Roxanne Perez looked to add a major win to her WWE NXT Women's Championship reign during tonight's NXT, as The Prodigy was set to battle SmackDown Superstar Chelsea Green in the main event. Green even had the chance to reunite with Robert Stone ahead of the match-up, and once in the ring Green looked poised to take Perez's newly won Title before the Champ could even get her bearings. Green almost got an early pin and then almost stole the win again much to the Champ's frustration, but Perez would lock in and take control of the match for an extended portion. The two superstars both attempted to hit their finishers and while both failed the initial attempts, Perez was able to counter into hers and get enough of it to land to seal the deal and get the win.

Perez and Green locked up right away and Perez took control with a wrist lock. Green countered and then almost pinned Perez, but the Champ got away at the last minute. Perez got up top and slapped Green, and then Perez was sprinting across the ring but Green caught her as she slid under the ropes, knocking the Champion down face-first.

THIS IS AWESOME ???#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/bkiX5waUXQ

-- WWE (@WWE) May 8, 2024

Perez came back with a vengeance, pulling Green out of the ring and then slamming her face into the announce table. Perez broke the count up and then continued to attack Green on the outside, slamming the challenger into the barricade. That left Green stunned for a minute as the referee started the count, but Green was able to make it back into the ring.

Perez went to pounce but Green almost rolled up the Champ again, infuriating Perez. Perez unleashed a host of strikes and then put her foot on the challenger, but Green kicked out of the cover attempt. Perez slammed Green down and then hit an uppercut into a cover attempt, but Green kicked out. Perez slapped Green around and Green was clearly getting annoyed, responding with some strikes to Perez.

Perez went for the Russian Leg Sweep but Green countered. Then both superstars exchanged punches but Preez hit a flurry of them before eating a big boot from Green. Green followed up with a Rough Rider that left both superstars on the mat.

Green went on a roll, connecting with several strikes and then a slam to the mat and a pin attempt, though Perez kicked out of the cover. Perez knocked Green back with a punch and a dropkick, but Green pulled Perez's neck against the ropes. Then Green stomped on the back of Perez's head and proceeded to head up top, but Perez caught her with a kick to the head.

Perez hit the huge hurricanrana from the top into a pin, but Green kicked out. Perez stayed on Green but Green was able to launch Perez with a suplex. Green went up top again and this time connected with a missile dropkick into a pin. Perez kicked out again, and Green went for the Unprettier. Perez went for Pop Rocks but didn't hit it, as Green reversed into a cover attempt. They traded pin attempts but none of them landed, and then Perez countered Green's move with a Pop Rocks. While she didn't get all of it, she got enough to get the pin and the win.

What did you think of the match? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

WWE's Trick Williams now holds the NXT Championship after a thriller at Spring Breakin', and now the fan-favorite has the first challenger of his Championship reign. This was revealed during Williams' appearance on Meta-Four's Supernova Sessions, where Noam Dar and Lash Legend were set to show Williams what they had in the mysterious yellow envelope. This big reveal ultimately fell flat for Williams, but Meta-Four called him a fraud because of it. That led to Williams revealing that he and Legend were actually a couple, but Dar wasn't having it, and now is gearing up to challenge Williams for his NXT Championship.

The segment started with Legend hesitating to reveal what was in the envelope, and Jakara Jackson had to snap her out of it. Dar then pulled out a photograph from his previous match with Williams, and it showed Dar's foot on the ropes as Williams pinned him. Dar said this match is what set the tone for Williams' big run, and it was all based on a lie.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

This was one of the most chaotic Supernova Sessions EVER with @_trickwilliams and Meta-Four ?#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/vengwkBhl6

-- WWE (@WWE) May 8, 2024

"The truth...look and see, this victory is what gave you the momentum to slay the Mad Dragon and become NXT Champion. But this is evidence that everything that you have is built on a lie. You are nothing but a no-good Trick, and I'm going to expose your scheme," Dar said.

Williams wasn't impressed, saying, "That's it? That's all ya'll got for me? You brought me all the way here for a picture in an envelope?" Oro Mensah took issue with his evaluation but soon Williams let him have it on the microphone. Then Williams told Dar this felt like the Maury Povich show, and added "And Trick Willy ain't the daddy!"

Then Williams turned his attention towards Legend, telling her "Lash, do you want to tell em, or want me to tell em?" Legend looked flustered and the rest of the group looked confused, but then Legend called Williams "Babe" and really set everything off. Williams then said "It's about me and you right now. Tell the people that you call me Trick Willy Wonka."

Dar had enough of this back and forth and knocked out Williams. Then Dar lifted the NXT Championship and gave fans a possible preview of the future, holding the Title high and then throwing it toward Williams. The fans are clearly already invested in the power couple of Williams and Legend, and now that will seemingly tie into the building storyline between Williams and Dar.

What did you think of tonight's NXT? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

After the fantastic NXT Underground match between Natalya and Lola Vice, there was still bad blood between the two sides. That was especially true of Shayna Baszler and Karmen Petrovic, who helped Natalya and Vice train but also had an impact on the winner of the match. Petrovic and Baszler would go one-on-one tonight, but before they got started NXT also revealed Petrovic's awesome new entrance, which you can see below (via @ERAOFMONE). Unfortunately, Baszler would show just how devastating she can be by delivering some brutal offense to Petrovic's arm throughout the match, and it ended with a Kiruda Clutch for the win.

This all started with the NXT Underground match, which had Vice and Natalya accompanied by Petrovic and Baszler. Baszler had already taunted Petrovic in the confrontation the week before, and then when Natalya had the match sewn up, Baszler locked Petrovic in a hold and wouldn't let go until Natalya released Vice from the sharpshooter.

KARMENS ENTRANCE?! THAT WAS SICKENING #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/AFKMOaWtRJ

-- s??? ? ?? (@ERAOFMONE) May 8, 2024

Natalya took care of Baszler but Vice was ready for her when she came back into the ring, and that led to Natalya's defeat. Retribution was on Petrovic's mind leading into tonight's match, and she certainly put pressure on Queen of Spades.

Baszler is known as one of the most lethal people in all of WWE for a reason though, and that was on display throughout the match. Baszler locked in on Petrovic's left arm and continued to wear it down in creative ways. At one point Baszler wrapped Petrovic's arm around the structure underneath the ring and then stomped on it, which was a major turning point in the match.

After that Baszler stayed on the arm whenever she could, including another stomp that damaged Petrovic's wrist and arm. Petrovic continued to fight back though, and knocked Baszler to the ropes. Baszler then quickly applied the Kirifuda Clutch, and while Petrovic fought to get out of the hold, she had to tap, giving Baszler the win.

Natalya ran to Petrovic's side, while Lola's dancing seemed to annoy Baszler, so this feud is likely not ending just yet. We'll have to wait and see what happens next with this storyline, but Petrovic's new entrance and promising showing in this program suggest we'll continue to see more of her in the mix over the following weeks.

What did you think of tonight's match and what do you want to see next for Petrovic? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

For just about three decades, Jerry Lawler was WWE's go-to color commentator. The legend of the Memphis Wrestling scene first got behind a World Wrestling Federation announce table in the 1990s, sharing a booth with the likes of Vince McMahon, Jim Cornette, The Honky Tonk Man, and Michael Cole. The booth of Lawler and Jim Ross is credited as the voice of the Attitude Era. While play-by-play commentators would come and go, Lawler was always a staple in the color spot. He began to appear more sporadically in the 2020s, as Lawler's declining health combined with WWE's growing crop of announce talent made him best suited to be a recurring panelist for WWE premium live event pre-shows.

Jerry Lawler Believes His WWE Career Has Ended

The King has made his last call.

It was reported earlier this week that WWE would not be renewing WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler's broadcasting contract when it expires this year. That said, this did not mean Lawler was about to become a free agent, as his deal will pivot to a WWE legends contract instead. WWE legends contracts are typically given to retired talent, with the only obligations being the odd reunion episode televised appearance or in-person autograph signing here and there.

Speaking to PWInsider, Lawler noted he believes this switch signals the end of his on-screen WWE career.

"One other thing that a lot of people wonder about, my career has probably ended with the WWE," Lawler said. "It's just one of those things that goes with my getting over all the stuff that happened with the stroke. It was [also the fact that] just sitting behind a desk and commentating on a match again was the extremely difficult."

Lawler is alluding to his most recent stroke, one that occurred in February 2023. He previously suffered a stroke in March 2018 and a legitimate heart attack while he was calling a live WWE Monday Night Raw broadcast in September 2012. He has been in good health since and has only worked with WWE as a pre-show panelist. His last time behind the announce table was in January 2023.

WWE Monday Night Raw is currently called by the fan-favorite duo of Michael Cole and Pat McAfee, while WWE SmackDown is voiced by the fresh pairing of Corey Graves and Wade Barrett.

For the first time since 2021, WWE is set to crown a sire of the squared circle. WWE's King of the Ring tournament officially kicked off this past Monday on WWE Monday Night Raw, as three of the red brand's four first round matches took place. Jey Uso defeated Finn Balor, Ilja Dragunov put away Ricochet, and Gunther got a submission victory over Sheamus to advance to the second round. The final first round contest, Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio, will happen on a WWE live event this week. Those aforementioned eight men make up the WWE Raw field, as the WWE SmackDown matches will commence this Friday.

WWE's Full King of the Ring Bracket Revealed

The blue brand's representatives have been announced.

During WWE Monday Night Raw aftershow Raw Talk, WWE's broadcast team revealed the eight men from WWE SmackDown that will compete in the King of the Ring tournament, as well as what their first round matches will be.

• AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton
• Baron Corbin vs. Carmelo Hayes
• LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar
• Bobby Lashley vs. Tama Tonga

The majority of the WWE SmackDown field is first-time King of the Ring competitors, those being AJ Styles, Carmelo Hayes, LA Knight, Santos Escobar, and Tama Tonga. Both Randy Orton and Bobby Lashley competed in the 2006 tournament, with Orton falling to Kurt Angle in the first round and Lashley losing the final to that year's winner, Booker T.

The most experienced of the group is Baron Corbin, as he won King of the Ring in 2019. He defeated The Miz, Cedric Alexander, Ricochet and Samoa Joe, and Chad Gable en route to the crown.

Both Hayes and Knight should be considered heavy favorites in their first round contests. Hayes is a fresh main roster call up and has a big bar to live up to, as he was one of WWE SmackDown's first round selections in this year's WWE Draft. Knight gets the edge over Escobar thanks to his recent high-profile wins.

Styles vs. Orton and Lashley vs. Tonga are a bit more unpredictable. Orton has been heavily protected since returning from injury in November 2023, as he has not suffered a singles loss in his seven one-on-one matches during this comeback. Styles is coming off a headlining loss at WWE Backlash to WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, indicating that he is looking to regain some steam. The same philosophy goes for Lashley and Tonga. Lashley is looking to reclaim main event status while Tonga, having only debuted last month, is too early in his run to be suffering defeats.

The tournament concludes at WWE King and Queen of the Ring on Saturday, May 25th.

On May 25 in Saudi Arabia, WWE fans will get a chance to see the Women's World Championship, currently held by Becky Lynch, defended. Lynch spoke to the fans in Hartford in a sit-down interview with Michael Cole. Lynch spoke highly of the new recruits in the women's division and made it clear she's looking to defend the championship whenever and wherever. Eventually Liv Morgan interrupts who has been involved in a storyline with Lynch for weeks now. She doesn't understand why Lynch isn't giving her the respect she feel she deserves. She's a former Money in the Bank winner, former multi-time women's champion, and she's the one that took out Ripley allowing Lynch to win the title in the first place.

Morgan makes it clear that she wants her title match she was promised on Raw last week to which Lynch agrees to -- at King and Queen of the Ring. The match is made official but not before Damage CTRL spoil things. While Dakota Kai and IYO SKY are involved in the QOTR tournament, it's not stopping them from taking out the champion. Morgan sizes them up with Lynch before rolling out of the ring and laughing as Lynch gets beat up. Lyra Valkyria, who had a match against Kai in the tournament, shows up to even the odds for the champion.

Morgan was defeated by Lynch in the women's title battle royal on Raw after making it to the final two with Lynch. Just last week she defeated Nia Jax in her final match on WWE Raw. As Morgan stated, she's tired of being "overlooked and underestimated." Certainly if she were to win the championship from Lynch in just a few weeks, it would put her back on track as a key player in the women's division after returning from injury. Plus, when Ripley inevitably returns, she will be gunning for Morgan and the championship.

