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AEW/Lee South

AEW WrestleDream saw the return of “The Icon,” Sting, who helped his once-protege during his brutal I-Quit match against Jon Moxley, after the Death Riders took one too many liberties to turn the tide in Moxley’s favor. Naturally, since Sting was back in action for a segment, Tony Khan was asked about “The Icon’s” status with AEW during the WrestleDream presser.

“Sting’s still a huge part of AEW and he’s still part of the family,” Khan said, noting how the legend has been away for some time off screen but has still been around backstage. “We did get to see him in Philadelphia, and he was at the show, and we did a tribute to one of his mentors: the late-great ‘Hotstuff’ Eddie Gilbert.”Â

Khan added how he’s spoke to Sting in the past about a special one-off return when needed and claimed that “The Icon” was on board with coming back, especially if it had anything to do with Darby Alllin. The AEW President went on to note how deep the bond is between Sting and Allin, and recalled how they reacted to each other the day he introduced them.Â

“Who would’ve ever thought what the partnership could ever yield? That they would have gone on this run, that they would have the greatest tag team run in all of AEW,” Khan recalled. The AEW President further emphasized that there’s no “showbusiness” between the two, and teased that if Allin ever gets into a situation he can’t handle on his own, Sting will always be there to help him.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the AEW WrestleDream Presser and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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By Ella Jay

Oct. 19, 2025 1:41 pm EST

TNA

Last weekend, TNA Wrestling honored three Knockouts with Hall of Fame inductions, two of whom were Angelina Love and Velvet Sky of The Beautiful People. During a recent interview with “Velvet Ropes,” Sky opened up about the dreamlike feeling of accepting her respective place as a part of the 2025 TNA Hall of Fame class.

“It’s so surreal to me,” she said. “It’s very humbling. I mean, you get into wrestling hoping to get your name out there, hoping to be noticed by one of the major TV companies. It’s like that was good enough for me, just making it to TNA, being recognized and doing what I did with Angelina’s Beautiful People. Then taking it a step further and having this honor be like the highest honor of one’s career and getting inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame and having our legacy forever be cemented in TNA history is like what is this life? It’s amazing and I’m just so humbled and so grateful.”

With the additions of Lacey Von Erich, Madison Rayne, and Billy Gunn, The Beautiful People dominated the late 2000s and early 2010s in TNA Wrestling. Together, the group enjoyed one reign as Knockouts Tag Team Champions. Individually, Love earned six reigns as Knockouts Champion, while Sky held the title for two runs.

Per Love and Sky’s request, TNA executive Tommy Dreamer inducted them into the Hall of Fame during the ceremony, held right before the Bound For Glory pay-per-view on October 12. In the case of Mickie James, her own HOF induction was preceded by an emotional speech from Lisa Marie Varon, known to TNA fans as Tara.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Velvet Ropes” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Top WWE star teases future pregnancy.

At 34 years old, Chelsea Green is currently one of the most popular and successful stars on the WWE roster. A former Women’s Champion and leader of the ‘Secret Hervice’, Green is regularly featured on WWE television and is actively involved in televised rivalries.

Since her return to the Stamford-based promotion in 2023, ‘The Hot Mess’ has established herself as one of the most consistent performers on the roster and won multiple titles. Actively performing every week, she has now teased her plans of starting a family with her partner, Matt Cardona.

Recently speaking with Womanâ€s World, Chelsea Green noted that she and Cardona paused their plans to start a family following her impactful WWE return a few years ago.

We put it on pause when I was asked to come back to WWE. This was an opportunity we both knew we could not turn down. If I turn it down, Iâ€m going to end up having kids and resent the family life.

So here I am. Iâ€m 34. Iâ€m dying for babies. My husband wants babies… but duty calls. Iâ€m making money. Iâ€m living my dream. But hey, you never know. In a couple months, if it happens, God willing, it happens. Iâ€ll just have to take my babies on the road with me!â€

While Green is active in WWE, Cardona recently made his long-awaited return to the promotion, where he fought Josh Briggs on the October 14th episode of NXT.

