New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega is set for an appearance at their upcoming Power Struggle event in November. Omega, who has been out of action since December 2023 battling a severe case of Diverticulitis, has not appeared in Japan since New Year’s Dash 2023 — last January. “The Best Bout Machine” has been spotted training as of late adding hope that his in-ring return could be just around the corner.

Omega’s last appearance on AEW television resulted in him getting a severe beat down from his former Elite stablemates and best friends, the Young Bucks. Despite him being injured, he invoked his EVP powers to set up a match at AEW Double or Nothing this past May.

Seeds have been planted for his return, and he himself has recently called out Matthew and Nicholas Jackson alongside NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi, one of Omega’s greatest rivals. The decorated veteran tag team explained they’ll be at Wrestle Dynasty — a huge collaboration pay-per-view between AEW, NJPW, CMLL, ROH and STARDOM.

[RELATED: AEW Dynamite Win Breaks Heel Championship Streak]

It seems fairly likely that when he does back his return to wrestling in the states, one last match with Kazuchika Okada will be imminent. While they’ve had barnburners in Japan, that match has yet to take place in the U.S. and in AEW for that matter, and it would definitely be a huge attraction.

Omega reflected on his wrestling return in an interview with New Japan Pro Wrestling, explaining that he believes he can still be a top performer when the day comes. “Knowing just the weight that was on my shoulders of being the position that I was in for that company [AEW], here we had someone [Okada] that took everything out of me,” Omega said. “Everything; it took every ounce of my being to finally defeat for a major belt in this company and he’s coming here 100%, with only the wrestling to have to worry about. I looked at that man as a monster, and I can’t lie, I was scared. I can’t face this guy as current Kenny Omega.

So maybe by the Young Bucks putting me out and allowing me to step back and refocus on bringing myself back as the wrestler that I know that I can be, taking the mental burden away of being an EVP, just for a little bit, to focus on what is it that I have to do to get back to that level, I feel like the ghost of my past and the skeletons in my closet have all followed me back to this stage, and although getting sick in the way that I did set me back almost a year now, it’s almost a blessing in disguise because it really allows you to assess things in a different way, and it allows you to prioritize the things you should be prioritizing, and I feel that when I do come back, I can come back with a clear head space and possibly be a top-flight performer again.”

The post AEW’s Kenny Omega Announced for First Wrestling Appearance Since May appeared first on ComicBook.com.

AEW’s special Fright Night edition of Dynamite held a few welcome surprises, including a very unexpected change for the AEW Tag Team Championships. It wasn’t until the end of the episode though that the biggest change occurred, and it all went down after a match between Shelton Benjamin and Swerve Strickland. Strickland would come out victorious, and MVP made a quick call that would bring out the former WWE All Mighty superstar Bobby Lashley. Lashley would come out to the ring and confront Strickland before delivering a monster clothesline that knocked out Strickland cold. The Hurt Syndicate would then stand tall in the ring to close out Dynamite.

Benjamin and Strickland had a great match on tonight’s Dynamite, with a number of near falls. It seemed that Benjamin would emerge victorious with a big win under his belt early on in his AEW tenure, but Strickland was not to be denied, and would end up getting the win. MVP went to work quickly after though, and that’s when the chaos started.

MVP made the phone call and caused Strickland’s celebration in the middle of the ring to be cut short. Lashley then came out and headed towards the ring, and MVP was all too happy to rush back in and bring his new ally face to face with the former AEW World Champion. Lashley then went to work and knocked Swerve to the mat with a clothesline, and that was just the start of a chaotic finish.

After Strickland was knocked down, MVP choked Nana with his cane before throwing him into a stiff kick from Benjamine. Then Lashley grabbed Strickland and locked in a full nelson, knocking Swerve out cold. AEW officials came running out to the ring to restore order, but Benjamin and Lashley were simply destroying them as they hit the ring.

[RELATED: AEW’s Hangman Adam Page Burns Swerve’s Home Down on Dynamite]

It was quite the finish to Dynamite, and also the launch of a new powerhouse faction within AEW. Lashley and Benjamin are now part of the Hurt Syndicate, though that doesn’t mean the group is done recruiting. MVP has been going around and talking to quite a few members of the AEW roster since his debut, inviting them to work with him and his then emerging faction.

That included stars like Mercedes Mone and even Strickland, though he turned it down. That decision has clearly led to some of the animosity from MVP, and now Lashley is here to make sure Swerve doesn’t get back up. One thing we’ve learned about Swerve though is you can never keep him down for long.

According to Fightful Select, Lashley was signed shortly before MVP debuted in AEW at Grand Slam back in September, and at one point the debut was expected to happen at WrestleDream. Those plans clearly changed, as Bryan Danielson would close out the event in a memorable confrontation with Jon Moxley. Now the debut has happened with Full Gear on the horizon, so it would seem we are building to a match between Lashley and Strickland at the pay-per-view.

Are you excited for Lashley in AEW, and what did you think of the debut? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post Bobby Lashley Makes Shocking AEW Debut on Dynamite appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Tonight’s special fright night AEW Dynamite included a tag team title match where the Young Bucks once again put their titles on the line against Private Party. The homegrown favorites lost their last encounter just a few weeks ago, upsetting fans that really believed that after five years, it was time for them to win. Heading into this match, if they lost, they’d be forced to split up. Given the fact that all the champions in AEW are currently heel and aligned with The Elite in one way or another, the odds were clearly stacked against the challengers.

The Young Bucks looked as great as ever working in tandem with one another to prevent titles changing hands. They sneakily used Kazuchika Okada to their advantage, distracting the referee and having him piledrive one half of the team. But that wasn’t the end — Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy weren’t prepared to give up that easily. They eventually pinned the decorated veteran brother tag team, picking up their first AEW Championship win.

The loss seems a bit shocking given Matthew and Nicholas Jackson teased involvement at Wrestle Dynasty that indicated they’d probably still be holding the titles by then. But if they go up against a returning Kenny Omega and a retiring Hiroshi Tanahashi, the match does appear it would benefit more without the titles, as that’s not the revenge that Omega or Tanahashi would seek.

[RELATED: Kenny Omega Spotted Training for AEW Return With Kota Ibushi]

The two tag teams have a ton of history with one another. Their first ever AEW match took place in 2019 and was a launching point for Private Party in AEW. That match led to an unforgettable match during the pandemic that left fans clamoring to see them stand across the ring from one another again. However, for reasons unknown, that didn’t happen until very recently.

The Young Bucks broke the record (once again) for most AEW World Tag Team Championship reigns in April at AEW Dynasty. In their third reign, they’ve taken over AEW as EVPs and the top heel tag team in the division. Holding them for 192 days, they defeated The Don Callis Family, FTR, Blackpool Combat Club and The Acclaimed.

What do you make of the Young Bucks losing the titles? Are you celebrating the Private Party championship win? Let me know your thoughts on X and Bluesky, @haleyanne_! As always, stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on AEW.

The post AEW Dynamite Win Breaks Heel Championship Streak appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WWE’s Rhea Ripley was violently attacked on this week’s NXT, and now WWE has given a major health update for the fan favorite superstar. Those who tuned into NXT this week saw Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez walking away after a vicious attack on Ripley that left her bleeding and in rough shape. There was quite a bit of blood around her eye after the attack, and now WWE has confirmed that Ripley suffered a fractured right orbital socket, which will put Ripley out of action for “an undisclosed amount of time.”

WWE shared X-Rays of the injury, and according to Fightful those are evidently real x-rays too. While WWE shared the images, Ripley then shared them with red circles highlighting the exact injury. She also had a message for Morgan and Rodriguez, writing, “Mistake no.1 You left me breathing.” You can check out the x-rays above.

The Rundown

If you didn’t watch NXT this week, you’re probably wondering what on earth happened to Ripley. This week’s NXT was a true spotlight on the Women’s Division from beginning to end, including a segment that had Zaria, Stephanie Vaquer, Guilia, Kelani Jordan, and Jordynne Grace standing in the ring opposite Roxanne Perez, Cora Jade, and Fatal Influence’s Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne, and Jazmyn Nyx.

That would end in a collision amongst all 10 women, and the brawl would result in NXT General Manager Ava Raine making a match featuring all 10 women official for next week’s NXT 2300. With the teams set, a later backstage segment showed the face team talking in the locker room, and they were surprised by Ripley. Ripley would lend some encouraging words and root them on, and social media we would see Ripley taking pictures with Grace and Zaria as well.

[RELATED: Zelina Vega’s Cosplay Countdown: She & Rhea Ripley Pay Tribute to Death Note (Exclusive)]

Unfortunately the good times quickly subsided when Ripley was attacked by her car. This is the latest chapter in the ongoing saga between Ripley and Morgan, who have been feuding for a while now. The bad blood between Morgan and Ripley is going to get worse from here though, as this will be the second time Morgan has put Ripley out of commission.

The Return

The last time was thanks to a flying chair that hit Ripley backstage, and it took a while for Ripley to come back from that. While Ripley was away from Raw, Morgan made a move on Dominik Mysterio, and though it took some time, Morgan eventually won him over, with Mysterio saving Morgan from Ripley’s grasp. Since then Ripley got some revenge by beating Mysterio senseless with a kendo stick while he was hanging from a cage by a chain, though Morgan would get the win in that match thanks to the distraction.

As for when Ripley will return, it would seem that the perfect place for her to return would be the Royal Rumble. Morgan and Rodriguez can feud with other people while Ripley recovers, with an occasional vignette or two to keep the storying relevant. Then a return at Rumble would ignite it once more as WWE heads into WrestleMania. That’s all just conjecture of course, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

We wish Ripley all the best and a speedy recovery.

The post WWE Reveals Major Injury Update on Rhea Ripley appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WWE NXT was a showcase for the Women’s Division throughout the entire show, but it just didn’t include NXT’s roster of stars. At one point the powerhouse group of Zaria, Kelani Jordan, Giulia, and Stephanie Vaquer were joined by TNA star Jordynne Grace, and then later they were joined by WWE Raw superstar Rhea Ripley. Ripley joked around with them and told them to have a killer match next week, but things took a turn for Ripley later in the episode, as NXT personnel ran to the parking lot to find Ripley attacked and bloody by her car. You can watch what happened in the video here.

A Brutal Attack

A backstage segment was happening with Ava Raine, Stevie Turner, and Robert Stone when referees ran by them towards the parking lot. More personnel joined them running towards the scene as Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan were seen walking away from the car with bats in their hands and looking pretty proud of themselves.

Ripley’s car could be seen and then the officials called for medics, revealing a hurt Ripley slumping over by the car door.. They helped her sit up and she was in rough shape and bleeding. It was a brutal attack from Morgan and Rodriguez, and we are likely to see this addressed next on Monday Night Raw after she gets medical attention.

This is the latest chapter of the Morgan Ripley feud, and right now Morgan and her pals in Judgment Day have been getting some big wins. Not only is Morgan still Champion despite Ripley’s best efforts, but Dominik Mysterio also got a big win recently against Ripley’s old Terror Twins partner Damian Priest. Now they’ve gotten some payback on Ripley as well, so it will be interesting to see what Ripley’s next move will be.

[RELATED: Zelina Vega’s Cosplay Countdown: She & Rhea Ripley Pay Tribute to Death Note (Exclusive)]

What’s Next

After tonight’s interactions with the NXT locker room, perhaps someone from there might end up helping Ripley out a bit to even the odds. Ripley was also talking to Jordynne Grace, and seeing her join Ripley and mix it up with Morgan and Rodriguez would certainly be a Tag Team match that fans would love to see. We’ll have to wait and see how that shakes out, but I’m just putting that into the universe.

As for the rest of the Women’s Division in NXT, they have a full plate for next week’s NXT 2300 show. Ava announced a 10 Woman Tag Team match for next week that will include Grace, Jordan, Vaquer, Giulia, and Zaria against the opposing team of Roxanne Perez, Cora Jade, and Fatal Influence’s Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne, and Jazmyn Nyx. Then Lola Vice and Jaida Parker will possibly have a match of the night contender in a hardcore match, and both have shown they have no issues delivering in big moments, especially when weapons are involved.

What do you want to see next in Ripley and Morgan’s feud? You can talk all things wrestling and WEW with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Rhea Ripley Brutally Attacked on NXT appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After weeks of epic vignettes and an all out assault at NXT Halloween Havoc, Zaria finally made her anticipated WWE in-ring debut during tonight’s episode f NXT. Many assumed it would be a strong showing, but what many didn’t expect was for Zaria to almost break a superstar’s arm in the process. Somehow that was only the beginning of a huge segment, as Zaria was then confronted by Fatal Influence and the NXT Women’s Champion, and that led to Zaria getting reinforcements from a host of big time superstars, as well as the returning TNA star Jordynne Grace.

A Vicious Debut

First up though was Zaria’s in-ring debut, which was against Brinley Reece. Reece was all smiles at the beginning of the match and met Zaria’s energy head-on, but things took a turn when Zaria hyper extended Reece’s elbow. That wasn’t enough for Zaria though, and she then kept pushing against the elbow and threatening to break the arm as Reece yelled in pain (you can watch that here).

That’s when Zaria took it one step further and struck the arm, popping it back into place and causing even more pain in the process. The match was done pretty soon after, with Zaria getting an effective and statement making win in her big debut.

Making Enemies

That’s when Fatal Influence came down through the crowd to address what happened at Halloween Havoc. “Zaria, oh Zaria! Yeah up here. You stole our moment on Sunday, so now we return the favor,” Fallon Henley said. “I don’t care that you’re new here. I don’t care, no one does. You’re going to learn that you don’t mess with Fatal Influence.” Then as they made their way down, Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade came out from backstage from the other side of the ring, saying they didn’t want to step on toes but wanted to welcome and introduce Zaria to the roster.

[RELATED: TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace Recalls Former Talks With WWE]

They all surrounded the ring as Zaria tried to keep them at bay, but Kelani Jordan then raced in and joined her side. The numbers were still off, but that’s when Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer ran in and stood in the ring to make it four against five. Then the final surprise was delivered when TNA star Jordynne Grace hit the ring and joined the group, making it five on five.

After meeting in the ring, all 10 women would start to brawl, ending with Grace and Zaria launching Perez over the ropes to clear out her team on the floor. This all set up an epic battle at NXT 2300, as Ava Raine would reveal 10 woman Tag Team match featuring everyone that was in the brawl, and it should easily be one of the biggest matches of the night.

Are you excited for NXT 2300, and what do you think of the card so far?? You can talk all things wrestling and NXT with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Zaria Almost Breaks an Arm in NXT Debut, TNA’s Jordynne Grace Returns for Brawl appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Those who have been tuning into WWE Raw, SmackDown, and NXT have seen a number of new additions to the roster from the other companies and the independent wrestling world, and WWE is looking to expand and create a true bridge for up and coming wrestlers to find their way to WWE. That will happen courtesy of a new program titled WWE ID, which is short for WWE Independent Development. WWE will provide prominent independent wrestling schools with the WWE ID designation, and looks to provide new trainees and existing talent at these schools with enhanced developmental opportunities.

The first schools to hold the WWE ID designation are Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling (Houston), Cody Rhodes’ Nightmare Factory (Atlanta), Seth Rollins’ Black and Brave Academy (Davenport, Iowa), Elite Pro Wrestling Training Center (Concord, N.H.) and KnokX Pro Academy (Los Angeles). WWE has already been featuring its talent with schools like Reality of Wrestling, but now they look to take that partnership even further.

WWE will also identify top independent wrestling prospects with an official WWE ID prospect designation, and will support their development by providing financial opportunity and assisting with training, mentorship, and development. These prospects will also have access to world-class facilities, best-in-class ring training, athletic trainers, and more.

WWE will also be releasing curated behind the scenes content and looks to showcase highlights and big matches of these prospects on social media so that fans can follow along their journeys to their hopeful destination of full-time WWE status.

[RELATED: Watch WWE’s Stephanie Vaquer Deliver Killer NXT In-Ring Debut]

“WWE ID is the latest in our efforts to identify and support the journey of up-and-coming wrestlers, in turn raising the profile of and strengthening the independent wrestling ecosystem,” said WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

Triple H expanded on that in a post on X, writing, “The level of talent on the independent scene is incredible. They’re grinding away to make their dream a reality, and I’m excited for WWE to be on the forefront of supporting their journeys. @WWEID is here to help identify, support and build the next generation of WWE Superstars.”

WWE has brought in a number of talents recently who have experience in other companies and the independent scene. That includes Zaria, Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, and the Motor City Machine Guns, and that’s just over the past few months. That’s in addition to the prospects brought in from outside the world of wrestling, and many of those have and continue to have an impact in NXT, SmackDown, and Raw as we speak.

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes shared his thoughts on the new initiative on X, writing “Excited to see this program blossom and change the landscape of professional wrestling. As Coach QT and I say at The Nightmare Factory… “Do the Work”. You can check out this tweet right here.

What do you think of the WWE ID program, and do you think we’ll see more independent stars make their way to WWE as a result? You can talk all things wrestling me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE Reveals Details and First Independent Schools for WWE ID appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon could be on his way to starting up a new entertainment venture in the midst of several legal woes. McMahon officially resigned from the company this January following his initial retirement that led to him eventually forcing his way back in on the Board of Directors.

