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Get Your Questions In! Ask Grapsody! @ 5 PM EST!

Get Your Questions In! Ask Grapsody! | November 2nd, 2023

Begins at 5 PM EST today!

Video: https://youtu.be/wIMKj3OyLrs

More on Ric Flair's AEW deal

Ric Flair has signed a multi-year deal with All Elite Wrestling, the company has confirmed.

The former NWA, WWF and WCW World Champion Flair debuted on last week's episode of AEW Dynamite to surprise Sting, and will be with him through some of his upcoming retirement tour. We've learned much more about the deal, AEW's motivations, and how the deal came together.

The press release provided by AEW mentioned Flair's Woooooo! Energy drink. Sources close to Flair told Fightful that the...

Heath Slater Talks Leaving IMPACT, Free Agency, Slater Gator, WWE offers

The recently departed IMPACT Wrestling star Heath caught up with Fightful Select for an exclusive interview. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp spoke with the former 3-time WWE Tag Team and SmackDown Tag Team Champion, and the two discussed numerous topics.

Sean mentioned this was the first time that Heath had been a free agent in quite a while and asked how he felt about it. Heath said jokingly; he didn’t know how he felt about it but wished he wore his old Free Agent WWE shirt.

Heath...

Swerve vs. Speedball Set For December HOG Show

Fightful Select has confirmed a huge match for House of Glory in December

House of Glory confirmed the news, sending Fightful the following:

Swerve Strickland faces Mike Bailey at HOG The Darkest Hour

House of Glory officials have signed a huge match for The Darkest Hour on December 1st. Live from the NYC Arena, AEW star Swerve Strickland with Prince Nana will face off against Impact star Mike Bailey.

Swerve Strickland of the Mogul ...

AEW, WWE, Smackdown, USA, WBD, NBA -- how all the dominoes could fall

With Tony Khan’s “important announcement, there has been plenty of speculation regarding a potential broadcast or streaming home for AEW. As of a few weeks ago, there hadn’t been a deal reached between WBD and AEW for Max, but WWE and Universal did reach a deal for Smackdown fairly recently.

Fightful Select has learned that one deal may affect the other in certain ways. NBCUniversal was eager to land Smackdown, which has been viewed as the top Smackdown show as far as viewership a...

News on Chris Jericho's backup for Hobbs

Please navigate away if you wish to avoid potential spoilers

*****

It’s Tall Paul.

Chris Jericho appeared on this past week’s Dynamite in a sit-down interview to address Will Hobbs’ dominant win against him the previous week on AEW Dynamite. During the course of the interview, Jericho had noted that Hobbs is big, but that he knows someone bigger.

We’d mentioned this on our post-AEW Fightful show last week, and it seems fairly obvious, but we’d stil...

4 ET: The List Goes On: RECKLESS SPECULATION on Tony Khan's Announcement

Let's chat!

Select Portions: Change to Raw taping match, lots of AEW Women's division notes

- Katana Chance was originally scheduled to compete on WWE Main Event this week, but was replaced by Kayden Carter.

- After being absent a couple of weeks, Britt Baker was in town for Dynamite to film content and do a signing.

- Serena Deeb was at the following week's Collision after we'd reported that she had popped back up as well.

- AEW tried out referee Gina Monti ahead of this past week's AEW Collision show.

- Contrary to irresponsible aggregations of our story, w...

More on original creative plans for Alex Hammerstone and MLW releases.

There's been a little shakeup on the MLW roster, but much of it has been factored in to MLW's plans for quite a while.

This past weekend, MLW granted the releases of Lance Anoa'i and Juicy Finau, the former tag team champions of the company. There had been some in MLW that indicated there were some conduct issues that the two sides worked through this year, but that the WWE lawsuit complicated Anoa'i's release. Finau had expressed to MLW that he was open to returning before the release,...

Select Portions: Raw Producers, Creeds, Crown Jewel

- Many WWE talent and staff are leaving for Saudi Arabia today.

- Vince McMahon and Undertaker returned home after being in Saudi Arabia for Fury vs. Ngannou Saturday. We had inquiries asking if they were staying for Crown Jewel. If they do attend, they'll be making a second trip.

- For those asking, the Candice LeRae spot on WWE Raw was planned, and she’s fine.

- No surprise, but WWE contacts we spoke to seemed very happy with the Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile

2023-10-31 17:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post

Alex & Kate's SOUR GRAPS: Raw 10/30 | All Hollowed Eve Eve

It's SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANDS of Time this weekend, and there's a ton of stuff on the card that is almost impossible to predict. That's good.

But there's a ton of stuff on tonight's Raw card that is either dumb, frustrating, or both.

