Tony Khan has extended the invitation to Big Boom! A.J. to return to AEW.

The TikTok star and one-half of The Costo Guys participated in the post-Full Gear 2024 media scrum after picking up a victory over QT Marshall during the PPV pre-show.

AJ, real name Andrew Befumo had previously announced that he had signed a one-match deal with the company but claimed that he was open to more opportunities if they came along.

The 48-year-old was asked what he thought about potentially returning to the company during the scrum, and the former indie wrestler said that he’d love to be back if he’s welcomed back:

“I love it here. I do. I love it here. I loved every minute of this. If I’m welcomed back, I’m going to be back and I’m going to bring the Boom!”

The AEW president Tony Khan who was sitting beside the social media star quickly extended an invitation saying that Befumo was welcomed back to his company.

While many fans initially questioned the involvement of the Costo Guys in an AEW story, the social media stars have proven their worth with all the buzz their involvement has generated for the promotion.

The duo of A.J. & Big Justice even brought in The Rizzler as a backup for their Full Gear encounter who got one of the biggest pops of the night. You can check out the reactions to Rizzler’s appearance here.

• The Rizzler Tops Cody Rhodes & Roman Reigns in Viral Popularity

Daniel Garcia has declared his entry into the upcoming Continental Classic tournament after picking up a huge victory at tonight’s Full Gear 2024 PPV.

The 26-year-old had set his sights on the TNT Championship after returning to the company and announcing his re-signing in Early October.

He challenged Jack Perry for the title at the latest AEW PPV. Perry tried to use his usual shenanigans to win the match. He distracted the referee by bringing the TNT title belt into the ring and low-blowed Garcia when the ref went to dispose the belt.

Daniel Garcia managed to kick out, however. He then delivered a couple of piledrivers to Perry and locked him into the Sharpshooter for the win.

Daniel Garcia Makes Big Announcement

The new TNT Champion took part in the post-show media scrum after Full Gear 2024. Garcia got rid of the custom title belt Perry had hand-painted and brought back the older design for the title during his appearance.

The young star went on to announce his entry into the 2024 Continental Classic tournament. The competition will begin at this Wednesday’s Dynamite on November 27.

DC has prior experience in the C2 tournament. He took part in the inaugural Continental Classic in 2023 as well. Garcia was in the blue league and he finished the tournament with three points.

Kazuchika Okada gets an automatic entry into the tournament as the defending Continental Champion. The full list of talents participating this year should be revealed on Wednesday. 

• AEW Full Gear 2024 Results: Moxley Retains, Chaos Ensues

Mercedes Mone and Kris Statlander made a new record for Women’s matches in AEW at tonight’s Full Gear PPV from Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Statlander challenged the former WWE star for the TBS Championship. She previously held the title for 174 days and lost the belt at Full Gear 2023 in a triple threat match where she wasn’t pinned.

Despite her best efforts, however, Kris was not able to dethrone Mone. The current champion won the match after biting her opponent’s leg and getting the pin afterward.

Mercedes Mone Breaks Another Record

The Women’s title match received praise from fans as one of the best in-ring encounters of the night but it wasn’t the only reason which made it a noteworthy bout.

Ending at 19 minutes 15 seconds, the match became the longest women’s match in the 5-year history of the company. The previous record was also held by Mone herself.

The former WWE champion had defeated Willow Nightingale in a hard-fought match at Double or Nothing in May. Mone won the TBS title in the match which ended at 18 minutes.

Mercedes Mone had broken her own previous record of the Forbidden Door 2024 match against Stephanie Vaquer at the time.

All the states clearly show that the Mandalorian star is proving to be a catalyst for big change in the women’s division in AEW. She’s helping provide them more opportunities to showcase their talent.

• AEW Full Gear 2024 Results: Moxley Retains, Chaos Ensues

Baron Corbin has earned a gold medal of his own in Jiu Jitsu.

Real name Thomas Pestock, the former WWE star competed in the IBJJF Tampa International Open 2024. He participated in the Master 2 Ultra Heavy division first earlier in the day but failed to win the gold medal. Corbin defeated Bradley Curtis in the semifinal before being defeated himself by Franck Alphonse.

The former US Champion didn’t ponder over his loss for too long, however, and he entered the Master 2 Open division later in the day.

Pestock was successful in his quest this time. He first defeated Fi Li and Bradley Curtis in the semifinals. The wrestling veteran then bested his teammate Diogo Rodrigues Ponciano Freitas to finally win the gold medal:

• Baron Corbin Agrees WWE ‘Fumbled The Bag’ By Releasing Him

Baron Corbin trains at the Rudos BJJ in Florida. This isn’t his first medal in the sport as he previously also won gold at the Jiu Jitsu World League back in December 2023.

The former champion famously faced Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle in the latter’s final pro wrestling match at WrestleMania 35 which Corbin won.

When WWE let go Corbin by not renewing his contract earlier this month, Angle vented his frustrations over the company wasting the talent he put over in his retirement match.

• Baron Corbin Responds To Kurt Angle Lamenting WWE Wasting His Career Despite WrestleMania 35 Win

Triple H has revealed what he likes about the way they’re telling stories in WWE right now.

