Is CM Punk truly a cancer to the wrestling industry, as some have claimed?

Punk has certainly been a controversial figure in recent months, following his inflammatory comments after last September’s AEW All Out Pay-Per-View.

It was these comments, as well as the backstage fight, that resulted in Punk’s second reign as AEW World Champion coming to a swift and unceremonial end.

Not a Cancer

After the infamous Pay-Per-View, Chris Jericho branded Punk a “cancer” and the same term was used by WWE’s Seth Rollins last month during a Royal Rumble week interview.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry discussed Punk, and said that while he may rub some people the wrong way, that’s only because Punk is passionate about his craft.

“He’s not a cancer. He’s opinionated, but he’s also a teacher and supporter. I’ve seen him do stuff he didn’t have to do. He just did it because he loved the business and he wanted to make that wrestler better.”

Mark Henry.

Punk remains the only person suspended after AEW All Out 2022 to still be suspended at this time.

Others who have spoken favorably of Punk following All Out include FTR’s Dax Harwood and AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill.

Bringing Punk Back

CM Punk’s arrival in AEW saw the company’s ratings rise dramatically, and many believe that only by bringing Punk back can the company reach those heights again.

While Punk has some allies backstage, it has been reported that some top names have refused to work with the former World Champion if he is brought back.

Punk is currently healing from a torn triceps injury suffered at All Out, but should be 100% within two months.

h/t – Wrestling Inc

“The Queen” has spoken.

In 33 days, Charlotte Flair will put her SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania. Before her meeting with “The Eradicator” though, Flair continues to defend her title amidst the company’s tour of live events.

Through WWE’s most recent loop this past weekend, Flair raised up her championship again, but this time, it was in a fatal four-way. On Saturday, Flair made her way to Champaign, Illinois to battle Liv Morgan, Sonya Deville, and NXT Superstar Zoey Stark. In recent weeks, Flair and Deville sparked an on-screen rivalry, as Deville fell short in two previous attempts at capturing the title.

Last year, Liv Morgan held the SmackDown Women’s Championship for three months after cash-in at Money in the Bank to dethrone Ronda Rousey. For Zoey Stark, though, this marked her first loop of main roster live events.

“The Queen” evidently retained her title in Champaign, and the following night in Rockford, but not without valiant efforts from her competition. Following the double dose of four-way matches, Flair shared her praise for Stark.

“[Zoey Stark] killed it this weekend! Great job woman!” she wrote via Twitter.

Road To WrestleMania

As it appears Stark may soon make way up to the main roster, Charlotte Flair herself has established herself as a history maker in the women’s division. Reigning as a 14-Time World Champion at this point, Flair gears up for a WrestleMania 36 rematch in a few weeks.

On the latest edition of SmackDown, Flair called out her WrestleMania 39 opponent, Rhea Ripley. Instead, she was met by Rhea’s ally, Dominik Mysterio. The two traded some fierce words before “Mami” finally emerged to stand face-to-face with Flair. In five weeks, Ripley looks to redeem herself after Flair unseated her for the NXT Women’s Championship three years ago at “The Show of Shows.”

WWE is running back Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn following their match at the Elimination Chamber PLE. 

The two stars are slated to meet in the main event of an untelevised house show. On Monday, it was confirmed by the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto that Reigns will defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Zayn at the show this Saturday as part of WWE’s Road to WrestleMania live event tour.

Originally, it was advertised as a tag team match seeing Reigns team with Solo Sikoa against Zayn & Kevin Owens for the event. However, a change was made. 

The First Match

At the Elimination Chamber in Montreal earlier this month, Reigns retained his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Zayn. Post-match, Owens saved Zayn from a Bloodline. 

Since then, Zayn has tried to convince Owens to work together to dismantle The Bloodline, but Owens continues to reject him. 

It’s believed that Zayn and Owens will challenge The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 39. Jey Uso is currently conflicted in storyline between siding with Zayn or staying loyal to his family. 

Upon entering WWE in the late 1990s, a young Edge received the opportunity to tango with some of wrestling’s most illustrious figures.

Under contract, “The Rated R Superstar” has worked through four different eras, including the Attitude Era, Ruthless Aggression, and the PG era. After his surprise return to the sport in 2020, Edge integrated himself into the “New Era,” and continues to run strong today.

Before he made his own mark as a legend, though, the WWE Hall of Famer worked with several other legends during his initial run in WWE. Reflecting on his career, Edge recalled some of the talent who helped shape him during his earlier days.

“It’s not lost on me the amount of talent I’ve had the opportunity to face,” he wrote via Twitter. “Perfect, Owen, Martel, Bad News, Hacksaw, Road Warriors, Funk, Lawler, Flair, Bulldog, Landell, Bossman, Earthquake, Boogy Woogy, Vader just to name a few, let alone the other 2 generations. Blows my mind.”

