It seems that Brock Lesnar’s retirement plan has been thrown out of the window as the Beast Incarnate made a surprise appearance on Raw last night and took out Oba Femi.
Femi was out for the weekly open challenge but this time around, while he was doing his in-ring pose with the lights dimmed, The Ruler was attacked from behind.
It was only when the lights came back on that fans saw it was Lesnar, who hit not one, not two, not three, but four consecutive F5’s on Femi.
Fans inside the arena completely lost their marbles and chanted “holy shit” with Lesnar looking rather proud of his attack.
After a commercial break, Paul Heyman handed Raw GM Adam Pearce a signed contract, saying Lesnar was ready to face Femi in a WrestleMania rematch at Clash in Italy.
Femi destroyed Lesnar at WrestleMania 42 and following the match, an emotial Lesnar removed his gloves and boots, leaving them in the ring as he said goodbye to the fans.
WWE Superstars will be joining UFC athletes at the Freedom 250 Fan Fest on Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14 for meet and greets.
The announcement, made on social media by the UFC, does not show who will be in town from WWE’s side so far.
The Fan Fest will be held at The Ellipse in front of The White House and will feature meet and greets, immersive experiences, live panels and Q&As, the ceremonial weigh-ons, a Zac Brown concert, he UFC Freedom 250 watch party, and more.
The event is sponsored by crypto.com and Ram, with Ram being a frequent sponsor on WWE programming.
TKO, the parent company of WWE and UFC, will be eating a huge hit in terms of money to produce the event, with estimates hovering around $60 million. TKO will foot the bill for the cost of construction of the arena, fighter pay, and site restoration, which includes $700,000 to replace the grass on the South Lawn.
When all said and done, TKO expects to recover around $30 million through exclusive corporate sponsorships and other packages.
AEW has announced that the Dynamite themed episode of Beach Break will be held on Wednesday, July 8 in Clearwater Beach, Florida.
The show is set to take place from The BayCare Sound at Coachman Park, a 4,000-seater waterfront boutique concert venue.
AEW is using Jon Moxley, Thekla, Darby Allin, and Willow Nightingale to advertise the broadcast.
Last year’s Beach Break was held over two nights including Collision tapings and had Jon Moxley defend the AEW World title against Samoa Joe in a steel cage match. The show was held at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois in May.
Kim Turman-Laurinaitis, the widow of Road Warrior Animal, ripped WWE and A&E a new one over the Road Warriors Biography episode which aired yesterday.
She said that she was never contacted to be part of the show despite being there the night he died. She said that the real story will eventually come out.
“This is disgusting, literally disgusting, at his expense, and I will not be quiet anymore. Shame on all involved. The TRUTH will always come out,” she wrote in a post on Facebook.
She also challenged the producers’ version of how her husband died, saying that he passed away on September 22 in a hotel and not at a hospital as it was alleged in the documentary.
“They never took him to a fcking hospital. They tried to save him in our hotel room,” she continued. “I was the ONLY one there with the paramedics… are you serious right now?!
She bashed the “fake-ass phony people” who pretended to be friends and pretended to tell the truth at her husband’s expense and wondered if they will be handing out Oscars for the acting.
“Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. No words. All of you know y’all just put on a fantastic performance. Standing ovation for that bullshit show,” she added.
During a livestream on Twitch, current WWE United States Women’s champion Tiffany Stratton was answering questions from fans and addressed a rumor that Giovanni Vinci was fired from WWE because he flirted with her.
“You guys! That may be the craziest one I’ve ever heard,” Stratton said. “That did not happen, that is not true. There is no truth to that.”
Stratton said that she heard he had just signed with TNA Wrestling and thinks he’s “gonna kill it” there and hopes he’s do amazing.
“So absolutely no truth to that. That’s a false accusation,” she continued.
Stratton also addressed her looks, where some fans accused her of being all plastic.
“I just got my boobs done,” Stratton said. “Got some lip filler. Got some botox. And that’s it. I’m not plastic from head to toe. It’s just the chest, the lips, and some botox, that’s it. Let’s move on!”
Professional wrestling and horse racing don’t belong in the same sentence. One is mostly scripted; one is totally unpredictable. One has dramatic entrances, and the other has dramatic finishes.
Very different worlds. But the emotional structure? Surprisingly close. Both wrestling and horse racing are built around the same logic: tension before the outcome. The buildup is also important in both sports; the crowd brings in the hype, and the favorite matters. And when something unexpected happens, people remember it for years.
Whether it’s a shocking title win or an 80-1 underdog horse winning the Kentucky Derby, the feeling is the same. This got us thinking: how does storyline drama in wrestling compare to the chaos of the horse racing industry?
