AEW has turned the tide ahead of Dynasty 2025, with ticket sales surging in the final stretch before tonight’s event at Temple University’s Liacouras Center in Philadelphia.
According to a final update this morning from WrestleTix, 7,020 tickets have already distributed. The current seating setup accommodates 7,575, indicating a near sellout. This marks a significant jump from the 4,320 tickets reported just over two weeks ago.
AEW also expanded capacity by opening Section 208, reflecting the rising demand as showtime approached.
This year’s turnout has already eclipsed that of 2024’s Dynasty in St. Louis, which drew 6,619 attendees.
AEW enters tonight’s show with clear crowd energy and a packed house, setting the stage for one of its most well-attended Dynasty events to date.
Lucien Price has made his return to in-ring action after being sidelined for nearly three months with a hand injury. The WWE NXT star, a key member of the OTM faction, stepped back into competition during the April 5, 2025 live event in Gainesville, Florida.
Price teamed with his partner Bronco Nima in a tag match against Trick Williams and Wes Lee. Despite the duo’s efforts, they came up short in the bout. The match marked Price’s first since January 18, when he was pulled from action due to injury.
The injury not only kept Price off television but also impacted Nima, who remained inactive on NXT programming despite being healthy. In late February, Price hinted at his recovery progress with a gym photo on social media, showing minimal bracing on his wrist.
With Price now cleared and back in the ring, OTM is expected to reenter the NXT tag team scene. The division is currently led by reigning champions FraxiOM—Nathan Frazer and Axiom—who continue their dominant reign.
Price’s return also comes as Trick Williams prepares for a high-stakes NXT Championship match at Stand & Deliver on April 19, where he’ll face Oba Femi and Je’Von Evans in a triple threat bout.
WWE’s new faction Darkstate — Cutler James, Saquon Shugars, Osiris Griffin, and Dion Lennox — made their in-ring debut during the NXT live event on April 6, 2025. The group secured a decisive win in an eight-man tag team match against Javier Bernal, Drako Knox, Uriah Connors, and Drake Morreaux.
Their first televised match is scheduled for the April 8 episode of NXT, where three members of Darkstate will face NXT Champion Oba Femi, Trick Williams, and Je’Von Evans in a six-man tag match. NXT General Manager Ava announced the match following Darkstate’s attack on all three competitors during the April 1 broadcast.
Darkstate initially emerged at NXT Vengeance Day in February, debuting with an ambush on Oba Femi. Since then, the group has repeatedly targeted high-profile names, including Fraxiom, Je’Von Evans, Trick Williams, and Tony D’Angelo. WWE officially revealed the group’s name in mid-March through social media.
Of the four, Dion Lennox is the only member with previous NXT television experience, having competed in the 2024 NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament. Cutler James, who joined WWE in 2023, has appeared on WWE: Next Gen and WWE: LFG, while Shugars and Griffin are new to the WWE audience. Lennox is believed to be the group’s leader, based on backstage commentary from Tony D’Angelo’s Family.
Darkstate has made clear they’re done waiting for chances and intend to disrupt NXT while taking what they want. Their televised in-ring debut on April 8 marks the next step in their rise within the brand.
All Elite Wrestling returns to pay-per-view tonight, April 6, 2025, with AEW Dynasty 2025 emanating from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This marks AEW’s first PPV event in Pennsylvania and the second annual Dynasty event.
With seven championship matches on the card, including Jon Moxley defending the AEW World Championship against Swerve Strickland, fans are in for an action-packed night of professional wrestling.
How to Watch
Start Times:
United States: 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT (Main Card)
United Kingdom: 1:00 AM BST (early Monday morning)
Zero Hour Pre-show: 6:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM PT
Broadcast Details:
Amazon Prime (new for this event – requires active Prime subscription)
Triller TV (formerly Fite)
PPV.com
Traditional cable/satellite providers (US and Canada)
YouTube (Zero Hour pre-show only)
Match Card
AEW World Championship Jon Moxley (c) w/ Marina Shafir vs. Swerve Strickland w/ Prince Nana
One year after capturing his first AEW World Championship at Dynasty, Swerve Strickland looks to reclaim gold against Jon Moxley. Mox has maintained a stranglehold on the World Title since defeating Bryan Danielson at WrestleDream last October, finding ways to choke out every challenger that has come before him. This main event promises to be an intense battle between two of AEW’s top stars.