The WWE Executive recently spoke to Greg & The Morning Buzz. He talked about things such as potential problems when Raw moves to Netflix, his conversation with Vince McMahon after the infamous curtain call incident and more.

The Chief Content officer was also asked about what is something he is looking forward to do with the programming when they move to Netflix. Triple H claimed that he thinks more about how they can continue evolving their storytelling and revealed what he really likes about the current WWE product:

“One of the things that I really like about the product that we’re doing right now is everybody is sort of, to some degree, we’re always going to have crazy characters and things, but to some degree, people are real.

They have real emotions, and they actually have memories of, you know, two years ago, this guy screwed me over, and I’m still, I still have an issue with that. Even if we’re both good guys now, I still have an issue with him over that. We’re not just, we’re not best friends, because we’re coming out the good guy door.

• Watch: Triple H Meets Up With President-Elect Donald Trump At UFC 309

Being A Bit More Real: Triple H

Triple H explained that the basics of storytelling have remained the same since the beginning of time. Tales like David vs Goliath are evergreen and what changes is the way you tell the story and how people consume them:

“It’s just more, it’s a different way of telling the stories and being a bit more real to real life, to people having grudges. Nobody’s perfect, right? Our heroes are flawed. Our villains sometimes are good guys. They’re not just, you know, kicking puppies down the street because they’re bad guys. They have real emotions and things.”

The former World Champion also claimed that the decline happens when you decide things are good the way they are. That’s why at WWE they’re always trying to reinvent themself and finding new ways to do things.

• Triple H Gifts Custom Hardcore Title To Travis Scott At Latest Concert

Triple H says he knew the business was changing even back in 1996.

The Game recently spoke to Greg & The Morning Buzz. He talked about things such as Raw moving to Netflix, his booking philosophy and more.

When the topic of the infamous Curtain Call was brought up, the Chief Content Officer claimed that even then he could see that the business was moving towards a more reality-based programming and he told as much to Vince McMahon:

“When all that went down and I took the brunt of the heat for it, because I was the only one that could. Kevin and Scott were leaving. Shawn was World champ. What were they going to do to him, right? So I took the heat. No problem.

But as I was leaving Vince’s office, after a thorough ass [whooping]. As I was walking out, I looked back at him. I said, let me ask you this, Vince. I said, ‘If this is so wrong, lifting that curtain is so wrong, why was it the loudest thing at Madison Square Garden that night?’ It was sold out. The biggest reaction by far was that.

Watch: Triple H Meets Up With President-Elect Donald Trump At UFC 309

That Was The Truth: Triple H

The infamous moment took place back in May 19, 1996, during a Madison Square Garden taping. Both Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were on their way out of WWE to join WCW. After the main event of the show, both Hall and Nash shared a group hug with fellow Kliq members Shawn Michaels and Triple H to end the night.

This was seen as highly unusual as HBK and Hall were babyfaces at the time. Triple H and Nash on the other hand were heels and the top brass were not happy with them breaking character so publicly.

With the eventual rise of the internet and social media, Triple H proved to be right in his assumptions about the business. Though it didn’t stop Vince McMahon from punishing him at the time:

“The business is changing. It’s passing people by and they’re not seeing it yet. He said, ‘You might be right, but that doesn’t change where we are right now. So the punishment is what it is.’ [laughs] But that was the truth. The business was changing, right?

You go fast forward years from there, the internet comes in. Everybody knows what we do. They know the real stuff. They know who’s married to who, they know who’s in relationship, or at least they think they do right. Half the stuff in the internet is wrong, but it’s all out there, and they know how this works.”

The Game then discussed how things have changed completely now and people are as intrigued by content that shows how they build the storylines as they are by the storylines themself. He named the most recent WrestleMania 40 documentary as an example.

• Triple H Gifts Custom Hardcore Title To Travis Scott At Latest Concert

Former WWE star Maven Huffman has teased a potential return to the company in a new role.

The 47-year-old has become a regularly discussed name in the wrestling circle again after launching his own YouTube channel in July last year.

Instead of going the podcast route that many retired wrestlers have taken, the former Hardcore champion has found success uploading videos in a more entertainment-based style. He has garnered more than 500k followers since the start of his channel.

His increased popularity has got people wondering if Maven could return to the Endeavor-owned promotion in a new role. He addressed the topic in his latest upload. Huffman first claimed that a WWE employee told him the officials quickly shot down the idea when his name was brought up in a conversation:

“I ran into a current WWE employee and no, it’s not any wrestler. This employee informed me that they not only went to bat for me, but tried to encourage and tried to suggest possible ways of utilizing me, utilizing the talents that I may possess now. This person told me that not only was the answer no, they were actually shot down mighty quickly.”

• Maven: WWE Was Ready to Rehire Me in 2020. Then COVID Happened

Sometimes We’re Just Passing Through: Maven

Maven said that he wasn’t upset or disappointed over this conversation. According to him, he has learned to accept his fate in the last 20 years. He no longer wishes to alter or change things that are behind him:

“I have this platform now and I’m able to still provide some value to a business I love so much. I’ve learned to be grateful and accepting of whatever fate comes my way because honestly, sometimes in life, whether good or bad, sometimes we’re just passing through.”

