Saraya says she is ready to compete now and only waiting for the right opportunity to make her AEW return.
The former women\’s champion has not wrestled for AEW since last October. After her feud with Jamie Hayter that started at All In London, the wrestling veteran took time off to focus on other projects.
In a new interview with TMZ, Saraya was asked when she would be returning to the ring. The female star confirmed that she is medically cleared to compete and they\’re just waiting on the right storyline to reintroduce her on TV:
\”I don\’t know. I\’m ready to go now. It\’s just trying to find the best way to introduce me again. Which I think I would love to go against Mercedes. I think it\’s important. She ended my career in a way. It\’s wrestling, it happens. But coming back I feel like it\’d be really great to face off against her.\”
Saraya known as Paige in WWE had to retire from active competition in December 2017 after battling neck issues for a long time. Her last match in the company came at a live event where she suffered a neck injury while taking a kick from Sasha Banks now known as Mercedes Mone in AEW.
Apart from this, the former Total Divas star discussed Nikki Bella\’s separation with her husband and the former champion teasing her return to WWE. She also revealed that her current contract with AEW expires later this year. You can check out her comments on the matter here.
Drew McIntyre has opened up about his mom\’s struggles with cancer and how it inspires him to continue pushing the envelope in his wrestling career.
The former world champion spoke to BBC recently to promote Saturday\’s WWE Royal Rumble event. He reiterated his comments about wanting to confront John Cena and discussed the possibility of WrestleMania in Scotland.
Speaking about his late mom Angela, McIntyre talked about her battle with the rare brain condition cerebellar ataxia. Drew mentioned how his mom\’s fighting spirit became the example that led to him achieving his dream of becoming the first name from Scotland to be signed by WWE:
\”I guess her example is what pushed me to do the unattainable. She was living a normal life, working in Littlewoods and suddenly she couldn\’t walk properly (through cerebellar ataxia). She was told perhaps she\’d never live a normal life. She fought through, she met my dad and had my brother and I.\”
Drew McIntyre discussed how his parents supported his dream when most people thought that he was insane. While his mom passed away from cancer in 2012 at the age of 51, she remains the biggest motivation for him to continue working hard:
\”When she became sick the cancer didn\’t slow her down. Just observing her growing up, and everything she went through all the way to the end of her life, keeping her chin up and keeping a positive attitude, had an effect on me. If I\’ve got a superhero for a mum this wrestling dream\’s easy.\”
The Scottish Warrior has declared his entry into the 2025 Royal Rumble alongside other big names such as CM Punk, John Cena and more. You can check out our Royal Rumble hub for the latest news regarding the event.
A third-generation McMahon family member has declared his entry into the Lucas Oil Stadium for Saturday\’s WWE Royal Rumble event.
Declan McMahon, the son of Shane McMahon revealed on Twitter recently that he\’ll be attending the latest WWE PPV. When someone commented that he should enter the Rumble itself, Declan wrote that it\’ll happen soon:
Can’t wait to be at the Royal Rumble tomorrow night in Indianapolis!!!
It\’s unknown if Shane will be accompanying his son at the show. The 55-year-old was last seen on WWE TV during the WrestleMania 39 event where he infamously tore his quad muscle.
The injury led to Snoop Dogg replacing him in the match against the Miz which the rap star won. Shane\’s contract with the company expired in mid-2024 and there have been no updates on a potential return for the risk-taking star.
In a 2023 Interview with WU Online, Declan McMahon had also commented on the potential of a wrestling career like his dad. McMahon who accompanied his dad during the latter WrestleMania 32 entrance had called it \’the coolest experience.\’
While not fully committing to the possibility, Declan had claimed that he would never rule out a potential wrestling debut. Though according to the Football star, it\’s all about the story and he would only enter the business if the right opportunity presents itself.
Stephanie McMahon says she does not miss being an on-screen character.
The former WWE Executive appeared on The Pat McAfee Show to promote her new project. She talked about things such as WWE\’s process of creating stars, the media coming after her family and more.
When asked about her own WWE appearances and if she preferred being a heel or a face, McMahon confirmed that being a villain has always been her calling:
\”Love being a heel. I hate being a babyface. It\’s the worst, the worst. Prefer to be booed, yeah. Even when I was growing up, I always loved the heels. I didn\’t like cheering for [Hulk] Hogan, it just wasn\’t…He was the most over ever but I just…I wasn\’t on the bandwagon.\”
Ever Since Then I Haven\’t Had That Craving: Stephanie McMahon
Stephanie McMahon had been a featured performer for WWE during the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras. She continued making regular appearances for the company till 2023 when she resigned from all her roles in the promotion.
