fightful

Details On Work That Became A Shoot, And Now Is A Shooty Work Again, Brother

Raj Dhesi, aka Jinder Mahal didn't just blatantly walk out of a show.

The former Jinder Mahal had a match in May at Battleground Championship Wrestling against MASADA that ended in a countout, when Dhesi left the match to some confused fans. The promoter of the event claimed there were issues with a hotel, and many other things, and had posted messages he claimed were from Dhesi's agent.

This didn't get much traction on twitter until MASADA himself posted his thoughts on it, clai...

AEW Star's Contract Up Next Month

Danhausen made his triumphant return at ROH Final Battle….only to not be seen again. Now his contract is coming up. 

Danhausen made a late return on the ROH Final Battle show, which was put together in the days prior to the event. At the time we were told that Danhausen would likely be figured into creative plans once again. However, he’d not appeared since.

Fightful is told that Danhausen’s contract is up in July, unless injury time is added to that deal. Considering t...

Answers: AEW Producers, Cena-Truth

Welcome to Select Answers, a short feature that provides some of the answers to questions that were posed to Sean Ross Sapp in the most recent Fightful Weekly Q&A Podcast. The show drops every week on Fightful Select for subscribers.

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Does AEW have a lead producer for the shows or is it a group effort?

Well, it depends on what you mean by lead producer. It's a group effort in every company, but Pat Buck assigns the producers. These aren't rules of th...

Alex & Kate's SOUR GRAPS: Raw 6/9 | The Two Truths, And A Liar

So much has happened on Raw so far, and we're just getting to the main event.

Two Fatal 4-Way qualifier matches for the King and Queen of the Ring Tournament.
Nikki Bella and Liv seemingly set up a match for Evolution next month.
Bayley returned and attacked Becky Lynch as retribution for being taken out of WrestleMania.
We also got an AJ Styles and Chad Gable match.

But only two things really matter tonight.
(and no, one of those things isn't The Yeet Man beating Gun...

Fightful Weekender (6/9): WORLDS COLLIDE, WWE EVOLVE, GCW, HOG, NYWC, MLW

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

- WWE/AAA: "Worlds Collide" results

- WWE Evolve (5/28) results

- GCW: "Tournament Of Survival X" + "Cage Of Survival 4" results

- HOG: "Mike Santana Presents Puerto Rican Weekend" results

- NYWC: "ID Showcase" results

- MLW: "War Chamber" results

Well, this is a story I'll probably regret writing

Sometimes these things happen in pro wrestling.

Before Drew McIntyre was off of WWE TV, he and his frienemy Sheamus competed both with and against one another. Their hard-hitting styles drew the praise of many WWE fans, and the two teamed up semi-regularly. Sheamus had already been involved in a trio with Ridge Holland and Butch called “the Brawling Brutes.” However, when Sheamus and Drew McIntyre were teaming, they were affectionately known as “The Banger Bros.”

The rea...

What does WBD split mean for AEW?

Warner Bros Discovery is set to split their company in two.

On June 9th, Warner Bros Discovery announced that they would be splitting the company in two, with one side focusing on the companiest studio productions and streaming services, headed by Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav, while the other will focus on the companies global television networks and will...

Details And Clarification On IInspiration's TNA Return

We have some details and clarification on the recent TNA returns.

Cassie Lee and Jess McKay, the IInspiration, are back in TNA. Fightful Select reported that they're signed to the company on deals that are less than a year.

A TNA source indicated that regime changes likely led to their return, but we're told that's not the case. It was clarified to us that they had good relationships on a personal and professional level with previous management, with Gail Kim being named as one of...

Answers: SRS OPINION EDITION

Welcome to Select Answers, a short feature that provides some of the answers to questions that were posed to Sean Ross Sapp in the most recent Fightful Weekly Q&A Podcast. The show drops every week on Fightful Select for subscribers.

These are SRS' opinions and should not be aggregated

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Hey Sean, do you think we'll see Darby Allin return before All In Texas or at All In Texas? Also do you think Sting will be at All In as well? Thanks

Yes, I thi...

Fightful Report 6/9: Q&A, Ron Killings, Mariah, Kross, Wardlow, Kamille, Monty Brown

Sean Ross Sapp covers the week in wrestling news

• R-Truth

• Wardlow and Kamille's whereabouts

• Mr. Freaking Iguana

• Deonna Purrazzo

• The IInspiration

• Karrion Kross contract

• Monty Brown

• Mariah May

• 18:00 Q&A: UFC business model dying?, Ron Killings, WWE negotiations, IInspiration, Mariah May, Money in the Bank, Ads on gear, All In, AEW Locker room morale, Blake Chr...

