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Bray Wyatt Reveals Broken Finger Injury After Match vs. Jinder Mahal at WWE Live Show

In just his fourth match since returning to the ring, Bray Wyatt suffered a broken finger.
Speaking to The Vlog Warriors during Thursday's house show in Miami, Wyatt revealed he broke the ring finger on his right hand in a match against Jinder Mahal.
Based on Wyatt's reaction to the injury, it doesn't seem like he is worried about missing time.
Despite making his return to WWE at Extreme Rules on Oct. 8, Wyatt has only appeared on television sporadically. He continues to tease the return of The Fiend character, with some of his promos being interrupted by a masked figure known as "Uncle Howdy."
On the Dec. 23 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Wyatt attacked a cameraman after struggling to get through a promo segment.
WWE is advertising a "Pitch Black match" at the Royal Rumble. It's unclear what the stipulation of the match will be, but the promo on social media does include a shot of Edge and fans reacting to Wyatt's entrance.
Wyatt returned to in-ring action at the Madison Square Garden house show on Dec. 26. The three-time WWE champion has been working singles matches against Mahal at all four shows on the holiday tour this week.
As WWE starts to ramp up the build for the Royal Rumble, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Wyatt become a bigger presence on Raw and SmackDown in the coming weeks.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).
WWE Rumors: AJ Styles' Injury Is '100% Legitimate' After Match Stopped at Live Show

AJ Styles could miss time after suffering an ankle injury during a WWE house show on Thursday night.
Per Mike Johnson of PW Insider, the Phenomenal One's injury is "100 percent legitimate" and not part of the storyline for the match between the O.C. and The Judgment Day.
"Styles was having issues putting weight on his left foot after the match and was walked out by WWE officials," Johnson wrote.
B/R's Erik Beaston posted a picture of Styles sitting on the ground outside the ring, with Karl Anderson and Mia Yim by his side.
Beaston also noted the referee put up the "X" signal that is used to indicate to the back a legitimate injury occurred and requires medical assistance.
According to Johnson, Styles is expected to get the injury examined as soon as possible. His status won't be determined until after a diagnosis is made.
The O.C. and Judgment Day recently wrapped up a feud that began in October when Anderson and Luke Gallows returned to WWE to team up with Styles.
Styles defeated Finn Bálor at Survivor Series: WarGames, while Yim was on Bianca Belair's team that defeated Rhea Ripley and Team Bayley in a WarGames match.
Most recently, the O.C. has been working against Baron Corbin, Chad Gable and Otis in a six-person feud. Styles defeated Sami Zayn in a singles match on the Dec. 19 episode of Raw.
If Styles has to miss time, it could force WWE to alter its plans for WrestleMania season. It's unknown what his role is going to be at the Royal Rumble, though he would presumably be in the men's Rumble match.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).
Lionel Messi, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo Honor Pelé After Brazilian Icon's Death

Brazilian and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar was among the many prominent footballers to post tributes to the legendary Pelé following the news of his death Thursday. Pelé was 82.
Neymar wrote on Instagram (translation via IG):
Before Pelé, 10 was just a number. I've read this phrase somewhere, at some point in my life. But this sentence, beautiful, is incomplete. I would say before Pelé football was just a sport. Pelé has changed it all. He turned football into art, into entertainment. Gave voice to the poor, blacks and mostly: Gave visibility to Brazil. Soccer and Brazil have raised their status thanks to the King! He's gone but his magic remains. Pelé is FOREVER!!
Argentine superstar and Neymar's PSG teammate, Lionel Messi—fresh off his World Cup triumph—posted several pictures of Pelé throughout the years, writing on Instagram: "Rest in peace, Pelé."
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo also wrote a tribute to Pelé on Instagram:
My deep condolences to all of Brazil, and in particular to the family of Edson Arantes do Nascimento. A mere 'goodbye' to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that the entire football world is currently embracing. An inspiration to so many millions, a reference yesterday, today and forever. The love you always showed me was reciprocated in every moment we shared even from distance. He will never be forgotten and his memory will live forever in each and every one of us football lovers. Rest in peace King Pelé.
They were among a number of footballers, past and present, to pay their tributes to Pelé on Thursday:
Pelé's achievements speak for themselves:
- He was the only player in history to win three World Cup titles.
- He scored 643 goals for Santos during his club career, the most for any player at an individual club until Messi broke the record with Barcelona in 2020.
- He spent three years at the NASL's New York Cosmos, posting 37 goals and 30 assists during that period while winning league MVP in 1976, helping to put the short-lived league (1968-84) and the club on the map.
He became a global icon in the process and was the original GOAT, though players such as Diego Maradona, Messi and Ronaldo have since made their case. But there is no denying that Pelé is a legend of legends, and a player who the game's current stars admired greatly.
Kylian Mbappé Says 'King of Football' Pelé Has Legacy That 'Will Never Be Forgotten'

