Although Drew McIntyre is currently in pursuit of Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship, he was attacked by Randy Orton who surprised him with an RKO during last week’s episode of “WWE SmackDown.” Despite many believing McIntyre would challenge Rhodes for the title at WWE Clash In Paris this weekend, it’s been reported that the match will occur next month at WWE Wrestlepalooza, leading Dave Meltzer to reveal on the “Wrestling Observer Radio” that “The Scottish Warrior” may enter battle with Orton this upcoming Sunday instead.

“There’s at least a solid chance that they’re going to add Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre to pay-per-view on Sunday. It’s not 100% but it was something that’s been talked about … if not, they’ll do it somewhere but they’re going to do the Orton match before they do the Cody match.”

Both “SmackDown” stars began their feud this past July when McIntyre lost to Orton at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event after being distracted by American rapper Jelly Roll. Nearly a month later, Orton and Jelly Roll would challenge McIntyre and Logan Paul in tag team action at WWE SummerSlam, but the “Apex Predator” and the Grammy award winner just fell short and failed to emerge victorious. Therefore, wth their feud technically being tied at one a piece, a potential match between McIntyre and Orton at Clash In Paris could be the final contest of their two-month rivalry before the Scotsman sets his sights on dethroning Rhodes.

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

This past weekend, many on social media were outraged by a viral clip showing, Raja Jackson, attacking indie pro wrestler Syko Stu in the ring at a Knox Pro event. WWE Hall of Famer Booker T gave his take on the situation and who he thinks is to blame during an episode of his “Hall of Fame” podcast.

“My initial reaction is just like everybody else that is of sound mind,” Booker opined. “I thought it was an egregious act. I thought it was, you know, aggravated assault; assault at the least. And I think anybody who had a part of that should take a little bit of part of the blame.” Booker then expressed that not only should Raja be blamed for his actions but whoever allowed him to be involved in the event as well. “This was something that shouldn’t have happened all across the board.”

Booker further criticized the entire production, noting how it seems like safety wasn’t the main priority of the show, and noted how Stu even seemed to have taken the bump instead of fighting off Jackson picking him up for the slam. Booker said that he’s praying for Stu to get better but also looked at things from the other side of the equation. “I feel like Raja Jackson — he’s in a bad position too — he’s in a really bad position,” Booker added. “This is just the beginning of the fallout of the situation.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the “Hall of Fame” podcast, and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Last night, AEW kicked off their three week residency at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena, aka the old ECW Arena, with an episode of “AEW Dynamite.” But before the show reached airwaves, AEW wanted to make sure that this residency would make a valid attempt at capturing the spirit, not just of AEW’s style of wrestling, but of the old ECW days in this famous venue. Taking to X Wednesday afternoon, AEW posted a thirty second video hyping up the 2300 Arena residency. Featuring a static transition at the start that recalled classic ECW, as well as numerous shots of Philadelphia and AEW highlights, the video was narrated by AEW announcer and ECW legend Taz, who laid out AEW’s mission statement.

“When you think about Philadelphia and professional wrestling, there’s only one place that should come to mind; the 2300,” Taz said. “When you wrestle here, you show the world your heart and your guts. We will bring true pro wrestling back to the extreme.”

“We will bring True Pro Wrestling back to the EXTREME!”@OfficialTAZ welcomes AEW to the historic @2300Arena for three weeks of AEW action!

Don’t miss #AEWDynamite LIVE at 8/7c on @TBSNetwork + @SportsOnMAX, TONIGHT! pic.twitter.com/FLIy34sW1l

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) August 27, 2025

At least through night one, it’s hard to argue AEW didn’t put their best foot forward, as “Dynamite” featured a rabid crowd throughout, and an ECW inspired main event, as Darby Allin defeated Claudio Castagnoli in a wild Falls Count Anywhere match. They will now look to keep the momentum going with Ring of Honor Death Before Dishonor, which will take place tomorrow evening, followed by “Collision” on Saturday. While it may not be broadcast, the “Collision” taping will feature a special tribute to the aforementioned Taz, as AEW owner Tony Khan announced after “Dynamite” that Taz would be inducted into the Hardcore Hall of Fame.

WWE star Kevin Owens has provided an update on his neck surgery, while also discussing when he’s aiming to return to the ring.

Owens has been sidelined for the past few months after undergoing neck fusion surgery. “The Prizefighter” recently attended the 2025 Coke Zero Sugar 400 NASCAR Cup Series race, where he revealed that the procedure went smoothly. He is now waiting for the bones to fuse and is targeting a return to the ring next year.

“Yeah, so the neck surgery, I needed neck fusion. It was very stressful going into it because we weren’t really sure how severe the fusion was going to be, how many levels, all this stuff. Thankfully, it ended up only being one level, which is the best-case scenario for something like this. But, you know, the surgery was successful. I had a great doctor,” said Owens. “The thing is, now we have to see how the bones fuse, and that’s never, there’s no guarantee that it’s going to work, you know. It’s how my body heals, and we’ll see. Some guys had success, some guys didn’t. Fingers crossed, I get to come back to wrestling in the next year. Really don’t know though, but yeah, my goal is to come back so hopefully that’s what happens.”

WWE Superstar Kevin Owens (@FightOwensFight) details his neck surgery he had last month, his timetable and next steps in his recovery, and how he has been enjoying his time away from the ring. pic.twitter.com/hT9eUlMAPR

— Scotte Sprinkle (@ScotteSprinkle) August 23, 2025

The WWE star, while conceding that the time off has given him more time to spend with his family, said that WWE’s schedule has eased in the last few years, which has allowed him to be around his family more. Owens stated that he’s itching to get back in the ring once again and do what he loves. The former WWE Universal Champion has been out of action since March, having suffered the injury in what he calls a “regular match” and not a hardcore one.

Last night’s “AEW Dynamite” kicked off the promotion’s residency at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but there’s been some local controversy with regard to how the crew is being compensated. The Philadelphia chapter of the IATSE union, which represents stage crews, has shared its belief in a post on social media (via Brandon Thurston) that AEW is not paying its crew for the residency up to union standards, which damages their bargaining position.

According to a video posted by the union on Facebook, which Thurston shared, AEW typically works with venues that have a unionized crew, but the 2300 Arena has avoided working with the union for many years. The leadership of the IATSE chapter believes that AEW has enough pull to get union workers on the job, or at least to pay the existing crew to the same standards.

A few dozen protesters were present outside the arena last night to picket “Dynamite,” but they made it clear that they weren’t attempting to convince anyone not to attend the show. Instead, they encouraged people to make their voices clear in-person and online over the use of non-union crews for this residency.

AEW is scheduled to run seven events at the 2300 Arena, including last night’s “Dynamite.” The residency runs until Thursday, September 11. Next up is the ROH Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view, scheduled for tomorrow night.

2300 Arena has a long history with professional wrestling. The venue was once the home of ECW, and WWE taped an episode of “NXT” there last November, among many other events held at the arena over the years.