Hulk Hogan has put himself through a ton of damage in his wrestling career, where he made himself a household name. After decades of wrestling, he has had to have countless surgeries. 

During the latest episode of his podcast on AdFreeShows.com, WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle talked about his appearance at the WWE Raw 30th anniversary show this past Monday night that also saw the company bring in other legends, including Hogan. 

What Hogan Said

Angle revealed that while speaking with Hogan, the fellow Hall Of Famer told him that he had back issues and had to walk around with a cane because he no longer can feel his legs. 

“Hogan had his back surgery again. He had the nerves cut from his lower body. He can’t feel his lower body, so he has to use his cane to walk around. I thought he was using the cane because he has pain in his back. He doesn’t have any pain. He has nothing at all. He can’t feel anything. So now he can’t feel his legs, so he has to walk with a cane. That’s pretty serious, man. I mean, I really feel for Hogan. He put his heart and soul into the business and it ate him up.”

In the past, Hogan has discussed the back and hip issues he’s dealt with. It doesn’t help that his finisher was a leg drop that he’s performed thousands of times. 

H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription

The Bella Twins got people talking this week when they were critical of how WWE represented the women on this past Monday’s episode of Raw during the 30anniversary episode. 

After Raw on an Instagram live video, The Bella called out the company for not showcasing the women’s evolution on the show and how Mercedes Mone and Saraya were people who WWE didn’t want to feature.

Although The Bellas was initially advertised for the show, they were pulled due to media commitments this week to promote Nikki’s new reality show on E! Madusa was the only female legend to appear on Raw. 

Nikki started out by noting that whenever you love and have passion for something you want to be appreciated. She said that women have done a lot to make Raw what it is. 

Make Time

“So when you have a three-hour show, and it’s male-dominated and women aren’t being honored, pretty much at all, you just sit back and you’re like, ‘Why aren’t we being appreciated? Like, why don’t you even have a video package showcasing what all these incredible women have done?”

Nikki continued, “I just, I’m someone who they’ve always called ‘No Filter Nikki.’ I know sometimes my team is back there like, ‘Oh my gosh if we could just take her phone.’ It made me upset for all the women, because I know that feeling of walking out to the ring. It happens to some of the men, but where you walk out, and you put your body on the line, you give it your all just to entertain the fans and the TV viewers, and you just come back, and you want to feel appreciated for that.”

Sacrifice 

Nikki stated that some wrestlers have had career-ending injuries, and we shouldn’t go away.

“And even if I feel that if a wrestler even leaves the company or they’re no longer there, it doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be remembered. I wished and I hoped, and maybe that will be more in the future, we still have a way to go, but that women will finally be appreciated for what they do.”

Brie stated that women from the past have paved the road for today’s wrestlers, who are doing amazing things in the company. She added that it’s not about them but the other women that should’ve been at the show. 

If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit with an h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Cody Rhodes will step back inside of the squared circle to wrestle again for the first time in several months on Saturday night by competing in the 30-Man Royal Rumble match. 

Rhodes has been sidelined since June and wants to return in the best shape possible, especially heading into WrestleMania season. 

Rhodes last worked a match when he beat Seth Rollins in Hell in a Cell due to a torn pectoral muscle he suffered heading into the match. Rhodes underwent surgery for his injury.

WWE has been hyping his return through several video packages and confirmed his entry in the Rumble match ahead of the show. 

Great Shape

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that “Rhodes went through what was described as a boxing training camp to get into shape for the show and has dropped from 17.7 percent bodyfat under nine percent.”

Just because Rhodes is training like a boxer doesn’t mean that he’s training to be in the match for a long period of time, but rather would indicate that Rhodes is preparing his body to go hard for an extended period of time now that he’s working a tougher schedule in WWE with more dates compared to what had been used to in recent years.

Mercedes Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks, is in a new chapter of her wrestling career after departing from WWE last year and joining NJPW this month when she made her promotional debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17. 

The debut happened when she attacked IWGP Women’s Champion KAIRI, after her successful title defense against Tam Nakano. 

