NEWS

They’re still a thing. Nine months ago, Naomi and Mercedes Mone (then Sasha Banks) walked out on WWE on the same night, vacating their Women’s Tag Team Titles in the process. That is the kind of career altering change that you do not see a wrestler deal with very often, but the two seemed united in what they were doing. Now we will get to see them united again in a very different world.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Maybe Later: How WWE Nixed Plans To Bring Back Finn Balor’s Demon
The Bar Rescue Twitter account has sent out a video advertising an upcoming episode. The video includes a clip of Naomi and Mone, though it is not clear if it will be in the advertised February 26 episode. While Naomi has not wrestled since walking out on WWE in May 2022, Mone has gone on to wrestle for New Japan Pro Wrestling, including winning the promotion’s Women’s Title over the weekend.
The team was good while it lasted. Check out the ad, plus the team in the ring:
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That would have been different. One of the most complicated aspects of wrestling is to make sure that the most important material is used at the right time. A promotion has to build things up over time and then pay it off when everything is ready. WWE is no exception, and now we know that they hit the brakes instead of letting someone make a special return.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Swap: Trish Stratus Reportedly At Monday Night Raw, Not Used As Planned
According to Fightful Select, WWE had originally planned to bring back Finn Balor’s Demon persona at the Royal Rumble. The Demon would have fought Edge, possibly inside Hell In A Cell. However, due to Edge’s filming schedule, WWE went with the mixed tag instead. In addition, some people who were asked about the plans were unsure if the Demon would fit in with the current version of Balor. There is no word on if the Demon will return anytime soon.
In case you forgot. Check out what the Demon is all about:
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That would have been different. Women’s wrestling has come a very long way in just a few years and the upgrades have been quite the improvement. Rather than having women’s wrestling as little more than filler on a show, it has since become some of the more important material in all of WWE. That is still the case to this day, though there was quite the change in what we saw this week.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: WWE Teases Huge WrestleMania 39 Showdown
This week on Monday Night Raw, Becky Lynch announced her intentions of challenging Damage Ctrl for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. Lita then came to the ring and was announced as Lynch’s partner for the title match coming next week. According to Fightful Select, WWE Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus was backstage at the show and was expected to be revealed as Lynch’s partner. The decision to use Lita was described as a “creative change” and Stratus left the arena before the segment aired. There is no word o if Stratus will appear on WWE TV..

That would be a big one. We are less than forty days away from WrestleMania 39 and that means it is time to start putting together the rest of the card. There are already a few matches set for the show but at the same time, there are several spots to be filled. WWE has been teasing some matches and they did just that again this week, with a possible clash of the titans.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Champ Is Back: WWE Announces John Cena’s Return To Monday Night Raw
At Elimination Chamber, Brock Lesnar had to get himself disqualified to escape Bobby Lashley’s Hurt Lock. This week on Monday Night Raw, Lashley’s former associate MVP called Lesnar a coward before challenging Lesnar to face the 7’3 Nigerian Giant Omos at WrestleMania. Lesnar was invited to accept Omos’ challenge next week on Monday Night Raw. There is no word on if WWE is planning to run the match at WrestleMania.
This has potential. Check out the challenge, plus the two in action:
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Monday Night Raw
Date: February 20, 2023
Location: Canadian Tire Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves
We’re done with Elimination Chamber and that means it is time to get ready for Wrestlemania. The big story is that Roman Reigns retained the World Title over Sami Zayn, who seems promised to rejoin forces with Kevin Owens to fight the Bloodline. We might see the start of that tonight so let’s get to it.
We open with a long recap of Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber, with Zayn coming up short and Kevin Owens saving him after the match.
Here is Sami Zayn to get things going and he looks to be a wreck. He talks about how everything has been going on for the last few days and the response he has gotten from the fans means more than they could know. After pausing to soak in a few more cheers, Sami talks about feeling guilty for letting people down by not getting the big win. What he understands though is that the story is not over, but..