Chelsea Green Shares Emotional Message Following Matt Cardona’s WWE Return

Following Matt Cardona’s recent WWE return, Green shared an emotional message on X(Twitter) and celebrated her partner’s much-awaited comeback to the Stamford-based promotion.

I saw Matt win the tag titles at mania, trend worldwide over UFC & Olympics, break barriers on the indies… I could keep going, but this was definitely one his highlights for me.â€

In other news: Released WWE star reflects on his career.

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As AJ Dybantsa enters his freshman season at BYU with high expectations, he revealed that Kevin Durant is one of the NBA stars that he looks to emulate on the floor.

“I be spamming hesi pull, I ain’t gonna lie,” Dybantsa told Boardroom’s Rich Kleiman (15:50 mark). “I watch too much Kevin Durant not to do it.”

“KD was my favorite player since I started watching him play,” he said (6:14 mark).

The 18-year-old also recounted his experience watching the Dallas Mavericks select Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft after playing against him prior to their respective college careers.

“You know what’s crazy? I’m a month younger than Coop, he was in our class,” Dybantsa said (13:58 mark). “I’ve been playing against Coop since eighth grade. So watching him just go number one, it was like, ‘We were just playing with/against each other.’ It was crazy. Crazy.”

He committed to the Cougars in Dec. 2024, explaining that their coaching staff filled with NBA experience aligned with his long-term goal of making it to the association.

“I mean obviously my ultimate goal is the NBA and after they hired Kevin Young, he hired a strength coach from the Milwaukee Bucks,” Dybantsa said (8:38 mark). “A dietician from the Suns, analytics from the Suns. He just started stacking NBA prototypes around us. And it was just a family atmosphere on my visit. They were changing my name at the football game…There was less distraction there.”

It isn’t difficult to imagine him playing in the NBA in the near future, as he was listed as the No. 1 overall prospect in the country as part of the 2025 recruiting class (via 247Sports’ composite rankings).

He averaged 21.5 points and 12.7 rebounds to go along with 3.2 assists per game during his 2024-25 high school season, according to MaxPreps.

Dybantsa also stood out during the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, recording 14.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game while shooting 50 percent from the field.

He was projected to be off the board with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft during the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman.

For now, Dybantsa will focus on his inaugural year at BYU and look to help the school build upon a 26-10 finish during its 2024-25 campaign.

The Cougars will open their regular season against Villanova on Nov. 3.

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Allen Iverson, talking about his new memoir “Misunderstood” on ESPN’s “First Take,” discussed the lowest point of his life — and it didn’t involve anything that happened on a basketball court.

“It was self-inflicted,” Iverson told host Stephen A. Smith. “But it was when Tawanna divorced me.”

Allen Iverson has a new book, “Misunderstood,” that details the NBA superstar’s meteoric rise to success in the league, as well as his far-from-storybook childhood. Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Tawanna Turner and Iverson married in 2001. Iverson’s superstardom coincided with their marriage, and just like Iverson’s career, it was up and down.

The two split in 2008, and the divorce was final in 2013. That coincided with the end of Iverson’s career — he officially retired in October 2013, saying he had no desire to play anymore.

“That’s when I knew I’d hit my lowest point and it was time for deep self-reevaluation,” he said. “When I’m sitting there in that courtroom, I used to watch Sixers vs. Sixers in a scrimmage, or Georgetown vs. Georgetown. Them tears started to hit the [divorce] papers when I looked down and see ‘Iverson vs. Iverson.'”

But Turner and Iverson are back together, Iverson confirmed, after their 2013 divorce.

Asked how he got Tawanna to come back, he said, “A lot of Keith Sweat. I had to beg a lot.”

As a part of that deep reevaluation of himself and rebuilding of his marriage, Iverson, 50, said he realized that alcohol was a big problem, and he was tired of fighting it. The divorce, his career’s end, all the baggage from his youth — it was all weighing on him.

