In an interview on NewsNation’s Biff podcast, 16-time world champion Ric Flair praised AEW President Tony Khan, calling him a nice and generous guy after revealing that he still gets paychecks from AEW while doing nothing for them.
Flair said he thinks Khan takes care of him out of respect because he grew up watching him.
“He’s a nice guy, he’s generous. I work for him, and I don’t do anything,” Flair said. “He’s just a wonderful guy.”
Flair also labeled Tony Khan as probably “the greatest promoter of all time,” although he’s not as smart as Vince McMahon yet.
“But only through, you know…years and years [of experience]. Because Vince was really smart and very clever. But Tony’s a great guy, generous to a fault,” he continued.
Flair also said that WWE has been great to him and with his daughter one of the major stars in the company, he wouldn’t talk bad about WWE or TKO.
The Halloween Havoc 2026 card continued to evolve last night on NXT with three new matches announced.
NXT North American champion Zaria will take on Izzi Dame but interestingly enough, the title will not be up for grabs even though Zaria offered to defend it. Dame told her that for their one-on-one, the title doesn’t need to be on the line!
Former IWGP Heavyweight champion Naraku will also be on the show, battling Shiloh Hill.
And finally, the Halloween Havoc Wheel will return for the show, as Zilla Fatu takes on Charlie Dempsey. Fatu returned on NXT yesterday and cost Birthright a spot in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament semi final.
The three matches will join Grayson Waller vs Tony D’Angelo for the NXT title and Kelani Jordan vs Wren Sinclair for the NXT Women’s title. Danhausen will be the host for the night.
Halloween Havoc takes place on Saturday, October 31 live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Both semi final matches in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic are now confirmed following last night’s episode of NXT on The CW.
El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno were victorious in their encounter against Lexis King and Charlie Dempsey, with the AAA Tag Team champions moving on to the next round.
In a battle of former NXT Tag Team champions, Hank and Tank beat The Creed Brothers in the second match to move on, setting up a date against the Wagners.
The other semi final match will have NXT Tag Team champs Vanity Project against Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno.
Drew McIntyre sat down with Chris Van Vliet in Nashville, Tennessee to discuss his role in the upcoming ReelShort film “Agent of Shadows” as well as his roles in “Hexed” and “The Last Druid”, working with Henry Cavill on “Highlander”, what’s next for him in Hollywood, preparing for a WWE return, getting more muscular during his time off, his viral gym photo with Russell Crowe, why he still hates CM Punk, his army of cats, and more!
I feel like you’ve gotten bigger since the last time I saw you!
“I have gotten bigger since the last time you saw me. I believe I was around 275 prior to Mania.”
How could you get bigger?
“Wasn’t intentional. I’ve been doing all the right things. I was in Barcelona for a few months. I came back and really dialed in the diet. I upped my cardio. I discovered the assault bike, which is the worst thing in the world and the best thing in the world. But that cardio was through the roof, and I figured, okay, I’m probably going to lean up, but that’s fine. You get leaner, you generally look bigger on camera, and I somehow gained 10 pounds of muscle. I’m 285. I’m the only man in the wrestling world where they under-exaggerate. There’s so many times when I would say to the ring announcer, ‘Hey, I’m not 255, I’m 265. Can you use my real weight?’”
So, are you doing all this because you’re getting ready to return to WWE?
“No, I just like to look good. Obviously, I’m in the best shape of my life. I feel physically great. I’m sure you saw the clip that was out there when I was running the ropes. I was just rolling around the ring at Miro’s school, Rusev; you’re very welcome. It’s here in Nashville, and my buddy was like, I’ve never seen anybody hit the ropes so fast because he’s not seen Bron Breaker, the only other man that’s faster than me. He got a little clip, a 15-second clip, and it blew up online. I think over 8 million views, so people seem to be excited about the idea that I’m coming back to wrestling, but I’m just seeing what happens right now. I’m enjoying myself. Hollywood Drew is jumping from project to project, and when the time is right, WWE is home.”
Agent of Shadows is about to come out. It’s you and a ton of other WWE superstars in this, but it feels like all the marketing seems to be around you. You’re one of the main characters.
