Professional Wrestling

Brock Lesnar has one of the most sporadic schedules of any WWE Superstar, and you can never be quite sure when you'll see him next.

Every time he's had a sendoff that could be viewed as a retirement, he pops up at another random time to shock the WWE Universe and wreck everything in sight, as he did in October when he attacked Bobby Lashley and cost him the United States Championship.

Since then, The Beast Incarnate has made a few appearances, notably beating Lashley at Crown Jewel with a less-than-definitive victory, followed by The All Mighty beating him down after the match.

This feud is not over, but nothing has been announced for when Lesnar will return or how WWE will continue this storyline (or perhaps move on from it entirely.)

With that in mind, fans awaiting The Beast's return should have their sights set on the Royal Rumble come January 28.

Earlier this year, Day 1 was advertised to make a return on January 1, but the pay-per-view has since been cancelled. Lesnar could have been considered for a role there, after winning the WWE title at the event in a match that involved Lashley and began this feud.

With the Royal Rumble being promoted as the next PPV for main roster talent, Lesnar's next appearance can be heavily speculated upon.

The 45-year-old is one of the most popular Superstars in WWE and can add name value to any show. His presence at an event as grand as the Rumble is certainly welcome, if not just to showcase how big that multi-wrestler match can be.

The Beast is a two-time men's Royal Rumble winner who tied the record for most eliminations during his dominant 2020 run before being taken out by Drew McIntyre midway through the contest.

Lesnar is the perfect figure to enter the match, eliminate Lashley as a spark to rekindle that feud, and even make it to the final four or the runner-up spot before being taken out—either by some interference from Lashley or someone like The Rock eliminating him to boost his momentum en route to a clash with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.

Lesnar's music hitting at some point after the crowd counts down the clock would be a major pop. He could follow that up with an appearance on Raw to cut a promo about how he and Lashley have unfinished business.

If The Beast turned up on a random episode of the red brand instead, it wouldn't make as much sense. The Royal Rumble is the perfect vessel for spontaneous returns that need no explanation other than those wrestlers wanted to win the match.

January 28, 2023, is when you should mark your calendars for the next appearance of The Beast Incarnate.

Lesnar will make an impact at the Royal Rumble as only he can, and we'll see the next phase of his feud with Lashley, which will culminate when WrestleMania Goes Hollywood at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 1-2.

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Anthony Mango is the owner of wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, Spotify and everywhere you find podcasts. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.

Following the retirement of Vince McMahon, a big change has reportedly been made regarding the contracts of WWE talent.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE Superstars no longer receive bonus pay for premium live events or other factors, which is a departure from when McMahon was WWE chairman, CEO and head of creative.

Meltzer noted that it is possible that top stars like Roman Reigns will still receive some bonuses from events or merchandise sales, but for the most part, a wrestler who signs a $1 million contract is only going to make $1 million and nothing extra.

McMahon officially purchased WWE from his father in 1982, and he remained head of the company for 40 years before making the decision to retire in July at the age of 76.

His retirement came amid a scandal, as McMahon was being investigated by WWE's board of directors for allegedly paying multiple women millions of dollars in hush money to remain quiet about sexual relationships and encounters they had with him.

In the wake of McMahon's retirement, a new power structure came into balance. McMahon's daughter, Stephanie McMahon, was named chairwoman and co-CEO, while WWE president Nick Khan was elevated to co-CEO as well.

McMahon's son-in-law, Triple H, took over as head of creative and was also named vice president of talent relations.

It is unclear if the elimination of bonuses was a decision made solely by Stephanie McMahon, Khan and Triple H, or if things were already trending in that direction before Vince's retirement.

Prior to the launch of WWE Network in 2014, WWE relied heavily on pay-per-view revenue, as viewers paid to watch each of their major events. WWE Network changed that by allowing fans to subscribe for $9.99 per month and get access to every pay-per-view through that subscription.

