Two title matches have been announced for next week’s Smackdown in Lyon, France.
The Secret Hervice, the team of Piper Niven and Alba Fyre, will take on Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss for the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles. Niven beat Flair last night on the show setting up the title match.
Also, Sami Zayn will get a crack at the United States title which is currently held by Solo Sikoa. Zayn appeared on the show and helped Jimmy Uso take out the MFTs during their tag match against The Street Profits.
Lyon had, arguably, the greatest wrestling crowd ever at an event last year for Backlash and were rewarded with another televised show. The city also hosted Smackdown before Backlash in 2024.
Smackdown ended on a Brock Lesnar cliffhanger last night but before we found out what was going on, Logan Paul had other things on his mind and spoiled the ending.
The interesting thing is that there were two endings shot, one which aired live on Netflix, and then one which aired on USA Network. While the final result was the same, the approach was different.
During the live broadcast, with the show going off the air, a shot of John Cena walking out of the building was shown. Smackdown General Manager Nick Aldis came running out and told him he had just heard from Brock Lesnar.
But before he told Cena what Lensar said, Logan Paul came in the frame and knocked Cena out with a right hand and ran away, leaving Aldis in a bad mood.
In the version that aired on USA Network, the camera angle was different and the angle was shot from behind John Cena. It shows Logan Paul coming out, shoving Aldis away, and then hitting the right hand and leveling Cena.
Perhaps it was re-shot to mask the punch, which did not hit Cena in the face during the live broadcast. In any case, the end result was indeed the same.
Brock Lesnar returned at SummerSlam and took out John Cena following the main event in his first appearance on WWE television in two years. The two are rumored to be headlining the Wrestlepalooza premium live event next month, the first one on ESPN.
WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus announced that her mother Alice has passed away last week after a battle with cancer.
“My mama is gone. I don’t even know how to write this… she passed last week and I haven’t been able to find the words,” Stratus wrote in a post on Instagram a few days ago.
Heartbroken, the former WWE Women’s champion said that her life will never be the same again and her heart feels broken in more ways that she can describe.
“It’s as if writing the words makes it more real that my best friend, my safe place, my go-to, the one who was there for every single moment of my life, showing up for me in ways that no one else ever could for every milestone, every heartbreak, every joy — is gone. She was always there and now she won’t be,” she continued.
Much to the surprise of nobody, Mercedes Mone added her ninth title belt to her collection after she defeated Emersyn Jayne to become the new Discovery Wrestling Scottish Women’s champion.
The match took place today at RevPro’s 13 Year Anniversary night one event held at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre marketed under the name RevPro Global Wars UK. Mone won the title after she made Jayne tap out to the Statement Maker.
Mone now carries the TBS title, CMLL Women’s title, EWA Women’s title, Prime Time Wrestling Women’s title, Undisputed British Women’s title, SWE Queen of Southside title, BestYa Women’s title, Discovery Wrestling Scottish Women’s title, and the Owen Hart Cup 2025 Women’s title.
According to a story on The Hollywood Reporter, WWE managed to strike a deal with ESPN and move its premium live events seven months before their contract with Peacock expired because the company fulfilled their PLE obligations earlier.
This was due, mainly, to two-nights WrestleManias and SummerSlam and also additional PLEs such as Evolution and Clash in Paris, which moved the total number of contracted shows over the line.
THR says that Peacock had to okay the move and neither WWE nor ESPN had to buy out any of the remaining contract from Peacock. WWE and Peacock worked out an exit strategy, signed a new deal to keep Saturday Night’s Main Event on the streaming service, and then WWE did the deal with ESPN after.
Peacock will get to present its final PLE on Sunday, August 31 with Clash in Paris and then ESPN takes over with Wrestlepalooza on Saturday, September 20.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque appeared via video on ESPN SportsCenter today to talk about the WWE premium live events shifting to ESPN seven months earlier than expected, saying it was like Christmas came early for them.
The new ESPN DTC streaming app went live yesterday and is now available for $29.99 or free depending on your current cable/streaming subscription.
His full seven-minute appearance can be seen below.
Will Ospreay has confirmed that he will be undergoing surgery after Forbidden Door and will be out of action for a while.
The popular British star is suffering from two herniated discs which are affecting movement of his arm and told the Screen Off Script YouTube outlet that despite all this, he is confident about being in the ring for the lights out steel cage match this Sunday.
Ospreay doesn’t know a date when the surgery will take place but since he had this issue for 10 months, it’s now time to have it.
The AEW medical team has cleared Ospreay to be part of the match despite the injury, with Ospreay saying that his herniated discs can’t get any worse than they already are.
Ospreay teams with Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenny Omega, Darby Allin and Kota Ibushi against Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Gabe Kidd and the Young Bucks in the unsanctioned cage match Sunday.
Tickets for the WWE/AAA Collision event on September 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada went on sale this morning.
The show will be held at The Pavilion at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada.