Legends Meet A Future Legend

Most of the WWE Superstars referenced by Edge did battle with him while Edge was still in his 20s. In early 2002, Edge met the late WWE Hall of Famer Mr. Perfect for the first and only time on Sunday Night Heat, winning the bout by disqualification.

Other notable opponents include Edge’s numerous matches involving fellow Canadian, Owen Hart. In September 1998, a 24-year-old Edge battled Hart at WWE’s In Your House 24: Breakdown, before the two met a few months later in tag team competition.

Of those mentioned, Ric Flair encountered Edge over fifty times throughout their careers in various tag team matches, battle royals, and singles competitions. Within a one-on-one capacity, the two first dueled in May 2004, as Edge gained the victory over “The Nature Boy.”

If it were up to Bayley, there would be even more members of Damage CTRL right now.

Since aligning at SummerSlam 2022, the trio of Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY have established themselves as major players in the women’s locker room. Kai and SKY have dominated the women’s tag team division with two title reigns, while Bayley has tackled multiple singles stars, including Becky Lynch and RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. As it turns out, though, Bayley — the leader of the group — wanted some additional figures to join her in the formation of the faction.

In a new interview with BT Sport’s Ariel Helwani, Bayley revealed that she pitched the group concept “a couple years” before it finally panned out.

“[The idea] had a different group of people as the time went on,” she said. “Peyton Royce was someone that I really wanted in there. Tegan Nox was someone that I wanted in there. There were a lot of people that it just kind of changed throughout time and as people left the company and things like that, but Dakota was always — she’s one of the OG’s that I always envisioned in this group.”

Planting The Seeds

Bayley later explained that she brought the idea up to Paul “Triple H” Levesque a few WrestleMania’s ago, but after receiving feedback, she made some tweaks. And after trading “a million” different name ideas with creative, “The Role Model” said they couldn’t get on the same page. One of the stable names she pitched was called “The Now.”

“To me, I didn’t care about the championships I won in the past, I don’t care about what happens next, these girls right here and what we’re about to do, the present is all that matters. So, ‘The Now’ was my first idea.”

Due to legal matters, however, that name didn’t work out, but eventually, they landed on Damage CTRL. “To me, Damage CTRL is just kind of showing the world how much more there is to offer than what you just see on TV every week,” Bayley said.

This year’s WrestleMania will feature a smaller card, leaving some frustrated Superstars off the biggest show of the year, it has been claimed.

WrestleMania 39 will take place on April 1, and April 2, in Inglewood, California, marking the fourth two-night WrestleMania in a row.

Night Two of the Showcase of the Immortals will be headlined by Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defending against Cody Rhodes.

Smaller Card

WrestleMania is WWE’s biggest event of the year, so it is expected that it is the longest and most stacked show of the year.

For single-night events, WrestleMania 35 (2019) takes the record for the longest WWE event in history, clocking in at five hours and 20 minutes (or over seven hours if you watch the pre-show.)

WrestlingNews.co was informed that WWE will be using a smaller card as compared to previous years, and this is an edict from WWE’s Head of Creative/Talent Relations Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque.

It is reported that there will not be a WrestleMania Battle Royal at WrestleMania, which in years past allowed a lot of Superstars the chance to compete at the biggest show of the year.

In more recent years, WWE has kept the men’s Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal for the SmackDown before WrestleMania.

At this time, three matches have been announced by WWE, though this will of course change.

Unhappy

With a smaller card comes fewer spots for talent to appear on the show, which Wrestling News was informed has led to “some unhappiness” backstage.

There is also unhappiness about some of the slots on the show being saved for part-timers, though the report did not state who.

We do know that Brock Lesnar will answer Omos’ challenge for WrestleMania 39 on tonight’s Raw, and a match between Edge and Finn Balor is expected.

There have also been reports that Trish Stratus and Lita will team with Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 39 to face Damage CTRL.

John Cena is expected to face United States Champion Austin Theory this April, though the match has yet to be confirmed by WWE.

Is CM Punk truly a ‘cancer’ to the wrestling industry as some believe, or have those claims been greatly exaggerated?

This week will mark the six-month anniversary since Punk’s infamous comments on the All Out post-show, and the backstage fight that led to his suspension.

Punk is now the only person suspended following All Out to still be suspended, with the Elite and others being brought back to TV and Punk’s trainer Ace Steel being fired.

Cancerous

After the All Out fight, which came amid a difficult year for All Elite Wrestling, Chris Jericho branded Punk a “cancer” to the company.