That significantly lessened the share of money WWE performers could get from pay-per-views, and it is even less now, as essentially all premium live events air only on Peacock in the United States.

The change from pay-per-view to a subscription model changed the payment structure in a significant way, and Meltzer's report suggests it has now gotten to the point that WWE Superstars aren't sharing in those profits at all.

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

One of the four horsewomen of NXT.

First triple-crown winner as Raw, SmackDown and NXT women's champion.

First grand-slam winner as one-half of the inaugural WWE women's tag team champions with Sasha Banks.

On first glance, it would appear impossible to take someone with a resume as sparkling and historically significant as Bayley's for granted, yet as 2022 draws to its conclusion, that is exactly what has happened.

Fans of the WWE product tend to overlook The Role Model when talking about the best in the business. She has been left behind the more prominent stars such as Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, and flashy breakouts like Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair, among others.

Upon further review of Bayley's work, her ability to adapt to her role on a show and her significance to the history of the industry, it's time that trend came to an end.

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Bayley Buddies to The Role Model: A History of Underappreciation

Bayley's story begins in NXT, where she adopted an uber-fan gimmick that captivated audiences and led her to become, arguably, the most beloved character in the brand's history.

She then completed her journey to the top of the women's division with a Match of the Year candidate against Sasha Banks at TakeOver: Brooklyn in August 2015 by winning the NXT Women's Championship.

Within a month, though, all the buzz surrounded Banks, who was beginning to make her jump to the main roster.

By the time Bayley followed The Boss to Raw, it was probably six months to a year too late. Sure, she popped the crowd upon winning the Raw Women's Championship from Charlotte Flair, then again when she captured the SmackDown Women's Championship by way of her Money in the Bank cash-in, but over time, it became clear that was more a result of the shock than the undying loyalty to the performer.

Eventually, the character struggled to translate to the main roster audience the way it had the fans in NXT, evidenced by the increase in jeers that ultimately led to a drastic change in character.

A heel turn in September 2019 sent her on a path that saw her emerge as one of the MVPs of the pandemic era of WWE television, thanks to an enormous personality and loudmouth heel persona that exploded through the silence of the empty arenas.

Upon a return from injury at SummerSlam this past August, she served as the first surprise of the Triple H regime, creating a buzz online and general excitement for the new-look product.

Bayley's ability to adapt from being a popular babyface to a detestable heel is a rare trait. Sprinkle in her superb in-ring abilities, and you have a generational talent.

Others, though, have taken precedent among fans.

Lynch and Flair's historic feats are heavily touted on WWE television and thus more widely accepted by fans at large. Belair and Ripley are clearly presented as the future of the promotion via increased wins and heightened stature on shows, so there is an understandable excitement surrounding them.

In touting the division giants and the women who will lead it into the future, WWE has forgotten about the Superstar who was as responsible for the women's revolution as The Man or The Queen.

The company de-emphasizing Bayley and utilizing her as a more one-dimensional heel has only helped to fuel fan forgetfulness and appreciation in regards to her accomplishments and continued excellence.

As both the pony-tailed underdog who took NXT by storm and the loudmouthed villain, she has consistently left fans feeling one way or the other about her.

Yet, when discussing the best of the generation, she is curiously left out.

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Changing Perception

At least part of the issue here is WWE's creative efforts.

Bayley is prominently featured on television but rarely as the focal point. Yes, she starred during the pandemic era, but even that was as the heel foil for Asuka.

The Role Model has always been the other woman in key storylines, as evidenced by her most recent feud, which saw her return to great fanfare at SummerSlam only to be fed to Belair in consecutive pay-per-views and then see her team beaten at Survivor Series WarGames.

Even projecting forward, a feud with Lynch appears to be more about reestablishing The Man than presenting Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky as a formidable heel presence on WWE television.

Of course, if there was greater recognition by fans for her consistent excellence, those in control of the creative direction of the character would have no choice but to push her more consistently.

