WWE has ‘The American Nightmare’ Cody Rhodes donning the red, white and blue, but have a Hall of Famer returning to the company to hoist up ‘Ol’ Glory,’ tough guy! I can report exclusively for SEScoops that ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan has put pen to paper in signing a new Legends deal with WWE. Duggan has not been under a legends deal for several years so him signing a new contract opens him up for the obvious possibilities that come with it.

Duggan became a household name for WWE in the company’s ‘Golden Era’ and was ultimately inducted into the Hall of Fame back in 2011. On an upcoming episode of ‘The Hacksaw Hour’ Duggan expressed his excitement for being on WWE games and apart of the their Mattel action figure line.

One man who will be excited to hear the news of Jim Duggan rejoining WWE is actor Matthew McConaughey. The Hollywood megastar has previously expressed that his favorite wrestler of all time is Hacksaw and McConaughey was at ringside recently for SmackDown at the behest of Kevin Owens.

WWE has kept busy in signing legacy talent under legends contracts. Most recently, the company finally got Demolition under deals which nearly felt impossible as the tag team was in a previous lawsuit dispute with the company. However, Demolition Ax (Bill Eadie) and Demolition Smash (Barry Darsow) are now back with the company and their odds of finally getting inducted into the WWE went up exponentially.

If you think there’s some audible pops behind Penta’s chops, there’s a unique reason why and Sheamus sees it first hand, fella.

Penta and Pete Dunne went toe-to-toe on WWE Raw this past Monday and both stars used their unorthodox styles against one another in what became a highlight match of the evening. Penta, however, proved that he would continue to be hard to stop when he ultimately gained the victory against ‘The Brusierweight,’ but not before Ludwig Kaiser showed his face.

Penta actually showed his face on the latest “Celtic Warrior Workouts” with Sheamus. A partial reason that Penta gets such a reaction is his ability to lay in on the chops. While his striking may be nowhere near that devastation that Gunther possesses, the luchador told and showed Sheamus the extremely unique way that he gets himself ready to for such a strike fest in the ring. When he can, Penta plays handball for a full one hour before a workout and gave his reasoning as to why such an unexpected routine helps.

“You become faster, more dynamic, you know?”

Penta ended up whooping Sheamus in a game of handball 10 to 3 during the video, but also Sheamus gets made aware that Penta only has half a bicep in his left arm. However, Penta manages to make the adjustments and does an “arm blast” workout that becomes the feature focus for the episode. Penta shows Sheamus the several workouts he does to help not just his biceps but his triceps as well.

As it stands right now, there’s no surefire opponent for Penta at WrestleMania 41 but he did express a desire to face Bron Breakker for the Intercontinental Championship.

Tony Khan seems to have a lot of cooks in the kitchen, but he makes clear that he’s the head chef of it all.

Speaking with Kevin Walsh during Super Bowl week, the AEW President expressed his love for the creative process behind booking the shows. He didn’t disclose any names as to who joined him in booking ideas, but he did mention there was a good amount of people involved.

“I come up with a lot of ideas in wrestling and I also have a big team of people and a lot of wrestlers that are brilliant minds. I try to pick the best ideas and I put the matches and the shows together.”

Khan clarifies that he does receive a lot of input from so many names that he probably only utilizes “10 to 20%” of the feedback he gets. During the World’s End PPV media call last year, Khan mentioned to SEScoops that he remains the head booker of AEW and that won’t change in 2025.

Who Has Been Apart Of Tony Khan’s Creative Process?

When Tony Khan says he has a hefty creative team, he means it. In the past, Khan has confirmed that names like Bryan Danielson, Jimmy Jacobs, Mike Mansury, Dean Malenko, Will Washington and Jerry Lynn have all been involved in the process. That doesn’t include the hiring of Jennifer Pepperman, who is speculated to have a focus on working with Mercedes Mone. As it stands, Khan controls the creative on both AEW Dynamite and AEW Collision.

Seth Rollins sees it just that Hulk Hogan got booed during the premiere of WWE Raw on Netflix. It’s Super Bowl week in America and Rollins, a notorious Chicago Bears fans, joined Kyle Brandt on Good Morning Football in build for the ‘Big Game.’

Brandt is an avid wrestling fan and it certainly hit his radar that The Hulkster got booed back on January 6 as the WWE Hall of Famer was in attendance to support his Real American Beer. The city of Los Angeles didn’t give him a warm reception at all and the boos resonated throughout much of mainstream news.

Brandt flat out asked Rollins what he thought of Hogan getting booed and ‘The Visionary’ kept it plain and simple.

