WWE has officially closed the book on the NXT Heritage Cup Championship. The title has been quietly removed from the active championships section of WWE.com, ending a lineage that traces back to NXT UK in 2020.
Archive.org listing shows the title was still included on the company’s site as recently as late May, placing the removal sometime between then and now.
The NXT Heritage Cup has now officially been removed as a recognized current championship on the WWE website
The last holder was Channing 'Stacks' Lorenzo, who had still been listed as champion until today despite the trophy being thrown off a bridge by Tony D'Angelo at the… pic.twitter.com/CNL77ZQsu4
Fans have anticipated this move for a while. The Heritage Cup has not been featured on NXT programming since Tony D’Angelo stole the cup and tossed it off a bridge in July 2025, a storyline moment that effectively ended the title’s run.
Despite that, Channing ‘Stacks’ Lorenzo had remained the technical champion the entire time. Lorenzo won the title in June 2025 and was still listed as the holder right up until the removal, leaving his final reign clocked at 345 days.
The Heritage Cup was first introduced in 2020 for the NXT UK brand. Over its run, it was held by a string of names from across NXT’s various eras.
Tyler Bate
Noam Dar
A-Kid
Mark Coffey
Lexis King
Nathan Frazer
Channing Lorenzo
Noam Dar holds the record for the longest individual reign at 341 days. Lorenzo’s final reign of 345 days technically surpasses that mark, though it ended not with a defeat but with the title being written off and never defended again.
The Don Callis Family has added another reigning champion to its ranks. On the June 3 episode of AEW Dynamite, TNT Champion Kevin Knight officially aligned himself with Don Callis, bringing championship gold with him into one of AEW’s most influential factions.
The announcement crystallizes the heel turn Knight began at Double or Nothing, when he betrayed Darby Allin and dissolved his popular JetSpeed partnership with “Speedball” Mike Bailey.
The reveal hijacked a segment that initially looked focused on the AEW World Championship picture. Fresh off a dominant win over an enhancement talent, Andrade El Idolo grabbed a microphone and called out AEW World Champion MJF, questioning whether the Salt of the Earth truly believed he could beat him.
Before Andrade could get an answer, Don Callis and Jake Doyle made their way out and changed the direction of the segment entirely. Callis announced that TNT Champion Kevin Knight had officially joined the Don Callis Family.
The reveal was followed by a title defence, with Knight putting his championship up on the line against Mike Bailey. The new partnership started paying dividends immediately as Doyle and Callis ran interference, which allowed Kevin to retain the belt against his former partner.
Having lost the Continental and International Championships over the last few months, the Don Callis Family had been faced with the challenge of relevancy. Adding the TNT Champion to their ranks gives a new life to the faction and gives them a new direction.
Mercedes Moné ended her 2026 AEW absence in dramatic fashion on the June 3 episode of Dynamite, dropping straight into the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament with a guaranteed AEW Women’s World Championship match on the line. The defending Owen Hart Cup winner returned not for a soft reintroduction but with a chance to chase a rare back-to-back tournament victory.
Moné surfaced as the mystery wild card entrant, the unannounced opponent waiting for Alex Windsor in a quarterfinal matchup. AEW held the surprise until the last moment, revealing “The CEO” as the entrant for her first AEW appearance of 2026.
Mercedes Moné re-enters the Owen Hart Tournament picture
In the quarterfinal, Moné defeated Windsor via submission after a competitive back-and-forth contest. Windsor found moments of offense and repeatedly pushed the former champion, but Moné stayed a step ahead, connecting with multiple Meteoras and backstabbers throughout the bout.
The finish came when she locked in the Statement Maker for a second time, forcing Windsor to tap. Mone will now be facing the winner of the Hazuki vs. Persephone match in the semi-final of the tournament.
Her comeback ended a lengthy hiatus that began after she lost the TBS Championship at New Year’s Smash late last year. Questions about Mone’s status had circulated throughout the absence, and her return had been telegraphed by recent reporting that she remained under an AEW contract.
Rather than ease back into competition, Moné jumped directly into a tournament where the stakes could hardly be higher. The winner earns a guaranteed AEW Women’s World Championship match at All In: London.
The return carries added weight given her history in the event. Having won the Owen Hart Cup in 2025, Moné now has an opportunity to pull off a back-to-back tournament triumph.
Sol Ruca already has a name in mind for her first Women’s Intercontinental Championship defense, and it belongs to the woman who started the title’s lineage.
Speaking with TMZ’s Inside The Ring, the new champion said she would welcome a defense against Lyra Valkyria, the inaugural Women’s Intercontinental Champion, calling it a test she wants to pass.
“I am 100% down. I am a fighting champion,” Ruca said. “I would absolutely love to defend the title against Lyra. She’s the first person to ever hold this title. It would be a great matchup and it’ll definitely test myself against another former IC champion.”
The pitch carries extra weight because the two are already on a collision course. Ruca opens her Queen of the Ring tournament run against Valkyria, with the bracket set for the June 1 episode of Raw, so the path to that title program may run straight through the tournament.
