The “Role Model” was one of three Monday Night Raw stars to compete at WWE NXT’s live event in Buffalo, New York on May 15, with Penta and Grayson Waller also featuring elsewhere on the card.

While Penta teamed with Jaida Parker and Hank & Tank for an eight person tag team match against The Vanity Project, and Grayson Walker challenged Myles Borne for the NXT North American Championship, Bayley was in the mix with some of the brightest young female stars in WWE.

Bayley teamed with current NXT Women’s North American Champion Tatum Paxley and Kendal Grey against the team of Zaria, Nikkita Lyons and Kelani Jordan, and after her team picked up the win, the veteran star addressed the Buffalo crowd.

After heaping praise on the strength of the women’s division in NXT, Bayley called to be brought back to the brand where she first found her feet in WWE.

Bayley said:

“I love you so much. I want to thank you two (Tatum Paxley & Kendal Grey) for allowing me to be a part of your team and a part of your night, this is your NXT now. As much as I loved my time here, I don’t know if I can hang with this division right now because this is the best the NXT women’s division has ever been.

“So Shawn Michaels, Matt Bloom, whoever’s listening to this, bring me back all the time, bring me back anytime. I’m gonna be here, I want to fight the best and if I’m fighting the best on Raw, SmackDown and AAA, bring me to NXT baby and I’ll show you what the hugger era was all about.”

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Bayley enjoyed a highly successful stint in WWE NXT between 2013-2016, where she won the NXT Women’s Championship and competed in arguably one of the best women’s matches in WWE history against Sasha Banks at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn in 2015.

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Following his call-up from WWE NXT to Friday Night SmackDown in November 2021, Luke Menzies became the protégé of veteran WWE star Sheamus, with the pair later being joined by Pete Dunne (aka Butch), to form the Brawling Brutes.

While they started off as heels, by the latter half of 2022, Sheamus, Dunne and Menzies became babyfaces and were involved in high profile fueds on SmackDown, most notably with The Bloodline, leading to all three stars taking part in that year’s Men’s WarGames Match against The Bloodline.

When asked about his time in the group during an appearance on Tagging in with Chris Harris, Menzies said he was grateful for the opportunities given to them he, Sheamus and Dunne, but he feels as if WWE never capitalized on their popularity

“I’m grateful for the opportunities and we had fun, like on the road and stuff, it was good. It was a great learning experience, but I think being young and not really experienced in that environment, I wasn’t very good at advocating for myself, and you have to.

“These guys that are politicking. I have no doubt that Sheamus was keeping himself strong within the group, he was definitely the focal point, whereas it should have been that he was bringing us, me and Pete, both up. That’s what it should have been, raising the tide to raise all ships. We had some big matches but I just never felt like they were fully bought in.

“We managed to get ourselves over organically and from that Sheamus had one of the most organic babyface runs of his career. I just never felt they capitalized on it.

“I don’t think we were ever a priority, and then when we got ourselves over, it’s almost like if you get yourself over in spite of the booking, they kind of don’t really want you to do that. It has to be their idea, they have to be in control. If you get over because they want you to and they put the machine behind you, you’re off to the races. But if you get over, it’s obviously not in the plan.”

“They did give us some grace by putting us in big matches, but I just think there was a lot more that we could have done and progressed.”

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The Brawling Brutes remained a unit until November 2023, when Menzies walked out on Pete Dunne during a match with Pretty Deadly on the November 24, 2023 episode of SmackDown.

Menzies then moved to WWE NXT, where he remained until his eventual departure from the company two years later in November 2025, while Dunne would embark on a singles run, which included a one-on-one feud with Sheamus the following year, before he eventually reunited with NXT tag team partner Tyler Bate.

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After first arriving in the company as a part of the 2006 WWE Divas Search, Layla would become a mainstay of the women’s division for almost a full decade before eventually retiring in 2015.

While she held both the WWE Women’s and WWE Divas Championships, Layla’s run in the company is perhaps most well remembered for her run as one half of LayCool alongside now WWE Hall of Famer Michelle McCool.

Speaking with Sportshadow Wrestling, Layla was asked about potentially making a return to WWE for the first time in over 10 years. While she admitted that she would have previously shut down the idea entirely, she’s no more open to it, but only if it’s for an on-screen reunion with McCool.

Layla said:

“Well for one, I’m so out of shape. Two, I don’t want to break a hip or something. The only thing I would ever consider or think about doing is if I would do a LayCool reunion. That’s it. If it’s Michelle and I, I’ll do it. That would be amazing.