The QOTR Raw quarterfinals take place next week with Lyra Valkyria against Zoey Stark and IYO SKY vs. the winner of Zelina Vega and Shayna Baszler. That match will take place at a WWE Live Event this weekend. On the men's side of things, Jey Uso will go head to head with Ilja Dragunov while Gunther will face the winner of Rey Mysterio vs. Kofi Kingston who is replacing an injured Xavier Woods.

On WWE Raw the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments got underway. On the women's side, Zoey Stark and IYO SKY advanced to the quarterfinals which led to the final women's match of the night, former NXT Women's Champion Lyra Valkyria against Damage CTRL's Dakota Kai who replace Asuka who wasn't medically cleared to compete in the match.

During the match up, Valkyria gets some early offense with a headlock takeover. Kai counters her and the fisherman buster into a small package but is unable to pick up the win. Before heading to break, Kai trips up Valkyria in the corner. When the action returns, Valkyria sends Kai to the floor with a strike rush. Kai eventually regains control of things with a springboard stomp but that's not enough to take down the former women's champion. Valkyria then beats her with her Nightwing finisher, advancing in the tournament.

What a #WWERaw debut for @Real_Valkyria! pic.twitter.com/nH8v6neqO6

-- WWE (@WWE) May 7, 2024

Valkyria's match on Raw was her official main roster debut match after being drafted to the red brand last week. With her huge win over one of the women's divisions most dominating factions, she will next go head to head with Zoey Stark, a former NXT Champion in her own right as she held the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships with IYO SKY. Valkyria held the NXT Women's Championship for over 100 days, first winning it last October from Becky Lynch. She defended it on five separate occasions but was defeated by Roxanne Perez at Stand and Deliver in April. It seemed pretty clear that with that huge loss, something big was brewing for the young star.

Before the match got underway, Women's World Champion Becky Lynch was interviewed by Michael Cole where she really put over the new crop of talent that were just drafted to Raw and SmackDown. She has great things to say about Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, mentioning Fyre's dominating reign as NXT U.K. Women's Champion. She also talks about Kiana James, Zelina Vega's renewed passion and Valkyria who she has a decorated history with but that she "trusts." Valkyria certainly backed up to everything that Lynch stated in this match and it's clear she will have a bright future on the main roster.

Stay tuned to Comicbook for more news on the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments which will conclude on May 25 in Saudi Arabia.

Ilja Dragunov made a statement on WWE Raw in a first round qualifying matchup for the King of the Ring tournament. Dragunov took on the high flying Ricochet who has a completely different style to his own, showing just how dominating Dragunov really is.

During the match, Dragunov catches Ricochet into a German Suplex that drops him on his face, then hitting a missile dropkick but it's not enough to eliminate Ricochet from the equation just yet. He regains composure and hits the hurricanrana. Dragunov rolls out of the ring to collect himself but it just allows Ricochet to dive through the ropes and take him out at every turn. Dragunov heads to the top rope once again, with a nasty senton to his midsection.

The former NXT Champion chops Ricochet in the corner but he's still not giving up. Dragunov meets Ricochet in the center of the ring with a knee, lifting him up but Ricochet counters on his feet, turning him inside out. Dragunov superplexes him and sets up for the h-bomb, the time getting the three count to advance in the tournament.

Dragunov was officially called up to the main roster from NXT in the WWE Draft. He had been in the developmental brand for a number of years, first debuting in WWE NXT U.K. which has now been disbanded. He eventually transitioned over and moved to the United States where he began appearing on NXT television. At NXT Takeover 36 he defeated Gunther (then WALTER) for the NXT U.K. Championship. He'd hold the championship for nearly a year, but it was quietly done away with when the brand disappeared. In 2023 he won the NXT Championship from Carmelo Hayes at No Mercy and would drop it to Hayes' friend turned foe Trick Williams at Spring Breakin' in the end of April.

Dragunov is the second man to qualify, joining Jey Uso who defeated The Judgment Day's Finn Balor earlier in the night. Sheamus and Gunther will main event raw to determine the final man to advance during the show while Rey Mysterio and Kofi Kingston will face off at a live event this weekend.

WWE is set to kick off the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments tonight on Raw but there has been a change in the original plans. Drew McIntyre was set to face off against Finn Balor of The Judgment Day but according to Raw general manager Adam Pearce, that is no longer the case.

McIntyre has been battling an elbow injury for a number of weeks now after aggravating it but still working live events in the U.K. while injured. He had it padded up in his matches against Jey Uso but that appears to be the thing that is taking him out of the tournament. "Drew McIntyre is not medically able to compete tonight," Pearce explained in a video posted to WWE social media. "That's right, Drew McIntyre medically disqualified from competition tonight in Hartford. As a result will be pulled from the King of the Ring tournament."

After being picked in the third round of the WWE Draft on night two, McIntyre aired out his feelings live on air about Punk who was waiting in the rafters for him. McIntyre went to go find him but when he got there, Punk was missing, already back in the ring. It was during this segment that McIntyre spoke about his injury about how despite it he was still showing up to work and competing ... unlike Punk. McIntyre recently signed a new contract with the company after it was reported that his last one was up in shortly after WrestleMania 40. The Rock revealed the news on social media with a video, presenting "The Scottish Warrior" with a sword.

The King and Queen of the Ring finals will take place in Saudi Arabia on May 25. The first round qualifying matches for the Queen of the Ring include: Zoey Stark vs. Ivy Nile, Shayna Bazsler vs. Zelina Vega, Lyra Valkyria vs. Asuka and Iyo Sky vs. Natalya. The King of the Ring qualifying matches include Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio, Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov and Gunther vs. Sheamus. It's unknown at this time who will replace McIntyre.

AEW ushered in its new era with Swerve Strickland helming things when he won the world championship at AEW Dynasty. Since his AEW debut in 2022 he's been chasing the world title and has come close many times. His iconic feud with Hangman Adam Page that took him through the last six months really catapulted him into top star status within AEW as the crowds became more and more insistent about him being champion. He's helping bridge the gap in pop culture to AEW with his music career, acting, and podcast. In addition, Uproxx Sports recently revealed that Strickland has been filming a documentary series of sorts that reportedly picks up around AEW Worlds End in his match against Dustin Rhodes.

Strickland recently defended the championship for the first time against Blackpool Combat Club's Claudio Castagnoli. After winning that match, he was approached by The Elite who informed him that his challenger at Double or Nothing would be none other than Christian Cage. Cage has been absent from AEW since losing the TNT Championship to Adam Copeland. Strickland has been with AEW since 2022 following his WWE release in 2021. Upon his arrival, he was teamed with Keith Lee and they formed "Swerve in Our Glory." They would go on to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships, defeating the Young Bucks and Team Taz at Fyter Fest 2022. When that team split, Strickland faced off against some of AEW's best in Darby Allin, Christopher Daniels, Ortiz, Anthony Bowens, Bryan Danielson, Jay White and Jon Moxley.

"For me to be the number one person on top of the company, being the lead of that momentum shift, means the world," Swerve told Comicbook's Liam Crowley in February. "It means like this is true change to not just AEW but the industry worldwide. I believe I might go down as the youngest African-American world champion in the history of the big industries. That means everything. Like going from 205 Live to the World Heavyweight Championship of this major company, All Elite Wrestling, nobody ever would see something like that happening. I changed that."

Comicbook will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates when available. In the meantime, catch AEW Double or Nothing on May 26 live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

AEW Double or Nothing Card (So Far)

• AEW World Championship: Swerve Strickland (c) vs. Christian Cage
  
• AEW Women's World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Serena Deeb
• TBS Championship: Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Mercedes Mon?
• AEW International Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Will Ospreay

The ComicBook Nation crew reviews The Fall Guy, new horror film Tarot and Jerry Seinfeld's directorial debut with Netflix's Unfrosted. We also say farewell to Star Wars: The Bad Batch after its Series Finale, and get into part 1 of X-Men '97's finale arc.

PLUS: Breakdowns of the new trailers for Mufasa: The Lion King, the Batman: Arkham Shadow game - and a preview of WWE's Backlash event!

The Fall Guy Review

Critic Patrick Cavanaugh gave The Fall Guy 3 out of 5 stars, writing that:

The Fall Guy is perfectly palatable summer fare featuring attractive movie stars being charming, with the romance occasionally being broken up by more thrilling scenes. For better or worse, the scope and scale of both the storyline and the stunts themselves feel more like an extended episode of the source material as opposed to an opportunity to take a core premise and elevate to new heights. Given the more humble origins of the Mission: Impossible franchise and the ways Brian De Palma tapped into the core components of the TV series and revived them in unexpected and exciting ways and just how bombastic that franchise has since become, we can't rule out The Fall Guy becoming a franchise that can more fully push the effective elements to further heights in subsequent installments, especially after this entry lays a solid foundation of talent involved in the overall experience. Leitch is no De Palma, however, so while all of the core pieces come to life relatively cohesively, there isn't much to elevate The Fall Guy to be anything more than the sum of its parts.

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WWE continues to shake things up with backstage and on camera roles. In the last several weeks, various tenured employees in the talent relations department were released alongside Sue Aitchison who had been with the company since the 1980s. The recent moves appear to be trimming the fat of the Vince McMahon era.

Aside from that, WWE Superstars have unfortunately been cut as well, including all of Indus Sher, Cameron Grimes, Xia Li and various superstars who were signed to NXT. But not all of the changes have been seen as a negative. Fightful Select is reporting that NXT's long-time ring announcer Alicia Taylor is set for a main roster call up any day. They previously revealed that Mike Rome would reportedly be moving from SmackDown to NXT.

Rome signed with WWE in 2016 where he began his duties as the official NXT announcer, a position he held until 2019. Alongside his announcing duties, he pulled double duty as a backstage interviewer across the brands but eventually made his way to WWE Raw as a ring announcer in 2019 when JoJo quietly exited her role. When Greg Hamilton was released in 2021 he assumed the announcing roles for both Raw and SmackDown until Samantha Irvin was officially called up to the main roster. As of now he's the official voice of the SmackDown brand.

Taylor joined WWE in 2018 as a post show host for NXT. She replaced Kayla Braxton as the voice of NXT in 2019 as Braxton would then move up to the main roster in a backstage interviewing role. It's unclear what brands Taylor and Irvin will announce for at this time but with Raw just a few hours away, we can expect to have that answer soon enough. Taylor recently made history as NXT held its very first women's underground match, which she announced.

NXT's Recent Changes

The announcing changes aren't the only recent shake ups NXT has undergone. Many of their top stars have recently made their way to the main roster, including Carmelo Hayes, Tiffany Stratton and Bron Breakker who all appeared ahead of the WWE Draft. While Hayes and Stratton are appearing on SmackDown post Draft and Backlash, Breakker will be on the red brand. He won't be alone, though, as Dijak, Kiana James, Ilja Dragunov and Lyra Valkyria will join him while Blair Davenport moves to the blue brand. While that guts a big chunk of their current stars, they'll head into a new era helmed by Trick Williams and Roxanne Perez who serve as the current NXT Champions.

Stay tuned to Comicbook for updates on WWE.

During a tag team on AEW Collision back in March, Ricky Starks and Big Bill took on Top Flight in a tag team tournament quarterfinal. The winner of that match would go on to AEW Dynasty in the finals to crown the next champions after Sting and Darby Allin vacated the titles at Revolution.

Things seemed to be going accordingly until Starks was hit by a pel? kick to the head. He was favoring his neck after that and failed to kick out of a pin-fall that wasn't supposed to be a three-count. As a result, the referee stopped counting and Darius DDT'd him to draw the match to a quick finish. After it concluded, Starks was talking to the trainer and the referee. It's not the first time he's had a severe neck injury. Back in 2021 in a match against Hangman Page, Starks took a German Suplex, attempting a kip-up back to his feet. When he did this, he recalled feeling funny and after consulting several professionals and doctors about the injury, it was determined he fractured his neck.

Starks was quick to reassure fans this time around that he was fine and it was just out of an abundance of caution but he hasn't been seen on television since. A report from PWInsider stated Starks was in Jacksonville last week to be checked by the AEW medical team. Starks jumped online this afternoon to dispute the any speculation that may cause, confirming that he was getting a routine physical like the rest of the locker room and he was never injured. "Yeah because everyone had to do their annual physical," Starks wrote on X. "To ease anyone's mind, I'm not injured. Never was. Pick another narrative pleaseeeee."

