WWE Backlash – Saturday May 5, 2026 – 6 ET/3 PT on the ESPN App with an ESPN Unlimited Plan in the United States and Netflix internationally – Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, FL.
The first hour to air on ESPN 2.
John Cena to make an announcement.
WWE SmackDown live tonight at 8/7c on the USA Network in the United States and Netflix internationally from the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
WWE has quietly updated its official online roster page, and several high-profile names are now listed as free agents.
Fans spotted on May 8 that AJ Lee, Paige, Nikki Bella, and Brie Bella had all been moved into WWE’s free agent category. Prior to the change, AJ Lee and The Bella Twins were listed under the RAW roster section.
The update means the four stars are no longer officially assigned to a specific brand, potentially opening the door for appearances across both RAW and SmackDown moving forward.
Paige recently made her in-ring WWE return at WrestleMania 42 after stepping in for an injured Nikki Bella during the Fatal Four-Way Women’s Tag Team Championship match. Paige teamed with Brie Bella in the bout, and the duo ultimately captured the titles from The Irresistible Forces.
AJ Lee also made a major comeback to WWE last year after returning in September. Since then, she had been involved in the women’s title picture before dropping the Women’s Intercontinental Championship to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 42.
At the moment, AJ Lee has not been featured in an active storyline, though reports indicate she is expected to resurface on WWE television ahead of a major upcoming premium live event.
While WWE has not publicly commented on the roster adjustments, placement in the free agent section typically allows talent to appear on multiple brands without being locked into one specific show.
TNA Wrestling and AEW may both be running major pay-per-view events on June 28, 2026, but fans likely won’t have to choose between the two shows after all.
New details released by Ticketmaster and Boston’s Agganis Arena confirm that this year’s TNA Slammiversary will begin at 3 p.m. ET. The earlier start time creates a significant gap between Slammiversary and AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, which is scheduled to begin later that evening from the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
Forbidden Door is currently set for a 4 p.m. PT start time, meaning the AEW event won’t begin until 7 p.m. ET — giving viewers several hours between the two pay-per-views.
The scheduling setup appears designed to minimize overlap between the promotions, especially considering both events are among the bigger wrestling shows planned for the summer.
TNA originally announced Slammiversary for Boston before AEW revealed the date and location for Forbidden Door 2026. Reports later surfaced that AEW faced challenges locking down a venue and date for the crossover event. Chicago was reportedly considered as the original host city before the company settled on San Jose.
Had Forbidden Door taken place in Chicago, the time difference between the events would have been much smaller, potentially creating a more direct competition for viewers.
Slammiversary remains one of TNA’s flagship annual events and will serve as the company’s next major pay-per-view offering. Meanwhile, AEW still has Double or Nothing coming up later this month before turning its attention toward Forbidden Door in June.
TNA Thursday Night iMPACT! tonight at 9/8c on AMC.
ROH TV on #HonorClub at http://WatchROH.com 8/7c
WWE’s recent push to recruit international talent may not be slowing down anytime soon, as another former New Japan Pro-Wrestling standout is reportedly expected to join the company.
According to a report from BodySlam, former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi is believed to be WWE-bound. Sources connected to the WWE Performance Center reportedly indicated that Takahashi could arrive in the company in the near future.
The report also noted that WWE may have a new ring name lined up for the longtime NJPW star: Nox Raijin.
Interestingly, that same name had previously been rumored for another recent WWE signing from Japan — former NJPW faction leader EVIL. However, WWE has since confirmed that EVIL will instead compete under the name Naraku, with the former Bullet Club member scheduled to appear on next week’s episode of NXT.
According to the report, WWE had originally planned to use the Nox Raijin name for EVIL before changing direction earlier this week and settling on Naraku instead.
Takahashi officially parted ways with NJPW earlier this year, ending a run that lasted more than 15 years with the promotion. During his time in New Japan, he became one of the company’s most recognizable junior heavyweight stars, capturing the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship five times and building a reputation for his energetic personality and high-risk in-ring style.
Following news of his departure, both WWE and AEW were mentioned as possible landing spots for Takahashi. AEW fans are already familiar with him thanks to several appearances over the years, including a match against Kyle Fletcher for the TNT Championship at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view.
Outside of NJPW and AEW, Takahashi has also competed in promotions such as CMLL and Pro Wrestling NOAH in recent years, further expanding his international profile.