“That would be amazing, well for myself, I’m sure for Michelle and I’m also sure for the fans of LayCool, who would love just a nostalgic moment. Of course why not?

“Before it was always a no but now it’s like, why not? If it happened and if WWE decides that’s something they would want to do, yeah I would do it I think.”

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Layla was then asked about potential modern day opponents for herself and McCool should they reunite in WWE, to which she said:

“At first I solely like Chelsea Green because she’s hilarious and she’s such a diva. I think that would be great.

“But now I’m thinking that Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, I think that would be a cool match. Or even if they bring back The IIconics too.”

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While Chelsea Green, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss are all viable opponents for LayCool right now, The IIconics, now known as The IInspiration, are currently signed to All Elite Wrestling, having departed TNA Wrestling in January this year.

Cassie Lee & Jessica McKay reportedly signed multi-year contracts with AEW in February, so any potential move back to WWE will likely not be coming any time soon.

Layla has not competed inside a ring since July 2015, while Michelle McCool was for a few years a somewhat recurring entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match, competing in 2018, 2022 and 2023.

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The filing application was made on May 15, and it seems to be in relation to video games based on its description.

The description reads as follows:

Video and computer game tapes, video and computer game discs, video and computer game cassettes, video and computer game cartridges, video and computer game CD-roms, video output game machines for use with televisions; video and computer game software; video games for use with wireless devices; online video games; video games for use via a global computer network and wireless devices; coin-fed amusement gaming machines; interactive video game programs and computer game cartridges; interactive multimedia computer games on all platforms comprised of computer hardware and computer game software; electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device; video and computer game tapes, video and computer game discs, video and computer game cassettes, video and computer game cartridgesVideo and computer game tapes, video and computer game discs, video and computer game cassettes, video and computer game cartridges, video and computer game CD-roms, video output game machines for use with televisions; video and computer game tapes, video and computer game discs, video and computer game cassettes, video and computer game cartridges

Another Clue Regarding New WWE Video Game Plans

This latest application follows another recent video game related filing from the company, as they trademarked ‘WWE Superstar Scramble’ on May 10.

Like ‘WWE Superstar Scramble’, the filing’s description appears to suggest the terms could be used for a home console video game release, rather than on mobile, due to the mention of video and computer game tapes, discs, game cassettes and cartridges.

The company’s latest major video game release being WWE 2K26, which launched on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC on March 13.

While the terms could be used for a brand new game, there is the possibility that these terms could be brand new modes in WWE 2K26, which continues to receive new updates and content on a regular basis.

WWE have also had a strong presence in the mobile gaming market for some time now. WWE SuperCard remains a popular game 12 years on from its launch, while WWE Mayhem and the mobile version of WWE 2K25 are also available to download and play.

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With a legendary lineage and decades ahead of him in wrestling, Cody Rhodes was viewed by many fans as a future top star in WWE during his first run in the company between 2007-2016.

While it would take his WWE departure and eventual return to become the face of the company, Cody’s success was something former girlfriend Layla foresaw coming during their time together.

Speaking with Sportsshadow, Layla said that she started dating “The American Nightmare” because she knew he was going to be a star:

“Absolutely 100% I saw that. I started dating Cody because I knew he was going to be a star and he had a lot of dreams and everything that he told me he was going to do, he’s done it.

“So congratulations to him because for someone who can tell you their dreams and they’re going to make it happen and they do make it happen, congratulations.

“Of course I saw it because I wouldn’t have dated him or been with him if I didn’t see everything that people are seeing now.”

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After he and Layla split, Cody Rhodes would eventually marry Brandi Reed (now Brandi Rhodes) in 2013, with the pair going on to have two children together: Liberty and Leilani. Layla was married to former WWE star Ricky Ortiz from 2015 until 2025.

Cody Rhodes Fulfilled His Potential And Then Some

While many fans thought Cody Rhodes would become a world champion one day back during his initial ascent in the late 2000s/early 2010s, few would have ever foreseen him being one of the most important figures in modern pro wrestling history.

After being rebranded to Stardust in 2014 and falling way down the card over the subsequent two years, Rhodes asked for, and was granted his release from WWE in 2016.

Rhodes’ run outside the company saw him win championships across ROH, NJPW and a wealth of independent promotions, before he, along with The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Tony Khan, founded All Elite Wrestling in 2019.

Rhodes’ return to WWE three years later would see him finally reach his potential inside the ring, with “The American Nightmare” now a three-time Undisputed WWE Champion and a five-time WrestleMania main eventer.

