And your headlines for today include
Who was Cody Rhodes scheduled to face at WrestleMania 38? Shocking plans revealed
WWE reportedly wants Cody Rhodes back in just three days! Will it happen?
AEW purchases several old WWE theme songs after Jeff Hardy’s debut
William Regal apologises for botch during first in-ring interview on AEW Dynamite
When did AEW decide on TNT title change that happened on this week’s show?
Shocking plans leaked for new NXT Champion Dolph Ziggler
Top NXT Superstar expected to be called-up very soon
Did CM Punk join AEW over half a year before he debuted?! Top AEW star makes wild claim
Riddle reveals massive plans he still has left in his career
DDP gives an update on Buff Bagwell’s condition after moving in with him And more
We’re kicking off today with Cody Rhodes, who shocked fans last month by departing AEW, the company he helped found in 2019.
At the time of his departure, it was reported that Cody would be returning to WWE, ideally in time for WrestleMania 38, but now things
aren’t so certain
WWE’s Creative are no longer writing Cody into their plans, but there was a time when he was going to have a massive match at
WrestleMania 38. Fightful Select reports that Cody was once pitched to be Seth Rollins’ opponent for
WrestleMania 38, which explains why the Architect hasn’t had any major singles feuds that could lead into a Mania match.
Originally, Rollins was going to face Shane McMahon next month, but those plans changed once Shane was released after his actions
the Royal Rumble. On-screen, Rollins has become more and more despondent over the idea of not having
match next month, and that reportedly isn’t too far from the truth. Sources close to the situation have said that
Rollins is growing increasingly frustrated behind the scenes over how WWE has no concrete plans for him just weeks before WrestleMania,
with one source saying that he was “furious” at one point. With Seth still without a WrestleMania opponent,
it seems WWE hasn’t given up on the plan just yet, but if something doesn’t happen soon, then they’ll need a last minute replacement to face
the former Universal Champion.
WWE wants Cody Rhodes back, that much is evident at this point, and while they’d settle for him to return in time for WrestleMania 38
Vince McMahon could be eyeing up a much sooner date. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer
explained that WWE wants Cody back for their upcoming episode of RAW in Jacksonville, Florida, set for next Monday.
This gives Cody and WWE just three days to finalise a deal, sign it and for Cody to get himself prepared for appearaing in Jacksonville,
and while that’s not impossible, it’d be highly difficult for both sides to pull off. This plan all hinges on whether WWE can actually
get Cody to sign a contract, and while they’d love to have Rhodes return in the same town that became a hotbed for AEW programming last year,
the ball remains in the court of the former three-time TNT Champion.
AEW may have lost Cody Rhodes, but they gained Jeff Hardy this week, as the Charismatic Enigma made his debut with some interesting choice of music.
Making his way to the ring, Jeff debuted with the theme ‘Loaded’ the same song he made famousthroughout his WWE career.
It’s been reported that AEW were able to license the song as WWE never actually owned it, but they did so in a very Tony Khan-esque way.
Fghtful reports that to get the rights to Loaded, AEW has licesed the entire library it was part of, which includes the theme song for Hardcore Holly.
They add that other Hardy themes have also been licensed, including ‘Obsolete’ the song he used throughout his run with TNA Wrestling and could
now be used again in AEW. It’s worth noting that WWE owns the rights to No More Words, so AEW won’t be able to use that
theme, but now Tony Khan has plenty of classic themes from wrestling’s past to use as he sees fit.
On this week’s AEW Dynamite, William Regal had plenty to say in his first in-ring interview with the company, in fact he had much more to say than
AEW had planned.
After Dynamite, it was reported that Regal had gone over his allotted time for the segment, and Regal himself has confirmed that this is the case.
On Twitter, the former Intercontinental Champion shared an apology to his colleagues for what he called his “time issues” and added that he should
be setting an example to everyone by being a pro and hitting the right time, every time. Regal was released from WWE on January 5th,
as the company looked to remove anyone close to Triple H, and though we as fans could listen to the British legend speak for hours about his incredible
career, Regal will be trying to keep an eye on the time from here onwards
AEW also saw a huge title change this week, as Scorpio Sky captured the TNT Title on Dynamite, his first singles title win for the company.
As one of the first names to join AEW back in 2019, many fans have said this win was a long-time coming, and AEW reportedly had this planned for a while.
According to Fightful, plans for Sky’s title win were in the works as early as mid to late 2021, but plans for the title change kept being pushed back.
