NXT Women’s champion Jacy Jayne was injured at a non-televised live event yesterday in Columbus, Ohio.
Jayne teamed up with Fallon Henley to take on Sol Ruca and Zaria in a tag match and according to reports by fans, Jayne clutched her quad and quickly tagged out. Fatal Influence eventually went on to lose the match.
The referee threw up the X hand sign after the match was over, which is the sign used for a real injury. The WWE medical team came down to assist her at ringside and she could not walk to the back on her own and had to be helped out by officials.
It’s unclear how severe the injury is at the moment.
Nic Nemeth sat down with Chris Van Vliet at West Coast Creative Studio in Hollywood, California to discuss leaving WWE in 2023 and TNA was the right fit, whether joining AEW was ever a possibility, wrestling Goldberg at SummerSlam 2019, the infamous Iron Man match against Seth Rollins that was hijacked by the crowd, the messy New Year’s Eve toast with AJ Lee, possibly making a return to WWE TV, a potential Hall of Fame induction, and more!
On why TNA was the choice:
“I didn’t want to sign anywhere because I just got out of a long-term relationship, and I didn’t want to get out of a 20-year marriage and go right down to being engaged like six months later. So I really go I need to be able to have the freedom that I could go to Mexico, I could go to Japan, I could go to Germany, I could go anywhere, and then not have to be like, well, it has to be based on someone else’s schedule. Scott D’Amore was begging me. He’s like, three years, two years, six months. And I mean this in a very positive way. He goes, ‘Dude, you’re gonna love it here. Wait until you see the locker room. You would be a huge piece here.’ And, I mean begging. ‘Give me something about where you’re related to this company that we can use, and it’ll help you and help them.’ He started having a couple of people text me. He had Roode text me, which is pretty great. Well, we’re buddies, but it was just like him texting me out of the group chat like, something important is happening. It was really funny and I was like, All right, I’ll give it a shot. I go eight dates, so that way I can still travel the world and go test myself. One day in, it’s not even fake, it’s real. I’m like, Oh, this locker room kicks ass. Everybody is open to creative ideas and they’re really looking for some little spark just to keep rocking and rolling along the way. The really funny thing is, the first taping I was at, I’m like man, everyone’s so great. Locker room’s ridiculously nice. I know some people. I just see everybody and I go, Yeah, man, I’m so mad. I’m gonna stay here. One taping in, and one taping in, Scott D’Amore is out, my boss, who said, here’s what we’re gonna do, here’s what we’re gonna do, he’s out.”
On whether he was close to joining AEW:
“I wasn’t. I love so many people there. I’ve had a couple of conversations with Tony in the past, and I rooted for those guys every step of the way. AEW being a thing helped a bunch of people out, worst-case scenario, with negotiating and setting up their career for years down the line. I go if this ends in two or three years, it helped a bunch of people out and put some other people on TV, and they’re rocking and rolling and doing their thing. I watched every Wednesday, because I have to talk about it on Thursday. And it’s another one where I gotta watch wrestling. It’s like kind of a joke, but I’ve like come to learn all the people on the show and watching what they do. I don’t know if I could do all the stuff that everyone does. Their top circle, the whole show, really, it has so many different moving parts and pieces to it that I don’t know that I could, from my old style. I can adapt to anything, and I have been, and I even watched. The 2025 version of me still applies some different things that I wouldn’t have done a few years ago. But I don’t know if in a 35-45 minute match, if it wasn’t with me and Bryan Danielson or Jon Moxley, those guys where I know what they’ve done, and I can move around and do some things, but it’s like, if it’s remembering a sequence like I’m getting 30 guys in Contra every two minutes, I would be more vacant in the match, instead of like feeling the emotion and just remembering it. I go, I don’t know how they do it, but when it comes to those pay-per-views, they blow the roof off, and it’s incredible. And I just really thought with TNA, I go, I will never, ever be Kurt Angle. He’s just my hero, but I know that he did something special with going to TNA and I go, maybe, just maybe, this guy that a bunch of people, most people, seem to respect and have been waiting to see what I can do, maybe me showing up here and being involved could be another spark that does something, because they’re already getting talked about and making some moves, and they’ve been a insane brand for years. But I go, maybe, just maybe, me being there makes this a bigger and better place by 1%. Then falling in love with the locker room and everyone behind the scenes, I just go, this is the fit. I wasn’t going to go anywhere. I didn’t want to. A couple dates for somebody and a couple dates at AEW, 100% I would have done that. But I just go I need to travel the world and be able to sleep at night knowing that I can go, because I talked this sh*t for 15 years. ‘No one’s better, no one can follow me.’ Sorry about the booking, but that’s not my call. And it’s like, now it’s like, back it up or don’t. And I had to, and I would have gone almost anywhere for a few dates just to check it out, but TNA was the fit. I would have watched their progression from the outside if I wasn’t there, but I’m rooting for all those guys and girls.”
