In January Adam Pearce was preparing to lace up his books for the first time in seven years. Gearing up for a fight with the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. Sadly for AP, WWE creative pulled the plug on the storyline at the last minute.

Talking in a recent interview with Give Me Sport, Adam Pearce admitted that while he was no longer an active competitor, he would still very much relish the chance to face Roman Reigns in the ring.

“If you come to me tomorrow and say ‘Hey, let’s rewind to the Royal Rumble’. If that match was actually going to happen, there is no chance I’d turn that down. That would have been incredible.”

As they spoke, Piece mentioned the rapport he had with Reigns, and how easy it felt to work with WWE’s biggest name.

“I was happy to be a part of it. Roman and I have certain chemistry on camera, he’s really taken to this mob boss mentality and does it so well. You can’t teach on-screen chemistry, I think he and I have enough of a personal relationship that the conversations always felt real. It was naturally fun and really easy to play off him and Paul Heyman.”

While the match never happened, Adam Pearce has no plans to get back into the ring, despite keeping in shape. His wrestling days are a part of his past, and he is focused on the future.

“I’m still wearing my size 13s if needs be, if the occasion calls for it, I’m capable. But I’d much rather wear my suit and tie than my tights and boots!”

News of the recent round of WWE cuts is still reverberating through social media. Yet, there is one big name star preparing to make his return to the ring. John Cena has been teasing a return to the ring for some time now. According to sources, he could be doing so in a big way.

According to The Dirty Sheets – via their Patreon page – WWE are planning to bring John Cena back to feud with Roman Reigns. The pair are set to meet for just the second time this year at Summerslam, with the Universal Title as the prize.

However, before Cena gets his chance at record-setting gold, WWE creative have a different idea on how to give him that opportunity. Rumours abound that John Cena will return to Smackdown imminently and announce his name as a participant in this year’s Money in the Bank.

John Cena previously won the coveted briefcase back in 2012. If he wants to repeat that feat, he will not only need to shake off some serious ring rust but bring his A-game. Despite the recent cuts, WWE still has a big roster filled with highly capable athletes, all itching for their chance to shine.

Cena was the first superstar to ever lose his money in the bank cash in. If he was to win and challenge Roman Reigns at Summerslam, then he will need to do everything in his power to avoid becoming the first to lose two such matches.

Things are looking good for AEW. Figures for the final AEW Dynamite before the PPV might have been the lowest in company history, but Double or Nothing set that right. Initial figures are showing that the show was the second most successful event in AEW’s history.

Double or Nothing 2021 had over 134,000 buys according to US streaming sources. This was announced by Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer. The current record PPV for the company remains March’s Revolution which featured the much talked about barbed wire deathmatch.

This was the third Double or Nothing show and is one of the four main events each year. Looking at the figures, the 2021 show is 12% up on the same show in 2020. Coming at the end of a month of big announcements and marquee signings for the company, the consistent increase in viewership numbers all point towards a bright future.

What is interesting to note is that both Revolution and Double or Nothing took place on a Sunday evening. The next two core shows for the company, All Out and Full Gear, are being held on a Saturday. It will be interesting to see how these two shows compare.

On top of the great online sales numbers, Double or Nothing took place in front of a capacity crowd. This further confirms the growing interest in the AEW brand.

With more shows and special events planned in the coming months and years, AEW is certainly pushing thing forward at a fast pace.

The story of Cameron Grimes in NXT has been an interesting one to follow. Since coming into money, he has been brought face to face with his greatest adversary yet. The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase. The pair have met in numerous situations over recent months, with DiBiase coming out on top each time.

Many believed it would be inevitable that Grimes would become a protégé to the Million Dollar Man. However, recent events added another name to that shortlist, LA Knight. Both men have caught the eye of DiBiase when each cost the other a match in consecutive weeks on NXT.

Now, the pair will face off, one-on-one, at the upcoming NXT In Your House PPV.

