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QT Marshall Says Ring Of Honor Celebrity Match Nearly Happened In AEW

Posted by admin on March 22nd, 2026

QT Marshall looking shocked during a match

ROH/Ricky Havlik

Last summer, AEW’s QT Marshall and actor Paul Walter Hauser took part in a Fight Without Honor at ROH Death Before Dishonor, with Marshall coming out on top. Making a recent appearance on “What Happened When” with Tony Schiavone, Marshall revealed that the bout almost took place in AEW rather than ROH.

“Tony Khan approved us wrestling at an AEW event,” Marshall said. “[Hauser] said, ‘I don’t want to be at an AEW event for this particular match. I want it to be Ring of Honor, I want it to be ECW Arena.'”

Marshall went in-depth on the match, emphasizing the degree to which Hauser wanted to earn the respect of the audience and pro wrestlers who work in the industry full-time. It was Hauser who wanted to do a death match, even though he was surprised at the fact that they’d be using real barbed wire, if they wanted to use any at all.

“I pitched All In, in Texas,” Marshall said with a laugh. “I believe in trying to protect myself as much as I can.”

Hauser is an Emmy award-winning actor who made the decision to delve into pro wrestling in 2023. His previous credits include “Fantastic Four,” Netflix’s “I Think You Should Leave,” and “The Naked Gun” alongside Cody Rhodes. Though he has just the one ROH match under his belt, Hauser has gotten involved several times on AEW TV, and has more than two dozen matches under his belt for promotions like MLW, REVOLVER, and DEFY.

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

WWE’s LA Knight Thought Bray Wyatt Feud Was An ‘Odd Fit’ But It Worked

Posted by admin on March 22nd, 2026

Monica Schipper/Getty Images

Unfortunately for WWE fans and Wyatt, the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match would mark Wyatt’s last televised in-ring appearance as he unexpectedly died in August 2023 at the age of 36.

In retrospect, Knight now considers that match and the aftermath weird things to think about. At the same time, Knight remains grateful for the “unique experience” of working with Wyatt in WWE.

“You’ve got the challenge of this very unique character, but then also it was my first real foray on the SmackDown television, on a WWE television on that main roster scale where it’s like, okay, I’m gonna make my mark here while at the same time serving this return to Bray. It was a hell of an experience,” he said. “I’d have to credit that with putting me on the map at this point.”

In the weeks following their Royal Rumble spectacle, Knight and Wyatt extended their rivalry to WWE live events and untelevised matches after “SmackDown” broadcasts. This included a series of additional Pitch Black matches and Lights Out Street Fights. Eventually, both Wyatt and Knight began new programs heading into WrestleMania 39, though in Wyatt’s case it was cut short due to his abrupt absence from television. Knight competed in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the “SmackDown” before the big event.

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

Third-Generation Wrestler Reportedly Signs With WWE

Posted by admin on March 22nd, 2026

Just dance/Shutterstock

It’s true what the opening lyric of Cody Rhodes’ theme song says, “Wrestling has more than one royal family.” And now, we’re witnessing the second and third generational wrestlers hone their crafts and potentially exceed their family’s past milestones. That said, it appears that Marie Malenko, the daughter of WCW, ECW, and WWE alumnus, Dean Malenko, has officially signed with WWE.

According to BodySlam+, the third generation star took part in a tryout for WWE in Orlando last month. Previously, she went through the pipeline to this eventual signing by making her pro wrestling debut in Japan through Pro Wrestling NOAH on February 2, where she participated in a three-way tag team match with Sofia Sivan. A few days later, she was featured as a singles star in Dream Star Fighting Marigold, where she worked in several competitional contests. The first was on February 7, where she and Seri Yamaoka ended in a time limit draw. The next day, she reigned victorious in her first career win against Rea Seto. In the recent past, both Marigold and NOAH have worked with WWE, providing pathways for current and future stars like Marie.

Now that the ink has dried, the question is: can Marie surpass her father and current AEW producer’s “Man of 1,000 holds” and become the “Woman of 1,001 holds?”

