Powerhouse Hobbs might be on his way back to AEW programming very soon after spending the last 5 months on the shelf due to injury.
The former TNT Champion has been spotted backstage at AEW shows recently, starting rumors about a potential return for him.
Now Fightful Select is reporting that Hobbs has actually been cleared for action in the last few weeks. Hobbs went through extensive in-ring testing before being cleared and now he’s just awaiting creative plans for his return.
The heavyweight star last wrestled during the April 24, 2024 episode of Dynamite. He unsuccessfully challenged Jon Moxley for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on the show and sustained a knee injury in the same bout.
Powerhouse Hobbs had primarily been involved in a storyline with Don Callis before being put on the shelf. He was recruited into Callis’ faction in October 2023.
Prior to that, the 33-year-old had a short run with the TNT Championship between March and April 2023. He also briefly joined the short-lived QTV faction but that didn’t lead to anything significant.
There is no word on what the company is planning for Hobbs upon his return but the recent debut of MVP opens up a very intriguing possibility for him.
The appearance from the former WWE star teased the arrival of The Hurt Syndicate on AEW programming. Though the faction is expected to be one member short compared to their WWE days as Cedric Alexander recently signed a new deal with the Endeavor-owned promotion.
If the group feels the need for a new member to strengthen their position, then someone like Powerhouse Hobbs would be the perfect addition. It will make the faction more dominant and allow the former champion to learn from the veterans.
Multi-time WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair is not expected to return just yet. “The Queen” has been on the shelf as she is recuperating from a significant knee injury including tears to her ACL, MCL, and meniscus which she suffered last year. The 14-time Women’s Champion has been doing her best to make her comeback to the ring.
Fightful Select has reported that there were reports of creative plans involving Charlotte Flair moving forward, specifically involvement with WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax and Ms. Money In The Bank Tiffany Stratton. However, WWE sources indicste she is not cleared yet. There is a belief that there will still be some time before she returns to the ring as the injuries that she sustained last year were severe.
BREAKING: Due to a knee injury that will require surgery, @MsCharlotteWWE will be out of action for approximately 9 months. More details to come.
Charlotte underwent major knee surgery in January. She’s been documenting her training on social media, which has given people a sense of optimism. She posted this video approximately six weeks ago, accompanied by a quote from the movie Any Given Sunday (1999) that shares her mentality as she powers through this latest advertsity.
On the other hand, Charlotte Flair will be a part of an upcoming indie horror/thriller movie, You Lose You Die. Previously, Flair worked outside WWE. Her movie debut took place when she starred as Heather Rockrear in Psych: The Movie in 2017. It is a spin-off of the popular show about fake psychic investigator. Flair has also starred as herself in the remake of Punky Brewster with fellow WWE wrestler Alexa Bliss.
Despite her absence, Charlotte Flair has kept her eye on the shows and recently made it clear that she wants to share the ring with the NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez.
Injuries are a workplace hazard of being a professional wrestler and all in-ring talent have to deal with them at one point or another. On the latest WWE Monday Night RAW, Kairi Sane was in action and suffered a gruesome injury to her eye during a match with some very high stakes.
Sane teamed with IYO SKY to take on the Unholy Union for a shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. With new champions Jade Cargill & Bianca Belair at ringside, both teams held nothing back to get the win. During one spot in the match, Sane dove to the outside and hit Bianca Belair, but her face also hit the edge of the announce table.
Sane’s painful landing resulted in her bleeding from the eye but the Pirate Princess would not stay down. In the end though, it’d be the Unholy Union who got the win, earning another shot at the titles they lost at WWE Bash in Berlin. Post-match, Belair and Cargill stared down Damage CTRL, insinuating that the issues between the two teams are only getting started.
Since 2015, Asuka has dominated on WWE programming as part of RAW, SmackDown, and WWE NXT. Though she’s currently out of action, fans should expect to see more of the Empress for years to come as PW Insider reports that Asuka has signed a new deal.
