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Seth Rollins may be dealing with a shoulder injury, but not everyone in WWE is convinced of The Visionaryâ€s medical status.

At Crown Jewel, Rollins performed a coast-to-coast headbutt on Cody Rhodes. The World Heavyweight Champion landed awkwardly on his shoulder but still managed to pick up the win. Rollins hinted at a potential injury during his post-match comments.

This past Monday on WWE RAW, The Visionaryâ€s situation escalated when Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed turned against him. The angle fueled speculation that Rollins†injury concerns might be legitimate.

However, a new report from PWInsider (via PWInsider Elite) noted that some people within WWE remain skeptical, given the fake knee injury Rollins used as a ruse in the lead-up to SummerSlam 2025.

“Some people backstage are reportedly taking a ‘wait and see†approach to Seth Rollins†injury following his fake knee injury over summer which reportedly affected the morale backstage,†according to the report. “However, others have claimed that The Vision wouldnâ€t have broken up and turned on Rollins if the injury wasnâ€t legitimate.â€

Seth Rollins no longer advertised for WWE Japan tour

Seth Rollins versus CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship was originally set for October 17 in Japan. The following day Rollins was set to tag with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed against Punk, Jey Uso, and Shinsuke Nakamura on October 18.

However, WWE has removed The Visionary from the lineup following his reported injury. The updated card now features CM Punk facing Dominik Mysterio for the WWE Intercontinental Championship on October 18, followed by a tag team match against The Bronsons the next day.

WrestleZone will provide the latest updates on Seth Rollins as they become available.

Also read: Original Plans For Seth Rollins At WWE WrestleMania 42 — Report

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By Ella Jay

Oct. 12, 2025 11:40 am EST

WWE

After one day as a free agent, news emerged that former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar had re-signed to WWE under a contract more lucrative than the one initially offered up to him.

While the exact amount of Escobar’s new deal is still unknown, Fightful Select reports that it is “great money.” Several figures in WWE are also said to be pleasantly surprised that Escobar is extending his time in the company.

Escobar’s prior WWE contract expired at midnight Tuesday morning, with WWE offering a new one that included a raise in pay beforehand. Despite this, Escobar reportedly declined to re-sign with WWE at the time, citing worries about how the company would utilize him creatively in the event that he stayed. He was reportedly not concerned with getting a big push with WWE, but he was aiming to avoid a period of being stuck “spinning his wheels” when it came to his booking. When WWE eventually re-evaluated Escobar’s creative concerns and put an even higher deal on the table, the two sides reached an agreement.

Escobar joined WWE in 2019. The following year, he emerged as the leader of Legado Del Fantasma alongside Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde. The three continued to work together through their call up to WWE’s main roster and adoption into the Latino World Order. In November 2023, however, Escobar turned on the LWO and reformed the Legado Del Fantasma with Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza, whom he remained aligned with until his contract expiration. There is no word on whether the trio will stay intact following Escobar’s recent return to WWE.Â

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WWE Crown Jewel: Perth was an eventful show that delivered on all fronts.

While every match was top of the line, there was one that stood above the rest. The Australian fans were roaring when John Cena and AJ Styles were in the ring. These two legends blew the roof off the RAC Arena, paying tributes to their past rivals and careers.

Cena even provided a special introduction for AJ Styles as he handed over a note to ring announcer Alicia Taylor. According to a new report by Fightful Select, the TNA original had no idea that was coming. In the intro, Taylor name-dropped New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Bullet Club, which was reported not to cause any issues among the company’s higher-ups.

Another interesting detail is that AJ Styles vs. John Cena got a standing ovation among the WWE crew after they got backstage.

WWE Will Host One More Show In Australia, Details Of Crown Jewel: Perth

Monday Night RAW will be hosted, once again, by the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. In the Fightful report, it was noted that WWE did not take the entire roster to Australia, despite three shows in the span of a week there. The company had a number of indie wrestlers at Crown Jewel as extras.

The main event of Crown Jewel was always going to be WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. While Rhodes and Rollins did pull off a remarkable contest, it was John Cena vs. AJ Styles that stole hearts, as it was a love letter to Cena’s WWE career, as well as Styles’ TNA career. The win over Styles also marked Cena’s 100th Premium Live Event victory, making an elite list featuring only one other star.

Will RAW continue WWE’s successful run in Australia this weekend? It is worth noting that Jey Uso, LA Knight, and CM Punk have once again openly stated their intentions to go after World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.

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A new report from Fightful Select has provided an update on the recent WWE developmental talent releases that took place on Friday, October 10. According to the report, the round of cuts has now “effectively concluded,” with the total number of departures being “around a dozen.”

The list of released talent includes a mix of outright releases, contracts that were not renewed, and some talent who reportedly passed on new deals offered to them. The most prominent name among those released was the former NXT North American Champion, Wes Lee. According to WWE sources cited in the report, the reason given for this round of releases was a “natural progression of cycling out developmental talent.”

The report also made it clear that despite these departures, WWE is still actively recruiting new talent to bring into its developmental system at the Performance Center, indicating a continuous process of refreshing the roster. The release of Wes Lee is the most surprising of the group. He was a highly popular and decorated champion in NXT, known for his exciting in-ring style.

