Thursday, October 29, 2026
NEWS

Specific Reason For WWE’s Star’s Recent Dramatic Change In Appearance

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They have a type. Wrestling is a lot of things, but ultimately it is a visual medium. Fans need to see something that catches their eyes to make them stick around, which is not the easiest thing to do. One thing that can help is to have stars look a certain way, and WWE certainly knows the kind of look they want to see. That has led to a change of pace to a new WWE star. Gunther made his full time main roster debut this week on SmackDown. This comes after he moved to NXT earlier this year, where he seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Gunther dropped weight because WWE wants slimmer wrestlers appearing on television. There is nothing to suggest that Gunther was ordered to drop the weight and he seemed to lose it on his own decision. Opinion: Size or not, what matters the most is the fact that Gunther is on the main roster and getting the chance to showcase himself in front of so many more people. Gunther has looked ready for the main roste..

NEWS

Sasha Banks On Possibly Leaving WWE For Hollywood (Or Something Else)

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Make up your mind. While it might not be as popular as it once was, there is no bigger wrestling promotion in the world than WWE. The company has been the industry leader for over twenty years and that will likely be the case for a long time to come. Getting to a prominent spot in WWE can mean the world to some wrestlers, but there are other things out there. Now a prominent WWE star might want one of those other spots. During an appearance on the Impaulsive podcast, WWE’s Sasha Banks spoke about having to choose between a WWE career and going to Hollywood. Banks said that she wants to take over the world, but that might be in Hollywood, WWE, or another place entirely. This comes after Banks made some appearances in the Mandalorian on Disney+ and received critical acclaim for her performance. Banks is a seven time Women’s Champion and three time Women’s Tag Team Champion. Opinion: I don’t think it’s a secret that Banks is considering something outside of WWE, as she has been willing ..

NEWS

Hot Shots: WWE Ready To Give Two Prospects The Superstar Push

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They have their eyes on them. There are a lot of wrestlers under the WWE umbrella and some of them have some very bright futures. You can see the ones that WWE wants to turn into something bigger as the company puts in the extra effort for them. On rare occasions, you can see someone who looks poised to become one of the next mega stars though and now WWE has a pair of them in mind. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is looking at Gable Steveson and Bron Breakker as two wrestlers who will be given superstar pushes as soon as they debut. Steveson is an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling and a two time NCAA Heavyweight Champion. Breakker is a two time and reigning NXT Champion, as well as the son of WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner. Both appeared over WrestleMania weekend, though there is no word on when either will appear on the main roster full time. Opinion: This is something that makes all the sense in the world, as WWE knows what they have here. Steveson i..

NEWS

Farewell: Special AEW Match Officially Retired

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It’s retired. There are all kinds of ways to present a wrestling match. What it tends to boil down to is one wrestler (or occasionally a group of wrestlers) facing off with another, occasionally with something on the line. Sometimes you need something different though and that involves adding a gimmick. There have been several over the years, but now we might not be seeing one again. During a recent interview with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, AEW President Tony Khan revealed that Stadium Stampede will not likely be happening again in the future. Khan said that one of the main appeals of the match came from the pandemic and things have changed since then. Stadium Stampede is regularly held inside an NFL stadium and features a variety of cinematic segments with no live crowd in attendance. The match was held twice, including at Double Or Nothing 2020 and 2021. Opinion: The logic makes sense, as there is no reason to have the match held in an empty stadium when fans can be brought in. It was s..

NEWS

First Title Match Officially Set For WWE WrestleMania Backlash

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Put it in ink. We are done with WrestleMania 38 and that means it is time to get on the road to WrestleMania Backlash. As the show’s name suggests, the event will be focused on the fallout from WrestleMania, including a bunch of rematches. While a lot of the card still needed to be set up, we do have at least one match set and it is going to be a special kind of showdown. Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s Title against Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 38, though she tapped out behind the referee’s back during the match. As a result, Rousey challenged her to an I Quit match at WrestleMania Backlash this week on SmackDown, with the match being made official the following day on WWE.com. This will be Rousey’s first I Quit match during her time in WWE. Opinion: I don’t think there was any serious doubt about the match being made and that is ok. Sometimes it is nice to have the match that makes sense get set up early so the wrestlers can begin their build to the match that much faster...