The retired wrestling star was driving as he made these claims, and the video curiously led to him pulling up to the WWE Performance Center. The whole thing then ended abruptly after showing a quick shot of an ‘Employee only’ door in the PC.

Neither the YouTube personality nor the company have officially confirmed anything regarding Maven’s future. We’ll likely have to wait for his next video to find out more.

• Maven Recalls Paul London Getting In Trouble Over His Royal Rumble Spot

WWE taped the November 29 episode of SmackDown after the November 22 episode of the show this week from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had the Prime-branded canvas for the second taping. Below are the complete spoiler results:

Triple Threat Women’s US Title Tournament Match – Michin def. Piper Niven and Lash Legend: Legend replaced Jade Cargill in the match after the former AEW star was attacked by an unknown assailant this week. Chelsea Green was at the ringside for Niven and she attacked Michin during the bout. B-Fab came out to even the odds, allowing Michin to finally pick up the victory.

Singles Match – Shinsuke Nakamura def. Andrade: Nakamura entered with a new variation of his theme song. He defeated Andrade with a Kinshasa. US Champion LA Knight tried to attack the Japanese star after the bout but Nakamura sprayed black mist into his eyes.

Singles Match – Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes def. Carmelo Hayes: This match was made official after a backstage confrontation between the two at this week’s show. Rhodes beat Melo with a Cross Rhodes.

WarGames Segment: Bianca Belair, Naomi, Bayley, Iyo Sky, and Rhea Ripley all came out to promote the Women’s WarGames match. Bayley was there replacing Cargill into Ripley’s WarGames team. Rhea cut a promo before Liv Morgan, Nia Jax, Raquel Rodriguez, Tiffany Stratton, and Candice LeRae came out. Morgan said that it was suspicious for Bayley to join the team right after Jade was taken out. The two teams then got into a brawl before the security ran down to break the fight up.

Singles Match For Advantage In Men’s WarGames – Jacob Fatu def. Jey Uso: Fatu won the match with a springboard moonsault to get the advantage for his team.

WWE also taped a Speed match where Zelina Vega beat Chelsea Green in between the two SmackDown episodes. The advance taping will allow the talents to stay home for the Thanksgiving holiday instead of traveling.

• Paul Heyman Returns, CM Punk Joins The OG Bloodline’s WarGames Team

Orange Cassidy believes AEW is still figuring out its unique identity in the pro wrestling industry and it just needs to continue evolving.

The former International Champion recently spoke to amNewYork Metro to promote Saturday’s Full Gear PPV from Newark, New Jersey. He talked about things such as growing up as a wrestling fan and more.

Addressing the recent troubles of AEW, Cassidy claimed that it’s because the company’s fast growth. He explained that the Tony Khan promotion right now is in it’s ‘middle school age’:

“It’s tough for AEW because of how fast the company grew and for how successful it has been in just under, we’re talking five years.

We’re growing and we’re changing, and we’re going through that weird middle school age of figuring out who you are and do you want your hair short or long. It’s important that AEW just takes the natural evolution, and we don’t try to force anything.”

• AEW Full Gear 2024 Predictions: Jon Moxley vs Orange Cassidy and more

I Feel Very Secure: Orange Cassidy

Orange Cassidy also praised the AEW President as someone who has an incredible eye for talent. He claimed to feel secure in knowing that Khan will continue recruiting the best talents across the board:

“Tony Khan has an incredible eye for talent, and he’s an incredibly generous person that understands professional wrestling.

And no matter what changes we go through; I feel very secure in the fact that I know that Tony Khan will make sure that the best are wrestling for AEW.”

The 40-year-old discussed his feud with Jon Moxley as well. He recalled their encounter at the 2023 Full Gear event and said that going to war with the AEW World Champion has actually changed him.

Talking about their upcoming match, Cassidy claimed that he is not worried about what Mox may do before or after the bell on Saturday, and he’s focused on winning the contest that’ll take place in between.

You can check out the updated Full Gear match card featuring Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley and more here.

• Orange Cassidy Doesn’t Want to be the Face of AEW

NXT star Gigi Dolin has returned to action after spending most of 2024 on shelf due to an unfortunate knee injury.

Dolin had been out of action since March this year. Her last match before the injury came during the March 12 episode of NXT where the female star lost a singles bout to Arianna Grace.

The 27-year-old finally returned to action during Friday’s NXT Live Event from Lakeland, FL. She came out after Cora Jade claimed that no one was strong enough to challenge her. Gigi Dolin then pinned Jade in her return match to pick up the victory:

• WWE NXT to Air Live from Lowell, MA on December 17

Gigi Dolin In NXT

Dolin took part in the 2018 Mae Young Classic and was signed to a contract in 2021. Before her WWE signing, she made a couple of appearances for AEW as well.

Prior to her injury, the NXT star was involved in a storyline with Arianna Grace who wanted to give her a makeover. Gigi was supposed to get the makeover after she lost the bout to Grace but the storyline was dropped due to her hiatus.

In her absence, NXT has brought on names such as Giulia, Zaria, and Stephanie Vaquer. There is no word on when Gigi Dolin will make her return to TV but it’s sure that things will not be easy for her whenever she makes her on screen comeback.

• WWE NXT Wrestlers Appearing on Trivial Pursuit

The Great Khali has claimed that he made Big Show cry during a real-life altercation.

