a singles star since returning to the company. Per the report, the officials have been happy with both his work and merchandise sales. This is the reason he has been interacting with many personalities in recent times.
Aleister Black most recently wrestled in a first-round King of The Ring fatal four-way, which was won by Randy Orton. We’ll have to see what the company has in store for him next.
AEW fans inside the Accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington were in for a treat after the June 25, Dynamite as Bryan Danielson made a surprise appearance. Things unfolded after Kyle O’Reilly suffered a brutal loss to Kyle Fletcher and was attacked post-match by Lance Archer. As O’Reilly was preparing to speak, Max Caster interrupted and issued an open challenge.
To the shock of the crowd, Bryan Danielson made his entrance—seemingly answering Caster’s challenge despite still being sidelined with neck issues. Before a match could begin, Adam Cole stormed the ring and hit Caster with a superkick. Danielson quickly capitalized, locking in the LeBell Lock and forcing Caster to tap out within seconds.
Danielson followed-up with a light-hearted message, claiming he had joined the Paragon faction and dubbed himself ‘Kyle Danielson.’ He followed up by asking for his theme music to play—prompting Final Countdown to fill the arena.
Though Danielson remains out of action and has been since October 2024, this marks the second consecutive week he has inserted himself into a post-show segment. Danielson also made a surprise appearance at Dynamite: Grand Slam Mexico, helping save lucha legend Blue Panther in another untelevised moment.
Questions remain as to whether Danielson will wrestle again after his gruelling previous match with Jon Moxley, but as his roles after the show continue to grow, fans remain hopeful that a return to the ring will happen.
Bill Goldberg’s career in the ring will soon come to an end, but could his son Gage soon be lacing up his boots as a second-generation competitor? Speaking to Sportskeeda, Gage revealed if he sees a life as a WWE Superstar in his future.
“It’s there. It’s a backup plan for sure. Football’s a priority 100%, but it’s a backup plan. Football is my main plan, WWE is my backup plan 100%.”
Gage is no stranger to WWE. After appearing for his father’s return at Survivor Series 2016, Gage would return and get physical in 2021 during Goldberg’s feud with Bobby Lashley. Now, the football prospect isn’t backing down from a WWE future, though football remains his goal.
Fans can expect to see Gage at Saturday Night’s Main Event, where his father will compete in his retirement match against World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER. With gold and legacies on the line, Gage will no doubt watch intently as his father laces up his boots one final time.
Blake Monroe has named the greatest achievement of her life.
The star previously known as Mariah May left AEW in May this year, ending her 2-year run with the company. She ended up making her NXT debut only a few days later during the June 3 episode of the show.
The former Women’s World Champion recently posted a video she had recorded shortly before making her debut for the development brand. The English star first discussed how joining WWE had always been her goal, but she did not think that the possibility was real even after moving to America:
“I never really thought I would be in WWE. I don’t know if I felt not good enough or there were different plans for me because wrestling is amazing and there are so many different experiences and things you can do, which is so great. I felt a little dejected at the end of last year and I didn’t know it was an option for me.”
The 26-year-old noted that she started training again at the end of last year. She went to Shawn Spears & Tyler Breeze’s Flatbacks Wrestling school, which helped renew her passion for wrestling. This is when the possibility became real:
“I didn’t think I was going to be in WWE and it still doesn’t really feel real to me. This is maybe, thus far, the greatest achievement of my life, to be a part of WWE.”
Monroe also thanked all the fans and members of her family for always supporting her and making the realization of her dream possible.
Bill Goldberg’s final match is set to happen at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but will this actually mark the end of the WWE legend’s in-ring career? Speaking to Sportskeeda, Gage Goldberg, the son of Bill, argued that his father has more than one match left in him.
“He definitely has the mindset and the mentality to be able to go for a longer match and everything, and two matches even, I think he is.”
While Gage believes his dad could still go, the elder Goldberg has been adamant that his July 12, showdown with GUNTHER will be his final match. While some believe that Goldberg being 58 means he won’t be able to deliver a great match, Gage isn’t worried.
“If you look at Gunther right now, that was my dad a couple of, well not a couple of years ago, but back in the day that was my dad. So I think it’s a good challenge for him for sure, and it could be a great retirement match.”
Goldberg made his WCW debut in 1997 and quickly won over fans with his impactful matches and 173-0 winning streak. Now, he plans to make the World Heavyweight Champion his final victim, and take the gold in the process.