In addition to his lengthy reign as the NXT North American Champion, he was also a multi-time NXT Tag Team Champion as part of the team MSK. His departure marks a significant change for the NXT landscape. You can see the full list here.

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John Cena and AJ Styles had an all-time classic match at WWE Crown Jewel, which featured tons of tributes that fans never saw coming. Following the event, the internal reaction to the bout has been revealed.

According to Fightful Select, AJ Styles and John Cena received a standing ovation from everyone backstage after their match. It was also noted that AJ Styles didnâ€t know about the surprise introduction before it happened. There also donâ€t seem to be any problems with the use of the name “Bullet Club.â€

“AJ Styles vs. John Cena got a standing ovation upon returning to the back after their match. The claim internally was that AJ Styles did not know that the intro was coming. There are not expected to be any issues with the mentions of “Bullet Club.â€

The Leader of Cenation and the Phenomenal One put on a barnburner for fans in Perth, as they both used finishers from opponents who meant a lot to their careers. This included AJ Styles hitting an Angelâ€s Wings and Fade to Black on Cena, which were Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarianâ€s finishers.

As for John Cena, he used finishers from the Miz, two finishers from the Undertaker, Rusevâ€s Accolade and so many more moves that fans genuinely felt like they were children again.

In the end, John Cena would pick up the win over AJ Styles and the two shared a hug, showing just how much respect they had for each other. With only a few dates left for Cenaâ€s retirement tour, itâ€s clear Cena wants to make sure each of his appearances is memorable and so far, thatâ€s exactly what they have been.

What did you think of John Cena and AJ Styles†final match at Crown Jewel? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

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WWE is wrapping up another year with Triple H running things for Endeavor and TKO as the face of the company. An inside update is providing surprising observations on how Triple H is being viewed right now, how his style compares to Vince McMahon, and his future.

Triple H has faced immense criticism and backlash as of late, mainly over the main roster’s overall creative direction, and how certain Superstars are booked. Fans have also called the Chief Content Officer out over how John Cena’s farewell tour has been handled.

Sources earlier revealed a new report on the relationship between TKO and Triple H, with accusations on how he’s hurting the overall WWE product in trying to invoke the name and practices of another controversial name. The report included comments from internal Triple H supporters, who dismissed the claims, adding that the WWE product would be no different if Triple H was at work around-the-clock, or if he was micro-managing everything like father-in-law Vince McMahon did for years.

Backstage Talk On Triple H And His Role In WWE Operations

Despite the back-and-forth on Triple H from WWE sources, The Wrestling Observer reports that things are better for everyone in WWE with The Game in charge rather than McMahon, and that’s according to a major consensus making the rounds. Dave Meltzer recalled how one source described things.

“The basic deal is that we had a passive aggressive leader (dictator was also used by one person) who doesnâ€t like to micro-manage like his father-in law did. Previously we had a control freak dictator who micro-managed every single detail. But while heâ€s not there 24/7, he stays on top of everything related to the product,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

In what was described as a very fair question, one person in WWE reportedly wondered whether Triple H cares more about how behind-the-scenes work will look on on Netflix’s WWE Unreal series, versus what’s really happening. Meltzer recalleda WWE source mentioning why Triple H doesn’t have to deliver a super-charged product right now, and what the source said about the lack of backstage pressure on the Chief Content Officer.

“It was also noted that right now he doesnâ€t have to deliver a super charged Oh My God product right now. He can hold off matches and build things slower because the answer to every question is to look at how much revenue the product is delivering, not just the TV rights but the live gates and the merchandise. He is getting zero pressure right now that he has to bring up the gates, because they are the biggest theyâ€ve ever been, or bring up merchandise numbers, which are also at a high water mark. He doesnâ€t go out there and put everything out full tilt like many bookers would and have done historically that only cared about the houses on Friday and Saturday of this week, because there is no pressure in that regard,” Dave Meltzer wrote.

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WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque has firmly established himself as the corporate face of WWE since taking over the creative direction of the company back in 2022. However, the former WWE Champion reportedly has aspirations of being on the level of another famous promoter who has arguably become the face of their entire organization.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer has reported that sources within WWE believe that Levesque wants to become the WWE equivalent of UFC President Dana White, to the point where one person used the term “Dana-envy” when describing the situation. Levesque, who did say at one point in time that he doesn’t like being in the spotlight, wants to be positioned as the biggest star of the WWE brand in the eyes of the audience, but he might not be the only one who wants that to happen.

Meltzer noted that TKO might want Levesque to be the face of WWE as he will be the one constant presence within the company as wrestlers will come and go. This idea would effectively rule out someone like Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s schedule is too busy to be that guy as well, WWE President Nick Khan likes to keep a low profile.

Despite wanting to be the Dana White of WWE, Meltzer reported that Levesque has missed some shows recently, with a source close to Levesque claiming that his recent string of absences have been planned in advance. With that said, some people within WWE believe that a number of the shows Levesque hasn’t attended that haven’t been reported on has been due to his political priorities, but Levesque’s source claims that isn’t true either.