The former World Champion recently had a lengthy interview with Indian publication The Lallantop. He talked about things such as his political career, his social media posts, life after wrestling and more.

During the talk, Khali was also asked about his real-life altercation with Big Show. He mentioned that the fight happened after a six-man tag in Puerto Rico. Show was apparently mad at Khali for doing his move where the Giant chopped his opponent after shoving them into the ring corner:

“We had a match in Puerto Rico, we had a six-man tag. The reaction I got for my corner chop; he didn’t get it. So he thought that it was because I did his move. He started arguing with me when we got back into the locker room. I said let it go, it’s not what we’re after. People do each other’s moves every day.”

This fight has also been detailed in Chris Jericho’s Best In The World autobiography. Y2J corroborates most of the details given by Khali, although with a more neutral stance. He even mentions Khali withstanding the first punch thrown by Show that caught the Indian star right in the Jaw.

• The Great Khali Stars in Sci-Fi Sequel ‘Raduaa Returns’ This November

He Started Crying: The Great Khali

The details vary when it comes to the ending of this brawl, however. While Jericho says that Big Show tripped over a chair, Khali claims that he knocked the fellow Giant out and the loss got him crying:

“I started saying things back to him. I took off my shoe, and then he came to punch me. I leaned back. I got up and leaned again for the second punch. When I punched him, he got knocked down and I got on top of him.

After 2-3 punches, all the people in the locker room pulled us apart. Afterward, he started crying. He thought he could impress the young talent by taking me out, but it backfired on him.”

The true account of the backstage altercation will probably never be known as each person telling the story has his own biases. The different perspectives of any backstage incident makes it hard to come up with one coherent narrative that fits all accounts.

It’s still fascinating to know that among the many backstage altercations WWE locker room has witnessed over the years, there was one that included two of the biggest heavyweights the sport has ever seen.

The quotes in this article have been translated from Hindi and edited for clarity

• The Great Khali Gives His Perspective On Debate Of Wrestling Being Fake Or Real

Renee Paquette loves her husband Jon Moxley very much but there is one habit of him which frustrates the AEW personality very much.

The female star recently had an interview with Busted Open Radio. She talked about things such as managing her own work in AEW with the work of Mox and more.

When the topic of technology was brought up, Paquette joked that she lives in a divided home because Moxley refuses to switch over to an iPhone

“I live in a house divided where I’m an iPhone [while] my husband is an Android user, and this green text…it just causes me a lot of pain and anguish. But there’s no changing him. The man is set in his ways. It is what it is. So I can never leave him a proper voice memo. If I’m on a plane I cannot communicate with him. It’s very frustrating.”

• Former WWE Superstar Loses Bet to Renee Paquette

He Wants Nothing To Do With The Cloud: Renee Paquette

The hosts mentioned that many people take the green bubble vs blue bubble difference very seriously and couples have even broken up over it. Renee then said that she doesn’t generally care about it but it does get frustrating when she can’t get hold of her husband in a WiFi only situation:

“People are very unhinged about this and while of course there are times…Listen my love for this man, what a bright light but it just gets dimmed a little when the green texts come in or it’s not even the green text, I don’t really care about that.

it’s not being able to get a hold of you if I’m in a WiFi only situation. That’s the problem. This is the father of my child. Sometimes I need to talk to him. I’m not just talking to him to ask how the day is. Sometimes I need information and I can’t get it.”

When asked if she has tried to convince Mox to switch over, Renee Paquette revealed that the AEW World Champion does not trust the cloud system:

“He wants nothing to do with the cloud. He’s not interested. He doesn’t trust it. I think he thinks something shifty is up with Apple and their products. So he’s not interested but I also think that he comes from an entire family of green texters so….it’s an inherited thing.

It’s very stressful. What if I had to tell him something? I’ve had to email him. I have to email my husband sometimes like ‘From the desk of Renee Paquette.’ What the f*ck?”

Jon Moxley will be defending the AEW title against Orange Cassidy at Saturday’s Full Gear PPV. You can check out the updated match card for the show here.

Renee Paquette says she steers clear of Jon Moxley’s path when the couple goes to work for AEW.

Mox has been leading a new Death Rider faction in AEW. After taking Bryan Danielson out with a brutal attack and taking the AEW World Title from him, the wrestling veteran has declared war on AEW roster. His aim is to rid the company of its problems.

Jon’s new mission puts Renee in an awkward position as she is generally on good terms with the AEW roster. Most of the people who have been resisting the Moxley takeover are good friends of the AEW announcer.

The female star addressed the conflict during a recent interview with Busted Open Radio. She claimed that she tries to stay away from Mox’s business as much as possible:

“I don’t know, I kind of just steer clear. The truth of it is, when Jon and I go to work, we’ve always been like this, he does his job, I do my job. We’ve always been like that. I honestly don’t even see him most of the day. He’s off doing his thing, I’m doing mine.”

• Former WWE Superstar Loses Bet to Renee Paquette

My Job Is Different: Renee Paquette

Renee Paquette claimed that she respects the work of her husband and it helps her understand the business better. She also loves watching Jon’s work but sticks to her own job when they’re in the arena for any show:

“I immensely respect what he does and I think that’s another level that helps me understand more of the wrestling business and always has is my relationship with him obviously.

