Will Vince McMahon return to WWE? Not if the WWE Universe can help it.
McMahon retired from the promotion in July of this year after over four decades in charge, due to allegations of misconduct with female employees.
An investigation into McMahon determined that $12 million had been paid in Non-Disclosure Agreements over 16 years that should have been listed on the promotion\’s expenses.
The Comeback
McMahon\’s departure in July was a shocking moment many fans thought they\’d never see, but the 77-year-old is reportedly eyeing up a return.
The Wall Street Journal reports that McMahon regrets retiring earlier this year, and believes that the allegations against him would have \”blown over\” had he stayed in the role.
McMahon also believes he was given bad advice to retire by those closest to him, though the report does not name any specific persons who advised him to go.
The Petition
While fans will ultimately have no say on if McMahon does make the mother of all comebacks, some fans are letting their voices be heard.
On Change.org, a petition has been started that is hoping to prevent the billionaire\’s return to the company.
The petition notes that in the post-Vince McMahon era \”employment has increased, revenue has increased and overall enjoyment and become a watchable product again in grand scale.\”
It adds that keeping McMahon away is \”best for business.\”
The petition currently has over 300 signatures with a goal of 500.
You can check out the petition and sign it yourself by clicking here.
Former WWE CEO and Chairman Vince McMahon has faced fresh demands over accusations of sexual misconduct following his retirement from the promotion this year.
McMahon\’s retirement came following accusations that the billionaire paid millions of dollars in NDAs to keep female employees quiet about extramarital affairs.
An investigation into the matter found that while McMahon paid out of his own pocket, these payments should have been listed with WWE as they benefitted the company.
Rita Chatterton
In the 1980s, Rita Chatterton served as a referee in the then-World Wrestling Federation, making her the first female ref in company history.
Chatterton\’s tenure with the promotion would end in 1986, and Chatterton has alleged for decades that she was raped by McMahon in a limousine.
She said in a series of 1992 interviews that Mr. McMahon told her she had to satisfy him if she wanted a $500,000 contract with WWF.
In correspondence to McMahon\’s representative, obtained by the Wall Street Journal, a lawyer for Chatterton demanded $11.75 million in damages for the alleged assault.
McMahon has always denied the allegation and told people close to the situation that he will not pay the amount to Chatterton.
McMahon alleged in a 1993 lawsuit that Chatterton was induced to makea false rape charge against him by a former wrestler with an ax to grind.
That suit alleged that the promotion dismissed her in 1986 because she was a danger to wrestlers in the ring, but this suit against Chatterton was withdrawn by McMahon in 1994.
Chatterton\’s lawyer John Clune writes in the recent letter that his client \”has suffered years of ongoing depression, substance abuse, disordered eating, lost income, and overall a decreased quality of life.”
Clune adds that Chatterton had passed a polygraph and that multiple sources corroborated her account, two of which corroborated her claims to the Wall Street Journal.
WWE Hall of Famer Greg \’The Hammer\’ Valentine told the WSJ that he did not believe Chatterton\’s claims, arguing that she was not attractive enough for McMahon.
Leonard Inzitari, who went to wrestling school with Ms. Chatterton, said earlier this year that the ex-referee was shaking and crying as she recounted the alleged rape before a WWF event in 1986.
When asked, Inzitari told the Journal that he believes Chatterton\’s telling of events.
Spa Manager
Chatterton isn\’t the only person alleging assault from the former WWE CEO, as a former spa manager alleges she was assaulted by McMahon in 2011 in Southern California.
The Spa manager reported the alleged assault to the resort she was working at at the time, and also told her husband about what had happened.
The woman\’s husband reportedly drove to the WWE event McMahon was in town for with a baseball bat and tried to confront the boss, but was turned away.
The spa manager\’s lawyer, Michael Bressler, has been in touch with McMahon’s attorney since July.
California, like New York, has a recently-introduced law that allows alleged victims of sex abuse to file lawsuits that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.
Neither WWE, McMahon, nor his legal representatives responded when requested for comment.
Could Vince McMahon return to WWE after his shocking and controversial retirement from the promotion earlier this year?
McMahon, who ran WWE for four decades, stepped down as CEO and Chairman in the summer over allegations of misconduct with female employees.
The 77-year-old was alleged to have paid millions of dollars in Non-Disclosure Agreements to women to not speak about his extramarital affairs, and allegedly coerced at least one woman into performing oral sex.
Comeback
It was the Wall Street Journal that first reported on McMahon\’s NDAs that ultimately led to his retirement from pro wrestling.
