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SHOW SUMMARY:In this episode of The Fix with PWTorch VIP analyst Todd Martin and host PWTorch editor Wade Keller, they cover these topics:

CURRENT EVENTS:

• A review of AEW Dynamite including why Samoa Joe’s heel promo was disappointing, disagreement on Kris Statlander’s promo, and thoughts on everything else on the post-WrestleDream episode
• A review of NXT from Tuesday and a preview of the Halloween Havoc line-up
• Reviews of WWE Smackdown and WWE Raw including Paul Heyman’s framing of the turn on Seth Rollins
• A review of UFC Fight Night and a UFC preview

MAILBAG:

• Bill Watt’s brief WWF run, Watts the wrestler, Watts the booker, and Watts the commentary
• Is there anything that can be done to get Seth Rollins to the level he could have reached had they not turned him in May 2016 when fans were so ready to embrace him as a top babyface act?
• Scott Steiner’s biceps
• Baltimore/D.C. baseball team history
• Should Chris Jericho see the Goldberg and John Cena retirement tour as encouraging for his potential return?
• Can prostituting finishing moves and risky moves be put back in the bottle?
• Thoughts on the the NBA’s on NBC

View the list of books Todd Martin has reviewed with their placements from Tier 1 to Tier 5. CLICK HERE

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NEWARK, N.J. — Pe-rim-e-ter:The outermost parts or boundary of an area or object.

In hockey, an area away from the net, beyond the reach of the defensive team.

The Edmonton Oilers sit near the bottom of the NHL in even-strength goals, and itâ€s no mystery why. In the offensive zone, theyâ€re playing the game right now out on the edges, near the boards. Not in the hard areas where goals come from.

“I agree with that,†said forward Andrew Mangiapane, who went minus-2 without a shot on net in a 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon. “A lot of goals are scored around this league by just being in front of the net and causing havoc. Getting that puck back and doing it again and again and again.

“I feel like weâ€ve got to deliver more pucks to the net, and our forwards have to do a better job of getting to the net.â€

There are two things going on here, as the Oilers wobble through the New York area with a win and two losses, the second-best team on the ice in all three games.

One, their best two net-front forwards last season were Corey Perry and Zach Hyman. The former is an L.A. King now, and the latter is out with a dislocated wrist until some time in November.

Someone has to figure out where the blue paint is, and fast.

“Somebody’s got to park out front … but everybody can have a little bit of that in their game. Go to the front of that when it’s your turn,†explained Adam Henrique, still a fan favourite here after seven seasons as a Devil. “If Iâ€ve got the puck on the outside, I can’t be at the net — so somebody else to. If somebody else is out there, then maybe Iâ€ve got to be there that time.

“When it’s your turn, it’s your turn. And I think we can find a little more of that.â€

The second part is simply this teamâ€s DNA.

The default here, when scoring starts to get a little scarce, is to make more passes. To share the puck more, not less — especially in October — when the answer is likely to get a little more selfish. To shoot more often, or dip your shoulder and take a puck to the net rather than pull up and look to pass.

Weâ€ve seen what this team looks like when it counts. How down and dirty it can become when the Golden Knights, Stars or Panthers push them up against a wall in April, May or June.

It takes a minute for this team to find that game in October and November, no question. But speaking with Connor McDavid after Saturdayâ€s loss, we would expect a little more linear game Sunday afternoon in Detroit.

“Everybody can be simpler. Everybody can do things a little bit easier, more predictable for each other. Get more pucks to the net, get more bodies to the net,†the Oilers captain said. “All the cliches are cliches because they work.

“Weâ€ll get back to our game here.â€

Somehow, a team that blew its opener to Calgary despite outplaying the Flames, then dominated Vancouver in an impressive win, forgot to pack its game for this Eastern swing.

They were average in New York, a ticking timebomb of giveaways on Long Island, and simply blah here. It was only a matter of time before the quicker, more concerted Devils found twine behind Calvin Pickard, and the Oilers were in chase mode the rest of the day.

“We talked about getting off to a good start — and we want to get out to a good start,†said McDavid, whose Oilers are now 2-2-1 after five games. “These games matter, and we didn’t find a way to win or get better today.

“Maybe the second part is more important than the first. Results matter, but I didn’t like that we didn’t seem to get any better today.â€

It was the second straight game in which the power-play unit surrendered a shorthanded goal, this one to ex-Oiler Connor Brown, who steamed in on a breakaway and beat Pickard.

