Thursday, August 6, 2026
NEWS

He’s There: John Cena Reportedly Set For Something At WWE Royal Rumble

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He’s a big deal. There are certain wrestlers who become the biggest stars in WWE and you know them when you see them. It makes a difference to have one of them around as it makes any show they are on feel that much bigger. WWE still has a small handful of that kind of stars around and now one of them seems ready to make an appearance at one of the biggest shows of the year. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’ll Be Back: Here’s Why Kenny Omega Has Been Missing From AEW TV This weekend, WWE will present its annual Royal Rumble. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, John Cena is expected to appear at the event in some way. There is no word on if Cena will be entered into the Royal Rumble match. This comes less than a month after Cena reportedly filmed material with Austin Theory at the December 30, 2022 SmackDown, though the footage has yet to air. Theory is set for the men’s Royal Rumble match. Cena has a history at the Royal Rumble. Check out some of his time at the event: [This po..

NEWS

He’ll Be Back: Here’s Why Kenny Omega Has Been Missing From AEW TV

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The international slowdown. There are all kinds of wrestling stars from around the world and several of them appear on national television on a regular basis. You can see many of them every week on WWE and AEW programming but they do have issues that American wrestlers do not have to face. One of AEW’s biggest stars is having just that problem at the moment and it could be a bit before he is back. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’s In For Now: Former WWE Star Set For AEW Debut According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Kenny Omega is currently dealing with a visa issue that is keeping him off AEW TV. Omega has not appeared on the last two weeks of Dynamite and was said to have “badly” wanted to be on the Jay Briscoe tribute show. AEW is hoping that Omega will be able to return on February 1 but that is yet to be guaranteed so far. Omega is one of their biggest stars. Check out some of his AEW work: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] ..

NEWS

WATCH: WWE Continues To Erase Bryan Danielson From Its History

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The new history. There have been all kinds of moments and incidents throughout WWE history, some of which are more notable than others. In most cases, the issues are written in black and white, but there are some cases that can be a bit more of a gray area. Now WWE is changing something up from what once was pretty straightforward to something a bit more complicated. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Extension Granted: Sami Zayn’s Original Plans With The Bloodline Were Very, Very Different In the 2023 edition of the Rumble By The Numbers video, the all time longevity record is once again held by Rey Mysterio in the 2006 Royal Rumble. This changes from previous editions, which listed Daniel Bryan’s 2018 performance in the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia as the longer run. There is no word on why WWE made the change but the Greatest Royal Rumble stats are included in other records in the video. There’s the history. Check out Rumble By The Numbers and a look at both runs in the Royal Rumble..

NEWS

Extension Granted: Sami Zayn’s Original Plans With The Bloodline Were Very, Very Different

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It wasn’t in the cards. WWE has a lot going on at any given time and it can be a bit difficult to keep track of everything taking place at once. You know a special story or moment when you see one though and that is certainly the case with the top story in WWE today. However, it turns out that the original plan for the angle went a lot differently than what wound up on television. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Mystery Solved: Missing WWE Star Explains Her Four Month Absence The Bloodline has been the top story in WWE for over a year now and the last several months have focused on Sami Zayn’s involvement. This is expected to continue at the Royal Rumble, where Zayn is to show his loyalty to the team. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, there was no original plan to make Zayn a star. Zayn’s story with the team was expected to last about three weeks but he kept making everything work. Eventually WWE decided to let him run with it and he became a much bigger star as a result. There is no wor..

NEWS

Mystery Solved: Missing WWE Star Explains Her Four Month Absence

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That’s a good reason. There are all kinds of reasons for a wrestler to miss time from the ring and some of them are a lot more serious than others. Sometimes a situation can cause a wrestler to just vanish from the public eye out of nowhere and there is not much that can be done about it. That seems to be the situation again with a WWE star who has been missing for a long time. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Double Shot: Two More Possible WWE Returns For The Royal Rumble WWE star Doudrop recently spoke with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture and revealed that she has been absent from WWE TV due to a bout with Covid. Doudrop said that she had serious symptoms that caused worries about her heart, but every test came back “clean as a whistle”. While she said that she would be around the Royal Rumble in some capacity, she stopped short of saying she would be taking part in the match. Doudrop has not wrestled since September 2022. Doudrop being back would be an impressive return. Check out what ..

