A new trademark application filing indicates WWE will be launching a new event in the coming months. Last Friday, October 28, World Wrestling Entertainment applied to trademark the term QUEEN OF THE RING.
According to the United States Patent & Trademark Office database, the usage for the phrase will cover “Wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered through broadcast media including television” as well as merchandise and other related uses.
We’re already in November and WWE’s premium live events calendar is set for the remainder of the year, but WWE fans can expect to see the crown a King and Queen of the Ring in 2023.
Searching for a Queen
(WWE)
WWE has crowned many ‘Kings of the Ring’ over the years, but never a Queen of the Ring. We’ve had Sensational Queen Sherri and Queen Sharmell, but they were crowned by association to their royal male counterparts.
WWE held the inaugural Queen’s Crown tournament last year. Zelina Vega was crowned the winner at Crown Jewel in October 2021. She reigned as Queen Zelina until May 2022, when she was forced out of action due to an injury that required surgery. Vega recently returned to WWE television (without the Queen gimmick) and now leads the Legado Del Fantasma faction on the SmackDown brand.
The King and Queen honors have helped breathe life into various mid-card acts over the years. The news of a Queen of the Ring tournament comes amid buzz that WWE is looking to hold another all-women’s Evolution premium live event next year as well.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley would likely have to decline a chance to return to WWE at this point in his life.
He took to his podcast, “Foley Is Pod,” to explain. Over the course of his legendary career inside the ring Foley suffered a multitude of injuries that are catching up with him. At this point in his life, Foley admits he can’t remember a written promo or storyline.
“Now, I can’t remember a written promo. And that’s one of the reasons why if I do get a call for [WWE] TV, I’m more likely to say no. Because I don’t — I saw it in 2012, the year we’re covering, that I make a difference.
“And I thought I was one of the few returning guys who could make a difference or who wanted to make a difference. Because that was my primary goal. If you’re going to bring me back, I want to help out a storyline.
“I don’t want to just get the pop, I don’t wanna just promote something I have coming up, I want to make a difference. And now I cannot, I cannot remember a storyline. And I don’t wanna just be a hanger-on in the back on ‘Old School Day.
“But as far as remembering, as far as long-term memory, I think it’s as strong as its ever been.”
Mick Foley was a huge star for WWE in the 90s during the company’s Attitude Era. He’s a three-time WWE Champion and eight-time Tag Team Champion alongside partners such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kane, The Rock, and more.
He was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame back in 2013. Foley did return in 2016 as the General Manager for Monday Night RAW under Stephanie McMahon for a brief time.
However, that stint lasted a little less than a year as Foley was written off TV the following March in 2017. Since, Foley has made sporadic appearances on WWE TV, his last being in 2019 to help unveil the new WWE 27/7 Title.
Madcap Moss knows exactly who he’d like to wrestle against at WrestleMania 39 next year.
Since his days as the goofy sidekick to Baron Corbin have come to an end, Moss begun his journey as a singles competitor in WWE. He’s found quite a bit of success since, winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
However, Moss is now seeking his very own “WrestleMania moment.” The SmackDown star appeared on “WWE Deutschland” recently and discussed next year’s WrestleMania 39 show from California.
In regards to who he’d potentially like to share the ring with at the show. Moss didn’t hesitate to name the current “Honorary Uce” Sami Zayn.
“Sami Zayn, the Honorary Uce,” Madcap Moss said. “I just can’t decide how I feel about him because I just can’t take my eyes off of him. He’s so entertaining.
“But, at the time, I have my fist balled up every time I watch him and I just want to punch him right in the face at the same time … Either way he’s an unbelievable performer, you know, all craziness aside he’s one of the best on the mic, in the ring.
“You know what he did this past year at WrestleMania with Johnny, Johnny Knoxville, how fun was that match? An absolutely all time match right there.”
Moss went on to praise Zayn and the current work he’s doing on SmackDown, claiming the Bloodline member is “firing on all cylinders” at the moment.
“It feels like he is his own performer that is, every little movement he makes, every face he makes, you know, the way he talks is unique to him and it feels like a unique performance each and every week,” Moss said.
“I think he’s firing on all cylinders and I don’t think there is anyone who is more entertaining than Sami Zayn right now.”
We have some news to pass along regarding a scrapped segment from this week’s episode of WWE RAW.
This week’s episode of Monday Night RAW had quite a bit to unpack, as it was the go-home episode before this weekend’s Crown Jewel event from Saudi Arabia.