Jericho isn’t the only one who feels this way, with Seth Rollins using similar verbiage when asked about Punk during a pre-Royal Rumble interview with Wrestling Inc.

In an Instagram post this week, Punk poked fun at the idea that he is cancerous, with the help of a photoshopped image of Danhausen.

In the image, Danhausen can be seen taking lemonade from a child without paying, which is actually from a panel from Marvel Comics featuring Kang the Conqueror.

Punk joked that ‘Danhausen’ was “cancerous” and needed to be blackballed for this action, and also made reference to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

What’s Next for CM Punk?

For Punk, the idea that he is “cancerous” may seem laughable, but many don’t find his actions at All Out so funny.

In addition to calling him a cancer, Jericho is reportedly part of a group within AEW who are trying to fight against Punk being brought back to TV.

Many in WWE also feel the McMahon-led promotion would be making a mistake if Punk is brought in, believing that he would just cause more problems as we’ve seen in AEW.

WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair will defend her title at WrestleMania 39 against Asuka, but this is not the match WWE had planned for the EST.

Belair’s reign as Raw Women’s Champion began at WrestleMania 38 last April, and the popular Superstar’s reign is the second longest in history (behind Becky Lynch.)

Asuka, a former Raw Women’s Champion in her own right, earned the title match by winning the Women’s Elimination Chamber match earlier this month.

Change of Plans

While Asuka and Belair are more than capable of an exceptional match this April, this isn’t what WWE had planned.

Initial plans for WrestleMania 39 saw Belair defending her title against Charlotte Flair, according to a report from Fightful Select.

Those plans changed when Ronda Rousey informed WWE of plans to take January off, and thus Flair was brought back from her hiatus earlier than planned.

Flair’s return saw the Queen capture the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Rousey on the final SmackDown of 2022, and the Belair match nixed.

Charlotte Flair will defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39 against 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley.

Rousey at WrestleMania

With Rousey out of the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championship pictures, there has been speculation about what she will do at WrestleMania 39.

It has been reported that WWE’s plan is for Rousey and Shayna Baszler to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships this April.

A match between the MMA fighters and Damage CTRL is interesting, given that the trio of Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY are expected to face Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus and Lita at WrestleMania 39.

Lita and Lynch will challenge Kai and SKY for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on tonight’s episode of Raw.

Ring of Honor pulled out all the stops to make their return to TV tapings something to remember, including bringing in a veteran of WWE.

This past weekend saw Ring of Honor tape their first show since being purchased by AEW President Tony Khan just under a year ago.

The first episode of the ROH tapings will premiere this coming Thursday on March 2.

Tony Chimel

Over the weekend, ROH taped across both Saturday and Sunday, with the second night featuring the ROH debut of Tony Chimel.

Chimel, best known for his time in WWE, served as the master of ceremonies for the event.

Despite being best known as a ring announcer, Chimel will not be resuming that role with Ring of Honor, as ROH veteran Bobby Cruise is still on duty for the show.

Chimel in WWE

Chimel spent 38 years with WWE as a ring announcer before being released from his contract in 2020.

It was Chimel who was the ring announcer for the very first episode of SmackDown in 1999 and would defeat Howard Finkel in a tuxedo match that same year to become the show’s full-time announcer.

Though not a wrestler, Chimel would have the occasional brush with talent, including Mr. Kennedy, who would be irate with how Chimel pronounced his name.

On the December 22, 2006, SmackDown, Chimel’s enthusiastic call for the Boogeyman would catch the attention of the bizarre Superstar, who forced worms into the announcer’s mouth.

In 2015, Chimel transitioned to just announcing at house shows but would appear during Beth Phoenix’s 2017 Hall of Fame speech to deliver his infamous voice-cracking introduction of Edge.

In his later years with WWE, Chimel worked backstage as a production manager and part of the ring crew before his release.

When Mercedes Moné made her debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17 and her in-ring debut at Battle in the Valley, Bayley was there to support her best friend.

In an interview on “Ariel Helwani Meets”, Bayley talked about being there to support her.

“I went there (Tokyo) on my own. There was a few of us that flew out there, just because like, she’s been there for all my big moments. Even as she hasn’t been a part of the company, when I’ve made my big return and had my big matches, she was there for me. So, of course I want to be there for her. We’ve done so much together in WWE. She means so much to me and so much to the wrestling world, like I have to be there for this moment.”

Bayley on Sasha Returning to WWE

Moné is rumored to have two matches in April where she’ll defend her title. She has revealed that she is a free agent and can wrestle anywhere she wants. She hasn’t completely ruled out returning to WWE, but said she has about the same chance of returning as she does of facing Amanda Nunes in UFC.

