Wrestling

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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WWE Reportedly Considered Other Releases

Before releasing 18 Superstars on Thursday, WWE reportedly considered making other cuts as well.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Michael Perry of Ringside News), WWE discussed the possibility of releasing any veteran wrestler who hasn't been used lately on the main roster or in NXT.

Several fairly significant names were among Thursday's cuts, including Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Ember Moon, Eva Marie, Franky Monet, Nia Jax, Mia Yim and Scarlett.

WWE has made wide-ranging cuts on multiple occasions this year, and the potential is present for them to continue since WWE still has a large roster between Raw, SmackDown, NXT and NXT UK.

While a few of the wrestlers who were released Thursday were relatively young and new to the company, most were veterans in their 30s who did not have substantial or consistent roles on television.

The pro wrestling free-agent market is receiving a massive infusion of talent between WWE's releases and the news that Ring of Honor is allowing its entire roster to take bookings now and become free agents by early next year.

All Elite Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Impact Wrestling figure to be the main beneficiaries, although they can ill afford to bloat their rosters to the point WWE did previously.

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WWE Reportedly Considering Changing NXT Contracts

WWE is also said to be considering making a significant change to the contracts it offers wrestlers in NXT.

According to Meltzer (h/t Perry), WWE is discussing the idea of offering everyone except top prospects 60-day trial contracts. How the wrestlers improve over the duration of those deals would determine whether they are offered full-time contracts.

That could prove to be a wise move on WWE's part since it would prevent the company from having to make a long-term investment in someone it was unsure about.

Over the past several months, WWE has released multiple Superstars who were under contract for less than a year. The trial period would conceivably make that a less frequent occurrence.

WWE appears to be focused on bringing in young athletes with little-to-no pro wrestling experience in an effort to mold them and build them from the ground up.

Since rebranding to NXT 2.0, NXT has heavily featured those types of wrestlers and gotten away from the independent veterans who used to populate the roster.

There is no telling whether the new contract strategy would help WWE in terms of identifying talent, but it could prevent the company from having to make so many cuts at the NXT level.

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WWE Only Wants to Sign Young Wrestlers

It is no secret that WWE has been targeting younger prospects lately, but Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live recently provided some specifics on that subject.

According to Alvarez (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), WWE only wants to sign women if they are under 25 or even 23 years of age.

Alvarez also said WWE is targeting men who are 27 or younger and at least 6'2".

Based on the recent NXT programming, there is no question that WWE has been trying to highlight younger women, such as Gigi Dolin, Jacy Jayne, Indi Hartwell, Persia Pirotta and Cora Jade.

At the same time, WWE hasn't shied away from using women in their 30s, either, including new NXT Women's champion Mandy Rose, Raquel Gonzalez, Io Shirai and Dakota Kai.

WWE has been cutting talent more than it has been bringing it in recently, meaning it won't become clear whether the reported mandate is in effect until more Performance Center recruits are signed.

There is little doubt that WWE is reshaping its roster and refocusing on how it wants to develop talent, and it may not be until years down the line that it becomes apparent whether that was the right move.

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Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Following her surprising release from WWE on Thursday, Nia Jax wrote on Instagram that she had been on a mental health break from the company.

Jax released the following statement on her Instagram on Friday:

.@NiaJaxWWE speaks after being released by WWE pic.twitter.com/KYUeAIr1rK

— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) November 5, 2021

The 37-year-old veteran said that she had asked WWE for an extension to her mental health break after being given the schedule for her in-ring return, starting with the Nov. 15 episode of Raw.

Jax said she did not receive a response from WWE until her release from the company along with 17 other Superstars on Thursday.

Other notable names that were released Thursday included Keith Lee, Mia Yim, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Ember Moon, Franky Monet and Eva Marie.

Jax, who is a cousin of WWE legend Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, signed a developmental contract with WWE back in 2014.

She developed into one of the top stars in the NXT women's division, challenging Bayley and Asuka for the NXT Women's Championship at TakeOver events before getting called up to the main roster in 2016.