Asuka is a former RAW, SmackDown, and NXT Women’s Champion, in addition to being a Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank winner. The 42-year-old Superstar is a four-time Women’s Tag Team Champion and boasts the record for the most reigns with the titles.
Asuka hasn’t competed since WWE Backlash: France in May of this year, where she and Kairi Sane lost the Women’s Tag Team Titles to Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair. That same month, Asuka underwent knee surgery which has kept her out of the ring ever since. During WWE’s recent tour of Japan, Asuka appeared sans crutches in support of her Damage CTRL allies.
WWE Talent Signing New Contracts
The ‘new era’ of WWE has proven its immense popularity and success, with several top Superstars re-signing with the company in 2024.
That same month, Drew McIntyre also re-signed with WWE, quashing rumors of an ‘Elite’ move ahead of a show at Wembley Stadium. The Scottish Warrior, who received a ceremonial sword from TKO’s Dwayne Johnson, has since established himself as a top heel on WWE RAW throughout 2024.
Speaking to Us, Morgan addressed the injury she suffered, which resulted in her being written off TV with an attack by Rhea Ripley. This time away from the ring provided the 30-year-old Superstar with an opportunity to reassess her place in WWE, especially after years of feeling like she didn’t truly belong—feelings that had plagued her since her days in WWE NXT.
“It wasn’t until I came back from my injury this past year that I went from like, ‘I’m lucky to be here’ to ‘I’m that b***h. I don’t know what that switch was… It wasn’t until I had those months off where I only had to be myself.”
Morgan has certainly proven to be that b***h in 2024 after capturing the WWE Women’s World Champion at WWE King And Queen of the Ring from Becky Lynch. She solidified her reign by successfully defending the title against Lynch in a steel cage match on RAW—a match that marked The Man’s final WWE appearance.
Post-Berlin, Morgan will continue to defend her WWE Women’s World Championship on TV and at Premium Live Events. With the full support of Judgment Day and her ever-improving in-ring skills, Morgan’s reign shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
WWE Superstar Shotzi has provided fans with a much-anticipated update on her injury and potential return to the ring. After suffering a severe knee injury earlier this year, Shotzi has been on the road to recovery and recently shared a hopeful update on her progress.
The Injury and Its Impact
Shotzi sustained a significant ACL tear during the February 13, 2024, WWE NXT taping. The injury occurred while she was executing her apron DDT move in a match against Lyra Valkyria.
This unfortunate incident led to her being pulled from an Elimination Chamber qualifying match, where she was eventually replaced by Alba Fyre.
Shotzi’s Recovery Journey
In a recent update shared on her Instagram Stories, Shotzi provided a glimpse into her recovery process. She posted a photo showing her undergoing a cupping therapy session, which is a part of her rehabilitation.
Along with the image, she included a reassuring message: “Just a few more months.” This suggests that while she is making progress, her return to in-ring action is still a few months away.
What’s Next for Shotzi?
While Shotzi’s fans are eager to see her back in the ring, her message indicates that her recovery is on track but will require a bit more time.
This injury has certainly been a setback, but her optimistic update provides hope that she will make a strong return.
WWE has not yet announced a specific return date, but based on her timeline, fans can expect her to potentially make a comeback in late 2024 or early 2025.
AEW wrestler Adam Cole is likely to be back soon as an encouraging update has emerged on his recovery.
Fightful Selectreported that Adam Cole was backstage at the August 14 edition of AEW Dynamite. Cole was taken off the road as traveling was slowing down his recovery but his backstage presence was a positive sign towards his return to the programming.
Another promising sign of his comeback is that there is a word backstage that we will resume his training in the ring as soon as next week.
Adam Cole last competed in the ring on September 3 last year following which he sustained an ankle injury. It took place in the final moments of the AEW Grand Slam last year when he landed awkwardly after he jumped from the entrance ramp. This also impacted the storylines he was involved.
