John Cena has left a big clue for fans on who his next WWE opponent will be.

Cena is very busy these days. He’s no longer a regular on WWE TV. That’s because Hollywood is constantly blowing up his phone.

The “Doctor of Thuganomics” has also become quite the businessman. He’s aligned with the Thomas Ashbourne brand to make his way into the cocktail business.

With that said, there’s one WWE star who seems to have gotten the attention of John Cena.

John Cena vs. Theory?

During a fan Q&A on the official TikTok account of WWE, Cena made it clear that he has his sights set on Theory.

During the video, WWE’s golden goose was asked who his favorite WWE superstar is. His answer was Theory, and Cena pointed toward his eyes and the camera as if to say he has the WWE United States Champion on his radar.

Cena was then asked which WWE superstar is in need of an Attitude Adjustment. Again, his answer was Theory and he made the same gesture.

Theory has been attempting to egg Cena on in recent weeks. He claims to be a far superior athlete than Cena and says he’s accomplished what Cena couldn’t, and that’s being the youngest U.S. champion in WWE.

A former WWE talent was offered a deal to stay with the promotion before he went to AEW and the salary has been revealed.

We’ve seen talent jump ship from WWE to AEW, whether it be due to a release or simply letting contracts expire. In the biggest example of an AEW talent moving to WWE, Cody Rhodes made his return to Vince McMahon’s empire at WrestleMania 38 back in April.

In this case, it was a WWE talent who felt he’d be better served in AEW.

WWE’s Offer To Stokely Hathaway

Stokley Hathaway was known as Malcolm Bivens in WWE. He performed under the NXT brand.

Back in late April, WWE released Hathaway from his contract. This was done as the company tried to sign him to a new deal but he turned it down.

We now know what the salary of that offer was.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Stokely Hathaway was offered a $250,000 deal to move up to the main roster.

Hathaway is now a member of the AEW roster.

WWE fans who have missed Cesaro could be in luck.

Much has been made about Cesaro’s time in free agency. Back in February, news broke that Cesaro quietly made his exit from WWE after the two sides failed to come to terms on a new deal.

Since that time, the “Swiss Superman” has teased making a return somewhere but he’s yet to show up. Back in May, Fightful reported that several independent promotions attempted to reach out to Cesaro but he never accepted any offers and in some cases, he didn’t respond at all.

What’s Going On With Cesaro?

Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Cesaro had taken some time off due to family reasons.

With that said, Meltzer mentioned there is the belief that at his age and with the money he’s made, Cesaro could ultimately return to WWE.

While that isn’t a lock, the feeling is he’d be comfortable with the money even if the company isn’t likely to use him as a regular main eventer.

Dave also noted that the only talks he’s heard Cesaro having as of late are for an appearance during Starrcast. Those close to Cesaro reportedly say he is willing to listen to offers for projects outside of WWE.

There is some good news for fans of Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that both Gargano and LeRae are expected to return to the ring soon.

In the case of LeRae, it’s been said that many within AEW have been pushing the company to sign her. Where Gargano will end up remains a bit of mystery but one would imagine he won’t have any trouble finding work.

Johnny Gargano made his exit from WWE in late 2021. His wife, Candice LeRae, followed suit back in May.

Gargano didn’t accept bookings for wrestling matches right away when he left WWE. He was spending that time to focus on being a father.

CM Punk doesn’t officially have his own stable but it definitely seems to be heading that way.

Punk, the reigning AEW World Champion, aligned himself with FTR, the ROH World Tag Team Champions, on the June 1 episode of Dynamite. They defeated Max Caster and The Gunn Club.

Before that episode of Dynamite went on the air, FTR celebrated with CM Punk after his world title win over Hangman Page once Double or Nothing went off the air on May 29.

CM Punk & FTR Have A Group Name?

Taking to his Twitter account, Punk seemingly named his supposed faction with FTR, “CMFTR.”

“One day I road my schwin bike to some dirt hills I used to jump and ride when I was a kid. When I got there, there were two kids on their bmx bikes. They told me to leave. I didn’t. We scrapped. Black eyes. Bloody lips. Next day and the whole summer we rode bikes TOGETHER. CMFTR.”

You certainly won’t hear Dax Harwood complaining about the name.

“CMFTR MOTHER F***ER.”