Prior to the injury scare, Starks was a tag team champion with Big Bill. They won the titles on Collision last October, defeating FTR. They held them until February, dropping them to Sting and Allin which marked Sting's first title win within AEW. Starks has been with AEW since 2020, often referred to as one of AEW's "four pillars." His first match in AEW against Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship set the tone for his time within the company and he has since gone on to win the FTW Championship, holding it for over a year. He was in Team Taz with Hook and Powerhouse Hobbs for a period of time until the group officially disbanded.

WWE is getting royal once again. With WWE Backlash in the rear view, all focus is now on WWE King and Queen of the Ring. Barring a WWE Network special in 2015, this is the first time that WWE is hosting a premium live event centered around the royal tournament since 2002. Debuting in 1985, King of the Ring operates as a standard multi-man bracket that concludes with its winner being awarded the titular crown. WWE Hall of Famers like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage are among former winners, while current roster members Xavier Woods, Baron Corbin, and Sheamus once called themselves king. WWE added a women's bracket in 2021, the Queen's Crown tournament, which was won by Zelina Vega.

Tiffany Stratton Has Queen of the Ring Gear Ready

While WWE has yet to reveal the full brackets for this year's tournaments, one surging WWE superstar is already making her case for the crown. Speaking to ComicBook, WWE SmackDown's Tiffany Stratton revealed she already has her royal gear ready should she emerge victorious.

"Of course I've got all the pink robes and the pink crowns lined up," Stratton said. "I feel like if I were to win, or rather when I win Queen of the Ring, I feel like I'm going to be the perfect embodiment of being a queen."

Despite only being on the main roster for three months, Stratton has already cemented herself as one of the WWE SmackDown women's division's cornerstones. The former NXT Women's Champion received massive support from the Australian crowd at WWE Elimination Chamber and eliminated former WWE Women's Champion Naomi in the process. She parlayed that momentum into a triple threat WWE Women's Championship match against titleholder Bayley and Naomi this past weekend at WWE Backlash, impressing once again in defeat.

Stratton is expected to be among the WWE SmackDown field of competitors in this year's Queen of the Ring tournament. WWE Monday Night Raw's representatives are Zoey Stark, Ivy Nile, Shayna Baszler, Zelina Vega, Lyra Valkyria, Asuka, Iyo Sky, and Natalya.

King and Queen of the Ring tournament matches kick off tonight on WWE Monday Night Raw, which goes down at 8 PM ET on USA Network. Winners from each bracket will be crowned at WWE King and Queen of the Ring on Saturday, May 25th, streaming on Peacock.

Ric Flair wrestled his final retirement match two years ago. After initially calling it a career at WWE WrestleMania 24 following a loss to Shawn Michaels, Flair returned to the ring just one year later for a series of matches against Hulk Hogan. Come 2010, Flair had signed with TNA and went on to work 12 matches with the company, including singles bouts against Kurt Angle, Jay Lethal, and Sting. Flair remained retired for the next decade. When 2022 rolled around, Flair began flirting with a return to the ring and eventually made it official at Ric Flair's Last Match, an independent event centered around the Nature Boy's farewell.

The match, a tag bout pitting Flair and his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo against Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett, drew both criticisms and concerns. The then-73-year-old Flair showed his age early, and even appeared to suffer a stroke when the action spilled to the outside.

"I had a heart attack during the match," Flair confirmed to the JAXXON Podcast. "A lot of people didn't (know). I didn't know myself until about six months ago. I go to the heart doctor like every six months because I've got a pacemaker. They put that on me when I was real sick, not because I had a problem with my heart."

Flair revealed that when he went in for testing six months ago, the doctors discovered that he had suffered a heart attack at some point in the past two years.

"The guy takes me in. If you look at your heart like a round pie, there's a piece of my heart right here, this big, it's black, it's gone. The guy said, 'You've had a heart attack in the last two years,'" Flair recalled. "'Have you passed out in the last two years?' During my last match, I passed out three times, and I thought it was because I was dehydrated."

Flair is currently signed to AEW on a multi-year deal. He was brought in during Sting's retirement tour, backing up his longtime friend during various matches over a five-month stretch. Sting retired at AEW Revolution in March, and Flair has not been seen on AEW programming since. He remains tied to the company in the form of his Wooooo! Energy drink, the official energy drink of AEW.

WWE WrestleMania 41 is heading to Sin City. Shortly after WWE Backlash concluded, WWE announced that next year's Showcase of the Immortals will take place at Las Vegas's Allegiant Stadium. WWE previously ventured to the home of the Las Vegas Raiders for WWE SummerSlam 2021. Las Vegas landing WWE WrestleMania 41 was a bit of a comeback story, as the show had long been tied to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minneapolis reportedly made a major push for WWE WrestleMania 41 and likely would have secured it had WWE not been sold to Endeavor last fall. WWE's new parent company pushed for Las Vegas given the city's close relationship with UFC as well as the overall prestige of the market.

While it took WWE longer than usual to announce the WWE WrestleMania 41 location, work on finding the show a home has been active for multiple years. WWE typically begins planning out WrestleMania locations up to three years in advance, as evident by the trifecta announcement of WWE WrestleMania 37, WWE WrestleMania 38, and WWE WrestleMania 39's locations back in 2021.

Three Potential Future WrestleMania Locations

Landing sites for WWE WrestleMania 42, WWE WrestleMania 43, and WWE WrestleMania 44 are already in the works.

According to PWInsider, WWE had been scouting New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Orlando for future editions of WrestleMania. As announced last weekend, Sin City won out on WWE WrestleMania 41. New Orleans and Orlando remain "front-runners" for the "next several years" of the Showcase of the Immortals. New Orleans recently hosted WWE WrestleMania 34 and WWE WrestleMania 30 while Orlando was home to WWE WrestleMania 33 and WWE WrestleMania 24.

The third option exists overseas. The report adds that WWE President Nick Khan is "extremely receptive" to London hosting WWE WrestleMania in the future. WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque has made his interest public as well. London controls its destiny in that situation, as a WrestleMania in the United Kingdom's capital will come down to if the city is "willing to pony up the money." Summer 2023 saw WWE head to London for WWE Money in the Bank and tease the idea in person, as John Cena made a surprise appearance to encourage the UK crowd to push for their city to host WrestleMania in the future.

WWE's primary objective when deciding future WrestleMania locations comes down to how much money WWE can acquire from the markets' "rights fees" as well as "governments bidding on the event."

WWE WrestleMania 41 is scheduled to go down on Saturday, April 19th and Sunday, April 20th from Las Vegas's Allegiant Stadium.

The Hardy Boyz are nearing the end of their in-ring careers. Matt and Jeff have each been competing inside the squared circle for over three decades now, wrestling alongside, against, and apart from one another in dozens of wrestling promotions. For as successful as they have been together, both Matt and Jeff have enjoyed singles stardom, each having multiple world championship reigns to their r?sum?s. One-on-one matches is what both men find themselves competing in now. Matt exited AEW in April and is currently enjoying an extended run in longtime home TNA. Jeff remains under AEW contract and is awaiting a return to the ring after suffering a concussion in February.

Whenever the time does come for Matt and Jeff to hang it up, the brothers plan on doing it together.

"That would definitely be our goal," Matt told ComicBook. "It is very important to us to finish how we started. We started as two brothers on this journey. Our goal was to win the tag team titles of the world one time, and obviously we did that many times over. We do want to end that way. We've talked and we're both very aware of that. We want to end our careers together as a team."

Few tag teams in wrestling history have achieved even half of the hardware that the Hardys have collected over their three decades together. The brothers have won tag gold in WWE on eight occasions as well as twice in TNA and once in Ring of Honor. Matt and Jeff are also pillars of the modern ladder match, as they helped revolutionize the stipulation alongside The Dudley Boyz and Edge & Christian in the early 2000s.

As for where a final Hardy Boyz bout could take place, all options are on the table. Matt remains in negotiations with AEW despite exiting the company last month, and a return there could size up the brothers to take on Adam Copeland and Christian Cage one last time. Jeff could also hop to TNA after his AEW contract expires, which is reportedly sometime this summer. Matt and Jeff could also both wrap their current commitments and head back to WWE, the company that put both of them on the map.

Until then, Matt can be seen on weekly episodes of TNA iMPACT!. He is expected to challenge Moose for the TNA World Championship later this summer.

Kevin Owens has solidified himself as one of WWE's most reliable performers. The former WWE Universal Champion has called WWE home for over a decade now and has wasted little time stacking his r?sum? over the past ten years. Owens roared onto the scene in NXT, capturing the NXT Title just two months after his debut match. Three months on from that, Owens leapt to WWE Monday Night Raw where he would feud with John Cena upon his arrival, handing a rare clean loss to Big Match John in his first main roster contest. The years that followed were packed with championship wins, multiple pay-per-view headlining matches, and two consecutive WWE WrestleMania main events.

Flash back to Fall 2021, it became known that Owens was set to hit free agency come the new year, and the surge of AEW at the time led many to believe he would be tempted to revert back to Kevin Steen and reunite with indie friends like the Young Bucks and Adam Cole in the challenger promotion. Owens would re-sign with WWE in a move that was ultimately very kind to him, as that pair of aforementioned Mania main events both fell on his current contract.

Kevin Owens Shares Major Contract Update

The Prizefighter could be experiencing d?j? vu this autumn.

Speaking to Metro, Kevin Owens revealed that he has "nine months" remaining on his current WWE deal.

"I really don't take anything for granted. I've nine months left on my contact, and I don't know what can happen from here on out," Owens said. "That's just life. If I've learned anything over the last few years, it's that nothing is guaranteed. I've learned that through some very unfortunate events, we've lost so many good people that was never expected. That's just one example of how I do not take anything for granted, how I look at things now."

Owens is likely alluding to the losses of Jay Briscoe, Bray Wyatt, and Brodie Lee. He shared a locker room with Wyatt and Lee (then known as WWE's Luke Harper) for the first six years of his WWE career. Prior to joining WWE, Owens and Briscoe worked together in Ring of Honor. Owens and Briscoe remained close friends over the years.

"This has been my home for ten years and it's beyond the locker room," Owens continued. "There's some very, very, very special people that work behind the scenes that I've become very close with, and I really can't imagine not seeing them as part of my life."

While Owens's words indicate he doesn't see himself moving on from WWE, he does have interest from outside of Titan Towers. AEW President Tony Khan noted back in 2022 that he "would have been interested" in pursuing Owens should he have become a free agent back then. Considering AEW's recent interest in top WWE stars, its likely that that prior interest in Owens will be renewed this fall should he not re-sign with WWE before then.

On a recent episode of AEW Dynamite, Jon Moxley defended the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship for the very first time. His opponent was the Don Callis Family's Powerhouse Hobbs who has been making a name for himself in AEW as of late. At one point during the match he suffered a knee injury when he smashed into the turnbuckle. As the match wrapped up quicker than anticipated, Hobbs was clearly favoring the injured leg as he hobbled to the back.

Hobbs has now taken to his social media to comment on the injury, noting that when he comes back he's bringing "hell" with him.

"Not sure what to say. Injuries happen and we deal with them. We recalibrate, we rebuild, we reinvent. The real test is the comeback," Hobbs wrote in a note shared to X. "I've been told I'll come back like nothing ever happened. So, why do I feel so angry right now? Why do I feel so disappointed? It's because that's all bullshit. Nobody comes back the same after any injury. The only choice is to come back better. As I sit here on this Island of Darkness, I have thousands of questions running through my mind nonstop. The doctors tell me not to worry. Just HEAL and RECOVER. They have no idea that this is nothing compared to the hell I've been through. Just rest assured when I come back that I'm bringing Hell with me."

Hobbs has been a member of the AEW roster since 2020 where he began competing on AEW Dark. His debut match was a squash to Orange Cassidy that lasted just 13 seconds. Despite that, his size made him a spectacle in AEW and it didn't take long for fans to get behind the wrestler. He eventually joined Team Taz with Ricky Starks and HOOK but once that disbanded he made his way through the men's division against heavyweights like Miro, Samoa Joe and Wardlow. As aforementioned, he is now in the Don Callis family with Konosuke Takeshita, Will Ospreay, and Kyle Fletcher.

The AEW injured list is rather extensive with many of the company's top stars currently battling through injuries. Among them, Adam Cole who was injured in a freak accident last fall, Kenny Omega who is still on the mend from his diverticulitis, Mark Davis who injured his wrist at WrestleDream in October, and former AEW World Champion MJF who just underwent surgery on his shoulder. Additionally, recently returning star and half of the Lucha Bros, Rey F?nix, was unable to compete at a recent independent show after making his AEW return just last week on Collision.

