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Heel Turn: The fall of Rhodes, Will Ospreay's loyalties, King Oba and more from pro wrestling

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:51:06 -0400

It was a weekend to celebrate Sami Zayn.

Zayn, after more than a decade on the WWE main roster, finally won a world title when he pinned Cody Rhodes during their triple-threat match with Gunther at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. Zayn didn’t need any shenanigans or distractions from the outside. He pinned the "American Nightmare" and prompted a massive frenzy in Riyadh.

The triumph of Zayn now begs the question of what Rhodes does from here.

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Busted Open pointed out that it had been a while since Rhodes lost without distractions or interference.

It just underscores the reign Rhodes has had over the WWE since he returned to the company at WrestleMania 38.

It’s been a strange 10 months or so for Rhodes. He defeated John Cena last August to regain the Undisputed WWE Championship. He dropped the title to Drew McInyre in January and then won it back nearly two months later. He held the title through WrestleMania 42 when he defeated Randy Orton in Night 1. He took the liberty of booking the Night of Champions triple threat himself to leave no doubt as to who the best WWE star is.

Perhaps, a little shortsighted. Zayn is on top of the mountain and Rhodes is left stunned looking up at one of the men he counted out the most.

Zayn spoke to Fox News Digital before he won the championship at Night of Champions. He said he believed the win could be a "cultural moment."

"I think it’s kinda one of those things that would kinda be hard to process. I truly don’t know. I don’t know how the fans would react," he said. "I hope they would enjoy it but you never know because my character right now is a little polarizing – I truly don’t know. But I don’t know. I think there’s a lot of like cultural and historical kind of significance that would kinda maybe hit me after the fact.

"From a sentimental point of view, for sure, I think it would be kind of awesome. I think it would be a big cultural moment, actually. I don’t think about it. I kind of dismiss it a lot at this point because we come to Saudi a lot. A lot has been made of the fact that I’m Arab or I’m Muslim or whatever. But growing up, that was not the case. It was not like this was a common thing or something that you could ever even dream. I couldn’t have dreamt that this would happen. So, yeah, that would be a pretty big deal I think."

As Zayn begins the culture change, Rhodes’ biggest fans will look to see where he goes from here.

Will Ospreay – officially a Death Rider?

Will Ospreay came away with the victory over Swerve Strickland in the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament on Sunday night at Forbidden Door. He will earn a title shot against the AEW world champion at All In.

As the pro wrestling world celebrates Ospreay’s opportunity at All In, the looming shadow of The Death Riders grew substantially. Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Pac, Yuta Wheeler and Marina Shafir were in Ospreay’s corner as he put away Strickland. They celebrated with him and Alex Windsor in the ring.

While it seemed like Ospreay kept The Death Riders at an arm’s distance, an alliance appeared to form for real. He used Moxley’s moves to beat Strickland. Moxley and Castagnoli put him on their shoulders. Those who were skeptical of Ospreay, clapped for him.

Ospreay and Windsor walked back up the ramp while The Death Riders exited through the crowd. Whatever develops next is going to be really interesting. Will either side be able to trust each other with two months before All In.

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King Oba’s reign

Oba Femi defeated Jey Uso to win the King of the Ring Tournament. He earned a shot at a world title of his choosing because he won.

Femi was defiant as he was interviewed in the ring following his victory.

"It feels so good to go from ‘The Ruler’ to being the king," Femi said in his post-match promo. "Jey Uso did not understand what he was up against tonight. He thought he was just fighting one man. You might be able to beat one man but you can’t beat fate and you can’t beat destiny and most importantly, you can’t beat me.

"I am the ruler, the destroyer, the bringer of war, the mountain that you cannot climb, the mountain that you cannot conquer, the one-of-one, the beast slayer, the one, the chosen one, the king of the ring, Oba Femi!"

The bigger question is how Femi will be booked moving forward. He will likely turn his attention to Roman Reigns, the world heavyweight champion who has cast his dominion over the Raw roster. It would be the best way to go for Femi.

But, there’s a beast of a shadow looming behind him.

Femi’s rivalry with Brock Lesnar is not over just yet. Lesnar didn’t interfere in Femi’s match against Uso. Pro wrestling fans likely hope that the final match will take place at SummerSlam. It would be an incredible end if that’s the case.

