It truly felt like the final week before NXT Roadblock, as tonight's episode of WWE NXT featured a number of unexpected revelations, including a truly shocking return. One of those many surprises was the reveal that two NXT Superstars would be getting a shot at the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships, though not just any two NXT Superstars. That duo includes NXT Women's Champion Lyra Valkyria and her stalker-turned-ally Tatum Paxley, and Valkyria surprised Paxley with a Tag match where they would be teaming up. Paxley was over the moon, but then Valkyria revealed that the match would be for the Tag Team Championships at NXT Roadblock.

After coming out to the ring, Valkyria first had some words for Shotzi, who was injured during their previous match. "I want to wish Shotzi a speedy recovery, and I want to let it be known that when you come back, I still owe you a Title shot. And I have to give Lash Legend her flowers. She showed up, and I still have the battle wounds to prove it. But I promised you that I would still be here standing as your NXT Women's Champion, and I keep my promises," Valkyria said.

Now that's a surprise! @Real_Valkyria and @TatumPaxley will be taking on The Kabuki Warriors for the WWE Women's Tag Titles NEXT WEEK at #NXTRoadblock! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/Hwf9UL2mQO

-- WWE (@WWE) February 28, 2024

Valkyria then said she was as surprised as anyone that Paxley kept up her end of their deal, and that meant Valkyria was going to deliver on her promise as well. Paxley came out from the crowd and met Valkyria in the ring. Paxley said that Ava put her in danger of losing her Title, but Valkyria pointed out that she didn't end up losing it. Paxley said she would do anything for Lyra, and that she is a woman of her word.

Valkyria then revealed the big surprise. "I promised you a surprise, are you ready? I spoke to Ava," Valkyria said. "Some calls were made. And next week, we're going to be teaming together, not as friends, as you know we have a common goal, when we take on the Kabuki Warriors for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships!"

The Kabuki Warriors just retained their Women's Tag Team Championships at Elimination Chamber, defeating Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell. The former Damage CTRL members have had some setbacks as of late, as Bayley left the group and challenged Iyo Sky to a Title match at WrestleMania 40. Dakota Kai also seems to be in Bayley's corner, as she was evidently attacked by her former teammates on last week's SmackDown.

Now the Champs will have new challengers, and despite their relatively new team status, it's not smart to underestimate this team. We'll have to wait and see how it all plays out, but Roadblock should be thrilling to say the least.

Are you excited for the match? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

Only one more week remains before NXT Roadblock, and WWE kicked off tonight's episode in a big way. Not only did the early part of the episode feature Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes having a war of words, but it also featured the return of Booker T to the commentary desk. Booker T has been missing from the commentary desk since NXT Vengeance Day due to recovering from a medical procedure, but that all changed tonight. Booker was back at the desk alongside Vic Joseph, and the duo picked up right where they left off. There's just no substitute for Mr. Shucky Ducky, and it's great to have him back in the fold.

In his initial announcement, Booker To took to Twitter to share that he would be absent from NXT for a bit. On Twitter Booker T wrote, "I will not be at #NXTVengenceDay tonight and I'll be off TV the next couple weeks due to a medical procedure I had to have. But - I'm all good and I'll be back in action on @WWENXT in no time! Thank you all for your support, couldn't do it with out the people. Shucky Ducky!"

Up next for NXT is Roadblock, which will happen during next week's episode of NXT. This follows a big few months for NXT, including a few specific superstars who made quite the impression during the Royal Rumble. Bron Breakker, Tiffany Stratton, Roxanne Perez, and Carmelo Hayes all shined at various points during the Rumble, with Breakker even lifting Gunther in an impressive confrontation. During the NXT Vengeance Day conference call, Shawn Michaels was asked about those moments for the NXT talent, and he couldn't have been more thrilled for them.

"Well, look, obviously huge for them and huge for NXT," Michaels said. "I guess as I was telling them the other day, I had to pull them in Monday and just... Look, I'm so proud of all of them. Bron and Melo and Tiffany are sort of, I don't know, the foundational people that we built this around from certainly my beginning. And it's been just a heck of a journey with them."

"And I now know I think how Hunter feels all the time watching a locker room full of his NXT guys just doing such a fantastic job out there. You really do. You're so proud of them. And to your point, I think everybody had really fantastic moments," Michaels said. "It was fun and enjoyable for them. It was everything you wanted it to be and everything I think they hoped it would be. And that's always the best."

NXT Roadblock hits next week, and then it will be all about Stand & Deliver, which will take place over WrestleMania 40 weekend. Matches are still getting set for Stand & Deliver, but we'll keep you posted as more matches are added to the card.

What did you think of Booker T's return to NXT? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

Tonight's NXT was full of surprises, but the biggest was easily the WWE return of a former AEW star. Ridge Holland was delivering a promo about his recent actions against Gallus, but then the lights went out and some cryptic words filled the screen, which are the latest in a series of mysterious teases. Then when the light came on Holland was starting into that light, a figure could be seen picking up a chair. The person hit Holland with the chair and stepped further into the light, revealing themselves to be Shawn Spears, the newest addition to NXT.

This was quite a surprise, and that is rather rare these days in the wrestling world. Most debuts or returns don't stay secret for long, and if they do you at least know they're coming. In this case, the debut itself wasn't discussed beforehand, and Spears being headed to WWE wasn't discussed in previous reports either.

???

Look who it is!!!#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/twHjeMn6zE

-- WWE (@WWE) February 28, 2024

Spears previously confirmed that he had departed AEW and officially became a free agent on January 1st. The reports at the time said that the departure was amicable between Spears and AEW, and Spears thanked the company for allowing him to be a part of the journey on Twitter.

On Twitter Spears wrote, "What a wonderful time it has been. Thank you AEW for allowing me to be there from the ground level. It's been a fantastic 5 years of growth and personal development. This is a personal choice and one that is best for me and my family at this time. Thank you to all, staff and talent alike for the memories. 10."

Shawn Spears is returning to WWE, but he isn't returning to his old persona Tye Dillinger. The Perfect 10 was previously known for the ten count that became a part of his character, but in 2019 he was released by WWE in a wave of talent cuts, and would later join Tony Khan's new company of AEW. Spears made his AEW debut at the first Double or Nothing pay-per-view, and quickly became a staple of AEW in the years that followed.

Now he's back in WWE and looks to be in a feud with Ridge Holland to get things started. We'll have to wait and see what the future holds for Spears now that he's back in NXT, but there are a host of promising match-ups that fans will want to see now that he's back, and it should be fun to watch.

What did you think of Spears' shocking return? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

The Good Brothers made a surprise appearance during last week's WWE NXT, immediately causing ripples in the Tag Team Division. The SmackDown Superstars were clearly gunning for the NXT Tag Team Champions Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin, but the problem was that the Champs already had number one contenders in Chase U. Tonight The Good Brothers took on another promising team in Malik Blade and Edris Enofe, and while they would ultimately walk away with the victory, the entirety of the NXT Tag Division had a problem with the SmackDown superstars and came out swinging by episode's end.

Anderson and Blade started the match and Anderson was already in rhythm, stomping on Blade in the corner and keeping the young star off his feet. Blade came back with a dropkick and then tagged in Enofe, and the two delivered some team offense on Anderson and a charging Gallows. They held the Good Brothers off, but Anderson was able to get to his feet, only to be knocked into the opposite corner by Enofe.

It's going down!

The #WWENXT Tag Team Division is absolutely STACKED ?#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/UbFa9KoPdC

-- WWE (@WWE) February 28, 2024

Blade and Enofe hit Anderson again with some team offense and then Blade capped that run off with a big senton. Gallows tried to get involved, and he managed to provide Anderson just enough of a moment to knock back Blade and tag Gallows in. Gallows slammed Blade onto the ropes and then delivered a big kick to the head, and he locked Blade down with a hold.

Blade was able to get to his feet but got a headbutt and some punches to the stomach and face in response. Gallows kicked Blade in the head again and tagged in Anderson, who applied another hold. Blade flipped over Anderson and rolled him up, and while the cover wasn't successful, he was able to tag in his partner. Enofe went on a run, kicking Gallows away and hitting a Jackhammer on Anderson.

Gallows slammed Blade into the steel steps, but Enofe went up top and tried to hit Anderson but missed. Anderson hit a spine buster on Enofe and then Gallows tagged in to hit the Magic Killer and got it. Gallows got the pin and the win, but they were soon confronted by Chase U.

Andre Chase told them that karma is a b****. Then Duke Hudson said this called for an Andre Chase a** whooping, but before they could finish Nathan Frazer and Axiom came out. Frazer then congratulated them on becoming No. 1 Contenders, but before they could get in the ring the LWO showed up and attacked The Good Brothers.

That all led to a chaotic brawl in the ring between everyone, though most of them focused on beating down the Good Brothers. Gallows and Anderson got to their feet once outside the ring, and the entire tag division wanted a piece of them. Then the Tag Team Champions Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker showed up and watched it all play out, holding their newly won Titles.

What did you think of the segment, and who do you want to see take down Corbin and Breakker? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

Last year AEW's flagship show Dynamite received an updated look, and earlier this year the AEW World Championships also received updates. Now it seems there's a new logo for AEW Dynamite coming soon, as today Fightful shared an image of a new logo sporting a more colorful design than past versions. The new logo (via Fightful) featured an updated version of the Dynamite font, but instead of the traditional white outline, the letters boast outlines of different colors, including orange, yellow, red, purple, and blue. If this does end up being the final logo, hopefully, we don't have to wait too much longer to get the official rollout. You can check out the new logo below.

One note is that Andrew Zarian has seen a different color logo, though in a reply to the tweet does state that this version could end up being used more. Right now the redesign only seems to be tied to the logo for Dynamite, but that could always change. The overall set for Dynamite received its last change at the beginning of last year.

A look at the new AEW Dynamite logo pic.twitter.com/4rK7bRCacL

-- Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) February 27, 2024

As for AEW in general, the company is heading into one of its most anticipated events this weekend in Revolution. In addition to a number of big marquee matches, Revolution will also be where Sting wrestles his last match, which will be alongside Darby Allin and will be against The Young Bucks. Sting is a wrestling icon, and the match will assuredly be one of the year's most unforgettable moments.

2024 is set to be a big year for AEW, and there is likely going to be a new TV rights deal struck before the year is done. Tony Khan discussed AEW's relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery and their continued partnership at the media scrum after Worlds End, and he's hopeful that the two partners continue to work together well into the future.

"We have a great relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery. It's amazing now, we've been talking to them for several years. You know, this coming weekend marks the five-year anniversary of the launch of AEW, and we announced the formation of the company on January 1st, 2019, and here we are days away from the five-year anniversary of that," Khan said.

"Warner Bros. Discovery has been an indispensable partner throughout this journey and very excited about the future of AEW and excited to work with Warner Bros. Discovery throughout 2024," Khan said. "And going forward after that there's going to be a lot of exciting conversations about AEW media rights. It'll be a very exciting year and a lot of things are going to happen. We have a great situation with Warner Bros. Discovery and it's been a great year for that partnership."

"I think I'll be talking a good deal more about Collision on this call and maybe more about some of the wrestling aspects, but as a TV show, its had had a tremendous year. Recently it's done very well, and again I think I'll talk more about the technical mechanics as to why that may be and why that's so important, but Collision, a tremendous first year and that was a big step in the partnership this year to add two more hours of content," Khan said.

What do you think of the new Dynamite logo? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

It appears that another big name is headed to WWE this year. According to a new report from the Wrestling Observer and Fightful, New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Tama Tonga is finished up with NJPW and is on the way to WWE. Tonga had previously announced that January would be his final month with New Japan, and this month his commitments have been completed. Reports now say that unless something drastic changes, Tonga will be appearing in WWE, though there's no timetable as to when Tonga will start with the company or what brand he will be a part of when he does start appearing, but we'll keep you posted on new details as they become available.

Tonga has been a part of New Japan since 2010, and while there were previous discussions with WWE at one point, he ultimately decided to re-sign with New Japan. During his time with the company, Tonga has won the IWGP World Tag Team Championships seven times and became a four-time NEVER Openweight Champion as well. Tonga was also a member of The Bullet Club, and that could lead to a number of intriguing partnerships or feuds in WWE.

There are several former Bullet Club members and leaders in WWE at the moment, including AJ Styles, The Good Brothers, and Finn Balor. All have been attached to the stable at one point or another, and having Tonga on hand presents an opportunity to explore that lineage in some way, though it isn't known if WWE actually will. It's an affiliation that WWE hasn't shied away from referencing though, so we'll just have to wait and see.

Tonga previously revealed in an interview with Fightful that he had spoken with WWE previously and that there was interest. He would go on to work without a contract with New Japan for a bit. There were reports of a hiring freeze at the time on WWE's side, but Tonga wasn't aware of that before making a choice to stay with New Japan.

"Yes, I was in talks with them," Tonga said. "Very much interest in myself and my brother. Out of respect for New Japan, I have to always give them the doors first and see what they can do. Yes, there was a period of a few months of myself working without a contract to give New Japan a chance.

"I know in this game, it can get messy with contracts and the way we're talking right now. I was raised by my father on the way to go about business and treat loyalty and respect to those who put me through the door. New Japan, first and foremost. Yes, there was talks with WWE. I don't know anything about the hiring freeze. I ended up choosing New Japan at the end, and here we are," Tonga said.

Are you excited for Tonga to join WWE? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

Drew McIntyre has assumed the role of the number one hater of the WWE in recent weeks after injuring CM Punk in the Royal Rumble. He's gone on to make disses at several on the WWE roster including WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, Punk, and Cody Rhodes. But none have been as impactful as his constant comments about Punk and him losing his opportunity to go to WrestleMania 40.

It first began when McIntyre confronted Punk on WWE Raw. Punk had just confirmed he tore his tricep and would need surgery. McIntyre interrupted the in-ring promo and would go on to beat him up, further injuring the arm that Punk injured taking a DDT from the "Scottish Warrior" in the Rumble. McIntyre would then tweet the infamous meme of The Flash's Grant Gustin standing over Green Arrow (Stephen Amell)'s grave with the peace sign. Only this one had his face photoshopped over top with the gravestone saying "CM Punk's WrestleMania main event 2024-2024." He posted various other memes and would turn the viral gravestone meme into a shirt now available on WWEShop.com.

He then appeared in a SmackDown dark match where he did Punk's rallying cry, taunting him on video. If that wasn't enough, when he appeared on WWE Raw this week, he talked about how he got hurt in the Chamber match, mimicking Punk's same speech. Except in his he noted that he wasn't going to get a chance to wrestle at WrestleMania. "I looked at him and I said, 'who do you think I am? CM Punk?'" Which of course the crowd heavily booed and McIntyre sat directly in the middle of the ring like Punk has done so many times in his wrestling career.

McIntyre was the lone survivor in the Elimination Chamber match this year, defeating the likes of LA Knight, Logan Paul, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton and Bobby Lashley. McIntyre stays true to his promise about headlining WrestleMania 40 which he will do against the WHC Rollins. McIntyre won his first WWE title at WrestleMania 36 defeating Brock Lesnar but his second singles title win in WWE followed shortly behind. The match took place in November 2020, just a month after his initial loss to Orton. he defeated Orton for the WWE Title on a random Monday Night Raw. He would lose it to The Miz at the Elimination Chamber that same year which took place at the ThunderDome. Both of McIntyre's WWE title reigns have taken place in front of zero crowds as WWE was abiding by the no crowds policy during the Covid pandemic.