Stay tuned to Comicbook for updates on Powerhouse Hobbs and AEW.

WWE 2K24 is finally here, which means players worldwide are jumping in to try out all the latest modes with their favorite Superstars. One of the most prominent modes in this year's release is MyFaction, the WWE 2K24 version of the popular Ultimate Team modes that every sports franchise has these days. While MyFaction isn't as beloved as other Ultimate Team modes, this year's version does include a special wrinkle with Persona cards. If you get these cards, you'll also unlock them for use in other modes, making MyFaction an important place in WWE 2K24. Fortunately, the developers often drop Locker Codes into the game that players can use to rack up free rewards in MyFaction. Below, you'll find an updated list of every Locker Code in WWE 2K24 and a breakdown of how to use them.

How to Use Locker Codes in WWE 2K24

If you've never redeemed a Locker Code, the good news is that it's relatively easy. From the MyFaction main menu, navigate to the "Live" tab and click on it. Once you're in the "Live" menu, flick to the bottom of the screen to select the "Locker Codes" tab. Then, just type in the Locker Code, and you'll redeem the reward.

As far as finding new Locker Codes, your best bet is to keep this page bookmarked. That said, 2K will often announce new codes on its social media or through in-game ads. It's also possible that the team might drop new codes during live WWE events. The NBA 2K team loves to do that with important NBA games, and we might see the WWE 2K team do that more this year, especially with the increased importance of the mode for all players.

All Available Locker Codes in WWE 2K24

As of April 15th, 2024, these are the Locker Codes currently in WWE 2K24:

• WRESTLEMANIAXL - Cody Rhodes Superstar Series 1 Gold MyFaction Card (Rating: 68), Bailey Superstars Series 1 Silver MyFaction Card (Rating: 64).
• WWEDRAFTXL - 1 x Sole Providers Series Deluxe Pack and 1 x Wrestlemania 40 Series Deluxe Pack
• HEADOFTHETABLE - 2x MyFaction packs (Legends Series) + Roman Reigns Free Agent Sapphire (79) card

There is also code in the WWE 2K24 backend hinting at an upcoming Hulk Hogan Persona card that's coming down the line. Make sure to keep your eyes locked in for new codes, and don't forget to input them before they expire. Once they're gone, you won't be able to claim the award unless 2K adds a new code for the reward. We will keep this list updated as more Locker Codes are added to the game.

WWE 2K24 is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC platforms.

A formerly injured AEW star recently made their return on AEW Collision. After six months on the shelf due to an unfortunate accident in a title defense against Jon Moxley, Rey F?nix made his triumphant return to AEW. He wrestled The Beast Mortos (formerly Black Taurus). Although he won his return match, he was apparently not out of the woods.

F?nix was set to compete at House of Glory's Cinco De Mayo event against his Lucha Bros. tag team partner Penta El Zero Miedo. Penta would announce to the fans that Fenix is not cleared to compete on the show. Instead, Penta wrestled the new TNA Digital Media Champion Laredo Kid.

AEW President Tony Khan recently spoke about F?nix's return to AEW and how it came together. He noted in an interview that Fenix had been cleared the day of Collision and was looking to wrestle.

"... I got a fun surprise, it didn't happen until after Dynamite, so I wasn't able to get ahead on it on prior weeks of television, it was something that snuck up on me later, but we just cleared, right before Collision, Rey F?nix," Khan said on Superstar Crossover. "When he came in for the medical check and he was cleared, he really wanted to wrestle for the fans in Jacksonville, I thought it was great. We announced it during the draft, and I had a block there; then, there was something else that I moved around and still accommodated, but I made some changes to make sure we got this great match for the fans. I was very pleasantly surprised when Rey F?nix came in and said he got cleared, it was not something I went in expecting. It was a nice thing to get Rey F?nix back."

This story is developing...

In early 2023, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler suffered a severe medical emergency that sent him straight to the hospital. It was later revealed that Lawler had a stroke, but he had underwent surgery and was expected to make a full recovery. Lawler previously had a stroke in 2018 as well as a heart attack back in 2012 during a match on Monday Night Raw. He reappeared in August when he was backstage at a Raw taping in Memphis. He was brought out to the entrance ramp by Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, which was a delight to fans in attendance.

Lawler recently spoke out about his condition post-stroke during a signing for East Coast Autograph Auctions. He explained that his health is great, though there are still some minor difficulties that he's dealing with from it. "My health is great," Lawler said. "I'm just getting over for the doctors to get back on the road for my knee replacement and then, of course, there are still some minor difficulties from the stroke, but all that stuff is coming around fast."

Lawler has over five decades of experience in the wrestling business. His in-ring career began back in the 1970s. He joined Continental Wrestling Association where he became the biggest star in the promotion. He'd go on to have stints in the American Wrestling Association and WCCW, owned by the Von Erich family. He eventually made his way to WWE (then WWF) as an announcer but he did appear in the 1993 Royal Rumble match.

He remained a regular member of the WWE team until about 2016. He'd be saved for special occasions thereafter. He's taken a backseat from wrestling in recent years but was brought back in to the commentary for WWE back in 2019. He was later replaced by Samoa Joe just over a year later. Since then, he's had sporadic appearances in the company but has been much more active on the independent circuit. Up until his stroke last year, he had still been wrestling on a semi-regular basis. His last match was against former Ring of Honor wrestler Beer City Bruiser at America's Most Liked Wrestling Acts of War Games 2 in North Carolina.

Stay tuned to Comicbook for updates on Jerry Lawler and WWE.

H/T: Fightful

In the last several weeks, WWE has made various changes to its backstage departments. Tenured employees have recently been let go, including Dan Ventrelle who served as the WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Trent Wilfinger who was the company's Senior Vice President of Athlete ID & Development. Sue Aitchison who had been with the company since the mid 1980s, was also let go. The changes come at a time where WWE and TKO are looking to eliminate the "old WWE" that Vince McMahon had his fingerprints on.

There have been some upgrades in other departments, though, including Lee Fitting's role in production for the main roster. There have been many noticeable differences, including less camera cuts, scaled back sets, a cut back on the augmented reality entrances. Fitting is largely responsible for all of those, but what his role doesn't carry over to is WWE's developmental brand, NXT. Unlike Kevin Dunn who was heading all three shows, Fightful Select is reporting that NXT's production is handled by Vice President of Line Producing, Brian Fadem.

Prior to Dunn's exit, if there was ever a time that he was out and unable to produce, Fadem would helm the ship in his absence. He took on the role full time when Dunn departed the company in December. Though he is established as the head, the report indicates that there are other people learning the role as well. Fadem has been with WWE for well over a decade, boarding the ship back in 2013 as production assistant and he's steadily climbed the ladder since then.

NXT's Recent Changes

Much like the main roster, NXT has gone through a number of changes as well. During the WWE Draft, a few notable names -- former NXT Champions Ilja Dragunov as well as Lyra Valkyria, Kiana James, Blair Davenport and Dijak -- were all called up to the main roster. This is on top of the previous call-ups of Carmelo Hayes, Tiffany Stratton and Bron Breakker. There is an abundance of talent in NXT still, even with some of their top stars being put on the main roster. Roxanne Perez and Trick Williams are spearheading the new era of NXT as Champions which has already proven to be highly successful to the brand.

Despite all of their talent, they did release a number of talent shortly after the main roster cuts took place. Drew Gulak and Valentina Feroz were among the names released alongside members of the 2023 Performance Center classes and WWE and Roku's Next Gen reality series.

WWE officially announced the location of WrestleMania 41 after a year of speculation about where the huge two-day event would land next. For a year it was said that Minneapolis, Minnesota was a finalist to host the Premium Live Event, the first major WrestleMania to be held in the state. Officials seemed fairly confident that it was going to land there, but somewhere along the way plans changed. Earlier this year WWE hosted a WrestleMania 40 kickoff event in Las Vegas which is now the confirmed location for next year.

Minnesota state officials aren't giving up hope on hosting a future WWE event in the state, though, as the Minnesota Sports and Events's president and chief executive Wendy Blackshaw confirmed that they are in talks about bringing WWE to Minnesota down the line.

"We were informed by WWE that Minnesota would not host WrestleMania in 2025 due to a change in direction by new ownership," Blackshaw confirmed to the Minnesota Star Tribune. "Although disappointed, we are in discussions with WWE about future events in Minnesota. We are optimistic that Minnesota will host WWE events here in the future."

In April of 2023 a leak revealed that Minnesota was the projected frontrunner to host the extravagant WrestleMania 41. Though the state has a rich professional wrestling history, they haven't hosted one of the "big four" shows since SummerSlam 1999. Back in March a House of Representatives hearing on bill HF 3934, which discusses Minnesota's sports and events grant, took the floor. During the discussion, an unnamed event was brought up with the financial impact "second only to the Super Bowl." Legislators approved the new multiplatform campaign aimed at attracting visitors to Minnesota. Star of the North is a hefty $22 million marketing campaign that will be spread across two years.

During an event announcing the campaign, Governor Tim Walz made it clear that Minnesota is the place to be for sports no matter if it's wrestling, gymnastics, or hockey. "This is the place to be. Those are the things we need to be doing. So, for all of you attracting folks here, attracting conventions. Whether it's coming up with the USA Gymnastic Trials or the US Junior Hockey Championships," Walz points to Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. "And we're not going to forget WrestleMania and things like that," (crowd laughs). "You know, when they told me that, I'm like, 'oh,' but want to know best about this?" he points to the crowd. "That thing is a $20 million dollar impact in the local economy. It's big."

WWE today announced the location and dates for WrestleMania 41 during the Kentucky Derby which WWE Superstars Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch were on hand for. They were pictured at the event in their derby best -- bold outfits that included an all metallic silver look from Lynch with a giant matching hat to match wile Rollins went for a checkered orange look and a hat. Immediately fans noticed that Rollins has a different look about him despite being absent from WWE for just a month.

He is now clean shaven, resembling his former much younger self in FCW and Ring of Honor in his early 20s. The new look stunned fans who also took interest in what appeared to be a new haircut except, from the angle of the photo, it looked like there was no hair. Is Rollins bald? Rest assured he is not taking a play out of his fellow SHIELD brother Jon Moxley's book, it was tied in a ponytail and tucked neatly into the hat.

Chatted with @WWERollins and @BeckyLynchWWE on the @KentuckyDerby red carpet. Their fashion theme is past and future... I guess I'm the present! @enews pic.twitter.com/Lm6ZD5FBZp

-- Kenny Holmes (@KHOLMESlive) May 4, 2024

Lynch further broke down their looks in an interview with NBC Sports on the red carpet. "We're from WWE and the phrase is, 'Then. Now. Forever. Together.' And I feel like this encapsulates all of that," Lynch said. "You know what I mean? Like, you've got the old school look here, you've got the future looking look here, and that's what going on. That was my thought. That was my inspiration."

Lynch recently revealed that Rollins is currently on the mend from an injury he suffered back in January in a World Heavyweight Championship defense. He ended up with a grade 2 tear on his MCL and a partially torn medial meniscus. Though he was out of action for several months he refused to vacate the championship to get the WrestleMania main event moment that he hadn't gotten in his career.

After his losses at WrestleMania it was clear the former champion is worse for wear as he's been consistently wrestling on the Raw brand and at live events for the past year. Whether he had planned to take time off or not, he doesn't have much of a choice now as he recently underwent surgery on his knee. Despite his injuries, WWE still values him as a performer, recently signing him to a new contract that is reportedly a "big money" deal. He was said to be a priority to the company who weren't looking to let him go at any cost, amidst outside interest. During the 2024 WWE draft, Rollins was drafted on night one to WWE Raw.

WWE Backlash had a number of memorable moments for fans who tuned in, but it turns out there was another memorable moment happening behind the scenes. CM Punk was part of the Backlash pre-show, but after the pre-show was over, Punk posted several stories to Instagram that revealed he was stuck inside WWE Headquarters. Punk said that after going to change out of his suit from the pre-show in the bathroom, he ended up locked inside, and once he got out everybody was gone. That left him to explore the building while posting to social media, and the results were delightful (via Fightful).

On Instagram Punk said, "Okay this is what's legitimately happening. I got done doing the pre-show, and I got locked inside a bathroom while I was changing out of my suit. Nice suit by the way. DanielGeorge.com. He's in Chicago. And by the time I got out of the bathroom, everybody's gone."

This is hilarious.

