WWE NXT tonight at 8/7c on The CW and Netflix (internationally).
A new report suggests that Lady Frost’s time with All Elite Wrestling may be coming to an end.
According to Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp, Frost’s AEW contract is scheduled to expire on April 1. As it stands, she is expected to become a free agent at that time unless a new agreement is reached. There has been no indication of any specific circumstances surrounding her reported departure, only that her current deal is nearing its end.
Frost has not been a consistent presence on AEW programming in recent months. She last competed on AEW television on the January 10 episode of AEW Collision, where she came up short against Mina Shirakawa. Prior to that, her most recent AEW/ROH appearance took place on the July 11 episode of ROH TV, where she was defeated by Diamante.
Despite limited television exposure, Frost has remained active outside of AEW. She continues to work the independent circuit and most recently picked up a victory over Dani Mo at a Greektown Pro Wrestling event on February 15.
Frost previously revealed in 2024 that she had been under contract with AEW since 2023. Before joining the company, she spent time in TNA from 2021 to 2022 before requesting her release. She also had a brief WWE appearance in 2018, facing Asuka in a short match.
With her contract reportedly expiring in just a few weeks, it remains to be seen whether AEW will look to retain Frost or if she’ll test the waters as a free agent this spring. Either way, April 1 could mark the start of a new chapter in her career.
Just days before the 2026 New Japan Cup gets underway, New Japan Pro Wrestling has confirmed that Tomohiro Ishii will no longer be part of the tournament field.
NJPW announced on its official website that the “Stone Pitbull” has been sidelined with a neck injury, forcing him to withdraw from the 24-man tournament set to kick off on March 4. The promotion issued an apology to fans who were looking forward to seeing Ishii compete in this year’s Cup, especially given the high stakes involved.
The winner of the New Japan Cup will earn a shot at Yota Tsuji’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis on April 4. For Ishii, this year represented another opportunity to finally capture a tournament that has eluded him throughout his storied career. Despite several deep runs — including semifinal appearances in 2017 and 2019 — Ishii has never managed to win the Cup.
With Ishii out, NJPW has tabbed a veteran replacement: former two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Satoshi Kojima. Kojima will step directly into Ishii’s position in the bracket. Since Ishii had previously received one of eight random byes into the second round, Kojima will now face the winner of the first-round bout between Taichi and Ren Narita.
As of now, NJPW has not clarified how or when Ishii sustained the neck injury. His most recent match took place on February 27 at The New Beginning USA, where he dropped the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship to Boltin Oleg. There were no reported issues coming out of that match, but given the physical nature of the contest, it stands as the most likely point where the injury may have occurred.
Interestingly, Ishii also appeared on the February 28 episode of AEW Collision against Andrade El Idolo. However, that match was taped on February 25 — prior to his loss to Oleg — meaning it would not have been affected by the injury in question.
This latest setback comes shortly after what initially appeared to be another scare. During the February 18 episode of AEW Dynamite, Ishii looked to have suffered a potentially serious hamstring injury while teaming with Orange Cassidy against Clark Connors and Gabe Kidd. Fortunately, that issue turned out to be far less severe than initially feared.
Now, though, it’s a neck injury that has put Ishii on the shelf at a critical point in the calendar. With Sakura Genesis looming and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship picture set to shift following the Cup, Ishii’s absence is a significant blow to both the tournament and fans who were hoping 2026 might finally be his year.
We’ll continue to monitor Ishii’s status and provide updates as more information becomes available.
Tonight’s episode of WWE Raw airs live at 8/7c on Netflix from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Ring of Honor appears to have finally found a consistent home base under Tony Khan’s ownership.
What initially began as a rumored experiment has quickly turned into a long-term plan. After ROH held a television taping at WJCT Studios in Jacksonville, Florida, speculation surfaced that the venue could become the promotion’s regular headquarters. Reports suggested the taping was essentially a trial run to gauge whether the studio setting would work for the brand.
It didn’t take long for Khan to make up his mind.
According to a fan in attendance, Khan addressed the crowd toward the end of Sunday’s tapings and officially announced that Jacksonville is now the home of Ring of Honor. He also confirmed that ROH will return to WJCT Studios on March 22 for its next round of television tapings.