This set up a championship bout between KAIRI and Mone for a match at February’s NJPW Battle in the Valley. 

The Reason

While speaking with NJPW’s website, Mone noted that working in Japan became her number-one goal even before WWE. 

“I was so amazed by them that Japan became my number one goal even before WWE. I managed to achieve what I wanted to achieve in WWE, and now I get to live out this international dream.”

Mone noted that she was surprised by how quickly people have taken to her new monicker.

Mone walked out of WWE last May alongside Naomi due to creative differences. However, that doesn’t mean she’s been relaxing, as she noted she’s been working every day since she left, whether that be modeling, making movies or wrestling.

Matt Riddle has been making progress in his personal life while away from WWE. 

The WWE star has been gone from television since December 5, when Solo Sikoa attacked him on Monday Night Raw to cover up his absence from television. WWE announced at the time that he would be away for six weeks. 

Outside The Ring Problems

In reality, WWE did the angle because he failed a second drug test in 2022 with the expectation that he would be going to rehab. Riddle reportedly violated WWE’s wellness policy for the first time over the summer.

An adult film star confirmed he was in rehab while also alleging that he cheated on her to do drugs with another woman, something Riddle later issued a statement on

Riddle recently noted on Instagram that he got his BJJ black belt while training under Daniel Gracie. 

“Finally got my BJJ black belt and I couldn’t be happier, thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me along the way #bro #danielgracie #wwe #mma #bjj #stallion.”

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer questioned whether Riddle would be back in time to be a surprise entrant in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match as WWE announced his absence on the December 12th show.

“Riddle was announced as returning in six weeks after the injury angle on 12/12. That would indicate a Rumble return, although if he’s suspended two months, he wouldn’t make that time line.”

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Vince McMahon returned to WWE as the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, and countless changes have been made in the wake of his decision.

His daughter and the former WWE CEO and Chairwoman Stephanie McMahon publicly announced her resignation on January 10, just hours before McMahon officially named himself the Executive Chairman. 

This was after McMahon brought himself back to the Board along with George Barrios and Michelle Wilson while some Board members had left. 

JoEllen Lyons Dillon, Jeffrey R Speed, and Alan M Wexler were the members that were removed to make way for them. Nick Khan is the CEO of the company, while Triple H remains in charge of WWE creative as well. 

Last week, several big backstage names parted ways with WWE, and several employees were fired. Vince has also brought back EVP of Operations Brad Blum to the company.

He’s Back

Pwinsider.com reported, “McMahon was spotted earlier this week at Titan Tower, so it appears he’s back in his old office.”

Since his return to the Board, there have been rumors that he was back, but this marks the first confirmed sighting of the former CEO and Chairman. 

McMahon’ departed from the company last July after ‘hush pact’ allegations. He reached a settlement with Rita Chatterton for millions after she accused him of raping her in 1986. McMahon is back to facilitate a sale of the company and help with the TV rights negotiations.

AEW President Tony Khan unexpectedly announced Wednesday morning that Britt Baker wouldn’t be competing as scheduled on this week’s Dynamite episode. 

Khan cited that she wasn’t medically cleared to compete and had been pulled from a scheduled triple threat bout against Ruby Soho and Toni Storm on this week’s show. 

Dave Meltzer noted on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio that Baker’s injury is not considered serious although it’s still unclear what the exact injury is. She wasn’t cleared and won’t be sidelined for a lengthy period of time. 

Plans Change

Soho vs. Storm in a singles match was booked instead on the show. AEW did use Baker on Dynamite as she was seen on the stage area during the match, leading to a distraction that allowed Soho to pick up the victory.

Khan revealed on Wednesday morning’s Busted Open Radio that the planned triple threat would take place once Baker is medically cleared. 

Baker’s last Dynamite match happened when she teamed with Jamie Hayter and defeated Saraya and Toni Stormon on the January 11, 2023, edition of Dynamite from Los Angeles. She teamed with Jamie Hayter and defeated Saraya and Toni Storm that night. Last week, Hayter & Baker beat the Renegade twins on Rampage.