“I’m all for people getting what they deserve. That’s how I feel about Hulk Hogan getting booed. If you are getting booed by the masses there is a reason for it, alright? I don’t know if Hulk fully understands the scope, but people get what they deserve.”

Rollins does give credit to Hogan for what he has meant overall for the pro wrestling industry, but he does think Terry Bollea needs to take some onus for his past.

“But I do think there’s some responsibility that he needs to own up to that he hasn’t yet and maybe when he finally figures that out might be able to move forward with our fans so we’ll see.”

Kevin Nash, RVD and The Undertaker weighed in on Hogan getting booed. Undertaker had some similar sentiments when it came to what Rollins had to say. Hogan cited himself getting booed because of his past ties with the NWO.

Tiffany Stratton is in the camp that it’s “Tiffy Time” and no longer “Mandy Rose’s Minute.”

On a recent episode of WWE SmackDown, Stratton used the term “put some respect on my name,” something former NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose happened to use while she was on the rise for the black and gold brand. After Rose caught wind of Stratton’s similar slogan, Rose took exception on her podcast, even calling Stratton a “b*tch.” However, Stratton had her retort while speaking with ‘Ring The Belle’ who expected such a conversation to be had.

“Honestly, I think it’s a little sad that she felt the need to go on her podcast and say something like that, but I wish her the best honestly.”

Rose had a historic reign as NXT Women’s Champion, holding the title for over 400 days before dropping it to Roxanne Perez on December 13, 2022. She was then released from WWE the following day due to the company discovering she had a FanTime account and was posting salacious content behind a paywall.

Tiffany Stratton Starts 2025 Off Hot

Since entering the NXT and WWE fold, Stratton has certainly picked up where Rose left off and has become an even bigger name in the WWE ecoscape. On the January 10 episode of WWE SmackDown Stratton cashed in her Money In The Bank briefcase to become the new WWE Women’s Champion.

It’s currently unknown what may be the WrestleMania plans for Stratton, but with Charlotte Flair winning the women’s Royal Rumble match, ‘The Queen’ very well could put ‘Tiffy Time’ on the clock.

Samantha Irvin is getting back into the music business, and it all really kicks off for her on Valentine’s Day.

Irvin officially left her ring announcing duties from WWE four months ago. She revealed to USA Today that while there was nothing specific for her exit, a major motivator was that she wanted to return to singing.

“It just became more and more sad as time went on, because it’s like, ‘Wow, am I just not a singer anymore? Like, what am I doing?’” she said. “I know that I am a performer and being a ring announcer on WWE, it was the performance of a lifetime.

But then when people stopped calling me for singing gigs, and now they’re asking me to announce everything, I said, ‘Oh no, I took it too far.’

Now Irvin has a new single lined up, titled “Make Me,” which she describes as a “personal little love letter to everyone.” She and WWE left matters amicably. The speculation was that Irvin could head to AEW, considering she is in a relationship with Ricochet, but that wasn’t in the cards for her. She does hope the wrestling fan base will continue with her as she gets back to an original passion.

“Hopefully the fans that were touched by my vocal performance in WWE will give the music and everything else I do a chance, because it’s the same thing that I’ve always done, and everything that I do, I try to pour as much emotion into it and make people feel something.”

However, if fans were worried she is leaving wrestling for good, fear not.

“My wrestling career has barely even begun. I think it would be an absolute waste of everything that I’ve done so far to not continue the story. I gotta finish my story.”

Do you “believe” that Joe Hendry could appear as a character in Fortnite? Some gamers have apparently been saying his name and the TNA World Champion has been taking notice.

Many pro wrestling fans have been clamoring for Hendry to appear in the 2025 Royal Rumble and sure enough, Hendry did, sharing the ring with the likes of The Miz, Sheamus and ‘The Tribal Chief’ himself, Roman Reigns. Now the next move for Hendry could be as another entry in a different type of ‘Battle Royale.’

Gamers of both Fortnite and Player Unknown Battle Ground have been making a play to have Joe Hendry become a playable character in either game and Hendry took to his X account to thank the fans and also, give them a little hope.

“Thank you to the @FortniteGame and @PUBGM_Europe fanbases for the support recently.

“If enough people say my name, maybe I’ll appear….”

Other WWE Stars (Not Named Joe Hendry) In Fortnite

If Hendry did indeed happen to pop up in Fortnite, he’d be joining some very notable names in WWE. John Cena, Bianca Belair, Becky Lynch, and even The Rock have all been featured skins to use on Fortnite. This potential gaming crossover would be particularly significant as it would make Hendry one of the first non-WWE wrestlers to appear in Fortnite, marking a major milestone for TNA Wrestling’s mainstream visibility.