A First WWE Championship Encounter With GUNTHER Awaits

As was confirmed on the Friday, May 15 episode of SmackDown, Cody Rhodes’ next challenger for the Undisputed WWE Championship will indeed be “The Ring General” GUNTHER.

While Rhodes defeated the Austrian in their only other one-on-one meeting back at WWE Crown Jewel 2024, GUNTHER’s tendency to win and hold onto championships makes him a stern test for Cody.

GUNTHER winning seems like a real possibility, however, with Cody’s feud with Randy Orton still yet to be fully resolved, many would perhaps expect Cody will hold onto the gold until he and “The Viper” meet again.

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After suffering a serious ankle and knee injury in October 2020, Luke Menzies returned to WWE NXT just two months before the show’s major overhaul to NXT 2.0 in September 2021.

Gone was the black and gold aesthetic, replaced with a colourful set design, new logo and a whole wave of new superstars such as: Bron Breakker, Tony D’Angelo and The Creed Brothers, among many others.

Menzies’ time on NXT 2.0 was short-lived, wrestling four matches before being called up to SmackDown in November 2021, where he would begin a partnership with Sheamus and eventually Pete Dunne.

While Menzies’ time in The Brawling Brutes saw him rub shoulders with some of WWE’s top names, he revealed during an appearance on Tagging in With Chris Harris that he was originally promised a “big push” down in WWE NXT before his time on the blue brand eventually came.

Menzies recalled:

“Initially I was getting ready to come back and they said, ‘Yeah, we’re going to pick straight up where we left off. We’re going to give you a big push.’ But at that time what had happened was Triple H had his heart issue and it was like every one of Triple H’s guys and his vision of NXT kind of got whittled out and NXT 2.0 started.

“So you had an influx of talent like Bron Breakker came through and other people, so like Vince’s guys: John Laurinaitis, Bruce Prichard, they saw these new guys and I kind of fell by the wayside.

“I remember Shawn Michaels, I was going to have a tag match on NXT, I was laying there and we were putting over Bron Breakker and he said, ‘Hey, Ridge do you remember when you were the young hot new stud?’ And I said, ‘Oh yeah thanks, cheers.’

“Then I think maybe a couple of months (later) I was waiting for this push to happen and it never happened. We were kind of doing jobs and putting other people over. I was tagging with Pete Dunne at the time and I either thought something’s happening because I heard that my name had been mentioned higher up and I thought, I’m either going to get called up or I’m going to get canned. It’s one or two.

“I remember being sat at home, I was eating a meal and the draft was on. So I’m eating and it says the next draft pick for Friday Night SmackDown is Ridge Holland. And I’m like, ‘Well I guess I’m going to SmackDown.’”

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Menzies would eventually return to NXT for his final two years in WWE, and it was during this spell that the English star would receive something akin to a “big push”, as he challenged for the NXT Championship and main evented several major shows on the brand.

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Crossing over from Rugby League to pro wrestling in 2017 and signing with WWE one year later in 2018, Luke Menzies was seen as a major prospect when he first arrived on the scene in the company, however, a serious injury derailed his first sustained run on TV in 2020.

After taking a dive from Oney Lorcan on an October episode of WWE NXT Menzies sustained injuries to his left ankle and right knee, which kept him sidelined for the better part of a year.

While Holland returned to WWE NXT initially, just four months after his return to action he was drafted to Friday Night SmackDown and paired with Sheamus.

Speaking on Tagging in with Chris Harris, Menzies said working with Sheamus was a “great experience,” but he felt as if the call-up was premature given that he hadn’t had the chance to establish his character in WWE NXT due to how quickly it came following his lengthy injury absence.

Menzies said:

“Yeah it was a great experience (working with Sheamus). Obviously Sheamus is one of the most passionate guys out there, and just to preface that, it was a good opportunity but I almost thought there was nothing behind it because I’d not really established my character as I would have done if I hadn’t got injured.

“So when I got called up, the writers on the main roster, they had no reference on how to book me from a character standpoint. So it’s almost like, ok, you’re with Sheamus. And I remember the first promo, it was like the first live promo I got. It was something about being a big fan of Sheamus and watching him wrestle in the pub when I was younger. And I’m like, ‘If I had put wrestling on in the pub I’d have got glassed.’

“My perfect scenario, what would have happened is: bring me up, let me have a couple of get over matches, show what I could do, have Sheamus watching backstage on a monitor, approach him, ‘Hey kid, I like your style.’ Takes me under his wing, and then we would be more or less at least a little bit more of an equal, but I was kind of like a simp for Sheamus.

