Thunder Rosa has provided another update on her status with AEW. 

The former AEW Women’s Champion has been sidelined with a back injury since August. She announced at the time that she would have to step away from in-ring competition as a result, leading to the creation of an Interim AEW Women’s Championship. 

This interim title later became the undisputed AEW Women’s Championship due to Rosa’s extended absence. Toni Storm was named the Women’s Champion before she dropped the title to Jamie Hatier. 

Showing Face

While speaking on Busted Open Radio, she said she would be back on the road with AEW soon. However, she doesn’t know when she will wrestle again. Her plan is to ‘show face’ and be around backstage again while she gears up for an in-ring return.

“It’s going to be nice to be around everyone and see how things unfold,” she said.

The previous update on her in-ring status was last month when Rosa said she was lifting again but wasn’t ready to train in the ring and take bumps.

• Last Month: Thunder Rosa Still Has a Long Road Ahead Before AEW Return

The venue, Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, set to hold Friday’s (January 20) WWE SmackDown event, had to be evacuated on Thursday night (January 19).

This is according to the Detroit News, which noted the Little Caesars Arena was evacuated after an ammonia leak in the building. It happened around 3:15 pm in the arena’s basement. 

Detroit Fire Department chief of community relations and public information officer James Harris stated that two men near the leak suffered chemical burns. They were transported to Detroit Receiving Hospital with minor injuries.

Statement

Firefighters, medics, and a hazmat specialist responded at the time. Harris shared the following statement to the press:

“The leak was contained by us. Little Caesars Arena did their due diligence. They went into action, and the situation will be mitigated shortly.”

Other details, including the cause of the leak, were shared. WWE is expected to move forward with SmackDown. They’ve previously announced two things for the show: Here’s the announced lineup for the episode:

– Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens meet for a contract signing 

– Drew McIntyre & Sheamus vs Viking Raiders – SmackDown Tag Team Title Tournament First-Round

D-Von Dudley, real name Devon Hughes, has announced that he is no longer with WWE. 

Following a run with Bubba Ray Dudley from 2015-2016 in WWE, D-Von retired from in-ring action to start working as a producer for WWE and later as an NXT trainer. 

As part of The Dudley Boyz tag team, he wrestled for ECW from 1995 to 1999 and WWE from 1999 to 2005 as D-Von Dudley and Reverend D-Von. He performed for TNA from 2005 to 2014 as Brother Devon and Devon.

He labeled the departure a mutual decision and thanked Vince McMahon, Paul Levesque, and Stephanie McMahon. You can read his statement below: 

The Statement

“The company (WWE) and I have decided to parted ways, and feel this is the best Decision for all parties it’s been a pleasure and an honor to work with the young talent when bubba as well as everyone over in NXT. As well as working with some of the best producers in the world. would mike to thank Vince , Paul (HHH), Stephanie, and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the Opportunity that was given. I’m very excited to see where God brings me next, Oh my brother……. TESTIFY!!!!”

His sons Terrence and Tyrell have worked on the AEW YouTube shows and on the independent wrestling scene. He had publicly hoped to have them join NXT one day to wrestle.

Cody Rhodes will return to the ring at the WWE Royal Rumble event. WWE confirmed the news on Monday’s Raw, where they aired a video package showing Cody’s rehab since suffering a torn pec several months ago. 

In the video, Rhodes stated that he plans to become a World Champion in WWE. The first step in that direction is by winning the men’s Royal Rumble match. 

WWE has been airing these types of videos since last month. Many people were surprised to see the company make the announcement instead of saving his return as a surprise. 

The Reason

WrestleVotes reported today that WWE knew everyone was expecting to see him return at the event, and they’re more than pleased with other surprises they have so they decided to announce it.

“Asked a source the reasoning behind Cody’s Rumble return being announced as opposed to a surprise…Source said it’s twofold, one being that nearly everyone expected it to happen already & two, source states they are “more than pleased” w/ the other surprises that are lined up.”

GUNTHER, Austin Theory, Kofi Kingston, Ricochet, Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Baron Corbin, Santos Escobar, and Rey Mysterio are the other names confirmed for the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match. 

Dax Harwood of FTR recently announced that he and partner Cash Wheeler have been given time off from AEW and won’t be appearing on television for a few months as they weigh out their options ahead of their contracts expiring in April. 