In their latest article, the WSJ reports that McMahon told people that he intends to make a comeback, though it is unclear when he plans on returning.
The billionaire reportedly believes that he was given bad advice in July by people close to him that encouraged him to retire and that the allegations against him should have \”blown over.\”
(WWE)
Despite stepping down, McMahon remains WWE\’s majority owner, controlling the most shares in the company.
Spokespersons for WWE, McMahon, and WWE\’s legal head Jerry McDevitt, did not respond to the Wall Street Journal when asked for a comment.
The Investigation
After the allegations of McMahon\’s behavior were first publicized, WWE conducted an investigation into the matter which has since concluded.
This investigation determined that these payments, though made by McMahon personally, should have been booked as WWE expenses because they benefited the company.
In McMahon\’s absence, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan have been appointed co-CEOs with Stephanie also serving as Chairwoman of WWE.
The multi-time former Women\’s Champion hasn\’t been seen on WWE programming since walking out of the May 16, episode of Raw over a creative dispute.
The Deal
Banks\’ deal with Bushiroad, the parent company of both NJPW and STARDOM, will make her the highest-paid contracted wrestler, Voices of Wrestling reports.
They report that STARDOM pursued Banks not long after her May walkout and that Banks also showed interest in working with the promotion.
STARDOM\’s booker Rossy Ogawa walked away from negotiations after hearing Banks\’ \”exorbitant\” asking price, which was said to be beyond the company\’s budget.
These talks resumed months later after Bushiroad President Takaaki Kidani gave Ogawa the green light to pursue Banks.
It is believed that The Boss will confront IWGP Women\’s Champion KAIRI, who became the first holder of the title last month at NJPWxSTARDOM Historic X-Over.
Highest Earner
Banks\’ agreement with Bushiroad will make her the highest-paid name to ever be contracted, even higher than Chris Jericho.
For his feud with Kenny Omega that culminated in a match at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in 2018, Jericho was paid $100,000 per appearance for NJPW.
As Dave Meltzer pointed out on Wrestling Observer Radio, Jericho was practically underpaid due to how much revenue he brought to New Japan with his match.
Per appearance, the former Women\’s Champion will earn far more than she made in WWE, though she is expected to be booked five times in 2023.
This leaves Banks with plenty of time for other projects, including possibly working in AEW, something that has reportedly been on her bucket list.
The success of Jamie Noble\’s final match could lead to more one-off in-ring returns, Fightful Select reports.
Noble competed in his final match last weekend at a WWE Live event in Charleston, West Virginia.
The former Cruiserweight Champion teamed with Braun Strowman, Ridge Holland, and Butch to defeat The Bloodline\’s Solo Sikoa, The Usos and Sami Zayn.
On the Table
Noble\’s match last weekend came over seven-and-a-half years after his previous match, though he has been working with WWE throughout that time as a backstage producer.
In their report, Fightful notes that things such as Noble wrestling at a Live event, that we wouldn\’t normally see on WWE TV, are more likely under the current regime.
One source who spoke to Fightful said that the idea of one-off returns and unique ideas similar to Noble wrestling are \”on the table.\”
One More Match
While WWE has a huge roster of active Superstars, there are plenty of former wrestlers working behind the scenes, who could soon have their own final match.
Adam Pearce is a likely candidate, given that he is a regular on-screen, and fired Bobby Lashley on this week\’s episode of Raw.
Pearce has had just a handful of matches since joining WWE as a backstage producer, with his most recent match as a full-time wrestler coming for Ring of Honor in August 2014.
Petey Williams, who joined WWE as a producer in January of this year, was speared by Lashley during last week\’s Raw.
Shane \’Hurricane\’ Helms, Molly Holly, and Kenny Dykstra have all wrestled for WWE and now work as producers and could have one more match for the promotion.
Michael Mansury is the latest person to become \’All-Elite\’ after honing his production skills for years as part of WWE.
Mansury is expected to begin his new job as AEW\’s Senior Vice President and Co-Executive Producer with this Wednesday\’s Dynamite, PW Insider reports.
Starting with WWE in 2009, Mansury was with the promotion for eleven years before leaving on his own accord in May 2020.
Michael Mansury
While he\’s a name most fans will be unfamiliar with, Mansury had significant influence over WWE Premium Live Events and TV shows for years.
Upon his departure in 2020, it was reported that many saw Mansury as the successor to Kevin Dunn, who has worked for decades as WWE\’s Head of TV production.
After Vince McMahon\’s retirement in July of this year, it was suggested that Dunn would be on his way out of the promotion, though that did not happen.