The prize will be more than a victory, it will be more than bragging rights. The pair are fighting for the right to carry on the Million Dollar Man’s legacy.

With Ted DiBiase watching the match, it is widely believed that the winner will earn his favour. An experienced ring general, his helping hand could be exactly what both men need to push ahead and take their career to the next level.

Both Cameron Grimes and LA Knight are heels in NXT, so working with a legendary bad guy like Ted Dibiase would be an easy transition. Great characters are always fun to watch, and they don’t come much larger or more entertaining than the Million Dollar Man.

Will the In Your House PPV finally see Cameron Grimes come out on top, or will Ted Dibiase once again be a thorn in his side?

The wrestling world is trying hard to get back on track in the wake of COVID-19. However, changes to the state of emergency in Tokyo, Japan have resulted in NJPW cancelling the upcoming Road to Dominion event. The event, one of three events in the build-up to Dominion was scheduled for June 4^th at the Ota City General Gymnasium.

NJPW has confirmed that the two other Road to Dominion events for June 1^st and 2^nd will still take place at the Koruken Hall venue.

Dominion is a stable fixture in the NJPW calendar. Despite being rescheduled from June 6th to June 7th, the event is still taking place, as promised.

This is not the first time NJPW have had to cancel shows since resuming live shows after the pandemic. This time, it is not because of a COVID outbreak among its stars, but rather to stick within the government protocols that have been brought in.

The road to Dominion has not been smooth for NJPW. With their World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay having to vacate the belts after suffering a serious neck and spine injury. The main event at the June 7^th show will feature Shingo Takagi going up against Kazuchika Okada. The winner getting to claim the vacant gold.

Last-minute cancellations are now part of modern wrestling. With the way NJPW run their shows like Road to Dominion, it’s often impossible to reschedule them. At least NJPW is offering a full refund to anybody who bought the ticket

News of cuts across the full WWE spectrum are dominating headlines these days. However, it appears as if one hall of famer is about to return to the company in a backstage role. Molly Holly, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Wrestlemania this year, was backstage at RAW this week. According to Mike Johnson at PW Insider, she was having a try out for a producer role.

Molly Holly retired from full time competition in 2005, choosing to focus on family life. Since then, she has made a handful of appearances for the company, most recently at the 2020 Royal Rumble.

There is no news yet on how well the trial went, but the addition of an experienced head like Holly would certainly be a boost to backstage operations. Especially following the high number of departures the company has seen in recent weeks.

Molly Holly was a three-time champion during her five years in WWE, including one reign as the now defunct Hardcore Champion.

A trailblazer for women in wrestling and a major influence on Beth Phoenix, Molly Holly brings a lot of experience with her. While she may be a novice as a producer, she knows wrestling. She is an experienced coach and will surely help WWE’s younger talent improve their game and hone their skills.

AEW have been successful in luring big name stars to the promotion for both in-ring and non-active roles. They don’t come much bigger than Mark Henry. The Olympian and wrestling legend walked out at AEW Double or Nothing to great applause. Henry looks set to be part of the team headlining the upcoming AEW Rampage show.

Another wrestling legend, Chris Jericho recently took some time out to talk about Mark Henry’s arrival and what it means for the locker room.

“I think any time we can have a guy with the experience of Mark Henry, both in the ring and outside the ring, it just helps our company. That’s one of the things we need, we needed very much when we first started. It was basically me and Dustin Rhodes and Dean Malenko as the guys who had some actual decades of experience on live TV.”

Speaking during the AEW Double or Nothing Media Scrum, Jericho was full of praise for Mark Henry, and the impact he would have on the locker room. The pair are old friends who go way back, having faced off against each other numerous times through the decades.

Mark Henry has recently spoken about his desire to have at least one more wrestling match, but only after he turns 50 later this month. With Paul Wight also signed as a part-time wrestler, there is every chance we could see them either team up or face off against each other. Either way, the younger talent in the AEW locker room just got a huge boost to their ongoing wrestling education.

