WWE has filled a new position with an interesting name. 

Fightful Select reported today that WWE has hired horror writer Rob Fee, starting full-time work in October and officially signing this week for the spot of Director of Longtime creative. 

Prior to joining the company, he once pitched a Fiend-related movie that resonated well with WWE higher-ups and had the possibility of getting produced, but that all changed when WWE released Bray Wyatt in 2021.

Fee’s experience includes working as a horror writer for Marvel in the past, and he has been well regarded for his work. He has written comics for Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Avengers and was head writer on several Disney shows. 

He’s Behind The QR Codes

One of Fee’s early projects with WWE has been directing and producing the QR code-related cryptic messages that fans have seen on television in recent weeks. These vignettes have been getting a lot of buzz among fans on social media with the speculation that WWE is doing this for the return of Bray Wyatt.

Fee is said to be a longtime follower of wrestling, and those within the company said he was very familiar with the product.

Jon Moxley has been used as a top star by Tony Khan since his arrival in AEW at Double or Nothing 2019. The AEW President has also leaned on Moxley when needed to help carry the company. 

Moxley was originally slated to take time off after AEW All Out but was called upon to work the AEW World Heavyweight Title tournament when CM Punk was stripped of the title due to his part in the backstage fight with The Elite. He’s the first-ever star to hold the AEW World Title three times. 

Tony Khan Praises Mox

The AEW President recently had an interview with My Mom’s Basement podcast, and during it, he praised Moxley for his efforts. 

“Yeah, man, he’s been unbelievable. I think Jon Moxley this year is absolutely unquestionably somebody to be considered a top candidate for AEW’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) and definitely so many great matches, so many great moments with Mox, and what a great champion.”

Khan continued, “The GrandSlam tournament of champions was a huge success for AEW. Jon Moxley was a great winner. The finals match with Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson was tremendous. I think Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho was tremendous and Mox vs. Sammy, Sammy vs. Darby, and Danielson vs. Hangman are all great matches. I came at a great time for us and everybody involved in that tournament is a really important star, and they all had great credentials as champions to qualify for that Tournament of Champions so that was a big success for us.”

You can check out Tony Khan’s full interview below:

If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

WWE didn’t always have IYO SKY vs. Alexa Bliss planned as the main event of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. 

The former NXT Women’s Champion went over Bliss in the headliner of Raw’s Extreme Rules go-home edition. Fightful Select reported today that at one point, the plan was to close the show with AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio vs. The Judgment Day.

However, plans changed with Finn Balor and Damian Priest’s win over Styles and Mysterio being booked as the show opener. There’s no word yet on why the plans were changed.

WWE Raw Producers

Here is a list of the producers for the matches and segments featured on the show: 

• Judgment Day vs. Rey Mysterio & AJ Styles: Jamie Noble
• Bobby Lashley vs. Mustafa Ali: Shane Helms
• Matt Riddle, Seth Rollins face off: Jason Jordan
• Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai: Molly Holly
• Johnny Gargano vs. Otis: Shawn Daivari
• Braun Strowman vs. Chad Gable: Shawn Daivari
• Raw Women’s Title contract signing: Petey Williams
• Angelo Dawkins vs. Solo Sikoa: Michael Hayes
• Alexa Bliss vs. IYO SKY: Petey Williams

At Extreme Rules, Balor will wrestle Edge in an I Quit Match, while Bayley of Damage CTRL will challenge Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Title in a Ladder Match.

Ruby Soho is on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery to correct a broken nose she suffered last month.

Soho and Ortiz challenged Tay Conti and Sammy Guevara for the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Titles at the AEW All Out ‘Zero Hour’ pre-show back on September. The finish occured when Conti picked up Soho in a ‘backpack’ position and pulled her down for a knee to the face.

Soho’s nose was bloodied during the spot. After the match, she was helped to the back by referee Rick Knox. She later announced that her nose was broken and she’d be undergoing surgery.

Broken Nose

Ruby Soho issued a video statement on September 22nd announcing that her injury would prevent her from appearing for the UK’s 1PW promotion.

“Due to the injury that I received at All Out, a broken nose in two places and a mess of a septum, I have to have surgery and due to the scheduling of that surgery and the recovery time, I won’t be able to make it to the show on October 1st.