On a possible WWE return:
“Maybe, but I really love what I’m doing. I really, really love what we’re doing as a company, and what I get to do on my free time, plus with the company. So sure, possibly something. [But it would still be with TNA?] Yeah, and that’s fine. I’ve said this since they started talking together and making things public about everything with WWE’s relationship, I said, if I can help TNA get something, I will be there. If it’s to go to NXT and have a match, I’m not interested. I’ve done everything I could possibly do in NXT, and if it’s to do something with someone that I worked with, like Randy or Cody or Seth or something, I would be open to it if it helped TNA do something, or make a stride, or just get some kind of box checked to help us out. But I otherwise, I will be cheering along on the outside.”
Why not NXT?
“I don’t think there’s anywhere for me to go there. I was the champ, and if I went there and was in a battle royal and lost, what am I doing? That doesn’t help TNA get on the map somewhere. Now, if it’s come fight our champion and because of this, we’ll have someone come to TNA and do something. Please use me to negotiate, because I want what’s best for TNA, and there’s some things there. But for the most part, I would much rather NXT, especially what NXT is, let’s get Leon Slater there. Let’s get some people who are young, up-and-comers, who get a piece of that. And then maybe the eyes of the boss of instead of just Shawn Michaels, maybe Triple H goes, ‘Who the hell is this guy? Who is this girl? Oh, my God. Okay, we can bring them up and do something with them.’ That’s what I would much rather see. We have an insane talent roster, guys and gals that some I’m just getting to know, but some I’ve been locked in and following, and that would be great for them. I don’t think me being there helps TNA. And if it does, you bet your ass I’m there.”
On the infamous Iron Man match with Seth Rollins:
“This was at the time where, no matter what you think of Roman now, he’s amazing, 11 out of 10. But at the time, he was being forced on people to constantly be the guy, and he’s great. But just at the time, he was force fed nonstop. Vince goes, ‘This is gonna stick one way or another, whether it takes 6 years or 10 or whatever.’ They’re like, God, we’re so sick of this, the same guy every time he’s in the main event, and he’s out. They go, God, I wish the guys fighting for the Intercontinental title would be out there. I wish Seth would be in the main event. Wish Dolph would get it. We got it. We got a shot. Finally, against the boss’s maiden wishes, we’re going to main event this pay-per-view, Intercontinental title is in the main event. It’s an Iron Man match. Seth, who you love, Dolph, who you mostly hate, and are good wrestlers. The guys that you are begging for, the workhorse guys, to get a shot. All the stars align. Vince still says no, and we talk him into it. We’re main eventing the show, and like three minutes in the crowd just starts doing the clock. I just put a hold on. I’m like, man, what is happening? And they’re not even doing the clock right, so it’s kind of screwing me up. Then I missed something, because they’re going, ‘7,6…’ and it’s like 10 or something. I’m like, what? It’s not even a countdown. It’s just the time. And then a third of the way through they go, ‘Don’t worry, don’t worry, we’re taking it off the screen.’ I go, ‘No, no, don’t do that.’ They take it off the screen. So the crowd just starts going ’10, 9…’ every 10 seconds. It’s not even every minute now, they’re doing it every 10 seconds. So now, instead of the last 10 seconds of every minute, it’s every 10 seconds. They’re just counting down. And now I don’t know what time it is, and now, most importantly, they’re not paying attention to the match. I go, man, that’s on us to get them back. We tried, and it wasn’t my best night, because I was a little out of it, because I was trying to do something on the fly that would change. But I’m trying to express that to Seth, while we’re going to these pieces that we got to get to every certain amount of minutes. And it’s just yeah, the crowd, internet crowd, live crowd, they begged for a shot for the IC title, for Seth, for myself, anything but Roman, they got it, and Vince went, ‘See I was right, you’re all wrong.’ And then it was out. So thanks a lot.”