The move marks the first time since 2023 that ROH has operated out of a consistent venue. When Khan first launched the “ROH on HonorClub” era, the promotion held its initial tapings at Universal Studios in Orlando. Since then, ROH TV matches have largely been filmed around AEW events — either before or after episodes of Dynamite and Collision — with only occasional standalone tapings.
Establishing a dedicated studio location signals a potential shift in strategy. A centralized taping model offers production consistency, branding opportunities, and the ability to shape ROH’s identity separately from AEW programming. However, Khan did not address whether the move is tied to any potential new television or streaming deal, something fans have speculated about in recent months.
As for content volume, Sunday’s taping was ambitious. ROH reportedly filmed 34 matches in a single session. With another taping scheduled just three weeks later, that strongly suggests the company plans to record multiple weeks of programming at once — possibly producing three episodes per taping cycle moving forward.
While the episodes have yet to air on HonorClub, the numbers indicate ROH is gearing up for a steady, studio-based format. For a brand that has been searching for stability in the Khan era, this could be a major step toward carving out a clearer identity and consistent presentation.
If the Jacksonville experiment continues to deliver, Ring of Honor may finally have the foundation it’s been missing.
The media landscape shifted dramatically last week, and the ripple effects could eventually reach All Elite Wrestling.
After initially agreeing to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix reportedly backed out of its deal, opening the door for Paramount Skydance to step in and secure the purchase instead. While the full scope of the WBD/Paramount merger is still unfolding, wrestling fans are already zeroing in on one major question: how will this impact AEW when its next media rights negotiations roll around in 2027 or 2028?
For now, AEW’s immediate future appears stable. The promotion’s library content and pay-per-view events currently live on HBO Max, giving the company a premium streaming home. But comments from Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison suggest that change could be coming to the platform itself.
During a recent investor call covered by Variety, Ellison outlined early plans for the newly combined media giant. While he emphasized that certain brands — including HBO — would remain creatively independent, he confirmed there are long-term intentions to merge HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single streaming service.
Ellison noted that the two platforms together account for more than 200 million direct-to-consumer subscribers, positioning the company to compete more aggressively with the top players in the streaming space. He also referenced Paramount’s recent internal consolidation of its own services into a unified tech infrastructure, hinting that a similar strategy would eventually be applied to HBO Max.
In short, one mega-streamer could be on the horizon.
So what does that mean for AEW?
At the moment, nothing changes. AEW programming and pay-per-views remain accessible through HBO Max, and there’s been no indication of any immediate shift in content distribution. However, if and when the streaming platforms merge, AEW content would presumably migrate to the unified service.
The bigger question lies further down the road. With the media rights deal cycle approaching in the next few years, AEW’s leverage and negotiating landscape could look very different under a newly consolidated corporate structure. A larger, combined streaming entity might provide greater distribution and visibility. On the flip side, corporate restructuring often brings cost evaluations and strategic pivots.
For now, fans can breathe easy — AEW’s streaming home isn’t going anywhere overnight. But with Paramount Skydance now steering the ship and a streaming merger on the horizon, the long-term picture is one to watch closely.
As the media world continues to evolve, AEW’s place within it could become one of the more intriguing business stories in professional wrestling.
After years of speculation, fan campaigns, and lingering questions about their relationship with WWE, Demolition are officially headed to the Hall of Fame.
The Undertaker broke the news personally, revealing during a video call that Ax and Smash will be inducted as part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2026. “The Deadman” congratulated the legendary duo and told them the honor was “well deserved,” putting a stamp of approval on one of the most requested inductions in recent memory.
For longtime fans, this announcement feels long overdue.
Demolition was one of the most dominant tag teams of the late 1980s, carving out a legacy that stood the test of time. However, their absence from the Hall of Fame had been a glaring omission for years. Much of the delay was believed to stem from past legal tensions between the team and WWE, including their involvement in a CTE-related lawsuit against the company. That legal friction appeared to put any formal recognition on ice.
Things began to shift in 2025 when Ax and Smash signed a Legends Deal with WWE. The agreement fueled speculation that fences had been mended behind the scenes. Now, with the Hall of Fame induction confirmed, it’s clear that the relationship has officially been repaired.
The 2026 ceremony will also mark a significant milestone: it will be Demolition’s first appearance on WWE programming since the 1990s. For a generation of fans who grew up watching their destructive run, that return alone is bound to generate nostalgia.