When asked if she misses being a performer and getting reactions from the crowd, the wrestling veteran claimed that she hasn\’t felt that way since her match against Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 34:
\”I think there was a period of time that I have felt that way. I think there\’s various periods of time where I felt that way. But honestly, after I wrestled Ronda and Kurt at WrestleMania, it for some reason, didn\’t become my driving force.
Like it was so amazing that match. What we were able to, the story we were able to tell, what we were able to accomplish. [With] me being the only non-athlete, it was a tall order for me. Ever since then, I haven\’t had that craving. Honestly, it\’s more \’How are they going to react?\’ It\’s not like, \’Oh, I\’m craving them to do this or that.\’
It\’s more like, \’Oh, are they going to react at all when I come out?\’ Because I\’ve really only been out WrestleMania, you know, opening the second night of WrestleMania, and then I\’ve been in the crowd, so it\’s not like I\’ve really been out in front of [everybody].\”
Kurt Angle might be one of the names making a surprise appearance at this weekend\’s Royal Rumble event from Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Olympic Gold Medallist is already scheduled to be in the area. He has been announced as part of the WrestleCon convention alongside other legendary guests such as Sting, Ric Flair and Hacksaw Jim Duggan.
Now Fightful Select is reporting that to people close to him, Angle has divulged that he has been contacted by WWE to participate in something for Saturday\’s Premium Live event.
It\’s unknown what role the company is considering Angle for, but given his physical condition, it\’s likely that he\’ll be appearing in a non-wrestling role if he is indeed brought in for the PPV.
Kurt Angle also recently explained that he is not interested in an extended role with the company so his appearance will be a one-off thing if it happens.
The WWE Hall of Famer is not the only big name expected at the show. The company has already announced that Charlotte Flair will be making her in-ring return at the Premium Live Event after her year-long injury.
Several NXT stars are also expected to be brought in for the show per reports. You can check out a list of the NXT names that might appear at the event here.
The IIconics will be returning to the ring for the first time in more than 2 years during the WrestleMania 41 week.
The duo of Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee have not wrestled since 2022. Their last match came at the TNA\’s Rebellion 2022 pre-show where the two unsuccessfully challenged The Influence for the Knockouts Tag Team Championships.
Now Prestige Wrestling has announced that the former WWE stars will be making their in-ring return at the company\’s Nothing To Lose event from Las Vegas Nevada on April 17th, 2025:
Apart from the IIconics, Prestige Wrestling has also announced names such as Minoru Suzuki & Michael Oku for the WrestleMania week event.
The IIconics are most famous for their WWE run from 2015 to 2021. With their flamboyant personalities, the two stars had managed to become fan favourites in a short amount of time after their TV debuts in 2016. They were considered one of the most entertaining acts of the WWE roster at the time.
However, the company did not do a lot with them after their main roster debut in April 2018. The duo was broken up in mid-2020, before being released as part of the pandemic budget cuts a year later.
Till this date, many believe that the company could have done a lot more with them. Now that they\’re returning to the ring, there is hope that the new WWE management will consider bringing them back.
CM Punk claims he and Paul Heyman have always been friends.
The Straight Edge Star has a long history with the former ECW owner. Apart from their partnership during Punk\’s historic 434 days WWE Championship reign, Heyman has also been a mentor for the Best In The World behind the scenes.
Fans got to see an on-screen reunion between the two recently when Paul brought Punk in to help OG Bloodline win at the Survivor Series: WarGames. WWE has left the possibility of a further collaboration between the two open after this as it was revealed that Heyman owes Punk a favor in return of his services.
The former WWE champion talked about his long association with the Mad Scientist of Wrestling during his interview with Jackie Redmond. When asked to describe his current relationship with Paul Heyman, CM Punk claimed that they\’ve always been friends:
\”We\’re friends. We\’ve always been friends. You know, Paul Heyman obviously is kind of a lightning rod in the wrestling world, I\’ve never worked for Paul Heyman, so I think that\’s why our relationship has always been really, really good. He\’s never [worked for me]. We\’ve just always been friends, you know, like he\’s been other people\’s managers, other people\’s advocates, other people\’s wise man.
You know, for me and him, it\’s always just been friendship. He\’s never signed my checks. I\’ve never relied on him, you know, for where my money comes from. Other people who have may have different feelings on Paul Heyman and I understand that. But that\’s I think why me and him get along so well, and always have.\”
Punk also mentioned how people have made a big deal about the favor from Paul Heyman. The former champion claimed that he doesn\’t actually know when he\’ll cash in the favor and joked that it might be as simple as him calling the wise man to pick him up for a show.
Apart from this, the wrestling veteran talked about things such as his future in the business. Punk claimed that he\’s on the same path as John Cena who has announced his retirement tour for 2025. You can check out his comments on the matter here.