“Those are kind of the special moments in your career,†Brown said of the goal, his third of the season. “You’ve been through so much with that team over there. Obviously, it’s just one of 82, but it kind of felt a little bigger for me, playing the old club. And to be able to pot one in a timely manner like that, it was a fun afternoon.â€

He bore down on Pickard, two former teammates whoâ€ll chuckle over that goal for years to come.

“I was actually just trying not to laugh against Pickard. We’ve got a pretty good bond,†Brown said. “I was telling the guys, (Leon) Draisaitl used to always tell me to go backhand-forehand on breakaways, so I thought I’d try it there and it worked.â€

Said teammate Brett Pesce: “I’m so happy for him. He lit up, too, like a Christmas tree.â€

Well, at least someone had some fun on a Saturday afternoon in Newark.

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VANCOUVER — Mondayâ€s score for the Vancouver Canucks was misleading. It was actually the St. Louis Blues 5, Kiefer Sherwood 2, the rest of the Canucks 0.

Vancouver completed its lost Thanksgiving Weekend by surrendering an early goal to St. Louis, then pressing themselves into other mistakes in a 5-2 loss. Saturday in Edmonton, the Canucks lost 3-1 to the Oilers.

They surrendered 72 shots and six goals (plus two empty-netters) while scoring three over the two games. The Canucks†only goal from their top two lines was Brock Boeserâ€s spinning hook shot in Edmonton. Sherwood plays on what started Monday as the Canucks†fourth line.

The Canucks began their National Hockey League regular season last week full of positivity, but fully understood that their biggest challenge would be scoring goals and that their top players, collectively, have to be better than they were last season.

They werenâ€t good enough on the weekend.

“Well, you know what? It’s early in the season,†head coach Adam Foote told reporters Monday night when asked about the top players. “We’re at Game 3, and we’re not going to get into that. You know, the top guys know. I’m sure they’re thinking about their power play; it’s been three games and they want to get it going. But we’re not going to over-analyze that at this moment.â€

The Canuck power play, another potential source of increased scoring and coming off a dynamite pre-season, had only one failed attempt against the Blues (which tells you how little the visitors were put under duress) and is now 0-for-7 through three games.

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“Every team, your first line is supposed to be your best line,†DeBrusk said. “I take pride in that, and we haven’t been. I feel it the most. Saying that, we’re chasing the game a lot. That means that the forecheck isn’t great, which is my responsibility, and our neutral zone and our breakouts aren’t that great. It’s a group of five, honestly.

“Iâ€ve just got to find my game. You know, it’s three games in, but it’s frustrating, to be honest with you. I think at the end of the day. . . Iâ€ve got to be a threat out there. I feel like I haven’t really been a part of anything. That’s my fault, I have to be better on that and can’t allow that to happen anymore.â€

DeBrusk, Boeser and Pettersson combined for four shots. Petterssonâ€s ice time was 15:36.

DeBrusk wasnâ€t the only Canuck blaming himself.

“I felt like I probably had five Grade-As (chances) and I didnâ€t score on any of them,†second-line winger Conor Garland said. “We might be talking about something else if I could bury something early. I feel like we’re making plays. Feel like we’re trying to attack, trying to play with some juice up front. But it doesn’t go in and they get a couple of weird ones, so it’s tough.â€

Matchup defenceman Marcus Pettersson lost net-front coverage on Jimmy Snuggerudâ€s goal that opened scoring for St. Louis at 8:48 of the first period, and the Canucks†botched a line change that allowed Brayden Schenn to make it 2-0 in the aftermath of a partial breakaway at 2:10 of the second period.

Sherwood, whose line with Aatu Raty and Arshdeep Bains was easily the Canucks†best, tried to bring Vancouver into the game. He scored from Ratyâ€s clever pass in traffic at 5:33 of the middle period and again on a beautiful shorthanded breakaway deke at 12:12 that could have injured St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington.

But instead of using the goals to build momentum and their game by stacking together solid shifts, the Canucks looked eager to blow out the Blues before the second intermission. They charged into mistakes.

Elias Petterssonâ€s hooking penalty allowed the Blues†power play to restore the two-goal lead at 8:13 of the second period, Snuggerud scoring a step in front of Canuck Drew Oâ€Connor after Tyler Myers had the puck knocked away by Schenn behind the net.