Some big moves were made to set up matches ahead of the show, however, it appears one traditional segment was scrapped from the show.
Being that this week’s episode was broadcast on Halloween night, there were a few traditions WWE were expected to keep up with on the show. According to a report from Fightful Select, a Halloween party segment was, in fact, planned for the show initially.
A food fight, involving pumpkin pies, was pitched, as is tradition. However, that never ended up happening. A handful of extras were also on deck for the show, but were ultimately never used.
Matt Riddle
It’s believed the segment was nixed due to time constraints given everything WWE had to do ahead of Crown Jewel this weekend. It should be noted, however, that the show did feature it’s traditional “Trick or Street Fight,” which saw Matt Riddle pick up a fun win over Otis.
This week’s WWE RAW also featured some other big moments, including new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions being crowned, as the duo of Alexa Bliss and Asuka topped Damage CTRL’s IYO SKY & Dakota Kai for the gold.
Will The Rock return to WWE in early 2023 to have the long-awaited WrestleMania showdown with Roman Reigns?
That has been the question a ton of fans have been asking, and one that certainly seems possible.
Both Rock and Reigns have teased the match, and it was during an episode of Young Rock that it was teased a match that big could only happen at WrestleMania.
Not Returning?
Earlier this year, it was reported that The Rock’s usually full filming schedule is free for the first quarter of 2023.
Many have taken this as a sign that the Brahma Bull will return to WWE and have a program with the reigning Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
Speaking to SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall, ex-WWE Head Writer and close friend of The Rock Brian Gewirtz gave another possible suggestion.
“I saw an internet report at one point saying ‘Oh The Rock’s not shooting any movies in February.’ I don’t know if he is or not but he is launching with Dany [Garcia] a gigantic football league so that might take some time too.”
Gewirtz was with WWE for years and now works as part of The Rock’s ‘Seven Bucks Productions.
5 Opponents for Roman Reigns after WWE Crown Jewel
The XFL
The “gigantic football league” Gewirtz is referring to is the XFL, which is looking to kick-off in early 2023.
The league, originally the creation of Vince McMahon, was purchased by The Rock and business partner Dany Garcia in 2020.
This will be the third attempt at the league after the first in 2000 lasted just one season due to low ratings.
The second attempt in 2020 was forced to end early due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
New WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka and Alexa Bliss won’t have long to savor their win, as the titles will be up for grabs at this Saturday’s Crown Jewel.
Bliss and Asuka won the titles during this week’s Raw, in what was Asuka’s first televised match in close to two months.
This marks both women’s third reign as Tag Champions (albeit with different partners) and the third partner for Asuka, who previously held gold with KAIRI and Charlotte Flair.
The Rematch
Just five days after winning the titles, Asuka and Bliss will put the Women’s Tag Team Championships on the line against Damage CTRL.
Bliss and Asuka will face former Champions Dakota Kai and IYO SKY, who had a 49-day reign before it was ended this week.
On Twitter, Damage CTRL’s Bayley added that she will “stop at nothing” to make things right for the group.
Bayley will also compete at Crown Jewel, where she will face Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair for the gold in a Last Woman Standing match.
Crown Jewel 2022 will mark the first time Asuka, SKY, and Kai have competed at a Saudi Arabia event.
Crown Jewel 2022
In addition to these two title matches, WWE Crown Jewel will see Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defend against Logan Paul.
The O.C. will be in action against the Judgment Day while Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley will have their long-awaited rematch from January.
Drew McIntyre will face Karrion Kross inside a Steel Cage, as the Scottish Warrior seeks to finally defeat his nemesis.
The Usos will put the Undisputed WWE Tag Titles on the line against the Brawling Brutes while Braun Strowman will have a meeting of the giants with Omos.
Bodhi Hayward has made it clear that he isn’t pleased to lose his job with WWE NXT this week.
Hayward was released yesterday and was one of five to be cut, alongside Sloane Jacobs, Ru Feng, Damaris Griffin, and Erica Yan.
Prior to his release, Hayward had been a regular feature on NXT TV as part of Andre Chase’s Chase University.
Embarrassed
Hayward’s release from WWE was certainly surprising, though it has been reported that he was a handful to work with backstage.
Taking to social media, Hayward addressed his release, saying:
“What up Brodies, it’s your boy, Bodhi Hayward … Brady Booker. Here to tell you that I was just released from the WWE. I’m hurt. I’m embarrassed. And Brodies, I’m just down bad.