“It’s a plethora of things. Ultimately, when you evaluate your maturation and what’s important and what you mean to your family and friends and the world, I just thought about the way I was supposed to be in life. And I didn’t see how [alcohol] was helping any,” he said. “All I could think about was negative experiences.”

Iverson said he realizes that a lot of young NBA players look up to him, and how he shaped this generation of players.

“I made of lot of them comfortable in their own skin and feel that they are able to express themselves,” he said. “I love everything that’s happening with our league and the betterment of the younger players. We will never be short of superstars.

“The game is in great hands.”

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Having Paul Heyman as his WWE manager is a dream come true for Bronson Reed.

Reed and Heyman linked up on screen this May when Reed was added to The Vision, a faction that also includes Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker. The pairing of Reed and Heyman already existed behind the scenes before it was brought to TV, though, with Reed telling the Battleground Podcast that Heyman would help him with promos and his character.

“Honestly, for me, you know, I was a huge wrestling fan and specifically ECW. So it’s a bit of a dream come true for me,” Reed said about working with Heyman. “If I could have asked myself five years ago: ‘Who would you want to be managing you as a pro wrestler?’ I would pick Paul Heyman. He is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to this business. So I feel like, if anything, I sort of make sure to pick his brain as much as possible because that just helps me with my career.”

Reed has a big homecoming ahead at WWE Crown Jewel this Saturday, where he will take on Roman Reigns in an Australian Street Fight. It’s a rematch from when they faced off at Clash in Paris. Though Reigns won that matchup, he was stretchered out after in an angle where he was attacked by Reed and Breakker. Reigns is looking for revenge in this second meeting.

Crown Jewel is being held in Perth, Western Australia and has a start time of 8 a.m. Eastern on Saturday (October 11). The PLE will air live on the ESPN streaming service in the United States and Netflix elsewhere.

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Cody Rhodes says he insisted on doing his own stunts while filming the new Street Fighter movie.

Rhodes missed several weeks of WWE programming to perform the role of Guile in the film. The character is a pilot in the US Air Force and was one of the original eight fighters from the 1991 video game.

During a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rhodes was asked how his wrestling background helped him filming the more physical parts of the role. Rhodes answered:

“The physicality part of Guile was, I felt like a pretty easy pick up. And bit of a spoiler for whatâ€s going to be, I hope, a monster movie. Guile does a few things. In terms of in the video games, you know Guileâ€s going to do a Sonic Boom, you know Guileâ€s going to do the Flash Kick. I was adamant that anything thatâ€s a stunt, I want to do it. If that requires me being on these wires, I want to do it. If you put another guy over here in the corner who I know is going to do the shot after, I still want a shot at it.”

Rhodes credited the stunt team that worked on the film with putting together the fight scenes and allowing him to take a shot doing his own stunts.

“They let us have a lot of fun. And I hope people enjoy how I approach Guile, because itâ€s different perhaps than the straight military man.”

Rhodes continued:

“This is the first real movie Iâ€ve been part of in a sense of being there every day, showing up, stunt training… The hair on Guile is quite a sight. They kept us really busy, and Sydney was so incredible. I havenâ€t been in a place and stayed still like that pretty much in my whole career, other than my own home.”

Street Fighter is scheduled to release in October 2026. The film takes place in 1993 and focuses on the popular characters Ryu (Andrew Koji), Ken (Noah Centine), and Chun-Li (Callina Liang). It also features Jason Momoa as Blanka, Roman Reigns as Akuma, 50 Cent as Balrog, and NJPW’s Hirooki Goto as E. Honda.

Rhodes’ full appearance on The Pat McAfee Show is available below:

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This past Saturday at NXT No Mercy, Ricky Saints put an end to Oba Femi’s 263-day NXT Championship reign in the main event of the show, becoming the 34th star to win the title in the history of the brand. Since losing the championship, many fans have questioned if Femi could be main roster bound in the near future, but according to ECW legend Tommy Dreamer, it’s still too soon to call up the 27-year-old.