He’s back. There are very few stars in WWE history who have become the faces of the company. Those are the names that almost every fan can remember and it means a lot when those wrestlers get to do something. In some cases those moments can be pretty rare, but now we know when one of the biggest stars in all of WWE history will be returning to the company.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: They’re Back: Update On Backstage Reaction To Recently Returned WWE Superstars
WWE has sent fans an email announcing that John Cena will be returning to Monday Night Raw on March 6 in Boston, Massachusetts. There is no word on what Cena will be doing at the show. Cena last appeared on the December 30 edition of SmackDown when he and Kevin Owens defeated Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn. It is not clear when Cena’s next appearance will take place.
Cena has been on Monday Night Raw over the years. Check out some of his time on the show:
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So maybe not? One of the biggest wrestling stories over the last year has been the return of several former WWE stars. After multiple years of mass releases, a bunch of the former WWE wrestlers have been brought back into the company. These returning stars have had varying levels of success but now we know a little more about their internal reception with possibly the most important person around.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE Interested In Bringing In Two Former World Champions
Back in December, a rumor speculated that WWE COO Triple H was unhappy with some of the stars who had been brought back into the company. However, in an update from Fightful Select, if there is any truth to this, WWE officials are downplaying the idea. It is said that even if Triple H were disappointed, he would never make this known, either publicly or privately. The wrestlers were said to be brought back to add depth to the roster, though some, such as Bronson Reed and Johnny Gargano, will be..

They have people in mind. There are some very talented wrestlers on the WWE roster, but there are also several top names outside of the company’s circle. WWE will occasionally try to bring some of these names in, which can make for some very interesting moments. Now it seems that WWE is interested in a few names, with one of them appearing to be a bit further along.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: Bayley Attends Mercedes Mone’s First New Japan Match, Helps Lead Cheers
According to WrestleVotes by way of GiveMeSport, Triple H has asked the WWE creative team to start coming up with ideas in case the company is able to sign Jay White. In addition, Kota Ibushi was also brought up as a possible free agent during a meeting in January. White reportedly finished up with New Japan over the weekend and Ibushi wrestled in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic.
Those are some talented stars. Check out the two of them in action:
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She’s a friend. There have been several teams throughout the years in WWE and some of them develop quite the friendship during their time together. Every so often you will see that friendship continue after the wrestlers leave a promotion, but it is much rarer to see it continue when one star is in a different promotion entirely. That was on display over the weekend.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: On The Mend: Update On Injured AEW Star’s Recovery Status
Over the weekend, Mercedes Mone, better known as Sasha Banks during her time in WWE, defeated Kairi to become the new IWGP Women’s Champion. A fan shot video from the match shows Mone’s former partner Bayley in the crowd, helping lead chants for Mone. There was no mention of Bayley being at the show and she was not recognized in any way. Bayley and Mone were the inaugural WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
This was a cool visual. Check out Bayley in the crowd, plus the two in their WWE days:
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It could be a little while. Injuries are one of the worst things that you can see in wrestling as you never know how long someone is going to be out of action. Someone getting hurt can slow them down out of nowhere and cut off anything they have going. That just leaves everyone waiting around for the injury to heal up, and now we know a bit more about how long an injured AEW star will be out of action.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: AEW Star Returns After Two Month Hiatus To End Rampage
Andrade El Idolo has been out of action since September 2022 and has not been seen on AEW television in months. According to Fightful Select, El Idolo is still recovering from surgery to recover from a torn pectoral muscle. He is not expected to return until some point this spring. In addition to his injury, El Idolo was suspended in November for attacking Sammy Guevara backstage at an AEW TV taping.
El Idolo is a rather talented star. Check out his time in AEW:
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It’s a different job. Managers have been around wrestling for decades and they have long since served an important purpose. A manager often serves as a wrestler’s mouthpiece and gets the fans to care about him more than the wrestler can make happen on their own. Occasionally an on-screen manager has some off-screen responsibilities and now a former WWE manager might be helping some old clients.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Could be Worse: Update On Montez Ford’s Health After WWE Elimination Chamber
Earlier this year, reports surfaced saying that WWE had an interest in bringing the Authors of Pain back to the company. According to Fightful Select, the team has a strong sense of loyalty to their former manager Paul Ellering, who would actually be negotiating any possible return. Ellering managed the team in NXT but they were split when the team debuted on Monday Night Raw.
The team was quite the force. Check out some of their time in WWE:
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That could have been a lot worse. You never know when you are going to see someone get hurt during a wrestling show and unfortunately the question becomes how long the injured star is going to be away from the ring. At the same time, there is always the chance that what you are seeing is part of a storyline, which thankfully seems to be the case with a recent situation.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: WATCH: WWE Releases First WrestleMania Movie Trailer Featuring Seth Rollins And Becky Lynch
Over the weekend, WWE presented its annual Elimination Chamber event, featuring a men’s and women’s version of the show’s namesake matches. During the men’s version, Montez Ford took a Stomp onto the area outside of the ring. Ford was taken out of the ring and appeared to be injured. However, according to Fightful Select, Ford is fine and the injury angle was an excuse for Logan Paul to interfere.
It was a busy night. Check out some of the better parts of the match:
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