After departing AEW in December, Andrade very quickly re-signed with WWE. His first re-appearance was at the 2024 Royal Rumble and since then various vignette's have been airing on WWE programming. Andrade makes it clear in all of them that he had to leave to remember who he was, but now he's back.

On WWE Raw, the Judgment Day are backstage after confronting Imperium in the ring. Dom has just stepped up to Gunther and the group makes it clear they want the Intercontinental Championship. When they return backstage Mysterio appears a bit hesitant, especially when he's confronted by Andrade. They great each other and Andrade tells him that he has a meeting with Adam Pearce about his first opponent but that he will see him soon, insinuating that he may very well be Andrade's first singles opponent since returning to WWE.

Well well well...#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/bEKUFQ7BbQ

-- WWE (@WWE) February 27, 2024

Last year when Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley were feuding with one another ahead of WrestleMania 39, Flair called out the rising star but when she didn't answer Flair noted that she was scared. Mysterio came out instead and spoke on Ripley's behalf and said that he refused to listen to her badmouth "Mami." Flair took the chance to deliver one of the most memorable lines in reference to her husband, Andrade: "I have a real Latino man at home that calls me Mami with a much thicker accent."

Andrade wouldn't be the first former AEW star to face Mysterio in their first match back in WWE. In December, CM Punk was in the midst of a feud with the Judgment Day member and they faced each other on a few WWE Holiday Tour house shows at Madison Square Garden and at The Kia Forum.

Andrade was signed with WWE from 2016 appearing in NXT where he got a hot start defeating Tye Dillinger at NXT Takeover: The End. He would wrestle there until 2018 where he was then officially called up to the main roster. He remained with the company until 2020 when he was released from his contract by his own request. Over a year after his departure, he appeared in All Elite Wrestling and put the world on notice with the statement he was All Elite.

He had a really promising initial run with the company, facing Cody Rhodes in an Atlanta Street Fight, fighting Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship, and joining La Faccion Ingobernable. He would face the elite alongside LFI in the opening round of the trios tournament but he would end up tearing his pectoral muscle which would keep him out of action almost a year. When he returned in June of 2023, he faced the likes of Jay White, Bryan Danielson, and Juice Robinson. His AEW career slowly came to an end with the Continental Classic Tournament which would be the beginning of the end with the promotion. He walked away with nine points before being defeated by Miro at AEW Worlds End in December.

"I have a REAL Latino man at home that calls me Mami."@MsCharlotteWWE @DomMysterio35 #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/DX1qnrtdvy

-- WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) February 25, 2023

What do you think of Andrade and Mysterio feuding? Let us know in the comments!

At the Elimination Chamber PLE in Perth, Australia over the weekend, Rhea Ripley wasn't the only one to come out on top.

Though Ripley got a huge win over Nia Jax to retain the WWE Women's World Championship, six women walked into the Elimination Chamber for a shot at Ripley's title at WrestleMania 40. Tiffany Stratton, Naomi, Raquel Rodriguez (who won the Last Chance Battle Royal), Liv Morgan, Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair each had something to prove in the match but ultimately it was Lynch who would get a monumental win in her first Chamber match. A match between both Ripley and Lynch has been teased since at least the beginning of the year when Ripley and Lynch stared each other down. They have only faced each other one other time and that was in a No DQ match in NXT long before Ripley came to the main roster and became the bonafide star she is today.

On WWE Raw, Ripley comes to the ring to open the show, touting her huge victory over Jax and promising that no matter how big the challenge is, she will always come out on top. Lynch's music hits the speakers and she enters the ring, congratulating Ripley on her win. Lynch says that now that her family got to see her win in her home country they won't have to fly all the way to the United States to see her lose. Dominik Mysterio interrupts, reminding Lynch that nobody talks to "Mami" like that. But Lynch throws it right back in his face and tells him that if his "Mami" doesn't put him in his place "The Man" will.

She says that while Ripley has been fed grapes by Mysterio, she's been the backbone of the WWE becoming a grand slam champion and writing a best-selling book. Ripley chimes in, telling Lynch not to disrespect her Latino Heat like that ever again and though she claims to be the backbone of the division, the man always thinks they're the backbone of everything. But behind every great man is an even greater woman.

We're on the Road to #WrestleMania, but we've still got the fallout from #WWEChamber!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/wPhY7VXwlk

-- WWE (@WWE) February 27, 2024

After the two state their points and Ripley leaves the ring, Jax sneaks up on Lynch from behind and attacks her arm relentlessly. Once the officials get involved, Adam Pearce makes it clear she will be "heavily fined" if she continues. Jax has been feuding with Lynch for a number of weeks promising to keep her as far away from the title picture as possible and so far she's definitely kept her promise.

Do you think the match will be turned into a triple threat or will Lynch finally overcome Jax on the road to WrestleMania? Let us know in the comments!

Ric Flair posted a tribute to Anderson on his social media, thanking Ole and Gene Anderson for bringing him into Jim Crockett Promotions. "I Am Forever Thankful To Ole And Gene For Bringing Me In To Crockett Promotions As A Cousin," Flair wrote. "It Launched My Career. I Will Be Grateful Forever For You Giving Me The Opportunity To Become Who I Am Today. We Didn't Always Agree With Each Other, But The Honest To God Truth Is You & Gene Started Me. Rest In Peace My Friend!"

Anderson got his start in professional wrestling in 1967 wrestling for Jim Crockett Promotions and the American Wrestling Alliance. It is through his time in JCP that he would begin wrestling in a tag team called the Minnesota Wrecking Crew alongside Gene Anderson. After he departed the promotion in the early 70s, Anderson would head to Florida to compete in Championship Wrestling from Florida where he held the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship with Ronnie Marvin and NWA Florida Television Championship. As his career picked up, he returned to JCP and began wrestling in Georgia for Georgia Championship Wrestling and wrestled primarily between those two promotions for 13 years.

During this time he would mix it up with Ric Flair but it wouldn't be until 1986 that one of the most influential stables in wrestling, The Four Horsemen. Comprised of Ole, Arn Anderson, Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard (with manager J.J. Dillon), the heel stable took over the professional wrestling world and paved the way for many of the stars today. Ole would feud with some of the biggest babyfaces in wrestling at that time like Dusty Rhodes, The Rock 'N' Roll Express (Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton), and The Road Warriors. Anderson would later be kicked out of the group where he then began teaming with Lex Luger but then in 1990 he would reform the Four Horsemen with this new version carrying the icon Sting (who was kicked out rather quickly).

After his career began winding down he would appear in more of a backstage capacity including as a head of the booking committee for WCW (World Championship Wrestling) where he created the infamous "Black Scorpion" who taunted the NWA World Heavyweight Champion Sting. He officially retired in 1996 after leaving WCW, and would go on to write a book titled Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling. Anderson is a decorated champion in the professional wrestling sphere, collecting gold across multiple companies. He is an eighteen-time NWA Georgia Tag Team Champion, eight-time NWA World Tag Team Champion, and a two-time NWA Georgia Television Champion, among many others.

One of STARDOM's top stars, Giulia, is reportedly set to depart the company at the end of March according to Tokyo Sports. Prior reports stated that she had "prior obligations" through March but now there seems to be an official hard out for the star.

After initial rumblings that Giulia would be making her way to WWE a few months back, that rumor only seemed to be fueled when she and the rest of Donna del Mondo dropped the Artist of Stardom Championship to God's Eye in January. Giulia revealed that the group had "fulfilled its purpose." She is the current NJPW STRONG Women's Champion after defeating AEW's Willow Nightingale for the title last July at NJPW STRONG Independence Day.

As this was happening, one of STARDOM's co-founders Rossy Ogawa was getting a plan in place to launch a promotion of his own. According to Bushiroad, when they found out about the plans they cut ties with him immediately. At the time, there was a heavy insinuation that Ogawa was an agent for WWE and was helping poach talent between the two promotions. Ogawa put those rumors to rest when he revealed that he would be starting his own company because he didn't like the way that things have been going in STARDOM.

There's no official word yet on who from Ogawa's flock of talent may make the jump, but there are rumors that there will be a max exodus in the coming months. Tokyo Sports also states that the likely place for Giulia will be in Ogawa's new promotion to help build it up. He revealed that he had talks with Taro Okada (STARDOM's President) but they just couldn't see eye to eye on a vision for the new promotion. "However, President (Taro) Okada 'accepted' (the new organization). He said, 'We'll make an offer to (Yokohama) BUNTAI,' and 'Let's have a rivalry match two years from now on the 15th anniversary. I was like, 'What are you talking about now? I don't want to get into a mud-slinging match." Mayu Iwatani is the only wrestler signed to a long-term deal with STARDOM.

The WWE Variable

It's not a secret that WWE has high interest in Giulia. They have reportedly made it a priority to sign her but ff Giulia remains in Japan to help kickstart Ogawa's promotion, there could be a significant amount of time between then and a potential WWE debut. At the Survivor Series press conference in November Paul "Triple H" Levesque, WWE's CCO, was asked about Giulia. "The funny thing is, I didn't even know there was a term 'joshi'. If somebody's talented and we think that they can hang on the biggest stage in the world, we want them to come here and see if they believe in themselves as much as we do." There are a few names that have jumped the pond from STARDOM to WWE, including IYO Sky (formerly Io Shirai) and Kairi Sane (Kairi). There are claims that Giulia wants to work on her english before making her way over to the United States but as Fightful Select recently reported, WWE has those resources should she make the decision to sign there.

Stay tuned to Comicbook.com for updates on Giulia's wrestling status.

AEW is once again shaking up their backstage roles with a new face set to become a backstage interviewer, Arkady Unterleidner (a.k.a. Arkady Aura). She revealed the news on X (formerly Twitter) and despite a formal announcement from any AEW executives, it began to gain traction. This led to people beginning to wonder who she is and what role she would have in AEW. Unterleidner has been a backstage interviewer and ring announcer for SoCal Pro Wrestling and has a background in fitness competitions, wrestling, acting, powerlifting, and the Highland Games. According to a new report from Fightful Select, Unterleidner's role backstage will help to distribute work more evenly between herself, Renee Paquette and Lexy Nair.

Most recently, AEW has hired a number of people in backstage roles including a former WWE Senior Writer Jennifer Pepperman who departed the company at the start of the month. Pepperman's official role within AEW is the Vice President of Content Development. Unterleidner took to her Instagram to release a statement, which can be read in full below:

"Not sure I can even put into words how I feel. I've cried a few times, screamed with joy and overall let myself burst with excitement the last few weeks. If you've followed me awhile you'll know I tend to chase a lot of dreams and pursue whatever path feels the most fulfilling to me. If you're friends or family, you'll know I question that in myself often and if I'm making the right choice. At this moment though, to sit and think every step I've taken, whether that was musical theater, pro wrestling, acting or Highland Games, every path has been intertwined and I know leads here for a reason. To the handful of people who've believed in me every step of the way, ever since I got into a ring 7 years ago, and who've taken a chance on me now, I'm forever grateful. To my love @simmons_strength, without you being the best father in the world, and your support in everything I've done, I wouldn't be here and I know that for a fact. Thank you for everything, always."

Stay tuned to Comicbook.com for updates on AEW.

One half of the former WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Piper Niven is currently sidelined from in-ring action as she recovers from injury. According to Fightful Select, Niven sustained an injury to her hand in the last month which has kept her from wrestling. There was a fear from those within WWE that she had broken her hand.

Since Niven's WWE debut at the Mae Young Classic in 2017 where she was taken out by Toni Storm in a quarter final match, her journey has had many highs and lows. She competed in NXT UK before it was dissolved in 2022. Niven made her way to the United States in 2021 and began to compete on Monday Night Raw. During her initial run on the main roster she was paired with Eva Marie and adopted a new name, "Doudrop." Neither thing really stick with fans so it wasn't long before the name and her partnership with Marie were dropped. From there she really began to flourish as a singles star, wrestling the likes of Zelina Vega, Charlotte Flair, Natalya, Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair. For awhile she was paired with Liv Morgan and they even went after the tag team championships.

In the last few months, Niven has really found success teaming with Chelsea Green as one half of the former women's tag team champions. Green was originally in a tag team with Sonya Deville who has been out dealing with a torn ACL injury she sustained. Together Green and Niven held the championships for 126 days only defending them two times throughout their reign. They would drop them to Katana Chance and Kayden Carter on WWE Raw in December. The last time Niven competed on WWE programming was at the beginning of February at a WWE Main Event show, teaming with Green against Natalya and Tegan Nox. Niven is also a two-time 24/7 Champion.

During this time Green has really stepped up to the plate, most recently competing in an Elimination Chamber last chance battle royal qualifying match against the likes of Alba Fyre, Candice LeRae, Indi Hartwell, Shayna Baszler, Isla Dawn, Zoey Stark, Michin and more. Ultimately, Raquel Rodriguez was the one to walk out of that match victorious and compete inside the Elimination Chamber in Perth this past weekend.

Comicbook.com wishes Niven the best in her recovery.

A suspended AEW star is headed to Japan to participate in this year's installment of the New Japan Cup tournament. "Scapegoat" Jack Perry, who has been absent from AEW since being suspended following a backstage incident involving CM Punk at AEW All In 2023, is included among the competitors in the New Japan Cup 2024 bracket released on Monday by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The New Japan Cup is a single-elimination tournament, so this only guarantees one match for Perry in NJPW, where he faces off against Shota Umino, one of the "Reiwa Three Musketeers" and a prot?g? of Jon Moxley.

Perry targeted Umino during an unexpected appearance at NJPW's Battle in the Valley event in San Jose, California in January. That attack now seems to have foreshadowed their showdown in the first round of the New Japan Cup, which marks Perry's return to in-ring action for the first time since All In.

Should Perry survive the first round of the tournament, and go on to victory in the second round against the winner of Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi, it may lead to a rematch with SANADA in the third round of the tournament. Perry faced SANADA in a losing effort to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Forbidden Door II.

SANADA won last year's New Japan Cup and went on to defeat Kazuchika Okada for the championship, ending Okada's final reign as as singles champion in NJPW. SANADA dropped the title to Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 18 and lost his rematch against Naito this past weekend in the main event of NJPW's The New Beginning in Sapporo show, thus his entry into the New Japan Cup tournament, where the winner earns a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Champion at Sakura Genesis 2024 on April 6th. SANADA has a first-round buy in this year's tournament and will face the winner of Yoshi-Hashi vs. KENTA in the second round.

What is the New Japan Cup?

The New Japan Cup is an annual single-elimination tournament put on by New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Begun in 2005, the New Japan Cup is the second most prestigious tournament on New Japan's schedule after the summer G1 Climax event.

While the winners of both tournaments win a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight championships, there are two key differences between the events. The first is that the G1 Climax is a round-robin tournament where finalists are determined by points. The second is that the reigning IWGP Heavy Champion does not compete in the New Japan Cup, which means Naito will not be a factor in this upcoming event (he may want to stay fresh for his showdown with Moxley at NJPW Windy City Riot in Chicago on April 12th).

The number of entrants in the New Japan Cup has varied year to year, from as few as 12 in 2007 to as many as 48 in 2022. This year, the number of entrants is 28, with 24 competing in the first round of competition (SANADA, Hirooki Goto, EVIL, and Zack Sabre Jr. have first-round buys). You can see the full New Japan Cup 2024 bracket above.

The 2024 New Japan Cup kicks off at the NJPW Anniversary Event in Ota City General Gymnasium on March 6th, which will feature three first-round matches, including Jack Perry vs. Shota Umino. Fans outside of Japan can catch that event and all of the New Japan Cup 2024 matches on NJPW's streaming service, NJPW World.