People have particularly noted how perfect a Joe Hendry “clapping” emote would be to use in the game. With how unique the Hendry persona is, he’d certainly fit the wild pop culture playground that the Fortnite game has become. It’s currently unknown as to if Joe Hendry would be a playable character in the forthcoming WWE 2K25, but a lot of news has been released regarding the game this week.

Alexa Bliss is back in WWE, and it looks like she’ll be with the company for quite some time. Bliss made her surprise return at the Royal Rumble over the weekend and received more than just a warm welcome.

Bliss signed a new multi-year contract just hours before her surprise return in the Rumble, according to an exclusive report by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select. Negotiations had been ongoing for weeks, but reports suggested a stalemate at one point. However, despite the hurdles, both sides reached an agreement at the last minute.

Fightful notes that WWE flew Bliss into Indianapolis on the day of the event, finalized the deal, and the rest is history. One scenario discussed for her return involved a singles match. The deal was facilitated by Dean Mutandi (formerly known as Mojo Rawley) and Steven Kaye.

Bliss had been away from television since 2023 after giving birth to her first child.

Alexa Bliss One Of Many Returns At Royal Rumble

Bliss wasn’t the only current star to make her way back to WWE courtesy of the Royal Rumble match. 2025 winner Charlotte Flair was previously advertised but actually was first seen back in the ring on Saturday. Both her and Bliss were in babyface roles. Another name to show back up in the Rumble is latest signee Jordynne Grace who got a great reaction after being a surprise entrant in last year’s Rumble

As for the men, AJ Styles was the major name to return from injury as he was ultimately eliminated by Logan Paul.

WWE continues to break company records and WWE Royal Rumble 2025 was no different as we head into WrestleMania season.

On Monday, the company announced via a press release that Royal Rumble “shattered” previous record numbers for a total gate in a single show, highlighting five particular categories:

• GATE: Royal Rumble 2025 generated the largest gate for any single-night event in WWE history. Saturday’s PLE, which drew 70,342 fans to Lucas Oil Stadium, is only behind WrestleMania^® 40 Saturday & Sunday for any single-night gate.
• VIEWERSHIP: Royal Rumble 2025 set the event’s all-time viewership record, up nearly 14 percent domestically, distributed on Peacock, from last year’s record-setting audience. International viewing numbers are up even higher year-over-year with Royal Rumble shifting to Netflix globally.
• MERCHANDISE: In partnership with Fanatics, merchandise sales were up more than 95 percent versus the previous Royal Rumble record set last year in 2024, making Royal Rumble 2025 the highest-grossing non-WrestleMania event of all-time.
• SPONSORSHIP: Sponsorship revenue was up 94 percent versus the previous record set in 2024. Royal Rumble featured 14 total partners, with 100 percent of the matches sponsored.
• SOCIAL: Royal Rumble 2025 set a record for the most social video views in Royal Rumble history. WWE Superstar Bron Breakker spearing popular streamer IShowSpeed became the most-viewed Royal Rumble social post of all-time, generating more than 300,000,000 social views in less than 24 hours.

Royal Rumble is notoriously one of WWE’s tentpole events every year and with how much the company has been embracing a global and new audience with their live events and the big Netflix deal, the company is very much entering a new era.

Royal Rumble only featured four matches with Charlotte Flair and Jey Uso winning their respective Rumble events, both of which received polarizing responses online.

JD McDonagh is thankfully okay following a scary spot on WWE Raw, but he’s going to need some time to recover. The Judgement Day member teamed up with Dominik Mysterio to challenge The War Raiders for the WWE World Tag Championships on the 1/27 episode of Raw. During the match, McDonagh did a moonsault to the outside and unintentionally hit the back of his head hard against the commentary table.

To the viewer, McDonagh looked to be unconscious and even on the broadcast Michael Cole noted of the spot, stating that they “seriously” needed someone to check on JD. Both he and Pat McAfee couldn’t believe that JD continued the match, crediting him for his toughness despite his heelish ways. War Raiders ultimately retained their championships and McDonagh seemingly collapsed as he made it to the back.

The praise continued for McDonagh by fans and his colleagues online. Names like Ivar and Chad Gable hopped on social media to share their admiration for McDonagh following the match. Hours after Raw, JD took to X himself to thank fans, revealing that he was okay, but that he did sustain some injuries that would keep him out for months.

“First off, thanks to everyone for the messages and the concern. I’m good.

“I’ve got a couple of broken ribs and a punctured lung, so I’m going to be out for a couple months. All things considered, it could have been a lot worse, so I’m grateful for that.

“See ya in a bit.”