NEWS

NXT LVL Up Results – April 8, 2022

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NXT LVL Up Date: April 8, 2022 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Sudu Shah, Nigel McGuinness We’re basking in that post Wrestlemania glow and while it might have dimmed out a bit by the time it gets to NXT LVL Up, it still feels a bit special. Last week seemed to tease a tag match and that could be a good thing for a future show. I’ll take a small story over no story so let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Javier Bernal vs. Guru Raaj Shah: “Raaj dreams of headlining premium live events.” Bernal grabs a headlock to start before they go to a pinfall reversal sequence. Raaj starts working on the arms as the fans get behind Bernal. That’s broken up and Bernal kicks away, setting up the Codebreaker for the pin at 5:08. Result: Javier Bernal b. Guru Raaj – Codebreaker (5:08) Ivy Nile vs. Thea Hail This is Hail’s debut and she is dressed like a superhero, complete with a cape. The fans think Nile is going to kill her, starting with a lethal wristlock. Hail,..

NEWS

REVIEW: Ring Of Honor Supercard Of Honor 2022: Believe The Hype

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Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. 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? Supercard Of Honor XV Date: April 1, 2022 Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas Commentators: Caprice Coleman, Ian Riccaboni Now this is a big one as we have the first new Ring of Honor show in about three and a half months. The catch this time though is that the company has been purchased by AEW President Tony Khan, which means there is likely to be a bigger AEW presence on this show. Most of the card hasn’t been announced, but we are getting the Briscoes vs. FTR, which should be pretty good. Let’s get ..

NEWS

Backstage Details On Steve Austin vs. Kevin Owens, Austin Defied WWE Rules

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It was almost different. WrestleMania 38 was one of the biggest spectacles that WWE has ever presented and there were all kinds of major moments over the two nights. As tends to be the case, the main event is the most memorable match of the weekend. That was the case again this year, but it was almost a very different situation than what we wound up seeing. The main event of Night One of WrestleMania 38 saw Steve Austin come out of retirement to face Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match. The match was not advertised in advance and was made the night of the show, as Austin had only been advertised for an appearance. Austin did promise that he would be getting physical with Owens, but an actual match was never mentioned. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there had been plans to promote the match in advance, but Austin was worried about it not living up to his expectations. The plan became an “elongated brawl”, but Austin changed his mind and agreed to the match at some ..

NEWS

Three Wrestlers Fired Over Legitimate Attack At Recent Show

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That’s serious. There are a lot of factors that go into a wrestling match in order to make it work. Wrestlers are tasked with making the fans care about what they are seeing, while also telling a story and keeping your opponents safe. Most of the time this works out well, but there are times when things go off the rails. That was the case again recently and it got bad in a hurry. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Los Parks (LA Park, LA Park Jr. and El Hijo de LA Park) are no longer with Major League Wrestling (MLW) after they legitimately attacked two wrestlers at the March 31 show. MLW owner Court Bauer has confirmed the story. The three were scheduled to run in on a Jacob Fatu math to set up Park vs. Fatu, with Alex Hammerstone making the save. The trio “went into business for themselves” with real punches and chair shots, causing all three to be fired. Fatu and Hammerstone are both ok after the incident. Usually doesn’t this happen when Park or his family want to get..

NEWS

He’s It: That Time When Vince McMahon Played Hide And Seek With A WWE Star

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He’s one of a kind (thank goodness). There is no one in wrestling like WWE owner Vince McMahon and there never will be again. In addition to being the most powerful person in the history of the industry, McMahon is also downright bizarre at times and some of the stories about him are among the most interesting you’ll ever hear in wrestling. That is the case again, as McMahon apparently liked playing a game with at least one wrestler. During an interview with Fightful, former WWE star Big Damo (Killian Dain) told a story about McMahon playing hide and seek at an arena with Alexander Wolfe. There is no word on when or where this took place, or if it is something that McMahon did often. Damo said that while he never saw McMahon get physical with anyone, he did once pull Damo in off of a handshake to say something to him, with McMahon’s strength impressing him. Opinion: It this surprising at all? The fact that McMahon once played a game of hide and seek with another wrestler is not exact..

