Former AEW World Champion MJF could reportedly return to AEW television soon.
MJF has been absent since his loss to Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship at AEW’s Worlds End pay-per-view, but “The Salt of The Earth” could soon return, as per “Fightful Select.” Sources in AEW have told “Fightful” that there have been discussions behind the scenes regarding MJF’s return and that he could be back by the Forbidden Door pay-per-view, which takes place in New York on June 30.
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The report, though, added that there’s no set date for his return as of now. There’s no news regarding MJF’s injury, which has seemingly kept him out of action in 2024, but the report stated that the AEW star was dealing with a few injuries heading into his match with Samoa Joe. Despite the injuries that he had, MJF was keen to wrestle and finish his story with Joe. As per the report, MJF has signed a new deal, and that he’s now one of the highest earners in the promotion.
MJF’s return could be a huge fillip to AEW following injuries to several of their top stars, which include the likes of Kenny Omega, Eddie Kingston, and the imminent absence of Bryan Danielson, who is set to have surgery soon. AEW’s ratings have also declined over the last few weeks, which will be a cause for concern for Tony Khan, especially considering their upcoming negotiations for a new deal with WBD.
While many believe that MJF’s return could boost AEW ratings and viewership, WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff disagrees, arguing that the AEW star’s talent may not be enough to improve ratings. According to Bischoff, bad creative, rather than a talent’s ability, is the reason for AEW’s decline.
Ahead of AEW Double or Nothing this Sunday, commentator Jim Ross revealed yesterday that he had checked himself into a Norman, Oklahoma, emergency room after experiencing shortness of breath. Later in the evening, Ross posted an update showing himself recovering in a hospital bed with his two daughters at his side.
Today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter offered a slight update on Ross. The commentator obviously won’t make it to Sunday’s pay-per-view, which he was scheduled to appear at. In addition to an elevated heart rate, Dave Meltzer reports that Ross has a Class A flu, the most common form of the virus, as well as raised heart enzymes. However, the 72-year-old is expected to recover and return home within the next few days.
Ross has dealt with a series of health issues over the last several years, including a cancer diagnosis and complications that arose from his treatment. Earlier this month, Ross provided an update on his health by stating that he felt the best he had in years, was still in remission from skin cancer, and the wound from his radiation treatment was close to fully healing.
This weekend’s pay-per-view marks the fifth anniversary of AEW, which Ross has been an important part of since the beginning. The former WWE commentator was one of the company’s first hires, calling the inaugural Double or Nothing in 2019 along with many shows that followed. In light of his health struggles, Ross stepped back from full-time commentary in 2022 but continues to call matches part-time for the promotion. The wrestling veteran revealed that his AEW contract expires next year, at which time Ross will likely retire from commentary.
The 2024 King and Queen of the Ring tournaments will culminate at WWE’s eponymous premium live event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this weekend. Before the finalists head into their respectives battles, though, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque has shared a significant update regarding the stakes of these tournaments.
In addition to taking the proverbial throne, Levesque confirmed (via the WWE Experience event in Riyadh) that the winners of the King and Queen of the Ring series will also receive world title matches at the August 2024 SummerSlam event, which emanates from Cleveland, Ohio. Levesque further clarified that the victors will definitively challenge the world champions of their respective brands, rather than having the option to choose their title match opponents.
This week’s episode of “WWE Raw” hosted the first pair of semi-final tournament matchups, with Jey Uso wrestling GUNTHER in the King of the Ring brackets, while Lyra Valkyria collided with IYO SKY in pursuit of the Queen of the Ring throne. Ultimately, these contests resulted in GUNTHER and Valkyria punching their tickets to the finals. The second pair of semi-final faceoffs will take place on tomorrow’s episode of “WWE SmackDown.”
Within the King of the Ring tournament, Randy Orton will tangle up with The Bloodline’s Tama Tonga, who will likely have Solo Sikoa and Tanga Loa lingering in the shadows as back-up. The winner of the Orton-Tonga match will then move on to face GUNTHER in the finals. Similarly, Nia Jax and WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair will also square off tomorrow, with the victor advancing to a concluding round Queen of the Ring tournament matchup against Valkyria.
WWE continues to reveal new clues about a long-rumored stable centered around the late Bray Wyatt, referred to by many as “Wyatt 6.” On Wednesday, WWE used its WhatsApp to tease a second Twitch streaming video, a week after the first one aired last Thursday. That video has now dropped — on Wyatt’s birthday, no less — and depending on how you read the clues, it may have both confirmed the new group’s reported membership and revealed the exact date they will debut.