Harwood has floated the idea of the tag team working exclusively on the independent scene for the rest of that year even though they have plenty of options, whether that is to sign with AEW, go full-time in NJPW or return to WWE now that Triple H is running WWE’s booking.

AEW President Tony Khan appeared on the In the Kliq podcast to address FTR’s futures with the company. Prior to their hiatus, the Top Guys lost five consecutive tag team matches to drop the ROH, IWGP and AAA World Tag Team Championships. 

Tony Khan on FTR

“Well, I do hope to see FTR back,” said Khan. “They need some time to recover from what was one of the most intense years of wrestling any team has ever done. The schedule they went through, all of the different places they worked — they worked all over and won championships all over the world.”

Khan put them over for working all over the world, including the US, London, Japan, and in Mexico. He also praised them for their performance in the dog collar match at ROH Final Battle against The Briscoes.

“That was, to me, one of the most savage, barbaric wrestling matches I’ve ever seen, and that was for the Ring of Honor Tag Team Championship. That was following a lot of other crazy matches for FTR.

So, I think, for those guys, we want to see them back in AEW and want to see them heal up and come back at 100%. We’re really looking forward to that, hopefully. I think they’re a great team, and we’d love to have them back.”

h/t: Fightful

GUNTHER has continued to be pushed as a top star on the main roster that he had been in WWE NXT UK and NXT. 

GUNTHER is the reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion, having held the title for over 200 days. His most recent title defense came when he defeated Braun Strowman on the January 13 episode of WWE SmackDown.

GUNTHER would welcome a match with Brock Lesnar, something he discussed while speaking with Tim Battle & Eli on the Battleground Podcast.”

GUNTHER on the Match

“Yeah, definitely. To get the opportunity to prove myself in that scenario would be fantastic. When I started as a wrestler and got back into wrestling, I always watched Brock’s matches because they are fantastic, they stand out right away. There is nobody like him. I always like those characters. Most of the people doing this who are successful, there is no copy of them. He’s always been a great wrestler, and from when I grew older in my career, I was able to analyze the work and understand the psychology and stuff. You can tell he’s one of the best to ever do it. If I get a chance to get in the ring with him, I would gladly take it.”

Lesnar hasn’t wrestled since WWE Crown Jewel 2022 when he defeated Bobby Lashley. GUNTHER may have his wish granted by Triple H if WWE stays with its internal plans for him at an upcoming event. 

H/T to Fightful for the transcription

Roman Reigns has added yet another milestone to his impressive run on top as the  Undisputed Universal Champion.

At Payback 2020, Reigns became the Universal Champion when he beat Bray Wyatt and Brown Strowman in a No Holds Barred Triple Threat Match.

He later scored a victory over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38 last year. Reigns became the first star to hold both the WWE and Universal Championships simultaneously.

The Stat

Wrestling Stats & Info on Twitter noted that Reigns has now been the Universal Champion for 871 days, surpassing GUNTHER’s 870-day NXT UK Title reign.

“Today, @WWERomanReigns’s active reign as Universal Champion (2020-Present) reaches 871 days, surpassing @Gunther_AUT’s NXT UK Title reign (2019-2021) for the longest single/consecutive championship reign in the entire @WWE Universe in the last 35+ years. #HeadOfTheTable.”

Throughout his time as the Universal Champion, Reigns has defended it against some of the biggest names in the company, including John Cena. Reigns will make his next defense as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion against Kevin Owens at the Royal Rumble next weekend. This is a rematch from the 2021 event where Reigns won their Last Man Standing Match. 

GUNTHER is currently the Intercontinental Champion and is slated to work the 30-Man Royal Rumble match.

WWE is bringing in an outside name to help with this year’s Royal Rumble event, and that’s Jason Cade. 

Fightful Select reported today that the indie wrestler will be working as a producer for the company, specifically in helping produce the 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match next week. 

The report noted that WWE Producer Tyson Kidd was said to be instrumental in helping Cade come in, as Kidd usually produces women’s matches in the company, including the Royal Rumble match. 

Jason Cade’s Background

Cade has trained alongside Kidd and Natalya in the past. Last month, Cade noted on Instagram that he was leaving Orlando to move to Los Angeles so that he can pursue his dreams.