Jax's most notable accomplishment was beating Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania 34 just over four years ago. She is also one of only four women to ever compete in a Men's Royal Rumble match, joining Chyna, Beth Phoenix and Kharma.

More recently, Jax was involved in a tag team with Shayna Baszler, and they held the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships together on two occasions.

Jax's final appearance on WWE programming came on the Sept. 20 episode of Raw when she was attacked by Baszler and written off television via an injury angle.

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Rumors on How WWE Views Charlotte Flair Situation

WWE is reportedly reluctant to discipline Charlotte Flair for the contentious belt exchange she had with Becky Lynch on SmackDown a couple of weeks ago.

Charlotte and Becky swapped the SmackDown and Raw Women's Championships, but it devolved into an awkward segment with Flair dropping a belt on the canvas and Lynch throwing a belt at Flair.

That led to reports of heat between the former close friends, and even a non-physical backstage confrontation between them after the segment.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton), a WWE source said the company is in a tough position as it relates to punishing Charlotte in any way.

The source said: "Charlotte is a tricky situation. Not just because she's a star in a division with very few stars. But because she's not the only guilty party. Discipline her and you have to discipline quite a few people."

Charlotte is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars WWE has to offer, and she is also one of the most accomplished female wrestlers of all time.

As a six-time SmackDown Women's champion, six-time Raw Women's champion, two-time NXT Women's champion, one-time Divas champion and one-time WWE Women's Tag Team champion, The Queen owns more title reigns than any woman in WWE history by a significant margin.

Given her resume and importance to the company, WWE can ill afford to get on Charlotte's bad side or do anything to compel her to want to leave for another promotion such as AEW when her contract expires.

Because of that, WWE's best course of action may be to smooth things over with Flair and get on the same page with her in any way possible.

Details Regarding WWE Releases

WWE released 18 Superstars on Thursday night, including notable names such as Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Eva Marie, Nia Jax, Ember Moon, Mia Yim and Franky Monet.

According to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis told the released Superstars that they were cut for budgetary reasons.

Middleton noted that while the non-compete clauses vary based on the contracts of each of the released wrestlers, most of the NXT Superstars who were released have 30-day clauses.

Oney Lorcan is among the exceptions, as he reportedly has a 90-day non-compete clause.

PWInsider (h/t Middleton) reported that some scheduled training classes at the WWE Performance Center on Friday were canceled in the wake of the releases.

WWE recently overhauled NXT, rebranding it as NXT 2.0 and making it more of a true developmental system than a true third brand.

There is now a focus on younger, less-experienced wrestlers, while veterans from the independent scene are being phased out in many cases.

Several of those who were released Thursday seemed to be victims of that shift in philosophy.

WWE has made sweeping talented releases on multiple occasions this year, trimming down a bloated roster and infusing a massive amount of talent into free agency.

Lee Says "Bearcat" Character Wasn't His Idea

Following his surprising release from WWE on Thursday, Keith Lee made it clear that the recent character change he underwent was not his idea.

According to Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News, Lee responded to a comment made on one of his Instagram posts. The comment stated that the "Bearcat" gimmick he recently began using was created by Lee.

In response, Lee wrote, "No. It was not. Lol."

WWE originally signed Lee in 2018 and he quickly worked his way through the ranks in NXT, holding the NXT and North American Championships.

Lee enjoyed some big moments on the roster before his call-up as well, making it to the end in a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match at Survivor Series 2019 before getting eliminated by Roman Reigns, and having a memorable encounter with Brock Lesnar in the 2020 Royal Rumble.

He was officially called up to the main roster in 2020 and beat Randy Orton in his first pay-per-view singles match.

Lee was seemingly on the fast track to the top, but heart issues brought on by a COVID-19 diagnosis kept him out for five months until his return in July.

He was recently rebranded as Keith "Bearcat" Lee and wrestled one televised match under that person before getting released.

Given his size, strength and athletic ability, Lee figures to be hugely successful regardless of where he lands following his release.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

At just 25 years of age, Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) has already established himself as one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling and a pillar of All Elite Wrestling.

