Legendary tag team wrestler D-Von Dudley currently works for WWE as a producer, having retired from the ring in 2016. Yet, while it isn’t uncommon for a retired star to make an occasional return, that is no longer an option for D-Von as he has just undergone back surgery. The WWE Hall of Famer would divulge this in an Instagram post, where he revealed he has had his spine shifted and now has screws and a plate in his back to repair the damage done by his wrestling career.

Hopefully, this will be 49-year-old D-Von’s last surgery for the foreseeable future as it was just two years ago he had to be operated on after suffering a stroke. Thankfully, though,  it appears he didn’t suffer any ongoing severe effects from that, and now once recovered from this surgery, he will be able to resume a good quality of life with his young family.

Bully Ray’s name is regularly mentioned on social media and wrestling forums thanks to his work on Busted Open. This is because he is never shy about sharing his opinions, with some attracting complaints and outright dismay from fans. Two recent examples of this are his assertion that Jon Moxley owed fans an apology for taking time off to recover from alcohol addiction and thinking Goldberg should defeat Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship.

Now, the ECW legend has been discussing in an episode the recent departure of Cody and Brandi Rhodes from AEW and revealed he believes the whole situation to be a work being done to turn Cody heel.

The idea that it is a work is absurd to most people, and comments sections are full of fans questioning Bully Ray’s marbles. However, suppose Ray is actually correct, and this is all a Pillman-esque storyline. In that case, it could be one of the most innovative ideas implemented in a long time. Although how the AEW fanbase will react to essentially being lied to will be fascinating to see, with it having the potential to heavily backfire.

If you’ve spent any time on social media following AEW, it’s almost certain you’ve seen mean comments regarding Brandi Rhodes. At one point, the negativity against her was so severe she would even deactivate her Twitter. Now, a report by Wade Keller on the Pro Wrestling Touch has claimed that she was also viewed similarly by her coworkers, with nobody having anything nice to say about her. However, Red Velvet would quickly leap to the defense of Brandi, saying it was disrespectful and not accurate.

Red Velvet wasn’t the only one to defend Brandi, as Nyla Rose would also call the claim “flat out some bullsh*t” in her own tweet. It should, though, be noted that Keller is one of the most reputable journalists that cover pro wrestling, and it’s doubtful he would ever knowingly report something false. In this instance, it simply seems his sources gave him inaccurate information or overestimated the extent of unfavorable feelings towards her.

What’s next for Brandi now that she and Cody have left AEW remains to be seen. At this stage, it is considered almost a foregone conclusion that Cody will be signing with WWE if he hasn’t done so already, but Brandi isn’t expected to be joining him. Although, given that WWE enjoys pairing married couples such as with The Miz/Maryse and Edge/Beth Phoenix, it wouldn’t be a shock if she eventually joins Cody.

The wrestling world was stunned yesterday when it was announced that Cody and Brandi Rhodes were leaving AEW. Once this word spread, speculation immediately began as to why the duo was departing the company they helped establish. TMZ initially claimed there had been a falling out between Cody and Tony Khan was the cause. Then later, it was argued money had played a factor, with Khan not wanting to pay Cody a comparable salary to CM Punk.

Now though, Sports Illustrated has reported the actual cause was that Cody was unhappy he’d lost his creative position, with Khan choosing to write shows alone. He apparently took this role seriously because his father, Dusty Rhodes, was a celebrated booker, and he considered it paying homage to his legacy.

Cody had been out of contract with AEW since the start of the year and was working on a handshake agreement. It’s understood that he had discussions with WWE during this time, which he was legally free to do, and it’s now considered almost a foregone conclusion that he’ll soon be working for Vince McMahon. Although whether he will be involved in creative isn’t known. It was though noted in the SI article that Brandi isn’t expected to join him. Although with WWE liking to partner up real-life couples on screen, it wouldn’t be surprising if she does eventually join him.