Triple H is said to be a big fan of Mansury\’s work, though a source who spoke to Fightful said that there there wasn’t much farther he could go above his position in WWE unless Dunn stepped aside.
Reaction
In their report, Fightful adds that both AEW and WWE are happy about Mansury\’s hiring by Tony Khan.
The belief is that Mansury will go a long way in helping AEW\’s content, with one WWE source saying he\’s in touch with AEW\’s core demographic.
One WWE source that has heavily criticized AEW has said that he saw this as AEW’s biggest hire this year.
Becky Lynch has high expectations for The Judgment Day\’s Rhea Ripley, declaring the Australian Superstar the \”future of the business.\”
Ripley signed with WWE in 2017 and would become the first NXT UK Women\’s Champion the following year, as well as the first female Australian champion in WWE history.
After moving to WWE NXT and capturing that brand\’s Women\’s Championship, Ripley would find similar success after being called up to Raw in early 2021.
The Future
Like Ripley, Becky Lynch is no stranger to success, having held the Raw and SmackDown Women\’s Championships on multiple occasions.
In an interview with Verge, Lynch praised Ripley\’s success so far and said she considers her the future of the business.
“I think Rhea is one of the greatest female athletes that we’ve ever seen. I think she’s incredible. She is so young, so full of potential. I look at her and I go ‘well, that’s the future of the business and the business is in good hands.\”
Becky Lynch.
Lynch added that while Ripley may indeed be the future, there\’s only room for one top star to be called \’The Man.\’
\”She’s the future but I’m still the present. There can only be one Man around the place. If I have to put her in her place then I’ll put her in her place.\”
Becky Lynch.
Finn Balor
As a member of The Judgment Day, Ripley is working with a Superstar that Lynch has been very familiar with over the years: Finn Balor.
It was Balor who trained Lynch when The Man was starting her wrestling career, and Lynch said it is wise of Ripley to work closely with the inaugural Universal Champion.
\”she’s hanging around with somebody that I know pretty well. In fact, somebody that taught me nearly everything that I know. There’s an interesting dynamic there because she’s got Finn Bálor in her corner. I’ve known Finn for over 20 years, so it would be interesting to see what side he would take, you know, if push came to shove.”
Becky Lynch.
Ripley and Lynch did face off during a 2019 episode of WWE NXT but the two are yet to go one-on-one on the main roster.
WWE NXT Superstar Von Wagner could soon find his way to the main roster, Fightful Select reports.
Von Wagner, the son of former WWE Superstar Beau Beverly, signed with the promotion in 2019 and debuted in NXT as part of the NXT 2.0 relaunch last year.
During his first night at NXT, Wagner unsuccessfully challenged for the vacant NXT Championship in a fatal four-way match.
Main Roster
Despite being on NXT programming for little over a year, WWE has main roster plans for the second-generation Superstar.
In their report, Fightful notes that they\’ve heard Wagner\’s name mentioned as someone WWE considers a main-roster call-up.
Wagner\’s call-up was reportedly approved last year but ultimately did not happen.
The NXT Superstar has already had multiple main roster appearances, competing on WWE Main Event and also working dark matches for WWE SmackDown.
Prior to earning the Von Wagner name, the second-generation Superstar competed on an episode of Raw Underground in 2020 in a losing effort to Riddick (now Madcap) Moss.
Slow and Steady
Von Wagner, like all NXT Superstars, is working his way to the main roster, but call-ups could become less frequent in the coming months.
In their report, sources within WWE who spoke to Fightful said there will be a more \”slow and steady\” flow of NXT talent brought up to the main roster.
It is also reported that talent can expect \”less years-long evaluation periods in NXT.\”
There\’s no word on who else WWE\’s backstage team has considered for a main roster call-up from NXT.
Those in New Japan Pro Wrestling only found out about Sasha Banks\’ impending Wrestle Kingdom appearance when they read the news online.
This week, it was reported that Banks will be attending the January 4, 2023, event, but it is unclear if she will be competing, appearing on-screen, or just being present at the show.
Banks has been suspended from WWE programming since May after she and Naomi walked out of an episode of Raw over a creative dispute.
In the Dark
Banks\’ involvement with New Japan is huge news given that she remains under contract with WWE.
During the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that everyone he spoke to in New Japan was not told that the Boss would be at the show.
\”There’s nobody there that knew anything about it… including some big insiders.\”
Dave Meltzer.
Meltzer added that the winner of the IWGP Women\’s Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom between champion KAIRI and challenger Tam Nakano will have their next title defense in San Jose.
Next Stop, AEW?
Banks could be competing for New Japan Pro Wrestling soon enough, but many have speculated whether AEW is next on her list.