You guys, I’m really, really sorry that I’m not gonna be there. Honestly, this is the only thing that would keep me from coming back to England.”

Surgery, Recovery

On Tuesday, October 4, Soho checked in with an update. She posted a ‘post-op’ photo of herself and said she’s eagerly awaiting the change to breathe normally again.

SEScoops wishes Ruby Soho a speedy recovery.

It looks like a heel turn is coming for a top WWE star, and that’s AJ Styles, following this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. 

Styles and Rey Mysterio lost a tag team match to Damian Priest and Finn Balor on the show. The finish happened when Mysterio was preoccupied with Dominik at ringside, and this distraction allowed Rhea Ripley to take out Rey at ringside Styles fought the final moments of the match by himself.

The Angle

Post-match, Styles was upset with Mysterio and shoved him. Styles was then attacked by The Judgment Day. Balor could be heard yelling at Styles to listen to him and join his group, which is similar to what he did during the weeks before Dominik joined them.

This would imply that the company is hinting that Styles will eventually turn on Mysterio and join The Judgment Day in the near future.

As previously reported, WWE is planning to give Balor a big push shortly, which makes his I Quit match more interesting against Edge at this Saturday’s Extreme Rules event in Philadelphia, PA. 

Former WWE Tag Team Champion Montez Ford is injured. The news was kept quiet until this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

In a backstage segment, The Usos, Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn bumped into The Street Profits. Zayn gave a “warning” to Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins to let them know that they would need to acknowledge Roman Reigns next week.

The Reveal

Jey Uso told Ford to go ahead and say something disrespectful; he’d put his other foot in a boot. The camera panned down to show Ford’s right foot in a tall walking boot. A match ended up being set between Sikoa and Dawkins was set up for Raw. 

The last time Ford and Dawkins wrestled was on the September 24 house show against Alpha Academy. Although not confirmed, that could be when he suffered the injury, or it may have been something the fan favorite star has been dealing with for a while.

There is no word on the severity of the injury or how long he might be out of action. We wish him a speedy recovery. It will be interesting to see if WWE keeps Dawkins on television while Ford is on the sidelines. 

An entire group of WWE NXT stars got the chance to work in front of a large crowd for the first time in their careers at Monday’s Raw for the Main Event taping. 

On WWE Main Event, Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen, and Fallon Henley will appear on this week’s episode. 

The Young Stars Shine

Fallon Henley had a match against Dana Brooke, while Briggs & Jensen faced R-Truth & Shelton Benjamin in a tag team match. Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen were victorious in their effort, but it’s unclear who won the women’s bout. 

It’s unclear what WWE plans for these stars, but it certainly appears Triple H and officials wanted a closer look at these NXT wrestlers on the big stage after getting over in developmental as babyfaces. 

It’s been reported that another expected main roster call-up is likely for another NXT faction, Legado Del Fantasma, after Santos Escobar lost a match to Tony D’Angelo, who saw him banished from NXT.

 On the NXT 2.0 premiere, Briggs and Jensen formed a tag team. While together, they became the NXT UK Tag Team Champions, making them the first non-European tag team to win the titles.

Drew McIntyre faced off against Roman Reigns at the WWE Clash at the Castle event for the Undisputed Universal Championship in Cardiff, Wales. 

Solo Sikoa made his main roster debut and helped Reigns win the match. This surprised some fans as many felt the event was built around McIntyre winning the title in the stadium. 

While speaking with My San Antonio, McIntyre said he was happy with the atmosphere that fans generated but admitted he was concerned that fans would riot after the match because of the finish. 

McIntyre Opens up on his Concern

“But they [fans] were 100 percent for me and against Roman and the atmosphere was great. I even asked Roman afterwards – because he has been a part of these matches with big crowds – have you heard anything like that, and he said ‘No.’ You’d be hard-pressed to find a crowd that was that loud consistently throughout, especially our match. It was a World Cup soccer match the way they were shouting — the way they were singing their songs and chanting ‘F-U Roman’ the entire time. And they were not happy with that finish. I was generally concerned about rioting.”

McIntyre will battle Karrion Kross in a strap match at Saturday’s Extreme Rules event. Reigns will defend his title against Logan Paul at Crown Jewel next month.