Ruca won the championship by defeating Becky Lynch at Clash in Italy on Sunday, May 31, at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, ending Lynch’s third reign at 43 days. It was her first major title win since moving to the main roster.
Now she’s framing the reign around volume. Ruca said she wants to defend the title as often as possible and floated using it as a platform to elevate the brand that developed her.
“If it was up to me, I would absolutely love to bring some NXT girls to try and defend this title and put them up on the main roster and see what they got,” she said. “I want to do right by this title, and I want to make myself and all my followers proud.”
Her stated benchmark is not a modest one. Ruca told the show she wants her run remembered as the best the title has seen.
“I want them to think that I’ve had the best Intercontinental Championship run of all time,” she said. “That’s the goal.”
Dark Side of the Ring returns for its seventh season on Tuesday, July 7 at 9 p.m. Eastern on Vice TV, and the show is opening with a three-part deep dive into TNA Wrestling and Jeff Jarrett. AEW president Tony Khan turns up in the new trailer, a striking crossover that ties today’s wrestling landscape to the series’ notoriously dark retrospective lens.
The trailer features Khan alongside Jarrett, Scott Steiner, and Matt Hardy, among others. Khan delivers one of the trailer’s standout lines, according to F4W.
“It is Dark Side of the Ring after all,” Khan says.
Dark Side Of The Ring Season 7 Topics
After the opening TNA and Jeff Jarrett episodes, the season branches out across several other subjects from wrestling’s past. The full slate of topics announced for season seven:
Three-part episode on TNA Wrestling and Jeff Jarrett
“Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
Big Boss Man (Ray Traylor)
Missy Hyatt
Samoa Joe vs. Necro Butcher from IWA-MS in 2005 and the personal animosity the two had toward each other
Zach Gowen
The Renegade (Rick Wilson), described as “an exotic dancer who had a brief run as an Ultimate Warrior knockoff”
Khan, who serves as president, CEO, and head of creative for AEW, is a rare active promoter to appear within the show’s framework, which typically revisits the troubled chapters of the industry’s history.
Season seven premieres Tuesday, July 7 at 9 p.m. Eastern on Vice TV.
Nick Khan is now claiming WWE never changed its WrestleMania 40 plans, a statement that flies in the face of The Rock’s own public admission and WWE’s own behind the scenes documentary. The WWE President insists the famous creative pivot fans witnessed in 2024 was the intended outcome all along.
The road to WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia saw Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes briefly give up his main event opportunity against Roman Reigns to The Rock. WWE reverted to Reigns vs. Rhodes after heavy fan backlash, and a tag team match was booked for Night 1 with Reigns and The Rock facing Rhodes and Seth Rollins.
Speaking at SBJ On Stage ahead of WrestleMania 42, Khan claimed those plans never changed and that what happened in Philly was always the design.
“By the way, the plan was always how it ended up in Philly two years ago. Sometimes, it’s a pre-determined outcome in wrestling. You want to throw the fans off, you want to let things bake, and then, boom, it ends up the way that we wanted it to end up. It never changed,” Khan said.
“That was just online rumors and gossip that we were changing, it never changed. We convinced Dwayne Johnson to come back. He’s on our board of directors. It was a tag team match. He’s about the same age I am, so two years ago let’s say he was 50, he was obviously in phenomenal shape, he did everything that we asked of him and then some. But that was always the result we were looking for,” Khan added.
Khan’s Claim Contradicts WWE’s Own Documentary And The Rock
The trouble with Khan’s version is that WWE itself has already told a different story. The promotion released a WrestleMania 40 Behind the Curtain documentary that admitted fan backlash forced the pivot back to Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes.
The Rock has also said publicly that the original plan was for Roman Reigns vs. The Rock, before WWE pivoted to put Rhodes in the match. Khan’s framing of the situation as nothing more than online rumor runs directly against both accounts.
Fans pointed out the contradiction on X, arguing that Khan does not want to accept that WWE listens to online criticism. On the same stage, the WWE President made comments tied to the WrestleMania 42 news cycle and claimed the company does not alter creative plans in response to social media reaction.
Nick Khan saying that Rock was always planned for a tag match is bullshit.
They literally released a documentary on how they pivoted from Rock vs Roman to Roman vs Cody.
He clearly doesn’t wanna accept the fact that they listen to Social Media criticism.
Khan’s standing as WWE President under TKO gives his public statements weight, which is part of why this account has drawn such pushback. He recently signed a WWE contract extension that keeps him in the role for years to come.
Former WWE star Kaitlyn recently said that she walked away from WWE in 2014 with two years left on her contract, not because of a better opportunity, but out of desperation.
The former Divas Champion described herself as “an absolute mess” who lacked the emotional tools to survive the business.
Speaking with TMZ’s Inside The Ring, Kaitlyn talked about the decision that led to her WWE exit. She requested her release while still under contract, framing the move as an act of self-preservation rather than a career calculation.