On Valentine's Day this year, one of AEW's strongest power couples Taya Valkyrie and Johnny TV released a scripted series on AEW's YouTube channel, Johnny Loves Taya.

Valkyrie recently discussed the series on the Lightweights Podcast, comparing it to Modern Family and I Love Lucy. "We have our new show coming out real quick called Johnny Loves Taya. So, Johnny Loves Taya is pro wrestling's first scripted, fully scripted romantic comedy series. That is going to be living on the AEW YouTube channel. We are very very proud of it," Taya Valkyrie explained. "Think of Modern Family meets I Love Lucy. It's like a short episode about things that happen to us in our lives and our friends are part of it."

Valkyrie went on to discuss how their real-life friends were able to get involved in the show including Valkyrie's long-time friend Phoenix whom she's known for 10 years. "Phoenix, who's been one of my best friends for like over ten years, he is part of it. I have my friend Laura in it. I'm trying to think. Holly is in it. My friend Josh. Like it's just these real people in our lives that are all part of the show with us," Valkyrie added. "And it's fully scripted. It was written and directed by Justin Donaldson who was part of Reno 911's writing team and Funny or Die. It's just been really cool to produce something like this with John and Justin. And have AEW really believe in us and allow us to kind of make this crazy idea come to fruition."

AEW has dabbled in the scripted-series scene before with projects like AEW: All Access which follows some of AEW's biggest stars backstage, Rhodes To The Top which starred Cody and Brandi Rhodes, and other various series' on their YouTube. They have really delved deeper into the creative aspect of their content with things like the hit series HEY! (EW) hosted by RJ City where he hilariously interviews members of the AEW roster each week.

The first two episodes of Johnny Loves Taya are currently available to watch on YouTube. Have you checked out the series or will you be? Let us know in the comments!

WWE's shakeup from top to bottom continues. As Stephanie McMahon took an unexpected leave of absence in spring of 2022, she returned just a few short weeks later to fill the position of Interim Chairwoman and Co-CEO alongside Nick Khan. At the time, Allegations of Vince McMahon's sexual misconduct were just starting to hit the mainstream.

McMahon would then retire entirely before forcing his way back into WWE and onto the board of directors with two of his allies just six months later. Stephanie has since resigned from her position entirely but her husband Paul "Triple H" Levesque remains as WWE's Chief Content Officer. McMahon would once again resign from WWE when a court case was filed alleging sexual abuse and sex trafficking. The suit caused WWE brand partners like Slim Jim to momentarily halt their sponsorship with the sports giant until he left.

Now, WWE has reportedly hired independent wrestler Patrick Scott in a new backstage role. Scott will act as a writer's assistant on WWE SmackDown. The report came from Bodyslam.net who claims that Scott will begin his new duties starting tomorrow, Monday, February 26.

Scott is a 27-year-old North Carolina native. He began his in-ring wrestling career in 2016 and has been a huge part of the independent circuit down south. Scott, who has wrestled for companies like DPW, AEW on AEW Dark and PWF (Premier Wrestling Federation). He is a former tag-team champion in DPW and PWF where he is a four-time tag champion.

On February 24, Scott posted a cryptic message to his social media of his ring boots inside of the ring, a sign that his in-ring career is coming to an end. "I'll have a lot more to say in the coming days. For now, I will just say this... Thank you," Scott wrote on X. In recent months, WWE has hired well-traveled and respected professional wrestler Nick Aldis as the official SmackDown General Manager. Just last week it was revealed that Jennifer Pepperman, a Senior Writer for WWE, would be departing the company after seven years. Pepperman was very quickly scooped up by All Elite Wrestling as the Vice President of Content Development.

Stay tuned to Comicbook.com for updates on WWE.

In December, reports surfaced suggesting that NJPW's top star Kazuchika Okada would be entering free agency in the new year. This meant he would be entering one of the hottest free agent markets in professional wrestling with the likes of Mercedes Mon?, Deonna Purrazzo, Kamille, Nic Nemeth, Mustafa Ali, Shelton Benjamin and many more.

Not long after January began it was revealed by New Japan themselves that Okada would in fact be departing the company at the end of his current contract which was said to expire January 31. However, Okada was still scheduled for a few dates in February and would honor said dates. The matches would extend him to this weekend in Sapporo where he teamed with CHAOS' Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano and YOSHI-HASHI against the United Empire's Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan, HENARE and Jeff Cobb as well as Matt Riddle.

Recent reports state the 36-year-old will debut with All Elite Wrestling imminently, inking a deal in the prime of his career. After spending fifteen years in NJPW, Okada has no intention on going back. "I'm already looking ahead to what's next, and I'm going out with the intention of never coming back to New Japan," Okada told Tokyo Sports. "I'm sorry about that, but I don't think so. Of course, I want to treasure the feeling and the words I received."

Of course if the reports are to be believed, AEW and NJPW have a very strong working relationship. Not only do the promotions put on a joint pay-per-view as they have for the last three years with Forbidden Door, but plenty of talent constantly make the exclusion. Jack Perry is currently in NJPW after appearing at Battle in the Valley in January and ripping up his AEW contract. Even if he never returns full-time to NJPW, there is still an option available for him to face some of the young lions while with AEW. Plus, with Hiroshi Tanahashi now the president of NJPW and him speaking very highly of The Rainmaker, it's clear the door will always be open just in case.

Okada's first appearance in AEW took place ahead of the inaugural Forbidden Door pay-per-view in 2022. While Jay White, Hangman Adam Page and Adam Cole were in the ring bickering about the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, the signature coin drop sounded throughout the arena. Okada would wrestle all three men in a four-way for the title. He appeared a year later at the next event facing off against Bryan Danielson in a dream match for the ages, and on a random episode of AEW Dynamite in October where he teamed with Orange Cassidy against Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli of the BCC.

On AEW Collision, Thunder Rosa made a bit of a statement after winning her match. After talking to the camera she centered herself in the ring and posed with her fist in the air. Now, normally this could be written off as nothing other than an innocent pose but in All Elite Wrestling there's a group that takes the same hand signal cue straight from The Nation of Domination -- La Faccion Ingobernable. Led by RUSH, the group has made it clear on their social media that this year they are looking to add another man and their first female member to the group.

Will Thunder Rosa Join La Faccion Ingobernable?

Shortly after announcing this on X (formerly Twitter), Rosa commented on it, posting "You are calling me? Or what?" in Spanish. Rosa has made it clear that she was on the top before she left, forced to vacate the AEW Women's World Championship due to injury. She noted that she has remained that way the entire time she's been away. When LFI expanded outside of Mexico, Rush and Dragon Lee brought the group to Ring of Honor. Lee would eventually be ousted and head to NXT but RUSH remained and made an overhaul to AEW's version of the group. When the group debuted in AEW they scouted the likes of Andrade El Idolo, Jose The Assistant and former Dark Order member Preston Vance. Dralistico would also reunite with his LFI brother RUSH when he departed CMLL.

Me est?s llamando? O que? https://t.co/rr2MNcxzsC

-- Thunder Rosa (@thunderrosa22) February 16, 2024

They have lost a bit of steam in recent months due to Andrade's departure from the company (as he's now back in WWE), and RUSH being sidelined with injuries. Adding more members, partciularly a female member, would set it apart from a lot of the other factions and groups in AEW. Much like the House of Black who recruited Julia Hart, it's done wonders to her overall presentation and there's no doubt that she should be considered the real leader of the group.

After more than a year away healing her near career-ending back injury, Rosa returned to AEW programming in December. She had joined AEW back on the road at one point prior to her in-ring return, largely doing commentary for the promotion. She made her official in-ring return teaming with Abadon against Hart and Skye Blue. She's started to regain momentum in the women's division once again defeating the likes of rising stars Red Velvet and Queen Aminata, Only time will tell what AEW has in store for Rosa but if all is as it appears, she's gearing up for a huge comeback.

On the flip side, Jose The Assistant has made it clear that the tease wasn't an indication that Rosa would be aligning with LFI. Writing on X, "If and when a new person joins LA FACCION INGOBERNABLE, @rushtoroblanco will let everyone know and it will be clear. No hints, it will be clear who RUSH wants in LFI."

Would you want to see Rosa in LFI? Who do you think would be a fit for the faction? Let us know in the comments!

For the first time since 2022, Malakai Black has picked up a singles victory in AEW.

Black faced recent AEW signee Bryan Keith on AEW Collision. Kieth had a great showing in the match, making the most out of the opportunity to face one of the most accurate strikers in the men's division. Keith tried to match Black with strikes of his own but it was no match for the HOB member. Black came out of the match victorious and afterward he was met by Mark Briscoe with a kendo stick who snuck up on him.

Briscoe pulled a screwdriver out of his sock and aimed it at Black in the corner who moved out of the way last second, Briscoe hitting the turnbuckle pad instead. At this point the other members of the HOB -- Buddy Matthews and Brody King -- rushed the ring to protect Black. They beat down Briscoe in the ring who stood alone. If Black is set to have more singles matches in the future, it very well seems like Briscoe could be his next opponent.

Mark Briscoe has arrived seeking revenge!

Watch #AEWCollision LIVE on TNT!@malakaiblxck | @SussexCoChicken pic.twitter.com/RQhpbSAuGg

-- All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) February 25, 2024

Black's last singles match prior to AEW Collision was an All-Atlantic qualifying match against Penta El Zero Miedo while his last non-AEW singles match was for PRESTIGE in September 2022. He walked out of both matches victorious. He wouldn't compete in another singles match after that which confused fans and that when rumors started that something bigger was happening. Black cleared it up on his social media in August 2022 confirming he had been rehabbing his back injury he sustained earlier that year. "Why am I not having singles matches? I don't know. I think it's because they really wanted us, House of Black, to do six-mans. I was also not in six-mans to hide said non-existing injury," Black said at the time.

He would eventually return and be featured in six-man matches with the other HOB members whom he held the AEW Trios Championships with. At All In 2023 the HOB competed against the Acclaimed in a trios match and Black walked out of that with another minor injury of a slight calf tear and a hyperextended knee. Black, who runs a wrestling school with his wife and WWE Superstar Zelina Vega, recently competed on their first televised show Dark Prospects: Ritual where Tony Schiavone conducted commentary.

Are you happy to see Malakai Black back in singles action with AEW? Let us know in the comments!

AEW will hold its next pay-per-view event AEW Revolution in Greensboro, North Carolina on March 3. Billed as Sting's retirement match, "The Icon" Sting will team with Darby Allin for a final time against the Young Bucks when they put their AEW Tag Team Championships on the line against the group. "Timeless" Toni Storm is also slated for a title match against Deonna Purrazzo and Samoa Joe defends the AEW World Championship against Hangman Adam Page and Swerve Strickland.

Another huge match has been confirmed for the event -- North Carolina natives FTR vs. Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli of the Blackpool Combat Club. At ROH Final Battle 2023, FTR and the BCC squared off against one another in a bloody feud. Things had mostly cooled down until recently when they reignited their feud on AEW programming. Moxley would defeat Harwood in singles action, leading to he and Castagnoli beating down the former two-time AEW Tag Team Champions.

"Here's the thing, FTR don't bow down to you," Harwood said in a backstage promo last week. "And that's probably what pi--es you off, because it doesn't matter where we're at, what territory we're in, I've never, Cash [has] never bowed down to you. Because we made our way, and we made our own self. We are our bosses, and you don't do s--t for us Mox. You don't scare us. To me, you are the scum on the bottom of my shoe Mox."

On this week's episode of AEW Dynamite things boiled over in a tag match between them that ended in a time limit draw. But that wasn't enough -- Harwood and Wheeler have made it clear that they won't be backing down from the BCC anytime soon. On AEW Collision, Harwood and Wheeler gave another in-ring promo. "Here's the thing, Mox, you've been here since the beginning. For almost five years you've been the king in AEW," Harwood said. "This is your castle, this is your house, Mox. And I see you, Mox and I see Claudio and I see Bryan. I see you walk around the back and people cower. And they fear and they drop their eyes because they're afraid of you. I think the reason you're p---ed off is you found a couple dudes that aren't scared of you. We ain't scare of you. And if you are the king, if this is your castle, you know I've heard it said: 'if you wanna be a king, you gotta kill a king.' Revolution, we're coming for your head. Top guys, out."

THE REMATCH!
FTR vs. Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli of the BCC next Sunday LIVE on PPV at #AEWRevolution!

Watch #AEWCollision LIVE on TNT!@DaxFTR | @CashWheelerFTR pic.twitter.com/WN2vHg0T75

-- All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) February 25, 2024

AEW Revolution 2024 Match Card

• AEW World Tag Team Championship: Sting and Darby Allin (c) vs. The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson)
• AEW World Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs. "Hangman" Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland
• AEW Women's World Championship: "Timeless" Toni Storm (c) vs. Deonna Purrazzo
• AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Roderick Strong
• Continental Crown Championship: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Bryan Danielson
• AEW TNT Championship: Christian Cage (c) vs. Daniel Garcia
• Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Former NJPW NEVER Openweight Champion Tama Tonga has officially said his farewell to New Japan Pro Wrestling. At the beginning of the year at Wrestle Kingdom 18, Tonga won the NEVER Openweight title and immediately afterwards, he admitted that he would soon be leaving NJPW when his contract expires. He lost the title over two weeks ago at NJPW The New Beginning in Nagoya to EVIL. He's been on quite the farewell tour since and at last night's Sapporo event he competed in his final match in New Japan. Tonga teamed with his brother and Guerrillas of Destiny stablemate Tanga Loa against Guerrillas of Destiny's El Phantasmo and Hikuelo.

Will Tama Tonga Finally Put Pen to Paper With WWE?

Back at Wrestle Kingdom, the four-time NEVER Openweight champion Tonga revealed that he would be departing the company to be closer to his family in the United States. It's no secret that WWE has had interest in Tonga for quite some time, including last year when his last contract was set to expire. In 2016 he had verbally agreed to jump to WWE but once he expressed this to NJPW, he ultimately decided to stay when Loa was hired. And, of course there's also the obvious huge Bullet Club ties in WWE with original Club members Finn Balor (Prince Devitt) and Karl Anderson which Tonga was also part of.

Now that the group has had time to grow and settle, it expands to almost every single major promotion including AEW and TNA. Tonga resides in Orlando which is where WWE's Performance Center is and at this stage in his career the 41-year-old star could definitely be considering it as his main option. It's also been said that WWE has a renewed interest in Tonga since he's officially become a free agent.

In his final post-match comments, Tonga noted that NJPW will always be his home no matter where he goes. He promises to let the world know that New Japan is his home. The sentiment sounds very similar to what Trinity (WWE's Naomi) said in her final TNA appearance before re-signing with WWE. "New Japan, thank you. Thank you for giving me a chance here in New Japan," Tonga said. "When I came to New Japan, Jado was my trainer. He worked hard on us. He trained us very hard every single day. We had to give it 100%. If it wasn't for Jado in the very beginning, I don't know where I'd be. Jado, thank you very much. Last but not least, the fans, thank you. Thank you for accepting me. Thank you for taking me in. Thank you for giving me a home. Wherever I go in this world here on after, I want you to know that because of you, because of New Japan, you guys have made this my home. This will always be my home, wherever I go. When you see me, I will always let the world know that New Japan, that Japan is my home. It always will be. Thank you."

Stay tuned to Comicbook.com for updates on Tama Tonga's wrestling future.