I love watching him do what he does. But my job is different and I also really love what I get to bring to the table. So I just kind of stick to my job, I let him do his and then we reconvene at the end of the night.”

Jon Moxley is set to defend the AEW World Title against Orange Cassidy at this Saturday’s Full Gear PPV. Renee is also expected to be a part of the show. You can check out an updated match card for the event here.

Goldberg has provided an update on his physical condition before his final match which is expected to take place sometime in 2025.

The former Universal Champion talked about things such as Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul Fight, the cancellation of the TV series Roadkill, and more on the latest episode of his CarCast podcast.

Speaking about his final match, Goldberg claimed that preparation is always much harder than the actual performance. Compared to his other recent matches, he is getting a lot more time to prepare for a showdown this time around:

This time, I’m actually getting some prep time and the ability to get ready. Comparatively, even though I’m at the age that I’m at, I will have five times as much time to prepare than I have for any other match.

If I can’t get ready in that period of time, with what I have to offer, then it’s not going to be enough. I do believe that I’ve set my standards quite high and at the end of the day, I think people will be pleasantly surprised by the outcome and my performance.”

• Triple H Comments On Goldberg’s Future After WWE Bad Blood Appearance

This Is A Huge Change: Goldberg

A date or an opponent has not officially been confirmed for the 57-year-old’s last match. Though after his run-in with World Champion Gunther at Bad Blood in Atlanta, it’s not hard to imagine that the wrestling veteran will love to get his hands on the Ring General before he hangs his boots for good.

The former WCW Champion admitted that he is dealing with plenty of nagging physical issues including neck and knee issues. The worst part of his anatomy according to Goldberg however, is his torn-up shoulder which is still feeling a lot better than it has done in a long time:

“I’m able to do things right now with that torn-up shoulder that I haven’t been able to do in ten years. This is prior to a number of matches that I’ve wrestled. My shoulder is in a better position months before I have to perform than it was days before leading up to matches in the past. That is a huge change.”

Goldberg revealed that he couldn’t even lift his arm properly the last time he entered the ring for a match. Now he feels that he’s way ahead of the curve and he knows that he will be much better prepared for his next match than he has been in the past.

• Goldberg Talks WWE Retirement, Why Wrestling is Tougher Than Football

Linda McMahon has issued her first statement since being named the next US Secretary of Education by President-elect Donald Trump.

The former WWE CEO took to Twitter to repost the statement from President Trump, and wrote that she is looking forward to working with students and educators to strengthen the US education system:

“I look forward to working collaboratively with students – educators – parents and communities to strengthen our educational system; ensuring every child regardless of their demographics is prepared for a bright future.”

Linda’s daughter and former WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon was the first member of their family who congratulated the female politician on her new role:

• Watch: Triple H Meets Up With President-Elect Donald Trump At UFC 309

Linda McMahon’s Political Career

Linda McMahon previously served as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration between 2017 and 2019, during Trump’s first term.

She played a crucial role in getting the Businessman-politician re-elected. McMahon was one of the top donors of the 2024 Republican campaign and she was also named the co-chair of Trump’s 2024 transition team.

There has been a lot of chatter about how Linda’s appointment and Trump’s re-election will affect the ongoing federal investigation against former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon over sexual trafficking charges.

Though Linda’s attorney has claimed that she is separated from the billionaire wrestling promoter and our analysis suggests that Trump will not be able to pardon all of Vince’s legal woes away.

• Wrestling and Politics: How Donald Trump Brought WWE to Elections and the White House

Rey Mysterio has not given up on a potential reconciliation with son Dominik Mysterio, but he knows that it’s going to be very hard to achieve.

The WWE Hall of Famer recently had an interview with Rosenberg Wrestling. He talked about things like what he thinks about potential retirement, playing golf and more.

On the topic of Dominik having mega heat with the audience, Rey was asked how much he thinks it’s because of his own status as a longtime beloved babyface. The Master of 619 explained that it was a trigging point for fan’s reaction at the start of Dom’s heel run but joked that now it’s all because of his Mustache:

“I think it was definitely a triggering point at a certain part of his career or his turn but then after that I think now it’s mainly based on the Mustache. I think the Mustache is what really is what the fans hate.

I mean I hate it. I don’t know about you. [It’s] gotta be the Mustache. Not so much the hatred that he has on his father, it’s the Mustache, yeah.”

• Rey Mysterio Wants Mask vs Mullet Match Against Dominik

That’s Going To Be Very Hard: Rey Mysterio

The former World Champion was also asked about the possibility of reconciling with his son sometime in the future and potentially teaming with him again. Rey Mysterio said that it’s something a father would always be open to. He hopes that one day Dirty Dom will be able to see the bright side of being on the same team:

“That’s something that as a father they always would love to have with their kids. To be able to reconnect. End off how you started, on the good side. So I don’t know if that’s going to happen over the years.

People change – sometimes for good, sometimes for bad. Hopefully one day Dom can see the bright side of being on the Mysterio side and just being family overall. But I think that’s going to be very hard.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Rey claimed that his story with Dom is not over and he would be open to facing his son in another match as well.