For the last 18 months, Andre Chase University and wrestling has been my whole life. I’m no stranger to adversity. Adversity has been something that has come up my whole life, and I’ve found a way to get on top.
I will do it again. I’m Brady Booker, and I’m here to stay.”
Brodhi Hayward.
There is no word on what kind of non-compete clause is in effect, though if previous releases are anything to go by, Hayward and the others can’t wrestle for 30 days.
Out of the five Superstars released, Hayward was by far the most surprising, given he had been a regular on TV as part of Chase U.
Hayward’s antics with the group had proven to be popular, and he had regularly appeared alongside Thea Hail.
On last night’s WWE NXT, Duke Hudson, who attacked Hayward in his final appearance before Bodhi’s release, tried to become the newest student of Chase U.
The Great Muta recently appeared in All Elite Wrestling to help Sting and Darby Allin against the House of Black at Dynamite: Grand Slam.
The wrestling legend announced that he will be retiring from in-ring competition next year and announced a retirement tour for January.
A match between WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura and The Great Muta at Pro Wrestling Noah New Year 2023 (Jan 1, 2023) was announced this week. It will take place in Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Pro Wrestling Noah had concerns about All Elite Wrestling’s reaction to them working with WWE but apparently, there are no issues at all.
According to Wrestling Inc’s Dominic DeAngelo, Triple H contacted Pro Wrestlng Noah to make sure that the match was still available, and legendary manager Sonny Oono reached out to smooth over any issues.
Noah wanted to protect the newly developing relationship with AEW,” Oono stated, playing the role of facilitator. “I made sure they were no objections from various promotions.
Sting and The Great Muta will team up on January 22nd, 2023 at Noah’s Great Muta Final Bye-Bye event. The partnership between AEW and Noah was also brought together by Oono.
“Sting joining together on Muta’s last event was a wish of Muta,” Oono said, who thinks it’s great for wrestling when you break down barriers. “I’m glad I could help make it possible!”
Former WWE writer/producer Freddie Prinze Jr. hasn’t been a fan of Triple H’s booking of Damage CRL lately.
Damage CTRL arrived in WWE at this year’s SummerSlam event in Nashville, Tennessee. The group (Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY) debuted following Bianca Belair’s successful title defense against Becky Lynch. Damage CTRL surrounded The EST but Becky Lynch turned babyface and stood by the champion.
Since SummerSlam, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY made it to the finals of the Women’s Tag Team Championship tournament but lost to Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah. Damage CTRL then won the titles a couple of weeks later, only to lose them to Asuka & Alexa Bliss last night on WWE RAW.
Bayley has been in a long feud with Bianca Belair. She pinned the champion in a 6-woman tag team match at Clash at the Castle in September. Belair retained over Bayley in a Ladder match at WWE Extreme Rules in Philadelphia.
However, the Role Model was able to defeat Bianca in a non-title match in the main event of last week’s RAW after Nikki Cross interfered. Bianca is set to defend the RAW Women’s Championship against Bayley once again in a Last Woman Standing match at WWE Crown Jewel this Saturday. It was announced that Dakota Kai & IYO SKY will have a rematch for the titles at the premium live event as well.
Former WWE writer and actor Freddie Prinze Jr. questioned the booking of the heel faction on a recent episode of his “Wrestling with Freddie” podcast recorded before Dakota & IYO dropped the titles.
Freddie wondered if WWE is done with pushing Bayley and said that he doesn’t understand what the company is trying to do with Damage CTRL.
I guess WWE’s done with Bayley,” Prinze says. “She lost to Candice LeRae, she’s losing to everybody. The entire Damage CTRL situation is a tag team championship on two girls that I don’t know if they’re going to get over.
Whenever I see something not working,” he continued, “I just want to kill it. Blow it up. It’s wrestling, that’s been wrestling’s mo from the dawn of time. I don’t know what they’re trying to do with this.
Bryan Danielson battled Sammy Guevara on last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
The American Dragon picked up the victory but there is some friction brewing within the Blackpool Combat Club.
Danielson recently battled Chris Jericho for the ROH Championship but lost after Daniel Garcia betrayed him. The storyline was that Danielson and Jericho were battling over whether Garcia was a sports entertainer or a professional wrestler.
Garcia opted to be a sports entertainer and aligned with the Jericho Appreciation Society. Wheeler Yuta of the BCC confronted Danielson backstage and mocked him for not seeing the attack by Garcia coming.