Triple H thinks highly of Austin Theory, just like his father-in-law, Vince McMahon, now that he has seen what the young star can do on the WWE main roster. 

Theory’s first run on the main roster didn’t go as anyone wanted it to and he was sent back to NXT where he was paired with Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, and Indi Heartwell, where he got over with the fans. 

It was reported that when Vince McMahon was still overseeing main roster creative, he thought Theory had the potential to be the next coming of John Cena. Theory even looked up to Cena while growing up as a child and wants to work a match with him. 

Triple H on Theory

Triple H commented on Theory’s potential as a top WWE star while speaking to ESPN.

“It’s a nuanced feeling… once you see this guy’s a great athlete, I’m looking for their personality, their charisma,” Triple H said. “Austin Theory has it, and then some. Do I think he has all the potential to be one of the biggest stars in the business? Absolutely. What determines that? A lot of that is up to him now. You give him little bits of things here and there and he’s improving his game and he’s smart. He listens to the crowd, he listens to the people. He sees all the stuff that’s going on, and he adapts his game on a regular basis.”

Theory, who retained his US Title over Bobby Lashley in the main event of WWE Raw 30, has not officially declared for the WWE Royal Rumble.

Chris Jericho has been in the wrestling business for 30 years, where he found success in ECW, WCW, WWE, and now AEW. 

Throughout his career, he has reinvented himself at various times. Once he went to NJPW for a one-off match with Kenny Omega in 2018, it opened up his mind to what could be outside of the WWE bubble, eventually leading to him going to AEW when the promotion launched in 2019. 

Jericho became the inaugural AEW World Champion at All Out in August 2019 when he beat Hangman Page. 

Retirement

While speaking on the WTF with Marc Maron Podcast, the top AEW star discussed what would cause him to quit the business. 

“People say, ‘Well, how much longer are you going to do this?’ I could end tomorrow. I could end five years from now, or who cares? Sting is 63 and still doing great stuff. So who knows, man? To me, as long as you can still compete at a high level — like I have a high standard for myself. If I went out there and two, three, four times in a row I felt like, ‘Oof, I’m starting to f*cking phone this in,’ I would quit.”

On this week’s AEW Dynamite, Jericho teams with Sammy Guevara to face the duo of Action Andretti and Ricky Starks.

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcription

The January 24, 2023 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

• Tiffany Stratton def. Indi Hartwell
• JD McDonagh def. Andre Chase.
• Kiana James & Fallon Henley (w/ Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs) def. Diamond Mine’s Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley
• Creed Brothers (Julius Creed & Brutus Creed) def. Drew Gulak & Hank Walker
• Elektra Lopez def. Wendy Choo
• NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Katana Chance and Kayden Carter def. Sol Ruca and Alba Fyre

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

More Build 

NXT Champion Bron Breakker will defend his title against Grayson Waller at Vengeance Day next month. So what did WWE do to further build to the event?

Waller came out and talked trash about how he could smell a dog coming. He wanted to make another viral moment. Bron could be seen pushing his way through security guards. Him and Waller got into a brawl before being separated by wrestlers. Waller sent him through the barricade. 

NXT Women’s Tag Team Title Match

NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Katana Chance and Kayden Carter vs. Alba Fyre in a 2-on-1 match was booked. 

The champions intervened to stop Isla Dawn from attacking the referee with a baseball bat after she cost Fyre a match against Sol Ruca last week. But instead of calming her down, Fyre ended up challenging the champions to a match. 

Sol Ruca was revealed as Fyre’s partner. The match was the headliner. The champions went over. Post-match, Kiana James and Fallon Henley appeared to challenge the champs to a match at Vengeance Day. 

Thea Hail Award Ceremony

A Thea Hail award ceremony was booked after she picked up a win over Valentina Feroz on last week’s show. Elektra Lopez came out prior to the finish of the match and handed Feroz a pair of brass knuckles, but Feroz refused to use the weapon. The distraction ultimately cost her the match.

Andre Chase was dressed up in graduation attire. Chase stated that Hail showed courage and confidence last week. He awarded a plaque to Hail for getting her first win. Hail said she loves the fan and the student section. 