NEWS

Double Shot: Two More Possible WWE Returns For The Royal Rumble

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Welcome back? The Royal Rumble is taking place this weekend and that means it is the season for returning wrestlers. The question about the show’s namesake matches is who will be showing up after not being around for a long time. That can make for some interesting guesses, but now we have a good idea of two more stars who are making their returns. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Switch: WWE Changes Plans For Upcoming Women’s Title Matches According to PWInsider.com by way of Ringsidenews.com, Chelsea Green and Matt Cardona are believed to return to WWE at the Royal Rumble, with Cardona returning as Zack Ryder. The two would return to the main roster rather than appearing in NXT. This is still not confirmed, though it is believed that Cardona finished up with Impact Wrestling at their latest TV tapings. They have some history. Check out the two in WWE, plus in a tag match together: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains vid..

NEWS

Switch: WWE Changes Plans For Upcoming Women’s Title Matches

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That’s different. We are officially in the busy season for WWE as the Road To WrestleMania is set to begin on Saturday at the Royal Rumble. That is the kind of show that changes the way WWE operates and several important moments can take place during the night. WWE has already changed things around on the show though and one big match is not going to take place. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Already: Bray Wyatt Receives Surprise Designation On WWE SmackDown Roster According to Fightful Select, WWE has made a change to a planned Royal Rumble title match. The December 30 SmackDown Women’s Title match featuring Ronda Rousey successfully defending against Raquel Rodriguez was originally scheduled for the January 28 Royal Rumble but WWE changed the plans. In addition, Charlotte’s return and title win were moved to SmackDown as well, in an effort to beef up the show. There is no word on what this means for other planned matches, including Rhea Ripley vs. Rousey and Charlotte vs. Bianca Belair. It..

NEWS

Kevin Owens: “Everybody’s Also Kind of Happy That [Stephanie McMahon] Gets To Take This Time For Herself”

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The San Antonio Express-News recently interviewed WWE superstar Kevin Owens to promote the upcoming Royal Rumble event this Saturday. He discussed a number of topics, including his upcoming championship match with Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Stephanie McMahon and more. Below are some highlights from the interview: On his championship match with Roman Reigns: “I don’t know if I expected it (to come full circle), but I certainly hoped it would,” said Owens, whose real name is Kevin Steen. “Because when our whole feud started, we were doing it through the pandemic in empty buildings. So it’s gonna be nice to have at least one match in front of an actual crowd, considering we had some of our best matches against each other with nobody in the arena.” On Sami Zayn: “(His success) is no surprise to me. I’ve known how good (Zayn) was and how special of a talent he is for 20 years now,” Owens said. “It just took a while for him to get into a situation where he can showcase just how good he is..

NEWS

WWE Reveals 3rd Class of Athletes to their NIL Program

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Here comes the next generation. Earlier today, WWE issued a press release, detailing the names of 15 new college athletes who will join the company’s NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) program, “Next In Line.” This program was created to give an opportunity to collegiate athletes that want to be a part of WWE. The names are as follows: Name College Sport Height/Weight Hometown Abby Jacobs South Alabama Soccer 5’7 Gulf Breeze, Fla. Alexandra Jaksec Mary Washington Tennis 5’4 Pittsburgh, Pa. Alia Armstrong LSU Track & Field 5’4 Baton Rouge, La. Cameron Jones Cincinnati Football 6’8, 320 lbs. Hindman, Ky. Dee Beckwith Kentucky Football 6’5, 235 lbs. Florence, Ala. Greg Kerkvliet Penn State Wrestling 6’3, 250 lbs. Inver Grove Heights, Minn. Isaiah Iton Rutgers Football 6’2, 290 lbs. Houston, Texas Jaiden Fields Georgia Softball 5’9 Kennesaw, Ga. Landon Jackson Arkansas Football 6’7, 275 lbs. Texarkana, Texas Mady Aulbach Youngstown State Basketball 5’3 Slippery Rock, Pa. Nick Dawkins Penn Stat..

NEWS

Already: Bray Wyatt Receives Surprise Designation On WWE SmackDown Roster

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That’s a special place. There are a lot of wrestlers on the WWE roster and that adds up to quite a bit of talent. It takes a lot for someone to move up the ladder and reach the top of the pile but you know someone special when you see them. Now WWE is seeing something in one of its stars and thinks enough of them to put them above most of the roster all at once. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Again: Vince McMahon Facing Another Lawsuit Over Alleged Sexual Harassment Payments According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Bray Wyatt is currently slotted in as the #1 babyface on the SmackDown roster and the #1 star that Roman Reigns has not worked with during his title reign. There is also no word on if Reigns will be feuding with Wyatt anytime soon, as Reigns is said to know that people who feud with Wyatt wind up looking “a lot worse than going in”. Wyatt is scheduled to have his first televised match after his return this weekend at the Royal Rumble. There is a history between them. Check out Reig..