It would also beg the question of whether Femi does two matches at SummerSlam. Could he handle Lesnar and Reigns in one weekend? What about in one day? Femi has a rocket strapped to his back, that’s for sure.

Jonathan Gresham talks PRODUCE

Pro wrestling star Jonathan Gresham talked to Fox News Digital about his latest endeavor in the sport. Gresham and Abe will participate in a new wrestling series presented by Orange Crush. The event is called "PRODUCE Volume 1: The Octopus." It will take place at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, New York, at 8 p.m. ET.

He’s also listed as a co-producer for the event.

"The one thing I think – attention to detail and consistency over time," Gresham told Fox News Digital when asked what fans can expect from the event. "I think that’s something that is missing in modern wrestling and that’s something that’s something Adam and I talk about quite a bit."

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Title changes at TNA Slammiversary

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) saw several championships change hands at Slammiversary. Nic Nemeth won the TNA World Championship, Xia Brookside won the TNA Knockouts Championship, Rosemary and Allie captured the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship and The Hardys captured the TNA World Tag Team Championship.

Plus, there was a major announcement of a new title coming to the roster. TNA announced the formation of the Knockouts TV Championship, which would be defended exclusively on "Impact."

TNA's Slammiversary show was extremely solid given the discourse about the company over the last week. The next few big events could become must-watch shows.

News and notes from the pro wrestling world last week:

WWE announced a double show on Aug. 30. NXT Heatwave and Lucha Libre AAA will take place at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas. Tickets go on sale for all on July 8.
Uhaa Nation debuted at Slammiversary as part of Mustafa Ali's open challenge for the TNA International Championship. However, Ali was able to fend Nation and Rich Swann off in a triple-threat match.
Kendal Grey became the new NXT women's champion at The Great American Bash. She defeated Lola Vice to win the title.
A new WWE ID champion was crowned. Max Abrams defeated Chazz "Starboy" Hall.
Nikkita Lyons defeated Wendy Choo to become the new WWE Evolve women’s champion.
Major League Wrestling announced during "MLW Fusion" it was in the midst of a "contract dispute" with Bishop Dyer – one half of the tag team champions.

National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) announced it will air "Powerrr" on Tubi.
WWE star Nattie Neidhart is returning to the National Wrestling Alliance for NWA 78 on July 25.
Trevor Murdoch was thought to have been retiring from pro wrestling after an illustrious career. But he swerved everyone and called the fans "idiots." He mocked everyone for thinking that he would retire. He dubbed himself "King Trevor Murdoch I."

Scarlett Bordeaux eyes MLW Women's World Championship: 'The day's coming'

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 10:17:04 -0400

Major League Wrestling star Scarlett Bordeaux has been on a bit of a winning streak since "MLW Fusion" aired earlier this month and has her eyes set on gold.

Bordeaux has wins over Aleah James and Blair Onyx in recent weeks.

Her longtime friend, Shotzi, won the MLW Women’s World Championship against Shoko Nakajima, and while Bordeaux is happy for her, she’ll be ready to fight when the time comes.

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"Man, she’s getting decorated. The girl deserves it," Bordeaux told Fox News Digital of Shotzi. "I’m telling you, she’s the hardest worker. I know, in the last month, she’s had like 24 matches. So, 24 matches, multiple countries. She’s the hardest worker, an incredible wrestler. I’m so, so proud of her.

"You know I’ll always support my girl, Shotzi. That’s my girl. But when it’s time to fight, it’s time to fight. It’s such a complicated thing because I love that belt on her, but when I did come to MLW to prove myself, to get that gold, the day’s coming. Let’s put it that way."

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After her recent win against Onyx, Bordeaux said she was looking forward to the match.

"So, I was really excited to wrestle Blair Onyx. She came from Black and Brave Academy. I knew Seth Rollins, who was Tyler Black in (Ring of Honor) when I started," she said. "So, she was a student of his. So, getting to work with her, she was such a special character, super athletic. I think she’s great. I really, really had a good time working with her. She’s very flexible. I don’t know if you saw but her shoulder pops out and rolls back in, which I thought was awesome. She’s very, very special, and I feel like she’s going to be doing a lot in the next few years. Everyone is going to be seeing her everywhere."