The icon, Sting has had a career resurgence since signing with AEW. Finding himself back home on TNT, the place he owned for so many years working with WCW.

However, in a recent interview speaking about his time with WWE, Sting claimed that he would have stayed retired had WWE given him one match in particular. A match the entire wrestling world would have loved to see. Two locker room icons squaring off for the very first time.

All Sting wanted was a match against The Undertaker. The biggest first time, last time, only time since Lawrence Taylor beat Bam Bam Bigelow.

In an interview with SI.com, Sting claims he would not have felt the need to come back had he gotten that one match.

“I wanted that to happen. I was very clear publicly, and I was very clear with WWE, as well. I wanted my last hurrah against Taker. For whatever reason, it just never materialized. To this day, I don’t know why. Maybe Taker never wanted to work with me. I have no idea. I mean, I’ve had good conversations with Taker and we’ve always got along. I don’t know why the match never happened, but it should have happened. Because it wasn’t going to happen, and I knew it, and that wasn’t the only reason why I left WWE, but it’s one of the reasons why I left. I wanted that one last match.”

We may never know why Sting versus The Undertaker never happened. It would have been a great match twenty years ago, and it would have been a great match for two phenoms to end their respective careers with.

Wither way, AEW fans win, because Sting is back, and he still has a point to prove.

Trevor Murdoch is the new number one contender for the NWA title. One of the most prestigious titles in all of wrestling. It is a title that lost its way, but under the guidance of Nick Aldis, it has regained its reputation.

Aldis has held the NWA belt for almost 1000 days, in his second reign as champion. It is the longest individual reign since Dan Severn held the title for 1479 days starting in 1995.

Last week on NWA Powerr, the next challenger for Aldis’s title was decided with a Battle Royal. Murdoch outlasted all other participants and survived a two on one attack right at the end to claim victory.

Talking after the match, Trevor Murdoch was overcome with emotion. Tearfully, he spoke about Harley Race – another legendary champion. Citing Race as an idol of his, Murdoch vowed to win the gold in his memory.  

Nick Aldis and Trevor Murdoch will square off at the upcoming NWA PPV When Our Shadows Fall on June 6^th.

Regardless of the odds, Aldis will not be in for an easy ride, Murdoch has won fifteen championships through his career, including being a three-time WWE Tag Team champion with Lance Cade.

It will not be easy for Murdoch to claim victory. Aldis is an established champion, a fantastic heel and has been of great credit to the NWA. It would cap a wonderful story for Trevor Murdoch, following his return to wrestling in 2019.

Ric Flair is a wrestling legend. He has amassed a career that most will only ever dream of having. He is a two-time Hall of Famer and has literally done it all. Still very active and very much in love with the sport of professional wrestling, Ric recently sat down for a chat with the Ariel Helwani MMA Podcast.

During his talk, Ric Flair spent a bit of time talking about why he left WWE (then WWF) after just a year and a half in 1993. Coming off the back of a Royal Rumble win, Flair left the company and re-joined WCW. Prior to his return, Flair was vocal about his problems with then WCW management.

Ric Flair’s Greatest Time & Biggest Mistake

Even now, after returning to WWE in 2001, and creating an incredible legacy for himself and his family, he still openly regrets his decision to leave.

“I had another year and a half, the greatest time of my life, and the worst mistake I ever made [was leaving].” Flair said.

With the discussion turning to his reasons for leaving, Flair opened up, talking about the conversation he had with Vince McMahon.

“Vince [McMahon] said to me ‘We’re going to go younger,’ and he said ‘if you want to go back, they’ve been calling me every day so I’m sure they’ve been calling you, go in and go’.” With that, Flair left WWE and returned to WCW.

Ric Flair was also quick to credit Triple H for bringing him back and helping him get over his crippling anxiety over his career and what he could do.

