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Time of India
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Zoey Stark injury update: WWE star could be out for rest of 2025
WWE Superstar Zoey Stark has reportedly suffered a serious knee injury during this week's Monday Night RAW and may be sidelined for the rest of 2025. The 31-year-old was part of a high-stakes Triple Threat match to qualify for the Women's Money in the Bank ladder match when the unfortunate incident occurred. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The match featured Stark, Rhea Ripley, and a returning Kairi Sane. Midway through the bout, Stark attempted a missile dropkick on Sane but landed awkwardly, jamming her surgically repaired knee. The visible distress on her face prompted officials to immediately intervene and escort her backstage for medical attention. Surgery likely as injury raises concerns Initial reports indicate that Stark may require knee surgery once again, echoing her 2021 injury which also kept her out for months. Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp has reported that WWE is preparing to be without Stark for the remainder of the calendar year. This sentiment has been echoed by Dr. Chris Featherstone and other backstage insiders. Following the incident, Stark took to social media to thank fans for their support. 'What hurts more than my knee is knowing I won't be able to perform for all of you for a while,' she wrote on X. 'As the saying goes, the comeback is greater than the setback.' WWE veteran Dutch Mantell weighed in on the incident during his podcast, suggesting that Kairi Sane may have been responsible for the mistimed spot. 'There's no way to adjust once you're in the air… the adjustment has to come from the one taking the move,' he said, pointing fingers at Sane. While not officially confirmed, reports also suggest that Stark was originally scheduled to take the fall in the match. Her removal prompted a shift in plans, with Rhea Ripley pinning Kairi Sane to win the bout. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez revealed that the second half of the match had to be called on the fly, which saw Sane unexpectedly taking the pinfall despite her recent return. Zoey Stark made her WWE debut in 2021, quickly rising through the ranks in NXT and later the main roster. Her pairing with Io Shirai (now Iyo Sky) led to a successful run as NXT Women's Tag Team Champions before her initial knee injury. This latest setback comes at a crucial time in her career and could impact WWE's ongoing plans in the women's division. While no official statement has been made regarding the severity of her injury, fans and superstars alike are rallying behind Stark, wishing her a speedy recovery.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gigi Dolin and Cora Jade React To Report They Were Released By WWE For Being Lazy
It's fair to say that Gigi Dolin and Cora Jade do not agree with what some are saying about their WWE releases. Gigi Dolin and Cora Jade were two of the multiple WWE Superstars to be released by WWE on May 1. In a follow-up report, Dave Meltzer shared feedback provided to him by a source inside WWE. This source claimed many of the cuts were due to talent who were viewed as 'not working hard in training.' Advertisement 'Many of those cuts were perceived as not working hard in training. And if you don't work hard in training, there's so many people who do. And at this point, if the feeling is you're not working hard in training – I saw the term 'lazy' – the ones who are lazy are gonna be gone, and the ones who didn't stand out are gonna be gone,' Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio. Gigi Dolin doesn't want to ever hear someone say she didn't work hard enough Gigi Dolin took issue with this view, reacting to an aggregated quote of Meltzer's with the following response: 'When I wasn't traveling to work for either of the two companies I was working for, I trained very hard 3-4 days a week. Bumping my ass off and doing cardio drills with one of the best/toughest coaches I've worked with,' she wrote. 'And worked out every single day. With live events every other weekend. So yeah I don't wanna hear this lol. The way my body feels says otherwise.' Advertisement Cora Jade also replied to Dolin's post, claiming she was still body-shamed despite all of the hard work they had put in. 'This, plus can't forget having to go to my own gym outside of work after 'strength and conditioning' that wasn't doing anything for me other than get me body shamed by my bosses, coworkers, and fans �� crazy!' Cora wrote. Gigi Dolin will once again use her 'Priscilla Kelly' name when her WWE non-compete clause ends. Cora Jade will be using her 'Elayna Black' name she used before WWE. Read More: Dakota Kai Posts Heartfelt Message Following WWE Release The post Gigi Dolin and Cora Jade React To Report They Were Released By WWE For Being Lazy appeared first on Wrestlezone.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Two ex-WWE stars hit back in furious tweets after being released by company following 'lazy' accusations