Like the rest of the soccer community, Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappé is mourning Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, who died Thursday because of complications from colon cancer.
In a statement released on his social media accounts, Mbappé called Pelé the "king of football," adding that "his legacy will never be forgotten."
Pelé, born as Edson Arantes do Nascimento, had a tumor removed from his colon in September 2021. He was admitted to Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo on Nov. 29 for reevaluation of his cancer treatment.
When news that Pelé was in the hospital spread, Mbappé was one of the first players to wish him well with a social media post on Dec. 3. At the time, he was playing for France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Pelé responded thanking the Frenchman for his well wishes, adding that he was "happy" to see him break one of his World Cup records.
With two goals in France's quarterfinals victory over Poland, Mbappé brought his World Cup goal total to nine, becoming the first player to score nine in the tournament before reaching age 24, passing record holder Pelé.
On Dec. 12, a medical report indicated that Pelé's condition was improving. However, he was never discharged from the hospital, and Mauricio Savarese of the Associated Press reported on Dec. 21 that his cancer had advanced and that he was under "elevated care" because of kidney and heart issues.
Pelé, a three-time World Cup winner, is tied with Neymar (124 games) as Brazil's all-time men's leading goal scorer with 77 goals in 92 games. He led the country to World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970 and will be remembered as one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
Pelé, Iconic Brazilian World Cup Winner, Dies at Age 82

Soccer legend Pelé died Thursday at the age of 82, his manager confirmed.
Pelé was hospitalized in November for complications related to his colon cancer, and his health steadily worsened in the ensuing weeks. The Guardian's Andrew Downie reported on Dec. 24 that his family members had arrived at the São Paulo hospital where he was being treated.
The three-time World Cup winner is universally regarded as one of the greatest male players in the sport's history. For years, Diego Maradona was arguably his closest competition, with the discussion having since expanded to include Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The numbers alone speak to Pelé's dominance on the pitch.
His 643 goals for Santos had been the all-time single-club record until Messi notched his 644th goal for Barcelona last December. However, Santos historian Odir Cunha told ESPN FC's Andrew Cesare Richardson that the former Brazil international actually tallied 1,091 goals for Santos, with a high volume coming in non-official friendlies that were far more competitive than their designation indicated.
With Pelé at the fore, Santos won the Copa Libertadores in 1962 and 1963 and was crowned the champion of Brazil's first division on six occasions.
For the majority of soccer fans, his time with the Brazil national team created the most enduring memories.
Pelé's first World Cup medal came in 1958, when he was just 17. He was named the tournament's Best Young Player after scoring six goals in four matches.
The Seleção successfully defended their title in 1962, but a thigh injury limited Pelé to two appearances in the tournament. Four years later, he and Brazil failed to advance out of the group stage as they struggled to cope with the physicality of Bulgaria and Portugal.
Pelé had been so disenchanted by the style of play that he contemplated walking away from World Cup competition altogether.
Luckily for fans, he was back in the fold in time for the 1970 edition and played a key role in what many believe to be the best men's team in the sport's history.
Brazil beat Czechoslovakia 4-1 in its opening game before taking down reigning champion England 1-0 in its second fixture. The run culminated in a 4-1 demolition of Italy in the final. Pelé netted the opener in the 18th minute and Carlos Alberto capped off a brilliant collective effort in the 86th minute for the country's fourth goal.
Jonathan Wilson wrote for Sports Illustrated how the 1970 Brazil squad took on an added importance because soccer in general was entering a time when pragmatism superseded aesthetics. Brazil that summer "was a final celebration of the old football":
In Mexico, where the heat and the altitude made pressing impossible, where the game was slowed down so that artistry emerged again, Brazil, elevated by intense preparation, won a victory for the artistic football of the past. Even it, by 1974, had switched to something more physical, less full of flair. There were flickers of the old school under Tele Santana in the 1980s, but by the time Brazil next won the World Cup in 1994, the heart of its midfield was not a player of the elegance of Gerson, but the dogged spoiler, Dunga. In 1958, Brazil had Didi and Zito in the middle of midfield; by 2010 it had Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo.
With his club and international career seemingly over, Pelé padded his legacy by signing with the New York Cosmos in 1975. He helped briefly put soccer on the map in the United States and laid the groundwork for the sport's explosion stateside decades later.
Both on the pitch and in retirement, Pelé was one of soccer's most influential figures.
WWE Rumors: Latest on Toxic Attraction's Future Following Mandy Rose's Release