McMahon isn’t only dealing with the Janel Grant civil suit that names several WWE personnel including McMahon who allegedly sexually exploited and trafficked Ms. Grant. The “ring boy” scandal has come back into light following the Mr. McMahon Netflix documentary series, with several people coming forward about alleged abuse.

However, it appears McMahon isn’t too worried about the stains on his image as he’s reportedly partnering with several former WWE employees to launch a new entertainment hub company.

The report comes from PWInsider who state that the product would have an emphasis on developing and producing television and film. Brad Blum and Kristen Prouty are reportedly two of the names attached, though their roles in the company remain undisclosed. While McMahon no longer has a majority stake in the WWE, he is still currently holding onto roughly eight million of his TKO shares, equivalent to less than 5% of the company. He liquidated a significant portion of his shares upon his departure.

[RELATED: Mr. McMahon Producer Explains Changes Made After Sex Trafficking Lawsuit Came To Light]

Grant recently issued a “stay” in the lawsuit — a ruling that will temporarily (or indefinitely) pause legal proceedings to preserve status quo while further court action is taken. In this instance, it was to allow for a thorough federal investigation to be conducted. The “stay” expires in December. John Laurinaitis, former WWE Head of Talent Relations, was also named in the suit and despite initially claiming he was a victim of McMahon, he walked his comments back and filed to fight the allegations together.

Outside of appearing in the Netflix docuseries which was mostly filmed prior to the news about Grant and voicing his disapproval of his portrayal, McMahon has remained relatively quiet publicly. There were rumors that McMahon was working on fighting back against Netflix with his own series, but those were quickly shut down.

The documentary isn’t necessarily for the seasoned wrestling fan as it chronicles McMahon’s beginnings as the heir to WWE which he helped turn into a media juggernaut across several decades while vaguely going over the many scandals that have plagued the company. It features testimonies and interviews with John Cena, The Rock, McMahon’s two children Stephanie and Shane McMahon; Paul “Triple H” Levesque, McMahon’s son-in-law; Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin, among others.

The post Vince McMahon Working on First Post-WWE Venture: Report appeared first on ComicBook.com.

A WWE legend could be making her return to WWE for the first time in over a year. Lita, who last competed at WrestleMania 39, has been out of action due to an attack from Trish Stratus that eventually led to a months long program between the WWE Hall of Famer and Becky Lynch.

While Lita hasn’t been seen on television since then, that could be changing soon. A new report from Fightful indicates that WWE has pitched an idea for her to appear in NXT during the upcoming show at 2300 Arena, the home of ECW. As seen on NXT Halloween Havoc over the weekend, Bubba Ray Dudley will likely have a presence there as well as Dawn Marie.

Lita got her wrestling start down in ECW back in 1999 before officially signing with WWE and becoming the “Queen of Extreme” that we know her as today. According to the report, she’d be involved in a multi-woman tag match during the tapings which is taking place Wednesday, November 6th. Thus far, Giulia, NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez, Trick Williams, Ethan Page, Tony D’Angelo and Kelani Jordan are all advertised for the show.

Stratus and Lita both addressed their wrestling futures over the summer, explaining that they don’t like to use the word “retirement” because things in the professional wrestling world are constantly changing.

“Retirement? What is retirement? I’m not familiar with this word. I don’t know anything about this word,” said Stratus in a Q&A with Going Ringside. “We just stay ready. That’s a general statement that we [Trish and Lita] like to live by, just in case.”

Lita added, “which is good because you don’t usually have a lot of heads up on what you’re doing or what the plan is, and if you did, it most likely will change. It kind of informed myself to never get too excited until you walk through the curtain. It could change five times between when you’re presented with an idea to when it’s executed.”

[RELATED: WWE’s Trish Stratus and Lita Call Out The Kabuki Warriors: “You’re Not Ready for Team Bestie”]

Her latest run with the company was her first since a brief stint in 2018. After appearing in the 2022 Royal Rumble, she fought Becky Lynch at Elimination Chamber for the Raw Women’s Championship. That eventually led to their partnership in their tag team, winning the Tag titles for the first time in her career. If she does appear in NXT to wrestle, it will be her first-ever match on the brand.

The post Lita Could Be Returning to WWE Sooner Than Later appeared first on ComicBook.com.

On tonight’s WWE Raw there was a large Bloodline presence as Solo Sikoa, Jimmy, and Jey Uso were all present for the show. While we’ve seen bridges amended over the last few weeks between a now babyface Roman Reigns, Jey and eventually Jimmy, there are still a few threads from the original Bloodline story that fans are hoping to see tied up in a neat bow. One of those has to do with Sami Zayn who was an “Honorary Uce” before he was kicked out of the group.

After Zayn left, he had a bit of a career resurgence as the fans had gotten behind him — really behind him — for the first time in years. He went on to become Tag Team Champions with best friend Kevin Owens and a four-time Intercontinental Champion. But to say that Sami is beginning to question where he fits would be an understatement. He appeared in front of Jimmy and Jey wanting to speak to the former Intercontinental Champion alone.

He inquires about the state of the Usos and if he’s actually going to go back to SmackDown and squash things. For Jey, he believes that Solo is a lot worse. Sami is clearly frustrated but to Jey it sounds like he’s taking Solo’s side. Sami is quick to say he’s not on anyone’s side, he doesn’t want to see Jey get involved in it at all.

[RELATED: WWE SmackDown Taping Spoilers Reveal Huge Moment for The Bloodline]

Jey’s finally heard enough, telling him he wouldn’t understand because he’s not family. This clearly hurts Zayn’s feelings. Later in the show, Jey is reflecting on what he says but Jimmy offers to talk to him. Jey catches his brother outside near the parking lot and they both witness Zayn having a conversation with Solo.

While Zayn explained that he isn’t on anybody’s side, it sure seems like he may be drawing his line in the sand after being betrayed by his closest allies. It’s unclear if he’ll end up sneaking his way into a Bloodline civil war situation at Survivor Series in just a few weeks time, especially with Crown Jewel in a few days. If the trio truly believe they can best the new Bloodline, they’ll likely still fall up short and will need Zayn’s help in order to defeat them for good. Regardless, only time will tell what he’s got up his sleeve for his former Bloodline stablemates.

The post Bloodline Favorite Teases Reunion on WWE Raw appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Halloween is officially this Thursday which means that ComicBook’s Zelina Vega Cosplay Countdown is coming to a close. Over the last month, ComicBook has exclusively shared first-looks at WWE superstar Zelina’s nerdy cosplays which have been anime forward given she’s a huge fan of the genre. She’s pulled from Jujutsu Kaisen, Sailor Moon and Naruto, to name a few.

Before things officially wrap up, however, Death Note and WWE fans will rejoice with this one! This week, Zelina and former WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley are breathing life into the iconic Death Note Manga series which turns 21 this year. The duo recreate the iconic Japanese Death God Ryuk and Misa Amane.

“Misa Amane from Death Note! One of my absolute favorite anime’s of all time,” Zelina dished to ComicBook. “This may surprise some, but to the people who truly know me, my favorite character being Light Yagami is no surprise. The absolute GENIUS this man is — both alluring and scary. I hope to be as smart as him, minus the God complex and ya know..”

As for Ripley, she makes a beautifully terrifying Ryuk who is known as a Shinigami, the western equivalent of the grim reaper. She’s got the pale skin and big wide, black smile down perfectly and her height is perfect for this cosplay as Ryuk is very tall and slender.

“Speaking of God … did you know that God’s Of Death love apples? I wonder if that is the presence that I feel next to me. I just can’t seem to put my finger on it … whatever it may be, she seems like the perfect Ryuk to my Misa. Rhea and Ryuk, a menace match made in heaven and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have to give it to her.. The detail she put in to it was pretty dope.”

[RELATED: WWE Discussing Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio Intergender Match]

As mentioned above by Zelina, Ryuk loves apples and often compares it to human vices such as alcohol and cigarettes. Except, Shinigami apples are much different than traditional apples — these ones have a sand-like texture to them.

The exciting thing about this week’s cosplay is that aesthetically, it doesn’t feel that far off from their day-to-day appearances. In the Manga, Misa has a crush on Light (Kira), though her unwavering faithfulness to him is often note reciprocated. But her character is often oversimplified in that she’s not just some clueless bimbo, she’s smarter than people give her credit for.

She knows that Light likely won’t feel the same but explains he can use her anyway. She also knows that Kira is the only one that can help bring justice to her parents who were murdered and she sticks to her guns, stopping at nothing to get what she wants in the end. This lends her to being a bit one-dimensional, but there’s no doubt that she helped further the story around Kira.

Ripley has been very outspoken about her love of Death Note over the years. Her early ring gear that she designed while she was in NXT was, in part, inspired by Ryuk himself. Additionally, one of her cats was named after the humanoid-esque character. So, yeah — it’s safe to say she’s a fan.

Keep up with all of Zelina’s cosplays past and present (like her Queen of the Damned Akasha look) on her X and Instagram accounts!

The post Zelina Vega’s Cosplay Countdown: She & Rhea Ripley Pay Tribute to Death Note (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WWE NXT Champion Trick Williams looked to continue his Title reign at Halloween Havoc, but it wasn’t going to be an easy feat thanks to facing Ethan Page in a Devil’s Playground match. Williams and Page aren’t big fans of each other already, and they surely won’t be after the violent throwdown that took place tonight, which included smashed tables, slams onto nuts and bolts, and several slams onto stairs that just looked absolutely brutal. Williams would emerge victorious in the end, but then Ridge Holland and Page would start to deliver a beatdown after the match. That’s when Bubba Ray Dudley ran in for the save, knocking both superstars around and clearing the ring for Williams. You can watch that here.

A Battle of Chairs and Pumpkins

Page went right at Williams at the bell, slamming him into the turnbuckle. Page grabbed a chair but Williams evened the odds with a chair of his own, and then Page grabbed a pumpkin but Williams ended up with it after knocking Page down. Williams threw the pumpkin and then threw Page face first into a ladder, and the match then spilled out into the crowd and over the barricade.

Once back in the ring, Page was looking dominant and keeping the Champion from getting any momentum. He was especially targeting Williams’ back and arm, but Williams bounced back with big punches and back to back kicks that rocked the challenger. Williams went for a knee strike but missed, and Page tried to lock in Ego’s Edge, but Williams countered with the Trick Shot and went for the cover, but didn’t get it since there are no rope breaks in the match (and the referee seemed to be initially confused by this).

Steel Step Brutality

Page then hit Williams with a black bag, and it did some damage, which made sense after Page revealed it was filled with nuts and bolts. Williams brought Page down on top of them, but that was only a primer of what would happen soon after. That’s when Page ran Williams into the steel steps, which is painful enough, but Williams hit them with his face, and you could see he was bleeding from his mouth as a result.

[RELATED: Trick Williams Wants To Wrestle WWE Hall of Famer for His Final Match]

Page saw the moment and took advantage, hitting an Ego’s Edge from the steps onto the announce table, slamming Williams through it and completely shattering it. After medical officials came out to see if he was okay, Williams pushed them away and got back in the ring, but he then got violently slammed into the steel steps right on his ribs. Page placed Williams on one set of steel steps and then picked up the other set to crush him, but Williams got out of the way in time.

Williams then slammed Page onto those steel steps and went to pick up the other set, but Page hit a low blow kick that knocked Williams down. Page picked up the steps again and went to hit him, but Williams hit the low blow on Page. Williams hit the Trick Shot and that was enough to get the pin and the win, retaining his NXT Championship.

That’s when Ridge Holland jumped into the ring and started attacking Williams. Page got in his face for a minute, but then helped him attack Williams, telling him if he was going to do it to do it right. That’s when Bubba Ray Dudley ran in and knocked Page and Holland back with heavy strikes that knocked them out of the ring, giving Williams a chance to get to his feet. This was the final confrontation between Bubba Ray and Holland, who had collided earlier in the night as well.

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

The post WWE’s Bubba Ray Makes the Save After Trick Williams’ NXT Halloween Havoc Title Win appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The WWE NXT Women’s North American Championship was up for grabs at Halloween Havoc, but it wasn’t a typical one-on-one scenario. Instead, NXT Women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan would have to defend her Title against the three members of Fatal Influence back to back to back in a Gauntlet Match, making her odds of retaining incredibly slim. If anyone could make it happen though it would be Jordan, and she was able to take down Jazmyn Nyx and Jacy Jayne in her first two matches. She looked as if she might make it happen against Fallon Henley, but Nyx and Jayne would provide key help that would allow Henley to pin Jordan and get the win, though the show wasn’t over. Zaria would then appear behind them in the ring and deliver a brutal attack to all three, making a statement in her first in-ring appearance, and you can watch it right here.

Two Down, One To Go

Jordan’s first opponent was Nyx, and they traded holds until Nyx got rocked with a kick to the face and a dropkick that sent her rolling out of the ring. Jordan then hit the springboard moonsault that knocked Nyx to the floor, and a crossbody followed into a cover, but Nyx kicked out. Jordan stayed aggressive though, and while Nyx put up a fight, Jordan was able to take her down and get the first elimination.

Up next was Jacy Jayne, and Jordan knocked her out of the ring right off the bat and then hit another big move off the ropes to knock her to the floor. Jordan wasted no time and went up top, hitting a crossbody and going for a cover, but Jayne kicked out.

Jordan got hit with a big knee to the face, which led to a pin attempt, but Jordan was able to kick out. Jayne didn’t let her get to her feet, locking in a hold around Jordan’s neck and head. Jordan was able to get to her feet and get the big win against Jayne, shocking Jayne in the process, though she wasn’t going out without one last statement.

[RELATED: WWE’s Kelani Jordan Reveals Who She Would Challenge for a Title: Rhea Ripley or IYO SKY]

The Numbers Game

Jayne clocked Jordan with a punch to the head after her loss, and Fallon Henley raced down to the ring and went right at the Champion. Henley slammed Jordan into the turnbuckle face first several times but Jordan was able to come back with an elbow strike. Henley slammed her down and went for a cover, but Jordan kicked out, and Henley slammed her face first into the mat a few times in frustration.

Jordan reversed a suplex attempt and planted Henley for a pin, but Henley kicked out. Jordan got Henley up but Henley got her fingers in Jordan’s eyes to break it up. Both superstars then hit clotheslines, leaving them on the mat. They got up and hit each other with hard strikes, and Jordan would knock Henley down two times in a row before hitting the big kick to complete the trilogy.

Jordan got rocked with a slam from Henley though, who went up top and hit a huge slam from the top rope into a cover, but Jordan was able to kick out before the 3 count. Henley tried to lift Jordan but Jordan halted it with a kick, and then slammed Henley down face first to the mat.

Jordan went up to hit the moonsault and got it, but Nyx was up on the apron to distract the referee. It worked, as it gave Henley long enough to kick out of the pin, but Jayne then showed up and distracted Jordan enough for Henley to get the knees up on the 450. Henley slammed Jordan down and then got the pin and the win, becoming the new Women’s North American Champion.

That’s when the lights went out and Zaria’s music hit. It could’ve been like before where she just appeared in the audience, but this time was vastly different, as Zaria appeared right behind Fatal Influence in the ring. She would then attack all three members and knock everyone down, leaving Fatal Influence wrecked as she stood tall in the ring.

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

The post WWE’s Fatal Influence Wins NXT Women’s North American Title, Zaria Finally Attacks at Halloween Havoc appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After taking WWE NXT by storm in back to back debuts, Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer teamed up in the ring to take on Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade. Jade and Perez have worked well as a team before, but Vaquer and Giulia don’t have that kind of history as a team, though that didn’t seem to matter. They seemed on the same page right from the jump, but the NXT Women’s Champion was not going to be overshadowed. This was also Jade’s first match since returning, but she was on point as well, and all four superstars delivered standout moments. It was Vaquer who would get the winning pin, and making it all the better was that she pinned the Champion to get that win, something Perez won’t likely soon forget.

A Thrilling Start

Jade and Vaquer started out the match for their respective teams, with Vaquer slamming Jade’s head into the ropes and Giulia slamming Jade’s arm to the mat. Giulia tagged in Vaquer but Jade tagged in Perez, and Vaquer pushed back the Champ after she got in her face. Perez reversed a few moves and knocked Vaquer off her feet, concentrating on Vaquer’s wrist, and then Vaquer almost pinned with a slick bridge. Perez then reversed a move and put a bridge up of her own, but Vaquer countered that into a submission and Vaquer’s trademark knee slams.

Giulia tagged in and the two hit a 619 and a kick to the back, and then they teamed up with elbow drops onto Jade, who had run in to help Perez. Perez was back up and had a submission locked for a second but Giulia fought out quickly and locked in one of her own. Then Vaquer ran in and caught Jade in the same submission, but Perez and Jade got to the bottom ropes and broke them up.

Giulia was now in against Perez and stomped the side of the Champ’s face before hitting a huge missile dropkick into a cover, but Perez kicked out at 2. Jade grabbed Giulia’s foot and helped Perez gain the advantage, and then she ran in to provide some help as well. Jade tagged in and Perez hit a dropkick before a quick cover, but Giulia kicked out. Vaquer came flying in with a crossbody once Giulia tagged, and she went to work on knocking Perez down and hitting Jade with relentless punches in the corner. Double knees followed on Jade, and then she hit Perez with a Dragon Screw. Giulia was back in and they hit headbutts on Perez and Jade, but the duo came back with twin superkicks.