A month following the injury Cole provided an update on social media. He thanked fans who showed him support while he recuperated with the injury. A few months back at AEW Double or Nothing 2024, Cole was involved in a segment with MJF. ‘The Salt of The Earth’ made his comeback to TV and confronted Cole. Fans speculated that a match would be happening soon. It is not confirmed yet whether the match will take place but it’s is likely to happen once Cole returns to action.
The Bloodline will be back in full force very soon after a recent injury scare threatened the group’s solidarity at a critical time. Jacob Fatu recently burst onto the scene as the newest member of The Bloodline.
The former MLW World Champion immediately aligned with Solo Sikoa, adding another highly combustible element to the group. Fatu wasted no time, winning the World Tag Team Championships with Tama Tonga and playing a significant role in Sikoa’s WWE Championship match against Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam.
Jacob Fatu’s WWE Return
Unfortunately, Fatu’s high-risk offense backfired at SummerSlam when he dove off the top rope onto Cody Rhodes, who was sprawled on the announcer’s table at ringside. Fatu connected, but it was immediately apparent that something went wrong. He was writhing in pain, assisted backstage by WWE officials, and later spotted wearing a protective boot on his foot in the hours following the event.
According to PWInsider, Jacob Fatu is scheduled to return to WWE television by the end of this month. This is excellent news because a more serious diagnosis could have necessitated surgery, derailed storylines, and jeopardized his future mobility. Fatu and Tonga won’t have to surrender the tag titles, and The Bloodline will have ‘all hands on deck’ as they deal with Roman Reigns, the recently returned Original Tribal Chief (OTC).
WWE SummerSlam 2024 is in the books with a lot of interesting storyline developments coming out of the latest Premium Live Event.
Fightful Select has provided some backstage updates on topics such as the top merch sellers coming out of the PPV and more.
According to the reports, the Intercontinental Championship match between Sami Zayn and Bron Breakker was allotted 10 minutes.
The bout in which Breakker defeated the wrestling veteran to win his first title on the main roster ended after only 5 minutes and 42 seconds.
Cody Rhodes was the top merch seller for the company at the WWE Superstore in Cleveland and the merch stand at the Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Roman Reigns reportedly didn’t crack the top three but that’s expected to change with his return. The $600 custom WWE Championship belt for Reigns on the company’s online store did end up selling out within 24 hours.
A very interesting new addition to WWE programming was the ref cam. It was first tested at the performance center and they tried to fine-tune it before Saturday.
Though everything did not go as planned for the company as the battery pack of the camera fell out during the CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre match. Seth Rollins ended up making the decision to remove the camera afterward. The concept is expected to continue.
There were multiple spots at the event which made fans worried about the health of the participating wrestlers. The most notable was Jacob Fatu’s leg injury during the main event which was said to be preplanned.
The spot with Rhea Ripley’s shoulder during her match with Liv Morgan was also planned in advance. The nasty landing of Logan Paul during the superplex spot with LA Knight was the one thing that wasn’t expected, but the YouTube star was said to be okay afterward.
The SummerSlam spot with Jacob Fatu that has been a matter of discussion among fans was something WWE had reportedly planned in advance.
The Bloodline member had seemingly hurt his foot while delivering a top rope splash to Cody Rhodes through the announce table during the main event of the show.
Fightful Select has since provided some more updates on Fatu. According to them, the spot with Jacob selling his leg following the move was pre-planned.
Contrary to popular belief, no audible was called during the bout. Neither Jimmy Uso nor Jey Uso was planned to be a part of the main event in any capacity. Talent and staff believed Jacob Fatu to be okay following the match.
What’s Next For The Bloodline?
Roman Reigns has already been making a big impact for WWE since his return. The YouTube video of his comeback has garnered over 2.5 million views in less than 24 hours, and the $600 custom WWE Championship belt announced after his appearance has already sold out.
The Original Tribal Chief, however, will need some help if he wants to take back his spot from Solo Sikoa and all the new members of The Bloodline.
The big thing to see will be if Reigns finds new allies in his fight against his own cousin or if old friends return to help The Head of The Table in his new quest.
