Former WWE and current ROH star Mike Bennett recently spoke to Metro. He talked about a number of things and also revealed some interesting nixed plans for a Fiend faction in WWE.

Bray Wyatt made his main roster WWE debut as the leader of the Wyatt Family in 2013. He spent a good amount of his time as the leader of the group before introducing The Fiend persona in 2019.

However, during the interview, Bennett revealed that Mr. McMahon wanted The Fiend to have a faction as well and the former WWE star almost played a part in it:

“Early on when Bray Wyatt turned into The Fiend, Vince was always high on having Bray lead a group for some reason — he always wanted him to lead a group, We were about a week away from making it happen where me and Eric Young were gonna be part of Bray Wyatt’s group.

We were gonna actually be — they were gonna bring to life the puppets. Each puppet was gonna represent an actual person.” revealed Mike Bennett, “I don’t remember, there were talks that I was gonna be Sister Abigail and Eric Young was gonna be a buzzard.”

• Possible Return Date For Bray Wyatt

The current ROH star revealed that the company had come close to materializing these plans on TV. Though like many other things in WWE, these plans also got canceled last minute.

Bray Wyatt has been away from WWE programming since WrestleMania 37. One can only imagine how different his character would have been with a group. You can check out Mike Bennett’s full interview at this link.

Sunday’s ROH Best In The World event saw a number of big title changes including Bandido capturing Ring of Honor’s World heavyweight championship from Rush.

The ending of this main event match saw Rush ripping off most of Bandido’s mask. The referee got shoved down when he tried to stop the champion.

This led to Rush losing his attention on his challenger for a moment. Bandido took advantage of the situation. The high-flying star rolled the champion for a pin.

Though the action didn’t end there and Rush alongside his stablemates delivered a post-match beating on the new champion. He then put the belt over Bandido.

This isn’t the only big title change that took place during the show. Both the ROH tag team championships and ROH television championship changed hands during the event as well.

Earlier in the night, Dragon Lee defeated Tony Deppen to become the new TV champion. Lee picked up a pinfall victory over his opponent.

The ROH world tag team titles changed hands during the show as well when Chris Dickinson and Homicide managed to beat the makeshift team of Rhett Titus and pure champion Jonathan Gresham during the show.

Tracy Williams wasn’t cleared for action due to a legit car accident a couple of weeks ago. Jay Lethal who was supposed to replace the injured champion then got attacked by Brody King.

Jonathan Gresham had to step up for the title defense. Though he wasn’t 100% after his match with Mike Bennett earlier in the night. Homicide hit his finisher on the pure champion to pick up the victory.

• Chelsea Green Makes Her ROH Debut At Best In The World

Adam Cole is a name that is always brought up whenever there is talk about potential NXT call-ups. With the WWE drafts expected to take place next month, there is a good chance that he will be moved to the main roster.

The former NXT champion recently had an interview with Talk Sport. He talked about a number of things and also commented on the possibility.

Adam Cole said that he is flattered by the fans who want to see him in Raw or SmackDown. However, he explained that he wants to stay in NXT because there is still a lot for him to do in the brand:

“There is so much to do. I find it so flattering that there are people that want to see Adam Cole on Raw or SmackDown so, so badly. But then there’s another group that’s like no, I want him to stay in NXT.”

Cole said that there are many talents in the Raw and SmackDonwn rosters who he wants to face but he explained there is also plenty of stuff he still wants to do in the black and yellow brand:

“Then of course with RAW or SmackDown there’s a bunch of talent that I haven’t had the chance to wrestle yet that I would love to as well. So it’s exciting, but there is definitely plenty for me to do in NXT yet.”

• Adam Cole On How The Undisputed Era Would Do On The Main Roster

Adam Cole later expanded on his comments saying that he is not saying that he doesn’t want to go to the main roster. He is not dragging his feet by any means and instead he is just waiting.