During the Crown Jewel: Perth Kickoff show held earlier today, AJ Styles confirmed that he will be retiring from in-ring competition in 2026.
Styles was one of the many Superstars who appeared in front of the thousands of WWE fans who showed up at Forrest Place for the live broadcast.
“I’m getting old, folks! Listen, if I could find the Fountain of Youth and take a couple of sips, I would wrestle for the rest of my life,” Styles told the crowd.
“The fear of embarrassing myself is getting closer. And you know what? There comes a time in a man’s life when he has to take care of business. But when business is done, it’s time to take care of his family. I need to spend time with my family,” Styles continued.
He then said that the whole idea with wrestling and having an amazing future in this business is to be able to retire on his own terms one day.
“And in 2026, I will retire,” he concluded.
Styles will take on John Cena for the final time tomorrow at Crown Jewel.
The WWE Performance Center has two guest coaches this week according to PWInsider.com and they come in the form of former WWE Women’s champion Jazz and Ace Steel.
A lot of guest trainers walk through the WWE PC along the year, giving students something different to work with and talk to.
The 53-year-old Jazz had a long career and wrestled in ECW, WWE, TNA, NWA, and other promotions. Jazz last appeared on WWE television in July during the Evolution premium live event. This is her second time serving as guest trainer at the PC.
Meanwhile, the 52-year-old Ace Steel is best known for being a big friend of CM Punk and his role in Brawl Out. Steel also has a long history in the ring, wrestling for NWA, ROH, WWE, Pro Wrestling NOAH, and even AEW.
Steel was actually hired by WWE as a PC coach in late 2019 and was furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned later in the year but was released in January 2022.
The Dynamite Title Tuesday episode which aired head-to-head with NXT this week drew just 321,000 viewers, down 144,000 viewers from last week. This was the least-watched episode of Dynamite ever. The new ratings system was actually good for Dynamite this week as the old methodology had the show at just 301,000. In 18-49, Dynamite drew a 0.07, down 0.02 from last week. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)
Kylie Rae, the inaugural WWE ID Women’s champion, announced on social media that the company is not renewing her WWE ID contract.
“Today I share that my time with WWE ID is coming to an end as I was informed my contract will not be renewed,” Rae wrote. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities, memories, and people I met along the way.”
Rae surrendered the title over the past few weeks as she is pregnant.
This news follows the one of Zayda Steel, who herself announced yesterday that she passed on a new WWE ID contract.
The departure of these two women leaves the women’s division of WWE ID in disarray, with only two other females under contract: Zara Zakher and Zoe Sager.
Raja Jackson pleaded not guilty in court to the two charges he is facing for his role in the brutal attack of indie wrestler Syko Stu at a KnokX Pro wrestling event in August.
Jackson entered the San Fernando Courthouse flanked by two men according to footage obtained by TMZ and was charged with one felony count of battery with great bodily injury and one misdemeanor count of battery on a person.
Prosecutors said that the prison time for the felony count is seven years while the misdemeanor one carries an additional six months if he’s found guilty on both charges.
Jackson remains out on bail and will return to his next hearing in November.
The NXT vs TNA Showdown on Tuesday night drew 625,000 viewers under the new system, up 53,000 viewers from last week’s show. The only ratings methodology had the show at 685,000 but those numbers are not being used anymore. In 18-49, the show had 0.12 rating, up 0.02 from last week. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)
For fans who watch WWE on Netflix internationally, Smackdown will be airing live today at 1PM GMT / 2PM CET as the show will be from the other side of the world in Perth, Australia.
In the United States, Smackdown will air on tape delay in its usual 8PM ET time slot on USA Network.