AEW Women’s World Championship “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) w/ Luther vs. Megan Bayne
Toni Storm faces perhaps her most daunting challenge yet as she defends her championship against the powerful Megan Bayne. The champion’s theatrical persona will be put to the test against the raw power of “The Megasus” in what could be a show-stealing contest.
AEW International Championship – Triple Threat Match Kenny Omega (c) vs. Ricochet vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
Three of the most athletic performers in professional wrestling collide in what promises to be a high-flying spectacle. Newly crowned champion Kenny Omega puts his title on the line against two challengers known for their innovative offense and aerial abilities.
AEW World Tag Team Championship The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin) (c) vs. The Learning Tree (Big Bill & Bryan Keith)
The Hurt Syndicate puts their tag team gold on the line against the imposing duo from The Learning Tree. This match adds another championship contest to an already stacked card, bringing the total to seven title matches for the evening.
AEW World Trios Championship The Death Riders (PAC, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) (c) vs. Rated FTR (Cope, Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)
Team tensions are running high as Adam Copeland teams with FTR to challenge The Death Riders. With dissension already showing in the challengers’ camp after Cope’s failed attempt to capture the AEW World Title from Moxley, this match could see a potential heel turn from Dax and Cash if they fail to capture the titles.
ROH World Championship vs. Mask Match Chris Jericho (c) vs. Bandido
In a high-stakes encounter, Chris Jericho has agreed to defend his ROH World Championship against Bandido only if the challenger puts his mask on the line. This title-versus-mask stipulation adds an extra layer of drama to an already compelling matchup.
AEW TNT Championship – No Time Limit, No Outside Interference Daniel Garcia (c) vs. Adam Cole
Daniel Garcia defends his TNT Championship against Adam Cole under special stipulations that ensure a definitive winner. With no time limit and outside interference banned, these two technical wrestlers will have to rely solely on their in-ring abilities to emerge victorious.
Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarter-Final – Men’s Bracket Will Ospreay vs. Kevin Knight
Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarter-Final – Men’s Bracket Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe
Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarter-Final – Women’s Bracket Mercedes Moné vs. Julia Hart
These quarterfinal matches in the 2025 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament will have significant implications for Double or Nothing on May 25, where the tournament finals will take place.
With WrestleMania season in full swing, AEW’s Dynasty looks to make its own mark on the wrestling calendar with a stacked card of ten matches, including seven championship bouts and three tournament matches that could reshape the company’s landscape moving forward.
MLW Battle Riot VII took place last night at Thunder Studios Arena in Long Beach, California, featuring several major surprises and title changes:
Main Event
• Matt Riddle successfully retained his MLW World Heavyweight Championship in the 40-person Battle Riot match, entering at #25 and outlasting the entire field • The match concluded with Riddle shoving Rob Van Dam off the top rope as RVD attempted a Five-Star Frog Splash
• Alex Hammerstone made his return to MLW after leaving over a year ago for TNA, entering at #1 • Raj Dhesi (formerly Jinder Mahal) entered at #2 • Chris Adonis (formerly Chris Masters) appeared at #22 • Independent star Titus Alexander was a surprise entrant at #38 • Rob Van Dam made his first-ever MLW appearance as the final entrant at #40
Title Changes
• Shoko Nakajima defeated Delmi Exo to become the new MLW Women’s World Featherweight Champion • Mistico vacated the MLW World Middleweight Championship, announcing his move to the heavyweight division
• Austin Aries returned to MLW as part of the commentary team alongside Joe Dombrowski • Bishop Dyer (formerly Baron Corbin in WWE) made his MLW debut in the Battle Riot match, though his appearance had been announced beforehand • A mysterious teaser aired featuring imagery of a bullet, beer, and tape recorder with the message “They’re Coming” and the number 626, which looks like The Good Brothers are headed to MLW
Mick Foley has expressed his gratitude to his fans following his first public appearance after his recent car accident. Taking to Instagram, Foley shared his thanks to the fans alongside pictures of some of the fans who met him at the Dallas Vintage Toys event.
Foley took to Instagram earlier this week to share that he had been involved in a serious car accident and that he was dealing with soreness and a minor concussion. His post sparked hundreds of well-wishes from fans and those from within the wrestling industry. In an update, Mick’s daughter Noelle shared that the WWE Hall of Famer was lucky to be able to walk away from the serious accident.