Fightful Select reported this week that some in Tony Khan\’s promotion believe Banks at Wrestle Kingdom is a sign that her WWE contract is up.
One source who wished to remain anonymous said they believe bringing Banks in could turn around AEW\’s dwindling ratings compared to previous years.
Some have suggested that Banks could be Saraya\’s mystery partner for her January 11, tag match against AEW Women\’s World Champion Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker.
It was Banks\’ kick that would cause the neck injury that cost Saraya nearly five years of in-ring action.
Bray Wyatt may be a mysterious, enigmatic figure on WWE TV, but the former Universal Champion recently broke character to speak about his uncle.
Earlier this month, Barry Windham suffered a heart attack when traveling through the Atlanta airport and was later transported to an intensive care unit.
This week, it was reported by Mika Rotunda, Windham\’s niece and sister of Bray, that the wrestling legend has been stabilized and out of the ICU.
Wyatt\’s Message
Taking to Instagram, Wyatt spoke about his uncle, who is the namesake for his real name Windham Rotunda.
In the video, Wyatt thanked a \”random citizen\” who delivered CPR to Windham before EMTs were able to get to him.
“I want to thank one specific man, Michael Todd Lalic, who was there, a random citizen, and he gave him CPR in there throughout that entire time before everyone else and the EMTs can get to him, and he stayed with him, and he’s the reason that we have Barry still, he’s alive, he’s with us. “
Bray Wyatt.
Wyatt added that his uncle has given his life to professional wrestling, and spoke about his sister\’s GoFundMe page to help cover medical bills.
\”My sister set up a GoFundMe in his name and not obligated to share, no one is obligated to share anything. But if you could, that would be incredibly helpful. “
WWE has given its biggest tease yet that Cody Rhodes will be back in time for WrestleMania 39, incorporating the American Nightmare in a commercial shoot for the event.
Rhodes returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 in April of this year, 46 days after announcing his departure from All Elite Wrestling.
The American Nightmare would defeat Seth Rollins at the show of shows and would pick up wins over the Architect at WrestleMania Backlash and WWE Hell in a Cell.
The Commercial
Hours prior to Hell in a Cell, Rhodes suffered a torn pectoral muscle which has kept the former AEW TNT Champion on the shelf ever since.
On Thursday of this week, WWE filmed a commercial for WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, which featured The Miz wrestling Rhodes, Fightful Select reports.
They add that while this may not have been Cody himself, it was \”at least someone dressed up exactly like him.\”
WWE fully expects to have Cody Rhodes back in time for WrestleMania, which a source who spoke to Fightful said was never really in doubt.
Fightful was told that Maryse was supposed to be in attendance as well, though they aren\’t sure if it was for a specific commercial spot or just to be there with her husband.
The Royal Rumble
When Cody went down with his injury, WWE reported that he would be out for nine months, giving him a March 2023 return date.
Immediately, fans were suspicious, and many believe that Rhodes will return as part of the Men\’s Royal Rumble match, and is a favorite to win.
It was reported this week that WWE is considering having Roman Reigns defend the WWE and Universal Championships separately at WrestleMania 39, with Rhodes being one of his opponents.
In his emotional promo on the post-WrestleMania 38 Raw, Rhodes vowed to become WWE Champion to fulfill a promise to his late father.
The AEW roster was left fighting for their professional livelihoods in the fall out of the All Out braw, Chris Jericho has claimed.
After the now-infamous September Pay-Per-View, new AEW World Champion CM Punk bashed several members of the roster during the post-show media scrum.
Backstage, a fight broke out, which pitted Punk and Ace Steel against The Elite.
Fighting
Chris Jericho was present at All Out, as he had defeated Bryan Danielson on the Pay-Per-View and was far from impressed from the backstage brawl.
On the latest Talk is Jericho, the first AEW World Champion recalled the negative publicity the company faced following what happened.
“We were fighting for our lives at that time. There was so much bad publicity on the company and kind of a black cloud, a haze over it, and dude, we were fighting back.
\”We kind of took charge, [Jon Moxley] and Bryan and I and let them know the sky wasn’t falling, that things happen, and we gotta keep the show rolling.”
Chris Jericho
Jericho had been critical of Punk after the brawl, telling the now-suspended AEW wrestler that he is a \”cancer\” to the locker room.
Jericho, Moxley, and Danielson
Following the AEW All Out backstage fight, Punk, Steel, the Elite, and others associated with the fight were suspended.
In their absence, the trio of Jericho, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson assumed roles as locker-room leaders.
