Ring of Honor will present a new episode of ROH TV tonight on Honorclub.
The wrestling and sports worlds are mourning the loss of a true warrior today, as Steve “Mongo” McMichael has passed away at the age of 67. The former Chicago Bears defensive standout, turned WCW star, died Wednesday following a four-year fight with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
McMichael’s legacy spans far beyond the gridiron. A cornerstone of the legendary 1985 Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears—famously dubbed the “Monsters of the Midway”—McMichael was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. But wrestling fans remember him just as fondly for his larger-than-life persona in the squared circle.
“Mongo” made a smooth transition from football to pro wrestling in the mid-90s, becoming a colorful figure in WCW. He initially joined the promotion as a commentator but quickly stepped into the ring, aligning himself with one of the most iconic factions in wrestling history: The Four Horsemen. During his in-ring tenure, McMichael captured the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship in 1997 by defeating Jeff Jarrett, a moment that cemented his place in wrestling lore.
McMichael’s later years were marked by a brave public battle with ALS, which he was diagnosed with in 2021. His health struggles became increasingly severe, and earlier this year he was hospitalized with MRSA and required a blood transfusion. On Wednesday, reports emerged that McMichael had entered hospice care after being taken off a ventilator. His passing was confirmed by WGN’s Jarrett Payton, who was with him during his final moments.
“With deep sorrow, I share that Steve McMichael passed at 5:28 PM after a brave fight with ALS surrounded by loved ones,” Payton posted on X (formerly Twitter). “I’m grateful to have been with him in his final moments. Please keep Steve and his family in your prayers.”
From hard-hitting tackles to Horsemen beatdowns, Steve McMichael lived every moment with intensity and charisma. Whether you knew him from Soldier Field or the WCW ring, “Mongo” left a lasting impression. His resilience, both as an athlete and as a man fighting a devastating disease, will not be forgotten.
WWE issued the following statement on Mongo’s passing on X (formerly Twitter):
“WWE is saddened to learn that Steve “Mongo” McMichael has passed away. WWE extends its condolences to McMichael’s family, friends, and fans.”
AEW Dynamite airs live tonight coast-to-coast on TBS and live on Max, from the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Just as Solo Sikoa’s new-look Bloodline seemed to be gaining serious momentum with Jacob Fatu’s big United States Championship win at WrestleMania 41, the faction has reportedly hit a major snag. Multiple sources, including BodySlam.net and Cody Whoades of PWN, have confirmed that Tama Tonga is taking a medical leave of absence due to an undisclosed injury—an issue that may require surgery.
Details on the injury are scarce, and as of now, neither WWE nor Tonga himself have issued a public statement. What’s clear, however, is that Tonga will be off WWE television for the foreseeable future, leaving a major hole in the faction’s lineup.
Tonga was last seen on the April 18 episode of SmackDown, where LA Knight launched a surprise backstage attack on The Bloodline to open the show. While the angle served to write Tonga off TV, reports indicate the injury wasn’t sustained during the brawl—it was simply a storyline device to explain his absence. Tonga was also notably absent from ringside during Jacob Fatu’s title match at WrestleMania, where faction leader Solo Sikoa accompanied the “Samoan Werewolf” instead.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Over the past year, Tonga has become a key figure in Sikoa’s Bloodline, bringing his hard-hitting New Japan Pro-Wrestling style to WWE and capturing Tag Team gold alongside both Jacob Fatu and his real-life brother Tonga Loa. Unfortunately, Loa has also been sidelined with an injury, leaving Sikoa and Fatu as the only active members of the once-deep faction.
With the group’s ranks now halved, all eyes are on how WWE plans to keep this iteration of The Bloodline strong. Will Sikoa and Fatu look to recruit fresh blood to maintain their dominance on SmackDown, or will they hold down the fort as a duo until Tonga and Loa return?
Whatever the plan, the faction’s future just got a little murkier—and with LA Knight still gunning for revenge, the pressure isn’t going anywhere.
After months of preparation and a dream years in the making, AEW’s Darby Allin has officially reached the base of the world’s tallest mountain. The former TNT Champion, known for his fearless attitude inside the ring, is now bringing that same intensity to one of the most physically grueling challenges on Earth—climbing Mount Everest.
Allin kicked off his Everest journey earlier this month, arriving in Kathmandu, Nepal, alongside his mother and brother in early April. From there, he quickly began the trek toward Everest Base Camp, and updates throughout the month pointed to strong progress and high spirits. On April 17, the Adventure Consultants—an elite expedition guiding company—confirmed that Allin was acclimating well and making steady strides with his team.