[RELATED: Watch WWE’s Stephanie Vaquer Make NXT Debut in USA Network Finale]

Who Gets The Win?

Perez knocked both down onto the floor, and then Jade hit the coffin drop to knock them down again. Perez then had Vaquer in the ring and locked in a submission, but Vaquer reversed it and broke it up. Perez didn’t get Pop Rocks abut she did knock Vaquer down to the mat. Jade was up top now and hit a big move but couldn’t get the pin thanks to Giulia. Perez got spun around but Jade then hit Giulia with a suplex, and Jade started clocking Vaquer with forearm shots.

Vaquer tagged in Giulia and she hit a big knee strike on Jade, but Jade got her shoulder up. Giulia went for a move but Jade countered and tagged in Perez, but Giulia hit Jade with a suplex and stopped Perez cold. Up top, Giulia hit the big suplex and Vaquer was up top and hit the huge splash to get the pin and the win. That’s when Zaria’s entrance hit and she stood up high in the crowd, looking on at two of her eventual opponents.

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

The post WWE’s Stephanie Vaquer Pins NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez at Halloween Havoc appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WWE NXT Halloween Havoc got things started with the battle for the North American Championship between The Don Tony D’Angelo and Oba Femi, and it was just as physical and brutal as you would expect from a Tables, Ladders, and Scares match. It wasn’t long before the ring was littered with weapons, including chairs, crowbars, and obviously ladder, but things really took a turn when Femi tied D’Angelo’s hand to the bottom rope with a zip tie. The Family would come out and attack, but then Rizzo was followed by Femi, and it looked like he was going to attack her when D’Angelo got free and speared him off the ring and through a ladder. It was a crazy moment, and that was followed by The Family all getting in on the payback with a Shatter Machine and a crash through a table to finally get the win.

A Battle of Power

The action started before the bell even hit, and it didn’t take long for weapons to hit the ring either. D’Angelo slammed Femi through the barricade, but Femi was able to halt the use of the ladder. Femi threw a few chairs into the ring but got one of them thrown into the side of his head, only for Femi to slam one into D’Angelo’s shoulder.

Then Femi slammed D’Angelo onto a chair and went for the pinfall, but D’Angelo quickly kicked out. Femi then set a ladder in the corner and slammed a chair into D’Angelo’s back, followed by bringing down a chair onto D’Angelo’s neck and stomach. D’Angelo then got thrown at full speed into the corner ladder, and at this point Femi was in full control of the match.

D’Angelo stopped the attack by kicking the ladder into Femi, but then got slammed onto the ring apron and thrown back into the ring. Femi then lifted D’Angelo high and slammed him down into the ladder once again, and that was followed by the emergence of a ladder, much to the crowd’s delight. Femi propped up a table in the corner and then went to drive D’Angelo into it, but The Don managed to stop short, only to get hit with an uppercut and sent right through it.

[RELATED: WWE’s Tony D’Angelo On Epic Title Win, NXT Morale in CW Era, and More]

Femi went for the pin but D’Angelo got his shoulder up at 2 and a half. Femi picked up a crowbar and went to work but D’Angelo blocked him with a chair. Femi kicked D’Angelo down and then pulled the crowbar against D’Angelo’s face, but all that still wasn’t enough for a pin. Femi stomped on the Champ and then went to work again with the crowbar. Femi went for a powerbomb but D’Angelo picked him up and threw him over. Then D’Angelo hit Femi with several chair shots before slamming him down onto a chair and then following up with a spinebuster. Femi was still able to kick out at 2 though, and D’Angelo went and got a table from underneath the ring.

The Family Returns

D’Angelo slid the table into the ring and set it up, but then Femi picked up D’Angelo and threw him into the air. D’Angelo came down awkwardly and grabbed his knee, and Femi was able to get to his feet and go for some zip ties. Femi tied D’Angelo’s hand to the bottom rope, and that’s when The Family came out. Adrianna went to D’Angelo to cut the ties, but Femi approached her in the ring.

Rizzo backed up as D’Angelo screamed at Femi, but Femi followed her out of the ring. Rizzo grabbed a crowbar but Femi grabbed it from her, and that’s when D’Angelo got free and speared Femi through the ropes, causing him to slam through a ladder on the outside.

D’Angelo then got hit with a monster clothesline and a Fall From Grace, but D’Angelo got his shoulder up right before the 3 count on the pin. That’s when The Family retaliated, with Rizzo hitting an uppercut and then Stacks and Crusifino hitting Femi with a Shatter Machine. D’Angelo would seal the deal and slam Femi through a table and getting the pin and the win. The Don still rules NXT as North American Champion.

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

The post WWE’s Tony D’Angelo and The Family Get Brutal Payback in Huge NXT Halloween Havoc Win appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Fan-favorite WWE ring announcer Samantha Irvin announced her departure from the company ahead of last Monday’s WWE Raw broadcast which surprised a lot of fans. She thanked WWE personnel and the fans for the unforgettable experience, hinting at more to come in her future. Irvin had been with WWE for three years, announcing across all three brands — NXT, Raw and SmackDown.

Fans fell in love with something they hadn’t seen from an announcer in years: passion. Whether she was adding her on flare on Chelsea Green’s entrance or announcing Cody Rhodes as the new Undisputed WWE Champion, that passion has really resonated with wrestling fans.

Naturally when she announced she’d be leaving effective immediately, fans began speculating she’d be heading to AEW since her husband, Ricochet, recently made the jump over. He dispelled those rumors rather quickly and Irvin gave a bit more insight into her future.

“I don’t like announcing,” Irvin wrote in response to her since deleted statement on Instagram. “I’m serious! Announcing was only supposed to be my way in. I wanted to manage, maybe even become general manager one day. But WWE saw no other future for me besides announcer. I love watching the action but I don’t love being an announcer.”

Despite her obvious head butting with WWE, Irvin has only shared positive messages about her time there, remarking that she “loves” WWE. “… I love WWE and I’m so proud and honored I got to share all the moments with fellow fans much love,” she continued, responding to a comment blaming Ricochet for her departure. “Also, they wanted Rico to stay in the big leagues. I don’t know why everyone [is] pretending like he was always in great positions at WWE.”

[RELATED: Ricochet Would’ve Never Joined WWE If AEW Was Born One Year Earlier]

Last Monday night, WWE officially brought back longtime ring announcer Lillian Garcia to take over duties for Irvin on the red brand. Her nerves at the top of the show pretty quickly dissipated and she warmed back up to the audience who were excited to see her back in WWE.

While it doesn’t appear we’ll see her back announcing anytime soon, time will tell what’s to come for the remarkable talent in Irvin. She has a budding music career that fans have heard bits and pieces of when she sings The National Anthem at various events. She recently started dabbling in acting, as well.

The post Samantha Irvin Explains WWE Saw No Future for Her Outside of Announcing appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Over the years wrestling companies like WWE and AEW have had their fingers on the pulse of pop culture and the love of horror is no different. Many gimmicks have come and gone, and while the early days of WWE was all abut the muscular, colorful babyfaces, stars like The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt broke down doors into a much more cinematic approach to wrestling with their spooky characters. With Halloween quickly approaching we’ve compiled a list of the top supernatural/horror inspired wrestling gimmicks from both WWE and AEW and ranked them for your viewing pleasure.

10. Abadon

AEW star Abadon is one of the most unique wrestling characters going today. Much of the AEW roster is fairly cookie cutter, but they command the attention of everyone in the room with their brightly colored hair, facial piercings and cool face paint. Their zombie-like gimmick allows them to move methodically in the ring, screeching when chopped across the chest. But once Abadon really gets going, they resemble Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead.

9. Danhausen

Live, laugh, love that Danhausen.

While many write Danhausen off as just a cheesy, gimmicky character, he’s pretty undeniable. If you have gone to any show in the last five or six years that he’s at, his meet and greet lines are extensive. He sells out of merchandise faster than it can be printed. There’s an appeal to him that people obviously gravitate toward, including lapsed fans and non-wrestling fans.

8. Kane

The early years of Kane’s character were quite literally his best. In the late 1990s when he would attack “fans” in the crowd, it really gave off a vibe like a slasher film at the time. Something in the vain of horror icons Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, or even Leatherface. His backstory with The Undertaker was cinematic, and The Brothers of Destruction were an extremely dominant and unforgettable tag team (mostly due to their presence).

7. Papa Shango

While WWE missed the mark with Boogeyman in the early 2000s, everything about the Papa Shango gimmick was infinitely better. His feud with The Ultimate Warrior where he’d go on to put a curse on him and he’d start bleeding out of his skull is enough to give any young child the heebie jeebies. Because, naturally, if he can curse a guy like that, what’s stopping him from doing it to the rest of us? And the voice? Absolutely terrifying!

6. Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn

Who doesn’t love a good witchy story? Long before Agatha All Along there was Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn — a Scottish tag team that has made waves in WWE since their arrival. The Unholy Union have a ton of chemistry together and fans have been captivated by them since their time in NXT. While their main roster run has been quite lackluster thus far, they have brought in a new member to their coven in recent months. With some power behind them it’s certainly a possibility that a witchy stable could work.

5. The Brood

The 90s had a real fascination with vampires in pop culture. From The Lost Boys to Interview with a Vampire, WWE capitalized on this phenomena by introducing a blood-sucking stable comprised of Gangrel and two fresh faces that would go on to become WWE Hall of Famers, Edge and Christian. Was it anything groundbreaking? No, but many fans loved it and it was the launching point of their careers. Plus, Gangrel is a super underrated in-ring performer.

4. Mankind

Mick Foley has had many persona shifts during his legendary career. His Mankind character arguably set him on the trajectory to becoming the legend that he’s seen as today, as it was a lot different from what he’d done previously and what fans had seen. Instead of the hardcore brawler that fans had come to love with Cactus Jack, Mankind was much more sinister — camping out in boiler rooms, his pig squeals during matches … terrifying stuff.

3. The Wyatt Sicks

As you’ll see mentioned throughout, Wyatt is an absolute mastermind when it comes to wrestling. Not everything he did was a hit, but he brought something interesting and unique to WWE in a time that they were struggling to connect with fans at all. While his passing was absolutely devastating, his legacy lives on in the Wyatt Sicks stable led by his brother and fellow professional wrestler, Bo Dallas.

2. Undertaker

Although The Undertaker is well known and a fan-favorite character today, it wasn’t always that way. His character came about during a time where wrestling fans were still high on the likes of Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. “Spooky” gimmicks were still relatively new, but he helped institute change in that way as the years went on due to his natural captivating presence in the ring.

1. Bray Wyatt

It’s impossible to have a list of horror-inspired wrestlers and not discuss the incredible mind of the late Bray Wyatt who led the successful Wyatt Family stable. In the later years of his career, he really dove deep into the spooky waters. He showed WWE personnel that fans were clamoring for something interesting and different when he introduced The Fiend, the Firefly Fun House, and Alexa Bliss taking on the role of Sister Abigail.

The post The Top Supernatural Wrestling Gimmicks Ranked appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown was one for the books, featuring unexpected swerves and compelling promos in the lead-up to Crown Jewel. The MVP of the night however was the main event, which weaved the Motor City Machine Guns into the ever-eventful Bloodline saga for a truly epic finish to the episode. Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso would finally reunite as Roman Reigns watched from afar, and all three played a part in MCMG becoming the new WWE Tag Team Champions. Typically we’d have to wait till next week to find out what happens next, but since next week’s SmackDown is taped, spoilers have hit, including the reveal of one long-awaited Bloodline moment. Spoilers are incoming from here so you’ve been warned if you don’t want to know.

Next Week Spoilers

With a big part of the SmackDown roster heading to Saudi Arabia for next week’s Crown Jewel, WWE taped next week’s episode of SmackDown after tonight’s live episode went off air. Those in attendance had the chance to see how things played out in the immediate aftermath of the Tag Team Titles match, and next week’s episode is set to start out with the three people fans want to see and hear from most.

Thanks to a video from @RCImperius (right here), we see Reigns and Jimmy in the ring when Jey’s music hits and he comes out to a huge reaction from the crowd. He does his full entrance and then we see another video that shows Jimmy throwing up the 1 as Jey and Roman stand behind him. There’s some hesitation from the other two, but the crowd is clearly cheering for the other two to throw in.

The crowd understandably loses it when Jey then walks up beside Jimmy and throws the 1 up, and now all eyes are on Roman. Roman walks up slowly and stands between them, and though he pauses for a minute, he then slowly raises his hand up and completes the moment. The original Bloodline is now back together, and the WWE Universe couldn’t be happier about it. You can see another version of that video from @TeamRoman_ right here.

What’s Next for Bloodline 2.0?

With the original trio back together, the attention now turns to Solo Sikoa’s group. Not only is Roman now reunited with Jimmy and Jey, but the group no longer has Championship gold around their waist after the Motor City Machine Guns defeated them for the WWE Tag Team Championships. Granted, Jey is no longer Champion either thanks to their antics on Raw, so now the two teams only have revenge and payback on their minds.

That will likely lead to what many expect to be the main event of Survivor Series WarGames. Sikoa will possibly look to regroup and rally the troops, and a WarGames match against the returning original Bloodline could do just that. Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tonga Loa, and Tama Tonga already have a built-in group of four, but things are still a bit uneven on the other side.

Reigns, Jimmy, and Jey are formidable, but still would liely fall to being outnubmered. The original Bloodline eventually added Sikoa to the mix, but as that is clearly not possible, who will they add to their ranks to be the fourth? Well, you, me, and everyone else is probably hoping for Sami Zayn to get the call, but this could also be a perfect opportunity to introduce someone else from their family and history to the mix. Granted, that doesn’t even factor in The Rock, as it’s not known if he would be back for Survivor Series or if a return owuld be paused until closer to WrestleMania.

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

The post WWE SmackDown Taping Spoilers Reveal Huge Moment for The Bloodline appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The main event of WWE SmackDown absolutely lived up to its billing, but not at all like what fans expected. That couldn’t be more of a compliment though, as not only did fans get a thrilling match between Motor City Machine Guns and DIY, but when MCMG won they then got a confrontation with The Bloodline. Then things went up a notch as they had their WWE Tag Team Championships match right then, shocking everyone, but that was just the beginning of the surprises, as throughout the match Jimmy Uso, Roman Reigns, and Jey Uso would all play a part in taking down Sikoa’s squad, getting revenge and in the process helping Motor City Machine Guns even the odds and become the new WWE Tag Team Champions. Here’s how everything went down, and you can watch the big Jey moment here.

Number One Contenders

Shelley and Gargano started things off, and there’s a lot of history there, so soon Ciampa tagged in to kick things into another gear. Sabin rocked Ciampa with a dropkick to the face not long after though, halting that momentum. Gargano tagged in next and the they hit Shelley with a double team and a clothesline to take back control.

MCMG hit DIY’s big move to showcase that previous history further, but then Ciampa put an end to that run by stomping the daylight out of Shelley on the outside. Everyone got knocked down and then Ciampa was one-on-one with Sabin back in the ring, but couldn’t keep Sabin down after a huge knee to the head.

DIY set up for the finisher but Shelley pulled Ciampa out of the ring. Sabin hit a jawbreaker on Gargano but then Gargano accidentally superkicked Ciampa off the ring. MCMG hit the Skull & Bones and got the pin on Gargano, winning the match and becoming the Number 1 contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championships. Now they will move on to face The Bloodline, though here is where things swerved.

Right Here, Right Now

They didn’t have to wait long to confront their opponents either, as the full Bloodline came out with their Championships in tow. They headed to the ring and confronted SmackDown’s newest Tag Team, but after some banter back and forth, Sikoa said they could have the title match right now, and Shelley and Sabin were game for it. A referee was brought down and the match started up, with both Tonga and Loa charging right in.

Despite wrestling a whole match before, Shelley and Sabin were full of energy, hitting sliding dropkicks to the Champs. Unfortunately, they got knocked back to Earth with twin clotheslines, and Loa went for a quick pin but Shelley kicked out. The Bloodline was firmly in control, but then Jimmy Uso came out and attacked Sikoa to help out MCMG.

Fatu caught up to Jimmy and tried to take him out, but then Roman Reigns came out and hit Fatu with a Superman Punch, and Jimmy attacked Sikoa. The brawl went all the way backstage, leaving just the two tag teams in the ring. Sabin took on Tonga and went up top for a missile dropkick, knocking Tonga to the turnbuckle. unfortunately, his next move accidentally took out the referee, and that allowed Loa to hit a spinebuster on Sabin.

YEET!

Loa went to grab two chairs and slid one to Tonga since the referee was out of commission, but then a hooded figure came out and attacked Loa with a chair, throwing him over the barricade. The mystery figure then came into the ring and hit Tonga with chair shots and landed a spear on him, revealing himself to be Jey Uso.

MCMG was back up and hit the finisher to pin Tonga and get the win, becoming the new WWE Tag Team Champions in just their third match in WWE. Things weren’t done though, as Jimmy returned to the ring and came face to face with Jey. The two spoke a bit and then Jimmy ran in and the two shared a much hoped-for hug, finally reuniting The Usos as Reigns watched it happen from the top of the ramp.

