Author: Andrew Ravens

Dave Bautista’s latest film, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” is over a month away from being made available.

The official trailer for the Netflix film was released today. The movie, which will also have a limited theatrical run, was written and directed by Rian Johnson, who also produced it with Ram Bergman. 

The Plot

The film will be released on December 23rd on Netflix. You can read the plot for the movie below: 

“Tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case.”

Bautista, Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, and Kate Hudson make up the cast. 

The first “Knives Out” movie came out in 2019 and was a major success as it grossed over $300 million on a $40 million budget. 

Netflix paid $469 million for the rights to two sequels written and directed by Johnson, with Craig reprising his role. This will be the first Knives Out movie that the former WWE Champion will be a part of. 

You can watch the entire trailer for the film here:

Logan Paul was not the man to dethrone Roman Reigns as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

The match that headlined the WWE Crown Jewel premium live event featured Paul doing some basic moves early before throwing a wild punch that missed. Paul hit a crossbody off the barricade for 2. Paul hit the Buckshot Lariat for a near fall. Paul with a springboard move, but Reigns punched him. Paul with an exploder power slam and later a blockbuster for 2. Paul with a superman punch to Reigns. 

Reigns failed to connect with the superman punch and Paul hit him with a big right hand then the superman punch of his own for a near fall. Paul filmed himself jumping off the top rope to put Reigns through the table. Jake Paul came out when The Usos attacked some of the guys from Impaulsive. He laid them out with right hands. 

Logan with a frog splash off the top rope to Reigns for a near fall. After taking out The Usos with an outside dive, once in the ring, Reigns hit the superman punch and the spear for the win. 

How we Got Here

WWE set up the match when there was an exchange that happened after Reigns appeared on Paul’s Impaulsive podcast and noted on Twitter that Paul was talking trash about him as Paul said Reigns is the person in WWE who he wants to face. Reigns told Paul Heyman to handle it, and then Triple H  invited Paul to appear on SmackDown.

WWE later held a press conference in Las Vegas to announce the main event for its November 5 event with this planned match. Paul trained with former WWE Cruiserweight Champions Shane Helms and Drew Gulak to prepare for the bout. 

The Usos retained their Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles against The Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch) at Saturday\’s Crown Jewel event, but Jey may have done so with an injury. 

Michael Cole stated on commentary that Jey believes he has a broken wrist and will get an MRI done on Monday. Cole said Jey suffered the potential injury while wrestling on WWE\’s European tour this past week.

The finish of the tag team title match saw The Usos hitting a Super 1D on Butch to get the victory. WWE also further hyped The Usos defending their Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles against The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) on next Friday\’s episode of SmackDown. 

What\’s on the Line

It will be an important match for The Usos as if they win, they will be poised to break The New Day\’s record as the longest reigning tag team champions in WWE history.

The leader of The Bloodline, Roman Reigns, defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Title against Logan Paul in the main event of Crown Jewel. 

Hopefully, this injury is not as serious as it could be and won\’t keep Jey from competing inside the squared circle. 

WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair put her championship on the line once again against Bayley, but this time it was at the WWE Crown Jewel premium live event from Saudi Arabia in a Last Woman Standing Match. 

The match was saved as the co-main event. Various weapons were used, including chairs, steel steps, and kendo sticks. Bayley smashed Belair with the steps while having her pinned up against the ring.

Bayley hit a belly-to-belly suplex on the stage then put her in an equipment crate, but Belair popped out. Bayley drove a golf cart out and they brawled on it. Belair powerbombed Bayley through a table. Belair trapped Bayley’s leg in a ladder that prevented Bayley from getting up and won the bout. 

History

Belair won the meeting between the two in a ladder match at Extreme Rules to retain her title.  Bayley defeated Belair in a non-title match on this week\’s Raw after interference from Nikki Cross. 

The two stars have been feuding since late July at SummerSlam when Bayley made her return following Belair’s successful title defense over Becky Lynch. Bayley also revealed the debuting Damage Control stable. 

What are your thoughts on Bianca Belair retaining the Raw Women’s Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Another indication that Sasha Banks and Naomi are on their way back to WWE was shown during Saturday’s Crown Jewel premium live event. 