??? pic.twitter.com/xlHlFDWsb3

-- Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) May 4, 2024

"So I'm literally in, I don't know what you call this anymore. Titan Towers? Titan Towers II? Headquarters? But I'm here, and I figured since I was here I might try to pull some Phantom of the Opera s*** and see how long it takes somebody to notice that I am in fact here. I don't know what the employee work schedule is, I don't know who works at what time, and there are a lot of doors you need a keycard for, and I don't have a keycard," Punk said.

"Sorry I got cut off. I didn't know there was a time limit on these things, but anyway, I'm in the gym now. Figured since I got stuck here and might miss my flight, I'm gonna work out. And then I'm going to wander around and see what sort of trouble I can cause. Hopefully, no one who works here is watching this online or on social media, that would be a big mistake on my part," Punk said.

Then Punk ended up in another section of the building with photos on the wall, and then made his way into the green room with his stuff. He then found a wall with Roxanne Perez's image on the wall alongside Trick Williams, displaying that they were the NXT Champions. He closed out this unexpected tour by finding the Andre the Giant statue and giving it a tap.

The fact that Punk got locked in the building is hilarious on its own, but the fact that he took fans along for the ride during his unexpected tour was the icing on the cake. As for Backlash, you can find the full results below.

• Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (C) def. AJ Styles
• World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (C) def. Jey Uso
• WWE Women's Championship Triple Threat: Bayley (C) def. Naomi and Tiffany Stratton
• WWE Women's Tag Team Championships: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill (C) def. The Kabuki Warriors
• Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga def. Randy Orton & Kevin Owens

What did you think of Punk's tour through WWE Headquarters? Let me know on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

At WWE Backlash, The Bloodline added another new member with a debut that shocked fans. With Roman Reigns taking a backseat for an undisclosed amount of time, Solo Sikoa has risen to the top of the group, at least for the time being. Reigns may not be physically present in WWE but he is said to have "substantial" creative input over the storyline which recently saw former multi-time NJPW Champion Tama Tonga make his WWE debut.

Tonga wrestled his first official match for WWE at Backlash, teaming with Sikoa against Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. When it appeared that Orton and Owens had the upper hand and were going to best The Bloodline, Tanga Loa appeared from under the ring and attacked them. In the end, Sikoa and Tonga ended up with the win as all three men stood tall over them.

Who is Tanga Loa?

As mentioned by WWE on commentary, Loa is the other son of Haku, a Tongan professional wrestler that dominated WWF throughout the mid 80s until the early 2000s. His last official match with the company was in 2002 at a house show against Diamond Dallas Page for the European Title. Though he's still wrestling to this day, his legacy is carried on through his two songs Tama and Tanga. Loa's in-ring wrestling career began in 2008 and he's been part of various promotions, including TNA, CMLL, NJPW, and WWE.

For the last few years he's been competing in New Japan with his brother as part of the Guerillas of Destiny or G.o.D. for short. While the stable is still active in Japan with El Phantasmo, Hikuleo and Jado, Tonga and Loa led the stable as a tag team. With them officially reunited in WWE, that tag team will likely be revisited in the new Bloodline story arc.

Tanga's WWE Past

Plenty of wrestlers have a past in WWE whether it's as enhancement talent or they were formally signed at one point. In Loa's case he was a full-time competitor in WWE. He first appeared in 2012 as Camacho teaming with Hunico. Much of his matches at the time were house shows, though he did eventually move to NXT in 2014 when it was established as the developmental show for the company. He wrestled his final match in April of 2014 and was released just two months later in June alongside Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, Aksana, Curt Hawkins and more.

As for his future, as things stand it looks like The Bloodline may add one more member -- likely Jacob Fatu -- into the fold. He had about as dominant of a debut as you can have as a debuting star against two of WWE's top stars in Owens and Orton. In November, Lance Anoa'i revealed that WWE wanted to sign he and Fatu and have them be part of Reigns' "Tribal Court" storyline but due to their MLW contracts, that wasn't possible.

The location of WrestleMania 41 has been a hot button topic in recent weeks. First it appeared a lock that next year's big event would take place in Minneapolis, Minesotta as the city itself thought that they had it set. State officials spoke highly of the event and even made it clear that they'd be making a big announcement soon. They had been a front-runner for quite some time but somewhere along the way things shifted as WWE set their sights on Las Vegas.

Reports stated that in the future WWE higher ups were looking to take WrestleMania out of the colder climates which is typically the forecast for the east coast and the midwest in early April. WrestleMania 40 this year was live from Philadelphia which was rather windy and cold the first night so the fans weren't as lively as they would be somewhere warmer. On night two the weather caved and fans were infinitely more rambunctious because of it.

Ahead of WWE Backlash, the company teased that there would be a "huge announcement" on WWE's social pages today, presumably the date and location of WrestleMania 41. WWE CCO Paul "Triple H" Levesque recently took part in a space on X where he revealed the location of the event would be announced "very very soon."

"Well, everybody is always excited to know where WrestleMania is going to be," Triple H said. "WrestleMania 41 announcement is coming very, very soon, I promise that. Very, very soon."

Announced during this year's Kentucky Derby, next year's big event will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 19th and 20th. A WrestleMania hasn't been held in Sin City since WrestleMania IX in 1993, headlined by Hulk Hogan defeating Yokozuna for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. The news is currently a shake up from previous reports. Following WrestleMania 39, reports surfaced that Minnesota could be the likely target of 2025's WrestleMania 41. The city was said to be a finalist and it would have been the first WrestleMania to take place in the state.

The event will once again take place over two days, a change first introduced for WrestleMania 36 which took place during the pandemic inside the WWE Performance Center. Since experimenting with the idea, the company has found great success, opting to make it permanent. WrestleMania 41 will mark the sixth consecutive two day WrestleMania event.

Stay tuned to Comicbook for updates on WWE.

WWE Backlash capped off a wild event with a thrilling battle for the WWE Championship between Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles. As expected, Rhodes and Styles delivered a showcase worthy of the Title they were fighting for, and they continually countered each other's biggest moves. That meant they had to go above and beyond, and they did just that. Rhodes went for Cross Rhodes several times but couldn't get it to connect, while Styles went for the Styles Clash and the Phenomenal Forearm but missed those too. It wasn't until Rhodes hit a top rope Cody Cutter that he managed to connect with Cross Rhodes and get the win, retaining his Undisputed WWE Championship.

Rhodes and Styles locked up a few times to start the match and the exchanged holds and counters, showcasing their technical expertise. Rhodes gave Styles a receipt for his slap on SmackDown, and the crowd was on their feet for the American Nightmare. They continued to exchange counters and offense, though Styles started to take control just a bit, at least until Rhodes launched Styles into the air for a backbody drop.

ADRENALINE IN HIS SOUL!#WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/zJHNQXyofD

-- WWE (@WWE) May 4, 2024

Rhodes lifted Styles for a vertical suplex and brought the challenger down with force. Styles returned the favor and brought Rhodes down on his arm, and Styles started to make it a point to further attack the arm with a hammer lock.

Styles knocked Rhodes down and continued to focus on the arm, but Rhodes sent Styles face-first into the ropes. Rhodes then gave himself some room after slamming Styles into the steel steps, and the two battled it out right after on the ring apron. Rhodes went up top to hit a superplex on Styles, but Styles got the better of the move and brought Rhodes down onto his back in an odd position.

Rhodes ran to the opposite corner and was clearly in pain, holding his lower back, and Styles capitalized, slamming him down on his back again before going for a moonsault. Rhodes got his knees up though, and both men were down on the mat. Rhodes and Styles got back to their feet and exchanged strikes, and then Rhodes hit a Disaster Kick into a cover, but Styles kicked out at 2.

Rhodes went to kick off the ropes but Styles caught him and hit a neckbreaker into a cover, though Rhodes kicked out. Rhodes came back with a Bulldog, but Styles then brought down Rhodes onto the ring apron, sending him to the floor. They barely made it back into the ring by the 10-count after Rhodes slammed Styles through the announce table, and then both superstars hit the mat after clocking each other with kicks to the head.

More strikes came next, and after an array of offense from Rhodes, Styles still kicked out of the cover. Styles brought Rhodes down and then hit a huge springboard 450 splash into a pin, but Rhodes kicked out of the cover attempt. Styles stayed on him though, hitting a Burning Hammer into another pin attempt, but Rhodes kicked out at 1 and was fired up. Styles looked shocked and tried to stay aggressive but Rhodes hit the ropes and delivered a Cody Cutter into a pin, only for Styles to kick out.

Rhodes clotheslined Styles and then set up for the Cross Rhodes, but Styles countered with a Pele Kick. Styles charged forward and knocked the Champ down before going for a Phenomenal Forearm. Rhodes caught him with a punch to the chest. Rhodes went for the Kimura Lock, but couldn't quite lock it all the way in. Styles slammed the Champ down and then set up for a Styles Clash, but Rhodes fought out. Both stars went for their biggest moves but were unsuccessful. Rhodes then hit a huge Cody Cutter from the top rope, and that led to hitting Cross Rhodes for the pin and the win.

WWE Backlash:

• Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (C) def. AJ Styles
• World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (C) def. Jey Uso
• WWE Women's Championship Triple Threat: Bayley (C) def. Naomi and Tiffany Stratton
• WWE Women's Tag Team Championships: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill (C) def. The Kabuki Warriors
• Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga def. Randy Orton & Kevin Owens

What did you think of Backlash? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The action-packed Backlash PLE continued with a title defense from Asuka and Kairi Sane, the Kabuki Warriors. In their second title reign as a tag team, they went up against their toughest challenge yet in Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair. The team hasn't been together long but they're two powerhouses in the women's division and destroy everything in their path. Unfortunately for the Kabuki Warriors, it wasn't a successful night.

Asuka and Kairi Sane are dominated by Belair but once Asuka regains her composure the champions take back control. Belair is in desperate need of a tag at this point as Asuka toys with her. She's inches away from a tag to Cargill when she's pulled back to the other side and double teamed by Sane and Asuka. Cargill rallies Belair but just before she's able to tag, Sane kicks Cargill off the ring apron to prevent it. As Belair lifts Asuka up for the KOD, Asuka is able to make a blind tag to Sane, calling for her patented elbow but Belair is able to duck out of the way.

She finally gets a tag to Cargill who springboards off the top rope and delivers a pump kick to Asuka. She splashes both women in the corner, dumping Asuka and turning her attention to Sane, nearly securing the win for their team. Cargill looks to press Sane, getting her up above her shoulders and slamming her to the mat. Asuka and Sane deliver kicks to the challenger but the referee stops the pin due to Sane not being legal. Asuka tags in as Cargill super kicks her in the throat. Cargill hits the Jaded while Belair hits the KOD for the win.

The title win marks Cargill's very first title win in WWE, the company that she's been signed to since last fall. It certainly shows that they have high hopes for the star who has already made waves for them in terms of selling merchandise, tickets, and social views. Belair is well on her way to become a grand slam champion as this is her first tag team title win in her WWE career. If she can win the NXT Women's Championship at some point, a feat she never obtained during her NXT run, she will have held every women's title in WWE at least once.

WWE Backlash 2024 Results

• Women's World Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton
• World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso
• Women's Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair
• Kevin Owens and Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles

At WWE Backlash Asuka and Kairi Sane defended the Women's Tag Team Championships against the powerhouse duo of Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair. The Kabuki Warriors won the titles back in January on SmackDown defeating Katana Chance and Kayden Carter. They had four successful title defenses in their second reign as tag champions but that all came to a screeching halt when Cargill and Belair defeated them to win their first titles as a tag team.

For Cargill, it's her first title in WWE after her debut last fall at Fastlane. She quickly shot up the ranks in the women's division with her imposing figure, eventually finding herself aligning with Naomi and Belair. Cargill only has a few matches under her belt in WWE not counting her live event appearances. She made her WWE in-ring debut in this year's Royal Rumble where she eliminated Nia Jax and then teamed with Belair and Naomi against Damage CTRL at WrestleMania 40 which they won.

Belair is now just a single title away from being a grand slam champion, needing to obtain the NXT Women's Championship, something she didn't do in her initial NXT run. She is, however, a triple crown champion, having won all major titles on the main roster. WWE fans in Lyon, France and at home lost their minds over the shocking title win. Read some of the best responses below...

Time To Dominate

Bianca & Jade are gonna dominate the women's tag division for a while when they get those tag belts

-- ? ?Amy Lou Who ? ? (@superwhomom) May 4, 2024

Unreal Finish

That Jade/Kairi finish was just like...unreal. After what was objectively a hot mess in the middle there, they all managed to find a way back in. Superstar shit.