And at 13:45, just 1:33 after what looked like a game-changing shorthanded goal by Sherwood, Nick Bjugstad scored on a three-on-two rush after Kane followed the puck towards the St. Louis net with Vancouver defenceman Quinn Hughes already in deep.

“We score the shorty, and then we go press, press, press, and they get an odd-man rush again,†Foote said. “There’s lots of hockey left in the game. When it’s unfortunate where we get behind the eight-ball early, weâ€ve got to just hang in and trust it. And we’re just going sometimes too much. But the good thing is, they want to win. They go for it, they want to win the hockey game.

“I just felt that we pressed it a little bit too much, and we were diving in. You get so excited when you get to 3-2. They feel the energy of the crowd. We know weâ€re humming. Maybe over-trying at that moment, going all-in.â€

The Canucks hurt themselves.

“Yeah, we’re giving up a lot, and itâ€s something weâ€ve got to clean up,†Marcus Pettersson said. “Both teams were jumping early. It was a fast pace early, and then obviously we gave that one up and that’s on me. I let (Snuggerud) pass me there off the rush. It kind of gets us in a hole right away, and then we’re chasing them. I think we kind of. . . try to do too much sometimes and, you know, sell the farm a little bit.â€

“Losses always sting, but it’s humbling for sure,†DeBrusk said. “Obviously, a long way to go. Everyone’s positive at the start, but you never want to lose two in a row, especially on home ice kind of the way that happened (tonight). Obviously, they shut us down pretty good. We need to be better, as simple as that.â€

ICE CHIPS — Backup Kevin Lankinen got his first start of the season for Vancouver and allowed four goals on 34 shots. Defenceman Victor Mancini also drew into the lineup due to a nagging injury to Derek Forbort. . . The line of 18-year-old centre Braeden Cootes between wingers Oâ€Connor and Jonathan Lekkerimaki was caved in territorially by the Blues. Shot attempts at five-on-five were 22-2 for St. Louis when Cootes was on the ice. . . The Canucks practise Tuesday before travelling to Dallas for a five-game road trip that starts Thursday with back-to-back games against the Stars and Chicago Blackhawks.

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WWE has rosters in NXT and developmental that are full of top-tier talent, including a few Superstars deemed ready for RAW or SmackDown. However, fans waiting for one rumored call-up will not be thrilled with the latest backstage update.

Oba Femi was dethroned of the WWE NXT Championship at the recent No Mercy PLE. Ricky Saints defeated the Nigerian grappler, ending his first reign with the title at 262 days. The title change was seen as a big upset by many as the former Ricky Starks of AEW secured his second WWE title reign after debuting in February.

The Ruler of NXT has been mentioned in main roster call-up discussions since before he won the NXT Championship from Trick Williams earlier this year. The title loss to Saints obviously fueled rumors and speculation on Femi’s call-up to RAW or SmackDown, as did a big decision in the ongoing NXT vs. TNA storyline.

Oba Femi Reportedly Not Planned For WWE Call-Up Right Now

WWE announced teams for next week’s NXT vs. TNA special, and Oba Femi was not included on Team NXT. The main event of Tuesday’s WWE Showdown episode will see new NXT Champion Ricky Saints team with Myles Borne, Je’Von Evans, and TNA World Champion Trick Williams vs. Mike Santana, Moose, TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater, and TNA International Champion Frankie Kazarian.

The Femi vs. Saints title change shocked many, and was clearly not expected by those in the crowd. In regards to rumors on the title change being done to send Femi to WWE’s main roster, The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that sources within NXT indicate that this is not the current plan.

Femi is currently factored in to NXT creative plans moving forward, but no specifics were confirmed. However, officials are known to swerve fans, and people in the company by telling no one about certain call-ups as a way to catch those in the know off-guard. The potential call-up was described as “a no as far as just about anyone knows, but there is no such thing as a 100% no.”

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New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn didn’t have a lot of positive things to say about his team’s performance in Monday’s 27-21 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Per ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Glenn’s rant to his team in the locker room was able to be heard in the media room after the game.

Carrying a much more calm demeanor during his postgame press conference, Glenn told reporters the Jets’ effort was “very disappointing” with 13 penalties and three turnovers in the loss.

“There is no way you can win any game with 13 penalties and three turnovers. It just can’t happen,” Glenn said (h/t Cimini).