“When I left, I had signed my second contract when I had the title in 2013 and I ended up asking for my release with still two years left on my contract,” Kaitlyn said. “And it’s because I was struggling, I was folding under the pressure of show business and the adrenaline and the emotional roller coaster and also that lifestyle, especially the way it was back then was very difficult to have real relationships like intimate relationships.”
‘I Didn’t Have Tools To Process What I Was Going Through’
The former Divas Champion detailed how the pressures built over her years on the roster, affecting her mental and physical health. She said she gained weight, lost confidence, and reached a breaking point without knowing how to talk about what she was feeling.
“I was there from when I was 23 to when I was 27, I didn’t have tools to process what I was going through and I didn’t know how to talk about it,” she said. “So essentially it kind of built to this point in my life where I was struggling mentally, physically, I was gaining weight, emotionally, I was a mess.”
She added that she left without a concrete plan.
“I knew that I couldn’t sustain that. Like my life was reflecting to me like ‘hey you need to figure this out, you need to make some changes.’ And I didn’t feel like I could do that while I was living that lifestyle,” Kaitlyn explained. “I left and I was a mess. I was an absolute mess. Didn’t have a plan.”
Regret And Feelings Of Failure After WWE
Kaitlyn always intended to build a new identity and brand for herself outside of wrestling. But she admitted that leaving the company left her grappling with regret and self-doubt, believing she had not fully capitalized on her global platform.
“I had this really deep feeling that was my opportunity, that was my chance, that I’m never going to do anything as great as that again. And I blew it, like I could have had such a big impact, a much bigger impact,” she said. “For a long time I felt like a failure which is crazy to a lot of people but it’s just how I felt like I could have done so much more with that opportunity and that spotlight on a global stage.”
MJF says his Beyond Wrestling match this Friday against Bobby Orlando will be his last American independent date for the foreseeable future, as he turns his full attention back to AEW. The reigning AEW World Champion framed the move as a deliberate decision to protect his title reign after a recent loss he insists never should have happened.
Speaking with Undisputed (Justin Barrasso), MJF made the announcement while taking direct aim at the circumstances of his defeat.
“I’m going to announce that this is probably the last American independent match I’m going to have for an extraordinarily long time,” MJF said. “I need to focus on AEW. I took my eyes off the ball for a millisecond, and a dude who is like 145-fucking-pounds soaking wet beat me. That can’t happen. I don’t care that he hit me in the nuts and spammed his finisher on me four times, and Aubrey Edwards, who is a complete liar, made a fast count. But glass half full, I’m now a three-time champion at the age of 30.”
The in-character explanation doubles as fresh heat heading into his next televised assignment. MJF is booked to face RUSH on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.
MJF Steps Away From The Indie Circuit
Over the past year, MJF has taken bookings across several independent promotions, including WrestlePro, HOG, Limitless, and CAP. Friday’s bout with Bobby Orlando at Beyond Wrestling is positioned as the cap on that run.
Danhausen took his Knicks curse storyline to the national stage, crashing ESPN’s First Take ahead of NBA Finals Game 1 to hand Stephen A. Smith an ultimatum: give him a TV show, courtside seats, or more money, or watch the New York Knicks get cursed again. Smith did not play along, firing back on air by accusing the wrestler of blackmail.
The segment, which aired before the Knicks’ Finals opener against the San Antonio Spurs, turned Danhausen’s supernatural gimmick into a genuine crossover moment on mainstream sports television, according to ESPN First Take.
Danhausen made clear that Smith’s previous payments had bought results, but said the protection comes with new terms.
“Stephen A. Smith, your checks have cleared so far. However, if you want to keep this un-cursing going, perhaps Danhausen is gonna need his own TV show or more monies or perhaps those courtside seats. No big deal. You have until tip-off time to decide what happens with the curse,” Danhausen said.
Smith was not amused. He shot back by accusing Danhausen of “damaging his reputation by engaging in blackmail.”
How The Knicks Curse Storyline Got Here
The angle traces back to April 28, when Danhausen first lifted the curse on the Knicks. New York has rolled since then, sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers on the way to the Finals, giving the wrestler all the ammunition he needs to claim his powers are real.
For now, the question is whether Smith meets the latest demands before tip-off or risks the curse returning at the worst possible time. Either way, Danhausen has turned the Knicks’ Finals run into one of the strangest side stories in sports and wrestling.
TKO is being accused of restraining WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H. Former TNA star Chris Harris argues that WWE’s “money-hungry” parent company has stripped Triple H of real creative authority and forced him to publicly back decisions he may privately oppose.
Harris made the claim on the Tagging in with Chris Harris podcast while assessing how Triple H is handling his role as WWE’s creative leader. His comments land as TKO faces backlash over reports of cost-cutting and pushes for talent to accept reduced contract deals, the backdrop that gives his criticism stakes.
Harris was quick to separate Triple H from the corporate decisions fans have soured on. He praised having someone with an old-school wrestling mind in charge, citing what he saw in the Unreal program, but said the real power sits above him.