Before the first Dynamite after All Out, all three men, as well as AEW President Tony Khan, spoke at a talent-wide backstage meeting.
At the meeting, talent were told to \”keep their personal issues personal\” and were encouraged to move on from All Out.
In a Fightful report, it was said that Danielson was a \”calming\” presence, Jericho was praised for his professionalism, and Mixley was \”adored\” for being a reliable name in the company.
Ricochet\’s pushes may have been stop-and-start, but there\’s no denying the high-flyer\’s ability in the ring.
After establishing himself on the independents, Ricochet signed with WWE in January 2018 and debuted for NXT as part of the front-row at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia that same month.
The One and Only is the first (and to date, only) person to hold the NXT North American Championship, Raw\’s United States Championship and SmackDown\’s Intercontinental Championship.
Complete
While Ricochet has had the occasional push in WWE, he is part of a stacked roster, and often finds himself being overlooked for other stars.
Speaking on the latest episode of WWE After the Bell, Ricochet wasn\’t afraid to tout his accomplishments and called himself the most complete name on the roster.
\”You look at your Austin Theorys and you look at all these guys who look the part as the complete all-around package. But when you get me in there, there is really no one as complete as me.
\”there is really no one as complete as me.\”
Ricochet.
\”I know I\’m not as strong as Bobby Lashley, but I can still squat 400-plus pounds. I\’m probably not as fast as some of these guys, but I\’m just as fast if not faster than almost everybody else. If you\’re looking for a complete package, especially in that ring. Don\’t look any further than Ricochet.\”
Mental Games
Because he is often overlooked, Ricochet can go weeks, or even months, sat backstage in catering.
Speaking about waiting to be used, Ricochet explained how getting in your own head can often prove to be as difficult as anything in the ring.
\”There\’s always a physical game that you have to play, and then there\’s a mental game you have to play. That\’s with any business, with any high-class thing you\’re trying to do. Going out there and doing the actual matches and all the physical parts of it, of course, that\’s going to be work.
\”But a lot of it is backstage. It\’s biding the right time, it\’s waiting for your moment, your opportunity. Or in some cases, creating your moment. Creating your opportunity. Asking the right people. That\’s also work, because it\’s taxing on your mind, because you get to thinking about your past, and your future. It\’s a lot of mental exhaustion sometimes.\”
Ricochet recently won the WWE SmackDown World Cup Tournament, defeating Mustafa Ali and Braun Strowman before beating Santos Escobar in the finals.
The One and Only will challenge Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER, who won the title from Ricochet in June, on tonight\’s SmackDown.
The Miz has had a career in WWE that few wrestlers could only dream of, but that was never the original plan.
Debuting as part of 2004\’s Tough Enough, the future two-time WWE Grand Slam winner would come second, losing out to Daniel Puder.
In 2006, The Miz was introduced as the host of WWE Friday Night SmackDown but would quickly transition into a wrestling role.
Commentary
One of Miz\’s talents that has made him such a versatile asset to WWE is his ability to cut a promo.
Speaking to Off the Beat, Miz explained that WWE recognized his talents on the microphone, but initially had no plans for him to wrestle.
\”They were like, \’You impressed us so much that maybe there is something for you here.\’ They brought me up to Connecticut to commentate. Joey Styles brought me up with Todd Grisham and Michael Cole, they brought me up and I had to do a take of commentating. They told me, \’we might bring you in as a commentator or interviewer.\’\”
\”\’We might bring you in as a commentator or interviewer.\’\”
WWE\’s reaction to The Miz impressing them in 2004.
The A-Lister added that after pleading his case, saying he wanted to be bigger than The Rock and Hulk Hogan, WWE allowed him a developmental deal.
Decisions
Now under a developmental deal, Miz reported to Deep South Wrestling, the promotion\’s training facility at the time.
Speaking about his experience in DSW, the WWE Superstar said that he quickly realized that being under contract was no guarantee of being successful.
\”They didn’t think I was going to be much of anything, to be honest, you could kind of tell, ‘let’s see what we got here.’ They gave me this developmental contract and I was like, ‘I’m making more than this doing Real World and The Challenge. I’m not taking a pay cut to do this.’ I had to think about that.\”
Miz added that he would eventually realize the importance of taking one step back in order to take two steps forward.
The A-Lister would become the first DSW Heavyweight Champion under WWE, winning a tournament and besting Mike Knox in the finals.
Ricky Starks had some harsh words for AEW World Champion MJF this week, but these weren\’t planned in advance.
During AEW Dynamite, the two had a back and forth, with MJF borrowing from The Rock to call Starks a \”roody poo candy a**.\”
In response, Starks vowed to become the new AEW World Champion with some choice dialogue.