Four matches have been announced, two of which are title matches including The Wyatt Sicks vs The Street Profits for the WWE Tag Team titles, Damian Priest vs Aleister Black in a last man standing match, Tiffany Stratton and Stephanie Vaquer vs Giulia and Kiana James, and Sami Zayn holds his weekly U.S. title open challenge.
This is the first of three shows from the RAC Arena, with Crown Jewel tomorrow and Raw on Monday following.
WWE’s Kelani Jordan and Shiloh Hill, both of whom are part of the developmental system, have been signed by Paradigm Talent Agency for representation according to the Sports Business Journal.
The two join the agency’s growing list of Superstars signed for representation, including CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Damian Priest, Sheamus, Rusev, Montez Ford, Natalya Neidhart, Liv Morgan, Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Alexa Bliss, Blake Monroe, Eric Bischoff and CJ Perry.
The signings of Jordan and Hill are the first in terms of developmental talent joining the agency and Paradigm will help them in contract negotiations, branding outside of the ring and media opportunities.
“Paradigm is bullish on WWE talent because the marketplace dictates the demand. If the marketplace takes a turn, we will be at the forefront of that cultural change,” said Nick LoPiccolo, the head of Paradigm Talent Agency.
Zayda Steel, who has been part of the WWE ID project for the past year, announced that she has decided not to renew her deal.
Steel, a regular on the WWE EVOLVE broadcast on Tubi, said she was incredibly grateful for all the knowledge, experience, and opportunities she gained along the way.
“But at the end of the day, I have to do what’s best for me. I’m only 21, and have already done so much, but I’m just getting started,” Steel wrote.
She previously wrestled for MLW and Marigold in Japan and made her EVOLVE debut in April of this year.
Tons of WWE fans lined up to visit the Crown Jewel: Perth superstore when it opened earlier today in the city.
The store covers a large area and is way bigger than the stores that WWE recently did in Europe or even in the United States.
From title belts to toys to apparel to everything in between, fans spent their hard-earned money and were seen walking out with bags full of merchandise as the chaotic craziness of these stores around the world continues.
The store will be open through Monday as WWE starts its weekend of events with Smackdown tomorrow, Crown Jewel on Saturday, and Raw on Monday all from the RAC Arena.
A one-kilometer custom lighting trail has been installed which will guide fans from the merchandise superstore through Yagan Square to RAC Arena, featuring special effects and interactive screens showing AI-powered WWE Superstars.
A Crown Jewel kickoff show is also scheduled tomorrow at 5PM local time ahead of Smackdown, which would be 5AM ET in the United States. A large stage has been erected at Forrest Place, with many top stars including Australia’s own Bronson Reed, Grayson Waller, and Rhea Ripley all scheduled to appear.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani, ECW legend Raven said that his early-onset Parkinson’s kicks in pretty bad when he’s anxious or gets really tired.
The former ECW champ revealed he was diagnosed with the disease in his upcoming documentary Nevermore: The Raven Effect, which comes out on November 18 on Amazon Prime.
Raven told Helwani that the disease has not affected him “too bad” yet but the tremor gets worse if he’s agitated.
“You gotta pay the piper sometime,” Raven said. “For all the drugs and alcohol and chair shots I took to the head…you gotta pay for the damage at some point.”
Raven added that the things he did and went through made him who he is today and he’s happy with that. Admitting that he has a lot of regrets from his wrestling decisions, he said that he’d rather be happy with who he is at the end of his life than not.
The 61-year-old, real name Scott Levy, wrestled for WCW, WWE, ECW, TNA, and many indie promotions throughout his long career.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful is reporting through his Select service that both members of The New Day – Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods – signed long-term deals with WWE.
It is believed that Woods’ contract was signed close to his expiration date while Kingston’s was done a few months ago.
Kofi has been part of WWE pretty much his whole career, starting there in 2006 while Woods joined four years later in 2010.
The two are one of the most decorated tag teams in the history of professional wrestling with multiple runs with WWE Tag Team titles.
Perth has gone full on WWE as Superstars are in the city enjoying the sights and sounds before the action kicks off tomorrow night with Smackdown.
