Logan Paul turned in one hell of a performance against Roman Reigns earlier this month at WWE Crown Jewel. Paul left it on in the ring on November 5, proving that he’s got what it takes to ‘hang’ with the industry’s top star.

The 27-year-old influencer tore cartilage and ligaments in his right knee during the match. The injuries will keep him out of the ring for several months, but Paul is already training for his WWE return. His brother Jake Paul says his recovery is going better than expected and The Maverick is already plotting his next big match for WWE:

• Logan Paul Texted Triple H About Wrestling John Cena at WWE WrestleMania 39

WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash commented on Paul’s Crown Jewel performance on the latest episode of his Kliq This podcast. Nash, who was billed at 6’10” during his active career, says he was a bit surprised how small Paul looked compared to Reigns.

I’m gonna say this… I’m gonna get browbeaten because God forbid if Kevin Nash was to let anybody that wasn’t nine feet tall wrestle… I didn’t realize he was that small. He was noticeably smaller than Roman Reigns.

– Kevin Nash on Logan Paul

Kid’s Talented

Roman Reigns has a muscular body, while Paul has a more athletic stature, but it’s not like Reigns (6’3″) towered over Paul (6’2″).

Nash did say, “the kid [Paul] is talented,” and it helped that Shawn Michaels helped train him for the match. However, Nash was hung up on Paul’s size.

“Look at the size of Roman’s head next to his,” Nash continued. “That’s the size of a man. He can have an eleven inch penis but if it’s like a number two pencil, that’s one thing, but if it’s got a head like a softball, you’re still gonna be the man. That looks like Hunter working against me, size-wise.”

All that aside, Logan Paul is planning to continue his WWE career when his injuries heel. Shortly after his match at Crown Jewel, Paul said he plans to be a WWE Superstar for a long time.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had a legendary wrestling career, but he never got to step in the ring against his dream opponent.

The 10-time world champion shared the ring with some of the industry’s biggest stars, including Steve Austin, Bret Hart, John Cena, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle and countless others. For everything he accomplished in the ring, there’s one Hall of Famer he wishes he could have wrestled.

On Sunday, The Rock posted a photo on Instagram from his famed ‘Iron Paradise’ gym wearing a pair of flashy sunglasses. The shades may remind longtime fans of one Superstar in particular who was the ‘cream of the crop’ during his day.

The Rock & Macho Man Randy Savage

The Rock says the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage was always his dream match. He would have been honored to share the squared circle with him, but it never came to be.

Johnson was an full-time WWE Superstar from 1996-2004. Savage left WWE and was active in WCW through 2000, but their paths never crossed on television.

Back around 2000-2001, Randy Savage did an interview where he praised The Rock as a ‘general’ of the WWE locker room. “[He’s] a cool dude because of the fact that when he comes into the dressing room, he shakes everybody’s hand, he looks everybody in the eye, he doesn’t stir it up in the dressing room.”

The Rock has paid tribute to Randy Savage before, featuring him on his hit series, Young Rock. As seen below, the Great One remains a big fan of the Macho Man, who is widely considered one of the greatest all-around pro wrestlers in history.

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All Elite Wrestling has hit another big financial milestone. Ahead of Saturday night’s AEW Full Gear pay-per-view, we can confirm the gross ticket sales for the show have exceeded $1 Million.

Full Gear 2022 takes place from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The venue is configured to accommodate 12,324 fans. According to Wrestletix, 11,499 tickets were distributed as of Friday morning.

AEW President Tony Khan has announced Full Gear is the fourth consecutive PPV to achieve a million dollar live gate. This means AEW hit that figure for every PPV of 2022 (Revolution, Double or Nothing, All Out and now Full Gear).

To add icing on the cake, September’s special Grand Slam edition of Dynamite from Queens, NY also surpassed a million dollars at the box office.

All of these big houses have helped make this AEW’s most lucrative year to date.

Full Gear will feature 10 matches, plus another three on the Zero Hour kickoff show. The main event will see MJF challenging Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship.

AEW looks to get back on track tonight after a rocky few months. The company was red hot earlier this year, but got knocked off track due to a slew of top stars going down with injuries, including Kenny Omega, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole. That was before All Out and chaos that stemmed from the post-show media scrum.

• 3 Reasons Why AEW Full Gear Needs to Deliver after All Out

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is having the biggest year of his professional career. The 26-year-old wrestling prodigy looks to make history Saturday night and win the ‘big one’ just miles from his hometown of Plainview, NY.