Both Sports Need a Favorite
Every sport, not just wrestling or horse racing, needs someone the audience understands immediately and someone that the audience thinks is going to win. This is where the big stories are born.
We’re talking about the favorite. The champion, the unbeatable force. When you look at it, both wrestling and horse racing have that. In every wrestling match, there is one favorite, and although the crowd knows that they’re all secretly rooting for the underdog just because they placed a bet.
Horse racing works the same way. Before a big race, the public usually creates the favorite.
Every good wrestling story needs someone the audience understands immediately. If we look at the 2026 Belmont Stakes entries, there is already a clear favorite to win this year’s big race.
This favorite becomes the emotional anchor of every event. Without a favorite, sporting events would feel boring, and an upset wouldn’t feel like an upset. Basically, the favorite gives the audience something to measure against.
The Underdog Is Where the Story Lives
Now let’s talk about the underdog. Favorites are there to create a structure, but underdogs carry all the emotions.
That’s true in both wrestling and horse racing.
In wrestling, for example, the underdog is often a smaller wrestler, the overlooked challenger, and the person who keeps getting knocked down but somehow refuses to stay down. The whole audience starts leaning forward when the narrative flips, and the underdog makes a good move. They are all in shock, saying, “Wait, can they win?”
On top of that, underdogs make betting more exciting.
Rick Strike won the 2022 Kentucky Derby at 80-1 odds, and it created an incredible story. We had a similar thing this year when Golden Tempo won the 2026 Kentucky Derby, although it wasn’t really an underdog with 23-1 odds.
The Build-Up Does Half the Work
This is where both worlds really connect. The actual match or race is fun, but that’s only a piece of the action. The build-up is usually more important and does the heavy lifting.
In wrestling, the audience watches weeks or months of promos, sneak attacks, stare-downs, and stats comparisons, and by the time the match happens, people are already sold on the story.
Horse racing works the same way, but much more naturally and with less hype. The build-up here happens through prep races, odds movement, and workouts.
The point is that once the build-up has hyped the audience, the event is ready to go live. This makes everyone experience the event in a much more tense way.
Wrestling Scripts the Drama; Racing Discovers It
This is the obvious difference, but it’s also what makes the comparison interesting.
A wrestling promotion can decide that an underdog wins, a champion cheats, or a betrayal happens at the perfect moment. The structure is designed.
At the racetrack, nobody can script the final turn. A favorite can stumble. A closer can find a gap. A pace meltdown can ruin the field. A horse nobody believed in can suddenly look like it has been saving all its life force for this exact stretch.
Shock Only Works If People Care First
This is where bad storytelling fails.
You can surprise people, but surprise alone is not enough.
If a random wrestler wins a random match with no build-up, nobody cares. If a random horse wins a race nobody was emotionally invested in, it’s interesting for about five seconds.
But when the stakes are clear, shock becomes powerful.
In wrestling, that means championship matches, streaks, grudge feuds, retirement threats, or characters people care about.
In racing, that means the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes, the Preakness, Breeders’ Cup races, famous rivalries, Triple Crown pressure, or a heavily backed favorite everyone expects to win.
Villains Exist in Both Worlds Too
Wrestling has heels.
Horse racing has villains, but they’re less theatrical.
Sometimes the “villain” is the heavy favorite everyone wants to see lose. Sometimes it’s a trainer people don’t trust. Sometimes it’s a rival horse blocking the fan favorite. Sometimes it’s just the odds board mocking your confidence.
And sometimes the villain is bad luck. Which is the worst villain because you can’t boo it properly?
Still, both sports need resistance. The hero’s win only matters if something is standing in the way.
So, even though horse racing and wrestling look completely different, they still create drama in many similar ways. This drives the story, making these events more desirable and enjoyable.
In a post on X, Randy Orton shot down recent reports that he has been off WWE television due to a back injury.
“Lmao just milking it guys,” Orton wrote. “Leave me alone I’m trying to enjoy my summer before I come back and take that #15.”
Orton was reacting to the news, specifically by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, who said during the weekend that Orton was still suffering from a back injury that kept him out of action for over a year a few years ago.
The Viper has not been seen on WWE television since his WrestleMania 42 Saturday main event loss against Cody Rhodes.
During the post-fight press conference on Saturday night, Ronda Rousey said that Dana White reached out to her during the morning of the fight wishing her luck.
“He texted me this morning wishing me luck and saying he hopes Gina and I kill it. I told him how much it meant to hear that from him,” Rousey said.
