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.”
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett believes Chad Gable needs to be prepared to leave WWE, predicting the company won’t reward him with a major push despite his recent success at AAA Noche de los Grandes.
Gable showcased a spectacular performance at AAA Noche de los Grandes, where he was unmasked following a mask vs. mask match against El Grande Americano. The performance drew widespread praise, including from JBL, who called Gable the best wrestler in the world.
Jeff Jarrett Wants Chad Gable To Leave WWE
Jarrett made the comments on his My World podcast, praising Gable’s performance in his match against El Grande Americano in Monterrey while expressing doubt that WWE management would follow it up with a meaningful push.
“I just don’t see the WWE [pushing him], because he worked under the Vince regime. And obviously now he’s worked under Triple H regime, [but] they’re not all of a sudden magically going to go ‘Oh yeah, he’s our guy,’” Jarrett said.
Jarrett Urges Gable to Leverage His Contract Situation
Gable has approximately one year remaining on his WWE contract, and Jarrett believes that window is something Gable should use to his advantage. He pointed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s new ownership as one potential avenue worth exploring.
“I would absolutely leverage [the contract situation] with New Japan having new owners [etc]…I just think he [Gable] needs to keep doing what he’s doing, but be ready to leave. I don’t see TKO coming to him and saying, ‘Hey man, you performed great in Monterrey, we’re going to give you a bump [in pay].’ I just don’t see that. I think he could monetize his talent more,” Jarrett said.
Coming out of WrestleMania 41, one of the biggest stories in WWE was the emergence of The Vision. Seth Rollins was newly heel, aligned with Paul Heyman, and taking Bron Breakker under his wing, all of which was exciting and promised a great deal of intrigue with a new heel faction positioned on top of the Raw brand.
The year to follow was largely defined by injuries, which were beyond the control of the group members or WWE creative. The booking too, however, hasn’t necessarily done this stable many favors. With over a year of the Vision being realized in WWE, it’s time to evaluate how well the group has served each of its members.
Seth Rollins: C+
Seth Rollins. Photo: WWE
Seth Rollins winning the Saturday main event of WrestleMania 41 felt like a career milestone as he moved to 2-1 in ‘Mania main event scenarios and won his first more conventional outing in this context—a Triple Threat in which he was on his own that didn’t involve him joining mid-match via Money in the Bank cash-in.
Speaking of Money in the Bank, Rollins won that too for the second time in his career and worked a legitimately shocking angle when he faked an injury and cashed in on CM Punk at SummerSlam. At Crown Jewel, The Visionary beat Cody Rhodes in a champion vs. champion showdown. So, for that half-year stretch from April to October, there was reason to think his time atop The Vision might actually succeed at elevating Rollins to a new echelon of stardom, or at least be in the running for the best stretches of his career.
The wheels came off when Rollins had to relinquish the title due to a legitimate injury, and WWE ran a nonsensical angle of Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed turning on him in the process. The group was left without a leader and Rollins suffered from the passive style of babyface turn—a heel whose heel buddies turn on him—that so rarely leads to success. Masked man drama to follow felt more confusing and redundant than intriguing.
And now, going into Summer 2026, Rollins finds himself in an uneasy tag team alliance with Montez Ford against Breakker and Austin Theory. It’s hard to see any argument that The Architect is in better standing than he was before launching this faction. Indeed, even moments like him putting over Breakker at Backlash really felt like they did less to put over the young upstart than to further damage the established star.
Bron Breakker: C-
Bron Breakker becoming Seth Rollins’s first ally, under the tutelage of Paul Heyman in April 2025 made all the sense in the world. Breakker had looked like a dominant force for much of his freshman year on the main roster and had quite arguably outgrown the Intercontinental Championship picture by the time he dropped the title in a four-way bout that kept him protected at WrestleMania 41. Teaming up with Rollins offered a clear route for Breakker himself to advance to the main event level while sitting beneath the real-life learning trees of Rollins and Heyman alike.
One of the pitfalls of faction membership is that there’s a real risk of anyone but the group leader coming across as a sidekick or fall guy. While Breakker has certainly had his moments, he never enjoyed any career advancement as a heater for Rollins. From there, after Rollins left the group, Breakker felt less like the new leader than one part of a thoroughly mid-card stable.