There is a slew of differing opinions on the MJF situation with AEW.

MJF has become the talk of the wrestling world ever since Double or Nothing weekend at the end of May. He failed to attend a scheduled meet and greet, forcing AEW to refund and offer exchanges to fans who paid to see MJF.

Reports had surfaced prior to the incident that MJF wanted more money as he felt his work has outperformed his current salary. The situation got more tense as a since-disputed report claimed there was a flight booked out of Las Vegas for MJF, which he never boarded.

Ultimately, MJF showed up at DoN and did the job to Wardlow. Then, on the June 1 episode of Dynamite, Max cut a scathing shoot-style promo where he called Tony Khan a “f*cking mark.”

AEW Stars React

While MJF’s promo was obviously planned, he did throw in some real-life elements. Fightful is reporting that some AEW talents believe this whole thing was a work from the start, while others feel it’s a shoot turned into a work.

One AEW star noted that they’d be frustrated if word got out that this was a work planned out before DoN weekend.

Another talent insisted that MJF became noticeably more frustrated at the start of 2022. That particular AEW star doesn’t believe MJF is always in character because he wouldn’t have a long shelf life in the business if he was.

The belief among some seems to be that MJF and Tony Khan hashed things out during a meeting on Monday to bring the shoot-style promo to life. Some are even sympathetic to MJF’s money gripes.

One WWE superstar is back on the move.

WWE has never been shy in moving its stars from Raw to SmackDown and vice versa even without a draft. While the brand split has appeared to be “essentially done,” the company won’t officially announce it and still wants the idea to float due to its Survivor Series PPV.

Lacey Evans Back On SmackDown

PWInsider reports that Lacey Evans is the latest WWE superstar to make a jump … again.

Lacey had already been moved from SmackDown to Raw but another shift has been made. The report notes that Lacey is once again a SmackDown superstar.

Lacey initially was set to have a match on the May 30 episode of Raw. That ended up not happening and instead, WWE aired footage of Lacey Evans’ appearance at the Coca-Cola 600.

A former AEW star will be making his return to IMPACT Wrestling at Slammiversary.

This year’s Slammiversary event will take place in Nashville, Tennessee on June 19. The card will feature an IMPACT World Title match between champion Josh Alexander and Eric Young.

There will also be an IMPACT World Tag Team Title match between The Briscoes and The Good Brothers.

The official Twitter account of IMPACT has announced that Jack Evans, who recently finished his contract with AEW, is back with the promotion and will compete at Ultimate X on the Slammiversary card.

Vince McMahon once had a WWE Hall of Famer take Drew McIntyre under his wing.

McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion but his road to the top was far from easy. During his first WWE run, he was called “The Chosen One” by Vince McMahon.

That distinction didn’t last as he was pushed down the card and eventually released.

After reinventing himself in IMPACT Wrestling and on the indie scene, McIntyre got a second chance with WWE and he’s now one of the company’s biggest stars.

The Undertaker Mentored Drew McIntyre

Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Drew McIntrye revealed that The Undertaker once mentored him and Vince McMahon was the one who made it happen.

“As Undertaker once told me, ‘Don’t play the wrestler. Be the wrestler.’ At the time, ’Taker was my mentor, a role assigned by Vince [McMahon], and I had no idea what he was talking about.

“I was a wrestler, obviously, right? Now, almost 15 years later, I have a much different appreciation for his lessons. I know who I am every time I step out there, and I know what I’m aiming for, and that’s Roman.”

McIntyre figures to be front and center of WWE TV once the company gets closer to its Clash at the Castle event in September. The show will be held inside Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

The show is expected to break its live gate record for non-WrestleMania events.

There is an update on why one of AEW’s champions didn’t attend the most recent episode of Dynamite.

The June 1 episode of Dynamite was a loaded show. Fans witnessed the MJF pipebomb, an appearance from Hiroshi Tanahashi, a challenge laid down for Blood & Guts, and much more.

One notable absence was AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa.

PWInsider is reporting that Rosa was in attendance for Dynamite this week but wasn’t feeling well. A decision was made by a company doctor to send her home.

It’s a tough break for the AEW Women’s Champion. She had already been dealing with nagging injuries and at this time, it’s unknown whether or not she worked the Double or Nothing match with Serena Deeb banged up.