The NXT Championship is a highly coveted prize in wrestling. Having grown considerably since its days as a feeder/development brand, NXT is now a highly competitive environment. This past week, William Regal announced that there would be a massive triple threat match to determine the next number one contender.

Next week, Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne and Kyle O’Reilly will face off to determine who will challenge Karrion Kross. The winner will face Kross at the upcoming NXT Takeover: In Your House on June 13^th.

Kross recently defended the NXT Championship against former champ Finn Balor. Out of the three combatants, only Gargano has crossed paths with Kross so far. While O’Reilly and Dunne both had entertaining fights with Balor during his title reign.

The match will headline an always entertaining NXT show and promises to be a hard-hitting affair. All three men have stellar reputations. Gargano recently lost his North American Championship. Dunne held the NXT UK Title for almost two years. O’Reilly left everything in the ring during his feud with former stablemate Adam Cole.

None of them has held the NXT Championship before, which will add an extra drive to each of them. While the prize will be a match with the violent and vicious Karrion Kross. The big point will be that they will have less than two weeks to recover before they get their shot at the gold.

Kross is a dominant champion, in his second reign after having to vacate the NXT Championship the day after winning it due to injury. He will be a hard man to beat, and whoever faces him will have a mountain to climb.

Following surgery for appendicitis, IMPACT wrestling star Eddie Edwards took to social media to update and thank fans. Edwards stayed in the hospital in Nashville for a few days, following his surgery on May 18^th. However, he is now back home in Boston.

“Finally back home after an extended stay in Nashville,” Edwards tweeted. “Yah I’m an appendix short but I’m good! Thank you to all who reached out. It always amazes me how supportive this industry can be. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again the Impact Wrestling locker room is a family. THANK YOU!”

Eddie appeared on the recent Under Siege card, teaming with former IMPACT tag team champions FinJuice. At that event, Edwards pinned Karl Anderson to give his team victory over the Good Brothers and Kenny Omega.

With many people speculating that IMPACT were preparing for an Edwards vs Omega feud, any plans now need to be shelved. Omega is set to defend his IMPACT title against Moose at the Against All Odds PPV.

There is no word right now on Eddie Edwards returning to action. In the past, wrestlers recovering from appendicitis surgery have taken up to three months to get back in the ring.  

Eddie Edwards is an IMPACT wrestling legend. Having held the IMPACT belt on two separate occasions and will surely be eager to add a third.

Whether it is against Kenny Omega, Moose, or anybody else on the IMPACT roster, Eddie Edwards will be ready for them.

Following his recent release by WWE, Drake Wuertz announced that he is returning to the ring as an active competitor.

Drake Wuertz was an active star in the indies. He transitioned to a refereeing role following signing with WWE in 2013.

In a social media post, Drake Wuertz announced that he was returning to his ‘Younger’ days before confirming the date for his return.

Younger was recently released from his WWE contract, following a series of incidents involving his personal views. Recently these had been interfering with this WWE responsibilities. Wuertz will return at a charity event that echoes his own personal beliefs. The event will also feature a meet and greet with former WWE and International superstars Matt Morgan and Low-Ki!

A devout Christian and conservative, Drake Wuertz fell out of favour in WWE, despite being the head referee in NXT. Reports since his release say that many wrestlers were starting to refuse to wrestle in matches under his control.

Drake Wuertz has been out of the ring for almost 8 years. It remains to be seen if this return or a one-off event. If a full-time return is part of the plan, Wuertz may find himself struggling to get a regular spot at any of the larger promotions. His reputation and often confrontational views may limit his opportunities both as a wrestler and a performer.

AEW star Ethan Page recently took to social media to announce his biggest news of the year. It has nothing to do with his upcoming tag match against Darby Allin and Sting. Rather, the 31-year-old announced to the world that he and his wife are expecting their second child.

Page was also quick to update his tweet after being lambasted by his mother.