Indeed, one of the most telling images of The Unpredictable Badass’s run with The Vision may well have come at Clash in Italy, where he was pictured in the crowd alongside Austin Theory as tag team champions. It’s a title Breakker never really won (subbing in for an injured Logan Paul). Moreover, being positioned as Theory’s tag partner positions Breakker a clear step back from where he had been when he first joined The Vision, and arguably even further back than he had stood when he reigned as NXT Champion before even making it to the main roster.
Bronson Reed: B-
Bronson Reed has had the misfortune of catching the injury bug each time he looks poised to advance from the upper mid-card to the fringes of the main event scene. The optics of him running alongside Bron Breakker as dual monsters in The Vision had potential, but mostly saw both men stall out in the upper mid-card before Reed wound up hurt again.
Reed went on the injured list at a plateau, and the absolute best that can be said about his Vision run to date is that he maintained his position on the roster, perhaps interacting with main event guys a smidge more for backing Rollins and returning to War Games.
The master of the Tsunami has one of the murkiest futures of Vision members, though, when he does return to action. Simply returning to the fold of the group will all but certainly make it feel like he and the faction alike are spinning their wheels. Feuding against them doesn’t necessarily make sense either, though. Indeed, the best thing for Aus-Zilla would probably be for the faction to dissolve before he gets back or else to move away from them to SmackDown to get a fresh start.
Austin Theory: A-
The Vision hasn’t done its members, nor its rivals many favors. Indeed, the one man with a real case for having benefited is Austin Theory.
Theory’s peak, to date, saw him win Money in the Bank, reign as United States Champion, and beat John Cena at WrestleMania 39. The years to follow saw him slide, arguably improving as an in-ring talent, but toiling in a forgettable tag team alliance with Grayson Waller.
Theory being revealed as a masked man helping The Vision gave him a small boost back into relevance and affiliating with the group has given him a role on TV and a number of PLEs. In the end, Theory seems to, himself, be emblematic of the faction he’s enrolled in—a competent mid-card and tag team guy with no clear signs of advancing to a new level, but at least his roster spot has felt a little surer for having run with the group and recaptured tag team gold.
Logan Paul: D
Logan Paul at SNME. Photo: WWE.com
Logan Paul was an anomaly in WWE—a celebrity part-timer who took to WWE so naturally and was so well-positioned that he absolutely thrived throughout his first three years-plus working with WWE. Indeed, after Paul made the leap to wrestling full time, it seemed altogether reasonable that colleagues and pundits speculated about his future as a world champion.
That future may well still be in play for The Maverick, but wrestling full time, including weekly TV spots that are not designed as showcase matches for him, has exposed some of Paul’s limitations. Indeed, while he once was a reasonably credible one-off challenger to the likes of Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes as WWE Champions, now it’s hard to think of Paul as much other than a tag team role player for whom another US title reign or a run with the Intercontinental Championship feels like a reach.
Paul is out now due to injury and that actually may be the best thing for him to keep learning away from the ring and out of the spotlight, but also to hit the reset button on his character. Yes, Paul had the makings of a compelling Paul Heyman guy given all his tools, but The Vision wasn’t paving the road for him to feel like a top guy to fans. Starting over once he’s cleared could help Paul get the stink of The Vision off him as he moves on to better things.
Paul Heyman: D
Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman. Photo: WWE.com
Paul Heyman is in the conversation among the greatest managers of all time. His most recent faction work with The Bloodline prior to The Vision highlighted just how much he brought to the table as an on-screen talker and a behind-the-scenes creative contributor alike. The Vision, however, may have exposed Heyman’s limitations.
As much as injuries and uneven creative are probably the biggest culprits in The Vision’s failings, it’s a black mark for The Oracle that he hasn’t been able to better salvage this group or its collective angles. Indeed, while there was so much reason for optimism about Heyman mentoring Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed in particular to new heights, in reality, the whole stable has stumbled. A backdrop of Heyman cutting above-average promos hasn’t been enough to retain crowd investment.
