Drew McIntyre retained the WWE Championship in the main event of WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view last night by last eliminating AJ Styles. Following the hard-fought victory, he was mercilessly attacked by Bobby Lashley. This allowed The Miz to cash-in his Money in the Bank contract, and within 30 seconds of the bell ringing, he’d become WWE Champion. This would be The Miz’s second successful cash-in, as over a decade ago, he defeated Randy Orton in the same fashion on Raw. In that Raw crowd was a ten-year-old girl who was shown on-screen visibly annoyed and upset with The Miz winning the title. She’d become known to fans worldwide as wrestle “Angry Miz Girl,” and WWE would end up flying her to New Orleans to be involved in the Slammy Awards, where she’d meet The Miz. The girl whose real name is Caley has sadly previously revealed she no longer follows wrestling. Still, Sportskeeda reached out to her following The Miz’s success last night to get her opinion on him recapturing the title. It had seemed likely The Miz would eventually succeed in winning the WWE Championship as he had been given the briefcase back after failing to cash-in at December’s TLC PPV. This was done due to John Morrison technically being the one who cashed in, and to have him fail twice would have been a burial. While WWE’s long-term plans aren’t clear and continuously in a state of flux, it appears that McIntyre and Lashley will be squaring off at WrestleMania 37. It’s possibly The Miz will be involved, although with him feuding with Bad Bunny, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the rapper cost The Miz the title ahead of WrestleMania.

During the latest edition of Broken Skull Sessions on the WWE Network, Sasha Banks joined Steve Austin to discuss her WWE career. During the fascinating interview, she discussed suffering from depression and how it resulted in her asking for her WWE release. However, Vince McMahon would deny this request, and instead, she took an extended break from the company following WrestleMania 35, where she pondered her future.

Banks returned to WWE during the August 12 episode of Raw and turned heel by attacking Natalya and then Becky Lynch, who tried to make the save. Since then, she’s been pushed as one of WWE’s top stars and is the current SmackDown Women’s Champion.

She did take some additional time away from WWE at the start of 2020. While it was initially thought she might be injured, it turned out she was filming for the Dinsey+ series The Mandalorian. It was a massive break for Banks, as the show has been an enormous success for the new streaming service and has potentially opened many opportunities for her. An acting career could now be a realistic option for her if she decides to take an extended break from the world of pro wrestling in the future.

Aaron Solow, who has recently been wrestling on AEW Dark in an enhancement rule, has shared the sad news that he and WWE’s Bayley have called off their engagement. Solow made the announcement on Twitter, referring to Bayley under her real name Pam. He’d say it was a mutual decision as they don’t have the same plans for the future; however, they intend to remain friends.

Bayley and Solow first met on the independent scene in 2010, two-year before Bayley signed with WWE. The now-ex-couple had gotten engaged in 2016 but never publicly announced a wedding date.

Since Bayley debuted on WWE television, her and Solow’s careers have seen a different trajectory, with her going on to become one of the biggest names in the business. In contrast, Solow has remained on the independents, although he has made a handful of brief appearances for WWE working enhancement on NXT, 205 Live, and Raw between 2014 and 2018.

Former WWE referee Mike Chioda shared a ring with practically every major star that’s worked for Vince McMahon’s promotion during his 30 years with the company. Now he is sharing his knowledge and insight every week with fans for AdFreeShows.com. During his latest mailbag show, he was asked if he’d ever had an unpleasant experience with a wrestler. Chioda would name Sid Vicious, who wrestled as Sid Justice, Sycho Sid, and just Sid during his WWE runs in the 90s.

Keeping your distance from Sid does seem a sensible choice when you consider that in 1993 during a WCW tour of the UK, he and Arn Anderson got into a now-infamous hotel room fight. The results weren’t pretty, and both men required urgent medical attention after getting stabbed with a pair of scissors. Sid ended up getting fired for instigating the confrontation. While it initially looked like Sid’s career was over in the big leagues, WWE brought him in just two years later to be the storyline bodyguard of Shawn Michaels.