Nine of those penalties were committed by the offense, including four on their final three possessions. One of them was a controversial offensive pass interference call on Garrett Wilson that negated what would have been an 18-yard touchdown reception at the end of the third quarter.

Wilson admitted after the game he was “surprised” by the flag, but vowed he wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Adding to the Jets’ frustration is their first two turnovers were in Dolphins’ territory. Braelon Allen lost a fumble on a second-down carry from the Miami six-yard line, ending a 13-play drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock in the first quarter.

New York’s second possession ended when Justin Fields was strip-sacked by Tyrel Dodson on fourth-and-5 from the Dolphins’ 36-yard line after a nine-play drive.

Early in training camp, Glenn preached to his team the importance of playing disciplined and not costing themselves with penalties. The Jets were the most penalized team in the NFL last season with 137 calls against them.

Through the first four games this season, the Jets have already had 32 penalties accepted against them. It’s only the 10th-most in the league so far, but the timing of the calls combined with the turnovers proved to be costly.

The Jets are now 0-4 for the first time since 2020 when they finished 2-14. They will look to end this winless stretch on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium.

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Sep 29, 2025, 10:05 PM ET

Bob Melvin, whose option for the 2026 season was picked up in July, has been fired as manager of the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants were very streaky in finishing 81-81 this season, teasing fans with playoff hopes with a 13-3 run from late August into early September that was followed by a 2-9 stretch Sept. 13-23 that dashed those hopes.

“After careful evaluation, we determined that making a change in leadership was in the best interest of the team,” said Buster Posey, the Giants’ president of baseball operations. “The last couple of months have been both disappointing and frustrating for all of us, and we did not perform up to our standards. We now turn our focus to identifying a new leader to guide us forward.”

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Melvin said after Sunday’s 4-0 victory against Colorado to conclude his second season that he had received no assurances about managing in 2026.

“Just looking to find a different voice that can take us in a different direction,” Posey said.

“It’s definitely not ideal but unfortunately we talked about it a lot what the standards are for the Giants and we have high standards,” Posey added. “And I hold myself to those same standards. I understand fully the position that I’m in now. My job and the team”s success is evaluated accordingly as well. You without a doubt hope that there can be consistency in these leadership positions. We’ve got to get back to a place where we’re getting in the playoffs, we’re making runs in playoffs. That’s what our fan base deserves, that’s what the city deserves.”

As Posey begins finalizing his list of candidates, one familiar name has come up as a possibility: the catcher’s former manager, Bruce Bochy. Bochy spent the last three seasons managing the Rangers, but the team said Monday night that he won’t return in that role, calling it a mutual decision. He has been offered a front-office role in an advisory capacity, the Rangers said.

San Francisco hasn’t made the playoffs nor had a winning record since finishing with a franchise-record 107 victories to edge the 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League West title in 2021.

Posey said there’s no timetable for making a hire — “I want to make sure we get it right” — nor suggested whether he would seek someone with prior managerial experience.

Players offered support for Melvin as the season ended.

“You know how I feel about BoMel, I loved him. He’s been my manager for I guess seven years,” said third baseman Matt Chapman, who also played for Melvin in Oakland. “I feel extremely grateful that I get to play for him and he’s the same guy every day. He’s been steady for us, he’s always honest with the players, he has our back. He’s done the best with what we’ve given him. The players, a lot of us didn’t play to probably our capabilities.”

Melvin, who turns 64 in October and has been a major league manager for 22 seasons, left the San Diego Padres after the 2023 season to return home to the Bay Area and manage the Giants — a job he always dreamed of doing as a former catcher with the organization from 1986 to 1988.

He was brought to San Francisco by Farhan Zaidi, the team’s former president of baseball operations. However, with Posey now in that role, the team felt compelled to make a change after struggling against division rivals Los Angeles (4-9) and San Diego (3-10) despite adding slugger Rafael Devers at the trade deadline.

Melvin went 161-163 in his two seasons in San Francisco.

A three-time Manager of the Year who has won the award in both leagues, Melvin has a career regular-season record of 1,678-1,588 with eight postseason appearances while guiding Arizona, Seattle, Oakland, San Diego and the Giants.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Bruce Bochyâ€s time managing the Texas Rangers has come to an end.

The Rangers and Bochy parted ways Monday, the team announced. The decision was mutual, according to the team’s statement. The Rangers said Bochy was offered a chance to remain with the organization as an adviser in the front office, though itâ€s unclear if he will do so.

