fightful

More details on Elite re-signing with AEW

The Elite re-signed new contracts with AEW, with Hangman Page, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks all staying with All Elite Wrestling.

Throughout the process, FightfulSelect reported numerous times that deals were actively being worked out, and that the entire group was expected to stay with All Elite Wrestling. We’ve also learned that Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson will retain their EVP status with the company.

When we asked about the length, we were told that one of ...

WWE Legend Discussed For AEW All In

Please note this article contains potential spoilers

- 

- 

- 

- 

The Whole F’n Show just might be on The Biggest F’n Show outside of WWE in history.

Fightful Select has learned that there have been internal discussions regarding possibly bringing in former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam. Specifically one of the ideas that we heard mentioned him facing FTW Champion Jack Perry at All In or All Out, though none of this is confirmed...

Sareee/Sarray talks NXT run, WWE departure, KAIRI

Ahead of her upcoming Sareee-ISM Chapter II show, Fightful's Scott Edwards had the chance to interview Sareee (fka WWE's Sarray) for the first time! She discussed a number of topics including her time in WWE, working with NXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton, and returning to Japan.

When talking about the time with WWE, Sareee was very appreciative of getting to meet so many different talents and staff members that helpednher during her time there. She also added that the number one th...

Select Portions: WWE Raw Producers, Cody Rhodes, Summerslam Week News,

- There will be a post-PPV press conference for WWE Summerslam this saturday.

- Grapsody’s Phil Lindsey will be joining Denise Salcedo on the WWE Summerslam Post-Show for Fightful this weekend.

- Cody Rhodes will face a busy travel day Thursday as he heads to New York for the Today show, then Detroit to do a Be A Star rally for WWE .

- Some WWE talent will be getting into Detroit as early as Wednesday.

- Chelsea Green was backstage at WWE Raw, though she wasn’t use...

Randy Orton update

Randy Orton is healing up, but we haven’t heard that he’s heading back just quite yet.

The future Hall of Famer Randy Orton has been sidelined since May 2022 with an injury that Fightful Select learned was a lower back fusion. Over the past year or so, we’ve reported some progress on his status, and we’ve learned a bit of an update. Sources within WWE creative said that as of this past week, Randy Orton had not been factored into WWE creative plans whatsoever.

We’ve hear...

News on unadvertised names set for Detroit this week

WWE Summerslam has almost a full card for this weekend’s show, but WWE has some additional talent headed to town as well.

Fightful Select has learned that Liv Morgan, Zoey Stark, Baron Corbin, Titus O’Neil and Maxxine Dupri are all slated to be in Detroit for Summerslam this week, despite them not currently being booked for any matches. All of them are set to do media for WWE across Thurday and Friday, including Be A Star rallies and Jimmy V foundation events.

We’ve reported...

Alex's SOUR GRAPS: Raw 7/31 | Procrastination Station

SummerSlam is on Saturday, and we're getting half the women's matches we thought we were getting.  One of them got an amazing go-home package, so at least there's that.

Speaking of go-home packages, the one for Brock & Cody was the most overwrought thing in the history of humankind.

Still no word on this Slim Jim Battle Royal thing, and whether there's a prize for winning it or whatever.

Oh, and everyone is in love with the hot chick who doesn't deserve her spot, so...

News Behind Becky Lynch/Trish Stratus Change

WWE Raw saw a big development for a match that was planned for WWE Summerslam.

Fightful Select learned Monday night that the Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus match that was originally planned for Summerslam was delayed. 

We're told that things changed by this weekend regarding Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus, and that the match was discussed to be moved back to WWE Payback, before it was announced for August 14.  The promo and match in totality was scheduled for only one segm...

WWE Raw Plans For Tonight, including a big match scheduled

Fightful Select has learned the following plans for WWE Raw, subject to change.

Please refrain from screenshotting and sharing the entire post, as it's against our Terms of Service, and if you do, you have to buy SRS a bag of beef jerky

- Logan Paul and Ricochet promo

- Matt Riddle vs. Ludwig Kaiser

- Logan Paul segment

- Brock Lesnar -Cody video

- Maxxine Dupri vs. Valhalla

- Judgment Day promo

- Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tommaso Ciampa

- Cod...

