We’re less than two weeks away from the 2026 Royal Rumble, and there’s a lot of uncertainty around who might win or even what story WWE is trying to tell. Fans are still reeling from Drew McIntyre’s shocking upset over WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, and there’s widespread disagreement on whether he’ll even go into WrestleMania holding the most important belt in wrestling. Likewise, there are a lot of questions around World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, who seemed destined to drop the title to rising star Bron Breakker, only to unexpectedly hold onto the belt during the first Raw of the year.

I’m not here to guess how all of this should play out. Instead, I’m here to throw out one name that should be a central piece of whatever is going to happen. It’s time for WWE to make a new star. It’s time to aggressively push a new character and propel him into the main event scene immediately. It’s time for WWE to finally crown a men’s world champion born in the 1990s. It’s time for Oba Femi.

For those of you who don’t watch NXT or are casual WWE viewers, Oba Femi has dominated WWE’s developmental scene for the last few years. The 6 foot 6 inch 310 pound Nigerian won the NCAA shot put title twice at Alabama before he signed with WWE and started training at the Performance Center at the end of 2022. In the barely three years since, he’s rapidly emerged as the single most promising prospect in the entire system.

WWE legend turned NXT booker Shawn Michaels has booked him like an absolute monster down in developmental. He’s lost a grand total of one singles match since October of 2024 and rather than lose the NXT Championship, he straight up vacated it and stepped aside a few weeks ago, presumably because WWE didn’t want any fresh video of him losing.

He’s made a few appearances on the main roster over the last year, most notably in a promo battle and subsequent match with Cody Rhodes at the recent Saturday Night’s Main Event that served as John Cena’s last match. It says a lot about how Triple H views him that rather than having him lose to the then WWE Champion, the match ended in a no-contest draw. Now, he’s headed to the main roster, and rather than making him pay his dues, WWE should do the opposite.

There have been a few occasions in WWE’s history in which Vince McMahon pushed a newcomer to the main roster to the top almost immediately, not counting people like Ric Flair who were already megastars before they arrived. Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle are probably the most notable examples, and both are among the most famous and popular performers of all-time. It would be unfair to compare anyone to either of those two, especially Angle who might be the greatest technical wrestler the business has ever seen, but Oba Femi has that same swagger and aura.

There are plenty of other options to win the Rumble this year. Roman Reigns is probably the odds on favorite, and it would be very rewarding to see him finally win one the fans would be happy about. Sami Zayn is desperate to finally win a World Championship, and he is mega over with the crowd in Saudi Arabia. The aforementioned Bron Breakker offers a separate path to crown a young rising star.

Clearly, there are plenty of choices, but the one WWE needs right now is Oba Femi. If the fan euphoria around Drew McIntyre’s win showed us anything, it’s that WWE fans are craving something new and different and unexpected. Watching Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns and John Cena at the top of the card for years was a lot of fun, but now it’s time for fresh blood. No one is fresher and more ready than Oba Femi. Given how he’s been protected, WWE clearly knows what they have. I just don’t know if they have the guts to do something this bold.

Pro wrestling is arguably as big as its ever been, with Monday Night Raw topping Netflix's TV charts on a weekly basis, AEW's two-network push, and the continued reemergence of the NWA. It's impossible to put all of that success on just one person's back, it's also impossible to think wrestling would be where it is without Hulk Hogan taking over pop culture in the 1980s. Now, WWE superstars and more are paying tribute after the unexpected news of Hogan's death.

In his many decades of entertaining in the ring, Hulk Hogan will long be remembered for as many of the biggest heel moves that he pulled with the nWo as any of his accomplishments as a babyface. (Bodyslamming Andre the Giant probably takes the cake there.) So it only makes sense to start with a tribute from another beloved athlete with a Top 5 most shocking heel turn.

Sting

Fellow nWo member and former yellow-haired Sting shared this on X:

Kevin Nash

Keeping the nWo train going, Kevin Nash shared his own mournful message on X that namechecked the villainous faction that the pair co-created along with the late Scott Hall, who passed away in 2022.

Nash shared an additional post on Instagram that namechecked Brooke and Nick Hogan, the Hulkster's two kids with ex-wife Linda.

Vince McMahon

Perhaps the one who owes more of his career success to Hulk Hogan than anyone else, former WWE CEO Vince McMahon also paid respects with some very complimentary words on X.

The Undertaker & Kane

The polar opposite of Hulk Hogan tanned and brightly colored aesthetic was The Undertaker's pallour and all-black attire. But such a gimmick might never have caught on without the surge in popularity that led to so many quirky personas in the '90s, which necessarily means the Taker's faux brother Kane wouldn't have been created. The two athletes both paid respect on social:

• THE UNDERTAKER: The wrestling world has lost a true legend. His contributions to our business are immeasurable and for that I am appreciative. Thank you, Hulk Hogan.
• KANE: Hulk Hogan was a true legend. I was fortunate to work with him a couple of times, including this memorable one. It was easy to do a Hulkster impersonation when, like millions of guys my age, I'd practiced it in the mirror a thousand times growing up. #RIPHULKHOGAN

Shawn Michaels & Triple H

Two of the biggest WWE headliners whose names weren't Hulk Hogan, though one of them does carry on the same alliterative naming, Shawn Michaels and Triple H grew as Superstars in the wake of Hogan's reign, and who knows if Degeneration X would have ever existed if not for the nWo's antagonistic and anarchic run.

• SHAWN MICHAELS A legend. A larger-than-life presence. Hulk Hogan didn’t just work in this business… he transformed it. Rest in peace, Hulkster.
• TRIPLE H: WWE would not be where it is today without the larger-than-life characters that compete in the ring … and few, if any, loomed larger than Terry 'Hulk Hogan' Bollea. He was the archetype of what it meant to be a 'Superstar' - a global sensation that inspired millions to work hard at whatever it was they wanted to accomplish and a look that made him recognizable to fans around the world. . . . There was no one like The Hulkster and there very well may never be another.

Ric Flair, Kurt Angle & Matt Cardona

While not as marketable as an action star or vitamin bottle mascot, Ric Flair has been every bit as successful a pro wrestler as Hogan, and has had his own share of health scares over the years, which he refers to in his message. Superstars Kurt Angle and Matt Cardona both credited Hogan with inspriing them to become wrestlers in the first place.

• RIC FLAIR: I Am Absolutely Shocked To Hear About The Passing Of My Close Friend @HulkHogan! Hulk Has Been By My Side Since We Started In The Wrestling Business. An Incredible Athlete, Talent, Friend, And Father! Our Friendship Has Meant The World To Me. He Was Always There For Me Even When I Didn’t Ask For Him To Be. He Was One Of The First To Visit Me When I Was In The Hospital With A 2% Chance Of Living, And He Prayed By My Bedside. Hulk Also Lent Me Money When Reid Was Sick. Hulkster, No One Will Ever Compare To You! Rest In Peace My Friend!
• KURT ANGLE: R.I.P Hulkster, thank you for opening up doors for so many people in the business including myself. There would not be a Kurt Angle, without the American Made, Hulk Hogan. My heart and prayers go out to his family. We lost a real icon today.
• MATT CARDONA: If it wasn’t for Hulk Hogan, I don’t know if I’d be a pro wrestler or even a pro wrestling fan. RIP Hulkster. Hulkamania will live FOREVER!!!

Sylvester Stallone & George St. Pierre

Tributes were of course shared by far more than just pro wrestlers, with a pair of notable posts shared by Sylvester Stallone, who worked with Hogan on arguably the franchise-best Rocky III, and former UFC champion George St. Pierre, who had something of a Hogan-esque impact on popularizing MMA.

• SYLVESTER STALLONE: I had the pleasure of meeting this brilliant personality and showman when he was 26 years old. He was absolutely wonderful and his amazing skill made Rocky three incredibly special. My heart breaks. I think that he’s gone…
• UFC VET GEORGE ST. PIERRE: They say you should never meet your idols, but meeting Hulk Hogan made me admire him even more. He was so generous with his time and an inspiration not only as an athlete and entertainer, but also as a human being. He will be missed by us all. RIP Hulk Hogan 🙏

Plenty of other tributes (and unsurprisingly a ton of non-tributes) are still being shared across the internet as the news of Hogan's death continues making the rounds.

R.I.P. to the Hulkster, and best wishes to all the mourning Hulkamaniacs out there.

Legendary wrestling manager Jim Cornette spent a lot of time working behind the scenes at WWE, and as part of his responsibilities, he would tell Vince McMahon what he thought about certain wrestlers. Given the former WWE owner hired and sometimes championed those people getting evaluated, you might think it was uncomfortable for Cornette and others to be honest with him, but apparently that’s not the case at all.

Cornette was on his podcast this week when he busted out some old notes he found of talent evaluations he did for McMahon all the way back in 1997. Some of them are vicious. After reading a particularly aggressive one about Sable, co-host Brian Last asked if McMahon would have been mad at him for dragging her, given how hard he was pushing her at the time. Here was Cornette’s response…

McMahon certainly had a style of wrestling he enjoyed, and his personal taste definitely had a major impact on what WWE fans got. That being said, he was also typically quick to move on from something that wasn’t working, even if it was his idea. He fired hundreds of wrestlers that he previously brought in, and he even fired his own son Shane McMahon, who had a complicated relationship with, because he was unhappy with how he booked the 2022 Royal Rumble.

Because of that, it’s no surprise he didn’t care if the people working for him were aggressive or mean in their evaluations of various performers. Cornette is widely considered one of the most ornery and no-nonsense personalities in the history of wrestling, and McMahon employed him on and off for many years. For a long time, he even put Cornette in charge of WWE’s primary developmental territory where he was tasked with training John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton and Batista, among many others.

Clearly, he wanted honesty out of Cornette, and while he didn’t take his advice on Sable (or Fatu, who later became Rikishi), he respected his often thoughtful perspective on others. In fact, it's pretty clear from the talent evaluations that for a few other performers, he did listen.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the talent evaluations Cornette read were the performers he was actually positive on. All of the people he was asked to evaluate were apparently under consideration to be let go, and Cornette spoke very strongly in favor of Billy Gunn and Road Dogg, as well as Bradshaw. He told McMahon that Gunn and Road Dogg had future tag team champions potential and that Bradshaw should be pushed as more of a brawler and badass.

McMahon seemed to view success in a more holistic way. It wasn’t about getting any specific character over or making something specific work, though he would give performers multiple chances if he thought they had big upside. Instead, it was about tinkering with the resources he had in order to continually eliminate the stuff that wasn’t going to work in order to find more space to experiment with stuff that could work.

Paul "Triple H" Levesque may be occupied preparing for WrestleMania 41 and other upcoming WWE events, but that doesn't mean he's out of the loop on all other pop culture happenings. The CEO shouted out Saturday Night Live amidst its 50th Anniversary celebration ahead of the NBC special, and even highlighted a significant moment between the two brands. That said, he left out a key figure involved in the ordeal, and might've also forgotten about an earlier time when SNL crossed paths with pro wrestling.

While I would've personally highlighted the time Michael Che and Colin Jost participated in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Trips had another significant moment when the wrestling organization shared the stage with the iconic sketch comedy series.

Triple H's Tribute To Saturday Night Live Excluded One Key Figure

While Dwayne Johnson's upcoming movies always make him an easy choice to be an upcoming Saturday Night Live guest host, it was a completely different ballgame for the athletic actor in 2000. Outside of a couple of television appearances, he was primarily known as "The Rock" in the WWE, so hosting SNL was a big deal when he was invited to Studio 8H. Triple H commemorated the 25th anniversary of the moment by recalling teaming up with Mick Foley and Paul Wight to crash the hosting, but left out the fact that Vince McMahon was also there.

Triple H failing to mention his own father-in-law and former chairman of the WWE is presumably due to the former boss' legal issues. Despite Vince McMahon reaching a settlement with the SEC as part of the aftermath, he remains a controversial figure due to hush money payments made to former WWE employee Janel Grant.

Still, to include former WWE legend Big Show, an active member of rival company AEW, in the tribute and not the person responsible for the WWE's modern popularity may illustrate just how apprehensive the company is to reference its former leader in such a celebratory setting.

The Rock Technically Wasn't The First Pro Wrestler To Host SNL

What's most interesting about Triple H's tribute is that his post may give the impression that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was truly the first of the company's wrestling legends to host Saturday Night Live. In reality, though, he may be specifically adhering to "WWE Superstars" rather than "WWF icons" in general, seeing as how Hulk Hogan and actor Mr. T hosted SNL in 1985 before the first WrestleMania.

Take a look at their monologue, which can be found below:

Perhaps Triple H also balked at putting a spotlight on Hulk Hogan's legacy after seeing Hogan get booed on Monday Night Raw. The Season 10 episode, available to stream for those with a Peacock subscription, features a few funny sketches, and the Hulkster and Mr. T do their best to keep it entertaining, even if they aren't natural talents when it comes to sketch comedy. But they weren't as prominent throughout as guest hosts usually are, perhaps due to reportedly being late additions.

Unfortunately, no WWE superstars are listed on the lineup for Saturday Night Live's 50th Anniversary special, but there's always a chance one might be should the series make it to the next major milestone! Who knows, we might be surprised by an appearance that no one expected.

Everyone loves a good heel, right? You know those wrestlers who just have a certain way of sending crowds into a frenzy with some truly heinous, violent, and dastardly acts. In the past, we’ve talked about the most shocking turns and betrayals, but today, let’s turn our attention to some of the most despicable actions by a heel, both in and out of the ring.

From The Rock viciously beating a grown man in front of his crying children to JBL making an opponent’s mom have a heart attack to a certain prison guard from Cobb County, Georgia doing all kinds of bad deeds, there were quite a few to choose from.

Vince McMahon Revealing Himself As The 'Higher Power'

There was a lot going on in the peak of the Attitude Era, and one of the craziest angles was the Ministry of Darkness storyline involving The Undertaker doing everything from kidnapping Stephanie McMahon to attempting to embalm Stone Cold Steve Austin in his quest to take over WWE. But behind it all was Vince McMahon, who was revealed to be the “Higher Power” pulling all the strings.

Bobby Heenan, John Studd, And Ken Patera Cutting Andre The Giant's Hair

Before the late Bobby Heenan became one of the best WWE commentators of all time, he made a name for himself as the premier heel manager in wrestling. One of his most dastardly actions (of which there are a lot) has to be the time he, Big John Studd, and Ken Patera held down Andre the Giant and cut his hair. “The Brain” seemed to relish in humiliating the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”

CM Punk Stealing Paul Bearer's Urn

Shortly after William Moody, aka Paul Bearer, died in March 2013, CM Punk did something irredeemable when stole the Undertaker’s late manager’s iconic urn in the leadup to his WrestleMania 29 match against the “Phenom.” Not only that, but he poured out the contents of the urn all over himself to dramatic effect. No wonder Taker didn’t hold back in their co-main event match.

The Rock Viciously Beating Mick Foley In Front Of His Kids

The 1999 Royal Rumble is mostly remembered for The Rock and Mankind’s “I Quit” match for the WWE Championship. In the match, which was famously included in the controversial Beyond the Mat documentary, Mick Foley is viciously beaten in front of his young children, who cry the entire time. Seriously, it’s a rough watch.

Big Boss Man Dragging Big Show's Dad's Casket Through A Cemetery

Big Boss Man, one of the greatest and most athletic big men in wrestling, took being a heel to the next level. For example, there’s the time he crashed Big Show’s dad’s funeral by dragging his casket through the cemetery (with Paul Wight) hanging on for dear life. Seriously, it doesn’t get more despicable than that.

Chris Jericho's 'Man Of 1,004 Holds' Promo

Chris Jericho has proven time and time again that he’s one of the best heels in the business, including the time he gave what has been called the “Man of 1,004 Holds” promo. Poking fun at Dean Malenko and his 1,000 holds, Jericho pulled out a ridiculously long scroll going over all the holds he knew. It was perfection.

Shawn Michaels' Fake Bret Hart Return

Nearly a decade after Bret Hart’s WWE run came to an unceremonious end during the Montreal Screwjob, Shawn Michaels brought the “Hitman” back to the scene of the crime. Or so the fans thought when Hart’s iconic entrance song started playing over the speakers. But there was no Bret, as it was all a ploy by the dastardly heel.

Roddy Piper Hitting Jimmy Snuka With A Coconut

Roddy Piper hitting Jimmy Snuka over the head with a coconut may be one of the most iconic clips in WWE history, but it’s also one of the lowest, most ruthless, and unnecessary moments in the history of “Piper’s Pit.”

JBL Made Eddie Guerrero's Mom Have A Heart Attack

They don’t make heels like JBL these days. This guy would do anything to get heat with the crowd, even if that meant making Eddie Guerrero’s mom have a heart attack in the middle of the ring. Legend has it JBL required a police escort to make it out of El Paso that night.

The New Age Outlaws Putting Cactus Jack And Chainsaw Charlie In A Dumpster

Oh, you didn’t know that the New Age Outlaws once put Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie (Mick Foley and Terry Funk, respectively) into a dumpster and then pushed it off the side of the stage? Well, that happened during a February 1998 episode of Raw. Don’t worry, Road Dogg and Billy Gunn got their comeuppance at WrestleMania 14.

Shawn Michaels Throwing Marty Jannetty Through The Barber Shop Window

The Rockers’ time together came to a sudden and shocking end in early 1992 when Shawn Michaels turned on his longtime partner Marty Jannetty by giving him some “sweet chin music” and throwing him through the Barber Shop window.

The Katie Vick Incident

The Katie Vick incident, in which Triple H dressed up like Kane and acted like he was making love to his dead girlfriend, is one of the lowest moments of the Ruthless Aggression era. It’s amazing WWE and Triple H recovered from this.

Randy Orton Punt-Kicking John Cena's Dad

Randy Orton’s punt kick is the stuff of wonder and a tool he would use to take many legends out of action during the early to mid-2000s. Another addition to that list was John Cena’s dad, who tried to protect his son against the “Legend Killer.” It was just so brutal, so violent, so despicable.

The Four Horsemen Breaking Dusty Rhodes' Leg

The Four Horsemen, arguably the greatest stable in wrestling history, were about as ruthless and dastardly as it got, especially when dealing with Dusty Rhodes. Look no further than September 1985 when they trapped the American Dream in a steel cage and viciously attacked him before breaking his leg.

Rick Rude Painting Jake Roberts' Wife's Face On His Ring Gear

Rick Rude knew how to get people going, both men and women. One of the best examples is the time the ravishing wrestler unveiled a special pair of tights with Jake Roberts’ wife’s face painted on them.

Hulk Hogan Turning His Back On Randy Savage And WCW

Hulk Hogan finally became a heel at WCW’s Bash at the Beach 1996 when he joined up with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to form the NWO. And how did he go about pulling off the biggest heel turn of all time? Well, he attacked longtime friend and former tag team partner Randy Savage with a series of leg drops.

The Rock Channeling Maui To Taunt Mama Rhodes

The Rock’s “Final Boss” gimmick was one of the most absurd, and absurdly awesome, things about wrestling in 2024, and it made WWE must-see TV. This was especially true whenever Dwayne Johnson messed with Cody Rhodes and his mom, “Mama Rhodes,” on the mic by channeling his Maui character from Moana and singing “You’re Welcome.” Menacing, to say the least.

Kevin Nash Throwing Rey Mysterio Into A Production Truck Like A Lawn Dart

The NWO’s takeover of WCW was absolutely wild and saw Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Hulk Hogan pull off some dastardly and destructive feats. One of the funniest (and most extreme) came in July 1996 when Nash threw Rey Mysterio into the side of a production truck like a lawn dart.

Eddie Guerrero Claiming To Be Dominik Mysterio's Biological Father

Way back before Dominik Mysterio was a heel himself, he was caught in the middle of a paternity battle between Rey Mysterio and his former best friend Eddie Guerrero, who said he was the young boy’s biological father. This psychological warfare, which led to a ladder match to settle the case, would have long-lasting ramifications.

The McMahon Family Embarrassing Then Firing Jim Ross

The McMahon family would often take pleasure in the misery of others, like the time they unceremoniously fired and embarrassed Jim Ross in the middle of the ring. To make matters worse, Linda McMahon gave the longtime WWE commentator a kick below the belt.

Scott Hall Tasing Goldberg

Maybe a good thing looking back, Scott Hall cost Goldberg his WCW Championship and his undefeated streak at Starrcade 1998 by tasing the red-hot superstar in the main event match. Dressed up like a security guard, Hall snuck up and incapacitated Goldberg, allowing Kevin Nash to steal the pin and title.

Dominik Mysterio Crashing Thanksgiving

Back when Dominik Mysterio was feuding with his dad, he and Rhea Ripley did everything they could to make life miserable for his family. This included crashing Thanksgiving and ruining the holiday for everyone. It’s so cheesy, so despicable, so awesome.

The Dudley Boyz Putting Mae Young Through A Table

WWE in the Attitude Era was a completely different place and saw folks like the Dudley Boyz be a menace to everyone, both male and female, both young and old. Just look at the time Bubba Ray and D-Von threw Mae Young off the stage and through a table on Monday Night Raw.

The Ted DiBiase Basketball Segment

Back when Ted DiBiase was building up his “Million Dollar Man” heel gimmick, he found some unique ways to generate heat with the crowd. Back in 1987, he told a young boy he’d give him $500 if he could dribble a basketball 15 times. A simple task, right? Well, just before the kid reached the 15th dribble, DiBiase kicked the ball off the stage.

Big Boss Man Feeds Al Snow His Dog, Pepper

During his feud with Al Snow, Big Boss Man came up with some terrifying ways of messing with his opponent, like making him eat a dog. But not just any dog. Instead, it was Snow’s cherished pet chihuahua, Pepper. The way Boss Man said “100 % Grade-A Pepper” after serving up the dish in a hotel room was just so ridiculous.

Brock Lesnar Pushing Zach Gowen Down The Stairs

Zach Gowen was the first and only one-legged wrestler to step foot into a WWE ring, and his journey made for quite a great story. But Brock Lesnar, in the middle of his great heel run at the time, wanted none of it and pushed an injured Gowen down a flight of stairs after the underdog got a victory over him.

Shane McMahon Attacks The Miz's Dad

Though Fastlane 2019 is mostly remembered for the final PLE featuring The Shield before Dean Ambrose left WWE, it should also be remembered for the night Shane McMahon turned heel and attacked The Miz in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. If the beatdown on The Miz wasn’t bad enough, Shane O’Mac turned his attention to the middle-aged man sitting ringside.

Jake Roberts Slapping Miss Elizabeth

When he wanted, Jake “The Snake” Roberts could be one of the most unrelenting and devastating heels in the business. This is no more true than it was the night Roberts slapped Miss Elizabeth in the middle of the ring to get heat with the crowd (and make Randy Savage pay).

Papa Shango Putting A Curse On The Ultimate Warrior

Remember when Papa Shango put a curse on the Ultimate Warrior in the early 1990s? The incident from May 1992 was one of the most cartoonish things to happen in the era, but it made the voodoo doctor look like a major threat.

Gene Snitsky Punting A Baby Into The Crowd

Gene Snitksy is a wrestler who doesn’t get talked about all too much a couple of decades after his run in WWE, and maybe that’s because he kicked a (fake) baby into the crowd during a program with Lita. He straight-up punted that little thing high above the crowd, and it was absurd.

Vince McMahon Taunting Linda McMahon While She's In A Vegetative State

In the early 2000s, in the final stretch of the Attitude Era, Vince McMahon was firing on all cylinders when it came to being a Grade-A scumbag (in storyline). One of the most insane angles he ran was the one in which his wife, Linda McMahon, was in a vegetative state and he did all sorts of unscrupulous acts in front of her. But she did get her revenge at WrestleMania 17.

Bronson Reed's Six Tsunamis On Seth Rollins

Bronson Reed has made quite a name for himself over the years because of his dynamic personality, massive stature, and ability to pull off some heinous acts. Look at the time he performed six tsunamis (his finishing move) on a hurt Seth Rollins. One after another they came down on the fan-favorite.