Two weeks ago, Ric Flair announced that he and his fifth wife, Wendy Barlow, known as Fifi in WCW, had separated. Apparently, the split had come months earlier and been amicable, with Flair revealing Wendy was tired of the lifestyle he lived. Yet, while Fair seems at peace with his breakup with Wendy, he remains disgruntled with his treatment by WWE after he departed the company. He would convey this during the latest episode of his podcast, calling the company insensitive for not reaching out to him following the news of his split.

What the future for Flair in the wrestling business remains uncertain since the now infamous Dark Side of the Ring episode focusing on The Plane Ride From Hell severely damaged his reputation. It was strongly rumored he was destined for AEW, but any plans of that were seemingly canceled after the episode aired. With Charlotte still being a huge star in WWE, a return to Vince McMahon’s could always occur. However, comments like the above and repeatedly criticizing Becky Lynch likely won’t aid his cause.

It’s no secret that Brock Lesnar isn’t a people person, and when he isn’t appearing for WWE, he’ll almost certainly be living a relaxed and quiet life on his farm with wife Sable and sons Turk and Duke. Now during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, the former UFC star has opened up about how he deals with the anxiety of performing, and while he doesn’t dislike people, he just likes to be left alone.

For those unaware, Lesnar was born in South Dakota, and he lived in Minnesota for a time before he moved to the Canadian providence of Saskatchewan. The area is best known for its lakes and forests and doesn’t have a metropolitan center. This wouldn’t be their dream location for many people, but for Lesnar, it seems ideal due to him shunning the celebrity lifestyle.

Lesnar is set to take his private plane to Saudi Arabia this upcoming Friday and compete in the Elimination Chamber against Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, Austin Theory, Matt Riddle, and AJ Styles. If he is victorious, as many suspect, he will become a 10-time world champion in WWE and 11 times overall if you include his IWGP Heavyweight reign. Then he will be able to return to Saskatchewan to recover in time for WrestleMania 38, where he will wrestle Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship.

Dustin Rhodes departed WWE in 2019 after a six-year run to join his brother Cody in AEW. The brothers would wrestle on the promotions inaugural pay-per-view, and some would call it a masterpiece, with Dave Meltzer awarding it five stars. Since then, he has become a regular on AEW television; however, once the news broke that Cody and his wife Brandi were leaving, some fans would speculate about his future. The much-loved wrestler, though, has reassured fans via Twitter that he isn’t leaving AEW, and while sad they’re no longer with the company, he supports both 110%.

Despite being in his 50s, Dustin Rhodes is still considered a phenomenal worker, and while the frequency of his matches is becoming less, he remains an in-ring asset for AEW. He’s proven through his matches he doesn’t need Cody for his spot and seemingly has a role with AEW in some capacity for as long as he wants it. While it’s sad to think we won’t see the brothers share a ring again, together, they produced a lot of memorable moments in both AEW and WWE to reminisce over.

The wrestling world was shocked on Tuesday morning when AEW announced that both Cody and Brandi Rhodes, who worked as EVP as well as talents, were departing the company. It’s been known for some weeks that Cody had been working for Tony Khan’s promotion without a contract, and while the specific reasons why hasn’t previously been revealed, TMZ has now reported that there was a fallout between the pair. Additional, according to Fightful Select, WWE was aware the announcement was coming, and Cody has already held discussions with the company.

While there had been speculation of Cody’s departure ever since his deal expired, few thought he would actually leave the company due to his corporate role. He was heavily featured on both the Go Big SHow and Rhodes To The Top, which are owned by WarnerMedia. Whether he will be in a position to continue on either of these shows post-AEW remains to be seen, however as Rhodes To The Top was a reality show covering AEW life, it seems unlikely.

Cody, along with Chris Jericho were the two wrestlers most influential on putting AEW on the map, and while Rhodes was one of the most popular wrestlers on the AEW roster, he has routinely been booed when appearing, despite being a babyface. Exactly why fans turned on him wasn’t totally clear, although taking absences to work on the aforementioned other projects was likely an issue. Of course, the logical solution would have been for him to turn heel and embrace the adverse reaction. Yet, Cody repeatedly stated he has no intention of ever doing that.