And the way Bianca looked like she was picking Jade up as they had a little hug. You love to see it. #wwebacklash

-- Dan Layton (@DanielJLayton) May 4, 2024

Insane Chemistry

jade and bianca chemistry is too fucking crazy i need to digest this yall. pic.twitter.com/T2kRQfQAZX

-- g?. (@GAIASTRAPHOUSE) May 4, 2024

Bruno Sammartino Tag Title Run?

Jade & Bianca should simply win these women's tag titles and hold them forever.

-- Jordan Patu (@Jordan_Patu) May 4, 2024

What Tag Title Curse?

bianca belair and jade cargill to the tag team title curse: pic.twitter.com/4GOUDX8uM2

-- g?. (@GAIASTRAPHOUSE) May 4, 2024

Captain Marvel and Storm

Let's be real here. Who is actually defeating Bianca Bel Air and Jade Cargill for those tag team titles?? Its Like Captain marvel and Storm on one team. #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/yH0xflRzRS

-- Real DEI's In Paris (@unibroward4405) May 4, 2024

Put Some Respect On Them

Put some respect on my girls!!!!! People complained about them not having tag moves, and Bianca and Jade said "BET!" #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/MEuTxJlfo8

-- The Third King ? (@thirdking0208) May 4, 2024

Best Women's Tag Team Match

Despite some confusion at some moments in this match, this is the best women's tag team match I have seen in a long time.

Firstly, congratulations to Bianca and Jade, they will do wonders for the women's tag team division.

Secondly, no one can now talk shit about Asuka and... pic.twitter.com/uAJomQhGqj

-- Sandra (@asuka_charlotte) May 4, 2024

Amazing

Jade and Bianca are amazing together ??

-- Haevyn Reyhne ???? (@haevyn_reyhne) May 4, 2024

Banger After Banger

jade and bianca's match has been pic.twitter.com/UUwaEs2nuy

-- k ? (@rheassinner) May 4, 2024

Best Performance By Far

Really great performance tonight from Jade Cargill (her best so far). You can see how much she's learned. Truly going to be a HUGE star for WWE when it all connects together. Smart decision to pair the with Bianca Belair. Congrats to our new Women's Tag Champs! #WWEBacklash

-- ryan w (@SourceRyan) May 4, 2024

Kairi Misunderstood the Assignment

that match was good and im happy for bianca and jade but kairi was wrestling a tornado tag match she aint gaf who was legal the whole match?

-- (M) (@Iikeitsmybday) May 4, 2024

Nobody Can Stop Them

Realistically there is not a two woman combination in wwe that should beat Bianca & Jade Cargill

-- ICE (@Makyle_Ice) May 4, 2024

Historic

Congrats to Bianca and Jade. Fun fact: The only other time a WWE title has ever changed hands in France, it was also a women's title, when Rockin Robin beat Sensational Sherri in Paris in 1989.

-- Brian R. Solomon (@BrianRSolomon) May 4, 2024

Cannot Be Duplicated

This is a moment that can't be duplicated and it's also one that a majority of you will never understand. pic.twitter.com/bT2czHZVOJ

-- Suddenly Susan (@SeiyaMyName) May 4, 2024

WWE Backlash 2024 Results

• Women's World Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton
• World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso
• Women's Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair
• Kevin Owens and Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles

This year's WrestleMania Backlash was the first WWE PLE to take place in France and the action throughout the show certainly delivered to the fans in attendance and watching at home. With four title defenses on the card Damian Priest looked to retain the World Heavyweight Championship that he won at WrestleMania 40 against Jey Uso. Uso earned the opportunity on an episode of Raw back in April, defeating Bronson Reed, Ricochet and Drew McIntyre.

Priest officially cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase during night two, picking up a victory over McIntyre who had just won the title minutes prior from Seth Rollins. Walking into this match, Uso was the clear favorite to win his first singles title in WWE as the crowd was incredibly hype to see the "Main Event" in person.

There's some pretty equal offense to start the match until Judgment Day's JD McDonagh gets involved to try and help him retain the title. This only angers Priest who has made it clear that he doesn't need the help of the group to win. Uso uses the distraction as an opportunity to superkick him but it's not enough to put the champion away. When they both get back to their feet they exchange clobbering blows in the center of the ring.

Priest is able to take control again, hitting the Razor's Edge on Uso for a two count. Priest pulls his straps down, calling for the South of Heaven. Uso is able to counter it, hitting the spear but again, he comes up short. Finn Balor is next to interfere but Uso catches him with a kick. Priest hits the South of Heaven this time and it seemed like Uso's fate was written in the stars ... until he kicked out. Uso is able to regain his composure once again taking control of the match with a spear and an Uso Splash. Before he can win the championship, McDonagh pulls Priest's foot to the ropes to break the pin. Priest is able to catch Uso before he goes up top again, hitting a second South of Heaven to retain in his first title defense. Judgment Day goes to attack Uso after the match but Priest stops them, pushing him off. Could this spell the beginning of the end for the dominating faction?

WWE Backlash 2024 Results

• Women's World Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton
• World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso
• Women's Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair
• Kevin Owens and Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles

WWE's next pay-per-view event is preparing to crown new royalty in the professional wrestling organization as King And Queen of The Ring will take place in Saudi Arabia. While Backlash had its fair share of surprises and hard-hitting matches, the next event is going to take some serious build-up before it arrives later this month. A tournament will be put into place for Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown to find the king and queen and we have the breakdown of the matches you can look forward to.

Originally titled simply "King of The Ring", WWE has decided to crown a queen along with a king for its next event. While the title of wrestling royalty might not allow the wrestlers a shot at a title like "Money in The Bank", there have been numerous instances of past superstars incorporating the regal moniker into their characters. In order to take the crown, the potential kings and queens are going to have to battle one another and go through a tournament to win the gold. The last King of the Ring was Xavier Woods, so it will be interesting to see if he has a role to play in the next event.

WWE: King And Queen of The Ring Line-Up

Who will seize their destiny and becoming the 2024 KING and QUEEN of the RING in WWE?

We've got some huge news on the first round matches taking place on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/PYzhlKS7Di

-- WWE (@WWE) May 4, 2024

The Queen of the Ring matches prior to the event taking place on May 25th include:
Zoey Stark Vs. Ivy Nile
Shayna Bazsler Vs. Zelina Vega
Lyra Valkyria Vs. Asuka
Iyo Sky Vs. Natalya

On the flip side, the King of the Ring Matches that will take place before the pay-per-view event include:
Drew McIntyre Vs. Finn Balor
Kofi Kingston Vs. Rey Mysterio
Ricochet Vs. Ilja Dragunov
Gunther Vs. Sheamus

It will be interesting to see what effects that Backlash has on the upcoming pay-per-view event as several seeds have been planted for many of the wrestlers that made up the post-WrestleMania spectacle. The Bloodline, despite seeing Roman Reigns on hiatus, added a new member to its ranks while on the flip side, Damian Priest's Judgement Day appears to be hanging on by a threat despite the World Heavyweight Champion retaining his title.

• Women's World Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton
• World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso
• Women's Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair
• Kevin Owens and Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles

Following the tragic passing of legendary superstar Bray Wyatt, many have wondered if the elements of his character, The Fiend, would return to the professional wrestling world of WWE. With WWE's Backlash still under way, keen-eyed fans think that they've spotted some clues that the return of Uncle Howdy is nigh. With the character having major ties to Wyatt and Alexa Bliss, it would make for one of the biggest moments of this year's pay-per-view event if the mysterious entity were to hit the ring.

In a similar vein to The Fiend, Uncle Howdy was a character that was covered in shadow and mystery, first starting out as an antagonist to Wyatt in 2022. Originally haunting Wyatt, Howdy would then proceed to start manipulating Alex Bliss, showcasing himself as something of a stronger force than the two professional wrestling personas. Uncle Howdy is portrayed by none other than Bo Dallas, the real-life brother of Bray Wyatt, meaning that he would be the best, and perhaps only, wrestler who could continue The Fiend's storyline after Wyatt's passing.

Will Backlash Bring Back Uncle Howdy?

WWE Netizens were able to spot two key clues as to Uncle Howdy perhaps making an appearance during this latest pay-per-view, which you can check out for yourselves below. Bo Dallas' enigmatic character would bring back the mythos of "Sister Abigail" to the WWE in a big way, as the Howdy character has been deep into this lore ever since his debut. Certainly, this would bring far more elements of the supernatural into World Wrestling Entertainment, but if there's anyone who could, it's Bo Dallas.

That's definitely Alexa Bliss voice

IS UNCLE HOWDY COMING TONIGHT ? ? ?#WWEBacklashpic.twitter.com/r1k3CT9ez0

-- Tyler Napier (@DashingCards) May 4, 2024

Hold down the screen and the words you did this show up! New uncle howdy QR code #WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/KC3LI0HwMN

-- Bayden Redshaw (Ray Redd) (@BaydenRedshaw) May 4, 2024

Backlash has had its fair share of surprises this year that weren't stemmed in the supernatural. The Bloodline was able to receive a new member in Tanga Loa, Bayley retained her title, and it seems that the foundations of Judgement Day are beginning to crumble despite Damian Priest winning his match. If Uncle Howdy were to appear during this event, it might just make for the biggest headline of the night.

WWE Backlash 2024 Results

• Women's World Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton
• World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso
• Women's Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair
• Kevin Owens and Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles

After an insanely chaotic street fight involving The Bloodline, it was time for the Women's Championship to be on the line at WWE Backlash, with Bayley defending her Title against Naomi and Tiffany Stratton. The match included a host of near-falls, and all three superstars pulled out all the stops for the Title. That includes brutal slams on the announce table and the barricade, and at one point Stratton looked poised to pin both Bayley and Naomi with a moonsault. They were both able to evade it and send Stratton packing though, and it came down to a fight between best friends. It was ulatimely Bayley who got the final pin, retaining her WWE Women's Championship.

The three superstars exchanged counters and strikes and fought to a standstill, but then Bayley and Naomi ended up teaming up a bit against Stratton. Stratton turned the tables and knocked Bayley down, but Naomi came right back and ended up knocking the Champ to the mat.

THIS IS AWE-SOME!#WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/uvAt9iYGDp

-- WWE (@WWE) May 4, 2024

Stratton tried to cover both Naomi and Bayley, but both kicked out of the pin attempt. Stratton turned her attention to the Champion, knocking her to the mat with a shoulder tackle before connecting with heavy strikes to the back. Stratton then put more pressure on the neck with her knee against the ropes, but Bayley fought back with strikes of her own.

Unfortunately, Stratton knocked Bayley back down with a clothesline and went for a pin, though Bayley kicked out. Stratton went for her patented corner combo but Bayley caught her. Stratton then hit an Alabama Slam on the Champ and went for the cover, but Naomi came rushing in to break it up.

The fight moved to outside the ring, with Stratton hitting a back elbow and throwing Naomi over the barricade. Bayley took advantage of Stratton taunting the crowd and came crashing into her, knocking her to the floor. Bayley then went to get Naomi but she replied with a kick to the head before hitting a neck breaker from the barricade.

Naomi threw Stratton in and hit the split-legged moonsault into a cover, but Bayley broke up the pin attempt. Stratton got Bayley up on the top rope but Naomi came in and picked up Stratton, hitting a slam to the mat. Then she locked in a submission hold on Stratton, but Bayley hit an elbow drop to break it up. Bayley went for a pin but Naomi kicked out, and Stratton kicked out of the pin attempt that followed.

Stratton almost pinned Bayley but then the Champ hit a Bayley to Belly, but Stratton kicked out of the cover. Stratton lifted Bayley on her shoulders and hit a senton, but Naomi dragged her to the floor. Stratton then slammed Naomi onto the barricade, and then lifted Bayley and slammed her onto the announce table.

Stratton rolled Bayley and Naomi into the ring and set up for the moonsault. Both dodged out of the way and hit Stratton with a neckbreaker, causing her to roll to the floor. That left Naomi and Bayley in the ring, and Naomi took control for a bit. They exchanged covers and Bayley got the 3 count on hers, retaining her Championship.