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

The post WWE: Jey Uso’s Shocking Return Helps MCMG Dethrone The Bloodline as Tag Champions appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WWE SmackDown started out with a mic drop moment after Randy Orton hit the ring, and while he did have issues with Kevin Owens, that’s not who he called out. Instead, Orton called out the boss man himself Triple H, and he had plenty to say, including accusing Triple H of protecting one of his favorites. Triple H said that wasn’t the case, and in fact he’s been denying the matcha against Owens to protect Orton from getting injured again, and he took another jab at Orton as he explained how unhinged Owens is right now. Orton was finally able to convince Triple H and get his wish though, as Trips made the match between Orton and Owens official for Crown Jewel.

Time To Play The Game

Orton immediately grabbed a microphone and called out Triple H, and this was after talking to him backstage before he came out to the ring. Triple H obliged, hitting the ring and telling Orton, “I would’ve preferred to not do this out here Randy, but since you can’t ever seem to show up to work on time, which we can talk about later, I guess we’ll do this now.”

Orton told Triple H that everyone knew the reason he wouldn’t green-light the match was to protect Owens, but Triple H pushed back on that. Orton added, “You have a soft spot for the guy. I get it. He’s a likable guy, I liked him, just admit it H.” Then Triple H clearly had it, saying, “I am not protecting Kevin Owens. I am trying to protect you!”

“Look, I’ve known you since the day you walked in here. I’ve known Kevin Owens when he walked in here. He wanted to be called the prizefighter when he walked in here because it’s just business,” Triple H said. “He has never had a friend in this business, no matter what he said.

Truly Betrayed

“But, for the first time ever, and I don’t know why, he let his guard down. He trusted you and he trusted Cody Rhodes. He trusted both of you, and he let his guard down. I don’t know if he sees the good person he wants to be in Cody Rhodes and sees the miserable prick in you he doesn’t want to be, but he likes you guys,” Triple H said. “He trusted you, and in his mind, you guys turned on him. And I am telling you when I spoke to him afterwards, there is something disconnected in him. He is not the same Kevin Owens, and quite frankly, I don’t want to put him in the ring with you.”

“Take this with all due respect. You just came back after 18 months on the shelf. You didn’t tear your ACL. You didn’t put your shoulder out. You had steel rods put in you and were told you might never wrestle again,” Triple H said. “I just got you back, and I don’t want to see you put back on that shelf, maybe permanently. Do you hear what I’m saying?”

Orton then appealed to their past rivalries. “I didn’t ask Paul Levesque to come out this ring. I wanted the cerebral assassin. The Game, the guy that brought a sledgehammer everywhere he went. The guy who threw me out of my own dining room window and beat the hell out of me on my own front lawn. What would you do if you were in my shoes? This is not me being impulsive. This is me talking man to man. You know what it’s like to have all of this taken away from you just like that. If you were in my shoes, you wouldn’t just sit back and let it slide. You would do what you’ve always done, and that’s handle our business the only way we know how, in the middle of this ring,” Orton said.

Triple H finally finally gave in, saying, “I hope to God you know what you’re asking for. You want Kevin Owens at Crown Jewel…you got him. Randy, from this moment forward I suggest you protect yourself at all times.”

Now the former friends will face each other at Crown Jewel, but we are certainly going to hear from Owens before then too. What did you think of the segment? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Randy Orton Calls Out and Confronts Triple H on SmackDown appeared first on ComicBook.com.

There are certain heroes in the Marvel universe who are known to cause some trouble, and everyone’s favorite Cajun mutant is certainly a member of that group. That said, it’s not often that he’s at the center of discussions in the WWE Locker Room, but that’s exactly what happened in Zoey Stark’s hilarious new video. In the video Stark goes to Shayna Baszler and asks her who Gambit is, as she’s the one person who would know. Baszler looks irritated and then a bit stunned that Stark doesn’t know, and that’s when Sonya Deville enters the picture and delightfully completes the puzzle. You can check out the video right here or in the post below.

The video starts with Stark approaching Baszler and saying “Question, and if anybody knows it would be you. Who’s um, Gambit?” Baszler’s reaction is priceless and already looks irritated when Stark explains “People keep talking about him but I don’t…who is this?” Baszler doesn’t believe her and then gets up and walks off.

Stark calls over Deville and asks her “Do you know who Gambit is?” Deville delivers the perfect response, saying “Who the f*** is Gambit?” as Baszler loses it off-camera. The comments quickly filled up with Gambit images and memes, and overall the whole exchange was comedy gold.

The three WWE superstars are part of a faction known as the Pure Fusion Collective, but when they aren’t taking down opponents in the ring they are delivering entertaining moments behind the scenes in videos like this. It’s been fun to see the three of them join forces, and this team-up started back when Baszler and Stark formed a Tag Team. ComicBook previously spoke to Baszler at the Royal Rumble about why she thinks her and Stark work so well together.

“I beat the snot out of her, man, and she just wouldn’t stay down. You know what I mean? She didn’t quit,” Baszler said. “That’s always going to impress me, really. I think there was a moment backstage where I stuck up for her because she’s earned my respect, and I think I just tried to take her under my wing, give her some advice a little. She doesn’t like to stay there. She’s an annoying kid’s sister that doesn’t listen to you. But yeah, I think our in-ring styles complement each other. She does all the crazy, high-fly, cool stuff, and I just tear people’s limbs off. People watch when she does and they cover their eyes when I do my stuff, because it’s gross, so we’re a good match for each other.”

All three Superstars hope to set the tone for the Women’s Division and add some Title gold to the mix, though Stark also has some unfinished business with a certain Trish Stratus. During a previous conversation, Stark said she learned a great deal from Stratus, but also hopes to finish their story at some point down the line. “She has taught me so much within the short amount of time that we were really working together. I really do hope at some point down the line that her and I get to finish our story,” Stark said. “We didn’t really get that opportunity after me giving her the Z-360 to continue on of doing a singles match between the two of us. Hopefully, fingers crossed that sometime down the road, we get to do that.”

What do you want to see next for the Pure Fusion Collective? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE Superstars Have No Idea Who Marvel’s Gambit Is in Hilarious Viral Video appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Today the law firm of DiCello Levitt and Murphy, Falcon & Murphy filed a lawsuit against WWE, Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, and TKO on behalf of five individuals known in WWE as “ring boys” who the lawsuit states were subject to sexual abuse. The suit states that the underaged boys were hired by ring crew chief Melvin Phillips Jr. to assist with errands other tasks as part of WWE’s events, and states that they “were groomed, exploited, and sexually abused by Phillips”, who targeted children from broken homes. The suit also states that the defendants were “fully aware of the systemic and pervasive abuse and did nothing to prevent or stop it.”

“Thanks to the bravery of our clients, we finally have a chance to hold accountable those who allowed and enabled the open, rampant sexual abuse of these young boys,” said Greg Gutzler, a partner at DiCello Levitt, who is leading the litigation. “That so many were aware of the sexual abuse of the Ring Boys and did nothing to prevent or stop it is simply unconscionable.”

In the official post released by the firm, it is said that the survivors only recently learned how much the McMahons and WWE knew about what happened to them, citing the filing of Grant v. WWE and Vince McMahon’s exit from the company as points of new information that have allowed them to file and “pursue justice in this suit.”

“The WWE and McMahons had a responsibility to these underaged boys, and they failed them in the worst way possible. We will vigorously fight to uncover the truth about this systemic, insidious, and life-altering abuse,” said Mark DiCello, founding partner of DiCello Levitt. “We commend our clients for their bravery in coming forward and promise to relentlessly seek justice for them.”

“These survivors are profiles in courage. One third of child sex abuse victims never come forward, because the shame, humiliation, trauma, and physical and psychological injuries silence them,” said Professor Marci Hamilton, founder and CEO of CHILD USA, a leading nonprofit think tank fighting to preserve and strengthen children’s rights. “Sadly, we know that 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 13 boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18. CHILD USA is fighting child sex abuse and trafficking, and one of the greatest tools in our arsenal is to push for statute of limitations reform so perpetrators and their enabling institutions can be held accountable in cases of delayed disclosure. Due to the Maryland window we fought for, these brave survivors can seek justice.”

The case was filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, MD by DiCello Levitt’s Greg Gutzler, Mark DiCello, Bobby DiCello, Adam Prom, and Emma Bruder and Murphy, Falcon & Murphy’s William H. “Billy” Murphy, Jr. You can find a copy of the official complaint here.

The post WWE, Vince McMahon Named in Sexual Abuse Lawsuit on Behalf of ‘Ring Boys’  appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Professional wrestling and hip-hop have been a synergetic pairing for decades. Rappers like Biggie Smalls, Lil Yachty, Swae Lee, Post Malone, Action Bronson, DaBaby, Eminem, and more have dropped lyrics that allude to the squared circle, shouting out everyone from WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle to 2010s stable The Nexus. Recent years have seen the hip-hop x wrestling connection become a two-way street, as wrestlers like Swerve Strickland and Lio Rush had begun to release their own music. Rush especially has gone all in on his discography, having four albums and a handful of EPs to his name in the past five years.

Lio Rush Teases AEW Collabs on Future Songs

It could be just a matter of time before the Man of the Hour forms a tag team in the recording booth.

Speaking to ComicBook, AEW star Lio Rush teased that he is “looking forward to collaborating with more wrestlers” on future songs.

“I travel around with my recording equipment, so I’m always ready. I’m always ready. I’m always recording. I guess the moment just has to strike. I’m looking forward to collaborating with more wrestlers that continue to make music,” Rush said. “I feel like that lane is continuing to grow. It’s really cool to see so many wrestlers dip into creating music and just having that creative outlet. It’s such an untapped market within wrestling. I’m looking forward to it. Whoever wants to collaborate with me, please reach on out. I’ll make sure to reach out to some of you guys, too. I definitely want to hop on a track with some people.”

Rush’s closest wrestling collaboration came in March 2020, as he and “Wrestle and Flow” Josiah Williams came together for “Feel the Rush.” Williams caught fire in the late 2010s for his freestyles over instrumental wrestling theme songs and had a short stint with WWE as a member of the broadcast team.

“Wrestlers aren’t just one-trick ponies. They can make music,” Rush continued. “The people, the music world, the people who listen to music, whatever that may be, it’s a part of the wrestling culture with entrance music and video packages.”

Rush recently confirmed to ComicBook that his new AEW contract is for three years. He became All Elite once again earlier this month after extending his stay beyond his AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door cameos in June. This contract brings Rush back to AEW on a full-time basis, as he previously worked for the company from Fall 2021 until early 2022. That stint went for just six months, as Rush would take his talents to companies like New Japan Pro Wrestling and TNA after exiting AEW.

Today, Rush is involved in an on-screen alliance with Top Flight while also antagonizing MVP and Shelton Benjamin, a duo known to wrestling fans as The Hurt Business. Rebranded as The Hurt Syndicate, MVP and Benjamin have been attempting to recruit former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland to their ranks. Benjamin defeated Rush in his AEW debut match. Afterwards, Rush took to social to reveal he had his hands on one of MVP’s business cards.

AEW Dynamite returns to television tonight at 8 PM ET on TBS.

The post Lio Rush Wants AEW Features on His Future Songs appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Dominik Mysterio has been in Rhea Ripley’s crosshairs for over two years. The second-generation luchador was pursued by The Judgment Day’s front woman throughout Summer 2022, as she and stablemates Damian Priest and Finn Balor attempted to lure him away from tagging with his father, Rey Mysterio. The villainous group’s efforts were successful at WWE Clash at the Castle 2022, as Dominik turned on Rey and aligned with The Judgment Day. In a twist of fate, Dominik remains a member of the faction to this day but has helped the group’s new leader, Balor, excommunicated both Priest and Ripley fro the ranks. Dominikhea joined forces with WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, Ripley’s longtime rival, and has stood opposite his former Mamí ever since.

WWE Discussing Dominik vs. Rhea Match

Dominik Mysterio could be getting his comeuppance in a definitive way.

As reported by insider account @WrestleVotes, WWE has “brought up” the idea of running Dominik Mysterio vs. Rhea Ripley in an intergender match. The report adds that there is uncertainty as to “how high [the pitch has] made it” but that there is a “real desire” to make the match happen “before the angle fizzles out.”

Ripley’s feud against her former stable has unfolded mostly in matches against WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan. The two have battled in a singles capacity at WWE SummerSlam and WWE Bad Blood while they also stood against one another in a mixed tag team match at WWE Bash in Berlin. That bout saw Ripley team with Damian Priest while Morgan linked up with Dominik.

Intergender matches are a thing of the past within WWE. The company would run the occasional man vs. woman bout in the Attitude Era, most of which featured Chyna, the only woman to ever win the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Women have sporadically gotten physical with the male superstars in the years since, with female talent like Beth Phoenix, Kharma, and Nia Jax participating in the Men’s Royal Rumble in the 2010s. The last intergender match to take place within a WWE ring came during the WWE ThunderDome era, as Reggie faced Shayna Baszler on a May 2021 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw.

WWE once had plans to have Nia Jax and Dean Ambrose (AEW’s Jon Moxley) wrestle one another on a live event in early 2019, but the angle was ultimately scrapped.

“The Dean Ambrose story was funny because we were scheduled for that, but the particular state we were in wouldn’t allow it,” Jax reflected on the canceled program earlier this year. “So it wasn’t necessarily like any kind of drama behind the scenes. It was like, well, the state wouldn’t allow that match, so we couldn’t have it. And then it kind of just fell from there.

“I think intergender wrestling is great,” Jax continued. “We are an entertainment business, right? Like whatever happens, whatever we could do to entertain the people and I think that would be an incredibly entertaining match, having intergender wrestling. When I got into the Rumble, you saw how crazy the crowd went and how they loved it when I got thrown out.”

The post WWE Discussing Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio Intergender Match appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Chris Jericho has been a member of the All Elite Wrestling roster for nearly six years. Y2J signed on the dotted line with AEW upon the wrestling company’s inception in January 2019, confirming that he would join co-founders Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks as part of AEW’s day one roster. Jericho’s success in AEW would only snowball from there, as he emerged victorious in the company’s first pay-per-view main event, defeating Kenny Omega at AEW Double or Nothing 2019, and became the inaugural AEW World Champion three months after that, defeating “Hangman” Adam Page at AEW All Out 2019.

Details on Chris Jericho’s AEW Contract

The Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rolla is still All Elite, at least for another year.

As reported by WrestlePurists, Chris Jericho’s current AEW contract expires in 2025. It was noted that as it stands right now, no injury time has been added to Jericho’s deal.

The contract that Jericho is on was announced back in October 2022 and included “increasing roles and responsibilities.” Beyond wrestling, Jericho has helped with consulting on storylines and coaching wrestlers backstage. That coaching extended to the screen as well, as Jericho prodigies like Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia have been featured in on-screen roles alongside Jericho over the years.

Speaking to ComicBook earlier this month, Jericho reaffirmed that he’s happy in AEW and is excited at the future that will come with the company’s new media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery.

“It’s a pretty cool f–k you to anyone that didn’t think we could do it. Now seeing this television deal and the amount of money we got for it, we’re on our way man and we’re not going anywhere,” Jericho said. “There’s really no reason for me to go anywhere else right now, I enjoy working for the Khan family and I enjoy working for AEW. I’m happy.”

Prior to AEW, Jericho called WWE his home for two decades. Jericho competed at multiple editions of WWE WrestleMania and won several world championships while working for Vince McMahon’s regime. When he took his talents to New Japan Pro Wrestling in Fall 2017, Jericho declared that he would only compete for non-WWE companies outside of the United States, but that unwritten rule was throw to the wayside when AEW was formed.

“I enjoyed working [for WWE] in the past and I can probably work there in the future as well. We’ll see,” Jericho told ComicBook when asked about a possible WWE return. “To me, business is business but I enjoy working with AEW, I enjoy all that we’ve accomplished since day one, especially now with the new TV deal. We did what we set out to do which was to change the course of wrestling history. Tony and I and all of us have done that.”

Jericho currently leads The Learning Tree, a faction that also includes Big Bill and “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith, on AEW programming. He regularly competes on AEW Dynamite, which airs every Wednesday at 8 PM ET on TBS.

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Cody Rhodes is coming up on seven months as WWE Champion. The American Nightmare defeated Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 40 this past April to end the Tribal Chief’s 1,316-day run with the merged WWE Universal Title and WWE Championship and subsequently began his first reign with sports-entertainment’s grandest prize. In the months that followed, Rhodes picked up successful defenses against the likes of AJ Styles and Logan Paul before getting roped back into The Bloodline’s business, this time with Reigns out of the picture. Rhodes began feuding with Solo Sikoa, the new self-appointed leader of The Bloodline, and retained his WWE Title against him at both WWE SummerSlam and the WWE SmackDown on USA Network premiere thanks to an assist from Reigns.

Cody Rhodes Reignites Bloodline Feud After Raw

While the American Nightmare has turned his attention to the Ring General, his business with The Bloodline still lurks.

After WWE Monday Night Raw went off the air, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defended his title against The Bloodline’s Jacob Fatu. This was just Fatu’s 12th match in WWE since his arrival over the summer, making him one of the fastest competitors in WWE history to earn a world title match.

You can watch the full match below…

Rhodes put the gold on the line in a Philadelphia Street Fight and successfully retained after spearing Fatu through a table and hitting him with a trifecta of Cross Rhodes. It’s worth noting that the trio of Cross Rhodes was what it took to defeat Roman Reigns at WWE WrestleMania 40 this past April, which is a subliminal suggestion that WWE has Fatu and Reigns on a similar strength level.