JD McDonaugh came out to mock the segment. JD said that when you hang around Chase U, a win is a big deal considering their record. He said that they’re losers and to get out of his ring. Chase challenges him to a fight then attacked JD. 

Vengeance Day Women’s Championship Summit

A Vengeance Day summit between new Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez, Gigi Dolin, and Jacy Jayne took place. Perez, Lyra Valkaria, defeated Toxic Attraction on last Tuesday’s show.

Dolin and Jayne argued to start it off. Jayne said that she dragged Dolin to success. Dolin mocked her for throwing up before matches. Dolin said Perez will be the shortest reigning NXT Women’s Champion in history. They all said they would win. Dolin and Jayne then attacked Perez. They put her through a table and stood tall with the title to close the show. 

The Bella Twins (Nikki & Brie Bella) were initially advertised weeks ago to appear at WWE Raw XXX on Monday night. 

They weren’t advertised the week before the event and didn’t show up at the event. While speaking on Instagram Live, Nikki explained why they didn’t appear on the show. It all came down to them being booked from Monday through Thursday with Artem Chigvintsev on a busy media schedule to promote the premiere of “Nikki Bella Says I Do” on Thursday night. She stated that it’s a WWE-owned show, and that’s why there were so many trailers for it during Raw. 

“We were hoping, I think it was weeks ago, we were talking about going to Raw. They said they had nothing for us. We were booked on media on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then there was maybe an idea. Our whole team, including WWE and everyone else, had booked us for Monday in New York. Whatever you see of stuff, all of a sudden, stories change; that’s to clean up and throw it on people, nope. We had all these commitments per the company we work for and everyone else. I know people like to throw it on people, but I’m not going to let that happen,” she said.

#WWEWomenDeserveBetter

After the show, Nikki and Brie spoke on Instagram, noting the lack of women’s clips on Raw 30. Becky Lynch and Bayley were scheduled to compete in a cage match on the show, but the match was cut short due to the opening segment going long. The hashtag “WWEWomenDeserveBetter” began trending after the show.

Nikki said she loves the fans for sticking up for the women and said it wasn’t about them for bringing this up. Instead, it’s about the women of the past to the ones in the company now. 

“I understand why so many people are upset, especially our fans when it’s something like Raw 30.”

Nikki noted that people have their own memories and come from various eras. 

“I love that you’re doing the hashtag, and you’re going to see a lot of narratives play because people have to protect themselves and you’re going to get a lot of women blamed and people calling them crybabies. No, we put in just as much effort and work. All those women do, all of them, from every era. Not just women, men too.”

H/T to Figtful for the transcription

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage is about to become a free agent. 

A new report from Fightful Select notes that Cage’s AEW contract is set to expire in a matter of weeks. That could change at any time if an extension is reached.

Cage originally signed his AEW contract in 2020 when he joined the promotion, and it was a two-year deal. However, his option year was picked up by AEW. At that time, word going around was that Cage was pleasantly surprised as he didn’t expect to have his option year picked up because he had been off TV for almost one year.

WWE Interest?

The report noted there have been feelers within WWE to gauge the company’s interest in possibly bringing Cage in. As of this writing, it remains to be seen whether either side has an interest.

While away from AEW, he had been working for Warrior Wrestling, XPW, and other indie promotions. Cage has received internal praise for his work since returning to AEW TV in September. 

Cage is currently on a four-match winning streak in AEW as Cage has picked up wins over Schaff, Carl Randers, and Willie Mack before beating Mack again on last week’s Rampage episode.

This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite will feature Cage vs. Bryan Danielson in singles action.

Bianca Belair went on to win the 2021 30-Woman Royal Rumble match and headlined WWE WrestleMania 37 with Sasha Banks. This came one year after she was called up to the main roster from NXT. 

For the past nine months, Belair has been the Raw Women’s Champion. Belair’s rise was discussed on the Public Enemies Podcast by former WWE writer Chris Dunn. 

This is where the original plan for the 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble match was revealed. 