Mercedes Martinez Says She Was “Not Properly Utilized” During AEW Run

Posted by admin on March 22nd, 2026

Former All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor star Mercedes Martinez has opened up about her time in AEW, stating that she felt underutilized during the latter part of her run with the company.

Speaking to A2theKWrestling, Martinez reflected on her experience and admitted that the final stretch of her AEW tenure was particularly difficult. “I’m blessed for the opportunity that Tony [Khan] gave me for the last four years. But it felt like the last year and a half, almost two years, I just sat on the shelf not doing anything for the company,” she said.

Martinez explained that the lack of consistent use began to affect her mentally, leading her to question her value within the promotion. “And it kind of messes with your mind a lot. It kind of just makes you think, ’Am I worth it? Does he really want to utilize my talent and my expertise?’ I know my style is not like a TV style. It’s very just raw. It’s very rugged. It’s very old school in the sense of very power and strong style. And maybe the girls didn’t want to wrestle somebody like me with that style because it’s very raw. But I also look at Eddie Kingston and be like, ‘Well, if he can do it, I know I can do it. You need a female like that.’”

The 45-year-old also acknowledged that her age may have played a role in how she was positioned, especially with AEW focusing on building a younger generation of talent. “It’s kind of one of those things where I’m just like, ‘Man, I’m hitting that age group. I’m 45, and can I still go with the new generation?’ Maybe that’s their thing. Maybe they didn’t want to put me into creative storylines or anything like that I’ve pitched,” she said.

Martinez added that she had already come to terms with her contract not being renewed and began preparing for the next phase of her career on her own terms. “So it’s just one of those things where I’m like, maybe if we don’t renew the contract, which I already knew wasn’t going to happen, that I’m gonna go out the way I want to go out.”

Earlier this year, Martinez shared a message about embracing what she described as one final run in 2026. With a career that spans more than two decades—including time in WWE, AEW, and ROH—she remains one of the most experienced performers of her generation.

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Danny Burch Says NXT Changed Shows Mid-Broadcast To Counter AEW Dynamite

Posted by admin on March 22nd, 2026

Former NXT Tag Team Champion Danny Burch has revealed that WWE NXT closely monitored AEW Dynamite in real time during the Wednesday Night Wars, even making last-minute changes to their own broadcast in response.

Speaking on Cafe De Rene, Burch, also known as Martin Stone, described the backstage setup during the head-to-head battle between NXT and All Elite Wrestling. “We would have two TVs in Gorilla, and they would be watching AEW, and then they would be trying to change the show to compete with what they were doing,” Burch said.

He recalled a specific situation involving himself and tag team partner Oney Lorcan, where their planned main event was significantly altered. “We were scheduled to have a 30-minute main event, and I was really excited about it. We had three segments. We’re the Tag Champs, we were gonna get to go out there and really kill it.”

Those plans changed abruptly due to what was happening on Dynamite. “Because they were watching AEW Dynamite and heard that there was a women’s match on first, they cut us to 10 minutes with entrances and said, you guys are gonna go on first so we can steal the opening,” Burch explained.

Burch also addressed WWE’s long-standing stance that WWE NXT was not in direct competition with AEW. He pointed to comments from Shawn Michaels as an example of that messaging. “Shawn used to say, oh well, you’re just working guys that we didn’t want, blah blah,” Burch said, before adding his own perspective. “And I’m sitting there in the back thinking, well, actually, no. Technically, we’re going up against the likes of Chris Jericho and people like that.”

Burch was blunt about what he sees as a contradiction between WWE’s public stance and internal reality. “When they turned around and said we were never in competition, you’re full of it. Yes, you were.”

The Wednesday Night Wars began when AEW Dynamite launched in October 2019, shortly after NXT moved to the USA Network. The two shows aired head-to-head until April 2021, when NXT shifted to Tuesday nights—a move widely viewed as the end of the rivalry period.

Burch’s comments provide a behind-the-scenes look at how intense the competition was, with real-time adjustments highlighting just how closely both sides tracked each other during that era.