Charlotte Flair has been out of action for several months, and fans have waited to see her return. It seems that day is coming sooner than later.

“The Queen” hasn’t been seen in action since she lost an I Quit match to Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania Backlash. The company wrote her off television with an arm injury after Ronda Rousey made her tap to an armbar through a chair. This was done as she took time off to get married to Andrade El Idolo.

Charlotte Flair Hints at a Potential Feud

Over the weekend, Flair asked about her next move in WWE during an appearance on WWE’s Most Extreme Moments Countdown special on FOX. Flair stated that she has had her eye on Bianca Belair and the Raw Women’s Title. 

This has led to speculation that this may be the direction that WWE goes once Flair returns. It’s still unclear when Flair will be returning. 

Extreme Rules is coming up on Saturday, which could present a perfect opportunity to make that happen. Belair will defend the Raw Women’s Title against Bayley in a ladder match at this event. 

Flair is booked for an autograph signing in New York City at the Big Event this November.

Andrade Eying WWE Return?

This November will mark the anniversary of The Shield’s debut on WWE television when they got involved in a triple threat match at Survivor Series involving CM Punk, John Cena, and Ryback. 

The trio of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns are on top of the wrestling world but not together under the same promotion. Ambrose, now Jon Moxley, is the current AEW World Champion, while Reigns is the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and Rollins is a top star. 

While speaking with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport, Rollins talked about how he feels like he has never been ‘the guy’ in WWE with Reigns being around.

“Even when I had won the title at WrestleMania, cashed in. Great moment. I still felt like I was second fiddle to Roman [Reigns]. I still felt like, ‘he was the guy, you’re the placeholder until he’s totally ready and we’re totally ready to put the ball in his hands. But for now you’re a step ahead, so we’re gonna give you this and then we’ll move on to what we really want to be, it’s just gonna take a few months’. So no, I’ve never ever felt like, in my time in WWE, that the company was like ‘yep, he’s our guy, put his face on everything’.”

Rollins was asked if he feels he is close to getting to that point in WWE. He questions whether it will ever happen because he lives in the Roman era. 

The only time I was even considered, I think, for the main event of WrestleMania, [was when] Roman, when he got Leukemia, and he was out from August to January, February whatever it was, and I was second behind in the babyface column, so I got slotted in. So, I feel like, it’s one of those things. The best I can hope for is to be the Edge to his [John] Cena, the [Randy] Savage to his [Hulk] Hogan. Sometimes I just feel like that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. Doesn’t mean that I don’t think I’m better than he is, or that I can perform or I can draw at that level. I certainly think all those things, but it’s not my sandbox. I don’t make those decisions.”

Rollins is set to participate in a Fight Pit match against Matt Riddle at the Extreme Rules event.

H/T to WrestleTalk for the transcription

When the news of Cody Rhodes leaving AEW came out earlier this year, it stunned fans as he was preparing to make a return to WWE once he couldn’t reach an agreement for a new deal with Tony Khan. 

Fightful Select reported today that in speaking with Warner Bros Discovery sources, there were several efforts made within the company to retain Rhodes in AEW. 

Rhodes created a solid relationship with WarnerMedia through working on AEW, Rhodes to the Top, and Go Big Show programming. The report stated that the Rhodes WWE deal wasn’t official until a few weeks before WrestleMania, even though WWE considered it a foregone conclusion. 

Warner Bros. Discovery Wanted Rhodes to Stay

The report noted that after the merger of Warner Bros. Discovery, “there were inquiries in the company completely separate from AEW to gauge Rhodes’ interest in staying.”

Some sources told Fightful that an effort was made to reach out to Rhodes through Sam Linskey, who serves as Associate General Manager and Senior Vice President of Scripted Original programming for TNT, TBS, and TruTv. 

There wasn’t any ill will between either side, and Rhodes had told those who asked that it was “time to leave the territory.” He made similar comments in various interviews. 

Due to the Rhodes’ connections across multiple Warner Bros. Discovery shows, they were also contacted to possibly participate in the UpFronts. 

WBD sources said they would have loved it if Rhodes had stayed, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker. Sources within the company said they’ve been happy with AEW, particularly with their numbers in September.