It’s important to note that it isn’t known if those injuries caused her not to feel well on Wednesday.

Vince McMahon saw something in Pete Dunne that led to the “Butch” character.

Dunne made his debut for WWE back in 2016. He had been treated like a big deal on the NXT UK brand. He held the United Kingdom Championship for 685 days.

That title reign had been the record before it was broken by WALTER, now known as Gunther. He held it for 870 days.

After spending so many years in NXT, many wondered if Pete Dunne would have a place on the main roster. We got the answer on March 11 when he made his main roster debut as “Butch.”

How Vince McMahon Feels About Butch

During an interview with Metro, Pete Dunne revealed that Vince McMahon has taken a liking to the Butch character.

“He seems really into this, as you can imagine. He seems really into the idea of Butch. It is entertaining.”

During an episode of Wrestling Observer Live a couple of months ago, Bryan Alvarez said that Vince found a way to utilize Pete Dunne on the SmackDown brand and likes the Butch character enough to give him ample TV time.

Bryan was saying this in response to those who complained about Pete Dunne using the “Butch” name after being moved out of NXT.

Dunne said he went into this new phase of his character with an open mind. He also said he had anticipated a name change once he got called up to the main roster.

A big main event player for IMPACT Wrestling has made his exit from the promotion.

PWInsider is reporting that W. Morrisey, who was known as “Big Cass” in WWE, is no longer with IMPACT. His last televised appearance will be on the June 2 episode of IMPACT.

He’ll be in a tag team match with PCO taking on Moose and Steve Maclin.

Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast noted back in May that WWE was impressed by W. Morrisey’s appearance on AEW Dynamite. He was pinned by Wardlow.

There’s no word on what’s next for Morrisey but he’s been making quite the career comeback and may soon find himself working for another major promotion.

UPDATE: Dave Meltzer has retracted his claim that Kazuchika Okada vs. Hangman Page is being planned for Forbidden Door

ORIGINAL:

A big-time championship match for the AEW-NJPW crossover show may have been revealed.

Forbidden Door will be taking place on June 26. The special PPV event will see the biggest stars from AEW and NJPW collide. The action will be held inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

AEW has already teased Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan of NJPW faction United Empire having a presence at Forbidden Door. The two interrupted an ROH Tag Team Title match between champions FTR and Roppongi Vice.

On the June 1 edition of Dynamite, the seeds were planted for an AEW World Title match between champion CM Punk and NJPW legend Hiroshi Tanahashi.

One major title match that hasn’t been hinted at on AEW TV may have been leaked.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Hangman Page?

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio has reported that an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match between titleholder Kazuchika Okada and Hangman Page is internally listed for Forbidden Door.

The other match listed was indeed CM Punk vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the AEW World Championship.

There is a bit of history between Okada and Hangman. The two competed in NJPW’s G1 Climax back in 2018. Okada picked up the win.

A current member of the WWE Raw roster was backstage for the June 1 episode of AEW Dynamite.

The show was held inside The Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA. This episode of Dynamite very much had a “Raw after WrestleMania” feel to it. This was the post-Double or Nothing edition of Dynamite.

Fans witnessed a scathing shoot-style promo from MJF. He called AEW President Tony Khan a “f*cking mark” and demanded to be fired.

Adding another element of realism, CM Punk tried confronting MJF during commercial break but Max left through the crowd.

Who Was Backstage For AEW Dynamite?

Fightful is reporting that WWE Raw superstar Dolph Ziggler was backstage for AEW Dynamite. It’s been said that he was very well-liked by the end of the night.

CJ Perry, the former Lana, was also backstage. She is the wife of Miro, who made his return from injury.

Ziggler’s younger brother, Ryan Nemeth, is on the AEW roster.

Dolph had some fun with his brother after Ryan scored his first piece of AEW merchandise back in May.

Once the June 1 episode of AEW Dynamite went off the air, Jon Moxley had something to say and his hype man was Eddie Kingston.

The main event of the show saw Moxley of Blackpool Combat Club take on Daniel Garcia of the Jericho Appreciation Society. Chris Jericho attempted to distract Moxley but Kingston ran out to thwart him.

Moxley ended up choking out Garcia for the win. He then took the mic and said he’s down with Kingston’s idea of a Blood & Guts match against the JAS.