“I’m the right-hand man of Adam, the lead character, our James Bond type. I am the Q to his Bond. I’m the tech guy, and if called upon, I’m going to kick some butt too, and obviously, the sex appeal. But yeah, we got a lot of the superstars in there. Everybody did a great job, not just the action sequences, which is a given, being WWE superstars, but from the acting-wise, I thought everyone did a great job. It’s fun. It’s a really fun watch, and hopefully everyone goes into it with that idea. Hey, I’m about to have a little fun watch, and might be surprised about the romantic elements, the comedic elements, and at the center there is heart, and it is a very fun watch.”
When you look at the poster, it is filled with stars! Joe Hendry, Jacob Fatu, Booker T…
“How on Earth could you leave out Michael Hayes? Nobody’s more excited about anybody being in that movie. Backstage, a curtain sell out. Everyone’s very excited to see Michael in action. He killed it. He’s exactly what was needed for that role. I’m kind of following in his footsteps in a way. He was a wrestler, and I became a wrestler. Then he was in Highlander, and then he’s going into Agent of Shadows. So in a way, I’m following in Michael’s footsteps.”
At what point did you realize “I prayed for this and it happened” had become the meme that it is?
“I knew talking to Triple H during the day that this is going to be so good. I had an idea and it was too much. It would have offended a lot of people, which I’m very good at. He helped me reel it back, and then Hunter himself came out with the line, which I ended up using because I had such an extreme version, and he dialed it back and the way he said it and the cadence of how it’s to be said. He said it like that, and I got so excited. He’s obviously a savant when it comes to this business. Sometimes though he comes out with [things]; I went, how do you think of that? But it was like, that is genius, and oh my God, that is going to be so good. I know as a fan, I would lose my mind. Didn’t think I’d be seeing it to this day for everything, no matter what. It’s sports, it’s outside of wrestling, it’s constantly me pointing, ‘I prayed for this, and it happened.’ But I knew in that moment when Hunter delivered the line back to me by toning me down a little bit. I went, wow, that is genius. Because I’m going to use that exact tone. The promo itself, I was being sympathetic, I believe, because Punk had got injured, and I understand what it’s like to have things taken away from me, and I’ve been injured before, and I’ve lost in my life in the ring and out of the ring, and I can get real personal. But I hate that son of a bitch, and I’m going to say it in the exact same tone all the way through till people go, wait, what? His face goes, what? And I drop his ass. So yeah, that’s cool. I mean, those promos, that feud, they voted it the best feud of the 2020s.”
MARYLAND – A federal judge has rejected a constitutional challenge brought by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), TKO Group Holdings, and Vince and Linda McMahon in the ongoing “Ring Boys” child sexual abuse litigation. The ruling marks another victory for survivors who allege they were sexually abused as minors while working in connection with WWE events during the 1980s and 1990s.
In a 26-page opinion issued today, U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar of the District of Maryland rejected the defendants’ latest attempt to dismiss the survivors’ claims. At issue was the constitutionality of Maryland’s Child Victims Act of 2023, which eliminated time limits for filing civil lawsuits involving childhood sexual abuse. The law recognizes that survivors often delay disclosing abuse due to the lasting effects of trauma, giving them an opportunity to pursue justice when they are ready to come forward.
DiCello Levitt, together with Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, represents the survivors in John Doe 1 et al. v. World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC et al.
“This ruling is a significant victory for our clients and for other survivors of childhood sexual abuse who have waited years for the opportunity to seek justice,” said Greg Gutzler, a partner at DiCello Levitt who leads the litigation. “Trauma does not follow a legal deadline, and Maryland’s Child Victims Act recognizes that reality. Our clients have waited years to hold those responsible accountable. We will not stop fighting until their voices are heard and they have their day in court.”
Court Clears Another Hurdle for Sexual Abuse Survivors
The defendants argued that Maryland’s Child Victims Act was unconstitutional as applied to them because it allowed lawsuits over alleged abuse from decades earlier. Judge Bredar disagreed, finding that the law was passed to remedy a well-known problem: the fact that trauma and other factors can suppress the ability of child sexual abuse victims to report within traditional statute of limitations periods. He also rejected the defendants’ argument that the law is punitive, finding instead that its primary aim is to allow the survivors to bring childhood claims that were lost through no fault of their own, and often due to the actions of their abusers.
The ruling follows the court’s December 2025 decision largely denying the defendants’ earlier motions to dismiss.