Foley is no stranger to concussions and faced more than his fair share throughout his wrestling career. Last year, Foley shared that he was cancelling plans to wrestle one final death match after experiencing concussion-like symptoms. The fact that Foley had not done anything to cause these symptoms were an eye-opener showing that a career risking it all for wrestling continues to affect Foley years after his in-ring career ended.
Mark Nash is WWE SmackDown’s newest announcer and recently, a comment on X by NXT announcer Mike Rome sparked a lot of attention. Rome noticed that Nash was reading off cards during the April 4, edition of WWE SmackDown and questioned when this was introduced.
Wait, we get to read off of cards now??? Asking for a friend lol#wwesmackdown
— Austin Romero (aka: Mike Rome) (@AustinMRomero) April 5, 2025
This comment caught the attention of many fans as well as former Raw announcer Samantha Irvin. After Irvin seemed distraught that she wasn’t given cue cards for her tenure, Rome pointed out that Nash has been using cards for two weeks now.
That’s two weeks I’ve seen one ?
— Austin Romero (aka: Mike Rome) (@AustinMRomero) April 5, 2025
Some fans took Rome’s comments as a dig at Nash who debuted for the blue brand in late March 2025. Feeling it necessary to clarify, Rome wanted to make clear he wasn’t insulting Nash’s work. Instead, Rome is merely hoping that he soon gets to have cards in his role with WWE NXT.
To clarify, @MarkShunock is absolutely crushing it. Don’t look for a deeper meaning to my tweet lol ? I think the card is a killer tool, especially for many of the long ass things we have to say, I want one!
— Austin Romero (aka: Mike Rome) (@AustinMRomero) April 5, 2025
Nash himself would comment, appreciating that Rome’s comments weren’t meant to be insulting. Rome went on to praise the work of the new SmackDown announcer.
Dude, love the style. Keep crushing it. Was watching Friday, gave me Bruce buffer vibes. See you in Vegas!
— Austin Romero (aka: Mike Rome) (@AustinMRomero) April 5, 2025
Nash is new to his role with WWE, which may explain why he is using cue cards to help him remember the stats of the Superstars of the blue brand. It remains to be seen if these cards are here to stay as Mike Rome would love to have some cards of his own.
During Bayley’s initial run in WWE NXT, a young fan named Izzy proved to be the most loyal supporter of the Hugger. Now, Izzy is all grown up and is ready to take the WWE ring by storm just like her hero.
On X, Izzy Moreno cut a passionate promo about the WWE ID Championship, vowing she’s ready to risk it all in the upcoming tournament. Moreno declared that the tournament will be one step closer to her lifelong dream: becoming a WWE Superstar.
What if…..I mean what if @WWEID called me to be in the opening round of the WWE ID Championship tournament at @GCWrestling_ on April 16th in Las Vegas?
Moreno has been making a name for herself in the ring in recent years. In June 2024, Moreno won her first championship, the MPW Championship, a title she holds to this day. Now, Moreno is ready for more gold in her future and believes that the WWE ID Championship will soon be hers.
WWE introduced the WWE ID Men’s and Women’s Championships in February 2025 with Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque doing the honors. The tournaments to crown both champions will begin at GCW’s event on April 16 in the middle of WWE WrestleMania week in Las Vegas. With a historic first up for grabs, Moreno is ready to risk it all, but becoming champion will not be an easy feat of the superfan who aims to become a Superstar.
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Matt Riddle proved his Battle Riot 2024 win was no fluke by winning this year’s massive match. Enntering at number 25, Riddle last eliminated Rob Van Dam, the #40 entrant to win the entire thing. Van Dam’s critical error came when he went up top for the five-star frog splash, giving Riddle the opportunity to throw him from the ring to win.
BRO IS HERE!!! ?
MLW World Champion Matt Riddle has entered the Battle RIOT, taped-up ribs & all!
This win wasn’t just a big victory for Riddle but also a historic one. This year’s Battle Riot marked the first time in history that the MLW World Heavyweight Championship had been on the line in te match. Previously, the match had earned a wrestler a shot at the title. With his victory, Riddle has certainly proved that he deserves to be called the MLW World Heavyweight Champion.
Kevin Owens is officially out of WrestleMania 41, leaving Randy Orton without an opponent for the Showcase of the Immortals. With Orton being one of WWE’s biggest stars, many fans expect that he will still compete in Las Vegas and now one Superstar has put their name forward.