Bandido is a man who is in demand right now, as both WWE and AEW are reportedly interested in signing him. 

Despite losing the match, he had a great outing against Ring of Honor Champion Chris Jericho on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. AEW immediately offered Bandido a full-time contract.

Dave Meltzer reported the news in Friday’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter. There is no confirmation whether he has signed his deal. This marked his promotional debut. 

Bandido Has Options

While speaking on today’s Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez noted that he heard WWE is also interested in Bandido. 

“I don’t know…it just says here he was offered a deal. Hopefully, he’s signed because WWE was asking for his number like before that match was even over. The man is in demand. It begs the question, why wasn’t he in demand before Wednesday? I don’t think we needed Wednesday to find out that Bandido was great.” 

Bandido made his debuts for both Impact Wrestling and MLW this year while also regularly working on the indies and AAA events in Mexico.

He had a multi-year run in ROH from 2019 through 2021 that saw him win the World title from Rush at Best in the World in July 2021. He couldn’t work Final Battle in December 2021 due to COVID-19 and then lost the title in a unification bout of sorts to Jonathan Gresham at this year’s Supercard of Honor. 

If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit F4Wonline.com with an h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Rush is now under a full-time deal with All Elite Wrestling

AEW President Tony Khan officially announced that Rush has signed a full-time AEW contract today on Twitter after Rush had been on a per-appearance deal since making his AEW debut at Double or Nothing this May, where he was introduced in a pre-tape segment as Andrade El Idolo’s business partner. 

Rush is All Elite

Khan wrote: “It’s official: @rushtoroblanco is All Elite! What a week for Rush! Yesterday was his birthday, today he’s All Elite, and it’s Rush vs. [John Silver] TONIGHT on Friday Night #AEWRampage! Don’t miss Friday Night #AEWRampage on @TNTdrama @ 10pm ET/9pm CT TONIGHT!”

His first match for AEW then took place in June. La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush, his brother Dragon Lee & Andrade El Idolo) took part in AEW’s Trios title tournament this summer and ended up losing to The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) in the first round.

rush is a former CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion, CMLL World Tag Team Champion, CMLL World Trios Champion, and Mexican National Trios Champion. He’s also a former two-time ROH World Heavyweight Champion.

Indus Sher, the former tag team featuring Veer Mahaan and Sanga, have reunited.

They teamed together again last weekend at an NXT house show in Citrus Springs to face Andre Chase and another talent. It marked the first time they’ve teamed together since January 2021, when they teamed with Drew McIntyre to defeat Jinder Mahal and The Bollywood Boyz at WWE Superstar Spectacle.

WWE’s Big Plans 

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE plans to use them as a powerhouse tag team on the main roster. 

Meltzer wrote, “The idea is to have them as a main roster powerhouse team, a slot they haven’t had since they tried with Authors of Pain and that Luke Harper & Erick Rowan did for a brief period, but in both cases, injuries came at the wrong time, and Vince lost interest in them.”

They first started teaming together in 2018 and, at one point, were managed by Malcolm Bivens, now known as Stokely Hathaway in AEW. However, they were split up as  Veer was called up to Raw. 

After feuding with the Mysterios, he has only been seen a few times on television since Triple H took over WWE creative from Vince McMahon in July.

Sanga was later reintroduced in NXT as a bodyguard for Grayson Waller, but they were split up shortly after that where he became a babyface.

Fans can expect to see Finn Balor be booked as a main event player soon under the creative vision of Triple H on WWE programming. 

Balor was pushed as a top star in NXT under Triple H, where he held the NXT Title several times. However, on the main roster, he was only briefly used as a top star when he first arrived in 2016, becoming the first-ever Universal Champion at SummerSlam. However, he was sidelined due to an injury he suffered in that bout against Seth Rollins. 

Finn Balor’s Bright Future

WWE has significant plans for Balor in the months ahead, according to WrestleVotes:

“I’m told that significant plans are lined up for Finn Balor in the future. I don’t know exactly for what those plans are, but he is a strong favorite of the new leadership group. Expect Finn to play a big role in the foreseeable future of WWE.”

WWE has kept The Judgment Day strong under two different regimes in the way of Vince McMahon, and now Triple H. Edge first created the group alongside Reha Ripley and Damian Priest. 