Original Winner

He revealed that Charlotte Flair was penciled in to win the match. The finish had been practiced, and Flair was going to go over. Belair was going to be eliminated midway through the match. However, fellow writer Ryan Ward presented his case to Vince McMahon about why Belair should win instead of Flair. 

“I was in a Tampa Hotel room and we were watching some sort of football game and an assistant had just left the Royal Rumble (2021) night-before meeting and they changed the finish and Charlotte [Flair] was going to go over and they rehearsed Charlotte going over and Bianca [Belair] was going to get eliminated like midway through the match and it got changed to Bianca going over and I think a lot of people voiced it but this guy, Ryan Ward, he’s been there for like 14 years, he was [John] Cena’s writer and probably, for my money, I think has had the biggest hand in the women’s revolution. 

He was lead writer in the golden days of NXT with Kevin [Owens] and Sami [Zayn] and The Four Horsewomen, all that stuff. From my understanding, what I heard, he kind of said something to Vince [McMahon] to the effect of, ‘Vince, if you look at the Royal Rumble tomorrow, you have Edge winning and Charlotte winning. We’re not making any new stars’ and I think that really resonated and Bianca was on such a roll where it kind of made sense and she also had to, again, right after that match, really nail that post-match promo and she did it and she was just awesome and great.”

Belair will make her next title defense at the Royal Rumble against Alexa Bliss this Saturday. 

H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcription

WWE did an angle on Monday at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, with Bron Breakker and Grayson Waller. 

Breakker retained his WWE NXT Title over Waller a few weeks ago at New Year’s Evil via count out. They will run it back at NXT Vengeance Day next month inside of a steel cage at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The angle was first seen when Miss Indiana USA Alexis Lete posted a video on her Instagram Stories in what was supposed to be a clip about what she’s been learning while training to become a WWE Superstar. At the end of the clip, you can see a bunch of other trainers and wrestlers swarm Breakker and Waller to try to break things up.

Another View

An alternate view of the fight can be seen below, where Breakker was throwing hands after taking down Waller. 

A match or two will likely be added with the event a week away, but the current lineup features four matches. The other bouts previously announced for the show include NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne, NXT Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly, and NXT North American Champion Wes Lee vs. Dijak.

AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin has given some new details on his television show as he finished filming the pilot for the series.

The show was announced last year as it replaced “Rhodes to the Top,” which had aired on TNT but was put to an end once Cody and Brandi Rhodes left the company. 

TNT contacted D Allin about his own TV show, which he discussed when speaking with Tony Hawk and Jason Ellis ‘Hawk vs Wolf Podcast’. Allin mentioned that a pilot for his television show has been filmed and that he wore a dog’s shock collar while trying to skateboard during the filming. 

Due to his interests outside of the ring of doing various stunts, there has been speculation the show may be like the “Jackass” franchise, where he puts his body on the line.

The Show

“I was wearing one (electric shock collar) when we were filming the pilot for my TV show and we were trying to do some skating with the shock collar and stuff like that and I was like, this is impossible. I couldn’t imagine putting that on a dog. Crazy.”

Allin won the TNT Title for a second time to kick off the year and has made three successful defenses against the likes of Mike Bennett, Juice Robinson, and KUSHIDA. Darby’s next scheduled defense is against Buddy Matthews this Wednesday. 

H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcription

WWE loaded up the Raw 30 anniversary show on Monday night with several big matches and legends. 

One of the matches promoted for the show was a Steel Cage match between Bayley and Becky Lynch. WWE had a lot more planned, but the company had to call an audible, according to a new report.

The Original Plan

Fightful Select reports that the entrances and the match were scheduled for two segments. Instead, they had to cut things short because of the opening segment with The Bloodline running long. 

The Trial of Sami Zayn opened the show with Roman Reigns telling Zayn that he would have to pass his final test this Saturday at the Royal Rumble when “The Tribal Chief” defended his Undisputed WWE Universal Title against Kevin Owens. 

The report also noted that several segments had to be trimmed, but the most affected thing on Raw was Bayley vs. Lynch. 