“I’m glad we have an old-school guy in charge. I think he’s got some good ideas, at least from what they allow us to see, and I’ve seen a lot of that from that Unreal program,” Harris said.
From there, he turned on TKO directly, accusing the company of prioritizing profit over the product.
“It looks like he’s open to other ideas, and they try to come together on things creatively. So I’m glad we have that old-school mindset leading the way.
However, I also feel like since TKO has taken over, there’s only so much that a guy in his position can do, because you’ve got higher-ups that it’s very clear are so money-hungry and are doing everything just to make a buck. And I get that, that’s part of business,” Harris said.
Triple H’s “Hands Are Tied”
Harris believes many of WWE’s recent calls would look different if Triple H had full control. In his view, TKO holds final say, leaving Triple H boxed in.
“But I also feel like there’s probably a lot that would have gone differently if it was all up to Triple H in the decision-making. But because TKO has the final say, I think they’ve stepped in a lot of situations, and it may not be what Triple H wants, but his hands are tied,” Harris said.
He added that Triple H has no choice but to publicly defend decisions he may not personally agree with.
“If they tell him to do something, he’s got to do it, and not just do it, but do it with a smile. He can’t go out and say, ‘I didn’t agree with this.’ That’s not how it works. They want someone to be the face of the company and defend every decision,” Harris said. “So personally, I feel like we have a good guy in charge, but I don’t think TKO cares as much about the wrestling side of things as they do about the business side. And that’s unfortunate, but that’s what they’re doing.”
AEW Dynamite airs tonight (Wednesday, June 3, 2026) from the Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia, live on TBS starting at 8 PM ET.
AEW stacks tonight’s episode with two championship matches and two Owen Hart Foundation Tournament bouts. MJF defends the AEW World Title against Rush, Kevin Knight puts the TNT Championship on the line against Mike Bailey, and the Owen Cup rolls on in both divisions. Here’s everything you need to know including start times, how to watch, and the full card.
How to Watch AEW Dynamite Tonight
Date
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Venue
Siegel Center, Richmond, Virginia
Channel/Stream
TBS / HBO Max (simulcast)
US Start Time
8 PM ET / 7 PM CT / 5 PM PT
UK Start Time
1 AM GMT (Thursday)
India Start Time
5:30 AM IST (Thursday)
Duration
2 hours
AEW Dynamite Match Card for June 3, 2026
Here are the matches and segments announced for tonight’s show:
MJF (c) vs. Rush (AEW World Championship)
MJF makes the first defense of his third AEW World Title reign tonight after reclaiming the belt from Darby Allin at Double or Nothing. Rush earned the shot by confronting the champion last week and brings momentum, having not lost in AEW or ROH since April.
Kevin Knight (c) vs. Mike Bailey (TNT Championship)
Will Ospreay vs. Mark Davis (Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Semifinal)
Another pair of former friends collide, with a spot in the tournament final at stake. Ospreay advanced past Samoa Joe at Double or Nothing, while Davis eliminated Jack Perry. The history here cuts deep: the last time these two met, Davis beat Ospreay via medical stoppage with a piledriver, so Ospreay is chasing revenge and a step closer to All In London.
Alex Windsor vs. Wild Card (Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Quarterfinal)
Windsor’s quarterfinal opponent remains unannounced as of Wednesday. The slot opened up after Willow Nightingale was forced out due to injury, and the identity of the wild card is one of the biggest talking points heading into tonight.
Road to AEW Forbidden Door 2026
The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament finals take place at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door on June 28, with the men’s and women’s winners earning AEW World Championship matches at All In London from Wembley Stadium on August 30.
Tonight’s semifinal and quarterfinal results move both brackets one step closer to those finals, making every Owen Cup match a direct path to Wembley.
Follow SEScoops for any news and developments from tonight’s AEW Dynamite.
Former WWE star Karrion Kross, (now Killer Kross) walked out of WWE last year with no plan for what came next. By his own admission, that was because he never thought he would need one.
The former WWE star spent years believing that pure effort would keep him employed indefinitely, only to learn that job security in the company does not work that way.
Speaking on the Off the Ropes podcast, Kross reflected on how far his career has drifted from what he originally pictured. After a couple of runs with WWE,he said he always assumed he would retire under the WWE banner.
“I’ll be honest, I had no plan. I have said this for years. The story’s never changed. I always thought I was going to be a lifer with WWE,” Kross said.
The hard lesson, he explained, was realizing that staying with WWE was never fully in his control, no matter how hard he pushed himself each week.
“I didn’t understand how that really worked. It’s like, that’s not actually your choice. You’re thinking that, ‘Hey, if I just show up at 110% every single week, that should take care of it, right?’ It’s like, No, that’s not really how it works.”
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) June 1, 2026
Embracing The Uncertainty
Leaving WWE was never part of the plan but Kross framed the constant change that followed as something he is suited for. He described himself as someone who has lived all over the place and adapts quickly.
“I’ve lived all over the place. So instantaneous change and adaptability has never bothered me. I kind of like, in a weird way, I thrive on that because the monotonous routine of anything drives me crazy, which is also a weird paradox because I also thrive on routine and discipline. That’s just the way I am.”