Fast forward to April 20, and Allin officially reached Everest Base Camp, according to a now-removed update from Adventure Consultants’ website. Expedition leader Ang Dorjee Sherpa noted that the group would soon begin the official climb following the traditional Puja ceremony, a spiritual ritual held before any Everest ascent to ask for protection and good fortune.
While getting to Base Camp is a major milestone, the real challenge is just beginning. Climbing Mount Everest is a weeks-long test of endurance, even for seasoned alpinists. Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer previously reported that a full Everest expedition typically takes close to two months. Considering Allin is relatively new to high-altitude mountaineering, his climb may stretch even longer—assuming conditions allow him to make it all the way to the top.
It’s a massive undertaking, and success is far from guaranteed. Statistics show that roughly a third of Everest hopefuls don’t make it to the summit, often forced to turn back due to weather, altitude sickness, or sheer physical exhaustion.
Still, if there’s one thing fans have learned about Darby Allin over the years, it’s that he’s not afraid to risk it all. Whether diving off ladders in front of thousands or scaling the tallest peak in the world, Allin remains determined to push himself far beyond what most would ever dare.
Stay tuned as we continue to follow Darby’s high-stakes adventure—because this climb could be his most extreme challenge yet.
WWE NXT live on The CW starting at 8:00 pm EST.
The team-up between Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria was short-lived—and so was their reign as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Less than 24 hours after their surprise victory, the Irish duo dropped the titles to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez on Monday Night Raw After Mania. But it was what happened after the match that truly sent shockwaves through the WWE Universe.
Following a hard-fought bout that opened the show, Lynch turned on her protégé with a vicious assault, signaling a heel turn that could reshape the women’s division moving forward.
The clash between Lynch & Valkyria and the newly-aligned Judgment Day duo of Morgan & Rodriguez began in chaos and ended in heartbreak. Things kicked off with a fiery exchange between Lynch and Morgan, with both women unleashing stiff strikes. Valkyria tagged in early and held her own, but momentum shifted quickly once the powerhouse Raquel Rodriguez entered the fray.
The bulk of the match saw Valkyria and Rodriguez battling it out in a physically intense showcase, while Lynch and Morgan intermittently rejoined the fight. The turning point came when Valkyria tweaked her knee coming off the top rope, leaving her vulnerable. Rodriguez capitalized with a big boot, and after missing earlier in the match, Morgan finally nailed Valkyria with the Oblivion for the win.
Lynch, who had been taken out briefly on the outside by a falling Rodriguez, could only watch from the floor as Morgan and Rodriguez celebrated their victory—marking Morgan’s fourth reign with the women’s tag titles.
As Valkyria tried to regroup in the ring, Lynch joined her and offered what appeared to be a consoling embrace. But seconds after they parted, Lynch struck—flooring her fellow Irishwoman with a sudden clothesline. What followed was a calculated, unrelenting assault as Lynch unleashed a storm of fists and fury on her now-former partner.
The ambush lasted several rounds, with Valkyria left battered and broken by the former multi-time world champion. The crowd, stunned into silence, watched as Lynch reintroduced the ruthless side of her persona that hadn’t been seen in quite some time.
Lynch’s heel turn adds a whole new layer to her character and throws immediate spotlight on Valkyria, who now stands as a sympathetic figure heading into what could be her breakout feud on the main roster. After months of being mentored by The Man, Valkyria now finds herself standing across from her in what’s shaping up to be a highly personal, high-stakes rivalry.
Meanwhile, Morgan and Rodriguez are wasting no time getting to work as champions. The duo is set to appear on NXT to defend the Women’s Tag Team Titles against the unlikely pair of Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley.
One chapter has closed in violent fashion, but for Lynch, Valkyria, and the women’s division as a whole, the story is only just getting started.
Another familiar face is back on the red brand. JD McDonagh made his surprise return to WWE on the Raw After WrestleMania, jumping right into the action to lend a controversial hand to his Judgment Day ally, Dominik Mysterio.
Monday’s show in Las Vegas featured Dominik’s first Intercontinental Championship defense, just 24 hours removed from his WrestleMania 41 win. He faced off against a debuting Penta, who seemed moments away from dethroning the newly minted champ—until McDonagh made his presence felt.
With the referee conveniently distracted, McDonagh struck, laying out Penta and clearing the path for Dominik to hit his trademark frog splash for the pinfall victory. The assist wasn’t just McDonagh’s way of reasserting himself in the storyline—it was a clear signal that despite recent fractures within The Judgment Day, some alliances are still holding strong.
This marks McDonagh’s first appearance since suffering serious injuries back in January. The Irish star was sidelined with broken ribs and a punctured lung following a tag team match on the January 27 edition of Raw, where he teamed with Dominik against The War Raiders. His return couldn’t come at a more chaotic time.