It may be most telling of all that, while Heyman has been involved with Brock Lesnar since his return last year and Lesnar was a part of The Vision’s War Games team at Survivor Series, The Beast has never actually been presented as a proper part of the faction.
A generous perspective would suggest Lesnar just doesn’t fit the ethos of the group, and is a side client of Heyman’s. A more critical point of view, however, would suggest WWE recognizes The Vision as a sinking ship. They’ve patched holes to keep that ship at sea, arguably long past its true viability, but the company has no interest in dragging down a property as valuable as Lesnar along with them.
Maxxine Dupri: Incomplete
Photo Credit: WWE
Recent weeks have seen WWE hint at Maxxine Dupri being a part of The Vision and specifically attached to Austin Theory. The concept has merit for Dupri, Theory, and arguably the group on the whole. Each of them could use a boost. A heel turn feels fresh for Dupri and the addition of a femme fatale at Theory’s side gives him something different, besides which adding a female member to the faction will at least take them in a new direction. Faction warfare could be on the table opposite The Judgment Day, for example, or perhaps a reinvigorated American Made in the wake of Chad Gable dropping the Original El Grande Americano gimmick out of a widely celebrated AAA match.
Without Dupri officially joining The Vision as of press time, it’s unfair to evaluate how the group will impact her or how she’ll impact the group. Nonetheless, if WWE is going to continue running with this group, there’s reason for optimism her membership will mark at least a small step in the right direction.
Overall Grade: C-
In the end, for all its shortcomings and misfortune, it’s not fair to call The Vision a complete failure. The early months of the group’s run were entertaining and did some small favors for Seth Rollins. Austin Theory has enjoyed some small career progress since his enrollment, and Maxxine Dupri’s involvement with him and the faction has promise.
That said, the long-term arc of The Vision to date has set back Rollins, at best kept Bronson Reed in place, hurt Logan Paul’s standing, and dinged Paul Heyman’s legacy. Worst of all, where Bron Breakker once looked like a breakout main event inevitability, he’s now a young star in need of rehabilitation if he’s ever going to be taken seriously at the top of the card.
Concerns have emerged over a potential Bron Breakker injury.
Breakker faced Seth Rollins on the June 1 episode of WWE Raw, with Rollins picking up the win. The match also saw Breakker accidentally spear Paul Heyman.
A video footage began circulating on social media showing him limping following the show. The footage was shared on social media and quickly drew attention from fans concerned about Breakker’s health.
No official statement from WWE or Breakker himself has been issued regarding his condition. This would not be the first time injury concerns have surrounded the The Vision member, as he has dealt with physical setbacks previously in his career.
Finn Balor has been moved to Friday Night SmackDown. However, it was not the result of a formal WWE draft.
The former WWE Universal Champion’s trade to SmackDown was announced during the June 1 episode of Monday Night Raw. JD McDonagh responded by claiming Balor would not be missed and that Judgment Day would have ended his career had he stayed on the red brand.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer explained that WWE simply wanted to get Balor away from Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh following the conclusion of their feud on Raw.
“I never heard anything about a draft. The idea is they just want to get him away from Dominik Mysterio and JD,” Meltzer said.
The logic, per Meltzer, is straightforward: keeping Balor on Raw would have made it difficult to avoid further interactions with his former Judgment Day stablemates. The brand move gives him a clean break and a fresh start.
“He beat JD, and if he stays on Raw, how does he not work with those guys? So they just figured they’re done with that — they’re done with Finn Bálor doing that — and they wanted to give him a fresh start,” Meltzer added.
Meltzer also drew a comparison to how WWE handled Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio after their feud ran its course, noting the company has used brand separation before to keep former rivals apart.
“A lot of times they do that — they run a feud, it’s over, and the nature of the feud is they just don’t want them interacting anymore. Like when Rey Mysterio and Dominik were done, they did the same thing. They moved Rey over, and they weren’t supposed to interact — even though they are now, or about to,” he said.
On SmackDown, Bálor is scheduled to compete in a first-round Fatal 4-Way in the King of the Ring tournament, facing Royce Keys, LA Knight, and Jey Uso.
A potential spoiler on the WWE King of the Ring tournament winner has emerged. Reports suggest that Seth Rollins is expected to win the tournament and go on to face Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam.