Is Paul Levesque Hurting WWE?

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The sources within WWE who told Meltzer that Levesque’s political commitments are the reason why he hasn’t been at certain shows, and the fact that he wants to be Dana White have actually started hurting the company. However, someone who is in a position of power in WWE told Meltzer that Levesque’s desire to be WWE’s Dana White isn’t hurting the company at all, and that the on-screen product wouldn’t change if Levesque was around 24/7 or micro-managing everything in the same way that Vince McMahon used to.

A number of people in WWE have stated that the company is in a much better place with Levesque in charge and that Levesque stays on top of the product despite not being at every show, as opposed to McMahon who was described as a dictator. With that said, a source within WWE did question Levesque’s motives as a booker and that he might care more about how a match, segment, or story looks on the “WWE Unreal” documentary on Netflix, rather than how it looks as it’s happening.

Meltzer did note that Levesque doesn’t really need to deliver a top of the range product right now due to how much money WWE is making. He believes that Levesque is able to hold off on major moments and matches, and has no pressure to drive up gate numbers at events because they are breaking records on a monthly basis. Meltzer rounded off by saying that with less house shows and non-televised live events, Levesque has no reason to give everything he has got creatively at every show, especially when the live events that the company does run makes more money than they had done when McMahon was in charge of the company.

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AEW/Lee South

All Elite Wrestling taped its Homecoming edition of “AEW Collision” on October 8, and the biggest piece of news to come out of that taping was the injury to Kota Ibushi. The Japanese star was wrestling Josh Alexander of The Don Callis Family when a planned spot went wrong and both men fell from the top rope to the outside. While Alexander also took a nasty fall, it was Ibushi who got the worst of it and was unable to continue the match after suffering what appeared to be a serious injury. Ibushi was stretchered out of the venue after being counted out, leading to a number of people what his condition is like now that a few days have passed.

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the reports of Ibushi suffering a broken femur aren’t true and that Ibushi has apparently broken his leg instead, which could be considered a less serious injury due to how difficult it actually is to break your femur. Meltzer noted that the injury looked to just be a freak accident and that anyone who took the fall and landing that Ibushi did would have also suffered a serious injury, or potentially something worse. Ibushi has had a lot of injuries over the past few years, which naturally meant a lot of people thought this was another case of Ibushi’s body not being able to do what he could do in the past, but Meltzer said that isn’t what happened and Ibushi took an out of control spill that couldn’t have been avoided.

After the taping had concluded, AEW President Tony Khan addressed the crowd in attendance and led a chant in support of Ibushi, reminding everyone that wrestling is very dangerous and that accidents and injuries can happen at any time.

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On the heels of a separate report that Xavier Woods had inked a new contractwith WWE, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported that his New Day teammate, Kofi Kingston, has also signed on the dotted line to remain with the company.

“Fightful Select is told that Kofi Kingston re-signed with WWE at some point earlier this year. WWE sources indicated that they were of the belief of that the deal would be a five-year contract, taking him into 2030, when he’ll be nearly 49,” Sapp wrote.

Kingston is a former WWE champion and has been a staple of the company’s programming since his arrival on the main roster in 2008. He has accomplished everything there is to in the promotion, but remains a visible and valuable asset on Monday Night Raw.

Kingston can be a beloved babyface or as we have witnessed over the last year, a despised heel, making him an adaptable performers who can still work with stars of all styles and backgrounds.

He is over with fans and a veteran of every major moment, victory, defeat, and match that can take place on any given WWE show and is a major part of the locker room, making him invaluable to the company beyond his ability in the ring.

For that reason, he more than earned one last, long-term contract and a chance to continue his WWE career rather than starting over somewhere else.

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While the likes of Jazmyn Nyx, Santos Escobar, Scarlett, and Karrion Kross have all left WWE in recent weeks, another talent is reportedly staying with the promotion.

According to Fightful Select, decorated tag team champion Xavier Woods has inked a multi-year deal with WWE, though the action of him signing it is said to have come very close to the expiration of his previous contract. Woods’ preceding WWE deal was reportedly set to end sometime in September 2025, with his new contract also being finalized in the same month. As of now, there is no word on the current contract status of his New Day comrade Kofi Kingston.

Woods, also a former King of the Ring winner, last wrestled in a dark tag match alongside Kingston following the October 3 episode of “WWE SmackDown.” Prior to that, he competed in a no disqualification six-man tag team bout on the September 22 edition of “WWE Raw.” Penta and the War Raiders emerged victorious after the former laid out Grayson Waller with an avalanche Mexican Destroyer.Â

Woods joined WWE in 2010 following a three-year run in TNA Wrestling. Across the last 15 years, he’s enjoyed multiple tag team reigns alongside Kingston and Big E, though the latter has since been banished from The New Day.Â

Along with Woods, Fightful recently reported that former NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed had re-signed to WWE under a multi-year deal. This deal was said to be inked “quite a long time ago.” Reed is scheduled to battle “The OTC” Roman Reigns in an Australian Street Fight at WWE Crown Jewel this Saturday.Â

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