“So it kind of demoted me slightly, but again, it’s an opportunity and at that point I ain’t going to say, ‘Actually no.’ Who am I? I’m just a small fish in a massive ocean. So I’m going to say, ‘Yes sir, no sir.’ I’m going to do my best.”

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Menzies is set to return to the ring for the first time since his November 2025 WWE departure later this year for the UK’s newly launched National Wrestling League, which has three shows in Newcastle, Manchester and Glasgow between August and October.

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Last week, it was revealed that Paul Heyman’s favor to GUNTHER from the Seth Rollins WrestleMania match build was to set up GUNTHER moving to SmackDown for an Undisputed WWE Title match against Cody Rhodes.

However, GUNTHER hesitated to sign the contract last week and then again this week, which led to Royce Keys coming out and basically saying if GUNTHER wasn’t going to sign the contract, then Keys would.

WWE SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis then came out and made the match for tonight’s main event – GUNTHER vs Keys, with the winner challenging Rhodes at Clash In Italy.

It was GUNTHER who emerged victorious in the #1 contender’s match, officially booking his ticket to the Inalpi Arena at the end of the month.

Solo Sikoa had come out to try and help Royce Keys and slid him a chair to use while the referee was down, but Keys rejected it and actually struck Sikoa with the chair.

The distraction allowed GUNTHER to follow up with lariat and a powerbomb for the win.

Undisputed WWE Championship Win Could Be The Perfect Recovery For GUNTHER

With Roman Reigns reigning as the World Heavyweight Champion on Raw, there’s every argument that GUNTHER should win the Undisputed WWE Championship at Clash In Italy.

WWE didn’t do a great job of keeping GUNTHER hot after he retired John Cena and AJ Styles as his road to WrestleMania ended up being a bit muddled and rushed due to an injury to his planned opponent Rey Mysterio.

However, this match against Cody Rhodes presents the perfect opportunity to get back on track and for the Austrian to hold THE top championship that has been held by Reigns, Rhodes and John Cena over the past few years.

It would also effectively set up a Crown Jewel Championship match against Reigns for later in the year, which could be a big attraction as well.

Not only would a title win be a big positive for GUNTHER, but it could also be a worthwhile reset for Rhodes to go back into chase mode too.

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Official merch on WWE Shop with the slogan Scream Mode is now on sale, with Paige and Bella both since taking to social media to refer to their team as Scream Mode, or Team Scream Mode.

The WWE Shop description for the merch is as follows:

At WrestleMania 42, Paige made her stunning return to the WWE, replacing Nikki Bella as Brie’s partner in their WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Fatal Four-Way Match.

After defying the odds, Paige and Brie captured the gold, and Paige became a Champion for the first time since 2014.

Showcase your appreciation for their unity by padding your WWE collection with this Scream Mode Logo T-Shirt.

Featuring stylized graphics that call upon Paige’s “anti-Diva” persona and Brie’s fiery Brie Mode chant, this tee is perfect for WWE Universe members who are ready to go SCREAM MODE!

Originally, Brie Bella was set to team with her twin sister Nikki at WrestleMania, and they were planned to win, but an injury to Nikki in the weeks leading up to Mania put paid to that.

She ended up being replaced by Paige, returning to WWE for the first time since 2022 and working her first match in the company since 2017.

Paige and Brie have been appearing regularly across both Raw and SmackDown since then, and along with Nikki, are officially listed as free agents on the WWE roster page meaning they aren’t assigned to a specific brand.

Next WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions

There are a multitude of tag teams in the women’s division who could be coming for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Title.

Given how impressive Fatal Influence have been on the main roster thus far, it could be that Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid end up being the ones to take the championship from Paige and Brie Bella, while Jacy Jayne continues her run in the singles division on SmackDown.

Meanwhile, other teams like Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair, the Irresistible Forces and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria all remain in the picture as viable contenders and potential future champions – as do Judgment Day’s Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez.

One team seemingly out of the running is Giulia and Kiana James, who seem to have been going through some issues in their partnership as of late potentially leading to a split.

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Smallman’s role in WWE makes him the point of contact for talent looking to be signed by the company, but only those outside of North America with pre-existing wrestling experience.

WWE’s recruitment process includes hiring athletes with no wrestling backgrounds as well as wrestlers with experience on the independent scene – for those in the latter category and outside of North America, Smallman is the man the get in touch with.

For wrestlers in North America, Gabe Sapolsky is the point of contact, though his requests and processes may be different to Smallman’s.