While there were no QR codes in this video, it did feature no fewer than nine sets of latitude/longitude coordinates, which have been used previously in this storyline. The coordinates lead to — in order of their appearance in the video — Rathdrum, Idaho (47.8124°N, 116.8966°W), Abilene, Texas (32.4487°N, 99.7331°W), Ixonia, Wisconsin (43.1439°N, 88.5973°W), Navesink, New Jersey (40.3997°N, 74.0299°W), Erlanger, Kentucky (39.0167°N, 84.6008°W), Ramblewood, New Jersey (39.9286°N, 74.9475°W), Irwindale, California (34.1070°N, 117.9353°W), Unicoi, Tennessee (36.1954°N, 82.3496°W), and Scarborough, Ontario, Canada (43.7764°N, 79.2318°W).
Online speculation is already running wild as to the meaning of these coordinates, but some fans noticed that combining the first letters of each location, in order, spells out “Rainerius.” A 12th century Italian preacher known for expelling demons prior to his canonization, Rainerius is the patron saint of travelers, and more importantly, his feast day is June 17, which happens to be the Monday after the Clash at the Castle PLE, when “WWE Raw” comes to Corpus Christi, Texas. Other clues in the video also pointed to a June 2024 debut, lending credence to this theory.
As far as the actual content of the video is concerned, it largely depicts of pair of hands (wearing fingerless gloves, though at one point they wrap themselves in tape) writing a series of letters and putting them into envelopes, each marked “Remember Who You Are.” The letters contain similar verbiage to that seen in previous clues, but this time there are hints about specific wrestlers rumored to be involved in the stable.
“It is never easy to feel loss,” the first letter reads. “You have lost too much already. You deserve to be set free. I know that you are angry. That is okay. Let me show you what that anger can do. When you are ready to take off the blindfold come find me. You can always wear your mask :)” This could refer to the recently re-hired Erick Rowan, the last surviving member of the original Wyatt Family, who was known for wearing a sheep’s mask.
“I am so sad seeing you look for a friend but to find none,” the second letter reads. “How sad for them to miss out on finding someone as special as you. I have watched you stare into the abyss hoping someone would look back. I want you to know I see you. You are seen. You are loved. Come home. Your new family awaits.” This fits with Nikki Cross, whose rare WWE appearances over the last couple of years have seen her alternately searching for friends and staring blankly into space.
The hands actually attempt the third letter twice, first writing “You had a family. You had friends. You did your best. They revealed themselves to be liars!!!!” before crumpling up the letter and starting again.
“Your family betrayed you,” the second attempt reads. “You deserve better. You are accepted just as you are. Come to me and I will make you brand new. I will set you free. We can be a real family. We can be a real family!” While it’s the hardest one to pin down, this letter makes the most sense for Dexter Lumis, who’s been off TV for a full year, unlike his “family members” from the “WWE NXT” stable The Way. The hands also scribble randomly on another piece of paper after writing this letter, which could be a nod to Lumis’ psychotic artist gimmick.
Finally, the fourth letter reads, “You had followers and they betrayed you. They turned their backs and when you were only asking for help asking for love asking for someone anyone to notice you they all did … nothing. I will give you a family. Let’s teach them consequences. :)” Combined with the smiley face, these words bring to mind former Schism leader Joe Gacy.
The video ends with the letters being delivered, followed by a figure entering a house and seeing a female figure who has been shown before, possibly a reference to longtime Wyatt lore character Sister Abigail and/or a hint at the involvement of Alexa Bliss. We also see a close-up shot of an unsettling smile that’s familiar to anyone who remembers Bo Dallas, Wyatt’s brother and the man behind the Uncle Howdy character from his final WWE run.
The full lineup has been revealed for United Japan Pro-Wrestling’s event in Sapporo on Saturday, June 15, 2024, at the Hokkai Kita-Yell sports center. Check out the full card here:
Tetsuya Naito (NJPW) vs. Jake Lee (NOAH)
Alejandro, Kenoh & Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH) vs Gabe Kidd (NJPW) David Finlay (NJPW) & YO-HEY (NOAH)
Titan, BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji & Shingo Takagi (NJPW) vs Drilla Moloney (NJPW), Clark Connors (NJPW), LJ Cleary (NOAH) Anthony Greene (NOAH) & Jack Morris (NOAH)
Masa Kitamiya (NOAH) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW)
Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH)& Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW) vs Yuya Uemura & SANADA (NJPW)
Tetsuya Endo (DDT), Ryohei Oiwa (NJPW) & Shota Umino (NJPW) vs Kazusada Higuchi (DDT), Great-O-Khan (NJPW) & Jeff Cobb (NJPW)
WWE has continued to tease the introduction of a Wyatt storyline and dropped a few subtle hints regarding it on social media.
