Rick Boogs is set to undergo surgery next week after suffering an injury at WrestleMania Saturday.
Night One of WrestleMania 38 opened up with SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos retaining over Boogs and Shinsuke Nakamura. There was a moment early on where Boogs had Jey Uso on his shoulders. He went to put Jimmy Uso on his shoulders for a double Fireman’s Carry, but when Jimmy jumped up onto him, Boogs’ knee gave out and they all went down.
Boogs then rolled to the floor and spent the rest of the match being checked on by trainers at ringside. Nakamura finished the match by himself and it seemed like things were cut short or changed due to the injury. After the match, trainers helped Boogs walk away from the ring but they had to carry him to the back by the time they got him up the ramp.
In an update, Michael Cole noted during commentary that Boogs was checked out backstage and it was determined that he suffered a torn quadriceps and a torn patella tendon.
Cole also reported that Boogs will need to undergo surgery in the next few days. Depending on the severity of the injuries, it’s likely that Boogs will be on the shelf for 6-12 months, but we should have a better timeframe after he goes under the knife.
WWE noted in their WrestleMania recap that Boogs was trying to squat both of The Usos when his already-injured knee gave out. Boogs had the same knee taped up at one point during the feud with The Usos in mid-March, but it looks like he only had the knee wrapped for one week, and just to sell an attack. It’s been confirmed that Boogs suffered a legitimate injury at WrestleMania last night.
Cody Rhodes has revealed that his multi-year WWE contract is “the most complex contract ever drawn out in the history of our game.”
While confirming that he was back full-time on the road, Rhodes revealed WWE “were wonderful enough” to get him a bus so he can travel with his family.
“I’m all in [with WWE],” Rhodes told The Ringer. “It may be the most complex document ever drawn out in the history of our game. This is a full multi-year commitment, not a part-time deal. I’m back doing what I used to, every day on the road. They were wonderful enough to get me a bus, so my family could be with me. I got everyone here with me tonight [for WrestleMania Saturday]. They bet on me, so I’m going to bet on WWE. I’m really looking forward to it.”
When asked to elaborate on the complex document, Rhodes said: “Like The Undertaker said a couple of times in his [Hall of Fame] speech last night, perception is reality often in this industry. And the perception of is all over the place. ‘Oh, he’s an egomaniac, he asked for all this money.’ It’s kind of fun to hear it, but in reality, I grew up here. I didn’t know what a contract was, I think I was 19 when I was in OVW. Now it’s a different story; it’s no longer, ‘this has to be a certain way.’
“It’s more a case of me being one of the founding fathers of AEW, and I wanted to ensure that I left with the utmost respect. Nobody here is lazing enough to make AEW jokes or bingo hall references, or any of that, because I have nothing against them. It was time for me to move on.”
Cody Rhodes then implied that fighting for the AEW TNT Title no longer appealed to him.
“I wrestled everybody I wanted to in AEW,” Rhodes admitted. “I didn’t want to be a 15-time TNT Champion and hold the belt hostage, I wanted to move on to a different piece of leather. I don’t know why the contract is so complicated. My agent doesn’t want me to disclose much, but yes it’s a pretty long contract.”
After weeks of rumors and speculation, Cody Rhodes has made his return to WWE.
Last night’s WrestleMania 38 Night One event saw Rhodes make his return as the opponent for Seth Rollins, hand-picked by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon as the storyline goes. Rhodes defeated Rollins in tonight’s return match.
Rhodes had a special entrance as he was raised from under the stage. He was introduced as “The American Nightmare” and received pyro and a huge pop on his way to the ring. The back & forth match ended with two straight CrossRhodes, the signature right hands and Bionic Elbow of the late WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, and then one more CrossRhodes for the pin to win. The announcers did acknowledge how Cody has been away from WWE, and how he’s wrestled around the world, but there was no mention of AEW.
This was Cody’s first WWE match since May 16, 2016, when he lost to Zack Ryder at a WWE Superstars taping, while working as Stardust. Rhodes helped launch AEW, as a talent and Executive Vice President, but left the company back in February after his contract expired and he was unable to agree on a new deal with AEW President Tony Khan.
Rhodes is reportedly scheduled to be a regular member of the RAW roster moving forward. It’s been reported that he signed his new WWE contract around three weeks ago.
Rhodes’ team issued a press release after his WrestleMania return and confirmed that he is signed to a new multi-year deal with WWE. Cody’s team consists of the Hyperion Talent Agency, the Spanos Law firm, and the Vision PR firm.