Ethan Page will need to direct his attention back to the ring now. He and Scorpio Sky face a stern test at AEW Double or Nothing, squaring off against Sting and Darby Allin.

The fight represents Sting’s first in-ring match in six years. Page and Sky have gone to great lengths to try and shelve both Sting and Allin in recent weeks. When they finally face off at Double or Nothing, it promises to be as physical a match as any on the card.

Page and Sky have formed an impressive team in recent weeks. You have to expect they will turn their attention to the titles but the current run of feuds end.

Ethan Page spent most of his career on the Indie scene, followed by a run in IMPACT, where he was a two-time tag team champion with Josh Alexander. With the AEW roster boasting as many great names as it does, a run as a tag team offers both Page and Sky a great opportunity.

That said, Ethan Page is a talented wrestler, as well as a blackbelt in both karate and taekwondo. He possesses all the skills needed to be a singles champion also.

Hell in a Cell is coming earlier this year. Brought forward from its usual October date, the cells is experiencing a summer showing in 2021. Last night on RAW, the first match was announced for hard hitting PPV.

In picking up a win over Asuka, Charlotte Flair cemented her place inside the call. Squaring off against Rhea Ripley for the RAW Women’s Championship, Flair is trying to win her 13^th championship in WWE.

While at the time of writing it has not been confirmed if the fight will actually take place in the Hell in a Cell structure, you have to image it will. Charlotte Flair fought in the first ever women’s cell fight in 2016. Rhea Ripley however has endured two separate War Games matches.

Both women are used to physical matches, and this, the first singles match between them promises to be a banger.

For Charlotte Flair, it represents the end of a lengthy road for the superstar, who last held a singles title eighteen months ago. The last time Flair held the RAW women’s championship was in early 2017.

Following a short reign as tag team champion, Charlotte wants to get back to being the queen of WWE.

She faces a tough test in Rhea Ripley. The 24-year-old Australian is a tough competitor, who has proven herself time and time again.

Whether fighting inside Hell in a Cell or not, this pairing has everything it takes to be the main event. Expect to see a match that will have people talking for years to come.

Edge has been off WWE television since competing in the main event of WrestleMania 37 against Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan. Some fans have feared Edge is sidelined with another injury, but luckily that is not the case. According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Edge is taking a planned hiatus from WWE television.

It would make sense that WWE for WWE to treat Edge with care. After making his comeback from a career ending injury, Edge thrived being back in a WWE ring. However, a torn triceps kept him side-lined for over seven months.

Edge is not an athlete WWE need to use week in week out if they have no storyline for him. Since making his passionate return to Wrestling in 2020 and claiming victory in the Royal Rumble in 2021 Edge has proven he’s still got it.

With news that WWE is leaving the Thunderdome in July, keeping Edge off-air until live audiences return makes sense.

There is no word from WWE right now if there are any creative plans for Edge when he returns. However, fans will surely be expecting him to get back into the championship picture. Technically, he is still due a one-on-one match against Reigns for the Universal title.

Could Edge make his return by finally dethroning the head of the table? Before disappearing, Edge was teasing a heel turn, but after time off, bringing him back as a face seems most likely.

For many, Jim Ross is wrestling. His voice is synonymous with the sport. What many also don’t know is the scope of his influence behind the scenes, as a scout for new talent.

Talking in a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Jim Ross talked about his life in wrestling. Including talking about finding the one and only John Cena.

Love him or hate him, John Cena is a name almost as heavily linked to wrestling as Ross himself. However, you don’t become the face of a company overnight.

Discussing his firsts meeting with John Cena, JR said, “John was up in Southern California, working part-time in several jobs; moving company, truck driver, just a litany of things, while he was training with Rick Bassman in UPW in Southern California.”

It is quite ironic that Jim Ross was not even in So Cal to scout Cena, but rather, another wrestler, who Ross can’t even remember.