A recent tease by WWE revealed that Uncle Howdy was posting on their WhatsApp, and a new clue of sorts would be released on Twitch on Thursday, 8 PM. The images had the phrases “I’m waiting for you” and “Remember who you are” inscribed on it.
Uncle Howdy took over WWE’s WhatsApp.
“I CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU.”
If you put all the little words together you get ‘8PM EST THURSDAY TWITCH'
There will be another streamed message tomorrow at 8pm EST on WWE’s Twitch channel. ⭕️ 👀 pic.twitter.com/MWK6oljDgL
Recent teases and reports have hinted that WWE could begin a storyline based on Bray Wyatt. WWE had recently posted a few bits on their Twitch of the time when The Wyatt Family debuted on WWE television, and the Twitch video also featured Rachel Bonnetta, a psychiatrist who was in a Bray Wyatt segment a few years ago. Over the last few weeks on “WWE Raw” and “WWE SmackDown,” there have been QR codes, puzzles, and glitches that indicate the ominous arrival of someone on WWE television. Last month’s Backlash show also featured a QR code that had an audio clip of Bray Wyatt’s doctor and a message from a woman, teasing a return.
A recent report revealed that WWE has earmarked a few names for a Wyatt-based faction, which includes the likes of Nikki Cross, Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy, Dexter Lumis, and Wyatt’s brother, Bo Dallas. Rowan reportedly pulled out of a few indie shows he was supposed to be a part of as he has seemingly re-signed with WWE.
WWE Hall of Famer and former AEW World Tag Team Champion Sting retired earlier this year, wrestling his last match not only alongside Darby Allin but also his sons Steven and Garrett. Sting’s sons dressed up as versions of their father’s past, with Garrett playing “Surfer Sting” and Steven playing “Wolfpac Sting,” and it seems getting in the ring has lit a fire for the business under at least one of them.
Fightful Select is reporting that Steven Borden is currently training with Allin for a possible career in professional wrestling. Allin revealed the information in an interview set to be released on Thursday. Allin has a ring in his backyard, and the appearance at AEW Revolution inspired Sting’s scion to pursue wrestling training — Steven is said to be sleeping in Darby’s front yard in a tent while he trains. Steven, a college football player, had previously said he was hesitant about joining pro wrestling, calling his future in the business “murky,” but had noted the emotional high”he got from performing for fans.
Sting and Allin were ultimately successful at Revolution thanks to the help from the Bordens, defeating Matt and Nick Jackson in Sting’s final match. Sting and Allin then relinquished their World Tag Team Championship, which ended up back in the hands of The Jacksons at AEW Dynasty after they defeated FTR in a ladder match for the vacant titles, thanks to an assist by the returning Jack Perry.
Since 2020, WWE has begun to make WrestleMania an even bigger event, with the biggest show of the year being held across two nights. The move has worked out well so far, and it appears WWE is ready to apply the practice for their second biggest event on the calendar, starting two years from now.
On Thursday morning, WWE PR announced that the 2026 edition of SummerSlam would be a two night event, taking place on August 1 and August 2. Both shows will take place out of U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the home of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.
“U.S. Bank Stadium is an absolutely world-class venue, situated in a city with rich wrestling history and an amazing fan base,” WWE Executive Chris Legentil said in a statement. “We’re excited to bring two nights of SummerSlam to Minneapolis in 2026.”
“U.S. Bank Stadium is honored to host WWE’s SummerSlam on Minnesota’s biggest stage in 2026,” Chairman of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority Michael Vekich said. “We look forward to providing a warm welcome and best-in-class experience at U.S. Bank Stadium for WWE Superstars, staff, fans, and guests.”
In addition to SummerSlam, both WWE and the Minnesota Sports and Events commission confirmed there will be a slew of “fan and community events” organized between the two sides leading into the big show. SummerSlam coming to Minnesota comes after the state had been rumored to be the host site for WrestleMania 41, before WWE instead opted to hold both nights of the event in Las Vegas, Nevada. The announcement is unusual in WWE announcing the dates and location for an event two years from now, while the date and location for SummerSlam 2025 has yet to be unveiled.
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