We at SEScoops would like to wish JD McDonagh a healthy and speedy recovery.

Tessa Blanchard has a major match set for TNA Genesis against Jordynne Grace, but she’s excited for all possibilities involving TNA and NXT.

WWE announced a new long-term partnership with TNA on Thursday, revealing that both wrestling promotions will continue collaborating by allowing talent to compete against one another on their respective shows. It should create a lot of excitement for fans, but for the talent as well.

One name is who is taking note is Blanchard, who recently made a major return to TNA by setting her sights on Jordynne Grace. Grace has previously made her presence known on NXT, but also in last year’s Royal Rumble.

Speaking with Blanchard ahead of Genesis this Sunday, I asked Tessa her thoughts on the announcement and what it means for pro wrestling. Blanchard noted she has some history with one specific name in NXT.

“Stephanie Vacquer and I, we have a history in CMLL over in Mexico. We’ve had some banger matches out there. So her and I were actually chatting and we’re like, ‘Hmm, maybe we’ll get to see each other in the ring again one day,’ and I know that would be just a treat.”

However, other stars in the NXT women’s division has also caught Blanchard’s eye.

“There’s some girls that I’m not familiar with personally, but watching their work, I watch it and I’m like, ‘Gosh!’ There’s Kelani Jordan. She’s absolutely phenomenal in the ring.

Sol Ruca, she’s phenomenal in the ring and just seeing the way that these ladies move – there’s a lot of promise over there, and I hope that some of the ladies in the TNA locker room get to mix it up with a lot of them.”

As far as the partnership announcement goes, Blanchard sees a great relationship and opportunity for all involved, both in NXT and in TNA.

“It’s something special. I think it’s something that no one could have expected. It’s something that people have been talking about, but now it’s in ink.

“Now it’s out there for the whole world to see and it’s a huge blessing for both companies because just like NXT is filled with such amazing talent and leadership, TNA is as well.”

You can catch Blanchard in her return match against Grace at TNA Genesis, this Sunday on PPV. You’ll be able to watch the full interview upcoming on 1TS Network.

WWE broadcaster Corey Graves will appear on tonight’s WWE NXT on The CW, and he’s got some things to get off his chest.

Graves has been the odd man out of the commentary rotation as Joe Tessitore has been paired with Wade Barrett for SmackDown, and Pat McAfee is back with Michael Cole as they take the reins for WWE Raw on Netflix.

As Raw made its second run on Netflix, Graves took to social media to air his grievances—claiming that he’s been demoted in favor of his co-workers who are more famous than him. Wrestling fans immediately debated if Graves was legitimately upset, working a storyline, or a combination of both.

The Pittsburgh native will clear the air tonight with a live mic and a head full of steam.

Graves shouldered a great deal of the broadcasting responsibilities throughout 2024 as, for the first time, he took the lead role behind the booth for the SmackDown brand. Corey worked with Wade Barrett as well as Michael Cole and, in the past, has teased a friendly rivalry with McAfee, who, for the past couple of years, would take a leave of absence due to his ESPN College GameDay duties. It should be noted that Graves ultimately hasn’t ruled out an in-ring return, and his umbrage with his “forced out” role could lead to physicality between him and his Steel City commentary comrade.

It’s fitting Graves took to socials on Monday, considering Tessitore made his SmackDown debut with Barrett this past Friday as the blue brand hailed from Portland, OR.

Matt Riddle is the new “stallion” of MLW as the former WWE star became the promotion’s new World Champion tonight in Dallas.

MLW fired off its 2025 with Kings of Colosseum in Texas tonight and it was main-evented by Matt Riddle challenging Satoshi Kojima for the championship. Kojima is unprecedented in Major League Wrestling as he’s the only person in company history to hold the World Title two different times. Not only that, but Kojima is MLW’s first-ever World Champion, winning it back in 2002 when he defeated Jerry Lynn. Kojima began his second reign when he unseated Alex Kane and it’s been a memorable run for Kojima. During this reign, Kojima captured the MLW World Tag Team Championships a second time with Shigeo Okumura as well.

However, the landscape changed as Riddle defeated Kojima in the main event tonight via submission. The match came to a close when Kojima attempted his Lariato finisher only to be caught in a triangle hold.

Riddle’s win became a full-circle moment for The Super King of Bros too as he was one of the early stars to take shape when MLW returned as a wrestling company back in 2018. Post-fight, a “passing of the torch” went down as Riddle was crowned the new champ and he celebrated with “Filthy” Tom Lawlor who has been an ally to Riddle in recent months.