H/T: Fightful

Many were surprised when the Australian-born Bronson Reed was omitted from WWE's Elimination Chamber PLE all together. Several other Aussie talents including Grayson Waller, WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley, Indi Hartwell, and Nia Jax were all part of the show so why wasn't he? Well, as it turns out Reed's wife gave birthday to their child early and so he was left off of the match card.

Reed took to his X account (formerly Twitter) this morning to explain to fans exactly why he wasn't there. "FULL DISCLOSURE: Originally, I was set to be at #WWEChamber. It would have been an incredible moment," Reed wrote. "Unfortunately, plans changed. But everything happens for a reason. My wife and I have had our baby early, I was supposed to miss the PLE to make sure I'm here for my family. Thank you for all your support. To all my friends and family who have reached out. To @TripleH for guiding me."

Triple H would then show a sign of support for the new father, admitting that he's "proud" of him not just for his work, but the journey he's about to embark on as a father. "Congratulations @BRONSONISHERE. Family is everything and fatherhood is amazing" Triple H responded. "I am proud of you for not only your work, but for the journey you're now embarking on. Enjoy every moment. You're exactly where you needed to be!"

Fightful Select is now reporting that prior to the unpredictable circumstance, Reed was supposed to wrestle the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins for the championship. There were hints in him promos on WWE Raw where he hinted that he would be going after a champion that wouldn't see it coming but the plans were axed when Rollins injured his knee in a match with Kinder Mahal on Raw. Since, he's been rehabbing his injury so that he's cleared when it comes time for his match against the men's Elimination Chamber winner Drew McIntyre come WrestleMania 40. Reed returned to WWE last January and pretty quickly after his return he qualified for the United States Championship Elimination Chamber match. Though he wouldn't win as Austin Theory would instead retain, his sized and his ability has made him a spectacle within the WWE.

Instead of Rollins wrestling on the show, he took part in the Grayson Waller Effect with Cody Rhodes ahead of the men's Chamber match. He revealed that he's days away from being cleared while Rhodes noted that he wants a piece of The Rock. Once again, Rollins notes that he won't be able to do it alone and offers to fight alongside him. Previously, Rollins referred to himself as Rhodes' "Shield."

Comicbook.com wishes Reed and his family the best.

Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell competed in WWE's Elimination Chamber pre-show against the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions the Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane). The moment was special for Hartwell who is an Australian-born wrestler making an in-ring return in her home country. LeRae shined in her own right as she made her way to the ring, debuting a heartwarming new set of ring gear based on the hit cartoon series Bluey. LeRae traded in her usual brightly colored gear for a bit more neutral with brown and white. Up close, there are had nods to Bluey's mother Chilli with matching paw prints displayed throughout and the little specks of dog hair that are seen on them.

If you're unfamiliar with why LeRae would wear wrestling gear based off a children's cartoon, she and her husband Johnny Gargano's son Quill is a big fan of the series and his birthday falls closely to the Elimination Chamber. At last year's Elimination Chamber Johnny Gargano, LeRae's husband, also wore Bluey-inspired gear, wearing the traditional Bluey colors. Not only is he a big fan of the series (his first birthday was Bluey themed), both LeRae and Gargano are often posing in Bluey merchandise alongside him. Check out one of their tributes to Bluey below where Gargano is dressed as Bandit (Bluey and Bingo's dad), Quill as Bluey and LeRae as Chilli:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Candice LeRae (@candicelerae)

Bluey is an Australian pre-school television show about a family of talking dogs with Bluey and Bingo both being school-aged. The series has taken over the globe, earning a strong international audience with its family-friendly stories that even parents can enjoy watching alongside their kids. Bluey is available to stream on Disney+.

Although LeRae and Hartwell were unsuccessful in their attempt to claim another set of tag team titles in WWE, by the end of the match the crowd were completely behind the tag team. The WWE Women's Tag Team Champions haven't yet had their WrestleMania 40 plans ironed out but with the amount of tag teams in the division, it is very well possible they could compete in a tag team Battle Royal to earn a shot at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia this April.

What did you think of LeRae's Bluey-inspired gear? Let us know in the comments!

WWE's Elimination Chamber Premium Live Event is officially in the books, and there are a host of big takeaways from the event that will lead right into WrestleMania 40. The WWE Heavyweight Championship and WWE Women's World Championship were addressed directly, and there are now two new challengers to those Titles at WrestleMania. That said, there are also plenty of other noteworthy takeaways outside of the main Title picture, and we're here to break down all of the memorable moments along the way and spotlight the best and worst moments Elimination Chamber had to offer. Let's get started with the best, shall we?

Best Moments

Elimination Chamber Matches: WWE led off with the Women's Chamber Match, and it set the tone for the rest of the event. Every superstar involved had their moments to shine throughout each match, and there were some truly stellar sequences as more of the superstars made it into the ring. The finish for the Women's match was especially great, while the Men's match kept you guessing thanks to some key interference in spots. Both matches offer compelling winners who set the stage for what should be two fantastic matches at WrestleMania as well.

Tiffany Stratton Has Arrived: It was absolutely Tiffy Time in Perth, Australia. The crowd was clearly loving the new SmackDown superstar and were chanting Tiffy Time before she entered the match and even during the men's match later on. She got a face-style reaction throughout her time in the match as well, and the crowd popped when she hit the moonsault from the top of the pod too. Even Liv Morgan, a crowd favorite, got some boos when she eliminated Stratton. Stratton has already made a big impression on the WWE Universe in a short time, and nowhere was that more apparent than at Elimination Chamber.

Nia Jax and Rhea Ripley Deliver in the Main Event: With the result largely not in question (which we'll get to in a minute), Rhea Ripley vs Nia Jax could have easily been a forgettable affair that allowed Ripley to get a spotlight in her home country. While she did get that spotlight, this match was anything but forgettable and is easily one of Nia's best matches in WWE to this point. The power vs power angle of the match worked well, as both Ripley and Jax leaned into the approach and delivered moments that you felt reverberate through the screen, including that epic moment of Jax leaping off the barricade and slamming Ripley through the announce table. Sure Ripley won, but you felt by the end of this match that she earned it, and that's what makes it all work.

Worst Moments

Crashing a Family Moment: Speaking of Ripley, she got the win in her home country, and making the event even more special was the fact that Ripley's family was in the crowd cheering her on. After the win, Ripley went over and celebrated with them as the camera caught them all together. Unfortunately, a fan then walked in from the side and got in the shot, celebrating behind them and then patting Ripley on the head. He would leave but then tried to come back into the shot, though this time a security guard turned him away and made him leave. Fans celebrating with superstars is all good, but crashing that kind of special moment is just not it, especially when you are clearly trying to be seen.

Predictable Winners: Coming into the event, Becky Lynch and Drew McIntyre were the heavy favorites to win their respective matches, and the finishes for both were exciting for the most part. If you look at the entirety of the night as a whole though, every single winner of the night was predicted going in, and several were just foregone conclusions. It's unfortunate that there wasn't at least one match that shook things up, or that the other matches weren't booked to a point where there was at least some doubt as to who would walk away with the win. The winners were great, but the lack of surprise in any of them wasn't.

Missing Jade: Jade Cargill had a major spotlight at the Royal Rumble, and was expected to be part of Elimination Chamber until recent reports stated she wouldn't be involved. While the question of why that happened remains, it does feel like a missed opportunity for WWE to continue her momentum and showcase her, especially when the connections are so easy to make. With Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan previously interacting with Jade in the Rumble match (and the latter eliminating Jade in that match), having her either in the match, interfering with the match, or attacking either superstar after the match would have been a way to keep her story moving. I mean, AJ literally flew to Australia just to do that to LA Knight, so Cargill could've caught that same flight, right?

WWE Elimination Chamber Results

• WWE Women's World Championship Match: Rhea Ripley (C) def. Nia Jax
• Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Finn B?lor & Damian Priest (C) def. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate
• Women's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine Women's World Championship No. 1 Contender at WrestleMania): Becky Lynch def. Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton, and Raquel Rodriguez
• Men's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine the No. 1 Contender for World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania): Drew McIntyre def. Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, LA Knight, Kevin Owens, and Logan Paul

What did you think of WWE's Elimination Chamber? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

Rhea Ripley is officially headed to WrestleMania.

At the Elimination Chamber PLE, Ripley put the Women's World Championship on the line against one of the most dominating women in WWE currently -- Nia Jax. Jax appeared on WWE Raw a few weeks back, attacking Ripley from behind and igniting a feud between the two. Hot on the heels of her explosive feud with "The Man" Becky Lynch, Jax wants to take away the one thing Lynch desperately wants: the women's championship.

Despite her best efforts, Ripley ended up retaining the title in Australia, a memorable moment for the Australian-born star. The match itself was full of impressive moments from both Jax and Ripley, displaying their impressive power right from the start. Ripley opened up the match with a fierce combo that included a vicious headbutt to the challenger, and that brutality continued throughout the match.

MAMI with the FROG SPLASH!#WWEChamber pic.twitter.com/OSUsACOLKB

-- WWE (@WWE) February 24, 2024

These two superstars are used to holding the power advantage over opponents, which made this match-up a rarity for both. Despite that, Ripley was able to pick up Jax and slam her down, though one attempt mid-way through the match ended up getting Ripley smashed through the announce desk after Jax dove from atop the barricade. That led to several big spots from both stars, including an attack from Ripley that slammed Jax down onto the ring apron. The two also battled it out in several spots on the turnbuckle, but Ripley was able to gain the final advantage there, bringing Jax down to the mat. Then Ripley went to finish the match with an impressive Riptide on Jax, getting the pin and the win.

Pure DESTRUCTION from Nia Jax at #WWEChamber! pic.twitter.com/7wDh50FlKW

-- WWE (@WWE) February 24, 2024

This was Ripley's first time competing in Australia since she signed a contract with NXT UK in 2017. During her NXT journey she would very quickly win the NXT UK Women's Championship off of Toni Storm and appear overseas in the United States. She quickly became one of the highlights of the women's division and took part in a new era of women's wrestling in WWE. Ripley was a member of the first women's WarGames match in 2019 against the likes of Bianca Belair, IYO SKY, Shayna Baszler and Kay Lee Ray (Alba Fyre). She has gone on to hold the NXT Women's Championship (that was merged with the UK title), the Raw Women's Championship, and the tag team championships with Nikki ASH.

Mami Mania

With this huge win over Jax, Ripley now heads to WrestleMania 40 where she will face the winner of the women's Elimination Chamber match, Becky Lynch. Lynch and Ripley's history goes all the way back to NXT. In 2019, before the two fully embraced their personas as "The Man" and "Mami" they faced each other one-on-one. The match would eventually end in a "No Contest." They haven't faced each other since but Lynch is looking to reclaim her spot at the top and prove to everyone, including herself, that she's still "The Man." Come WrestleMania, Ripley will have held the championship for an entire year after defeating Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles. As the only female member of the Judgment Day, Ripley is one of the most magnetic faces in all of WWE.

• WWE Women's World Championship Match: Rhea Ripley (C) def. Nia Jax
• Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Finn B?lor & Damian Priest (C) def. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate
• Women's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine Women's World Championship No. 1 Contender at WrestleMania): Becky Lynch def. Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton, and Raquel Rodriguez
• Men's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine the No. 1 Contender for World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania): Drew McIntyre def. Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, LA Knight, Kevin Owens, and Logan Paul
• Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes to appear on The Grayson Waller Effect

Are you excited to see Ripley and Lynch finally face off at WrestleMania 40? Let us know in the comments!

This year's men's Elimination Chamber match featured an opportunity to head to WrestleMania and face Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship. Randy Orton, LA Knight, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, Logan Paul, and Kevin Owens all took part in the match after qualifying on WWE Raw and SmackDown, and they would collide for a brutal match inside the Chamber. As opposed to the Women's match, this match experienced multiple instances of interference, but it would be Paul's actions towards the end that would set up McIntyre for a massive win, earning his shot at WrestleMania Championship gold.

The match started with Lashley, Owens, Paul, and Orton in the pods and Knight and McIntyre in the ring. Knight had McIntyre reeling early, slamming McIntyre's face into the glass of Kevin Owens and Logan Paul's pods multiple times. McIntyre did get back on track though, though things got more complicated when Owens and then Lashley entered the match. Lashley dominated after he entered, knocking everyone who was still on their feet to the floor.

And we are down to THREE at #WWEChamber! pic.twitter.com/i9GiKcl9Fe

-- WWE (@WWE) February 24, 2024

Orton finally entered and chained together big offense on Owens, though Orton took some damage from the floor after giving Owens a DDT. After a hit from Lashley in the corner, Orton was down on the mat and holding his lower back, though he did get back up and slam Knight down. Unfortunately, Orton was clearly in pain after the slam. Logan Paul then came in but Owens greeted him at the pod and locked them both inside before slamming Owens into the glass on both sides.

How did that @RandyOrton RKO feel, @LoganPaul?!#WWEChamber pic.twitter.com/3wSFuRexQZ

-- WWE (@WWE) February 24, 2024

Lashley then speared Paul through the pod, and Lashley's arm was clearly in pain afterward. That led to McIntyre eliminating Lashley, but McIntyre was then almost eliminated by Knight, only for AJ Styles to make his way into the chamber and attack Knight with a chair. That allowed McIntyre to eliminate Knight, but Orton would get in on the action by eliminating Owens. Then Orton followed that up with a huge elimination, knocking out Paul. That left Orton and McIntyre as the final two.

Orton went for an RKO but couldn't get it, and McIntyre slammed him down right after, doing more damage to the already hurt back of Orton. McIntyre set up for the Claymore but Orton collapsed back to the mat. McIntyre would hesitate just a bit, and that would allow Orton to hit McIntyre with an RKO. Unfortunately for Orton, Paul would race in and clock Orton with brass knuckles, and that would allow McIntyre to get the pin and the win, earning a shot at World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins at WrestleMania.

For weeks McIntyre has made it clear that he's going to get to WrestleMania one way or another. Though he came close to main eventing WrestleMania by winning the Royal Rumble, he was ultimately eliminated and Cody Rhodes would win instead, setting his sights on Roman Reigns and the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. He's personally called out Rollins, stating that he's not fit to be champion as his body continues to give out on him. He will get his opportunity to win his first WWE World Championship in front of the fans, something that he wasn't able to do in his first world title reign due to the pandemic, and that's at least in part thanks to Logan Paul.

After his return to WWE, McIntyre set his sights on winning a world championship. As the fans embraced him and his character and he won the 2020 Royal Rumble, he was primed to win his first main roster title. The world shut down shortly after but he still did what he set out to do, beating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 36. He then beat Randy Orton on an episode of Raw for the title in 2021 but that also took place in the ThunderDome.

The biggest question with McIntyre's WWE status for the last year has been about whether or not the former four-time champion would re-sign with WWE. He hasn't given any indication that he intends on leaving when it concludes and in fact his current contract was said to have been extended until after WrestleMania where before it was set to expire ahead of the PLE. McIntyre's whole presentation as of late has been a complete change of pace for "The Scottish Warrior" as he pokes fun at some of the top guys such as Rollins, Rhodes, and CM Punk on his social media pages.

• WWE Women's World Championship Match: Rhea Ripley (C) vs. Nia Jax
• Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Finn B?lor & Damian Priest (C) def. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate
• Women's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine Women's World Championship No. 1 Contender at WrestleMania): Becky Lynch def. Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton, and Raquel Rodriguez
• Men's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine the No. 1 Contender for World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania): Drew McIntyre def. Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, LA Knight, Kevin Owens, and Logan Paul
• Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes to appear on The Grayson Waller Effect

Do you think McIntyre winning was the right decision? Let us know in the comments!