MJF has been among AEW's top heels since the company's inception in 2019, and all signs point toward him becoming a world champion in the near future.

First, MJF will face fellow pillar Darby Allin at the Full Gear pay-per-view in Minneapolis on Nov. 13.

On Friday, MJF took part in an AMA session with Bleacher Report and answered a wide array of questions, such as his Mt. Rushmore of professional wrestling, his biggest influences in the wrestling business and much more.

The following is most of the transcript from the AMA session.

@Just_In_Time How excited are you for AEW Full Gear around the corner? 

If I’m being honest I’m very excited. Since I’m so incredible on the microphone, people tend to forget I’m equally incredible in the square circle. I’ve proved that, but people seem to have short term memory loss. I’ll be proving it again against Darby. The match will hand with my hand being raised, because duh.

@johnasileaux What kind of match are you expecting with Darby Allin?

I’m expecting Darby to lose his cool. He’s incapable of having a clear head. Most people don’t go out into society with half their face painted. When the match starts, maybe he might play chess instead of checkers. I’m going to get into his head. He’s not going to be concentrating and then I’m going to take advantage of that.

Talk about the Four Pillars of AEW. How cool is it to see all of you thriving?

Realistically, if you’ve been paying attention to the product, I’ve been a top guy since the beginning. You can disagree that I wasn’t at the beginning because I had to deal with Cody Rhodes. But, post that era, I was what wrestling fans would call the best heel in the business. I have been that according to the fans for a while now. Outside of that, Darby, Sammy and Jungle Boy are all incredible. Am I happy I’m one of the pieces of the pillars? Yes. Am I happy they are too ? Not necessarily. I do respect these other guys because we’re the future of it all.

@TDowney75 What is the best part of being a professional wrestler? 

The best part is I’m getting paid to answer these dumb questions.

@jacobturpin What is a great accomplishment in your wrestling career?

There’s so many. If you think about it, I’m a two-time Diamond Ring champion. I tapped out Jericho. I had Jon Moxley beat. I defeated Cody Rhodes and not many people have done that. No one has beat me clean in the middle of the ring in the company either.

@KillerDuck313 I am not into wrestling yet. Why should non-wrestling fans get into the sport?

Right now, you are currently doing the biggest fan boy thing on earth. Only nerds do this. You decided to wake up this morning and tried to seem cool in front of me. Let’s pretend you’re not a wrestling fan. You get to watch, me, MJF who is the best wrestler in the past, present and future.

@JbMack_920 Besides Roddy Piper, who influenced you the most in shaping your persona? 

I don’t have an answer outside of that. If I have to be honest, I’m the biggest fan of myself outside of him. Every time I look in the mirror, I feel inspired.

@OKCThunder How did you get so good on the mic? 

There are some guys who pretend they’re top guys when only one of their promos are good. Every MJF promo is the best promo because I’m better than you and you know it.

@Djeon How does it feel to be the best heel in the business?

Don’t like the term or phrase. It’s stupid. I’m not a heel because I’m just myself and me. I’m just me 24/7. Do I appreciate the fact that wrestling fans think I’m the biggest heel? No I don’t because you’re all dumb.

@StraightOutta617 Do you fear Sammy Guevara?

Why would I fear him if I already defeated him. That’s a weird question.

@Rcooper78 What kind of Salt of The Earth are you: sea salt or kosher salt?

Kosher because I’m Jewish. We run this s--t. I would also say pink himalayan - do your research - it’s really good for you and so am I.

@BR_Wrestling Punk. Danielson. Cole. Who do you want to face first?

No comment.

@WrestlingFan27 Favorite match you’ve been a part of?

That’s a really weird question. It’s not like I love pro wrestling. I do it because it makes me a lot of money. The winner’s purse allows me to buy the things I own- the condos, the lofts, my cars. I would say one of my favorite matches to watch back, I would say the Jungle Boy match or the Sammy match.