MJF will challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship in the main event of AEW Full Gear. Win, lose or draw, the match itself is a testament to everything he’s achieved so far. He may not be the biggest or strongest man in AEW. He may not be a technical wizard like Bryan Danielson or Claudio Castagnoli. However, fans can’t get enough of MJF.

He’s great one the mic, one of the best in the business today. However, MJF says it’s his authenticity that resonates most with the audience.

During an interview with Vulture, journalist Anne Victoria Clark asked MJF if he’s ever considered portraying another ‘character’ in AEW. Friedman corrected her immediately and told her he’s not playing a character. He said ‘gimmicks’ are not confined to pro wrestling. In every walk of life – politics, professional sports, Hollywood – people are ‘turning their personalities up to 11’ to get attention.

Like I said, I think the reason that I have such an animalistic magnetism to wrestling fans is because it’s very obviously me.

– MJF

Fans Love MJF’s Authenticity

MJF says fans love him because he speaks his mind when others are scared to do so. He’s not afraid to cross any lines or offend anybody. Society is more sensitive than ever, which allows him slice through the noise and stand out.

Social media is a huge part of today’s culture. Wrestlers face an onslaught of negativity from people they don’t even know, but MJF doesn’t let any of that get to him. If he doesn’t know you or wouldn’t come to you for advice in real life, he’s not going to be offended if you don’t like him.

“I think that’s a big issue with my generation,” he said. “If I read every single positive thing people had to say about me, I would be the most egotistical person in the world, because people are nonstop talking about how I’m the greatest professional wrestler of all time, so you just have to walk away from your phone every now and then.”

MJF is considered a heel for the most part, but there’s no question that he’s won people over and gets cheered a lot at AEW shows. He

AEW President Tony Khan is shedding light on the decision to crown an Interim Women’s World Champion while Thunder Rosa is out of action.

Rosa still the official AEW Women’s World Champion, but she hasn’t competed since late August when she announced on Dynamite that she’d be taking time off due to injury.

Since then, the company held a tournament to crown an interim champion. Toni Storm won that prize and has been a fighting champion ever since. Storm has questioned the validity of Rosa’s situation, and the entire concept of an interim champion. She’s said plainly, Rosa should be stripped of her title and thinks the whole situation is ridiculous.

There’s a strong argument that a champion should have to surrender their title if they are unable to defend it for several months – and they’d be number one contender when they return.

Truly a World Champion?

Khan appeared on Barstool Sports’ Rasslin’ podcast this week to promote Saturdy’s Full Gear pay-per-view. According to TK, it was a difficult choice to let Rosa keep her title while she’s out injured. He wanted to give her every opportunity to come back and defend her championship, without knowing how long Rosa will be out.

At the end of the day, he decided to go the interim champion route and thinks the eventual unification match will be a big deal.

He touted Storm as a huge free agent signing who came in with a great reputation and television experience. She’ll defend the Interim title against Jamie Hayter at Full Gear. Even with Thunder Rosa out of the picture for now, Storm and Hayter have become “really key figures” in AEW and whoever wins will “truly be a world champion.”

• Will Thunder Rosa will be Stripped of the AEW Women’s Championship?

Former WWE President and CEO Linda McMahon was in Palm Beach, Florida this week alongside former US President Donald Trump.

Trump, a WWE Hall of Famer is his own right, is gearing up for another run at the White House. Just days ago, he announced his candidacy for 2024.

The Trumps and McMahons go way back, dating back to the 1980’s. In addition to their collaborations in the world of professional wrestling, McMahon served in Trump’s Presidential cabinet from 2016-2019 as the head of the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Trump touted the “incredible job” McMahon did when she stepped down from her post at the SBA. He said she was a “superstar” in that role. He expected a lot from her, but was still surprised at how well she did and how many people she helped.

On Thursday, the 45th President held another event was at Mar a Lago. As seen in the video and photo below, Trump and McMahon were seated next to each other in multiple settings.

McMahon has kept a low profile since leaving public office, but could certainly mount a comeback now that Trump is running for President again. Trump almost certainly will not be selecting former Vice President Mike Pence as his running mate again. Pence remains loyal to Trump, but has publicly flirted with the idea of running against him in the primaries to determine the nominee for the Republican party in ’24.

McMahon would make an interesting choice for a running mate, considering their longstanding history together. She could also serve as an advisor.