The Vision member Bron Breakker is reportedly expected to be fine after limping out of his match with Seth Rollins on this week’s WWE Raw, a welcome relief for a superstar positioned for a major push.
Breakker appeared to be hurt following the bout, and a video circulated online afterward that seemed to show him limping. That clip sparked immediate concern among fans given the trajectory WWE has him on.
As per a new report from False Finish, the scare amounted to nothing more than him being “banged up,” with no time off expected.
The outlet reported that the situation is minor and will not impact his ability to compete moving forward.
“Bron Breakker was indeed banged up after his match with Seth Rollins on #WWERAW but nothing that will affect him or working in-ring moving forward,” False Finish posted.
False Finish has learned that Bron Breakker was indeed banged up after his match with Seth Rollins on #WWERAW but nothing that will affect him or working in-ring moving forward pic.twitter.com/W7YAZ4njeI
The timing of the scare added to the worry. Breakker only recently returned to action, and another setback would have been a damaging blow as the promotion looks to move him further up the card.
AEW star Rebel is not stepping back from the fight of her life.
The AEW star, whose real name is Tanea Brooks, has announced that she is joining the non-profit organization I AM ALS as an ambassador, taking on an active advocacy role as she battles the disease herself. She shared the news in a video posted to X by the organization.
Rebel explained in the video that she is hoping to help the organization to make an impact and move closer toward finding a cure. Her involvement comes after she publicly revealed that she had been diagnosed with ALS.
“I am Tanea Brooks. I am Rebel. Now, I AM ALS,” she said. “ALS may be terminal, but I’m showing up to fight as an Ambassador for I AM ALS, a patient-led movement pushing for real progress. I’m proud to join I AM ALS and I’m asking you to step into the ring with us.”
I am Tanea Brooks. I am Rebel. Now, I AM ALS.
ALS may be terminal, but I'm showing up to fight as an Ambassador for I AM ALS, a patient-led movement pushing for real progress. I’m proud to join I AM ALS & I’m asking you to step into the ring with us ? https://t.co/RVHbWz6I52pic.twitter.com/v6ELnHHo8m
The wrestling community is rallying around her. AEW launched a special merchandise collection, with 100 percent of proceeds benefiting the ALS Association and Team Gleason.
I AM ALS describes itself as an ALS support organization committed to offering comprehensive resources. Its programs are aimed at educating the public about the disease, pushing for policy reforms, and assisting families affected by it.
The group empowers patients and caregivers to become advocates, funds research initiatives, and builds communities through peer-to-peer support and storytelling.
Rebel’s decision to take on the ambassador role turns a personal diagnosis into a public push for progress, with the broader wrestling world lining up behind her.
Former WWE Women’s Champion Bayley is heading toward the final stretch of her current WWE contract, and there is still no word on a new deal.
Her current agreement is set to expire at the end of this year, leaving one of the women’s division’s most decorated stars in a potential free-agency situation.
Reports via WrestleVotes suggest that WWE and TKO want to keep Bayley around as because she is seen as a respected locker room leader. However, no new agreement has been reached, and the company has not made any public statement about the talks.
The intrigue comes from Bayley herself, who has openly acknowledged that she has ambitions beyond wrestling and is unsure exactly what comes next once her deal runs out.
Bayley On Her WWE Future
Bayley addressed her contract during an interview with Chris Van Vliet in April last year. She revealed she had roughly a year and a half left on her deal and admitted she had not figured out what she wanted to do after it expired.
“I have so many other things I want to make it into,” Bayley said. “I have a year and a half left on this current contract, so we’ll see what happens then. And then what? Man, I don’t know.”
The veteran also reflected on her lengthy run with the promotion while making clear there is more she wants to accomplish.
“I think I’ve done everything I really want to do, not everything. There’s still a lot I want to get done, but done so much with WWE and I’ve been here for already 12 years and there’s a huge wave of women coming in that I think are ready to take over, ready to be in those spots.”
Bayley even floated the idea that her in-ring run may not last much longer, though she expressed confidence in the future of WWE’s women’s division.
“So when I think about okay, I might be done in a couple of years, who knows? I know that it’s going to be in good hands. So that makes me really happy.”
The Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is stepping into one of the louder debates surrounding WWE right now, throwing his support behind Triple H’s creative leadership at a time when critics have been openly questioning whether the WWE Chief Content Officer belongs in the role.
As one of the promotion’s top stars working inside the system every week, ‘The American Nightmare’ offered a candid endorsement of how the creative process operates.
Speaking on his What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast, Cody Rhodes explained why he enjoys working under Triple H’s approach. He said Triple H operates differently from Vince McMahon and other bookers because he gives talent room to bring ideas forward and collaborate.
Rhodes described himself as a performer who wants ownership over his story and character while still trusting WWE’s machine to polish and produce it.