Danielson and Yuta had a shoving match before former ROH Champion Claudio Castagnoli broke it up. Danielson smacked Yuta in the face during the argument. Bryan later defeated Sammy Guevara in a singles match on Dynamite.
Jim Cornette on Wheeler Yuta Yelling at Bryan Danielson
Wrestling legend Jim Cornette reviewed the verbal exchange between Bryan Danielson and Wheeler Yuta on episode 455 of The Jim Cornette Experience.
Cornette said that he hopes this leaves to Danielson turning heel but suggested it is more likely that AEW President Tony Khan thought the argument would be a good segment.
So now the babyfaces are fighting amongst themselves, and if it means that Danielson will eventually turn out of this then great.
I don’t care how it happens. But I don’t have any confidence that is what they are setting up.
I think the babyfaces are just arguing because Tony (Khan) thinks it might be swell.
Co-host Brian Last questioned how into Wheeler Yuta AEW fans are and if he should be the one shouting in Bryan Danielson’s face. Cornette noted that there is an established section of fans that are into everything AEW does.
What did we determine now? Is it six or seven hundred thousand that love the whole Elite thing, the whole Harpo (a Cornette nickname/ reference to Harpo Marx for Kenny Omega) thing, and love all the play wrestlers.
They are going to love Yuta because he’s been embraced by all their favorites.
And everyone that wants to watch a major league wrestling program on National Television are sitting there wondering ‘what the f*** is this?’.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit The Jim Cornette Experience with a H/T so SEScoops for the transcription.
The November 1, 2022 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Grayson Waller defeated R-Truth
Kiana James defeated Thea Hail
Odyssey Jones defeated Javier Bernal
Zoey Stark defeated Indi Hartwell
Cora Jade defeated Valentina Feroz
Pretty Deadly def. Bron Breakker and Wes Lee to retain NXT Tag Team Titles
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Let’s celebrate
Mandy Rose had her one-year NXT Women’s Championship celebration.
Rose defeated Alba Fyre to successfully defend the NXT Women’s Championship at Halloween Havoc. In her first championship match, she defeated Raquel Rodriguez on October 26, 2021, at Halloween Havoc.
Toxic Attraction praised Rose for making them dominate and how much they’ve helped her. They aired a video package recapping their success. Rose said that she was a barbie doll before coming to NXT and she bet on herself to rebuild herself. She called it the greatest decision she’s ever made. She said that ratings and numbers don’t lie. She said that fans didn’t think she could hold the titles. Fyre came out to attack the group and put Dolin through a table.
NXT Champion Bron Breakker defeated Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh in a triple threat match in the main event of Halloween Havoc.
In an interview from last week, Apollo Crews revealed that Breakker would be a guest on the show the following week. As Grayson Waller was now behind him and will be competing for the championship he set his sights on when he returned to NXT earlier this year, he also indicated wanting to contend for it.
On this show, Bron commended Wes Lee for working his way up the ranks to win the North American Championship. He also praised Julius Creed for defending the career of his brother. Breakker was interrupted by NXT Tag Team Champions Kit Wilson and Elton Prince of Pretty Deadly, who cracked jokes about Breakker.
Breakker asked Pretty Deadly what they wanted. Wilson argued that they were deserving of greater ceremony than Bron or Wes. Wes acts as if he’s in a Lifetime series, according to Wilson. When Wes Lee arrived, he urged Pretty Deadly to stop talking. Prince stated that he didn’t respect Wes and that they needed to discuss Pretty Deadly right away. Bron challenges them to a title match with Lee being his partner.
The match saw Carmelo Hayes knock Lee off the top rope and Lee was pinned. Post-match, Von Wagner laid out Breakker while Crews looked on.
R-Truth vs. Grayson Waller in a singles match took place.
Last week, R-Truth made an unexpected appearance to announce that he was prepared to host Halloween Havoc, which had already happened a few days before. A match between Truth and Waller was set up for this week following conversations with both Wes Lee and Waller.
Truth caught Waller with a Tope Con Hilo, but his foot caught the top rope. During the commercial break, he was checked on.
The ref called for the bell when the show cut back and Alicia Taylor announced Waller as the winner via ref stoppage. Post-match, Waller took the mic and bragged about beating a veteran. He said NXT is Waller’s house and ain’t nothing gonna change that.
Schism (Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler, Jagger Reid, and Raine) had a sit-down interview.
Raine was unmasked last week and revealed as the newest member of Schism, after a mysterious hooded figure had been spotted on NXT for several weeks. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s oldest daughter is Raine (Simone Johnson). In her debut, Raine cut a brief promo.