• Things Got Awkward When Linda McMahon Was Asked About Vince Leaving WWE

Captain Insano has arrived in All Elite Wrestling.

The alter ego of wrestling legend Paul White made a surprise appearance in a music video by AEW World Tag Team Champions, The Acclaimed.

Captain Insano first appeared in the 1998 comedy The Waterboy starring Adam Sandler.

AEW trademarked the name “Captain Insano” back in March 2021. Wight has been teasing his arrival ever since, as recently as this summer. Back in July, Wight told WrestlingInc:

It remains to be seen if Captain Insano will ever wrestle a match for AEW. It’s possible we will see him as a bonus character in the upcoming AEW: Fight Forever video game.

You can watch the music video for ‘A Hand for A Hand’ by The Acclaimed below. The song is a diss track mocking Swerve In Our Glory, who challenge for The Acclaimed’s tag titles this Saturday at AEW Full Gear.

Britt Baker is fired up after Saraya “ripped her to shreds” during a promo last week on AEW Dynamite. Saraya held nothing back when she laid out her long, painful journey to getting ‘medically cleared’ after several years on the sidelines due to injuries.

After having a few days to process everything, Baker admits Saraya is a real-life role model with an inspiring story. She aspires to achieve Saraya’s level of worldwide stardom. For now, she wants to make one thing clear: AEW is still her house. The two will clash this weekend at Full Gear after months of build, which began long before Saraya arrived in All Elite Wrestling at Grand Slam.

The former AEW Women’s champion appeared on Busted Open Radio this week to discuss her mentality heading into the pay-per-view.

“It definitely motivated me, because she ripped me apart. She literally ripped me to shreds.”

– Britt Baker on Saraya’s promo (AEW Dynamite, 11/9/22)

“So, I was kind of in shock for a second,” said Baker. “It was very surreal hearing everything she was saying to me. Even everything she went through, that was very real and raw. That’s totally her. Her digs at me aside, this girl is a real life role model. Everything she went through, everything she’s overcome. Now she’s standing in a ring across the top girl in AEW. Hats off to her, but this is my house. And the fans know that. They told you that, this is my house.”

Saraya is a Star

Toni Storm’s Interim AEW Women’s Championship defense against Jamie Hayter has the higher stakes, but Baker vs. Saraya is the most anticipated women’s match at Full Gear.

Baker says Saraya will bring new eyes to AEW, which will help the company’s expansion. She also understands that Saraya may not be angry with her specifically, even though she felt the wrath last week.

“She has her hardcore group of fans,” said Baker. “This girl’s a star. There’s probably that don’t even watch wrestling that watched her family’s movie that want to watch this match because they’re a fan of her and the story. She’s a worldwide star and I can’t take that away from her. Actually, I would like to be what she is one day. But when it comes to AEW, this is my house, you can’t come in to my house and tell me that you laid the foundation. You didn’t lay a single brick.”

“I’m happy that she said every single word she did in that promo, because this is the most fired up I’ve ever been and it’s not every day that I get to stand in the ring face to face and do a back and forth promo with someone. That was really exciting. Even though she was cutting me deep, and she certainly was cutting me deep, it was very motivating, because I did feel how raw she was.

“She was angry and i don’t think she’s angry at me. I think she’s angry at the situation, but what she told me that I don’t have what it takes to be a star, ok well if you meant to say it or not, you said it, because now, all bets are off. You’re cleared, let’s have a match, let’s go this Saturday.”

AEW Full Gear takes place this Saturday, November 18th from 19th from Newark, NJ. The event airs live on pay-per-view.

WWE Superstar Top Dolla (AJ Francis) is getting candid about the disappointment and shame he felt when he was released from the company in 2021.

Hit Row is back doing their thing on the SmackDown brand, but it was not an easy road getting there. The group was swept up in WWE’s ‘cost cutting’ wave of releases last year and Top Dolla was hit especially hard when he found himself out of work.

During an appearance on the Fox Sports Out of Character podcast, Dolla told host Ryan Satin that he was caught completely off guard when he lost his dream job. When asked about his initial reaction, he recalled, “Disappointment. Shame.”

“I’ve worked to get to that point,” he said. “We had the fastest call-up ever in NXT history. To then be released a month later it was like, I felt.. I didn’t know that this would happen. I had no assurances that I’d be back in WWE again. So I felt like maybe the two years that I had spent in NXT, getting to that point was just a waste of my time, because I was gonna have to go do something else now. What ended up happening, which was a blessing, was the fact that, I always stayed in contact with Hunter.”