  2025-06-09 14:00:16 +0000 UTC View Post

HOT EXCLUSIVE MR. IGUANA NEWS

Mr. Iguana has taken the world by storm.

Mr. Iguana's immediate popularity among American fans discovering AAA is not going unnoticed. Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp heard a lot of details about Mr. Iguana, his future and reaction from the company.

We're told that the reaction to Mr. Iguana at Worlds Collide internally was "we have to get him to the Intuit Dome for a Money in the Bank appearance," and that the reaction from the crowd didn't disappoint. There was also a lot of praise f...

Even more on R-Truth's WWE return

We have more on R-Truth's return to WWE, which was not a work! (Here's a good video on that.)

If there was any doubt remaining, we have some more evidence of the R-Truth situation not being an elaborate, masterminded work. Fightful spoke with a higher up in WWE today, who confirmed our order of events as reported, including Nick Khan taking over negotiations. In fact we were told that when R-Truth had initially been a...

Free Post: Roxanne Perez, European News, More

This post appears on our Fightful Select free tier. $5.99 a month gets you access to daily, exclusive news, our Discord (where SRS live chats during PLE shows and PPVs), our ASK SRS Discord channel, Q&As and additional podcasts. Annual is under $64 a year.

• It was confirmed to Fightful that Roxanne Perez had a meet and greet today, with security measures taking place to protect her. WWE has taken online threats against her very seriously.

• We also have MR IGUAN...

  2025-06-08 21:39:18 +0000 UTC View Post

Answers: Metro Boomin, Mariah May, AEW Departures

Welcome to Select Answers, a short feature that provides some of the answers to questions that were posed to Sean Ross Sapp in the most recent Fightful Weekly Q&A Podcast. The show drops every week on Fightful Select for subscribers.

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Metro Boomin' has been very vocal lately about wanting to produce WWE themes. Has WWE considered using him for that at all?

Pardon my language but they fuckin' better. I'm so tired of the lazy, uninspired music they have...

Tons of details behind R-Truth's return

R-Truth is back with WWE before he ever technically left, and no it's not a work.

R-Truth appeared at the end of WWE Money in the Bank, attacking John Cena. A week prior, he announced his "release," from the company, which WWE clarified to Fightful at the time was actually a contract expiration that was occurring. His contract had not actually expired, but sources close to Ron "R-Truth" Killings did claim he has a new deal. His son has seemingly confirmed as much on social media.
<...

Alex & Kate's SOUR GRAPS: WWE Money In The Bank 2025 | A Red Ladder Day

A perfectly cromulent Women's ladder match, but not nearly as good as last year's.
A men's ladder match booked like a car crash in the middle of a train wreck.
Two matches IC Title matches that could have been on Raw.
And a too-long house show tag match main event that will almost certainly settle nothing.

Reports have said that Triple H hates the Money In The Bank concept.
Tonight he decided to take it out on the entire premium live event.

Everything sucks. Let's talk...

Another WWE sponsorship discussed

More corporate sponsorship could be coming to WWE.

Fightful spoke with a WWE source that indicated that sponsors for the ladders in tonight's PLE has also been discussed.

We'll have more details in our scoops thread.

ALL DAY SCOOPS THREAD: MITB, WORLDS COLLIDE, MORE

This thread contains heavy potential spoilers. Please navigate away if you wish to avoid them. We will be updating this throughout the day.

WWE Money in the Bank

• WWE did not have a traditional media junket for Money in the Bank. They are still planning a post show.

• The show was planned out as a four match show as of this week, as always, that can change. The Dominik/Octagon match was kept relatively quiet

• We had someone speculate that E...

  2025-06-07 18:26:36 +0000 UTC View Post

Answers: TNA media rights, Kyle Fletcher, Algorithms, Harley Cameron!

Welcome to Select Answers, a short feature that provides some of the answers to questions that were posed to Sean Ross Sapp in the most recent Fightful Weekly Q&A Podcast. The show drops every week on Fightful Select for subscribers.

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any idea who TNA is talking to for media rights based off Albas report of them having up to five different networks/streamers interested?

I've never heard of specific media companies or networks or channels they're spea...