As noted, WWE nixed a Bloodline Acknowledgement Ceremony on this show because  Afa and Sika weren’t ready to make the trip, and Rikishi was sick, so WWE nixed the entire segment.

The Undertaker made his return to WWE television, but wasn’t portraying his Deadman character. Instead, he brought a fan-favorite gimmick for a segment on WWE Raw XXX to help celebrate the 30 anniversary of the show. 

The Undertaker underwent a gimmick change in 2000 when he ditched his Deadman persona for something that was more in line with his real-life personality and called the gimmick “The American Bad Ass.”

On Raw, The Undertaker brought back the gimmick when he interrupted LA Knight’s promo at the Wells Fargo Center. He helped Bray Wyatt lay out Knight before telling him something. 

The Moment

WrestleVotes shared this interesting story about Wyatt and Taker as they had a match at WrestleMania 31 in 2015 where Taker went over. 

“Feels like a good time to tweet this, following their match at WrestleMania 31 Undertaker told Vince in the post match embrace to “take care of him” in reference to Bray. Regardless of what happen in the interim, Taker has always been a huge Wyatt supporter. It showed just now.”

Although WWE didn’t get their dream match between The Rock and Roman Reigns, the company has tried to make another major match happen. This time it features Steve Austin. 

As previously reported, The Rock indicated that he wouldn’t be in ring shape in time for the match at WrestleMania 39 in April. The company knew about this for a while. 

Fightful Select reports that a pitch was made internally for a “huge opponent” for Austin, and that was Reigns. The report noted, at the very least, Austin’s camp was approached with the possibility of it happening, which was said to have been for “enormous” money. 

Past Talks

Last summer, it was reported that Austin was approached with a deal that wasn’t as appealing from a financial standpoint. After speaking with those in WWE, they claimed they hadn’t heard back on whether the most recent offer was accepted. One source indicated that another “big name” was offered in the months prior.

It was previously reported by WrestlingNews.co in December that the internal plans for top WrestleMania title matches called for Drew McIntyre/Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins one night and TBD/Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns another night. 

Austin came out of retirement last year for a match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38. 

Kathleen Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery’s U.S. Networks Group, has given respect to the fanbase of AEW. 

AEW airs two weekly television shows on networks owned by the company, with Dynamite on Wednesday nights on TBS and Rampage on Friday nights on TNT. They also air quarterly specials titled, Battle of the Belts, which air on TNT with the last two being broadcasted live after Rampage. 

Kathleen Finch’s Comments

Speaking candidly during a Deadline-moderated keynote at the Realscreen conference in Austin, Texas, Finch noted that they find sports and sitcoms work well on the Turner networks. 

Finch discussed AEW while talking about the company’s concerns about Dana White’s Power Slap show after his New Year’s Eve debacle where he was seen on video slapping his wife. 

“This is an experiment. The goal is, we are making shows for our fans, that’s who we work for. Fans of wrestling have a lot of overlap with the fans of this and it’s huge on social media so the idea really is, if we can take something that’s huge on social, bring it to a linear audience giving the fans what they want. This may surprise you to know that I did not know much about wrestling before I took this job. I know, I seem like a wrestling fan, but I’m not. But I did have to learn a lot about the audience. A lot of families that watch [wrestling], I was very surprised to learn this. I have huge respect for this audience. AEW wrestling airs on two of our networks, TNT and TBS — on both nights it kills. Finding something that speaks to that audience, that would be gold.”

AEW’s TV rights deal will expire in 2024 with talks expected to happen this year. 

On Monday, WWE will celebrate the 30 anniversary of Raw from Philadelphia with a loaded card and several former stars expected to appear. 

Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Booker T, and more will be there. The Undertaker is also slated to attend, although his wife, Michelle McCool, revealed on Twitter that she wasn’t called. 

The Idea

WWE might have some big plans for Taker and one of its biggest stars, Bray Wyatt. Fightful Select reported today, “There were pitches for Undertaker to be involved with a Bray Wyatt/LA Knight segment.”

