Latest news with #WrestleMania
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
WWE Abruptly Splits Up Popular Tag Team
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The WWE tag team of A-Town Down Under is officially over. On the July 21st episode of Monday Night Raw, Grayson Waller announced that his partner, Austin Theory, has suffered an injury and that their team is finished, before delivering a scathing promo on social media. This split brings an end to a partnership that has been teased with dissension for well over a year. Waller made it clear he has no sympathy for his now-former partner. Waller's Scathing Message Following the on-screen announcement, Grayson Waller took to social media to send a direct and insulting message to the injured Austin Theory. He claimed that he "saved" Theory's career and that their partnership was a waste of his own time. "You should be celebrating the fact that Big G, Grayson Waller, saved Austin Theory's career," Waller began. "Remember two years ago when John Cena buried him alive on Monday Night Raw, I watch it all the time, it's one of my favorite Raw moments of all time. Imagine where he'd be without Grayson Waller." More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation He continued, "I just wasted two years of my career making you relevant, and now that that's done, I can finally remind everyone just who Grayson Waller is." Appolo crews and Titus battle in the ring during the WWE show at Zenith Arena on may 09, 2017 in Lille north France. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUEN Appolo crews and Titus battle in the ring during the WWE show at Zenith Arena on may 09, 2017 in Lille north France. / AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUEN The Infamous John Cena Promo Waller's comments refer to a now-legendary promo segment on the road to WrestleMania 39. During their verbal confrontation, John Cena brutally ran down Austin Theory, questioning his authenticity and telling him that the fans did not care about him. Many fans and critics believe the promo was so harsh that it legitimately stalled Theory's momentum as a rising star. Waller is now using this famous moment as the foundation for his new rivalry with Theory. He claims that by teaming with him, he gave Theory a WrestleMania moment by winning the tag team titles and made him relevant again. A Partnership Built On Tension The breakup of A-Town Down Under has been a long time coming. The team of two arrogant heels was formed in 2023, and while they found success, there was always underlying tension. They captured the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 40 in a chaotic six-pack ladder match. Throughout their reign and in the months since, WWE has consistently teased a split. The two would often argue, show jealousy towards one another, and accidentally cost each other matches. Now, with Theory on the shelf with an undisclosed injury, Waller has used the opportunity to officially end the partnership on his own brutal terms. When Theory eventually returns, a heated feud between the two former champions is inevitable. More WWE News: For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WWE Raw results, highlights (July 21): Roman Reigns and Jey Uso reunite
It's WWE SummerSlam season, and with two nights to fill with action, the company has continued to tease some big matches. "WWE Raw" in Houston was no exception, as Roman Reigns made his second straight appearance after Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker took him out on the "Raw" after WrestleMania 41. Well, the "Original Tribal Chief" has rekindled a positive relationship with his old Bloodline stablemate, Jey Uso. 🫂 Reunion of the Night It's not surprising, but it feels wrong for Uso, of all people, just to forget the past shared between him and Reigns throughout The Bloodline's saga. Yet, here we are. Before that, however, Paul Heyman noted that Rollins will be out for an extended period and offered to mend the fence by inviting Reigns to join his group. So, this is actually a perfectly slimy Heyman thing to do, and seed planted to dissolve Rollins' group as soon as he returns. He should be livid with Heyman for suggesting such a thing after their history. Reigns rightfully wasn't keen on the idea, claiming Heyman was the one to ruin The Bloodline. That's debatable, Reigns, but I get where you're coming from. Meanwhile, it's hilarious to see Breakker try to take over the old "Big Dog" moniker Reigns sported through his worst years. I'm not sure that's an advisable decision, WWE, considering how it went with Reigns. Things broke down after that, which led to Uso making the save and presumably setting up a SummerSlam tag-team match. This all admittedly feels like a very strong pivot from whatever was initially planned for Rollins before his injury. I don't love it because of the Reigns-Uso element, but let's see what WWE can salvage out of the unexpected change. 