On this show, Gacy said that Raine chose them and not the other way around because her entire life, people have been asking and wanting something from her. The group talked about how fans compare them to other groups and none of that is true. They said that they are not responsible for Vic’s reactions. Raine said that no one brainwashed her and the group can do so much more together than on her own. She said that Cameron Grimes doesn’t get to turn them down and get away with it. Gacy will wrestle Grimes next week.
Odyssey Jones is back
Odyssey Jones made his in-ring return on this show when he beat Javier Bernal.
Following their attempt to capture the NXT Tag Team Titles, Malik Blade & Edris Enofé were treated to a party by Jones on the NXT program that aired last Tuesday. Jones hasn’t participated in an NXT televised match since December 2021 due to a ruptured patellar tendon that occurred in January.
Unfortunately, it looks like R-Truth was injured during his match against Grayson Waller on Tuesday’s episode of WWE NXT.
The opening match on the show ended earlier than expected. Truth caught Waller with a Tope Con Hilo, but his foot caught the top rope. Truth immediately clutched his leg after the impact. During the commercial break, he was checked on. Truth was being helped to the back and it was decided that the match would be called off.
The Injury
Alicia Taylor announced Waller as the winner via ref stoppage. Post-match, Waller took the mic and bragged about beating a veteran. He said NXT is Waller’s house and nothing will change that.
Truth has been appearing on television more often than he had been as of late as he would interrupt segments where the word “Truth” was used.
On last week’s NXT, Truth interrupted a promo between Wes Lee and Waller. Truth and Waller exchanged words, with a match being set up for this show. While on Monday’s Raw, he interrupted a promo with Baron Corbin and JBL. The segment ended with Corbin laying out Truth.
We hope to have an injury update shortly and that no major damage was done.
Rhea Ripley has become a thorn in the side of The OC and is now tormenting fans at WWE Live Events.
The 26-year-old was knocked out of the ring during a WWE Live Event today and rolled towards the barricade that separates the superstars from the fans.
Ripley reached under the barricade and untied a fan’s shoe before rolling away. WWE uploaded video of the mischievous incident on their official Twitter account.
The OC are Looking for Help to Deal with Rhea Ripley
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson recently returned to WWE and reunited with AJ Styles to reform The OC (The Original Club). Finn Balor had been trying to recruit AJ to The Judgment Day but The Phenomenal One declined the offer.
The Judgment Day attacked Styles which led to Gallows and Anderson making the save. On last week’s episode of RAW, Karl Anderson battled Finn Balor in a singles match. During the bout, Rhea confronted Luke Gallows outside the ring and connected with a massive Body Slam.
On last night’s edition of WWE RAW, Rhea attacked Gallows once again during Karl Anderson’s match against Damien Priest. Anderson picked up the victory but it was The Judgment Day that stood tall at the end of the segment. Ripley delivered a low blow to Gallows’ good brothers and left him laying in the ring.
Following last night’s episode of RAW, The OC were interviewed backstage on RAW Talk. AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson admitted that they are struggling with Rhea Ripley and asked interviewer Cathy Kelley to join the group and help them against Ripley. She declined and The OC said that they need to go back to the “drawing board” to deal with Rhea and The Judgment Day.
WWE released several NXT stars on Tuesday, including Bodhi Hayward, who came as somewhat of a surprise because he was involved in a storyline with Andre Chase’s Chase University.
While speaking on today’s Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez noted there is apparently more to the story behind Hayward’s release, and he was said to be a handful to work with.
Waiting for More Details
WWE
“All I will say, because I don’t know all of the details, but there was stuff going on,” Alvarez said. “I guess the easiest way to describe it is apparently Bodhi was a handful. So it wasn’t just ‘well, let’s get rid of this guy’ or whatever. But I did hear from multiple people that it wasn’t just ‘we’re gonna cut some folks, we’re gonna cut this person who was right in the middle of a storyline.’ There was more to Bodhi’s story. That’s really all I can say because I don’t know what the more is. But you know, you got a bunch of guys and whatever and they’re in Florida and there’s a loop and god only knows what can happen.”
Alvarez said that he presumed that the other releases were because they were not improving, and on Monday, he heard that there were six releases, so it’s possible that one name has not gotten out yet or WWE decided to not let this person go.
Dark Side of the Ring is on pause for now while creators Evan Husney and Jason Eisener work on Tales from the Territories.