Bayley, on the other hand, is still hoping her former tag team partner returns. “I’ll never give up hope. I’ll never give up hope that she’ll come back.”

• Former WWE NXT Wrestler Made AEW Debut at Dark Tapings (Photos)

Helwani asked if she thought Moné would come back and Bayley answered, “I’ll say yes. This is her home. This is her dream. I love to see what she’s doing and what’s she’s going to be doing in the next few months and she’s literally going to take the world by storm. I know this is her home and where her heart is — and by her heart, I mean me — she needs to come back to me. I need her. I need my travel partner. But, I’m going to say yes. I’m never going to give up hope.”

On Sunday, a former WWE NXT wrestler made their AEW debut at the Dark tapings from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Steph De Lander, formerly known as Persia Pirotta in WWE NXT, was that star as she lost to Marina Shafir. 

Before signing with WWE, Pirotta had previously worked for Melbourne City Wrestling and Newcastle Pro Wrestling. In March 2021, she was one of two Australian wrestlers signed by WWE. She was used most notably in a tag team with Indi Hartwell before being released in April 2022. 

AEW Dark Spoilers

Here are the spoilers, courtesy of F4Wonline.com: 

• Parker Boudreaux defeated Vinny Pacifico
• Peter Avalon defeated Dean Alexander. In a post-match interview with Tony Schiavone, Avalon spoke about his match with Chris Jericho coming up.
• Julia Hart defeated Zoey Lynn
• Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh defeated Oliver Sawyer, Jay Malachi & Jackson Drake. In a post-match interview with Schiavone, Lethal and Jarrett said they will be the next tag team champions.
• Juice Robinson defeated Leon Ruffin
• Dark Order (John Silver & Alex Reynolds) defeated The Outrunners
• Riho defeated Diamante
• Leila Grey defeated Kiera Hogan
• Action Andretti defeated Lee Johnson (w/ Cole Karter)
• Sonny Kiss (w/ Jeeves Kay and Slim J) defeated Terry Kidd
• Iron Savages defeated The Wingmen (Ryan Nemeth & Cezar Bononi). In a post-match interview with Schiavone, the Savages said they are in the best shapes of their lives and want to put AEW on their backs
• The Renegade Twins defeated Avery Breaux & Mafiosa
• Brock Anderson & Brian Pillman Jr. defeated O’Shea Edwards and Moses
• Toni Storm defeated Billie Starkz
• AR Fox defeated Nick Comoroto
• Skye Blue defeated Queen Aminata
• Evil Uno defeated Alexander Moss
• Marina Shafir defeated Steph De Lander
• Zack Clayton defeated Schaff
• Top Flight defeated Adrian Alanis and Liam Grey
• Brady Booker defeated Serpentico
• Konosuke Takeshita defeated Cole Karter (w/ Lee Johnson). Post match, Johnson attacked Takeshita until Orange Cassidy made the save to send everyone home happy.

AEW commentator Jim Ross has said that WWE often struggled to “totally trust” Jeff Hardy due to his personal demons.

Jeff’s problems with substances, which have led to several arrests, have been well-documented, and have followed the veteran across multiple promotions.

Last June, Hardy was arrested and charged with his third DUI in a decade, but the charge has been dropped due to a faulty breathalyzer result.

Trust

Hardy’s personal demons have not stopped the ‘Charismatic Enigma’ from becoming one of the most popular stars in the history of wrestling.

In WWE, Hardy was never turned heel, though such a turn was briefly teased in 2003 before his release from the company.

Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross explained why WWE opted not to make Hardy a heel.

“I don’t know if he’s too big [of a merch mover]. I think maybe, my guess on this question would be another one with reliability issues. How far do you go with someone that you don’t totally trust?”

Jim Ross.

Ross added that any major plans for Hardy at the time were always seen through this ‘can we trust him’ lens, and said that at the time, the answer was “no.”

Hardy would turn heel as part of TNA Wrestling years later, but has remained a face in WWE through his multiple runs with the company.

Make Yourself Famous

In 2002, WWE tried to show Hardy they had faith in him (and encourage him to change his ways,) by giving him a prominent feud with The Undertaker.

To this day, their ladder match on the July 1, 2002, episode of Raw, is considered one of the best Raw matches ever, and Ross remembers it fondly.

“He’s one of my favorite talents to call matches for. I remember the match that he and Taker had. I said something like climb the ladder and make yourself famous or something to that effect. And I just admired his work so much, I adored it.“

Jim Ross.

Despite this show of good faith by WWE, Hardy would not get a handle on his problems, and would be gone from the company less than a year later.

On Saturday night, ROH held its first set of TV tapings of the weekend from Orlando, FL, at Universal Studios. The promotion will return on Sunday evening for another round of tapings. 