Apart from this, the former Undisputed Era leader detailed the things he still wants to do in NXT including winning the NXT title once again and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.

WWE was interested in signing Moose before the Impact wrestling star decided to re-sign with his current promotion earlier this year, according to the latest reports. Per reports from FightFul Select, the company was interested in signing the former Football star when his contract was approaching its expiration date earlier this summer.

Officials were considering Moose for both NXT and the main roster. There was even talk of the self-proclaimed TNA world champion skipping his NXT run in favor of an early debut on Raw or SmackDown. Though they could not make an offer to him as Impact made a huge play and got him to re-sign before WWE could officially negotiate with him.

This isn’t the first time we are hearing about the company’s interest in Moose. There were reports of the officials considering him after his departure from Ring Of Honor in 2016. Though the promotion backed off at the time due to past allegations of domestic violence against the star. He then ended up signing with Impact wrestling and has been one of their top stars since.

Moose signed a new two-year contract with Impact wrestling earlier this year. His new deal is said to be a ‘significant improvement’ over his previous contract. He is locked with his current promotion through the Summer of 2023.

• Details On Moose’s New Impact Wrestling Contract

While many of the recently released WWE stars are already talking to other promotions, there has been no update on the wrestling future of Mojo Rawley.

The former 24/7 champion recently spoke to TMZ sports. He spoke about a number of things during the talk such as his Hollywood ambitions, his WWE release in April earlier this year, and more.

Discussing his future in the wrestling industry, Rawley confirmed that he has not retired. The former champion said that he will make a return to the wrestling world in future but not immediately:

 “I will return to the wrestling world. Not immediately. We’re going to hype that one up pretty good. Right now we’re just going to take some time and enjoy this freedom and do a little bit of everything. Dabble and just set things up.

You better believe when I come back to wrestling it’s going to be hyped up” said Mojo Rawley, “And it’s going to be a big surprise for everybody. That’s going to be a very, very exciting day for me.”

• Mojo Rawley Teases New Gimmick In Post-WWE Career

The former NXT star was also asked about the thing he is most excited about after the release from his WWE contract. Replying to it, he said that he is excited about the fact that he can do everything now.

Rawley explained that when you are under a WWE contract, it’s your only gig. You cannot operate outside of the company. Though now he can do everything and he doesn’t has to be known for just one thing.

While a lot of fans believe that having an off season would be a good idea for the wrestling business, Eric Bischoff is not in the favor of the same. The former WCW president talked about the idea of an off season in wrestling on his 83 weeks podcast. He explained why it will not be a good idea for the industry.

Bischoff was talking about the recent drops in TV ratings and how summertime drops are expected every year. However while discussing the idea of an off season in wrestling to freshen things up, Bischoff said that he wouldn’t vote for it:

“First of all, I wouldn’t vote for an offseason, one of the reasons that wrestling works as consistently as it has since the beginning of television time is because it’s 52 weeks a year and it tours. If you take 52 weeks out of the equation and now you take touring out of the equation, you’re going to lose 60% of your audience over the course of five or six years.”

“You lose your connection to the audience”

An off season would provide wrestlers more time to spend with their families and heal and it may help the promoters in keeping the storylines fresh. However, Eric Bischoff argued that it may also lead to the audience losing interest in the characters they have developed a deep connection with:

“Yeah, but you lose your connection to the audience. Wrestling. The wrestling audience becomes so familiar with these characters. They identify with them. They live vicariously through them. They’re kind of, in their own entertainment way, addicted to them. If you take them off the air for three, four, or five months, they find other shit to do and other things to be interested in.”

Eric Bischoff claimed that the secret sauce to professional wrestling is that it’s on 52 weeks a year. If you go down to 26 weeks a year and you have to start your season over again then you may lose the weekly connection with the audience.

