After tons of speculation this week about “a former WWE champion” returning to WWE on tonight’s episode of “Raw,” the thousands of fans in the San Diego, California crowd, and the millions at home let out an audible sigh when Jinder Mahal hit the ring. But as “The Modern Day Maharaja” chastised the United States, expectations boomed for something more, and none other than The Rock made his way down the ramp, sending the place into a frenzy. From there, things only got more intriguing.
As Rock sang a custom rendition of the United States National Anthem to Mahal, things ended with more physicality than we’ve seen from “The People’s Champion” in several years, hammering Mahal with his trademark right hands, dropping him with a Spinebuster, and putting an end the altercation, of course, with The People’s Elbow.
From there, Rock thanked San Diego, told the crowd he loved them, and said he was hungry. He noted plans to go out and get something to eat but asked the crowd if he should sit in a booth, or maybe at the bar (which drew a pop from the audience, gleefully ending the holiday season themselves), or maybe, just maybe, he should take a seat at the head of the table.
Could that finally mean what the collective would think it to mean? Common sense would say that he wouldn’t utter those specific words without a specific payoff in mind. With WrestleMania season right around the corner, as well as a massive Elimination Chamber event in Perth, Australia, the conversation is only just getting started.
Andrade El Idolo appears to be on the verge of leaving AEW soon, having joined the promotion in 2021 after leaving WWE.
In October, he underwent surgery for a torn pectoral muscle and made his comeback in June. El Idolo’s AEW contract is set to expire soon, unless additional time has been added to compensate for the period he was inactive.
According to the latest report from Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, people in WWE think Andrade is coming back.
“Andrade talked to the press after the match and said he’s got a lot of open doors in 2024 and he’s not sure which one he’ll choose. I do know that those in WWE expect him to return. I also know those close to him who say that he may very well go back but is also open to stay if Tony Khan makes a better offer than WWE. He would also like to work New Japan and would have wanted to do FantasticaMania in February but it conflicts with his schedule,” Meltzer wrote.
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg has hit out at Vince McMahon after the former WWE Chairman didn’t stand by a promise he made to the former WCW star.
In his recent appearance on “Steve & Captain Evil: The Podcast,” Goldberg revealed that McMahon had promised him a retirement match after the veteran star agreed to face Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia in 2022. He disclosed that he had COVID prior to the show and had to work hard to get in shape, but McMahon didn’t honor his promise.
“Vince is like Dana White. He’s the big boss and he makes everything happen. In all honesty, he gave me the opportunity to put my wife and my son on the front row and gave me the ability to perform again in front of them. So, I owe him everything,” Goldberg admitted. “Until we went to Saudi Arabia and he asked me to put Roman Reigns over, and I had COVID. I remember calling him from my house and I said, ‘Listen, here is the deal. I’ll do it if you give me a retirement match.’
“I did what he asked. As a performer that runs around in his underwear … I was 56 years old when I did this. As a human being, you’re conscientious about how you look in a bathing suit. Especially two months prior to being in that bathing suit, you couldn’t work out for two months because you had COVID. I put myself in a horribly shi*ty situation to get what I wanted to, but to satiate him and to give him what he wanted. Problem is he never held up his bargain.”
The legendary star didn’t mince words about how he feels about McMahon at the moment: “Vince is a piece of sh*t as far as I’m concerned.”
Earlier this year, Goldberg flouted the idea of possibly having a retirement match in Israel. His last match in WWE was the aforementioned match against Reigns, where he lost to the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion by submission.
WWE commentator Corey Graves hasn’t competed in years, but the former NXT Tag Team Champion isn’t opposed to a one-off return to the ring.
In a recent interview with “Steelers Takeaways“, Graves spoke about possibly returning to the ring after being medically cleared in 2020. He said,
“The transition in a weird way saved me from what could have been. Instead of grieving over the loss of my dream as an in-ring performer, it gave me something new to focus my energy on while staying in the business. I found a new mountain to climb. In hindsight it really helped me deal with that loss.
“I have a clean bill of health now, thanks. I actually got medically cleared a couple of years ago to perform in the ring again. I flirted with the idea and am waiting for a potential opportunity if it presents itself. More of a one-time ting like McAfee has done – not as a full-time in-ring performer.”
Graves currently calls the action on WWE SmackDown with Kevin Patrick and Michael Cole. His last official match for WWE took place at a March 2014 WWE NXT live event.
CM Punk made his in-ring return at WWE’s Live Event in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, after a triumphant return at Survivor Series: War Games. Punk faced former WWE NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio and the former AEW World Champion was victorious, his first WWE win since January 2014.
According to Justin J. Lopez on X (formerly known as Twitter), Punk pinned Mysterio after a GTS. The former WWE Champion then took to the microphone to address the Manhattan crowd.
“There’s a little part of me that came here for me, but you guys are the high tide that raises all ships,” Punk said. “You have carried me throughout my career to my greatest moments and this is one of them.” Punk then told the crowd to look at their fellow members of the WWE Universe and say hello and shake hands, much like the “Sign of Peace” at Catholic Mass. Punk says that he’s grateful to wake up and to be in the ring and for each and every fan that came to see him wrestle.
“I came to finish what I started. It starts tonight in the world’s most famous arena and the greatest fans on earth,” Punk said. “The Voice of the Voiceless” then said he’d win the Royal Rumble and head to WrestleMania. “That isn’t me finishing my story, that’s just me getting started.”
Punk was not done making his thoughts known, as WWE cameras caught up with “The Second City Saint” after the win, where he said, “King’s back, best in the world.”
The Authors of Pain will return to WWE television soon.
Fightful Select reports that WWE plans to have the Authors of Pain return to live programming soon.
The current plan is to have Akam and Razer appear on SmackDown, though nothing is set in stone. WWE Hall Of Famer Paul Ellering has been expected to join the duo on TV.
Akam and Razer were released from their WWE contracts in September 2020.
The Authors of Pain had been re-signed with the WWE in 2022 before the return of Vince McMahon as chairman in January 2023 and they were on the internal travel list as of May 2023.
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