The WWE Ring Boys sexual abuse lawsuit alleges that WWE employees, including ringside announcer and ring crew chief Melvin Phillips Jr., recruited underage boys to assist with wrestling events and used their positions to groom, exploit, and sexually abuse them. The plaintiffs further allege that WWE leadership, including Vince and Linda McMahon, knew or should have known about the abuse but failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it.
The litigation is led by DiCello Levitt’s Greg Gutzler and Adam Prom and includes Scott Gilmore, Mark A. DiCello, Bobby DiCello, and Emma Bruder, with local counsel Murphy, Falcon & Murphy.
The case is John Doe 1 et al. v. World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC et al., Case No. 1:24-cv-03487, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
TNA Wrestling announced that Santino Marella has re-signed with the company and will be sticking around for more, although they did not reveal for how long his new deal is.
Marella, who currently plays the on-screen Director of Authority for TNA, originally signed in 2023 after a 15-year stint with WWE.
The 52-year-old also runs the Battle Arts Academy in Mississauga, Canada, and is a pretty well-liked figure backstage.
Speaking on Busted Open on WWE Radio, former WWE champion Drew McIntyre said that the new leadership team at WWE is more open to Superstars appearing in Hollywood movies compared to the prior regime.
McIntyre said that under Vince McMahon, the idea of someone leaving for weeks to go film a movie was not something which he liked and always shut it down because they were needed for WWE live events and TV.
But WWE President Nick Khan and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque have a different outlook on it, and see it as a good opportunity for more exposure.
“These days, both the lads see it as, ‘Hey, if this is good for you and your brand, you want to do it, that’s awesome.’ And if it works for our brand, if it helps everybody, if it gets more eyes on the product, they’re all about it,” McIntyre explained.
McIntyre did say that unlike now, under McMahon there were way more non-televised live events so they had to be on the road often, which did not help with their Hollywood ambitions.
“But as I say, Nick and Paul are very much of the mindset, if it makes sense, if it helps everybody and helps your brand, which in turn helps our brand, because I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” he concluded.
McIntyre, along with Jacob Fatu, Joe Hendry, Booker T, Nikkita Lyons, and Michael Hayes, will be part of WWE and ReelShort’s first action-drama Agent of Shadows, which premieres on Friday.
The pre-sale for the Ring of Honor Final Battle event will kick off tomorrow morning starting at 10AM CT using the code INS3AEW.
Final Battle will take place on Friday, December 4 at the Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas and it’s the last big ROH event for the calendar year.
An All Elite experience package will also be available including priority early entry, commemorative VIP credential and lanyard, pre-show crowd-free shopping, exclusive VIP merchandise pack, exclusive AEW Insights reception host by AEW/ROH special guests and meet the AEW/ROH stars, exclusive pre-show ringside photos with a championship belt and a VIP on-site coordinator. VIP tickets are available starting now.
AEW will also tape an episode of Collision the day after in the same location.
Tickets can be bought at boeingcentertechport.com and they go on sale to the general public on Friday, October 23 at 10AM CT.
Ludwig Kaiser’s motion to dismiss the battery charge case against him was shot down by a Florida judge, with a pre-trial conference now set for December 17.
Kaiser got in trouble with the law following a physical altercation with Richard Reap in their condo, with Kaiser’s legal team presenting it as justifiable use of force under the Florida Stand Your Ground law.
The pre-trial conference will now have both sides either try to come to terms or else move ahead in court.
The incident dates back to April when Kaiser and his girlfriend, Andrea Bazarte, were being a bit too affectionate in an elevator and Reap, who lives in the same condo as Kaiser, passed on some remarks. That prompted the WWE Superstar to get physical and inflicting some damage.
Even if the charges are eventually dropped, Reap could still sue Kaiser in civil court to claim damages.
The road to Crown Jewel continues tonight live on Raw from the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.
Both the WWE World Heavyweight champion, Roman Reigns, and the WWE champion, Sami Zayn, will be in the house for a face to face ahead of their Crown Jewel championship match next month.
Only two matches have been announced for tonight’s show so far:
WWE Superstar Bayley made a surprise appearance at the Big Time Wrestling 30th anniversary show yesterday in San Jose, California.