The Kabuki Warriors, Asuka and Kairi Sane, defended the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships for the first time since winning them in January on WWE SmackDown. The defense against Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell took place on the Elimination Chamber pre-show and was a late addition to the event card. However, considering Hartwell is from Australia and there aren't that many actual Australians on the card, it made a lot of sense for her to get a good showing in front of her home crowd.

Prior to LeRae and Hartwell reuniting on WWE Raw this year to tag together, they once teamed together in NXT when they were part of The Way stable with Austin Theory, Dexter Lumis and Johnny Gargano. In 2021 they made it to the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic semi-final round but they were defeated by Ember Moon and Shotzi. Just three months later they would get a huge win over the team and win their first and only tag team titles in WWE together in a street fight match. They only held the titles for 63 days before they were dethroned.

#WomensTagTitles on the line on the #WWEChamber Kickoff! pic.twitter.com/9orgrNxGfr

-- WWE (@WWE) February 24, 2024

The Kabuki Warriors have worked in tandem in WWE previously when they held the titles in 2019 winning them at Hell in a Cell. Their first reign lasted a strong 171 days where they were defeated by Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross at WrestleMania 36. At the time of their historic reign, they became the longest-reigning women's tag team champions. Sane initially departed WWE in 2020 where she then returned to Japan.

During that time, she would dominate every company she worked for becoming a five-time Artist of Stardom Champion and the inaugural IWGP Women's Champion. She then returned to the WWE in Saudi Arabia at the Crown Jewel PLE in November, helping IYO Sky retain the WWE Women's Championship. She quickly reunited with Asuka and joined sides with Damage CTRL. Though LeRae and Hartwell gave it their best attempt, they were no match for the synchronicity of The Kabuki Warriors. Sane and Asuka weren't about to let their Title reign come to an end so soon, and they would finish off the challengers with their Scorpion Death Drop Elbow combo to retain their Championships.

• WWE Women's World Championship Match: Rhea Ripley (C) vs. Nia Jax
• Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Finn B?lor & Damian Priest (C) def. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate
• Women's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine Women's World Championship No. 1 Contender at WrestleMania): Becky Lynch def. Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton, and Raquel Rodriguez
• Men's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine the No. 1 Contender for World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania): Randy Orton vs Drew McIntyre vs Bobby Lashley vs LA Knight vs Kevin Owens vs Logan Paul
• Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes to appear on The Grayson Waller Effect

Who do you think the Kabuki Warriors should face next? Let us know in the comments!

Prior to WWE Elimination Chamber 2024, the Elimination Chamber Match has been contested 32 times in WWE history. Triple H is credited as the stipulation's creator while then-WWE Monday Night Raw general manager Eric Bischoff was the one to introduce it on WWE programming. The Elimination Chamber evolved over the 21st century, first existing in the summer and fall months before becoming a roadblock on the road to WrestleMania. WWE would promote the match to its own pay-per-view in 2010, running WWE Elimination Chamber events every February, with the titular matches typically being utilized to decide WrestleMania's champions or challengers.

With history going back two decades, Elimination Chamber has carved out its own chapter within WWE's record books. Triple H holds the title for most Elimination Chamber wins at four, with John Cena and AEW's Bryan Danielson tied for second place with three. AEW holds some real estate in the Elimination Chamber's all-time leaderboard, as inaugural AEW World Champion Chris Jericho has the most total eliminations (10) and is tied for the most appearances in the match (8).

Randy Orton Breaks Elimination Chamber Record

The Viper now stands alone.

Upon entering the Men's Elimination Chamber Match this year, Randy Orton broke Chris Jericho's record for most appearances in the steel structure. The Australia-based event represented Orton's ninth time competing inside the Elimination Chamber, giving him the edge over Jericho's eight.

Jericho competed in the first three Elimination Chamber Matches. He wouldn't win the bout until his sixth time competing in the match, defeating a field that included The Undertaker, CM Punk and Rey Mysterio to become World Heavyweight Champion. His last Elimination Chamber Match went down in 2013.

Orton wasn't far behind Jericho, as he competed in the second and third Elimination Chamber Matches. Like Jericho, Orton's first Elimination Chamber victory came on his sixth time competing in the match. His last Elimination Chamber Match went down in 2021.

This might not be the last record of Jericho's that Orton eclipses. Jericho currently holds the record for longest cumulative time spent in the Royal Rumble Match at 4 hours, 59 minutes and 33 seconds. Orton is in second place, just under a half hour behind. While he did not compete in this year's Men's Royal Rumble, a couple more appearances during the years Jericho remains in AEW could mean that it's just a matter of time before The Viper strikes Y2J down again on WWE's leaderboard.

After a thrilling Women's Elimination Chamber match and a throwdown for the WWE Tag Team Championships, it was time for the Grayson Waller Effect, and the segment delivered some buzzworthy moments. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins were Waller's guests on the show, with Austin Theory also being in the ring for the show, and Rollins got things started with a big injury update, revealing that in a few days, he will be medically cleared to compete. Then it was Rhodes' turn to share some news, and after taking some shots at The Rock in a promo, he called out Rock for a one-on-one match ahead of his match against Roman Reigns, and Rollins pledged to help Rhodes if the Bloodline tried to interfere.

Rollins started off by addressing the Men's Chamber match later in the night, revealing that he will be back in action very soon. "Perth, you want to know a little secret? I am just days away from being medically cleared to compete," Rollins said. "And so whoever wins that match, I have news for them, they don't stand a chance, because it's WrestleMania 40, the biggest Wrestlemania of all time. Grayson, the world is going to sing my song, and I'm going to do what only I can. Put on a show like nobody on this planet, because I am a visionary. I am revolutionary. I am (crowd chants Seth Freakin Rollins)."

World Heavyweight Champion @WWERollins has a HUGE #WrestleMania scoop on The @GraysonWWE Effect!#WWEChamber pic.twitter.com/yyW6ALT1BU

-- WWE (@WWE) February 24, 2024

Waller then asked Rhodes about coming close to getting Roman Reigns vs The Rock at WrestleMania, asking him if he was selfish in taking that match away from everyone. Then Rocky Sucks chants broke out throughout the stadium. "I am indeed a fan of Dwayne The Rock Johnson," Rhodes said. "And if he were here, I'm sure he would call me a candy something. Prattle on about Roody-poo poo, something about pie. What is it that he calls fans of mine? Cody crybabies. Let me ask, are there any Cody crybabies in here tonight?"

NO WAY! ???@CodyRhodes just challenged @TheRock to a match anytime, anywhere on The @GraysonWWE Effect!#WWEChamber pic.twitter.com/QZCn7xrVH4

-- WWE (@WWE) February 24, 2024

"I'm sure the one thing that Rock wouldn't want to talk about is the conversation we had up to this point, why I stepped out of the WrestleMania main event before I stepped back in," Rhodes said. Waller then referred to Rock as The People's Champion, which Rhodes addressed as well.

"People's Champion, hmm. That is a grand and lofty title, one that you cannot self-appoint. Maybe at one point The Rock was the People's Champ, but I believe to be the People's Champ, you have to be around the people," Rhodes said. More Rocky sucks chants broke out. "You know what, the World Heavyweight Champion had a bit of an announcement, and I think I have a bit of an announcement myself. Rock you indeed slapped me across the face, and at WrestleMania 40 I am wrestling Roman Reigns in the main event, but until then I'm wide open. So let's make it official. Rock I want to wrestle you one-on-one. Anytime, any place."

"What do you say Perth," Rollins asked the crowd. "I think it's time we cut the head off the snake once and for all. Cody, I admire your challenge to The Rock, but when it comes to The Bloodline, you know, and the entire world knows there's no such thing as one on one. So if and when The Rock decides to take you up on that challenge, just know you won't be fighting that battle alone."

"Theory then snatched the microphone from Waller and confronted Rhodes, using one of Rock's own lines. Theory then gave Rock's promo and insulted Rhodes with a finish his story line. Rollins kept goading Theory and then smashed him through a sign. Waller let it happen, not interfering when Rollins hit a curb stomp on Theory to end the segment.

• WWE Women's World Championship Match: Rhea Ripley (C) vs. Nia Jax
• Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Finn B?lor & Damian Priest (C) def. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate
• Women's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine Women's World Championship No. 1 Contender at WrestleMania): Becky Lynch def. Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton, and Raquel Rodriguez
• Men's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine the No. 1 Contender for World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania): Randy Orton vs Drew McIntyre vs Bobby Lashley vs LA Knight vs Kevin Owens vs Logan Paul
• Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes to appear on The Grayson Waller Effect

What did you think of the segment, and will we get Rock vs Rhodes? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

The Undisputed Tag Team Championships were on the line in Perth, as WWE's Finn Balor and Damian Priest put their Titles on the line against The New Catch Republic at Elimination Chamber. The New Catch Republic is the name of the relatively new team of Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate, but despite the recency in their partnership, the challengers gave Judgement Day a real run for their money. Bate and Dunne nearly had the match won two different times, but Dominik Mysterio's presence at ringside would cost them one of those near falls. That did get him thrown out, but it kept Balor and Priest in the fight, and they would eventually overtake Dunne and Balor to retain their Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships.

The New Catch Republic got things off to a hot start, with Bate jumping in the ring for his team first. Unfortunately, Balor and Priest would keep him in for quite some time, wearing him down and keeping him from tagging in Dunne. The Judgement Day would also get help from Mysterio, who got a cheap shot in on Bate at ringside. Bate was eventually able to tag in Dunne, who went on a tear and knocked Priest and Balor out of the ring and then dove from the top to knock both to the floor.

BIG. STRONG. BOI.#WWEChamber pic.twitter.com/PlAvynFesD

-- WWE (@WWE) February 24, 2024

Dunne kept the attack up on Balor and then tagged Bate back in to continue the momentum. Balor got to his partner and tagged in Priest, who clocked Bate with a huge kick to the head and then knocked Dunne off the ring apron. Another punch on Bate led to a cover attempt, but Bate kicked out.

You're OUTTA HERE, @DomMysterio35!#WWEChamber pic.twitter.com/oxI4D97FPe

-- WWE (@WWE) February 24, 2024

Bate rebounded by picking up Priest and spinning him around for quite some time, much to the delight of the crowd. Bate and Dunne attacked Balor and Dunne was the active man, hitting Balor with the Bitter End and going for the cover, but Mysterio saved the match for his group and broke it up. Bate saw him do it though and pointed it out to the referee, who threw Mysterio out and sent him to the back.

Mysterio stalled and stayed out there, and in the chaos, Balor slammed down Dunne and kicked him into the corner. Balor went up top but missed the move and Dunne capitalized, snapping Balor's fingers. Dunne tagged in Bate and they hit the Double Tyler Driver into a cover, but Priest saved the match and pulled Bate out of the ring.

Priest would catch Dunne and slam him onto the ring apron, but Bate hit a big move of his own on Priest. Bate would then get slammed down by Balor back in the ring but managed to kick out of the pin attempt. Priest tagged in and set up the Razor's Edge, but Bate broke up the move and sent Priest into a collision with Balor. Bate and Dunne attacked Priest and then countered a move to lift the big man up and hit the finisher, but Priest still managed to kick out.

Dunne and Bate teamed up to deliver kicks and knee strikes to Priest, but Balor helped his partner regain control and tagged in. He got the Coup de Grace on Dunne after Priest sent them down to the mat, and that was enough to retain the Titles for Judgement Day.

• WWE Women's World Championship Match: Rhea Ripley (C) vs. Nia Jax
• Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Finn B?lor & Damian Priest (C) def. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate
• Women's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine Women's World Championship No. 1 Contender at WrestleMania): Becky Lynch def. Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton, and Raquel Rodriguez
• Men's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine the No. 1 Contender for World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania): Randy Orton vs Drew McIntyre vs Bobby Lashley vs LA Knight vs Kevin Owens vs Logan Paul
• Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes to appear on The Grayson Waller Effect

What did you think of the match? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

WWE's Elimination Chamber got things started with the Women's Chamber match, which featured a stacked lineup. Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton, and Becky Lynch all were set to battle it out for a shot at a WrestleMania Championship match, though there was already some bad blood set between Morgan, Belair, and Stratton on SmackDown the night before. The Chamber match was thrilling throughout, and while Stratton would be a frequent target, she still supremely impressed in her Chamber debut. Stratton would end up getting the first elimination but would fall to Morgan. Bianca would eliminate Rodriguez but would find herself eliminated next. Then Lynch would eliminate Morgan, getting the win and moving on to the Title match at WrestleMania 40.

Becky Lynch and Naomi got things underway, and Lynch knocked Naomi down with the first strike, though Naomi quickly returned the favor. The two stars traded cover attempts for a minute, and then Naomi would counter an arm-bar attempt to knock Lynch into the corner with a dropkick. Naomi continued to counter Lynch's attacks and went up top, but Lynch dodged the move and hit a dropkick of her own.

It was time for TIFFY to capitalize on the #WWEChamber chaos! pic.twitter.com/0NjjwenGbP

-- WWE (@WWE) February 24, 2024

The crowd had chanted for Becky early, and then We want Tiffy chants rang out as the battle went on. Naomi started to climb the cage and slammed Lynch into the cage wall multiple times before hitting a split leg drop and going for a cover back in the ring, but Lynch kicked out. The two collided in the middle of the ring after Lynch got back to her feet, and then it was time for a new competitor to enter.

That was Tiffany Stratton, who entered to big cheers. Stratton would knock both stars into opposite corners with style and then hit stomps on both as well. Stratton hit a spinebuster on Lynch and then went for a cover, but Lynch kicked out. Naomi then went up top and landed on both opponents for a cover attempt, but the kicked out. Lynch came in with a clothesline and a fallaway slam to Naomi, and Stratton then hit Lynch, leaving all three women down.

At one point Stratton used Lynch as a weapon to hit Naomi, and then lifted Naomi and slammed her onto Lynch. Naomi bounced back though with an attack of her own, knocking both opponents to the mat. Naomi then went up top and hit the moonsault on Lynch, but Stratton broke up a pin attempt and went for one of her own. Lynch would kick out, and then it was time for another superstar to enter the match.

That was Liv Morgan, who went right after Stratton and slammed her into four chamber doors. Morgan mocked Stratton and then hit a codebreaker on Lynch and Naomi. Morgan hit knee strikes on both opponents and then tried to pin Lynch but she kicked out. Stratton then came flying in and stomped Morgan, but Naomi knocked Stratton down right after. Stratton and Naomi countered each other's moves for a bit, but Lynch then went at Stratton in a big way. Lynch hit a Bex-Sploder against the cage wall and then had Stratton's arm through the cage for the Dis-Arm Her.

Naomi hit a Sunset Flip Powerbomb off the chamber pod and slammed Morgan to the mat, but Stratton then pinned Naomi in the chaos right after, getting the first elimination. A new superstar entered the match next, which would Raquel Rodriguez, who went right after Stratton. Rodriguez slammed Stratton down and went for the pin, but Stratton kicked out. Rodriguez caught Lynch in mid-air and slammed her into the cage wall several times before hitting Lynch with a fallaway slam. Rodriguez caught Stratton and then slammed her into the cage wall as well.

Morgan and Rodriguez exchanged punches until Rodriguez caught Morgan's codebreaker attempt and slammed her into the cage wall. Lynch hit a chop block on Rodriguez, and then Morgan and Stratton got involved, all attacking Rodriguez and going for the pin, but she kicked out. It was finally time for Bianca Belair to enter the match, and she went after Stratton. Belair pushed Stratton into a pod and then attacked Lynch and Morgan. The EST was on a roll, hitting a vertical suplex on Lynch. Stratton grabbed the braid but got slammed to the mat.