What do you think about Eric Bischoff’s assessment about an off season in wrestling? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

• Eric Bischoff On Why WWE’s Latest Releases Were “Good Business”

While Lana’s time in WWE was filled with many ups and downs, the former WWE star did get a positive message from Vince McMahon on her way out.

The former NXT star was the most recent guest of Talk Is Jericho. Like many other former WWE stars have done on the show before, she opened up about her struggles while working for the company during the interview.

Lana also talked about her release from the company. She revealed that she got a text from Vince McMahon, thanking her for her incredible work ethic:

“I did. I got a text; I definitely got emotional about it because it was a slight goodbye for me. He thanked me for my incredible work ethic,

And for my unrelentingly desire to be the best that I could be and all the contributions I gave to WWE. So that really meant a lot to me,” said Lana, “and I thanked him for everything that he’s taught me because I learned so much.”

• Lana Reveals She Has Been Helping Miro With AEW Character Development

Apart from this, the female star also recalled the time she got punished by the company after the news of her engagement with current AEW star Miro leaked.

According to Lana, the officials blamed her for the news getting out and she was pulled from TV because of it. You can check out her comments at this link.

Recently released WWE star Tucker made an appearance on the OTR Show where he discussed things such as a nixed gimmick for Heavy Machinery they had discussed and more.

There was a time in WWE when Otis won the Money In Bank briefcase. It started the speculations that he could cash it in to get a tag team title shot for The Heavy Machinery but it didn’t turn out to be the case.

When asked if this was the original plan with the MITB, Tucker replied negatively. He discussed how the boss Vince McMahon does not feel that the tag team division can draw money:

“I don’t think so, no, I’d have no idea. Just based on my thought, to me I feel like Vince doesn’t feel like the tag division can really draw money. At least that seems to be the way that they’re booked.

Even when they have a super emotional story, they might get twenty minutes at the most. They’re never getting forty minutes, they’re never going on last.”

Tucker On The Importance Of Money In The Bank

Tucker expanded on his comments mentioning how Money In The Bank is one of the biggest prop gimmicks in the company. There are very few people who have been unsuccessful with it:

“The Money in the Bank is like one of the biggest things in the company, it’s one of the biggest prop gimmicks that there is. It’s a ticket to a world title, there’s very few people that have unsuccessfully cash it.

It’s like the thing they used to catapult someone, essentially. It would be nice to think they’d use it for us to win the tag team championships, but I don’t think it was the plan. And if it was, it never got there.”

Otis won the Money In The Bank briefcase during the event of the same name in May 2020. He kept the briefcase for several months before dropping it to The Miz during the Hell In A Cell PPV in October 2020.

Tucker was signed to WWE back in 2013 and he formed a tag team with Otis in 2016. Their team broke up when they were drafted to separate brands during the 2020 drafts. Tucker was then released from his WWE contract in April 2021.

The new Superhero gimmick of Nikki Cross caught a lot of people off guard. It has received mixed reactions from the fans online so far. During her recent appearance on Espanol’s El Brunch De WWE, the former Sanity member opened up about her new character and revealed the inspiration behind it.

Cross revealed that the idea was being discussed since the Royal Rumble PPV back in January this year. She then discussed how she used to watch superhero cartoons as a child and explained how it inspired her to create the character:

“The idea started to form right about the Royal Rumble, for me, I’ve always taken a lot of inspiration, a lot of comfort, a lot of escapism from superhero movies and superhero television shows in Scotland as a little girl. I would always watch the X-Men cartoon, the Spiderman cartoons.

For me, I really wanted to come up with something that was really inspirational to little girls and boys and something that is a very positive message. To me, the whole message is that I don’t have super powers,” said Nikki Cross, “I don’t have super speed, I don’t have super strength, I can’t fly unfortunately but it’s so you don’t need superpowers to be a superhero.”

• Nikki Cross Reacts To WWE Releasing Her Husband Killian Dain

The former NXT star continued by saying that she wanted to share the message that you can be a superhero by being good to people and standing up for those in need around you. Apart from this, Nikki Cross also talked about choosing the costume for her new persona. She claimed that she wanted to create something which people can replicate easily.

