WWE SmackDown airs live tonight on the USA Network in the United States and Netflix Internationally, from the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
A bit more clarity has emerged regarding the odd finish to Shelton Benjamin’s match with “Speedball” Mike Bailey during Wednesday night’s special three-hour AEW Dynamite/Collision broadcast from Boston’s Agganis Arena.
The closing stretch left plenty of fans scratching their heads. Benjamin nailed Bailey with a sharp superkick and covered him, only for the referee to abruptly halt the count despite Bailey’s shoulders being flat on the mat. The match rolled on for a few more moments before Benjamin ultimately sealed the win with a German suplex, a knee strike, and another superkick.
Naturally, viewers wondered if Bailey might have been legitimately rocked on the first kick. However, Bryan Alvarez reported that the situation came down to nothing more than an in-ring miscommunication — and no one was hurt.
Per Alvarez, the planned finish was indeed a superkick, and Bailey sold it with a huge flip bump that looked picture-perfect. Benjamin, recognizing how strong the moment came off, called an audible on the fly to end the match right there. The issue? The referee never caught the cue and stopped the count because it didn’t match the layout they’d been given.
Alvarez emphasized that Bailey did nothing wrong and wasn’t injured in the exchange. The blame, if any, falls on the miscommunication between Benjamin and the referee. Once the count was halted, the wrestlers simply reverted to the original closing sequence.
In the end, everyone walked away fine — just another case of live TV wrestling unpredictability creating a bit of confusion in real time.
AEW Full Gear – Saturday November 22, 2025 – Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey
TNA iMPACT! is all-new THIS THURSDAY at 8/7c on TNA+ around the world, AXS TV in the US, and Sportsnet 360 in Canada, as the fallout from Turning Point and NXT Gold Rush continues to shake the wrestling world.
Orlando, Florida (Full Sail University)
Watch ROH TV on HonorClub at http://WatchROH.com 7/6c
Adam Cole’s status has been one of the bigger question marks in AEW over the past several months, and Tony Khan has now offered a clearer—though still cautious—update on where things stand.
Cole has been away since AEW All In: Texas, where he vacated the TNT Championship after informing Khan he wasn’t well enough to compete. Reports since then have suggested his latest setback is tied to concussion-related issues, adding another layer to a long road of injuries that already included the serious ankle injury that sidelined him for over a year.
During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Khan opened up about the situation and made it clear that Cole’s health is the priority. According to the AEW President, getting the call on the morning of All In was “incredibly difficult,” especially given how hard Cole had battled back from previous injuries to rebuild momentum in 2025 and reclaim a top spot as TNT Champion.
Khan emphasized that Cole’s ankle injury alone could have ended his career, noting the pain and recovery process were far more serious than many realized. Cole’s comeback had been one of the more inspiring stories in AEW before this latest setback forced him to step away again.
As for an eventual return to the ring? Khan didn’t shut the door, but he made it clear that AEW will only consider it if every factor—medically and situationally—lines up. He expressed that Cole will always have a place within the company, even if wrestling isn’t in the immediate picture. Cole has already contributed as a commentator and show host, and Khan believes those avenues remain open whenever Cole feels ready to resume regular work.
Khan stressed that anything involving head injuries has to be treated with caution, and AEW would only move forward if it can ensure the safest possible environment for Cole and everyone involved.
For now, the message is simple: Adam Cole’s health comes first, and AEW is leaving the door open—but not rushing anything.
Credit to The Ariel Helwani Show
AEW Dynamite and Collision will air live tonight on TBS and HBO Max, beginning at 8:00 pm ET.
Tonight’s live 3-hour special, which is the go-home show for this Saturday’s Full Gear PPV, will take place from the Agganis Arena on the campus of Boston University in Boston, MA.
WWE presents NXT Gold Rush, a two week event from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Title’s from NXT, TNA, AAA and Evolve will be defended.
NXT Gold Rush week 1 live on The CW from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York;
NXT Women’s Championship: Tatum Paxley (c) vs. Jacy Jayne
NXT Women’s North American Championship: Blake Monroe (c) vs. Sol Ruca
AAA Mixed Tag Team Championship: Chelsea Green and Ethan Page (c) vs. Thea Hail and Joe Hendry
NXT Tag Team Championship: DarkState (c) vs. Leon Slater and Je’Von Evans
We’re still months away from WrestleMania season, but the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame conversation is already heating up—much earlier than usual. Stephanie McMahon was announced back in September as the first official inductee, and for a while she seemed like the obvious headliner. But according to the latest backstage buzz, she may be sharing that spotlight with one of WWE’s most iconic names.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez revealed that chatter behind the scenes at Monday’s WWE Raw pointed toward John Cena being lined up as the marquee inductee for the 2026 class. While nothing is confirmed, Alvarez noted that the idea was circulating heavily among those backstage.
“As of Monday night, the belief is the headliner would be John Cena,” Alvarez said. “Maybe things change, but that was certainly the discussion. With Stephanie already announced, Cena and Stephanie would be the two biggest names if that’s what ends up happening.”
If this comes together, the induction would take place during WrestleMania weekend in 2026—and honestly, the timing couldn’t be more fitting.
Cena’s Hall of Fame case has been locked in for years. Between his unprecedented run as WWE’s franchise star for two decades, his crossover success in mainstream entertainment, and his still-strong relationship with the company, it was always just a matter of when WWE would pull the trigger.
Now the “when” lines up perfectly with Cena’s current farewell tour. He’s set to wrestle his final match on the December 13 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, D.C., officially closing the in-ring chapter of his career. Having him headline the Hall of Fame just a few months later would tie his retirement story together in classic WWE fashion.
If Cena is indeed added to the 2026 class, WWE will be stacking WrestleMania weekend with two of the most influential figures of the last 25 years—one a trailblazing executive, the other the face of an entire era.
We’ll keep you updated as WWE begins rolling out official announcements for the 2026 Hall of Fame.
It looks like WWE’s blue brand might be gearing up for another major schedule shake-up. According to a new report from WrestleVotes, SmackDown is expected to expand back to a three-hour format beginning in early 2026.
Per the report, sources indicate that WWE and USA Network have already agreed to the change, with the first extended broadcast slated for January 2 in Buffalo, NY. While the decision reportedly has been made, there’s no word yet on what prompted the move—or what the extra hour might mean for the show’s structure or roster focus.
This would mark SmackDown’s second runtime switch in less than a year. The brand originally bumped up to three hours in January when Raw moved from USA Network to Netflix. By June, SmackDown reverted back to its traditional two-hour window, a shift rumored to be tied to the network debut of The Rainmaker series. That season wrapped in mid-October, and there hadn’t been any chatter about a runtime change since—until now.
What makes this even more interesting is that previous reports following WrestleMania 41 suggested the opposite—that SmackDown would be locked in at the two-hour format over the summer. Clearly, plans evolved behind the scenes.
As of Friday’s show, neither WWE nor USA Network has officially confirmed the return to three hours, but if the report holds true, the shift will land right before the 2026 Royal Rumble on January 31 in Riyadh—effectively kicking off WrestleMania season with more weekly airtime than ever.
The conversation also comes at a time when ratings across all major wrestling programs have been recalibrated due to Nielsen’s new “Big Data + Panel” measurement system, which has shaken viewership trends industry-wide.
If SmackDown really is going long again, the added hour could bring new opportunities—or risk the pacing and fatigue issues fans often associate with three-hour wrestling shows. For now, all eyes are on WWE and USA Network for the official call.
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