Neither Fatu nor Rhodes are members of the WWE Monday Night Raw roster. Both men ventured over from WWE SmackDown for one-off appearances. Fatu’s surprise appearance came during the televised main event in an effort to meddle with WWE Intercontinental Champion Jey Uso’s title defense against Bron Breakker. Fatu was joined by fellow members of The Bloodline including Solo Sikoa and WWE World Tag Team Champions Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa.

While all four men were running interference, it was Fatu who did the only blatant damage to Jey’s match. Sikoa arrived sarcastically saying that he was there to help Jey win, and Tonga Loa tried to hype up Jey at ringside. Jey struck Tonga Loa with a superkick the second he showed up, leading Tama Tonga to leap at Jey but take a strike of his own. As things progressed, Sikoa got laid out by both Jey and Breakker, which is what set Fatu off. In the closing moments, Fatu landed a superkick on Jey and hit him with a Samoan Drop on the announce table, leaving the Yeet Man prone to a wicked spear from Breakker that secured the 1-2-3.

This will likely lead to Jey returning to WWE SmackDown to re-enter The Bloodline saga. Jey’s brother Jimmy Uso has attempted to reconcile with him over the past couple of weeks, but Jey has made it clear that he is not interested in talking right now. Now that he has lost the WWE Intercontinental Championship, Jey might be left with no choice but to fight alongside The Bloodline OGs once again.

The post Watch: Shocking WWE Championship Match Takes Place After Monday Night Raw appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The main event of tonight’s WWE Monday Night Raw saw Jey Uso defend the Intercontinental Championship — his first singles title in WWE — against former titleholder Bron Breakker. They had a pretty even fight to start but it seemed like the match would never end because both men were unwilling to lose. That’s precisely when a Ula Fala wearing Solo Sikoa appeared and Jey immediately became suspicious. The rest of The Bloodline eventually appeared and Jey wiped all of them out.

Solo and Jacob Fatu were the only men left standing and Bron ended up giving Solo a wicked clothesline. Jey then hopped over the ropes to take out both Jacob and Bron. The Bloodline continued to meddle into the match but they were eventually kicked out. However, the damage to Jey had been done. Bron picked up a victory, winning back the championship.

This makes Bron look even stronger, only having lost the title the first time due to his arrogance. But now he’s defeated two of WWE’s strongest babyfaces, so it’s clear he’s got a bright future ahead of him.

So what does Jey do now? Well, it’s fairly obvious that they’ve been positioning him to be apart of the Bloodline WarGames storyline for Survivor Series. On last week’s SmackDown Jey appeared and threatened his younger brother, letting him know that the next time they meet the outcome will be a lot different.

While his relationship with Roman Reigns appears to be mellowing out, the betrayal from his twin, Jimmy, is something he still can’t get over. But now that he’s no longer champion, it frees up a lot of time for him to reconcile, put the past behind him and take out Solo’s group once and for all, leaving the OTC Reigns standing tall.

Of course from there WWE has plenty of routes to take on the road to WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. The Rock has already claimed he’d be there, and his recent returns surrounding The Bloodline seem to make it clear that he’ll be involved in one way or another.

2024 Hollywood Rock just barely scratched the surface in the lead up to this year’s grand event, so if the final showdown between Rock and Reigns is planned for next year for the title of “Tribal Chief” the seeds could already be being planted. Of course, only time will tell what’s next in the compelling Bloodline saga but it’s looking like Jey will make amends sooner rather than later.

The post WWE: Jey Uso’s Title Loss Sets up Bloodline Reunion at Survivor Series appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Ahead of tonight’s WWE Monday Night Raw, ring announcer Samantha Irvin announced that she’s departing WWE. She first appeared on the NXT brand when she signed in 2021 but her skillset was virtually undeniable and she was soon moved to SmackDown. Last year she officially moved over to the red brand where she’s been a staple ever since.

Irvin expressed her gratitude to the locker room, WWE personnel and the WWE universe for the last several years. “I love you all tremendously and this does not mark the end of my art, I have a lifetime more to share. Thank you to every WWE fan who accepted me,” she wrote, later adding she’s excited to see where her future leads. “To my fans, my entire career I’ve been waiting for you! We are meant to be and I can prove it. Stay tuned.”

Reports that former longtime announcer Lillian Garcia was in town for Raw began to hit the internet fueling speculation that she’d be replacing Irvin. Shortly before the show, it was reported that she’d be returning to Raw full-time. This was confirmed during the opening match, a #1 contenders tag team title match between The New Day and Authors of Pain.

Garcia has had several runs in WWE over the past three decades, first signing in 1999. She helped break down barriers for women in sports announcing. Her original run lasted until 2009 but she’d reappear just a few years later and once again remain a key fixture until 2016. While she’s had various appearances since then announcing for the WWE universe, she hasn’t been full-time since then.

Garcia immediately fell back into step as the night progressed, and the call was certainly a smart one given not many can live up to the power that Irvin brings to television every week. She joins the commentary team of Wade Barrett and Joe Tessitore who replaced Michael Cole over the summer. WWE is shaking things up ahead of Raw‘s move to Netflix in the new year which, according to reports, is planned to be a PLE caliber show that will feature stars from SmackDown.

The premiere definitely seems like the perfect time to make a statement given a lot of people will be tuning in to see the transition. Given Netflix reported over 200 million paid subscribers in the third quarter of 2024, it’ll reach a wider audience as well. WWE signed the $5 billion deal which is expected to include original content of the incredible superstars.

The post WWE Brings Back Iconic Ring Announcer as Samantha Irvin’s Replacement appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Samantha Irvin has been a staple of WWE programming since 2021. The former America’s Got Talent contestant was discovered by WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry and encouraged to try out for WWE, which she initially did as a wrestler. Irvin was hired instead as a ring announcer, a duty that she began fulfilling for WWE shows like WWE 205 Live and WWE NXT. Less than one year after her debut, Irvin was promoted to WWE SmackDown, serving as the ring announcer for the FOX broadcast. Come 2023, Irvin migrated to WWE Monday Night Raw on the USA Network. Irvin began to catch fire in these years for her vocal power and unique tonal tricks for superstars like Chelsea Green and Ludwig Kaiser. WWE doubled down on that popularity by making Irvin the sole ring announcer for all 14 matches of WWE WrestleMania XL this past April.

Samantha Irvin Leaves WWE, Shocks Company

Samantha Irvin is leaving WWE.

Taking to social media, the WWE Monday Night Raw ring announcer revealed that her time “has come to an end” within WWE.

“WWE Universe, my time has come to an end as your Monday Night Raw Ring Announcer,” Irvin wrote in a statement. “I love you all tremendously and this does not mark the end of my art, I have a lifetime more to share.”

Irvin went on to thank multiple people in the company including Brian “Road Dogg” James, Scott Armstrong, Gabe Sapolsky, George Carroll Jr., and Paul “Triple H” Levesque as well as teams like the women’s locker room, production crew, coaches, producers, medical, writers, talent relations, makeup, photography, social media, digital, travel, catering, merchandise, WWE 2K, referees, security, and the announce team.

Thank you to every WWE fan who accepted me,” Irvin continued. “To my fans, my entire career l’ve been waiting for you! We are meant to be and I can prove it. Stay tuned. All my love! And still… Samantha.”

As reported by insider account @WrestleVotes, Irvin’s departure has “genuinely shocked” numerous people backstage at WWE Monday Night Raw ahead of the show’s airing from Philadelphia tonight on USA Network.

Will Samantha Irvin Join AEW?

Based on her statement, it appears that Samantha Irvin already has her next career move planned out. While she references this exit “not [marking] the end of [her] art,” suggesting she could pivot into another artistic venture, there is reason to believe that her ring announcing will continue in an All Elite Wrestling ring.

As reported by Fightful Select, both WWE and AEW sources would “be shocked” if AEW does not make Irvin an offer to join the company. AEW has primarily used Justin Roberts as its ring announcer since its inception in 2019. AEW also utilizes Arkady Aura and Bobby Cruise on occasion.

Irvin’s fiancée, Ricochet, left WWE earlier this summer to take his talents to AEW. Ricochet made his AEW debut at AEW ALL IN: London and has pursued the AEW International Championship ever since, locking horns with longtime rival Will Ospreay in the process. Irvin and Ricochet have been together since 2021 and became engaged in 2023.

Irvin’s situation has parallels to a circumstance that Jon Moxley and Renee Paquette found themselves in a couple of years ago. Moxley and Paquette, then known as Dean Ambrose and Renee Young, met in WWE in the early 2010s and began dating in 2013. The two were married in 2017. Moxley would leave WWE in early 2019 and jump ship to AEW while Paquette remained part of the WWE broadcast team until late 2020. She would pursue some independent media ventures over the subsequent years before signing with AEW in October 2022, sharing a travel schedule with her husband again for the first time in three years.

Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on Samantha Irvin’s next career moves.

The post WWE “Shocked” Over Samantha Irvin Exit: Will She Join Ricochet in AEW? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Professional wrestling is once again taking over Hollywood — next January Shudder will release a horror-themed wrestling film, Dark Match, which they recently acquired rights for. Wrestling legend Chris Jericho, who is no stranger to Hollywood films, is set to star. Jericho most recently appeared in the Terrifier threequel which released earlier this month.

Dark Match, which was written and directed by Lowell Dean, follows a small wrestling company which accepts a well-paying gig in a rather sketchy town — the backwoods. Per the synopsis, they do this “only to learn, too late, that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.”

The film follows on the heels of several major pop culture wrestling-adjacent projects, like STARZ’s Heels starring Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig, A24’s Iron Claw biopic which tells the story of iconic wrestling royalty the Von Erichs, and Netflix’s recent Vince McMahon documentary.

Alongside Jericho, the project stars Ayisha Issa (Transplant), Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead, Westworld), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Michael Eklund (The Call) and Jonathan Cherry (Goon).

The poster pictured below features a variation of what appears to be a pink Cross of Lorraine. Above Issa, who is sporting a wicked bloody lip and bruised eye while holding chains, is a masked gunman. The rest of the crew look ready for battle, surrounded by what looks to be blood splatters.

The film is produced by John K. MacDonald, Don Depoe, Michael Feehan, Rhonda Baker and Michael Peterson. Executive producers include Eleanor Wiebe and Jericho. Additionally, cinematography was done by Karim Hussain, CSC.

Wrestling has been dipping its toes into the horror realm for decades, featuring characters like The Undertaker, manager Paul Bearer, Kane, Mankind and vampy stable The Brood among many others. They all found great success in a landscape that was transitioning away from the ways of the colorful babyfaces that ruled the 1980s. It paved the way for modern characters like AEW’s Abadon and Danhausen to pick up a ton of steam with fans because of their uniqueness.

Jericho isn’t the only full-time wrestling figure following in the footsteps of The Rock, John Cena and Dave Bautista. Drew McIntyre starred in The Killer’s Game alongside “The Animal.” CM Punk has two projects lined up that will likely keep him out of commission in WWE for some time and AEW’s MJF is taking the acting world by storm starring alongside Adam Sandler in the Happy Gilmore sequel.

Dark Match heads to Shudder on January 31st, 2025. In the meantime, get your spooky fix by checking out our list of the best horror movies that are currently available on Shudder!

The post Shudder Releasing Wrestling Themed Horror Film Starring Chris Jericho appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Upon its inception, All Elite Wrestling was the end of a one-way street when it came to talent migration. Within its first two years of existence, AEW brought in former WWE titleholders like Jon Moxley, FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler), Christian Cage, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, and Adam Cole while simultaneously retaining the bulk of its roster. That changed in April 2022, when co-founder Cody Rhodes jumped ship to WWE after his AEW contract expired. Rhodes was followed by Brian Pillman Jr. (WWE NXT’s Lexis King), Shawn Spears, Jade Cargill, and Ethan Page in the years that followed.

Another aspect of talent migration that has shifted has been bidding wars. Gone are the days of WWE being the only show in town where talent can make the best living, as AEW has been able to out-bit the sports-entertainment giant when it came to talent like Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, and Mercedes Moné. That’s not to say that AEW is undefeated in bidding battles, as the young company failed to acquire recent free agents like Stephanie Vaquer and Motor City Machine Guns.

Report: AEW Introducing New WWE Block Clause

AEW is working to put an extra lock on the Forbidden Door.

As reported by Fightful Select, AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling sources are of the belief that when non-contracted talent work future co-promoted shows they would have to reach an agreement “to not immediately go to WWE.” This has yet to be confirmed within the company.

This report ultimately stems from the situation that unfolded with Stephanie Vaquer earlier this summer. Back in June, Vaquer faced Mercedes Moné at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door in a match for all the gold. Vaquer put her NJPW STRONG Women’s Title on the line while Moné defended her AEW TBS Championship. Moné emerged victorious and has reigned as a dual-champion ever since.

Vaquer, who was only under contract to CMLL at the time, impressed enough in that bout to get offered an AEW contract. At the same time, Vaquer was fielding offers from WWE. She ultimately decided to take her talents to WWE, signing with the sports-entertainment giant just 10 days after her AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door match. Vaquer had to get out of her CMLL contract in order to put pen to paper with WWE, and had to vacate both the CMLL World Women’s Title and CMLL World Women’s Tag Team Championship as a result.

Prior to Vaquer, AEW had similar situations happen with Ben Carter (WWE NXT‘s Nathan Frazier) and Dragon Lee. The English star worked a couple of matches for AEW in Fall 2020, including an AEW Dynamite match against Scorpio Sky, but work visa issues prevented him from getting paid. That December, Carter signed with WWE. Today, he reigns as one-half of the NXT Tag Team Champions. Lee wrestled one match for AEW, teaming with brother RUSH and Andrade El Idolo in a losing effort to Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks in Summer 2022. After the bell, RUSH and Andrade attacked Lee, removing his mask, seemingly setting up an AEW feud that ultimately never came to fruition. Like Carter, Lee also signed with WWE that December.

Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on this AEW contract clause.

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Throughout the month of October WWE Superstar Zelina Vega is teaming with ComicBook for a special series, sharing first looks at her cosplays as the Halloween season draws closer. There are less than two weeks to go until the spooktacular day and over the course of the past few weeks, she’s shared jaw-dropping cosplays from Sailor Moon, Naruto, My Hero Academia, and Tokyo Ghoul.

This week, Zelina brings us on a journey to Sendai City with her Gojo cosplay from Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen. In her look which you can see in full below, she focuses on his shades, a key part of his character that acts as his armor. Not only that, she’s rocking his all-black suit which really makes the contrasting white eyelashes and eyebrows pop.

“As Megan Thee Stallion said, ‘Can’t touch me, like Gojo!’ Your cosplay queen is back at it again with Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen. Like many others, I fell for Gojo pretty quickly. Similarly to Kakashi, I love the hint of mystery with these characters, whether that’s in their backstories or literally hiding a part of their face,” Zelina tells ComicBook. “Gojo is both funny AND bad ass, YOWAI MO! Plus, anybody who literally cannot be touched will always be dope to infinity. I couldn’t do Halloween without having my cat (Totty) and I both doing a Gojo cosplay. Two different versions to really cover our bases!”

Totty, one of Zelina’s sweet fur babies, sports Gojo’s blindfolded look which is one of his most recognizable. Why does he wear the blindfold you might ask? Gojo has the Six Eyes ability — a rare technique that allows him to track cursed energy and manipulate it. If he keeps his eyes unprotected and uncovered for long, he will weaken quickly. But don’t worry, it doesn’t mess with his sight much — he’s able to see directly through the dark piece of fabric. Not only that, given his prestigious bloodline, he inherited Limitless as well. In other words, he’s super freaking powerful.

Who is Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen?

Gojo is a vital character in the Jujutsu Kaisen Manga. A teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu High, he is one of the most powerful beings in the series’ universe and has been since he was born. His unique abilities outlined above put a target on his back and bounty hunters have tried — unsuccessfully — to claim the $100 million bounty.

As he’s grown older, the Gojo Clan member has a very complex personality. To his students he’s rather mischievous, cracking jokes and always lending a helping hand. However when faced with the old leaders, he turns quite cold and bitter. Jujutsu Kaisen fans love peeling back his many layers like an onion, and this has made him a fan favorite as his character has evolved.

Keep up with all of Zelina’s cosplays past and present (like her Queen of the Damned Akasha look) on her X and Instagram accounts!

The post Zelina Vega’s Cosplay Countdown: See WWE Star’s Limitless Jujutsu Kaisen Look (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Sting received a new lease on his wrestling life in December 2020. The Icon arrived at Daily’s Place during the first AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming, officially making himself a member of the All Elite Wrestling roster. Sting would work a cinematic match three months later but really shocked fans at AEW Double or Nothing 2021 when he stepped inside the squared circle to compete in a standard in-ring tag bout at 62 years old. This was his first traditional wrestling match since he was defeated by Seth Rollins at WWE Night of Champions in September 2015, a bout that culminated with Sting suffering a back injury that ultimately claimed his career at the time.

Speaking to Kayfabe Friends, Sting revealed that then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon personally pushed for him to retire after WWE Night of Champions 2015 as he wanted the former WCW Champion to hang up his boots “under [WWE’s] umbrella.”