If the report proves accurate, Takahashi would become another major Japanese addition to WWE’s growing global talent roster and could bring even more depth to the company’s evolving NXT landscape.
VICE TV’s acclaimed wrestling documentary series Dark Side of the Ring is officially coming back this summer, and Season 7 is shaping up to be one of the show’s biggest undertakings yet.
According to details released through Variety, the new season premieres on July 7 and will feature the series’ first-ever three-part documentary focused on TNA Wrestling. The episodes will center around TNA co-founder Jeff Jarrett and explore the company’s early years, including the successes, setbacks, and controversies that defined the promotion during its rise.
Series creators and executive producers Evan Husney and Jason Eisner described the upcoming season as the most ambitious in the show’s history. They specifically pointed to the TNA project as a major highlight, noting that Jarrett’s personal story of perseverance and redemption serves as the perfect backdrop for examining the promotion’s complicated legacy.
Since debuting in 2019, Dark Side of the Ring has become one of the most talked-about wrestling docuseries ever produced, diving deep into some of the industry’s most controversial and tragic stories through interviews with those directly involved.
Season 7 won’t stop with TNA. The new lineup will also include episodes focused on several notable names and moments from wrestling history, including:
Wilson’s story is expected to revisit his time portraying a character heavily inspired by The Ultimate Warrior during his WCW run.
VICE will kick off the season with two back-to-back episodes on premiere night before settling into its regular Tuesday night schedule at 9 PM ET for the remainder of the season.
With a mix of legendary names, controversial moments, and a deep dive into TNA’s turbulent beginnings, Season 7 looks set to continue the series’ reputation for uncovering wrestling’s most fascinating behind-the-scenes stories.
Special 3-hour block of AEW Dynamite and Collision live tonight on TBS and HBO Max from the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Tonight’s show will be dedicated to the late Ted Turner, who died on Wednesday. AEW made the announcement via its X (formerly Twitter) account and said the show on TBS, a network Turner founded, will be dedicated to the media mogul and former owner of WCW.
The wrestling world is mourning the loss of one of its most influential behind-the-scenes figures. Media mogul Ted Turner has passed away at the age of 87, according to CNN. Turner, best known as the driving force behind multiple major television networks and the former owner of World Championship Wrestling, died surrounded by family.
While his legacy spans far beyond wrestling—having founded CNN and played a key role in launching networks like TBS and TNT—Turner’s impact on the pro wrestling business is impossible to overstate.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1938, Turner first became involved with wrestling in the early 1970s when Georgia Championship Wrestling found a home on his TBS Superstation. That relationship helped introduce wrestling to a national cable audience and laid the groundwork for what would become a decades-long influence on the industry.
Things escalated in 1984 during the infamous Black Saturday, when WWE took over GCW’s time slot. The move didn’t sit well with Turner, and it ultimately pushed him to become more hands-on in the wrestling business. He soon brought in Mid-South Wrestling and later facilitated a deal that put Jim Crockett Promotions in that same slot—setting the stage for a fierce rivalry with Vince McMahon.
By 1988, Turner fully committed, purchasing JCP from Jim Crockett Jr. and transforming it into World Championship Wrestling. From there, WCW grew into WWE’s biggest competitor.
Turner’s most significant contribution came in 1995 when he approved Eric Bischoff’s idea for WCW Monday Nitro, launching the iconic Monday Night Wars. For a period between 1996 and 1998, WCW surged ahead, briefly overtaking WWE as the top promotion in the United States.
Despite being a relatively hands-off owner creatively, Turner remained one of WCW’s biggest champions internally, ensuring the company stayed on the air even when other executives were skeptical. His support proved crucial during both WCW’s rise and its eventual decline toward the end of the 1990s.
Following the AOL-Time Warner merger in 2001, Turner’s influence diminished significantly. With WCW struggling financially and losing its television foothold, the company was ultimately sold to McMahon, bringing Turner’s time in wrestling to a close.
Even after stepping away, Turner’s name remained synonymous with one of wrestling’s most competitive and transformative eras. Without his willingness to invest in and believe in pro wrestling, the landscape of the industry—particularly during the 1990s—would look very different today.
Ted Turner’s contributions helped shape modern wrestling into what it is now, and his legacy will continue to be felt for generations to come.
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