Fightful Wrestling Weekly 1/21: Recapping The Week's News (Patreon)

R- Truth

Judgment Day’s R-Truth caught up with Fightful Select for an exclusive interview. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp spoke with the former 53-time WWE 24/7 Champion before the upcoming PLE Royal Rumble. The two talked about numerous topics.

R-Truth told Sean that he is feeling good and Judgment Day is feeling good and looking good. He says the Royal Rumble will be a Judgment Day “type” pay-per-view. Sean mentioned to R-Truth that he has not been in the Royal Rumble since 2016. Truth said he is ready for it. Truth also told us that nobody else had ever eliminated Mark Henry and the Big Show simultaneously in the Royal Rumble before. Truth says it was a historical moment for him. Sean told Truth about Shawn Michaels eliminating both Yokozuna and Vader simultaneously. Truth said, he and Shawn have a lot in common. They both did the “I Love You.” Truth referred to the Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair match at WrestleMania 24.

When asked if Lil Jimmy was part of Judgment Day, Truth said, “Even though I’m his carekeeper. I can’t just be bringing someone else with problems into the group. It was hard enough for me to get in there and get JD McDonaugh out.” Truth would also tell Sean not to say anything, but  Lil Jimmy was the one who got him to do all the stuff he’s been doing.

Sean mentioned when R-Truth was wrestling as K-Krush and had a match with AJ Styles in the NWA. Sean asked if he knew AJ would have been a special wrestler after being in the ring with him. Truth would tell us that they both knew it, and everyone around them knew it. Truth stated, “AJ was phenomenal back then. We had K-Krush coming in from the streets and AJ coming in from the church. So it was just a clash of the titans in there. Everybody bought into it. Both of us were athletic, and both of us had charisma. They were tearing the walls down.”

Truth would tell us that former NWA World Television Champion Rick Michaels and his Dad were doing camera work, and they were the ones who told him he could be a big star and go somewhere. Truth said that Rick Michaels Dad made him a tape so he could send it to the WWE. Truth said, that was what got him signed.

Truth was asked if JD McDonaugh’s big head would benefit or hinder him in the Royal Rumble. Truth wasn’t sure, but he reviewed its positives and negatives.

R-Truth has reached new heights in popularity with Judgment Day, but almost saw his career ended.

R-Truth told Fightful that after initially sustaining his torn quad in 2022, he hadn't considered retirement. However, things got much worse for him. Truth told us he developed an infection in his knee that turned into "MRSA, staph, their brothers and their sisters and cousins." As a result, he had a hole in his knee that wouldn't allow him to even bend it for three months until it got under control.

Truth said that getting past that, he was ready for rehabilitation and that was easy for him. He said that he was fearful he would never wrestle again, but had to be his own biggest cheerleader and discipline himself to get back into the ring.

Our full interview with R-Truth releases on Fightful Monday ahead of the WWE Royal Rumble.

They wrapped up the interview discussing Awesome Truth. Truth told, Fightful “It’s always fun tagging with Miz, Always. Miz is my dog. Truth would say that chemistry is still there between them.

You can follow R-Truth on X at @RonKillings.

Kevin Dunn

WWE is living in a post-Kevin Dunn world, and we’ve highlighted some of the changes that have happened of late.

Fightful spoke to numerous sources regarding Dunn, and how he was to work with. One source told Corey Brennan that Dunn wasn’t as difficult to work with as they expected, but he did demand the best out of everyone. He had his hand in every part of the WWE broadcasts, including many aspects most fans wouldn’t ever see. Things from graphics, lighting, camera, audio, pyro, video. If Dunn saw something he thought could be better, he’d usually provide feedback, and was the ring leader of the broadcasts.

Dunn was around for almost every show, but in the event he wasn’t, the NXT producers would fill in for him, which happened for the end of the year shows he missed.

Another interesting note was that Triple H took charge of the broadcast for the end of WWE Survivor Series, and CM Punk’s return, as Kevin Dunn wasn’t at that show. We were asked if his scheduled was similar to that of Michael Cole, who almost misses no days. However, we were told Dunn took a pretty normal amount of holidays and the like during his run.

Those that worked with Dunn said that he got along well with Triple H, Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichards and segment producers and all of them would exchange ideas and there wasn’t much stepping on toes. There was also a focus on safety, with an example being that when Cody Rhodes returned at WrestleMania 38, there was a long hold on pyro, as Dunn was trying to make sure the camera crew on the ramp were clear from getting to hit.

We'll be releasing a longform feature at some point this year regarding Dunn and talent's experiences with him.

Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins sustained an injury at WWE Raw on January 15, and there’s good and bad news.

Fightful Select learned that as of Monday Night, Rollins told people backstage that he didn’t think he’d sustained an ACL tear. One WWE higher up we spoke to said “considering he’s powerbombed a 300 pound man on a torn ACL, we think he understands what that might feel like.”