Following the reported release of Mandy Rose, WWE reportedly has main-roster plans for Toxic Attraction members Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE is planning to call Dolin and Jayne up to either Raw or SmackDown without Rose.
Rose was the leader of Toxic Attraction, but Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported two weeks ago that WWE released Rose due to the belief that some of the explicit photos and videos she posted on her FanTime page were "outside of the parameters" of her contract with the company.
Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live (h/t Mukherjee) later reported that the door was potentially open for Rose to return to WWE at some point if they could reach an agreement and better understanding.
Toxic Attraction was formed in August 2021 after Rose went from the main roster to NXT. She aligned herself with Dolin and Jayne, who had recently began receiving television time, and they went on to become one of the most dominant stables in NXT history.
Dolin and Jayne twice held the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships, while Rose was NXT women's champion for 413 days before dropping it to Roxanne Perez this month, one day before her reported release.
Last week, Dolin and Jayne attempted to become three-time tag champs, but they lost a Triple Threat tag team match that saw Katana Chance and Kayden Carter retain.
On this week's episode of NXT, Dolin and Jayne vowed to take down Perez, blaming her for the downfall of Toxic Attraction.
If Dolin and Jayne do get called up, it would be a shot in the arm of the main roster's women's tag team division, which remains in dire need of established teams.
WWE also has some options at its disposal if it wants to keep Toxic Attraction as a stable, as it could replace Rose as the leader. Sonya Deville would perhaps be the best option since she is Rose's real-life best friend and aided Toxic Attraction in NXT recently.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).
WBC Announces Plan for Transgender Boxing Division in 2023

The World Boxing Council is planning to launch a new transgender division in 2023.
"We are creating a set of rules and structures so that transgender boxing can take place, as they fully deserve to if they want to box," WBC Mauricio Sulaiman said to Gareth A. Davies of the Telegraph (via talkSPORT's Michael Benson).
Sulaiman asserted trans fighters will remain limited in whom they can fight, though.
"Woman to man or man to woman transgender change will never be allowed to fight a different gender by birth," he said.
In August, the WBC issued a set of guidelines for transgender boxers. The organization said it "firmly and unequivocally supports transgender rights and recognizes the gender identity of an individual athlete."
The WBC also contended that "there is no consensus whether a bout between a transgender woman against a cisgender (biological) woman is a fair bout between two equally matched competitors":
Metric such as testosterone level less than 10 nanomoles per liter (achieved by using testosterone suppression medication in the transgender woman), in isolation is inadequate to ensure fairness at the time off the bout. It can be argued that by the time a transgender woman combatant launches her professional career she has already gone through male puberty thus conferring her with the musculature and bony structure of a male. So, a transgender woman combatant may have an unfair advantage over her cisgender woman combatant.
The question over whether transgender women in particular have a physical edge over their cisgender counterparts extends beyond boxing, though the data is far from conclusive.
In November 2021, the International Olympic Committee offered new guidance for individual sporting associations regarding trans athletes.
"No athlete should be precluded from competing or excluded from competition on the exclusive ground of an unverified, alleged or perceived unfair competitive advantage due to their sex variations, physical appearance and/or transgender status," the IOC wrote.
The committee added that any restrictions should be implemented only on the strength of "robust and peer reviewed research."
The WBC's approach to transgender boxers follows a similar policy by FINA, which oversees competitive aquatic sports. FINA prohibited transgender swimmers who transitioned after turning 12 from competing in elite women's races in June. The organization said it planned to create an "open" category that would allow more trans swimmers to race.
Athlete Ally, a group that advocates for LGBTQI+ equality, called the move "discriminatory, harmful, unscientific and not in line with the 2021 IOC principles."