Nearly three years after the WWE investigated alleged hush money payments made by former CEO Vince McMahon, part of the saga is coming to an end. The SEC has reached a settlement with McMahon that will put part of his legal woes to rest in what has been an ongoing saga in his life for some time.

Vince McMahon has agreed to pay administrative fees, a $400,000 civil penalty, and will reimburse the WWE $1.33 million after consenting he violated the Securities Exchange Act, according to CNBC. The resolution should end WWE's role in the situation, as it will now account for the mismanaged funds once reimbursed.

What Vince McMahon Had To Say About His Settlement Being Reached

Vince McMahon offered a statement to the public at the conclusion of his case with the SEC, and he seemed grateful to put this behind him. In his statement, he targeted speculation surrounding the case, and he called it "misleading" explaining:

The case ultimately led to Vince McMahon's first retirement from the WWE, though he later returned and was alleged to be a creative figure from the shadows. McMahon was officially ousted once again in January 2024, and he has not been involved with the company since. Triple H stepped into the role in his place, in a move that has led to great financial success for the company.

Vince McMahon Still Has Legal Issues And Controversy

While his troubles with the SEC may be concluded, Vince McMahon still has a federal case against him filed by former employee Janel Grant. Sports Illustrated reported that Grant's legal team plans to modify the lawsuit filed against McMahon, former WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis, and WWE by the end of January. Amidst other shocking allegations of sexual misconduct, Grant's suit alleged that McMahon never paid out the full amount of their agreed-upon settlement.

Additionally, I wouldn't expect the WWE to welcome Vince McMahon into the fold. Wrestlers like John Cena and Randy Orton have admitted there's a struggle in reading the allegations and tying them to someone they respect, and legends like Mick Foley have said the same.

It's also worth noting that his legacy in pro wrestling remains controversial with fans, which was highlighted in the Netflix documentary Mr. McMahon. The former top brass of WWE issued a statement saying the documentary blended his real life with the character he played on television and that it fell short of a true portrayal of him. In any case, his history in pro wrestling remains complicated, both with wrestlers and fans.

Those who want to watch Mr. McMahon may do so with a Netflix subscription. Also, with many upcoming WWE events on the way and likely more updates about this specific situation, be sure to stay with CinemaBlend for a look at what's happening in professional wrestling.

When I first heard about Mr. McMahon, one of the biggest releases on the 2024 Netflix schedule, I knew the six-part documentary about the life, legacy, and many controversies of former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon would pull no punches in its exploration of perhaps the most consequential figure in professional wrestling. However, I wasn’t expecting the series to change my perspective on Shane McMahon, the one-time heir apparent and occasional wrestler who pulled off some of WWE’s most dangerous spots.

But that’s exactly what happened in the series’ fifth episode, titled “Family Business,” in which 2024 WWE Hall of Fame inductee Paul Heyman shared what I can best describe as one of the most heartbreaking stories told in Mr. McMahon. More than any revelation in the docuseries, this moment affected me in a way that caused me to look at “Shane O’Mac” in a different and much more sympathetic light. Allow me to explain…

What's The Heartbreaking Story Paul Heyman Shares In Mr. McMahon?

Near the end of the penultimate episode of Mr. McMahon, Paul Heyman shares a story that he calls the “definitive moment” between Vince and Shane McMahon. During an argument about a creative direction, Shane had an idea that he really believed in, but his father “totally disagreed with it.” And while it is normal for fathers and sons, as well as bosses and employees, to have disagreements, the way that the elder McMahon escalated things was intense to say the least:

The whole sticking a knife into your father’s heart to get what you want is one thing, but the second part of the interaction where Vince essentially tells his son that he’s not man enough to do it is what really cuts. And while it’s not stated if this incident was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Shane and his 2009 departure from the company, it’s easy to see why he’d want to leave the family business if this was the norm.

After Hearing That Story, I Felt Sorry For Shane McMahon And What That Experience Must Have Been Like

For some reason, that incident really stuck with me after I finished Mr. McMahon, and it’s something I haven’t really been able to take my mind off since. And I just can’t help but feel sorry for Shane McMahon for having to deal with something like that, especially from your father, a father who you’ve done so much to help over the years.

Again, it’s not stated in the doc when this confrontation happened, since Paul Heyman hadn’t been with the company for nearly three years when Shane left the company in October 2009. However, it doesn’t take away from the sting of those comments. I just can’t imagine my boss, let alone my own father telling me something like that. You can say “oh, it’s just Vince protecting the business,” but there are far better ways to handle such situations.

But This Is Just One Of The Stories About The Tense Father-Son Relationship In The Netflix Docuseries

This is just one of the many stories about the relationship between Vince and Shane McMahon featured in Mr. McMahon, as a large portion of the “Family Business” episode is about their dynamic, both in and outside of the ring. Just moments before the “you’re not man enough” incident, the father and son, separately, talk about Shane’s attempt to get his dad to purchase UFC years before both companies merged under Endeavor.

It’s clear the pair were not seeing eye-to-eye on the proposed acquisition, which would have more than likely changed the landscape of WWE and combat sports in general. And while it boiled down to the financials of the situation (Vince didn’t want to do it and Shane didn’t have enough capital to pursue it alone), I can’t help but feel it was because of Vince and Shane’s clashing behind the scenes, and maybe the elder McMahon not wanting to be outshined by his son.

These Stories Have Changed The Way I Look At The Death-Defying Feats Shane Pulled Off To Impress His Father

I’ve always been impressed with Shane McMahon’s in-ring work, as the part-time wrestler has continually risked life and limb to create huge moments. However, after hearing the aforementioned story and others like it, especially those that go behind the scenes of some of his wildest moments, I can’t help but have a changed outlook on his death-defying stunts.

In the final episode, titled “The Finish,” Shane talks about his legendary matches at King of the Ring 2001 and his return to face the Undertaker at WrestleMania 32. When describing the matches, the third-generation wrestling figure said he did it to put on a great show but also that he was always looking for that pat on the back from his dad. This is followed by a tender moment from Shane’s return match in April 2016 where father and son share an embrace backstage, something the younger McMahon would go on to say was very hard to come by.

Watching This As A Father, I Couldn't Stop Thinking About The Relationship With My Own Kids

Watching Mr. McMahon as a father, I couldn’t stop thinking about my own relationship with my kids. No, I don’t agree with Vince McMahon’s parenting tactics and I would never challenge my son or daughters to a fight at WrestleMania, but the series, did help me realize the importance of love, compassion, tenderness, and empathy when it comes to raising kids into decent human beings, and just how far “I love you” goes.

I’m sure Vince’s children love him dearly, and the other way around, but the documentary paints a portrait of a man who’s so consumed by his own appetite for life, power, and control that he’s lost his handle on the importance of family. I’m not holding this against him, because to each their own, but spending six hours diving into the mind of Mr. McMahon (the character and the person), had me doing some soul-searching, if I’m being honest.

Mr. McMahon is a fantastic documentary that everyone with a Netflix subscription should check out, even if they aren’t wrestling fans. On one hand, it’ll teach you so much about the history of professional wrestling and on the other, it might off your a new perspective on family and life in general.

After months of intrigue and speculation, Mr. McMahon, the new six-part documentary series about the controversial Vince McMahon, has finally landed on the 2024 Netflix schedule. The eye-opening chronicle of the life, times, accomplishments, and many controversies experienced by the former WWE Chairman doesn’t pull any punches, and does a fantastic job of recounting some of wrestling’s biggest moments over the past 40-plus years, for better or worse.

Below is a quick list of several wrestling documentaries I think would make a great companion piece for Mr. McMahon for one reason or another. From tackling similar topics to adding more context to some of the biggest moments in the documentary McMahon doesn’t like, these are some of the best options to watch. Come with me as I break them down.

Beyond The Mat (1999)

Barry W. Blaustein’s Beyond the Mat could very well be the best wrestling movie ever made, as well as its most controversial. Filmed throughout the wrestling boom period of the late ‘90s, this eye-opening, and sometimes hard-to-watch, feature-length documentary follows various promotions, including the then-WWF, as they attempt to push the sport to new heights, no matter what it takes.

If you were into Mr. McMahon and it pulled back the curtain on professional wrestling, then this 1999 documentary is a must-watch.

Rent/Buy Beyond The Mat on Amazon.

Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows (1998)

Released in 1998, Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows, documents the final days of Bret Hart’s 14-year WWE run, culminating with the infamous “Montreal Screwjob” at Survivor Series 1997. Watching Mr. McMahon, specifically the “Screwjob” episode, I couldn’t stop thinking about this legendary documentary, maybe because so much footage was pulled from it for the new Netflix series.

Buy Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Dark Side Of The Ring (2019 - Present)

Like Mr. McMahon, Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring doesn’t focus on just one major story from wrestling’s history, but on countless controversies, incidents, and polarizing figures. Since 2019, this great true crime series, now in its fifth season, has painstakingly chronicled everything from fallen wrestlers like Owen Hart and the Von Erich family to the “Plane Ride from Hell” to Vince McMahon’s steroid trial.

Stream Dark Side of the Ring on Hulu.

Who Killed WCW? (2024)

One of the more recent wrestling documentaries, Who Killed WCW? is a four-part Vice series about the rise and fall of WCW, as well as how Ted Turner’s wrestling promotion changed the face of entertainment in the ‘90s. Unlike some of the WWE productions released on the “Monday Night Wars,” this one plays it down the middle in terms of biases. Sure, there’s a lot of finger-pointing, but isn’t that what makes wrestling documentaries, especially those about defunct promotions, so much fun?

Buy Who Killed WCW? on Amazon.

Also Worth A Watch

There are a ton of other great wrestling documentaries to watch if you thought Mr. McMahon was good. Below are some of my other favorite options that I just couldn’t go without at least mentioning and sharing how to watch them.

• Stream Andre The Giant on Max.
• Stream The Monday Night War on Peacock.
• Stream The Rise And Fall Of ECW on Peacock.
• Rent/Buy Card Subject To Change on Amazon.

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy these wrestling documentaries as much as Mr. McMahon, which is currently streaming for everyone with a Netflix subscription. And with WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw moving to Netflix in 2025, we could be seeing more great wrestling docs in the months and years to come.

Just a few days before Netflix's wrestling docuseries Mr. McMahon hits the streamer's 2024 schedule, the subject behind the six-part show has spoken out. While still in the middle of a federal investigation and lawsuit with former WWE employee Janel Grant, Vince McMahon has spoken out about the series coming to wrestling fans with a Netflix subscription.

Mr. McMahon promises to highlight the rise and fall of WWE's co-founder and feature interviews with everyone from the former chairmen to many other key figures in the wrestling business. Vince McMahon posted a statement on X to say that he felt the upcoming Netflix project fell short of that goal and explained why:

Vince McMahon's general complaint, based on his statement, is that he feels the documentary intentionally blurs the fictional "Mr. McMahon" character he's played in the WWE with his actual persona. It's a confusing complaint to hear as a wrestling fan, considering many wrestlers over the years have told wild stories about McMahon that do suggest he isn't too far off from the character version of himself. Of course, many of those stories came out when he was still in a position of power at the company, so there is a possibility those stories were told to further inflate the character.

The former chairman, whose latest controversy first started when the WWE began to look into undisclosed hush money payments made by Vince McMahon, continued with further complaints about Mr. McMahon. He took aim at what he alleged to be "deceptive editing" in the program, and briefly referenced his ongoing legal dispute with Janel Grant:

Vince McMahon's final sentence refers to his ongoing lawsuit, which alleges the former CEO engaged in sex trafficking along with other acts during Janel Grant's tenure in the WWE. McMahon has since been removed from any role within the WWE, and the company is now largely run by former wrestler and his son-in-law Paul "Triple H" Levesque.

Wrestlers like John Cena and Randy Orton have spoken on the allegations lodged against McMahon, noting the discomfort on their end of seeing someone they care about accused of horrendous acts. Others like Mick Foley have said they'll wait to pass judgment until the legal proceedings are over. It seems wrestling fans can expect more big-name wrestlers to share their thoughts on McMahon, as the following superstars appear in the trailer for Mr. McMahon:

• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
• Hulk Hogan
• "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
• John Cena
• Jimmy Hart
• Bret "The Hitman" Hart
• Paul "Triple H" Levesque

Readers will have to decide what to take away from the Mr. McMahon documentary and if the picture it paints about the former WWE CEO is accurate or unfair. One has to wonder if it may impact Netflix and WWE's relationship as Monday Night Raw moves to the platform in 2025.

Mr. McMahon premieres on Netflix on Wednesday, September 25th. Wrestling fans should tune in and, when they're done, check out some of the great wrestling documentaries available on Peacock.

Summer is officially over and as the weather begins to shift across the country, perhaps many people will be spending more time indoors, making what’s available to watch on the best streaming services all the more important. The good news is that those services have put a lot of great content out this week, as long as you know where to find it.

There is always plenty new on Netflix but there’s so much it can be hard to find the best stuff. On the flip side, the list of what’s upcoming on Disney+ is fairly small, but what there is, is usually good, so you don’t want to miss it.

New TV

Mr. McMahon - September 25 (Netflix)

Vince McMahon is given a lot of credit for turning the WWE from a regional wrestling promotion into the global powerhouse brand that it is today. However, in recent years McMahon has been accused of some terrible conduct, which has resulted in him leaving the company twice. A new documentary series will take a look at the man and his history. Wrestling fans are going to need to check this one out. And the level of spectacle may make it equally interesting for anybody else as well.

Agatha All Along Episode 3 - September 25 (Disney+)

The first two episodes of the long awaited and multi-titled Agatha All Along hit last week and based on reactions it seems everybody with a Disney+ subscription loved them. This means there will be a lot of people checking out the new episode which sees the group begin their journey down the Witches’ Road.

New Movies

Killer Heat - September 26 (Prime Video)

The last time a movie was made based on a story by Jo Nesbø, it was the ill-fated The Snowman. It didn’t turn out too well. Things can only improve for Killer Heat. The movie stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, which sounds like a pretty good start. If you’ve got a Prime Video subscription you’ll want to check this one out.

Apartment 7A - September 27 (Paramount+)

It’s not quite October but early fall means it’s time to transition into the spooky season and those with a Paramount+ subscription will get what could be one of the best new horror experiences of the season with Apartment 7A. The new movie is a prequel to Rosemary’s Baby that follows a dancer who rents the same apartment, from the famous film, and is the first to discover there’s something strange going on in that building.

Wolfs - September 27 (Apple TV+)

When Brad Pit and George Clooney get together on film, magic tends to happen. Unfortunately, for us, that hasn’t ha[ppned since 2008’s Burn After Reading. The Pitt/Clooney drought finally ends this week with the new movie Wolfs, as long as you have an Apple TV+ subscription. Pitt and Clooney play two competing fixers. A sequel to this one is already in development which indicates this one will be worth watching.

It looks like it’s going to be a good week of streaming. Next week October begins which means a lot of content shifting around on streaming. So if there’s anything you’ve wanted to watch that might disappear at the end of the month, be sure to watch it soon.

As his former company prepares for upcoming WWE events and record-breaking success, Vince McMahon is still under investigation by the Department of Justice and awaiting trial for a series of disturbing allegations that originally led to his removal from the wrestling organization. With a new upcoming Netflix TV series that will highlight McMahon on the way, wrestling icon Mick Foley recently shared his honest thoughts on his former boss and the situation.

Foley was part of panel at Comic-Con Northern Ireland when the topic of Vince McMahon and their personal relationship came up. The wrestler behind Mankind, Cactus Jack, and Dude Love had big moments in WWE and WCW where he worked with and without McMahon, and talked about his thoughts on the former wrestling chairman:

Mick Foley's comments on Vince McMahon are somewhat similar to statements made by wrestlers like John Cena and Randy Orton. The similarity between all three is that they don't wish to admonish McMahon publicly and talk about the duality of having positive experiences with the former CEO, and hearing these terrible allegations that all started after WWE investigated secret payments he made to a former employee.

More details were later revealed, as the woman filing the complaint was later identified as Janel Grant. A lawsuit filed by Grant alleging disturbing acts of sexual abuse and trafficking led to McMahon's removal from the company and also led to the dismissal of bigger names in the company, like John Laurinaitis, and for Brock Lesnar to have been removed from television. Mick Foley touched on the allegations briefly and shared how it impacts his view of McMahon:

While wrestlers share their thoughts on Vince McMahon and his legacy in the pro wrestling industry, the WWE has moved onward into a new era captained by wrestling hall of famer and McMahon's son-in-law, Paul "HHH" Levesque. His guidance has led the WWE into a new golden age for professional wrestling, marked by high attendance at shows and massive deals like Netflix acquiring the rights to Monday Night Raw and the return of Saturday Night Main Event on NBC starting in December.

While the future is bright for the WWE in this new era, it seems wrestlers like Mick Foley and some others would like to remind wrestling fans that for all his faults, Vince McMahon is the reason pro wrestling is in the position it is today. Of course, it's not up for the wrestlers to decide how history will look on him, as many wait to see the continuance of his trial and any other information that might come out from it.

The Netflix docuseries Mr. McMahon will premiere for those with a Netflix subscription on September 25th. Those curious about the figure and his long history in the world of wrestling, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, will want to tune in.

Ask any WWE fan of a certain age to start listing their favorite announcers and chances are they won’t get very far without naming Jim Ross. Good old JR, alongside Jerry “The King” Lawler, provided commentary for most of WWE’s most famous matches during the Attitude Era boom period in the late 90s and early 2000s, but apparently, things could have been very different if it wasn’t for a “trainwreck” mid-90s PPV that led to Ross being re-hired by the company.

Ross reflected on the disastrous night during the most recent episode of Grilling JR With Jim Ross. During the convo, his co-host Conrad Thompson asked JR to expand on a section of his book where he talked about getting rehired by WWE after he was let go in the early 90s. Apparently it all had to do with King Of The Ring 1994, which he called a “trainwreck” from a commentary standpoint in his book. Vince McMahon had to step away from announcing duties because of the infamous steroid trial, and the company was struggling to find the right combination for a new era. McMahon ultimately elected to go with Gorilla Monsoon, Randy Savage and former NFL player Art Donovan, who fit together like “oil and water.” Here’s a portion of JR’s reflection…

It wasn’t long after the PPV that Jim Ross, who had done some work for WWE in the early 1990s, was called and asked to return. McMahon continued fiddling with the booths for awhile longer but eventually found the perfect pair with real life friends Ross and Lawler, whose clashing styles (Ross a sincere good guy and Lawler a braggadocious bad guy) played perfectly off one another. They’re beloved by fans and fellow performers and widely remembered as the voices of The Attitude Era, in the same way Gorilla Monsoon is fondly remembered as the voice of The Golden Era in the 1980s and early 1990s, first with Jesse The Body Ventura and later with Bobby The Brain Heenan.

That’s why, even though the commentary mess was great for JR’s career, he clearly reflects on it with some sadness. It was the end of an era. He had a close relationship with Monsoon and still considers him to be one of the best commentators in pro wrestling history. So, he didn’t want to see him go through a bad night and felt especially bad knowing Monsoon knew a change was probably on the horizon.

Transition periods in wrestling are always awkward, and the mid 90s are widely remembered as a transition period in wrestling between the over the top characters and big personalities of the 1980s and early 1990s and the grittier, borderline R-Rated Monday Night Wars of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Monsoon was the right commentator for the former, and Jim Ross was the right commentator for the latter. They’ve both rightly been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, even if they were part of the occasional trainwreck PPV where everything goes wrong on commentary. 

I grew up in the South (American by birth, Southern by the grace of God) and a massive wrestling fan. I liked WWF during my childhood, but I was obsessed with legends like Sting, Ric Flair, and all those cruiserweights. So much so, that the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro is engrained in my memory like two other major events from 2001 (Dale Earnhardt’s death in the final lap of the Daytona 500 and the September 11th attacks being the others). 

When I heard that Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks was producing a new Vice docuseries titled Who Killed WCW?, I was immediately taken back to March 26, 2001, when my favorite wrestling show aired its final match. I also started going down memory lane to try and figure out who was responsible for bringing an end to what was at one time the biggest and most successful wrestling company on the planet. Let’s talk it out.

Vince Russo Catches A Lot Of Heat, But He Wasn't Fully To Blame For WCW's Demise

Vince Russo, the long-time WWF writer and producer many consider responsible for those ridiculous Attitude Era moments (both good and bad), jumped over to rival WCW in October 1999 and immediately took the company in a different and edgier direction. During Russo’s tenure with WCW, he adopted some strategies that made WWF must-watch TV throughout the late 1990s, but a lot of it just didn’t work and fans (myself included) were not down with all the quick title changes, “edgy for the sake of being edgy” storylines, and less of a focus on the in-ring product.

But, was Russo responsible for WCW’s ultimate demise? While his changes didn’t work and certainly didn’t help steer the ship from the incoming storm, the truth is that WCW was already falling off before he took over as booker. The infamous “put some butts in the seats” incident where WCW revealed Mick Foley’s WWF Championship victory on a pre-taped episode of Monday Night Raw that helped turn the tide in favor of the competition happened months earlier, and the cracks were already showing by that point, anyway.  

Hulk Hogan And Other Veterans With 'Creative Control' Didn't Help The Death Spiral

While WWF was building massive stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in the late ‘90s, flipping over to WCW during the final years of the company’s existence you’d find icons like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair dominating the main event scene, while up-and-comers were relegated to Nitro’s opening hour or WCW’s less-prominent shows. See, the problem was that Hogan, Flair, and other former WWF wrestlers like Kevin Nash and Scott Hall had creative control, meaning they could refuse any storyline, any loss, title change, and any opportunity for a youngster to beat them in a passing of the torch moment.

Even with the “creative control” held by the biggest stars in the company, there’s no denying Hogan, who finally turned heel a few years earlier, and other main event players, got people watching week after week. That said, I can’t put the blame fully on the wrestlers themselves, even if they didn’t help make the situation any better.

Eric Bischoff's Habit Of Handing Out Massive Guaranteed Contracts Was One Of The Major Factors

As pointed out in the Monday Night War series, one of the best wrestling documentaries on Peacock, WCW, and WWF did everything to get the upper hand in the mid-to-late ‘90s, including massive guaranteed contracts for their top stars (and to keep talent from jumping ship to the competition). These hefty contracts kept the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Roddy Piper and others with WCW, Eric Bischoff’s habit of spending money like it was going out of style was one of the major factors of the company’s demise.

Again, the expenditures weren’t the only reason WCW ultimately went the way of the dodo bird, they certainly didn’t help. With so much money going to a select group, it makes sense why so many of the undercard wrestlers left for WWF in 1999 and 2000.

Vince McMahon's 2001 Acquisition Of WCW All But Killed The Company

While it is true that there was an attempt by WWF to turn WCW into a brand after the purchase of its rival in March 2001 (WWE would do this when it split the Raw and SmackDown rosters in March 2002), Vince McMahon’s roughly $4.5 million acquisition of the promotion, per the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, was the final nail in the coffin of the once-promising wrestling company. 

McMahon’s WWF owned not only the WCW promotion and brand, but also the vast tape library, the championships, and several wrestlers’ contracts (though not some of the bigger names with guaranteed deals with AOL Time Warner), which meant that the victor in the Monday Night War didn’t really need to keep the show running any longer. That said, WWF essentially came in after the kill and robbed the grave, so to speak. 

So, who do I think killed WCW? 

But It All Comes Down To Jamie Kellner, The Turner Executive Who Cancelled All WCW Programming 

Though WCW was plagued with a myriad of issues in the last stages of its life, many of which the promotion either overcame or could have pushed through with some support, there was one problem that left no chance for survival: an uninterested corporate executive. That man was none other than Jamie Kellner. 

In March 2001, when Kellner became the head of TBS following the AOL Time Warner merger, one of his first decisions was to cancel wrestling on both TNT and TBS, the respective homes of Monday Nitro and Thunder. In a statement to the New York Times, a TBS spokesperson said the corporation decided that professional wrestling was “not consistent with the upscale brands” built with the two networks, so they would no longer be carrying it. Several days later, Vince McMahon was able to purchase the company for essentially nothing, bringing an end to the Monday Night War.