Taker and Wyatt had shared the ring before as The Undertaker went over the fan favorite in a singles match at WrestleMania 31 in 2015, one year after Brock Lesnar snapped Taker’s undefeated WrestleMania winning streak. 

The report noted, “Despite his look on the poster, The Undertaker’s traditional gear was sent to the show.” Thus, Taker could again be portraying his Deadman gimmick on this show. 

Raw 30 will also serve as the go-home episode before the 2023 Royal Rumble event this Saturday, where Wyatt and LA Knight are slated to meet in the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match in the Alamodome.

• WWE Raw is XXX Preview, Live Results Tonight

More details regarding WWE‘s upcoming 2K23 video game that was officially announced on Monday morning. 

Before the game’s official reveal, John Cena had teased his potential involvement on his Instagram by sharing a blank cover of the game. He will be the game’s cover star and its three different editions – Standard, Deluxe, and Icon. 

Pre-order for WWE 2K23 is now available before the game’s official launch on March 17th. By shelling out the money now, it will grant fans three-day early access starting March 14th.

The Hype

It was touted that “WWE 2K23 features several franchise advancements, including a unique new take on the 2K Showcase, the WWE 2K introduction of the fan-favorite WarGames, and expansions to several marquee game modes.”

Fans can also look forward to the “Incredibly realistic graphics, animations, camera angles and lighting, plus accessible controls and a new optional pinning mechanic will add to the highly immersive experience.”

The Icon Edition will be available for $119.99 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. It will feature something special to celebrate 20 years of John Cena’s WWE career, the Ruthless Aggression Pack. It will feature John Cena’s early “Prototype” character and “Leviathan” Batista, developmental rookie versions of Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton. 

These are some of the biggest names in recent memory that WWE has developed from its rookie system in OVW at the time. Shelton Benjamin was also part of this star-studded class. 

Game Details

• 2K Showcase Starring John Cena: Conquering John Cena in the ring is an accolade few Superstars can claim. In an unprecedented twist on the 2K Showcase, players will step into the boots of several of Cena’s toughest competitors with one goal in mind: defeat the man who will “Never Give Up.” Spanning his 20-year WWE career and narrated by Cena himself, this interactive sports entertainment documentary uses 2K’s unique Slingshot Tech for a seamless transition from gameplay to live-action footage to bring pivotal moments in each match to life.
• WarGames: The fan-favorite, chaotic and action-packed WarGames makes its debut in WWE 2K23 and delivers heart-pounding 3v3 and 4v4 single player or multiplayer mayhem inside two side-by-side rings, surrounded by a double steel cage.
• MyGM: Now featuring more GMs to choose from – or a player’s own custom GM creation – as well as additional show options, multiple seasons, expanded match cards, and more match types for up to four players. Players draft a roster, manage budgets, sign free agents, choose various match types, arena locations, production elements and more, with the goal of beating a rival GM in weekly ratings battles.
• MyFACTION: Now featuring online multiplayer action, the team-building mode in which players collect, manage, and upgrade an array of WWE Superstars and Legends to create their ultimate four-person factions returns. Players can now take their faction online and compete for global dominance, or compete in Weekly Towers and Faction Wars, while new themed card packs and goals roll out regularly throughout the year**.
• MyRISE: Aspiring Superstars walk through the curtain for their WWE debut in MyRISE and shape their career with the decisions made along the way. Featuring distinct men’s and women’s division storylines and the ability to import custom created Superstars, players journey from the humble beginnings of a rookie, to being immortalized as a WWE Legend.
• Universe: The ultimate WWE Universe sandbox that puts players in charge of their own version of WWE, from Superstar rosters, feuds, champions, weekly shows, and Premium Live Events! Updates to Universe include a reworked story system and more.
• Creation Suite: A signature feature of the WWE 2K franchise, the creation suite returns with cross-platform community creations, including the ability to design custom Superstars, GMs, arenas, entrances, move sets, championships and more. Custom arenas are now playable online, and advanced customization has been added to created entrances.

Additional confirmed playable characters: Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan (Hollywood Hogan), Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley.