Speaking on “Busted Open Radio,” Dreamer explained that he questions Femi’s ability to perform at the main roster level at the moment, stating that he wishes WWE had more live events so he could be better prepared.

“I wish they had live events. I think he had a great match with Ricky Saints and there’s a big difference when you start to go as we always say ‘deep in the water,’ and deep in the water is time. When you start hitting that past 10 minutes or then into 15 where you’re able to pull those moments out and if you’re looking at a lot of segments on both ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown’ and they’re wrestling in commercial break. You have to really look at like hey can you go at that high level? And continue to keep up that pace, that’s a key thing. I would say question mark right now … tempted? Yes. Would I? No.”

Since No Mercy, there’s been an update regarding Femi’s status going forward, with the “Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s” Dave Meltzer reporting that “The Ruler” is expected to remain with “WWE NXT” for the time being instead of heading to the main roster.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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In December 2020, AEW star Brodie Lee passed away of pulmonary fibrosis at 41 years old, with his death resulting in a wave of anguish among wrestlers and wrestling fans. Days after his death, AEW held a tribute show in his memory, resulting in one of the more beloved episodes of “AEW Dynamite” in the show’s history. Speaking with Forbes ahead of tonight’s six-year anniversary edition of “Dynamite,” Tony Khan reflected on the impact Lee left on everyone at AEW and around the wrestling world.

“We’re very proud of Mr. Brodie Lee and Jon Huber and what he brought to AEW,” Khan said. “Jon was a great guy in a wonderful family, and he loved wrestling. And it’s a testament to Jon Huber, and Brodie Lee as a wrestler, that the first two things anybody’s going to say about this guy are he loved his family, and he loved wrestling, and the wrestlers and people that he worked with.”

Khan praised Lee for helping invigorate the company in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when AEW was holding shows with a limited live audience at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. Looking back on the tribute show held in the wake of Huber’s death, Khan still feels they succeeded at honoring the wrestler’s legacy.

“I think that’s the singular best event in AEW history,” he stated.

The Brodie Lee Celebration of Life episode of “Dynamite” took place on December 30, 2020 at Daily’s Place. It included five tag team matches featuring people who knew and worked with Lee, and ended with Lee’s wife and two children being awarded a special TNT Championship belt before a tribute video played to close out the show.

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Paul Toboni is up for the task.

Named the Nationals President of Baseball Operations at 35 years old, Toboni is bringing the combination of a fresh perspective, a decade of experience with a historic organization and an appreciation of successful sports leadership to Washington, D.C.

“More than anything, we have a lot of work to do — don’t get me wrong — and I think we can be honest with the current assessment of the organization,†Toboni said. “At the same time, we’re going to achieve what we want to achieve. Itâ€s going to take a little bit of time, but we’re hell-bent on doing it, and we’re going to embrace the challenge.â€

The Nationals officially announced the hiring of Toboni, who most recently had served as the Red Sox senior vice president and assistant general manager, on Wednesday. The team parted ways with former GM and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo in July, following a 17-year tenure.

The youth-heavy Nats finished the season 66-96. They have not posted a winning record since capturing the 2019 World Series.

“I think it starts with creating a scouting and player development monster,†said Toboni. “We talk about James Wood, Daylen Lyle, Dylan Crews, MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams, all these players at the Major League level that are young and talented; the more of those type players that we have matriculating to the big leagues, the better off we’re going to be.

“If we can just do a really, really good job identifying, acquiring, developing that talent, and then we create really a great culture around development and accountability and hard work and all the things that we hold sacred, Bill Walsh, the famous NFL Coach, says the score will take care of itself.â€

What drew Toboni to the Nationals role?
Toboni was largely expected to be a candidate for the Red Sox GM position this winter. Before accepting the job with the Nationals, he and his wife, Danielle, considered what it would mean for his career and family; they have four young sons, ages 6, 5, 3 and 1.

“To be honest, at the start I wasn’t totally sure I was going to be interested,†Toboni said. “My wife and I are pretty unique in that we had told ourselves we were going to keep a pretty high bar for the opportunity that might come our way as it relates to this position.