Along with Riddle’s Title win, a new MLW Women’s Featherweight Champion was crowned in Delmi Exo who defeated Janai Kai. Much like Kojima, Kai has also had a strong run as Champion and also much like Kojima, Exo became the first person in MLW to hold the Featherweight Championship two different times.

Odyssey Jones has put himself back in the public eye months after being released by WWE. The once New Day prodigy took to his X account to share a video of himself addressing the situation he sees himself up against and to note that he is now taking bookings.

WWE unceremoniously released Jones in September following domestic abuse allegations just as he was getting ready to be a big factor in the New Day angle. Saturday morning, Jones put himself in the spotlight, giving his reasoning as to why it took so long to address the allegations and thanking God for the strength he was given during this difficult time. Jones made clear that the allegations made against him were false.

“I apologize for taking so long for addressing these false claims, but I had to patiently wait to get an injunction set in place to protect my family, my friends and myself. I am currently taking legal action against that party so I can’t speak too much more on it, but there will be more information to come.”

Jones thanked the WWE for the “amazing opportunity” offered to him, as well as the coaches, the agents and the fans. Jones noted that he is ready to continue his in-ring career in 2025.

“With all that being said, whew, the journey continues. I’m ready to get back to doing what I love to do. I’m accepting bookings in 2025 and I thank you all for your support and for your time. I wish you nothing but blessings and love baby – Big O out.”

Vince McMahon is aiming to at least put part of his WWE past behind him. The former WWE CEO was fined $1.7 million regarding charges in relation to hush money allegations.

According to the report issued on Friday, McMahon disregarded the WWE’s internal accounting operations due to undisclosed payment agreements tied to sexual assault allegations and it caused discrepancies in in the company’s 2018 and 2021 financial report.

Following the news breaking, Vince McMahon and his team at Edendale Strategies emailed me an official statement with McMahon expressing his excitement about the finality of the situation.

“The case is closed. Today ends nearly three years of investigation by different governmental agencies. There has been a great deal of speculation about what exactly the government was investigating and what the outcome would be. As today’s resolution shows, much of that speculation was misguided and misleading.

“In the end, there was never anything more to this than minor accounting errors with regard to some personal payments that I made several years ago while I was CEO of WWE. I’m thrilled that I can now put all this behind me.”

McMahon still finds himself embroiled in the Janel Grant lawsuit while WWE is aiming to start a new era of its own under Chief Content Officer Triple H. WWE took a big step earlier this week by premiering WWE Raw on Netflix which garnered nearly five million viewers across the globe. Monday’s debut was so successful that WWE Raw beat out season two of Squid Games as Netflix’s most-watched on Tuesday.

WWE wants their fans “hulking up” with a cold brewski courtesy of Hulk Hogan’s beer for years to come. An announcement was made on Monday morning by WWE that the company has formed a “Mega Powers” type alliance with Hulk Hogan’s Real American Beer.

The new multi-year partnership revealed that Real American Beer will be a weekly advertisement stretched on the RAW ring canvas every week as that red brand begins its debut on Netflix starting tonight, January 6.

Quotes regarding the partnership come from both TKO EVP Grant Norris-Jones and Hogan himself. The latter spoke in true Hogan form, expressing his excitement for his presence to pop on WWE programming once again.

Grant Norris-Jones, Executive Vice President & Head of Global Partnerships for TKO, complimented Hogan for doing a tremendous job introducing an exciting, new product to a competitive marketplace. “We are excited to unlock a new partnership category and to showcase Real American Beer in front of Netflix’s global audience,” he said.

Real American Beer co-founder Hulk Hogan also cut a promo about the partnerhsip:

“Well, let me tell you something brother! From the first time I stepped into the ring, I’ve always fought for something bigger than myself.

I’m thrilled to bring Real American Beer into the ring with WWE. Together, we’re bringing that pride to America, one beer, one match at a time, brother!”

The press release also noted that Real American Beer will receive a social media boost in tandem with WWE as the company will present the beer on its digital platforms. Hogan is reportedly scheduled to make an appearance on tonight’s episode of WWE RAW.

Preview for tonight’s WWE Raw on Netflix Premiere

Legendary trailblazer Sweet Daddy Siki has passed away at the age of 91 following a long battle with dementia.

Siki made his name greatly known as a big personality and talent, wrestling all over North America before becoming notorious for training the likes of Adam Copeland and Christian Cage.

He became one of the first big African-American heels and leaned into that role as he and promotions pushed the envelope.

Siki, real name Elkin James, infamously took on “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers in Greensboro, NC, which according to Siki had the Klu Klux Klan picketing outside the Greensboro Coliseum. Siki also felt the wrath of promoters due to his interracial marriage. Siki also worked a great deal for Stu Hart up in Calgary for Stampede Wrestling.

