WWE has made numerous releases over the last couple weeks. While Dave Meltzer noted that cuts are completed, some names may still continue to come out. As though to prove the point, Olympian discus thrower Francois Prinsloo announced on his Instagram that he was no longer with WWE.

In a lengthy caption on Instagram, Prinsloo made reference to “my slew of freakish injuries.” He wrote that “WWE has been nothing but a blessing for me. It has easily been one of the hardest challenges I’ve had to face and yet I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Through this journey I was able to learn a lot about myself, the world and the beautiful people in it.”

“WWE showed me a world I never knew that I would fall in love with, introduced me to amazing people that I will never forget,” he continued. “It reignited my passion and talent for acting and speaking.”

Prinsloo was announced with the May 2025 signings, although there is a pinned post on his Instagram from December 2024 with various WWE related hashtags and he is holding an “NXT” title in several photos. As a discus thrower, Prinsloo attended the University of South Alabama. He competed in the 2024 Olympics for South Africa.

Days after some of the WWE releases were announced, WWE announced four new signings, including RFK Jr.’s niece, Zoe Hines.

This upcoming Saturday, Jacob Fatu will challenge Roman Reigns at Backlash for the World Heavyweight Championship, and if “The Samoan Werewolf” can defeat his cousin, WWE manager Paul Heyman believes that the entire landscape of the company could possibly change for the worst.

“Completely turns WWE completely upside down,” Heyman stated in an appearance on “ESPN.” “Jacob Fatu can go off at any time and that’s not exactly who you want on ‘Good Morning America’ or ‘Get Up’ or ‘First Take’ and not exactly the people friendly champion that we come to expect from WWE. He’s a publicity nightmare.”

Heyman continued to explain that there’s more than just gold on the line at Backlash, claiming that as much as Fatu wants to be champion, he also envies Reigns’ lifestyle as the biggest star in professional wrestling today.

“Well, what’s at stake is a lot of family honor here. Roman Reigns is the Head of the Table and Roman Reigns is a multi-millionaire being the absolute number one top star in the entire industry thanks to his Wise Man, Paul Heyman. Now, here’s Jacob Fatu, who makes a nice living, but it’s not the living of the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns … no matter what you think of sports entertainment or professional wrestling or WWE, the top star makes the most money and Jacob Fatu wants to be the top star.”

Heyman also believes that being the Head of the Table in the Anoa’i-Fatu Dynasty, who is perceived as WWE’s top star, and millions of dollars is at stake this Saturday in addition to the World Heavyweight Championship. Backlash will also mark Reigns’ first title defense since he defeated CM Punk for the gold at WrestleMania 42 last month.

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

WWE’s relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has continued to grow under TKO Group Holdings’ reign of the promotion compared to Vince McMahon’s later years running WWE. The working relationship has even advanced to the point where next year’s WrestleMania 43 is planned to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The partnership has been thrown into uncertainty due to the current war between the United States and Iran.

TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro recently spoke with investors and media at an earnings call, where he explained that business in the area is not being impeded.

“Before I get into highlights from the first quarter, I want to address activity in the Middle East and neighboring markets,” Shapiro said. “Building on a successful debut in 2025, UFC returns to Azerbaijan with UFC Fight Night Baku on June 27th. That same night, WWE hosts Night of Champions from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.”

Shapiro then emphasized that, following the two aforementioned events, the rest of 2026 will feature six more events in the Middle East across WWE, UFC, and Zuffa Boxing. The TKO President further expressed that there’s demand for more events in the Middle East, and because the TKO partners are committed to expanding there, they’ve decided to invest more in that expansion. 

“TKO benefits from having defensive model business characteristics,” he explained.

However, considering the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, many are concerned with WWE and TKO’s growing partnership with Saudi Arabia. AEW’s Jeff Jarrett expressed his frustrations about the partnership, citing concerns about the conflict. Jarrett then noted that he believes there’s a combination between Saudi Arabia pushing for more shows so the conflict doesn’t seem as bad and WWE chasing the money, leading to the growing partnership.

In the wake of Ted Turner’s passing at the age of 87 on Wednesday, many have begun to grapple with the impressive legacy that Turner left behind. And while much has been made about Turner’s ownership of the Atlanta Braves, his pioneering of cable television and cables news, and his other ventures, his contributions to wrestling have also been focused on, as Turner not only owned WCW for its peak years, but was instrumental in getting wrestling on TV during the launch of his Superstation in the early 70s.

Tributes from the wrestling world poured in after Turner’s death, with AEW in particular honoring Turner during their broadcast of “AEW Dynamite.” Hours beforehand, Eric Bischoff, who worked under Turner as the chief executive of WCW in the 1990s, made the media rounds, including appearing on “Busted Open Radio” to discuss Turner’s wrestling legacy. 

Bischoff shared many stories with hosts Tommy Dreamer and Dave LaGreca, including his pitch to Turner for “WCW Monday Nitro” in 1995, and Turner’s insistence on keeping WCW on the air for many years, even when Turner Broadcasting’s board of directors argued against it. Most poignantly, Bischoff admitted that the life he and his family had lived was largely due to the opportunity Turner gave him, leading Bischoff label Turner as the 1990s version of a famous modern day entrepreneur.

“None of this would’ve ever happened without Ted,” Bischoff said. “But that’s just me. Think about how many thousands of other people’s lives were impacted in much the same way at Turner Broadcasting in general. I mean, the man did so much for the city of Atlanta He was just an amazing…he was the entrepreneur’s entrepreneur. He was amazing, especially in the media. There’s never going to be another one like him. He was the Elon Musk of media in his time. And just, I’m so grateful that I had a chance to work with him, just to say that I did.”

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

The New Day was one of the most decorated tag teams in WWE history, but both Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston departed from the promotion last week, becoming two of the industry’s biggest free agents in the process. Woods has maintained friendships outside WWE, with many fans specifically wanting to see him clash with AEW’s Kenny Omega after their video game rivalry. During an interview with Forbes, Omega’s co-worker Will Ospreay was asked about his feelings on The New Day’s free agent status and potentially facing them in AEW.

“I mean, I would love it,” he proclaimed. “I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about them. I loved watching Kofi Kingston win the WWE Championship and seeing what that meant to so many people. I think that’s powerful stuff.”

Ospreay clarified that he hasn’t actually ever met Woods specifically, and the two have mainly communicated online through DMs.

“I think it’s mostly been about costumes more than anything. He’s messaged me quite a lot about how he loves my jackets,” he claimed. “Everybody’s said they’re wonderful human beings, so if the avenues are there, of course I’d love to f***ing wrestle them.”

As of this writing, it’s unclear whether The New Day will end up in AEW or another promotion, especially because they are presumably under a 90-day no-compete clause. Since news of their release broke, both Woods and Kingston have taken to social media to share their thoughts about their departures as well as the years each man spent in WWE and all the things they achieved.