There was a change made to the signature video that kicks off all WWE shows, as they are included in the intro. If you blinked, you might have missed it, but many fans on social media were quick to point it out right away, just as Crown Jewel was about to start.

The Rumors

This only adds fuel to the rumors that Banks and Naomi are returning soon after it was reported by WrestlingNews.co in August that an agreement was reached for both women to return. 

Several media outlets later reported that there were \”hang-ups\” in the talks between the company and the two stars. Banks is still under a WWE deal, but they were working on another contract because the current one was due to expire soon.

On Friday, Banks posted a cryptic video that teased something \”crazy\” happening soon after waiting for it over the past six months. 

Banks and Naomi walked out of a WWE Raw event in May due to creative differences, as WWE wanted Naomi to win a six-pack challenge on the show.

Dakota Kai and IYO SKY are once again the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions as they dethroned Alexa Bliss and Asuka. 

The title change happened at the WWE Crown Jewel premium live event from Saudi Arabia. This was a rematch that saw Kai and SKY dominate the major of the match until Bliss got the hot tag and cleared house.

It looked like Bliss was on her way to retaining the titles, but Nikki Cross appeared from nowhere to hit a DDT from the top rope to Bliss, allowing Kai to pin her for the win. The referee didn’t see the outside interference because the referee was busy dealing with a brawl between Asuka and SKY. 

The First Title Change

Bliss and Asuka won the titles during this week’s Raw, in what was Asuka’s first televised match in close to two months. It marked an important milestone for Asuka and Bliss as it was 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.

Kai and SKY were champions for 49 days before the title change happened on Monday’s Raw. 

What are your thoughts on Kai and SKY winning back the Women’s Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

WWE Crown Jewel is quickly approaching and the planned match order has been revealed based on the internal production listing.

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul will headline the show. To even things up, Logan’s brother, Jake, has been brought in for the show to be in the corner of Logan to make sure The Bloodline isn’t a factor in the finish of the match. 

There are a total of four title matches on this card. There are no titles expected to change hands, according to the final betting odds released. The event starts with the Kickoff show at 11 AM EST and the main card at 12 PM EST. 

WWE Crown Jewel Match Order

The current scheduled match order for WWE Crown Jewel this afternoon is as follows:

• Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar.
• WWE Women\’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss & Asuka vs. Dakota Kai & IYO SKY.
• Karrion Kross vs. Drew McIntyre in a Steel Cage match.
• The Judgement Day vs. AJ Styles & Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows.
• Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. The Brawling Brutes.
• WWE Raw Women\’s Champion Bianca Belair vs. Bayley – Last Woman Standing Match.
• Bray Wyatt segment.
• WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman vs. Logan Paul with Jake Paul.

H/T: PWInsider

WWE has an interest in bringing back yet another wrestler as Triple H continues to look to shape the women’s division in his own way. 

Fightful Select reported today that WWE is interested in bringing Mia Yim back to the company. The report noted that while there’s no word yet on a potential start date, she\’s expected to be brought back soon. 

WWE taped tonight’s SmackDown a week ago so that it won’t be then and not likely in Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel, but Monday’s Raw or next week’s SmackDown is possible. 

Mia Yim\’s Journey

WWE released Yim in November 2021 after a run on WWE Raw as Reckoning, and in between, being swapped between brands without appearing anywhere. Yim didn\’t wrestle any matches for 15 months while being sidelined by WWE and having her non-compete run out.

When she could wrestle again once her non-compete clause expired, she spent five months with Impact Wrestling before wrapping up with the company after their set of Bound For Glory tapings last month. 

Fightful was told that WWE was aware that her agreement with Impact was coming up and had an interest in anticipation of it. WWE brought Emma (Tenille Dashwood) back to the company after years of being away last week.

R-Truth could be set for a significant stint on the shelf after the fan-favorite star was in action on Tuesday\’s episode of WWE NXT when he faced Grayson Waller in the show\’s opening match. 

Truth suffered an injury after he went for a Flip Dive over the top rope but didn\’t clear it as his knee hit the rope. R-Truth was helped backstage by WWE\’s medical team after WWE cut a commercial break, and Waller was declared the winner. 

The Injury

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that it is believed Truth suffered a quadriceps tear, but that hasn’t been confirmed just yet. This would ultimately be a serious injury that will keep him out of action for several months. 