@EliTheGoat What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

I tore my LCL in half after a gelatinous waste of space landed on it. I’ve torn my AC joint and my labrum in my shoulder. I’ve also slightly torn my meniscus. I also broke my ring finger during a match and proceeded to keep it up for 20 more mins.

@FrankBaGoalie What is your reaction to all of the continued releases from Vince McMahon with his roster and how that’s affecting you and AEW as a whole?

I can’t comment on the other company’s business practices. As far as the talents that were let go, there are a lot of great ones there. If I end up working with them, then great. If I don’t, I’m sure they’re gonna make a lot of money.

Rapid Fire:

@AllenAgent: Besides AEW, what other sports interest you?

Professional wrestling in my opinion is the great sport there is. It gives you so many incredible combinations of things you see. Outside of that, I do enjoy football. I love watching my Jacksonville Jaguars. I also love the XFL. It’s really unfortunate what occurred with that.

@GovernorChungus Dream match against any wrestler past present or future and no brands are off limits?

Definitely Piper. I think me and him would be able to make some serious magic I’m sure.

@SteveBuck Orange or apple juice? 

Orange Cassidy has ruined oranges for me as a whole. It makes me gag when I see them so apple for sure. Specifically, Nantucket apple juice.

@IrishPhillyRSox What is your Mt. Rushmore of guys on the mic?

Me, Me, Me and Me.

Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Nia Jax, Eva Marie, Ember Moon, Scarlett Bordeaux, Franky Monet and Oney Lorcan were reportedly among the names released by WWE on Thursday.  

PWInsider reported Kross had been let go from the roster, while Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported on the remainder of the departures, which come amid a mass exodus of talent that has taken place in WWE this year.  

Frankie Monet, Ember Moon, Jessi Kamea, Katrina Cortez, Jeet Rama, Oney Lorcan, Trey Baxter, Zayda Ramier, Scarlett, B-Fab, Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, Karrion Kross, Harry Smith, Nia Jax, Eva Marie, Keith Lee, and Mia Yim all released "due to budget cuts."

— Bryan Alvarez (@bryanalvarez) November 4, 2021

The release of Kross would have been eye-opening to anyone who watched WWE programming over the summer. Kross, with Bordeaux as his mysterious valet, was a dominant NXT champion before debuting on the main roster.

The main-roster version of Kross never seemed to stand a chance, as he was separated from Bordeaux, stripped of his unique entrance and then put into several feuds that went nowhere. He was also given a large hourglass to use during vignettes and strange ring gear that led to widespread mockery on social media.

Kross and Bordeaux, who are a real-life couple, previously had a strong run together in Impact Wrestling and could be a good bet to head back there when their non-competes expire.

Jax has been out of action since being attacked by former tag team partner Shayna Baszler  in September. Her release is a surprise in large part because she is the cousin of The Rock.

Moon is a former NXT champion and NXT women's tag team champion who was seemingly destined for main-roster stardom before she suffered a serious ankle injury. She unsuccessfully challenged Raquel Gonzalez for the NXT championship at NXT TakeOver: In Your House earlier this year.

Perhaps the most surprising release in the bunch is Hit Row member B-Fab, who was part of the faction's SmackDown debut just two weeks ago. While B-Fab clearly was a work in progress in the ring, she flashed mic skills and added a female dynamic to the group that includes Swerve Scott, Ashante "Thee" Adonis and Top Dolla. 

Lee had been rumored for a release earlier this year when he was absent from WWE programming for an extended period, but he revealed his absence was related to health issues. He returned to the ring in July and was recently given a new name of Keith "Bearcat" Lee—a nod to Bearcat Wright—that seemed to be a foreshadow of an incoming push.

Yim, who is engaged to Lee, had not been on WWE programming since the disbandment of the Retribution stable. 

Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado of Lucha House Party have rarely been seen on television the last two years and were undrafted in October's WWE draft. Cortez, Rama and Ramier were seldom-used NXT talents.

Baxter made an impression in the NXT Breakout Tournament, losing in the semifinals to Odyssey Jones, but has not made many television appearances since.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

WWE NXT star Kyle O'Reilly's contract is reportedly expiring in December, according to PWInsider's Mike Johnson (h/t Fightful's Jeremy Lambert).