On X, some fans have called on Karrion Kross to replace Owens as the Viper’s opponent. In a post of his own, Kross appreciated the support and said he’d accept the chance to face Orton. As the decision won’t be up to him though, Kross ended with a message of “Let’s see what happens.”
So, Randy Orton doesn’t have an opponent at #WrestleMania
Well, I know a guy that is free WrestleMania weekend.
— Kevin Robert Kesar (@realKILLERkross) April 5, 2025
Kross has competed just once at WrestleMania as he and AOP lost to The Pride at WrestleMania 40 in a Philadelphia Street Fight. Now, Kross is clearly ready to upgrade from six-man tag-team action to going one-on-one with the 14-time WWE World Champion.
On WWE TV, Kross has been showing interest in AJ Styles’ feud with Logan Paul and those two will do battle at WrestleMania 41. While Kross himself has yet to have a match confirmed for the show of shows, that could be about to change.
Since launching in 2019, AEW has provided more opportuntities for talent to succeed in a major wrestling promotion, though not enough according to Jon Moxley. Speaking to The Knockturnal, Moxley acknowledged that despite their being multiple places for talent to flourish, some talented individual will inevitably “slip through the cracks.”
“It sucks. Not everybody’s gonna make it, right? Everyone does their best to mitigate that and to create as much opportunity for as much success as possible.”
The idea of talent in AEW never seeing their own potential “keeps me up at night,” especially when years go by and they don’t progress in their careers. In the interview, Moxley explained how the issue of people not taking the initiative to advance isn’t a problem confined to pro wrestling alone.
“A lot of people in this world now are waiting for everybody else to tell them who they are and what they can do.”
Moxley knows all about taking the initiative. In 2019, he chose to leave WWE, a high-profile role he’d been working in for years, to take a chance on AEW. After growing frustrated with his stagnant role in WWE, Moxley has become one of AEW’s very top stars and is currently in his latest reign as AEW World Champion.
“First, you have to see it, and you have to see everything that you have inside of you and everything that you’re capable of.”
Moxley will defend the AEW World Championship at Dynasty against Swerve Strickland, another man who knows about rising to the occasion. Nevertheless, Moxley remains frustrated that some talent will simply never recognize their true potential in the ring.
Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton stunned fans with their highly personal promo segment during the March 4, edition of WWE SmackDown. During the segment, Stratton poked fun at Flair’s “0-3” record in marriages while Flair suggested that Stratton’s boyfriend Ludwig Kaiser was in her DMs.
According to Fightful Select, the promo has remained a hot topic backstage—particularly among the women’s division. One source told PW Insider that Flair’s final comment about Kaiser was “a flailing punch from a boxer who didn’t realize they were KO’d.”
Sources believe that Flair was thrown-off by the fans’ support for Stratton, and appeared to shift her delivery to win back the crowd. But Stratton had already seized the spotlight, capping the segment with a mic-drop moment that stunned both viewers and those backstage.
Charlotte “didn’t appear to be pleased” backstage after the segment, Fightful adds. With that said, one performer said that Tiffany “had to fight back” after Flair had previously dominated one of their earlier promos.
WWE’s post-show response added to the intrigue. Not only were the most controversial lines removed from their official YouTube upload, but Fightful reports that the edits were mandated from higher up as a “specific directve.” As WrestleMania 41 looms, it remains to be seen if WWE will harness the controversy from this segment, or move on and act like it never happened.
AEW has announced a four-hour special episode combining Dynamite and Collision, set to air on Wednesday, June 4. The extended broadcast will serve as part of AEW Fyter Fest and will take place live from Denver, Colorado.
The dual-show format marks a unique presentation for AEW, bringing together its flagship Wednesday night programming and its Saturday show into one extended broadcast.
AEW Fyter Fest has traditionally served as a themed special within the promotion’s calendar. This year’s edition expands its scope with a marathon format.
The June 4 event will air in prime time, offering fans four full hours of AEW content in one night from the Ball Arena in Denver.
In a recent interview with WWE Deutschland, PENTA discussed his iconic mask and potential future plans.
When asked about removing his mask, PENTA confirmed he has no intention of unmasking in the near term. However, looking toward the future, he revealed an intriguing career aspiration.
“My dream match would be a mask versus mask contest against my brother, Rey Fenix,” PENTA shared.