One good thing, though? The Creeds debuted tonight, and they looked AMAZING.  
Now we wait for the main roster booking to ruin them.

Everything sucks. Let's talk about it.

2023-10-31 02:54:13 +0000 UTC View Post

WWE Raw Plans

Fightful has learned the following plans for tonight's WWE Raw, subject to change.

- Rhea Ripley, Judgment Day Promo

- Dominik Mysterio vs. Ricochet

- Alpha Academy vs. Creed Bros

- Miz TV with GUNTHER

- DIY vs. Imperium

- Candice LeRae vs. Xia Li

- Seth Rollins vs. JD McDonagh

- SMALL PACKAGE REVENGE STREET FIGHT: Chelsea Green vs. Natalya

- Rhea Ripley promo

- SPOILER MAIN EVENT

BACKSTAGE NEWS

- Katana Chance vs. Blair ...

Drew McIntyre update

The clock is ticking on a top WWE Superstar’s WWE contract.

Recently, Fightful had reported that many top WWE stars whose contracts are expiring in 2024 have yet to be approached by WWE. We can’t say that he’s not been approached, but as of now, we’re told that Drew McIntyre has not signed a new contract with WWE. There had been some Twitter rumors indicating he had re-signed, but according to what he and WWE have told people, that's not true. 

We’ll likely be updat...

Titus O'Neil On Batista, Football, The Slide, NIL, Commentary

WWE Hall of Famer and Global Ambassador Titus O’Neil joined Fightful Select for an exclusive interview. Fightful’s Jeremy Lambert discussed numerous topics with the former WWE Tag Team and 24/7 Champion.

Titus told Fightful he enjoyed hanging out with his friend and former WWE Superstar Batista at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game. Titus said Batista is not much of a Football fan. He said Batista was there to excite the crowd at Raymond James Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons. Titus ...

SRS Backstage Report Podcast (10/30/23): Punk, Ospreay, PLEs

- CM Punk, Ospreay and TNA?!

- Tama Tonga, NJPW, WWE

- Alex Hammerstone, Lance Anoa'i ask for MLW releases

- Summerslam, Paris and more WWE PLEs

- Cody's big numbers

- Larry D

- WWE contracts

- Abadon

- Bryan Danielson

- Heath

Alex & Kate's SOUR GRAPS: Collision 10/28 Review & AEW State Of The Union

Last night, MJF defeated Kenny Omega clean to retain the AEW Title (a belt he is not even currently in possession of), in a brilliant match. BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?  

Collision, as a whole, was pretty great. But there are a lot of loose threads, and a lot of open-ended storylines, horses being changed in midstream, and questions that need to be answered by the end of the year.  

So, while we review Collision from last night, we will also look to the future, predicting the...

Fightful Weekender (10/29): NWA SAMHAIN, IMPACT SPOILERS, ROH SPOILERS, GLORY PRO, NXT LEVEL UP, Leon Slater/TNA, Hammerstone/MLW

STEPHEN JENSEN is back with a new edition of the WEEKENDER!

Topics:

- NWA: "Samhain" results

- IMPACT UK INVASION TOUR *SPOILERS* (20 min-27 min)

- Leon Slater signs with TNA

- Alex Hammerstone requests MLW release

- ROH *TV TAPING SPOILERS* (42 min-48 min)

- GLORY PRO: "Ascend" (Ep. 8) results

- NXT Level Up (10/27) results

Lance Anoa’i Asks For MLW Release

Another MLW talent has asked for his release.

Fightful Select has confirmed that Lance Anoa’i, member of the legendary Anoa’i wrestling dynasty, has asked for his release from Major League Wrestling. Thus far it has not been granted by MLW.

Lance, 31, has been working for NOAH in recent months while off television from MLW. Much like Alex Hammerstone, who also requested his release from the company, he was not featured on MLW’s newest online roster update. He’s not wrest...

Abadon News

Abadon is back in the fold at All Elite Wrestling.

As they took on Hikaru Shida in an AEW World Title match, many saw Abadon’s return as a thematic addition due to Halloween. While that didn’t hurt, that isn’t the only reason that Abadon has been out of action.

We’re told Abadon had been sidelined with an injury and just got cleared for an AEW return this past Wednesday ahead of AEW Dynamite. Abandon had last competed for AEW back in June, and returned to the ring after a ...

Magazine Archive: Jake Paul: Boxing’s Best Heel or Biggest Opportunist?

By Carlos Toro, Fightful Magazine Issue 6

***

In the middle of a hot August afternoon, the always-eccentric Jake Paulappeared in front of the media shirtless and adorned with jewelry around his neck for the final press conference ahead of a fight against former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, with chaos ready to ensue in some way, shape or form.