Two more WWE stars could be making a return to the company as WWE has had internal discussions about bringing back Akam and Rezar, collectively known as the Authors of Pain or AOP.  The news comes courtesy of Fightful Select.

The report noted that bringing back the tag team has been at least discussed. AoP was integral to the NXT Black and Gold brand before being called up to WWE Raw. They were pushed as a monster team, some even comparing them to the legendary Road Warriors. 

Paul Ellering Returning?

The possibility of their longtime, original manager Paul Ellering was also discussed, as he managed them during their NXT run before being abandoned on the main roster. 

Since the split, they’ve stayed close and got his blessing to name themselves Legion of Pain outside WWE. There had been rumors Ellering didn’t want to do the main roster travel with AOP, which he’s refuted in past interviews. 

AOP hasn’t wrestled in nearly three years but remain young, as both are still under 30 years old. In 2020, WWE released them, and AOP was out of the wrestling business, besides their ill-fated promotion attempts with WES in 2022.

WWE is just over a week away from this year’s Royal Rumble, and the company has been discussing the event in recent meetings. 

Fightful Select reports that while several veterans have contacted WWE about making Royal Rumble appearances, WWE was said to have been leaning out of that in some cases in favor of what they call “non-traditional surprises.” 

It’s unclear what that meant. Creative and producers were soliciting pitches for such a thing. In 2022, WWE was adamant about leaning out of NXT names appearing in the match.

Ronda Rousey’s Status

The report did note that as of last week, Ronda Rousey wasn’t planned for the Royal Rumble PPV when she lost the title. She dropped the SmackDown Women’s Championship to a returning Charlotte Flair on the December 30 edition of SmackDown. 

Until December, Rousey was scheduled for the show in a singles match.

Fightful was told that “WWE was very confident in their women’s roster as is with the hires and call-ups over the last year, and how it would play into the Royal Rumble match.”

WWE needed to call in several veterans for last year’s match because of mass talent releases, causing a depleted roster. 

Longtime indie wrestler Jason Cade has been brought in to help with the Royal Rumble while TJ Wilson will be on hand, leading the charge unlike last year as he wasn’t around. WWE had to bring in Fit Finlay to help.

WWE has changed how they book their Tag Team Champions as  The Usos are touted as the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions. However, they’ve always been the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Champions. 

Instead of defending the titles separately, they defend both titles. The same goes for Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, who holds both the WWE Title and Universal Championship.

WWE booked The Usos’ next title defense for Raw 30 this Monday. However, the company made sure to note they will defend the Raw Tag Team Titles against Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest instead of noting they will defend the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles.

The Idea

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that having The Usos defend the titles separately again is a call from Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

“The idea right now on the tag team front is that there are two sets of belts. The Usos are champions, but the Raw and Smackdown belts are different. This is a new Paul Levesque move and it does allow the Usos to lose one set of belts and keep the other. It was explained to me that the hope is it makes fans think it’s more likely somebody beats them for one set of belts.”

The Usos do not have a match lined up yet for the Royal Rumble next Saturday. 

WWE has added two new names to the list of legends slated to appear on the Raw 30 anniversary show this coming Monday. 

WWE.com now lists that Hulk Hogan and Triple H will be appearing at Raw’s 30th anniversary episode that takes place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Monday. 

It will be Hogan’s first appearance on WWE TV since co-hosting WrestleMania 37 in 2021. WWE updated its advertisement to reflect Hogan appearance on the show: 

The Announcement

“The historic Raw 30 celebration will feature a slew of WWE Legends including The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, X-Pac, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, Teddy Long, Ron Simmons, and Kurt Angle,” WWE wrote. “Be a part of history on Raw 30, next Monday at 8/7 C on USA.”

This episode of Raw is also the go-home show for the Royal Rumble that takes place next Saturday. 

Updated WWE Raw 30 Anniversary Card

• United States Champion Austin Theory vs. Bobby Lashley
• Raw Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. The Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio)
• Becky Lynch vs. Bayley – Steel Cage Match
• Bloodline Acknowledgement Ceremony with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns
• WWE legends to appear