Both shows are on VICE TV. A few months ago, before the announcement of Tales from the Territories, there were reports and speculation that Dark Side of the Ring had been canceled after the third season.
No Truth
Dark Side Of The Ring
It got to the point where VICE TV put out a statement denying the rumors, saying they were committed to the series. While speaking on Two Man Power Trip, Husney addressed the rumors.
“It was some rumor about how WWE was putting pressure on A&E to not air our shows and it could be too controversial, so they were going to cancel it. VICE would never do that because it’s their most successful show. If Dark Side wasn’t successful, I could see not doing another season. It was this weird thing where, yeah, season three had some controversial moments. I could see where people put two and two together. We see that happen every day in the wrestling news cycle of people guessing with the rumor mill and speculating what one thing means and two things are similar, you put it together and you have a story. That’s how our news cycle works. I totally understand how people come to that conclusion. 99.9% of the time of anything, any conspiracy, is always the most boring answer or reason. In this case, the boring answer is that we just made another show for a second,” he said.
Tales from the Territories debuted in October 2022, and is in conjunction with The Rock’s Seven Bucks Productions. Husney was asked about details for the fourth season.
Husney noted that the season is in the works, and things are still being worked out. He noted there should be an official word made, but they’re not done with the show. Husney pointed out how it would be challenging for them to do both shows at the same time because they’re too much control freaks for that to happen.
It is unknown when Dark Side of the Ring season four will premiere, while Tales from the Territories is currently airing Tuesdays on VICE TV.
There was a scary moment on the October 18th edition of AEW Dynamite during the AEW World Title match between champion Jon Moxley and “Hangman” Adam Page as Page took a King Kong Lariat that turned him inside out.
Page hit the mat and was unresponsive, which led to referee Paul Turner calling AEW Ringside Physician Michael Sampson into the ring where Turner called for the bell, giving Moxley the victory by referee’s decision. After AEW Dynamite went off the air, AEW released a statement that noted Page had suffered a concussion.
Khan Shares an Update
While speaking to First Coast News, Khan said that Page was in “good spirits.”
“He’s doing really well. I talked to him just in the past 24 hours, and also saw him not long after he was officially cleared and saw him after he came back, not long after we took him to the hospital and he got out. It was great to see him in good spirits that night,” Khan said (h/t Fightful). “About 90 minutes after he got hurt, he was smiling and feeling pretty good. That’s about as fortunate as we could be given that he got knocked out in the match.”
Khan praised Turner and Sampson for their work in the situation, noting that it was the “right thing” to call off the match. He said that is what would happen in a big fight, and the doctors took care of him.
It’s currently unclear when Page will be back in the ring. We wish him a speedy recovery.
WWE will present its second and final premium live event of 2022 in Saudi Arabia this Saturday with Crown Jewel.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Saudi Arabia has shared with the United States that they have intelligence about an imminent attack from Iran. The story notes that the attacks are planned for “targets in the kingdom.”
As a result of the warning, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and “several other neighboring states have raised the level of alert for their military forces.”
WWE’s Reaction Following The News
WWE talent is scheduled to fly out to Saudi Arabia this week for Crown Jewel ahead of the show on Saturday. Logan Paul noted that he’s flying out on Tuesday.
However, it appears that nothing has changed on WWE’s end for now as they announced this afternoon Alexa Bliss and Asuka will defend the Women’s Tag Team Titles against IYO SKY and Dakota Kai, a rematch from Monday’s Raw that featured the title change between the two teams.
The leader of the group, Bayley, will also be in action at this show as she meets Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair in a last woman standing match. The show will be headlined by Roman Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Logan Paul.
PWInsider reports WWE is set to go forward with the event and have security protocols in case of emergency.
Saudi Arabia has shared intelligence with the U.S. warning of an imminent attack from Iran on targets in the kingdom https://t.co/dmmXyJnRru
AEW World Trios Champion Rey Fenix is set to battle AR Fox tonight on AEW Dark.
AR Fox is a veteran wrestler on the independent scene, and spent years in Lucha Underground as well as Dragon Gate, and Evolve. Rey Fenix is currently a Trios Champion with Death Triangle (PAC & Pentagon JR).
Fox took to Twitter to hype his match tonight against the Trios Champion.
Ricochet recently dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Gunther. After two successful title defenses against Sheamus, The Ring General is set to defend the title against Rey Mysterio this Friday night on WWE SmackDown.