The relaunch episode under Tony Khan will premiere on Thursday, March 2nd, that will air on the HonorClub streaming service. ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli vs. AR Fox will headline this show. 

The Results

Here are the spoilers, courtesy of F4Wonline.com:

• Mark Briscoe defeated Slim J.
• The Kingdom defeated The Infantry (Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo).
• NJPW TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Blake Christian.
• Christopher Daniels defeated Rohit Raju.
• Konosuke Takeshita defeated Josh Woods.
• ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Embassy (Brian Cage, Kaun & Toa Liona) defeated LSG, Joe Keys & Rex Lawless.
• Ari Daivari defeated Gran Metalik.
• Madison Rayne & Skye Blue defeated The Renegades.
• During a Wheeler Yuta in-ring promo with Ian Riccaboni, Timothy Thatcher challenged Yuta for the Pure Title that happened later in the tapings.
• Willow Nightingale defeated Lady Frost. Nightingale challenged ROH Women’s Champion Athena to a future title match. 
• ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli defeated AR Fox to retain the title. Eddie Kingston came out after the match where he had promised Jon Moxley that he wouldn’t beat Castagnoli’s butt in AEW but this wasn’t AEW. Claudi left without saying anything to him. 
• ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe defeated Tony Deppen. After Joe asked for his next challenger, Mark Briscoe came out and accepted because the title was his destiny.
• Dalton Castle & The Boys defeated Cody Chhun, Guillermo Rosas & Marcus Kross.
• Rush & Dralistico defeated Angelico & Serpentico.
• Trish Adora defeated Billie Starkz.
• Ari Daivari & Slim J defeated Jake Crist & “Manscout” Jake Manning. 
• ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta defeated Timothy Thatcher to retain the title. Post-match, Yuta says he’s in the ’96 Bulls with Jordan and Pippen while these “track suit dojo boys” think they’re so great because they train with Shibata. Clark Connors challenged Wheeler to a match.
• Aussie Open defeated Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus
• Eddie Kingston defeated Ben Dejo (aka Jon Cruz/Serpentico). Post-match, he demanded a shot at the ROH World Title. Castagnoli said that “a man without honor will never be ROH Champion” and left. 
• ROH Women’s Champion Athena defeated Willow Nightingale to retain the title.

AEW fans and gamers may be mere weeks away from finally getting their hands on AEW’s first console video game: Fight Forever.

Following on from mobile games AEW Elite: GM, and AEW Casino: Double or Nothing, Fight Forever was first announced in late 2020.

For many on the roster, AEW Fight Forever will mark their gaming debuts as playable characters.

Release Date

Despite hopes for an early 2022 release, fans are still yet to get their hands on the game, with the only playable versions being featured at conventions.

This week, Best Buy listed AEW Fight Forever with a release date of March 31.

While this date could change, it is the first official release date that the much-anticipated game has seen in some time.

Currently, Amazon is listing the release date as December 31, 2023, and the game has been rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

What We Know So Far

While AEW Fight Forever is still yet to reach shelves, plenty is known already about the game.

The game will feature a “deep career mode,” according to Evil Uno and Colt Cabana, who spoke about the project at Gamescon in Cologne, Germany last year.

Online play will be a “big part” of the game, which will feature AEW staples including the Casino Ladder match and the Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match.

AEW Fight Forever will release on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Dax Harwood has teased leaving All Elite Wrestling within a matter of weeks after being snubbed by the promotion following the Wrestling Observer’s awards.

Harwood, alongside Cash Wheeler, joined AEW in 2020, one month after being granted their release from WWE.

The former Raw, SmackDown, and NXT Tag Team Champions signed over their considerable down-side guarantees in order to be released without a non-compete clause in effect.

In AEW, the pair are former AEW World Tag Champions and have also held tag gold for New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and AAA.

The Snub

This week, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter shared its annual awards, and there were a lot of victories for the stars of AEW.

On Twitter, the official AEW account congratulated several AEW stars, including Bryan Danielson for the Best Technician, and MJF for Most Charismatic.

Tony Khan also received a celebratory tweet for winning Best Booker for the third year in a row, and Promoter of the Year for the fourth time.

FTR, who won Tag Team of the Year, did not receive such a congratulatory message, something Harwood vented about in a tweet of his own.

Winning the Tag Team of the Year award wasn’t FTR’s only accolade, as the pair were part of the Feud of the Year with the Briscoes.

While this award was referenced by AEW, their tweet congratulated Dem Boys for the win, with no mention of FTR.

April

In his tweet, Harwood referenced the month of April, which is believed to be when FTR’s contracts with AEW expire.