After The Show

Stephanie Chase & Garrett Martin were in attendance for the June 1 episode of AEW Dynamite and posted Jon Moxley’s message to the fans once the cameras stopped rolling.

MJF and CM Punk had a brief interaction following Max’s scathing promo.

During the June 1 episode of AEW Dynamite, MJF was given a live mic and cut a promo fans won’t soon forget. This was very much shoot-style mic work from MJF, playing off of real-life events.

MJF has been the talk of the wrestling world since no-showing a meet and greet one day before Double or Nothing. His status for the DoN PPV event was a big question mark but he ultimately did the job for Wardlow.

CM Punk Attempts To Confront MJF

MJF’s promo included a diss aimed at Tony Khan for not upping his pay but opening up the checkbook for former WWE stars.

At the end of his promo, MJF called Tony a “f*cking mark” and demanded that he be fired.

This led to CM Punk limping down the ramp and trying to talk to Max. MJF would have none of it and left through the crowd.

NOTE: Language NSFW.

MJF went scorched earth on AEW President Tony Khan.

We have a new pipebomb that won’t soon be forgotten. MJF made his way out for the June 1 episode of Dynamite and things got ugly in a hurry.

Maxwell started things off by discussing how banged up he is but he said all the fans wanted is for him to talk.

He said the fans weren’t there for him when they called him “unprofessional” for no-showing a meet and greet one day before AEW Double or Nothing.

Max also bashed fans for once claiming he couldn’t wrestle. He questioned why that was the case, mentioning that he works a safer style, doesn’t get dropped on his head, and doesn’t watch NJPW.

He then talked about being disrespected by the AEW brass for not paying him more despite being key to the company’s success in viewership.

MJF claimed Tony Khan doesn’t want to pay him because he’s too busy paying former WWE stars.

When a production member told him to wrap things up, MJF called him a “piece of sh*t.” He then demanded that Tony fire him and called him a “f*cking mark.”

MJF’s mic was then cut off and the camera faded to black before a commercial break.

NOTE: Language NSFW.

Here’s a look at what happened after AEW Dynamite went to commercial break:

Japanese wrestling legend and NJPW Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi made his way to an AEW arena.

On the June 1 episode of AEW Dynamite, CM Punk and FTR defeated Max Caster and The Gunn Club. After the match, Punk called out an NJPW star who will step up to the plate to face him at Forbidden Door on June 26.

Tanahashi made his way out and made a motion signaling he’s going after CM Punk’s AEW World Championship.

A former WWE superstar will be making his way back to an AEW ring in short order.

During the May 18 episode of AEW Dynamite, the former John Morrison made his promotional debut. He took on Samoa Joe in the quarterfinals of the Owen Hart Cup.

Morrison, who went by the name “Johnny Elite,” fell short in the match. He was pinned via Muscle Buster.

After the match, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh attacked both men. Members of CHAOS ran out to make the save.

While Johnny Elite isn’t quite “All Elite” at this time, he will be making an appearance on the June 1 episode of Dynamite.

Johnny Elite is currently 1-1 under the AEW banner. His other promotional match was against Marq Quen on AEW Dark.

A member of the WWE SmackDown roster has dropped a big hint that she could be going back to her old gimmick.

For weeks, many fans have called into question WWE’s handling of Xia Li. When she was brought up to the main roster, she had been presented as a protector to those who had been wronged by then-authority figure Sonya Deville.

Li was quickly pulled from WWE TV and upon her return, she turned heel. In video packages, Li said she used to be a protector but now she’s only looking after herself.

Xia Li Bringing Back NXT Gimmick?

Xia Li took to her Twitter account to post a hype video of herself. Near the end of the video, a woman is seen with facepaint resembling Li’s Tian Sha gimmick from NXT.

Tian Sha was a faction on the NXT brand. The group featured Xia Li, Mei Ying, and Boa.

Mei Ying is now “Wendy Choo,” while Boa is on his own as a singles competitor.

Xavier Woods is a regular on G4’s Attack of the Show but he won’t be featured on the upcoming episode with AEW stars.

Adam Cole, Nyla Rose, and Danhausen are scheduled to appear on the show this week. They will not be joined by Woods, a WWE SmackDown superstar.

Woods took to his Twitter account to joke with the G4 crew not to get too out of hand while he’s gone.