Bordeaux has been back at MLW since November, reappearing in the company with her husband Killer Kross.

She said she was enjoying being able to show her creative abilities more.

"We have been able to collaborate so many great ideas that we’ve pitched," she told Fox News Digital. "MLW has been just so great to work for. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about them.

"The matches and the opponents they’ve given me have all been so incredibly talented. Lady Frost is definitely a pain in the a-- in the ring, but she’s so talented too and so athletic. They’ve really built this incredible company with this great roster. I feel very lucky to be there."

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"MLW Fusion" airs on YouTube on Saturdays at 6 p.m. ET.

Heel Turn: Preparing for four major pro wrestling shows this weekend, Los Perros del Mal reformed and more

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 06:38:33 -0400

May was a wonderful month of pro wrestling, but June has a chance to finish with an absolute bang as this weekend will feature four major events across three companies and four brands.

Saturday will be WWE's Night of Champions with the King and Queen of the Ring finals taking place. The winners will earn title shots at SummerSlam and there is much intrigue with both matches. Jey Uso will take on Oba Femi in the King of the Ring final and Liv Morgan will square off against Iyo Sky in the Queen of the Ring final.

The Uso-Femi match will have repercussions for both of their storylines. Uso is trying to prove himself, again, as a wrestler who could become "the guy" with The Bloodline. Femi has the cloud of a loss to Brock Lesnar hanging over him after Clash in Italy. Uso could win and challenge either Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns for their world titles. Femi could do the same, but the possibility of him interacting with Lesnar in some way is very high.

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On the women’s side, Morgan is already a world champion. The pursuit of winning both titles and becoming unbeatable with a shot at Rhea Ripley on the line could be the more interesting storyline. But Sky, a friend of Ripley’s, may draw even more eyeballs.

Those are the main matches to be excited for on that card.

Moreover, Night of Championship will showcase three title matches. Cody Rhodes booked himself a triple threat against Sami Zayn and Gunther for the Undisputed WWE Championship, Trick Williams will put the United States Championship on the line against Ricky Saints and Tiffany Stratton has the Women's United States Championship up for grabs against Jade Cargill.

Sunday will feature three different events. WWE NXT’s The Great American Bash, AEW’s Forbidden Door and TNA’s Slammiversary. Each event with their own unique matches and storylines to watch.

The Great American Bash will have four titles on the line. Lola Vice defending the NXT Women’s Championship against rising star Kendal Grey, Tony D’Angelo putting the NXT Championship up for grabs against Naraku, Myles Borne defending the NXT North American Championship against Tavion Heights and Wren Sinclair defending the WWE Women’s Speed Championship against either Arianna Grace or Izzi Dame. Saquon Shugars is also facing off against Dion Lennox.

It will be an interesting show to see what the future of WWE holds. The Vice-Grey matchup might have the most on the line beyond the title. Vice is the AAA world mixed tag champion with Mr. Iguana. A loss could have her focused more on Mexico than NXT in the short-term future. Grey has been pegged as the future of NXT and giving her the title would certainly strap a rocket to her back.

AEW Forbidden Door has a lot on the line as well. Specifically, the pay-per-view will determine who goes to All In for their world title shots. Will Ospreay takes on Swerve Strickland in the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament final while Mercedes Moné will take on Maya World in the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament final. Those matches will certainly raise the excitement for AEW’s biggest show of the year later this summer.

Additionally, a 12-man tag team match inside a steel cage will determine whether Mark Briscoe finally gets a chance at the AEW World Championship. Briscoe and his team of five will take on MJF and his team of five. The teams were announced on "Dynamite" last week.

Forbidden Door is also a fun show because it features pro wrestlers from around the world all in one place. To that point, Thekla will put the AEW Women’s World Championship on the line against Stardom’s Starlight Kid. Shota Umino will defend the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship against Pac. The AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship is on the line when Megan Bayne and Lena Kross take on Thunder Rosa and Olympia. Christian Cage and Adam Cope put the AEW World Tag Team Championship up for grabs against Clark Connors and David Finlay.

Lastly, TNA holds its annual Slammiversary pay-per-view on the same night. All of the company’s six titles will be on the line during the show, which will include an Ultimate X match and a ladder match.