SRS Backstage Report Podcast 7/31: Tons of Cody Rhodes, All In News!

- Rey Mysterio

- Cody Rhodes documentary 

- Zelina

- Richard Holliday

- Lufisto/Britt irresponsible aggregation

- Chelsea Green

- Vince McMahon

- Jamie Hayter

- Brandi Rhodes

- Big All In Match

- Santos Escobar

- Raw news

- Chris Hero, Scotty 2 Hotty

- Dexter Lumis, Gunther, Liv Morgan, Kevin Owens

Cody Rhodes Documentary Notes

Cody Rhodes’ Peacock documentary is out, and we’ve got some more details on it.

There were additional interviews that ended up being completely unaired in the documentary, and will be footage that the company is just sitting on.

At one point, Cody Rhodes noted that he got under 200 pounds before the Royal Rumble because he was working out so vigorously. He joked that he wasn’t happy with the graphic that was used for the documentary cover because it was actually while he was...

Magazine Archive: Is Alpha Academy the New Hart Foundation?

 By Matt Young, FightfulMag.com Issue 5

***

Wrestling fans in the ’80s and ’90s will remember a lot of significant moments from those two decades.  The memories of Hoganslamming Andreor when Paul Orndorffturned on Hogan with that vicious clothesline, or when Austindrank beers after stunning Vince McMahonmany, many times. Those were all great main event moments in wrestling, but the u...

4 PM EST NXT Great American Bash | Fightful Select Pre-Show

4 PM EST NXT Great American Bash | Fightful Select Pre-Show

Hosted by Rob Wilkins of Fightful, who a cast of others will join! So, join us!

Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JJKvDGI5fU

Zelina's strong performances caused some booking changes

Zelina has been featured in two significant matches of late, both competing in Money in the Bank and a world title match in Puerto Rico, however, that might not have been in the cards originally.

Fightful Select has learned that an original plan for Zelina’s world title match in Puerto Rico was for Rhea Ripley to squash her, despite the geographical location and Zelina’s connection. However, a change was made, and Zelina ended up having a very well received match and getting a speci...

Chelsea Green Tells Fightful About Pitches, Vince, Heyman, Triple H, Tough Enough

Fightful Select spoke with Chelsea Green at the premiere of the WWE and Peacock Documentary American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes.

Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp recalled how Chelsea would get flack for story pitches. Sean mentioned how she would sit out of Vince’s office to try and meet with him, how she guessed Paul Heyman’s email and texted Triple H saying she wanted her job back.

Chelsea said she did not expect a response when doing those things. Chelsea told us that Vince...

Fightful Weekender (7/30): ICW NHB, FREELANCE, MLW, NWA, FIGHTT PRO, NXT LEVEL UP, NXT GAB PREDICTIONS, IMPACT SPOILERS, ROH SPOILERS

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

Topics:

- ICW NHB: "No Holds Barred Vol. 50" results

- FREELANCE: "Take This To The Ring" results

- IMPACT *TV TAPING SPOILERS*

- ROH *TV TAPING SPOILERS*

- MLW: "Fusion" (7/27) results

- NWA: "Powerrr" (7/25) results

- FIGHTT PRO: "Enter The Fight Round 7" results

- NXT Level Up (7/28) results

- NXT: "Great American Bash" predictions

Interesting Free Agent Name Backstage At AEW Collision

An interesting free agent name is backstage at the AEW Collision tapings tonight.

Fightful Select has confirmed that Richard Holliday is backstage at today's AEW tapings. Several talent confirmed that they've seen him around at the show. We have no confirmation as to whether or not he's appearing on the show or has met to discuss a potential deal. 

The 30-year old Holliday had been a top star in Major League Wrestling for years until he was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin's...

Clarifying LuFisto/Britt Baker rumors

A recent Fightful Q&A answer has been reported a bit irresponsibly, and we want to clear it up.

For those that misconstrued and irresponsibly aggregated our answering of a Q&A question from this week's show -- we've confirmed that Britt Baker 100 percent was not responsible for keeping LuFisto away from AEW. 

In answering the question we were also asked if there was turmoil in the women's locker room, combined with the LuFisto tweet implying someone kept her out of AE...