Talking to Cena, one conversation was all it took. Ross was sold upon hearing Cenas background. Cutting his trip short, Ross shot back to Connecticut.

“I remember I took the red-eye that night, LAX to New York City,” Ross explained. JR was excited to tell Vince McMahon about his find. However, Vince’s initial reaction is a head-scratcher.

“I think I saw a kid that will headline WrestleMania in five years or less.’ Vince said, ‘I think you need to go home and take a shower. You’re delusional.’”

The rest his history. John Cena carved himself a stellar career in the ring, and Jim Ross continued to his streak of finding the best talent around for WWE.

As the wrestling business looks to get things back on the road, COVID outbreaks are still lurking backstage. Following several outbreaks at NJPW this month, it is now Pro Wrestling NOAH’s turn to face a rush of positive tests.

Taking to their Facebook page, Pro Wrestling Noah announced that wrestler Kotaro Suzuki had tested positive. In pulling him from their upcoming cards, the company also announced they were resting three other wrestlers. This is not believed to be due to positive tests, but rather a issue of proximity to Kotaro Suzuki.

Kai Fujimura, Yasutaka Yano, and YO-HEY also missed the recent NOAH show in Niigata,

Kotaro Suzuki is a well-travelled veteran, and at 42 is performing more as a freelancer throughout Japan. Wrestling exclusively for NOAH from 2001-2013, he has a close affinity with the company.

Kotaro Suzuki is a nine-time champion in Pro Wrestling Noah, as well as holding several tournament accolades. Suzuki is a great name for any wrestling card. Following a spell with All Japan Pro Wrestling, he has been acting as a freelancer since 2016.

Hopefully, Kotaro Suzuki will make a full recovery and find his way back into the ring quickly. The card for NOAH’s upcoming show on June 6th is set. Hopefully this means Suzuki will not miss too much ring time.

New Japan Pro Wrestling has been hit by several outbreaks of COVID within its ranks since it returned to action.

Until now they have not named any specific wrestlers who tested positive. However, acting on his own accord, NJPW legend Kazuchika Okada admitted to testing positive.

Okada was pulled from the Wrestling Dontaku card, with initial reports being it was due to close proximity to other positive wrestlers. However, according to sources at Tokyo Sport Kazuchika Okada initially tested negative but returned a positive result after developing a fever.

NJPW pulled Kazuchika Okada, along with several other wrestlers, from cards as of May 4^th. While most are making their return on the current series, Okada is still absent.

Ending the rumours, Okada openly spoke about his positive results, and vowed to return bigger and better than ever.

“I’ve revived a lot and my taste has revived. I’d like to come back to you in a healthy way and play a hot game, so everyone. Please look forward to it, ” Kazuchika Okada told Tokyo Sport.

When talking about his time at home, Okada said his wife moved away for two weeks, leaving him to fend for himself. Admitting that he found an interesting way to keep himself occupied.

“I didn’t have the energy to practice,” Okada said when walking about this time off. To pass the time he openly admits developing an addiction to Korean television dramas.

One thing is for sure, once Kazuchika Okada finishes his current binge-watch, and is back to fighting shape, NJPW will be all the stronger for it.

The AEW women’s division has a lot of promising stars, but none are shining brighter right now than Tay Conti. The 25-year-old Brazilian wrestler has everything to be a dominant name in wrestling. Since joining the Dark Order her career has blossomed. The well-rounded fighter is working hard on perfecting her skills, and improvement can be seen from week to week.

She is a long way from the frustrated WWE figure who was begging for a release from her contract. Talking on a recent episode of the AEW Unrestricted Podcast, Tay Conti spoke at length about her time with WWE.

Recalling the multiple occasions that she requested a release, and the interesting answer she was given.

