Select Portions: Lesnar, Mercedes, Okada, Omega, Rollins, More (Patreon)

- Kenny Omega has in fact not yet had surgery regarding his diverticulitis. He is not factored into creative plans, and AEW doesn't seem to have an idea of when he'll be back. 

- We've been told it's far too early in the process of Okada leaving NJPW to determine where his next move will be. 

- For those asking, we're still expecting Mercedes Mone to AEW, as do most in the company. 

- Several outlets have also confirmed that they've heard that Brock Lesnar is tentatively planned to return to WWE TV soon. Fightful had revealed and discussed this on this past Monday's Raw post-show. 

- As highlighted in our Smackdown notes of late, Gable Steveson has been traveling to Smackdown each week. 

- PWInsider has reported that Seth Rollins is off this weekend's house shows, and replaced by Randy Orton. We're told that the initial hope backstage was that he'd not sustained an ACL injury, and that Rollins at least personally thought it wasn't that the night of. 

- A reminder, the Fightful Awards will air on Wednesday, January 31 at 6 PM ET. We've secured appearances for several of the awards. 

Izzy

Fightful Select recently sat down with Independent Wrestler Izzy at WrestleCade in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Izzy discussed a few different topics with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp.

Izzy told us that she was eight years old when she decided that she wanted to be a Pro Wrestler. She told Sean that she was 16 when she had her first match in August 2022. She said it was tough work to become a wrestler, but all the naysayers kept her going.

Izzy said seeing what people wrote about her did wonders for her self-confidence. She also mentioned that the business is cutthroat but said it made her a stronger woman. Izzy said, “I think, looking back, also at times. I’m proud, and I’m happy those people wrote all that crap about me because look at me now.’’

Izzy would talk to us about her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training. She said it helped her inside the ring and it had helped her inside the ring. Izzy would add that it is awesome that she can take what she does on the mat and transition it to the ring.

She would explain more about Jiu-Jitsu and how it helped her with her finishing move. She told us her finisher was the backstabber and then would incorporate it into an armbar after.

Izzy told Sean that she is a Taylor Swift fan and her favorite album is Reputation. She said it is synonymous with her life and added that “​​Look What You Made Me Do” is her favorite song. Izzy also said Swift is the inspiration for her gear.

This interview was filmed before Sean’s match against Shazza McKenzie at BLP’s Slamilton event this past December. Sean asked for advice on how he could beat Shazza. Izzy told Sean, “he was f-cked.” Izzy ended up being spot-on with her assertion.

Izzy would wrap up the interview, telling us she could not wait for her first street fight.

You can follow Izzy on X @ItsIzzyMania.