Nikki Cross was drafted to Raw brand in the 2020 draft. While still being seen on WWE TV every now and then, Cross hadn’t been part of any meaningful storyline since then. The former champion debuted her new superhero gimmick called ‘The Spirit’ during the June 21 episode of Raw last month.

WWE Hall Of Famer and manager of the legendary Four Horsemen group JJ Dillon was the latest person to be interviewed by JBL and Gerald Brisco for their Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw interview series.

The early 90s was a tough time period for WWE and Vince McMahon. Not only the company was facing tough competition from WCW but Mr McMahon was also indicted in the infamous steroid lawsuit.

Dillon who was working for WWE as an executive during the time period discussed the lawsuit during his interview. He revealed that the boss was convinced that he will be going to jail during the trials:

“Vince was convinced that when the government invests that much in going after somebody, that they’re going to get their pound of flesh, he was convinced they were going to get him on something, and that he was going to do some time. He really was.”

• JJ Dillon On His Early Interaction With The Rock That Could’ve Changed Wrestling History

Thankfully for the chairman, the jury gave a verdict in the favor of Mr. McMahon. Despite the high-profile trial, he was declared not guilty.

Apart from this, JJ Dillon also remembered the late Pat Patterson during the talk. He discussed how Patterson knew Vince McMahon very well. He knew which ideas McMahon would like and which he wouldn’t.

Tommaso Ciampa recently had an interview with Denise Salcedo where he talked about things such as wrestling in front of no fans during the pandemic and more.

During the interview, the former NXT champion also talked about his highly acclaimed match with the NXT UK champion Walter during the Takeover: Stand And Deliver event.

Ciampa explained why the match was important for him. He declared himself as the best wrestler in the world and said that his match with the Austrian star was a reminder of the same:

“I didn’t understand why, but I feel like in 2018 people kinda got how damn good I was and then I broke my neck and I went away for surgery and I get it I took a little time off there. But I just feel like people don’t realize how damn good I am.

I am the best wrestler in the world, point-blank.” said Tommaso Ciampa, “And I felt that in the WALTER match, ‘I guess I’ll just remind people and see if they forget quickly again,’”

The former ROH star also talked about things such as the current NXT product, teaming with Timothy Thatcher, growing as a performer and more.

Tommaso Ciampa faced Walter in a hard-fought one on one match during the NXT Takeover: Stand And Deliver night one in April earlier this year. Though unfortunately, he lost this bout.

Recently released WWE stars Samir Singh & Sunil Singh, collectively known as The Bollywood Boyz appeared as guests on the latest episode of Sean Waltman’s Pro Wrestling 4 Life podcast.

During the interview, the duo talked about many things such as WWE’s hunt for a breakout Indian star, their time in the company and more.

Discussing his interactions with the chairman Vince McMahon, Samir said that the boss was very appreciative. The former WWE star claimed that every meeting they had with McMahon was amazing:

“Every meeting we had with Vince was amazing. He was always kind and appreciated everything we had done. The first time we were working after a bit, we came up in our pink gear and glasses.

Vince walked right up to us and was like, ‘That’s fucking money.’ He was always so good to us and that’s why we were always so appreciative.” said Samir Singh, “We were always on the right track and learning on the fly and getting ready.”

• Bollywood Boyz Share Message From Bret Hart Following WWE Release

The Bollywood Boyz have been wrestling as a tag team since 2006. Prior to their WWE signing in 2016, they had competed for promotions like ECCW and GFW.

The highlight of their WWE careers was probably their pairing with Jinder Mahal in 2017 when they helped the Maharaja in winning the WWE championship. They were released from the company late last month.

WrestleMania is expected to return to its usual one-night schedule next year. However, many WWE superstars have spoken in support of keeping the event as a two-night show. Drew McIntyre has now joined the list.