Cade hasn’t wrestled for quite a while after breaking into the business in August 2012 after training under Norman Smiley, who currently works at the WWE Performance Center. 

Throughout his in-ring career, Cade has worked for numerous promotions over the years, such as CZW, EVOLVE, GCW, GFW, Impact Wrestling, MLW, Lucha Underground, PWG, ROH, WWN Live, and others.

In 2020, Cade worked two WWE matches where he lost to Aleister Black (Malakai Black) on the March 30, 2020, Raw episode, then lost to Ariya Daivari as a part of his $10,000 Challenge on the September 18, 2020 edition of WWE 205 Live. 

He also worked two matches for AEW that same year as current AEW All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy defeated him on the May 12, 2020 edition of AEW Dark, and Marko Stunt on the May 19, 2020 edition of Dark.

William Regal now serves as WWE Vice President of Global Talent Relations following his departure from AEW earlier this month. 

Regal spent the majority of 2022 under the banner of AEW where he worked as the manager for the Blackpool Combat Club. 

His AEW debut came at AEW Revolution last March, where he helped bring Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson together before recruiting Wheeler Yuta to their ranks. Claudio Castagnoli followed suit in the months after, and the Blackpool Combat Club was a force. 

While speaking on Distraction Pieces Podcast, Regal noted that he felt his final moments in AEW were too focused on himself as he turned on Moxley to help MJF beat him for the AEW World Heavyweight Title at Full Gear in November. 

His AEW Tenure

“In the last months of AEW, it was getting far too much about me. It should have been about the talent I was with, not about me,” Regal said (h/t Fightful). “I’m quite happy being in the background. I’ve had my run. I couldn’t have had a better last few months as far as TV and doing that, but I didn’t go there with that intention. The intention was to do something different, and it started off the way it did, but I didn’t expect it to end up being this thing that it was for the last seven months where I just became talent. I went there with a different plan because I was asked to go there to help out in a different capacity, and that never transpired.”

Regal wanted to return to WWE to be with his son in NXT, who wrestles under the Charlie Dempsey name. 

Regal’s WWE return cannot appear on television until 2024, something he’s okay with after his run in AEW. He noted he’s happy not to be in the spotlight. He thinks it shouldn’t be about him but rather the active in-ring talent.

Mercedes Moné is set to take on KAIRI in an IWGP Women’s Championship match at NJPW’s Battle In The Valley on February 18. 

The former Sasha Banks made her NJPW debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17 by confronting and attacking the fellow former WWE star. 

This upcoming match will be Moné’s first match since May 15, 2022 and her first match outside of WWE in over a decade. 

NJPW has released a video of Moné talking about the match, giving insight into where her mindset is ahead of the match. She also talked about how she plans to become a global superstar.

Mercedes Moné Statement

Moné is supremely confident headed into her upcoming title match. She intends to send KAIRI back to Japan and take the IWGP Women’s championship .. well, everywhere.

“I’ve never been more excited, more nervous, which I never get nervous about, but I am so ready for this. I’ve been dreaming about this. I’ve been really really wanting this and for it to be in the United States in San Jose, California. I have so much history there. I’ve had the greatest matches there. February 18th is gonna be the same.”

“I’m going to make sure that it is the greatest women’s match of all time. When I hold up my championship, oh cute little KAIRI, I’m gonna send her back to Japan, and she can go back to STARDOM, and I can be the global superstar that I’m meant to be. I’m about to take that title everywhere, not just New Japan, but everywhere.”

You can watch Mercedes Moné’s comments about her upcoming match against KAIRI right here:

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

The January 17, 2022 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

•  
• Apollo Crews & Axiom def. Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams
• Sol Ruca def. Alba Fyre.
• Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) def. Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen (w/ Fallon Henley) 
• Thea Hail def. Valentina Feroz
• Tyler Bate def. Javier Bernal.
• Roxanne Perez and Lyra Valkyria def. Toxic Attraction

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Apollo Crews & Axiom vs. Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams

Apollo Crews and Axiom vs. Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams took place in a tag team match. 

This was the opening match on the card and ended when Crews won with a roll on Hayes up in a fun match. 

Toxic Attraction Speak

Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) did a promo on this show after the two women earned an NXT Women’s Title match against Roxanne Perez at NXT Vengeance Day. 

Last week, they were the final two wrestlers in the match and they eliminated each other at the same time so WWE went with both stars. 