AEW TBS/NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Mercedes Mone will step foot in an NJPW ring this month for the first time since suffering a career-threatening ankle injury. On Twitter, the New Japan account shared that Mone will compete at the Capital Collision show on August 30, in Washington, D.C. An opponent for Mone has not been named at this time.
This will be Mone’s first match in NJPW since her Resurgence 2023 match with Willow Nightingale in which she suffered an ankle injury. The injury forced plans to change and Nightingale won the Stong Women’s Championship that had reportedly been created with Mone in mind. The injury would also cost Mone over a year of action before returning to the ring at AEW Double or Nothing in May 2024, where she’d win the AEW TBS title from Nightingale.
NJPW Captial Collision will feature other top names including NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd, who’ll defend against Lio Rush. Zack Sabre Jr. Trish Adora, Fred Rosser, and Tom Lawlor have also been announced the the upcoming event.
Mercedes Mone’s Future Plans
It isn’t just in New Japan that fans will get to see Mone in action. The CEO will defend her AEW TBS Championship at All In against Britt Baker. On this week’s Dynamite, Mone claimed that “my EVPs” the Young Bucks had suspended Baker following an altercation between the DMD and Mone at San Diego Comic-Con. Baker and Mone will collide inside Wembley Stadium on August 25.
Keep tuned in to SE Scoops for all the latest on Mercedes Mone and her journey to AEW All In: London 2024 later this month.
Skye Blue will be out of action for the foreseeable future after the talented AEW and Ring of Honor performer underwent ankle surgery this week. On social media, Blue’s partner, Kyle Fletcher shared that Blue had gone under the knife and asked fans for their support.
— Kyle Fletcher ?????????? (@kylefletcherpro) July 30, 2024
Blue faced Hikaru Shida during an episode of AEW Collision earlier this month but their match was stopped when Blue suffered an injury. This occurred when Shida hit a crossbody to Blue outside of the ring and Skye was seen in pain when she landed. The referee immediately called for medical attention and after a commercial break, it was decided that the match had to be called off.
Blue had to be carried to the back by medical officials as fans chanted her name in a show of respect. On Twitter, Tony Khan confirmed that she had suffered an ankle injury while Fletcher shared a photo of her recovery at home.
we got her home everyone, doctor Kyle on the clock
Shane Taylor will be on the sidelines for the foreseeable future after suffering an injury at ROH Death Before Dishonor 2024. The unfortunate news was shared by Tony Schiavone and came after Taylor competed in a Survival of the Fittest match for the ROH TV Championship. The match saw Atlantis retain the title against Taylor, Brian Cage, Lee Johnson, Johnny TV, and Lio Rush.
Despite this injury, Lee’s tag-team partner Brian Cage was still in action during the latest AEW Collision. The Machine teamed with Lee Moriarty, who won the ROH Pure Championship at Death Before Dishonor.
With Shane Taylor injured after #DBD2024, “The Machine” Brian Cage teams with the NEW #ROH Pure Champion “Taiga Style” Lee Moriarty in this Three Way Tag Team Match!
This November will mark a decade since Taylor debuted for Ring of Honor. In December 2022, Taylor returned to the promotion, now under the ownership of Tony Khan. Over his time with the company, he has held the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Titles (with Kaun and Moses) and the ROH World Television Championship.
We here at SE Scoops would like to wish Taylor a speedy recovery. Keep tuned in to SE Scoops for all the goings on in the world of Ring of Honor.
Skye Blue is recovering at her home after an injury suffered during the latest AEW Collision put an abrupt end to her match. In the second match of the night, Hikaru Shida hit a crossbody to Blue on the floor and the referee immediately called for medical attention. After a commercial break, it was decided that the match had to be called off.
Skye Blue vs Hikaru Shida was just stopped abruptly due to this dive and Shida was announced the winner.
Blue, who also wrestles in ROH, had to be carried to the back and fans chanted her name in a show of support. AEW/ROH President Tony Khan announced later on that Blue had suffered an injury to her right ankle.