The former WWE champion recently had an interview with Battleground podcast where he was asked for his thoughts on the debate about the one-night vs. two nights format of the Show Of Shows.

Replying to the question, McIntyre mentioned how the two-night format was a product of the pandemic era. He then claimed that while he loves WrestleMania, he can’t imagine being in the crowd for seven hours for the show:

“As much as I love WrestleMania and be performing on it, I couldn’t imagine being in the crowd for up to seven hours at a time. It’s such a long event.”

• Drew McIntyre On The Advice He Got From The Undertaker

Drew McIntyre then recalled his experience of wrestling Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 35 and how the crowd was a bit burned out for it. He explained why breaking big WWE shows to two nights might be a good idea:

“If we broke it into two nights, we’ve got those shorter events and the crowd’s got their energy from start to finish. They can pick a night, they can pick both nights, or make a weekend out of it.

So, I’m all about it, but again, I don’t understand the business behind it and what makes the most sense, so I can’t make that decision.” said the former champion, “But for me, personally, it gets a yes.”

Apart from this, Drew McIntyre reiterated his comments about wanting his old theme song back. He said that the theme will come back ‘one of these days.’

Wrestling veteran Chris Jericho recently spoke to Gresh and Keefe while promoting his new book dubbed The Complete List of Jericho where he talked about a number of things.

The wrestling veteran has feuded with many Hall Of Famers In his long and illustrated career. The long list of his iconic rivalries includes people like Shawn Michaels, Edge and more.

When asked which stars he would have liked to have a feud with, Jericho picked the Hart Brothers. He also said that he would have loved to be part of an extended feud with The Undertaker:

“I think the Hart brothers for sure. I’m talking about Bret Hart or Owen Hart. Both of those guys I never got to wrestle. Owen passed away before I got into WWE, and I wasn’t at the level to wrestle Bret before he got injured, before his career was done.

The other one is The Undertaker. I worked him a few times and we always had great matches, but we just never really had a long feud.”

• Chris Jericho Responds To WWE Talent Critical Of Blood & Guts Bump

Chris Jericho Reveals His Favorite Tag Team Partner

Chris was also asked which is his favorite tag team partner. Replying to it, Y2J who has won tag team championships with people like The Rock and Edge, picked The Big Show aka Paul Wight as his favorite:

“My favorite tag team partner of all-time — and you can see that in The Complete List of Jericho, I have my top ten tag team partners, etc — is always the Big Show,”

Chris Jericho explained how he had a great time teaming with Wight during their WWE days. He recalled how the two were like an old married couple who argued with each other but still had great chemistry.

The former AEW champion teamed with Big Show as part of the Jeri-Show tag team in 2009-2010. The two won the tag team titles a couple of times and also won the 2009 Slammy Awards for tag team of the year.

John Cena is expected to make his return to WWE programming later this month. Names of potential opponents for him are already piling up.

Latest reports suggest that the company is discussing a match between him and Roman Reigns. Though that’s not all, as Drew McIntyre also expressed the desire to face the former champion recently.

Cena talked about McIntyre’s comments in his interview with Demand Entertainment to promote Fast & Furious 9. John said that he always appreciates being mentioned in such a conversation. However, he explained that Drew is just setting himself up for disappointment:

“Man, what a way to set yourself up for disappointment. In no way shape or form is Drew in a position to make matches or make things happen — and I’m not either.  Neither of us have that power, that’s beyond our capacity, so, I certainly am grateful for being mentioned, which is awesome.”

• John Cena On Sleeping In His Car, Changing His Mind About Fatherhood

John Cena On Why He Never Thinks About Potential Opponents

John Cena went on to explain his comments. He said that while he has more matches left in WWE, he never thinks about which opponents he wants to face because he’s not the one making the decision:

“I got more matches left in the WWE, I’m not done, but I’ve never approached anything like, ‘I’d like to work with this person, or I want to have a match with this person’ because I don’t make those choices.