O'Reilly signed with NXT in 2017 and is best known for being a part of the Undisputed Era alongside Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong. Cole and Fish are no longer with the company, while Strong is the current NXT cruiserweight champion.

Cole left NXT and made his debut with AEW in September at the promotion's All Out pay-per-view. Fish has wrestled for multiple companies since being released from NXT in August, including MLW and AEW.

While O'Reilly's exact contract expiration date is not yet known, he will potentially become the third former member of the Undisputed Era never to wrestle full-time on WWE's main roster.

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Bischoff Criticizes AEW's Presentation of Punk

Former WCW President Eric Bischoff has been critical of AEW lately, and this week he took aim at the manner in which AEW has presented and utilized CM Punk.

During a discussion on his 83 Weeks podcast (h/t Domenic Marinelli of Ringside News), Bischoff took issue with the fact that AEW has primarily put Punk in matches against lesser-known talent without much of a story attached:

"I think it's a mistake to put Punk on such a pedestal that you think he's so over that all he has to do is show up and sprinkle Punk dust on his opponent and that Punk dust will elevate his opponent. I'm not taking anything away from Punk. I think Punk, the way he's being used now, and this is constructive criticism, I think they've diminished the perception.

"There was great equity in that perception. He shows up, does a great promo, gets a great reaction, and does pretty much nothing. 'Punk is coming, yay! Punk is here, yay!' Punk showed up and Punk's not doing anything. ... But showing up, getting that big pop, he's here, and then having nothing going on for two or three weeks in a row doesn't help Punk. It doesn't help the product."

Punk arrived to AEW in August and faced Darby Allin at All Out a couple of weeks later in his first match in seven years, although there wasn't much of a story attached to it.

He has wrestled several matches since then with little in the way of storyline development as well, although it looks like he may be entering into a feud with Eddie Kingston that includes some substance.

Bischoff made mention of the fact that over 1.1 million people tuned into Rampage when Punk made his debut in August, only for that number to dip below 600,000 presently.

He seems to be suggesting that while Punk is over and popular, the lack of a compelling story has prevented fans from tuning in on a consistent basis.

There may be something to Bischoff's theory, and it could be put to the test if AEW invests heavily in Punk vs. Kingston and the angle that goes along with it.

Edge Initially Didn't Want to Go to Crown Jewel

Edge and Seth Rollins tore the house down at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia last month in one of the best Hell in a Cell matches in WWE history, but Edge admitted he wasn't always all in on being part of the show.

Appearing on The Kids on the Elevator Podcast (h/t Marinelli), Edge said he "wasn't too keen" on going to Saudi Arabia initially, but agreed to do so after being told WWE needed the blow-off match to happen there.

The Rated-R Superstar decided to use that platform for good by lobbying for Jessika Carr to serve as the referee for the match.

Carr officiated Edge vs. Rollins at SummerSlam and at Madison Square Garden, and she was present for the final match of their rivalry as well.

Regarding Carr becoming the first woman to officiate a match in Saudi Arabia, Edge said:

"If it flew over a lot of heads, whatever, but for me, I can come back to my girls one day and tell them, 'I went over there.' I think we did something cool. She was right there for everything, not overwhelmed by the moment, and stood up to the challenge. It was really cool to see."

Carr played her role to perfection in the match, as did Edge and Rollins, who put their bodies on the line in a contest that set the tone of the entire night.

Crown Jewel was universally praised by fans, and Edge vs. Rollins opening the show with a bang is a big reason why.

Edge has not appeared on WWE programming since then, but as a member of the Raw roster via the WWE Draft, he promises to be a massive part of the red brand when he does re-enter the fold.

Wyatt Reportedly Difficult to Work with in WWE

Bray Wyatt was shockingly released from his WWE contract in July, and many rumors regarding why that decision was made have surfaced in the months since then.

According to H Jenkins of Ringside News, a WWE source said Wyatt was "difficult to get along with" during his time with the company.