“The one thing that I knew from the outset that was important to both my wife and I — and obviously our kids — was that the city was something that we love. A world-class city — food, culture, diversity, all those things, we were just drawn to it.

“Then, the culture of sports within the city, too. Not just all the professional sports teams, but I’m a basketball fan, so Georgetown hoops and Howard hoops. I think about all the high school sports, WCA [Washington Christian Academy] and Gonzaga [College High School] and all those schools. Thereâ€s such a deep culture of sports in the area, so the whole city was a big draw from the start.

“But even with that, I wasn’t totally sure it was going to be the right opportunity for us. Then I got around the ownership group, and we were just very much aligned on how we saw things. I found them an incredibly warm, humble, grounded group of people that love baseball and are super competitive. More than anything, [they] had values that align with mine. So the more I was around them, my wife and I both thought that this was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.â€

How will Toboni approach the managerial search?
One of Toboniâ€s top to-dos will be selecting a manager for next season. The Nationals fired Dave Martinez in July, and Miguel Cairo held the interim role for the remainder of the season. Toboni described previous Major League managerial experience as “one variable to consider, but it’s definitely not everything.â€

“I think, honestly, it starts with joy,†Toboni said. “You want to be around people that are optimistic and stay positive through the ups and the downs. The Major League season is a long season, and there are inevitably going to be downs. You want someone that’s still going to be walking into the building every day and adding energy to the room. I think it starts there.

“I talked about humility; I think you have to be open-minded and curious about learning new things. [Hall of Fame basketball coach] Gregg Popovich talks about ‘getting over yourself.†We want people that have gotten over themselves and don’t take themselves too seriously.

“Integrity is huge to me. … Are you dependable? Do you hold yourself accountable? Do you follow through on things when you say you will do things? That’s really important to me.

“Lastly, certainly not least, you want someone that’s competitive. I like to say, weâ€re going to make the scoreboard visible. … Itâ€s been a huge part of my life and my sports career. We’re going to be competitive, we’re going to keep score, and we’re going to thrive in that environment. I think the manager has to be setting the tone in that respect.â€

What lessons will Toboni incorporate from his tenure with the Red Sox?
On his journey to his final roles with the Red Sox, Toboni ascended from area scout to VP of amateur scouting and player development. Notable Boston Draft picks in recent years included Marcelo Mayer (2021), Roman Anthony (‘22) and Kristian Campbell (‘24). Rookies Connelly Early (‘23) and Payton Tolle (‘24) earned a spot on the Wild Card series roster.

“They weren’t identical positions, but the Red Sox were in a pretty similar position in 2019,†Toboni said. “We had been successful [winning the 2018 World Series], but then we were kind of getting ready to fall off a cliff, so to speak, and the farm system wasn’t great. I think there was this huge need to identify, acquire and develop players, young players, so we set out on this mission to do so. I think the Red Sox have made a lot of strides over the years in that respect. … Iâ€m pretty confident that I can help make the Nationals better in that respect. Ultimately, I think it’ll ideally lead to bringing in a good amount of talent into the organization.â€

How does Toboni view analytics?
When looking at analytics, Toboni considers his work experiences in Major League Baseball, along with his personal experiences as a collegiate baseball player at Cal, where he competed in the Menâ€s College World Series in 2011.

“I am a strong believer in the value of analytics,†Toboni said. “Having said that, I’m also a strong believer in the value of area scouting and a strong believer in the value of coaching. I’ve been on the receiving end of it as a player. I know how magical it can be when you have a coach that you really connect with, that you feel their care for you, you feel yourself getting better, and how addicting that can be. There’s huge power in that.

“I think at the same time, it’s a little bit of a false choice: Are you analytics or are you a more traditional background? I think just finding out how to integrate the two is kind of where the magic lies, so to speak, because there’s huge power in both those areas. I think it all circles back to getting people that are humble enough and open-minded enough to see the value in those spaces.â€

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