The former WWE Women’s champion has a long history with the indie promotion and it’s where she started her journey as a professional wrestler, having her first match under the name Davina Rose.
Her appearance came hours after she landed back home from a few days in Hawaii where she was part of the WWE live event tour in the state.
Bayley ended up part of the action too after a referee was knocked out during the Aaron Solo vs Chazz “Starboy” Hall match, with Bayley removing the referee’s shirt and putting it on herself, entering the ring and taking over for the rest of the match.
The WWE Ring Boys lawsuit will continue after U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar ruled against WWE, TKO, Vince McMahon, and Linda McMahon in their motion to throw it out.
In a story posted by POSTWrestling.com, the judge ruled that the law is constitutional as applied to the case and the case will move forward, with the discovery phase next.
The seven unknown men – known as the WWE Ring Boys – claim they they were hired by WWE’s ringside announcer and ring crew chief Melvin Phillips Jr. to assist with errands and other tasks in preparation for WWE’s wrestling shows who were groomed, exploited, and sexually abused by Phillips, Pat Patterson, and others.
Originally, the lawsuit, which was filed in October 2024, had eight plaintiffs but one of them dropped his allegations.
R-Truth posted a photo with a thumbs up sitting in front of an MRI machine and said that he’s okay following the injury scare on Friday at Smackdown.
“I AM OK, thank you ALL for your support, concerns and get well wishes, wow, it truly feels amazing to feel and be loved I’m grateful for you all,” Truth wrote.
Truth got injured when he went for a missile dropkick from the top rope and did not get up after the landing. The match against Damian Priest was called off by the referee.
“On 10/16/2026 I almost passed away… Damien Priest tried to kill me, I didn’t think he was THAT serious,” Truth joked. “But ok, I’ll be back.”
WhatsApp and OffBall are teaming up once again to bring fans closer to the action with the return of The Chat, a live group chat for fans to engage with the celebrities they love, with a revamped experience built for the fall football season. Now available on WhatsApp Channels, the latest edition will give an unlimited number of fans the opportunity to join and follow live reactions, commentary, and conversation from some of the biggest WWE Superstars through a new partnership with WWE.
Launching October 18 with the Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers game, The Chat will feature WWE Superstars representing each team and sharing their real-time reactions throughout the match. Representing Dallas will be Cody Rhodes, whose sister is a former Cowboys cheerleader, and Trick Williams, who spent time in the NFL prior to becoming a WWE Superstar. Liv Morgan will represent the Packers while The Miz will provide additional play-by-play commentary.
The Chat will continue throughout the season, including the November 1 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Commanders matchup, which will feature longtime Eagles fans Nikki Bella and Brie Bella along with LA Knight rooting for the Commanders, and additional talent to be announced closer to the event.
Building on the success of previous editions of The Chat, WhatsApp is bringing the conversation to channels, giving more fans access to live commentary and reactions. With one-way broadcasts reaching unlimited followers, channels offer a scalable way to bring sports conversations to fans on the app used by more than 3 billion people globally. The Chat will continue to bring diverse sports communities together around the moments shaping football and WWE in real time, tapping into intense fandoms to create a unique, shared chat experience.
WhatsApp and OffBall created The Chat in 2025 to connect fans with leading voices across sports and entertainment in a more immediate and conversational format. Previous editions have featured athletes, creators, and cultural figures such as LeBron James, Deion Sanders, Daniel Ricciardo, Kylie Kelce and more. With its latest iteration, The Chat continues to evolve at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and culture, using WhatsApp to give fans a new way to experience the moments.
Ilja Dragunov, AEW’s latest acquisition, will be making his AEW in-ring debut on Wednesday live on Dynamite.
His opponent has not been named yet but the former NXT champion is very eager to resume his in-ring activities, with his last time in the ring on television being the April 17 episode of Smackdown in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
His last regular one-on-one match dates back to March 20 in a losing effort against Carmelo Hayes, also on Smackdown.
AEW President Tony Khan said last weekend that Dragunov’s visa was not sorted until Wednesday before Dynamite hit the air, so his teaser was thrown in late. Dragunov appeared live at WrestleDream after he was introduced by Renee Paquette.
The Street Fighter movie, with Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns playing the roles of Guile and Akuma, opened with a $31 million weekend in the United States.