And therein lies where things must change.

Appreciation for Bayley, her talents and place in WWE history as a revolutionary of women's wrestling begins with the fans. Go back and watch the classics with Banks and rediscover the feelings that feud generated. Check out the underrated pandemic work she did with The Boss and Asuka.

Pay close attention to her ability to manipulate the crowd into reacting how she wants them to, whether on the mic or in the ring. Focus on the small things she does, such as with the fans or commentator Michael Cole.

Odds are, she has captured your attention for something completely unrelated to her actual in-ring performance, something even her fellow Horsewomen cannot always claim.

The Role Model is an apropos nickname in that others should study what she does well and recognize her greatness while she is still an active competitor.

Too often, fans appreciate retrospectively. Look at legends such as Rick Rude, Jake Roberts and Brian Pillman, all of whom were more appreciated after their careers wrapped up than they were when they were active competitors.

Bayley has earned better than that.

Roman Reigns has been on a historic run with the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

The Tribal Chief doesn't even lose in non-title matches such as The Bloodline's victory on Saturday night at Survivor Series WarGames.

While there is seemingly no end in sight to his era of dominance, and he's checked off many records along the way, things are about to slow down.

In fact, Reigns' next major milestone isn't on the horizon for at least a few more months.

He has reached a level where the next advancements become increasingly harder to match or surpass.

Reigns has already shattered Brock Lesnar's previous record for the longest Universal Championship reign of 504 days. The Head of the Table is over 800. Even when he reaches the 1,000 mark, it won't be especially newsworthy.

But his WWE Championship run is only at less than a year, putting him well below the top spot.

Just this week, Reigns overtook Diesel's rank at No. 16. Next up is The Rock at 378 days.

To crack the top 10 and overtake Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, AJ Styles, Randy Savage and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Reigns has to make it to 530 days, which should be May 30, 2023.

It will take until September 28, 2024 for him to overtake the fifth spot Pedro Morales has, while December 28, 2032 is the day he will surpass Bruno Sammartino's two combined reigns.

Even looking at single runs, Reigns is not even at the 250 mark for the WWE title and will need over 100 more days to reach the top 10.

https://twitter.com/TheLouisDangoor/status/1448775609178632195

The soonest Reigns can reach a notable achievement is actually WrestleMania 39 on April 1, 2023.

If he retains his title on Night 1 of next year's Show of Shows, he'll make history as the only WWE Superstar to do so three times in a row.

The likes of Hulk Hogan have walked out of 'Mania holding the top title three times or more, but they haven't been the champion heading into the show. Hogan retained twice and won the belt from someone else on three other occasions.

Reigns is in the unique spot where he's holding the same title he retained over Daniel Bryan and Edge at WrestleMania 37, held that Universal Championship and unified Lesnar's WWE Championship at WrestleMania 38. If he wins again this year, he will have retained the same belt in an uninterrupted title reign three years in a row.

No one—not even Austin or Cena—can say they've walked into three WrestleManias without losing their title and walked out still with that same gold around their waist.

So far, nothing has been confirmed for WrestleMania 39. There's no telling who his challenger will be, or if he'll even still have the Universal Championship come April.

But based on his track record, it is extremely likely The Head of the Table will be able to check this achievement off his list and do something that will probably never happen again.

That is, of course, unless Reigns makes it to WrestleMania 40 and turns this into a four-year accolade.

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Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, Spotify and everywhere you find podcasts. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.

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

WWE Reportedly Moving Forward with Reigns, Owens Plans Despite Rumored Heat

Despite some reported heat between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens, WWE is reportedly still planning to go ahead with plans involving the two Superstars.

It was initially reported by Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News) that Reigns was "visibly upset" after Survivor Series WarGames because of an "unplanned spot" involving Owens.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) confirmed the report, noting that Reigns was indeed upset after getting "popped," causing bruising under his left eye.