They cut a promo about how the fans couldn’t believe they made it to the finish. They mocked the fans for thinking they were turning on each other. They said they fell at the same time on purpose and said Toxic Attraction’s revenge tour was in full effect. Lyra Valkyria came out and noted she almost won the match. They attacked her until Perez came out. 

This set up a tag team match for later in the show. The babyfaces went over despite Cora Jade getting involved. 

Bron Breakker and Grayson Waller Speak

WWE had NXT Bron Breakker and Grayson Waller talk ahead of their rematch inside a cage at NXT Vengeance Day. Breakker won their match last week by countout on the New Year’s Evil special. 

Waller said that Bron has beaten everyone except for him. He said Bron was everything he thought he would be. He vowed to beat Bron at Vengeance Day. 

Bron did a sitdown interview where he noted he got caught with the running knee. He said he will prove the doubters wrong who thought he didn’t win the match last week. 

New Day Speak

NXT Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) were part of the show. 

This comes after they were confronted by a returning Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) on the January 10 episode. Gallus beat Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson), which prevented the former champions from earning an NXT Tag Team Title bout.

New Day noted that they will be facing Gallus at Vengeance Day. Pretty Deadly came out and said that they’ve been jumping through hoops to get the title shots. Gallus came out and said they’re all about ruining people’s good time.New Day threw out the challenge for a fight. Pretty Deadly attacked them and a brawl broke out. They will meet in a triple threat match at Vengeance Day. 

Braun Strowman is touted as The Monster Among Men, but he met his match when stepping into the ring with Brock Lesnar. He even received the end of a stiff punch from Lesnar.

It happened when he worked a triple threat match at the 2018 Royal Rumble with Lesnar and Kane. Strowman caught The Beast’s head with a knee. This led to an angry Lesnar reacting with a legitimate right-hand punch to the jaw of Strowman. 

Braun Strowman’s Reflection

Strowman described the moment in an interview with BT Sport:

“Sh*t got real! I mean at the end of the day it’s two scary guys, two dominant males not wanting to give an inch to either one and we took it from each other. Things happen, we’re not playing, we’re not ballet, we’re not badminton. We’re physical, he’s 300lbs, of just unadulterated animalistic beast and I’m a 385lbs monster. Things happen. At the end of the day, we made one hell of a segment, that’s what really happened.”

“I pat myself on the back, I think I’m the only person in history to take an overhand right from Brock Lesnar and not get knocked out. Anytime you get in the ring with The Beast and mix it up, the bigger the challenge the better. If you’re not wrestling the best, then who’d you beat?”

Lesnar won the match to keep the Universal Title until losing to Roman Reigns at Summerslam later that year.

H/T to TJRWrestling for the transcription

AEW/ROH President Tony Khan shared some sad news on Tuesday night as he confirmed that Jay Briscoe, Jamin Pugh, has passed away. 

The ROH star was just 38 years old. Khan didn’t provide a cause of death. He did issue the following statement on the passing of the fan-favorite star: 

“Sadly, Jamin Pugh has passed away. Known to fans as Jay Briscoe, he was a star in ROH for over 20 years, from the first show until today. Jay and his brother Mark dominated ROH, reigning as champions to this day. We’ll do whatever we can to support his family. Rest In Peace, Jamin.”

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that Jay died in a car accident today. 

Jay Briscoe’s Legacy

Jay was working for ROH at the time of his passing as he is the current one-half of ROH World Tag Team Champions with Mark Briscoe in their thirteenth reign. He was also a former two-time ROH World Champion and ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion.

Jay and Mark Briscoe made their wrestling debut for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) in 2001. They had a run in Impact Wrestling last year and have worked for NJPW since 2016. Jay and Mark were inducted 

Our thoughts are with the Briscoe family at this time.

Tony Khan has weighed in on the WWE sale rumors following Vince McMahon’s return to the company as the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. McMahon has returned to the company to explore the possibility of a sale as well as lead the company in its negotiations for the next TV rights deal. 

Last week, Barron’s reported that Tony and Shad Khan were “in the pool of” potential WWE buyers and the Khan family will likely look for a financial partner if they are to acquire WWE. CNBC later reported that the Khans were interested in a merger between AEW and WWE.