“Bruce Bochy is one of the greatest managers in baseball history and he will forever hold a place in the hearts of Ranger fans after bringing home the first World Series title in franchise history in 2023,†Rangers president Chris Young said in a statement. “Boch brought class and respect to our club in his return to the dugout and we will always take pride in being part of his Hall of Fame career. We are grateful for everything he has given to the organization over the past few seasons and hopeful he can continue to impact the Rangers for many years to come.â€

Bochy signed a three-year deal with the Rangers when he was hired in October 2022, so his contract was due to expire this fall. His departure from the Rangers’ dugout wasn’t unexpected, as the 70-year-old manager had just finished his third season leading the team.

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Only two years removed from a World Series victory, Bochy and the Rangers had a disappointing season after entering with playoff aspirations, ending with an 81-81 record and finishing third in the AL West.

[Get more Rangers news: Texas team feed]

That marked the second straight season that Texas missed the playoffs following the team’s World Series title in 2023, the first in franchise history, in Bochy’s first season at the helm. A combination of injuries and an unexpected drop-off in play from key contributors led to the team’s decline the past two seasons.

Bochy finishes with a 249-237 record with the organization, which marked his third managerial stop in Major League Baseball. He spent a dozen seasons with the San Diego Padres and 13 with the San Francisco Giants before he retired and then came back to lead the Rangers in 2023. Bochy is currently sixth on MLB’s all-time manager wins list, with 2,252, which is 1,479 shy of all-time leader Connie Mack. Bochy is one of six managers in MLB history to win at least four World Series titles, three of which came with the Giants.

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The move to split with Bochy came just one day after the end of the regular season. There are already two open manager roles, as the Giants fired Bob Melvin and the Minnesota Twins dismissed Rocco Baldelli earlier Monday. It’s unclear at this time if Bochy wants to keep working as a manager in the league or if the Giants would be interested in bringing him back.

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The San Francisco Giants are moving forward without manager Bob Melvin. The team announced Monday it fired Melvin after two years at the helm.

Melvin, 63, was originally hired ahead of the 2024 MLB season to get the Giants back on track after the team missed out on two consecutive postseasons. Despite investment from the front office, the Giants failed the end that streak under Melvin. The Giants finished in fourth place in the National League West in 2024 and third in the division in 2025.

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Team president of baseball operations Buster Posey said Monday that the team failed to play up to its expectations this season, leading to Melvin’s firing.

“After careful evaluation, we determined that making a change in leadership was in the best interest of the team. The last couple of months have been both disappointing and frustrating for all of us, and we did not perform up to our standards. We now turn our focus to identifying a new leader to guide us forward.â€

Posey also thanked Melvin for his “dedication, professionalism, and class.”

Melvin’s tenure as the team’s manager wasn’t a disaster. The veteran manager was nearly exactly .500 in his two seasons with the club. After going 80-82 last season, the Giants finished 81-81 in 2025. While average, that record wasn’t good enough for the Giants.

The move comes despite Posey picking up an option on Melvin’s contract in July. That option guaranteed Melvin’s deal through 2026. But the team faltered during that month, going 9-15 in July. That resulted in Posey selling players at the deadline.

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The Giants briefly recovered enough to play their way back into playoff contention, but couldn’t maintain a high level of play. The team went 27-26 over the final two months of the regular season, which wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Cincinnati Reds and the collapsing New York Mets, who remained in playoff contention until the final day of the regular season.

With Melvin gone, Posey will be charged with picking the team’s next manager. Given the expectations set by Posey, that manager will be expected to win immediately in San Francisco.

Under Posey the Giants have shown a willingness to spend money in free agency to improve the club. The team brought in shortstop Willy Adames on a seven-year, $182 million deal last offseason and signed third baseman Matt Chapman to a $151 million extension at the end of 2024. Those moves, as well as the team’s early trade for Rafael Devers, show Posey’s desire to build a winner in San Francisco.

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While the team will invest in talent, winning in the NL West won’t be easy. The Los Angeles Dodgers remain a perennial contender and the San Diego Padres are always a threat to make a blockbuster trade. The Giants have mostly operated as the third banana in the division in recent memory.

It will be up to Posey, and his new manager, to prove the Giants are capable of hanging with the other juggernauts in the NL West.

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