Inside the ring, Demolition’s credentials speak for themselves. The team captured the WWE World Tag Team Championships three times between 1988 and 1990. Their first reign remains historic, lasting an incredible 478 days — a benchmark for tag team dominance during that era.
They weren’t just champions; they were cornerstones of a stacked tag division. Ax and Smash shared the ring with some of the best teams in wrestling history, engaging in memorable rivalries against Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard of The Brain Busters, Haku and Tama of The Islanders, and the powerhouse duo of The Legion of Doom. Those battles helped define tag team wrestling in the late ‘80s and solidified Demolition as one of WWE’s most iconic duos.
With their Hall of Fame induction now official, Demolition’s legacy is finally being recognized on the grand stage. It’s a fitting honor for a team that dominated an era and left an undeniable mark on tag team wrestling.
Longtime fans can finally check this one off the list — Ax and Smash are getting their moment.
Demolition joins Stephanie McMahon and AJ Styles in the WWE HOF Class of 2026.
Danhausen has officially arrived in WWE.
After weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious box at WWE Elimination Chamber, the contents were finally revealed in dramatic fashion. When WWE officials Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis opened the oversized prop during the premium live event, fans were greeted with a coffin tucked inside. Moments later, the lid swung open, dancers poured out, and Danhausen made his long-awaited WWE debut in signature “very nice, very evil” style.
Now, new backstage details suggest this wasn’t a one-off appearance.
According to BodySlam+, Danhausen has signed a multi-year contract with WWE, solidifying his place with the company for the foreseeable future. Interestingly, WWE reportedly had its sights set on bringing him in as early as July 2025. However, All Elite Wrestling exercised an extension on his previous contract, preventing him from entering free agency until 2026.
That delay didn’t stop WWE from making his eventual debut feel like a major spectacle. PWI Elite reports that the company went to significant lengths to keep Danhausen hidden prior to Elimination Chamber, particularly given the event’s location in Chicago — a city known for its passionate wrestling fanbase and tendency to sniff out surprises early. The secrecy paid off, as his reveal caught many in attendance off guard.
Staying true to his established persona, Danhausen emerged wearing his trademark face paint and cape, fully leaning into the eerie-yet-comedic presentation that made him a cult favorite. He even made his way to the commentary desk to interact with Michael Cole and Wade Barrett, adding another layer of unpredictability to the segment.
As for what’s next, Danhausen is reportedly scheduled to be backstage at tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Whether that means he’ll officially land on the Raw roster remains to be seen, but WWE clearly appears to have immediate plans in mind.
Danhausen’s final run under the AEW/ROH umbrella was largely quiet, with injuries and inconsistent booking limiting his on-screen presence. His last in-ring appearance came in February 2024, when he picked up a win over Brandon Cutler on ROH on HonorClub. Since then, fans have wondered when — and where — he would resurface.
Now, the answer is clear: WWE.
With a multi-year deal in place and a memorable debut already in the books, the “very nice, very evil” star has a fresh opportunity to reinvent himself on wrestling’s biggest stage. The only question left is how WWE plans to integrate one of the industry’s most unique characters into its current landscape.
Women’s Championship No. 1 Contender’s Elimination Chamber Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka vs. Kiana James vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Tiffany Stratton
Tiffany Stratton and Kiana James kicked things off, starting at a furious pace. James tried to overpower Stratton early, but Tiffany’s athleticism kept her in control—until a miscalculation sent her crashing into Raquel Rodriguez’s pod.
Asuka entered third and immediately changed the tone of the match, smashing both James and Stratton into the Chamber’s unforgiving steel and Lexan walls. Alexa Bliss followed, adding speed and creativity to the chaos, including a Twisted Bliss off the top of a pod.
Bliss looked poised to eliminate Kiana James with Sister Abigail, but Asuka sprayed mist into Bliss’ face, allowing James to steal the pinfall and score the first elimination.
Raquel Rodriguez entered last and bulldozed the field. In one of the night’s most brutal sequences, she powerslammed James through a pod and then flattened both James and Asuka to score back-to-back eliminations. Rodriguez looked unstoppable until Rhea Ripley launched herself off a pod with a cannonball that shifted the momentum.
Stratton capitalized soon after, stunning Rodriguez with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to eliminate the powerhouse.