• Dominik Mysterio Doubts Rey Is His Father: I Question My Mom All The Time

Ricardo Rodriguez has opened up about his alcohol addiction and how Drew McIntyre helped him get into rehab through WWE.

The former WWE manager had an interview with Chris Van Vliet. He talked about things such as his run with Alberto Del Rio, his WWE release in 2014, and more.

During the session, Rodriguez went into length talking about his alcohol addiction. He mentioned that he got used to the grind during his time in WWE. After leaving the company, however, he had nothing to fill his time with and he turned to alcohol.

The 38-year-old revealed that he was chugging whole boxes of wine by himself at a time before he finally realized that he had a problem. He then put out a tweet asking for help and got a reply from a gentleman named Christopher Dreisbach. Rodriguez later contacted his friend Drew McIntyre to help him get in touch with WWE:

“WWE has this really cool wellness program part where if you’ve been with them and you encounter a similar situation, they can help you out, they’ll figure something out.

So I got in contact with WWE, and this is where a good friend of mine Drew McIntyre comes in. I sent Drew a message, and I was like, ‘Hey, can you find out the information of the wellness policy, who’s in charge or something.'”

• Ricardo Rodriguez Talks About What Led To His WWE Release & More

Drew Was A Big Part In Making That Connection: Ricardo Rodriguez

The Mexican-American pro wrestler recalled always being angry and bitter during his addiction. He admitted to pushing a lot of his close friends away when they tried to help him because he didn’t care about anyone. It was the conversation with McIntyre that finally led to him getting the help he needed:

“So then he dug around, and he got me the info. I contacted WWE because of that, and it just yeah, it became a thing and that’s how we got connected. I had talked to WWE, and I told who had contacted me up here in Lancaster.

And he’s like, oh, and we’ve done stuff with them before. Go ahead and set it up, and we can figure out the details later. So yeah, Drew was a big part of making that connection.”

Rodriguez mentioned that something like that never goes away but he has learned to manage his addiction better. It remains a daily battle for him but he has learned to be grateful about things in life. He now tries to take a pause when something upsets him instead of reacting instantly and spiraling back into his old habits.

You can check out our exclusive interview with Ricardo on the 10th anniversary of his WWE exit below:

Jon Moxley says taking out Bryan Danielson was nothing more than an objective that needed to be completed.

The AEW World Champion has shown a completely new side of himself since returning to the promotion in August. Leading the Death Riders into a spree of violent attacks on various AEW talents, Mox proclaims to rid the company of all its problems.

The most gruesome of these attacks came at the WrestleDream PPV. Moxley not only defeated his former friend Bryan Danielson for the AEW title at the show but he also took out the American Dragon for good in a brutal post-match attack. Bryan had to be taken out on a stretcher afterwards and he is not expected to make an AEW appearance anytime soon.

• Jon Moxley: AEW’s Survival is “Life or Death” for Wrestling

A Beautiful Funeral

Speaking about the attack during a new interview with TVInsider, the AEW World Champion claimed that Danielson had to be taken off the board as part of the big picture. To him, Bryan was nothing more than a thing on a checklist:

“To me, it was a beautiful funeral. His mom was in the front row as I was squeezing his neck as his mom screamed that she loved him, and he screamed it back to her. I’m not sure if that was caught on camera, but that was quite a powerful moment to see up close.”

Jon Moxley mentioned how it is very easy to get emotionally attached to a match of Bryan Danielson. He reiterated however that he has no time to feel sad about it despite Bryan being one of his best friends and training partner for a good part of his career:

“A lot of guys’ careers will end in the hospital or their phones will stop ringing. It won’t be on their terms. Bryan was able to do very much to end this stage of his career on his terms. He did not verbally submit or tap out, but I felt the spirit of the American Dragon leave his body and feel that he can now rest.”

The former Shield member also claimed that the potential of AEW is ‘fucking huge.’ He said that their roster is stacked to a ridiculous level and there are many talents who haven’t gotten the chance to showcase what they’re truly capable of.

• AEW Full Gear 2024 Predictions: Jon Moxley vs Orange Cassidy and more

Bobby Lashley has teased an expansion of Hurt Syndicate.

The newest AEW signee recently had an interview with The Lame Guys Wrestling podcast. He talked about things such as his run-ins with Swerve Strickland, his future plans, and more.

The former world champion also explained his decision to join AEW after his departure from WWE. He revealed that one of the things that convinced him was Tony Khan’s promise of allowing him to work on other projects:

“Part of it is because Tony did tell me that I had opportunities to do other things also. So If I do want to tackle that fight and do another fight, whether it’s boxing, bareknuckle, MMA, I think he’ll give me the opportunity to. Then, all my other projects also that I’ve been working on.”

• Bobby Lashley Pushed To Get Bianca Belair In His Group With Street Profits

We Are Good For The Company: Bobby Lashley

The 48-year-old also noted that he wants to go out on his terms, an opportunity he didn’t get in WWE. He wants to work with his friends MVP and Shelton Benjamin again while helping young talents on his way.