While Rousey took shots at UFC and TKO, she never said anything bad about Dana White and described him as an incredible friend and admitted she is where she is because of him.
“I’m eternally grateful, and I really appreciate him giving me his blessing to go out and do this on my own,” she said.
Earlier, Rousey said that her loyalty is with White himself, and not the company that he runs or the parent company.
Rousey also added that she was compensated fairly not just for fighting but also for promoting the fight. Fighter pay is a hot topic for her and was ultimately the decision maker in not doing this with the UFC.
“I also was promoting this event as well, so I think it’s literally on the contract that, I’m not supposed to tell people, I’m very happy and very grateful and me and my husband are gonna go house shopping in Hawaii after this,” she said.
Tickets for the TNA Lockdown 2026 pay-per-view went on sale this weekend on Ticketmaster.com.
The show will be held on Sunday, August 23 live from the Credit Union 1 Arena at UIC in Chicago, Illinois.
Tickets start from just $52.10 and only a small portion of the arena is currently open for sales. TNA is also having a huge issue selling tickets for Slammiversary in June, moving just over 1,000 tickets for the show.
This is the first Lockdown event, where all matches are contested inside a steel cage, since 2016.
WWE Superstars Iyo Sky and Naraku, the man formerly known as EVIL in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, announced their wedding today in a post on social media.
Posting two images, one in their wedding outfits and one in their wrestling outfits, the duo also released an accompanying statement together.
“We began our professional wrestling journeys in Japan, each seeing different sights and ‘skies.’ From early this Summer, we felt a deep connection and joy in becoming colleagues and comrades who will challenge the same stage across the ocean in WWE,” the statement reads.
“From now on, as a married couple, we will support each other in our daily lives, and as WWE Superstars, we will share both the loneliness and the glory, striving to elevate each other and shine even brighter individually,” it continues.
“We will never forget our gratitude to all the fans and everyone who have supported and guided us until now, and we are determined to push forward together towards even greater heights,” the Japanese husband and wife wrote. “Though we are still a developing pair, we humbly ask for your continued guidance and support.”
AEW President Tony Khan addressed the rumors put out by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer that WWE insiders “think” that AEW is not going to get picked for a new deal under Paramount.
Talking to the press after the ROH Supercard of Honor, Khan said that he read the report of WWE “talking” about AEW’s next TV deal.
“I was surprised by that and I’ll say what they said could not be further from the truth and they’re entitled to their opinions,” Khan said.
“I’ve been trying to be respectful to them and try to conduct myself as a gentleman and then for them to go on background and spread these things…I’ll just turn the other cheek, and maybe a couple of years ago I wouldn’t have done it like that,” he continued.
The report was in this week’s Wrestling Observer where Meltzer said that his WWE sources are spreading the word that AEW will have a hard time securing another television deal once this one is up.
Double or Nothing 2026 is officially sold out, with the remaining tickets all being resold by the original ticket holders.
The show will have in excess of 14,000 fans at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing, New York, making it the second most-attended Double or Nothing so far behind the 2022 edition which had just over 14,500.
Double or Nothing is currently the second largest gate for an AEW show in the United States, behind All In: Texas which obviously had a larger crowd due to the larger stadium. It sits fourth overall in AEW gate revenue behind the two All In shows in Wembley from 2023 and 2024.
Darby Allin vs MJF in a title vs hair match will headline the show.
The upcoming AAA Noche de Los Grandes event will have the participation of multiple WWE Superstars.
Apart from the already announced El Grande Americano vs Original El Grande Americano in a mask vs mask match, two more matches featuring WWE’s own were revealed on last night’s AAA on FOX show.
The War Raiders will get a crack at the AAA Tag Team titles in a match against champions Pagano and Psycho Clown while Bayley and Lola Vice will team up with La Catalina to battle Flammer, Maravilla, and La Hiedra.
The show takes place on Sunday, May 30 from Monterrey, Mexico and will stream on the WWE and AAA YouTube channels.
WWE Superstar CM Punk was at the Rousey vs Carano fight in Inglewood yesterday, and was interviewed during the broadcast, his first televised appearance since the Raw after WrestleMania 42 Sunday.
Punk was asked about his prediction for the main event and backed Ronda Rousey 100%, saying she’s gonna march forward, she’s gonna clinch, she’s gonna throw, and she’s gonna armbar.
Asked if he wants to say hi to his fans before cutting away, Punk said hello to his beautiful wife April.
“Honey, I’ll be home in…I don’t know…20 minutes!?” Punk said.
One thing is for sure: Ronda Rousey does not get paid by the hour!
In her first MMA fight since 2016, the baddest woman on the planet submitted fellow MMA legend Gina Carano in just 17 seconds with her armbar.