I don’t know what would have happened if WCW survived the tumultuous situation at the turn of the century, but the wrestling world would have looked a lot different decades later.  Overall, Who Killed WCW? is one of my most anticipated shows on the 2024 TV schedule, and I can’t wait to dive in and check it out. If you want to relive WCW’s glory days, you can do so with a Peacock subscription, which gives you access to the full WWE Network library.

When pulled off properly, few things bring as much excitement to the world of professional wrestling more than a heel turn. Over the years, wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin have turned around their respective careers (and respective companies) when they decided to finally go bad. 

Whether it’s in a game-changing WrestleMania match, at a seemingly normal WCW pay-per-view event that immediately becomes the stuff of legends, or deep in the heart of Texas, a well-timed and pulled-off betrayal can be a sight to see. Here are 32 of the most shocking heel turns in professional wrestling history. 

Hulk Hogan Forms The NWO

A decade after “Hulkamania” first ran wild on the then-WWF (now WWE), Hulk Hogan’s peak seemed to have come and gone by the mid ‘90s. That all changed on the night of July 6, 1996, when the Hulkster changed the game and joined the NWO alongside Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Truly, this is a heel turn and a big-time wrestling moment none will ever forget.

Shawn Michaels Throws Marty Jannetty Through The Barbershop Window

Shawn Michaels super-kicking and then throwing his tag team partner, Marty Jannetty, through the barbershop window turned HBK from a talented mid-carder to a massive superstar. Michaels would go on to have one of the most successful careers of any WWE Hall of Famer, even if he had to get his hands dirty.

Stone Cold Sides With Mr. McMahon

Sometimes you have to make a deal with the devil, and that’s exactly what Stone Cold Steve Austin did in the main event of WrestleMania 17, where he allied with longtime foe Mr. McMahon. The image of a bloody Austin shaking hands with his arch-nemesis is one that is still crazy to think about 20-plus years later.

Seth Rollins Turns On The Shield

The Shield – Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose – arrived on the scene in November 2012 and made an immediate impact as one of the craziest and most dominant factions in WWE. But, that all came crashing down in June 2014 when Rollins was revealed to be Triple H’s “Plan B” to stopping the Shield once and for all. 

Andre The Giant Joins The Heenan Family

For years, Andre the Giant was one of the WWF’s top babyfaces as well as one of Hulk Hogan’s closest allies. That all ended in February 1987, when the massive French wrestler turned on the Hulkster and aligned with Bobby Heenan and his family. Andre ripping Hogan’s shirt and cross from his body gave the superstar immediate heat.

Roman Reigns Turns Heel In His 2020 Return

Years after being booed mercilessly by crowds around the world, Roman Reigns finally gave into the temptation in August 2020 and returned as a heel when he viciously attacked The Fiend and Braun Strowman and then aligned with Paul Heyman. The shocking and much-needed change led to Reigns’ historic 1,316-day championship run and the creation of the Bloodline, one of the best stables of all time. 

Kevin Owens Turns On Sami Zayn

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, wrestling as Kevin Steen and El Generico, respectively, had one of the craziest histories in the indie scene. That history repeated itself in late 2014, when Owens made his NXT debut, congratulated his longtime friend after his NXT Championship victory, and then viciously beat him outside and inside the ring. Talk about a debut.

The Montreal Screwjob

A prime example of when wrestling got a little too real, the “Montreal Screwjob” is still considered one of the most impactful moments in the sport’s history. Though it’s not a traditional heel turn, Vince McMahon forcing referee Earl Hebner to end the match and give Bret Hart’s WWF Championship to Shawn Michaels via a submission that never happened ushered in the legendary Mr. McMahon character.

The WrestleMania 13 DoubleTurn

Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart went into their WrestleMania 13 submission match as a heel and babyface, respectively. But by the time the grueling, blood-soaked bout ended 22 minutes later, the “Texas Rattlesnake” and the “Hitman” pulled off the rare double-turn. Austin refusing to tap out and Hart refusing to let go of the Sharpshooter is an ending like no other.

Stephanie McMahon Sides With Triple H

Long before she and Triple H dominated the WWE landscape as the Authority in the early-to-mid 2010s, Stephanie McMahon was the young, innocent, and loving daughter of Vince McMahon. But, that all changed in late 1999, when Stephanie sided with the D-Generation X leader and kicked off the McMahon-Hemsley Era.

The Rock Becomes Joins The Corporation

Two years after making his WWF debut, The Rock, an on-the-rise babyface at the time, turned heel and joined The Corporation in November 1998. The shocking turn and alignment with Vince McMahon’s authoritarian regime would lead to some of the greatest moments in the young wrestler’s career up to that point.

Tommaso Ciampa Betrays Johnny Gargano

In May 2017, the DIY exploded when Tommaso Ciampa turned on Johnny Gargano in the final moments of NXT TakeOver: Chicago. Just after the main event and while the WWE trademark information was on the screen, the Sicilian Psychopath laid waste to his longtime friend in a shocking display of violence.

The Fabulous Freebirds Turn On The Von Erichs

In December 1982, Kerry Von Erich was inches away from defeating Ric Flair for the WCCW Championship in a steel cage match. But before the hometown hero could secure the victory, Terry Gordy, of the Fabulous Freebirds, slammed the steel door on his head. Not only did it help the Nature Boy win the match, but it also kicked off the legendary Freebird/Von Erich feud.

The Mega Powers Explode

Macho Man Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan had a legendary match at WrestleMania V, but the heel turn that started the feud was just as epic. Bitterly jealous of his partner in the Mega Powers, Savage viciously attacked Hogan backstage in early 1989, which is still shocking decades later.

Dusty Rhodes Joins The NWO

In the months and years following the formation of the NWO, the group was getting larger by the day and even had its own PPV titled “Souled Out.” During the January 1998 event, Dusty Rhodes, to the shock of everyone, revealed he was with NWO when he turned heel on longtime friend Larry Zbyszko. 

Mark Henry's 'Retirement' Speech

In June 2013, Mark Henry entered the ring in a salmon-colored suit and told the world he was retiring from wrestling. But things weren’t as they seemed, as Henry used the fake retirement speech to get John Cena to come out so he could attack him and challenge the WWE Champion for his belt.

Scott Steiner Betrays His Brother And Becomes 'Big Poppa Pump'

Scott Steiner, one of the most ridiculous wrestling figures of all time (just look up “Steiner Math”), wasn’t always a brash, heelish, genetic freak. Going into WCW’s SuperBrawl VIII in February 1998, Steiner was a successful tag team wrestler with his real-life brother, Rick. That changed later that night when Scott turned heel on his older brother, a decision that would give birth to “Big Poppa Pump.”

Kevin Owens Attacks Chris Jericho At The 'Festival Of Friendship'

Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho had a fun team in late 2016 and early 2017, but that all came to an end when Owens turned on his mentor and friend during the “Festival of Friendship” on Monday Night Raw. Growing tired of Jericho, Owens attacked with his WWE Universal Championship in a manner that was equally hilarious and sad.

Jake 'The Snake' Roberts Turns On Ultimate Warrior

Though Jake “The Snake” Roberts was mostly known for his heel work, his betrayal of Ultimate Warrior in 1991 was still shocking to say the least. In an absurd scene that looked like something out of a B-movie, Roberts locked his one-time friend in a room where he was bitten by a cobra snake. Sadly, Warrior was fired later that year and the feud never really went anywhere.

Bayley Finally Turns Heel

After spending the majority of her career as a beloved babyface, Bayley shocked the world in September 2019 when she turned heel on Becky Lynch in brutal fashion. All that pent-up rage and frustration came out as she attacked “The Man” with a series of chair shots to the back. A new, meaner, Bayley was born.

Prince Devitt Forms The Bullet Club

Prince Devitt, better known as Finn Balor in WWE, kickstarted one of the most popular stables in all of wrestling in May 2013 when he formed Bullet Club in NJPW. Following a losing effort in a high-profile tag match, Devitt turned on partner Ryusuke Taguchi and unleashed a new attitude as the “Real Rock ‘n Rolla” of the company. 

Dean Ambrose Turns On Seth Rollins

Though more than four years had passed since Seth Rollins broke up the Shield, and though they were once again on good terms, Dean Ambrose got his revenge on Rollins in October 2018 during a shocking heel turn. After winning the tag team championship (the same night Roman Reigns stepped away because of leukemia), Ambrose viciously attacked his friend in and outside of the ring. 

CM Punk Turns Heel At Raw 1000

Raw 1000 was supposed to be a celebration of WWE’s flagship show. And while that was true for the first two-and-a-half hours, the show ended on an intense note when WWE Champion CM Punk turned his back on the fans by viciously attacking The Rock in the middle of the ring.

Owen Hart Turns On Bret

In 1994, Bret and Owen Hart had one of the best WrestleMania opening matches of all time and a five-star classic a few months later. There were some precursors to the epic feud, but it got started proper at that year’s Royal Rumble when Owen brutalized his older brother after they failed to capture the tag titles.

The Miz Attacks Logan Paul

The Miz has turned heel more than anyone not named Big Show, but the betrayal that was the most surprising was his turn on Logan Paul at WrestleMania 38. What made it even more shocking was the fact the “star-crushing finale” attack on Paul came after the pair won their tag team match.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan Betrays America

Few wrestlers used American patriotism more than Hacksaw Jim Duggan, which is what made his 2000 heel turn in WCW so wild. Breaking the hearts of millions of Americans, Duggan joined Team Canada and carried a Canadian flag opposed to Old Glory for a short time.

Larry Zbyszko Betrays Bruno Sammartino

Larry Zbyszko and Bruno Sammartino are two of the most respected men in the history of wrestling, and the pair were longtime friends. However, Zbyszko had enough in 1980 and turned against his friend/mentor, kicking off a killer and legendary feud.

Cactus Jack Turns On ECW Fans

Of all of Mick Foley’s characters, Cactus Jack has always been the most violent, most aggressive, and most hardcore. Well, shortly after joining ECW in the mid ‘90s, Foley turned on the more hardcore audience when he spotted a sign saying “Cane Dewey” which referenced his 3-year-old son. Though shocking, the turn was justified. 

Eddie Guerrero Betrays Rey Mysterio

The late Eddie Guerrero had quite the history with Rey Mysterio. The longtime friends came up around the same time, survived WCW’s cruiserweight division together, and put on killer matches in WWE. But in 2005, that all came to an end when Eddie finally turned heel on Rey, a shocking moment to say the least.

Nikki Bella Double-Crosses Brie Bella 

After nearly a decade of being by her twin sister’s side in the WWE ring, Nikki Bella turned against Brie and cost her a victory against Stephanie McMahon at SummerSlam 2014. Following the heel turn, Nikki became a quasi-member of the Authority faction for a short time.

The Four Horsemen Turn On Sting

There have been countless members of the Four Horsemen over the years, and that includes Sting. For a short time in the late ‘80s, the group, which predominantly worked as a heel faction, went good with Stinger on the roster. However, it was short-lived and the remaining members would turn on Sting a few months after he joined.

Chris Jericho Snaps On Shawn Michaels

Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels had some great matches over the years, and the pair of in-ring veterans seemed to have mutual respect for one another despite a dust-up following their WrestleMania 19 bout. However, that came crashing down in 2008 when Y2J turned on his idol and kicked off another heated feud.

Some of these 32 shocking heel turns led to some of the greatest moments in wrestling history and continue to resonate years, and decades, later. 

Vince McMahon officially left the WWE in any capacity in the wake of a high-profile lawsuit, but the long-term effects on the wrestling company and its former owner still remain to be seen. After the Royal Rumble was almost impacted via brand sponsorships, more stars have reacted to McMahon's news with their own takes. Randy Orton and John Cena, two men who flourished over the past two decades under McMahon's guiding rule, are two of the latest to offer up their personal feelings about the situation.

Randy Orton On Vince McMahon

Ahead of his appearance at the upcoming WWE event Elimination Chamber, Randy Orton spoke to the New York Post about the disturbing allegations of sex trafficking lodged by former employee Janel Grant, who previously went unnamed when the investigation into Vince McMahon's undisclosed settlements first began. Orton confirmed he's aware of the situation, and admitted the conflicting feelings that he's wrestled with as someone who worked for, and was aided by, McMahon quite a lot over the years. As he put it: 

While Randy Orton was sidelined recovering from surgery during the initial in-house investigation into Vince McMahon, he followed what was happening in the news. As someone who has been in the organization since he was 22, the now 43-year-old Orton admitted he's struggling to come to terms with the allegations because of his own mistakes and transgressions that McMahon helped him get past throughout his career. The superstar acknowledged that the same someone can be responsible for both making bad decisions as well as keeping the veteran wrestler active enough to allow him to be on the road to WrestleMania 40. 

John Cena On Vince McMahon

John Cena struggled with the same issues that Orton talked about when speaking about McMahon's current status on The Howard Stern Show. John Cena, who returned to Hollywood post-strikes, was asked by Stern how to handle dealing with a friend who has been accused of something so terrible, and The Prototype said (via Wrestling Observer):

John Cena isn't condoning Vince McMahon's actions, obviously, but is signaling that he intends to potentially stick by the side of his friend and former boss until more comes out of the investigations. Wrestling fans may remember that McMahon strutted out to the ring with Cena at the initial height of allegations made against him, as part of a celebration on Monday Night Raw for the wrestler's legacy. 

Cena seems to have the same respect for Vince McMahon as Randy Orton and intends to remain supportive during the ongoing lawsuit. Cena explained his reasoning for that in light of the troubling situation and how this matches up with what he's said in the past:

John Cena's words seemed to indicate he'll wait and see how the legal process plays out, but that he still has love for Vince McMahon until then. As such, he will reach out and support him in the midst of the turmoil while waiting for the outcome, whatever it may be. 

John Cena might be back in Hollywood, but Randy Orton can be seen in the ring on SmackDown on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Those with a Peacock subscription can look into the dozens of matches they've had against each other over the years while we wait for more information on the ongoing situation with Vince McMahon. 

On February 24, 2014, the world of professional wrestling was forever changed with the launch of the WWE Network, a streaming service that would replace WWE’s pay-per-view model while also giving subscribers access to an unprecedented archive of old shows from promotions like WCW, AWA, WCCW, and more. Looking back, a lot is different in 2024 than it was when the network first launched.

The past 10 years have seen all kinds of changes to the way WWE reaches its audience (with more on the way), wrestlers have come, gone, and returned after reinventing themselves, and the women’s division has gone from being an afterthought to main event status at WrestleMania. But, that’s not all…

WWE Sold To Endeavor Group

In April 2023, word began to spread that WWE was in the process of being sold to Endeavour Group, the parent company of UFC and numerous other high-profile sports brands. Those rumors would prove to be true, and several months later, the two massive properties combined under the TKO umbrella, per ESPN. This new entity, which took much of the control out of the hands of Vince McMahon (more on him later), resulted in some major changes for WWE in both its corporate structure and presentation. And, this is just the beginning.

WWE Got In Business With Peacock

A couple of years before the TKO deal, WWE made waves when it was revealed that the wrestling company was moving its network to Peacock. Though the launch was a little buggy and some issues still remain, being able to access pretty much every major wrestling event from the past 50-plus years with a Peacock subscription has been a major win for both fans and the company. The easy access, large subscriber base, and the value outweigh the platform’s problems.

Vince McMahon Is Gone

A day that many thought would never come finally happened in January 2024 when Vince McMahon resigned from WWE and its parent company, TKO, following a string of controversies. The straw that broke the camel’s back was a lawsuit filed by a former employee alleging that McMahon, whose family started the promotion 71 years ago, had subjected her to sex trafficking and a number of other abuses, per The Wall Street Journal. Several days later, the man who revolutionized the sport was gone, per Variety.

Triple H Is Running Creative

After Vince McMahon’s initial retirement in July 2022, Triple H was put in charge of creative, ushering in a new era for the promotion, and the wrestling industry as a whole. Now going by his real name, Paul Levesque, the 14-time world champion and long-time booker for the NXT brand has implemented some major changes to the product, which has resulted in more fans being stoked about WWE and its wrestlers than any other time in the past 20 or so years. He went from playing the authority to being the authority, which is wild.

WWE Is Expanding To Netflix

For the past 31 years, Monday Night Raw, WWE’s flagship show, has been on cable, with the vast majority of that time being spent on the USA Network (it was broadcast on TNN/Spike TV from September 2000 to October 2005). However, that will change in January 2025 when WWE moves Raw to Netflix, a major shift. According to Deadline, this 10-year, $5 billion deal will bring the long running, weekly wrestling show to the massively popular streaming platform, meaning everyone with a Netflix subscription will be able to watch at least three hours of wrestling a week without cable. 

The Rock Is Heavily Involved (On Camera And Behind The Scenes)

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been around sporadically over the years, but his involvement with WWE reached heights not seen since his feud with John Cena when he returned in early 2024. Not only is The Rock part of the hottest storyline heading into WrestleMania 40, but he’s also taken on a major behind-the-scenes role on the TKO board. Love him or hate him, having the “Brahma Bull” in the mix is a major win for everyone connected to WWE, especially the fans.

WWE Has Its Biggest Competitor Since WCW

Don’t get me wrong, WWE has always had competition in the form of TNA, ROH, and international promotions like NJPW (many of the company’s top stars got started in each of them), but none of those came close to what AEW has accomplished since 2019. For the first time since the dissolution of WCW nearly 20 years earlier, WWE had a major competitor, one that not only drew big stars from around the world but also gave WWE superstars another avenue. Sure, this isn’t “Monday Night War” territory, but you can’t say WWE hasn’t felt a need to improve the product because of Tony Khan’s company.

The Shield Have Turned Into The Biggest Stars In The World

The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose) didn’t make it to the halfway point of 2014 before falling apart after Rollins betrayed his brothers-in-arms and sided with the Authority, but all three members have since become the biggest stars in the world. Reigns is now the “Head of the Table” and is in the middle of a historic reign; Rollins has held the World Heavyweight Championship for nearly a year; and Ambrose, now going by Jon Moxley in AEW, has held titles all over the planet the past decade. We knew they were a big deal, but these three wrestlers changed the game.

Superstars Like Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, And Drew McIntyre Have Left, Reinvented Themselves, And Returned To WWE

In 2014, Cody Rhodes started his Stardust gimmick, Drew McIntyre was a member of the 3MB stable before being released, and CM Punk walked out on WWE and didn’t wrestle for nearly a decade. In the years that followed, Rhodes left WWE, became a major star in NJPW, and helped get AEW off the ground before returning; McIntyre reinvented himself in the indies and returned to NXT and worked his way back to the top; and CM Punk had a tumultuous journey back to WWE that included a short UFC run and a wild time in AEW. All three are major players in WWE these days and each paid their dues to get back to the top.

The Women's Division Has Become One Of The Biggest Aspects Of The Company

Over the past decade, no aspect of WWE has changed more than the Women’s Division. Long gone are the days of the Diva Searches, bra-and-panty matches, or degrading storylines that used female wrestlers as eye candy or punchlines. In the past six years, iconic female wrestlers like Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Ronda Rousey, and Sasha Banks have headlined WrestleMania, entire premium live events have been centered around the division, and a women’s Royal Rumble match has been introduced. 

Wrestling is always evolving, which the past decade has proven time and time again. With the long list of upcoming WWE events like the highly-anticipated WrestleMania 40, it’s safe to say it’s just going to get better and better from here on out.

Since its debut in 2019, Vice's Dark Side of the Ring has shed light on some of the strangest, darkest, and most tragic stories ever to be told in professional wrestling. Exploring the darker side of the squared circle, the first four seasons of the show have explored the lives, legacies, and deaths of members of the Von Erich family, infamous events like “The Montreal Screwjob,” and sagas involving the likes of Marty Jannetty.

Dark Side of the Ring Season 5 will soon premiere on the 2024 TV schedule, and tell 10 more wrestling stories about fame, fortune, and falls from grace. And now that the show’s official X account has shared the wrestlers and events that we’ll be covering, we know what to expect. Here are the stories we’ll see unfold starting March 5th. 

Chris Adams

Sean Durkin’s The Iron Claw went into great detail about the Von Erich family curse, but they weren’t the only members of World Class Championship Wrestling whose stories ended tragically. 

“Gentleman” Chris Adams was a mainstay of the Dallas, Texas-based promotion during its glory days and won multiple championships including the NWA American Heavyweight Championship on four separate occasions. But in October 2001, just one year after retiring from wrestling, Adams was shot and killed by his best friend during a dispute, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.

Sensational Sherri

Sherri Martel, a.k.a., Sensational Sherri, will forever be remembered as one of the most impactful women in the history of WWE. Throughout her time in professional wrestling, Martel did everything from help elevate the women’s division in the then-WWF and Verne Gagne’s AWA to serve as the legendary manager and valet for superstars like Randy Savage and Shawn Michaels (she sang HBK’s original “Sexy Boy” theme song). Sensational Sherri was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, but she passed away a little more than a year later at the age of 49, according to WWE.

Terry Gordy

One-third of the Fabulous Freebirds, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy was one of the most prolific and dominant tag-team wrestlers of the 1980s. Together with Michael P.S. Hayes and Buddy Roberts, Gordy worked in promotions like Georgia Championship Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, the WWF, and most famously, World Class Championship Wrestling, where he engaged in a years-long feud with the Von Erichs. Tragically, Gordy passed away after suffering a heart attack in July 2001, according to Slam Wrestling. At the time of his death, the future WWE Hall of Famer was only 40 years old. 

Black Saturday

The “Monday Night War” dominated the landscape of American pro wrestling in the mid-to-late ‘90s with Vince McMahon’s WWF battling Ted Turner’s WCW in the ratings each week. More than a decade earlier, the events that would lead to the eventual war between the rival promotions would kick off with “Black Saturday” on July 14, 1984, the day McMahon’s company took over the slot long held by the defunct Georgia Championship Wrestling on Turner’s WTBS Superstation (later known as TBS) and angered wrestling fans throughout the South. 

The deal was a disaster and would later lead to Turner purchasing Jim Crockett Promotions, which he turned into World Championship Wrestling. The rest is wrestling history… 

Chris Colt

Chris Colt may not be as instantly recognizable as other wrestlers listed here, but the scrappy grappler known for looking like the Alice Cooper of the squared circle is a worthy inclusion. As shown in the Dark Side of the Ring Season 5 teaser, Colt once wrestled in a steel cage match on psychedelic drugs, which made him believe he was being attacked by giant spiders. But, that is just a part of his story, as he fought in promotions across North America until his 1996 death.

The Sandman

James Fullington, better known as The Sandman, will forever go down in history as one of the most popular, most hardcore, and probably drunkest wrestlers during ECW’s heyday throughout the 1990s. Known for walking through the crowd while smoking cigarettes and chugging beers (and smashing them over his head) to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” this ECW original was about as extreme as it got. After 35 years of putting his life on the line for the enjoyment of his fans, The Sandman is still doing what he does best.

Earthquake

John Anthony Tenta Jr., who WWE fans will recognize as Earthquake, had a successful career in professional wrestling, even before he formed The Natural Disasters with longtime friend Typhoon. Throughout his 17-year run in the industry, Tenta made a name for himself as one of the most dominant gaijin (foreign-born wrestlers in Japan) with promotions like AJPW, WCW, and WWF, and he even had a turn as a sumo wrestler before all of that. Sadly, Tenta died of bladder cancer in June 2006 when he was only 42 years old, per ESPN.

Harley Race

One of the most popular wrestlers who never won the WWE Championship, Harley Race will forever be remembered as one of the baddest men on the planet. Over the course of his 31-year career, Race earned a ton of accolades and a well-deserved reputation as a ring general who didn’t like taking crap from anyone. I mean, go back and watch his legendary Starrcade ‘83 cage match against Ric Flair and see for yourself.

Buff Bagwell

In addition to being a part of one of the most absurd gimmick matches of all time, Marcus “Buff” Bagwell has one of the most ridiculous stories in professional wrestling history. A WCW mainstay throughout the 1990s, including a longtime run with the NWO faction, Bagwell was a well-known name in the business for years. Much later, Bagwell would reinvent himself as a gigolo, according to TMZ. That career change will surely be touched upon on Dark Side of the Ring.