Bobby Lashley explained that taking out the whole Hurt Syndicate might not be a realistic goal for an up-and-coming talent but they can benefit from working with different members of his group. The heavyweight star then teased bringing other members to the faction:

“I was like, ‘If I’m going to go out, there are certain ways that I want to go out.’ I didn’t get an opportunity to go out the way that I wanted to with putting guys over and having a feud with those guys. Another avenue I could be happy with is to be able to work with P and Shelton again, being able to run with that and have fun with it.

Ultimately, we are a group that is good for the company. We have the ability to be able to build talent. If you go into a feud with us or you’re on the mic against P, you have Shelton, me, whoever else we bring on. You have a lot of obstacles.”

When asked which are some names he would like to bring into the Hurt Syndicate fold, Lashley mentioned that he would like to have Lio Rush around him again. Other names that were mentioned during the conversation included Ricochet and HOOK.

• Karrion Kross Tells Truth About Supposed Heat With Bobby Lashley

Kenny Omega has seemingly confirmed his in-ring return match against Gabe Kidd at next year’s Wrestle Dynasty PPV event.

This comes after the Cleaner made his first wrestling appearance in a long time at the November 4 Power Struggle PPV. Omega announced his intention to make an in-ring return at the January show. He was then attacked by Gabe Kidd backstage.

In a new interview with NJPW, the former AEW World Champion addressed these recent events, saying that he has had some time to reflect on things since Power Struggle:

“Well, I’d like to address recent circumstances, and things that have happened with Gabe Kidd. I’ve had time to reflect after Power Struggle, and I feel I would regret not being able to make things right. I would hate for this situation to cause a rift between AEW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling.”

• Kota Ibushi Teases AEW Return with Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega then seemingly confirmed his return match for the Wrestle Dynasty event on January 5, claiming that he’ll do it if that’s what the fans want:

“So after conversations I’ve had with President Tanahashi and other executives in NJPW, I’ve decided that if New Japan requests it, if Gabe requests it, and if the fans want it, then I will wrestle Gabe Kidd, as a professional at Wrestle Dynasty January 5.”

The former IWGP World Champion went on a hiatus at the end of 2023 after being diagnosed with diverticulitis. His last match came against Ethan Page at the December 12, 2023 episode of Collision.

Omega also recently explained his decision to make his in-ring return in Japan instead of US. You can check out his comments on the matter here.

• Kenny Omega on His Comeback: ‘I’m Still Standing, Fueled by Passion’

Powerhouse Hobbs says he’s gonna start bringing more of his real-life self into his character to fill a gap in the wrestling world after his return.

The 33-year-old recently had an interview with Uproxx. He talked about things such as his knee injury that kept him out of action for 7 months this year, his AEW return earlier this month, and more.

Talking about his future plans, the heavyweight star revealed that there were talks of him bringing more of his real-life self into his character before his hiatus. Now that he is back, he is going to show people how much more intense he can be:

“I’m just gonna show everyone how much more intense I can be, how destructive I can be, how I don’t give a shit at times who’s in my way. In the end, this business, there only can be one.

It’s going to come to a point where I’m going to show everybody that it’s all about me. They’re either going to be with me or be against me. It doesn’t matter. They boo me, I’m just going to start tearing everything up in front of them.”

• Original Title Plans For Powerhouse Hobbs Revealed

It’s Time To Bring It Out: Powerhouse Hobbs

Powerhouse Hobbs explained that wrestling is missing the crop of big guys that can make people afraid just by their presence. The former TNT champion feels that he can be one such performer:

“And I think that’s what wrestling is missing a little bit. That one guy who makes people afraid, but they want to see him kick someone’s ass. I feel that it’s time to bring it out.”

Wrestling has had a rich history of heavyweight stars who can intimidate people just by their presence. Though it does feel like the tradition has taken a backseat with the influx of smaller, more athletic talents in the last few years.

WWE also seems to be recognizing this void. The most recent reintroduction of Bronson Reed suggests that the company sees an opportunity in having a monstrous performer who can strike fear in the hearts of talents with his capability for destruction.

• Powerhouse Hobbs on Tony Khan’s Tweets: “It’s His Company, He Believes in Us”

You can check out Hobbs’ AEW return match below:

Adam Cole has revealed the one WrestleMania match that instantly got him hooked on wrestling and led to him becoming a wrestler himself.

The AEW star recently had an interview with PennLive.com. He talked about things such as spending the majority of the last 2 years on shelf due to various injuries, the uncertainty of his future during this time period and more.

During the talk Adam Cole also revealed where he got his first taste of wrestling. The former NXT Champion recalled taking Karate lessons when he was 9 years old. One day he got there early and found his instructor watching Monday Night Raw:

“It was Kane and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin putting Paul Bearer in a sewer. And I remember he looked at me and said, ‘Do you watch pro wrestling?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, yeah, I watch it all the time.’ Just lying through my teeth. I had never seen it before, but I wanted to fit in with him so badly. And it looked intriguing.”

• Adam Cole Reflects on Missed AEW Opportunity with Bryan Danielson

For The Rest of My Life: Adam Cole

Cole then begged his mother to allow him to rent the tape for WrestleMania 15. The 1999 event emanating from the First Union Center in Philadelphia was enough to get him hooked to the world of sports entertainment:

“The first time I saw The Rock and Steve Austin, I was like, ‘This is what I wanna do for the rest of my life’. Genuinely. From that point on, from 9 years on, everything that I did was for the idea of eventually getting into pro wrestling.”