Cedric Alexander, the X Division champion, puts his title on the line against Leon Slater, Frankie Kazarian, Mr. Elegance, Fabian Aichner, KC Navarro and Amazing Red. Ultimate X matches are always fun to watch and the competitors in this match will definitely bring excitement.

Heather by Elegance and M by Elegance defend the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship against Rosemary and Allie. Mustafa Ali will hold an open challenge for the TNA International Championship. Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside’s rivalry will come to a head when Lee defends the TNA Knockouts World Championship.

In the ladder match, Brian Myers and Bear Bronson put the TNA World Tag Team Championship against The Hardys and Vincent and Dutch, known as The Righteous. The Hardys were seemingly deleted by The Righteous in their Wicked Garden match. But they are set to resurrect themselves in a match that they’re known for. Myers and Bronson, of The System, will have a lot to handle to keep their titles.

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The main event will feature Mike Santana defending the TNA World Championship against Nic Nemeth, who is calling his shot to get the title opportunity. Santana will look to keep his reign strong and make up for last year’s Slammiversary where he came up just short of winning the title against Trick Williams and Joe Hendry. Nemeth is a pro wrestling veteran in his own right and a former TNA world champion.

If you’re not locked in now, you’ll be itching for it by Thursday night.

Los Perros del Mal reforms in AAA

There are points when AAA may get lost in the shuffle with all of the incredible pro wrestling that is happening on television and streaming on a weekly basis.

This week, El Grande Americano returned to the ring to a hero’s welcome. He received a major pop from the crowd as he made it back to the ring. But while Chad Gable is behind him, he is facing a brand-new threat – Perro del Mal.

Los Perros del Mal has been one of the fiercest factions in Mexico since it first formed under Perro Aguyao Jr. The group has seen major stars join like Penta, Konnan, Hector Garza, Mephisto and several others. On Saturday night, the group was revived with a slew of fresh faces.

Daga, Berto, Angel, Bronco Nima and Karmen Petrovic attacked El Grande Americano and took off their jackets to reveal their Los Perros del Mal T-shirts. The crowd was frenzied, as was social media. It will be interesting to see where the story goes for group and who decides to join them.

Austin Aries back with gold

It has been quite a long time since Ausitn Aries had gold around his waist. On Saturday’s "MLW Fusion," the former TNA champion defeated Blue Panther to win the MLW National Openweight Championship.

Aries started with MLW as a broadcaster but he told Fox News Digital he was presented with an opportunity to get in the ring last year and put his body through the test. Since then, he’s been back full steam ahead.

He shared his thoughts about returning to action last week.

"It’s been great. Stepped in there to be a color commentator and kinda got the itch a little bit," he recalled. "They asked me if I was interested in doing the Opera Cup last year. And so, yeah, stepped in to do the Opera Cup and there was some real top talent – guys like Kushida and Paul London and Místico.

"It was a real test for me to see where I was at physically at this stage of my career. I felt good. I felt like I had plenty left in the tank. I can still perform at the high level I expect from myself. So I have been able to parlay that into the last year, and I’m back as a full-time wrestler with MLW, and it’s been a lot of fun."

He vowed to take the openweight title on the road with him and make it a global championship.

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Pro wrestling news and notes from the last week:

AEW announced a partnership with "The Last Match: A Pro-Wrestling Rock Experience!" The company will dip its toes into the world of musical theater in England.

Tessa Blanchard addresses her TNA departure on her YouTube page.
Tiger Mask said goodbye to Mexico at CMLL on Saturday Night. He, Místico and Blue Panther defeated Black Tiger, Averno and Volador Jr in a trios match.
AEW adds Create A Pro and Warrior Wrestling to the MyAEW streaming service.
Pete Dunne made an appearance for Attack Pro Wrestling. He won his match and thanked the crowd for sticking with him through the last few years.
The National Wrestling Alliance announced that Axton Ray signed with the company.

Pro wrestling star Austin Aries talks getting back in the ring, upcoming MLW title match vs Blue Panther

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:33:08 -0400

Pro wrestling star Austin Aries is looking for gold.

Aries will go up against Blue Panther for the Major League Wrestling (MLW) National Openweight Championship on "MLW Fusion" on Saturday night in one of his biggest matches since he returned to the ring.