THIS IS AWE-SOME! ?? ???#WWEChamber pic.twitter.com/Luf1SaMyP7

-- WWE (@WWE) February 24, 2024

Belair and Rodriguez faced off, and Belair tried to lift Rodriguez at one point. Then Rodriguez did the same, but Belair was able to counter in the air and hit a DDT on Rodriguez, slamming her to the floor. The EST lifted Rodriguez again, but Stratton broke it up this time. Morgan was then up on top of a po and she hit a senton onto Rodriguez. Lynch and Stratton fought on top of that pod next, and Stratton pushed Lynch off the pod to the floor. Then Stratton launched off the pod with a swanton, taking out everyone.

Stratton hit a senton on Morgan and went for the monsault, but didn't get it. Instead, Morgan slammed Stratton down and went for the cover, getting the pin and eliminating her from the match. It's worth noting the crowd was not happy with her elimination.

Lynch and Rodriguez battled it out, with Rodriguez lifting both Lynch and Morgan fr a slam. Bianca then lifted Rodriguez and hit the K.O.D., eliminating Rodriguez. Belair then lifted Lynch and threw her onto Morgan before hitting a moonsault into a cover, but Lynch kicked out. The three superstars would trade near falls for a bit, with Belair looking like a monster at one point and almost getting the win. It was Morgan thought who would get the next elimination, pinning Belair in the midst of the chaos. As Belair was reeling, Lynch came in and pinned Morgan, stunning her and getting the win. Lynch will now get a Title shot at WrestleMania, facing either Rhea Ripley or Nia Jax for the Title.

• WWE Women's World Championship Match: Rhea Ripley (C) vs. Nia Jax
• Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Finn B?lor & Damian Priest (C) vs. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate
• Women's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine Women's World Championship No. 1 Contender at WrestleMania): Becky Lynch def. Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton, and Raquel Rodriguez
• Men's Elimination Chamber Match (to determine the No. 1 Contender for World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania): Randy Orton vs Drew McIntyre vs Bobby Lashley vs LA Knight vs Kevin Owens vs Logan Paul
• Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes to appear on The Grayson Waller Effect

What did you think of the Chamber match? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

The main event of TNA No Surrender saw Chris Sabin defend the TNA X-Division Championship against a debuting Mustafa Ali. The title was defended in the main event for the first time since 2005 at the Unbreakable PLE in a three-way. Since his departure from WWE last September, Ali has taken over the world of the independent wrestling scene. This match would mark his first real televised title win. For weeks Ali has popped up in TNA with a series of vignettes which he has become known for. Prior to his debut, in one of the videos he stated that "the fearful need leadership. They need someone to set an example, to show that change is possible and that by overcoming our fears, we can become stronger and attain not what we inherited by chance but that which we deserve." He called out Sabin for the X-Division title and the match was made official for No Surrender shortly after.

After some back and forth between competitors, Ali hits a 450 straight to Sabin's arm, changing the direction of the match completely. He gets Sabin down to the mat for a version of the STF but Sabin refuses to tap out. He wrenches Sabin's arm back to put more pressure on it but Sabin counters. Ali steps on his hand and tells him he's "not the champion we need." He stomps on his hand and then kicks him in the back of the head. Sabin baits him, creating separation with a German Suplex. They both go back and forth with kicks. Both down on the mat, the crowd begins to chant for Ali. They stand to their feet and Sabin regains a bit of momentum.

Sabin feeds off the crowd, kicking him straight in the leg. Ali rolls and catches Sabin on the top rope. Sabin plants Ali in the center of the ring with a DDT off the top rope. Sabin wipes out Ali's security but The Good Hands provide a distraction allowing Ali to get a kick in. Ali grabs a handful of his tights in an attempt to get a quick win but Sabin kicks out. As Ali launches off the ropes, Sabin hits the clothesline from Hell and the Cradle Shock, Ali shockingly kicks out! Frustrated, Sabin stomps on the hand of Ali giving him payback for earlier in the match. Sabin tries to put Ali on his shoulder for the Cradle Shock again, but this time off the top rope. However Ali avoids disaster, hitting the sunset flip bomb before heading to the top rope for a 450 splash straight onto Sabin to win the X-Division Championship.

Are you excited to see Ali hold gold? Who would you like to see him face for the X-Division title? Let us know in the comments!

DECAY defended the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championships against MK Ultra (Masha Slamovich and Killer Kelly) at TNA No Surrender. Slamovich and Kelly aimed to reclaim the titles that were taken from them by DECAY at Hard To Kill in January.

Havoc and Rosemary start the match off strong, whipping Slamovich into the corner. She gets bitten by Rosemary and as she hits the ropes Kelly grabs her legs and trips her up from the outside. As MK Ultra gain control of the match, they quickly tag in and out isolating Rosemary in an attempt to put her away early. However, Rosemary creates separation by hitting a clothesline to Kelly. She moves to hover over top of her, yelling into her face. Kelly, whose back is flat on the ring, pushes her body up, screaming into Rosemary's face and pinning her to the mat.

.@WeAreRosemary may have met her match in @Kelly_WP! #NoSurrender pic.twitter.com/XTgl9t31bw

-- TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) February 24, 2024

Rosemary does the same almost in an attempt to display dominance over each other. This is halted when Slamovich enters the match with a running boot. Rosemary counters the Snow Plow and tags in Havoc who is fired up. Kelly is hit with a Death Valley Driver from Havoc for a two count. The tag team champions are growing frustrated as they double team Kelly. Slamovich counters Rosemary's spear with the Snow Plow again and this time, they get a three count.

Following the match, MK Ultra beat down a helpless Decay in the ring. But they aren't alone -- at least not for long. Dani Luna and Jody Threat rush to the ring to save Decay from further injury at the hands of Slamovich and Kelly. MK Ultra has been messing with them for weeks but they return the favor for Havoc and Rosemary. MK Ultra won their first tag team championships in TNA at IMPACT Slammiversary against The Coven. After holding them for 182 days and dominating every female tag team in TNA, they met their match in Decay. They've both had incredibly successful singles careers in TNA.

At the beginning of 2023, she faced Mickie James, a five-time Knockouts World Champion. Although James defeated Slamovich, it set her on a trajectory straight to the top of the Knockouts division. Kelly has been wrestling for TNA/IMPACT for four years at this point but her time in the company really began picking up steam at Hard To Kill 2023 right before she and Slamovich officially teamed up.

Are you happy to see Slamovich and Kelly as TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champions again? Let us know in the comments!

At TNA No Surrender, Moose defended the TNA World Championship against former TNA World Champion Alex Shelley. In the first ever "No Surrender" match stipulation, each competitor will make their way to the ring with a group of people in their corner. They will be holding towels that will physically have to be thrown into the ring in order to end the match. Basically, your allies hold your fate in their hands. Although there are no disqualifications, if someone gets involved in the match it could result in a disqualification and the title will change hands. Shelley is accompanied by Kushida and Kevin Knight while Moose is accompanied by The System.

Early on into the match, Shelley grabs a wrench and uses it on Moose's fingers in the corner of the ring setting the tone for the distraction this match will no doubt cause. The System wants to throw in the towel but they don't, instead Moose barks orders at them because he wants a weapon of his own. He grabs a steel chair and attacks Shelley's arm and hand. Kushida appears to want to throw in the towel but he refuses. Shelley hits a dragon screw on Moose's injured left leg. Shelley gets him tied up in the corner and kicks him in the hamstring. He hits another dragon screw, absolutely torturing the champion. Shelley grabs a kendo stick and goes straight for his leg. He traps the kendo stick between his leg and Moose, using it as leverage for a crab.

Shelley gets distracted allowing Moose to hit a uranage but Moose is very clearly injured. He asks for the trash can, setting it up opening side down in the ring. He sets Shelley up on the top turnbuckle. Shelley counters, biting Moose, and throwing him straight into the trash can, flattening the side of it. Shelley sets up for the figure four on the injured left knee but Moose tries to counter, reversing the pressure. Shelley makes it to the ropes but it's no use as it's a No DQ. He rolls over to get close to the ring apron allowing Moose to grab the kendo stick and get his revenge.

Moose hobbles on one lag while asking for a table. Moose attempts a spear to Shelley through the table but Shelley scouts it and sets up for the Motor City Stretch locks it in on the injured right arm. Moose crawls for the ropes and reaches out where he is handed brass knuckles by Brian Meyers. Shelley moves out of the way once again for a spear and Moose ends up spearing himself. Moose once again goes fora spear, this time connecting with Shelley. Kushida doesn't know what to do as Moose wraps the chain around his body and goes for another spear. Shelley begs Kushida not to throw the towel in but he does anyway and Moose spears him once again.

After making his long-awaited return at Survivor Series, Randy Orton hit the ground running and has continued to be in the main event picture on WWE SmackDown. That leads us to this weekend, which is a big one for the Viper, as he will have a chance to secure a WrestleMania Title shot at Elimination Chamber. Then on Sunday Orton will be in the spotlight again as the subject of Biography: WWE Legends' season premiere. ComicBook.com had the chance to speak to Orton ahead of the anticipated premiere, and Orton confirmed that they were filming during the early part of his time away from WWE, which was a time when Orton wasn't sure if he would ever get to return to the ring.

"Well, as far as the documentary goes, we did film all of it. In fact, while I was out, and they followed me around to a doctor appointment in the middle of that first six months when I was out after Riddle and I dropped the titles to the Usos," Orton said. "And they were around when I wasn't quite sure if I was going to be able to return to the ring. It was still up in the air. So I believe some of it will be documented. I saw an early version, but I know that they've made a lot of cuts since then, so I honestly am not quite sure everything that's going to be discussed."

The episode will also dive into other aspects of Orton's life, including a critical point in time when he was discharged from the Marine Corps at the age of 19. While he has spoken about that in the past, Orton really opens up about what led to that event and what happened in detail.

"But I do know that it was important to me that I talk about the Marine Corps and the bad conduct discharge when I was 19 years old, because I've always been really open about that, but I haven't dived into why, what happened, what led up to the bad conduct discharge," Orton said. "So I think that'll just get people to understand where I was coming from a little bit more, maybe humanize me a little bit and get people to relate, because maybe they would've done the same thing if they were in my situation."

"As far as not being sure about returning to the ring, it was rough. For about six months I was home, and I was in a lot of pain, and I was trying to find the doctor or doctors that were going to be able to fix my spine and make me more durable than ever and able to be an athlete again," Orton said. "And the problem is a spinal fusion is usually reserved for elderly, slash obese people. And when it's done, it's a hack job. They cut through muscle, and your core is never the same. You're never really the same, and to be an athlete after a spinal fusion just isn't in the cards."

Thankfully a new technique allowed Orton to not just return to the ring but return better than ever. "But there are some new techniques out there. There's some hardware that was just invented less than a decade ago, and I had the privilege of having three different doctors, one that invented the hardware that's on the back of my spine. A frontal approach specialist, she went in through my stomach and basically dissected me like a frog by peeling the fascia back," Orton said.

"They didn't cut through any muscle, because when you cut through muscle and then you stitch it back together, that muscle never heals like it once was, and it'll render you a non-athlete. It'll make things difficult. Your body will never function quite the same. And the core is very, very important. It helps you do everything, especially if you're in that wrestling ring. So because of what they did during that surgery, I was able to recover and then strengthen to where I was able to do things in the gym that I hadn't been able to do since I was in my late twenties," Orton said.

Biography: WWE Legends begins a new season on Sunday, February 25th at 9/8 PM CST.

Who do you want to see Orton take on next? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

WWE SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis has made some big moves for the blue brand lately, and the latest was signing free agent Bron Breakker to the SmackDown roster. After several weeks of negotiations, Aldis revealed Breakker as a SmackDown superstar last week, and tonight Breakker made his in-ring debut for the brand against Dante Chen. Breakker picked up Chen and slammed him down quickly, and after eating a dropkick, Breakker quickly rebounded and ran into Chen like a freight train, knocking Chen down with a shoulder tackle. Then Breakker built up speed again and delivered another powerful collision, setting him up for a spear and subsequently the win. Breakker won in dominating fashion, and should be a major player on SmackDown.

Granted, there wasn't much doubt about that for those who have watched him evolve over the past year in NXT. Breakker's had some welcome appearances on Raw since, but his biggest spotlight came at this year's Royal Rumble, where Breakker ended up looking like a monster. That was in part due to a thrilling clash with Gunther, who Breakker actually looked like a threat against.

Bron Breakker makes his #SmackDown Debut! pic.twitter.com/RnsMHaxGil

-- WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) February 24, 2024

During a conference call ahead of NXT Vengeance Day, Shawn Michaels was asked about those spotlight moments for Breakker, Tiffany Stratton, Roxanne Perez, and Carmelo Hayes. Michaels said he now understands a bit of what Triple H felt with his NXT group previously, and Michaels couldn't be prouder of all the talent.

"Well, look, obviously huge for them and huge for NXT," Michaels said. "I guess as I was telling them the other day, I had to pull them in Monday and just... Look, I'm so proud of all of them. Bron and Melo and Tiffany are sort of, I don't know, the foundational people that we built this around from certainly my beginning. And it's been just a heck of a journey with them."

"And I now know I think how Hunter feels all the time watching a locker room full of his NXT guys just doing such a fantastic job out there. You really do. You're so proud of them. And to your point, I think everybody had really fantastic moments," Michaels said. "It was fun and enjoyable for them. It was everything you wanted it to be and everything I think they hoped it would be. And that's always the best."

"And look, I'll never get tired of having Melo and Bron look at me from across the room and just come walking up and hugging them after doing such a fantastic job," Michaels said. "It is. It's the reason... I don't know, it's the reason that I do this, when you get to watch them, and the look on their face. It really is incredibly rewarding. And I know it doesn't... It's sentimental and wishy-washy and oh, lovey-dovey and all of that. And not nearly as cool, as I guess it should be. But for those of us going through it with them, it really is fantastic."

"And again, they've earned it, they deserve it. Tiffany was out there again looking like she belonged, just doing a spectacular job with the big kahunas of the WWE Women's Division. And out there and hanging tough. So, incredibly proud of everybody, and honestly, a really big, big day and a big spotlight for NXT," Michaels said.

What did you think of Breakker's SmackDown debut? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

At TNA No Surrender, Ace Austin and Chris Bey once again defended the TNA World Tag Team Championships against the Grizzled Young Vets. In the past month since GYV debuted in TNA, they entered into a feud with the tag team champions, set on proving that they are the best tag team in the world. This led to a best of three series that would see each team pick up a win over the other. The first match was won by the GYV while Ace and Bey got their revenge in the second, evening the odds. The third match was a winner takes all situation as both teams were tied, and they threw everything at one another.

GYV isolate Austin early, attacking his arm but at this point, he's able to tag in Bey. They work in tandem for a beat until GYV regains control Zack Gibson locks him into their corner, suplexing him back over the ropes and into the ring. He hits Bey with a forearm shot in the face and then flips him around to choke him against the ropes. Gibson sets Bey up on the ropes while James Drake tags in, throwing relentless shots into his face and screaming at him. They take out Austin just before Bey can tag in but he kicks out anyway and Austin gets back in the ring, furious. While the referee is distracted, Drake takes advantage of the situation, choking Bey with the scarf, a callback to their first match that GYV won.