Our previous match was stopped + @shidahikaru was declared the winner, due to an ankle injury to @Skyebyee. Skye Blue is being evaluated now by the Doctors; we're all wishing her the very best.
This is a heartbreaking setback for Skye Blue who just a few weeks ago was in the AEW TBS Championship picture. On Twitter, Blue’s partner Kyle Fletcher shared a photo of her recovery at home, though Skye hardly seemed in the mood for a photo.
we got her home everyone, doctor Kyle on the clock
Dalton Castle will not be wrestling at Death Before Dishonor next week and will not be wrestling for quite some time.
Tony Khan announced on social media that Castle will not compete at the upcoming ROH PPV, stating that the former ROH World Champion was injured during his match on AEW Collision against Roderick Strong. What’s even worse is ‘The Peacock’ won’t be strutting in the squared circle for the remainder of 2024.
Some injury news that's forced changes to the plans for this Friday's #ROHDBD Death Before Dishonor@theDALTONcastle was injured in his Saturday Night #AEWCollision bout last week vs @roderickstrong. Sadly Dalton will be out of action for the remainder of 2024. Get well soon DC
Dalton quote-posted Tony Khan, stating he’ll “See y’all baby chickens in 2025.”
Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer claims that Castle was knocked out during his match with Strong after being connected with a flying knee. There was a clear edit in the broadcast of Collision as Castle didn’t kick out, who was out for several minutes after the spot. Up until this unfortunate injury, Castle has been a regular presence on Collision programming.
Currently on the card for Death Before Dishonor is Diamante taking on Leyla Hirsch in a Texas Deathmatch, Billie Starkz defending her ROH Women’s TV Championship against Red Velvet, Athena putting her ROH Women’s World Championship on the line against Queen Aminata and Mark Briscoe putting his ROH World Title up against the aforementioned Strong.
We at SEScoops want to wish Dalton Castle a healthy and speedy recovery.
New Catch Republic member Tyler Bate is not expected to return anytime soon.
The former NXT UK Champion has been on the shelf after suffering an injury. His last appearance took place on the July 2 edition of NXT where he teamed up with Pete Dunne and faced the team of Hank Walker and Tank Ledger. In the final moments of the match, Bate seemingly hurt his right arm. Initially, it seemed that he was selling the move but that was not the case.
Fightful Select has now reported that Bate’s injury is serious and he is likely to make his in-ring return in 2025.
Taking to his social media, Tyler Bate revealed that he legitimately suffered an injury. He revealed that he had torn his left pectoral major & tendon off the bone. In an update, he informed the fans that he underwent successful surgery on July 8 and would be out for some time as he recuperates.
“Surgery yesterday was successful and all has been put back where it belongs. I’ll be gone for some time while I recover..”
While Bate is sidelined with injury, his New Catch Republic tag team partner has turned heel. He attacked his former Brawling Brutes teammate Sheamus on the latest edition of Monday Night Raw. Reports suggest that the decision to have Pete Dunne’s feud with Sheamus was made as Bate is likely to be gone for a year due to the injury.
AEW wrestler Trent has been sidelined with an injury that has kept him from receiving a push that the promotion had in the works for him.
On the July 13, edition of AEW Collision, Trent was taken out by Orange Cassidy who used a monkey wrench to attack his former friend from behind. The pair have been feuding for months and Trent delivered an attack to Chuck Taylor back in May that has raised serious questions about Taylor’s future in the ring.
While Trent has been feuding with OC, the 37-year-old hasn’t competed since Double or Nothing 2024. That’s because Trent has been sidelined with an injury, Fightful Select reports. There had been plans for Trent to receive a push before the injury, but he hasn’t been cleared to compete for quite some time.
AEW’s Injuries
Trent is the latest AEW name confirmed for the injury list, a list that many believe is worryingly long. Other names out of action at this time include Adam Cole, Adam Copeland, Jamie Hayter, and ‘Switchblade’ Jay White.