Brutus Beefcake

Edward Harrison Leslie, better known as Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, was one of the most colorful wrestlers in the WWF back in the ‘80s where he predominantly worked with Hulk Hogan. Known for carrying around an oversized pair of scissors, Brutus was at the center of one of the biggest wrestling moments of the early ‘90s: Shawn Michaels throwing Marty Jannetty through a barber shop window. He would have a successful career in WCW, again working with Hogan, this time in the NWO, and retired in 2015. Oddly enough, he tried to give late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford an intervention in 2013, according to the Toronto Sun.

We cannot wait to see how these stories unfold when Dark Side of the Ring Season 5 premieres on March 5th on Vice TV. But, if you want to watch more current wrestling, check out our schedule of all the upcoming WWE events.

While recent exits like Kevin Dunn have signaled the Vince McMahon era is over in the WWE, his previous controversies have created fresh troubles for the pro wrestling company. A shocking new report detailing a former employee's harrowing experience with McMahon and others has made major headlines, and there's a possibility it already impacted the company's plans for the Royal Rumble after name-dropping a major superstar. 

Vince McMahon has come out and officially denied the claims made in a new lawsuit, which alleged that he was sex trafficking an employee to others throughout the company. With that said, let's break down these allegations in broad strokes, and think about how it may impact Brock Lesnar's involvement in the Royal Rumble. 

New Horrific Details Emerged On Vince McMahon's Previous Scandal, And Brock Lesnar May Be Involved

The Wall Street Journal shared a massive report detailing the horrific details described in a lawsuit filed by previous WWE employee Janel Grant. Grant was the previously unnamed woman mentioned when word first surfaced about WWE's investigation into Vince McMahon's alleged sexual misconduct, and it was alleged that she was offered a payment of $3 million in what was then reported by WWE to be a consensual relationship. 

Grant's filing notes that while she received an initial payout of $1 million, there have been no payments since then. In her lawsuit, she provided dozens of pages of text exchanges from McMahon, and she detailed situations in which the former head of WWE sex trafficked her to other executives and subjected her to several lewd and degrading acts during her time with the company. One of these incidents involved an exchange with an unnamed "former UFC heavyweight champion" the company was trying to re-sign. A follow-up report by the Wall Street Journal confirmed the person in question to be Brock Lesnar. 

The report alleges that Vince McMahon instructed Janel Grant to make sexualized content and send it to the superstar. Lesnar received the content, later allegedly requested a video of Grant urinating, and messaged back the intention to schedule a "playdate." A date was set but was later canceled due to bad weather. 

Lesnar Was Rumored To Return For The Royal Rumble, But It's Possible He Won't Be There

While there hasn't been any confirmation that Brock Lesnar is going to return at the 2024 Royal Rumble, surprise returns from high-profile superstars are an expected thrill of the upcoming WWE event. Additionally, we're on the road to WrestleMania 40, and as one of the biggest superstars of the past decade, many would expect Lesnar to be included in a match.

In light of the latest news, however, Fightful Select reported that the WWE may alter plans to have Brock Lesnar involved in the Royal Rumble. As mentioned, the company has not advertised him for the event nor made any teases that he'd be involved. So it's understandable from a common sense perspective they'd keep him off the show to prevent any further backlash from fans, sponsors, and shareholders tracking the latest news. 

All this to say, it's not known at this stage whether or not Brock Lesnar will be at the Royal Rumble if he'll be held back, or if he was ever invited at all. We're very much in speculative territory here. However, with the WWE fresh off of signing a massive deal with Netflix for Monday Night Raw and appointing Dwayne Johnson to its parent company's board of directors, I'd imagine it's taking the utmost care to address this troubling news and make the right decisions for the company. 

WWE's Royal Rumble kicks off on Peacock on Saturday, January 27th, at 8:00 p.m. ET, per the 2024 TV schedule. Tune in to see superstars battle for a chance at making history at WrestleMania 40, as CinemaBlend continues to track the latest controversy surrounding Vince McMahon. 

It's been a wild year for the WWE, which for the first time was taken over by someone outside the McMahon family. While the now-named TKO Group Holdings took control of the wrestling company,  it initially seemed like former owner Vince McMahon would resume his BTS roles, despite having previously retiring amid controversy. But with 2023 closing out, a new rumor indicates a major shakeup behind the scenes could legitimately sound the death knell of WWE's Vince McMahon era.

The rumor in question, which is floating around via PWInsider, alleges that WWE Executive Producer and Chief of Global Television Distribution Kevin Dunn gave the higher-ups notice around Christmas week that he would be retiring from his position. Assuming that shocker is indeed true, Dunn's exit would end a career span that's lasted for three decades, but that's not all.

Though Dunn works behind the camera, he's largely responsible for the look and feel of pro wrestling as it stands today. For one, he oversaw the creative direction from a production standpoint for WWE, and that includes each of the television shows, pay-per-view events, podcasts, documentaries, and more. 

As if that weren't enough, Kevin Dunn was also the line producer for budgeting shows, and was part of hiring the crews that helped construct set pieces and over-the-top stunts that fans have gone crazy for over the years. Assuming he is indeed hanging it up, Dunn's successor(s) will have some big shoes to fill, though the powers that be may choose to take things in a different direction from how things were handled by McMahon.

Dunn was generally (if unofficially) seen as the Number Two figure within WWE's corporate rankings, and has long been taksed with seeing Vince McMahon's vision for WWE play out on screen. His deep history with the company dates back to his father Dennis Dunn working for Vincent J. McMahon Sr. back in the 1970s. Kevin Dunn joined WWE in 1984 just as the promotion was exploding in popularity, and he quickly rose through the ranks to attain his current position. 

For now, it's speculated that Dunn's position will be taken over by multiple people, rather than handing the keys to the creative vision of WWE to one person. From a big-picture perspective, it would make sense that if the person who championed Vince McMahon's vision the most is gone from the company, upcoming WWE events could look a lot different. 

Many changes have occurred in the WWE since Triple H took creative control of the company. If Kevin Dunn leaves, it tracks more changes that could be on the way, given his general philosophy of the presentation of the product. Dunn famously saw WWE as more of a stage production rather than a sports-based project and as such, structured the shows accordingly. Will that change should more people step in to shoulder the workload of WWE programming, or will Dunn's vision outlast his time with the company? 

It's a question we'll likely see the answer to, assuming the rumor is true, as we get closer to WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia. There's still plenty to talk about in the meantime, like the big return Triple H is teasing ahead of the new year, and whether this year will finally be the year that Roman Reigns' historic title reign ends. 

There are few television programs as consistent as the WWE when it comes to weekly airings throughout the year, and while there have been rare instances where postponements were necessary for Monday Night Raw and/or SmackDown, it's never taken long for Vince McMahon to get the show rolling once again. Such was the case when SmackDown was supposed to film in Houston on the day of the September 11, 2001 attacks, but was postponed. Over 20 years later, Matt Hardy reflected on McMahon's decision to wait only two days before announcing tapings would resume, resulting in one of the first mass gatherings following the deadly attack. 

Current AEW superstar Matt Hardy was on the WWE roster and present for the SmackDown that followed the World Trade Center attack, and recently spoke about the experience on his podcast The Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy. Host Jon Alba asked the Team XTreme vet if Vince McMahon's push to return to action so soon after the attacks was more to be the first return to public events at a time when sports orgs had shut down, or if the head honcho was truly inspired to make a stand against terrorism after witnessing the attacks. Hardy explained that he felt the answer was a bit of "both," and he went into more detail regarding McMahon's mindset and the show, saying: 

Longtime pro wrestling fans shouldn't be surprised by Vince McMahon's attitude. McMahon rarely stops any amount of forward progress for the WWE, and superstars have shown up on television for live events in the aftermath of all manner of tragic events. The same would be true following one of the most challenging days in United States history, and those who came out to Houston, Texas, were treated to a show in which Stone Cold Steve Austin took on Kurt Angle in an eight-man tag-team match. 

Matt Hardy mentioned above that various people, including Superstars themselves, had concerns about performing on SmackDown. Hardy can be seen in the clip below speaking in more detail about what happened when the roster learned of the attacks, and some of their thoughts after first heaving about Vince McMahon's instructions for them to remain in Houston rather than return home. 

Full credit to the WWE stars for staying and performing because that couldn't have been an easy decision. The months following September 11 were full of fear, so it's easy to understand there were probably many people nervous about attending that SmackDown episode two days later. Fortunately, the show went off without a hitch, and slowly, more events began to return to normalcy as time went on. Over twenty years later, SmackDown is still rolling strong and giving fans something to be entertained by no matter what is going on in the world. 

Those wishing to watch the SmackDown episode from September 13, 2001 can do so with a Peacock Premium subscription. In many ways, it remains a solid and somewhat touching episode to watch for anyone hoping to see a window into where wrestling fans' emotions were at during the hectic and scary days that followed such an awful, society-changing event. 

Following what was overall a pretty damn good WrestleMania 39, Triple H addressed a rabid crowd at Monday Night Raw and told the fans in attendance and those watching at home that nothing was changing following the recent sale to Endeavor. He was widely applauded, and the initial response to his segment was very strong on social media. But then the rest of the show happened, followed by an avalanche of rumors, and now he’s set to address the WWE fans on SmackDown this Friday.

Let’s back up. Something on Monday Night Raw just felt off to regular viewers following Triple H’s first segment. The pacing was strange. There were a ton of changes from the rumored show outline, and for some reason Omos got a bunch of time in the first hour after getting basically squashed at WrestleMania. Reviews were not good. 

Afterwards, several outlets started reporting that instead of Triple H, who has been running the show for nearly the last year, Vince McMahon (and his mustache) actually sat in Gorilla Position. He allegedly cancelled two matches, booked at least two new ones and supposedly even made changes while the show was on the air. In the aftermath, there was a flood of scary reports about wrestlers being furious and threatening to demand their releases if McMahon stays that involved, and the fanbase is I’ll politely say not in a good mental place.

On Thursday afternoon, WWE released a statement on social media saying Triple H will address the crowd during a segment on Friday Night SmackDown. No further details were given, but many are assuming it has to be related to the response after Monday Night Raw. Triple H hasn’t appeared on screen a ton since he took over creative following Vince McMahon’s retirement last year. It made a lot of sense for him to do it following the sale, but there was initially no expectation from fans that he would appear again on SmackDown. Now that he is, speculation amongst fans is at a fever pitch. 

People seem to fall into three distinct camps. Some think he’s essentially going to give the same speech he did on Monday, as not everyone who watches SmackDown also watches Raw. Some think he’s going to try to reassure fans that he is, in fact, in charge, and Vince is merely an advisor who was a lot more hands on since he was in Los Angeles for WrestleMania and at the Raw taping because of it. And then there are others who think he’s going to quit because he’s been kicked out of the driver’s seat, and he’s not going to play second fiddle to his father-in-law.

To be honest, I have no idea what’s going to happen. Maybe there will be some scoops about what we’ll see that’ll drop tonight or tomorrow morning, but right now, everyone seems mostly confused and clueless. If I had to guess, I think we’re going to get option two. Some fans don’t think WWE ever listens to the negativity, but they’re in the process of the biggest sale in the company’s history. Endeavor has no doubt noticed all the ugly hashtags and fans freaking out online. 

Given Vince McMahon is 77 and has said he doesn’t want to be in the weeds creatively, I think Triple H is going to say he is still calling the shots and is here to guide WWE into its next chapter. I don’t think he’ll tarnish Vince in any way or try to make him look bad, but I think it’s in WWE’s best interest, both for fans and for the locker room, that he show himself as in control. But ultimately, who knows? WWE has missed a lot of lay-ups in the past, and it’s also possible Endeavor’s purchase of WWE was at least with the quiet assumption that Vince would regain control of creative and become the top decision-maker again. We’ll just have to wait and see.

For now, all we can do is collectively smile and reflect on what it means to be a wrestling fan. I’m not sure any sequence of days has better illustrated the highs and lows we all feel as this past week. Night 1 of WrestleMania was an all-time banger. I was there and the crowd high we all felt was something else. Then we got rumors of a sale. Then we got a Night 2 that was mostly good but ended with a booking decision fans will be debating for decades, and then we got rumors about Vince McMahon being back in charge. I’m emotionally exhausted, and this is all I’ll be thinking about for the next day.

This weekend was, by pretty much any definition, a top tier WrestleMania. Even if you put aside the attendance numbers and the viewership numbers which were great, the actual product WWE put out was really freakin’ good too. I had to expand my list of best WrestleMania 39 matches from 5 to 10 because there were just so many good ones. I was on an absolute high yesterday as I flew back from WrestleMania. Then I landed, watched the super mediocre Raw After WrestleMania show and then went online to see story after story about how Vince McMahon and his new mustache were allegedly tearing up scripts and rewriting segments even while the show was going on. 

Wrestling fans are, of course, freaking out. That’s what wrestling fans do, sometimes for good reasons and sometimes because we’re excitable people that freak out. Big reactions are in our nature. But where does the truth lie here? Is everyone overreacting? Is this a really big deal? Let’s talk it out.

First though, some backstory about why this matters. Vince McMahon for decades ran WWE and was intricately involved in all the creative decisions. There were times in which that resulted in a spectacular product, as Vince is great at showmanship and sometimes has a really good eye for talent, and there were times in which it resulted in some really poor booking, as Vince would abandon storylines before they really got started and bury some talent he didn’t see main event potential in. Triple H took over last year, following Vince McMahon’s personal life scandals, and has shifted the product to focus a lot more on long-term storytelling. By all accounts, creative is usually finalized hours and sometimes even the night before shows, and storylines like The Bloodline vs Sami Zayn were given the chance to slowly develop over the course of months.

But over the weekend, a lot happened (in addition to WrestleMania). WWE was sold to UFC parent company Endeavor. Vince McMahon said publicly that he’d be involved with creative at a higher level but not in the weeds, and then fans were treated to this weird Monday Night Raw that had numerous last-minute changes and some strange segments. Seth Rollins, as an example, came out to do a  promo and then never did one, leading some to speculate creative was changed in the middle of his segment.  We also got a Brock Lesnar heel turn, Damian Priest chokeslaming Bad Bunny and Rhea and Bianca seemingly teasing a match down the road, among other things.

If you believe wrestling Twitter, last night was an all-time nightmare. Moving forward, we’re going to get twenty minute segments of Shanky dancing, and Austin Theory will be world champion within a few months. I mean that’s obviously hyperbolic, but it’s really hard to oversell the level of defeat and disappointment coming from hardcore wrestling fans who have loved what Triple H has done the last year or so while he’s been in charge. I get it. I really do. But let’s try to talk realistically about what we know and what we don’t know right now by asking a few big questions.

How Much Is Vince McMahon Going To Be Involved Creatively?

This is ultimately the single biggest question and the one that matters the most long-term. Given the overwhelming number of accounts out there, I think it’s pretty obvious Vince McMahon was at Raw, and I believe he almost certainly was making some changes to the creative process. The show had more last-minute changes from the circulated rundowns than we normally see and there were a few times in which the show felt like it had a weird pace. Something about it felt a little Vince-ish, which is a sentence that probably only makes sense to hardcore wrestling fans.

But it’s important to note here that we don’t know what he was actually changing. Most of the show looked very similar to what we saw on the early rundowns, and when people say he was doing re-writes on the fly, that could mean a ton of different things. It could mean he was changing out hospital for local medical facility and peppering in some more of his Vince-isms. It could mean the initial Roman/ Cody/ Brock stuff ran longer than expected so he was cutting time from later segments, which is part of running a live broadcast. Or it could mean he was like a mad scientist back there, throwing in new wrestlers, completely changing promos and screaming in Michael Cole’s ear about what to say. We just don’t know.

Honestly, I don’t care about any of that. I mean I do, but long-term, it doesn’t matter. Last night happened after WWE’s high profile sale, a day after WrestleMania, in the same city McMahon was already in. It would have been weird if he wasn’t backstage at the show. Vince has already said he’ll be involved creatively at “a high level”, and you could easily say Raw After ‘Mania is high level. To me, what matters long-term is whether Vince McMahon is going to be on the road and going to the majority of TV tapings. If he’s in Evansville, Indiana sitting in Gorilla and arguing with people over minor details of a third hour promo on Raw, then we have big issues. If he’s going to have conversations with Triple H (which has been happening already) and he’s going to show up to some major shows here or there, then that’s a totally different story.

Was Raw Really As Bad As People Are Acting Like?

Fans are acting like this was the worst Raw After WrestleMania in the company’s history. If you listen to some of the naysayers online, they act like everything that happened was the exact opposite of what Triple would have done, but if you actually step back and think about what happened on the show, at least some of the larger beats seem like obvious choices any competent person would have made. Let’s just go down the list real quick. 

Damian Priest chokeslammed Bad Bunny through a table, setting up a Rey & Bad Bunny vs Dominik & Damian Priest match at WrestleMania Backlash in Puerto Rico. Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley teased a confrontation and possible belt unification match down the road. Brock Lesnar turned heel and attacked Cody Rhodes, setting up a new feud. Riddle returned and set up a future match with The Miz. Roman Reigns signaled he’s pissed at The Usos over their loss at ‘Mania but didn’t directly address it. Raquel and Liv beat Dakota and Iyo. 

Clearly, the above was missing another big surprise or two since people expect that for Raw After WrestleMania. And clearly, there were a lot of problems on the periphery. The entire Seth Rollins segment was weird. There was no mention of why Bayley wasn’t with Damage CTRL. Omos got a lot of time in the first hour for such an important show. I’m not arguing it was a great show or even a good show. But I fail to see how it was some long-term disaster that made a bunch of mistakes we can’t come back from. 

Where’s My Head Ultimately At?

If Vince is really back, my biggest concerns (from a non-culture/ workplace standpoint) are related to 1) talent relations and 2) long-term storytelling. McMahon has great, long-term relationships with some WWE wrestlers, but there are many others who clearly did not enjoy working for him, specifically the last minute creative changes that were allegedly common under his leadership. It’s obvious some of the talent has thrived with more time to prepare and the additional freedom they allegedly get during promos under Triple H. 

As someone who works with creative types all day, I think it’s important that you create an atmosphere in which people have enough freedom to work on something they’re passionate about. It leads to better work in the long-run. Not surprisingly, Fightful Select reported several talent reached out after Vince's actions on Raw and at least one indicated they'd ask for their release if it continued. 

The long-term storytelling has taken a noticeable step up under Triple H. That’s not to say WWE never told a long-term story before. They told plenty and some were pretty good (KofiMania, as a recent example), but there has never been anything in WWE like this Sami Zayn/ Bloodline stuff. We need more of that, not less. We need multi-layered and complicated characters who can connect in ways that make you feel something, and sometimes last minute changes ruin long-term storytelling because then the details don’t add up. That’s what took down the nWo.

But as of right now, I’m not entirely convinced McMahon is actually going to be this involved in creative long-term. I still think there’s a very strong chance that he was at Raw because it was right after WrestleMania. I have a hard time seeing, at 77, him traveling 250 days a year to do Raw and SmackDown. I think he trusts Triple H, and while he’ll have his say on some major points, I don’t think this is as much of a thing as people are thinking. 

But we’ll see. Deep down, I’m not even sure Vince McMahon and Triple H know how the next six months are going to go. We’ll all just have to wait and see. Expect wrestling Twitter to be louder and more opinionated than ever. 

On the immediate heels (and babyfaces) of WrestleMania Weekend, the worlds of MMA and pro wrestling were shaken up by Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor Group officially buying out a majority stake in the WWE. Rumors about the buyout and merger plans went public a day before, hours ahead of Night 2 of the annual pay-per-view extravaganza, and the news was made official early Monday morning, with both Emanuel and Vince McMahon shining some light on the massive sports-entertainment deal in an interview. And as interesting and game-changing as it all is, for better or worse, I can’t help but be more entertained by everyone’s mirthful reactions to McMahon’s determination to pull off his new and unnaturally dark mustache.

While the former WWE CEO certainly attracted some responses after showing off his updated look during WrestleMania 39, Vince McMahon sparked a wave of new and endlessly hilarious reactions while speaking with CNBC’s Scott Wapner for a relatively rare TV interview. (Made all the more rare by his temporary absence from events during that much-discussed retirement phase.) Seemingly every roast was 100% on point, no matter how specific or vague, such as this multi-headed comment that works in references to a Hanna-Barbera villain, a Strawberry Shortcake villain, and a real-life politico’s TV fail.

Would it have been cool if Ari Emanuel was arbitrarily dressed up in a way that made him easily comparable to Dick Dastardly's canine sidekick Muttley? Ab. So. Lute. Ly. But we move on.

All the Marvel fans out there no doubt quickly thought of a particularly Daily Bugle head honcho with a penchant for yelling at talented photographers, and that idea was echoed in various ways on social.

• Vince McMahon hopes this merger can bring viewers what they have always wanted: Pictures of Spider-Man - @rodger
• Every time I see a newer picture of @VinceMcMahon, I imagine on his brief time off from @WWE he took a vacation to [Universal Orlando], saw a picture of Jonah Jameson when riding Spider-Man and thought "I have an idea..." - @TheVillainGG
• Vince McMahon out here looking like he really hates Spider-Man - @BigCity914
• I can't tell if this new version of Vince McMahon wants a Mark to think or if he wants pictures of that "menace" Spider-Man. - @JaredFo85904268

Kudos to the commenter just above for also throwing another J.K. Simmons-portrayed comic book character in there, in the form of Invincible's Nolan "Omni-Man" Grayson. 

More than a few WWE fans simply voiced insults about the dye job and how weird and/or awful it looked, but it was so much more fun to read all the silly (while still extremely spot-on) comparisons. Such as the reference to Mel Brooks' classic-if-controversial comedy Blazing Saddles below:

Or the callback seen below to Christopher Walken's "The Continental" sketch on SNL. 

Feel free to sip on said champagna while reading through a selection of other intuitive comparisons that will hopefully be turned into reality through A.I. generators in the near future. 

• Vince McMahon looks like Brak's dad - @jtLOL
• Vince McMahon looks like the evil manager of a haunted hotel in an early 2000s comedy - @BenAxelrod
• Vince McMahon looks like John Waters having an allergic reaction. - @MikeBeauvais
• BREAKING NEWS Vince McMahon to step down as Sanford Somerfield Store Manager - @Porkchop_Lord
• Walt Disney reincartnated - @tgcoach2002
• Vince McMahon looks like Wario's cousin and just sold WWE for $9.1 billion - @mbdailyshow
• Vince McMahon looks like he’s about to fight Indiana Jones for the Cross of Coronado - @MostlyPeacefull
  

And while the tweet below wasn't commenting on Vince McMahon's mustache, but rather the mogul's notoriousness, it's still worth including for being so equally aligned with reality. 

The UFC and WWE merger gained a lot of attention for other reasons beyond facial follicles, of course, with many wondering exactly what it meant for the WWE's creative side, with Vince McMahon being purposefully vague about where things stand. He fell back on saying that he wouldn't be "in the weeds" on that end, and would be involved in more big picture things. But wrestling fans know full well that explanation could be subverted by the time Raw airs. 

As we wait to see what Mirror Universe Gomez Addams (that's mine) does with his new role, we can also look forward to seeing what other changes are on the way from the UFC and WWE, by way of PPVs, company names, crossover athletes and more. 

Legalized betting has run rampant through the professional sports world in the United States, and it's almost impossible to turn on a game anymore without hearing the betting lines for matchups, or seeing an ad for one of the big dogs in the betting industry. The WWE has even dabbled in it via free betting pools on DraftKings, but the organization is now allegedly aiming to fully legitimize gambling on matches in the future. As someone who regularly bets on sporting events that aren't widely known to be partially scripted ahead of time, I think it's a terrible idea, especially after considering how it may negatively impact pro wrestling as we know it. 

It's reported that the WWE is in talks with a few state gambling regulators and is attempting to legitimize betting on major matches. According to CNBC, the WWE is working with Ernst & Young accounting firm, which has worked on the results for the Academy Awards and Emmys in the past, to figure out a way that this lofty goal can be reached. The report alleges that WWE execs have allegedly spoken to gambling officials in Colorado, Michigan, and Indiana about legalizing bets for their higher-profile matches. 

