The biggest story hovering over WWE right now isn’t a championship match or a contract signing β it’s a women’s title picture that’s suddenly got a concerning shadow over it. At a live event in Birmingham over the weekend, Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan appears to have suffered a leg injury after Sol Ruca landed on her foot during a fatal four-way that also included IYO SKY and Lyra Valkyria. With SummerSlam season in full swing and Liv firmly positioned as one of Raw’s most valuable commodities, the timing couldn’t be worse. Sol Ruca has since closed her social media accounts, which tells you everything about how the online reaction went β and while we don’t condone pile-ons, the pressure that young talent feel in those moments is something the industry needs to keep addressing. Let’s hope the injury is minor and Liv is back cutting snarky promos before anyone has time to panic.
TNA Creative Reshuffle Continues Following Tommy Dreamer Departure
Tommy Dreamer’s exit from TNA’s creative team has opened the door to some notable behind-the-scenes movement, with a couple of names reportedly stepping in as co-heads. Dreamer was a true believer in that company and his passion for it was never in question, even when the booking results wereβ¦ debatable. The details on who’s filling that void are still developing, but any transition period in a creative department ahead of Slammiversary is worth watching closely.
Joe Hendry Spotted in London Hours Before Raw β Austin Theory Angle Thickening
Joe Hendry had us all believing he was on the shelf after Austin Theory apparently put him on the sidelines, but PWInsider reports he was spotted in London on June 22nd β hours before Raw. Whether this is a surprise return or WWE simply building anticipation, the man’s organic momentum is too real to leave idle for long. Hendry is one of those rare acts that connected with a mainstream audience almost instantly, and WWE would be wise to handle his comeback with care.
Bishop Dyer Wins Jiu-Jitsu Gold β Eye Injury and All
The former Baron Corbin β now competing under the name Bishop Dyer on the independent scene β just won gold at the Jiu Jitsu World League Florida XII, and he did it with only three days of training after a month sidelined with an eye injury. Whatever you thought of his WWE run, the man’s competitive instincts are clearly not in question. It’s a genuinely impressive achievement, and it’s good to see him thriving outside the WWE bubble on his own terms.
AJ Styles Says LA Knight Has Earned a World Title Opportunity
On his podcast “Phenomenally Retro,” AJ Styles gave LA Knight his flowers and said flat out that Knight deserves a shot at the top title. Coming from one of the most credible in-ring voices of the last twenty years, that carries real weight β and frankly, it’s hard to argue. Knight has been over with crowds for two solid years now, and WWE’s reluctance to fully pull that trigger remains one of the more frustrating booking decisions in recent memory. Here’s hoping someone in Stamford is listening.
Road Dogg Potentially Heading Into a Bigger TNA Role β NXT Partnership Implications
Alongside the broader TNA creative reshuffle, there’s now speculation that Road Dogg could be stepping into a significant backstage role with the company β and interestingly, his WWE connections could help strengthen the ongoing NXT-TNA relationship. Road Dogg has been around WWE creative before and knows how that machine works, so his potential involvement as a bridge between the two promotions makes a degree of strategic sense. TNA is in a genuinely interesting position heading into Slammiversary, and getting the behind-the-scenes structure right matters more than fans sometimes give it credit for.
Dustin Poirier Arrested on Public Intoxication Charge
Retired MMA fighter Dustin Poirier was reportedly arrested over the weekend on a misdemeanor public intoxication charge. This is a personal matter and Poirier isn’t an active pro wrestler, so we’ll keep commentary brief β we wish him well and hope he’s got the support around him that he needs. Nobody’s career highlight reel defines the full picture of a person.
Sol Ruca Social Media Exit Follows Apparent Liv Morgan Injury
Already covered the injury angle up top, but it’s worth addressing Sol Ruca’s decision to pull back from social media separately β because the instinct to go online and direct anger at a young performer for what looks like a genuine accident says more about a section of the fanbase than it does about Ruca. Botches happen, especially in chaotic multi-person matches, and the response should be concern for Liv rather than fury at Sol. Ruca is a talented athlete still developing her craft, and she doesn’t deserve a Twitter mob for it.
Eddie Kingston Opens Up Again on Bipolar Depression β No Stigma, No Apology
Speaking in a One Day At wXw documentary, Eddie Kingston talked openly about living with bipolar depression, reiterating that he sees no stigma in discussing it publicly. Kingston has long been one of the most emotionally authentic performers in the business, and his willingness to speak plainly about mental health continues to matter β both for the industry and for fans who see themselves in him. There are few people in wrestling who walk the walk on this stuff the way Kingston does.
AEW’s Owen Hart Tournament Plans Were Significantly Altered by Toni Storm’s Departure
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Toni Storm’s abrupt exit from AEW back in March sent shockwaves through the women’s division planning all the way to All In in August. The women’s Owen Hart final is now set to be Mercedes Mone vs. Maya World β two women whose original tournament seeding was apparently shaped around a very different endgame. It’s a credit to AEW’s booking team that they’ve course-corrected well enough to make the final feel meaningful, but Storm’s departure clearly left a significant gap that took months to paper over.
D’Lo Brown Wants Nation of Domination in the Hall of Fame β TNA Also Sets Slammiversary Go-Home Match
D’Lo Brown has been making the case for the Nation of Domination to receive WWE Hall of Fame recognition, and honestly, it’s a conversation worth having β the stable was formative for a lot of fans in the Attitude Era. On the TNA side, the Slammiversary go-home episode of Impact has been given a Knockouts match between Xia Brookside and Harley Hudson, airing live June 25th on AMC. Two very different stories sharing a bullet point, but both worth a spot on your radar this week.
π€ The WAW Take
That’s your Monday rundown β injuries, comebacks, creative upheaval, and Eddie Kingston being the most emotionally intelligent person in the entire industry again. Take care of yourselves out there, and maybe log off Twitter before the next live event. We’ll see you back here tomorrow.