“I’m slapping that mole off your neck, I’m stomping an a**hole into you, and I’m taking that title.”
Ricky Starks.
Off Script
Starks certainly got the attention of fans with his promo this week, but it wasn\’t what was originally planned.
During Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez noted that Starks did have a promo written down which was not used.
“I heard from multiple people yesterday that, apparently, he had a whole thing written down. It wasn’t like scripted or anything, but he had a thing written down that he was gonna do. And then he got out there and he just went off [Script.] He just went with it, and he went wild.”
Bryan Alvarez.
MJF and Starks will battle for the AEW World Championship on next week\’s Winter is Coming edition of Dynamite.
The match will also be for MJF\’s $150,000 Dynamite Diamond Ring.
Winter is Coming
This huge main event is just part of a stacked show that will take place next week.
The show will also feature the fourth match in the best-of-seven series between The Elite and AEW World Trios Champions Death Triangle.
The Champions currently lead over the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega by 2-1.
The House of Black will also be in action next week against opponents yet to be announced.
Vince McMahon may have once had big plans for Veer Mahaan, but right now, WWE is just trying to keep him from being injured.
After months of video vignettes, Mahaan made his Monday Night Raw debut on the post-WrestleMania 38 episode, attacking Rey and Dominik Mysterio.
Despite McMahon once believing he could be WWE\’s next top monster heel, it has been months since Mahaan competed on the red brand.
Injury
In the wake of the change of management, Mahaan has been moved to WWE NXT, but hasn\’t competed in weeks.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer confirmed that Veer is currently dealing with a minor injury.
\”Veer is injured, a very minor injury, but they’re still not letting him wrestle… Anybody else in this world would wrestle with this kind of injury. It’s like a broken finger or something, which people do work through all the time.\”
Dave Meltzer.
The India show
This week, PW Insider reported that WWE will be hosting an event in India next month, marking the promotion\’s return to the sub-continent in six years.
Meltzer explained that WWE doesn\’t want to risk Veer or his tag-team partner getting injured, as they will play a huge role in the show\’s appeal.
\”They’re trying to protect him because Veer and Sanga have to be healthy for that India show that’s built all around them in mid-January and a lot of money is involved. So, they can’t risk him being hurt to miss that show.\”
Dave Meltzer.
Despite both Veer and Sanga competing in NXT, the show will reportedly be a SmackDown branded event.
So far, no matches or talent have been confirmed for the show by WWE themselves.
All Elite Wrestling\’s Saraya will be back in the ring next month as part of a tag-team match.
Saraya joined AEW in September of this year, months after her contract with WWE expired.
At AEW Full Gear, Saraya competed in her first match since December 2017, defeating Britt Baker.
Second Match
On this week\’s AEW Dynamite Baker congratulated Saraya on her victory at last month\’s Pay-Per-View, and promised that she would not beat her again.
It was later announced that Baker and AEW Women\’s World Champion Jamie Hayter will team with Saraya, a mystery partner, in the English star\’s second AEW match.
Britt offered Saraya tickets to the January 11 episode of AEW Dynamite at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, where the match will take place.
The show is also set to feature the final match in the best-of-seven series between the Elite and Death Triangle, should it be necessary.
Mystery Partner
There\’s no word yet on who Saraya\’s partner could be, but there are plenty of options available.
Toni Storm seems a likely candidate, given that she lost her AEW Women\’s World Championship to Hayter at Full Gear.
On social media, some fans speculated on her partner being Thunder Rosa, who has feuded with Baker and Hayter in the past and reportedly had heat earlier this year with both women.
Others suggested that it could be Sasha Banks, who recently trademarked her real name Mercedes Varnado for entertainment purposes.
Note: This article contains SPOILERS for this week\’s AEW Rampage! If you want to go in completely blind, we suggest clicking on one of our other articles.
A former WWE NXT Tag Team Champion is set to make their debut this week for AEW as part of Rampage.
After this week\’s AEW Dynamite went off the air, the promotion filmed its Rampage tapings, which saw the debut of Trent Seven.
Seven made his AEW debut by challenging AEW All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy, and was hand-picked by Kip Sabian.
Unfortunately for Seven, he was unsuccessful in dethroning Freshly Squeezed, and there has been no word on whether there are plans for future appearances.
This match marked Cassidy\’s seventh title defense since becoming champion on the October 12, 2022 episode of AEW Dynamite.
Trent Seven in WWE
After establishing himself on the independents, Seven signed with WWE in 2016, and was considered a favorite of many to win the tournament to crown the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion.