A pair of released WWE stars have hit back at claims regarding the reasons for why they were let go from the company. Just weeks after the highest-grossing WrestleMania of all-time in Las Vegas, WWE released a total of 18 wrestlers from the main roster, NXT and developmental. Braun Strowman, Dakota Kai, Shayna Baszler, Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, Cora Jade, Gigi Dolin, Eddy Thorpe, Riley Osborne, Jakara Jackson, Wolfgang, Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey (Gallus), Ora Mensah, Javier Bernal, Dani Palmer, Shotzi and Luca Crusifino were all deemed surplus to requirements over the weekend. The brutal cuts have become a common practice for WWE in recent times and the talents will have to serve 90 or 30 day no-compete clauses depending on whether they are on the main roster or NXT. Many of the talents have issued statements on their departures but two female performers were forced to set the record straight after Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer explained why NXT superstars were given the boot. Meltzer claimed those who were cut were "perceived as not working hard in training" and effectively viewed as "lazy". However, Gigi Dolin, who is now going by her independent name Priscilla Kelly, took issue with that explanation and promptly responded on X, formerly known as Twitter. "When I wasn't traveling to work for either of the two companies I was working for, I trained very hard 3-4 days a week, bumping my ass off and doing cardio drills with one of the best/toughest coaches I've worked with," the former NXT women's tag team champion wrote. "And worked out every single day. With live events every other weekend. So yeah I don't wanna hear this lol. The way my body feels says otherwise." Cora Jade's tenure in WWE ended after four years and she added to Dolin's statement with her take, while also claiming she was body shamed by people she worked with. Jade, now having reverted to the name Elayna Black, said: "This, plus can't forget having to go to my own gym outside of work after 'strength and conditioning' that wasn't doing anything for me other than get me body shamed by my bosses, coworkers, and fans :) crazy!" According to Ibou, an insider and podcaster for WrestlingPurists, every release was signed off by Chief content officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque, contrary to what others have claimed. "The priority is that their books, and profit margins look good to shareholders after every quarter, which is why to juice up numbers, they shed contracts. Figuring out the WHEN on these matters is Ari and Nick [Khan]. Figuring out WHO goes is Paul Levesque. I don't know who needs to hear this, but you'd have to be impressively naive to believe otherwise." He stressed that the mass releases were always going to be on the cards after recent hires for WWE's ID program, coupled with the fact that the base salary on the main roster has increased to $350,000 per year. In addition to talent, WWE have also got rid of employees in a number of departments, including creative and digital.
Forbes
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
5 WWE Stars Who Could Be Left Off WrestleMania 41 Card
As WWE rapidly approaches WrestleMania 41, numerous marquee stars are heading toward the pay-per-view without a clear direction. WrestleMania 41 will enamate from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 19 and 20, and six major bouts have been confirmed for the show thus far. Among them are Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk in a triple threat match and Gunther vs. Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship. A number of other significant matches, like Logan Paul vs. AJ Styles and a triple threat match between Iyo Sky, Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley, have been strongly hinted at as well. Other bouts for rising stars such as Bron Breakker, reportedly penciled in for a Fatal 4-Way match, have been made clear, too. But even with the vast majority of WWE's biggest stars positioned for a top match at the two-night event, many are being left behind. Here are the five most glaring omissions from the WWE WrestleMania 41 card, with just a few weeks to spare until the biggest show of the year. Liv Morgan has been the glue that's held WWE's women's division together for the past year-plus, and yet, less than three weeks away from WrestleMania 41, WWE has yet to announce a match for the former two-time Women's World Champion. Of course, Morgan was part of the best WWE women's feud of 2024 with Ripley, albeit one that dragged on a bit too long. Since losing her title, Morgan has also gone on to capture the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship alongside Raquel Rodriguez, doing so in one of the greatest women's tag team matches ever. Still, another championship reign hasn't resulted in an established or enthralling WrestleMania rivalry for Morgan, which is certainly surprising. Even going