“Most of the time this is my story. It’s my character. I want to get it as good as I can and then you guys fix it up, filter it, produce it for me. One of the things I love about WWE is taking talented people, but then producing them. You’re producing them and funneling and right now Hunter has a different style funnel, Triple H that being, than Vince had, than any other booker’s,” Rhodes said.
Inside Triple H’s Creative “Sandbox”
Rhodes said the style is especially fun for talent because it lets performers try ideas inside the structure WWE provides. He framed it as a back-and-forth where talent pitches and Triple H helps shape those ideas inside his creative “sandbox.”
“He has a different style that’s really fun if you’re a player for him to go, ‘Hey, I want to be your main guy. I want to be, but this is my, what about this? Try it.’ And to try his sandbox, to try and collab and match that idea,” Rhodes said.
A Response To The Critics
Cody Rhodes’ comments land against a backdrop of public criticism aimed at Triple H’s booking. Vince Russo recently ripped Triple H’s comments about WWE creative and accused him of being unfit for the job, arguing his “ebb and flow” explanation sounded like an excuse.
Despite not being active since 2018, the defunct wrestling promotion still maintains a cult following. The influence of the product is still felt across the wrestling space, and every so often, rumors about a potential revival for the product pick up steam again.
So it wasn’t a surprise that fans got excited about the prospect of the company’s future when the official LU Twitter account posted a teaser last week after being inactive for over half a decade. The promotion’s official website was then updated to suggest that the brand will start running events again soon.
Fightful Select recently provided an update on these teases. They noted that MGM and Amazon have the controlling interest in Lucha Underground. The tech giant seems to be happy letting the Lucha Underground library float around, and there hasn’t been any interest in selling the library despite past inquiries.
As for the recent teases, the site is reporting that the brand will actually be launching a new YouTube channel soon, and the recent posts are aimed at generating buzz for it.
Though the report did not provide any update on LU becoming a touring brand again. We’ll have to see if it means the company will be producing new content for the YouTube channel or just using old footage to sell tickets for non-televised shows.
Bronson Reed continues facing one obstacle after another.
The Vision star, who is currently out of action due to an injury, revealed on Instagram that he was involved in a car accident this Tuesday. The former NXT star thankfully confirmed that no one got hurt during the incident, though he did call out people for not focusing on the road while driving:
“Just had a rear collision. Thankfully, everyone is okay. But people stop driving on your damn phones, pay attention. People have kids in their cars,”
Imagine rear-ending someone and Bronson Reed walks out of the other car.
Bronson Reed suffered a distal bicep tear during the February 23 episode of WWE Raw. He suffered the damage while attempting to break a pin during his triple threat match, also involving Jey Uso and El Grande Americano.
The former North American Champion underwent surgery later that week. Reports suggest that creative has Reed slated to face Roman Reigns once he returns to WWE programming, though a specific timetable for the same is not known.
The Vision faction has not been doing so well in Bronson’s absence either. Logan Paul underwent surgery himself for a torn triceps just last month and latest social media clips have raised concerns about the health of another member of the group. You can check out more about it here.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick believes the WWE 2K franchise has plenty of room left to grow, telling IGN the series could eventually be “double or triple the size that it is” if it keeps delivering for players.
The comments follow Take-Two’s fourth-quarter and full fiscal year 2026 earnings report, which showed WWE 2K26 recurrent consumer spending up 20% year-over-year, with more than 85 million matches played. That figure is a 7% increase over WWE 2K25.
WWE 2K26 launched March 13, 2026, with then World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk on the standard edition cover. The game is developed by Visual Concepts and published under Take-Two’s 2K label.
Zelnick credited the partnership with WWE parent TKO Group and praised the company’s leadership.
“We have great partners at TKO led by Nick Khan. And of course everything related to WWE continues to grow,” he said. “The team over there is just crushing it. So we’re thrilled to be in business with TKO and WWE.”
He framed the growth ceiling as a challenge for the development team rather than a finished job.
“I do think there’s ongoing opportunities to improve the quality of the game. I do think that we can give consumers more of what they want. And I know our team at Visual Concepts always wants to do better.”
Zelnick added that the company avoids resting on past results.
“We’re never in the business of patting ourselves on the back. We believe that arrogance is the enemy of continued success.”
The CEO then laid out the upside he sees for the franchise.
“I think that title could be double or triple the size that it is as long as we delight consumers, and as long as we give them something new and not expected that’s consistent with the brand that they love. That’s our job.”
AEW is heading back to Mexico City. The company announced that AEW Grand Slam: Mexico returns to Arena Mexico on Wednesday, August 5, marking the second straight year the promotion runs a televised special inside CMLL’s home venue.
The event airs live on TBS and streams on HBO Max in the United States, with Fox Sports Mexico carrying it locally. Tickets go on sale Saturday, June 6 at 10 a.m. CST through AEWTix.com and Ticketmaster.com.mx.
As announced by @FOXSportsMX, AEW is returning to Mexico City with #AEWGrandSlam: Mexico, LIVE from Arena México on Wednesday, August 5!
Tickets go on sale Saturday, June 6, at 10am local time.