Danhausen wishes he could have worked with William Regal more during the latter\’s AEW run.
The comedy star got to share a brief moment with the wrestling veteran back in 2022. After an episode of Dynamite from New Orleans, Louisiana, The Blackpool Combat Club invited him to the ring. The 34-year-old praised Regal\’s suit and cursed the now former AEW star when he refused to hand over his clothes. Regal played his part perfectly before Bryan Danielson got Danhausen to un-curse him.
The AEW star talked about this segment during his recent interview with Chris Van Vliet. He claimed that William Regal does not get enough credit for his comic work, and expressed disappointment at not being able to do more with the wrestling legend in the promotion:
“I wish I had been able to do more with him on screen because he was also a guy, I took a lot of my facial expressions from. I don’t know why people don’t [realize]. He’s one of the best comedic wrestlers wherever he was, all of that stuff with Tajiri, he’s just making faces constantly.
The match with The Big Show, I see the clip all the time now where he hits him with the brass knuckles and The Big Show falls back and then falls on him, just things like that. He’s a great straight man but he’s also plays a great comedic heel.\”
William Regal made his surprise AEW debut at the 2022 Revolution PPV. His appearance led to the formation of the Blackpool Combat Club. His run with the company only lasted 9 months, however, as Regal returned to WWE in December that year to work with his son.
Apart from Regal, Danhausen also named Christian Cage as someone he\’s taken inspiration from. He noted how Cage has done comedic things like wearing giant sunglasses and hats while maintaining the image of a serious in ring performer and being tag team champion at the same time.
You can check out Danhausen\’s interaction with William Regal below:
Paul Heyman believes CM Punk\’s rivalry with Drew McIntyre shows why the Straight Edge Star is a special performer.
The Mad Scientist of wrestling recently spoke to Justin Barrasso of Undisputed. He discussed things such as Roman Reigns\’ face turn, his Hall of Fame speech and more. The former ECW owner also talked about CM Punk\’s return to WWE and getting the chance to work with him again.
Paul Heyman first claimed that he doesn\’t have any regrets about his past with Punk because everything that happened has led to this moment. He then revealed his thoughts about the former WWE Champion\’s storyline with Drew McIntyre, calling it one of the greatest rivalries of all time:
\”He and Drew McIntyre put together one of the greatest rivalries of all time in a year when Punk was on the disabled list for nine-tenths of the run of their program. It’s fascinating to me how they pulled that off in 2024. It was new when WWE did it with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin in ’98 and ’99, but it is very hard to surprise an audience now. Punk has been a master at pulling it off.”
Punk\’s rise to main event status was originally tied to his rebel persona and disregard for authority. Things have changed since his return to WWE however. Some people find it surprising that he remains as popular despite becoming a company man and acting as an ideal ambassador for the promotion at every turn.
Paul Heyman discussed how CM Punk\’s character and motivations have changed since his last run with the company. At his core, however, the Second City Saint remains a rebel according to Heyman:
“Punk has evolved. The rebel, the disrupter, he still exists. Rebels don’t typically last that long, but this one does. That’s what makes Punk unique, different, and special. We live in an industry where unique, different, and special is rarified air. The only person that I can see who deserves the same credit for being unique and different and special is Roman Reigns.”
Apart from this, Heyman commented on the \’favor\’ he now owes Punk in return of the wrestling veteran helping Roman Reigns and The Bloodline at Survivor Series: WarGames last year. While Paul didn\’t give anything away, he claimed that he\’s \’tickled\’ at being a part of this cliffhanger that has kept people guessing.
CM Punk knows that he is on his way to retirement but he is not putting a date out for it just yet.
At 46 years old, Punk\’s age is definitely a part of the conversation when people talk about his future in wrestling. With his run since his 2021 wrestling return being bogged down by one injury or another, people wonder how many more matches the former world champion has left in him before he calls it a career.
The Straight Edge star was asked if he feels like a clock is ticking over him in his interview with Jackie Redmond ahead of Royal Rumble. CM Punk claimed that he feels great at the moment. Though he also reflected on his 2024 Royal Rumble injury and noted that he realizes that his time in the ring is limited:
\”I feel great right now. I definitely don\’t feel like there is a looming doomsday clock over my head or anything like that. Bur saying that, I also do realize, based on what happened in the last Royal Rumble, that this could all end in a heartbeat.