“I didn’t really want to retire at that time. It was kind of like a mutual deal that I did with WWE at the time. Vince [McMahon] wanted me to retire under his umbrella, and at the time, I was okay with that,” Sting said. “It was five-plus years that I was retired, but I came back because I got that phone call from Tony Khan and Cody Rhodes. ‘Want to come back and play one more time?’ So I did, and the rest is history.”

Sting’s wrestling return is one of the sport’s most unprecedented comeback stories. He had already had a full-time wrestling career that had spanned 30 years at the time of his first retirement, and when AEW came calling, he was 61 years old. He went on to work 28 matches for All Elite Wrestling, from ages 62 until 64, many of which saw him execute death-defying dives and take significant weapons-based punishment. Sting officially ended his career this past March at AEW Revolution, successfully defending the AEW Tag Team Championships alongside longtime partner Darby Allin against The Young Bucks. Sting has made one televised appearance for AEW since, coming to the aid of Allin at AEW ALL IN: London this past August.

McMahon’s days in the wrestling industry have also ended, but not voluntarily. The final two years of McMahon’s career as a wrestling executive were plagued with controversy, as the longtime WWE Chairman faced sexual misconduct allegations in mid-2022 that pushed him into a temporary retirement. Shortly after he used his shareholding power to reinstate himself to the WWE Board of Directors, McMahon was hit with a sexual abuse and sex trafficking lawsuit from former WWE employee Janel Grant. The severity of Grant’s lawsuit paired with the fact that WWE was now under new ownership in the form of Endeavor, the parent company of UFC, led to McMahon resigning from his corporate positions within the company completely. McMahon has since sold his WWE shares, effectively severing all ties with his family business. He remains under federal investigation as Grant’s legal team pushes to bring the lawsuit to court.

The post Vince McMahon Pushed AEW Star Into Retiring While in WWE appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WWE’s Tony D’Angelo succeeded where so many faltered when he defeated Oba Femi and became the new NXT North American Champion, and it was a huge moment for D’Angelo, for The Family, and for the NXT crowd cheering on The Don. When you then add the fact that all of it took place during the launch of NXT on The CW and the number of main roster superstars in the mix on the same night, it becomes something pretty incredible, and that’s not at all lost on D’Angelo. D’Angelo will face Femi in a TLS match (Tables, Ladders, and Scares) at Halloween Havoc in what is sure to be an epic rematch, but ComicBook had the chance to speak to D’Angelo after his first landmark win, where we discussed finally overcoming Femi in the ring, the current state of the locker room in the move to The CW, and the growth and evolution of The Family.

It all starts with D’Angelo’s feud with Femi though, which has been quite challenging for The Don at several points along the way. When your nickname is The Don of NXT, it obviously takes a lot to get under your skin, and yet Femi was able to do what many never could and make D’Angelo doubt himself and even his abilities in the ring. D’Angelo was able to overcome that though, and it just shows that even The Don is pretty human at the end of the day.

“Well, you know, everybody’s human, The Don’s a human. I got emotions just like everybody else, and just so happened that Oba was, you know, this big Nigerian guy that…he just smacked me around a little bit. Like I’d never been smacked around before. I had to mentally go somewhere to get prepared, and I had all the training. I had the family, they had my back, and you know it was a mental barrier that I had to jump over, and alongside the family, they got me right. I got my mind right, and we took home the gold, which is always the goal. So it was a good, it was a good time,” D’Angelo said.

A New Era, A Great Start

D’Angelo and Femi were front and center during NXT’s premiere on The CW thanks to their back and forth on Miz TV, and then the very next week they delivered an epic battle in the ring during a stop in St. Louis. D’Angelo’s win is a big moment even without all of those elements, but throwing all those in adds a lot. When asked if the move to The CW has changed the vibe at all, D’Angelo said morale continues to be high.

“I think the overall morale is high, not that it wasn’t before, but, you know, new network, new opportunities, and it’s just more eyes, you know, larger audience,” D’Angelo said. “So people’s names are going to get out there quicker and we’re also traveling more, it seems like. So I’m all for it. You know, the locker room is all for it. They love traveling.”

“You know, we love the PC. We love the fans at the PC, but it’s nice for a change every once in a while. So I think for this to happen on CW, the second week of CW and then the first week going back to my hometown and being on Miz TV and everything, it was, it was a great two weeks and I’m ready to keep the train going,” D’Angelo said.

Holding Their Own

Part of the fun has also been the big names from Raw and SmackDown who have been in the mix over the past few weeks, including CM Punk, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Randy Orton, The Miz, and more. D’Angelo couldn’t be more thrilled to have them in NXT and helping out, and he’s glad they want to be there. That said, he’s also happy that the NXT Superstars are there to show what they can do and hold their own.

“I mean, who’s going to say no to Randy Orton, CM Punk, Miz, you know, all these, these guys wanting to come down and help? I’ll never say no, but I think it’s great that everybody wants to help out and, you know, we’re still new to the game, so of course, any help that we can get we appreciate. But you know, we’re also here to show what we can do. I think the NXT locker room is very special,” D’Angelo said. “I think that everybody is ready to show the entire wrestling community, the entire world, why we got this new network deal and why we’re not so much developmental, in my opinion. But, you know, we’re just here to ball out and I think collectively we’re going to do that. We’re going to take care of business, as The Don would say.”

WWE NXT Halloween Havoc

• WWE NXT Championship – Devil’s Playground Match: Trick Williams (C) vs Ethan Page
• WWE NXT North American Championship – Tables, Ladders, and Scares Match: Tony D’Angelo (C) vs Oba Femi
• NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade vs Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer

NXT Halloween Havoc streams live on Peacock on Sunday, October 27th at 7 PM ET.

Are you excited for the rematch at Halloween Havoc? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Tony D’Angelo On Epic Title Win, NXT Morale in CW Era, and More appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Motor City Machine Guns made their anticipated debut during tonight’s WWE SmackDown, and the only thing that could make that debut better is getting a win at the same time. That would be a tall order, as earlier in the night it was revealed that MCMG would be facing A-Town Down and Los Garza in a Triple Threat match. There were added stakes as well, as a second Tripel Threat was also in the mix, and the winners would face each other for a shot at the Tag Team Championships. Every team had their moments, but MCMG showcased their talents throughout and survived a big wave from A-Town Down to get the win, setting them up for a match against DIY and moving them one huge step closer to becoming WWE Tag Team Championships. To do that, however, they’ll need to take down The Bloodline, and that’s a confrontation everyone wants to see. At this rate, it seems we are getting that sooner rather than later.

Off To A Great Start

Garza and Waller teamed up to attack Sabin to start off the match, with the superstars looking to take the newest WWE additions down a peg. Sabin got up top and hit a crossbody to knock both down and then hit the slick slam on Garza. They then hit sliding kicks and then threw the other two opponents out of the ring before Sabin went between Shelley’s legs with a big dive.

Waller dropped Shelley but MCMG quickly recovered, with Shelley taking control of the match-up against Waller in the ring. Shelley brought down Waller’s elbow painfully but then got rocked with a punch to the face. He got knocked to the mat again when Waller and Theory both punched him, but Garza broke up a pin attempt and then tagged in Carrillo.

Carrillo was in command of the match for a while, with Shelley unable to get to Sabin. Theory and Waller would come racing in to keep Shelley from tagging his partner in, but Shelley was able to stay afloat, even after Carrillo hit double stomps from the top rope and went to pin Waller. Theory broke it up and went to war with Carrillo, and a vicious knee to the back of Carrillo shifted the match his way.

That all changed when Shelley finally got the tag to Sabin, who teamed up and knocked out Theory and then set up Carrillo for the big splash into the neckbreaker, and that was it for Los Garza and A-Town Down. MCMG gets the win in their WWE debut, and they will face DIY in a match next week to decide who will get the shot at the WWE Tag Team Championships.

A Bloodline Battle

Now, that’s where things become interesting. First off, MCMG vs DIY has the potential to bring down the house as a match, but add in the stakes of a Title shot and you have a recipe for a thrilling battle. Secondly, this sets MCMG up for a confrontation with The Bloodline, as Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa are the current WWE Tag Team Champions. It will be interesting to see how MCMG fits into the current Bloodline saga, as right now everything is locked in with Roman Reigns at the moment.

Do Roman and Jimmy find a way to help MCMG get the gold off of The Bloodline? Does MCMG end up developing a feud with Tama and Tonga that in a way helps Reigns and Jimmy? We’ll have to wait and see, but MCMG finds themselves right in the spotlight of SmackDown, and that’s a stellar place to be right at the start of their WWE careers.

What did you think of the Motor City Machine Guns’ WWE debut on SmackDown? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Motor City Machine Guns Take Big Step Towards The Bloodline in SmackDown Debut appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It was all about The Bloodline saga during tonight’s WWE SmackDown, starting with a confrontation between Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Jey Uso. That all took place before Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso were even in the building, and once they arrived, things got even more intriguing, as we finally got to see Roman and Jey reunite and come face to face. It didn’t go like anyone expected though, as Reigns stunned everyone when he told Jey “I’m proud of you”, though it wasn’t enough to draw Jey to his side, who said “No Yeet” and walked away. You can watch the clip right here.

That said, there were cracks in the stoic reaction we saw from Jey during his meeting with Jimmy Uso on this week’s Monday Night Raw. When that happened, Jey was surprised to see Jimmy, and he didn’t even stay to say anything, walking out of the room and leaving Jimmy backstage. Jimmy would find Jey later in the episode and the reaction was mostly the same, but things have chilled a bit from tonight’s encounter.

Main Event and OTC

After Roman and Jey arrive and start to walk into the arena, Jey is walking out and they cross paths. His initial reaction is a smile when he sees Jimmy, and Jimmy is all smiles at seeing Jey back on SmackDown. Then Jey looks at Roman and the expression turns sour, and after a moment he starts to walk away.

Reigns grabs his arm though and Jey walks back a bit, and that’s when Reigns surprises everyone by telling Jey, “I’m proud of you. We all are.” Jimmy is surprised and looks at Jey, and Jey at first seems to be a bit stunned. He looks away and seems confused for just a moment before shaking his head and telling Reigns, “Man, no Yeet.” After he leaves, Reigns says, “I told you. C’mon.”

Later in the episode, Reigns and Jimmy are backstage and joking around a bit, and then Jimmy brings up Jey, saying that Reigns should talk to him again. Reigns says they tried it that way and it didn’t work, adding, “It’s time to do it my way. I’m going to fix this, tonight.” Jimmy says, “How the hell are you going to do that?” Reigns delivers another shocking reply, saying “I’m gonna acknowledge Solo.”

Whether that happens remains to be seen, but Sikoa did tell Jey that there was a spot for him and Roman if they would just acknowledge their Tribal Chief. Jey wasn’t doing it, and neither was Roman, but perhaps he’s changed his mind. This could be part of a bigger plan though to lure Sikoa and his team in so they can take the Ula Fala, though that could go wrong quite easily. Perhaps we’ll see Jey make another appearance before SmackDown is done, but either way, we shouldn’t have to wait too much longer to find out.

What do you want to see for Roman, Jey, and The Bloodline from here? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Roman Reigns and Jey Uso’s Reunion on SmackDown Isn’t What Anyone Expected appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Solo Sikoa brought The Bloodline to the ring and decided to celebrate their big win from last week, which had them attacking Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso to close out SmackDown. Sikoa was happy to take some more jabs at Reigns and Jimmy, but his celebration was cut short by the Intercontinental Champion Jey Uso, who hit the ring to confront his little brother. Sikoa took issue with that name, but still said Jey and Roman were welcome in The Bloodline as long as they acknowledged him. That’s when Jey told Jacob Fatu that he would kick his ass if he kept staring at him like that, and Sikoa had to hold Fatu back from an immediate throwdown. Jey closed things out by saying the next time they met, it would be a different story.

Main Event Jey

During their opening promo, Sikoa then took more shots at them and said Reigns would need to come to the ring to acknowledge him, and then brought up that Jey shot Jimmy down and didn’t want anything to do them either. That’s when the crowd erupted, as Jey’s music hit and the Intercontinental Champion came through the crowd to the ring. Sikoa gave him the go-ahead to finish his entrance with the crowd, but Jey had something to say.

“What’s up little brother? It’s been a minute. I promise, I’m not out here to fight you. Cause at the end of the day, I still care about you. You still my little brother. Look, Jimmy and Roman ain’t here yet, so I came out here to talk to you, one on one, Uce to Uce. Think about what you doing. Think about what you doing to the family. Think about what you doing to The Bloodline,” Uso said.

“Don’t nobody got bigger issues with Roman than I do, but dividing the family like this ain’t it. I left. I left the family I left to be my own man. I left to Raw. I became the Intercontinental Champion little brother,” Uso said. “But look tho. Fighting over the Ula Fala though is not it. That right there is earned, not taken. You know better. But if you want to end Roman’s power, then do it. Just don’t divide the family while you do it.”

“Are you done wasting my time? You come out here, yeet yeet. Who said anything about diving the family? I’m trying to unite the family,” Sikoa said. “And stop calling me your little brother. I’m your Tribal Chief now, and I’ll always have a place for you and Roman in my Bloodline, but all you have to do is acknowledge me. You see, I don’t want you to follow Jimmy’s footsteps because look where it got him. So are you in, or are you out?”

“Look, if what you’re saying is true, and you trying to unite our bloodline, then why did you have to go and get them? Why did you have to get them? Tama, Tonga. Why you have to go get Jacob? There’s a reason we stayed away from them,” Uso said before looking at Fatu and saying, “And if you keep staring at me like that, I’m going to knock your ass out! Forget that, I’m not here for that. Next time I see you Uce, it’s going to be different. Yeet.”

We’ll have to wait and see what happens next, but for right now, Jey is still not joining up with any Bloodline reunion. What did you think of Jey’s return to SmackDown? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @Mattaguilarcb!

The post WWE’s Jey Uso Storms SmackDown to Confront Jacob Fatu and The Bloodline appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The past few weeks WWE has been teasing a major debut for SmackDown, which eagle-eyed viewers deducted were vignettes for the recently signed Motor City Machine Guns. There were a few questions regarding how they would debut, who they would be feuding with first, and if they would actually have their full name or if they would just be MCMG instead, but fans don’t have to wait until SmackDown to find out the answers to any of that. That’s because WWE went ahead and spoiled the debut ahead of time in a video released on social media and YouTube, which shows Nick Aldis welcoming MCMG to SmackDown and using their full name in the process.

As you can see in the video below, Aldis welcomes Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley to the blue brand and then goes about revealing their first match will happen tonight as well. Aldis reveals that they will actually be in a Triple Threat match against A-Town Down and Los Garza, and if they can win that match, they will be only one more step away from a shot at the Tag Team Championships.

Welcome to SmackDown

“I know you were originally slated to face Los Garza tonight in your SmackDown debut, but I’ve had one of my trademark changes of heart, and instead, it’s going to be a Triple Threat match,” Aldis said. “Because let me explain my thoughts here. You’re here to freshen up the Tag Team Division, and you’re here to show everybody you’re the very best tag team in the industry. So I thought, well, let’s jump in with both feet.

“So tonight you’re in a Triple Threat Tag Team match with Los Garza and A-Town Down Under. There’s also another Triple Threat match happening tonight. It’s DIY versus the Street Profits versus Pretty Deadly. The winner of those two matches will face off next week at SmackDown in Brooklyn, and the winner of that match, well, they get a shot at the Tag Team Titles. So, welcome. You’re potentially two wins away from a shot at the WWE Tag Team Championships, so the only thing I have to say is I already know what you can do. It’s time to show them,” Aldis said.

Sabin said “Nick, thank you for the opportunity. Look forward to proving you right.” Shelley then said, Honor and a privilege. You know. We’ll make sure the rest of the blue brand knows too.”

A Stacked SmackDown

In addition to the big SmackDown debut of the Motor City Machine Guns, the card is pretty stacked. There’s the second Triple Threat Tag Team match Aldis mentioned involving DIY, The Street Profits, and Pretty Deadly, as well as a segment involving Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Rhodes is set to address his upcoming match against Gunther at Crown Jewel, and you just never know when Gunther might show up for a face-to-face.

That said, Rhodes being there does mean that there’s a chance we could see Kevin Owens involve himself in some way. Owens delivered an ultimatum to WWE and gave them till today’s SmackDown to show the video he sent them, and as of yet, WWE hasn’t released that video on social media or their official channels. There’s a chance it plays during SmackDown, but with the way this story is going, odds are Owens will end up releasing the video on social media instead.

Complicating this further is the fact that Roman Reigns will be at SmackDown as well, who is part of the reason Owens is feuding with Rhodes in the first place. Reigns has his own problems though, as he will come face to face with the person making his life hell in Solo Sikoa. Sikoa’s Bloodline delivered a beatdown to Reigns and Jimmy Uso last week, which led Jimmy to go and meet with Jey Uso on Raw, but Jey shot down any hopes of reconciliation pretty quickly.

Are you excited to see Motor City Machine Guns make their big WWE debut? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post Watch: WWE Spoils Motor City Machine Guns Debut Before SmackDown appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Lio Rush is All Elite once again. This past weekend at AEW WrestleDream, the Man of the Hour revealed that he has signed a new contract with AEW, bringing him back to the company on a full-time basis for the first time since February 2022. Rush had been in and around AEW storylines since AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door this past June, pursuing the AEW TNT Championship while also reuniting with former tag partner Dante Martin and the rest of Top Flight. Most recently, Rush has been entangled in a feud with MVP and Shelton Benjamin as those two begin to build a new Hurt Business in AEW.