While appearing on The Maggie and Perloff Show, the AEW President was asked about his interest in potentially purchasing WWE.

Khan’s Thoughts

“I am interested in the news that there is potentially a sales process and certainly, I think we’ve shown, when there are acquisitions and transactions, we’re capable of making the big purchases, whether my dad steps up with the (Jacksonville) Jaguars or Fulham FC in the Premier League and he’s done such a great job building up the club and putting resources into it and we’re playing football at a high level. With AEW, we’ve shown that we can build a company.”

Khan noted that when he bought ROH, he enjoys running it and has done all-time highs in terms of every business metric since they took over. 

“AEW is my main focus, but certainly, when that news is out there, it’s very interesting. Stay tuned to AEW Dynamite and AEW Rampage, you never know when I’m going to address something. On the other hand, it’s very preliminary to talk about that process. If there is a process there, which it sounds like there may be, I’m interested in being part of it.”

Regarding whether he has a relationship with Vince McMahon, Tony noted he doesn’t have a relationship with him, but has talked with Stephanie in the past and had good conversations. 

H/T to Fightful for the transcript

Cody Rhodes will be making his return to the ring at the WWE Royal Rumble event. 

WWE confirmed the news on Monday’s Raw where they aired a video package that showed the rehab that Cody has been doing since suffering a torn pec several months ago. It also included clips of him in the hospital and rehab at the Nightmare Factory near his home in Atlanta. 

Cody’s wife, Brandi Rhodes, was also interviewed. He vowed to deliver on his promise of becoming a World Champion in WWE. The first step in that direction is by winning the men’s Royal Rumble match. 

Rhodes is Back

WWE pushed Rhodes as a top star from the moment he returned to the company during WrestleMania 38, as his feud with Seth Rollins further elevated him and established Rhodes as a big star.

However, he was sidelined following his Hell In A Cell match with Rollins due to a torn pectoral muscle that he suffered heading into the match. Rhodes underwent surgery for his injury and was sidelined for most of 2022. 

Frankie Kazarian appeared at last Friday’s Impact Wrestling Hard To Kill pay-per-view where he revealed that he had signed a long-term deal with the promotion. 

Kazarian said in his promo that he requested his release from AEW to join Impact. It was later confirmed that was true. 

While speaking with PWInsider, Kaz talked about his decision to join Impact Wrestling.

“I still had two years left on my contract, two years to get rolled over. AEW management contacted me in early December, which was only a few weeks after [Josh Alexander] match. They contacted me 30 days out, which is what they’re supposed to do, and had talked about rolling me over and wanted to get the process going. I basically said, ‘thanks but no thanks.’ I voiced concerns and frustrations and goals and aspirations and had a really good talk with management and left it there.”

Kazarian noted that he was still going to TV events and had a meeting with  Megha Parekh, head legal of AEW, at his last AEW show in San Antonio. They had a long talk about why he wanted to leave and bet on himself. He prides himself on doing business the right way and wanted to leave before any feelings of resentment or bitterness.

WWE Talks

He became a free agent on January 1. Kazarian continued on, saying that he spoke to people in WWE prior to signing with Impact

“In the spirit of transparency, I had great talks with the people at WWE. Those talks could not have been better, positive, and more professional. I have nothing but great things to say about everybody in that organization, especially the people I spoke to and texted with.”

Kazarian thought Impact was the best fit for him at this stage of his career and noted he has a great relationship with Scott D’Amore. He also has a history with the promotion and a legacy.

H/T to Fightful for the transcription

Days after holding a talent meeting with the blue brand at Friday’s WWE SmackDown, Triple H held another talent meeting, this time with the red brand at Monday’s WWE Raw. 

Bryan Alvarez posted to his Super Followers that staff and talent met with company management in Cincinnati, Ohio, ahead of the show. Also, Fightful Select provided some details on the meeting. They noted it was led by Triple H, Kevin Dunn, and Dan Ventrelle, who was hired as WWE’s executive vice president of talent in September. 

The Details

It was said today’s meeting addressed many of the same points discussed with SmackDown talent on Friday. Triple H once again reiterated that he is still the company’s Chief Content Officer and that Vince McMahon’s return as Chairman of the WWE Board Of Directors will not impact creative or talent relations. 

Triple H also debunked last week’s rumors that the company had already been sold to the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. 