Austin is fired up as he gets his payback with the scarf. ABC regain momentum as Bey gets the tag in. He frog splashes off the top rope and they lift up Drake face first as Austin hits a twisting moonsault. Austin and Bey call for the 1-2-Sweet but Drake catches Bey in a sleeper in the center of the ring Austin is locked up by Gibson. They both fight through the pain, refusing to tap and the lose the titles. Bey manages to break free as GYV fire themselves up calling to "finish them."

Austin gets caught by Gibson and Drake on the outside, Drake hits a doomsday device on him straight to the floor. Bey is defiant as he stands alone in the ring against both men. He is able to fight back momentarily but it appears like Bey is about to give in as he gets hit with a coast to coast but he stays alive. Austin pushes Drake down and uses the scarf against Gibson for what he did to them in their first match. They finally set up the 1-2-Sweet but this time they land it and retain the TNA World Tag Team Championships.

Ace and Bey are in their second reign as TNA World Tag Team Champions currently standing at 126 days as of this writing. They reclaimed the championships from The Rascalz, whom they lost them to in the first place, at last year's Bound for Glory pay-per-view. Provided they hold the tag team titles until TNA Rebellion in April, they will have beaten their previous reign of 140 days.

Bianca Belair got things started on WWE SmackDown, taking place the eve before her match at Elimination Chamber. She would be ringside for a match between two of her competitors Liv Morgan and Tiffany Stratton. That would come into play late in the match, as Stratton would punch Belair before running into the ring. That led to Belair running after her, but while the referee was distracted with that, Morgan was able to pin Stratton for the 3-count. Unfortunately, the referee didn't see it, and that led to Morgan colliding with Belair and setting up Stratton for a big win before she walks into the Elimination Chamber.

Morgan was on the attack early and caused Stratton to leave the ring and towards the back. Morgan caught up to her and slammed Stratton into the barricade and then slammed her into the steel steps. Morgan got knocked down with a clothesline from Stratton and Stratton followed up with kicks to keep Morgan down. Stratton slammed Morgan into the turnbuckle but Morgan countered a move and hit a backstabber and went for a cover.

?@tiffstrattonwwe #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/HB9iM5beAX

-- WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) February 24, 2024

Stratton kicked out but Morgan stayed aggressive, throwing Stratton into the corner. Stratton hit the double stomps and went for the cover, but Morgan kicked out. Stratton threw Morgan and then almost got pinned with by Morgan, but Stratton kicked out and rolled out of the ring.

Back from the commercial, Stratton was in control. Stratton taunted Morgan several times, which only angered Morgan, but Stratton was able to keep things close. Morgan hit a few shoulder tackles and then kicked Stratton into the corner. Morgan hit a knee strike and then went up top and hit the codebreaker into a cover, but Stratton kicked out of the pin.

Morgan got caught and slammed down by Stratton into a cover, but Morgan kicked out. Stratton went for the prettiest moonsault ever but Morgan dodged it and hit a double stomp. Morgan slammed Stratton down and went for a pin, but Stratton kicked out. Stratton avoided Morgan's next move and hit a powerbomb on Liv, but Morgan was still able to kick out of the pin. Stratton dragged Morgan over for another moonsault, but Morgan stopped this one too. Morgan then hit a powerbomb but Stratton kicked out.

Before Stratton headed back to the ring she slapped Belair in the face and ran back in. Belair chased her and the referee stopped her from entering the ring, but Morgan had pinned Stratton for a three count at the same time. Stratton kicked Morgan away and that caused her to run into Belair, knocking her off the ring apron to the floor.

Stratton capitalized and pinned Morgan when she turned around, getting the victory against her Elimination Chamber opponents. Stratton ran out of the ring before Morgan and Belair could catch up with her, and they will surely be looking for payback tomorrow.

What did you think of the match, and who do you think will walk away the winner of the Women's Elimination Chamber match? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!

The main event of AEW Revolution is up in the air. As of this writing, AEW World Champion Samoa Joe is scheduled to defend his prize in a triple threat match against Swerve Strickland and "Hangman" Adam Page. This past Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, all three men were involved in a trios bout, with Swerve and Joe uniting with Brian Cage to oppose Hangman and the team of Hook and Rob Van Dam. Late into the contest, Hangman put Swerve through the announce table, taking him out of the equation. Not long after that, Hangman clipped his ankle and was visibly shaken up about it, encouraging AEW cameras not to film him as he struggled to return to the backstage area.

Within hours, reports circulated that Hangman was just selling and that he is "fine" ahead of AEW Revolution. That said, there was speculation that even if Hangman is legitimately healthy, this ankle injury will be worked into the pay-per-view's headlining storyline.

Swerve Strickland Responds to Hangman Page's Injury

The AEW Revolution game changes significantly if Hangman is out of the question.

Speaking to ComicBook.com, Swerve Strickland addressed Hangman Page's AEW Revolution status following this past Wednesday's AEW Dynamite, questioning whether the former AEW World Champion is downplaying the significance of his injury.

"It changes a lot because me and the Hangman, I know his game, I know his style," Swerve said. "I've studied this man. I've endured a lot from this man. Hangman is a tough dude but he is also overly prideful. There's a lot of rumors going around about the possibility of him being hurt, but people are reporting that he had been walking around fine in the back after said injury. I think that's his pride overshadowing the fact that his body just can't go at the moment. Whether he shows up, whether he can do the match, whether or not we don't know."

Swerve and Hangman have battled on three separate occasions now, with Swerve being victorious in the first two encounters. The two men went to a time-limit draw in their third match.

"The man's very prideful. He would be the one to hide that he is more hurt than he actually is," Swerve continued. "I wasn't there. He put me through the announce table. I couldn't see him. I didn't know what was going on with him in the match at that time. What it sounds like he's being a very prideful individual and he is not letting the world know how actually really torn he really is right now."

Even though Swerve's chances at becoming AEW World Champion go up in a one-on-one match, he admittedly has no in-ring familiarity with the titleholder.

"I've never faced Samoa Joe," Swerve noted. "Me and Samoa Joe haven't really had real one-on-one contact yet. I'm not sure what to really expect with him. At the same time, there's advantages. He doesn't really know what to expect with me."

AEW Revolution goes down on Sunday, March 3rd.

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins has been a consistent performer in WWE for over a decade. First debuting on the main roster in 2012 with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose (AEW's Jon Moxley) as The Shield, they went on to dominate the men's singles and tag team divisions. When Rollins turned on his brothers, he joined forces with The Authority and began his ascent to stardom. He won his first WWE World Championship at WrestleMania 31 when he famously ran down and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract against Reigns and Brock Lesnar. In the years since, he's become a multi-time champion, earning the title of a Grand Slam champion with his Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 34. A year later, he defeated Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 35.

In the last 12 years, he hasn't taken his foot off of the gas. Despite injuries at setbacks, he's never let it stop him from racking up accolade after accolade. In the last year he's redefined the men's division yet again as the first-ever World Heavyweight Champion, a title that many wrote off as a "consolation" prize when it was revealed last year. With Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship just a few times a year, WWE needed a consistent, fighting champion -- Rollins was the answer. As WrestleMania 40 rolls around, Rollins' storyline has begun to take a bit of a backseat to the Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Rock saga. Placing himself directly in the center of it, there may be a world where Rhodes and Rollins team up at WrestleMania against The Rock and Reigns. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but the situation sure hasn't stopped Rollins from talking about the situation at large.

The Rock made his grand return following Rhodes' monumental win at the Royal Rumble. The first consecutive winner in 26 years, Rhodes immediately called out Reigns for the championship. This obviously excited fans who wish to see him "finish the story" at WrestleMania but then Rock showed up. That moment on SmackDown became WWE's most disliked video on their YouTube channel and it led fans to trending "#WeWantCody" for days straight. WWE somewhat addressed it at the WrestleMania press conference when Rock slapped Rhodes for bringing up he and Reigns' families, which Rollins inadvertently inserted himself into as well.

Rock has taken on his Hollywood Rock "heel" persona since then, making it clear that he's not going anywhere and it would appear that Rollins specifically isn't taking too kindly to it. "Yeah, he's gonna open his mouth, run his mouth, say the same old crap he's been saying for the last two decades because he can't come up with any new material," Rollins told Mail Sport. "Bottom line is, he is an afterthought. This is our story, our era. We've built the last decade of WWE, this Elimination Chamber show, this WrestleMania will be the biggest ever; we built it without him. He's been off doing his own thing and I'm not taking anything away from him; he laid the groundwork for it but we built it, man. We built the wall, we built the roof, we've got this sorted. He can come in and have a little tea but we will shoe him on the way out. Happy to have him, happier to see him go," Rollins said.

He goes on to say that Rock is certainly a sight to behold but he made the jump to Hollywood and hasn't had a real match in a decade. "He is a specimen, he is a specimen. But he hasn't had a match in a decade. John Cena, two times at WrestleMania. Had a couple of stuff, a tag team match and a couple of appearances here and there. I'm on a different level right now. I am in my prime. I am operating at a level so high above any level he's ever operated at. He couldn't lace my boots in the best years of his career, let alone now. I'm just saying."

Jordynne Grace is one of the flag-bearers as TNA embarks on its new era. Grace captured the TNA Knockouts Championship this past January at TNA Hard to Kill, the first pay-per-view under the TNA banner in over seven years. While this began Grace's third reign with her employer's top women's championship, it was the first time she was holding the TNA-branded version of the Knockouts Championship.

Speaking to ComicBook.com, Grace reflected on her emotions during the day of TNA Hard to Kill ahead of her marquee match.

"I just felt overwhelmed by everything. I mean when you're there, you're worrying about not just the match, but how you're representing yourself and the company backstage, and oftentimes that's more important than what you actually do in the ring," Grace said. "I was really just trying not to step on toes, being as nice as I could. I think I shook every person's hand in the building probably 10 times each, just because I wanted to make sure I didn't forget anyone. It was very overwhelming."

Grace's TNA Knockouts Championship victory came one year to the day after her last reign with the gold ended.

"I feel a lot more confident," Grace said when asked how much she's changed since her last run as champion. "I've been at TNA for six years and I feel like everything that I've done there has got me to this point. I feel like the opportunities they've given me to show what I can do and to learn more, both in the ring and out of the ring, I really felt a hundred percent prepared in that aspect. The only thing that I was really nervous about was just the backstage interactions. You never know what someone thinks about you, and especially with social media now, there's all kinds of things that could be misconstrued. Backstage and in the ring, I'm a walking wrestling advertisement, If I don't do well, that's going to reflect badly on my company and I don't want that at all."

Representing TNA has already come in big ways for Grace. Just weeks after winning the TNA Knockouts Championship, Grace competed in the WWE Women's Royal Rumble Match, following in Mickie James's footsteps.

"My biggest goal now is to hopefully get more fans to watch the product," Grace said when asked about what she hopes comes from her Royal Rumble appearance. "Because if you think that I'm a decent wrestler, there are wrestlers that we have like Josh Alexander, Mike Bailey, these are guys that are just incredible wrestlers. I feel like if fans are going to tune in because of me, they need to stick around for guys like that because those guys deserve all the eyes in the world on them."

While Grace's latest reign as TNA Knockouts Champion is just beginning, she's proven before that she can hold that championship for the long run. Her longest Knockouts Title reign lasted 208 days, the fifth-longest reign in the title's history, 69 days behind Taya Valkyrie's record 377-day reign.

"It would be a huge honor to be the longest reigning Knockouts World Champion," Grace said. "It's definitely a dream of mine. I also would love to have the most title defenses in that time out of any knockout. I just want to have good, great matches with as many women as I possibly can."

Grace's next defense comes against Gisele Shaw at TNA No Surrender which streams live on TNA+ tonight at 8 PM ET.

AEW continues to surround its behind-the-scenes team with experienced televised wrestling talent. In just about the past year, AEW has bolstered its backstage team with Senior VP and Co-Executive Producer Mike Mansury, the man once thought to succeed longtime WWE Executive Producer Kevin Dunn, as well as veteran independent stars like Chris Hero and Jimmy Jacobs in producing roles. Just days after she departed WWE, AEW announced the signing of Jennifer Pepperman, an Emmy Award-winning writer who spent seven years working for the global leader in sports-entertainment. Pepperman holds the title of AEW Vice President of Content Development.

AEW's New VP Once Stood Up to Vince McMahon

Jennifer Pepperman is not hesitant to hold her ground.

Speaking on his Strictly Business podcast, former WWE SmackDown Executive Director Eric Bischoff reflected on his time working with Pepperman in WWE.

"I didn't work closely with Jennifer when I was in WWE back in 2019. She was not a part of my team, although that didn't really mean much because nobody really knew who was on which writing staff, there was so much discussion and transition," Bischoff said. "I got to know Jennifer and really, really liked her. I respect her work, she's got a tremendous background. She understands storytelling, she's tough. She's a very sweet person, easy to get along with, she's got a great personality and she's very outgoing."

Bischoff's last run in WWE lasted just four months, as he was fired just days after WWE SmackDown moved to FOX. This was during a time when then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, who is currently facing a sex trafficking lawsuit, had his fingerprints all over the WWE product, leaving many employees in positions of power helpless to make final decisions on their own.

While Bischoff was subject to much of McMahon's meddling, he noted that Pepperman didn't shy away from her former boss.

"She's also tough. She's not going to be intimidated. I've watched her interact with Vince, and Vince can be very, very intimidating. I watched her stand up to Vince," Bischoff continued. "I watched her react to pressure that a lot of creative people that I've worked with in the past would've probably taken pretty hard. She digs in and does the work."

Pepperman officially began with AEW this past Wednesday and will work her first AEW pay-per-view on Sunday, March 3rd in the form of AEW Revolution.

The Elimination Chamber Match celebrates its 22nd birthday this year. The unforgiving steel structure was introduced at WWE Survivor Series 2002, having then-World Heavyweight Champion Triple H defend his title against five competitors in a gauntlet-style elimination match with a Royal Rumble-esque countdown twist. WWE has held 32 iterations of the match since, putting everything from world titles to tag team championships on the line and eventually having female superstars compete inside. Heading into this weekend, WWE will hold two Elimination Chamber Matches, one men's and one women's, with title shots at WWE WrestleMania 40 on the line. For some superstars, chances at history are also up for grabs.

Men's Elimination Chamber Appearances

Randy Orton breaks the record for most Men's Elimination Chamber Match appearances this weekend.

Orton heads into Australia tied with Chris Jericho for most times competing inside the structure at eight apiece. Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre both compete in their third Men's Elimination Chamber Matches, Kevin Owens is in his second, and Logan Paul and LA Knight enter their first.

Men's Elimination Chamber Eliminations

If Orton is as dominant this weekend as he tends to be at WWE Survivor Series, he could break two records.

The Viper currently sits in third place for all-time eliminations inside Men's Elimination Chamber Matches with six. Chris Jericho (10) and Triple H (7) sit ahead of him in first and second, respectively. If Orton is able to eliminate the entire men's field by himself, he will eclipse Jericho's record.

Women's Elimination Chamber Appearances

Liv Morgan furthers the gap between herself and second place for this record.

Morgan currently has the most appearances in Women's Elimination Chamber Matches at four and will compete in her fifth this weekend. Bianca Belair, Raquel Rodriguez and Naomi will become tied for second after this weekend, as WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 will be each of their second time competing in the titular contest.

Women's Elimination Chamber Victories

Speaking of Belair, she has the chance to solidify herself as the most victorious inside the chamber.

