Last night WWE brought back WWE Backstage on FS1 for a Royal Rumble special. One of the show’s draws was the announcement of who had drawn #1 and #2 in the men’s Royal Rumble match. #1 was confirmed to be Randy Orton, and by a remarkable coincidence, #2 is Edge, who has been out injured for the past seven months following a match against The Apex Predator. Both numbers have twice been the winning entrant’s number, with #1 in 1995 and 2004 and #2 in 1999, 2006. If Orton were to last until the end, he would likely become second behind Chris Jericho for the longest cumulative time spent in Royal Rumble matches. At present, he has remained for a total of 3:33. If Edge makes it until the end, he will potentially go sixth overall, overtaking Chris Benoit, Roman Reigns, Steve Austin, CM Punk, John Cena, Cody Rhodes, and Glenn Jacobs. Additionally, on WWE Backstage, a match between Natalya and Tamina aired from Friday’s SmackDown taping with the right to enter #30 in the women’s Royal Rumble match at stake. Natalya won the match via a rollup, and in kayfabe, she now the most significant advantage of winning.

Fans have been questioning Keith Lee’s whereabouts over recent weeks as he has been absent from Raw for the past two weeks. Fans first began speculating after both he and his girlfriend Mia Yim missed Raw’s January 18 episode. However, she would return this week under her Reckoning gimmick, accompanying Slapjack along with the rest of the much-maligned RETRIBUTION group. This seemingly indicated that had Keith caught the virus affecting the world as rumored, at least Yim was okay as she would have had to of tested negative to appear on Raw.

Yim has now taken to Twitter confirming that she did test negative earlier this week but sadly tested positive earlier today. She would also ask fans to respect her privacy.

Obviously, there is no good time to receive this diagnosis, but this timing is particularly terrible for her. She was expected to be participating in the women’s Royal Rumble tomorrow, which is considered one of the most exciting and anticipated matches of the year. As of writing, only 13 women have been officially confirmed for the match, which means there will likely be several surprise participants.

With regards to Lee, his Royal Rumble match appearance status remains unknown. Last week he was the second favorite in the odds to win the match but following his absence from Raw and Edge declaring himself in the match, his odds have lengthened. He is now considered as likely to win the match as both Brock Lesnar and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Jon Moxley is the current New Japan IWGP United States Champion but hasn’t defended the title in over a year due to worldwide events preventing him from traveling to Japan. In his absence, New Japan held a tournament to keep the championship active, with KENTA, known to US fans as Hideo Itami, winning. In doing so, he took possession of the #1 contendership briefcase. With KENTA set to defend his opportunity against Satoshi Kojima at Wrestle Kingdom 15, a Moxley promo aired before the match where he said he was coming for the briefcase holder. KENTA would retain the briefcase after defeating Kojima with the Go 2 Sleep, meaning he remained front of the queue to face Moxley in the future.

Now, in what came as a massive surprise, during last night’s episode of NJPW Strong, taped at New Japan’s training dojo in Los Angeles, Moxley made an unadvertised appearance. His arrival came after the six-man tag team main event, which featured KENTA. The dojo lights went out, and Moxley took out KENTA’s partners Hikuleo and El Phantasmo with belt shots when they came back on. He then traded elbows with the #1 contender before escaping a Go 2 Sleep attempt and hitting KENTA with a Paradigm Shift. Moxley would say on the mic that he doesn’t play political games and that KENTA’s dream of becoming the champion had become a nightmare.

This appearance was a big deal because previously, Moxley’s AEW contract prevented him from working on New Japan shows in the US. Clearly, Tony Khan has made an exception, potentially meaning New Japan and AEW are set to begin a working relationship. It should be noted that the episode wasn’t live, and when it was taped is unclear but likely to have been in December based on who else was on the show. With Moxley residing in Vegas, the trip wouldn’t have been too difficult for him, so potentially, he could make further appearances.

WWE and Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley had a 28-year in-ring career and is now a WWE producer. He first made his name as part of Extreme Championship Wrestling, a promotion known for transforming American wrestling with its take no prisoners attitude. However, off-camera, it’s believed most ECW talent respected those who came before them, especially after Terry Funk came in and legitimized the promotion. Now speaking on his Table Talk podcast, along with guest Darren Young he discussed how many of today’s current crop of wrestlers lack that respect and called them rude. He did, though, make sure to exclude Darren Young, Drew McIntyre, Miro, and Sheamus from that statement.

D-Von’s two eldest sons, Terrence and Terrell Hughes, are currently looking to make a name for themselves as part of the current generation of wrestlers. Having been trained at their father’s Team 3D Academy, they’ve likely had it drilled into them from a young age the right way to behave in a locker room, and it seemingly is paying off as they’ve become AEW Dark regulars.