The central thought is that the WWE can arrange a way to script its matches, while going harder on preventing those pre-determined results from being leaked out. While it doesn't appear as if the WWE and Ernst & Young have a concrete plan in place just yet to go about handling everything like securing the match results and preventing tampering or corruption, it's reported that the companies are using the template for betting on the Academy Awards as proof of concept for how this could work. Votes for the Academy Awards are done in advance, but the results are only known by a few people until the results are revealed on the night of the event. Even so, the process hasn't kept that kind of betting free from controversy, and it's also not available to take part in nationwide. 

Why I Think Betting On WWE Matches Is A Bad Idea

Even if the WWE is only looking to legitimize betting on major matches like WrestleMania, SummerSlam, or the Royal Rumble, I still can't say I like the idea of this happening. One would think that the WWE would need to lock down the results of key matches long before the night of the event, and once they're in, they couldn't be changed. 

As such, I think fans can say goodbye to the idea that their cheers and feedback could impact the trajectory of a wrestler finding their way into the main event or a title opportunity. While the WWE doesn't always cater to its audience, there are certainly notable runs over the past decade in which one could argue fan response led to a title opportunity or win for a wrestler. Kofi Kingston's long-awaited championship run feels like a great example, as does the recent rise of Sami Zayn. 

I'm also struggling to understand how oddsmakers would justify which wrestler is favored over the other. Match statistics aren't really indicative of whether or not a wrestler will win or lose their title match. And what if the match ends in disqualification? Does a screwy finish result in a no-bet, and gamblers get a refund? 

I'm sure these are the same questions these state regulators are asking, and that the WWE is doing its best (or some such thing) to answer them. We'll have to wait and see if the plan actually goes through, and if it does, what a world where WWE allows betting will look like. 

WrestleMania 39 isn't too far off now, and those with a Peacock Premium subscription will be able to watch it live on Saturday, April 1st, and Sunday, April 2nd.   The WWE has been slowly locking down its matchups for the two-night event, so be sure to check our list of who is confirmed to have a match and any last-minute additions to the night before it kicks off.  

Brock Lesnar and Omos will have a match at the WWE's WrestleMania 39, and many in the wrestling world are confused by the booking. It seemed like Lesnar was on a collision course with Bobby Lashley, but after their Elimination Chamber match came to a controversial end, Lashley is likely taking on Bray Wyatt. Many were scratching their heads and wondering how this storyline derailed just before WrestleMania until a rumor surfaced that Vince McMahon was involved. Whether or not the rumors are true remains to be seen, but the internet already has thoughts.

There have been light hints by the WWE's top brass that Vince McMahon might inject himself into the creative side of the wrestling organization after returning to help negotiate a sale, and reliable wrestling insider WrestleVotes now reports it apparently happened. The insider stated that McMahon is the driving force behind the match and "pushed it through": 

There's a bit of sarcasm in that tweet that echoes a lot of the thoughts of wrestling fans. No one was really asking for Omos and Brock Lesnar to face each other at WrestleMania 39, and nothing about this past year has suggested they'd feud to close out the season. It seems like the match was done just to put two big guys against each other in the ring, which could be the same way to describe similar match bookings that Vince McMahon had a hand in when he was running the creative side of WWE. 

The randomness of the match-up, paired with the general lack of fan interest, has people wondering why the WWE would highlight it. Some suggested it's something McMahon personally wanted to see and nothing more: 

The frustration that some are feeling is understandable, especially considering Omos hasn't been as prominent as he was on the WWE roster when Vince McMahon was still around. WrestleMania 39 will be his first pay-per-view match since he was involved in Cody Rhodes' big win at the 2023 Royal Rumble. Omos was eliminated by Braun Strowman after roughly two and a half minutes in the ring. 

Other WWE loyalists aren't focusing so much on the match itself but on the reports that Vince McMahon is booking major matches again for the WWE. For some, it was something they'd seen coming ever since he reportedly voiced his interest in returning to the company: 

It has been stated in the past that current head of creative Triple H has run most of his ideas by his father-in-law Vince McMahon since taking over and that he's welcomed suggestions from the chairman. In short, there are some who think that while McMahon might have suggested the match, Triple H pushed it through for him, and the status quo hasn't changed in the way the rumor might suggest:

While this rumor came from a credible source and feels plausible, it's always important to remember that rumors aren't confirmed information. Just like the allegation that Vince McMahon sold the WWE to a Saudi Arabian interest group, perhaps it's best to reserve judgment until the full facts are out. Some are choosing to do that and countering with their own thoughts on who McMahon would book if he was back in full power of the WWE:

I'd like to dispute that above tweet, but after all the Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar matches I've seen over the years, I can't. At the end of the day, however, we have no idea if Vince McMahon is secretly running the bookings for upcoming WWE events, so we'll just have to sit back and wait for more information as the weeks wind down to WrestleMania. 

WrestleMania 39 will stream live on Peacock on Saturday, April 1st, and Sunday, April 2nd. Snag a Peacock Premium subscription ahead of wrestling's biggest nights, and maybe revisit some other classic WrestleMania events while waiting.  

WrestleMania 39 is just around the corner, and since the event is taking place in Hollywood, the WWE has gotten creative with its advertising. The wrestling organization has made fake trailers and posters parodying popular movies as a way to drum up attention for the big two-night event, and it's working. Unfortunately, some people might be focusing on the wrong details, as one eagle-eyed fan noticed that at least one of the promotional images features Vince McMahon's name. 

Vince McMahon's exit and return to the WWE is an ongoing story for the organization, and it's once again in the spotlight thanks to some WrestleMania 39 advertising. On Twitter, Andrew Ravens shared a promotional image of Roman Reigns and noted that the poster credited Vince McMahon as the director. Take a look:

Seeing Vince McMahon's name on a piece of advertising for WrestleMania 39 is surprising. While the WWE has brought back McMahon amid his various scandals and controversies to negotiate a sale of the company, he hasn't been a part of any filmed segments or returned in any capacity as an on-screen character. Throwing his name in the promotion as an Easter egg is uncharacteristic of what we've seen in previous months from the WWE. 

And while a name on a poster could mean nothing, there's definitely some speculation floating around the web from fans that it suggests Vince McMahon has a stronger role in creative decision-making than the general public is aware of. CEO Nick Khan mentioned in an interview back in January that while there were no plans to bring McMahon back as an on-screen character, those plans could change in the coming months. 

Prior to his return to the WWE, there were also rumblings of Vince McMahon being honored at WrestleMania 39. It's unclear whether or not that's going to happen now that McMahon is back in the company and negotiating with various groups looking to acquire the organization. The use of McMahon's name in WrestleMania advertising, however, could signal the company isn't afraid to do it. 

Vince McMahon stepped down from his role as CEO of the WWE after news of undisclosed payments he made to employees for illicit affairs hit the public. Reports later alleged that McMahon regretted stepping down and leaving his seat of power. Some have wondered if he's secretly moved into other roles since returning to the WWE. 

The idea of Vince McMahon potentially taking back more control of the WWE has concerned many wrestling fans. Reports have come out that McMahon was hard to work with creatively, and many have enjoyed a lot of what the WWE has done since Triple H took his place on the creative team. Obviously, there's no telling if this poster is a definitive sign that McMahon is slowly being worked back into the WWE and upcoming live events, but it's something to keep an eye on for sure. 

WrestleMania 39 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 1st, and Sunday, April 2nd. Tune in for what should be one of the biggest WrestleMania events in some time as the matches for this massive event continue to pile up. 

2021 was a chaotic year for some WWE talent, as a good number of prominent superstars were released by the company. Karrion Kross was released by Vince McMahon, and like Bray Wyatt and others, returned to the company once McMahon stepped down and Triple H took over as head of creative. Now, McMahon is back in an active role in the company, and Kross recently shared his honest thoughts on that considering his unique situation. 

Wrestling fans might assume Karrion Kross and other recently-returned wrestlers might be wondering if they'll be sent home from upcoming WWE events now that McMahon is back in the company, but Kross indicated in a recent interview that isn't the case for him. The wrestler spoke to San Antonio Express-News about being unable to escape the news about McMahon and how he's feeling right now (via Cagesideseats.com):

It's certainly interesting to learn from Karrion Kross that he, and apparently others to whom he is close in the WWE, are not worried about losing their jobs. Kross noted that they are trying to "adapt" and remain "optimistic" about where things land.

Karrion Kross didn't elaborate further on his thoughts regarding Vince McMahon's return. It's possible it was just a vague acknowledgment of the relative unknown surrounding the future of the WWE. Vince McMahon went from ousted to reinstated under the premise of negotiating a sale of the WWE to another company. 

Reports swirled previously from reputable sources that Vince McMahon regretted stepping down from his position in the WWE in the first place. While there doesn't seem to be any indication from Karrion Kross and others about McMahon resuming his normal duties, there have been fans who wondered if McMahon might try to regain his former status from within the company.  

If Vince McMahon somehow regained his former responsibilities in full, that might not sit well with some talent who returned since his exit months ago. Bray Wyatt, for example, had some reported tension with McMahon prior to his surprise exit. It's unclear how Wyatt, or any other former superstar who returned during McMahon's absence, might react if he was suddenly the main decision-maker on day-to-day happenings in the WWE. 

The good news is that Karrion Kross isn't worried about losing his job, which is the best news for any wrestler during WrestleMania season. Kross recently targeted Rey Mysterio just ahead of the Royal Rumble, which may hint at a larger story between them that could play out in the coming months. Things can always change in the WWE, however, so we can only wait and see what the future holds for Kross and try to stay as optimistic about his future as he is. 

Those with a Peacock Premium subscription can stream the upcoming Royal Rumble on Saturday, January 28th, beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. There's a lot of excitement surrounding the WWE event thanks to the high-profile return of Cody Rhodes, though CinemaBlend's Mack Rawden has a bold take about Rhodes' return that might put a damper on fans' hopes. 

Vince McMahon is back in an active role within the WWE under the premise of negotiating a sale of the wrestling organization, but there have been rumors suggesting the former CEO wants to do a lot more. Reports in previous months have focused McMahon's alleged regrets about stepping down, and even hinted at the idea of him being "honored" in some way in the coming months. As those kinds rumors continue to circulate, current CEO Nick Khan provided a status update on the odds of McMahon appearing in person at any upcoming WWE events on television or pay-per-views. 

Nick Khan appeared as a guest on The Bill Simmons Podcast and spoke at length about Vince McMahon's return, and what the situation was like for the WWE during the time from McMahon's departure to his return. During that conversation, Simmons asked if there were plans to bring McMahon back to TV in character form for any storyline plots, but Khan seemed assured that there are no immediate plans to bring McMahon back to television. That said, he didn't rule out the possibility of that happening at some point, saying:

Nick Khan seemed pretty adamant about Vince McMahon not being among the former superstars and legends set to appear at the upcoming Raw XXX celebration, marking 30 years for the cable hit. But then made sure to note that things could change on that front in a few months, which would put us in April, which could indicate the possibility of McMahon making an appearance at WrestleMania 39. Khan said those decisions will ultimately come down to what the current head-of-creative at WWE, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, agrees to, and left things at that. 

WWE fans have been largely positive about how things were going during the post-McMahon era, and many have credited the creative decisions of Triple H as a reason that the recent live shows and pay-per-views have been as impressive as they have been in years. Obviously, there's some apprehension about Vince McMahon coming back months later and potentially jeopardizing the upward swing, and there have already been some scares associated with his return, such as when the rumor circulated saying he sold the company in a deal with Saudi Arabia. 

While Nick Khan confirmed that the sale rumor was completely untrue, many seemingly latched onto it because Vince McMahon has a track record of unexpected and unpredictable moves. To that end, I'd expect there to be plenty of fans out there who still believe McMahon could march out to the ring any day now, despite Nick Khan's confidence that won't be the case anytime soon. 

Let's not forget Vince McMahon made several television appearances during the height of his investigation for funds issued for illicit affairs, so it wouldn't be out of character in the slightest for him to shock everyone by showing up on Raw next week, even if it might not reflect very favorably on the WWE. With all of that being said, Nick Khan is probably in the best position out of anyone to predict what may or may not happen in the organization in the foreseeable future, so there's no reason to question his thoughts too heavily. It seems like, for now, "Mr. McMahon" won't be strutting out to the ring to rile up the crowd or participate in any other storylines, but we'll see whether that holds true or not in a few months. 

Monday Night Raw airs on USA Network on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET, and SmackDown airs on Fox on Fridays in the same time slot. Audiences will have to keep an eye peeled for whether or not Vince McMahon will be headed to either anytime soon or if he's planning some grand return at a bigger event like WrestleMania 39. 

The last year has been unlike anything I have ever experienced as a wrestling fan, and yet, today may have been the wildest day yet. Stephanie McMahon, current co-CEO of WWE and long considered a force of good behind the scenes, abruptly resigned earlier this evening. Now, rumors are swirling that WWE is about to be sold and even more shockingly, sold to Saudi Arabia.

Absolutely nothing is confirmed as of the time I'm writing this article. The biggest wrestling journalists are not verifying the news. They're simply saying the rumor that WWE was sold to Saudi Arabia is going around. A lot. But there is a lot of smoke right now, and WWE fans are almost universally concerned, especially because WWE's long history of holding premium live events in Saudi Arabia makes it seem within the realm of possibilities.

There are some who are simply depressed about the possibility. They feel like WWE was finally getting into a good place, and now its future is entirely uncertain. There's a strong potential a sale to Saudi Arabia would mean Vince McMahon would return to running creative, which is not ideal given how much better many feel the product has been since Triple H took over in the Summer. 

Still, there are many others who are taking the opportunity to talk about how in character this all feels for Vince McMahon. Those who watched WWE while Vince McMahon was a regular character are very familiar with the lengths he was willing to go on camera. He tormented his wife and children. He had affairs. He picked on and injured children. Nothing was ever too far. 

When taking all that into account, it doesn't necessarily feel weird that he would resign after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, put his daughter and son-in-law in charge and as soon as the product improved and started to feel in a good place, force his way back onto the board and sell the company to Saudi Arabia. Once again, we have no idea if that's happening, but it reads like an Attitude Era Monday Night Raw plot. 

And of course there are plenty of other fans who are worried about the moral and practical implications of the company potentially being owned by Saudi Arabia. What would that mean for the women's division? What would that mean for Sami Zayn, who has very specifically not attended the Saudi-based shows?

There's a not insignificant number of fans declaring on Twitter that they won't keep watching if WWE is owned by the Saudi government. 

WWE's crazy year started when reports emerged that Vince McMahon allegedly had quite a few non-disclosure agreements with former female employees. Allegations of sexual misconduct later emerged, and the longtime chairman eventually resigned. His daughter Stephanie McMahon returned from a leave of absence and took over co-CEO duties with CFO Nick Khan. Her husband Triple H returned to run creative.

Changes to the product and the roster proved popular with fans, but about a month ago, rumors started swirling that Vince McMahon was planning to return. He eventually found his way back on the board of directors. Stephanie resigned earlier today and then the rumors about Saudi Arabia started swirling, none of which have been verified as of press time. 

I guess all we can do now is wait and see.

The WWE said goodbye to Vince McMahon when he stepped down from his position as CEO of the company, and fans have had a lot of praise for the changes made in this new era led by co-CEOs Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan, and the newest head of creative, Triple H. Despite that, recent rumors allege McMahon has shown an interest in returning, as more lawsuits tied to his past misconduct continue to surface. 

A new report on what’s happening with Vince McMahon has arrived via the Wall Street Journal, and it has some new details on what the former chief executive has faced and allegedly said since leaving his active role in the WWE. Here’s what’s going on and why McMahon is said to have signaled he wants to appear at upcoming WWE events. 

More Lawsuits Surface Involving Vince McMahon

A lawyer representing former wrestling referee Rita Chatterton reportedly sent a demand letter to a representative for Vince McMahon on November 3rd, seeking out $11.75 million in damages. Chatterton publicly accused McMahon of raping her in a limousine three decades ago, an accusation that McMahon has denied. 

That same month, a separate letter was sent to the former CEO's attorney, Jerry McDevitt, by the attorney of a former spa manager who claimed that McMahon assaulted their client at a California resort he was allegedly staying at for a WWE event in 2011. The state of California added a new law that allows alleged victims of sexual abuse to file suit, even beyond the statute of limitations, beginning in January. 

In regards to the non-publicized payouts Vince McMahon reportedly made to former employees for various indiscretions while in his role in the WWE, the board is apparently probing to see if the $12 million in payouts warrants legal action against McMahon by the WWE board. The report notes that McMahon, his attorney, and members of the WWE board did not offer comments on the newly surfaced lawsuits.

Vince McMahon Has Apparently Expressed A Want To Return To The WWE

Vince McMahon, in spite of legal actions taken against him, is said to have expressed not only a desire to return to the WWE, but also regrets about having exited his former roles in the first place. McMahon allegedly told others that he intends to return, and that he received bad advice from others who encouraged him to step down. McMahon has supposedly claimed that the various controversies would’ve died down eventually had he stayed in his role in the company, 

Though he’s no longer in charge of the day-to-day operations of the WWE, Vince McMahon remains the biggest shareholder of the company. Additionally, there were reports a while back that alleged the WWE wanted to honor McMahon for his decades of service to the WWE. It’s unclear right now if there’s any intention of bringing McMahon back within the fold of the WWE, nor what that would look like if it happened. 

Right now, WWE fans can only see Vince McMahon on wrestling shows if they have a Peacock Premium subscription. We’ll see if that changes in the near future and if the WWE is willing to welcome back McMahon, considering some of the things that have been reported about the struggles they had when he was around. 

The WWE experienced quite a behind-the-scenes jolt when Vince McMahon retired over the summer, following a much-publicized controversy. By and large, the aftermath has been positive, as the fans have been happy with various creative decisions as of late, and previously released superstars like Braun Strowman are slowly making their way back to the company. With that said, not everyone believes returning to the post-Vince WWE is in the cards, as Rob Van Dam is one of a few athletes thinking he won’t return now that the former CEO is gone. 

Rob Van Dam appeared as a guest on the Cefe de Rene podcast, and was asked about his previous comments saying he was displeased about Vince McMahon leaving the WWE. RVD shared his further thoughts on the matter, and went on to say he doesn’t see himself joining the company's ranks again as a result of the mogul's retirement.

It doesn’t seem like Rob Van Dam believes he’ll be welcomed back to the WWE in too gracious a manner with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon currently running things, though it's worth noting he hasn’t been entirely active with the company over much of the past decade. Outside of his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2021, RVD appeared on an episode of Monday Night Raw in 2019, and [rior to that, his last wrestling match with the company was all the way back in 2014. 

Rob Van Dam may not be as celebrated in the WWE as past icons like John Cena or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are, but there’s no denying he’s a hardcore legend in his own right as one of the notable wrestlers of the 2000s era. RVD worked for WCW, developed his superstart status with ECW, and then flipped over to the WWE. He’s a Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champion, and anyone with a Peacock premium subscription can relive the scores of iconic matches he's had within the brand. 

At the same time, one might wonder exactly what spot there is in the WWE roster for a guy like Rob Van Dam. Matt Riddle is already filling the brand’s quota for the “implied stoner” gimmick, and with the WWE already waiting on talents like Cody Rhodes and Big E to return, there isn’t a lot of room for past veterans to come back for another marquee run in the ring. It's unknown if that would’ve been any different with Vince McMahon still running the show, but RVD seems to believe it might be better for him if that reality persisted.

Monday Night Raw airs on USA on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. While we likely won’t see Rob Van Dam there anytime soon, but there is some mysterious “White Rabbit” arriving that we believe might finally be Bray Wyatt. It would be an absolutely wild swerve though if it were RVD, after pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes beforehand. 

Vince McMahon has only been out of the WWE for a short time following his high-profile scandal, but it’s possible he’ll be making a temporary return in the coming months. While the company definitely isn’t planning to re-instate the ex-CEO back into the company — okay, there are no definites — plans are reportedly being discussed to celebrate him in a major way in 2023. It’s being said that McMahon could potentially be honored during an event as high-profile as WrestleMania 39, but will the company actually go through with acting on those reported discussions? 

A new report claims that in addition to adding The Rock to its festivities, the WWE is having conversations about honoring Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 39, which will be held in Hollywood next year. It’s also alleged that co-CEOs Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan are involved in the discussions alongside the recently promoted head of creative, Triple H. The Sun does not specify exactly how the WWE would intend to honor its former bossman, not to be confused with the late superstar The Big Boss Man. WWE alumni (and occasionally celebrities like William Shatner) are often honored at WrestleMania with a Hall of Fame induction, which would seemingly be one far end of the spectrum. 

If the HoF is under consideration, then such an announcement would be cause for a very elaborate celebration, since McMahon is anything but a minimalist. The WWE’s Hall of Fame inductees are always honored via a special night filled with speeches,  and the full group also gets ushered out in front of swaths of cheering fans during each year's WrestleMania. So if that's indeed what the WWE brass has in mind, anyone tuning in for WrestleMania 39 with their Peacock premium subscription would be seeing a lot of the former CEO. 

Bringing Vince McMahon back to the WWE so soon could prove to be a divisive move amongst fans and even talent on the current roster, especially considering the number of stories that surfaced and re-surfaced about the CEO during the WWE’s internal investigations concerning his past undisclosed payments to former employees. Bringing McMahon out in front of a WWE audience and lauding him so grandly, less than a year after his retirement, could draw some pretty negative coverage to the organization, as well as blowback from fans. 

On the flip side, there’s no denying that the company's former ringleader had a tremendous impact on its growth for decades, as well as popularizing pro wrestling in general, even as he demolished the smaller-scale competition. It’s not surprising that the WWE would be interested in paying tribute to those specific efforts in some way, especially with his daughter as acting co-CEO and his son-in-law acting as the head of creative. In short, it wouldn’t be the least bit shocking if he shoehorned himself into one or more upcoming WWE events in a self-contratulatory manner.

The WWE knows what’s best for business more times than not, and many positive changes have been happening over the summer. So their decision-makers no doubt have a lot to think about as far as what the right call would be in a case like this. Perhaps they’ll ultimately opt to honor McMahon in a less superlative way in the short term, and save some grander gesture for years down the line. It’s always hard to predict what the WWE may or may not do, so we’ll just have to wait and see what’s in the works closer to WrestleMania season. 

Monday Night Raw airs on USA on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET, and SmackDown on Fox on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tune in to see some of the latest rising superstars compete, and fight for their chance to become the next major face of the WWE. 

The Vince McMahon era is over in the WWE, and with the end of his tenure reportedly comes a lot of control on the WWE creative team. Now, Triple H is in as head of creative, and he’s already making some moves in this short time that fans like yours truly are very much on board with. 

We only have a small sample size to work with, but that's all it takes, with some promising changes having quickly been made on Monday Night Raw and SmackDown. Here’s a rundown of what we’re liking so far and the changes we hope continue to happen the longer this new era of WWE continues on. 

Fresh Matchups Between Superstars

One of my biggest pet peeves with the WWE has been the repetitive matches between feuding wrestlers. I know the logic concerning which wrestlers get title shots can be spotty, but it never made sense for me to watch two wrestlers face off repeatedly for three weeks straight, only to have to watch them brawl yet again for a pay-per-view in the fourth week. The WWE has such a deep roster, even with guys like Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton injured, so there isn’t a reason why we should see the same superstars squaring off against each other week in and week out. 

We’ve seen small changes to that process in recent weeks, especially in the new rivalry going down in the women’s division. You have Bayley, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky, Alexa Bliss, Asuka and Bianca Belair working this feud. So far, the WWE is doing exactly what it should in presenting us fresh looks in the feud with different matches week to week. There’s obviously still some work to be done with other rivalries, but I think this is a great indicator that we’ll see more of the roster utilized in the future.

Former Superstars Are Returning 

We’re not even that far into Triple H’s tenure as head of WWE’s creative, and we’ve already seen some exciting and unexpected returns. Dakota Kai and Dexter Lumis were certainly ones that came out of nowhere, and who would’ve thought we’d see Karrion Kross back in the WWE so soon? It’s clear there are some wrestling superstars who are very excited about seeing the WWE under new leadership, especially with Triple H in charge of creative. 