“I remember they told me, ‘No, you’re not gonna go to AEW. ‘We put a lot of money on you. You are star blah, blah, blah.’ I’m like, ‘Yes, you guys don’t use me here. So I gotta go somewhere,”

Tay found it an interesting excuse, especially as she had no intention of joining AEW at the time. “I had no plans because I had no contacts at all.”

After accepting her employer’s refusal to grant her a release, Tay Conti was resigned to finishing her two-year contract. Then, just as things seemed to have settled, COVID hit.

“Out of nowhere, they called me because of — I mean, not out of nowhere. Everybody knew was what was going on because of COVID, but I was not expecting the call since we were okay. They told me ‘we are finally letting you go’ not in a really good, I don’t how to explain it without being too mean, they’re not too nice.”

WWE’s loss is certainly AEWs gain, as they have a real star in the making in Tay Conti.

Former TNT champion Darby Allin cuts quite the figure in WWE. Aside from his partnership with Sting, it is easy to see why he draws so many parallels with the Hall of Famer.

In a recent interview, Darby spoke openly about how he likes to keep to himself, especially when he’s at Daily’s Place. Preferring his own company, and changing down in the boiler room. Escaping the maddening, gossip fuelled work of wrestling locker rooms.

Talking on the Wrestling Perspective Podcast, Darby Allin said that he found it tiring to be around the gossips and the showboating.

“You can’t find me backstage. We’ve been in Daily’s Place now for the last year and it sounds ridiculous, but I literally change in the boiler room by myself.” Darby shared. “I lock myself in there and I just come up with storylines all day and working on promos and working on everything that I do outside of the ring; all of the business deal and random stuff; clothing line.”

“I just feel way more productive not hearing people’s gossip about stupid ‘who slept with who’ and ‘who’s talking to who.’ I don’t have time for that. It pisses me off and I don’t — So I really just feel super more productive when I’m by myself. But when it’s time to go out there and put a match together or put a storyline together, I’ll be totally in your face like super collabing and just talking, but otherwise man I really like to be left alone.”

A known practitioner of the Straight Edge lifestyle, Darby Allin sounds like a serious professional. Whatever he does, it is certainly working for him. He has a very bright future within the AEW ranks.

Celebrity appearances in WWE are becoming a more common occurrence. One in particular lives on long in the memories of the WWE universe. In 2011, Hugh Jackman was a guest on RAW. Brought into a segment with Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder, Jackman had one job to do. Punch Ziggler in the face as hard as he could.

The rest, is WWE history.

Speaking recently on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin, Dolph Ziggler reflected on that moment.

“Backstage, he’s a sweetheart guy,” said Ziggler. “He was so nice, and he was a fan. … He was like, ‘How can we make this awesome?’ And again, that is rare.”

In the interest of putting on a good show, Dolph Ziggler made the decision that he wanted Jackman to punch him. Giving the Hollywood star very clear instructions not to half-ass the effort and punch him as hard as he could.

“I go, ‘Don’t worry, you can go by the jaw, I can take a pretty good punch.’ So right before we went out, I said one last time, I go, ‘Listen man, if you think you’re gonna halfway do it, [or] miss, let’s switch this right now. Because I need you to punch me in the face with my hands down.’ And he goes, ‘I promise you, I won’t let you down.’ And he cracked me in the face pretty damn hard, it was great.” Ziggler said, recalling the events.

The rest is history, with Dolph Ziggler continuing to claim that the shot fractured his jaw. Whether this was true is open for debate, but one thing is for sure, it created one of the most memorable moments in RAW history.

Adam Cole has yet to make the move to the main roster. When he does, however, there is one many he is eager to face.  Seth Rollins. The pair have fought on many different occasions, across many different promotions through the years. However, Adam Cole is quick to recall their bout on Monday Night Raw a few years ago. Citing it as a legendary moment in his career.

Appearing on the recent 100^th episode of WWE’S The Bump, Rollins and Cole came together to talk wrestling, that match, and possibilities for the future.

Both men are at the top of their game and leaders of their respective brands. A match between them is guaranteed to draw viewers.