I never know when my last match is going to be, and you see guys like John Cena doing a full-blown retirement tour. I look at myself like I\’m on the same road as John, maybe just not egotistical enough to announce to everybody, \’Hey, this is it.\’\”
CM Punk explained that he has not set a date on his retirement and he\’s taking things one day at a time. Though he knows that he wants to end his career before anyone can say that he\’s lost a step:
\”I\’m not setting a limit on anything, I\’m just doing my best to bulletproof myself on a daily basis, work as hard on recovery as I do in the gym and in the ring, and not make this twilight of my career extended beyond what people expect of me. I don\’t want to twist in the wind and just like be some old guy.\”
The wrestling veteran also claimed that he gets criticized unfairly because he\’s embracing his age. He mentioned how he doesn\’t dye his beard or his hair because he\’s earned his greys. According to Punk, he was unapologetically himself when he first started wrestling at 15 years of age and he remains the same at 46.
AEW taped the February 1 episode of Collision from Huntsville, Alabama alongside this week\’s Dynamite episode. The show that will go head-to-head with WWE Royal Rumble featured multiple returns. You can check out the full spoilers below:
Singles Match: Rush def. Max Caster – Caster issued an open challenge only to be crushed by returning Rush. The winning star took the mic afterward and yelled at Beast Mortos.
Tag Team Match: Samoa Joe & Hook def Nick Wayne & Kip Sabian – Joe won the match for his team pinning Sabian using a muscle buster. Christian attacked Joe and Hook after the match.
Tag Team Match: Chris Jericho & Bryan Keith defeated The Outrunners – Big Bill who was at ringside tripped Magnum, allowing Keith to get the pin on Floyd. The winners continued with a post-match attack until Bandido\’s music hit. The masked star took Jericho and others out to end the segment.
Mid-South Street Fight: FTR def. Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta – The fight started before everyone could even get to the ring. Mox unsuccessfully tried to use pliers on Dax Harwood\’s nose at one point. Marina Shafir & Claudio Castagnoli kept interfering in the bout until Jay White and Adam Copeland came out to even the odds. In the end, FTR won after taking Yuta out with a spike piledriver on the announce desk.
Toni Storm Promo: Back in her Timeless avatar, Storm admitted to playing the role of The Rockstar for the last six weeks. Toni then talked about Mariah May\’s betrayal and proclaimed that her time is over.
Singles Match: Megan Bayne def. Hyena Hera – Bayne won the match with an F5.
Singles Match: Harley Cameron def. Taya Valkyrie
TNT Championship Match: Daniel Garcia (c) def. Kyle O’Reilly & Lee Moriarty – Garcia won via a roll up on Moriarty. Shane Taylor Promotions and The Infantry surrounded the ring after the match but Undisputed Kingdom\’s music hit and Adam Cole and Roderick Strong came out to chase them away. Adam Cole cut a promo thanking the fans and did his catchphrase with Garcia to end the show.
Chris Masters says CM Punk worked him with his infamous pipebomb promo.
The Straight Edge Star has previously talked about The Masterpiece being one of the first people that he ran into after his iconic promo.
On an AEW Unrestricted episode, Punk had detailed how he had decided to take the side entrance to the backstage area instead of going through the curtain like usual, to add another layer to the mystique of the whole thing. Punk then ran into Masters who didn\’t recognize him at first and seemed shocked by his words.
The former WWE star gave his side of the story during a recent appearance on Rewind Recap Relive podcast. He noted that he couldn\’t recognize Punk because of the lack of lighting in the backstage area. Chris explained that his reaction was like an extra validation for the former AEW star:
\”It was funny, because whatever I said to Punk completely validated his promo to him, because, you know, essentially he had worked me with the promo. Cause I was like, \’Oh my God, what did he say? You know, you\’re gonna get yourself fired.\’
And I think as soon as he heard that, he knew that the promo went over just like, you know, like it was the validation. He knew. Like he already knew. But, you know, sometimes you just need that little extra thing. And I think I was that extra thing to like, you know, because he got me.\”
Chris Masters was also asked about a potential Royal Rumble return. The heavyweight star revealed that he\’s actually tried to get back into WWE the last few years. Masters expressed his disappointment over not getting another opportunity and said that he finds himself at a crossroads in his wrestling career.
Getting success early in wrestling can be both a blessing and a curse for wrestlers. While some wrestlers like Randy Orton are able to convert the early opportunity into a legendary career, there are many others who are not able to take full advantage of it. A lot of such talents end up getting released and spend the rest of their careers chasing another shot at proving themselves. Former WWE star Chris Masters seems to be on the second list who has been chasing that opportunity so long that he is not sure if it\’s worth it anymore.
The Masterpiece was asked about a potential return to WWE during a recent interview with Rewind Relive Recap podcast. Masters, who first signed with WWE in 2003 at the age of 20 talked about how he\’s been trying to get back to a bigger platform for a while. However the 42-year-old is now at a point where he is not sure if he\’ll ever get that opportunity again:
\”I\’d like to, man, I\’ve tried to work for that. I was with NWA for a minute, and that gave me kind of a good, at least, platform to show what I can do. But it\’s tough, man, because I look around the landscape now and I just, I don\’t know where that opportunity is going to come from. It might not be in the cards.