Triple H told SmackDown talent last week that if the company is to be sold, the process will be a long one. He also noted that while discussing with Vince McMahon about creative, Vince always defers to him for the final say. 

Last Tuesday, Stephanie McMahon announced she had resigned as the Chairwoman and co-CEO of the company.

• Lots More News on Vince McMahon’s WWE Return

It appears that Matt Hardy is at least considering the idea of bringing back his popular Broken gimmick to television. 

Hardy first started doing the gimmick in Impact Wrestling in 2016 before portraying it briefly in 2017, months after he made his WWE return alongside his brother, Jeff, at WrestleMania 33, where they won the Tag Team Titles. 

It began as a crazed iteration of Matt and slowly evolved into a “broken universe,” with a series of supernatural elements. In WWE, he was ‘Woken’ instead of ‘Broken.’ 

Hardy has been Broken in AEW before, as he first debuted in the company with that gimmick back in March 2020. Although he continued with that persona for a couple of months, he ultimately returned to his “Big Money” moniker by that year’s end. 

AEW President Tony Khan publicly gave his thoughts on the match in a past interview by noting some aspects of it were a little too much for him.

Broken Return?

However, the gimmick could be returning, as the latest episode of Being The Elite showcased Matt briefly transforming into his Broken persona before the screen went black. 

Although Hardy has never been shy about teasing “Broken” elements, this is the first time in years that he has completely transformed with gray hair and sleeveless coat.

The latest name has been revealed for the upcoming WWE Monday Night Raw 30th anniversary show as the company looks to load up the episode.

Names previously confirmed for the show include Kane and Sean Waltman. Tatanka noted on his official Facebook that he was invited to the event. 

According to Pwinsider.com, Shawn Michaels will appear on the broadcast on January 23 from Philadelphia, PA. It’s unclear what he will be doing on the show or if Triple H and Road Dogg will appear for another DX reunion. 

Shawn Michaels’ Raw History

Michaels has ties to the first episode of Raw and was even the first champion to defend a title on the show. It happened on the November 11, 1993, edition when he defeated Max Moon (Paul Diamond) to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

It was revealed last week that Ronda Rousey was removed from the Raw 30th anniversary advertisement from WWE.com. It’s unclear why she was pulled from the event, but she hasn’t been seen on television since dropping the SmackDown Women’s Title to Charlotte Flair last month. 

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Bobby Lashley, Bayley, and Austin Theory are advertised to appear.

John Cena didn’t just wrestle a match at the December 30th edition of WWE SmackDown, but also taped something. 

A changed live event main event may have a lot more behind it than meets the eye, according to a new report by Fightful Select. 

Per the report, WWE had at least planned to film something with John Cena and WWE United States Champion Austin Theory while Cena was in for the SmackDown show. 

Original Plans

Originally, Theory was slated to headline the Toronto live event that night in a cage match with Seth Rollins, but Theory was pulled from that show to travel to Tampa, where he was set to film a segment with Cena. 

It’s unclear whether it was to be digital, for future use, for 2K, but the segment was filmed. Fightful did confirm WrestlingNews.co’s report that as of November, there were loose plans for Cena to wrestle Logan Paul at WrestleMania 39. It’s unclear whether that is still the plan. 

On the December 30th SmackDown, Cena teamed with Kevin Owens to defeat Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn in a tag team match.

Cody Rhodes is nearing his return to WWE.

Rhodes made a special return to WWE at WrestleMania 38 last April after making the hard decision not to re-sign with AEW, a company he helped launch in 2019, to make a return to WWE, where he was booked as the surprise opponent of Rollins. 

“The American Nightmare” has been out of action since last summer due to a torn pectoral injury that required him to undergo surgery and has forced him to sit on the sidelines for the last several months. 

Rhodes last wrestled Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell back in July, a bout he won in a highly praised performance. Because he suffered the injury before the match and couldn’t further damage the muscle, he decided to put forth a gutsy performance by going through with the bout. 

Back in The Ring

However, a positive update has been released. Fightful Select reports Rhodes has been at the WWE Performance Center preparing for his return. 

The report states that the former three-time AEW TNT Champion handpicked NXT stars Joe Gacy and Carmelo Hayes to help get him back into ring shape. 

The report also noted that Rhodes is still heavily factored into WWE’s plans for WrestleMania 39. Although not confirmed, many people believe Rhodes may return at the Royal Rumble. 