He recalls being “genuinely depressed” when his career came to a screeching halt.

“When we first got released, it was tough. I was genuinely depressed. I had spent my entire life looking for a chance to get an opportunity to be on SmackDown, to be on Raw. Then I got there and then a month later it got taken out from underneath me. So it was one of the worst experiences [and] times of my life.”

Luckily, hard work pays off. He, Ashante “Thee” Adonis and B-Fab were brought back to WWE as part of Triple H’s initiative to re-hire a slew of talented performers.

Top Dolla has gotten himself in great physical shape over the past few months. He revealed on Twitter that he was 367 pounds when he re-signed with WWE less than three months ago. On November 9, he weighed in at 303 pounds – the lightest he’s been since his junior year of college.

You can check out Top Dolla’s full interview below:

Bianca Belair has lofty dreams that extend far beyond the squared circle. The EST of WWE has been the Raw Women’s Champion since defeating Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 38 back in April. 7 months later, her career is looking more promising than ever.

Belair signed William Morris Endeavor (WME) in August. The powerhouse Hollywood agency will help build her brand across podcasting, acting, marketing and more.

During a recent interview with Metro, she spoke about her desire to always branch out into new areas and challenge herself creatively.

“I’m super excited for it,” Belair said of the WME partnership. “I don’t like to sit still at all, I like to do everything. I like to utilize all of my talents. At one point in my life, I’d have never thought of being a WWE superstar, and now I am!”

Belair and husband Montez Ford are working on a new show that will air on Hulu some time in 2023. If she has here way, that’s just the beginning.

Hollywood Dreams

Belair wants to see herself on the big screen and would love star in a film opposite WWE legends such as The Rock or John Cena. She credits them both for creating the blueprint for WWE Superstars to transition and do multiple things.

The Rock and John Cena have both moved on from being full-time Superstars, although there’s hope each of them will get back in the ring one day.

The allure of Hollywood can be very powerful, but Belair insists that she’s not looking to leave WWE any time soon. She wants the best of both worlds, and thinks it’s possible to become successful outside of WWE and then use her fame to draw new fans to pro wrestling.

“I can’t think of myself as anything other than a WWE superstar,” she continued. “I’m still in the business. I’m just getting started. I’m still honing my craft.”

Belair is set compete in the Women’s WarGames match at Survivor Series later this month. As team captain, she’ll lead Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim and one more partner (TBD) into battle against Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky), Nikki Cross and Rhea Ripley.

• Bianca Belair Wants to See Cardi B & Nicki Minaj in WWE

Bobby Lashley is having one of the best years of his WWE career. He’s fought Brock Lesnar twice, with each man claiming a victory over the other. He had an impressive run with the United States Championship and elevated that prize through a series of dominant title defenses.

Unfortunately, Lashley’s US title reign recently came to an end at the hands of Seth Rollins. Since then, Lashley has been hell-bent on reclaiming what he feels is rightfully his. The Almighty is usually known for his calm demeanor, but he wants WWE Superstars to know he won’t hesitate to inflict pain on anybody who stands in his way.

Lashley spoke with Cathy Kelley backstage after Monday’s Raw and said you can’t be ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ and expect to get ahead. If you do, people will take you for granted and walk all over you. Those days are over. He’s got a new mindset – thanks to a “little birdie” that showed him the light.

“What I’ve come to understand here is that you have to take what you want around here because if not, you get walked over” said Lashley. “I played ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ for way too long. I started to get to this point a little birdie came and told me in my ear, ‘If you just are hurting people and taking people out, who’s gonna stop you?’ I kind of thought about and it’s true.”

“The biggest, baddest person around, Brock Lesnar, I threw him around like a little kid. So now after that, I come in with a little different change of heart and a different mind-frame with everything else. [I’m] still a nice guy, but I’ll hurt anybody that steps in the ring with me from now on.”

Lashley vows to get the United States Championship back from Rollins, one way or another. Ever since Roman Reigns unified the WWE Championship and the Undisputed Championship earlier this year, the US title is the top prize on the Raw Brand. Lashey knows the prestige that comes with holding the gold and is putting Rollins on notice once again.

WWE recently filed a trademark application that sheds light on a new show in the works.