WWE Backlash:

• Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (C) vs. AJ Styles
• World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (C) vs. Jey Uso
• WWE Women's Championship Triple Threat: Bayley (C) def. Naomi and Tiffany Stratton
• WWE Women's Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors (C) vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill
• Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga def. Randy Orton & Kevin Owens

What have you thought of Backlash so far? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

WWE's WrestleMania had some major implications for all the parties involved in the first match of this year's Backlash pay-per-view event. On the side of Kevin Owens and Randy Orton, the pair was denied the United States Championship in their fight against current champ, Logan Paul. Thanks to Roman Reigns losing the championship against Cody Rhodes, the Bloodline has never been weaker, meaning that Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga had the most to lose here, but were able to pull out a victory.

Now that Roman Reigns is no longer the Universal Champion, many professional wrestling fans have wondered what the future holds for the Bloodline. Certainly, many viewers believe that Solo Sikoa might be the new head of the organization, receiving some endorsement from Paul Heyman as Reigns steps aside for a well-deserved hiatus. With Tama Tonga recently joining the Bloodline, the remnants of the crew had a lot to prove in the first match of Backlash.

The tag-team match started with quite the opening bout, as security was brought in to stop the chaos that was caused by the teams taking one another on. Even with security, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Solo Sikoa, and Tama Tonga found themselves fighting anyone and everyone in sight. Thus, the WWE decided to change the rules of the match, making it a street fight, which means that no competitor could be disqualified. Luckily, all the wrestlers involved were more than ready to bust out some weaponry to take the match to the next level.

While things were looking grim for the Bloodline, they claimed victory thanks to the arrival of Tama Tonga's brother, Tanga Loa. Even though Reigns lost the belt at 'Mania, it seems that the Bloodline isn't done expanding its roster. Is a Bloodline Civil War on the horizon now that Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga have one more wrestler on their side?

If you need a refresher on WWE Backlash's Card for 2024, here is the breakdown of matches that make up the first pay-per-view event for World Wrestling Entertainment following this year's WrestleMania:

• Women's World Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton
  
• World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs. Jey Uso
• Women's Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair
• Kevin Owens and Randy Orton vs. Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. AJ Styles

WWE will hold the King and Queen of the Ring premium live event later this month, and while we don't know the full list of contenders just yet, we did get a few new additions revealed during tonight's SmackDown. In one of the first segments of the night, Carmelo Hayes met with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis and declared he would be entering the match, which was followed by an interesting confrontation with Bobby Lashley. Later in the night, two more men would throw their hats into the ring, as LA Knight and Santos Escobar both announced they would be competing for the mantle of King of the Ring.

Knight's announcement came after a match against Legado Del Fantasma, and after the match, Knight took the microphone and declared he was entering the match. "All around the world, it's the same song. Another SmackDown, another dummy dropped on his head. Another hard way. Yeah! If I wanted to be cliche, I'd say this is my ring. Instead of me saying this is my ring, nah nah. I'm going to make this my ring. I'm now officially entered into the King of the Ring."

Escobar then came up and took issue with Knight's announcement, though he had one of his own to make as well. "Whoa whoa whoa, it's impressive. Impressive how you keep talking and talking and talking. You keep running your mouth on and on. It's a King of the Ring, while you're busy running your mouth, I'll be busy winning," Escobar said.

With the three new additions, the match currently includes Escobar, Knight, Hayes, Drew McIntyre, Gunther, and Xavier Woods. Woods is the winner of the last King of the Ring match in 2021, while Zelina Vega was the winner of the Queen of the Ring match that year.

It is likely that we'll get an announcement of the brackets for both the men's and women's matches soon, and that could happen as soon as this weekend during Backlash. The event was supposed to happen last year, but WWE ended up switching plans and going with Night of Champions instead. This year the event will make its return in Saudi Arabia. First up though is Backlash, and you can find the full card below.

WWE Backlash:

• Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (C) vs. AJ Styles
• World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (C) vs. Jey Uso
• WWE Women's Championship Triple Threat: Bayley (C) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton
• WWE Women's Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors (C) vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill
• Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga

Are you excited for Backlash? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

Once again Uncle Howdy is back to tease his arrival to WWE. Over the last month or so WWE fans have been decoding various clues and teases that will likely lead to a formal re-introduction of Howdy and company. Those clues have only become more persistent over the last week in particular, leading fans to believe that something is coming sooner than later.

During SmackDown which was live from Lyon France, a QR code flashed on the screen which takes viewers to a promo package for the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles. Seconds into the video it begins glitching into Howdy's usual antics, but this one is definitely a lot creepier than some past videos. It appears like it glitches to the road from previous weeks before a video of a mysterious veiled woman, presumably Sister Abigail, with her back turned to the screen.

The woman appears in a dark room with candles scattered throughout. The text on the bottom reads "he opened his arms," before flashing away to "our pain became his. We were reborn. Because we believed." For a split second, the e in believed switches to an o, which was Bo Dallas' catchphrase in WWE ("and all you have to do is Bolieve"). After that clip, the screen flashes again with the Pluto symbol that repeatedly reads "because we believed."

Recent speculation suggested that Erick Rowan may be on his way back to WWE due to him canceling his independent bookings due to "contractual obligations," a typical reasoning given to bookers when a talent signs with WWE but can't say reveal that yet. A recent report from PWInsider Elite revealed that Rowan had in fact re-signed with WWE. The teases are appearing to lead to some sort of variation of the Wyatt 6 stable that the late Bray Wyatt was looking to do before his tragic passing. Rowan hasn't been linked to WWE for nearly four years as he was released in a round of cuts back in 2020. He made a one-off appearance at the Bray Wyatt tribute episode of SmackDown with fellow former Wyatt Family member Braun Strowman.

Though there's no exact timeline for when Uncle Howdy or his members will debut, the teases have been amping up over the last week, airing across all of WWE's shows including this week's NXT. It's entirely possible that there could be some sort of pay-off at WWE Backlash, a huge event for WWE.

WWE SmackDown was in France ahead of Backlash, and while there weren't any major debuts or changes ahead of the premium live event, there was one rather significant revelation. That revelation came courtesy of Paul Heyman, who had a confrontation with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis backstage. Aldis denied Heyman's request, and that led to Heyman letting a pretty major secret slip out. Heyman inadvertently revealed that he hadn't spoken to Roman Reigns since WrestleMania 40, and that prompted Aldis to ask about Reigns pulling himself out of the WWE Draft.

Aldis was pretty upset at what Heyman had to say. Aldis said, "You haven't spoken to Roman Reigns since WrestleMania? So then who pulled him out of the WWE draft?" Heyman then admitted that it was him who made the call. "He did not pull himself out of the WWE Draft. I pulled him out of the WWE Draft."

The Wiseman hasn't spoken to Our Tribal Chief since WrestleMania?!@HeymanHustle #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/Qb3jJLJT3o

-- WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) May 4, 2024

Heyman then revealed why he decided to make the call, and it was all tied to the current issues happening within the Bloodline since the loss at WrestleMania. "I cannot subject Roman Reigns to the chaos that is going on in the Bloodline right now." Aldis took it in stride and then said he should try and do the same thing with Kevin Owens and Randy Orton, who will face The Bloodline at Backlash.

Ahead of the draft's first night, Heyman said that Reigns had removed himself from draft eligibility. The reason being that he didn't want to take away from such a big night for everyone else, as he would assuredly be the first pick if he remained in the draft.

That turns out not to be the case though now, and calls several other things into question. Heyman has looked afraid at times with the group's newest member Tama Tonga, as Tonga has been all sorts of volatile in his appearances. Solo Sikoa has also become the defacto leader of the group in Reigns' absence and has started making decisions on the group's behalf, whether Heyman agrees or not.

It's not known how much Reigns knows about what is going on. He may not be talking to Heyman, but it doesn't mean he isn't touching base with Sikoa. Sikoa is also likely not stopping at recruiting Tonga, and this could be where Jacob Fatu comes in, who is expected to make his WWE debut soon. There's even a chance we could see him at Backlash, but we'll have to wait and see. You can find the full card for Backlash below.

WWE Backlash:

• Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (C) vs. AJ Styles
• World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (C) vs. Jey Uso
• WWE Women's Championship Triple Threat: Bayley (C) vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton
• WWE Women's Tag Team Championships: The Kabuki Warriors (C) vs. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill
• Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga

Are you excited for Backlash? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

A number of NXT superstars were called up in the recent WWE Draft, with names like Kiana James, Carmelo Hayes, and Ilja Dragunov joining Raw and SmackDown. According to a new report from PWInsider though, another of their peers will be joining them on the main roster, and it is happening pretty soon (H/T Wrestling News). The report states that Joe Gacy will be headed to the main roster very soon and has already been sighted at WWE Headquarters this week. According to sources, this was in relation to a call-up, but it isn't known stated whether he will be added to the Raw or SmackDown roster.

Gacy had recently been feuding with Dijak, who was drafted to Monday Night Raw on Monday. Gacy has embraced a more unhinged character that actually got over as a babyface due to his surprising appearances and unwillingness to let anything stop him, which even included a straightjacket.

Gacy has continued to be a prominent figure in NXT since his debut, and soon he would become a major heel, leading a cult named Schism. That group would grow to include Grizzled Young Veterans and Ava Raine, and they would be positioned as the top villain stable on the brand. Despite that positioning though, they never actually amassed many wins, and eventually broke up after GYV left WWE. Raine would then become the NXT General Manager, and Gacy would go on a singles run.

He's found success with this character, and it still lets him play in the unhinged realm without necessarily being a heel. It will be interesting to see if he debuts on the main roster with this same character or something different, but it seems like we won't have to wait long to find out.

As for the rest of NXT, the draft featured call-ups for Hayes, James, Dragunov, Blair Davenport, and Lyra Valkyria, with Valkyria, Dragunov, James, and Dijak going to Raw, while Hayes and Davenport joined the SmackDown roster. Bron Breakker had already been signed to SmackDown recently, but he moved to Raw, while his former tag partner Baron Corbin was moved back to SmackDown after the successful run as Tag Team Champions.

Unfortunately today didn't carry all good news for NXT talents, as 10 people were cut from the brand earlier today. Most of the talents released had only been signed since 2023, but there were a few more experienced names on the list, including Valentina Feroz and Drew Gulak. You can find that list here. We wish everyone the best and hope they land somewhere else soon.

Where do you want to see Gacy go next? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

WWE has announced a tournament to find the first challenger to the newly crowned Ricochet's Speed Championship. Ricochet became the inaugural champion at a recent taping after defeating DIY's Johnny Gargano in the finals of the tournament, with wins over Dragon Lee and JD McDonagh as well. He now adds another notch into his belt as a WWE Superstar. The title is just another set of gold he can add to his title collection, alongside the Intercontinental Championship, United States Championship and NXT North American Championship.

"You always remember the first to ever do it. Nobody defines "speed" like Ricochet," WWE CCO Paul "Triple H" Levesque wrote on X, accompanied by a photo of the two. "Congratulations to @KingRicochet on adding another title reign to his legacy and becoming the first-ever #WWESpeed Champion."

The announced matches include Apollo Crews going up against Ivar while New Catch Republic's Tyler Bate will face off against Berto. The winners of those matches will head to the semi-finals. The matches begin on next week's Speed, May 8. For those unfamiliar, Speed is a new format WWE is testing out on its social media. Superstars will compete in short five minute matches that will air across all of their social channels. Back in March it was revealed that a current WWE Superstar was reportedly helping produce some of the Speed matches -- Bate's tag team partner Pete Dunne.

Triple H recently revealed that Speed won't just feature the men, but the women as well. "It makes for an exciting challenge for the guys. It makes for an exciting challenge for eventually what will be the women as well. So far, it's been spectacular. The talent have really embraced this and gotten into the challenge of it. It's been exciting for them and our fans as well." Several female Superstars have poked fun at the Speed announcement, as for a long time, women's matches in WWE were often five minutes or less anyway.

WWE has certainly come a long way since then, featuring several women's storylines throughout its three weekly programs -- Raw, SmackDown and NXT. The concept of Speed is an interesting one because it's a great way for talent that's not typically on television to earn good will from the fans while also showcasing what they're made of, which is perfect for a stacked women's division. There's no indication whether or not that means a championship for the women will be added in the future.

Tomorrow at WWE Backlash in France the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes will go one on one with AJ Styles for the first time in their careers. Not only is it historic for their WWE careers but also their careers outside of the company. When Rhodes left WWE for the first time in 2016 he had a run on the independents where he became linked to The Elite -- the Young Bucks, Hangman Page and Kenny Omega. He'd join the group who would eventually bring him into Bullet Club and kickstart his time in New Japan, eventually leading to the formation of AEW.