WWE 2K23 news could be on the horizon as fans look forward to seeing what the game developers have in store for them. 

WWE 2K22 was an important game in the WWE 2K franchise as it marked a new day for the series that was released in early 2022. News for that game came out at the start of the year. This year, WWE Games is continuing that approach.

Mike Straw of Insider Gaming reports that the game’s reveal is coming on the same day as the WWE Royal Rumble, which is January 28, 2023.

First Details

The report notes the event will have hands-on gameplay available. The gameplay will feature “select” bouts from this year’s showcase mode and a look at a new game mode.

More information will be released as soon as Wednesday, February 1, 2023. The game is reportedly slated for a release at the end of March, but a release date has yet to be confirmed.

WWE 2K22 featured the return of GM Mode after similar modes were absent for over a decade. After the disappointment of  WWE 2K20 due to several glitches, the franchise took a year off and skipped WWE 2K21.

Former WWE NXT UK wrestler Jinny is stepping away from the ring as she has announced her retirement. 

In a post on social media today, Jinny said that after being away for a long time due to injury, she decided to hang up her boots. She hasn’t worked a match in over a year. It’s unclear what is next for her as a career. 

Statement

“After a long time away due to an injury, I have made the decision to hang up my fashionable boots,” Jinny wrote. Thank you for all the memories. I’ll remember that chapter for the rest of my life. Every journey has an end, but in life, every ending is just a new beginning. I’m excited about what’s next.”

Before signing with WWE in 2018, Jinny was one of the most prominent women’s wrestlers on the United Kingdom indie scene. She held the PROGRESS Wrestling Women’s Championship twice and Revolution Pro Wrestling’s Undisputed British Women’s Championship once. 

While competing on the independent scene and in NXT UK, her character was nicknamed “The Fashionista.”

She last wrestled for NXT UK in November 2021. Jinny is married to WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther. 

Jade Cargill has reached a historic milestone in AEW as her dominant run as TBS Champion continues. 

She has been the AEW TBS Champion for 373 days, making history by becoming the longest-reigning champion in company history. Cargill broke former AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida’s previous record of 372 days. 

Throughout her time at AEW, she has accomplished several impressive feats. She had her first wrestling match in March 2021. Another impressive aspect of this accomplishment is that she has held a title longer than she has not in her short career thus far.

Another Impressive Stat

Cargill remains the only TBS Champion in history, as she won a tournament to be crowned the inaugural champion in January 2022 by defeating Ruby Soho in the finals. 

She also broke  Shida’s record when she was the AEW Women’s Champion, as Cargill has defended the TBS Championship 17 times. That’s also a record in AEW with the most title defenses by any champion in the company’s history. 

Over that time, she has defended against various talents such as The Bunny, and Willow Nightingale. Her most recent title defense came against Skye Blue at Battle of the Belts V. Shida only defended her title eight times successfully during her 372-day reign as champion.

Santino Marella, a former WWE United States, Intercontinental, and Tag Team Champion, is the new Director of Authority in Impact Wrestling.

The former WWE star was announced as the temporary replacement for the injured Scott D’Amore at the Hard To Kill 2023 pay-per-view on Friday night. 

His first piece of business was to restart the Digital Media Championship match between Joe Hendry and Moose after the title was awarded to Moose when he used a low blow and spear to Hendry.

The Announcement

In the early days of TNA Wrestling, Dusty Rhodes was once the director of authority. Now, Santino proudly carries the mantle.

Impact Wrestling, via its parent company of Anthem Sports, recently filed to trademark the name. Anthony Carelli had previously appeared in Impact Wrestling out of character, but now, he is playing the same persona he portrayed for over a decade in WWE. 

He was hired by WWE in 2005 and given an opportunity at Ohio Valley Wrestling, one of the company’s development brands. During a Raw episode from Milan, Italy, he made his debut. He won the Intercontinental Championship in his first match after being chosen as a fan from the audience and defeating Umaga. In the years that followed, he also took part in either a storyline as Santina Marella, Santino’s twin sister. He left WWE in 2015 after announcing his retirement in 2014. He founded Battle Arts Academy.  

Impact Wrestling will hold a set of TV tapings on Saturday night that will feature the fallout from this show.