Unfortunately, the word in WWE and sources near Rollins are that he sustained a torn MCL and a partially torn meniscus. However, it is not known as of yet if he’ll require surgery, though the hope is that he can avoid it. We also aren’t sure how WWE will play things on television, or if the injury will be downplayed or embellished.

Rollins has a history of knee problems and has worked through many of them in the past. Several in WWE put over Rollins’ toughness and resolve throughout the match, and the immediate aftermath.

Many we speak to expect him to attempt to work through the injury. 

Fightful sends our well wishes to Rollins.

MLW

MLW's semi-permanent home will be changing.

Fightful has learned that MLW's effective resident in Philadelphia is coming to a close after Superfight, outside of their presence and involvement with WaleMania. The majority of MLW shows have emanated from Philadelphia since late 2022, with the exception of a few New York shows and Tijuana.

MLW already has New York on the slate for February 29, Tampa/St. Petersburg for March 29, and Chicago for May 11. We're told that they plan on traveling to more cities as opposed to returning to Philadelphia nearly as often.

Andrade

Andrade has finished up with All Elite Wrestling and has an agreement with WWE. The path there was a rollercoaster.

We’re told that Andrade’s original deal was only for two years, but there was injury time added that extended it that ended up with him being signed through the end of the year. AEW talent said that Andrade was often very open about his contract status, and that his deal would be up in or at the end of 2023. Numerous talent also said that he’d mentioned that he’d planned to stay with AEW, and was considering another  but by the end of his run had told wrestlers he was headed back to WWE. Several in AEW actually expected him to show up on WWE programming the week after he left AEW.

Tony Khan publicly left the door open for Andrade’s return, but several that worked near Andrade said that it was a frustrating process, and that days before World’s End, he let them know that he was finishing up with All Elite Wrestling.

We’re told that Charlotte pushed for an Andrade return to WWE, and Andrade had actually pushed for Ric Flair to come into AEW.

WWE sources have not officially confirmed that Andrade is coming back to the company, but others immediately admitted that Andrade was likely to head there.

ROH Supercard

ROH is set to bring back Supercard of Honor, and it’s going to remain a WrestleMania weekend tradition.

Fightful Select has learned that internally, ROH Supercard of Honor is listed on the company’s schedule for April 5 in Philadelphia. Specifically, the event is listed for the Liacouras Center. The venue has a capacity of 10,000, but is almost always scaled for much less.

This isn’t AEW/ROH’s first time at the venue. The company broadcasted AEW Dynamite from the venue on April 2022, which featured Dax vs. Cash, and Scorpio Sky winning the TNT Title in a ladder match. One of the first Dynamite episodes ever was at the venue back in October 2019.

Originally, Tony Khan had said that AEW/ROH didn’t plan to run WrestleMania weekend, however, a question from Fightful (now post-ROH host) and Grapsody co-host Righteous Reg prompted him to reconsider.

Okada

Kazuchika Okada is leaving NJPW, according the company and the man himself.

NJPW announced this past week that the legendary performer was finishing up with New Japan Pro Wrestling on January 31 when his contract is up. It will end a historic run that includes 7 World Championships. He's actually still the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champion along with Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

NJPW sources had heard very recently that Okada and New Japan officials had a meeting to discuss their future together, and by the end of the conversation it was clear that Okada was set to finish up. The announcement still surprised several that we spoke to as they expected it next week. However, we're told that the departure is an amicable one and that the door likely always remains open for Okada, and there doesn't appear to be any ill will.

New Japan sources that we spoke to said that they knew that was a reality they'd be facing, and were confident in their ability to cultivate and create new talent, both in Japan and in the United States.

Earlier this month, AEW had been very hopeful that they'd land Okada and ideas had been tossed around, but based on what we've heard, it's far too early to determine where he'll actually land. WWE sources that we spoke to had not yet heard of any talks involving the two sides, but expected that to at least be explored. The last we'd heard from the WWE end of things, was that they weren't sure if he would want to make the move over.

Okada also mended fences with TNA this past weekend, and we're told that experience appeared to be a positive one by many in the company.

We're told that while AEW was definitely interested, things are far too early to tell. For those asking, Okada would not be able to work the Royal Rumble unless he gained permission from NJPW.

Okada has main evented 8 Wrestle Kingdom events, and won four G1 Climax tournaments.

New Promo Styles

Many have taken notice of new elements of WWE production that we’ve seen, which include a new approach within WWE as the Kevin Dunn era has closed. What has resulted quickly are many things that Dunn didn’t previously want, now becoming the norm.