AEW’s promotional graphic features world champion MJF alongside lucha libre names Místico, Mascara Dorada, Andrade El Idolo, Thunder Rosa, and Bandido. No matches have been confirmed, and AEW says additional details are coming.
The date itself tells the bigger story. Last year’s inaugural Grand Slam Mexico ran on June 18, but the 2026 edition slides to August, a move tied to the FIFA World Cup occupying Mexican venues through mid-July. That timing plants the show squarely in AEW’s late-summer run toward All In at Wembley Stadium on August 30.
The 2025 special drew a packed Arena Mexico crowd and produced one of the year’s signature moments, with Hangman Page cutting a Spanish promo and a controversial MJF segment in a heated main-event-level encounter. The AEW and CMLL partnership has only deepened since, making the return to the “cathedral of lucha libre” one of the more anticipated entries on the company’s calendar.
Joe Coffey has been wrestling for more than 17 years, and the chip on his shoulder remains. The well-traveled veteran feels renewed motivation these days, especially when it comes to thinking about all the potential opportunities in MLW. He made his debut alongside his brother Mark and longtime running mate Wolfgang. Together the trio known as GBOT (Glasgow Boys on Top) made their presence felt during MLW Fusion’s premiere on May 30.
“It was great seeing Fusion on Saturday. It was really good. It was fantastic,” Coffey said, “MLW has a very high quality setup. I think seeing that back on Saturday just proved it’s a major promotion. It’s making a lot of noise. I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback as a whole…We’re just getting started here. I’m excited to see where it goes.”
During the show, the Coffey brothers faced the Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson). It was a match Joe had wanted with the tag division starting to heat up.
“They are great in the locker room,” Coffey said. “They are great to have around. That’s why they are called the Good Brothers. It was a great experience…To be able to do it on a platform like MLW with the crowd that was there that night and to showcase that during the premiere for Fusion. There was no better fit I think.”
The performer enjoyed his time in MLW so much he committed to the company by signing a contract in March. He felt like it was the right fit.
“To speak with Court [Bauer] as well, it’s something we thought would be a good idea. I think I have a lot to prove as well,” Coffey said. “…I feel like I’ve been wasted the last couple of years. I just want to go prove myself and show character work and show what I can do in the ring. I want to show people who I am again. I thought MLW was a good place to do that.”
Beyond the ring, the driven Scot also upped his training in the gym as well. For him, it’s not just for maintenance and health reasons. It’s about building a “suit of armor” to lessen the chance of injury. Confidence has never been an issue for the talent, even after his time with WWE ended. After all, not many could say they trained and helped Dwayne Johnson get ready for WrestleMania like he and the rest of the formerly named Gallus did in 2024.
“We’re very thankful to be trusted to have that opportunity,” Coffey said. “…It was on us. He was really good. He was super cool with us. Proper humble as well. It was just a good experience. Of course, he is The Rock and has the aura and that. Once I laced my boots up it was more let’s go, come on. I don’t care who you are.
“When you step through the ropes, you’re anyone. It doesn’t matter. You’re just another pro wrestler to me. I just wanted to get going. I just wanted to get in and wrestle and test myself. Being in there with Dwayne, it’s amazing to see how he works on a different level taking into account how the crowd would react. There are only certain people in the world who can do that. It’s just really cool to work with him. It was absolutely brilliant.”
The landscape of the industry is constantly changing and evolving. Big news came from across the pond that Nikki Cross and her husband Big Damo acquired Progress Wrestling. Coffey has high hopes for the promotion’s future under this power couple.
“I was as shocked as anyone [when I found out]. He kept it quiet, and I was traveling with him the last couple of weeks,” Coffey said. “It’s great. I think Progress couldn’t be in the hands of two better people. Two great human beings. It will be interesting to see where they go with it. Progress has always had a history with high level professional wrestling. I think it’s only going to go up. The sky is the limit. I’m looking forward to seeing what will happen with it.”
Coffey feels the same way about MLW when it not only comes to tag teams, but in the singles ranks as well. He has enjoyed sharing the squared circle with opponents from all walks of life.
“The roster is stacked. I’ve got to mix it up a little bit with Diego HIll in Battle Riot. It would be great to work and wrestle with him. Even someone like Paul Waler Hauser. Someone who still has very much a massive name value but very much new to this job,” Coffey said.
“That would be a fun and interesting one, going back to being in the Battle Riot with him. There are so many people. Even people who I worked alongside with but not necessarily got the chance to get in the ring with like Bishop Dyer, Dijak. Kross is another one. He has that big shiny MLW title, which I have my eye on as well. There is such a good mix of people who have been doing this for a while and who are familiar with the fans. Then you have got people who are starting out and making things for themselves. I’m hoping I can check a few off the MLW bucket list as well.”
Watch MLW Fusion on Saturdays 6:05 p.m. ET on YouTube, 9 p.m. ET on Veeps, and 10 p.m. ET on beIN Sports
Former WWE United States Champion Logan Paul recently opened up on how early fame and fortune negatively impacted his character.