WWE took to social media to pay tribute to Siki, stating “WWE is saddened to learn that Elkin James, known to wrestling fans as Sweet Daddy Siki, passed away on December 31, 2024, at age 91. WWE extends its condolences to Siki’s family, friends and fans.”

AEW also commented on the passing of James.

AEW and the wrestling world mourn the passing of Sweet Daddy Siki.

After his in ring career came to a close, he became a trainer to many pro wrestling hopefuls including Adam Copeland and Christian Cage.

Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his fans.

We at SEScoops want to send our thoughts, prayers and condolences to the family, friends and fans of Sweet Daddy Siki.

RELATED: Bret Hart: Leo Burke Was In A Class Of His Own (Exclusive)

Magnum TA feels it’s been a long time coming for his stepdaughter, Tessa Blanchard to make her return to a premier American wrestling product like TNA.

Blanchard made an “impact” when she made a surprise attack on Jordynne Grace during their Final Resolution PPV last weekend. Reports initially came way of Fightful that Blanchard would be coming back and she did just that. After the match, she cut a promo, noting the major loss wrestling has had with her absence before pie-facing interviewer Gia Miller.

On the upcoming episode of “Straight Talk With The Boss: Magnum TA & Greg Gagne” I asked Magnum what he thinks of Tessa’s return to American wrestling, something she’s been unofficially blacklisted from following allegations made against her regarding an altercation between her and La Rosa Negra. Negra and her have long since mended fences and Magnum talks about that in addition to her return.

“To be on a program and have an impact when you get that chance is a very special thing for us in the wrestling industry and Tessa had an opportunity and I mean not only hit a home run, but She hit a grand slam. Perfect interview after, the whole deal, set the tone.

So many people have been running their mouths for so many years now and ignorance is a motivator for a lot people to say a lot of things when they don’t know the whole story.”

TA commented how Tessa trail-blazed the wrestling industry in TNA by becoming the first woman to ever win a men’s World Championship.

“She’s there to take no prisoners. It’s gonna be good.”

Magnum added that the ratings have been impressive for TNA and it should put NXT and AEW on notice. A great credit to that is the Knockouts division. Magnum noted how big of an influence Gail Kim, Tommy Dreamer and Anthem overall has been in making the product grow.

The new episode will drop at 6:05 PM ET on Four Horsemen Network and wherever you get your podcasts by searching “Four Horsemen Network” which includes new episodes of Arn Anderson.

Pro wrestling is everywhere, including the new Superman film set to debut in the summer of 2025. The DC cinematic universe is looking to revitalize itself with a reboot of the Superman franchise as Warner Bros. recruited famed director James Gunn to steer the ship.

Gunn is no stranger to the live-action comic book world as he’s previously worked on the Guardians of The Galaxy trilogy in addition to Peacemaker, both of which have been superhero homes for John Cena and Dave Bautista. However, he’ll have a Metropolis-sized task ahead of him as he has to shoulder the overall DC cinematic property into the second half of this decade, and that will begin with one mild-mannered reporter in Clark Kent. American actor David Corenswet will take up the iconic mantle of Superman, following in the footsteps of Henry Cavill, Brandon Routh, Dean Cain and of course, the late great Christopher Reeves.

Aside from the signature “S” across his chest and lone black hair curl akin to Scott Hall, Superman may best be known for his red trunks and having that be brought back to the cinematic Superman attire was something Gunn was vehemently against for a long time. That was, however, until Corenswet made a compelling case for the red trunks, utilizing the ‘one true sport’ as a means to connect with your everyday citizen.

“David [Corenswet] said something to me that really affected me. We were trying on all these different versions, and we screened tested with trunks and no trunks. And one of the things David said is that Superman wants kids to not be afraid of him. He’s an alien. He’s got these incredible powers. He shoots beams out of his eyes, [he] can blow the truck over. He’s this incredibly powerful – could be considered scary – individual, and he wants people to like him. He wants to be a symbol of hope and positivity. So he dresses like a professional wrestler. He dresses in a way that makes people unafraid of him, that shows that. That really clicked in for me.”

Now the ‘Superman’ we’ll see in 2025 will indeed have the red trunks, which is evident by the tease poster that was released this week.

Another image also came out of the film as it shows Kal-El sitting with Krypto The Superdog, paying homage to Frank Quietly’s 2005 graphic novel, All-Star Superman.

The first trailer for the new film has been reported to release on Friday, December 19.

Karrion Kross is finding his groove a facilitator of The Final Testament and the former NXT Champion may have gotten inspiration from legendary actor Chazz Palminteri.