They say, ‘Hey, we’d like you to do this.’ Alright, it’s time to go to work. And that’s really allowed me to enjoy every step of the way. I think if we build up expectations in our head — like, I hate to say this to Drew, but if that never happens, how is he supposed to feel about that?”

John Cena has confirmed that he will make a return in previous interviews as well but an exact date for his comeback has not been confirmed yet.

Would you like to see a match between John Cena and Drew McIntyre when the Cenation Leader returns? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

WWE has announced that the NXT champion Karrion Kross will come face-to-face with Johnny Gargano at the NXT Great American Bash this Tuesday.

Gargano expressed the desire to have a confrontation with the fellow NXT star on Twitter. He mentioned how his rival tried to hit him with a car last week and promised to ‘smack the taste outta’ of the NXT champion’s mouth.

Kross accepted this invitation with a tweet of his own. He told Johnny that it was time to cool off his mouth and compared the former champion to ‘ the bugs that crawl in and out of dog crap’:

Both the NXT GM William Regal and special enforcer Samoa Joe also reacted to this news on Twitter. You can check out the exchange among these four below:

Great American Bash: Updated Card

• NXT Champion Karrion Kross coming face to face with Johnny Gargano
• Championship Cypher hosted by North American Champion Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Hit Row
• NXT Tag Team Championship Match: MSK vs. Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher
• NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai and Zoey Stark
• Singles Match: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly

NXT’s Great American Bash is scheduled to take place from the Capitol Wrestling Center on this Tuesday, July 6. Below is the updated card for the show after the latest addition:

Zelina Vega had a dispute with WWE over their third-party edicts. These disagreements had led to the female star’s release in November 2020. So it was a surprise for many when she made her return to the company on SmackDown this week. Latest reports provide some update on how it was made possible.

According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, there were segments in the promotion who felt that Vega should have been retained and not released when she was first let go. These segments pushed for a conversation between the two sides. They eventually succeed in their effort to start a discussion for her return.

This return was made possible when after a long period of back and forth, the WWE executives apologized to Zelina Vega and made her an offer. As for why the former NXT star herself chose to return after the manner of her firing, the site notes that both sides made amends and came to a compromise.

• Zelina Vega Comments On WWE Return, Scrubs Tweet about Unionization

Vega grew up wanting to be a part of WWE. She didn’t mind returning if the air was cleared from all sides. It’s said that everyone ‘came to an understanding on the other sides’ perspective’ to make things work. When it comes to Aleister Black, some people within the company have pushed for his return too. Although as of now, there aren’t any deep discussions about his potential comeback.

The team of Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, collectively known as The IIconics recently appeared on the Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette podcast where the duo opened up about their time in WWE.

During the interview, they talked about things such as their start in wrestling, the decision to break up their tag team and draft them to separate brands, and more.

One of the biggest career highlights of The IIconics was when the duo won the women’s tag team championship at WrestleMania. Discussing it, Billie Kay said that it was the favorite moment of her career:

“It was my favorite moment, like everything that we had worked for, for 15 years and, like, all the sacrifices we made, everything came down to that one match, I didn’t tell anyone what was going to happen in the match.”

• The IIconics’ Post WWE Name Possibly Revealed

Kay went on to explain that both her husband and the husband of her partner, Shawn Spears were in the crowd for this bout but even they didn’t know the outcome of the match.

The IIconics, alongside two other teams, challenged The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection for the women’s tag titles at WrestleMania 35. Billie Kay won this match for her team after pinning Bayley. This made them the first all Australian tag team champions in the history of WWE.

Zelina Vega finally made her return to WWE programming after months of speculation last night. She made a surprise appearance on SmackDown and was added to the upcoming Money In The Bank match.