The appearance of AEW stars on Attack of the Show this week shouldn’t come as a surprise. The show is shot in Glendale, California and AEW Dynamite will be taking place in Los Angeles tonight (June 1).

It’s likely that Adam Cole will continue his “feud” with Jirard “The Completionist” Khalil, a popular video game YouTuber and Twitch streamer. Cole called Jirard out for a face-to-face meeting at this week’s Dynamite event.

Cole was initially scheduled to compete in a tag team match on Dynamite this week. He ended up being pulled from the match and Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live reported that Cole will be given some time off from in-ring action due to a shoulder injury.

As for Woods, he headlined the May 27 episode of Friday Night SmackDown. He teamed with Drew McIntyre and Kofi Kingston to defeat The Brawling Brutes.

Some details on MJF’s current pay in AEW have been reported.

MJF is no doubt AEW’s top heel but there has been some dissension as of late. Maxwell’s contract with AEW is set to expire in 2024.

He’s made it no secret that he plans on testing free agency when the time comes. He’s even referenced WWE numerous times on AEW TV.

Reports have surfaced claiming that MJF hasn’t been too happy with his pay as he feels he’s outperformed his current salary.

What Is MJF’s AEW Salary?

PWTorch reports that MJF signed a starter deal with AEW back in 2019. This ranges from $40,000 to $70,000 per year.

With that said, the report notes that Maxwell is now making “hundreds of thousands of dollars.” It still pales in comparison to the salaries of some big names AEW has hired.

The PWTorch report notes that the gap in pay is a big reason why MJF has been at odds with AEW President Tony Khan.

MJF took the wrestling world by storm during AEW Double or Nothing weekend. He no-showed a meet and greet and had everyone wondering whether or not he’d appear at the PPV.

Ultimately, MJF did show up to do the job for Wardlow and an angle was shot where he was stretchered out of the arena.

WWE has decided against a slight name change that had been put in place for a SmackDown superstar.

In late May, WWE made a minor change to Ludwig Kaiser, the manager for Gunther. The small change had to do with the spelling of Kaiser’s first name.

It was changed from “Ludwig” to “Ludvig.”

Ludvig … We Hardly Knew Ya

Well, as it turns out “Ludvig” was short-lived.

WWE has already reverted to using “Ludwig” for Kaiser’s first name again.

Kaiser and Gunther were introduced to the main roster back in April. Gunther, formerly known as WALTER (his real name), has already started a feud with WWE Intercontinental Champion Ricochet.

On the May 27 episode of SmackDown, Gunther and Kaiser defeated Ricochet and Drew Gulak in a tag team match after Kaiser pinned Gulak.

After the match, Gunther attacked Ricochet.

One AEW star has given Vince McMahon’s Hollywood Walk of Fame the finger.

It’s no secret that some AEW and WWE stars have engaged in some banter on social media in a show of gamesmanship. Some of the back-and-forth exchanges are in jest while others are a bit more heated.

We’ll put this one in the fun category.

Max Caster of The Acclaimed is in Los Angles for tonight’s (June 1) AEW Dynamite show. He took to Vince McMahon’s Hollywood Walk of Fame and had a little “sign language” as Stone Cold Steve Austin used to say.

Vince received the Hollywood Walk of Fame honor back in March 2008. The honor was awarded to him for years of turning WWE into a TV success.

SEScoops will have you covered tonight with live results for AEW Dynamite from Los Angeles.

It appears Adam Cole is a bit banged up.

Fans were a bit puzzled when AEW pulled Adam Cole and Jeff Hardy from a tag team match scheduled for the June 1 episode of Dynamite. While Hardy being removed was easier to see coming as he’s been noticeably hurt, that wasn’t exactly the case with Cole.

Bryan Alvarez reported on Wrestling Observer Live that Cole has an injured shoulder. He’s getting some time off from in-ring action to heal.

The extent of Adam Cole’s shoulder injury is unknown at this time.

Cole competed in the finals of the Owen Hart Cup against Samoa Joe this past Sunday at AEW Double or Nothing. Cole scored the pin to capture the specially made championship and trophy.

Adam Cole has confirmed he will be making an appearance on Dynamite this week. He has called out Jirard “The Completionist” Khalil, a popular video game YouTuber and Twitch streamer.