The Judgment Day has been anything but unified lately. Finn Balor, long seen as the group’s leader, has been increasingly isolated and is now teasing a possible move against Dominik’s newly won Intercontinental Title. That development throws McDonagh’s return into an even more intriguing light—especially given his past loyalty to Balor.
Is McDonagh still loyal to the original Judgment Day architect, or is he staking his future alongside the group’s younger rising star? With tension boiling over and championship gold now in the mix, don’t be surprised if McDonagh finds himself caught between two Judgment Day forces in the very near future.
Ring of Honor is shaking up its 2025 calendar with a major reshuffle of two of its flagship shows—Supercard of Honor and Death Before Dishonor. Originally set for different dates and cities, both events have swapped places and are heading to entirely new venues, marking a significant change in ROH’s annual schedule.
Initially planned for Friday, May 2 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Supercard of Honor will now take place on Friday, July 11 at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas—the same weekend AEW is running its highly-anticipated All In Texas event at Globe Life Field. The move positions Supercard as a high-profile lead-in to one of AEW’s biggest shows of the year, potentially giving ROH a larger spotlight as fans descend on the Lone Star State.
This date switch leaves the Atlantic City event off the board, and fans who had already secured tickets for the original May 2 date will receive full refunds at the point of purchase. In addition, those fans will be given exclusive presale access once Death Before Dishonor tickets go on sale.
With Supercard now in July, Death Before Dishonor slides into the fall and gets a fitting new home: the legendary 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, set for Friday, September 5. Longtime fans will know the venue well—it’s the iconic former ECW Arena and one of the most storied buildings in independent wrestling history.
The 2300 Arena holds a special place in ROH lore. While the company initially ran events at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory in the early 2000s, it shifted to the ECW Arena in 2008, using it heavily for TV tapings during the “ROH on HDNet” era. Philly has been a spiritual home for Ring of Honor over the years, making this return both symbolic and meaningful.
The venue has continued to be a hotbed for pro wrestling, having recently hosted promotions like New Japan Pro-Wrestling, TNA, and even a taping of WWE NXT as recently as November 2024. Bringing Death Before Dishonor to this historic arena only adds to the buzz surrounding ROH’s fall schedule.
These scheduling shifts appear to be strategic on multiple fronts. Positioning Supercard of Honor around AEW’s All In Texas weekend could drive crossover traffic from die-hard fans traveling for the bigger show, while Death Before Dishonor’s return to Philly offers a nostalgia-fueled boost for longtime supporters of the brand.
It’s clear that Ring of Honor is continuing to evolve its identity under the AEW umbrella, and these venue changes signal a renewed focus on legacy, location, and strategic synergy with AEW’s biggest events.
Just when fans thought the surprises were over after an epic WrestleMania weekend, WWE pulled out one more stunner on the post-Mania edition of Monday Night Raw. In one of the night’s most jaw-dropping moments, Rusev—formerly known in AEW as Miro—made his long-awaited return to WWE after a five-year absence.
The return came during a segment featuring the newly crowned World Tag Team Champions, The New Day, who had just captured the titles from the War Raiders on WrestleMania Saturday. As they basked in their Vegas celebration, they were cut off by Maxxine Dupri, flanked by Otis and Akira Tozawa of Alpha Academy. Dupri wasted no time throwing shade, reminding the champs of their previous, embarrassingly short loss to Alpha Academy. With a little verbal baiting—labeling them the “Minute Men”—Dupri goaded The New Day into an impromptu title defense.
But the match never got underway.
As the bell was about to ring, the arena lights cut out. Moments later, a thunderous new theme hit—and out stormed Rusev to a roaring crowd. Ditching his AEW persona and returning to his WWE roots, the Bulgarian Brute wasted no time making an impact. The New Day wisely bailed from the ring, leaving Otis and Tozawa to face the wrath of the returning powerhouse.
Tozawa was quickly dispatched, and fans were treated to a brief but intense staredown between Otis and Rusev. Just as Otis tore off his shirt to throw down, Rusev unleashed a brutal headkick, followed by a signature Machka Kick and the Accolade submission to put Otis out cold.
This surprise return comes just two months after reports confirmed Rusev’s quiet departure from AEW, where he had been competing as Miro since 2020. His last in-ring AEW appearance was back in December 2023, with a one-off match in Qatar earlier this year being the only other time he stepped into a ring post-AEW.
Now back in WWE—and clearly not wasting any time asserting dominance—Rusev looks poised to shake up the RAW roster in a big way. Whether he’s targeting The New Day, Alpha Academy, or has his sights set even higher, one thing is certain: Rusev Day is back, and the WWE landscape just got a lot more dangerous.
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