On his FTR podcast, Harwood has spoken in the past about possibly leaving AEW, and admits that it could happen.

Harwood has also claimed that what comes next for FTR will likely be the final chapter of their wrestling careers as a tag team.

Should Sami Zayn have captured the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship last week at the Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event?

Over the past year, Zayn, who always had a devoted fanbase, has become one of WWE’s most popular stars in recent memory, thanks to his work with the Bloodline.

At last weekend’s event, Zayn came up short against Roman Reigns, in the Canadian’s first one-on-one World Championship opportunity at a Premium Live Event.

The Right Call

Given Zayn’s immense popularity, and the fact that WWE Elimination Chamber was in Montreal, many have said that a title change should have happened.

WWE evidently felt differently, and at this time, the main event of WrestleMania 39 will see Cody Rhodes challenge Reigns for the title.

During the latest episode of his Extreme Life podcast, AEW’s Matt Hardy justified the booking decision.

“Cody has been an investment by WWE. Obviously, he was an investment when you saw that he had that injury and he still went into Hell in the Cell and he defeated Seth Rollins three matches straight. It was very obvious they had big plans for Cody Rhodes.”

“I think it’s the right move and I don’t think it hurts Sami one bit.”

Matt Hardy.

“Let him be the guy to defeat Roman, I think that’s the way to go. I think it’s the right move and I don’t think it hurts Sami one bit. If anything, that loss elevated Sami. It didn’t hurt him. It helped him. Also, you have a built-in competitor for Cody down the road with Sami.”

Hardy added that Sami is a “legitimate world champion level contender,” and reiterated that the loss in Montreal was the “right call.”

What’s Next for Sami Zayn?

While Sami Zayn will not be in the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship picture at WrestleMania, he may still leave with gold.

It is rumored that Zayn will team with Kevin Owens this April to challenge Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos.

Given Zayn’s popularity, there is a possibility that this match could headline Night One of WrestleMania, though nothing has been publicly confirmed at this time.

h/t – WrestlingNews

Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley have proven to be quite the duo on WWE programming, and have caught the attention of those outside of the promotion.

In the run-up to WWE Clash at the Castle, Ripley repeatedly targeted Dominik, who at the time was aligned with his father Rey Mysterio and Edge.

After turning on his father and the Hall of Famer, Dominik and Ripley have been inseparable and have appeared together both at WWE events and away from the ring.

Reactions

During this week’s SmackDown, Dominik made a rare appearance on the blue brand to confront Charlotte Flair, who’ll defend the Women’s Title against Ripley at WrestleMania 39.

Mysterio went on about how he and Flair were both generational superstars, that they often get compared to their fathers but surpass them anyway

When Dominik tried to smooth talk the record-breaking champion, Flair was quick to shut him down, saying that she “has a real Latino man at home that calls me mami.”

On Twitter, Ripley’s real-life boyfriend, AEW star Buddy Matthews, reminded fans that ‘Mami’ has her own ‘Papi.’

Flair’s reference to her husband Andrade El Idolo, did not go unnoticed by the former NXT Champion, who reacted on Twitter with a single emoji.

Charlotte’s father Ric Flair also reacted to Dominik’s smooth-talking and encouraged the Judgment Day member to steer clear.

Ripley, the first woman to win the Women’s Royal Rumble from #1, will challenge Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39.

WWE will seek out the very top names from All Elite Wrestling to add to their roster over the next 12 months, it has been claimed.

Since AEW was founded in 2019, Tony Khan’s promotion has welcomed plenty of former Superstars, thanks in part to WWE’s mass layoffs of talent.

FTR, Miro, Andrade El Idolo and Bryan Danielson are just some of the names in AEW who were calling WWE home not too long ago,

Go Hard

The next 12 months will see several current AEW deals expire, with World Champion MJF openly teasing leaving the promotion in January 2024.

FTR, who are currently taking a break from AEW, are also expected to have their deals expire within a matter of months.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer stated that a lot of “key deals” will expire this year, and WWE is going to “go hard at everyone good.”

On the flip side, Meltzer added that there are a lot of WWE contracts ending this year, and AEW will likely make a play for some names.

With that said, it was added that right now the “perception” of WWE talent is to not go to AEW, despite the company’s lighter schedule.

AEW experienced several setbacks in 2022, at a time when the WWE product was noticeably improving under Triple H’s leadership.

Cody Rhodes

While AEW is home to some WWE alum, the biggest move saw Cody Rhodes part ways with Tony Khan to return to WWE last year.

On his show, Meltzer added that Cody’s treatment since returning to WWE could prove to be an incentive for others to jump ship.

Speaking about Kenny Omega, whose AEW contract is expected to end in late 2023, Meltzer said that Khan losing Omega would be “really, really bad.”