The source also said Wyatt was "hard to find when needed" and "there was always an issue with his appointment" when he was away due to medical issues.

With regard to Wyatt reportedly being difficult to work with, it is unclear if that was actually the case or if that was the perception since he was protective over the character he created.

Wyatt undoubtedly put a lot of time and effort into his character, both in terms of the Firefly Funhouse version of himself and The Fiend.

Because of the gimmicks he created, Wyatt was a hugely popular Superstar, and it was also assumed that he made WWE a lot of money.

A source told Jenkins that the idea of Wyatt being a "money maker" for the company based solely on merchandise sales may not have been accurate, though, when taking into account his sizable contract.

Regardless of the rumor and innuendo surrounding Wyatt, there is no denying that WWE officials viewed him as a top star given that he consistently received tons of television time and was a multi-time world champion.

Wyatt's 90-day non-compete clause is officially over, meaning he is free to sign anywhere he wants. No matter which company lands Wyatt, it will unquestionably be getting a potential game-changer.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).

Jon Moxley will be entering an inpatient alcohol treatment program.

AEW President and CEO Tony Khan announced Moxley's decision Tuesday:

Jon is making a very brave choice to get help, and we’re embracing his choice and supporting him however we can.

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) November 3, 2021

If you or a loved one need help, please reach out to SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) November 3, 2021

Moxley received many well-wishes following the news:

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/1455744811454111744

All the best to Mox ❤️

— Bryan Alvarez (@bryanalvarez) November 3, 2021

Good on Jon Moxley for feeling he had a problem and wanting to address it…And allowing Tony Khan to make it public…Maybe by doing so he can help others facing a similar situation.

— Scott Fishman (@smFISHMAN) November 3, 2021

Sending all the love to Jon Moxley https://t.co/jCpQ2ZpErP

— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) November 3, 2021

Moxley debuted in AEW in May 2019. He held the AEW World Championship for 277 days from Feb. 9 to Dec. 2, 2020.

Moxley also worked on the WWE's main roster from 2012 to 2019, winning the WWE Championship and United States Championship once apiece and the Intercontinental Championship three times. He also won the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships twice with Seth Rollins.

The 35-year-old is married to Renee Paquette, who worked as a backstage interviewer and on-air personality for WWE from 2012 to 2020. They welcomed their first child, Nora, in June.

His autobiography, Mox, was released Tuesday.

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

WWE Teasing Lesnar vs. McIntyre?

WWE reportedly dropped a hint regarding Brock Lesnar's next opponent on Friday night's episode of SmackDown.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Michael Perry of Ringside News), Drew McIntyre using the Kimura Lock to beat Mustafa Ali on SmackDown was done for a reason.

Lesnar has occasionally used the Kimura to beat opponents in the past, and McIntyre employing the maneuver could mean a rekindling of their rivalry is in order.

McIntyre beat Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 36 last year for the WWE Championship, although it always seemed likely WWE would go back to the rivalry at some point given how everything went down.

WrestleMania 36 was staged with no fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning McIntyre didn't get his big moment in front of the WWE Universe.

Moving McIntyre from Raw to SmackDown in the WWE Draft seemed to be a calculated move on WWE's part, as he is unquestionably the top babyface on the brand with Universal champion Roman Reigns running things on the heel side.

Reigns beat Lesnar at Crown Jewel to retain the Universal title thanks to help from The Usos, and it seems like there is plenty of meat left on the bone when it comes to their feud as well.

Lesnar is in the midst of a storyline suspension, however, after attacking referees and WWE official Adam Pearce a couple of weeks ago.

The expectation is that Lesnar will target Reigns when he returns, but going after McIntyre instead could be a fun swerve that fans would be excited to see.

Update on Styles' WWE Raw Absence

AJ Styles has been noticeably absent from Raw since he and Omos lost their Raw Tag Team Championship match against RK-Bro at Crown Jewel.

According to Meltzer (h/t Perry), the reason for Styles' absence is that he is dealing with a "non-injury medical issue."