He told Fox News Digital in a recent interview he planned to leave the ring with the title around his waist and that he had respect for Blue Panther for being able to compete for so long.

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"I mean that’s the plan. I mean, listen, talk about longevity right? I’m 48 years old, and I’m like I’m doing pretty good. I’m still in there competing at a high level, and then you see Blue Panther. And he’s like (65), and he’s diving out of the ring," Aries said. "The amount of respect I have for him – not just what he’s meant for Lucha Libre over the course of his career but just as a man to watch another man at (65) years old still take the risks, still compete because he loves it.

"So, it’s gonna be a little bittersweet to have to take the old man out back and take his championship from him. But that’s the nature of the game, right? When you’re the champ, you got a target on your back, everybody wants what you have. And for me, to win the openweight championship, and I’m not gonna call it the national openweight championship. I’m gonna start referring to it as the world openweight championship because I’m world-class and I want to take this championship around the world once I defeat Blue Panther. For me, it just solidifies me as one of the pillars of MLW and as long as I have a championship title around my waist, they gotta keep booking me."

Aries returned to the ring against Paul London at Slaughterhouse last year and was recently in the ring against Trevor Lee to start the new season of "MLW Fusion."

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He said getting back in the ring initially was a test to see if his body could hold up.

Aries has been banged up in his career and being out of the ring for nearly three years may show signs of ring rust or open up the opportunity for a greater injury.

But Aries said the competitive mindset was one of the reasons why he wanted to try again.

"I’m a competitor. I’m an athlete. And we all have that realization after that we all have a day where that window shuts, and it can’t be re-opened," he said. "So, I’m very blessed even 26 years in. I don’t have any real nagging injuries. I’ve been really lucky in that way. I certainly have my share of injuries over the years, but I’ve remained relatively healthy considering the certain style that I wrestle and you don’t take for granted that you’re always going to be able to do this and so, when the opportunity presented itself and, hey, let's first see if my body responds and can I still perform at a high level.

"And once I knew those things were capable of being accomplished, I figured let’s go full steam, let’s go 100%. I say as long as I’m enjoying it and as long as someone is willing to pay me, let’s keep doing it."

Why fans should watch MLW

Major League Wrestling is one of many promotions vying for pro wrestling fans’ attention. With top athletes and interesting matches, MLW has been able to capture an audience looking for something they may not be getting from top companies.

Aries said MLW being free for viewers is a huge factor.

"I think the cool thing about MLW is the accessibility," he told Fox News Digital. "We now have a few different platforms you can watch it, and it’s free. Nowadays, it’s hard to get good, free content. More and more, it’s kinda pay to play so to speak. You can go to the MLW YouTube channel to watch Saturday night, 6:05 ET, a new episode of ‘Fusion.’ We’re on the streaming service Veeps. We’re also still on beIN Sports, and now we just announced that we’re on New Japan World.

"And then, the live events. Fifteen-dollar tickets to get started. It’s getting more and more expensive to go to live events in any type of entertainment. So, it’s really important to us that our product is accessible for your average family of four."

Aries also pointed to a star-studded roster that includes wrestlers from Mexico and Japan and the MLW roster that includes Killer Kross, Matt Riddle, Paul Walter Hauser and others, as well as the ability to keep fans interested.

"What I think MLW is doing really good right now is really, A, presenting pro wrestling in a way that, for me, I can appreciate the art of pro wrestling, but it’s also just a good mix. We got relationships with CMLL, with the Luchadores, with Stardom and a lot of the Japanese talent. We got a great tag division. We got some familiar faces that you’ll remember from WWE or other companies," he said. "We got a lot of new up and coming guys who are trying to make a name for themselves. We have legends like Blue Panther. We have crossover with guys like Paul Walter Hauser. So, we have a little something for everybody.

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"If you want your great professional wrestling match bell to bell, that’s what Austin Aries does. If you want big, meat-slapping guys, you got guys like Hammerstone. We got MMA-mixed guys with Matt Riddle. We got a guy like Killer Kross right now who’s the world champion. We really have something for everybody, and I’d like to think we don’t insult the intelligence of the viewer. We try to keep the suspension of disbelief that I think makes pro wrestling great."