While Rush’s last AEW deal was a short stint, lasting around six months, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion confirmed to ComicBook that his new AEW contract is for three years.

“I am in AEW for the long haul. I can confirm that I’ll be in AEW for at least the next three years,” Rush said. “I’m really excited about that. I’m excited to be able to see a future long term. It makes me really excited for what’s to come, and I’m happy. I’m really happy about it.”

Prior to linking back up with AEW, Rush had been a bit of a journeyman, wrestling on the independent circuit while also contributing to companies like TNA, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and CMLL. He will still lace up his boots for the odd exterior match, but Rush emphasized that his priorities going forward are in AEW.

“I’m all elite, man. I’m here for the long haul. I’m here to commit to AEW. I want to be an AEW wrestler. I want to be seen as somebody who is a face for AEW,” Rush continued. “I do have some interest in some independent promotions. Not too many. I know I have some stuff coming up with RevPro UK, which is a partner with AEW. They do a lot of work together alongside New Japan Pro Wrestling and CMLL. I’m just keeping it all within the family for the most part.”

Part of what excites Rush about his return to AEW is his repaired relationship with AEW President Tony Khan. Back in 2022, Khan made comments on social media about former AEW wrestler Big Swole’s exit from the company, noting he did not renew her contract because he felt “her wrestling wasn’t good enough” after Swole had claimed that her exit was related to a lack of diversity in AEW. Rush did not take kindly to this exchange, calling the situation “f–ked up” and demanding that Khan “apologize.”

This time around, Rush and Khan are on good terms.

“I’m really proud of where me and Tony’s relationship is right now,” Rush said. “It’s really cool too because some things had to be mended in order to get to where we are now. I feel like every time we see each other, especially every time Tony sees me, he runs over to me, gives me a hug, says that it’s great to see me, says that it’s great to have me back. He always says we did it. I think that’s really cool, especially coming from him. We did do it. I feel like nobody saw me being back in AEW. I definitely didn’t. I’m not sure if Tony did or if he didn’t, but I do think where we are now is so much more ahead than where we were before.

“I feel like my [previous] time with AEW, it just wasn’t the right fit. I think a lot of things were going on with me personally, professionally. A lot of things were going on with AEW, being a new company, trying to figure out what the direction was going to be, who the faces and where the talent lies within the company. Things were just getting figured out. I think I was just in a not the right place for where the company was in that time, especially during the pandemic. I just had my son, who’s three years old now. I just had a lot of different struggles and was coming into an already new company that had some struggles of their own. I think it just didn’t gel well. It was mutual.”

Rush doesn’t look back at his first run in AEW with any regret, as he believes it was crucial to getting the two on the same side in the present.

“I’m glad that we did decide to separate because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Who knows where the landscape of AEW would be today? I’m not saying that I played a huge role in where AEW was today, but obviously, every action has a reaction,” Rush said. “Everything that is decided upon, new things have to be put in place to figure out what the problem was and how it can be prevented from that happening again. It all plays a part. Nonetheless, I’m glad that we’re in the position that we’re in today. I’m glad that Tony feels that he is comfortable enough with me to put a big smile on his face to sign me back to the company. It’s a huge accomplishment. It’s a huge milestone. I think that was in good faith of being excited for what’s to come in the future.”

Rush competes on AEW Dynamite (TBS) and AEW Collision (TNT) every Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.

The post Lio Rush Reveals AEW Contract Length, Relationship With Tony Khan (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

WWE has been teasing the debut of the Motor City Machine Guns for several weeks across all their programming. Vignettes of cars, Detroit scenery and some recognizable spray paint have flashed across the screen, getting fans excited for the arrival of the legendary tag team. On SmackDown this Friday night they are finally slated to appear. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis teased their debut on last week’s episode, explaining to Los Garza’s Angel and Berto that he handpicked a “special team” to face them.

If you’re unfamiliar with the widely respected tag team and what they have to offer, look no further because we’re breaking down all the details before their debut!

Who Are Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin?

The duo have been a dominating tag team across the independent wrestling scene for decades. In fact, much of the style that is currently practiced in tag team divisions across all major promotions was influenced by the Motor City Machine Guns in some way. WWE’s D.I.Y., and AEW’s Young Bucks are two examples that have greatly benefitted from MCMG breaking down doors with their ingenuity.

Formed in the early 2000s, they’d eventually go on to sign with TNA in 2007 and elevate their tag team division to new heights. Winning their first set of TNA Tag Titles in 2010, they have held them for a combined 357 days across their three reigns. Their unique look and move set has put them in the conversation for the best tag team of all time and it’s hard to argue that they are certainly inching toward the top of that list the more accolades they earn.

Outside of TNA, they’ve conquered the professional wrestling landscape worldwide. This includes New Japan Pro Wrestling, the long-standing premiere Japanese wrestling promotion, where the became NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Champions just two years ago.

At this stage in their careers it’s hard to imagine what else there is left for them but they keep surprising fans, and they certainly did when they chose to leave TNA where they’d remained faithful for years, to join WWE. Rumors had originally indicated that they could have been on the NXT brand helping elevate the tag teams over there and giving invaluable advice. Still, there’s plenty of opportunity on the blue brand for them.

The natural first big PLE style match could be against D.I.Y., but they can also run back their TNA feud with the Good Brothers, mix it up with The Street Profits or even the current reigning champions, A-Town Down Under. Really there’s no shortage of feuds for them, and getting the titles on them sooner than later so they can continue to add depth and intrigue to a pretty stale division seems like the way to go.

Not only that, they are extremely well decorated singles competitors as well, so don’t be shocked to see Shelley holding some singles gold in the future. He is a former TNA X-Division and World Champion. Sabin collected his 10th X-Division title in September of last year, holding it through early 2024. He was also the TNA World Champion during the 2010s.

Don’t miss the debut of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin on SmackDown tomorrow night, October 18th, at 8 p.m. EST on USA Network.

The post WWE: Everything You Need to Know About the Motor City Machine Guns appeared first on ComicBook.com.

CM Punk continues to add to his Hollywood resume. The WWE star who starred in indie horror projects Rabid, Girl on the Third Floor and Jakob’s Wife is set to board writer/director Ryan Prows’ Night Patrol, according to The Hollywood Reporter. According to the report, Punk (whose real name is Phil Brooks) is set to have a major role in the film. Justin Long, Jermaine Fowler, RJ Cyler and Dermot Mulroney are also on board to star.

Currently slated for a 2025 release, Night Patrol follows the LAPD — more specifically an officer within the force (played by Fowler — who is forced to set his differences with the local street gangs. He uncovers a local police task force is harboring a horrific secret that endangers the residents of the housing projects that he grew up in. Punk is set to play the right-hand man of the sergeant (Mulroney) — also the father of Long’s character.

Punk’s most recent acting projects include several episodes of Mayans M.C. and STARZ’s Heels where he played Ricky Rabies. He will also have a role in an upcoming indie comedy from Dark Sky Films set for release late this month. Punk is a full-time wrestler, having returned to WWE last fall after a tumultuous run in rival promotion AEW. He just wrapped a huge feud with another top star, former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.

He recently spoke to fans live on WWE Raw, admitting that he doesn’t know when he’ll see them again, but he promises to come back soon. In hindsight it appears that has to do with his filming schedule, so he very well may be returning at next year’s Royal Rumble in February. He’ll have no shortage of enemies to circle back to when he returns: Seth Rollins is still waiting in the wings after threatening the veteran wrestler and he called out Gunther following Bash in Berlin.

Fellow professional wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista recently gave high praise to Punk, explaining that he believes Punk has “unlimited potential” as an actor.

“You know who I think I really overlooked as an actor? I don’t know if he hasn’t pursued it as much as he’d like to because he’s still heavily pursuing professional wrestling, but it is CM Punk, Phil Brooks,” Bautista told Buzzfeed Celeb. “His potential in acting is pretty unlimited. I really want to see more from him in acting. I’d actually love to work with him because I think he has a passion for acting, but I think still his heart is in professional wrestling, and until he’s able to let that go a little bit, he’ll never be able to fully envelop himself in acting. But I think Phil Brooks is a great actor.”

The post CM Punk Announced for New Movie Amidst WWE Hiatus appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Fans of DC Comics received an unexpected surprise a few weeks back when there was a small banner on the lower third of the screen during AEW Dynamite, which was advertising DC’s All In Special #1. That’s obviously a big deal, but tonight DC and AEW took that up several notches, with DC superheroes from the main universe and the recently launched Absolute Universe being featured across all of the barricades around the ring (which you can see right here). Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman from both universes were included, and things got even better when a commercial for DC’s All In initiative and Absolute Universe played during the show as well.

The classic DC blue made the barricades around the ring pop, as did the main universe and absolute character designs for Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. Then during the Mercedes Mone vs Queen Aminata match for the TBS Championship, AEW played a commercial for DC’s All In, though the video really leaned into the Absolute Universe as well.

The commercial featured more detailed looks and full motion graphics for Absolute Batman, and then previewed the upcoming Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Superman. A commercial just showing the DC logo and maybe some covers would have been noteworthy, but the fact that AEW shined a light on All In and several of the highly anticipated Absolute titles really gives this showcase some impact.

Witch Wonder Woman

Part of the fun of the Absolute Universe is that creators can take some big risks with DC’s iconic heroes, and that especially goes for Wonder Woman. Absolute Wonder Woman features writer Kelly Thompson and artist Hayden Sherman at the helm, and they are going for it in a huge way, as this new iteration of Wonder Woman has survived the pits of hell, rides a skeletal Pegasus, and can wield magic. Suffice it to say, this isn’t the Wonder Woman you know. In an interview with Thompson and Sherman, Thompson explained how Wonder Woman’s magic works and how they approached bringing this element into the fold.

”I think I always try to approach magic as magic has a price. I think this Wonder Woman is a little bit more Batman because of the magic. Like, a lot of magic that she’s doing is stuff she’s got in that pouch that’s pre-prepared. Like, I can use this to do that or the other, so it’s a little bit more she’s got some Batman tricks because of her different bag of tricks she’s playing with, quite literally. We gave her a magical pouch that has infinite space or connects to a portal or, you know, like a pocket dimension that she can reach into or whatever we want to call it,” Thompson said.

Thompson also eased any fears that Wonder Woman’s ability to wield magic will make her overpowered. “I will say that while the magic of Wonder Woman, I haven’t really seen people saying this, so I probably shouldn’t bring it up and raise this issue, but I was worried people would think she was just going to be so dramatically overpowered, but I would say there are limitations to the magic,” Thompson said. “She pays prices for that sometimes. It’s nothing unlimited. She’s also not a master magician. Like, she’s a witch, and she can do a lot of this stuff. She was raised in it, but she’s not, that’s not her primary skill set. Her primary skill set is still more Wonder Woman-based.”

DC did just give AEW stars like Swerve Strickland, Darby Allin, and Britt Baker their own mini-comics, so perhaps we’ll get some Absolute versions at some point down the line. We’ll just have to wait and see, but you can talk all things wrestling and comics with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

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Lio Rush is in the crosshairs of The Hurt Business. This past weekend at AEW WrestleDream, Rush announced that he had signed a new contract with All Elite Wrestling, making himself an official member of the roster again for the first time since early 2022. Seconds later, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion was interrupted by MVP and Shelton Benjamin, the former of which asked about his availability for the following Wednesday. That question was posed in an effort to book Rush to face Benjamin in Benjamin’s AEW debut.

“We’ve never shared a ring together,” Rush told ComicBook ahead of his AEW Dynamite match against Benjamin. “We have been in the same locker room. We have seen each other in passing.”

While Rush and Benjamin are strangers inside the squared circle, Rush is very much familiar with the Gold Standard’s body of work.

“Shelton to me is an absolute legend, hands down. I remember watching him on television when I was younger, a lot younger. I hope he feels old with me saying that,” Rush continued. “Swerve [Strickland] said it best: without Shelton, a lot of us wouldn’t be here. He was so innovative, so creative, so athletically gifted in his own right. I look at myself as someone who can pave the way for someone who looks like me, moves like me, has the same mentality as me. I want to accomplish everything that he did and more.”

While MVP neglected to hand Rush one of his business cards, speculation has run wild that the Man of the Hour could be recruited into his AEW-based Hurt Business revival.

“I don’t know, man. I don’t really know MVP,” Rush said. “I know we’ve got some mutuals, but I don’t know him. I’m a little wary. He’s got a good business mindset, but his business might be a little different than how I conduct business. There might be a little clash there.”

The biggest mutual that they share, both literally and figuratively, is Bobby Lashley. The All-Mighty was managed by Rush in WWE from late 2018 until mid-2019 before he linked up with MVP in 2020, reforming a union that they previously had in TNA in the mid-2010s. Lashley reportedly signed with AEW a couple of weeks ago and is expected to make his debut imminently.

“I never thought that I’d see Bobby again. If that does happen, I have no idea what I would do,” Rush said. “I have no idea what I would say. Don’t know if I’d hug him or punch him in the face. But it’s cool, it’s really cool, just the path that I’m going on is cool. I hope that if he does come, I hope he gives me a call. He still has my number. I know I still have his. I just like a little heads up. I know that Shelton and MVP aren’t going to tell me.

“Nonetheless, I’m glad that we’re all on screen together. I’m glad that the fans are excited to see it,” Rush added. “This is something that I never thought that would happen. I never thought that I’d have to cross paths with MVP and Shelton Benjamin. Things are going to get interesting for sure. MVP’s already starting to push my buttons.”

Rush takes on Benjamin on AEW Dynamite tonight at 8 PM ET on TBS.

The post Lio Rush Teases Bobby Lashley’s AEW Arrival, Speaks on Hurt Business Possibilities (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Brock Lesnar has been absent from WWE programming for over 14 months. The Beast Incarnate was last seen at WWE SummerSlam 2023 where he concluded his trilogy against Cody Rhodes, losing the rubber match to the American Nightmare and endorsing him in front of the Detroit crowd after the bell. Lesnar was initially scheduled to make his return to WWE TV at WWE Royal Rumble this past January and set up a WWE WrestleMania 40 program against then-WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther, but his link to a sex trafficking lawsuit filed against Vince McMahon days before the premium live event resulted in him getting pulled from storylines entirely.

Brock Lesnar, WWE “Talking” About Return

The Beast Incarnate could be back in the WWE fold soon.

Speaking on Backstage Pass Q&A, wrestling reporter Bill Apter noted that he has heard from his WWE sources that Brock Lesnar and WWE are “talking” about a return. Reputable insider account @WrestleVotes corroborated this report shortly after.

It’s worth noting that Lesnar was referenced several times on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw. Seth Rollins reminded Raw general manager Adam Pearce that he has “slayed beasts” before, alluding to his past feuds with Lesnar. WWE Champion Cody Rhodes also hinted at his Summer 2023 history with Lesnar, noting during his promo that he had “already slain a frightening beast.”

While Lesnar’s name was not spoken verbatim, this is a significant shift from how he has been perceived throughout 2024. Lesnar had been erased from all WWE video packages in an effort from WWE to seemingly distance itself from him.

That distance had only been on WWE television, as Lesnar has been brought up a couple of times at WWE press conferences.

“At one point, there was a conversation with Brock about Royal Rumble, quite a long time ago,” WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said this past April. “Right now, Brock is at home being Brock. We’ll see where that leads to from here. His status is the same as it has been before. Brock is not gone from WWE. He’s just home being Brock.”

This past July, Triple H was asked again about Lesnar, to which he noted that the company is “open” to working with him again.

You’d have to ask Brock Lesnar that. Brock kind of does his own thing. He’s up in Canada, I’m sure, watching his kids play hockey and enjoying life. If and when he decides he would like to do something, we’d be open to the conversation. We’ll see.”

This whole situation stems from Lesnar’s linkage to the sex trafficking lawsuit filed against Vince McMahon this past January. Former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a suit that accuses McMahon of sexually abusing and sexually assaulting her as well as sex trafficking her to other WWE employees. One of those other WWE employees was anonymously named as a “former WWE/UFC Heavyweight Champion.” The Wall Street Journal later identified Lesnar as that former champion, and Lesnar was specifically named as such in Netflix’s Mr. McMahon docuseries. McMahon allegedly instructed Grant to “create personalized sexually explicit content” for Lesnar as he was attempting to re-sign him to a new contract.

“Janel deserves the opportunity to tell her full story, not be a part of someone else’s,” a recent statement from Grant’s legal team states. “She will get her day in court, and McMahon will be held accountable. As we said, in fact, she would like to expedite all proceedings as quickly as possible. And Janel has the right to tell her story in her own way at the right time.”

WWE’s legal team has not yet cleared Lesnar for a return. He reportedly cannot come back to programming until that happens.

The post Brock Lesnar and WWE “Talking” About Return Amidst Vince McMahon Controversy appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Country music superstar Jelly Roll stepped into the squared circle this past August. Following a one-off appearance on an episode of WWE Monday Night Raw in November 2023, Jelly Roll was brought back to WWE as an official guest performer at WWE SummerSlam. The three-time CMT Music Awards winner performed “Liar”, the second single from his tenth studio album Beautifully Broken to kick off the premium live event before returning to his ringside seat. Later in the show, former WWE World Tag Team Champions Austin Theory and Grayson Waller interrupted the program to gloat about themselves, leading Jelly Roll to return to the ring with a steel chair to take out the duo. Jelly Roll didn’t stop there, as he nailed Austin Theory with a ferocious chokeslam to officially send him packing.