AEW has plenty of championships to its name, but some more gold may soon be showing up on programming. Mark O’Brien of Bodyslam.net is reporting that AEW has developed two separate tag team championships over the past 12 months, though neither is currently in use.
Sources claim that the ‘Intergenerational Tag Team Championships’ have been created, intended for ‘father and son duos.’ This has reportedly led to more focus on team that span generations, including Christian Cage and Nick Wayne, though the pair are not related by blood. Similarly, the report adds that this title was why Billy Gunn’s role with The Acclaimed was amplified, though the partnership with Bowens and Gunn has seemed strained in recent weeks.
In addition to multi-generational teams, there was reportedly talks of actual father-son tag teams to be part of the title picture. This includes Ricky and Kerry Morton as well as Kevin Von Erich teaming with one of his sons, the report adds.
AEW has also reportedly created Women’s Tag Team Championships, a title that many both in and out of AEW have shown support for. In late 2022, Saraya called on AEW to create a women’s tag team division, as well as a potential all-female show. Saraya, who competed in several tag matches as part of the Outcasts and later alongside Harley Cameron, has since finished her time with AEW.
Between AEW, Ring of Honor, and its partnership promotions, championship gold isn’t hard to miss on AEW TV at this time. It remains to be seen if more gold gets added to the show.
During the June 25, episode of AEW Dynamite, Mark Briscoe had some choice words for MJF, especially when it comes to a certain part of his anatomy. In a jab at MJF, Briscoe claimed that the former AEW World Champion has a “teeny tiny kosher pickle,” which became a chant among the fans in attendance.
Taking to social media, MJF claimed that his gherkin is nothing to mess with. In an all-caps post, MJF refuted that his ‘pickle’ is anything but big.
MJF’s girlfriend Alicia Atout also got in on the action. As someone who knows the longest-reigning AEW World Champion up close and personal, Atout provided clarification on MJF’s ‘pickle.’
Woah woah woah. Let’s get one thing straight. It’s absolutely a kosher pickle but it’s definitely not tiny. ? @The_MJF
MJF has never shied away from taking personal shots at others, but he’s clearly not a fan when the tables have been turned. Fans can expect to see much more of MJF’s feud with Briscoe, a feud in which it appears nothing, not even pickles, are off limits.
A new tag team match with an interesting stipulation has been teased for the upcoming AEW All In: Texas PPV next month.
This week’s episode of Dynamite continued the build for the upcoming show. The opening match of the night saw the team of Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay defeating Blake Christian and Lee Johnson. The Young Bucks were at the ringside for the bout.
The Bucks had a faceoff with Ospreay and Strickland after the bell, who went on to challenge the EVPs to a match at All In. Just before the closing of the segment, Ospreay threw in an interesting stipulation, saying that the AEW founders should put their Executive positions on the line for this match.
Apart from this, the company confirmed during Dynamite that the duo of Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight will be challenging The Hurt Syndicate for the Tag Team Championships at the show.
The June 25 episode also saw Kris Statlander and Mark Briscoe picking singles victory to earn the First Entrant Slot in their respective Gauntlet matches at the upcoming PPV. Here is the updated card for the show:
AEW Women’s World Championship Match: “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) vs. Mercedes Moné
AEW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
Title Unification Match: Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. International Champion Kenny Omega
Tag Team Championship Match: The Hurt Syndicate (c) vs. JetSpeed (Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight)
Men’s Casino Gauntlet Match For AEW World Title Shot
Women’s Casino Gauntlet Match For Women’s World Title Shot
All In Texas will take place from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas next month on July 12. Bryan Danielson is also expected to be at the show.
Matt and Jeff Hardy have wowed and amazed fans for decades, but their time in the ring is coming to an end. During a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, Matt got candid about where he and Jeff stand in their careers, admitting that retirement is drawing near.
“We want a story — and the story of our careers, like this is… we know we’re not — we’re in our last few years and we want to make them as great as they can possibly be.”
Currently, fans can find Matt and Jeff in TNA Wrestling, where they recently held the promotion’s World Tag Team Championships. On the podcast, Matt highlighted the efforts of TNA’s Tommy Dreamer into making this run happen.
“Someone who is owed a ton of credit for it is the man that is here in this conversation with us, Tommy Dreamer. I want to give him credit because Tommy has put us in a position to succeed.”