💭 Epiphany of the Night CM Punk laid out the biggest problem with WWE's current schedule — and I had started to notice it, but didn't fully realize it until his promo at the start of "Raw." First and foremost, he and Gunther delivered their words in vintage fashion. They were strong and confident, but ultimately substanceless for their match — because there will be next to no build with SummerSlam in two weeks. And that's the problem. The amount of time, or lack thereof, between PLEs is so short that some of these title matches don't have any story outside of a contender match being won. Punk won last week's gauntlet match to earn his title shot — the only match he's had since losing his other title shot to John Cena. Oh, and in that five-person match, he only had to beat one person. Listen, the match will be great. However, there's no way to be invested in it unless you know both are good wrestlers. That's good in pure sport. This, however, is not that, and when you think about it, there are only a select few longterm stories going on in WWE right now. Coincidentally, one of those does involve Punk. It just isn't with Gunther. Even when he had some history with Cena, that was also rushed and short-lived. Gunther overall feels somewhat directionless, only meant to be a great wrestling champion. Meanwhile, Punk's recent existence has been largely about losing because of Seth Rollins, or simultaneously preventing Rollins from winning. 🗑️ Volcanic Boiling Trash of the Night The Women's Tag Team title match between the champions The Judgment Day and challengers Bayley and Lyra Valkyria might be the dumbest thing I've seen in WWE in a long time. Even if you pretend to exist in the kayfabe world of this story beat, it still doesn't make any sense. And it was almost as if WWE knew it and played into it by having Valkyria question it to Bayley. Then there's the fact that they have literally been the opposite of a team, wrestling each other as recently as last week. This. Was. Dumb. Let's start with the non-kayfabe perspective and what happened on "SmackDown" last Friday. Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair were officially booked to challenge The Judgment Day at SummerSlam. Earlier in the week, Valkyria — off her win over Bayley — earned her title match at SummerSlam against the Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch. So, if Valkyria and Bayley became tag-team champions, that would then mean Valkyria wrestles twice at SummerSlam. Sure, it could've theoretically been possible, but it was utterly absurd to remove Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez from the second biggest WWE event of the year. I'm going to rip my hair out the more I think about this. In the end, The Judgment Day won because duh. And with shenanigans. Just get rid of this stupid tag-team "division" concept, Triple H. You clearly do not care about it whatsoever. It's being used as a joke. Before this, Lynch and Valkyria had a brief promo, which was fine. It added the countout and no DQ stipulation to their match, along with a Valkyria loss meaning she can never challenge for the Intercontinental title again. The whole tag-team title match booking overshadowed the promo and match entirely, though. It was a mind-numbingly dumb idea. 🤬 DQ of the Night Don't make a match if you don't want someone to lose, Triple H. Nothing was more predictable than a DQ in the Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer rematch. This "Raw" was designed to frustrate me, folks. Because this match, as should always be expected, was phenomenal — until the finish. More Sky wrestling is always good, and it was a pleasant little surprise to see these two go at it again. You can really tell they have fun working together, and it was a straight-up wrestling match to start. They are such an excellent pair, and we need a proper resolution to a match between them at some point. Vaquer got the win by DQ when attacked by ... The Secret Hervice and Chelsea Green. This was the ultimate buzzkill to a flawless match. Naomi and Rhea Ripley eventually showed up to even the odds and have something to do on this show. But man, the repetition of this type of match ending is so unbelievably lazy. 👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑 There was a lot that went on with the tag-team triple-threat title contender match. Generally, WWE doesn't have three wrestlers as the active members of their teams in multi-team matches like this, so this was an interesting but pretty fun wrinkle. And while this match wound up overbooked as hell at the finish, it fully highlighted the winners, the LWO, but mostly Joaquin Wilde. Wilde's hot tag, which ultimately led to his team's win, was awesome. The way he glided around the ring to take everyone out was gorgeous. This was an unexpected move, and surely the LWO will lose their title match due to the storylines that were woven into Ludwig "El Grande Ameri-kaiser." 👍 MONDAY NIGHT MONEY 👍 1. Naomi interrupted Vaquer's backstage interview to tease their potential match at Clash at Paris. This encounter was short and sweet, further highlighting how great this version of the Women's World Champion is. Unfortunately for her, I can't imagine we'll see that match, but this was a nice little tease. 