On Thursday, November 10, 2022, World Wrestling Entertainment applied to trademark the name Iron Survivor Challenge. According to the United States Patent & Trademark Office database, the ‘Goods and Services’ usage description includes:

• Entertainment services, namely, a show about professional wrestling;

• Entertainment services, namely, the production and exhibition of professional wrestling events rendered through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media;

• Providing wrestling news and information through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media;

• Providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media;

• Providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information

The ‘Goods and Services’ description implies this will be a new show, either on television, the Peacock streaming service (‘WWE Network’) or the company’s online platforms such as YouTube.

We’ll keep you posted when we’ve got more info on WWE’s Iron Survivor Challenge.

WarGames returns at WWE’s upcoming Survivor Series premium live event. It will be the first time the infamous double steel cage match takes place at WWE’s fall classic.

There have been over a dozen WarGames matches since the match was first introduced back in 1987. The number of participants on each team, the intervals that wrestlers enter the match and other rules have varied. Below, we’ll lay out exactly what to expect from WarGames later this month.

There will be two WarGames matches at Survivor Series (Men’s and Women’s) on Saturday, November 26th. WWE has yet to announce the participants for the men’s match, although you can be sure The Bloodline will be involved.

The women’s WarGames match is nearly set. It will be Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim and one more TBD partner facing Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky), Nikki Cross and Rhea Ripley.

WarGames Rules Explained

Here are the official rules for the WarGames matches that will be taking place at WWE Survivor Series 2022:

• Two teams will be contained in separate cages with one member of each team starting the match.

• After five minutes, a member from the advantaged team will be released to enter the match.

• After a three-minute period, alternating members from each team will enter the match until all competitors are inside the cage.

• Once all the competitors have entered, WarGames officially begins.

• The only way to win the match is by pinfall or submission.

The Creation of WarGames

WarGames was created by the late “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.

Here’s a video of Rhodes talking about the creation of The Match Beyond:

WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin continues to fuel speculation about his in-ring future with some butt-kicking workout videos.

Austin made his return to active competition earlier this year at WrestleMania 38. In a bouht that nobody thought would happen, Austin defeated Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match. It was his first time in the ring since WrestleMania 19, almost 20 years earlier.

With WrestleMania season right around the corner, the Texas Rattlesnake has posted a new video of himself opening up a can of ‘whoop ass’ in the gym. More specifically, in his RV.

On Monday, Austin showed off what it takes to look like Stone Cold at 57 years of age. This workout includes air squats, dumbbell curls, push-ups and kettlebell swings.

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A post shared by Steve Austin (@steveaustinbsr)

Steve Austin Wrestling Again?

WWE insider Wrestlevotes stated in an interview that Austin was so pleased with his performance at WrestleMania earlier this year, he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of another special attraction match. On Monday, Fightful reported that WWE has reached out to Steve Austin about wrestling again since Triple H took over for Vince McMahon over the summer.

WWE always goes all-out for WrestleMania, but the company is looking to pull out all the stops when the biggest wrestling show of the year heads to Los Angeles, California. There have been reports that WWE is looking for extra celebrity involvement at the event, which makes sense considering the link to Hollywood. We’ve also heard The Rock and John Cena discussed for high-profile appearances.

Wrestling fans have been conditioned to believe, ‘never say never.’ Austin wrestling again is still a long shot. Then again, nobody (including Kevin Owens) thought he’d get back in the ring after nearly 20 years away. Stranger things have happened, so we’re staying cautiously optimistic.

Anthony Ogogo sounds pretty excited about the news that All Elite Wrestling is headed to the United Kingdom in 2023.

AEW holding a show in the UK has been years in the making. In fact, Ogogo’s former rival Cody Rhodes was talking about bringing ‘elite’ wrestling to the country since 2019.

The former Olympic boxer recently spoke with Desert Island Graps and used a hockey analogy to explain how hard he’s working to get back in an AEW ring.

“When I do get the chance, I will score a hat trick and I won’t give up,” he said.

When asked if AEW’s UK debut was the place for him to score this hat trick, Ogogo couldn’t contain his excitement.

“Mate, I’ve got a f**king stiffy.”

The Guv’nor’s AEW career has been hampered with injuries. Last summer, he revealed his in-ring career was on hold due to him undergoing his 10th eye surgery since suffering a broken eye socket during a 2016 boxing fight.

His biggest AEW feud as was against Cody Rhodes, a feud both men reget. He hasn’t wrestled in 2022.

• Anthony Ogogo Opens Up About Weigh-In Segment With Cody: “F***ing Dogsh*t”
• Cody Rhodes “Regrets Almost Everything” About Anthony Ogogo Feud

Listen to Anthony Ogogo’s appearance on Desert Island Graps:

Ronda Rousey is really enjoying herself in WWE, but it wasn’t always this way.

The reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion has had some ups and downs since joining the company on a full-time basis in January 2018. She’s had a contentious relationship with fans and even got some heat from her co-workers by calling pro wrestling “fake fighting.”

• Ronda Rousey Recalls Wanting to Curse Out WWE Fans

During the latest episode of her “Ronda on the Road” YouTube series, Rousey explained that she’s finally feeling more comfortable in WWE. It took some time to get there, but she believes she’s paid her dues and has earned the right to speak up for herself behind the scenes.

Paying Her Dues

Rousey was a global sports icon when she made the leap into pro wrestling. She was a natural from the moment she first step foot in the ring, but being a high-paid rookie can come with some drawbacks. At times, she’s felt like she couldn’t fully speak up for herself.

Several years into her WWE career, she feels confident enough to speak up for herself and is humble enough to accept pushback as well.

“I have put enough time here that they’ll at least hear me out and explain to me why I’m wrong (if I am), you know, and that way I learned something. I think I feel like I have more of a voice this time and confidence to use it.”

The Baddest Woman on the Planet has been feuding with Shotzi in recent weeks. They’ll battle for Rousey’s SmackDown Women’s Championship at WWE Survivor Series later this month.

• Ronda Rousey Explains Remarks About Wrestling Being ‘Fake’

Michael Cole may have bitten off more than he can chew with a recent remark he made about Rhea Ripley.

The 26-year-old grappler from Adelaide, Australia is one of the most feared Superstars in WWE – and we’re not just talking about the women’s division. Ripley’s career was growing stagnant earlier this year, and she even spoke about the need to get herself back on track. She did just that earlier this year when she joined the Judgment Day faction, which also includes Finn Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio.

The group has been feuding with AJ Styles and The OC. The Judgment Day has gotten the upper hand in this gang warfare so far, with OC leader stating that Ripley is the reason the group has been so dominant.

At WWE’s recent Crown Jewel premium live event, announcer Michael Cole said that someone needs to kick Ripley’s ass. That didn’t go over so well with Ripley. She’s letting Cole know comments like that won’t be tolerated and has since challenge him to a fight.

On Saturday morning, Ripley wrote on Twitter, “Fight me @Michael Cole”

Doin’t expect to see Cole take her up on this challenge. However, one thing is for sure. You can’t just run your mouth about the Judgment Day’s toughest member.

The OC recently brought in Mia Yim to feud with Ripley as part of this ongoing feud.

CM Punk returned to the airwaves Thursday night for Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC).

Punk has been doing commentary for CFFC since November 2018. The former AEW World Champion hasn’t made any public appearances since September’s explosive AEW All Out pay-per-view, but he was back cageside alongside MMA journalist John Morgan for CFFC 114.

Morgan posted a photo alongside his broadcasting partner, which you can see below:

CFFC 114 takes place from Tampa, Florida at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino. The main event features Blake Smith vs. Kendly St. Louis. The 13-fight card streams on UFC Fight Pass.

Visit MMANews.com for UFC news and Mixed Martial Arts coverage.

R-Truth says he’s on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery to repair a torn quad tendon.

The veteran Superstar suffered the injury during a match on WWE NXT earlier this month. During a match against Grayson Waller, Truth went for a Flip Dive over the top rope and onto the arena floor. Unfortunately, his knee clipped the rope and he had an ugly landing. He was unable to continue the match, so Waller was declared the winner and Truth was helped backstage by medical staff.

Truth, a 54-time WWE 24/7 Champion, has been keeping fans apprised of his situation on social media. Earlier this week, he checked in to thank fans for their support and half-joked that he might document the whole injury and recovery for a future documentary.

On Thursday, Truth revealed that his surgery was a success. He wrote on Twitter, “I really really appreciate the support and love im receiving from all of you!! I can’t say thank you enough??, Surgery went well, stay tuned.. #whatitis”

If theres one thing we know about R-Truth: he’s got heart. The fact that he is still competing at such a high level at 50 years old shows that he puts in the work.

A torn quad tendon typically takes about 4 months to heal, so he’ll be out of action for the remainder of 2022.

SEScoops wishes R-Truth a full and speedy recovery.

Chris Jericho wants to bring his Painmaker character to the big screen. Jericho believes his serial killer-inspired alter ego can hugely successful outside of pro wrestling.