He suggested such a high-stakes encounter might be possible in “10 or 15 years,” emphasizing it would need to be “something special.”
This revelation comes as Rey Fenix made his WWE in-ring debut on SmackDown, defeating Nathan Frazer. The brothers previously competed against each other in a singles match during their time with AEW.
It’s been close to seven years since Chris Jericho last competed in a WWE ring but that could change one day. Speaking at the Horror, Rock, and Wrestle Fest in Manchester, England, Jericho said he’d consider a return even if Vince McMahon was still running things.
“I would have considered a return to WWE before things changed. I mean, you’d be crazy not to consider it.”
Jericho finds it “amazing” that their are now two teams he can ‘play’ for after decades of WWE being the only major promotion around. Now with a highly-successful run in AEW to his name, Jericho shared that while he’s not opposed to returning to WWE, he’s not clamoring for it either.
“It just depends on what the situation is and what’s going on with me at the time. We’ll see.“
Jericho would hardly be the first Superstar to move from WWE to AEW and back to WWE. The biggest success story to date in this transition is Cody Rhodes who is currently nearing one year as Undisputed WWE Champion. CM Punk stunned fans with his return to WWE, mere months after being terminated from AEW in 2023.
More recently, it has been reported that Miro will be returning to WWE while many believes recent teases on SmackDown are for Aleister Black. As for Jericho, the first-ever AEW World Champion, he won’t count out walking down the entrance as a WWE Superstar once again.
Kevin Owens has responded to recent comments by former WWE Superstar Matt Riddle calling him and Sami Zayn “very difficult” to work with. KO says he doesn’t have any personal issues with Riddle, but isn’t surprised that his attitude and poor decision making led him out of WWE.
“It’s funny coming from him, I have nothing against him at all but you know, to me, he’s a guy who had really amazing opportunities handed to him like being Randy’s tag partner, and basically getting to ride the coattails of a legend & he managed to screw it all up.
not because of his abilities, but because of his own attitude and poor choices, so for him to say we’re hard to work with and he couldn’t get a word in…there is a pretty good reason for that. You look at our track record and his track record, I think that speaks for itself.”
Riddle made comments about Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn being difficult during an appearance on the Going Ringside podcast.
The “King of Bros” named Sheamus as one of the physically toughest opponents he worked with, but mentioned that working with Owens and Zayn presented unique challenges. He noted that it was tough to communicate effectively with them, saying, “It’s hard to put a complete sentence together with those guys, if you know what I’m saying”.
Riddle currently wrestles for Major League Wrestling, where he’s the reigning MLW World Heavyweight Champion.
Kevin Owens confirmed on last night’s WWE SmackDown that he will soon undergo neck surgery, forcing him to miss WrestleMania 41 and putting his wrestling career in jeopardy. Speaking to Robbie Fox on My Mom’s Basement podcast, Owens revealed that the injury stemmed from a match in January. He noted the issue arose despite receiving a clean MRI just a month earlier.
“I have to go have neck surgery which, you know, 25 years in with the stuff I’ve done, I feel like it was bound to happen,” Owens said. “But it sucks man, the timing sucks for sure.”
The former Universal Champion expressed particular frustration about missing a planned singles match against Randy Orton at WWE’s biggest annual event. “Not getting to wrestle Randy Orton at WrestleMania really sucks, that’s the part that bugs me the most,” he added.
“In December, I did a full body MRI just on my own for curiosity… at the time the report came back that my knees were [messed up]… but your spine and your neck and everything looks good. But then in January I had a match, and in the match two things happened that really jarred my neck, and that’s when the issues started.”
Owens estimated a recovery period of six to twelve months, based on cases involving similar injuries.
Beyond the injury itself, Owens criticized how the news of his condition surfaced before he had a chance to announce it publicly.
“It really annoys me actually… whoever leaked it is some office employee that shouldn’t know this stuff in the first place,” he said. “Now they took away my right to tell people because now everybody knows already.”
The injury not only affects his immediate WrestleMania plans but also puts other dream matches in jeopardy. Owens shared his disappointment about likely missing a final chance to face John Cena, reflecting on the ten-year anniversary of their first encounter. “I was really hoping I’d get to do that before he’s done,” Owens said.
With couple of weeks left for the show, they were involved in a war of words on the blue brand. Stratton mentioned Flair’s personal real-life relationship issues and things got very personal on the show. Stratton was referencing Flair’s divorce from Andrade and said:
“When it’s all said and done, you’re going to be just like you are outside of the ring, alone! What is that record, like 0-3?”