After more than 30 years of revolutionizing tag team wrestling—from tables, ladders, and chairs to world title gold, the end of the Hardys is in sight. While an exact date is yet to be revealed, Matt and Jeff are determined to finish on their own terms.
Shotzi Blackheart’s time with WWE came to an end in early 2025, but she is seeing the positive side of things. Speaking with Denise Salcedo, Shotzi shared her belief that this release may have been exactly what she needed.
“I get to go out and kick ass and do me again. Like, I’m not going to be sitting at home. I get to go balls to the wall as often and as much as I want. So, yeah, I was just excited to get out there again.”
While Shotzi is excited for what’s next, she did admit to being sad that she can no longer call herself a WWE Superstar. While releases often take talent by surprise, Blackheart had an inclination that her days with WWE were numbered.
“My contract was coming up. So I knew it was either going to get renewed or it wasn’t. And I didn’t have much to show for that year. I was gone for 10 months due to injury, then had a short stint in NXT.”
Shotzi, in her own words, did not have much to bring to negotiations about a new WWE deal, but was also ready for a change. She revealed that even if WWE had offered her a new contract, she may have left the promotion anyway.
“I was tussling with the decision to even re-sign. I wasn’t doing anything. I wasn’t happy just sitting at home. I wanted to get out there and do what I love.”
Shotzi had crafted a speech to deliver to Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, but never got the chance to deliver it. In the end, WWE made the decision for her—and she’s come to see that as a blessing.
AEW commentator Jim Ross is ready to get back to work after sharing that the cancer he has been battling is completely gone. On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross shared that his battle with colon cancer is seemingly at an end.
“The cancer’s gone, which I’m very happy to say. So you know, I’m blessed that my health has returned, and I’m feeling pretty damn good.”
Ross has been off AEW programming for months while managing his health issues. With a clean bill of health, the WWE Hall of Famer is ready to get back to work.
“I’m tired of sitting at home, and I’m excited about the opportunities that await. I am feeling better. My plan is to be in Dallas for the big event [AEW All In].”
Ross was the recipient of countless messages of support during his battle with cancer. On the podcast, JR highlighted the efforts of Tony Khan throughout this ordeal.
“He supported me wholeheartedly and I really do appreciate that. That’s the way a boss should act, should do—is take care of your people. And Tony Khan has certainly taken good care of me.”
With AEW’s All In weekend set for Arlington, Texas, Ross plans to be there—starting with Starrcast on July 11 and the pay-per-view event on July 12. While it’s not yet confirmed whether JR will be behind the commentary table, one thing’s for certain: Jim Ross is ready go get back to work.
AEW has announced a couple of big matches for next week’s episode of Dynamite.
The wrestling promotion will be celebrating the 300th episode of their Premiere weekly show at the July 2 episode of Dynamite from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, Canada next week.
The company has announced that the Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada will be in action at the event, and he’ll be going up against none other than Kota Ibushi.
Next Wednesday, 7/2#AEWDynamite 300 LIVE, 8/7c on TBS + Max
This comes only days after Ibushi made his wrestling return during this past Saturday’s Collision, after nearly 2 years of TV absence. He made his in-ring debut for the company this week, defeating Trent Beretta in a singles match at the June 25 Dynamite.
This isn’t the only match announced for the show. The promotion has also confirmed that the TBS Champion Mercedes Mone will be defending her title against Mina Shirakawa next Wednesday night.
Both of the champions announced for the show are set to compete in big matches at the upcoming All In: Texas event on July 12. Okada will be facing arch-rival and reigning International Champion Kenny Omega. Both titles will be on the line for this unification bout.
Mone, on the other hand, would be looking to add another belt to her collection when she challenges Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s World Title at the show. If Mercedes is planned to win the bout, it’s possible that she’ll drop the TBS belt on Dynamite 300 before the PPV.
A familiar voice may soon be screaming “Excuse Me!” on WWE programming again. According to a report from Fightful Select, former WWE general manager Vickie Guerrero has recently told people that she will be back with the company for some appearances “in a few weeks.”
While the nature of the appearances was not specified, the timing aligns with the upcoming all-women’s WWE Evolution premium live event in July, leading to speculation that she could be involved in the show.