Rey Mysterio injury update

Rey Mysterio sustained a legitimate injury on Smackdown.

Fightful sources confirmed late Friday that Rey Mysterios spot on Smackdown was not storyline as originally suspected. We've learned that Santos Escobar was actually supposed to win the match clean, and an audible was called and the match was ended.

In addition, there was a backstage segment follow up that was planned that had to he nixed.

We wish him a speedy recovery

Note: Wader Keller also repor...

Alex's SOUR GRAPS: Rampage WatchAlong & SmackDown Review 7/28 | Color Me Unsurprised

Hey, so the new Women's Tag Champs finally had their first match as champions, and of course, they lost to two singles stars who hate each other and can't co-exist.

Also, they had the finals of the US Title Contenders Tournament, and it ended with a kayfabe ref stoppage. And no, I'm not kidding.

Jey is feeling confident, so they put him in a match with Grayson Waller because, sure why not.

Oh, and they finally figured that they needed to put LA Knight on the SummerSlam card,...

Smackdown Plans for tonight

Fightful has learned the following plans for tonight's WWE Smackdown, subject to change. These are incomplete, not in order, tentative, and will be updated if we get additional info. 

- Top Contender Tourney: Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar

- Grayson Waller match

- Bianca Belair match

- Karl Anderson vs. Karron Kross

- Roman Reigns and Jey Uso at Smackdown. 

- Street Profits, LA Knight, Austin Theory, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman are in t...

SRS Q&A: Over 30 Minutes of mailbag!!

- Kevin Owens, Liv Morgan's injury status

- Web scoopsters

- LuFisto Tweet

- Injury updates

- Bray Wyatt 

- AEW womens' division

- All In plans

- LA Knight

- New Day

- WWE hiring freeze

- CMFTR vs. Elite

More on Vince McMahon's surgery

We’ve confirmed with WWE sources that the surgery took place last week, which kept him from doing any work on Smackdown on Raw after. Overall, the surgery is said to have been near five hours long, and those close to him claim that it was a “major, life altering operation” as it would be for anyone who underwent it.

We asked WWE if this would affect his work moving forward, and were not given a direct answer on that. However, we also learned that Triple H was not at WWE Raw this p...

Interview | Ella Jay | Fightful Select Coexisting After Dark

Ella Jay joins Rob & Maggie for Fightful Select Coexisting After Dark

Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7fOeXMFCKk

Update on Jamie Hayter's injury status

Some good news and some bad news for the women’s division in AEW.

Jamie Hayter has been sidelined since losing the AEW Women’s Championship at AEW Double or Nothing. Coupled with Jade Cargill taking time off and Thunder Rosa still being absent, AEW’s division has been missing a few prominent talent. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Jamie Hayter will be back any time soon.

Wrestling Observer today reported that Hayter would not return in time for All In, which Fightful h...

SRS Q&A questions

You know the rules by now. Ask away

A Major Match Being Discussed For AEW All in

A major match is being discussed for AEW All In, and it features a New Japan Pro Wrestling Star.

Fightful Select can confirm that IWGP United States Champion Will Ospreay is being planned and is expected to wrestle in his home country of England at AEW All in. The match currently being planned isn’t a rematch with Kenny Omega, however.

We’re told by NJPW sources that the plan relayed to them in July was Ospreay competing against former AEW, WCW, ROH and WWE World Champion Chri...

LIVE: NXT Shawn Michaels Media call

Select Portions: Dexter Lumis, AEW Coaches, More

- Shawn Michaels is slated for a media call today at 2 PM ET to promote NXT GAB.

- For those asking about Dexter Lumis in light of Johnny Gargano's absence. We're told he's fine and is waiting on creative.

- There are local advertisements for NXT No Mercy in Baskersfield for September 30

- WWE will have some talent in Detroit doing crossover for their latest C4 Energy promotion, as they're a sponsor of Summerslam. Fightful will be on the scene at Summerslam doing media.

Grapsody Q&A 7/27/23 | 5 PM EST

Get your questions in! Phil and Righteous Reg are back for a new Fightful Select Q&A!

Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRgcHHf_24c