Speaking on the School of Hard Knocks YouTube channel, Paul He admitted that the money and success went to his head during his rise to stardom. He reflected on his career and the huge financial success he achieved at a young age.
‘The Maverick’ then revealed that one of his biggest years was when he bagged around $50 million, with earnings even higher during his peak.
When asked whether that level of success ever went to his head, Paul didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah, I did. It wasn’t good. How can it not get to your head, bro? I was 22 years old, and I made over $50 million in a single year. I thought I was invincible, but I wasn’t.”
Paul’s early years were frequently defined by backlash and controversy, but he says he has since matured considerably from those experiences. He has expanded his career across multiple industries, including his work as an active WWE performer and entrepreneur.
Cody Rhodes says the Cross Rhodes he hit on Seth Rollins at WWE Battleground 2013 is the greatest he has ever executed, crediting Rollins’ skill level and a unique floating motion he has never been able to replicate.
Speaking to ESPN about the biggest moments of his WWE career, Rhodes walked through the context of the match: a tag team bout alongside his brother, Dustin Rhodes, against The Shield, with their WWE careers on the line.
“I love that it was in Buffalo, New York. I have a couple of unique hometowns that aren’t hometowns. Atlanta is where I’m from, but Buffalo is one, Philly is another. Buffalo, because of this match, there was even someone who said backstage, do you think they’ll care about the road story or Dusty, because he was more of a Florida, Georgia, Carolinas guy, and it was Michael Hayes who actually replied. He said, ‘they’ll care about Dusty anywhere,’ and this is it. The last Bionic Elbow right there. The last one in a big setting on TV.”
Rhodes described how his father’s involvement became the turning point that brought the crowd fully to its feet before the finish.
“Me and Chicken, my older brother, had wrestled for 10 plus minutes and we were — the crowd was moving and they were rumbling, but they weren’t up yet, and then dad takes his hat off and hits that elbow and the people’s, that’s where they first came up. Then we rode that all the way to the best Cross Rhodes I ever hit, and this is it right here, number one on the list.”
He admitted he has never been able to explain or reproduce the exact mechanics of how it happened.
“I’ll never know how we got the floating. I’ve tried again. There was something about how our feet were and Seth’s skill level being one of the greatest of all time. I’ll never know how we floated into that Cross Rhodes, but that’s the number one on the list.”
Rhodes is the current Undisputed WWE Champion. He retained the title against Gunther at Clash in Italy on May 31.
Reports have emerged that WWE has a contingency plan for WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia.
The plan involves Roman Reigns squaring off against Oba Femi if The Rock does not compete at the event.
According to Self Made Pro, speaking during a Self Made Session, there are still several moving pieces surrounding WrestleMania 43 and nothing has been locked in. He cited a conversation with someone inside WWE as the basis for the report.
“So I talked to someone in WWE, right? There’s a lot of moving pieces right now and they’re still unclear, at least as far as I’m aware, as far as the people I spoke to are aware, I should say. Right now, if Dwayne’s not doing Mania, then they’re looking to do Oba Femi and Roman at Mania.”
The Rock’s Status Remains Unclear
The Rock has previously addressed WrestleMania 43, expressing enthusiasm for the event and the Kingdom while keeping his answer deliberately vague when pressed on whether he would compete. His Hollywood commitments and long-term plans remain factors in any potential return to the ring.
Reports have previously indicated that WWE and Saudi officials were working on a substantial offer to bring The Rock in for the event, with the idea tied to what could be his final match. Nothing on that front has been officially confirmed either.
WWE Hall of Famer AJ Styles has publicly come to the defense of Ludwig Kaiser following Kaiser’s arrest on battery charges in Orlando, Florida, saying he believes the alleged victim got what was coming to him.
Kaiser faced allegations of punching a neighbor who reportedly complained about Kaiser’s intimate behavior with his girlfriend in an elevator and allegedly threatened to call immigration authorities on her. WWE’s reaction to the arrest has also drawn attention in the days since the incident.
AJ Styles Shares His Thoughts On Ludwig Kaiser
The former WWE Champion addressed the situation on his “Phenomenally Retro” podcast, making clear he does not believe the alleged victim’s account and that something serious must have provoked his friend and fellow WWE superstar.
“He is the definition of a class act. And so, to hear something like this happen, immediately I go, ‘Oh. He must have really been pissed off about something to go like and do something like this,’” Styles said.
Styles went further, suggesting the alleged victim was likely jealous and deserved the confrontation.
“I know Kaiser well, very well. And if something were said that pissed him off enough to fight with someone? They deserved it,” he said. “I don’t believe that, not for one second.”
He also drew a personal parallel, saying he would react violently if someone threatened his wife or children.
“When you say something about my wife or my kids? Bro, it’s going to get violent real fast,” Styles added.
“I will not let them be yelled at or talked to in any certain way.”
Styles closed by making his loyalty clear:
“I’m going to be on my buddy’s side. I believe that this guy probably got what was coming to him.”