Charlotte Flair and Andrade tied the knot in May 2022 after being in a relationship since 2019. However, the couple divorced on October 20th, 2024. Flair was previously married to Riki Johnson from 2010 until 2013 and fellow wrestler Thomas Latimer from 2013 until 2015.
WWE star Ludwig Kaiser’s name also got in the mix. After Statton’s jab at Flair’s divorce, ‘The Queen’ made a comment about Stratton’s real-life boyfriend Ludwig Kaiser, saying:
“Is that why Kaiser’s in my DMs?”
Ludwig Kaiser responds to Charlotte Flair’s remarks
The former Imperium member has also responded to Charlotte Flair’s comments from her fiery exchange with Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown. Kaiser dropped a video of Shawn Michaels telling Diana Smith:
It was reported that both Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton went “off-script quite a bit” during this heated segment, as the pair reportedly said little of what was on the script. WWE had also posted an official clip of the personal comments, but later deleted it.
This is not the first time WWE wrestlers have gone off the script. The heated moment has created visible tension but at the end of the day it is hopeful that they keep it professional in the ring when they face each other at WrestleMania 41.
Kevin Owens is facing a significant setback. On Friday’s SmackDown, he revealed that he’ll be out of action for several months due to a neck injury requiring surgery. This announcement was heartbreaking for Owens and the fans just weeks before his scheduled WrestleMania 41 match against Randy Orton.
Owens explained that he had been dealing with the injury for four months, during which time doctors tried to find the issue and whether for him to get surgery. The uncertainty surrounding his return timeline is unclear. The news led to a frustrated reaction from Randy Orton, who, upon learning his WrestleMania match was off, hit an RKO on SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis.
A report from PWInsider.com confirms the legitimacy of Owens’s injury, with a source describing it as “awful.” Notably, there’s talk amongst WWE talent that Owens is facing potential fusion surgery. This type of surgery often involves a lengthy recovery period, causing Owens to miss months of action.
The WWE company’s reaction has been sympathy and sadness for Owens. Multiple sources expressed concern and support for Owens during this difficult time.
SEScoops wishes Owens all the best in his journey to recovery.
Dominik Mysterio has a good reason to hate CM Punk.
Dirty Dom, along with Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan recently had an interview with Sprotskeeda to promote WWE content moving to Netflix in India. The duo talked about things such as their relationship with Finn Balor, John Cena’s heel turn and more.
Mysterio has been a fierce hater of the Straight Edge Star since his return to the company in 2023. Dominik was Punk’s first opponent after his return to the promotion and the two have been at odds since then.
What’s Wrong With Him: Dominik Mysterio
When asked why he hates CM Punk, the former NXT North American Champion recalled his encounters with Punk as a child when the former World Champion was feuding with his deadbeat dad, Rey Mysterio:
“I hate CM Punk. Why? Because he’s old. He disappeared for what? 30 years and came back. He’s now 60, and he’s still wrestling. He tortured me when I was a kid. So I was 12 years old, and he was probably 45 at the time, maybe 50?”
Dominik Mysterio held off something he wanted to say about the former AEW star but questioned him over his actions back in the day:
“So, like, I don’t know, what’s up — I can’t say that. I’m not gonna say that…. But I don’t like CM Punk. He traumatized me as a kid. Like, who does that to a 12-year-old? What’s wrong with him?”
During the same tour, Liv Morgan also revealed her dream WrestleMania match involving Punk. You can check out more about it here.
Cody Rhodes made an appearance after this week’s episode of SmackDown from Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois went off air.
While the undisputed WWE Champion was not part of the broadcast, the show had plenty of big names and interesting moments. This included the WWE debut of Rey Fenix and Jacob Fatu winning a US title shot. The episode unfortunately also featured the segment where Kevin Owens announced his neck injury and pulled out from his WrestleMania match with Randy Orton.
The main event of the show was a promo battle between CM Punk, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. The three WrestleMania opponents exchanged words before Punk finally revealed the favor Paul Heyman owes him. The broadcast ended with Punk delivering a GTS to Roman Reigns.
— Just A Wrestling Fan (@WrestlingFan250) April 5, 2025
Cody Rhodes came out after the show went off air and all other stars had left the ring. The WWE Champion competed in a dark match with Solo Sikoa.