In a new video on the official WWE Recruit social media page, Smallman explained exactly what he’s looking for WWE hopefuls to send him, writing:

HOW DO YOU CONTACT WWE’s INTERNATIONAL TALENT SCOUT?

Thanks to my awesome @wwerecruit colleagues posting a q and a with me last week, I have been inundated with messages asking how best to contact me and what to send. So I made these quick videos to talk you through what to send me – if you happen to be a professional wrestler from outside of North America. Please don’t message me if you are from the USA, Canada or Mexico as I’m not your guy!

Please pay close attention to what I ask for and don’t miss anything out, and also don’t send me extra stuff. Hate to be so strict but I get dozens of emails every day and I want to give everyone my full attention.

Also please note – I don’t deal with athletes or anyone without wrestling experience.

You can find my email address on my profile page by clicking the button. Remember:

ONE recent match (no more than three months old)
ONE recent promo
TWO recent photographs
Your CV / Resumé including all that I ask for (age, height, weight, experience, languages, athletic background, anything else of interest)

I’ve already heard from hundreds of wrestlers over the last year and a half, looking forward to getting to know even more!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by JD Smallman (@jimsmallman)

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WWE had announced earlier today that Truth and Damian Priest would face Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga of the MFTs in a non-title tag team match.

However, with Truth ruled out of action, the match will now be Priest vs Tama one on one.

SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis tweeted:

Ladies and Gentlemen, R-Truth is not medically cleared to compete tonight, therefore Damian Priest will now go 1-on-1 with Tama Tonga. See you tonight on #SmackDown

There are no further details currently as to exactly what the issue is with Truth, but we wish him all the best and will provide any further updates as they emerge.

Last week’s SmackDown saw Priest face Talla Tonga one on one, with Talla getting the win.

WWE’s Dwindling Tag Team Division – Especially On SmackDown

With the recent WWE releases and other departures and circumstances, the SmackDown tag team division has taken quite a hit.

Gone are the Wyatt Sicks, the Motor City Machine Guns, DIY, the Street Profits, and half of the MFTs, leaving only Fraxiom, Los Garza, Priest & Truth, and the remaining MFTs.

Los Garza have zero credibility right now after getting destroyed by Oba Femi, and Fraxiom have very little momentum.

The brand could certainly do with an influx of teams, potentially a couple of NXT call-ups, which could come with the likes of OTM and/or Hank & Tank, who have seemed to stall in NXT in recent months.

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Back at WrestleMania 37 in 2021, the second-ever women’s WrestleMania main event took place, when Bianca Belair captured the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Sasha Banks.

The match went on to become one of the most important matches in WWE history, but Vince McMahon almost added an incredibly bizarre name to the match.

Vince McMahon Almost Added Reggie To WWE WrestleMania 37 Main Event

Speaking to Rewind Recap Relive, former WWE star Reggie (Sidney Akeem) recalled Vince McMahon wanting to add him to the match, making it a Triple Threat between himself, Bianca and Sasha.

He said:

“I almost main evented WrestleMania. If I would have been in this match, I’d have had so much heat from everyone because this was a huge match. Think about a match that happened during my Reggie time, with two women, that was a big match. A singles for the title. Vince wanted a Triple Threat between Sasha, Bianca and myself.

“I was with Carmella, and Carmella was feuding with Sasha, then Bianca came into the picture and Vince was saying something like ‘hey, I want you to play the room, like you are in love with Sasha, so you’re gonna buy her a puppy, and she’s gonna love the puppy’.

“This is basically me getting away from Carmella because Sasha had beaten Carmella so many times and I just got enamoured with Sasha so Carmella fired me, and I was supposed to fall in love with Sasha.

“So Vince calls all of us in the office; me, Sasha and Bianca. We have some producers and writers there. He says ‘this is what I’m thinking, Reggie buys her a dog, she loves you, and you’re playing in the middle every week, but you have an endgame. You will come out and announce that this is a Triple Threat’.

“When he said that, Sasha had a look on her face, and Bianca had the same look on her face, and I’m just like ‘I don’t know what the hell is happening, I’m not gonna look at anyone or say anything’. Vince said ‘Sasha and Reggie, you guys have great chemistry’, and Sasha kept asking Vince ‘what makes us have this chemistry’. We didn’t get an answer, it was just ‘chemistry’.

“Lo and behold they came to their sense, that would have been stupid to throw me in that match, and they went on to have a match that’s gonna live in WWE history for a long time. Can you imagine?”

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