This injury happened at a time when Truth had been featured more on TV by appearing on Monday Night Raw in a segment with Baron Corbin and JBL.

In addition to NXT and Raw, he has also been booked on Main Event in a new tag team with Shelton Benjamin by taking on Duke Hudson and Von Wagner. Unfortunately, though, Truth\’s latest run on TV looks to be over.

Kevin Nash, Triple H, Vince McMahon, and others have all suffered quadriceps tears. In the cases of “The Game” and Nash, they were out of action for close to a year.

WWE announced today in its third quarter 2022 earnings report that the investigation into alleged misconduct by Vince McMahon \”is now complete, and the Special Committee has been disbanded.\”

McMahon resigned from his duties as Chairman and CEO of WWE amid the WWE Board investigating him for alleged sexual misconduct and hush money.  The investigation cost WWE $19.4 million. 

WWE’s Statement

“As previously announced, a Special Committee of independent members of the Board of Directors was formed to investigate alleged misconduct by Vincent K. McMahon, the Company’s former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, who resigned from all positions held with the Company on July 22, 2022 but remains a stockholder with a controlling interest, and another executive, who is also no longer with the Company. The Special Committee investigation is now complete and the Special Committee has been disbanded. Management is working with the Board to implement the recommendations of the Special Committee related to the investigation. For the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2022, the Company’s consolidated pre-tax results include the impact of $17.7 million and $19.4 million, respectively, associated with certain costs related to the investigation. Please see the Company’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K/A and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q/A and Form 10-Q for further details and ongoing risks regarding this matter.”

The Wall Street Journal broke the news earlier this year about the WWE Board of Directors investigating McMahon over a $3 million settlement that McMahon had agreed to pay a former employee with whom he allegedly had an affair. McMahon allegedly paid them more than $12 million to four women formerly with the company to “suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity.” WWE later found more payments that were made.

McMahon resigned from WWE as Chairman and CEO. Since Vince’s resignation, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan have been named co-CEOs, while Triple H has been named Head of Creative.

Logan Paul is just days away from having the biggest pro wrestling match of his career thus far when he steps into the ring to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title in the main event of Saturday’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. 

Paul’s brother, Jake, will be paying attention to the match, and he thinks Logan can dethrone Reigns as the champion. 

Jake Paul Wants Paul Heyman in his Corner

“My brother is going to become champion. I believe that. This is his time. It’s crazy, so crazy Logan has this match,” Paul said to Sports Illustrated. “I’m so proud of him. It’s surreal he has this opportunity, and it’s serendipitous that his event and my event are happening on back-to-back weekends. We’re taking over the world. We’re the next Kardashians.”

Jake is four days removed from picking up a boxing victory against former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. He sees himself potentially working with WWE and would be open to partnering with the legendary Paul Heyman, the special counsel of Reigns. 

“Paul Heyman is very entertaining and smart. I love a lot of the WWE characters, and he’s on another level. I’d love him in my corner. We’d be Paul and Paul.”

Odyssey Jones is excited about the comeback after returning to the ring on Tuesday’s episode of NXT. 

Last week, Jones appeared as he brought the party to Malik Blade & Edris Enofé after they failed to win the NXT Tag Team Titles from Pretty Deadly. 

Jones suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in January and had not competed on NXT television since December 2021. Jones was in the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament finals, losing to Carmelo Hayes.

Odyssey Jones is Back

That changed on Tuesday’s show when he quickly defeated Javier Bernal in a singles match. Following the match, he spoke with WWE digital about what his in-ring return meant to him. 

“Oh, Kelly, the journey was long and difficult, but you know what kept me going through it all? This moment right here, right now. Knowing that I would be back in all black in the black, and gold in front of those beautiful fans and hearing them chant Odyssey Jones. Didn’t mean to rhyme, but it did.”

Jones continued, “I was excited to get back into the ring. Mr. Michaels is always looking out for me. He gave me a good opponent. Javier is a great, hard worker, but today he didn’t have enough to hang with Big O.”

If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit WWE with an h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

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.

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

\”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. 

Bodi debuted on TV in January 2022.

H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription

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

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.

H/T to Fightful for the transcription