NEWS

The Doctor Is Needed: Update On Britt Baker’s Injury Status

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That could be worse. There are all kinds of injuries in wrestling and some of them are a lot more severe than others. You never know when you are going to see someone get hurt and put on the shelf for a long time. That is the kind of thing that can derail a lot of plans, but thankfully in this situation it seems that the injury is only going to cause a minor delay instead of a big change. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’s In For Now: Former WWE Star Set For AEW Debut This week, AEW announced that Britt Baker had suffered an undisclosed injury and would be pulled from her scheduled triple threat match along with Toni Storm and Ruby Soho. Baker did appear during the match, offering a distraction to Storm so Soho could pick up the win. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Baker’s injury “wasn’t serious” and she should be returning to the ring soon. Baker could have wrestled this week but AEW erred on the side of caution and held her out instead. Baker is a star worth waiting on. Check out ..

NEWS

Jay Briscoe: A Celebration Of Life Results

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Jay Briscoe: A Celebration Of Life Date: January 26, 2023 Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Carpice Coleman As you might have guessed, this is a special show honoring the life of Jay Briscoe, who passed away last week. The show was filmed after last week’s AEW taping and features special matches, plus presumably tributes and maybe classic matches from Briscoe’s career. That should be more than enough so let’s get to it. We get the tribute video from this week’s Dynamite. Ring Of Honor Pure Rules Title: Hagane Shinno vs. Wheeler Yuta Yuta is defending under Pure Rules and Shinno is from Big Japan. They go with the grappling to start with Yuta working on a head/wristlock. Shinno shrugs that off and strikes away but gets caught with an Angle Slam for two. Yuta starts in on the leg and the cranking sends Shinno to the ropes for the first break. That’s fine with Yuta, who grabs a Gory Stretch to work on the back. Something like the Octopus sends..

NEWS

Again: Vince McMahon Facing Another Lawsuit Over Alleged Sexual Harassment Payments

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They just keep coming. Earlier this month, Vince McMahon returned to WWE in what could almost be defined as a coup. McMahon said that if he was not put back in his previous role of Chairman Of The Board, he would not let the company go forward with either television rights deals or a sale. He got what he wanted, but that might not be what everyone else wanted and now some more people are saying something about McMahon. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: On The Mend: Update On Wrestling Legend’s Health Status, Leaving Hospital Soon According to Bloomberg, McMahon is facing another lawsuit involving alleged payments made to deal with sexual harassment claims. While the details of the lawsuit, filed by Carole Casale and Chrystal Lavelle, are not known, they are attempting to sue on their own rather than part of a class action lawsuit. McMahon is already facing two lawsuits filed earlier this month, both of which are hoping to be recognized as class action suits over attempting to keep McMahon off t..

NEWS

AEW Dynamite Results – January 25, 2023

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Dynamite Date: January 25, 2023 Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz This is going to be an emotional one as the main event will feature the Jay Briscoe Tribute match between Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal. If that’s not enough, we’re still on the way to Revolution and that means Bryan Danielson gets to wrestle again. This time he has to find a way around Brian Cage, which is quite the different opponent than he has had in recent weeks. Other than that, the Gunns and the Acclaimed are going to have family therapy, which could go in a few different ways. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara vs. Action Andretti/Ricky Starks We are joined in the middle of Jericho’s entrance (including Daniel Garcia). Andretti and Guevara start things off and exchange some flips without being able to make a ton of contact. Andretti’s standing moonsault misses and they stare at each other for a bit. Guevara offers a handshake and th..

NEWS

REVIEW: Royal Rumble 2003: When The Rumble Doesn’t Mean As Much

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Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net, starting today. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? Royal Rumble 2003 Date: January 19, 2003 Location: Fleet Center, Boston, Massachusetts Attendance: 15,338 Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler This is a really odd entry in the series as the namesake match is being treated as secondary to almost everything else. Really, coming into this show, there’s a good argument to be made that Torrie Wilson vs. Dawn Marie is being treated as a bigger deal than the Rumble itself. Let’s get to it. The opening video is your standard montage of w..