WWE returned to Perth following a successful Elimination Chamber in 2024 which generated $36.2 million in economy for the state. The Cook Government through Tourism WA was instrumental in bringing WWE back to the city.
“The city is alive and buzzing as Perth prepares for a WWE festival, with Friday Night SmackDown, Crown Jewel: Perth, and Monday Night RAW highlighting our wonderful city to the rest of the world,” said Tourism Minister Reece Whitby. “WWE superstars will be seen all across Perth over the next few days showcasing our State ahead of 17-time world champion John Cena’s final Australian appearance.”
Whitby also added that a top priority for the Cook Government is to diversify the State’s economy by growing their tourism sector and attracting major events helps drive more visitors to the State.
“This premium trio of events is set to supercharge Perth’s tourism and hospitality businesses, with thousands of people travelling to WA to be part of the action,” he added.
Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti said that Perth will be the best place in the world to be a WWE superfan this weekend when wrestling royalty take over their city.
“RAC Arena will once again be at the centre of the action, showcasing the venue’s status as a world-class destination for sport and entertainment when the events are streamed live to hundreds of millions of fans across the globe,” she continued.
Saffioti noted that WWE’s return is all part of their government’s commitment to bringing showstopping events to WA that diversify the economy, generate quality local jobs and support local businesses.
Kota Ibushi suffered a serious injury last night during the Collision tapings at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida according to multiple witness reports.
Ibushi was wrestling Josh Alexander and the match was cut short, with Ibushi counted out after falling off the top rope.
The lights were then dimmed as medics tended to Ibushi and he was stretchered out and went straight into a waiting ambulance.
PWInsider.com reported that it’s believed that Ibushi suffered a broken femur although that has not been totally confirmed yet.
Ibushi has been pretty unlucky with injuries and just returned back to AEW in August.
The Hardys vs Team 3D match at this Sunday’s Bound For Glory will be for both the TNA and NXT Tag Team titles.
The tables match is the final encounter between these two legendary tag teams and following The Hardys’ win at NXT Showdown this past Tuesday, the NXT belts find themselves up for grabs unexpectedly.
“After their historic victory on last night’s #WWENXT, The Hardys vs. Team 3D: One Final Table at #TNABoundForGlory LIVE on PPV and TNA+ THIS SUNDAY will now be for both the TNA and @WWENXT Tag Team Titles,” the TNA X account posted yesterday.
This is The Hardys’ first run with the NXT Tag Team titles and they also became the first contracted TNA stars to hold a WWE title.
Bound For Glory is this Sunday live from the Tsongas Center. Tickets are available at https://tsongascenter.evenue.net/events/TNA and the code GLORY25 can be used to save on tickets. There’s nearly 5,000 tickets sold so far for the show.
Collision this past Saturday, which aired an hour earlier and coast-to-coast at the same time, drew 226,000 viewers, down 22,000 viewers from the prior week. The show had a 0.03 rating in 18-49, which ties a record-low, and was #19 on the top 50 cable chart for the night which was dominated by MLB. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)
Santos Escobar is no longer a free agent and has reportedly re-signed with WWE, just 24 hours after he departed when his contract expired according to PWInsider.com.
The site stated that Escobar was given a bigger deal than what he was originally offered and also heard him about the creative plans. It was reported earlier that Escobar did not originally sign as there were no concrete creative plans for him and it wasn’t about money.
He has not appeared on WWE television since July when he was part of the first Worlds Collide event in Inglewood, California.
The former WWE Cruiserweight champion originally made his debut in early 2020.
Former WWE star Lacey Lane, who wrestled under the name of Kayden Carter, answered Mercedes Mone’s TBS title open challenge yesterday.
Mone said she would wrestle anyone who is local to Florida considering they were in the state for their Title Tuesday homecoming.
The former WWE and NXT Women’s Tag Team champion said that she crossed paths with Mone earlier in her career, but there’s no record of that ever happening. But that did not change anything as Mone successfully defended her title, now crossing 500 days as champion.
Lane made her Ring of Honor debut two weeks ago, losing a match against Mina Shirakawa for the Interim ROH Women’s TV title.