NEWS

Welcome Back? Two Former WWE Stars Receive Tryout To Return In A Different Role

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They’re familiar with the product. There are a lot of people who make a WWE show work and a lot of them are not going to be seen in person. The wrestlers are the most important players, but those people need some help to put together what you see in the ring. With the right help, they can make almost anything work, and now WWE is looking at bringing in some new help. According to Fightful Select, former WWE stars Curtis Axel and Ariya Daivari were given tryouts as producers this week at SmackDown. Axel worked with TJ Wilson on the Liv Morgan vs. Sasha Banks match while Daivari worked with Chris Park on Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn. Both Axel and Daivari were released from the company within the last two years. This comes after Pat Buck left his role as a producer after WrestleMania 38, leaving a spot available. Opinion: I’m not sure if Axel and Daivari will work well as producers, but it is a good sign to see WWE bringing in some fresh names to try their hand at the job. That is somet..

NEWS

One Of Two: Most Of A Team Gets Called Up From NXT To SmackDown

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It’s not for everyone. With WrestleMania 38 out of the way, it is time to start moving forward with the unofficial new season of WWE. That means there are a lot of moves to be made and some of those will involve people coming up to the main roster from NXT, but not everyone will be the same person once they make the move. There were two such moves this week, with one of them changing a bit. Gunther and Marcel Barthel of Imperium made their full time SmackDown debuts this week, with Gunther winning a match. Barthel was now appearing under a new name however, now going by Ludwig Kaiser. There is no word on why the name change took place. The name Imperium was not used for the pair. The final member of the trio, Fabian Aichner, was not mentioned and there is nothing to suggest that he will be joining the main roster as well. Opinion: This is a move that had been mentioned as a possibility and I’m not surprised it took place. Gunther had nothing left to do in NXT and it makes sense to br..

NEWS

There They Go: Another WWE Team Splits This Week On SmackDown With Babyface Turn

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Their separate ways. There are a lot of teams on the WWE roster and some of them have been rather successful. Sometimes you see two people put together into a very successful situation but at some point, they are probably going to go their separate ways. It happens to almost every team eventually and that seems to be the case again with a pair of villains. After their split, only one seems to still be on the bad side. Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss split up this week on SmackDown. Corbin blamed his WrestleMania 38 loss to Drew McIntyre on Moss and was also unhappy with Moss for winning the Andre The Giant Battle Royal the previous week. A fight broke out with Moss clearing the ring and stomping on Corbin’s hat as Corbin left. This comes after the two have been having issues for the last few weeks, thoug no match has been made between them. Opinion: That’s an interesting move for Moss, who is hardly the most popular star in the world. Maybe having him turn on Corbin will help, but they ..

NEWS

WATCH: Pat McAfee Sings Happy Birthday to Michael Cole

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That’s what friends are for. Tonight’s episode of Smackdown emulated from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which Pat McAfee was fired up about. However, he was also excited about getting to do something special and hilarious for his friend and broadcast colleague, Michael Cole. During a commercial break, McAfee got on a table and shared with the crowd how excited he was to be in the great state of Wisconsin. He then proceeded to let everybody know that it was Cole’s birthday and got the whole crowd to serenade him in a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday! You can see the video on McAfee’s Twitter account below: It's an absolute HONOR to be in the GREAT state of Wisconsin #SmackDAHN #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/wjAd7Gfo3p — WrestleMania Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 9, 2022 The funny thing about this is that it is NOT Cole’s Birthday! According to Wikipedia, Cole was born on December 8, 1968, which makes this even more hilarious. Editor’s Opinion: I absolutely love stuff like this. It..

NEWS

Lacey Evans Returns With Quite A Story

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She’s back. After being away for over a year, Lacey Evans made her return to WWE programming on this week’s edition of SmackDown. She appeared backstage in a vignette with a unique twist. Evans began to share her story about her upbringing and how the challenges she faced throughout her life made her the woman she is today. You can see the vignette below: [This post contains video, click to play] Evans was last seen on the February 15, 2021 episode of RAW, where she announced that she was pregnant. She had been flirting with Ric Flair during this time, and it was implied that he might be the father. However, this was a way to write her off of television as she was pregnant in real life. Editor’s Opinion: This was an awesome promo, and it’s a great way to bring her back into the company over the next several weeks. I’ve always thought that she had the potential to be one of the top stars in WWE, as she had been working with the top talent before she was taken off of television. Al..