Kross was born and raised right out of Hell’s Kitchen so his roots are well-embedded in the lifestyle of New York City and it had to be a big-time pleasure for the WWE Superstar when he got to meet Palminteri. Palminteri is also Big Apple-born and he may be best known for his role as a local Bronx boss Sonny in the Robert DeNiro directed “A Bronx Tale.”

Right before a big weekend took off in New York City for WWE with Saturday Night’s Main Event, Kross ended up sharing a photo-op he got with the actor, noting that it was a “long story” before quoting that very film.

“Long story!

You’ll hear it eventually.

“The saddest thing in life is wasted talent, and the choices that you make will shape your life forever. But you can ask anybody from my neighborhood, and they’ll just tell you this is just another Bronx tale.’”

One could envision Kross pulling a lot of inspiration from “Sonny” as it pertains to his current role in The Final Testament. Much like the charismatic crime boss Palminteri portrays Kross walks the fine line between showing humanity (albeit manipulative) and menace, a trait that made Sonny so fascinating as a character. It’s no secret that Kross is heavily influenced by classic films as he’s picked and pulled from both the dramatic and horror drama to build upon an on-air persona that’s finally getting warranted recognition.

Kross currently finds himself with the upper hand on a feud with The Wyatt Sicks. Karrion captured a pinfall win against Uncle Howdy this past Monday on WWE RAW thanks to interference by a returning Paul Ellering.

WWE is diving head first into the nostalgia for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event with legends reportedly on tap to appear, but some plans have changed.

Jesse Ventura is the notorious major name set to make his return to the WWE fold as his name is synonymous with the original Saturday Night’s Main Event, but a recent report from PWInsider named a list of legends set to join ‘The Body’ to the party.

In addition to “The Body,” additional legends slated to be at the Nassau Coliseum include Koko B. Ware, Greg Valentine, Tito Santana, Jimmy Hart and Ted DiBiase. However, I can confirm that Ted DiBiase will not be one of the names appearing. The Million Dollar Man had committed to appear, but he was forced to withdraw and is no longer able to attend.

Ted DiBiase and Saturday Night’s Main Event

Ted DiBiase was a fixture of Saturday Night’s Main Event during its heyday. He had memorable matches on SNME throughout his career, most notably a count-out victory over Randy Savage (March 1988) that was rated 4.5 stars by historian Dave Meltzer. Other high-profile opponents on the show included The Ultimate Warrior (1990) and Bret Hart (1991).

DiBiase last was a major presence on WWE programming down in NXT as he played a pivotal role in the feud between Cameron Grimes and a heel LA Knight. Grimes and Knight battled one another over the Million Dollar Championship before it was DiBiase who pulled a fast one on both by taking the title back. The program ultimately helped to lead LA Knight up to the main roster.

Despite a major name like DiBiase not being at SNME, WWE is going to pack a punch with the card on tap for the evening. Cody Rhodes will be defending his WWE Undisputed Championship against Kevin Owens, GUNTER will be facing Finn Balor and Damian Priest in an effort to retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship, an inaugural WWE United States Women’s Champion will be crowned, Liv Morgan will take on IYO SKY and Sami Zayn will go one-on-one with Drew McIntyre.

Triple H believes that a few NBA stars would be a slam dunk for WWE. The Chief Content Officer sat in with the New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson and “The Roommates Show” to talk a little pro wrestling.

During the show, Triple H and the gang discussed what NBA stars would completely excel in a WWE ring. ‘The Game’ said the first person of ‘who got game’ was the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid.

“Joel for sure. Obviously, everybody’s a big dude, but like [he’s] sort of a big dude and has the personality to go with it.”

The other host on the show said that Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler would be a lot like CM Punk because he does what he wants to. Triple H then asked about Trae Young, the scrappy point guard from the Atlanta Hawks. Hunter saw heel potential in Young.

“When I went and did the stuff with Joel he was playing and he seemed like an irritant to everybody.”

Embiid is a big WWE fan and he was notorious for doing the DX crotch chop during an NBA game. Young did play a heel role when he stepped foot into Madison Square Garden for an episode of WWE SmackDown back in 2021. Young got himself involved in a 10-man tag team match. Young said the following to GQ back during that time.

“They wanted me to come out, show some “love” to the crowd, and just have some fun. It was such a cool idea. I was a fan when I was a kid and my little brother watched it a bit, so he told me I had to do it when they called. The fans weren’t too happy to see me but it was a cool experience.”

Kevin Owens is all about Finn Balor getting a second go-around with a world championship and both men will have their shot this Saturday.

Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Kevin Owens backed his fellow heel Balor in hopes that he’d win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against GUNTHER in Saturday Night’s Main Event. ‘The Ring General’ and ‘The Demon’ are in a triple threat with Damian Priest, but Owens is an advocate for Balor and gives good reason.

“If you’re asking me what my perfect scenario would be for Saturday night. I wanna see Finn Balor win the World Heavyweight Championship. I wanna win the WWE title.” Owens said. “Just on a personal level for both of us, we’ve been friends since the moment we got to WWE together at the same time. [We’ve gotten] very close. I really do consider him like a brother. I would just love to share that with him.”

Balor ended up becoming the inaugural WWE Universal Champion when he defeated Seth Rollins at SummerSlam back in 2016. However, Balor injured his shoulder and was ultimately stripped of the title.

As for Owens, he’ll be challenging Cody Rhodes for the WWE Undisputed Championship on Saturday Night’s Main Event, but did previously share a major regret he had during his own first world championship run in WWE.

In his new heel role, KO has gone “underground” on SmackDown programming as WWE has found creative new ways to feature ‘The Prizefighter’ as he’s committed nefarious actions to warrant him off the SmackDown brand.

Paul Heyman sees Cody Rhodes for the star that he is and thinks he has paved a new road for the Rhodes family.

Heyman spoke with Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports and gave some very interesting comments regarding one of pro wrestling’s royal families. Dusty Rhodes broke the mold of how one envisioned a top star in pro wrestling. He redefined how the business operated and how talent used a microphone to draw crowds. Now his son Cody has his own story to tell, hearkening back to the classic Boy Scout babyface and fans have latched onto him, both from a star power standpoint and a merchandising standpoint.

Heyman believes that Cody’s past three years of work as a top talent has allowed ‘The American Nightmare’ to surpass ‘The American Dream.’

“When Cody Rhodes first came back here, we all had the same sentence we gave in the press conferences. ‘How can you look at Cody and not think of Dusty? To Cody’s indescribably massive credit, I think now is the point in history that we’re realizing that Dusty Rhodes is Cody Rhodes’ father. 

“Cody Rhodes is the bearer of the family name that drives the most interest and is now the most famous. If you would have told someone that three years ago, they would have thought you were nuts.”

Some older fans may take exception to such claims, but Rhodes’ merchandise sales could really make the case for Heyman’s viewpoint. Paul also said he has yet to see Cody have a ‘lackluster’ performance in WWE, further perpetuating Cody’s ‘Do The Work’ mantra.

Paul Heyman Calls Cody Rhodes’ WrestleMania 40 Win The Right Move

Heyman’s beliefs regarding Cody and his daddy Dusty weren’t the only validation he gave the current WWE Undisputed Champion. He firmly believes that pitting Roman Reigns against Rhodes for the WrestleMania 40 main event was the right move, moreso against the expected battle between Reigns and The Rock.

“That was the rightful main event of WrestleMania 40 because the audience had a two-year investment in that story and lived it… They lived it not only by witnessing and experiencing it, but they lived it many times through the eyes of the protagonist and the struggles he had to endure and survive and thrive through all with his chin up and a progressive move forward attitude.”

That’s a good deal of babyface talk from the former ECW proprietor and Heyman finds himself currently in a fresh babyface role on WWE programming.

Adam Copeland is laying the groundwork for an EGOT. The former Edge received some big news on Thursday as the Children’s & Family Emmys nominations for 2024 were announced. Copeland got a hat tip for his work as the Greek god Ares on Percy Jackson and The Olympians.

The series airs on Disney+ and Copeland will be going up against fellow nominees Amanda Lawrence for Malory Towers, Elizabeth Mitchell in The Santa Clauses, Sarah Rafferty in The Walter Boys, Eric Stonestreet in The Santa Clauses and his late co-star Lance Reddick for his portrayal as Zeus.

Percy Jackson happened to lead all series this year with a total of 16 nominations and it gets Copeland back into the news cycle while he’s recovering from injury. Despite that, Copeland has remained a proactive and positive force in his community by helping his North Carlonia neighbors recover from the effects of hurricane damage.

Adam Copeland’s Acting Background

While Copeland may be best known as a WWE Hall Of Famer, his resume impressively expands outside of the squared circle. Copeland’s acting resume is rock solid as he previously starred in Vikings, Haven, and even played Atom Smasher in The Flash.

Copeland said a few weeks back in an interview that he’s ready to get back to work after his “brain forgot” that he’s 51 and he took a 21-foot cage dive.

Before getting hurt, Copeland had a memorable run with the TNT Championship and feuded with his longtime partner Christian Cage. Copeland first debuted in AEW back at WrestleDream 2023.