Bayley & Saraya React to Interview on AEW Dynamite
Saraya, fka as Paige in WWE, arrived in All Elite Wrestling at Dynamite: Grand Slam. The crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium erupted as the inaugural NXT Women’s Champion made her way to the ring. Saraya debuted as Britt Baker, Rebel, Jamie Hayter, and Serena Deeb were attacking AEW Interim Women’s Champion Toni Storm. Her shocking arrival led the heels to retreat.
On last week’s episode of Dynamite, Renee Paquette was about to interview Saraya when Britt Baker interrupted. The two started shouting at each other and Renee put an end to it. Renee yelled that if they wanted to do this they were going to have to do it properly and Britt walked away. It was announced by AEW that Saraya and Britt Baker will have a full interview with Renee on this Wednesday’s show.
After the segment, Saraya posted on social media that Renee basically to them to shut up and she loves “spicy Renee”. Bayley responded that it looked like Renee was in a bit of a pickle. The Anti-Diva then joked that Renee needs some “damage control”, Bayley currently leads the Damage CTRL faction in WWE.
Cody Rhodes has opened up about how his physical therapy after an injury he suffered earlier this year is going.
The top WWE star has been sidelined since this year’s Hell in a Cell premium live event, which took place on June 5 when he wrestled Seth Rollins in the main event of the show with a torn pectoral muscle. He suffered the injury while training for the match, which saw him go over in.
The following night on WWE Raw, Rhodes was written off TV the following night after he was ambushed by Rollins, who had faked showing respect to him moments earlier.
Cody Rhodes’ Recovery
In a post on Twitter, Rhodes gave some details of how his recovery from the injury is going on his Twitter account, where he said the following:
“How’s pt going?” It’s fn’ awful. Everyday we dig into the muscle, then I scream, half the time I spot a tear flowing. It’s a near impossible task getting a bodypart that had been shredded to 100%…or Hell even 90%. But on the worst of days I have the best reason to not tap out.”
He also shared pictures and a video of Rhodes’ daughter Liberty Runnels, dressed in a Halloween costume.
ODB had a long and successful career in TNA/Impact Wrestling as she is a four-time Women’s Knockouts Champion and former Knockouts Tag Team Champion.
She has also worked in NWA and AEW in recent years before returning to Impact in 2021. These days, she is focused on her food truck business.
While speaking on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast, ODB was asked whether there’s anywhere she wants to work that she hasn’t already, including WWE. This is where she revealed that she got a call for the WWE Royal Rumble, though it didn’t pan out.
ODB Was Nearly in the Royal Rumble?
ODB
“I always wanted to go there. Maybe because you got the Rumble, you know. I did get a call for the Rumble, but it didn’t work out. But that would be cool. I always wanted to drive the food truck into the arena,” ODB said.
She was asked to elaborate. She also didn’t mention what year this would’ve been, but did note that someone high up in WWE blocked it from happening. She replied, “They wanted me, but of course, a person [in] upper… someone turned it down. But I did get a couple calls.”
ODB previously talked about how Triple H encouraged her to sign with TNA Wrestling. She named Awesome Kong, Gail Kim, and the Beautiful People as some of her favorite opponents in the promotion.
Another WWE Superstar is set to undergo a name change, but this is one that most fans will appreciate.
WWE has a penchant for shortening wrestler names, a practice that appears to be on its way out since Triple H took over as the head of creative. We’ve also seen countless NXT stars saddled with cringeworthy generic monikers that are straight out of the Superstar Name Generator 3000.
Over the past several weeks, WWE has run vignettes on NXT television depicting a shadowy figure burning a Retribution mask and letting fans know that his ‘second coming’ is imminent.
The Return of Donovan Dijak
T-BAR of the defunct Retribution faction is now listed as Donovan Dijak on WWE’s internal roster, according to a report at PWInsider. Dijak used this name early in his wrestling career, including in Ring of Honor. He wrestled as Chris Dijak and Dominik Dijakovic in NXT before he was repackaged for the short-lived Retribution angle.
Triple H is said to be a strong proponent of Donovan Dijak, so he should fare well upon his return to WWE’s developmental brand. His most recent match for WWE took place on the September 5th edition of Main Event.
Dijak’s Superstar Profile at the WWE website still lists him as T-Bar, but expect to see that change in the coming weeks when he officially returns as his old persona.
WWE has released 5 wrestlers from the NXT developmental brand. The following people are no longer with the company as of Tuesday morning, according to PWInsider:
Bodhi Hayward
Sloane Jacobs
Erica Yan
Damaris Griffin
Ru Feng
Bodhi Hayward (Brady Booker) had recently been featured as part of the Chase U faction. Sloan Jacobs competed in the recent 2022 Women’s Breakout Tournament.