The final two came down to Ripley and Stratton in a hard-hitting showdown. Tiffany threw everything she had at “Mami,” but Ripley absorbed the punishment and countered a moonsault attempt by launching Stratton into a pod. Moments later, Ripley delivered Riptide to secure the victory.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Ripley is now the No. 1 contender to the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania.
WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship
Becky Lynch (c) vs. AJ Lee
AJ Lee stepped back into a high-stakes singles spotlight against Becky Lynch, and while ring rust showed at times, Lee’s veteran instincts kept her alive.
The match was technical early, with Becky grounding AJ and targeting her arm. Lee fired back with a tornado DDT and a Shining Wizard, but couldn’t put the champion away. Frustration set in for Lynch, who removed a turnbuckle pad and later used a steel chair when the referee was down.
Becky even appeared to tap out to the Black Widow while the official was incapacitated, buying herself time. After a chaotic stretch that included outside brawling and multiple near-falls, Lee countered the Manhandle Slam and reapplied the Black Widow in the center of the ring.
This time there was no escape.
Winner and NEW Women’s Intercontinental Champion: AJ Lee
In a feel-good moment, Lee forced Lynch to submit and captured championship gold in her return run.
WWE Men’s World Heavyweight Championship
CM Punk (c) vs. Finn Bálor
CM Punk and Finn Bálor delivered a clinic in counter-wrestling and resilience. The early going was tightly contested, with both men trading holds and reversals in a chess match that slowly escalated into a striking war.
Bálor targeted Punk’s ribs and nearly secured the win with 1916 and a Coup de Grace, but the champion refused to stay down. Punk answered with the Anaconda Vise and multiple Go to Sleep attempts, including one that sent Bálor tumbling to the floor.
The fight spilled outside, where Bálor blasted Punk through the timekeeper’s barricade. Back inside, Bálor connected with another Coup de Grace, but Punk shockingly countered a follow-up attempt into a Sharpshooter.
After surviving that submission, Bálor fell victim to one final Go to Sleep.
Winner: CM Punk (retains)
Post-match, Bálor offered a respectful handshake, which Punk eventually accepted. AJ Lee then joined Punk in the ring to celebrate a massive night for the couple.
In one of the more surreal moments of the night, Raw GM Adam Pearce and SmackDown GM Nick Aldis opened a mysterious crate at ringside to reveal a coffin. After eerie laughter filled the arena, Danhausen emerged, declared the audience cursed, gifted Michael Cole a jar of teeth, and disappeared just as quickly.
Yes, really.
Undisputed WWE Championship No. 1 Contender’s Elimination Chamber Match
Cody Rhodes vs. Je’Von Evans vs. LA Knight vs. Logan Paul vs. Randy Orton vs. Trick Williams
Cody Rhodes and Je’Von Evans started the match with a fast-paced exchange that showcased Evans’ explosiveness. Trick Williams entered next and nearly scored a double elimination with a Book End variation, but both opponents survived.
Logan Paul entered fourth and was immediately attacked by the field, even being thrown through a pod. LA Knight followed and brought the fight directly to Paul, eventually planting him with a BFT on top of a pod in a jaw-dropping spot.
Randy Orton entered last and methodically dismantled the competition with powerslams and a hanging DDT.
Evans was the first eliminated after Logan Paul connected with the Paulverizer. Paul then stole another elimination by low-blowing LA Knight and rolling him up. Trick Williams fell next after eating Cross Rhodes from Cody, with Paul stealing the pin.
Midway through the chaos, masked men attempted to interfere. One was removed by security, but another slipped in and dropped Logan Paul with a superkick and Blackout.
The attacker revealed himself as Seth Rollins, making his shocking return. Rollins and Rhodes shared a tense stare-down before Rollins exited through the crowd.
Cody eliminated Paul, setting up a final showdown with Orton—until Drew McIntyre stormed in and blasted Rhodes with the title belt. Despite sidestepping a Claymore attempt, Cody couldn’t withstand Orton’s sudden RKO.
Winner: Randy Orton
“The Viper” pinned Rhodes with the RKO and is now the No. 1 contender to the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania.
After the broadcast ended, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis announced that Drew McIntyre will now challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed Championship on this Friday’s SmackDown.
AEW Collision tonight at 8/7c on TNT and HBO Max. The show was taped on Wednesday, February 25, at the Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado.
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