It doesn\’t mean I\’m gonna walk away from wrestling. It\’s just one of those things where wrestling can be…the career of a wrestler goes through a lot where, in terms of, it\’s a love-hate relationship. You love it sometimes, but sometimes you don\’t feel like it\’s loving you back. I\’ve definitely fallen back in love with wrestling,
But I\’ve gotten to the point to now where I just don\’t feel like it\’s loving me back. I definitely feel like my ability is better than it\’s ever been. If given the opportunity, I could do something. But the question is [if] that opportunity\’s going to come and if it is, who\’s it going to come from? I just, I don\’t know,\”
Chris Masters last wrestled under a WWE banner in 2011. Since then, he\’s had runs with TNA and NWA while also maintaining his presence in the independent scene. Though despite his love for the business, the heavyweight star finds himself at a crossroads, thinking about alternate career paths which may be more financially rewarding:
\”No, yeah. I\’m at a crossroads myself, personally. I\’ve been on the indie scene for so long that, it\’s gone to the point where I need something more. Because this can\’t just be it. If this was just going to be it, then I have to pivot, or I have to, at least, do something else in addition to, if nothing else. It\’s one of those things where you just never know what kind of surprises or what\’s going to happen.
But at the same time, I don\’t want to be 5-6-7, years from now, that guy who was like, kind of hoping for that next shot, but just never got it. Since then has just been dithering on the independent scene. And don\’t get me wrong, the independent scene has been a lot of fun. But shoot, you\’re gonna want something more,
Because you can\’t, even with the independent scene you can only work about once or twice a week most times. So there\’s just a lack of fulfilment and there\’s not enough physical reimbursement, I mean, money just straight up. You\’re not…You\’re definitely not planning your retirement just on the independent wrestling scene.\”
The wrestling veteran was also asked about a potential Royal Rumble spot. He revealed that he\’s actually sent feelers in hopes of getting back after seeing a lot of his friends getting the opportunity in the last 3-4 years. He theorized, however, that the powers may be might not be sure about bringing him in, thinking that nobody would remember his earlier run.
Another AEW original might be returning from injury soon.
Former Hybrid2 member Angelico has been out of action since November last year. He last wrestled against Gabe Kidd at the November 7 ROH tapings before going on a hiatus due to a knee injury.
The tag team star provided an update on his status in a social media post earlier on Saturday, saying that his rehab from the knee injury was almost complete:
Angelico is one of the talents who has been with Tony Khan\’s promotion since 2019. He competed at the company\’s first PPV event Double or Nothing.
His team with Jack Evans known as the Hybrid 2 were featured regularly on AEW TV during the early days of the company. Evans left the promotion in 2022 after his contract expired but Angelico has continued his stint with AEW.
He has formed a new team with Serpentico known as the Spanish Announce Project. Their team has been featured regularly on ROH shows.
In the last couple of months, AEW has seen a few big returns. Stars such as Kenny Omega and Adam Copeland have made their comebacks after long hiatus.
The exact date for Angelico\’s return is not known and we\’ll have to see if he is reunited with his partner Serpentico upon his comeback.
Nia Jax suggests that there are a couple of people in the WWE locker room that are not popular.
The former Women\’s Champion recently had an interview with US Weekly. She was promoting her Saturday Night\’s Main Event match against Women\’s World Champion Rhea Ripley.
During the talk, Nia was asked if all the wrestlers get along backstage. The 2024 Queen of The Ring winner gave an interesting answer, suggesting that there are people who are not popular behind the scenes:
“Is this the politically right answer? Should I tell you the real tea? There might be a couple that we’re like, ‘Yo, sit outside. We don’t really want you in here,’ I’m not gonna say any names. We’ll keep it quiet.”
Though later on Nia Jax assured that there is genuine camaraderie among members of the women\’s locker room and everyone is willing to help each other out:
\”For the most part in our women’s locker room, we all get along, we’re willing to help each other out … If one of us is like, ‘Hey, I’m about to do a promo, a match and a brawl, I need food,’ the girls are like, ‘Hey, whatever you need.’ We do really support each other.\”
Jax was unsuccessful in her quest to dethrone Ripley at the January 2025 edition of Saturday Night\’s Main Event. We\’ll have to see if Nia Jax, who is officially a SmackDown star continues making appearances on Raw after this or redirects her focus on Tiffany Stratton on the blue brand instead.
Braun Strowman was left a bloodied mess after his encounter with Jacob Fatu on the January 2025 edition of Saturday Night\’s Main Event.
