• Ric Flair Apologizes To Fans
WWE Hall of Famers Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and Ric Flair were in attendance for AEW Dynamite: Blood & Guts last week.
While Steamboat appeared on the broadcast and was involved in a segment with FTR, Stokely Hathaway and AEW World Tag Team Champions Brodido, Flair had to leave early due to pain from a recent rotator cuff tear.
The Nature Boy was present at the venue, but only made a brief appearance for the live crowd. AEW had to make adjustments to the show following his early departure.
Flair addressed the situation on X:
“I Want To Apologize To Everyone For Having To Leave The @AEW Show Early Last Wednesday Due To My Rotator Cuff Injury. I Appreciate @TonyKhan Giving Me The Opportunity To Be On The Show. It Was Nice Catching Up With All The Great Talent And Ricky Steamboat. I Look Forward To Being Invited Again. After I Have My Shoulder Healed Up, I Will Be Back Up & Running. I Just Want You All To Know That I Would Never Disappoint You Intentionally.”
• Update On Whether SmackDown’s 3-Hour Move In 2026 Will Be Permanent
WWE SmackDown is set to return to a three-hour format starting with the first show of 2026, according to last week’s report from WrestleVotes.
Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer provided an update on the news and revealed that there’s belief within WWE that the move to three hours in 2026 could follow a similar pattern as this year, with the show potentially reverting back to two hours later in the year.
It is important to note that WWE has not confirmed any plans regarding the change yet, and Alvarez clarified that this is not 100% certain.
• “He would never be humble with us in the locker room” – Nexus Member On John Cena
John Cena is one of the greatest names in pro wrestling history. Many of his peers from the past speak highly of him, and countless stars from the new generation look up to him as a role model.
The GOAT has inspired millions with his positive attitude, but according to former WWE Tag Team Champion David Otunga, Cena wasn’t humble to everyone.
Speaking on the All Axxess Entertainment podcast, Otunga explained that Cena was not particularly humble around the locker room, even though he was respectful with fans and people outside the business.
“You want the real answer? No. I mean, come on. He’s John Cena. I’m gonna be honest with you.
Yes, he is that (humble), but like, he’s not gonna be that way with me, with the boys in the locker room. With general people, oh yeah, of course, he’s humble.
But, you know, he’s got a different swagger to him being John Cena, 17-time World Champion. That he’s earned.
Don’t take this out of context – he earned the right to not have to be humble around us in the locker room. But in general, yeah, of course, he’s still a nice, humble guy. But he would never be that way to us in the locker room.”
Nexus member David Otunga won the WWE Tag Team Titles twice, and one of his reigns was with John Cena.
• “That is bullsh*t” – AEW Star On Ex-WWE Star Saying Logan Paul Is Better Than Everyone In AEW
Former WWF Hardcore Champion Stevie Richards recently made the bold claim that Logan Paul is better than every member of the AEW roster.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Richards said:
“Logan Paul is better than everybody in AEW. [Jon Moxley?] Yes. [Darby Allin?] Yes. [Will Ospreay?] Yes. [Swerve Strickland?] Yes. [Kenny Omega?] Yes. [Young Bucks?] Yes. Because, he’s a character. I get that I can hate or love Logan Paul, and he’s every bit as athletic as all of them. He’s proven it.”
AEW TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher addressed the comments during an appearance on TMZ’s Inside The Ring podcast. He said that he disagrees with Richards and thinks that the former WWE wrestler made the claim to generate some buzz for himself.
“I think I said the same thing with his comments on me. I think a lot of these things are done with the thought process, ‘Oh, this will get a reaction. Oh, this will get clicks.’ I don’t know if he believes that wholeheartedly. If he does, like I said, everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I think that opinion is bullsh*t, personally.
I think the roster that we have at AEW, the matches that you see on a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly basis, I am astounded. Like, I can’t even keep up. I watch one match that I go, ‘That’s the best match I’ve seen this year.’ And then the next week, I’ll see another match that I think is the best match this year. It’s an absolutely absurd claim to make.
No hate on Logan Paul, doing great stuff. Good for you. He’s been in the business 5 years. So the level that he’s performing at is insane. Do I think he’s better than Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay? Not a f**king chance.”
Kyle Fletcher will defend his TNT Championship against Mark Briscoe at Full Gear this Saturday.