It was noted that Omega is in a “very good position” as both AEW will offer him a lot to stay, and WWE will offer him plenty to join them.

Jake Paul may not be a WWE Superstar just yet, but that hasn’t stopped Drew McIntyre from calling him out.

Paul’s brother Logan made his in-ring debut at last year’s WrestleMania, and has impressed fans with his ability in the ring.

For his Crown Jewel match with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Logan recruited his brother, but the pair failed to dethrone the Tribal Chief.

McIntyre Vs. Paul

Away from YouTube, Jake Paul has been making a name for himself in the world, of boxing, earning victories over YouTuber AnEsonGib, NBA star Nate Robinson and former MMA fighters Ben Askren.

Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva have also fallen to Jake Paul, but these wins haven’t impressed WWE’s Scottish Warrior.

This week, McIntyre joined Sheamus for an episode of Celtic Warrior Workouts, which saw them train with three-time world kickboxing champion Bernard “Swiftkick” Robinson.

Sharing the video on social media, McIntyre took aim at Paul saying that he was already a better boxer after one training session.

Sheamus responded to McIntyre’s bold claim and encouraged WWE to book the match.

Jake Paul’s next fight will take place today when he faces off against Tommy Fury, the brother of lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Jake Paul in WWE

After the success of Logan Paul in WWE, it isn’t hard to see why some believe Jake could join the promotion.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Jake said he would consider joining WWE, but is concerned about the risk it could have on his boxing career.

“I’m down. I just don’t want to get injured. My brother tore his MCL; it’s crazy out there. So, I just don’t want it to derail my boxing and all that, but I’m down.

“I love WWE. I love working with my brother. So that would definitely be something that could be on the horizon, for sure.”

Jake Paul.

As for Logan Paul, he is expected to face Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 39 this April.

h/t – Fightful

Mercedes Mone made her NJPW in-ring debut last Saturday night at the Battle in the Valley pay-per-view event where she defeated KAIRI to capture the IWGP Women’s Championship.

This was after she walked out of WWE last May due to creative differences, negotiated her release from the company, and signed with NJPW at the beginning of January before she made her promotional debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17 where she attacked the fellow former WWE star to set up the BITV match. 

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Mones winning the title at this show was the plan from the moment she signed with NJPW as the promotion felt having her as the champion would make the title feel important and raise its profile. 

Where Thing Stand

Meltzer also shared an update on Mone’s NJPW deal, and how many dates she has left, which is two dates. Mone will work the April 8th Sakura Genesis show at Sumo Hall where she will face STARDOM High Speed Champion AZM. The original plan was a rematch with KAIRI but things changed. 

Mone will also work the  23rd STARDOM event at Yokohama Arena where currently, she is scheduled to face Mayu Iwatami at that show. Should she not sign an extension with NJPW for more dates then she is likely to drop the title to Mayu at this event.

Eric Bischoff recently made an interesting comparison between Sami Zayn and Diamond Dallas Page (DDP). 

Zayn had been portrayed as a lovable babyface in NXT after making a name for himself as El Generico on the independent wrestling scene. On the main roster, he continued the babyface character he came up with in developmental before portraying a heel for many years up until he was aligned with The Bloodline where the fans slowly turned him back into a babyface. 

Parallels 

While speaking on WrestleBinge, Bischoff explained how DDP and Zayn share similar trajectories.

“There are some parallels there. [DDP] was kind of in the middle of the roster, right, and he was pretty good,” Bischoff stated, “but once [DDP] made that transition, once he turned down the NWO and started working with Randy Savage and so many other top names, he just blew out of the pack. He didn’t slowly grow his way to the top of the roster; he just blew the doors off.”

There are some parallels there. [DDP] was kind of in the middle of the roster, right, and he was pretty good,” Bischoff stated, “but once [DDP] made that transition, once he turned down the nWo and started working with Randy Savage and so many other top names, he just blew out of the pack. He didn’t slowly grow his way to the top of the roster; he just blew the doors off.”

Zayn came up short when challenging Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title at the Elimination Chamber after being kicked out of The Bloodline at the Royal Rumble. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcription

Sami Zayn may have come up short against Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber, but some fans are still rooting for him to be added to the WrestleMania match with Reigns and Cody Rhodes.

WWE is reportedly concerned about Zayn’s popularity overpowering Rhodes. There has been speculation that Zayn and Kevin Owens will headline Night One of WrestleMania 39 against The Usos for the Undisputed Tag Titles.

What DDP told Sami Zayn

WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page said in an exclusive interview with Forbes that he gave Zayn advice at Royal Rumble. “I literally walked up to Sami at the Rumble and gave him a hug.”