I think it’s easy to see why that is, especially given how quickly Karrion Kross found his way into a major storyline with Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns on SmackDown. It was a tremendous step up from the weird gladiator mask gimmick he was trying to get over with when Kross was released from WWE in November 2021, and a sign that perhaps the new regime sees more for guys like Kross than the old regime did. That should be very exciting to some folks on the roster if so, as they could see much better opportunities in the WWE than they saw previously.

Underutilized Superstars Are Getting More Attention

Having just wrapped up talking about Karrion Kross’ weird run on the main roster after a successful run on NXT, it only seems fitting to bring up Tommaso Ciampa as well. Ciampa seemed on a solid path to stardom when he left the NXT for the Monday Night Raw roster, and yet, he was paired with The Miz. Don’t get me wrong, The Miz is about as good of a person to be paired with as an up-and-coming superstar in the WWE, but it was an odd coupling. You have Miz in his flashy bandanas and trench coats, and then a dude rocking black wrestling trunks and a beard. 

For now, it doesn’t seem like The WWE is necessarily going to separate the two, but they’re finding ways to make the Miz and Ciampa pairing make more sense. Booking Ciampa to face Bobby Lashley for the United States Championship was a great first step and a way of introducing Ciampa to wrestling fans as someone more than Miz’s glorified bodyguard. Perhaps we’ll see other stars get the same treatment in the coming months, and maybe even see the main event picture change a year from now. 

Banned Words Are Being Brought Back

Vince McMahon had some peculiar rules when it came to wrestling, ranging from the moves that are allowed to the verbiage WWE superstars can use on camera. There’s a laundry list of common wrestling terms and words that haven’t been used in the WWE for such a long time, even if other organizations use them without pause. As an example, wrestlers aren’t even allowed to call themselves by that name, but instead are called “superstars.”

It’s a rule that reportedly may be a thing of the past, as Dave Meltzer mentioned in a recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Triple H brought back the terms “wrestler,” as well as “wrestling,” after years of such terms being sidelined. It could be a sign that more terms will be unbanned in the future, and pretty soon we’ll hear wrestlers say things like “belt” and “hospital” again. It may sound like a silly change for some, but let’s not forget that it was somewhat silly that some of these words were banned in the first place. Less censorship is a good thing, especially in this instance where normalized wrestling terms were made taboo to say in the WWE.

Background Storytelling Is Adding A New Dimension To Storylines

Monday Night Raw pulled off something cool in a recent airing that audiences might have expected from a scripted drama, through maybe not a pro wrestling event. Throughout the three hours, fans noticed the WWE staff dealing with what appeared to be a car crash in the parking lot of the arena, and while the company never directly acknowledged the incident, fans took notice and began tweeting about it as the mysterious car sitch continued in the background. Which led to the big reveal happening in the final match, where security managed to apprehend returning superstar Dexter Lumis before he was able to rush the ring to attack AJ Styles. 

Three hours is a time commitment to watch Monday Night Raw, and there are times when not every hour is absolutely vital to the program. Leaning into more serialized and branching storylines like what they did recently with Dexter Lumis is a way to keep the fans invested throughout an entire telecast, even if the match they’re watching in the moment isn’t something they’re overtly interested in. Granted, it’s probably not something we need to see every single week, but I’d certainly like to see more of it happen in the future. 

Monday Night Raw airs on USA on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET, and on SmackDown Fridays on Fox at the same time. Pick up a Peacock premium subscription to check out the upcoming WWE pay-per-views, especially with all the exciting matches teased for the future. 

Vince McMahon’s retirement following an internal investigation by WWE's Board of Directors sent a shock through the wrestling industry. Superstars both past and present have shared statements since he stepped down, and now Bret Hart is among them. Hart, who has a complicated history with McMahon, had a surprising response to the whole thing. 

Bret Hart spoke to Sportskeeda about a litany of things and, during the conversation, fielded a question about Vince McMahon leaving the WWE as its CEO. It’s no secret that the two men had a rocky relationship in the past. Given Hart has a long history of speaking his mind, even about guys like Hulk Hogan, many assumed his words would be negative. They were not:

This is the same guy who still calls Hulk Hogan a “phony piece of shit.” So, it's safe to assume if he wanted to say something he would, but of course, it’s notable that McMahon and Hart buried the hatchet in recent years to the point that they’re at least on speaking terms. In fact, Hart has made sporadic appearances in WWE (though he did get attacked one time). Perhaps his current relationship with McMahon makes him a bit kinder when talking about the situation. 

Wrestling fans may remember Bret Hart’s feud with Vince McMahon goes a long way back, with the most notable incident between them known as “The Montreal Screwjob.” The moment lives on in infamy, and the wrestling world still continues to debate what Hart knew and what exactly McMahon rigged. That incident was the last time Hart was seen in a WWE ring for a long time. 

Hart may be sad about McMahon leaving, but many WWE fans are excited about the current direction. Triple H stepped into the role as head of creative, and he’s already making some pretty notable changes. Fans applauded the decision to turn Becky Lynch face again, and the surprise returns of Karrion Kross and Dexter Lumis to the WWE certainly have people excited about who else could turn up. 

It’s possible Bret Hart isn’t too concerned about all that and maybe sees some elements of Vince McMahon’s tenure that won’t continue in this new era for the WWE. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what changes there are as the months go on and if Hart is right about the former CEO being sorely missed. 

Bret Hart doesn’t wrestle these days, but anyone with a Peacock premium subscription can see a lot of his work in the WWE and WCW. There are a lot of great matches of his to watch on there, so anyone interested should definitely consider picking up a subscription.

WWE’s SummerSlam 2022 felt like a critical moment for the organization, as the pay-per-view offering (available to Peacock premium subscribers) was its first major event after former CEO Vince McMahon’s retirement. Triple H assumed duties as head of creative, and many speculated that very little of what McMahon had in place for the event would change once he assumed his post. But it’s been reported that one major element was changed by "The Game," whose actual name is Paul Levesque. Allegedly, the original plan for SummerSlam’s Raw Women’s Championship match would've seen the show end with Becky Lynch still operating as a heel. 

When Bianca Belair defeated Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship, a defeated Lynch embraced Belair in the ultimate sign of respect. Not long after, Bayley made a glorious and unexpected return to face Belair and brought Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky (formerly Io Shirai) along with her. It seemed like Belair was headed for a massive beatdown, but Lynch rushed to back up her up at the last minute and forced Bayley and her minions to walk away. 

The move solidified the Irish wrestler's turn from heel back to babyface and, according to Wade Keller of PWTorchVIP.com (via WrestlingNews.co), that purportedly wasn’t something that was initially planned for the event. Keller shared what he'd heard about the situation, saying:

Switching Becky Lynch from heel to babyface is a move that might majorly shake up the landscape of the women’s division on Monday Night Raw (read more of our major takeaways from SummerSlam). With Bayley back in the organization as a heel, the returning top female superstar won’t have to compete with “Big Time Becks” as the other top female heel in the brand. Additionally, aligning Becky as an ally of Bianca Belair evens the champion’s odds against Bayley’s new faction, though they might need another woman to lend a hand to have an equally-sized stable. Maybe this will finally provide Alexa Bliss with a chance to slide back into a major storyline, as Bliss hasn’t been a huge factor in shows since her return.

Assuming this reported intel is current, flipping Becky Lynch from heel to babyface would be a pretty big change for Triple H to make right off the bat. If true, it could also be a sign that fans can expect some other major creative changes and shifts in direction moving forward. Attendees in Nissan Stadium responded to Becky’s babyface move in an overwhelmingly positive way so, hopefully, the WWE's formerly “struggling” creative team will get a green light to try out other ideas under the new exec. 

There's no doubt that we’ll get more of the fallout from SummerSlam on Monday Night Raw, so be sure to tune into USA Network on Monday at 8:00 p.m. ET to see what all goes down. Hopefully, we’ll see some more of Bayley and get a better sense of whatever she and her posse have planned for Becky and Bianca at upcoming WWE events. 

Vince McMahon’s retirement from the WWE, which followed internal investigations about hush money payments, is still the talk of the wrestling world. Now, with Triple H having stepped in as head of creative, more rumors are circulating regarding how the organization’s creative team struggled under the former CEO’s leadership. The latest reports are alleging various problems that assistants, writers, commentators, and even wrestlers had under McMahon’s tenure in recent years, which might explain some of the more confusing decisions that have been made during that span.

A new report from Fightful Select focuses on complaints about Vince McMahon’s alleged behavior that went on for “quite some time,” indicating the WWE potentially suffered more on a longterm scale under his leadership at times. As wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho agree McMahon stepping aside is best for the bazillionaire, these new rumors imply it might also be good for the WWE as well. 

Assistants Reportedly Filtered Vince McMahon's Notes For Offensive Content

Vince McMahon’s assistants apparently knew exactly when to filter him while note-taking during meetings, which resulted in “heavily edited” minutes. Things that were left unwritten included language that might be deemed culturally insensitive and/or offensive, but also things like referring to wrestlers by the wrong names. It’s also mentioned that he was known to make mistakes regarding kayfabe, which is one of the most fundamental rules not to break in professional wrestling. Seeing as how McMahon likely would have ripped others for similar behavior, it makes the big boss man's conduct all the more confusing. (Not THAT Big Boss Man, of course.)

Commentary Suffered His Wrath For “Ridiculous Reasons”

Monday Night Raw and SmackDown’s commentary teams also reportedly suffered the wrath of Vince McMahon, though not always in situations that were justified. It’s alleged that McMahon would go ballistic on commentaters for what he viewed as ruining angles that had already run their course. Fightful's report did indicate there were plenty of times that McMahon was in a good mood during tapes, and when speaking to the production crew, but it's always the truly negative situations that stick out in our minds, especially if and when further issues are created. 

Vince McMahon Often Repeated Storylines Because He’d Forgotten Them

Perhaps the most damning allegation lodged in the latest rumors came from an unidentified source who believes Triple H stepping in as head of creative will assuredly prevent the WWE from frequently repeating the same things over and over again. In this case, Vince McMahon was accused of retrying angles and storylines that he’d forgotten had already been tried before, despite others trying to remind him of it. 

That side of the rumor mill hits a bit harder as Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns are set to square off again for the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view (which a toy might’ve already spoiled the result of). It’s interesting (and undoubtedly intentional) that so many of these rumors are only going more public now that McMahon has officially retired from the WWE. One can only wonder what other rumors and reveals might be surfacing the more time passes.

WWE’s SummerSlam will stream live for Peacock premium subscribers on Saturday, July 30th. With Vince McMahon gone and more WWE events to come in 2022, it’ll be interesting to see what changes, if any, are made to events the longer he’s removed from the product. 

More than fifty years after he promoted his first wrestling card and more than thirty-eight years after he launched WrestleMania, Vince McMahon finally stepped aside last week at the age of 76. His complicated legacy will be analyzed and dissected for years to come, but in the short-term, the question on the minds of many wrestling fans was who would take over. His daughter Stephanie McMahon and CFO Nick Khan were quickly appointed to co-CEOs, but to those of us watching the product each week, the more important successor was on the creative side. Well, we finally have our answer.

According to Fightful, Paul Levesque, better known to WWE fans as Triple H, has been put in charge of all responsibilities related to WWE creative, which he’ll oversee in addition to his current role in talent relations. Many assumed for years that he would eventually get the job if McMahon ever announced his retirement, given he ran WWE’s development program at NXT for a long time, has good relationships with talent and is married to Stephanie McMahon. All that was thrown into question last year, however, after he stepped away following a major health issue, and it became further complicated after Stephanie announced she was taking a leave of absence earlier this year.

Following those events, however, reports starting emerging about Vince McMahon and an alleged history of non-disclosure agreements with female employees over sexual relationships. Both Stephanie McMahon and Triple H pretty quickly returned to the fold, and now they’re, arguably, two of the three most important decision-makers in the entire company. Along with Nick Khan, it’s essentially their ship to run, and it’ll be fascinating to see how things may evolve, both in terms of style and storylines.

Vince McMahon preferred a very specific style of wrestling, and he tended to prefer putting over more well-known wrestlers, rather than those on the upswing of their careers. With increasing competition from AEW and a new decision-maker at the helm, it’ll be interesting to see how much WWE evolves moving forward. Will Triple H embrace the new TV-14 rating Monday Night Raw is getting and go a little edgier? Will he stay with the sports-entertainment, all ages angle McMahon has preferred for the last decade and a half? And will he be able to smooth over issues McMahon had with certain talents, most prominently Sasha Banks and Naomi who walked out earlier this year?

It’s also unclear what might happen to the more prominent members of the WWE writing staff, most notably Bruce Prichard. Will Triple H continue to work with the faces who have played a huge role in WWE for the last several decades, or will he decide a new direction means adding some different voices to the room? I honestly have no idea, and as a wrestling fan, that’s extremely exciting. 

SummerSlam, either the second or third biggest event on WWE’s calendar depending on how you feel about The Royal Rumble, is happening this coming weekend. It’ll be fascinating to see how Triple H handles his first big card in charge. I’d expect it to feel mostly like the WWE we’re used to, especially given the short turnaround time, but there’s a very good chance he’ll reverse a few booking decisions Vince McMahon may have had in place. Ultimately, booking is about putting the characters you believe in into more prominent positions and moving the ones you don’t down the card. It’s only natural Triple H is going to have different opinions than his old boss on certain characters, and it’ll be fascinating to watch that play out. 

The pro wrestling world was dealt the blow of a mental Judas Effect in the days ahead of SummerSlam 2022, as the WWE's longtime head honcho Vince McMahon announced he was retiring from his CEO position. The decision came as the 76-year-old is being investigated over allegedy paying hush money to settle past misconduct complaints from female former employees, though the retirement isn't directly connected. Chris Jericho, who worked under Vince McMahon for nearly two decades, spoke with CinemaBlend about his post-WWE successes with the AEW, but weighed in on McMahon stepping down after so many years.

Jericho, who recently appeared as a guest star in Impractical Jokers, sat down with CinemaBlend at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, where he shared why he thinks Vince McMahon is probably a good idea generally speaking. In his words:

After taking over his father’s promotion in 1982, Vince McMahon essentially did everything possible to maintain as much control and popularity as he could within the professional wrestling industry, with more than a few bridges being burned along the way. The fact that he spent a good chunk of those years in the ring himself as an in-story villain certainly added physical stress on top of everything else, so it’s fairly surprising that he remained the public face of the company for as long as he did. (Not so surprising when his ego is put into consideration, but still.)

As much as Chris Jericho may have learned from Vince McMahon during his years in the WWE, he and others within the AEW also learned lessons for what not to do as a way to make their organization stand apart. Not that they’re paying that much attention to the current goings-on anyway. Here’s how Jericho put it:

With Vince McMahon now stepping down completely — daughter Stephanie McMahon was serving as acting CEO as the WWE’s Board investigation was in the early days — it potentially sets up a shift in how the company handles things in the future. We already know the creatives will be going harder on more mature content going forward, but having someone outside the McMahon family in the driver’s seat would be bonkers, assuming that person would have any legitimate control. Is it just going to be Triple H when he’s back in full? It’s not out of the question. 

For what it’s worth, Chris Jericho doesn’t see any major ways Vince McMahon’s retirement is going to affect things over at AEW, but he isn’t saying anything is impossible as far as potential crossovers. In his words:

While nobody should ramp up expectations for the day when the WWE and AEW cross paths in the ring for Peacock subscribers (or HBO Max subscribers), it certainly seems like as good a time as any to start making noise about it online to convince the eventual Powers That Be that we’d like to see that happen one day. Assuming the card is great. Or even just pretty good. 

AEW Rampage airs Friday nights on TNT at 10:00 p.m. ET, with Dynamite airing Wednesday nights on TBS at 8:00 p.m. ET.  

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the WWE’s Monday Night Raw episode that aired on Monday, June 27, 2022. Read at your own risk!

John Cena celebrated the 20th anniversary of his main roster debut during the latest Monday Night Raw, and there was no shortage of fanfare for the legend’s appearance. The night featured a lot of surprises, including an unexpected appearance from Vince McMahon. 

Yes, despite the active investigation involving him, Vince McMahon appeared on Monday Night Raw to be a part of John Cena’s celebration. For me personally, the moment tainted a perfect tribute night for Cena and his past accolades in the WWE. For those that missed it all, here’s what went down, and how McMahon’s presence left a smudge on an otherwise great night in my mind.

How Monday Night Raw Celebrated John Cena's 20th Anniversary

The WWE pulled out all the stops on Monday Night Raw to let John Cena know that he’s appreciated. Many wrestlers gave Cena props, including some that currently work in the rival company AEW. Paul Wight, Bryan Danielson, and Chris Jericho all sent videotaped well wishes, all in celebration of Cena’s big night.

Cena also appeared in small skits with various WWE superstars, including Austin Theory. It seems like there was definitely some work put in towards building justifications for a potential future match between the two, whenever that might be. 

Later on, the entire WWE roster in attendance lined the ramp to honor John Cena on his way to the ring. Vince McMahon then stood in the ring and delivered a short speech before Cena came to deliver a speech of his own. Cena’s speech, surprisingly, didn’t set the stage for a guaranteed future match or appearance, though he did assure the excited crowd that he’d come back at some point for more matches. Cena thanked everyone for their support, and exited the ring to thunderous cheers. 

Why Vince McMahon's Appearance Tainted It For Me

On June 15, news first surfaced that WWE’s board was in the process of investigating CEO and Chairman Vince McMahon for alleged payments of $3 million to a former WWE paralegal he allegedly had an affair with. That investigation, paired with other reveals from the report, led McMahon to step aside as CEO and Chairman of the WWE, and the committee in charge of the investigation put his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, in as interim CEO. 

There’s no word that the WWE board concluded its investigation, and while Vince McMahon announced that he’s stepping aside, he was in the ring to personally address the crowd at Monday Night Raw and welcome John Cena. McMahon received cheers from the crowd, though it’s debatable if it was a crowd eager to see the CEO or the man celebrating his 20th anniversary: John Cena. 

It almost felt like enjoying John Cena’s celebration meant I had to accept, as a longtime fan of the WWE, that I was only seeing him because of Vince McMahon. It’s true in some regard given McMahon's leadership of WWE for decades, and the realization in light of the investigation made it hard for me to appreciate or even properly absorb the Cena celebration. 

Perhaps the part of Vince McMahon's appearance that bothered me the most was that it added nothing beneficial to the festivities of John Cena’s 20th anniversary celebration. Obviously, it added negative feelings for me and perhaps a number of other wrestling fans watching Monday Night Raw, which makes me wonder why it happened. 

Peacock Premium subscribers can tune into the Money in the Bank pay-per-view on Saturday, July 2. It’ll be interesting to see how the matches turn out and how these victories will impact other upcoming WWE events in the future.

WWE CEO Vince McMahon is in the hot seat with news of an investigation from the organization's board. Reports claim that the investigation involves what's reported as a hush money settlement of $3 million to a woman he allegedly had an affair with. Details are still coming out about this shocking situation centering on the WWE's eccentric top brass.  

Reports from The Wall Street Journal state that the $3 million settlement was allegedly paid in January and intended to keep the unnamed woman, a former paralegal for the company, from making any disparaging remarks about Vince McMahon or from sharing any details about their relationship. A spokesman from the WWE confirmed that the organization is cooperating with the board's investigation and that McMahon's affair with the unnamed woman was consensual. 

The report alleges that the WWE's board first learned of the settlement after it received anonymous emails from someone who claimed to be a friend of the former employee in question. The emails claimed that Vince McMahon hired the paralegal at a $100,000 salary, which was boosted to $200,000 when she entered a sexual relationship with him. 

The email further alleged that the paralegal became scared and quit when Vince McMahon and his lawyer, Jerry McDevitt, "paid her millions" to keep quiet about it all. McDevitt responded to The Wall Street Journal and noted that the woman never leveled any allegations of harassment against McMahon, and added the woman didn't receive any lump sum payment from the WWE when she left.  

The report further states that the WWE board began its investigation in April and uncovered nondisclosure pacts with other women who once worked in the WWE. Vince McMahon is reported to be involved in those, as is WWE talent executive John Laurinaitis, who was recently involved in the much-publicized walkout of SmackDown women's champions Sasha Banks and Naomi. One of the previously mentioned emails links Laurinaitis to the former employee as well and alleges that McMahon “gave her like a toy” to the executive.

The news is the latest development for the WWE, following Vince McMahon's daughter Stephanie stepping down from her duties as Chief Brand Officer, and current undisputed champion Roman Reigns' absence from programming including ones he was slated to be at. Neither of those incidents is implied to be linked to what's happening now, but there's apparently a lot going on in the WWE behind the scenes at the moment. 

The major question surrounding this situation is how this impacts Vince McMahon's future within the WWE. It's unknown whether or not the chairman might step down from his duties, which would mark the end of an era at the wrestling organization. There's no indication at this point as to whether or not that's something that could happen, but it will be worth watching. 

It's unclear at this time what this situation could mean for any upcoming shows or pay-per-views for Peacock Premium subscribers. Hopefully, more will come on the situation in the coming weeks and shed further light on what sounds like a very concerning situation. 

The big question heading into last night’s Friday Night Smackdown, other than who would unify the tag team titles, was if WWE would address Sasha Banks and Naomi’s recent walkout on the air. Well, they did. Announcer Michael Cole addressed the camera directly and absolutely ripped into the two, while Pat McAfee sat there looking partially embarrassed about what was being said and partially distant like a kid watching one of his friends get yelled at by a teacher.

During the segment that lasted a little less than a minute, Michael Cole said Sasha Banks and Naomi ‘let us all down.’ He further said their actions “disappointed millions of WWE fans” and they would be stripped of their WWE Tag Team Titles with a tournament being held to crown new champions. The whole thing came off like a parent lecturing a child, and rather than addressing it and moving on, WWE dropped video of Cole’s comments on YouTube and Twitter. You can watch the video yourself below…

I’m so confused. I’m confused by the circumstances around the initial walkout. I’m confused by how WWE has chosen to handle this, and I’m confused by where the women’s tag team division goes from here. There are still so many unanswered questions around what happened, why the response was delivered in this tone and if this situation is even salvageable. I can’t imagine anyone, from WWE to the superstars themselves to fans are happy about what’s happened. The situation just sucks. So, let’s explore the big unanswered questions for a minute.

Why exactly did Sasha Banks and Naomi walk out again? The most basic story coming from all sides is that Sasha Banks and Naomi walked out of Raw because WWE wanted Naomi to face Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks to face Ronda Rousey at Hell In A Cell. They allegedly felt these matches (both of which they’d assumedly lose) would come at the expense of any momentum the women’s tag team title division was building. They apparently pushed back with creative on Monday, but when they were told it was still happening, they supposedly walked out.

In some ways, that story makes sense, but in other ways, it’s quite confusing. I love WWE, but in the history of bad creative decisions, this one is not thattttttt bad. Both Naomi and Sasha would be fighting in huge singles matches at a premium live event, and it’s not as if they were being asked to put over Aliyah and Shotzi. I wouldn’t love this creative direction if I were Naomi and Sasha, but, in my opinion, this doesn’t strike me as creative that’s so offensive that you’d walk out over it. Be pissed, sure. Walk out? That's a big response that opens up the door to being fired. I certainly wouldn't walk out over this, unless there was more to the story or this was the latest in a long list of grievances I had. But I'm also not going to hate on other people for making a different choice. They're in charge of their own careers, and only they know what's happened and how they feel.

But also, they’re not wrong. Why doesn’t WWE care about the Women’s Tag Team Titles? As confused as I am over a team allegedly walking out over getting two premium matches at Hell In A Cell, the spirit of their complaints is not wrong. WWE systematically deprioritizes and sometimes ignores the women’s tag team division. Giving Sasha Banks and Naomi the titles at WrestleMania, coupled with the deepest field of women’s talent ever should have been the recipe to grow the division quickly. I mean there are so many possibilities, and people need things to do. I’d love to see those two wrestle Alexa Bliss and Asuka or Rhea and a TBD Judgment Day partner.