The female star took on her Twitter to comment on her return to WWE TV. She mentioned that the takeaway from her appearance on the blue brand is that she is back and she will be winning the upcoming ladder match:

“What to take from tonight: I’m back. I’m going to be in the MITB ladder match…and I will win.” wrote Zelina Vega, “Period. Everything else is irrelevant.”

“I support unionization.”

It’s interesting to note that with her return to the company, the former NXT star has deleted her old tweet about supporting unionization. She had posted the tweet on the same day as her release in 2020.

Zelina Vega was released from WWE back on November 13, 2020. Her dispute with the officials over WWE’s new third-party edicts was the primary reason behind her departure from the company.

The news of her potential return was first reported in May this year. She finally made her return on SmackDown this week where Sonya Deville introduced her as the newest participant for the women’s Money In The Bank match.

• Notes On Zelina Vega’s Return On SmackDown

Former WWE and current NWA star Mickie James recently spoke to Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast where she talked about a number of things.

The former women’s champion is looking to make her in-ring return at the upcoming NWA 73 show but she doesn’t have an opponent for the event yet.

When asked which star she would like to face in her first match for her new promotion, Mickie named a few opponents she could see herself fighting against:

“If we go within NWA, there’s Kylie Rae now. There’s Kamille, who is aligned with my husband and they are champions. As a businesswoman, I like Kamille.

She comes over to the house and we’re all friends. I’d really like to have one of those matches with like Thunder Rosa or Serena [Deeb] and put on a hell of a match,”

Mickie James Has Big Praise For Sarena Deeb

James continued her praise for the former NWA women’s champion Deeb. She called the AEW star ‘the greatest women’s wrestler’ out there right now:

“I know I’ve wrestled Serena, but everyone knows that Serena is my go-to because I think she’s the greatest women’s wrestler out there right now and I’ve always felt that way.

I’ve always had a kindred spirit with Serena because I remember her when she first moved to OVW. We’re both Virginia girls and I’ve loved her since day one.”

Mickie James’ last put on her wrestling gear for the 2021 women’s Royal Rumble match in January. Her last singles match was her encounter with Zelina Vega during the September 21, 2020 episode of Raw.

• Mickie James Compares Her WWE Releases From 2010 and 2021

After weeks of rumors and speculations, Zelina Vega finally made her return to WWE programming on this week’s episode of SmackDown and secured herself a spot in the upcoming Money In The Bank match.

PWInsider provided some backstage updates on her return. The site confirms that her appearance is not a short-term deal and the female star is back with the company full time.

They also revealed that Vega was backstage for last week’s episode of the show as well but she wasn’t used. WWE officials hid her well so the news of her presence did not leak.

The former NXT star was released from WWE back in November 2020 after a three year long stint with the company. Her disagreements with the officials about WWE’s new third party edicts were a big reason behind her departure.

• Aleister Black Discusses Zelina Vega’s Release From WWE

The news of her potential return to the company first broke out in May earlier this year. Zelina Vega finally made her return to WWE programming this week.

Sonya Deville announced that the returning star was the next participant for the women’s MITB ladder match. Vega then went on to have a singles match with Liv Morgan but she lost the bout.

Recent reports of Kenny Omega dealing with multiple nagging injuries and working hurt made fans worried about him. The latest reports thankfully provide a positive update on the situation.

Dave Meltzer talked about the AEW world champion on the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He revealed that some recent treatments have helped the wrestling star and he is now feeling much better:

“Omega was feeling a lot better and you could tell in the Jungle Boy match. The biggest issue was an athletic hernia and stem cell treatment and PRP therapy have helped a lot.” wrote Meltzer, “He said it wasn’t night and day, but he felt it made a world of difference.”

The former NJPW star was dealing with multiple nagging injuries. Apart from the athletic hernia, he had problems with his knees. He suffered from a stomach virus for a period and had a deep bone bruise near his tailbone too.