back to late 2023, Morgan has played a pivotal role in some of Raw's biggest storylines, but the only feud even hinted at as of late is a tag team rivalry with Lyra Valkyria and Bayley. That's a potential addition to WrestleMania 41 as a tag team title match, but even if that does come to fruition, it would certainly be a letdown in comparison to the much more layered storylines Morgan has been in over the past two years. Jacob Fatu has arguably been WWE's hottest act in 2025, when he's been pushed as a heel but is gradually and organically winning over fans as a babyface. The former Bloodline star has become one of the few bright spots on the oft-boring SmackDown as his feud and series of matches with Braun Strowman have been wildly entertaining. In recent weeks, WWE has teased tension between Fatu and the man who brought him to WWE, Solo Sikoa. There have been rumors and buzz that Sikoa vs. Fatu would take place at WrestleMania 41, but the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer (h/t Sports Illustrated) recently reported that the match was not earmarked for the event. As always, that could change, but if Sikoa vs. Fatu is not in the cards, then there is no other obvious WrestleMania match for Fatu. It's unlikely that Fatu would wrestle Strowman again, given that the two stars will face off again in a Last Man Standing Match on next week's episode of SmackDown. That means that with SmackDown lacking other clear opponents for the Samoan stalwart, one of the hottest stars in WWE could be left off WrestleMania 41 altogether. And that's a big miss for a star who should be going toe-to-toe with top stars like Cena, Reigns, etc. Alexa Bliss returned to WWE after a lengthy absence in the 2025 women's Royal Rumble and did so to one of the biggest return pops in pro wrestling history. She then competed in a Elimination Chamber qualifying match, which she won, only to be eliminated in the actual Elimination Chamber bout. Then, poof. She disappeared. Vanished. Gone. Bliss hasn't been seen on WWE TV since then, and despite teases of a feud with Morgan, she is reportedly simply awaiting creative plans for a TV return. What an utterly bizarre use of one of the most popular stars in WWE's star-strapped women's division, which could really use another marquee name or two to bolster its drawing power. Bliss spent nearly two years away from WWE after giving birth, returned to much fanfare and then found herself without a consistent TV role with no logical explanation. As one of the most accomplished stars in WWE's women's division, Bliss should be featured in a significant WrestleMania match, especially given the way WWE fan reaction to her epic return proved that absence does make the heart grow fonder. WWE has, time and time again, dropped the ball with its booking of LA Knight. Knight's rise on SmackDown came during Roman Reigns' dominant run as WWE Champion, a reality that even Knight admitted was a point of frustration as he was left out of the world title scene en route to WrestleMania 40 last year. Knight would go on to become United States Champion by beating Logan Paul at SummerSlam 2024, but then, he inexplicably lost the title to Shinsuke Nakamura only to win it back a few months later. During that span between his first and second title wins, Knight didn't really have a memorable feud or storyline. Now, he's back in that exact same position, floating around in SmackDown's mediocre midcard, seesawing between Strowman and Fatu without a clear indication as to how things will play out. Since SmackDown expanded to three hours, the blue brand has taken a massive nosedive in quality, and Knight is one of many upper midcard stars who are struggling because of it. Just weeks away from WWE WrestleMania 41, Knight and the US title are once again in a state of flux, and it's difficult to envision 'The Megastar' getting a substantial singles match at the event. At best, he may get a rematch with Strowman, a fellow babyface, or do something with Fatu. Sami Zayn has been absent from WWE TV since Elimination Chamber earlier this month, off selling a heinous attack by Kevin Owens. Since then, Zayn has denied that he asked for time off, which has caused fans to wonder how he fits onto the WrestleMania 41 card. Well, in actuality, maybe he doesn't. With Owens now set to face Randy Orton and two other triple threat matches likely to place at WrestleMania 41, Zayn almost assuredly won't be added to Orton vs. Owens. If he isn't? Then, that certainly leaves him with limited options, if any. With a weeks-long absence and no other feuds really hinted at aside from some minor issues with Karrion Kross, there isn't a viable WrestleMania 41 opponent for Zayn on the table. That's borderline ming-boggling given that Zayn has played key roles at the past few WrestleManias, even headlining WrestleMania 39 and ending Gunther's historic Intercontinental title reign at WrestleMania 40. Of course, not everyone can get on the WrestleMania 41 card, but how a top act like Zayn could be left off is truly baffling.