Jelly Roll Wants to Wrestle

One chokeslam wasn’t enough for Jelly Roll.

Speaking to WWE superstar Logan Paul on his Impaulsive podcast, Jelly Roll declared that he has “caught the bug” following his WWE SummerSlam appearance and has ambitions to properly train to wrestle.

“I’m telling you, I’m coming. I want to do it big. I caught the bug in a way that I’ve never caught a bug,” Jelly Roll said. “I caught a bug so much I think I’m going to buy a ring. It was awesome.”

Jelly Roll wouldn’t be the first musical artist to make the leap from the recording booth to the squared circle. In recent memory, Spotify’s most streamed artist Bad Bunny tested his luck in WWE, competing at WWE WrestleMania 38, WWE Royal Rumble 2023, and WWE Backlash 2023. Bad Bunny’s first bout was a standard celebrity tag team match, as he joined forces with veteran Damian Priest to defeat The Miz and John Morrison at WWE WrestleMania 38. While he impressed in his limited role in that contest, Bad Bunny’s real showcase came just over one year later when he fought Priest in a Puerto Rican Street Fight at WWE Backlash 2023. That match resulted in one of WWE’s loudest crowds in recent memory, as Bad Bunny’s home-countrymen gave him a hero’s welcome akin to CM Punk in Chicago or “Rowdy” Roddy Piper in Portland.

One of Jelly Roll’s recent collaborators is also a familiar face to WWE audiences, that being Machine Gun Kelly. One decade before he reached massive mainstream success with Tickets to My Downfall, mgk performed one of his earliest hits, “Invincible”, at WWE WrestleMania 28 ahead of John Cena’s entrance for his once in a lifetime contest against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Years later, mgk performed on WWE Monday Night Raw and took a powerbomb from a recently-debuted Kevin Owens off of the entrance stage and through two tables. mgk was also present at WWE SummerSlam as a guest of Logan Paul. He attempted to help Logan retain his WWE United States Championship against LA Knight by slipping him his signature brass knuckles, but a resilient Knight was able to survive the illegal attack and secure the gold.

Jelly Roll’s latest album, Beautifully Broken, was released on October 11th.

The post Jelly Roll Wants to Wrestle Following WWE SummerSlam Appearance appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The main event of tonight’s WWE NXT featured a fierce battle over a shot at Trick Williams’ NXT Championship, and that shot will happen at Halloween Havoc later this month. It would be Ethan Page, Je’Von Evans, and Wes Lee all contending for that spot at Havoc, and the stakes were present throughout the entire match, as all three men left nothing on the table. Evans almost had the win a few times, but it would be Page emerging victorious, and after a spin of the wheel the match was revealed to be a Devil’s Playroom match, adding another stipulation match to Halloween Havoc, and you can find a full preview of the current Havoc card below.

Down to the Last Second

Lee got knocked down immediately by Evans, and then Evans almost pined Page right after. Evans got knocked down for a minute but was back up quickly, knocking around both superstars for a bit before getting rocked by a huge kick from Page that almost got him the win, but Evans managed to kick out in time. Meanwhile, Lee got thrown into the barricade out on the floor, and Page would then get hit by both superstars as Lee got back in the mix.

Lee then went at Evans with big strikes but Evans came right back with some of his own. Page was happy that they were attacking each other, but then got knocked to the floor after they both hit him with superkicks to the head. Lee was back out on the floor and tried to hit a move but then got thrown over Page’s head and slammed into the announce table, but it didn’t break. Then Evans came flying out of nowhere and slammed Page into it, but it still didn’t break.

Evans missed Page and Lee and slammed into the turnbuckle, leaving all three superstars on the mat. Page was able to get to his feet and hit Evans with a powerslam, but Lee broke it up at the very last minute. Lee kept both Page and Evans off balance and then hit a huge DDT on Evans and a Shooting Star Press on Page, but Page managed to kick out of the cover, leading to a moment where all three hit superkicks on each other, knocking everyone down once more.

Page knocked down Lee and then Evans got up top and slammed Page down with a Spanish Fly. Evans then clocked Lee with a kick into a cover, but Lee was able to kick out. Page then kicked Evans and set up for an Ego’s Edge, but Evans countered it and Lee hit a Meteroa on Page. Evans hit a cutter on Lee and went for the pin, but Lee stunned everyone by getting his shoulder up. Evans went up top but Page got to him in time to stop the move, only to get hit by Lee.

Page then grabbed both stars and hit a powerbomb, but Evans landed on his feet. A superkick to Page knocked him out of the ring and then Evans went up top again. This time he got the move but then Page came out of nowhere and rolled Evans into a quick pin, keeping him down long enough to get the 3 count and become the new No. 1 Contender. Page then went to spin the wheel and Williams came out to spin it with him.
They got the Devil’s Playroom match, and then Page hit Williams on the side of the head with a canister of some kind.

The Card So Far

With the main event complete, there were three new matches set for the Halloween Havoc card, with two out of the three carrying special Havoc stipulations courtesy of spinning the wheel. While the Williams vs Page match will be a Devil Playroom match, the battle for the North American Championship will feature an equally violent showdown, just in a different way.

Tony D’Angelo kicked off the show to celebrate his NXT North American Championship win last week, and after he thanked the family, he thanked his opponent Oba Femi. Femi then came out and gave D’Angelo some respect for beating him, though he also said it wouldn’t happen again. That’s when he said they would fight at Halloween Havoc, and after spinning the wheel, it was revealed to be a TLS match (Tables, Ladders, and Scares), and it will assuredly be something special to see Femi and D’Angelo going to war with tables, ladders, and chairs.

There is one other major match confirmed for Havoc, and this one involves four of the brand’s biggest superstars. Stephanie Vaquer had her in-ring NXT debut during the show, and it didn’t take long for Roxanne Perez, Cora Jade, and Giulia to get involved after the match. That led to a challenge from Vaquer for a match against them at Havoc, and it was later confirmed by NXT General Manager Ava Raine. Vaquer and Giulia will team up to take on Perez and Jade at Havoc, but it won’t be a match for the NXT Women’s Championship…at least not yet.

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

The post WWE Reveals NXT Title Number 1 Contender and 2 Thrilling Stipulations for Halloween Havoc appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Kevin Owens has been in the thick of a lot of chaos recently, brawling with Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton over the past few weeks. Owens tried to state his case on last week’s SmackDown, but his microphone was cut off before he could really start to say anything. That led to a brawl that put him on opposite sides with Orton, and then things went to another level later in the night between the two former friends. Now Owens has taken to social media and threatened WWE with an ultimatum, saying that if they don’t release a mysterious video on this week’s SmackDown he will release it himself. You can watch what he had to say right here.

An Unexpected Ultimatum

The video has Owens looking pretty sullen about how things have played out, and he revealed that he gave WWE a video to play during Monday Night Raw, but they didn’t play it. “Um, ever since Bad Blood there’s been a lot of questions about why I did what I did to Cody. There’s been a lot of judgements too, people judging me for what I did. And as much as I’d love to explain myself and give my side of the story and speak my mind, WWE has not allowed me to do that,” Owens said.

“They have done the opposite actually, they’ve tried to shut me up it seems, because they wouldn’t let me come to SmackDown. They told me to stay home last Friday, even though I belong there. And when I showed up anyway they cut my mic, and did everything they could for me not to be able to talk,” Owens said.

“And then over the weekend I sent them a video that I hope they would air on Raw last night, but they didn’t. So nobody could hear what I have to say, but of course, they have plenty of time for Cody, but not for me. And look the last thing I want to do is do this on social media, because I hate, I hate it. So I’m giving them until Friday, this Friday on SmackDown, to air my video so that people can hear what I have to say, and if they don’t, I guess I’ll post it here,” Owens said.

The Story So Far

This whole issue between Owens and, well, everyone at this point, stems from his close friendship with Rhodes. Owens was one of Rhodes’ staunchest allies throughout his time fighting The Bloodline, which is why he took it so personally when Rhodes said yes to teaming up with Roman Reigns to take on Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu. Since then Owens and Rhodes have had issues, but then Owens took it to another gear and attacked Rhodes outside of his tour bus after Bad Blood.

Then Orton got involved, as he was trying to talk Owens down and patch things up between all three friends. Unfortunately, that didn’t go so well, with Owens attacking Orton in the parking lot and speeding off. Now all three superstars have issues, and Owens seems to think this video will help explain things and allow fans to understand why he did what he did. We’ll just have to wait and see if WWE plays the video during SmackDown or if Owens has to release it himself.

What do you think is in the video? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post Watch: Kevin Owens Threatens WWE With Mysterious Video Ultimatum appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After her surprising appearance on WWE TV during last week’s NXT, Stephanie Vaquer was set to have her first NXT match in the ring during tonight’s episode, taking on No Quarter Catch Crew’s Wren Sinclair. Sinclair impressed early, hanging tough with WWE’s big superstar signing, but it didn’t take long for Vaquer to show just why she’s been accompanied by so much hype leading up to her debut. Vaquer was impressive throughout the entire match, stunning the NXT crowd and even those at ringside, and you can watch all of the highlights from the match in the video below.

The crowd was clearly on Vaquer’s side, but Sinclair got the first hit in, only to almost be pinned by Vaquer shortly after. The two traded counters and then Vaquer was able to spin Sinclair around into a submission, only for Sinclair to impress with her own submission skillset. Vaquer was able to knock Sinclair down and go for a pin, but Sinclair got to her feet, though she ran into a big boot from Vaquer that sent her reeling towards the turnbuckle.

Vaquer’s momentum was halted briefly but she got back into the swing of things with a leg drop that led to several slams of Sinclair’s face into the mat. Sinclair’s crew was pretty shaken after that, but Sinclair wasn’t done yet, fighting back and delivering big strikes to Vaquer. Unfortunately, Vaquer turned things around and knocked Sinclair into the corner, setting up the double knee strike that knocked Sinclair into the turnbuckle. Vaquer then picked up Sinclair and hit the vicious finisher, capping off the match with a painful knee to the back of Sinclair and getting the pin and the win.

Headed for Havoc

Vaquer was all smiles after the win, but she didn’t get to celebrate long, as Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade ran out and attacked Vaquer right after, delivering stomps and kicks to NXT’s newest star. That’s when Giulia ran out to make the save, driving both Perez and Jade back and giving Vaquer enough time to regroup and join her for a kick that knocked both Perez and Jade out of the ring and to the floor. Then Vaquer issued a challenge for Halloween Havoc, but it has yet to be made official.

Stephanie Vaquer signed with WWE earlier this year, and while this is her first match in NXT, she actually had her WWE in-ring debut earlier this year in Mexico. WWE held several live events in Mexico and Vaquer had the chance to jump in the ring for a match against Isla Dawn in an event in Mexico City. She impressed in her debut and also delivered a promo before leaving the ring, saying, “Good evening Mexico City, how are you? Today I am here fulfilling a dream and it is an honor for me to be part of the WWE family. But you know, it is the best that my debut is here in my home and with my Mexican people.”

If she does compete at Halloween Havoc, it will be quite the show, especially if she teams up with Giulia against Jade and Perez. We’ve already had round 1 of Perez vs Giulia, which was interrupted by Jade, so while we wait for round 2, there is still a Vaquer vs Perez one-on-one match we need to see.

What did you think of Vaquer’s NXT in-ring debut? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post Watch WWE’s Stephanie Vaquer Deliver Killer NXT In-Ring Debut appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The champion vs. champion spirit of WWE Survivor Series is being resurrected at WWE Crown Jewel. As announced by WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque at WWE Bad Blood, this November’s Saudi Arabia-based premium live event will host the top men’s and women’s champions of WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther and WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, taking on the top men’s and women’s champions of WWE SmackDown, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax, in singles contests. The winners of each match will be crowned the inaugural WWE Crown Jewel Champion, a title that effectively serves as a trophy, as it will not be regularly defended on WWE programming.

While excitement and intrigue are ripe in the build up to WWE Crown Jewel, WWE finds itself in a bit of a booking corner when it comes to deciding how these matches should actually play out.

Why Gunther Should Beat Cody Rhodes

Since returning to WWE in April 2022, Cody Rhodes has only suffered a handful of pinfall defeats. His most recent time being on the receiving end of a 1-2-3 was when Solo Sikoa pinned him at WWE Money in the Bank in a tag bout, a loss that he avenged one month later at WWE SummerSlam.

Knowing how quickly Rhodes is able to bounce back from his rare defeats is all the more reason for Gunther to get this win. The American Nightmare’s whole story is overcoming adversity, and while he’s enjoyed a successful summer, his incoming program against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson becomes all the more intriguing if he’s more vulnerable going into it.

Outside of Rhodes being able to take the loss, Gunther needs the win. His WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign is still very fresh, as he has only defended the gold twice since winning it at WWE SummerSlam over two months ago. Gunther’s reigns are defined by his extensive stretches of being undefeated, as evident by his runs as NXT UK Champion and WWE Intercontinental Champion. While he does not necessarily need to eclipse two years with his current prize, it would be too hard of a 180 if he shows chinks in his armor this early into his time as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Beyond that, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship is still has the lingering consolation prize stink on it. After all, then-Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns labeled it as the “loser’s bracket title” given that it was only introduced because Reigns was too dominant with his unified straps. The WWE Championship and WWE World Heavyweight Title have evened out significantly since they both changed hands at WWE WrestleMania 40 in April, but the fans still see Rhodes’s gold as the ultimate prize in the company. Giving Gunther the win at WWE Crown Jewel narrows that gap significantly and makes both WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE SmackDown feel like even playing fields going into the new year.

Why Nia Jax Should Beat Liv Morgan

Nia Jax is enjoying a career renaissance unlike anyone in professional wrestling today. During her first run with WWE, Jax was a strong presence but never fully executed the relentless dominance that WWE was attempting to communicate.

Since returning to the company last fall, Jax has successfully transformed herself into that “Irresistible Force.” She showcased her main-event-level abilities at WWE Elimination Chamber in February when she headlined that premium live event against then-WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley. In the months that followed, Jax won Queen of the Ring in dominant fashion and parlayed that tournament victory into winning the WWE Women’s Championship at WWE SummerSlam. Jax’s momentum is barreling forward, and WWE would be foolish to show any cracks in her game this early into her reign.

As for WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, her whole game is trickery. She essentially stole her current prize from previous champion Becky Lynch in May thanks to inadvertent help from Dominik Mysterio. Dominik fully intentionally helped Morgan three months later at WWE SummerSlam, giving her the assist to beat main rival Rhea Ripley. Morgan got more assistance at WWE Bad Blood in the form of a returning Raquel Rodriguez.

When WWE Crown Jewel rolls around, Morgan losing to Jax clean would not stall her progress. Her style of heel is one that needs to get her comeuppance every once in a while. And beyond that, if WWE Monday Night Raw‘s Gunther is taking the men’s victory, it’s only fitting that WWE will split the wealth and give the women’s win to WWE SmackDown‘s Nia Jax.

WWE Crown Jewel goes down on Saturday, November 2nd.

The post WWE Crown Jewel: Why Gunther, Nia Jax Need to Beat Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan appeared first on ComicBook.com.

On tonight’s WWE Monday Night Raw, Women’s Tag Team Champions Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair were all about tricks and treats as they rolled up to the red brand in outfits inspired by the iconic horror character, Chucky. While Belair’s outfit was much more understated with a colorful striped t-shirt and denim shorts, Cargill wore a bodysuit that resembles his denim overalls. Due to the nature of copyright, instead of the red “good guys” written across the front, her costume dawns his iconic catchphrase: “wanna play?”

The champions have been a dominating force on both Raw and SmackDown throughout 2024, and they are currently in their second reign with the belts. They appeared on Raw to call out Damage CTRL who were looking to steal back the shiny gold titles.

What’s Next for Chucky Following Series Cancelation

Spooky season didn’t start off too great for the red headed pop culture icon. Last month SyFy and USA Network announced that they’d be canceling the fan-favorite series after three seasons. The show reunited Bride of Chucky co-stars Jennifer Tilly who has long been his sidekick, Tiffany Valentine as well as Brad Dourif, the original voice of Chucky. WWE’s own Liv Morgan, a notable massive fan of the franchise, even made an appearance on the show back in season 2. While she was — spoiler alert — killed by Chucky, she explained in an interview back in May that it was an “honor” to be killed by him.

“I never thought, ever in my life, that I would get to be on the Chucky series and get murdered by Chucky so gruesomely,” Morgan told Insight with Chris Van Vliet. “It was such a pipe dream come true, something that I genuinely did not think could ever conceivably happen. And it was so graphic, I didn’t even think we’d allow it to happen.”

Shortly after its cancelation, Child’s Play creator Don Mancini reassured fans that Chucky would be back. (Because Chucky never REALLY dies!) Fiona Dourif discussed the cancelation, reiterating there was at least hope from the crew that it will continue in the future, given it had pretty solid ratings spread across USA, SyFy and streaming service Peacock.

What do you think of Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair’s Chucky inspired looks? Let me know your thoughts on X and Bluesky @haleyanne_! As always, stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on WWE.

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