2. Sheamus beat Rusev with the Brogue Kick in their rematch after the great match they had a few weeks ago. So this match was good enough to be an overall plus, despite the parts I didn't like at the end, particularly Rusev's attempts to cheat to win. Michael Cole's criticism of Rusev's previous win as "controversial" was also lame. That was a brilliant finish, and I'll entertain none of that silly slander. 3. The only good thing about the Women's Tag Team title match was that it continued the hilarious antics between Dominick Mysterio and AJ Styles, with his several disguises. The match is on for SummerSlam. 🤷 IT HAPPENED 🤷 Karrion Kross beat Sami Zayn in their rematch, with the help of his steel pipe when the referee was distracted by Scarlett. It's great that Kross won by any means, but this felt like a moment of little significance. 👎 RAW DEAL 👎 WWE no-showed Kross' entrance. He has one of the best in the business, man. Come on. 👑 Awful booking killed this show. I give tonight a Crown score of: 4/10. 👑
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Is WWE setting Cody Rhodes up for the ultimate heel turn? More and more signs point to yes
We all know how pro-wrestling works: It's all very predictable until suddenly it isn't. After last Friday's "WWE SmackDown" finale, we've been left with a classic example of that phenomenon — with the biggest hints yet that there could be a big change coming for Cody Rhodes. It's certainly opportune timing. For weeks, most of us have assumed that we know exactly what's on the horizon for WWE's former Universal Champion — namely that he would win King of the Ring in Riyadh (which he did), before going to exact his revenge with a victory over John Cena at SummerSlam. Now it looks like there might be a wrench in the works. We can speculate whether the heel turn is coming or not, but one thing is clear: If dark Cody is the plan for the future, then that segment on "SmackDown" was exactly the sort of thing you'd want to be doing in order to set things up for the big change. Sure, we've seen "The American Nightmare" tap into what you might call his more ruthless side once or twice over the past year, but the version that turned up to Friday's contract signing seemed to take things much further. It also tapped into the previous storylines in a way that can't be entirely a coincidence. We all remember the narrative from WrestleMania: The WWE's golden boy was defeated after he refused to abandon his principles and use the championship belt to strike Cena. On Friday, Rhodes didn't just cross that line with abandon, but also forced the incapacitated Cena to sign the contract to set up their showdown in New Jersey. If that weren't enough, social media sleuths pointed out that Rhodes just happened to be wearing that Rolex watch gifted to him by The Rock (and supposedly once owned by Dusty Rhodes) after last year's WrestleMania. A subtle touch, but one which begs an obvious question: Has he decided to sell his soul after all? It would certainly fit with what The Rock suggested during his controversial appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" back in April, when 'The Final Boss' said the creative plan was to have Rhodes win back his title from Cena before embracing his dark side afterward. We all know how much influence The Rock has over creative plans, particularly since he joined the TKO board in 2024. If heel Cody is being cooked up right now, you have to admire WWE's tenacity. Having already sacrificed one generational babyface to an underwhelming heel turn, the idea of running the same playbook on the man often seen as Cena's successor scores points for fearlessness if nothing else. You can say goodbye to all those charming scenes of Rhodes handing over his weight belt to adoring kids in the front row for a start. And what about Cena — does he flip back to being good at the same time, given that we're all expecting the end of this heel turn soon? Maybe that's how it works, with Cena and Rhodes reversing roles when The Rock's patronage passes from one to the other at SummerSlam (a bit like those horror movies, where the evil spirit jumps from one body to the next...). As much as turning Cody heel would be a gamble, you could argue that WWE has at least done some work laying the seeds — much more than they ever did with John Cena. In 18 months, we've seen how Rhodes went from celebrating with his friends at WrestleMania XL to losing some of his longest-standing friendships — namely Kevin Owens and AJ Styles — in the months to follow. Before this whole Cena thing came out of the blue back in March, I figured that was the direction we were going. Rhodes would carry on as the outwardly babyface champion who ends up inadvertently turning allies into enemies by showing more loyalty to his championship than his friends, until things finally come to a crescendo. In my head, the whole storyline would be a