Kurt Angle broke his neck five times throughout both his amateur and professional wrestling careers. Famously once during the Olympics, and a further four times in a WWE ring. He also injured his knees doing a moonsault off the top of a cage in TNA and sadly has previously said the quality of his life sucks. Now speaking on his brand new podcast, The Kurt Angle Show, he has revealed the depressing news that he requires another surgery, and this one will keep him bedbound for up to six months.

Angle retired from the ring in 2019 at Wrestlemania 35, putting Baron Corbin over in the process. Since then, the Olympic gold medalist has had stem cell therapy at BioXcellarator in Colombia, so hopefully, that treatment has somewhat helped him cope. It’s sad to think of anyone in constant discomfort, so with luck, when he can get further surgery, it significantly improves his quality of life.

Over the years, there have been persistent rumors of John Cena holding down talent, with Mr. Kennedy, Ryback, Tyler Reks, Ken Doane, and Wade Barrett often cited as examples. Jake Hager even revealed on Talk Is Jericho that Cena refused to drop the title to him following his Money in the Bank ladder match victory at WrestleMania XXVI. Now, during his ARN podcast, former WWE producer, Arn Anderson who regularly worked with Cena, explained The Doctor of Thuganomics was also against bringing in outside talent from TNA. Therefore seemingly discouraging WWE from recruiting Bobby Roode, James Storm, and AJ Styles to work with him during their prime years.

Cena would end up working with Styles in 2016, following the TNA’s original’s impressive run in New Japan. The pair’s first singles match occurred at Money In The Bank 2016, and their most significant match took place at the 2017 Royal Rumble, where Cena defeated Styles to become WWE Champion and tied Ric Flair’s record for most world title reigns. While he never did wrestle either Roode or Storm, he did partner with Roode as part of Team SmackDown at the 2017 Survivor Series. However, he likely didn’t tell him he could have been in WWE years earlier if it wasn’t for him.

Saying things escalated quickly between Ryback and Mark Henry would be an understatement. It all started when Ryback tweeted that wrestling is fake and championships are props. This infuriated Mark Henry, who speaking on the Busted Open radio show, called him a “bitter ass” and said he should apologize. Ryback would fire back, insisting he was being sarcastic and loves wrestling. He’d then allege Henry was a paid puppet of WWE, that John Cena had refused to work with the Olympic weightlifter previously, and before their match at WrestleMania XXIX, an agent referred to Henry as a “fat piece of sh*t.”

The war of words between the former colleagues continued, and it was indicated that if the pair ever meet face to face, violence may ensue. Ryback would even go as far as to say he was seeking legal counsel. However, things have now gotten more serious as Ryback has claimed on Twitter that he and his family have been receiving death threats.

Obviously, if true, this is appalling, and it is probably best for fans to stay out of the argument, especially if this is becoming a legal issue. Sadly it seems this feud will continue to run, as neither man looks prepared to back down.

On December 26th, 2020, the wrestling world lost a fantastic wrestler and entertainer in Brodie Lee. Still, more tragically, his family lost Jon Huber, a loving husband, and doting father. His widow Amanda has now bravely spoken about his passing on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, giving fans insight into his struggle and final days. The interview contains so much information, and you really need to listen to the podcast for yourself, but below are some key details taken from the episode.

Jon first became aware he had an issue when he couldn’t finish his Peloton bike exercise. He attempted it again the following day and still was unable to complete it. He’d drive to Jacksonville for the next Dynamite tapings, and despite testing negative, he was sent home as a precaution as AEW’s doctor wasn’t comfortable letting him in their bubble.

He’d develop a temperature, sought medical advice, was diagnosed with Bronchitis and allergies, and was prescribed allergy medications and an oral steroid. The next day he worsened and was taken to hospital and placed on a ventilator. Amanda noted that his health was up-and-down, and he was moved to ICU for better monitoring.

On Halloween, he was moved to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville for further care. Amanda was told it was a “matter of life or death,” and talks began regarding a lung transplant. She noted that while she wanted to handle the medical costs herself, AEW insisted on paying.

On November 14th, Amanda’s Birthday, Jon was removed from the ventilator, put on oxygen again, and communicated non-verbally. Discussions started again over a lung transplant. Jon would sadly get an infection in his lungs, and his lung transplant request kept getting declined.

Just before Christmas, Jon’s kidneys and heart began failing. Doctors informed her that they would need to start end of life care. For their children’s sake, Amanda tried to have a normal Christmas, and that evening she flew to Jacksonville.