This wasn’t the first time Sid had acted aggressively towards a fellow wrestler. Two years earlier, he purposely tried to injure Brian Pillman due to him not want to take his powerbomb finisher during the WarGames match at WrestleWar 1991. Six months after the event, the pair, along with Mike Graham, got into an argument at the Ramada Plaza Atlanta Airport hotel while now working for rivals companies. Sid would attempt to fight both men with a squeegee (yes, seriously) that he had in his rental car, but had he snatched out of his hand by Graham, who threatened to shove it up his @ss.

Kairi Sane was written off WWE television last July following an attack from Bayley. Her departure was because she had decided to move back to Japan to be with her husband, who she married almost precisely a year ago. Despite opting to leave, she remained on good terms with WWE. In October, she became a WWE ambassador and would appear as part of the Japanese-language commentary team.

Sane had been with WWE since 2017, where she received a massive push by winning the Mae Young Classic that same year by defeating Tessa Blanchard, Bianca Belair, Dakota Kai, Toni Storm, and Shayna Baszler. She’d go on to have a 71-day reign as NXT Women’s Champion in 2018, and on the main roster, she was one half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions with Asuka for 180-days.

It has now been reported that she has requested that WWE give her permission to resume her in-ring career in Japan by letting her wrestle at World Wonder Ring Stardom’s March 3rd show at Budokan Hall. The belief is Stardom wanted their former star, who competed for them as Kairi Hojo, to compete in a high-profile singles match. However, they were open to having her participate in a legends battle royal type match if it made getting permission easier. Regardless of the match type, WWE has denied her request, so she will be unable to wrestle on the show, considered one of the biggest in the Japanese promotion’s history.

While it does seem harsh to deny her an opportunity to wrestle, she is still under WWE contract, so Vince McMahon’s company is entirely within their rights. It does, though, show WWE’s attitude to working with outside promotions, and it likely didn’t help that Stardom is owned by Bushiroad, who also own New Japan, a promotion now working with AEW.

Last October, Heath Miller, who wrestled as Heath Slater in WWE, was injured during an intergender gauntlet match on Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view. He was booked to win the match, but clearly, in pain, Impact Wrestling called an audible. Sami Callihan would eliminate Heath, and instead, Rhino won the match. Following the show, Heath would go to the hospital and stayed overnight. A week on, and Heath shared an update with fans revealing he was initiated diagnosed with a hernia but actually had a partially torn abductor muscle and tear in his groin. He’d then state surgery would not be required.

However, he has unfortunately now had to back on that comment and revealed in an Instagram video he does now need surgery. Apparently, it has taken him three months to find a doctor who would carry out all his necessary surgeries during one operation.

Sadly Heath’s career has been in limbo since the injury. After being mainly booked as a lower card talent for WWE since his days with the Nexus ended. He was scheduled to receive a push in Impact Wrestling, so hopefully, when he is in a position to return to the ring, he can slot back into his planned position on the card.

We previously reported that Lucha libra legend Konnan had been hospitalized. Initially, details weren’t abundant, with it speculated to be related to his previous kidney transplant. It’s now been confirmed that his kidneys were failing after he caught COVID-19. Following being bedridden for three days, he ended up at the hospital.

Thankfully Konnan is now home, and hopefully, he can make a full recovery. It isn’t known how he caught the virus, as while he has attended Impact and AAA tapings and was involved in a skit for AEW in Las Vegas last November, he mainly spends time at home with his family and the Mysterio’s. The former WCW star has yet to publicly comment on his experience and current health, but will presumably provide an update for fans on the next episode of his popular Keeping it 100 with Konnan podcast.

During the pre-show for Sunday’s NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day, former Impact Wrestling Champion Eli Drake returned to the WWE. He’d trash talk the hosts and set the groundwork for his new gimmick. He would also announce that he is going by the name LA Knight. Following the show, Triple H would talk to members of the wrestling media and said he was a fan of Drake’s since he was first in the WWE system, and the time was right for him to come back following his time with the company in 2013 and 2014

Why WWE has decided to change Drake’s name when he has a previously established one isn’t known. It’s possible because they already have Drake Maverick on their roster and want to avoid confusion. However, it’s more likely because they simply want to own the name themselves and filed a trademark application on February 14th. However, it appears that whoever processes WWE’s trademark applications actually spelled the name wrong in the documentation. So WWE has actually applied for “LA Night” instead of “LA Knight” in error. According to records, WWE hasn’t rectified the mistake as of writing, and Drake continues to refer to himself as Knight on social media.