Tickets start from $103.42 and go up to $645.45 for ringside. All seats will have a good view as the location is rather small, with a max capacity of 3,000 seats.
This will be the second Worlds Collide event between WWE and AAA and it will be headlined be El Hijo del Vikingo vs Dominik Mysterio for the AAA Mega championship.
Appearing on ESPN SportsCenter, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque announced that Pat McAfee will be at the Wrestlepalooza premium live event next month.
McAfee has been absent from WWE programming since early June and a few weeks ago he revealed that he had to stop doing commentary for Raw due to mental exhaustion.
“I knew this moment was coming. I knew it was going to happen at some point and it happens to people,” McAfee said on his show last month. “So I talked to people about it happening and what they went through and as Money in the Bank was happening, I was like…’Oh my god, this is it, I’ve finally hit it.’”
But with Wrestlepalooza live from Indianapolis, which is the home of McAfee, Triple H said that the former NFL player will be at the show.
“Wrestlepalooza, in the home of the one and the only Pat McAfee, who’s like family to us. Pat will be there, he’s gonna light the place up. It’s gonna be exciting,” Triple H said.
It was not announced if McAfee will be back behind the desk for commentary just for that night or if he will be just making an appearance in front of the live crowd.
Dustin Rhodes underwent double knee replacement surgery yesterday and is now recovering.
The 56-year-old has a long road to recovery ahead of him but the former TNT champion has no intention of calling it quits and plans to return to the ring once he’s fully up and running.
“Hell nah. I am in love with this business. As of right now, i have 2 yrs and 4 months left,” he wrote on X, also posting a video from his hospital bed. “AND DAMN GLAD AND PROUD OF @AEW and where I will finally say uncle. Maybe Probability 99.9%. Gotta watch out for that one percent.”
Rhodes warned Kyle Fletcher, whose injury was blamed on for storyline reasons, that while recovery is longer for him due to hiss age, there will be “final reckoning” waiting for him.
Radio host Bubba “The Love Sponge” published a press release issued by The Clearwater Police Department after an autopsy on Hulk Hogan was done, possibly revealing medical malpractice.
In their original press conference just hours after Hogan passed away, the department said that no foul play was suspected even though now it was revealed that Hogan’s therapist told first responders that something was not right and there could be medical malpractice, discussions which were recorded on their body cams.
These first responders eventually reached out to Brooke Hogan to let her know, sparking a battle not to cremate Hulk and have the body undergo autopsy.
“The Clearwater Police Department continues its investigation into the July 24 death of Terry Bollea, also known as Hulk Hogan. We have been in communication with family members – including his son, Nick, and daughter, Brooke. The unique nature of this case has required us to interview multiple witnesses and seek medical records from a variety of providers, and our detectives continue to do that. All of this takes time,” the press release stated.
“The Hogan family has been appreciative of our efforts and our communication with them. Until the investigation is completed, no records related to the case, including body camera footage, can be released. That is police department policy in every case. We plan to meet with the family and brief them on the case to this point, and we will share the results of the investigation with the family prior to closing the case and releasing it to the public and media,” it continued.
Bubba “The Love Sponge” who had a rocky relationship with Hogan and were not friends when Hogan passed away, has continued to push for the truth to come out because he believes Hogan was did not die of natural causes.
“Hulk Hogan’s doctor has a rap sheet full of MALPRACTICE, battery, and even tampering with a witness… yet he was the one to sign Hulk Hogan’s death certificate,” Bubba said. “How is that not suspicious?”
WWE starts its Summer European tour today and will spend the next 11 days in the continent as part of the road to Clash in Paris.
Smackdown from Dublin, Ireland at the 3Arena kicks things off and that is followed by a non-televised live event tomorrow from Liverpool, England at the M&S Bank Arena. On Sunday, it’s another live event from Newcastle at the Utilita Arena.
Raw comes to you live on Monday, August 25 from Birmingham, England at the bp pulse LIVE. On Tuesday, August 26 it’s a live event from Manchester, England at the AO Arena and on Wednesday, August 27 it’s off to Leeds, England for a show at the First Direct Bank Arena. WWE visits Cardiff, Wales on Thursday, August 28 for a show at the Utilita Arena and then Friday, August 29 they’re off to Lyon, France at the LDLC Arena for a live episode of Smackdown.
The climax of the tour is Sunday, August 31 with the Clash in Paris premium live event from the La Defense Arena in Paris, France and that is followed by a final show the following night, a live Raw from La Defense Arena on Monday, September 1.
The Forbidden Door go-home episode of Dynamite drew 564,000 viewers, down a whopping 134,000 viewers from the prior week. This was the least-watched Dynamite since April 23 and the second least-watched of 2025 so far. The show had a 0.16 rating in 18-49, down 0.01 from the prior week and was #7 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)
Smackdown tonight will be live in prime time for those in Europe as the show hits Dublin, Ireland. In the United States, Smackdown airs on tape delay in its regular 8PM ET time slot but for those watching on Netflix across the pond, it will be live at 8PM GMT.