It’s a fight that followed most of Ronda’s history in the cage: a fast start and straight for the kill, a method which has worked for a majority of her career apart from her previous two fights.
The fight between Rousey and Carano headlined MVP’s first foray into MMA and took place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The show was not sold out, but was around 90% full by the time the main event kicked in.
In the post-fight interview, Rousey said that was it for her MMA career and there was no way she could have ended better than this and wants to go home and “make some more babies.”
In interviews leading up to the fight, Rousey hinted that this was going to be her last MMA fight of her career.
Rousey took a reported $2.2 million payout while Carano had a $1 million payout for the fight according to figures released.
Tonight’s Collision will take place from the same location of last night’s ROH Supercard of Honor event at the Wicomico Civic Center in Salisbury, Maryland.
As it has been customary for the past several weeks, the AEW World title will be defended on the show, with Darby Allin continuing to defend pretty much every week. Announced matches are:
Darby Allin vs Sammy Guevara for the AEW World title
Willow Nightingale vs Red Velvet for the TBS title
Megan Bayne and Lena Kross vs opponents TBD in an AEW Women’s Tag Team title eliminator match
The Conglomeration vs Shane Taylor Promotions in an AEW Trios title eliminator match
Samoa Joe and Anthony Bowens vs Lee Johnson and Jay Lethal
Collision airs at 8PM ET on TNT and also streams live on HBO Max.
Former Raw and Smackdown Women’s champion Ronda Rousey will be returning to the cage tonight in a much-anticipated fight against another MMA legend and pioneer, Gina Carano.
The event, airing live on Netflix everywhere, will be held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California and will also have Nate Diaz, Francis Ngannou, Philipe Lins, Junior dos Santos, and others in the 11-match card.
The show is promoted by MVP Promotions, with the primary card airing on YouTube, followed by the main show on Netflix.
Rousey, the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion, has not fought an MMA bout since December 30, 2016. She suffered a loss to Amanda Nunes on that night, signing off with a 12-2 career record.
Carano has not entered the cage since August 15, 2009. She had her first career loss that night against Cris Cyborg and finished off with a 7-1 record.
The match was originally offered to the UFC and while Dana White was interested in having it under the UFC banner, Rousey and Carano were not offered a good deal after the UFC moved from pay-per-view to Paramount+.
Rousey has used much of her time promoting this show blasting the UFC and TKO for the way they handle payouts for the fighters under their contract.
Former WWE Superstar and one half of The Rockers, Marty Jannetty, had one of his legs amputated. The news was revealed by his friend and fellow former wrestler Eddy Mansfield during an appearance on the Monte and The Pharaoh YouTube channel.
“One of my dearest friends ever on the face of this earth, and was a great wrestler, had his foot amputated, and his name is the ‘Rocker’ Marty Jannetty,” Mansfield said.
Mansfield blame WWE for letting Jannetty’s physical condition deteriorate even though Jannetty has not been associated with the company for decades. He said that his injuries all occurred in a WWE ring and he, along with Shawn Michaels, made WWE “a ton of money” during their Rockers days.
“Where in the hell was WWE to help Marty Jannetty? Hell, he made them millions of dollars, and you can’t help him when he is in the biggest need of his life, fighting for his life?” he continued. “These guys at WWE can get all these pay raises, but you can’t take care of the guys who make you the money.”
Apart from blaming WWE, Mansfield also blamed Shawn Michaels for not doing more to help Jannetty throughout the years when Michaels’ career took off and Jannetty was left behind.
“If you made it together and you go separate ways, don’t hurt your partner, help your partner. Make sure he eats well,” he added.
Blake Monroe wrestled a dark match before Smackdown last night, defeating Jordynne Grace as she nears her WWE main roster debut.
Monroe is believed to be making her Smackdown debut on next week’s episode, a month after she wrestled her final match for NXT, losing a casket match against Tatum Paxley.
The former AEW Women’s champion will be the latest star from NXT to make the jump to the main roster following WrestleMania 42 and joins talent such as Ethan Page, Sol Ruca, Joe Hendry, Ricky Saints, and Fatal Influence.
Backlash 2026 did not register in the Netflix top 10 global chart and it looks like it wasn’t one of the most-watched WWE premium live events on the streaming service either.
The show only charted in 11 different countries, including Bolivia, Canada, Egypt, El Salvador, India, Mexico, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, and United Kingdom.
The United States is not factored in these charts as it aired on ESPN.
The exact numbers will not be known until Netflix releases its bi-annual figures of all their shows in June for the first six months of 2026.