“I love the Bloodline stuff. And Sami is a guy that, if you look at it, you don’t say ‘that guy’s money.’ But if you watch him and his storylines, and his interviews and his work in the ring, he’s money. He’s top guy money. Put him in a main event and he will draw, especially against the Bloodline, but really anyone.”

“I told him ‘bro, I love what you’re doing. Just be patient. Because it’s gonna happen.’ That’s the hardest thing for talent, is to be patient.”

• Speculation over released star joining Bray Wyatt’s faction

Do you think Sami Zayn should be added to the Rhodes vs. Reigns match or do you think he should compete with Owens for the tag titles?

When Bray Wyatt returned to WWE last year, there were rumors of a “Wyatt 6” faction. It would be his “Firefly Funhouse” characters come to life as actual characters.

Fans have been introduced to “Uncle Howdy”. Rumors have been running rampant that Wyatt’s real life brother, Bo Dallas, would be portraying him. After last night’s SmackDown, there is a new theory on the person behind the character.

Former WWE Superstar with Bray Wyatt

During the “Firefly Funhouse” segment, there was a voiceover that said, “welcome everyone to America’s favorite game show. Can you keep a secret?” 

Some fans speculated that the voice belonged to former NXT Superstar, Eric Young. Young had been leading a faction in IMPACT Wrestling, Violent By Design. His character was killed by his stablemate last December. It was reported then that the former SAnity leader was WWE bound.

• WWE King and Queen of the Ring Event Location Revealed

In the same segment, a box that “Evil Alexa” used in the “Firefly Funhouse” was also featured. A woman’s hands were seen playing with action figures. Could that have been Bliss’s hands?

Would you like to see Eric Young with the “Wyatt 6”?

One week ago, Mercedes Moné made her in-ring for NJPW. She defeated KAIRI to become the second IWGP Women’s Champion.

Shortly after winning the title, AZM emerged as her next challenger. The STARDOM High Speed Champion was one of the women Moné named as someone she’d like to face. The match hasn’t been made official, but is rumored for NJPW’s Sakura Genesis show on April 23.

Will Mercedes Moné Go to AEW?

Now that Moné has made her in-ring debut for NJPW, fans are wondering if they’ll see her in AEW.

AEW Trios champion and EVP, Kenny Omega, fueled rumors when he quote tweeted Moné this week. He wrote “Our work with NJPW isn’t quite done yet, so I’m sure they will! I hear they sometimes do mix matches now too…”

This has led to speculation that they might do something at Forbidden Door 2. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that should Moné wish to compete at Forbidden Door 2, she can. However, something more long-term with AEW isn’t a priority for her.

On “Wrestling Observer Radio”, Dave Meltzer reported that Moné isn’t eager to sign a long-term deal. He also reported that it’s believed “The CEO” is scheduled for two more matches with STARDOM. Besides the match with AZM, she is supposed to face Mayu Iwatani on April 23. At this time, she has not been announced for NJPW’s shows in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. in April.

• Wrestler to Make AEW Debut in Face of the Revolution Ladder Match on Dynamite

In an interview with TV Insider, the champ said, “I’m a free agent. It doesn’t matter with New Japan. I can go anywhere. I can go to New Japan, Impact, Mexico, Germany, Europe. The potential matchups are endless. The same for New Japan. I know they have partnerships with CMLL, Impact, AEW.”

Who would you like to see Mercedes Moné face?

WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker may have plenty of accolades to his name, but the Phenom recently lost his top spot in the annals of WWE’s gaming history.

At Survivor Series 2020, the Undertaker gave his ‘Final Farewell’ and retired from the ring after an iconic three-decade career in WWE.

The Texan was rightfully inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, and has made appearances out of his gothic persona for WWE since his retirement.

Gaming History

As one of the most iconic WWE Superstars of all time, it is hardly surprising that The Undertaker has been part of several WWE video games.

The Demon of Death Valley holds the record for appearing in the most officially licensed WWE games, with his first being WWF Super WrestleMania (NES & MegaDrive/Genesis) in 1992.

Since then, The Undertaker has appeared in a total 64 video games (if you include WWE 2K23) and has featured on the cover for 18 games.

Acknowledge Him

For WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2011, WWE ranked The Undertaker with a staggering 98 rating, the highest rating of any WWE Superstar in gaming history.

After over a decade though, that rating has now been superseded, as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has been awarded a 99 rating for WWE 2K23.

Reigns, one of two men to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania, has appeared in 10 WWE games, as well as NCAA Football 2005.

The standard edition of WWE 2K23 is set for release on March 17 and will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft Windows.

Players who pre-order the Deluxe and Icon Editions of the game will have access from March 14 to get in on the action early.