This past June at Hell in a Cell, Judgement Day beat Balor, AJ Styles, and Liv Morgan. The following night on Raw, Balor turned heel by attacking Edge and joining the group. 

At next Saturday’s Extreme Rules event from Philadelphia, Balor is slated to wrestle Edge in an I Quit Match.

Impact Wrestling officials will be looking to re-sign several of its talent as their contracts are slated to expire. 

It was previously reported that Mia Yim’s deal was slated to expire this year. Chris Sabin is under contract with Impact Wrestling through this year.

The Names

Fightful Select reported today Yim has been under a short-term deal with Impact carrying her into October. The exact date is October 9th, which would make her a free agent after that date. This would mean she is under contract through next month’s Bound  For Glory pay-per-view. 

Also, Maria Kanellis, Mike Bennett, and Matt Taven’s deals are currently set to expire soon.

Yim previously worked for Impact from 2015 to 2017 under the ring name of Jade, where she won the Knockouts Championship. Yim also became the Queen of the Knockouts in 2016 prior to signing with WWE in 2018.

Yim was among the names to be released by WWE last November, including her husband Keith Lee. 

Yim made her return to Impact Wrestling this past May at the Under Siege event, where she saved Taya Valkyrie from a post-match beatdown at the hands of Deonna Purrazzo.

The trial for the Randy Orton WWE 2K tattoo lawsuit is underway after being pushed back several times over the past couple of years.

In 2018, tattoo artist Catherine Alexander brought a lawsuit against WWE, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., 2K Games, Inc., 2K Sports, Inc., Visual Concepts Entertainment, Yuke’s Co., Ltd., and Yuke’s LA Inc.

She claims in the lawsuit that those parties have infringed on her copyright by using the tattoo work she did on Orton in video games without her permission. She performed the tattoo work on Orton between 2003 and 2008. Although Orton is not a defendant in the case, he does have a part to play as a witness.

The Trial

The trial officially began this past Monday, September 26. Pwinsider reported today that Orton testified as a witness on Wednesday, September 28.

It’s a notable case as the result will set s a legal precedent when it comes to the usage of people’s tattoos in video games.

Orton hasn’t appeared on WWE TV since the May 20th episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown, where he and Matt Riddle lost to The Usos. Orton had to get some work done on his back to get through the match. As previously reported, the feeling is that his back is so bad that he may have to get surgery, which would keep him out of action for the rest of 2022.

All Elite Wrestling will present a regular episode of its weekly Rampage series this Friday night on TNT after last week’s special 2-hour “Grand Slam” edition 

These matches were taped Wednesday night after Dynamite from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA, courtesy of Pwinsider.com: 

AEW Rampage Spoilers

• AEW World Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed defeated The Butcher and The Blade and Private Party.
• Jamie Hayter (with Britt Baker and Rebel) def. Willow Nightingale.
• Lee Moriarty (with Stokely Hathaway and W. Morrissey) def. Fuego Del Sol.
• Ryan Nemeth insulted Philadelphia and ECW until FTW Champion HOOK interrupted. HOOK choked him out. The Trustbusters came out and left an envelope for Hook on the stage. HOOK picked up the envelope on his way to the back.
• RUSH defeated John Silver. After the match, Andrade El Idolo attacked Alex Reynolds and Silver. The Dark Order got involved, as did The Butcher and The Blade. Hangman Page ultimately made the save.

AEW is about to kick off several weeks of holding live episodes of Rampage starting next week, including a live Battle of the Belts special next Friday night. 

The September 27, 2022 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

• Joe Gacy (with The Dyad [Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid]) defeated Cameron Grimes. 
• Sol Ruca defeated Amari Miller
• Nikkita Lyons defeated Kayden Carter 
• Damon Kemp vs. Brutus Creed ended in a no contest 
• Wes Lee defeated Tony D’Angelo via referee stoppage. 
• Mandy Rose defeated Fallon Henley in a non-title match. 
• Ilja Dragunov defeated Xyon Quinn.
• Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen defeated Wolfgang and Mark Coffey of Gallus in a Pub Rules Match. 

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Joe Gacy vs. Cameron Grimes

Joe Gacy (with The Dyad [Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid]) defeated Cameron Grimes. The person in the red hoodie was seen again in the crowd.