AEW’s Inaugural World Champion recently appeared on Howie Mandel Does Stuff. During a discussion about super heroes, Jericho said The Painmaker has a comic book in the works and has a rich backstory that could put it on the level of super heroes like Batman, Superman and Spider-Man.

“The idea is to make it into a movie at some point. That’s my overall goal. We’re just writing and illustrating the graphic novel now.”

– Chris Jericho

The Painmaker Lore

“So the idea is The Painmaker is an intergalactic former serial killer. He’s changed his life, and he’s not a serial killer anymore, but now he travels the galaxy hunting down other serial killers in different galaxies, different planets.”

Jericho further explained what makes the character tick, and likened it to the character Dexter Morgan from the Showtime series Dexter. He’s already brainstorming ideas for a big love interest storyline.

“What if The Painmaker falls in love and can’t help himself, and he has to kill the one he loves?!” Jericho questioned. “Who knows? The possibilities are endless.”

The Painmaker first appeared in New Japan Pro Wrestling during Jericho’s feud with The Rainmaker Kazuchika Okada. He’s since appeared in AEW on several occasions.

H/T Transcription: Wrestling Inc

WWE broadcaster Pat McAfee is gearing up to become a father next year.

McAfee is currently on hiatus from WWE while he focuses on his role with ESPN College GameDay. He also hosts the wildly popular Pat McAfee Show.

On Wednesday, McAfee’s wife Samantha announced they are expecting their first child together in May 2023. The couple has been public about their parenthood journey, which has not been easy. They’ve endured two miscarriages and began IVF treatments back in July.

Samantha knows how difficult the journey can be, but hopes that sharing their story will bring hope to other couples who have traveled the same road.

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“For those of you who haven’t followed along with our parenthood journey, we have lost two pregnancies, I almost lost my life both times with internal bleeding, resulting in losing both of my Fallopian tubes which has caused us to not be able to conceive naturally,” she wrote. She went on to expand on this big announcement.

In July, we started our IVF journey. It’s hard to put into words what all comes with IVF. It is physically demanding and emotionally challenging for the both of us. Pumping my body with so many hormones, the anxiety, the hope, truly being a human science project. Also despite my many tattoos, I absolutely hate needles so getting shots everyday (sometimes 3 in one day) was not easy on me or for Patrick to have to cause pain to me. I would like to believe IVF has made our relationship stronger.

Dear women and couples trying and battling, I hope this isn’t a trigger but rather serves as hope. Hope that you too can over come the battle of infertility. You will be parents! And remember that after a storm, a rainbow can occur.”

Pat and Samantha McAfee were married in August 2020. Samantha is the founder and president of Fur The Brand, a non-profit that provides support and financial assistance to families whose pet faces a cancer diagnosis requiring veterinary care in which they are unable to afford.

It’s not easy being a WWE Superstar and constantly being on the road. Countless performers have spoken about the difficulty of living out of a suitcase and the never-ending slew of airports, rental cars and hotels. Aside from the grueling schedule, talent also has to make time for exercise and eating healthy.

John Cena was the consummate professional during his time as an active member of the WWE roster. When you consider Cena’s charitable work with organizations like Make-a-Wish, it’s even more impressive that he was on top of the industry for as long as he was.

Cena carried WWE on his back throughout the TV-PG era, but even he faced challenges keeping up with the lifestyle.

Former WWE Superstar René Duprée worked alongside Cena in for several years in the mid-2000’s. According to Duprée, Cena regularly battled food poisoning and got “violently ill” at times.

Travel Woes

Duprée discussed Cena’s situation on the latest episode of his Cafe de Rene podcast.

Cena’s WWE career has been winding down in recent years. He’s been more focused on Hollywood than pro wrestling as of late, but he hasn’t wrestled his last match. He’s spoken about wanting to wrestle again and might be back on WWE television in early 2023…

• WWE Has Plans for John Cena at WrestleMania 39

We are currently on the road to WWE Survivor Series, which takes place in less than 3 weeks on Saturday, November 26, 2022. Attention will then turn to January’s Royal Rumble event, but planning is already well-underway for WrestleMania 39.

Looking back over a year ago, there’s been speculation that the main event of next year’s WrestleMania will be Roman Reigns vs. The Rock. Each man has spoken publicly about this hypothetical match-up, as has WWE’s Chief Content Officer and Head of Creative, Triple H.