The two monsters held nothing back when going up against each other in a singles match during the show. Neither of them got the decisive lead in the first half of the match and they kept countering each other\’s attacks. The action went outside the ring towards the ending of the bout when Fatu rolled out to recover from an attack by Strowman.
The Monster Among Men followed the Warewolf and delivered a Strowman Express, knocking his opponent into the barricade. He sent Jacob crashing through the announce table with a second Strowman Express. The former Universal Champion then signalled the third repetition of the move but this time, Fatu caught him with a Samoan Drop on the announce table.
After sending Strowman through the steel steps, Fatu got him back into the ring and delivered a running hip attack. Fatu continued with the move delivering not one but six hip attacks. As he set up for the seventh hip attack, the referee tried to stop him but the Samoan star threw the ref out of the ring. He then delivered two more hip attacks as the bell rang.
The Samoan Warewolf did not stop even after disqualification and he introduced a chair as the security ran down to try and stop him. Fatu took out one guard by throwing a chair at him and delivered a clothesline to another. Nick Aldis came out with more officials to hold Fatu back as Strowman was shown bleeding from mouth.
Braun slowly rolled out of the corner but this allowed Jacob Fatu to catch him with a moonsault. Fatu delivered another moonsault before leaving the ring. The Bloodline members however was not done yet. He returned to deliver yet another moonsault on his opponent before finally walking off, leaving Strowman a bloody and broken mess.
Cody Rhodes came out to show his appreciation for his friend Jey Uso after the January 2025 Saturday Night\’s Main Event from San Antonio went off air.
The Yeet Man challenged Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of tonight\’s show. Despite a valiant effort, the Bloodline star unfortunately came up short and the Ring General retained the title with two back-to-back Powerbombs.
The American Nightmare came out after Gunther had left the arena and the broadcast had come to an end. He cut a short promo for Uso who remained in the ring and proclaimed that Jey\’s time will come one day:
\”Michael Cole just said it, you guys all know it, you just watched that match. He said Jey Uso\’s time will come. I know it doesn\’t feel good Jey, I\’ve been there. But you\’re a champion to me, you\’re a champion to everybody here, let\’s hear it for my friend Jey Uso.\”
Cody Rhodes then hugged Jey before turning his attention to Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias who was sitting with the audience. Rhodes invited the celebrity to the ring and the three stars then played the crowd to end the show on a happy note.
The Undisputed WWE Champion had his own segment at tonight\’s show before this where he signed the contract for his upcoming Royal Rumble match with Kevin Owens. The segment ended with the moderator Shawn Michaels getting physical and delivering a Sweet Chin Music. You can watch that here.
Kevin Owens got taken out by Shawn Michaels at the January 2025 Saturday Night\’s Main Event from San Antonio, Texas.
The Heartbreak Kid moderated the contract signing segment between KO and Cody Rhodes for their upcoming Undisputed WWE Championship ladder match at Royal Rumble. Michaels claimed that his one job was to get both the contenders to sign the contract before introducing both the champion and the challenger.
Owens came out wearing a \’Cody sucks eggs\’ shirt, a play at old Dusty Rhodes insult from Dory Funk Jr. who used to call the American Dream an \’egg-sucking dog.\’ Shawn told both the stars to sit down but they refused. The WWE Hall of Famer then talked about their rivalry before prompting them to sign the contract which Cody did.
Kevin however, opted to cut a promo taking objection to Rhodes saying that he takes \’the easy way out.\’ The former Universal Champion reminded Rhodes of their Bash In Berlin match and told Cody that he \’quit\’ WWE when things got tough. KO said that he\’s taking everything from his former friend, to which Michaels responded saying that Owens sounds jealous.
The former NXT Champion then went off on HBK too, telling him that he won\’t be a champion that \’loses his smile.\’ Kevin Owens finally signed the contract. A referee came out to take both the original WWE title and the Winged Eagle belt and hung them to a hook above the ring.
Shawn Michaels then tried to shake both their hands but Owens got a cheap shot in on Cody as the WWE Legend was interacting with him. HBK then shoved Owens and Kevin in response kicked Michaels. He set up the veteran for a package piledriver but Rhodes kicked him in the face. Shawn then removed his jacket and delivered a Sweet Chin Music to Kevin to end the segment.
Cody Rhodes invited Matthew McConaughey to the ring after this week\’s episode of SmackDown from Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
The main event of this week\’s episode of the Blue Branded Show featured Kevin Owens taking on Jimmy Uso. The former Universal Champion picked up the victory in this match using a Pop-Up Powerbomb.
The Undisputed WWE Champion came out to make the save for Uso when Owens continued attacking him after the bout. The show went off air with the two Royal Rumble opponents brawling with each other.