The claim comes from Self Made Pro, speaking during a Self Made Session. The source was careful to note that plans are fluid, describing “a lot of moving parts” and “a lot up in the air right now for SummerSlam.”
“Seth Rollins is going to win King of the Ring. Today I was just talking to somebody about the King of the Ring situation, and what they said to me was there are a lot of moving parts. There’s a lot up in the air right now for SummerSlam, for whatever reason. What they told me was that, right now, the plan is for Seth Rollins to win the tournament and face Roman Reigns. So that’s what I was told.”
On the SmackDown side, the tournament field includes Jey Uso, LA Knight, Royce Keys, Finn Bálor, Dominik Mysterio, Bron Breakker, Trick Williams, and Damian Priest.
Roman Reigns is the current World Heavyweight Champion, having won the title at WrestleMania 42. A Rollins challenge would set up a high-profile SummerSlam main event if the reported plan holds.
Jey Uso had to step in and physically free WWE World Champion Roman Reigns from a fan who grabbed his hand during WWE Clash in Italy 2026 this past weekend.
The incident occurred after Reigns’ match against Jacob Fatu at the Premium Live Event. Following his successful title defense, ‘The OTC’was interacting with fans at ringside.
A fan grabbed his hand from the crowd and would not release it even as Reigns attempted to walk away. Uso intervened by slapping the fan’s hand off the World Heavyweight Champion.
Grabbing Roman and not letting go to the point where Jey has to slap the persons hand away ????? yall need to relax before he stops doing this also pic.twitter.com/2x1BzIQnGK
The whole exchange lasted only a few seconds and did not escalate further. Video of the moment spread quickly on social media, with fans largely praising Uso for his quick, protective response.
A Growing Problem at WWE Events
The incident is part of a broader pattern of fan boundary violations that has been escalating at WWE events in recent months. There have also been issues with fans “stalking” performers at hotels and generally overstepping what constitutes an acceptable interaction.
One of the more notable recent examples involved CM Punk at WrestleMania this year. There was footage of a fan filming Punk’s wife, AJ Lee, and Bayley as they hugged at a hotel. After Bayley clearly asked the fan to move away, Punk knocked the man’s phone to the ground. Punk was visibly angry, but that incident also did not escalate further.
The reunion of Roman Reigns and Jey Uso has been one of the more talked-about storylines in WWE recently, and Uso’s instinct to protect Reigns at ringside is earning him additional goodwill from fans beyond the storyline itself.
WWE recently revealed the full brackets for the announced King of the Ring tournament featuring stars from both Raw and SmackDown rosters. One interesting detail on the graphic showed the former Universal Champion being represented by the blue color instead of red, giving rise to speculation that the wrestling veteran had switched brands.
The move was then confirmed during the latest episode of the Monday Night show. While interviewing the Judgment Day during a commercial break, Byron Saxton noted that Finn Balor had officially been traded to SmackDown:
The King of the Ring tournament kicked off at tonight’s Raw, with Oba Femi picking up a dominant victory over Penta, Solo Sikoa, and Carmelo Hayes to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament. Balor will get his own chance for the same when he faces LA Knight, Jey Uso, and Royce Keys in a first-round match.
There is no word on whether Raw will be getting a replacement for Finn. Though with Jacob Fatu acknowledging Roman Reigns on the Red Branded Show this week, it’s possible that the Samoan Werewolf is now considered a Raw star in place of Balor.
The King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments will both feature action on the June 8 episode of WWE Raw, with Seth Rollins and Je’Von Evans among those competing.
The announcements come after Monday’s Raw kicked off the tournament with Oba Femi defeating Solo Sikoa, Penta, and Carmelo Hayes in a fatal four-way match to advance to the semifinals. IYO SKY also advanced on the Queen of the Ring side of the bracket.
Femi’s semifinal opponent will come from among Dominik Mysterio, Bron Breakker, Trick Williams, and Damian Priest. The King of the Ring remaining field also includes Rollins, Evans, Talla Tonga, Ricky Saints, Jey Uso, LA Knight, Royce Keys, and Finn Balor.
The King and Queen of the Ring finals are both set for Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia on June 27, with the winners earning world title shots at SummerSlam.