Related: The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania

• Roman Reigns on WrestleMania Match With The Rock: ‘If It Works Out, I’m Ready’
• The Rock Talks Roman Reigns, Vince McMahon’s Retirement
• Paul Heyman Says Roman Reigns Match Is ‘Up To The Rock’
• The Rock Officially Acknowledges Roman Reigns As The Tribal Chief

The Rock vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania would do blockbuster business for WWE, but there is a big complication that could prevent it from happening. The Rock is the biggest star in the Hollywood. He’s also a successful entrepreneur, with multiple ongoing ventures including Project Rock Apparel, Teremana Tequila and the XFL, just to name a few.

The match could happen, but the odds are probably less than 50/50 at this point. Rock’s schedule is the biggest issue, but WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair thinks there’s another factor that could hold things up.

Flair Comments on Rock vs. Reigns at WrestleMania

On the latest episode of his To Be The Man podcast, Flair says there are major creative considerations to take into account. If The Rock does return for a retirement against Reigns, it makes sense that the part-time special attraction would ‘do business’ one last time.

Flair says that it would not make sense for The Rock to win the championship from Reigns, because he’ll never be a full-time wrestler again. He’s also not so sure The Rock wants to come back only to lose.

The Other Option

There are ways around this predicament, including Reigns dropping the title before WrestleMania. If The Rock does not return next year, Flair likes the idea of Cody Rhodes facing Reigns at the biggest show of a the year, a match that many fans see as the most likely alternative to Rock vs. Reigns.

“I’ve said before, if The Rock happens, that’s great. If it doesn’t, I would like it to be Cody Rhodes… I thought those matches that Cody had with Seth Rollins were off the hook. Seth really did a good job getting him over.”

Rhodes has been sidelined since suffering a pectoral tear earlier this year. His most recent match took place at Hell in a Cell on June 5th. Since then, he’s undergone surgery to repair the injury. Earlier this month, Rhodes said his physical therapy is “fn’ awful. He’s a tough guy, but admits he regularly screams and even sheds a tear during the sessions.

Logan Paul is wasting no time getting back to training after suffering serious injuries during his match against Roman Reigns at WWE Crown Jewel.

Paul came up short against the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, but impressed everybody with his athleticism and charisma. He’s already being compared to Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey, two people who stunned fans with their ability to pick up the sport of pro wrestling so quickly. Not to take anything away from the 27-year-old, but it certainly helps when you’re training with all-time greats like Shawn Michaels.

Logan Paul Injury Update

The Maverick revealed on social media that he tore his meniscus, MCL & potentially ACL halfway through the match with Reigns. He’ll be out of the ring for some time while he recovers, but Paul is already back in the gym rehabbing.

He’s expected to miss 6-8 months of action, which means he most likely won’t be able to compete at WrestleMania 39 in April. This is a big setback for WWE, because there’s been talk of the Paul brothers, Logan and Jake, teaming up together at a future event.

• News on Jake Paul’s Possible Future with WWE

Injuries are a part of wrestling, but Paul is showing guts and determination once again. He’s already eyeing a return to WWE and is wasting no time getting started on the road to recovery.

On Tuesday, Paul posted a video on Instagram of himself at the Sports Rehab LA facility in Encino, California. He included a caption on the video that reads, “I’ll be back in no time.”

AEW broadcaster Tony Schiavone wants to see AEW do more to utilize Renee Paquette.

Schiavone spoke about his new colleague on the latest episode of his What Happened When podcast. During an ‘Ask Tony Anything’ round of Q&A, Schiavone spoke very highly of Paquette. He’s thrilled to have her on board as part of the team. She is a polished performer, the consummate professional and is so good that she makes other peoples’ jobs easier.

Paquette debuted on the first-ever AEW Dynamite in Canada, over two years after departing WWE where she worked as Renee Young.

Paquette recently joined All Elite Wrestling nearly two years after leaving WWE. During that time, she became a mother, released a cook book and worked on several other projects outside of wrestling.

She performed several functions during her extended run with WWE. She conducted backstage interviews, hosted television and digital shows and was was the first full-time female announcer on Monday Night Raw for a short period of time.

On a recent episode of her own podcast, The Sessions, Paquette said she’s not really interested in calling matches in AEW, but did not rule that out entirely.

Capable broadcasters can make a huge difference on the overall product of a wrestling show. Paquette has only been with AEW for a few weeks, but Schiavone is already convinced she’s been an important addition to the team.

“She looks so great on camera,” he continued. “She’s so cool, one of our best hires in a long long time, she really is.”