A lot has been said about AEW talent getting injured and why (in the eyes of some) it seems more prevalent in the promotion compared to WWE. Some have chalked this up to a more hard-hitting, violent style in AEW, while others have suggested that a facility akin to WWE’s Performance Center would lower the rate of injuries.
Oddly enough, those at WWE believe AEW’s high injury rate stems from not wrestling enough. The belief among many is that the rigorous schedule of WWE allows for the bodies of Superstars to callus and grow more immune to bumps and scrapes in the ring. AEW has a more relaxed schedule which may see a wrestler compete once or twice a week, which those in WWE feel allows for too long a gap between matches to properly toughen up.
WWE talent have hardly been surprised by the perceived high level of injuries that have occurred in AEW, it has been reported.
While injuries are a work hazard for any professional wrestler, many have pointed at Tony Khan’s promotion for having a higher rate of injuries than other companies of its size. Currently, top names including Adam Cole, Adam Copeland, and Jamie Hayter are all out of action with injuries. Bryan Danielson has seen much of his AEW run disrupted due to injuries and similar setbacks also caused issues throughout CM Punk’s All-Elite tenure.
Talent in WWE have not been surprised by the apparent high rate of injuries in AEW, Mike Johnson of PW Insider reports. The belief is that instead of lowering the risk of injuries, AEW’s more relaxed schedule which sees talent compete maybe once or twice a week is actually making their situation worse. The reasoning is that with long breaks between matches, AEW talent aren’t able to callus their bodies which has resulted in bumps and moves hurting more. In contrast, WWE hosts events almost every night of the week which keeps talent toughened up in the long term.
WWE Superstars were forced to wrestle much less during the COVID-19 pandemic when events happened behind closed doors, either at the Performance Center on inside the Thunderdome. The report adds that talent felt “off” by a few steps after touring resumed in July 2021 but were pleased that they would finally be able to compete more and therefore callus their bodies.
Bayley was an unfortunate victim of this situation as mere weeks before touring resumed, she suffered an injury during training. The Role Model, who had been considered a highlight of the Pandemic Era, would miss a year of in-ring action before returning to TV at SummerSlam 2022.
While it may seem antithetical, it appears wrestling more is decreasing the chances of injuries, at least when it comes to WWE talent. While AEW has flirted with untelevised shows in the past, it remains to be seen if the promotion will ever have a schedule close to WWE.
A recent tweet from WWE superstar Cora Jade has fans wondering if her return to NXT could be soon. The developmental brand had their Heatwave premium live event on July 7 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. One of the featured matches had WWE NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez successfully defending her title against Lola Vice. While ‘The Prodigy’ celebrated a victory, Jade teased fans on X that she is on track to return to the ring after her ACL injury.
After Perez defeated Vice, WWE posted a graphic on X celebrating her retaining her title and captioned it by asking who could stop her.
The tweet caught Jade’s attention, and she reposted it to warn Perez that her return was coming soon.
I was told an ACL injury heals in 6-9 months. That was in January. :) https://t.co/FU7sLHGY3c
It’s unclear exactly when she will be cleared to compete. However, her tweet shows her interest in taking on Perez when she returns.
Cora Jade Rehab Progress & Possible Match With Roxanne Perez
Jade suffered her ACL injury during a match against Lyra Valkyria at an NXT House Show in January. Since then, Jade has been working hard to make a return and has posted her rehab progress on Instagram. On July 5, she shared a video of her doing barbell squats with 155 lbs without a knee brace.
The tweet after Perez’s victory is interesting as the champion continues to dominate the women’s division. She has retained her title five times with notable wins over Jordynne Grace, Natalya, and recently Vice. NXT General Manager Ava is also trying to find opponents that can give Perez a challenge, as ‘The Prodigy’ continues to boast that she is better than everyone else. Given their history as former friends turned rivals, Jade would be an interesting surprise challenger for Perez.