WWE later shared an off-air video of Cody inviting the hometown star to the ring after KO had retreated. Following the tradition, Rhodes gifted his signed weight belt to a young fan after sharing a moment with McConaughey:
The Hollywood star wasn\’t the only big name at the show. Other celebrities such as Shane Gillis, Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias, Tony Hinchcliffe, and WWE legends Michelle McCool & Mark Henry were in attendance as well.
The Undertaker while not seen during the broadcast of the show, was in the arena too. The WWE Hall of Famer greeted Matthew McConaughey backstage and gifted the acting star a legacy WWE belt.
Cody Rhodes will be appearing on tonight\’s Saturday Night\’s Main Event from San Antonio. He\’ll be signing the contract for his upcoming Royal Rumble match with Kevin Owens in a segment hosted by Shawn Michaels.
Joe Hendry hopes that his TNA title win inspires people to chase their dreams.
The TNA world title is the first major championship Hendry has won in his career. Despite being active in the business for 12 years, Hendry\’s breakout year came in 2024 and he has finally started getting the recognition he deserves after more than a decade in the business.
The new TNA Champion reflected on his years of hard work in a new interview with WrestleZone. While discussing his previous losses to Nic Nemeth before he finally defeated the wrestling veteran for the championship, Joe Hendry said that the whole story is very representative of his real life:
\”Taking three times is very representative of my real life. If you look at all the things that I\’ve done in my life, it\’s taken me a long time to do them. When I started amateur wrestling, I think I had probably about six or seven attempts at national titles before I finally won one. I had been to TNA before in the past, and it only lasted a few months. I\’ve been other places, something or other didn\’t quite work out.\”
Hendry got his first shot at the World Championship at the Slammiversary event last July. Coming off the success of his viral theme song, many thought Joe would win the bout but it didn\’t end up being the case. After being diverted to a feud with Josh Alexander, Hendry got his second opportunity at the world title at Bound For Glory in October but he lost the match again due to interference from JBL.
After finally succeeding in his quest at the Genesis event on January 19, Joe Hendry explained that he\’s never gotten anything in life in his first try. Having to work his way back up to the card and the title match after every defeat, the new champion hopes that his story will help teach the importance of not giving up to people:
\”In my life through all the things I\’ve done, I never get things the first try. So doing it this way is actually a bit of a snapshot into my life, and I hope it inspires people to realize that when not to be cliche, but when you do get knocked down, you just have to keep going and being relentless and believe in yourself.
If you keep doing the right things you\’re supposed to be doing, it\’s going to happen, and you\’re going to get there. That is who I am. That it happened in this way, that is Joe Hendry.\”
Joe Hendry had his first title defence after winning the championship at the first live episode of Impact in eight years this week. You can check out who was his surprise opponent for this bout here.
Former WWE star Commander Azeez aka Dabba-Kato has detailed his experience of traveling to Saudi Arabia with the company for their first PPV event.
WWE\’s 10-year partnership with the Saudi General Sports Authority started with the Greatest Royal Rumble event in 2018. Azeez who had been signed by the company to a developmental contract in 2016, made his TV debut at this event.
The wrestling giant reflected on his experience working the show in a new interview with MuscleManMalcolm. He revealed that he was told to sign a waiver before he could get on the plane to reach the country:
\”To travel there, you need to sign a waiver. There is a waiver. The waiver says that you are aware to what country you\’re going to.
There are some legal consequences for stuff that is different in the States. I don\’t remember all of the points, but I remember one point was \’Beheading,\’\”
Commander Azeez who was the 37th entrant in the match lasted about 5 minutes before being eliminated by the eventual winner Braun Strowman. He would continue his work in developmental after this appearance, later making his Raw Underground debut under the ring name Dabba-Kato.
Staying on the topic of his Saudi trip, the 36-year-old was asked if beheading was something that could happen if he did something wrong. The wrestling star replied positively saying it made the whole trip extreme even before he got there:
\”Yes. I had to sign it in the office, that I\’m aware of this. I signed it. Even before we got there, it was already extreme.\”
After the end of Raw Underground, Dabba-Kato was repackaged as Commander Azeez in 2021, and paired with Apollo Crews. He continued making sporadic appearances for the company after the end of this run before being released in September, 2023.
Nia Jax says Tiffany Stratton cashing in the Money In The Bank contract on her was a beautiful moment and she was a little proud of the young star.
Tiffany won the Women\’s Money In The Bank match at the namesake event in July last year. The former NXT star then formed an alliance with Jax, helping her win the WWE Women\’s Championship from Bayley at SummerSlam 2024.
Stratton\’s MITB win made this dynamic very interesting with WWE teasing a potential cash-in on multiple occasions. They finally pulled the trigger on it at the January 3 episode of SmackDown earlier this month.