Through five total Women's Elimination Chamber Matches there have been five unique winners: Alexa Bliss (2018), Sasha Banks and Bayley (2019) [tag team], Shayna Baszler (2020), Bianca Belair (2022), and Asuka (2023). Belair is the only past winner competing in this year's Women's Elimination Chamber Match, which leaves her with the opportunity to become the match's first repeat winner in women's history.

Women's Elimination Chamber Eliminations

Belair also has the chance to beat Shayna Baszler's eliminations record.

Baszler had the most dominant performance in Elimination Chamber history in 2020, becoming the only superstar to eliminate the entire field by herself. Baszler's five eliminations has stood as the most combined eliminations for four years now, even though they all came in one match. With Belair currently sitting at two total, four eliminations this weekend would put her at six total, making a new record in the process. Raquel Rodriguez (1) and Liv Morgan (1) also could break the record if either one takes out the entire field by herself. The rest of the competitors (Tiffany Stratton, Becky Lynch, Naomi) could tie Baszler if any of them record five eliminations.

WWE Elimination Chamber goes down on Saturday, February 24th at 5 AM ET.

WWE continues to emphasize the "global" part of its "global leader in sports-entertainment" superlative. Dating back to its ten-year partnership with Saudi Arabia in 2018, WWE has made an extra effort to bring various premium live events to international markets. WWE Crown Jewel has become an annual staple in the aforementioned Saudi Arabia while events like WWE Clash at the Castle 2022 in the United Kingdom as well as WWE Backlash 2023 in Puerto Rico have continued to flesh out WWE's overseas reach. The trend continues this weekend when WWE ventures to Australia for WWE Elimination Chamber.

Similar to WWE Crown Jewel 2021 when WWE brought the Hell in a Cell structure to Saudi Arabia for Seth Rollins vs. Edge, this year's WWE Elimination Chamber being in the land down under necessitated that WWE transport the unforgiving steel structure over 11,000 miles from the United States to Perth, Australia.

Pirates Rerouted WWE Elimination Chamber's Transport

The Elimination Chamber was forced to walk the plank.

As revealed by WWE commentator Michael Cole during the WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event, pirates forced WWE to reroute the Elimination Chamber's travel to Australia.

"The structure took over a month to get here. Originally it was supposed to ship through the Suez Canal, but pirates made sure that didn't happen," Cole said. "So it was sent to Miami, it was then shipped by truck to Los Angeles, put on a ship to Sydney, sent on a train to Perth, and now the Elimination Chamber is being constructed as we speak."

Michael Cole once again mentioning the pirates that forced them to re-route the delivery of the Elimination Chamber structure. #WWEChamber pic.twitter.com/NNnzbUNdBZ

-- Tim Jarrell of PWUnlimited (@TimmyBuddy) February 23, 2024

WWE Elimination Chamber goes down on Saturday, February 24th. The premium live event will begin bright and early at 5 AM ET in the United States due to the time difference with Australia.

WWE Elimination Chamber Card

• WWE Women's World Championship: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Nia Jax
• Men's Elimination Chamber Match: Logan Paul vs. LA Knight vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
• Women's Elimination Chamber Match: Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Raquel Rodriguez
  
• Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Damian Priest and Finn Balor (c) vs. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate
• The Grayson Waller Effect with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes
• Kickoff - WWE Women's Tag Team Championships: Asuka and Kairi Sane (c) vs. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell

WWE's sale to Endeavor resulted in some casualties. Upon the acquisition, Endeavor announced that it would merge WWE with its other combat sports asset, UFC, into one publicly-traded company called TKO. Once that merger was finalized, WWE laid off a significant amount of its employees including dozens of talent on its in-ring roster. Those cuts claimed former main event-caliber stars like Dolph Ziggler and Matt Riddle. Fortunately for those who received pink slips, wrestling life outside of WWE is thriving stronger than it ever has before, with standouts Matt Cardona (formerly WWE's Zack Ryder) enjoying more mainstream success and higher paydays across the independent scene than he ever did in WWE.

The aforementioned Ziggler and Riddle wasted no time in making splashes in the greater wrestling world. Ziggler, now wrestling under his real name of Nic Nemeth, joined both New Japan Pro Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action this past January. Riddle admitted that he is hesitant to begin another televised wrestling schedule but has made one-off appearances for New Japan as well as Major League Wrestling.

Nic Nemeth and Matt Riddle Win NJPW Gold

While neither Nic Nemeth nor Matt Riddle are under a NJPW contract, both men have cemented themselves as regulars for the Far East's top promotion.

That's because both Nemeth and Riddle won gold at NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo. Nemeth defeated David Finlay to become IWGP Global Champion while Riddle took down Hiroshi Tanahashi to capture the NJPW WORLD Television Title.

Nemeth is just the second IWGP Global Champion, as the title was officially introduced this past January at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18. It replaced the IWGP United States / United Kingdom Championship but did not carry on those titles' lineage. This is Nemeth's first championship since April 2022 when he reigned as NXT Champion. Prior to that, Nemeth had not held a singles title since Summer 2018.

Riddle is just the third NJPW WORLD Television Champion. The title to represent New Japan's streaming service was introduced at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 and was won by Zack Sabre Jr. The technical wizard went on to hold the title for exactly one year, losing it at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 to Tanahashi. Riddle had almost the exact same championship drought as Nemeth, last holding gold in May 2022 in the form of the Raw Tag Team Championship.

Eric Young is one of the most recognizable names in professional wrestling. He's wrestled all over the world, including a stint in WWE that lasted four years from 2016-2020. Just four months after his departure from the company, he began popping up in IMPACT/TNA where he made his in-ring return at Slammiversary 2020. He quietly re-signed with WWE in 2022 but after Vince McMahon made his way back to the company, Young wanted nothing to do with him and asked for his release. He returned to IMPACT/TNA where he's wrestled pretty consistently and when it came time to assess his status and whether he'd enter free agency again or renew his agreement, he ultimately decided to re-sign.

Young has revealed that in the time since his return, he was approached by AEW about potentially coming in, but the veteran was "not interested" as he feels it's not the place for him. "No, I don't think so (I would work for AEW if they asked me to). No, I'm not interested," Young told K & S WrestleFest. "We definitely had a bit of a discussion last time when I was a free agent there a couple months ago. Just not for me. I'm glad that it exists. I've got tons of really good friends that are there and there's tons of die-hard fans that love it. The more wrestling, the better, the more jobs, the better and I wish them all the luck. It's just not for me. I will wrestle and finish my career at TNA Wrestling and then I'll disappear and then move into the woods... I don't think Tony (Khan) thinks of me that way (to back up the Brink's truck), so he's not gonna do that. He's always been polite to me. I don't have anything bad to say about him but I don't think I'm his cup of tea. I'm not an internet guy, I've never been an internet guy. I'm just not one of those guys. I don't post my matches, I don't care about how many stars the internet gave me. So, I'm not concerned with that world. I'm worried about my employees and how many stars my employees give me and the people that pay me. That's what I'm worried about. That's it."

The TNA original has held a total of twelve titles during his tenure with TNA which has spanned over two decades. Young is slated to wrestle Frankie Kazarian at this weekend's No Surrender pay-per-view in New Orleans, Louisiana. The winner of that match will challenge either Moose or Alex Shelley at Sacrifice for the TNA World Championship.

TNA No Surrender Match Card:

• Countdown: Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers vs. KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight
• Countdown: The Rascalz vs. Mike Bailey & Trent Seven
• TNA World Championship (No Surrender Rules): Moose (c) (with Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards) vs. Alex Shelley (with KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight)
• Josh Alexander vs. Simon Gotch
• TNA Knockouts World Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) vs. Gisele Shaw
• TNA X-Division Championship: Chris Sabin (c) vs. Mustafa Ali
• TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship: Decay (c) vs. MK Ultra
• TNA World Tag Team Championship (Match 3 in Best of 3 Series): ABC (c) vs. GYV
• PCO vs. Kon
• World Title #1 Contender's Match: Eric Young vs. Frankie Kazarian
  

H/T: POST Wrestling

Triple H is finally commenting on Cody Rhodes' unforgettable moment in the early days of AEW when he smashed the throne.

At Double or Nothing 2019, Rhodes made his entrance for his first AEW match against his brother Dustin. It was no doubt going to be an emotional moment for them and the fans watching in the venue and at home but what Rhodes did next shocked the entire internet. While making his entrance, he smashed a throne that featured the Iron Cross emblem that Triple H often uses with a sledgehammer. The moment went viral on the internet and at the time Rhodes told the media that more than anything, it was done as a way to show that he's not just an Executive Vice President in AEW, he's also a wrestler. "I'm going to play ball. I know we don't say 'competition,' but it pretty much stands for itself," Rhodes said.

Years later Rhodes would depart AEW and return to WWE where it immediately led to questions from fans whether or not things had been made right between the two. Rhodes has previously stated that they hadn't talked about the situation at all since he's been back. As it turns out, Triple H never had a problem with it, admitting that he laughed about it and if he had been in Rhodes' shoes he would have done the same. "I laughed about it then," Triple H told Allan & Carly. "You know, people make that stuff out to be so much more than it is to me. If I was in his shoes, I would've done the same thing. And it's one of the things I love about Cody is I've watched Cody go from being a kid in this business, and I don't mean that as disrespectful. Just literally a kid, his dad was, in some ways, a mentor to me."

The Game went on to talk about how he and Dusty Rhodes really made NXT what it is today. Triple H noted that what Rhodes was able to do after his initial release was "monumental" and makes him "undeniable." "We started NXT together. He was a big part of that system. I learned a lot from Dusty and sort of sitting under his learning tree as well. And we had a wonderful partnership, and to see him grow from literally this kid to coming in and trying to find his way in the business and come out of his dad's shadow which was monumental."

"And then gambling on himself to go find himself and find who he was. It wasn't, and I don't want people to read into this; it wasn't about where he went; it was about the journey. It was about him going and finding himself and proving to himself that he could stand outside of his father's shadow. And it wasn't this machine trying to make him his dad's kid or anything else. It was finding himself, and he did that to the point where he was, and he says it in his thing to where he was undeniable."

H/T: WrestleZone

Will Ospreay's AEW tenure begins imminently. The Aerial Assassin signed with All Elite Wrestling this past November at AEW Full Gear, putting pen to paper over three months before he was officially set to become a free agent thanks to a blessing from his then-employer New Japan Pro Wrestling. Ospreay is no stranger to AEW audiences as he has wrestled over a dozen matches for the company already during Forbidden Door crossovers as well as at pay-per-views like AEW ALL IN: London and AEW WrestleDream. Because of his established history, Ospreay heads into AEW with a storyline already in place, as he is set to pick up where he left off within The Don Callis Family.

That said, it remains to be seen as to how cordial Ospreay and Callis will be with each other now that they exist under the same roof. Prior to signing with AEW, Ospreay operated as a heel and aligned with Callis to cement that status. In the time since, Ospreay has emerged as one of professional wrestling's most beloved figures, regularly receiving rave reactions within NJPW and the British independent scene.

Will Ospreay's Official AEW Dynamite Debut Announced

The answer to Will Ospreay's allegiances could come as soon as next week.

As announced by commentary on this past Wednesday's AEW Dynamite, Ospreay will make his first televised appearance as a member of the AEW roster on the February 28th edition of AEW Dynamite. There is no word on whether Ospreay will appear before the live crowd or in a backstage segment.

Whatever the case may be, expect Ospreay to share the screen with The Don Callis Family. As of this writing, Don Callis is promoting Ospreay's AEW Revolution match against The Don Callis Family's Konosuke Takeshita as a friendly competition. This AEW Dynamite appearance could lock that in or switch the match to follow a traditional face vs. heel dynamic, with Ospreay assuming the role of fan favorite.

Ospreay's AEW Dynamite debut happens on Wednesday, February 28th.

AEW Revolution Card

• AEW World Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Swerve Strickland vs. "Hangman" Adam Page
• AEW Women's Championship: "Timeless" Toni Storm (c) vs. Deonna Purrazzo
• AEW Tag Team Championships: Sting and Darby Allin (c) vs. The Young Bucks
• AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Roderick Strong
• AEW Continental Crown Championship: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Bryan Danielson
• AEW TNT Championship: Christian Cage (c) vs. Daniel Garcia
• Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita
• Meat Madness: Wardlow vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. TBA

AEW Revolution goes down on Sunday, March 3rd and will stream on Bleacher Report Live.

Over the years, AEW has had their fair share of visa-related issues with its talent. While that doesn't necessarily mean it's a big problem, many of AEW's top stars aren't from the United States. Because of this, it's shelved people like former AEW champions Kenny Omega, Jamie Hayter, and the Lucha Bros until the issues were resolved. Sometimes it gets solved rather quickly but others can have a much harder time getting things resolved.

Aussie Open's Kyle Fletcher who is currently the Ring of Honor Television Champion is currently one of those names. Fightful Select is reporting that the 25-year-old Australian born star was set to take place in a title program with Ethan Page but that has been put on hold. There are no details as to the severity of the situation but another AEW talent, RUSH, is going through the same issue. In his case, it appears to be a routine update of his information.

Fletcher has been a member of the AEW roster with his tag team partner Mark Davis since May of 2023. They previously appeared mostly with Will Ospreay as the United Empire but were acquired after Davis tore his meniscus and they had to relinquish the IWGP and NJPW STRONG Tag Team Championships. AEW President Tony Khan was said to have taken care of Davis' medical issues when they signed with All Elite Wrestling.

Since, they've dominated the tag team together and at one point seemed primed to take the tag team championships off of FTR. Unfortunately, Davis injured his wrist in their match at AEW WrestleDream. They had previously dropped the ROH tag team championships at AEW All In to Adam Cole and MJF as they shifted to a more prominent position in AEW.

Since Davis has been out injured, Fletcher has been on a hot streak in both AEW and ROH, Fletcher has wrestled people like former AEW World Champion Omega and Bryan Danielson who really gave him a leg up in his singles career. He is the current ROH Television Champion and has been since he captured the title in December at ROH Final Battle in a Survival Of The Fittest six-way elimination match. Fletcher's last match took place on the January 31 episode of AEW Dynamite against Chris Jericho.

Stay tuned for updates on Ring of Honor.

AEW is heading back to Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2024.

Every year since 2021 AEW has made it a tradition to hold a televised event, AEW Grand Slam, in Arthur Ashe Stadium but it appears that this year they will be heading back to the venue for Forbidden Door this summer, according to Andrew Zarian. Forbidden Door is a yearly pay-per-view put on by both AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling. The show puts on dream crossover matches like Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada, Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Will Ospreay vs. Orange Cassidy.

Earlier this afternoon, PWInsider reported that AEW was looking to host a pay-per-view at the iconic venue instead of a tv taping. With that it would make it the very first AEW pay-per-view to be hosted in NYC proper, following a successful AEW Worlds End debut that sold over 10,000 tickets in Long Island, NY. The report states that the tentative plan as early as last year's Grand Slam would be to potentially hold a pay-per-view there in 2024.

AEW President Tony Khan recently revealed that Forbidden Door three would be taking place this year as the fruitful relationship between AEW and NJPW continues. However, it appears like there may be some participation from other companies, such as CMLL and Khan seems very keen on the idea. AEW and CMLL entered a working relationship last fall and it has seen many crossovers between the company's talent. "I definitely want CMLL involved in practically anything we do. They're such a great partner already. It's been great," Khan said. "It's our first year of the partnership, and we've been able to some really exciting things working with them."

At this time, there is no word on whether or not AEW will move AEW Grand Slam to another venue or if they will keep up with tradition. What do you think about AEW holding a pay-per-view at Arthur Ashe? Let us know in the comments!

Stay tuned for updates on AEW.