Among them are two very distinct videos across WWE Raw and Smackdown. One featuring Chelsea Green and Piper Niven at a club to confront Kayden Carter and Katana Chance. Another on Smackdown, highlighting Butch/Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate.

For those that drew the comparison to NXT, you’d be correct. We’re told that Triple H allowed Jeremy Borash to put together a team in NXT for the past three years, where it would be safely under Kevin Dunn’s radar. Triple H was said to have been happy with how they played out, and with Dunn’s departure, there is a door open to feature that style of promos across all WWE shows.

We’ve spoken to several people associated with helping put together the promos that spoke highly of the new process and the freedom to to them. One source noted that under Dunn, the segment would have likely cut away to several different things, but the new method was to let the characters breathe, and the segment to play out.

We've heard that both segments were largely positively received internally.

Maximum MALE TNA

TNA Wrestling has been active on the free agent market over the last few weeks, and a few interesting names are backstage at their tapings in Orlando Friday night.

Fightful Select has learned that Mace & Mansoor, the former Maximum Male Models are backstage at the show. The two were released by WWE in September and are now free agents. In addition, NJPW regular Alex Zayne were backstage at the show.

Kamille

Kamille remains a top free agent in pro wrestling, but perhaps not for long.

Fightful was able to confirm reports from PWInsider and Haus of Wrestling that WWE had interest in the former NWA Women’s World Champion. Specifically, we’re told that overtures were made over the past couple of weeks to bring Kamille to the company. However, that didn’t prevent her from being backstage at AEW Dynamite on January 17.

Fightful confirmed that even though she was originally just around visiting friends, as she’s local to the area. However, that she did speak with several people of influence at the show.

It’s been noted that as of January 19, she’d not signed with anyone.

Kamille had a six month option with NWA that would have extended through the first half of the year. However, she ended up passing on that option.

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.

Select Portions

- Fightful will be on site for Royal Rumble media and community events throughout the week.

- Fightful has an interview with R-Truth, as well as a CM Punk longform video releasing next week.

- A reminder, the Fightful Awards are Wednesday, January 31 at 6 PM ET

- Fightful reported that Yuji Nagata would be going to MLW.

- We’ve heard from indie promoters that Mustafa Ali’s impact on ticket sales for some of his first events are the most they’ve seen for a WWE departure in years.

- For those asking about Mike Mansury as a potential replacement as Kevin Dunn, we’ve confirmed Wrestling Observer’s report that Mansury is under a multi-year agreement with All Elite Wrestling.

- We’re told that WWE and Panini have continued their relationship, and it appears it will continue through the duration of their regularly scheduled deal.

Smackdown News

- Bobby Roode has often been working directly with Michael Hayes. The two produced four segments on Smackdown

- Both of the specialized promos from last week's Smackdown (Kevin Owens and Pete Dunne) were filmed at the Performance Center.

- Pete Dunne's name change is reflected internally. Fightful Select's Corey Brennan confirmed ahead of the reveal that Pete Dunne was set to return.

- The Unholy Union and Legado World Order weren't listed as official names on the rundown, but Unholy Union is often used internally. 

- 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.

Smackdown Producers

- World Title contract signing: Michael Hayes & Bobby Roode

- Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. Pretty Deadly: Shawn Daivari

- KO Show with Logan Paul: Shane Helms

- Kayden Carter & Katana Chance vs. Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn: Petey Williams

- LA Knight vs. AJ Styles: Michael Hayes & Bobby Roode

- Randy Orton vs. Solo Sikoa: Michael Hayes & Bobby Roode

- Dark Match: Cameron Grimes vs. Gable Steveson: Nick Aldis

WWE Raw news

- We're told that there was never consideration given to having Jinder Mahal win or a Damian Priest cash-in for WWE Raw.

- There were numerous wrestlers that battled crazy travel woes in getting to the show.

- The WWE Raw set was only due to venue restrictions. 

- Cody Rhodes has moved in front of Gunther on the BetOnline.AG Royal Rumble favorites. CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Gunther, Randy Orton, LA Knight, The Rock, Drew McIntyre, Jey Uso are the 8 favorites.

WWE Raw Producers:

- DIY vs. Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh: Jason Jordan & Kenny Dykstra

- Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell vs. Piper Niven & Chelsea Green: Molly Holly

- Gunther promo: Abyss

- Xavier Woods vs. Ludwig Kaiser: Abyss

- Akira Tozawa vs. Ivar: Adam Pearce

- Awesome Truth vs. Judgment Day: Jamie Noble

- Shayn Baszler & Zoey Stark vs. Tegan Nox & Natalya: TJ Wilson

- Seth Rollins vs. Jinder Mahal: Michael Hayes & Bobby Roode

Main Event Producers

- Julius Creed vs. Apollo Crews: Bobby Roode

- Tavion Heights vs. Dante Chen: Kenny Dykstra