NEWS

Raquel Gonzalez Has A New Name On Smackdown

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The callups continue. This week’s episode of Smackdown featured a number of returns and call-ups from NXT, including Gunther and Marcel Barthel, now known as Ludwig Kaiser. Raquel Gonzalez also made her debut this week, but this is not the name that she will be going by. Introduced in a backstage segment with Los Lotharios, Gonzalez will now be known as Raquel Rodriguez on the blue brand. You can see her debut below: [This post contains video, click to play] Dakota Kai recently reunited with Gonzalez on NXT 2.0 and recently defeated Toxic Attraction members Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship during the Kickoff pre-show of NXT Stand & Deliver. However, in their first title defense on the following episode of NXT 2.0, Kai and Gonzalez lost the titles back to Toxic Attraction due to Mandy Rose’s interference. Editor’s Opinion: This is awesome. I’ve always thought that she was one of the top female competitors in all of WWE and now gets her opportunit..

NEWS

AEW Rampage Results – April 8, 2022

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Rampage Date: April 8, 2022 Location: Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts Commentators: Excalibur, Tazz, Ricky Starks, Chris Jericho I don’t know why, but something tells me they are going to have a hard time following FTR vs. the Bucks from Dynamite. That being said, they are certainly amping up Rampage this week, as Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley will both be in action on the show. I’m thinking that’s enough to carry things so let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Trent Beretta vs. Bryan Danielson William Regal is on commentary and it’s a feeling out process to start and they go to the mat. A shot to the face drops Danielson, who seems to get how things are going to go here. Danielson gets a boot up in the corner and grabs a guillotine choke, with Beretta suplexing his way to freedom. Beretta sends him outside but the switch places, only to have Danielson’s suicide dive pulled out of the air. Danielson sends him into the steps and we take a break. Back with Danielson suplexing him ..

NEWS

SmackDown Live Coverage And Results – April 8, 2022

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Smackdown Date: April 8, 2022 Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee It’s the first Smackdown after Wrestlemania and maybe something can go a bit better than this week’s Raw. If nothing else, there is always the chance to see who might show up from NXT or elsewhere and that can make for some exciting times. If nothing else, the fans have now had a chance to rest a bit and aren’t likely to get burned out an hour into the show. Let’s get to it. We open with the long recap of Wrestlemania. Kayla Braxton brings out Ronda Rousey for a chat. We look at Charlotte tapping out at Wrestlemania but winning anyway thanks to a downed referee. Rousey says that her mom taught her that things won’t always work out, but she had Charlotte beaten. Now Rousey wants a rematch, but with no way out. Instead, she wants it in an I Quit match. Charlotte pops up on screen to laugh and say Charlie Sheen’s WINNING. She thinks the Baddest Woman On The Planet deal is a..

NEWS

Corey Graves and Carmella Get Married

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Wedding bells are ringing. Corey Graves and Carmella officially tied the knot as the couple was wed in a ceremony last evening. Carmella posted a picture on her Instagram page, which you can see below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leah Van Dale (@carmellawwe) From WWE.com: After reminding the world for weeks about their pending nuptials and giving WWE fans a preview with a steamy make-out session on Raw, Graves and Carmella shared a tender first moment of marriage. [This post contains video, click to play] The two have been dating since October of 2019 and got engaged in October 2021. They also recently launched a new YouTube reality show, Corey and Carmella, which details the most intimate details of their life. While away on their honeymoon, Jerry “The King” Lawler will fill in for Graves on the Raw commentary team, beginning on this coming week’s episode. We wish the happy couple nothing but the best! Editor’s Opinion: Do you love to see stuff like this, a..

NEWS

REVIEW: Monday Night Raw – April 4, 2022: The Night After

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Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. 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? Monday Night Raw Date: April 4, 2022 Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton It is the night after Wrestlemania and I’m not even sure if that means anything these days. This show has a long history of being something special but since that isn’t WWE’s deal a lot of the time, we might be in for a show that is closer to normal. That isn’t exactly inspiring but let’s get to it. Note that I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper deck and lo..