The possibility of Jade challenging Perez for her title depends on whether WWE feels she is ready to return. However, the tweet and her rehab progress show her motivation to get back in the ring.
Former AEW Women’s Champion Riho has confirmed her injury.
The female star took on Instagram to announce the news. She posted a photo with a sling, and noted that she has fractured her arm.
A number of AEW stars have since replied to the post and people such as the TBS Champion Mercedes Mone, Willow Nightingale and Madison Ryan have wished a speedy recovery to their co-worker:
Riho had only returned to the ring during the July 6 episode of AEW Collision where she defeated Lady Frost. Here’s the spot where she’s believed to have sustained the injury:
The 27-year-old had been out of action for four months before that. Her last match before the Collision debut had taken place at the March 13 episode of Dynamite where she suffered a defeat at the hands of Willow Nightingale.
Riho In AEW
Riho has been a part of the AEW roster since their first show in Double or Nothing 2019. She competed in a six-women tag team match at the event.
Things have not gone Riho’s way since the COVID-19 pandemic. She has had to take multiple long breaks due to travel restrictions as well as injuries and has not held any titles in AEW since then.
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is feeling worse for wear after a brutal ambush during the June 21, edition of WWE SmackDown.
In the main event, Rhodes battled Solo Sikoa but outside interference resulted in the match being thrown out. After the bout, Jacob Fatu made his WWE debut, laying out Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, and Rhodes, the latter of whom was sent through a table.
Appearing at a WWE live event in Bloomington, Illinois, Rhodes retained the Undisputed WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura in the show’s main event. After the match, Rhodes addressed the attack from SmackDown and revealed the extent of his injuries.
“A little scoop for you Bloomington, last night I did break two of my ribs. And the thought [backstage] was ‘Well, you can take off Bloomington, you can take off Kalamazoo. You can even take off next Friday where the story began in 1978, New York City’ And my answer to that was emphatically, 100% ‘Hell No!'”
What’s Next for Cody Rhodes?
Judging by this week’s SmackDown as well as what happened in Glasgow, Scotland, it’s clear that The Bloodline is not finished with Cody Rhodes. According to reports, fans can expect Rhodes’ newfound issues with this revamped Bloodline to continue for months to come.
One name that fans seemingly shouldn’t expect to see in this matter is Roman Reigns. On this week’s SmackDown, Paul Heyman said it was important for Solo Sikoa to keep Rhodes ‘in check’ for the return of the Tribal Chief. Sikoa fired back by claiming Reigns is never coming back to WWE.
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is feeling worse for wear after a brutal ambush during the June 21, edition of WWE SmackDown.
In the main event, Rhodes battled Solo Sikoa but outside interference resulted in the match being thrown out. After the bout, Jacob Fatu made his WWE debut, laying out Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, and Rhodes, the latter of whom was sent through a table.
Appearing at a WWE live event in Bloomington, Illinois, Rhodes retained the Undisputed WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura in the show’s main event. After the match, Rhodes addressed the attack from SmackDown and revealed the extent of his injuries.
“A little scoop for you Bloomington, last night I did break two of my ribs. And the thought [backstage] was ‘Well, you can take off Bloomington, you can take off Kalamazoo. You can even take off next Friday where the story began in 1978, New York City’ And my answer to that was emphatically, 100% ‘Hell No!'”
What’s Next for Cody Rhodes?
Judging by this week’s SmackDown as well as what happened in Glasgow, Scotland, it’s clear that The Bloodline is not finished with Cody Rhodes. According to reports, fans can expect Rhodes’ newfound issues with this revamped Bloodline to continue for months to come.
One name that fans seemingly shouldn’t expect to see in this matter is Roman Reigns. On this week’s SmackDown, Paul Heyman said it was important for Solo Sikoa to keep Rhodes ‘in check’ for the return of the Tribal Chief. Sikoa fired back by claiming Reigns is never coming back to WWE.