It’s said that Cody Rhodes’ departure from AEW caused a “minimal hiccup,” but that much of what was scheduled went ahead as planned.
Now Sky will have his first title defence next week, when he takes on Wardlow on the St. Patrick’s Day Slam edition of Dynamite, and time will tell just how
long the new champion holds the title that he’s been planned to win for a very long time.
Over to WWE, as this week has been a mixed one for Bron Breakker, who won his Raw debut match on Monday, and lost his NXT Championship to Dolph
Ziggler just 24 hours later. Many fans have questioned why Ziggler, a veteran of the company, was chosen to dethrone
Breakker, but this isn’t in any means a burial of the second-generation Superstar. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer noted that
Ziggler’s reign will be a transitional role, and that WWE plans on having Breakker regain the title on a much bigger show.
We don’t know when that show will be, but we do know that NXT Stand And Deliver will take place on April 2nd, the very same day as WrestleMania: Saturday.
If the title change is planned for then, then Ziggler’s reign will last mere weeks before he’s dethroned by Breakker, and although this is Dolph’s first
world title reign in nine years, fans should enjoy it while they can.
Bron Breakker may soon be a two-time NXT Champion, but that’s not all that’s in the future of the son of Rick Steiner.
In that same discussion about Breakker, Meltzer went on to say that there are plans to fast-track him to the main roster, saying:
“There is talk of him going to the main roster pretty quickly. He’s wrestling on this weekend’s house shows… Him and Gable Steveson are supposed
main roster bound.”
If Breakker is set to be called up soon, then that raises serious questions about his potential second NXT Championship reign, and just how long it’ll last.
Traditionally, losing the NXT title is a sign that the former Champion is heading to the main-roster soon, but with Breakker set to regain the gold, these plans
could easily change. All we know for sure is that WWE has high hopes for Bron Breakker, who is just six months into his
on-screen career, but has done everything right so far in his tenure with the company.
In August 2021, CM Punk made his return to wrestling, joining AEW at Their First Dance edition of Rampage.
Punk had been away from wrestling for over seven years, or at least that’s what fans believe, but according to Sting, that isn’t the case.
In an article with The Players’ Tribune, The Icon hinted that Punk was working closely with AEW long before he made his on-screen debut, saying:
“(CM Punk) came up to me backstage on one of my first days in AEW. And he’s such a student of history that he just wanted to pick my brain a bit.
And I remember he told me, ‘I’m sorry, but I’m going to bother you every day.” If Punk came up to Sting during one of his first
days in the company, then that would be in December 2020, eight months before Punk himself would debut himself on Rampage.
Punk signing with AEW remains one of the biggest deals by Tony Khan, and the former WWE Champion has proved he’s still got it in the ring,
but if Sting is correct, AEW already had Punk over half a year before his debut.
Back to WWE, as for years, Riddle made it clear that he wanted to face Brock Lesnar in a battle of two stars of MMA.
Recently, the pair shared the ring during the Men’s Elimination Chamber match, but that wasn’t enough for a lot of people, and that includes the
reinging RAW Tag Team Champion. Sitting down this week with Adam’s Apple, Riddle discussed his dream of one day facing Brock
Lesnar one on one, and admitted that it’s still something he plans on doing: “I really want that one-on-one match with Brock
that’d be good, but there’s a lot of talent out there. You’ve got the Edges, me and Randy are partners but you never know, we might wrestle one day.
There’s a lot.” It was at the 2020 Royal Rumble that the two reportedly had a backstage altercation, w
with Lesnar telling Riddle a match between them was never going to happen, and to stop mentioning him in interviews.
For what it’s worth, Lesnar seems much more relaxed, and has been more chill ever since his return to WWE at Summerslam 2021,
so perhaps we’ll get that long-awaited singles match between Brock and the Original Bro at some point down the line.
And we’re ending today with Buff Bagwell, who recently moved in with Diamond Dallas Page to get the help he needs.
For years, Bagwell has been suffering with substance abuse issues, and recently moved in with DDP following the success Page has had
with Jake Roberts and Scott Hall.
On Twitter, DDP gave an update on Buff, sharing a photo of the former WCW Tag Team Champion and said that Bagwell is doing really well.
After several problems, and recently losing his mother Judy Bagwell, it’s good to see that things are improving for Buff, as DDP once again is
showing why he’s considered one of wrestling’s unsung heroes.