Gacy has attempted to recruit Grimes for his Schism faction in recent weeks, but Gacy has rebuffed him.

Ilja Dragunov Sets Things Up

Ilja Dragunov cut a promo about winning the NXT UK Title and being forced to relinquish it. JD McDonagh exchanged words with him over Ilja taking JD out of NXT UK. Bron Breakker walked out and said he was waiting on Dragunov to show up. Bron said the title isn’t going anywhere. JD said that due to him being the #1 Contender, Ilja and Bron should fight each other for the right to face him. 

Bron mentions due to being a Steiner, he’s good at math and he has 33 1/3 chance of beating both of them at Halloween Havoc in a Triple Threat match.

No Contest

Damon Kemp vs. Brutus Creed ended in a no contest as Damon used a chair several times to beat down Brutus.

There were several referees running out to stop him as he was yelling at Brutus and the camera. Julius didn’t come out to save Brutus. 

Non-Title Match

Mandy Rose (with Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jane) defeated Fallon Henley in a non-title match. Rose went over with her finisher. 

Post-match, Rose cut a promo about Alba Fyre as she conquered two divisions while Fyre has been tossing around wood. Fyre who came on the screen and mentioned she’d be coming for the Women’s Championship. She said that she doesn’t believe in warnings. She set a thing on fire that said “and new.” 

Pub Rules Match

Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen defeated Wolfgang and Mark Coffey of Gallus in a Pub Rules Match. Various weapons were used including tables, trash cans and more. 

Briggs and Jensen hit their finisher on Mark Coffey, who had a garbage can wrapped around him, to win the match.

WWE has reached an agreement with Foxtel Group, which is majority-owned by News Corp., for its rights in Australia. 

The WWE Network will be converted into Binge, a Foxtel outlet. Although the companies did not disclose any terms for the new multi-year agreement, Deadline reports a person familiar with the deal said it marks a significant increase over the prior one reached by the parties in 2017. 

WWE’s Latest Expansion

There are 4.5 million subscribers on Foxtel as well as streaming outlets Kayo Sports and Binge. The deal will see Foxtel launch a dedicated, 24/7 WWE channel, which will host all premium live events. 

These events used to cost $30 apiece on pay-per-view but now will be included at no extra charge on Fox8, a pay-TV channel owned by Foxtel.

“With its far-reaching and engaged audience, the Foxtel Group has been a trusted and long-standing partner of WWE for more than 20 years,” said WWE Chairwoman and Co-CEO Stephanie McMahon. “We look forward to expanding our partnership with the Foxtel Group and welcoming Binge as the new streaming home of WWE Network in the region.“

Binge, whose subscription plans start at $10 a month, will begin streaming WWE content in January 2023. 

WWE has announced that they’ve postponed two NXT live events in Florida this weekend as Hurricane Ian has caused mass evacuation orders in the state. 

Live shows originally set for Friday, September 30, from Tampa, Florida’s University Area Community Complex and Saturday, October 1, from Dade City, Florida’s Dade City Armory have been postponed until December 17 and November 11, respectively.

A state of emergency has been declared in Florida due to Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in Cuba on Tuesday and is expected to impact Florida on Wednesday. Around 2.5 million Floridians are currently under evacuation orders.

WWE’s Statement

WWE issued the following statement regarding the shows being postponed:

“NXT UNIVERSE

Due to Hurricane Ian, the WWE NXT LIVE events this Friday, September 30th in Tampa, FL & Saturday, October 1st in Dade City, Florida will be postponed.

All tickets purchased for this Friday’s event in Tampa will be honored at the new event on Saturday, December 17th and all tickets purchased for this Saturday’s event in Dade City will be honored at the new event on Friday, November 11th.

If you have any questions about these events or would like a refund for your ticket please email nxttickets@wwecorp.com with your name and order number.”

AEW President Tony Khan announced via Twitter on Monday that it is voluntary for talent to travel to this week’s tapings.

AEW President Tony Khan is looking to capitalize on the moment that his promotion has been on for the last several weeks with this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite. 

On Monday, AEW announced the latest match to be added to the already-loaded episode of Dynamite as Bandido is slated to face current ROH World Champion Champion Chris Jericho in Philadelphia.