Adam Cole returned to action during the WrestleDream PPV last month. He has reignited his rivalry with MJF since then. Cole was looking to get a match against the former AEW champion at the November 23 Full Gear PPV.

He failed to complete the challenge laid out by Maxwell, however. So instead of Cole, it’ll be Roderick Strong who’ll face The Salt of The Earth at the upcoming show.

• Adam Cole Discusses Mental Challenges of Recovery From Ankle Injury

CM Punk has a long list of talents he would love to face in WWE.

The Straight Edge star was recently interviewed by Peter Rosenberg of Rosenberg Wrestling. He talked about things such as the potential of his wife AJ Lee returning to wrestling, his regrets about his AEW career and more.

When asked which are some superstars he would love to get in the ring with, Punk mentioned talents who have shown a great understanding of in-ring psychology in recent times. The list included names such as Chad Gable and Ludwig Kaiser:

“When you ask me ‘Who do you want to get in the ring with’ I go ‘Oh the list is…it’s pretty lengthy’ I think Chad Gable’s on the top of the list. I think Bronson Reed’s on the top of the list.

[Ludwig] Kaiser is somebody I see a lot in. I think could be fun. Gunther…I’m selfishly talking about guys that I would love to wrestle on House shows.”

• CM Punk’s Next WWE Feud Teased On Raw

The Money Stuff

CM Punk then mentioned how there is a whole other list of names that he could main event PPVs with, such as Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns:

“But then you talk about the money stuff. You talk about the marquee stuff. You talk about what is a match that you could see Main Eventing a pay-per-view. That’s what get my juices flowing.

I think whenever myself and Roman Reigns are face to face on television, I think that’s going to be a moment. I think there’s the table set for myself and Cody. You never know when The Rock’s gonna come back.”

When the name of John Cena was brought up, Punk admitted that he would love to get in the ring with his old rival. Although he explained that Cena has earned the right to call his own shots in his final year:

“There’s Big Match John coming right around the corner. Another guy that I don’t want to talk about because he’s gonna do his own thing. If I’m a part of that…what a fortunate career I’ve had but John deserves everything that he wants. He calls his own shot is basically what I’m saying. But yeah, I’d love to get hands on him too.”

Starting from Raw’s Netflix premiere on January 6, John Cena will be going on a retirement tour. He’ll be active throughout the year competing at events such as Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. The Cenation Leader will bid goodbye to his in-ring career at the end of the year.

• Emotional CM Punk Leaves WWE NXT “Humbled” By Roster He’s Inspired

NXT faction Chase U has been forced to disband after Ridge Holland won the high-stakes main event match against Andre Chase at the November 19 episode of the show.

The latest episode of the Black & Silver show featured the two NXT stars battling for a shot at Trick Williams’ NXT Championship in the main event. The stakes were higher for Chase as he was also putting the future of his group on the line.

Holland grabbed a chair at one point in the match but the referee stopped him from using it on Andre. As the referee was busy disposing of the chair, however, Ridge delivered a low blow to Chase and connected with a Cradle DDT.

As the former The Brawling Brutes member went for the pin, Duke Hudson and Thea Hail appeared at the ringside. Hudson pulled the referee from the ring. He then looked to send Holland crashing through the exposed concrete floor.

Holland came back with some offense and he sent Hudson crashing through the NXT set. Riley Osborne finally came out to help his team as well but he inadvertently ended up taking Hail out while leveling Holland with a top rope splash.

Ridge Holland then took out Osborne by sending him through the concrete floor and put his focus back on Andre Chase. The ending of the bout saw Chase attempting a crossbody but Holland countered it into a cradle DDT for the pin.

The commentators confirmed that after this match, Chase U will be forced to disband while Holland will challenge Williams for the NXT title at the Deadline event.

The upcoming NXT event taking place from The Armory in Minneapolis, MN on December 7 will also feature the Men’s and Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge match.

• WWE NXT to Air Live from Lowell, MA on December 17

‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey is on his way out of TNA and many expect him to be AEW-bound imminently. Though latest reports suggests that it will still be a few weeks before he is officially able to make his next move.

The former X-Divison Champion finished his run with the Anthem-owned promotion during their Detroit tapings in October. He was absent from this month’s tapings from Fayetteville, NC. The former champion further signified the end of his current run by filing a trademark application for his name.

Fightful is now reporting however that Bailey’s contract has not actually expired. While he has effectively finished up with the company, his contract officially expires at the end of the year.

Mike was allowed to talk to other companies starting in November but he won’t be able to actually sign a contract with a different promotion until next year.

• ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey: ‘TNA Wrestling Allows Us To Be Ourselves In The Best Possible Way’

Mike Bailey is believed to be headed to AEW following his Impact departure. Though this complication means that he will likely not be making his debut as part of the 2024 Continental Classic tournament as fans expected.

The 34-year-old made his wrestling debut back in 2006. He competed for promotions such as Ring of Honor, CZW, PWG and more during his early years.

The Canadian star joined the TNA roster in October 2021. He’s used the TNA spotlight well and has made a name for himself as one of the best in-ring talents in the world.