Matches announced are Charlotte Flair vs Piper Niven, The Street Profits vs The MFTs, R-Truth vs Aleister Black, and Motor City Machine Guns vs Melo Don’t Biz.
Plus, 17-time world champ John Cena is in the house and it will be his last time in a WWE ring in Ireland.
WWE is now using the services of seven different providers to air its content around the world, having media rights agreements with Netflix, USA Network, The CW, Tubi, Peacock, YouTube, and ESPN.
Some of these are free, but some are not and require a monthly payment. Here’s a list of where and how much it costs to see each WWE weekly show.
RAW United States: Netflix – Starting price from $7.99 a month International: Netflix – Starting price differs depending on country
SMACKDOWN United States: USA Network – Starting price from $45.99* a month International: Netflix – Starting price differs depending on country
NXT United States: The CW – Free with over-the-air antenna International: Netflix – Starting price differs depending on country
EVOLVE United States: Tubi – Free via Tubi app International: YouTube – Free via website/app
SATURDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT United States: Peacock – Starting from $10.99 a month International: YouTube – Free via website/app
PREMIUM LIVE EVENTS United States: ESPN – Free** or $29.99 a month International: Netflix – Starting price differs depending on country
NXT PREMIUM LIVE EVENTS United States: Peacock – Starting from $10.99 a month International: Netflix – Starting price differs depending on country
WWE VIDEO LIBRARY United States: Peacock – Starting from $10.99 a month International: Netflix – Starting price differs depending on country Everywhere: YouTube – Free via the WWE Vaults channels
* Cheapest streaming option with USA Network per Suppose.TV using Sling. ** Check your cable/streaming service agreement with ESPN
So in theory, if you have nothing and want to watch everything, a subscription to Netflix, Sling, Peacock, and ESPN will cost you $94.96 per month for the minimum service. This price is only valid for those in the United States. For those internationally, one subscription to Netflix will cover all your basis.
For U.S. viewers, WWE PLEs will move to ESPN in September while NXT PLEs will air on Peacock until March 2026. The WWE video library remains on Peacock until December 2025.
Speaking to TV Insider ahead of the Forbidden Door pay-per-view, Mercedes Mone said she doesn’t watch or care about WWE.
Mone was reacting to a question about WWE having counter-programming to everything AEW has been doing lately, including announcing Wrestlepalooza PLE on the same night as All Out next month.
Asked about having heated competition now, Mone said it’s not.
“I don’t watch them. I don’t care about them,” Mone said. “I’m Eight Belts Mone. I’m a champion of so many different companies. So, the more the merrier!”
Mone said that WWE can put opposite shows while they have their own but AEW is taking over.
“They can keep on doing whatever they want to do, but AEW is taking over,” she continued. “If you want to watch the best, good wrestling, watch AEW.”
In the same interview, Mone also talks about her love life, working with Tony Khan, and more.
An autopsy on Hulk Hogan has been done according to his widow, Sky, who confirmed the report to TMZ.
According to TMZ, Hulk’s therapist told officers who responded to the cardiac arrest call that he was the victim of medical malpractice and the surgeon who performed one of the surgeries severed his phrenic nerve.
The phrenic nerve stimulates the diaphragm, which controls breathing, and Hogan died after he simply stopped breathing. TMZ says that he did not have a “chest-clenching episode” before he passed away even though his death was ruled as a heart attack.
The conversations were all recorded on the police body cams, confirming what Bubba “The Love Sponge” said that Brooke was contacted by those who responded to the call to sound the alarm that her father did not die of natural causes.
Sky told TMZ that it’s true that his phrenic nerve was hit, something that it was never acknowledged before. Hogan’s body has not been cremated pending further investigation.
WWE photo ops for Clash in Paris weekend are now available for sale via Leap Events.
The location will be at the La Clairière outlet at the Westfield Les 4 Temps shopping mall located in La Defense. The sessions will be held on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday between August 30 and September 1.
Scheduled to appear so far are Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, El Grande Americano, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh, LA Knight, Lyra Valkyria, Penta, Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez, Rusev, Stephanie Vaquer, and The New Day.
Prices vary depending on the WWE Superstar selected. An extra €20.80 is being charged for a printed copy.
The AEW Tag Team titles match at Forbidden Door this Sunday has been changed from a regular match to a three-way.
The eliminator tournament final match yesterday on Dynamite between FTR and Brodido ended up in a 30-minute time limit draw, thus both teams earning a ticket to London to face The Hurt Syndicate.
The AEW Tag Team title eliminator tournament started a couple of weeks ago with FTR advancing after eliminating JetSpeed and Bang Bang Gang and the team of Bandido and Brody King eliminating Gates of Agony and The Young Bucks to reach the final.
NXT from Philly this week drew 675,000 viewers, down 53,000 viewers from the prior episode. The show had a 0.15 rating in 18-49, also down 0.02 from the previous week. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)