Shakespearean-inspired reflection on how the weight of the crown eventually corrupts those who wear it, potentially leading to Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41 or 42. Instead we got John Cena kicking Cody in the nuts in Elimination Chamber and everything changed overnight. Is another one of those reset moments on the horizon? As always, there's a danger of overreacting, but I think the most likely interpretation of "SmackDown" is that WWE is at least keeping its options open for dark Cody. It probably doesn't make the main event at SummerSlam any less predictable — the constraints on John Cena's schedule and the fact that it's a stadium show surely have to tip the odds heavily in Cody's favor — but it does make things more interesting afterward. 'The American Nightmare' as a heel? Given the circumstances, you certainly wouldn't rule it out.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Paul Heyman Explains Why He Betrayed Roman Reigns
WWE icon Roman Reigns, the Original Tribal Chief, lost the Triple Threat match involving CM Punk and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 41 as his partner, Paul Heyman, decided to betray him. The aftermath of the Triple Threat match saw Reigns being written off TV after getting battered by The Visionary and Bron Breakker on RAW. After his three-month-long absence from the company, the former WWE champion made a comeback on this week's RAW. While no official information about his absence was revealed, it was said that Reign was away to welcome his 6th child. This rumour, however, was falsified by Reigns and his wife, Galina Becker. Ahead of his next appearance on RAW, Reigns has confirmed his intention to address his former associate, Paul Heyman, who betrayed him. In an interview with Metro, Heyman explained the reason behind his betrayal to Reigns. "I never think short term. I always think long-term. And the long-term to me was that Roman Reigns and I had accomplished everything that we could. 8. Paul Heyman turns on both Roman Reigns and Cm punk — Roman's era (@25_Saurav) April 30, 2025 "It was time for Seth Rollins to elevate himself to be declared the greatest in-ring performer of this or any other generation," he told the outlet. "The moment I laid the law down to Roman Reigns and CM Punk and handed the chair to Seth Rollins, the first thing that popped into my head was, Wow, this is an all-time WrestleMania moment. And now we're going to have to top it,' he further said. Heyman also explained his philosophy at work and what makes all his partners, be it Brock Lessner or Roman Reigns, similar. '[There is] a common denominator in anyone that I've had the privilege of working with closely – be it Brock Lesnar, be it CM Punk, be it Roman Reigns, be it Seth Rollins, be it Bronson Reed, Bron Breakker,' he explained. 'They rise to the occasion. They respond to the pressure, and it creates an environment in which they give you an even greater performance.' The moment Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman come face-to-face again is expected to be epic.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
TNA Wrestling riding momentum of WWE partnership into Slammiversary 2025
The timing couldn't have been more perfect for Carlos Silva. In February 2025, TNA Wrestling announced that Silva had taken over as president of the company. Normally when a new boss comes in, they are trying to reinvigorate the business, bringing a flair that will drive success. But Silva joined with TNA in the midst of its best run since the promotion's early days. A partnership with WWE, a WrestleMania moment, well-respected veterans and rising stars on the roster have boosted the brand's popularity. The continuous ride is heading toward the company's anniversary – Slammiversary 2025, taking place July 20 at UBS Arena on Long Island. There, seven matches will take place that showcase the best of TNA's roster, with some WWE stars also in the fold. TNA has spent so much time building toward this moment, and believes it will be another critical point in elevating the brand. 'This six-month build is going to have a nice crescendo, and just be a high point for the year, and then launch us into 2026 off of this high point,' Silva told USA TODAY Sports. What's made TNA Wrestling successful? Just looking at TNA itself, there's no denying the amount of talent on the roster. There's legends like Jeff and Matt Hardy still rocking, as well as established veterans in Nic Nemeth, Moose, Frankie Kazarian and the recently signed Indi Hartwell, to name a few. There's young stars like KC Navarro and Leon Slater, who have championship opportunities in front of them. And, of course, arguably the hottest stars in Joe Hendry and Mike Santana, who will compete for the TNA World Championship against current title-holder Trick Williams of NXT. It's the blend of well-known wrestlers and up-and-coming talent that makes TNA an intriguing product, Silva believes. 