The former Women\’s Champion talked about the 25-year-old \’stabbing her in the back\’ during a recent interview with Stay Busy with Armon Sadler. Nia Jax proclaimed that it was something she had never experienced before and told Tiffany to keep an eye out for her:
\”There is part of me that is a little proud of her because I taught her well, I can\’t lie. The betrayal still eats at me. She definitely shouldn\’t be sitting comfortably,\”
The wait for Tiffany\’s cash-in was unusually long with WWE teasing it on multiple occasions only to back out. Nia Jax discussed how the large number of teases had made fans kind of numb to yet another tease and it was fun to shock the people who always think that they know everything:
\”I thought it was beautiful. I\’m torn. It was a beautiful moment to watch my Tiffy become champion. Being at the other end of it, did it hurt a little bit? Yes, but watching the reaction of the crowd when she hit me on the back, when I was watching back and reactions, I couldn\’t even hear myself in that moment.
It was beautiful. It was beautiful that everybody was like, \’Oh, it\’s not going to happen.\’ She played it perfectly. I have to give her, her flowers on that one.\”
Nia Jax who is a SmackDown star has been making appearances on Raw in recent times as part of the Transfer Window. While her move has not been confirmed officially, it seems likely that Jax will become part of the Raw roster after the end of her title reign.
WWE\’s longtime headquarters Titan Towers has been sold with the new owners intending to convert it into an apartment complex.
According to CT Insider, the six-story building located at 1241 E. Main St. on Stamford’s east side has been acquired by real estate firm MB Financial Group for $3.75 million.
The firm which has previous experience in redeveloping big buildings into residential properties, intends to do the same with the old WWE HQ:
“Our intention is definitely to do this within the existing building,” said Michael Massimino, CEO and Managing Partner of MB Finance “Right now, we’re in our conceptual phase, as far as laying out density and common-area amenities.”
Once the plan for the redevelopment has been approved by local zoning officials, the new owners of the Titan Towers are expecting the whole process to be complete by the first half of 2027, with more than 80 residential units available for people.
The decision to sell Titan Towers came after WWE announced intentions to move its headquarters to downtown Stamford back in 2019. The move that was delayed due to the pandemic finally began in 2023 and the building at 1241 E. Main was then put up for sale in mid-2024.
The wrestling giant also recently completed the sale for its old production studio located at 120 Hamilton Avenue, Stamford. The studio was acquired by V20 Group for approximately $7.5 million
Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey was one of the celebrities in attendance for the January 24th episode of WWE SmackDown from Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
The acting star was shown sitting in the front row right behind the announcer\’s desk during the broadcast. Former Universal Champion Kevin Owens also acknowledged The Golden Globe award winner during the episode.
Owens targeted McConaughey while cutting a promo standing at the announcer\’s table. KO told the Texas native that he\’s going to beat Cody Rhodes the same way Ohio State Buckeyes beat Texas Longhorns in a recent Football match.
McConaughey also got to meet The Undertaker backstage during the night and the Dead Man gifted him a Texas-WWE Legacy Championship
From one Texas Longhorns fan to another! @undertaker just gifted @McConaughey the perfect WWE Legacy Title ?
Along with Matthew McConaughey, names such as Shane Gillis, Gabriel \’Fluffy\’ Iglesias, and Tony Hinchcliffe were in attendance for the event as well.
Kevin Owens is set to challenge Cody Rhodes in a ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV on February 1.
WWE has announced that Shawn Michaels will be holding a contract signing segment between the two for the title match at this weekend\’s Saturday Night\’s Main Event on January 25.
Apart from this segment, the show also featured a couple of big announcements including confirmation of the return date for former Women\’s Champion Charlotte Flair. You can check out more about it here.
A couple of former world champions in The Miz and Damian Priest have been moved to the SmackDown brand as part of the transfer window.
Both these trades were confirmed during the January 24 episode of the Blue Branded show. The A-Lister was first informed of his move while meeting General Manager Nick Aldis in a backstage segment.
The Miz orchestrated to get the Wyatt Family moved to SmackDown before to try and get away from the group so he was not happy with this latest change.
In another backstage segment, we saw Carmelo Hayes pacing in Aldis\’ office waiting for an opponent when former World Champion Damian Priest walked in.
The SmackDown GM welcomed the former Judgment Day star to the show and made the match between him and Hayes official for later in the night.
The Miz tried to form an alliance with Greyson Waller and Austin Theory after this move to save himself from the Wyatts. Nick Aldis however, revealed another trade and informed the A Town Down Under that they were being moved to the Raw brand instead.
Apart from this, WWE also confirmed the return date for former Women\’s Champion Charlotte Flair during the show. You can check out more about it here.