Elias’ last match for WWE took place back in July 2021 when he lost a Symphony of Destruction match to Jaxson Ryker. Then the following month, WWE aired a vignette where Elias burned his guitar, seeming to end his musician character. Since then, fans have been waiting to see his new character debut. Yet, there has been very little news, and every time a new batch of talents is released by the company, his name is always speculated.

However, since he is still employed, the company appears to have plans for him, and now the people behind WWE’s upcoming video game WWE 2K22 have revealed a new image of him on their roster page, wearing new ring gear, which you can see below.

Previously Vince Russo revealed he had spoken to Elias over DM and speculated on a Legion Of Raw episode that Elias wasn’t very popular with the creative team as he was regularly emailing them ideas for his character. Apparently, WWE doesn’t appreciate this approach and will punish talents. Whether this is actually the case with Elias isn’t known, but given how long he has been absent from television does make it appear something is up. Now though, with him appearing in the upcoming video game, perhaps he will return to television shortly.

Pro wrestling journalist and historian Mike Mooneyham has reported the tragic news that Mickey Henson, better known to wrestling fans as Mickey Jay, sadly passed away on Monday. At the time, the cause of his death was unknown but later confirmed to be complications from pneumonia. He was just 59 years of age.

Henson began his wrestling career in the late 80s and became a WWE enhancement talent in 1992, where he would wrestle names such as Sid Justice, Rick Martel, and The Undertaker when the company was in Florida. He would then go on to become a full-time referee for WCW, where he refereed multiple memorable matches, including Kevin Nash ending Goldberg’s streak and the Bret Hart vs. Chris Benoit match in honor of Owen Hart.

Unfortunately, after WCW went out of business, he would find himself unemployed but later joined WWE in 2005 and worked on their Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands during his time with the company. Sadly in 2008, he was diagnosed with Mantle cell lymphoma and not given long to live. However, he would overcome this but disappointingly was released by WWE the following year.

Despite not wrestling since 2003, WWE is reportedly looking to have 57-year-old Steve Austin come out of retirement to wrestle at WrestleMania 38. Multiple journalists have reported this, and the belief is that the man who will face him is Kevin Owens, who has been disparaging Austin’s home state of Texas. Owens did this by saying that if he misses this year’s WrestleMania, the only plus would be not having to wrestle in Dallas and that if the United States were a human body, then Texas would be its ass.

It should be noted that nothing is official yet, and WWE has teased Austin coming out of retirement previously to face both CM Punk and Brock Lesnar in previous years. What is different between those instances and now isn’t known. However, given how profitable the company is currently, thanks to the Saudi Arabia and Peacock deals, it likely means money isn’t an issue.

With WrestleMania now taking place over two nights, the company needs as much star power as possible to sell out, and presently, that appears to be some way off with the company already doing buy one get one free offer. It was believed that Shane McMahon was set to wrestle either Bobby Lashley or Seth Rollins, which would have been a marquee match. Nevertheless, with him no longer with the company, a Steve Austin return would more than makeup for it and likely ensure a sellout.

Bray Wyatt doesn’t tweet very often, yet he has broken a streak that dates back to November in order to correct a wrestling journalist. Louis Dangoor, whose Twitter bio lists him as the lead journalist for GiveMeSport.com, would tweet out that if Roman Reigns defeats Goldberg at Elimination Chamber, he will have beaten every wrestler ever to hold the Universal Championship during his reign. Seemingly this appeared in Wyatt’s timeline, or he was tagged in because he would curtly reply requesting his name was removed from the list.

While initially, it does appear that Dangoor was correct in including Wyatt on his list, upon closer inspection, the title switch from Wyatt to Reigns actually saw Braun Strowman pinned in a triple threat match, meaning Wyatt is technically correct. At the time, it was actually thought this was done for storyline reasons, and a feud between Reigns and Wyatt would take place. WWE even had a Walrus character added to the Firefly Funhouse to represent Paul Heyman. However, in typical WWE fashion, plans would change, and both men went in different directions.