“I know, myself, and Adam Cole are capable of so much more than what you saw that night. That was a little dip in the pool. We’ve got an entire ocean of potential awaiting us. I know if we run it once, twice, three, four, five times, we’ll blow the wrestling world out of the sky!” Rollins said talking about the chemistry he and Adam Cole share.

At the time, Adam Cole was building a following in NXT. Coming in with a huge reputation following his stint in New Japan among others. However, at the time, NXT was still very much viewed as a feeder brand.

“To me, I showed everybody that Adam Cole had arrived and that I could be a player not just on NXT, but on Raw or SmackDown. That match was massive for my career, huge!”

Could We See Adam Cole and Seth Rollins as a Tag Team?

As their discussions continued, the topic turned not only to future fights against one another but to possibly teamwork. Both men responded positively to the idea of working together down the road.

“I like that idea, too,” Adam Cole replied.

“That sounds great!” Seth Rollins stated. “I think it would be uncomfortable for the other teams that come and face us. They wouldn’t stand a chance. We’re two good-looking young men, and we’re talented. No one would stand a chance – the men or women. The chemistry is off the charts.”

One way or another, every professional wrestling fan is eager to see these two men work together more often. The question is finding the right storyline to make it work.

The subject of the level of control exerted by the NWO during their WCW reign has always been the subject of much speculation. Talking on a recent appearance on the Wrestleslam podcast, Eric Bischoff attempted to put those rumours to bed.

Talking openly and honestly, Bischoff admitted that there was a degree of creative control given to the trio, but it was not anywhere near as big of a deal as many make out.

“Hall and Nash didn’t have creative control,” Bischoff said. “To clarify, they did have language in their agreement that gave them meaningful consultation. Meaning they were guaranteed to have a conversation with me and it would have been a meaningful conversation, but a meaningful conversation and creative control or two different things, And they did not have creative control.”

This leaves only one member of the group with any degree of creative control. Hulk Hogan, the leader of the group and an icon of the sport. However, when talking about it, Eric Bischoff revealed exactly how frequently Hogan exerted his clause.

“Hulk Hogan had creative control and he only used it once.” Bischoff said, clearing the air on the subject.

Creative control is a subject of some discussion these days. Especially after leaked rumours of infighting within the executive ranks of AEW.

Eric Bischoff took the time to share his own thoughts on the matter, allaying any fears that people might have.

“But I don’t think the challenge that people are talking about really exists in AEW today.” Bischoff said, before adding As far as AEW goes, as far as I know, Tony Khan is the one that’s calling the shots,”

When FinJuice won the IMPACT Wrestling tag-team belts back at the Sacrifice PPV everybody stood up to take notice. The NJPW stars were on loan to IMPACT as part of the new working relationship between wrestling promotions. They won the belts from a different promotion and took them around the world with them.

For two months, FinJuice brought a new elevated level of prestige and attention to IMPACT wrestling. When they were dethroned so cheaply by Violent by Design on the last round of IMPACT tapings, it came as a huge surprise. Even bigger than their initial victory.

The loss did not sit well with the former champs. Returning to Japan empty-handed, they were quick to comment on events.

“What the hell is a Call Your Shot trophy? I’ve heard of a briefcase, didn’t know there was a trophy. We just put our heart and soul on the line to defend the tag team championships and then we lose them…like that.” David Finlay said during a video call following the recent broadcast.

Title changes are part of wrestling. Having the belts on wrestlers from a different company is never going to be a long-term solution. As it stands right now, there are no immediate plans for FinJuice to challenge for the titles again.

According to sources, IMPACT creative has no immediate plans for the team, who are back in Japan. The working relationship between IMPACT and NJPW is still strong, however, so who knows who else might step up to try and claim the crown.

FinJuice have formed an impressive team since graduating through the NJPW system, and it is only a matter of a time before more belts are hung around their waist.