'We can develop talent that wants to come through the indies and then come into the major leagues with TNA, but yet we can also reinvigorate and give more life to talent that's maybe on the other end of their career,' Silva said. 'I think we can provide both the entry and the build of the excitement, as well as let the fans really enjoy these amazing legends that we've got.' The success of the WWE partnership It was Jan. 27, 2024 and Jordynne Grace knew the pressure was on her. She was going to be the surprise entrant in the women's Royal Rumble match, and as the TNA Knockouts World Champion, would be setting the tone for a potential partnership between the two brands. 'I kind of knew, this was me opening the door, and if I did well, it could carry on and continue to do well,' Grace said. 'But if I did bad and kind of like, it was blah, maybe it wouldn't.' But Grace knocked it out of the park. It was a success, and it kick-started the deal between WWE and TNA. After informally beginning in 2024, the two sides made their partnership official in January with a multi-year deal. Stars like Hendry have given Grace credit for making the partnership possible, and it also catapulted her career. She finished her time in TNA in January and she immediately signed with WWE full-time after several appearances with the brand. Now, she's in NXT and had a match at Evolution. She'll soon be in WWE 2K25, a 'surreal' moment for 'The Juggernaut.' Even though she's moved companies, she loves seeing TNA thrive. 'I'm just so happy that we're continuing to work and put a spotlight on TNA, because they absolutely deserve it. The wrestlers in there are some of the best in the world, and they haven't been getting enough eyes on them in the past decade or so,' she said. 'It's a special partnership, and I'm glad to have been the one to help create it.' Grace is just one example of how far talent can now go after the deal. There's no better example than Hendry. Thanks to his viral entrance song, Hendry elevated himself into a massively popular star. It led to him being in the 2025 Royal Rumble, and breaking barriers with a match at WrestleMania 41 as the TNA World Champion. Silva called the iconic moment the top one for TNA in the past year. Silva admitted there was some skepticism over whether the deal would benefit TNA and its stars, and the uncertainty lasted for a while. But now with proven results, both sides have fully bought in. 'I get a lot of smiles from the talent on their roster when they come to visit us, and we get a lot of excitement at getting into a bigger arena and being on a big (WWE) stage,' Silva said. 'I think everyone's enjoying working with each other and creating some great stories for the fans. 'So far, so good. I got no complaints.' TNA Wrestling readies for massive Slammiversary 2025 WWE will be at the forefront of Slammiversary with Williams currently the TNA champion. He shockingly won the title in May, and it took Silva some time to get used to seeing talent from a different company at the top of his. But Silva said Williams has been a great representative for both sides, drawing plenty of intrigue over how the reign will unfold. For Williams himself, it's brought out an extra layer of confidence in someone that already exudes it. He said 'success changes you,' and doing something historic – being a WWE star and holding another company's title – isn't lost on him. Barriers have been broken, and he wants to let everyone know whenever he arrives. 'This crossing brands, crossing networks, everybody in the world is gonna know Trick Williams,' he said. 'People keep trying to figure out all the background stuff. Forget all that. Trick Williams is the line. Don't cross me and you're gonna be all right.' .@Santana_Proud and @joehendry stand tall on the final #TNAiMPACT before #TNASlammiversary — but not without will leave Slammiversary as TNA World Champion? Find out THIS SUNDAY LIVE on PPV and TNA+!WATCH on TNA+: on YouTube:… The heat Williams has been able to generate – along with the hunger from Hendry to get his title back and Santana's dream to finally capture it – is what's helping build the main event match. Not only is it being promoted on TNA programming, but also on NXT. It's a match that could continue TNA's hot run. The promotion has seemingly worked. TNA said Slammiversary will be its most attended show in the past 10 years, and it's anticipating the largest U.S. crowd in company history. Silva is eager for more people to see all the talent the roster has to offer, from top to bottom. And he knows he can't let the momentum end there. As successful as 2025 has been, it has to elevate toward 2026 – especially with Silva reportedly shopping for a new media rights deal. 'We're going to do Slammiversary. We're going to have a huge success. Can be our biggest show ever,' Silva said. 'The next day we're going to sit, more to say, 'OK, now we're going to (Kingston) Rhode Island, and we've got to be great, and be great in Rhode Island.' 'That's very much our sort of sporting attitude that we're bringing to the organization, (and) I think the locker room and everyone is embracing that.'