SRS Q&A Questions

A refresher of some notes

• Asking when a company is coming to a certain place is usually not going to yield results.

• One question per subscriber please

• If we don't answer it, we're looking into it!

• This will be recorded AFTER WWE MITB

Details on IInspiration's TNA Deals

TNA is once again…IInspirational.

Last week, Fightful Select reported that TNA had internally touted the return of two former champions without naming them. We learned at Against All Odds, those were the returns of Cassie Lee and Jess McKay, The IInspiration. The duo was formerly known as Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, The IIconics.

The deal was done in the last couple of weeks, and we’re told that the two are under contract. Sources familiar with the situation claimed that th...

Alex's SOUR GRAPS: SmackDown Review & 3rd Hour WatchAlong 6/6 | Ladder Lead-In

Tomorrow is Money In The Bank.

So of course tonight, the 3 women babyfaces faced the 3 women heels in a 6-woman tag. Wow. Never seen that before. Innovative.

There was a pretty cool face off between the Seth Riders and Solo's boys.

Other than that, a whole bunch of nothing to write home about.

But don't worry. There's still a re-run of last week's terrible main event segment yet to come!

Everything sucks. Let's talk about it.

YouTube Link: 2025-06-07 02:02:29 +0000 UTC View Post

FREE POST: Smackdown segment planned, other backstage news

Fightful has been told of a planned segment for tonight's Smackdown.

Tonight's Smackdown has a backstage interview segment set for Charlotte Flair, Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill. We had also been told Triple H had filmed an unrelated segment backstage in a black SUV, likely related to a WrestleMania announcement.

All of the MITB participants are set for Smackdown, as are John Cena, Jey Uso, Logan Paul, Cody Rhodes. LA Knight vs. Aleister Black, as well as a women's 6 man tag w...

Interesting note regarding a WWE filming

There was something of note filmed at Smackdown this afternoon.

Triple H was filming backstage at Smackdown for upcoming promotional materials. We're told one of the lines was "anything worth doing, is worth doing twice."

This likely is a reference to WrestleMania Las Vegas as opposed to the Katie Vick storyline.

We're told a black SUV was set up for the filming.

Update on expiring WWE contract

A recent WWE departure is officially a free agent.

Shotzi was notified recently that her WWE contract would be expiring without being renewed, and it's now officially up and she's a free agent. Companies got the go ahead to officially announce her for upcoming appearances, including Starrcast during All In Weekend, MLW and others.

Shotzi was notified of her contract expiring just over a month ago.

Answers: NXT/LFG/EVOLVE, WWE Injuries, AEW injuries

Welcome to Select Answers, a short feature that provides some of the answers to questions that were posed to Sean Ross Sapp in the most recent Fightful Weekly Q&A Podcast. The show drops every week on Fightful Select for subscribers.

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What's going on with all the black eyes and broken nose injuries in wwe lately? I can think of at least 3 in last week plus some more in last month

They just happen in bunches sometimes and become pretty noticeable. It'...

Update on Kamille

Kamille has been out of action and we’ve worked to find out more on her absence.

Those close to Kamille have been very quiet about her time off, which has exceeded six months. However, based on what we’ve heard, she won’t be back soon, but for a better reason.

We’re told that much like Wardlow, Kamille has an upcoming television product she’s working on that will have her busy through part of the Summer. We’ve not heard if a similar meeting occurred that led to Wardlow...

Monty Brown booked for rare appearance All In Weekend

Monty Brown is making one of his first wrestling appearances in decades at Starrcast during All In week.

We’re told that Starrcast’s and Paragon Talent’s Steve Kaye has worked for years to try to coax Monty Brown to make an appearance, which was nailed down at the end of May.

Monty Brown has appeared backstage at AEW, TNA and WWE shows. He remains close with Lance Archer and Kevin Thorn. Jake Something and Rohit Raju have also discussed running into him locally, as he lives ...

ASK GRAPSODY! w/ Phil and Reg | June 5th Edition

ASK GRAPSODY!

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBCG0dXoU8o

Answers: WWE name changes, UFC Pay, MJF Backstage

Welcome to Select Answers, a short feature that provides some of the answers to questions that were posed to Sean Ross Sapp in the most recent Fightful Weekly Q&A Podcast. The show drops every week on Fightful Select for subscribers.

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Random thing but I've always wondered: how is MJF perceived backstage? He doesn't really come off as one of "the boys" publicly (which might just be some good character work by him) and he's forged his own path when it comes to doing ...