Seven was eliminated in the quarter-finals, but would often find himself challenging for the title, but never won.
In June 2018, Seven and Tyler Bate won the NXT Tag Team Championships from the Undisputed Era, but lost the titles back to the faction days later.
In December of last year, the two would capture the NXT UK Tag Titles and would hold the gold until June 2022, losing to Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter.
Seven would turn heel on Bate not long after, but would be released on August 18, 2022.
William Regal will finish his time with All Elite Wrestling this month, company President Tony Khan has confirmed.
For the past week, it has been reported that Regal\’s time with AEW was up and that he planned on returning to WWE when he had the chance.
Regal himself has kept quiet throughout this period of time, but previously stated that he signed a three-year deal with AEW when he joined after Revolution in March of this year.
Leaving
This weekend will mark ROH Final Battle, the third event for the promotion since Khan acquired the company earlier this year.
Speaking on a media conference call ahead of the show, Khan publicly confirmed that Regal is set to leave AEW this month.
Khan explained that Regal contacted him and explained that he would live to spend more time with his son Bailey, who competes in WWE NXT as Charlie Dempsey.
The two had a \”long, good talk\” and Khan said he realized that Regal was honest with his reasons to return to WWE.
The AEW President said that after granting Regal\’s request to depart AEW, there was a need for a complete overhaul of plans for the World Championship scene which featured him aligned with MJF.
Khan concluded his talk about the former King of the Ring by saying that Regal will remain with AEW through to the end of the year and that he is sad to see him go.
Medical Issues
During his talk about Regal, Khan addressed the recent health issues his mother has faced.
The AEW President explained that prior to AEW: Grand Slam in September, his mother suffered a stroke, and would suffer a second stroke weeks after being released from the hospital.
Calling his sister an \’unsung hero\’ for being by their mother\’s side, Khan stayed with her at night, and doctors found a spot on his mother\’s heart.
The discovery coincided with Regal\’s request, and Khan said he didn\’t want to prevent any parent and son from being together.
The surgery on Mrs. Khan was a complete success and Tony said that she is recovering well.
Ric Flair has led a life unlike anyone else, but one gimmick from his past is something the Nature Boy wishes he could forget.
Flair\’s wrestling journey began in 1972 and has seen the North Carolina native become a 16-time World Champion, though Ric argues the number is much higher.
In July of this year, Flair wrestled his final match, teaming with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo to defeat Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.
The Black Scorpion
For years, Ric Flair feuded with Sting, and in 1990, WCW introduced a new opponent for the Stinger: The Black Scorpion.
Realizing that fans had grown tired of Flair Vs. Sting, WCW introduced the character to give fans a new feud for Sting, who was still relatively green.
Months of segments played hyping the Black Scorpion as someone from Sting\’s past, buying WCW time to figure out who exactly would play the character.
Wrestler Al Perez was chosen for the role, but after realizing he\’d be working with the World Champion, demanded more money, which WCW refused to pay.
In a desperation act, WCW had Flair play the Black Scorpion, who was unmasked at Starrcade 1990, undoing the purpose of the character in the first place.
Humiliating
The Black Scorpion character was never resurrected by Flair, who has for years made his views on the character very clear.
Speaking on the latest episode of his To Be The Man podcast, Flair bashed the character as the most humiliating experience of his life.
\”I did have the ability to make the call. I took one for the team. Do you think I like laying underneath that ring in St. Louis? A building that I sold out no less than 30 times as the NWA Champion?\”
\”That was the most humiliating thing I\’ve ever been through in my life, and with how I conducted myself afterward. But I\’m never the sh*ts.\”
Ric Flair
Flair said that anyone who watches Starrcade 1990 will see that he and the Stinger did not \’steal the show.\’
AEW commentator Jim Ross has become the latest name to suggest that William Regal\’s time with the promotion has come to an end.
Regal was cut from WWE in January of this year from his role with NXT, after over 20 years with the promotion.
A former WWE Intercontinental, European, and Tag Team Champion, the 2008 King of the Ring would debut for AEW at the Revolution Pay-Per-View in March 2022.
Jim Ross
William Regal was written off AEW TV last week with an attack by MJF and it has been reported that the British legend is set to leave the company and return to WWE.
On the latest episode of Grilling JR, Ross praised what Regal has brought to All Elite Wrestling.
“He’s been a very valuable resource, you can’t replace guys with that kind of experience and in Regal’s case, the patience to help these young guys. He was in the ring every day at [AEW] TV, he always had time for the talent, young green guys.\”
Jim Ross
Neither Tony Khan nor Regal have confirmed reports of his departure, and the British veteran had previously stated that his three-year contract would expire in early 2025.