Guerrero was a mainstay on WWE television for years, serving as a regular on-screen character and one of the most effective heel authority figures in company history. She departed in 2018 and later appeared for AEW from 2019 to 2023. During her time with AEW, Guerrero had claimed that WWE had “cut her off.”
However, the relationship appears to have since been mended, as Guerrero was spotted backstage at a WWE SmackDown taping in September 2025. Her potential return would add a veteran presence to WWE programming.
Dave Bautista’s long-expressed desire to star in a romantic comedy is finally coming true. According to a report from Deadline, the former WWE Champion and Hollywood star is attached to star in “The Romantic,” a new romantic comedy acquired by Paramount Pictures.
The film, produced by Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort and Bautista’s own Dogbone Entertainment, will feature Bautista as Ed Schwenke, a “six-foot-four mountain of a man” who is secretly a bestselling romance author writing under the female pen name Francine London. The plot revolves around Ed hiring a woman to pose as Francine at a romance fiction convention to protect his identity from a cynical journalist.
For years, Bautista has been vocal about wanting to break into the genre. In a 2023 interview with Page Six, he questioned why he hadn’t been offered such a role.
“I know I’m not your typical rom-com lead. I’m a little rough around the edges,” Bautista said. “But I always, you know, I look in the mirror and I say, I ask myself, ‘Am I that unattractive? Is there something that unappealing about me that excludes me from these parts?’” He added at the time that he would “keep searching” for the right opportunity.
The script for “The Romantic” was written by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, known for films like Can’t Hardly Wait and Josie and the Pussycats. No director is currently attached to the project.
George Kittle is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s top tight ends but there will be a day when his time on the field is over. In a recent interview with USA Today, Kittle confirmed his strong interest in joining WWE once his football career comes to an end.
“I would love to do WWE. I think there’s definitely opportunity within that world, and I would love nothing more than to be a part of it.”
Kittle has made brief appearances in a WWE ring but has yet to have a match for the promotion. Even with experience to his name, Kittle doesn’t plan on wrestling until he has proper training.
“I would only do WWE if I bought a ring and practiced my ass off for a while so I wouldn’t look like an idiot out there. I’ve been in a WWE ring like three times. I don’t know what I’m doing out there.”
With his charisma, athleticism, and genuine love for pro wrestling, Kittle could be a natural fit in the WWE Universe. With talent including Pat McAfee proving a move from the gridiron to the ring is possible, fans shouldn’t count out calling George Kittle a WWE Superstar.
Many fans were surprised when Jey Uso dropped the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Gunther on the June 9 edition of WWE Raw. Uso’s a popular talent who was less than two months into his reign. Moreover, if a title change were to occur, Seth Rollins looked positioned to be the heel to make the switch happen given he’s been riding high as the top heel on Raw and recently won the Money in the Bank briefcase.
On top of these other considerations, there’s the matter that Gunther himself was the champion Uso beat for the title. It’s not totally unfamiliar ground for champions to trade titles back and forth, but it is less common for it to happen coming out of WrestleMania, where title changes tend to mark more seismic shifts as one star takes a step back and another redefines his career trajectory.
This isn’t the first time a world champion crowned at WrestleMania dropped the title back to the previous title holder, though. In fact, this is the sixth occasion.
Jey Uso Vs. Gunther In 2025
Photo: WWE
It’s too soon to know the full story or to tell what the ramification will be of Jey Uso losing the World Heavyweight Championship back to Gunther. Just the same, seeing the inspirational babyface drop his title in this fashion to heel who has already been at the top of the mountain for a long reign could be seen as disheartening.
Prevailing theories suggest that WWE may have wanted the title on Gunther to defend against Goldberg in the legends predicted retirement match. Meanwhile, WWE may decided to pull the plug on the Uso solo run experiments, and Jimmy doesn’t seem like he’ll ever flourish in that role, and Jey may well have hit his ceiling. Time will tell what the implications are, but it is interesting that Jey Uso was the first ever first-time world champion crowned at WrestleMania to drop the title back to the original title holder.
Randy Savage Vs. Ric Flair In 1992
Photo: WWE
Randy Savage and Ric Flair worked a heated feud in 1992, centered on The Nature Boy’s insinuation that he’d been an item with Miss Elizabeth before The Macho Man. Savage sought revenge and got it by taking the WWE Championship off Flair at WrestleMania 8.