Meltzer added that everything had "blown over" after 20 minutes, however, and that no lingering issues remained. Meltzer (h/t Mukherjee) also reported that any plans involving Owens, Reigns and Sami Zayn are still moving forward as expected, and that there won't be a situation where Reigns and Owens refuse to work together.

At Survivor Series WarGames, Owens led a team also comprised of Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Butch and Ridge Holland against The Bloodline made up of Reigns, Zayn, Solo Sikoa and The Usos.

The climax of the match came when Zayn stopped his former best friend, Owens, from pinning Reigns before hitting Owens with a low blow and a Helluva Kick. Zayn offered KO up to Jey Uso, who hit him with an Uso Splash for the win.

Reigns seemed to fully accept Zayn as a member of The Bloodline after the match, while Jey Uso embraced Zayn with a hug after being skeptical of him for months.

On Raw, Owens insisted he wasn't angry at Zayn, but made it clear that he no longer wanted anything to do with the man who had been so closely linked to his career for two decades.

Owens faced Jey Uso in the main event of Raw, and despite the presence of The Bloodline at ringside, KO was victorious.

That suggests there are plans in place for Owens to continue feuding with The Bloodline, perhaps even leading up to a WWE Universal Championship match against Reigns at the Royal Rumble in January.

Jey Uso Reportedly Worked Through WarGames with Injury

WarGames is among the most dangerous matches in pro wrestling, and Jey Uso reportedly may have found that out firsthand.

According to Meltzer (h/t Mukherjee), Uso said Monday night in a promo, "I think I broke my hand for real." Meltzer noted that Uso said that because he "probably" actually did suffer a legitimate broken hand either during or before WarGames.

Per Meltzer, there had been talk of Uso working through a broken wrist before WarGames, but it ended up not being broken. He was apparently unable to avoid an injury of a slightly different kind, however.

At WarGames, Jey was the first entrant for The Bloodline, and he worked the match with tape around his wrist and a couple of his fingers. He was among the standout performers and pinned Owens to pick up the win for his team.

Then, on Raw, Jey competed in the main event against Owens, which ended with a Stunner and a pinfall victory for KO.

Jey Uso has consistently been among the most entertaining aspects of WWE's weekly programming for quite some time, dating back to the creation of Reigns' Tribal Chief character and the formation of The Bloodline.

Jey initially went up against Reigns in a heated and memorable feud before joining forces with him and helping for form one of the most dominant stables in WWE history.

Much of the credit for The Bloodline's success is owed to Jey, which is why his apparent willingness to work through injury is such a major coup for the group.

Bob Orton Gives Positive Update on Randy Orton's Injury Recovery

WWE Hall of Famer "Cowboy" Bob Orton commented recently on the recovery of his son, Randy Orton, from a back ailment.

Speaking during a virtual autograph signing (h/t Mukherjee), the elder Orton said Randy is "coming along" and will be "back in there before you know it."

Last week, it was reported by Fightful Select (h/t Jenkins) that Randy Orton had recently undergone fusion surgery on his lower back. It was noted that there was no timetable for his return other than that he would miss "an extended period of time."

Fightful also reported that some people they spoke to in WWE believed the company would be "fortunate" if Orton ever comes back because of the nature of the injury and the amount of wear and tear Orton has suffered during a 20-year career.

Orton has been out of action since May, last competing on the May 20 episode of SmackDown when he and Matt Riddle dropped the Raw Tag Team Championships to The Usos in a unification match.

WWE acknowledged at the time that Orton was dealing with back issues, but the company has yet to say anything publicly about how severe his back injury is.

It is difficult to envision Orton returning any time soon, and given that he is 42 years of age, it isn't guaranteed that he will ever return to the ring at all, especially in a full-time capacity.

Orton is one of WWE's biggest stars and most accomplished performers, as well as a surefire future Hall of Famer, so the company figures to do all it can to get him as healthy as possible and in position to potentially return to action in the future.

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