The Future
Regal\’s apparent exit comes not long after he betrayed the Blackpool Combat Club and aided MJF in winning the AEW World Championship at Full Gear.
On his podcast, Jim Ross spoke about the Salt of the Earth, and said he isn\’t sure what\’s next for William Regal.
\”I mentioned to MJF, I said ‘The more you can sit under that learning tree of William Regal and talk about the psychology of being a wrestling villain, you should because he’s got great psychology.’ A very valuable asset wherever he may be, I don’t know what the future holds for him.”
\”I don\’t know what the future holds for him.\”
Jim Ross on William Regal.
MJF (sans Regal) is expected to appear on tonight\’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
There is no heat between WWE United States Champion Austin Theory and Mustafa Ali despite a scary botch during their title match on this week\’s Raw.
During the match, Ali attempted a top rope Frankensteiner on the U.S. Champion, which did not go as planned.
Instead, both men fell awkwardly in the corner of the ring but were able to carry on and finish the match.
The Update
This botch on Monday Night Raw happened because Theory did not hold onto Ali the proper way, Fightful Select reports.
The idea was for Theory to block the attempted Frankensteiner and lift Ali up into a powerbomb.
Ali would have blocked that attempt and leveled Theory with a Hurricanrana before going into the next spot for the match.
It was Mustafa Ali who called for the referee to check on them both, while both men called an audible for the match to end early with the satellite DDT.
Backstage
After the match, the situation was discussed behind the scenes, and Austin Theory was said to be incredibly apologetic for what happened.
Fightful adds that there is no heat between the two, with this unfortunate incident being chalked up to an accident that could have happened to anyone.
Theory has been feuding with Seth Rollins in recent weeks and failed to dethrone the then-United States Champion when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
Theory\’s attempted cash-in marked the first time the contract had been cashed in on a championship that wasn\’t a World title.
AEW World Tag Team Champion was concerned that coming out as gay would negatively affect or possibly end his career in the ring.
In November 2020, Bowens, alongside Acclaimed teammate, Max Caster, signed a five-year deal with AEW and are in their first reign as World Tag Team Champions.
After coming out as bisexual in 2017, Bowens shared a video in 2019 with his partner, stating he now solely identifies as homosexual.
Career-Ending
Bowens is proud of who he is, but for years he feared he would never have the chance to come out due to his career.
\”I would sit in my room, in my car, and just cry thinking if I came out, you know, my career is over, fans would hate me, wrestlers would hate me, a national TV company wouldn’t take a chance on me.\”
Anthony Bowens.
Bowens added that he feels proud for coming out, and hopes to be an example to others that there is nothing wrong with being LGBTQ+.
\”To be able to be somebody that people can watch on television, hopefully connect to and relate to, to give them that sense of hope that, I made it through, they can make it through.\”
Anthony Bowens.
LGBTQ+ Wrestling
While there was once a stigma around LGBTQ+ in wrestling, that isn\’t the case (as much) anymore.
In addition to Bowens, AEW\’s first openly gay champion, AEW is also home to Nyla Rose, a transwoman, and both Toni Storm and referee Aubrey Edwards identify as bisexual.
In WWE, Sonya Deville is the promotion\’s first openly lesbian Superstar, while Doudrop, Kayla Braxton, and the recently returned Tegan Nox have also come out as bisexual.
Drew McIntyre is expected to miss a few weeks of action after being medically disqualified from this week\’s episode of WWE SmackDown on FOX.
During Raw, it was announced that McIntyre won\’t be teaming with SmackDown this Friday to challenge Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos.
Injury
On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that McIntyre\’s medical disqualification stems from an injury.
He is injured. I was told an injury, but it’s not from a firsthand source. But he’s supposed to be back for the Christmas show. So it’s only a couple of weeks, I know that.\”
Dave Meltzer.
Details remain unclear as to what exact injury the two-time former WWE Champion recently suffered.
The Will to Compete
McIntyre has been pulled from this Friday\’s match, and nobody is more disappointed than the Scottish Warrior himself.
On his show, Meltzer explained that Drew was adamant about competing despite not being cleared by WWE\’s medical team.
\”He wanted to wrestle and they would not let him wrestle. But it’s not like it’s going to be a long-term thing, at least as it stands right now.”
Dave Meltzer.
With McIntyre on the shelf, Butch will team with Sheamus for the title match.
![\"Vince](\"https://media.sescoops.com/uploads/2022/12/vince-mcmahon-boardroom-1200x675.jpg\")