Styles and Omos were supposed to challenge for the Raw tag team titles a couple of weeks ago; however, a Triple Threat tag team match between The Street Profits, The Dirty Dawgs and Alpha Academy was held instead.

The Dirty Dawgs won the match, but Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode went on to lose to Randy Orton and Riddle later in the night.

On Monday, The Dirty Dawgs beat The Street Profits with RK-Bro on commentary after Omos showed up and provided a distraction.

Omos took out The Street Profits and Riddle all by himself, but officials broke things up before he was able to get his hands on Orton.

Styles and Omos have been an effective tag team, but it is clear WWE has some major plans for Omos as a singles wrestler moving forward. There is also plenty of value in moving a multi-time world champion like Styles back into the singles ranks as well.

Whenever Styles is cleared to return, running a breakup angle and having he and Omos go their separate ways could be the best possible move for Raw in terms of maximizing star power.

WWE Reportedly Planning NXT TakeOver Event

WWE has not held an NXT TakeOver event since August, but the wait may soon be over.

According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, Dec. 5 is the planned date for the next TakeOver, although it isn't yet known if the TakeOver branding will remain in place.

NXT was rebranded as NXT 2.0 in September, and there has been a notable increase in focus on younger, less-experienced Superstars since then.

Bron Breakker, Gigi Dolan, Jacy Jayne and Carmelo Hayes are just a few of those wrestlers who have noticeably been on the rise over the past couple of months.

Veterans have remained sprinkled in as well with Tommaso Ciampa holding the NXT Championship.

Ciampa beat Breakker to retain the title on last week's Halloween Havoc edition of NXT, which may have been a way of delaying Breakker's title win until TakeOver in December.

The last TakeOver, which was NXT TakeOver 36, saw Samoa Joe beat Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship in the main event and played host to Adam Cole's final WWE match before he signed with AEW.

The next TakeOver figures to have a drastically different look, but it could still prove to be a highly entertaining show, especially if it takes place at a larger venue with a big crowd in attendance.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Becky Lynch retained the Raw Women's Championship with a victory over Bianca Belair on Monday.

Belair was looking to land the K.O.D., but Lynch grabbed the top rope to fight off the maneuver and reached over to remove the top turnbuckle pad. After returning to her feet, Lynch pushed Belair into the exposed turnbuckle and rolled her up for a pinfall.

The champion grabbed the tights for good measure to leave nothing to chance.

BECKY RETAINS!@BeckyLynchWWE#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/oxZwDYuVsb

— WWE (@WWE) November 2, 2021

The match was an excellent way to kick off Raw, as the two stars delivered an entertaining spectacle.

These two competitors are completely in sync right now!

But who walks out with the #WWERaw #WomensTitle?@BiancaBelairWWE@BeckyLynchWWE pic.twitter.com/fJH0Qm7gKk

— WWE (@WWE) November 2, 2021

PURE POWER!@BiancaBelairWWE#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/J9bqLdEPfG

— WWE (@WWE) November 2, 2021

😬😬😬@BiancaBelairWWE@BeckyLynchWWE#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/dEpcHCx4Kq

— WWE (@WWE) November 2, 2021

This feud began when Lynch made her shocking return at SummerSlam in August, taking the place of Sasha Banks. Belair was clearly thrown for a loop and dropped the title in less than 30 seconds.

Belair and Lynch had a rematch at Extreme Rules one month later, but Banks spoiled the occasion and forced a disqualification.

Lynch was successful in her defense of the Raw women's title at Crown Jewel, overcoming both Belair and Banks in a Triple Threat match.

While it wasn't stipulated beforehand, this felt like Belair's last shot to dethrone The Man.

With Survivor Series less than three weeks away on Nov. 21, Lynch might be turning her focus toward a collision with SmackDown women's champion Charlotte Flair. The pay-per-view traditionally pits the top stars from Raw and SmackDown against one another.

Given the underhanded tactics Lynch used Monday night, however, Belair might look to get one last chance to win back the gold.