People can make their own decisions as to whether Naomi and Sasha should have walked out, but their actions should not negate how valid the initial complaint is that WWE is not putting nearly enough time or effort into the women’s tag team division. I mean a real case could be made that the 24/7 title gets more screentime. That’s ridiculous. There is so much potential here, and it’s just being wasted. And why? To give us a third match between Omos and Bobby Lashley that no one asked for? Come'on.

Who is WWE making all of this so public for? I’m genuinely curious. Is it to try and get their side of the story out with fans? That’s a waste of time, in my opinion. Most fans are going to choose Sasha Banks in any dispute against a company, particularly when the spirit of what she’s saying is right. So, why is this whole thing being thrown on social media, with official statements being released and videos dropped on social channels? I wouldn’t think it makes it more likely to get a healthy resolution. So, the options are it’s 1) a misguided attempt by WWE to prove they’re right, 2) a message to other wrestlers to stay in line, 3) petty revenge for walking out, 4) all one of the most elaborate storylines ever that’s going to culminate in something amazing like Naomi and Sasha winning the tournament for their own belts.

I don’t really have a good sense of what’s actually going on among those options. I don’t think this is a shoot given their merchandise was pulled from the store, but there are certainly plenty of fans who believe that. I also can’t really imagine the WWE truly thinks it can come out looking like the good guy here, but who knows? 

Is there any possible resolution here? Yes, there is absolutely a possible resolution here. Vince McMahon would work with someone who poisoned him if he thought there was money in it. WWE has a long history of welcoming people back into the fold who left under less than ideal circumstances. Vince let Bret Hart beat him up for what felt like 90 minutes at WrestleMania. If all sides can get in a room and work this out, I’m sure he would be happy for the instant heat a storyline addressing this would generate. If it’ll sell tickets, he’ll go there.

But working this out might require some time. It’s also possible that some of the people involved don’t want to work out a resolution right now. They may be content to just let their contracts run out. It’s not as if Sasha Banks doesn’t have options, whether it be Hollywood or working for other companies down the line. I’d also imagine AEW would swoop Naomi up in a second if she were available. It’s also possible that while McMahon would work with them down the road, he’s not going to give in so quickly so there’s not a perception in the locker room that leaving in the middle of a taping worked.

What is going to happen?  I have no idea. I truly don’t. All I know is two of WWE’s best athletes aren’t on TV anymore, and the more WWE addresses what happened, the more confused I get. 

WWE Tag Team Champions Naomi and Sasha Banks were originally scheduled to appear in Monday Night Raw’s main event last night, but the originally planned six pack match never happened. That’s because Sasha Banks and Naomi apparently walked out of the arena after a disagreement over creative. They allegedly handed in their tag team titles and left, leaving WWE to change plans and release a statement explaining what happened.

The statement in question was published on the WWE website and is surprisingly direct. It says the women walked into Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis’ office, dropped off their belts and left with their suitcases during the taping. According to WWE, they said they were uncomfortable with two of their opponents. You can read a portion of the statement below…

Of course there’s apparently a lot more to this story than that statement lets on. We don’t know the full extent of what happened, but many credible WWE reporters have started sharing more backstory and theories as to what may have happened. Fightful Select is reporting that the walkout followed a meeting Banks had with Vince McMahon about the scheduled six pack match. They claim Naomi was actually scheduled to win the match, which would have produced a Raw Women’s Title shot at Hell In A Cell with Bianca Belair.

Many are speculating that Naomi and Sasha Banks were upset with the larger direction of the women’s tag team division, as their alleged original pitch to face Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. at Hell in the Cell for the tag titles was supposedly shot down. There was also apparently a pitch for interference to happen in that Hell In A Cell title match, which could have set up a tag match down the road with Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H., but that was allegedly shot down too.

Ultimately, we have no idea what actually went on backstage. I think the basics of this meeting with McMahon and the walkout probably happened, but there are plenty of additional details to learn. Regardless, this is a really upsetting situation for fans, for the WWE itself and for the women involved. 

If this is really about a lack of creative direction with the tag division, the women involved are not wrong. Sasha Banks is, in my opinion, one of the best handful of women working in the business today, and Naomi is also a top tier performer right on that next level. There are so many talented women in the WWE right now that the tag team division should be rolling. Between Bianca, Becky, Asuka, Ronda, Charlotte, Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley, Shayna, Natalya, Raquel Rodriguez and more, there should be a steady stream of opponents working good extended matches every show. I have no idea why more screen time isn’t being given to the division, and, like many fans, my initial excitement after the women were paired together has cooled a little based on creative.

That being said, a walkout is obviously a very serious response. WWE can’t set a precedent that people can just walk out whenever they’re unhappy with results or creative. And if Naomi was really scheduled to win this six pack match and fight Bianca at Hell in The Cell, that's a vote of confidence for her. Yes, I'm sure she would have lost, but losing to Bianca is hardly the same thing as losing to some jobber. True, that match would be at the expense of the tag team division, as the belts wouldn't be defended at the premium live event, but in the grand scheme of possible stories to tell, WWE has gone to way worse places. And I'm sure Naomi and Sasha would have been back together again for a match at SummerSlam.

Assumedly will be some kind of response here, but what McMahon and company choose to do will have big consequences. Naomi is married to Smackdown Tag Champion Jimmy Uso and is obviously family with Jey Uso and Roman Reigns. In addition, both women are very over with fans, who would like to see them continue performing. All of the other performers will likely be looking to this situation to see what the consequences are if they were to refuse to participate in creative down the road. This type of thing has obviously happened plenty of times before. The history of the wrestling business is filled with people saying no, but there hasn't been a consistent response from management when this kind of thing has happened in the past.

Like everyone who loves wrestling, we’ll be monitoring this situation closely as more details develop. I certainly hope everyone involved can work it out, but at this point, there’s no telling what might happen.

It’s been a chaotic build to WrestleMania 38. We’re now just days away from the biggest wrestling show of the year, and the majority of the card is locked into place like a figure-four from a prime Ric Flair . The big match is, of course, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns who will be going title v title in a unification match. I'm still skeptical of WWE's decision here to give the winner one unified belt. I'd rather they be defended separately on each show, but alas, no one answers my emails.

Putting that insult aside, there’s a lot of intrigue up and down the card in both the men’s and women’s divisions. Right now there are fourteen matches scheduled for WrestleMania 38, as well as a Stone Cold Steve Austin appearance, which may be a real match or may just be a guy opening a can of whoopass during a talk show segment. I’m going to go through my predictions for all of it, which I would like to point out is what I think is going to happen, not what I want to happen. If it were what I wanted, we'd have a more positive outcome for Happy Corbin, who I inexplicably love for reasons I can't really explain.

WrestleMania 38 Night 1 Predictions

Becky Lynch (Champion) vs Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship

Big Time Becks made a surprise return at SummerSlam last year and squashed Bianca in 26 seconds. I still have no idea why this seemed like a good idea, as Belair is a rising star, was over with fans and had so much momentum at the time. Whatever. Someone thought it was a good idea, and it certainly elevated Lynch. I’ve moved on and can’t argue about this more. Anyway, she’s held a major belt ever since, and while she’s had matches with Belair, this is surely the biggest stage.

I like Bianca here. I think a showcase win would help her character move on from looking like Adam Bomb at WrestleMania X, and I think it’s time to give Becky something else to do besides defend this title and get whipped with hair. I don’t think it’ll be a squash, but I expect to see a clean pinfall and a title change.

Predicted Winner: Bianca Belair via pinfall.

Rey Mysterio And Dominik Mysterio vs The Miz and Logan Paul

The obvious pick here is Mysterio & Mysterio. Once The Miz stole Rey’s mask, there was a sense of like… Rey can’t lose this now. He’s got to defend his honor, right? But I’m not so sure anymore. The Miz lost clean on Monday, and I just feel like this story is a lot more interesting if he comes out on top. Plus, there are persistent rumors that Logan Paul may join the WWE Creative Team if this goes well. I’m not sure most wrestling fans are with me here, but I actually think, at least on paper, he’s a terrific fit for WWE long-term. 

Crowd reaction was skeptical during his recent segment where he gushed about Cleveland in Cleveland (at least compared to The Miz who still has it, by the way), but his mic work is quite good for someone who hasn’t interacted with a live wrestling crowd that many times. He’s a terrific athlete. He’s also a very natural heel given some fans already have negative feeling about him due to his pop culture image. I don’t know. This might be the stupidest guess of this entire predictions article, but I’ve talked myself into The Miz and Logan Paul. Maybe it'll spark some kind of Mysterio v Mysterio feud or maybe a story about Dominik earning his mask, which Moonsaulted around a little on Twitter.

Predicted Winners: The Miz and Logan Paul via pinfall (The Miz on Dominik).

Drew McIntyre vs Happy Corbin (With Madcap Moss)

This has to be McIntyre, right? It feels like he’s about to be built again. He finished second in the Rumble. He’s been winning pretty convincingly for the most part on TV. It feels like they talk about his sword more than some of the mid-tier guys on the roster. Its name is Angela by the way, in case the repeated reminders haven't stuck yet. I also have no real data for this, but it just feels like many of his intros are getting longer. Plus, we’ve been getting teases of a fracture in the dynamic between Moss and Corbin. There’s a real possibility Madcap could turn on Happy at ‘Mania.

That being said, I need to take a few seconds to gush about Happy Corbin. Love this dude. I get excited every time he comes on my TV. Something just works, and I need him to stick around the midcard. Just give him 10 to 15 minutes each week to brag about himself, beat up on a jobber or act like a coward against bigger opponents. I’ll also take some travel montages or some vignettes of him being an out of place rube. I suspect he’ll roll into a feud with Madcap Moss after he takes an L here, which I feel fine enough about. 

Predicted Winners: Drew McIntrye via pinfall. 

The Usos (Champions) vs Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs For The Smackdown Tag Team Championship

I like The Usos. I’ve enjoyed their extended reign, even if it involves some standing around behind Roman Reigns, but you can just feel WWE pushing Rick Boogs. He’s looked really strong lately and delivered some particularly aggressive Boogs Cruises. They’ve also been giving him a lot of pre-match time to interact with the crowd and do his call and response thing. Also, to lift people. He has lifted so many people. But the crowd keeps counting; so, I’ve got no problem with him doing it. We'd all lift people over our heads if we were capable and everyone around us chanted to 10 each time. Plus, Shinsuke is great. Pushing Shinsuke is a good idea basically every time. 

So, no offense to The Usos here, who I think should stay in the title picture, but the times they are a-changin. Boogs is over with most fans. His dynamic plays well with Shinsuke. I think we'll see some new champions. Also, from a storyline perspective, The Usos losing the belts is going to create interesting television with Roman, whether he wins or not. All of them down big together could be fun. Then again, him roasting them and stirring up resentment because he now has both belts and they have zero would also be fun.

Predicted Winners: Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs via pinfall (Boogs on Jey).

The New Day vs Sheamus And Ridge Holland (With Butch)

This feels like it has to be a New Day victory. Given Big E’s injury and the less than stellar record the team has historically had at WrestleMania, I think the obvious right move is giving them the victory. Butch is going to interfere. If this were a random TV episode, I'd assume his henchman-like ways would be the difference, but at a huge show like this, I think his interference will backfire, allowing The New Day to come out on top. Maybe there will be a quick interview where they dedicate the victory to Big E and tell him to get well soon.

I’m also interested in what’s going to happen with Sheamus, Ridge and Butch after they lose this match. Are they going to continue as a threesome? Are they going to start their own little mini-feud? Will we get a Sheamus, Ridge and Butch triple threat match? That could be a premium live event undercard. But nah. I don't think so. I think Sheamus will keep bringing in talent and form a stable. He’s still really good in the ring, but his strong mic work means he could be a fit to manage, as well. I'd love to see him as the leader of a gang that gets mad and does the job himself every once in awhile.

Predicted Winners: The New Day via pinfall (Kofi on Ridge).

Seth Freakin Rollins vs A Mystery Opponent

Everybody thinks this is going to be Cody Rhodes. I think it’s going to be Cody Rhodes, and if it is Cody Rhodes, he’s going to win a really close and exciting match. WWE is going to want to immediately introduce him at the main event or near main event level, and to do that, he both needs to look very good and he needs to win. So, I suspect we’ll see a really exciting match with lots of fun spots. Rollins will do fun Seth Rollins things, but Rhodes will prevail in the end.

Of course there’s always the chance this isn’t Cody Rhodes, and if it’s not, then who the hell knows what is going to happen here. The internet has been buzzing about it being Shane McMahon as the ultimate swerve/ middle finger to fans. Just imagine the chorus of boos. That would be an all-time troll job, but I don’t think WWE is going to willingly take that heat or give McMahon a prime ‘Mania match, especially after his appearance at the Royal Rumble allegedly caused backstage heat. I could see it being a surprise return like Bray Wyatt or someone on that level, but I’ll stick with Rhodes.

Predicted Winner: Cody Rhodes via pinfall.

Charlotte Flair (Champion) vs Ronda Rousey for the Smackdown Women's Championship

Rousey isn’t quite there on the microphone yet, but I think she’s improving and is definitely still over with fans. It’s hard to imagine she’d return to WWE, get this much screentime and not wind up with the belt. Plus, with the WWE women’s division deeper and better than it’s ever been (especially if/ when Bayley and Asuka return), it’s going to need shake-ups and changes. Putting the belt on Ronda would shuffle the deck, and it would allow Charlotte Flair to transition into a different storyline, hopefully one with an opponent that can more easily push back on the mic. 

I really hope they give this match time to breathe and really tell a story. I don’t want to see a squash. I want a good wrestling match that tells a story worthy of the extended build-up we’ve gotten and Ronda’s return. I think we’ll get it, and I think it’ll end in an ankle lock given how much that’s been directly discussed on the air. That should push Ronda's character into a more compelling direction post-Mania, and fingers crossed, it allows her to keep developing because she could be great.

Predicted Winner: Ronda Rousey via submission.

The KO Show With Stone Cold Steve Austin

Kevin Owens has been crushing it during this entire build-up to WrestleMania. His mic work has been stupendous (points to WM sign…), and his recent trolling of the crowd when he came out to Stone Cold’s music made the heel part of my soul happy. KO is one of the best wrestlers working today, and I can’t wait to see him interact with the Rattlesnake. He’s earned this moment. 

That being said, I have no idea what to expect out of this segment and/ or possible match. It's either going to be a few minutes of chit-chat, followed by a Stunner, middle fingers and cans of whoopass, all of which KO will oversell in the best way like a prime Mr. Perfect, or it'll turn into a real match. If that happens, fans will lose their minds, and one of the all-time greats will get a chance to give us one more all-time great match. I hope that happens, but anything Stone Cold wants to give us is a welcome surprise in my book. So, no predictions here.

Predicted Winner: I lied. I think it'll be a real match and Stone Cold will give us about 4 to 6 A- minutes, which will feel like an A+. 

WrestleMania 38 Night 2 Predictions

Queen Zelina & Carmella (Champions) vs Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan vs Sasha Banks & Naomi vs Natlya & Shayna Baszler For The Women’s Tag Team Championship

I don’t know when the last time I was fired up about the women’s tag team division was, but I’m ecstatic at the amount of talent that’s been injected in lately. More than half of these women could be competing for the top belts, and we’re already starting to see some real chemistry develop, especially between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley, who are a delight and already have a banger hybrid entrance theme. How cool would it be if we had a really fun, high energy women’s tag match on most episodes of WWE programming? The talent is there, especially after Bayley and Asuka return. Just stick with it… and maybe give at least a few of these teams fun names.

It feels like this has to be either Rhea and Liv or Sasha and Naomi. No offense to the other teams here who are perfectly fine, but there's real upside for the entire division if it's the right twosome. I don't want the women's tag division to dissolve into nothing again! My money is on Sasha and Naomi, but that’s mostly because they were the initial surprise team that jumped into the division. Plus, Sasha Banks is Sasha Banks, and giving her a belt is almost always a good decision.

Predicted Winners: Sasha Banks and Naomi via submission.

Johnny Knoxville vs Sami Zayn

I was at the Royal Rumble earlier this year, and the pop Johnny Knoxville got from the crowd was very real and very loud, easily one of the biggest of the night. Throw in the fact that celebrities normally win WrestleMania matches, plus how tremendous Sami Zayn is at expressing shock and outrage, and this feels like a pretty definite Knoxville victory. Key qualifier here though: they need to keep Zayn semi-credible. That dude is a treasure. He should stay in the Intercontinental Championship picture moving forward. So, I suspect the win will involve outside interference from the Jackass guys or some other type of tomfoolery. 

The Anything Goes wrinkle certainly opens up a lot of possibilities. Given the celebrity involvement, I wouldn’t expect to see a terribly long match, but it should be goofy and fun. Plus we all know Knoxville has taken gnarlier bumps than anyone on the roster. That WTF is he going to do element adds a little more drama than we normally see from celeb matches too.

Predicted Winner: Johnny Knoxville via pinfall.

Pat McAfee vs Austin Theory

Boy this match really got dropped on us like a Vader Bomb, huh? It feels like it was put together to have another attraction that'll generate some steam. Pat McAfee is terrific on commentary and a damn good athlete. He's also very over right now. Austin Theory is a rising star, who is doing segments with Vince McMahon. He was put in the Elimination Chamber and picked to face Brock Lesnar at MSG. They're obviously higher than a Montez Ford frog splash on both. So, they thought let's feature 'em at 'Mania.

That's not the worst plan I've ever heard. I'm a little worried for Austin Theory long-term though. I know McAfee is a more agile than say Michael Cole, but it still feels weak for Theory to lose straight-up to an announcer with little in-ring experience. But is there really a scenario where they're gonna have a character like Theory beat Pat McAfee? The crowd would boo into the next match. They'd be throwing things on stage like when Hulk Hogan went heel. So, I think something untoward is going to happen here. I predict Shane McMahon interferences setting up some kind of mentor vs real son storyline. 

Predicted Winner: Pat McAfee via pinfall.

RK-Bro (Champions) vs Alpha Academy vs The Street Profits For The Raw Tag Team Championship

I don’t really think there’s a wrong answer here in terms of where WWE wants to go. All three of these teams are both very talented and over with the crowd. I also love each on a personal level. The weekly RK-Bro and Alpha Academy challenges were all kind of goofy fun, and the long-term potential of The Street Profits is enormous. All three of these teams have the talent and look to be on major premium live event cards for years to come. I probably like Alpha Academy the best because I can’t get enough of Chad Gable, but I’m truly fine with any outcome.

My gut tells me the WWE writers are going to use the end of this match to break-up RK-Bro. I know Randy Orton has talked about how happy he is and how much fun he’s having, but someone at WWE, whether it’s Vince McMahon or Bruce Prichard, loves breaking up a good tag team. So, I think RK-Bro breaks up after the match or we at least see major cracks form, which they’ve sorta been teasing.

Predicted Winner: The Alpha Academy via pinfall (Otis on Riddle).

Edge vs AJ Styles

I think the more important wrestler in the equation here is Edge. What is WWE’s long-term plans with Edge (and that blue light)? Do they want him on the mid-card or are they hoping to elevate him back to main event status? If they want him to be a major player and compete for the soon-to-be Unified Title, then I think he needs to win. He needs to establish himself as a mega-heel and come off looking really crazy and powerful. If they’re content with him leaving at the mid-card level, then what’s probably more important is just that this is a great wrestling match that fans enjoy.

I personally think they’ve still got big plans for Edge. He may not have fully capitalized off his 2021 Royal Rumble win, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still make it back to the top of the card. He’s in good shape. His mic work lately has been unhinged in a good, in-character way. I think they'll push him again.

Predicted Winner: Edge via pinfall.

Bobby Lashley vs Omos

I think most people are expecting Bobby Lashley to put an end to Omos’ dominance. That makes the most sense on paper. I mean… what’s the alternative? You rushed Bobby Lashley, a former champion who technically beat Brock Lesnar, back to lose to an inexperienced wrestler that’s been fighting handicapped matches on Raw? Why would you do that? You could have gotten Omos to the next level by turning in a dominant ‘Mania performance against someone like Damian Priest (who by the way, should be fighting Finn Balor this weekend but whatever).

But let’s say that is happening. Let’s say WWE brought Lashley back to get viciously punished by Omos. I mean… how scary would Omos look? You would immediately think he’s in line for a shot at the Unified Title at an upcoming premium live event, right? I don’t buy it, but maybe…

Predicted Winner: Bobby Lashley via pinfall.

Brock Lesnar (Champion) vs Roman Reigns (Champion) For Both Belts

Until recently, I was convinced Roman Reigns was going to win. I’ve been so convinced that I’ve been really dismissive of Brock Lesnar’s chances every single time I’ve referenced the match. But Lesnar has been tremendous the past few weeks. His mic work last Monday on Raw was so freakin’ good. I mean no one likes Paul Heyman more than I do. That dude is one of my favorite managers ever (shoutout Bobby Heenan), but Lesnar has been so smooth on the mic lately, I’m honestly starting to wish he would have ditched Heyman sooner. Cowboy Brock is all kinds of over, and his interaction with the crowd lately has felt effortless. It’s like he’s suddenly figured it all out. I don’t know how anyone wants to stop that momentum right now.

Roman Reigns, however, is also great. He’s been the best thing going in all of wrestling for the past few years. Unifying the belts and beating a legend like Lesnar while doing it would propel him into another tier of all-time greats. I really want that for him. I thought for sure he was going to get it, but I don’t know anymore. How long is Lesnar sticking around for? What’s the plan after the titles are unified? All of this would help provide clarity. Absent that, I’m going to stick with Reigns, but my confidence here is very low.

Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall. 

Other Random Predictions:

I think we're going to see Alexa Bliss do something. I mean, what the hell is going on here? She's one of the best wrestlers on the entire roster. She doesn't seem to be injured. She needs to be at WrestleMania doing something productive.

I think a former WWE star other than Cody Rhodes is going to return. I don't know who it'll be, but I think someone shows up and sets Twitter on fire.

I think Steve Austin looks damn good and falls right back into the Stone Cold character like nothing changed.

There are few things that make wrestling fans more excited than seeing their favorite wrestlers (or at least actors portraying them) in anything outside of the squared circle. And of all the shows to do this, few compare to Young Rock and the large number of WWE superstars who were portrayed in the show’s first season on NBC. Over the course of the first chapter of the show’s run, Andre the Giant, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and Rocky Johnson were just a few of the heavyweights who played large and impactful roles.

Before we jump into the action once again with Young Rock Season 2, now seems like the right time to go back through the first 11 episodes (12 if you count the holiday special) and break down all the WWE wrestlers who have popped up so far. 

Rocky Johnson - Joseph Lee Anderson (Season 1, 'Working The Gimmick')

No professional wrestler plays a bigger role in Young Rock than Rocky Johnson (as portrayed by Joseph Lee Anderson) Dwayne Johnson’s father. Starting with the debut episode, “Working the Gimmick,” we see Johnson in various stages of his career — working for WWF in 1982, wrestling random matches in 1987, working odd jobs and training new wrestlers in 1990 — as he tries to provide for his family while chasing the glory of yesterday.

Andre The Giant - Matthew Willig (Season 1, ‘Working The Gimmick’)

Outside of Rocky Johnson, Matthew Willig's version of Andre the Giant has the closest bond with the 10-year-old Dwayne Johnson (Adrian Groulx) and helps the former WWE superstar with a couple of life lessons throughout the show’s first season. This includes teaching Dwayne why you should never call wrestling “fake” and how to find happiness through life’s simpler moments like feeding birds in the park. He’s also at the center of some of the show’s best wrestling moments as well, including the Island Battle Royale.

Junkyard Dog - Nate Jackson (Season 1, ‘Working The Gimmick’)

Junkyard Dog (who's played by Nate Jackson) was a trailblazer in professional wrestling who opened the doors for future African American champions, shows up sporadically throughout Young Rock Season 1, though he’s not always on the right side of Dwayne Johnson’s grandmother’s promotion. We see him in action a few times, but we also see the “King of New Orleans” helping Ata Johnson (Stacy Leilua) find ways to make a 15-year-old Dwayne (Bradley Constant) listen to his mom.