The press release also revealed that Rhodes is serving as the Executive Producer to A&E’s “Biography: WWE Legends” documentary on his father, WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes. The doc was mentioned in the earlier Variety interview, but the release from Rhodes’ team has confirmed that he will be the Executive Producer.
The release also included the following blurb on Rhodes’ return and career. It’s interesting to note that there is no direct mention of AEW, but they do acknowledge that he is a three-time TNT Champion. The return press release was not issued by WWE, but it’s possible they had a chance to approve it before it went out. Rhodes’ team issued the following:
The most sought-after free agent in professional wrestling, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, has landed back at WWE, the company where he began his career. Saturday night, in front of a massive crowd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Rhodes returned in a main event match with multi-time former WWE Champion Seth Rollins. Rhodes has inked a multi-year deal with the company.
Rhodes began his wrestling career with WWE developmental territory OVW and went on to compete with WWE for a decade before his departure in 2016. Over the past six years, Rhodes has wrestled all over the world including in Japan, England, Mexico, and Canada. In 2018, Rhodes was named Wrestler of the Year by Sports Illustrated. During his first run with WWE, Rhodes became a two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion and won six tag team championships (three World Tag Team Championships and three WWE Tag Team Championships). During his time away from WWE, Rhodes won many top championships including the Ring of Honor World Champion, IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion, and most recently the TNT Championship on three separate occasions. His father, the legendary “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, is a WWE Hall of Famer and both Cody and Dusty won NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship titles making them the first father/son combination to win the title.
WWE NXT WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez defeated Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne (c) (**TITLE CHANGE**)
WWE NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER MATCH Cameron Grimes defeated Carmelo Hayes (c) and Grayson Waller and Santos Escobar and Solo Sikoa (**TITLE CHANGE**)
Tony D’Angelo defeated Tommaso Ciampa
WWE NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) defeated Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) (c) and Creed Brothers (Brutus Creed & Julius Creed) (**TITLE CHANGE**)
WWE NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH Mandy Rose (c) defeated Io Shirai and Cora Jade and Kay Lee Ray
Gunther defeated LA Knight
WWE NXT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH Dolph Ziggler (c) defeated Bron Breakker
WWE NXT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH Bron Breakker vs. Dolph Ziggler (c)
WWE NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH Cora Jade vs. Io Shirai vs. Kay Lee Ray vs. Mandy Rose (c)
WWE NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER MATCH Cameron Grimes vs. Grayson Waller vs. Santos Escobar vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Carmelo Hayes (c)
WWE NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH Creed Brothers (Brutus Creed & Julius Creed) vs. MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) vs. Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) (c)
WWE NXT WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez vs. Gigi Dolin & Jayce Jane (c)
Tonight’s WWE NXT Level Up episode was taped earlier this week at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
NXT Level Up usually airs every Friday night at 10pm ET on Peacock and the WWE Network, but tonight’s show will have a special start time of 12:47am ET. The change was made due to the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony airing on Peacock at 10pm ET, right after SmackDown goes off the air.
Xyon Quinn vs. Dante Chen
Kayden Carter vs. Tatum Paxley
Damon Kemp(the brother of Gable Steveson) vs. James Drake of The Grizzled Young Veterans
The 2022 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air live tonight on Peacock from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The Undertaker will be the headliner for the 2022 Class, and he will be inducted by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. There is no word on if there will be Legacy Wing additions this year, but WWE is going with a smaller group of inductees. There will be no Celebrity Hall of Famer.
WWE has announced the following line-up for tonight’s induction ceremony:
* The Undertaker, inducted by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon
* Vader, posthumously inducted by TBA
* The Steinier Brothers, inducted by TBA
* Queen Sharmell, inducted by WWE Hall of Famer Booker T
* Warrior Award: Shad Gaspard, presented to his wife Siliana Gaspard by Dana Warrior
Pat McAfee, Michael Cole and the guys from sports-comedy group Dude Perfect (Tyler Toney, Coby Cotton, Cory Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones) have revealed the set for WWE’s WrestleMania 38 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.
As seen in the video below, Dude Perfect’s football trick shot ignited the pyro on The Grandest Stage of Them All to reveal the setup inside AT&T Stadium.
McAfee, a former NFL punter who will wrestle Austin Theory on WrestleMania Sunday, was later assisted by some editing as he kicked a trick shot while more fireworks went off outside of the stadium.
WrestleMania 38 will take place this Saturday and Sunday, live from AT&T Stadium. The two-hour Kickoff pre-shows will begin at 6pm ET, and the main card will begin at 8pm.