On Instagram, Flair shared a photo of her intense recovery with a machine strapped to her injured leg. In the caption, the Queen of All Eras spoke about her recovery and her desire to wrestle in front of the WWE Universe again.
“Today, was my first biodex (isokinetic training) test! I needed to be in the 40 percent or less deficit for strength compared to my non surgical leg…..I had 20 percent or less quad strength and in some of the measurements I was stronger in my surgical leg…I MISS YOU GUYS & can’t wait to lace my boots again!”
Flair also shared her appreciation to Tara Halaby of LadyTSportsTherapy. Halaby is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Athletic trainer who specializes in sports physical therapy. In addition to Flair, she has been working with WWE NXT’s Nikkita Lyons who is also recovering from an injury.
What’s Next?
At the time of her injury, it was said that Flair would need around nine months to recover once she had surgery, which happened in January 2024. This would put Flair’s return window around October 2024. With that said, Charlotte’s father Ric has said she is recovery faster than expected, meaning fans could see her sooner rather than later.
WWE Superstar Sonya Deville knew something was wrong after suffering an ACL injury in the ring after a midnight trip to the bathroom went awry.
The injury in question occurred during the July 28, 2023, edition of WWE SmackDown which saw Deville and Chelsea Green face Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. Deville would undergo surgery in August and has not competed since.
On the Insight podcast, Deville discussed her injury with host Chris Van Vliet. The former MMA fighter and WWE authority figure admitted that at first, she did not know how bad the injury would be but suspected things were bad as she wrestled the remainder of the match.
“The whole time I’m like ‘Oh my God, I hope I don’t fall flat on my face.’ Sure enough, we made it to the end, I limped back and I got in my rental car, went to my hotel and tried to pretend it didn’t happen. Because in this business nobody wants to be injured and out of play.
Fearing the worst, Deville did not want those at the show to see how bad the injury was. It was only after a trip to the bathroom didn’t go as planned that the seriousness of the situation became clear.
“I told myself it’s fine, it’s a sprain, I’ll just wrap it. Long story short, [I] woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and I fell face-first into the wall. And I was like ‘Oh I think something’s wrong.'”
Deville hasn’t wrestled since suffering her ACL injury.
The injury ended Deville’s time as a WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, her first title reign in close to a decade with the company. Understandably, Deville was frustrated with how her first serious injury in wrestling changed all plans for her.
“I was so devastated. I had been with the company for nine years and of course, part of being in the WWE is to one day grab that brass ring and get gold around your waist. And that’s what I had been striving for of course. So I finally got that first championship and I was so happy. I was so elated, I was ready to make those titles mean more than ever before and then the injury came.”
Deville recently returned to WWE programming in a backstage segment with Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark. It remains to be seen how Deville will factor into plans for the tag team which also have a guaranteed title opportunity at Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.
Adam Copeland will be out with injury and Brody King wants The House Of Black to take credit for it.
Copeland revealed that he fractured his tibia in his barbed wire steel cage match against Malakai Black. The TNT Championship was on the line and despite the broken leg, Copeland came out on top in thanks to a surprise appearance from his old Brood buddy, Gangrel.
The former Edge took to social media to share the unfortunate news that he did hurt himself. The injury occurred when Copeland dove off the top of the cage to land on Black, but it obviously didn’t go as planned.
Adam did start off by saying that “The House always wins” and Brody King tends to agree with that assessment. During the bloody battle at Double Or Nothing in Las Vegas, King and Buddy Matthews teased that they would be aligning with Copeland, but it was all just a ruse in an effort to help Malakai Black.
Brody was clearly satisfied with the result of both the injury and the match. He happened to address the former by sharing a classic photo and tee shirt of Greg Valentine. ‘The Hammer’ notoriously broke the legendary Wahoo McDaniel’s leg and had a shirt made in homage to his accomplishment. King made a few changes. to Greg’s original garb, however.
The same night Copeland got injured is the very same night that the previously injured MJF made his return to the ring. It’ll be interesting to see the direction AEW takes with Copeland being unable to defend his TNT Championship.