The Iron Sheik - Brett Azar (Season 1, ‘Working The Gimmick’)

One of the most high-profile wrestlers to be depicted on Young Rock, The Iron Sheik is portrayed as a fun-loving and loyal friend of Dwayne Johnson’s family and remains so in all three of the show’s timelines. Brett Azar's work as the foul-mouthed wrestler, who has one of the craziest Twitter accounts in real life, provides a lot of laughs throughout, including an interaction with Lia Maivia (Ana Tuisila) where she tells him he has to tone down his language for a family-friendly event.

The Wild Samoans - Fasitua Amosa And John Tui (Season 1, ‘Working The Gimmick’)

Fasitua Amosa and John Tui's take on Sika and Afa Anoa’i, a.k.a. The Wild Samoans, appearing throughout the first season of Young Rock, providing great action in the ring and laughs when outside the squared circle. Members of the Anoa’i Family wrestling dynasty, these two are prominent figures in some of the show’s best moments so far.

‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage - Kevin Makely (Season 1, ‘Forward, Together’)

The late great “Macho Man” Randy Savage shows up multiple times throughout Young Rock Season 1, and makes sure to say all his famous catchphrases and bring up everything from his relationship with Miss Elizabeth to his popular Slim Jim ads. We also get to see Macho Man in action, both in the ring and in the squared circle of love, including his famous elbow drop, which is pulled off masterfully by actor Kevin Makely.

Vince McMahon - Adam Ray (Season 1, ‘Forward, Together’)

Though he only appears briefly and is technically not a wrestler (though he did win the WWF Championship at one point in his career), we can’t have this list without including Adam Ray's work as Vince McMahon, right? The show’s version of the over-the-top wrestling promoter billionaire is charming and comforting in his phone conversation with Lia Maivia when her big show starts to fall apart.

Ric Flair - Matthew Farrelly (Season 1, ‘On The Road Again’)

In the the second episode of Young Rock Season 1, “On the Road Again,”  Rocky Johnson is shown taking on two wrestlers in a series of flashbacks. The first of those opponents is none other than the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, portrayed by Matthew Farrelly, in a match that is made to look like Johnson defeated the future two-time WWE Hall of Famer.

‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper - Jade Drane (Season 1, ‘On The The Road Again’)

Later on in “On the Road Again,” Rocky Johnson recalls having a match with the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, portrayed by Jade Drane, in the Soulman’s heyday. Like the match with Ric Flair earlier in the episode, Johnson makes it seem as if he defeated the wrestler-turned-actor.

King Kong Bundy - Alexander Board (Season 1, ‘Forward, Together’)

King Kong Bundy appears briefly on the Island Battle Royale poster, being brought to life by Alexander Board, in the Young Rock Season 1 episode “Forward, Together,” but despite that, he makes a big impact on the rest of the season. Just days before the big show, Bundy pulls out, saying his mom his sick, but he actually is working a different show for a rival promoter.

Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine - Toby Kiddle (Season 1, ‘Forward, Together’)

Toby Kiddle takes on the role of Greg "The Hammer" Valentine for the Island Battle Royale poster brought to life in the episode “Forward, Together,” but he is not seen in the final match itself.

Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat - Ivan So (Season 1, ‘My Day With Andre’)

WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is portrayed by Ivan So in the episode, “My Day with Andre,” as one of the final competitors in the Island Battle Royale, eliminating Sgt. Slaughter with a flying crossbody from the turnbuckle.

Sgt. Slaughter - Wayne Mattei (Season 1, ‘My Day With Andre’) 

Wayne Mattei shows up briefly as Sgt. Slaughter in “My Day with Andre” as one of the big-name wrestlers in the Island Battle Royale, being one of the first of the marquee stars to be eliminated in a match that would eventually end with a major swerve that saw The Iron Sheik sneak in and steal a victory from Rocky Johnson.

If Young Rock Season 2 is anything like the first chapter of the hit NBC comedy series, we can expect to see plenty of other great WWE superstars from yesterday and today portrayed on the show. If you want more info on Young Rock and other new and returning shows, check out CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule.

Now that we are fully on the Road to WrestleMania and the Dallas skyline is just over the horizon, we are seeing more and more matches added to WWE’s big two-day event. On top of all the marquee matches like the third showdown between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar (which is being booked as “The Biggest Match in WrestleMania History”) and other championship bouts, the show’s midcard attractions are being announced left and right.

Joining the likes of Edge vs. AJ Styles and The Miz teaming up with Logan Paul to taken on the Mysterio family is former NFL punter and current SmackDown commentator Pat McAfee, who was granted a match at WrestleMania 2022 by Vince McMahon during an interview on his popular YouTube show. His opponent remains a mystery for the time being, but I do have some potentials who would be pretty sweet. 

Vince McMahon

When it was announced on Twitter that Vince McMahon would be appearing on the Pat McAfee Show in early March 2022, it seemed like this was the beginning of a feud between the WWE Chairman and the vocal SmackDown commentator and occasional in-ring performer. And, while a match was announced, Mr. McMahon was not confirmed to be his opponent. 

Despite this, I would love to see McMahon lace up his boots for his fifth match at the Showcase of the Immortals. It would be a great way to put McAfee over that would definitely put a lot of eyes on WrestleMania, regardless of which day it takes place.

Austin Theory

Another option, and probably one that makes more sense for a number of reasons, is Austin Theory, who has been building up a great deal of momentum in WWE as of late. With an impressive showing at Royal Rumble 2022 and being one of the final two competitors in the WWE Championship match at Elimination Chamber, Theory could keep that upward trend going with a high-profile match against Pat McAfee at WrestleMania 38. And, with all the interactions he has been having with Vince McMahon as of late, Theory could be a good stand-in for the WWE Chairman.

Corey Graves

Before he transitioned into a commentator role and became one of the biggest voices in WWE, Corey Graves had a brief stint as an in-ring performer in NXT, which was cut short due to serious injuries nearly a decade ago. It looked like Graves would never be able to wrestle again, but he was cleared for in-ring action in January 2022. This, combined with comments the Monday Night Raw analyst made on Twitter about “happily” beating Pat McAfee at WrestleMania, makes it fairly likely we could see the two commentators meet face-to-face at the biggest show of the year.

Michael Cole

I would like to see Pat McAfee and fellow commentator Michael Cole meet at WrestleMania, but not because they would put on a five-star classic; that’s just not happening. However, the two have a history in WWE, especially with Cole trying (in vain) to get McAfee kicked off the WrestleMania 35 broadcast because he wore shorts, according to the IndyStar. McAfee even brought up Cole and the situation in his interview with Vince McMahon, to which the WWE boss called Cole a “horrible human being.” To see McAfee finally get his revenge would be pretty sweet and make for a great WrestleMania moment.

Kevin Owens

There are a lot of options for Kevin Owens in terms of WrestleMania opponents this year, especially with outlets like WrestlingInc reporting on a possible one-on-one with a returning Stone Cold Steve Austin in the heart of Texas. But, if that doesn’t work out, and Owens’ current partnership with Seth Rollins doesn’t explode just yet, then having him face-off against Pat McAfee would be great. I mean, McAfee’s first two matches were against Adam Cole and other wrestlers who followed a similar path as Owens (Ring of Honor, PWG, etc.), so their in-ring styles would mesh. Also, the promos leading up to the match would be top-notch, especially if you got Owens on The Pat McAfee Show.

John Cena

I should preface this by addressing the fact that there has been no confirmation of a John Cena return in any way. With that out of the way, I would absolutely love to see the Peacemaker star have his first match since being defeated by Roman Reigns at SummerSlam 2021 being against Pat McAfee at WrestleMania 38. Cena has never had a technical style of wrestling, and so it wouldn’t be all that difficult for McAfee to keep up with him in the ring. 

With the former Indianapolis Colt being one of the biggest things going in WWE, getting the rub from the 16-time world champion could take him to the next level and create an iconic WrestleMania moment in the process. And, again, it would be ridiculous to see the two trade insults with a mic.

Cody Rhodes

In January 2022, Cody Rhodes shocked the wrestling world when the AEW co-founder announced he was stepping away from the wrestling promotion just a few years after it got off the ground. As you can imagine, everyone and their mother began to guess where Rhodes would land next, with the most likely place being WWE. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility, considering he got his start there over a decade ago and is one of the most recognizable stars with plenty of iconic moments before his run ended in 2016.

A high-profile match against Pat McAfee could be the perfect way to bring Rhodes back into the fold at WWE that would serve as a great stepping stone for both competitors. Rhodes has experience with non-wrestlers like Stephen Amell from his initial time with the company, so he could both protect McAfee and highlight his strengths. 

Expect to hear a whole lot more about Pat McAfee, his opponent, and all the other WWE superstars appearing at "Showcase of the Immortals" as we get closer to WrestleMania 38. If you want to watch the two-night event on April 2 and 3, you'll probably want to sign up for a Peacock Premium subscription.

We’re a little more than a month away from WrestleMania, and while the top of the card is pretty well set, there still aren’t a ton of other matches we know for sure we’re getting. Instead, what we have are a lot of rumors and assumptions based on a combination of storylines and reports from various insiders. The latest of the rumors is that WWE owner Vince McMahon will wrestle commentator Pat McAfee in a match on one of the nights. Let’s break this down and talk about all the pros and cons.

But first, a quick backstory. Vince McMahon was announced last week as an upcoming guest on Pat McAfee’s popular radio show. Fans were excited just to hear the conversation, but then, rumors started swirling that it would potentially lead to some on-air segments. Over the weekend, longtime wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer tweeted that, as of now, there’s a plan for the two to have a match at WrestleMania. I’m not sure anyone saw this coming, but let’s talk it out…

The Pros Of Vince McMahon Getting Back In The Ring

Vince McMahon is, for my money, one of the greatest heels in the history of the wrestling business. He may not be a heel in the same way as Ric Flair or Ted Dibiase or more recently, Roman Reigns, but in his prime, he drew heat like few performers ever have or ever will. The Mr. McMahon character just worked. The cocky walk. The exaggerated way of speaking. Every bit of his character was contorted to be as arrogant and evil as possible. No other authority figure on WWE television has ever approached the level of crowd response he could get on a random Monday night.

So, hell yes I want to see Vince McMahon back more regularly on WWE television. He pops up now and again, most recently for segments with Austin Theory, but those aren’t the same thing as seeing him strut to the ring and yell at the crowd. I know he’s older and not going to be as in practice with his character, but 75% of classic Mr. McMahon is still really damn good. I like Adam Pearce and I especially like Sonya Deville, but if we can get Vince on TV for the next month, I want to see that. I want to see him brag about himself a few more times and verbally intimidate some newer wrestlers he hasn’t interacted with a ton. I just want to spend more time with a wrestling icon for a little while.

Also, this is secondary since he’s way younger and will have more opportunities, but Pat McAfee is awesome. He’s the best new commentator WWE has had in decades. The idea of him working with McMahon is really exciting, and there aren’t a ton of opportunities left to make that happen. Given how popular McAfee is and how many different things he does, I have no idea how long he’ll stick with wrestling, but if he’s going to be the lead voice for the next twenty years (and I hope he is), I love the idea of him doing a program with Vince. It feels fitting.

The Cons Of Vince McMahon Getting Back In The Ring

You notice how all of my positives were about getting to see Mr. McMahon as a character interacting with the audience and other wrestlers/ McAfee? That’s because I don’t really have any interest in seeing him in the ring itself. Vince McMahon is 76 years old. The last time we saw him truly in the ring for an official match was with Bret Hart at WrestleMania 26, which was all kinds of yikes. And I say that as a gigantic Bret Hart fan. Apart from appreciating that it was happening and it offering a conclusion to one of the most important feuds in wrestling history, it had no moments of enjoyable wrestling. So, the idea of McMahon getting into the ring twelve years later doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence.

I’m also concerned about what match we’re not going to see if this does happen. The WrestleMania card has a limited number of spots. There are a lot of really, really great wrestlers that need to be worked in there somewhere (plus another probably on the way). I also want to see good tag teams and mid-carders. As such, I’m not going to be a happy camper if we don’t get The Usos and The Viking Raiders or something random and cool like Shinsuke Nakamura and Kofi Kingston because their spot was taken up by McMahon and McAfee. 

And of course there’s always a risk whenever you’re bringing out a legend. There are some people who would prefer to not see their favorites as they get older. I don’t necessarily agree with that. I love a good nostalgia pop, but it’s awkward and uncomfortable to watch someone out there who isn’t physically capable of doing the job. McMahon has always kept himself in tremendous shape, but taking any bumps at 76 is going to take a toll on someone.

What’s Going To Happen?

I want to see Vince McMahon and Pat McAfee involved in a WrestleMania storyline. It blends the past and present very well, and I’m for sure down for one more ride with Mr. McMahon. In a perfect world, however, I’d prefer to see both men pick a champion to fight for them and then do promos yelling at each other and hyping their chosen superstar. I know McAfee has proven he’s capable of getting in the ring before, but he’s still obviously not at the same level as the best of the best. This would be a great way to get both men in prominent positions on the ‘Mania card without having to fight a match that has a high possible awkwardness factor.

That being said, I think we’re probably going to see a real match. McMahon has made an entire career out of proving to people he can do things they say he can’t. He’d love to prove people wrong again, and if his participation can generate a little more excitement for ‘Mania, he’s a showman and won’t be able to pass up that opportunity. We’ll see though. 

The WWE’s Royal Rumble featured some great and unpredictable moments, but some issues taking place behind-the-scenes led to what insiders described as “utter chaos” over how the Royal Rumble events were planned and played out. Rumors spread that the recently returned Shane McMahon was responsible for the snafus, and as a result, his father Vince McMahon has allegedly fired him from the company. Before the WWE even offered a statement about the shocking news, one AEW superstar wasted no time in trying to woo the younger McMahon over to their promotion. 

Dax Harwood, who is one-half of the AEW tag-team FTR alongside Cash Wheeler, tweeted to Shane McMahon not long after multiple reports surfaced claiming he'd been  released from the WWE. Harwood and Wheeler both worked with McMahon back when they were in the WWE as the tag-team The Revival, and Harwood hinted strongly on Twitter that he’s interested in getting the band back together in AEW. 

That marks at least one AEW star offering an olive branch to Shane McMahon, though it’s not like Dax Harwood is the deciding factor on whether Shane O’ Mac appears in AEW or not. Tony Khan is a big decision-maker in that process, and while he admitted he had his eye on a few WWE talents, I’m not sure McMahon was one of the names he had in mind. Especially when it comes to the creative side of things, if the Royal Rumble rumors were authentic. 

That said, Khan might at least consider such a wild notion, given how some fans have shown interest in it the concept on social media. 

Shane McMahon’s alleged exit from the WWE could feasibly lead to an appearance at AEW, but whether or not Vince McMahon’s son would do that to his family is another story entirely. After all, this isn’t the first time he had a falling out related to the legacy-making business. McMahon first joined his father’s company in 1988 and worked in various roles around the business, both behind-the-scenes and on-camera, up until 2009 when he stepped away. 

While the official reason for Shane McMahon’s resignation was never known, legendary wrestling commentator Jim Ross (via TalkSport) stated that McMahon left when it became clear he wasn’t the “heir apparent” to Vince McMahon’s organization, and his sister Stephanie and her unretireable husband Paul "Triple H" Levesque were. McMahon stayed away from wrestling until his return in 2016, and he's been working for the company on a part-time basis until very recently. And some people are good with reminding him about such setbacks.

Wrestling may benefit from Shane McMahon's general involvement, but it doesn’t seem like McMahon desperately needs to be involved in wrestling. He had a seven-year gap with no input in the WWE, and he has business ventures outside wrestling that he can devote time to as well. In short, I’m not sure many in the know actually expect to see McMahon try to jump on the AEW bandwagon or into its stable. In reality, he might just step away from wrestling for a time, or even indefinitely. That said, it would be entertaining to see him appear in a rival organization, which might be why guys like Dax Harwood are trying to manifest it through social media wishes. 

Shane McMahon might be out of the WWE, but his matches and other work in the business can be accessed by anyone with a Peacock premium subscription. We’ll see if he shocks the world with an appearance on AEW and really sends a shock to his former employer. 

The WWE just came off a big pay-per-view with Day 1, and it’s already almost time for one of the company’s biggest events of any given year. The Royal Rumble is often a night of surprises, and among this year’s potential shockers is a concept unlike anything Vince McMahon & Co. have set up for audiences in previous years. There are heavy rumors at the moment that the WWE plans to open the so-called “forbidden door” for Royal Rumble 2022, but is that even possible?

To answer that, we need to dive into what the “forbidden door” is and why it would be such a big deal if it happens. Additionally, we need to talk out whether such a thing is actually viable for the imminent Royal Rumble, which is set to take place on Saturday, January 29th, in St. Louis, MO.

How The WWE Reportedly Wants To Change Up The Royal Rumble For 2022

The insider Wrestlevotes recently reported that more than one source has claimed the WWE is considering allowing an athlete from an outside wrestling promotion a chance to compete in the 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble. While there’s skepticism it will actually happen, it appears there’s a possibility that a male wrestler from New Japan, Impact, the recently disbanded Ring of Honor, or even AEW could participate in this year’s Royal Rumble. Impact World Champion Moose further solidified the rumor recently by openly challenging Roman Reigns. 

Other fans believe that the WWE wouldn’t readily pull in a wrestler it doesn’t have a relationship and instead is hoping for a wrestler that formerly worked within the organization. AEW star Bryan Danielson seems like an option considering he left the WWE on amicable terms (even if execs tried to make some demands), but there’s also Chris Jericho, who holds the record for the longest time spent in Royal Rumble matches. That could provide a meaningful reason for his return, assuming he’s not busy with his band or taking acting roles.

There’s a laundry list of other wrestling talents the WWE could woo into performing in the Royal Rumble, likely with the understanding among parent companies that the PPV would be a one-and-done deal. I’d wager this means any unforeseen participants won’t actually be winning the Royal Rumble, but their appearance would be exciting all the same.

But Can The WWE Even Pull This Off?

Beyond the “who” of it all, the main question surrounding the WWE allegedly considering the “forbidden door” is whether or not the company can even pull it off at this point in time. After all, few organizations would presumably want to send any top stars over to the Royal Rumble only to lose and appear weak against Vince McMahon’s roster. Additionally, this deal feels like one that’s largely beneficial to the WWE, and not necessarily the organizations who’d allow their wrestlers to participate. For example, what would AEW stand to gain from allowing either Danielson or Jericho, two of their top stars, over to participate in the WWE’s Royal Rumble? Landing an unsigned athlete would probably be the ideal route.

Additionally, we’re living in a world where COVID-19 is still rampant in various forms around the world. The WWE’s Roman Reigns had to miss his key Day 1 match due to a positive COVID test, and bringing in any outsider for the Royal Rumble could potentially cause issues for other wrestlers on the roster. Granted, it’s unclear what restrictions or protocols the organization currently has in place, or how adding a person from outside the organization could affect that in any way. Suffice to say, the safer route is ideal.

The WWE’s “forbidden door” talk remains a rumor for now, though it’ll certainly be something for wrestling fans to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. As mentioned, the Royal Rumble is always full of surprises, so there’s no telling who could walk down that ramp as one of the entrants. 

Stream the WWE’s Royal Rumble on Peacock on Saturday, January 29th at 8:00 p.m. ET. Even if there aren’t any big surprises, there are still plenty of reasons to tune in for the match itself and the colossal throwdown between Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley. 

There’s been no person more important or with more influence in the wrestling business the last forty years than Vince McMahon. The businessman turned announcer turned on-camera heel turned businessman has dominated the entire industry as he took his father’s regional company and expanded it into a global WWE behemoth we know today. As such, there’s always a steady stream of people dropping quotes about the longtime WWE head, and lately, many of those quotes have been comparisons to AEW boss Tony Khan.

Over the last few years, upstart AEW has emerged as a legitimate contender to WWE, the first real counterpoint since WCW went bust in 2001. More recently, many WWE stars have left for the increasingly popular promotion, and many have commented on the differences between working at the two companies. Longtime WWE star turned AEW favorite Matt Hardy became the latest this month when he talked to Essentially Sports about the differences he sees in the culture and the head executives. Here’s a portion of his quote…

Much has been made about the backstage dynamics in the WWE. It historically has been, by all accounts, a very competitive environment with certain rules, and there is often a perception that certain performers had a much bigger say in their characters and where they were going than others. That perception may be partly from having some enormous stars like Hulk Hogan who weren’t always the most generous with putting guys over, especially early in their careers. It may be partly from one of the company’s bigger stars, HHH, marrying Vince McMahon’s daughter Stephanie McMahon, and it may also be from how inaccessible Vince has reportedly been over the years to many mid-card wrestlers. 

That distance is something Matt Hardy spoke about as well in a longer comparison of Khan and McMahon. Here’s another portion of his quote where he talks about that distance…

It’s a great time to be a wrestling fan right now. The business always benefits from competition. It forces creativity, innovation and change, and it creates a really fun environment for the fan to watch as competing companies try and top each other. It’s a big reason why many remember the late '90s and early '00s as the best time in the history of the business. Vince McMahon in particular proved his all-time legendary status during the feud with WCW. 

At seventy-six years old, it’s not likely McMahon will re-emerge as a major on-camera presence, beyond the occasional TV or PPV spot, but he’s reportedly still playing a key role in many creative decisions, especially since HHH has been out following health issues. At thirty-nine years old, Tony Khan is directly involved in everything AEW is doing. Right now his positive energy and reverence for wrestling history seem to be sitting very well with a lot of veteran wrestlers who have been open about how refreshing it has been.

That being said, WWE is still the more popular product. It has been beating AEW in the ratings by a fairly sizeable margin, and while much has been made about all the recent departures from WWE, the brand still employs an overwhelming percentage of the most popular wrestlers including Roman Reigns who is, for my money, the absolute best performer in the entire industry. We'll see how things look a few years from now.

The WWE delivered yet another quality show to wrestling fans in Saudi Arabia with Crown Jewel 2021, and the event provided quite a few moments that viewers won’t forget for some time. Among them was a hilarious entrance in which Matt Riddle, one-half of the tag-team duo RK-Bro, rode to the ring on the back of a camel. Now, nearly a month after the event, we’re learning that his partner Randy Orton also wanted in on the camel-riding action, but CEO Vince McMahon had one of his silly notions and shut the idea down. 

Matt Riddle recently talked about having swell time atop a camel at the WWE’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view, and told Metro many positive things about the experience. Riddle added that his tag-team partner and fellow WWE icon Randy Orton wasn’t too thrilled about how things played out for him, though, and it seems tied to the fact that hhis camel-riding request got a no from Vince McMahon. In his words:

There’s something hilarious about the idea that Randy Orton, known throughout his career as a “Legend Killer” and one of the toughest guys in the product, would be visibly upset that he wasn’t allowed to ride a camel. Of course, it’s because of his legacy and character within the WWE that Vince McMahon balked at the idea of him doing so. Then again, is there a rule saying someone can’t ride a camel if they’re a certain level of intimidating? 

Vince McMahon is known for some weird quirks, but it’s hard to disagree with his logic here. Matt Riddle riding a camel is one of the most memorable moments of Crown Jewel 2021, and it was over the top because it was only something that he did. 

While it probably wouldn't make anyone question their reality to see Randy Orton riding a camel, at least in the proper setting and not in the middle of a Canadian mall or something, Riddle’s goofy quasi-stoner persona made his entrance so much more hilarious because of all the questions that came with it. Having both of them taking animals to the ring would’ve watered down the overall effect, though it still probably would’ve been cool to see. Perhaps Orton will get to fly in on an eagle or get some other cool moment at Survivor Series to make up for McMahon's decision-making? 

Matt Riddle and Randy Orton appear on Monday Night Raw over at USA Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. I’m sure we won’t see either saddling up a camel anytime soon, but I do wonder what other surprises this odd couple tag-team has in store for its audience as their run continues.