• Kenny Omega Talks ‘Limits’ To Forbidden Door Partnerships

Kenny Omega also sliced up his hand during a spot involving the AEW world title while defending his championship against Pac and Orange Cassidy at the Double Or Nothing PPV. It required him to get seven stitches.

He was heard telling people before the show that there are days when he wonders if he’s close to retirement because of all the issues. So this update is a relieving news for the fans.

Xavier Woods did not appear on last week’s episode of Raw after the beatdown angle on June 21 episode of the show. Latest reports suggest that the angle was done based off a request from Woods.

Dave Meltzer talked about the New Day member in the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He noted that the WWE star had asked for a week off. The injury angle was written to explain his absence from the show.

Last week’s episode of Raw featured a Hell In A Cell main event where the WWE champion Bobby Lashley defended his title against Xavier Woods inside the cage.

The match saw Lashley picking up a clean victory when he made his opponent tap out with the Hurt Lock. However, he didn’t let the UpUpDownDown star go even after the match.

The WWE champion locked himself in the cage with Woods even after the match was over. He hurt Xavier some more before finally letting him go to end the show.

• Xavier Woods On His Favorite Tag Team Of All Time

There is no word on why the former tag champion asked for the time off. No word on the reason for Lashley’s absence from the show either.

Though both these stars are not expected to stay away for long. Both Xavier Woods and Bobby Lashley will be returning to Raw this Monday. The New Day will face Lashley and MVP in a tag match on the show.

The group of Chuck Taylor, Kris Statlander, Orange Cassidy, and Trent joined the latest episode of Busted Open Radio. The AEW stars talked about a wide variety of topics during their appearance.

The King Of Sloth Style has become an internet sensation since joining AEW. His unique wrestling style and persona has made him one of the most beloved babyfaces of the industry.

When asked if he ever saw himself getting this level of success in the wrestling world, Cassidy admitted that he didn’t imagine it when he first got started:

“To answer your question without getting too much into it, no, never ever. I just put a denim jacket on and started wrestling. You know, whatever happened, happened.”

• Chris Jericho On Not Liking Orange Cassidy At First

Orange Cassidy On Their Return To Road

Orange Cassidy was then asked how he feels about AEW’s return to the road next week and getting to work in front of fans again. Replying to it, he said that he is looking forward to doing more of what he wants to do:

“I had to wrestle more, which I wasn’t a fan of, but luckily during that time, a bunch of people like Chris Jericho and the great Brodie Lee, they pissed me off hard enough to make me actually wrestle. Now that the people are back I can, you know, get back to doing what I want to do, which is more of nothing.”

During the interview, Chuck Taylor mentioned how many people believe Orange Cassidy to be an overnight success. In reality, he has worked on indies for many years before joining the promotion.

Former NXT star Arturo Ruas was one of the names released last month. It appears that the officials were considering big plans for him at one point before the 39-year-old was let go.

The Diamond Mine finally made their debut on NXT TV last month after teasing the fans for weeks. The group consisted of Roderick Strong, Tyler Rust, and Hideki Suzuki. Malcolm Bivens was their manager.

It was later reported that both Ruas and Marina Shafir were originally planned to be a part of the group. When asked about it during an interview with WrestlingInc, Arturo confirmed that he knew about these talks:

“When I did my match with Kushida, I knew that the storyline of that match would be leading to me being a part of Malcolm Bivens’ group, It wasn’t Diamond Mine yet. I was supposed to be in that group, and then I got injured.

I got surgery on my bicep, and things kind of stopped, but I healed. I got cleared, and everything started to run again.” said Ruas “That’s where Diamond Mine came up. It would be a group of legit fighters with legit backgrounds.”

Unfortunately for the former NXT star, his injury forced the company to change plans and the diamond mine ended up making their debut without him.

The Brazilian professional wrestler signed with WWE back in 2015. He worked several Raw underground segments on the main roster. Arturo Ruas was released from his contract in June 2021.

• Backstage Details On Latest WWE Talent Releases