Like clockwork, an altercation between both fighters’ teams occurred right as the presser concluded...

Timothy Thatcher Talks Being A Wrestling Journalist, NXT, WWE, Fight Pit

Timothy Thatcher joined Fightful’s Wrestling Perspective Podcast for an exclusive interview. He spoke to Dennis Farrell and Lars Frederiksen on various topics, including his time in NXT and some of the people he would still like to face at some point. This exclusive interview will be available on Monday, October 30th, at 9:00 AM.

Thatcher was asked about his history in media before becoming a professional wrestler. Thatcher said he began writing with a small newspaper in the Bay area ...

Select Portions: Smackdown Producers, Odds, Hyan, Nicknames, More

- We will run the Smackdown producer list for next week's show on Friday.

- Talent that we spoke to since our article about WWE creative was published say that things have been much more straightforward since the TKO merger, and are more like they were in the last half of 2022 as opposed to the first nine months of 2023.

- Some of the official nicknames listed internally on run sheets by WWE include “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, “Dirty” ...

Alex Hammerstone asks for MLW release

Alex Hammerstone has asked for his release from MLW.

Fightful Select has learned that the relationship between Hammerstone, a fixture in MLW, and the company itself has become frayed. Hammerstone asked for his release, and we’re told as of now, MLW does not intend to grant it. Hammerstone’s deal with the company goes until the end of 2025. We’re told that Hammerstone hasn’t been told himself that the release was granted or denied.

We’re told that there had been communica...

Larry D talks retirement, IMPACT, asking for his release, future

Fightful spoke to Larry D ahead of his retirement match in Cynthania, Kentucky against Moose on November 4.

Larry, who was working 300+ dates a year while working a full time job in 2019, said that spending time with his family became a priority for him after losing his father this year, and his house to a fire. He's remaining involved with wrestling, and promoted Generation Next Pro Wrestling with Maxx Sledd, and training students at his school. He'd also noted that he'd love to work i...

Alex's SOUR GRAPS: SmackDown Review & Rampage WatchAlong 10/27 | Table Top Gaming

SmackDown had a great Dragon Lee/Cedric match, some quality Larry Knight material, and not much else. John Cena got to pretend that people were going to not love him anymore if he lost his next match.  Oh, and they teased a thing, that if it happens, I'm going to have to take a break from WWE for a while.

But RAMPAGE? Hoo bay.

We're getting Kyle Fletcher vs Takeshita, our yearly "Abadon Gets Booked In A Title Picture Because Its Spooky Season" spot, (which is always great) an...

SPOILERS: WWE Smackdown plans for next week's show!

Fightful Select has learned the following plans for next week's WWE Smackdown, subject to change, as there is a double taping tonight

- LA Knight promo

- Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory

- BACKSTAGE SPOILER 1

- BACKSTAGE SPOILER 2

- Charlotte & Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green & Piper Niven (non title)

- John Cena & Solo Sikoa face to face

- Donnybrook Rules: Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly

- Logan Paul & Rey Mysterio weigh in

- Bia...

Smackdown Plans For Tonight

Fightful Select has learned the following plans for tonight's WWE Smackdown, subject to change.

- Roman Reigns contract signing with LA Knight

- Carlito & Santos Escobar vs. Street Profits

- BACKSTAGE SPOILER SEGMENT

- Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green

- John Cena

- Cedric Alexander vs. Dragon Lee

- Bianca Belair promo

- SPOILER MAIN EVENT

BACKSTAGE NEWS

- Charles Robinson is set to referee the main event match

SRS Q&A Podcast: Over 30 minutes of Q&A

- CM Punk

- AEW women's division

- Vince McMahon

- Cora Jade

- Will Ospreay

- John Cena

- TNA

Heath now a free agent.

An IMPACT Wrestler has left the company.

Fightful Select has learned that Heath Miller, who simply goes by Heath in IMPACT Wrestling, is now a free agent. Heath’s deal with IMPACT has expired, and is now accepting bookings.

Heath was released from WWE in April 2020, and returned for a one-off appearance in July 2020. The company offered him a full-time deal that he rejected, as he claimed it was about half of what he was previously making. He would go on to sign with IMPACT Wres...

News on top WWE merch sellers, rarity at some live events

Cody Rhodes continues to be a standout on WWE programming, and is over at the merchandise table as well.

In a rarity, Fightful Select learned and subsequently confirmed within WWE that Cody Rhodes was able to outsell generic WWE merchandise at some recent live events. This doesn’t occur often, as generic merchandise generally includes basic WWE logo shirts, event merchandise and title belts.

Cody Rhodes does great sales with weight belts, which are a high ticket item as well, bu...