Bo Dallas last wrestled for WWE in November 2019, and his absence has simply been down to creative having nothing for him. Usually, in a situation like this, WWE would release the talent, however with him being Bray Wyatt’s younger brother, perhaps they’ve decided not to potentially upset one of their biggest stars. Although WWE did release their father, Mike Rotunda (IRS), after 14 years working backstage, so who really knows WWE’s thinking.

Now, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has confirmed that WWE is still paying Dallas in full and doesn’t even have him attend television tapings. Apparently, he is currently preparing for his post-wrestling life and has started a real estate business with fellow wrestler Liv Morgan, who herself began training to be a realtor last year. If either has any questions, they could always ask Dallas’ mother, Stephanie, who is Blackjack Mulligan’s daughter and owns Heart of Florida Realty.

Out of both Rotunda brothers, Dallas looked the more likely to be a single’s success, having been a three-time FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion and one-time NXT Champion. Surprisingly though, on the main roster, their careers went in opposite directions, with Wyatt’s character “The Fiend” making him a true main eventer. Things could still turn around for Bo Dallas as he is only 30 and a good worker. Perhaps when his time with WWE does inevitably come to an end, he’ll look to continue his career elsewhere.

This past Tuesday, the first of 11 episodes of Young Rock premiered on NBC. The sitcom is based on the true-life story of Dwayne Johnson, who grew up knowing legendary wrestlers like André the Giant and the Iron Shiek as family friends. So far, reviews have been positive for the first episode, “Working the Gimmick,” with critics giving it 88% and users 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, the most critical numbers for NBC are the ratings, and the final ratings have now been confirmed. The show ended up having 5,315,000 average viewers, which is an increase of over 300,000 viewers from the initial overnights. This number would make Young Rock the third-highest rated show on network television for the evening behind NCIS, and This Is Us. The key 18-49 sales demo was 1.01, which was the second-best of the night and of significant importance as it helps set ad rates.

In 2020 NBC had a network average of 5,025,000 viewers, so Young Rock is currently outdoing this. While it is unlikely the season will maintain such a high number, at this point, the show must be deemed a success for both NBC and Dwayne Johnson.

Years ago, a trend swept social media and websites where fans were asked to put together their NBA dream team from a $15 budget with players priced between $5 and $1. The objective is to pick the best team possible and ultimately create some debate. While sometimes arguments do break out, it has always been considered harmless fun.

However, yesterday the official WWE On FOX Twitter account did their own version with the women of WWE. Talents like Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair were priced at $5 each, but Natalya was a budget option, priced just $1. Natalya would see this and was upset at what she perceived to be the account disrespecting her. She’d tweet that she found it hurtful and said to people that understand, she is priceless. You can view her full response and the now-deleted WWE on Fox tweet below.

Multiple wrestlers, including Alexa Bliss, Chelsea Green, Matt Cardona, and Shelton Benajmin, came to Natalya’s defense of the two-time Women’s Champion and shamed the person behind the Twitter account. The person tweeting was likely looking to encourage engagement and make their bosses happy, and no rudeness was meant. Although in this case, it backfired and resulted in a lot of backlash.

Konnan, who is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential Lucha libre stars of all time, is currently hospitalized. Not much is known about the situation other than it is a kidney issue and has been described by Dave Meltzer as fairly serious. In 2007 Konnan successfully underwent kidney transplant surgery, which was necessary due to years of painkiller and anti-inflammatory medication usage, so his current hospitalization is potentially related to this.

The former WCW and TNA star are still heavily involved in the wrestling industry and even wrestlers on occasion, with his last match having taken place in 2019. Regarded as a mentor by many of the top luchadors around the world, he is currently associated with AAA, MLW, and Impact Wrestling. In addition, he hosts the successful Keeping it 100 with Konnan podcast with Disco Inferno.