All of today’s released performers have appeared on recent episodes of the NXT Level Up digital series.
We will update this article if there are any more WWE releases.
Fans of Game Changer Wrestling will now have the chance to watch the promotion’s content exclusively on FITE+, the two parties have confirmed.
GCW, formerly Jersey Championship Wrestling, has operated since 1999, but was relaunched in 2013, and focuses on hardcore matches.
The Announcement
It was reported last weekend that GCW would make an announcement concerning streaming content, and some believed a deal had been struck with WWE.
That isn’t the case, as FITE COO Michael Weber and GCW Founder/CEO Brett Lauderdale made the announcement today of GCW content streaming on FITE+.
GCW and FITE will be offering a limited-time seven-day free trial of FITE+, with the regular price being $4.99 a month.
In the statement, Lauderdale said that the company’s growth helped make the deal possible.
“As our schedule becomes busier and our catalog continues to grow, we want to make it easier for all our fans to follow us on this journey. We are proud to continue our partnership with Fite and bring our entire library, along with all future live events to Fite.”
The first live event under the FITE+ deal will be the Nick Gage Invitational, and fans will have instant access to 240 prior GCW events.
We have another indication that Sasha Banks is on her way back to WWE.
Banks (and Naomi) have been off television since May 2022, when the former Women’s Tag Team Champions walked out of a Raw TV taping due to mounting creative differences with the company. The team was suspended indefinitely due to their conduct.
Since then, there have been conflicting reports about Banks and Naomi’s contractual status. WWE name-dropped Banks on commentary during the recent WWE Extreme Rules premium live event, which many saw as a sign that tensions are easing between the two sides.
Banks attended Sunday’s WWE non-televised live event from Mexico City, Mexico on Sunday, October 30th, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. The Boss was there as a special guest and reportedly met with WWE officials, but did not appear in front of the live crowd.
Mexican wrestler Mamba served as a ‘tour guide’ of sorts for Banks and Bayley in Mexico over the weekend, according to Superluchas. Here’s a photo of them together:
A lot has transpired in the 5 months since Banks’ last WWE TV appearance, most notably the dramatic departure of Vince McMahon. Since Triple H took over the reigns of WWE, we’ve heard nothing but great things from talent about backstage morale. We’ve also seen the returns of various popular wrestlers who were released by McMahon, including Bray Wyatt, Johnny Gargano, Braun Strowman, Karrion Kross and countless others.
All of these dynamics bode well for another dramatic WWE return from Sasha Banks. Especially with WrestleMania season right around the corner, the company will want all hands on deck after the upcoming holiday season.
AEW’s controversial former World Champion CM Punk has yet to file any legal action against the company, amid reports of a buyout.
Punk has been absent from programming since September’s All Out Pay Per View due to his actions after the show.
The two-time AEW World Champion had explosive comments on the All Out post-show, with a fight breaking out between himself and the Elite backstage afterward.
Legal Action
It has been suggested by some that Punk could sue AEW if he is released from the company, just over a year after his epic arrival at Rampage: The First Dance.
Others have suggested that AEW could sue Punk, possibly for defamation, after criticizing the company’s EVPs The Elite.
Punk infamously said that Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, wouldn’t know”how to manage a target” and accused them of sharing false information about him.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that no lawsuits have been filed yet from Punk to AEW.
“As far as I know, there aren’t [any lawsuits yet] but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be. I suppose it’s possible on the other side, too, but I have not heard that. I mean the key to this is so much of the stuff has not come out and I don’t know that it ever will.”
Special guest Nick Hausman of Wrestlin Inc added that AEW has not filed any suits at Punk over his comments and behavior.
“I’m under the impression there’s no litigation against Punk at this moment.”
Nick Hausman.
Radio Silence
While fans have been clamoring for answers, Tony Khan has been noticeably silent on the matter and the investigation which has since concluded.
Speaking about AEW’s radio silence, Meltzer added that he doesn’t expect a public statement from Khan no matter what comes next.
“As far as what the investigation shows, I don’t think we’ll ever know that. I don’t think we’ll ever hear anything from AEW on this subject. I mean, maybe in years, we might, but I don’t expect to. Just from the fact that we haven’t [heard anything from AEW yet.]”
While Ace Steel is believed to have been fired from AEW last month, nobody from the company has publicly confirmed this.