Jericho defeated Claudio Castagnoli last week on AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam to win the championship. Bandido lost the World Title to Jonathan Gresham at ROH Supercard of Honor this past April in a match to determine the undisputed champion, as Gresham was previously the Original ROH Champion.

Also announced for the show is AEW World Champion Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson in a World Title Eliminator Match. If Robinson can win the match, he will earn a future World Title bout. 

Tony Khan Gives an Explanation 

The AEW President responded to a fan on Instagram questioning these matches being booked. 

A fan wrote: “@tonyrkhan this is what we’re talking about…WHY?!!! the match should be good but WHY is he defending against Bandido FOR NO REASON?!!! Why is Juice getting an Eliminator match? Why not a normal regular singles match?”

Khan responded, “Bandido never got a rematch for the title, which is implied in the copy I wrote. Juice has beaten Mox in NJPW, which is explicitly written in the copy I wrote.”

Also confirmed for this show includes Jericho’s Championship Celebration and promo segments with MJF and Saraya (formerly known as Paige).

Candice LeRae is back in WWE as she made her return to the company on Monday’s episode of Raw when she wrestled Nikki Cross in a singles match. WWE internally had Doudrop listed as Nikki’s opponent on the show. LeRae went over in a short match. 

Moments after LaRae’s appearance on WWE Raw, her husband Johnny Gargano tweeted that they’ve been training in the ring together over the past month:

Candice LeRae’s WWE History

After working on the independents for several years, she signed with WWE in 2018. LeRae was a one-time NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion with Indie Hartwell. LeRae became a free agent as her contract with WWE had expired this past May, and she was added to the alumni section of WWE.com.

Her deal was expected to be up this spring, but it was unknown whether WWE would add time to her deal because of the missed time she had due to her pregnancy.

LeRae and Johnny Gargano had their first child this past February. Johnny departed from WWE in December when his contract expired but returned to the company last month. 

LeRae is the latest star that Triple H has brought back, including Karrion Kross, Hit Row, Braun Strowman, Dakota Kay, and more. 

Ric Flair has fans talking again about the possibility of him coming out of retirement again to have his final match again. 

The wrestling legend broke into the business in 1972, which marks 2022 as his 50th year in wrestling, and has become one of the most decorated wrestlers of all time. In addition to being a 16-time world champion, he’s also held other titles in the NWA, WCW, and WWE.

During his career, he has shared the ring with several legends such as Sting, Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes, and more.

One More Match?

In a post on Twitter, Flair said he will never retire, which comes after he previously hinted at coming back after hearing about Ricky Steamboat coming out of retirement.

Steamboat will be stepping back into the ring on November 27 for Big Time Wrestling, although his opponent has yet to be confirmed. Steamboat turned down the offer to compete in Flair’s final match at Starrcast V. 

Flair won his last match on July 31 by teaming with Andrade El Idolo to defeat Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett. Since then, he has continued making wrestling appearances and will be cornering his son in law Andrade for his World Wrestling Council match against Carlito on August 6.

Saraya has responded to a recent report in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that she is not cleared to wrestle despite making her AEW debut this past Wednesday on Dynamite. 

The former Paige made her AEW arrival following the fatal four-way match in which Toni Storm defeated Britt Baker, Serena Deeb, and Athena to retain her Interim AEW Women’s Title while saving Storm and Athena from being attacked by Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Rebel.

Saraya is one of Baker’s dream opponents, something the former AEW Women’s Champion has said in a number of previous interviews. It appeared that AEW started a feud between Saraya and Baker once this angle occurred.

Saraya Responds

Meltzer reported that “she had not been cleared as of very recently, which would explain not touching anyone, but [she] would like to be cleared.”

Saraya did not confirm or deny what was reported by Meltzer but did tweet the following: “Ignore the dirt sheet clickbait. See ya Wednesday. #AEWDynamite.”

AEW President Tony Khan also retweeted what Saraya had to say. 

Due to spinal stenosis, Saraya hasn’t wrestled since 2017, which is the reason she hasn’t been given the all-clear. Although they were also informed they couldn’t wrestle because of spinal stenosis, wrestlers like Edge and Sting were able to receive medical clearance years later after retiring.