NEWS

On The Mend: Update On Wrestling Legend’s Health Status, Leaving Hospital Soon

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That’s a step forward. Wrestlers have to deal with a lot of issues during their careers, but some of those problems do not go away once they retire from the ring. Several health issues can continue, including some that might happen to anyone at any time. Now a wrestling legend is dealing with some serious health problems, but things might be looking a bit better. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Another Happy Return? Controversial WWE Star Discussed For Possible Royal Rumble Return Earlier this month, it was announced that WWE Hall Of Famer Superstar Billy Graham had been hospitalized due to an infection, which had caused his heart to start. Graham was brought back and has improved in the time since. On Wednesday, Graham’s wife announced that Graham will soon be moved to a skilled nursing facility for rehab and physical therapy. He will also continue IV antibiotics for “a long time”. There is no word on how long Graham will be in the new facility. Graham was a heck of a star. Check out some o..

NEWS

Another Happy Return? Controversial WWE Star Discussed For Possible Royal Rumble Return

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That would be a return. There have been all kinds of roster changes in WWE in recent months and there is nothing to suggest that they are finishing up. This very well may include the Royal Rumble, where several surprise names are known to show up again after lengthy absences. Now there is a rumor that a former WWE Women’s Champion may be making an appearance. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’s In For Now: Former WWE Star Set For AEW Debut According to PWInsider Elite, Nia Jax has been rumored for a possible Royal Rumble return. This has NOT been confirmed and is currently seen as just a possibility being discussed. Jax, a former Raw Women’s Champion, was released from the company on November 4, 2021. She has not wrestled since, though she was announced for an independent event in the United Kingdom which never took place. In case you forgot. Check out Jax’s time in WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click..

NEWS

He’s In For Now: Former WWE Star Set For AEW Debut

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New home? The rise of AEW has changed the way the wrestling world works, including the wrestlers. One of the biggest changes has been the rise of a new big budget wrestling promotion where wrestlers can go, meaning more wrestlers are at work. If nothing else, it allows people who leave WWE to have another place to find work, and that is the case again as a former WWE star will be making his AEW debut. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Back Later: AEW Announces Injury, Match Set For Dynamite Changed Bryan Danielson is currently trying to earn a shot at AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman at Revolution. In order to earn a shot, Danielson must win a series of matches, ending on February 8. This week, Danielson defeated Brian Cage, but Cage injured Danielson’s shoulder after the match. Later in the night, Friedman announced that Danielson’s next opponent will be former WWE star Timothy Thatcher, who will be making his AEW debut. Since his release from WWE in January 2022, Thatcher has primari..

NEWS

Ric Flair Apologized to Becky Lynch Backstage at Raw XXX

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This past week on Raw, WWE presented its 3oth Anniversary show, also known as ‘Raw XXX’. It featured the return of many legends, including Ric Flair, who not only introduced his daughter, Charlotte, but also took time to try to mend some fences backstage. On the latest “To Be The Man” podcast, Flair talked about his experiences at ‘Raw XXX’: On being back at a WWE show: “It was phenomenal. I gotta tell you, I learned more about myself and more about what I’ve missed in the business and what I hadn’t missed in one day because I haven’t been here for a long time. I felt like I was respected. I felt like I was wanted. I felt like I was part of it again. I walked away a better man with a better understanding of who I am as a person and what the business is about.” On apologizing to Becky Lynch: “It started out with me and Hunter talking for about an hour, which is a private discussion, but resolving a lot of issues that have been lingering for a couple years, and then I apologized to ..

NEWS

AEW Honors Jay Briscoe In Dynamite’s Main Event

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They will always be Dem Boys. Tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite featured a tribute to Jay Briscoe, as his brother Mark, made his AEW debut against their longtime friend and rival, Jay Lethal. This tribute match came just over a week after Jay Briscoe passed away in a car accident at the age of 38. Ironically, the show also happened to be taking place on what would have been Jay’s 39th birthday. The finish of the match came when Mark Briscoe connected with The Froggy Bow through the timekeeper’s table. He then rolled Lethal into the ring, and after a series of maneuvers, Briscoe planted Lethal with The Jay Driller to pick up the victory. Following the match, the entire AEW locker room came on stage and gave a round of applause to both competitors. Several of them also hugged Lethal as he came up to the top of the entrance ramp. You can see a couple of videos of the tribute below: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Editor’s Opinio..