The movie, playing in 3,575 theaters nationwide, took the top spot for the week and had an additional $20,100,000 in international box office according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. That puts Street Fighter with a $51,100,000 worldwide opening, which while it’s good, it also falls short by around $20 million from initial estimates.
Others part of the cast include Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang, David Dastmalchian, Eric Andre, Andrew Schulz, Vidyut Jammwal, Orville Peck, Don Lee, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Jason Momoa.
It is directed by Kitao Sakurai and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
During their time in Hawaii, WWE Superstars Bayley, Intercontinental champion Chad Gable, and LA Knight visited Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for meet and greets.
The event provided service members and their families an opportunity to interact with WWE Superstars, boosting morale across the installation.
The three got to board a C-17 Globemaster III, meet the crew, and pose in the cockpit, before meeting those on the base who came along for the event.
WWE was in the state of Hawaii for the weekend, wrapping up their tour yesterday evening with the second show at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena. The company also held a tryout before the shows.
At yesterday’s ACW: Mischief Night II event in Poughkeepsie, New York, former AEW star Max Caster announced that he will be taking a break from professional wrestling following a turbulent week which saw him getting fired from TNA Wrestling just after one appearance.
Caster was at TNA Bound For Glory and rapped his way out to the ring, making fun of the bombings in Riyadh. That prompted a massive backlash online, with TNA removing the match and all mentions of it from social media and ultimately firing him.
“If you don’t know, in the span of one day I started a contract and ended a contract with TNA Wrestling. And I put out a statement, I addressed it, I apologized to a lot of people but the one group I didn’t get to apologize to was all the fans,” Caster said at the show.
He thanked the fans at ACW for welcoming him but admitted that he doesn’t know what his next move will be.
“I don’t know where I’ll be but I will be stepping away from the ring for an extended period of time. So I’m gonna go home, I’m gonna go to therapy. I’m gonna get it right so the next time I’m in the ring it feels like I’m at home just like you guys made me feel here tonight,” he continued. “So, finally for the last time in a long time, you are looking live at the Best Wrestler Alive.”
The former NXT champion made his AEW debut last night at WrestleDream, introduced by Renee Paquette during the pay-per-view.
His arrival was teased last week in a video which while it did not show his face, it was pretty evident who it was for.
During the post-show press conference, Dragunov said that he felt he was “getting stuck” and because he has this urge to fight and wants to compete, he had to move on.
“If I feel that the air in a certain environment gets thinner for me, I need to breathe,” he said. “That’s what I did today, here. If I need a place to breathe new, fresh air, see a new landscape, and see what the world can offer me to satisfy this hunger for competition.”
He added that he’s been wrestling for 14 years and as time goes on, chances get limited.
“I’ve traveled to places and been under contract. I’ve never had the chance where I didn’t feel like I can’t bet on myself. If I feel that this chance is limited, then it gets more limited,” he said.
Dragunov has been off television since April 2026 and departed WWE in August after his contract expired and he chose not to renew it.
Here are the results from last night’s WrestleDream 2026 which took place live from the Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida.
TAILGATE BRAWL:
Divine Dominion defeated Sisters of Sin
The Don Callis Family defeated Alex Breeze, Papi D, and Rhys Maddox in a trios match
Death Riders and The Dogs defeated Bang Bang Gang and The Conglomeration in a 12-man tag team match
Motor City Machine Guns defeated FTR in match one in a best of five series
PAY-PER-VIEW:
Mercedes Mone defeated to retain the AEW Women’s title
Nick Wayne defeated Chris Jericho
The Young Bucks defeated The Don Callis Family to retain the AEW Tag Team titles
Persephone defeated Dani Luna, Hyan, and Queen Aminata in a four-way match to retain the AEW TBS title
Andrade El Idolo defeated Tommaso Ciampa to retain the AEW National title
“Hangman” Adam Page and Brodido defeated Swerve Strickland and The New Level in a two out of three falls match to become the new AEW Trios champions
Jon Moxley defeated Mark Davis to retain the AEW Continental title
Will Ospreay defeated Samoa Joe, “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Adam Copeland, Konosuke Takeshita, Kazuchika Okada, Ricochet, and Darby Allin in a Clockwork Carnage match to retain the AEW World title
WrestleDream 2026 is available on demand via HBO Max or MyAEW.
