• Backstage Concern Over Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed Forced WWE To Change World Title Plans
After Seth Rollins became the 2025 Crown Jewel Champion, he was betrayed by Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed and Paul Heyman on RAW. The Visionary vacated his title due to a shoulder injury last week, after which a Battle Royal was held to determine CM Punk’s opponent for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Many fans expected Bron Breakker to win it, as he had set his sights on the World Heavyweight Title after taking out Rollins. However, he and Bronson Reed were pulled from the Battle Royal by Adam Pearce, and Jey Uso ended up winning the match.
Breakker brought this up to Paul Heyman on this week’s RAW and said that The Vision should’ve been in the Battle Royal.
According to TC of WrestleVotes, WWE officials decided not to include Breakker or Reed in the match due to concern over how the live crowd would react to them.
The belief internally was that fans might end up cheering the two after their recent turn on Seth Rollins – who had been the top heel on RAW for most of the year – which would have gone against the company’s creative direction, as Breakker and Reed are supposed to be heels and draw negative reactions.
As noted before, WWE has plans in place to eventually crown Bron Breakker as World Heavyweight Champion, but the feeling is that the moment deserves to happen on a bigger stage than Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend.
The 28-year-old continued to build momentum on this week’s RAW after picking up a win over LA Knight.
• WWE Planning Another Major Weekend Ahead Of WrestleMania 42 Week
WWE will return to Las Vegas next year for The Sin City’s second WrestleMania in a row. Before the biggest pro wrestling week of the year, the company is planning a huge weekend on the road to WrestleMania 42.
PWInsider is reporting that WWE is looking to make Chicago the center of attention next February with a big weekend of events built around Elimination Chamber, which takes place on February 28 at the Allstate Arena.
The company is putting together a plan that would see SmackDown held the night before on February 27, with potential NXT and AAA events also taking place that same weekend in Chicago.
• WWE Wants To Re-Sign Champion Before His Contract Expires Next Year
Dragon Lee signed with WWE in 2022 and debuted on the NXT brand. He was called up to SmackDown later that year.
According to PWInsider, the World Tag Team Champion’s contract with WWE is set to expire in 2026. The company wants to offer him a new deal before his current one is up.
Dragon Lee and AJ Styles defeated Finn Balor and JD McDonagh of The Judgment Day to capture the World Tag Team Titles on last week’s episode of RAW. It was Lee’s third title win in WWE. He previously won the NXT North American Championship and the Speed Title.
Dragon and AJ will defend their titles against Finn and JD in a rematch on next week’s RAW.
• “F**k you. I’m bigger than AEW. You can’t disrespect me” – Mark Henry Slams AEW For Renaming His Finisher
Mark Henry signed with All Elite Wrestling in 2021, a time when a lot of names who used to work for WWE were making the jump to Tony Khan’s promotion. After spending three years there, he eventually parted ways.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Henry expressed frustration about AEW renaming his “World’s Strongest Slam” finishing move to the “Most Dangerous Slam.” The move is used by Powerhouse Hobbs of The Opps.
Here’s what the WWE Hall of Famer said:
“They called it the Most Dangerous Slam. They don’t call it the World’s Strongest Slam. They’re like, ‘F**k Mark Henry.’ F**k you, how about that? That’s to whose decision that is (to rename the slam). You cannot disrespect me and expect me to kiss your a$$ about it. I’m not gonna do it. I’d rather be fired or kicked off the air before I let somebody feel like they all got power over me.
(Fans said that) AEW is mad that he (Henry) didn’t do what they wanted him to do, and they’re gonna punish him. Let me tell you this, AEW cannot punish me. There is nothing – I am bigger than AEW. There is nothing that they’ve done in the existence of their company that’s gonna make me feel like, ‘Oh, I need to bow down to that.’
I respect the talents, but when a mandate comes that (says) ‘screw Mark Henry, we’re gonna do this,’ then that takes it out of the talent’s hands. You do what your boss tells you to do. You don’t control my mouth. You don’t control my heart, my spirit.”
Mark Henry signed a Legends Contract with WWE earlier this year.