WWE struggled to find its footing with Hulk Hogan out of the mix for the rest of 1992 and Savage and Ultimate Warrior sort of filling his spot, while neither got real traction as the definitive top guy. In the end, the powers that be elected to move the title back to Flair in the fall, only for him to serve as a transitional champion—a vehicle to move the belt to a fresh main event face in Bret Hart.
Hulk Hogan Vs. Yokozuna In 1993
Photo: WWE
In what was, at the time, the most shocking finish to a WrestleMania of all time, 1993 saw Hulk Hogan work an impromptu match with newly crowned WWE Champion Yokozuna and promptly take the title off the super heavyweight.
Fans have never gotten a definitive picture of what happened from there. The consensus, though, seems to be that Hogan just wasn’t as popular as he had been as WWE on the whole cooled off, Hulkamania felt played out, and a vocal portion of fans were mad that WWE had seemingly disrespected Bret Hart as world champ by moving his title straight to The Hulkster.
Whatever the precise combination of reasons, Yokozuna got his title back at the next PPV, King of the Ring, and held it straight through to WrestleMania 10, when the belt went back to The Hitman.
Brock Lesnar Vs. Kurt Angle In 2003
Photo: WWE
Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle each carved unique and truly legendary careers in professional wrestling. Given Angle’s departure from WWE in 2006 and the fact that these two never worked a match in the second act of The Beast’s WWE career—as a part time attraction from 2012 to 2023—it’s easy to forget that they were once rivals with remarkable chemistry.
Indeed the respective amateur pedigrees and out-of-this-world athleticism made Lesnar and Angle genuinely special opponents for one another. A botched shooting star press at the end of their WrestleMania 19 main event unfortunately overshadowed the excellent match they’d built up to that point. Fortunately, the rivalry raged on, including them flipping face and heel roles and The Olympic Gold Medalist taking his title back at SummerSlam.
John Cena Vs Edge In 2009
Photo: WWE
One of the prevailing stories of John Cena’s retirement tour has been him revisiting memorable rivals from his past, including Randy Orton, R-Truth, and CM Punk. Were he still in WWE at this point, there’s little doubt Edge would be in that mix.
Cena and Edge had an outstanding off and on rivalry that extended from 2006 to 2010. One chapter of the feud saw Cena take the World Heavyweight Championship off The Rated R Superstar at WrestleMania 25 (in a Triple Threat that also included The Big Show). The Ultimate Opportunist would get his win and his title back at Backlash with a noteworthy assist from The World’s Largest Athlete. Cena would go on to feud with Show while Edge and the Big Gold Belt settled back in on the SmackDown brand.
Seth Rollins Vs. Brock Lesnar In 2019
Photo: WWE
WrestleMania 35 started off with a bang when underdog Royal Rumble winner Seth Rollins picked up a decisive victory over Brock Lesnar in a fun sprint. The Beast wasn’t done with the babyface champ, though. Lesnar was a surprise, late addition to a Money in the Bank match that summer and went on to cash in on Rollins and take his title back.
This storyline was a rare case in which a champion taking back the title from the man who beat him at WrestleMania presented a third act: the WrestleMania winner going on to win the rubber match in another PLE main event. Rollins beat Lesnar at SummerSlam in a more full-fledged and definitive, rivalry-ending bout that looked to cement Rollins as the “the guy.” Unfortunately for The Beast Slayer, he ran into The Fiend that fall, and saw that run on top come to an unceremonious end.
Kevin Owens’ neck injury is far worse than fans initially thought, and surgery is now unavoidable for the former WWE Universal Champion. Speaking on What Do You Wanna Talk About? with Cody Rhodes, Owens revealed that months of pushing through the pain only worsened his condition.
“It sucks, but it is what it is. For months, I thought I could tough it out. The pain would come and go—some days were better, some worse.”
Owens had intended to ‘tough it out’ until last week when his injury proved impossible to ignore. Owens was faced with the somber reality that surgery isn’t an option, but it is now essential.
“Everything caught up with me. The numbness, the weakness… it all hit at once. That’s when I knew—it’s not getting better on its own.”
Owens “can’t wait” to undergo surgery but he didn’t provide a timeline for his return. Earlier this year, Owens shared that Randy Orton has put him in touch with the surgeon who saved the Viper from retirement due to back issues.
It remains to be seen when Kevin Owens will wrestle again, but one thing is for certain: the Prizefighter is through taking his health for granted.