On the day Huger passed away, numerous people, including wrestlers Cody Rhodes, Big E, Shawn Spears, Peyton Royce, and Tyler Breeze, visited Jon to say their goodbyes. Cody and Big E would join Amanda in telling their eldest son Brodie Jr. that his father had died.

The official cause of death was idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, although a full autopsy is pending. Amanda explains that Jon didn’t have a funeral due to what is going on in the world but considers the Celebration of Life episode of Dynamite to be his ceremony. She concludes by saying that AEW went above and beyond and helped their son live out his dream.

The podcast is challenging to listen to but recommended. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis usually affects people aged over 70 and is considered rare for people under 50. The reason people develop this condition is unknown, and it sounds like doctors did all they could as their no treatment that can stop the scarring of the lungs caused by the condition. A transplant was realistically his only chance of survival, and doctors have to consider the likelihood of success when apportioning donating organs. Also, a donor needs to be compatible in size, and at 6ft 5in, options were severely limited.

John Cena is officially a WWE part-timer, with his last match being the Firefly Fun House cinematic match at WrestleMania 36. He is now a fully-fledged movie star, and with big-budget movies F9 and The Suicide Squad coming in 2021, he is set to become an even bigger name in the mainstream and will have even less time for WWE. However, he is expected to appear at WrestleMania 37 in a significant role and for a big payday.

Now speaking on The Michael Kay Show podcast, Triple H was asked about part-time wrestler schedules, and he’d specifically mention John Cena saying he had earned the right to be a part-timer and pick and choose when he comes back.

John Cena famously called out The Rock for being a part-timer. The real-life situation eventually resulted in two huge WrestleMania matches between the pair. As Triple H alluded to, Cena has since gone back on these comments and called it the “stupidest stuff ever” and that he was looking at it through blinded eyes.

AEW, in association with Bleacher Report, aired an awards show on Wednesday, and Shaq introduced the award for PPV Moment of the Year, which went to the Stadium Stampede match. However, Shaq would use this as an opportunity to call Cody Rhodes a little punk and mocked his blonde hair, finally saying he was available for a match in March. This led to Cody and accompanied by Arn Anderson responding on last night’s Dynamite. Cody said he thought he’d be teaming with Brandi against Shaq and Jade Cargill, but with her being pregnant, real-life had got in the way. Anderson would then have Red Velvet join them in the ring, and she cut a fiery promo, calling Cargill a coward and challenged Shaq and her to a match at Revolution.

AEW began building towards Shaq wrestling for them when a debuting Cargill entered the ring unannounced during the November 11, 2020 edition of Dynamite. She’d deride Rhodes for referring to himself as a giant killer and said she knew a real-giant, implying Shaq. This ended in a confrontation between Cargill and Cody’s wife, Brandi. Shaq’s love of pro wrestling is well-known, and he has appeared over the years for WCW, TNA, and WWE. His most memorable moment being a participant in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32. He was also very close to wrestling Big Show at WrestleMania 33, yet it fell apart due to either scheduling or monetary issues, depending on who you believe.

Worldwide events meant Riho hasn’t been able to compete on Dynamite since March 2020, and in the meantime, she has been wrestling in her home country of Japan, mainly for World Wonder Ring Stardom. It has now been announced on Dynamite that Riho is returning to AEW for the promotions sixteen women title eliminator tournament. She will be facing current NWA Women’s World Champion Serena Deeb in the first round of the promotions sixteen women title eliminator tournament. The tournament winner will face current AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida at a future date, most likely at March’s Revolution pay-per-view. If Riho is successful in winning, it will be a repeat of the pair’s match from All Out 2019.

Riho initially debuted for AEW on May 25, 2019, at Double or Nothing in a six women tag match. She’d become the inaugural AEW Women’s Champion by defeating Nyla Rose during Dynamite’s debut episode on October 2, 2019. She successfully defended the title against Dr. Britt Baker, Emi Sakura, and Kris Statlander in singles matches before losing it to Rose on February 12, 2020, ending her reign at 133 days.

Being the son of a professional wrestler Rocky Johnson, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson grew up knowing legendary wrestlers like André the Giant and the Iron Shiek as family friends. He’d also frequently travel, living in New Zealand, North Carolina, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Hawaii getting in situations along the way. Now thanks to Nahnatchka Khan, the woman behind Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 and Fresh Off the Boat, his unique childhood is coming to NBC. The sitcom named Young Rock premieres on February 16th, and a new official trailer is available to watch below.

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The 11 episodes season is being produced by Johnson’s company Seven Bucks Productions. It was named that due to the amount of money he had in his pocket after being released from the Canadian Football League in 1995. They’ve previously been involved in several of The Rock’s movies and television shows, including Baywatch and Ballers. They also brought the story of Paige’s journey to WWE to the big screen with Fighting With My Family in 2019.