The ending of this bout saw Sikoa trying to introduce a chair in the bout. The referee stopped him from using it on Rhodes. As the ref was discarding the chair, however, Sikoa delivered a low blow to his longtime rival.
The Bloodline leader went for his finishing move but Rhodes somehow countered it into a Cross-Rhodes. The American Nightmare delivered two more Cross-Rhodes to finally win the match. Cody cut a short promo afterwards before giving away a signed weight belt to end the night.
CM Punk has finally revealed the favor Paul Heyman owes him.
The Straight Edge Star made his triple threat WrestleMania match with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins official with a contract signing segment last week. Heyman had revealed that the match will be main eventing the show of shows, a lifelong dream of Punk.
The three stars met once again for a promo battle on this week’s episode of SmackDown from Chicago. Roman was the first to come out. He took credit for the match being a WrestleMania main event and asked Punk to come out and reveal the favor he keeps talking about.
Seth Rollins came out ahead of Punk and exchanged words with his former Shield partner. Rollins then said that he wanted to hear the Straight Edge Star himself.
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) April 5, 2025
CM Punk finally made his entrance to a thunderous applause in his hometown. He explained that his favor was about things like friendship and legacy.
The former AEW star then referenced the old WWE management, telling a story about how Paul made him promise that Punk would ask for Heyman to be in his corner whenever he main evented WrestleMania.
Now the old management is not here anymore, so he has decided that Roman Reigns will have to deal with it. Punk revealed that Heyman will be in his corner at the upcoming event instead of The Tribal Chief.
Reigns looked distraught at this revelation and shoved Heyman into a corner. Punk saved the Wiseman, however, and delivered a GTS to Reigns. The segment and the show then ended with Punk and Rollins staring each other down.
Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton held nothing back on the April 4, edition of WWE SmackDown when the blue brand came to Chicago, IL. It turns out that the pair went too far for WWE’s liking as some lines from this segment have been cut from the replay. One line cut saw Stratton reference Flair’s recent divorce.
“When it’s all said and done, you’re going to be just like you are outside of the ring, alone! What is that record, like 0-3?”
Flair fired back, claiming that Stratton’s boyfriend Ludwig Kaiser had been in her DMs, suggesting infidelity by the German Superstar. On social media, WWE uploaded the segment but kept these highly-personal barbs away.
Sources say that the segment was unscripted, and that these personal barbs kept many fans off-guard. This segment proved that neither woman is willing to pull punches, even if these comments crossed the line for those behind the scenes at this week’s SmackDown.
Flair and Stratton will battle at WrestleMania 41 with Stratton’s WWE Women’s Championship on the line. It remain to be seen if these personal barbs help or hurt the in-ring performance of the pair when they battle in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.
Giulia is officially back from injury. The Beautiful Madness wrestled at the April 4 NXT live event in Crystal River, Florida—marking her first match since losing the NXT Women’s Championship to Stephanie Vaquer at NXT Roadblock on March 11.
Giulia’s return to in-ring action follows a noticeable absence and reports that she was injured. Many believed that the reported injury led to WWE hurrying into a title-for-title match with Vaquer, a match thatt should have received a lot more build. Despite reports, WWE never confirmed that Giulia was out with an injury.
The mystery only deepened when Giulia appeared at an NXT live show on March 22 and attacked Cora Jade, suggesting she was still involved in ongoing storylines. It’s unclear when fans will see Giulia will be back on WWE NXT programming and what will be in store for her when she returns.
Since arriving in WWE in 2024, Giulia has been a tour de force both on-screen and at live events. Her return only demonstrates that it’s hard to keep the former NXT Women’s Champion down.
Jacob Fatu is officially heading to WrestleMania 41 to challenge LA Knight for the WWE United States Championship, following a brutal showdown with Braun Strowman on SmackDown.
The high-stakes match saw both superstars deliver heavy-hitting offense, including a massive spot where Strowman launched both men through the security barricade. The action soon spilled into the crowd, culminating in a dangerous fall from stacked road cases through a table.
Despite the chaos, the match returned to the ring, where Fatu sealed the win by driving Strowman through a table in the corner with a devastating hip attack. Though both competitors were nearly counted out, Fatu beat the referee’s count, while Strowman remained down.
With the victory, Jacob Fatu now moves on to face LA Knight for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 41.