Styles is a former leader of the Club, taking up Prince Devitt's (WWE's Finn Balor) mantle when he departed Japan for WWE in 2014. It was just another notch in Styles' legendary wrestling career which spans over almost every major wrestling company in the world. Ahead of their title match in Lyon, Rhodes and Styles clashed at the Backlash Kickoff event. Styles talks about how he's beaten Cody's father and WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes. Those matches took place back in 2003 at various NWA/TNA events. He then vows to do the same to Cody.

"I wish this was under a bit of better terms. Last week, AJ implied that I cannot carry the weight of this championship," Styles interjects, claiming that isn't what he said. Rhodes continues, "Well, that's what it sounded like. Hey, perhaps there's a chance, here and now, tonight as well. It's no secret, former leader of the Bullet Club." The crowd then chants "Too Sweet" which led to Rhodes holding up the hand gesture and extending it out to Styles who does the same but instead of meeting Rhodes in the middle, he walks away. Rhodes put the gesture up again, only this time he and Michael Cole hit the "Too Sweet."

Rhodes' match against Styles will be his very first televised title defense since winning the championship from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. He previously beat Shinsuke Nakamura at a WWE Live Event. The match will really set the tone for what Rhodes' title reign is going to entail in a post-Reigns world.

The Women's Tag Team Championships will also be defended at Backlash when the Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) defend against the dominating duo of Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair. Elsewhere, Damian Priest looks to overcome Jey Uso in his first World Heavyweight Championship defense as Bayley is challenged by Naomi and Tiffany Stratton. Randy Orton and Kevin Owens will also team up against The Bloodline's Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga. Backlash streams live Saturday, May 4, at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.

WWE has made a series of cuts to NXT talents, and as of now, 10 talents have been released. PWInsider and Fightful have confirmed that Drew Gulak, Valentina Ferro, Ezekiel Balogun, Julian Baldi, Trey Bearhill, Emmamaria Diaz, Keyshawn Leflore, Darrel Mason, and Vlad Pavlenko have all been released. Many of the talents cut were brought in during the 2023 Performance Center classes, but there are also a few talents who appeared on WWE and Roku's Next Gen reality series. The only person who had been expected was Gulak, who was recently written off WWE TV.

Outside of Gulak, the longest-tenured star being released is Feroz, who has been with WWE since 2019. Feroz was part of a tag team with Yulisa Leon for much of her time in NXT, and appeared on NXT and Level Up as a singles star as well after Leon was out with an injury.

Saint has been with the company since 2022, but hasn't had many appearances on TV. Pavlenko and Balogun were signed as part of the Spring 2023 class, while Bearhill and Diaz debuted in 2023. Mason and Leflore both appeared as part of the WWE: Next Gen series, and joined the company after the WrestleMania 39 tryouts.

Gulak was recently mentioned by Ronda Rousey as part of Rousey's addressing of the casting couch culture backstage in WWE during her time there. On Television Gulak was part of the No Quarter Catch Crew, but was recently written off TV, as in storyline Tony D'Angelo and The Family essentially vanished him. Rousey addressed the situation that occurred with Gulak on NewsNation.

"One time, I was waiting to go to talk to Triple H in the writer's room or something. I was standing there and this guy I was barely an acquaintance with, grabs the string of my sweatpants as I'm walking by," Rousey said. "I wasn't even looking at him, and I look down the hall. Nobody else reacts as if this is abnormal. I'm like, 'What the f--k is that? Why are you grabbing the string of my sweatpants? If my husband was standing there next to me, would you feel comfortable walking up to me and grabbing the string of my sweatpants?'

"If this guy was coming up to me and doing this kind of stuff to me when there are other people around, what's happening to these other girls when I'm not in the hallway? That really put me on edge that not only is this behavior prevalent, but it's so prevalent people don't even realize it's a problem any more," Rousey said.

"Drew Gulak. That's who it was. I went and confronted him later," Rousey continued. "I was like, 'If I ever hear you putting your hands on any other woman like this, or doing anything to me like this ever again, we're going to have a problem. He was like 'No, no, no, I'm glad you said something to me,' and he really just backpedaled and everything like that. It just put like a really sour taste in my mouth about the culture there, and what's considered acceptable, and how to touch and treat the women in the hallways and anywhere," Rousey said.

Matt Hardy is back in Total Nonstop Action. This past April's TNA Rebellion concluded with the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion returning to the promotion that was first home to his Broken Brilliance. Hardy, complete in his "Broken" persona once more, attacked TNA World Champion Moose and held up his title as the premium live event went off the air. While Hardy has emphasized that he has not signed a contract with TNA, he will be part of the company for the foreseeable future.

As mentioned, Hardy's TNA homecoming also represents the first time that he has tapped into his Broken Brilliance since 2020. Speaking to ComicBook.com, Hardy noted that it was a "very easy" decision to resurrect the dormant persona upon his TNA return.

"I feel like it was very easy because TNA is in 'Broken' Matt's DNA," Hardy said. "TNA is the birthplace of 'Broken' Matt. That's where it all started. I've said this many times before, the year when I started doing 'Broken' Matt is the most fun I've ever had in my career, bar none. It was so amazing how TNA allowed such a creative freedom that let us run wild. It became a viral sensation."

While this is resurgence of a popular gimmick, Hardy wants to avoid just playing the hits. Like how he evolved his Broken Brilliance in both WWE and AEW, Hardy teased that this iteration in TNA will be another evolution.

"It's going to be a bit of a new version of 'Broken Matt,'" Hardy added. "It's almost like a scenario with Bruce Banner and The Incredible Hulk. Once Matt Hardy reaches his breaking point, he becomes 'Broken' Matt Hardy, and you have to deal with this animal, this monster. That's kind of where we're at. The white streak in the hair isn't needed quite as much now because I'm fully aware and cognizant that I am both individuals. These next few shows, the next month that I'm going to be doing TNA for certain is going to be really, really compelling stuff."

That monster is unleashing itself on The System, a faction comprised of TNA World Champion Moose, Eddie Edwards, and Brian Myers. "Broken" Matt has made his goal of procuring Moose's world title abundantly apparent, as it is a feat he has technically never achieved.

"One thing I can say is that historically in TNA, Matt Hardy of Hardy Boyz' fame, he was the TNA World Champion. 'Big Money' Matt Hardy, my bad guy persona, he held the world heavyweight title. The Broken Brilliance of Matt Hardy, 'Broken' Matt Hardy, he never officially became the TNA World Champion," Hardy noted. "That is something that is on my bucket list. That's something I want to cross off. It's very important to me."

Hardy wrestles his first TNA match in over seven years when he teams with Speedball Mountain to take on The System tonight at 8 PM ET at TNA Under Siege, which streams on TNA+ and is available for purchase on TrillerTV.

Since the AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm has adopted her "Timeless" persona which is a play on a 1950s movie star, she's been calling out former multi-time NWA and WWF Women's Champion Wendi Richter.

Prior to Mercedes Mon? debuting with AEW at Big Business, Storm addressed a potential huge free agent signing with the company at the Worlds End Scrum. "OK, here we go. Tony, Anthony ... I don't care how much you're going to yell at me for this after, but yes, there is quite the free agent out there, isn't there? There's money written all over it. Wendi Richter -- I'm gonna f--k you up." This got the entire internet talking which has led to both her and her prodigy Mariah May taking shots at Richter on a regular basis.

At the AEW Revolution media scrum, Storm once again threw out the challenge. "And as for what's next? Anthony .. come on. Let's spoil your little surprise. Come on, I'm sick of alluding to her. Come on, I am sick of the cryptic hints, aren't we all? I don't care if it's at Big Business I don't care if it's next week. Wendi Richter -- I am going to f--k you up."

Richter is now clapping back at the women's champion, stating that if AEW can "cough up enough money" she'd take her on and give her the first shot. "I didn't even know she had been calling me out," Richter said during a recent Highspots Auction live event. "Someone told me she's been doing it on a regular basis. Well, money does talk. If they can cough up enough money, I'd take her on. I'd even give her the first swing. Bring it, Toni. You think you can beat me? I'd like to see it. I'm not afraid." H/T: Fightful. Richter last competed in the ring back in 2005.

Storm will next defend the AEW Women's World Championship at Double or Nothing against Serena Deeb. Deeb beat Mariah May on Dynamite after Storm threw in the towel. Double or Nothing goes down May 26 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the place the very first Double or Nothing was held in 2019. Also confirmed for the show so far is Will Ospreay challenging Roderick Strong for the International Championship, Mercedes Mon? vs. Willow Nightingale for the TBS Championship, and Swerve Strickland defending the AEW World Championship against Christian Cage.

All Elite Wrestling's roster continues to shift. While the first three years of AEW saw the just about every talent from AEW Double or Nothing 2019 remain with the company, initial three-year deals began to expire in 2022. The likes of Cody Rhodes, Joey Janela, and Marko Stunt all departed AEW once their contracts expired. 2023 continued this trend, as Jade Cargill and Brian Pillman Jr. both left for WWE upon becoming free agents from AEW. Earlier this year, AEW executed its first batch of talent releases, cutting stars like Stu Grayson and Jose The Assistant from the company.

AEW Veteran Quietly Exits The Company

Ethan Page is the latest talent to leave AEW.

As reported by Fightful Select, Page had been looking to leave AEW as far back as February of this year. His removal from the AEW and Ring of Honor roster pages confirmed his exit. Current word from AEW and other wrestling companies is that Page is no longer under an AEW contract.

Prior to his departure, Ring of Honor had creative plans in place for Page to feud with ROH Television Champion Kyle Fletcher. Visa issues for Page, a native Canadian, delayed that program and it ultimately never materialized.

Page signed with AEW in 2021, debuting as the mystery entrant in the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match at AEW Revolution 2021. Shortly after his arrival, Page was paired up with Scorpio Sky to form Men of the Year. While Men of the Year never captured gold, Page and Sky put themselves on the map by facing Sting and Darby Allin at AEW Double or Nothing 2021 in what was Sting's first traditional wrestling match in over five years. Men of the Year later aligned with American Top Team, a stable of MMA fighters, to feud with Inner Circle that summer.

Page once again found himself in a faction in late 2022 in the form of The Firm. Assembled as MJF's "stable on retainer," Page told ComicBook.com that the longest-reigning AEW World Champion hand-selected him for the faction. Plans for The Firm were sidetracked significantly when CM Punk was injured and suspended, and the group never ultimately picked up steam. They quietly disbanded in the subsequent months.

2023 saw Page feud with Matt Hardy, a program that garnered praise from fans. It culminated with Page turning face. Page would have a couple of high-profile matches in the back half of that year, including an AEW World Title bout against MJF and a singles clash with Kenny Omega, but spent the majority of his time in Ring of Honor.

Seth Rollins has been WWE's iron man for the better part of a decade. The former Tyler Black first signed with WWE back in 2010 and was immediately envisioned as a top prospect. In developmental territory FCW, Rollins was crowned the inaugural FCW Jack Brisco 15 Champion. Upon FCW's rebrand to NXT, Rollins became the first-ever NXT Champion. That farm system momentum carried over into the main roster, as Rollins found success as a member of The Shield and continued that glory in a singles run in the years that followed. During the past ten years, Rollins has proven himself to be a reliable babyface or heel, midcard titleholder or world champion, singles star or tag wrestler.

Seth Rollins Signs New WWE Contract

That momentum will continue for years to come.

As reported by Fightful Select, Seth Rollins has re-signed with WWE. His new contract is a "multi-year, big money deal." Retaining Rollins was seen as a top priority for WWE, as it was noted that the internal mindset within the company was that they were "not going to let him go." WWE had wished to re-sign Rollins earlier, as he was set to become a free agent just next month, but there is a positive feeling within the company knowing that he will be on the books for many years to come.

Rollins was a hot commodity around the wrestling industry, as he reportedly had a significant amount of outside interest. It is unknown what companies specifically were interested in Rollins and if these mystery suitors made him any offers.

While this new contract begins in June, it remains to be seen as to when Rollins himself will return to action. He is currently shelved after undergoing surgery to repair his knee. Rollins had been dealing with a torn MCL and partially torn meniscus as far back as January. He spent the subsequent months rehabbing rather than going under the knife in order to ensure he could still compete at WWE WrestleMania 40. In the days that followed, reports surfaced that Rollins tore his meniscus completely and would therefore require surgery.

WWE has been busy retaining its former world champions. In the past month alone, WWE has signed Rollins, Drew McIntyre, and Finn Balor to new multi-year contracts. Notable names like WWE Women's World Champion Becky Lynch, Ricochet, and Dijak all still have contracts set to expire in the coming months.