New AAA Mixed Tag Team Champions have been crowned as Mr Iguana and former NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice have now dropped the title.

Iguana and Vice won the title from La Hiedra and Ethan Page back in February in a match where Hiedra was participating on behalf of the injured Chelsea Green.

Since then, Hiedra – who held the title with Mr Iguana before they lost it to Page and Green last November – has teamed with multiple men in attempts to get the championship back.

Tonight, she teamed with Laredo Kid in what ended up being a successful effort, as they became the new champions with a win against Iguana and Vice tonight.

Laredo Kid worked WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event against Trick Williams at Madison Square Garden a week ago, so he’s had a very notable seven days.

Elsewhere at Verano De Escandalo tonight, WWE Hall of Famer and AAA General Manager Rey Mysterio once again refused to simply hand the AAA Latin American Championship back to El Ojo after El Hijo Del Vikingo’s injury, which led to Dorian Roldan threatening to “unleash” Omos in the coming weeks.

There are ongoing qualifiers for a four-way match at TripleMania to determine the new champion, one of which will see Omos face Damian Priest and Galeno.

In news surrounding one of those qualifiers, WWE Raw star Dragon Lee was set to participate but announced a hand injury today that has forced him to withdraw – he has been replaced by Lince Dorado who steps in to face La Parka and Mecha Wolf.

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Looking at the free agency market, there could be a number of names that once worked in AEW making their way back into the fold sooner or later.

Here are seven former AEW stars to potentially re-sign with the company.

7. Bea Priestley

Bea Priestley competed in AEW on several occasions before the COVID-19 pandemic restricted travel.

In the early days of All Elite Wrestling, Bea Priestley was one of the building blocks of what would become the AEW women’s division.

During her time with the company, Priestley was involved in a heated rivalry with Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D., while stepping in the ring with the likes of Kris Statlander and Penelope Ford.

Thanks to some controversy, Priestley was released from the company and went on to sign with WWE where she became Blair Davenport.

After being released from WWE, Priestley has been plying her trade in Japan for World Wonder Ring STARDOM again, so thanks to their working relationship, AEW may become her U.S. home once she returns.

6. Priscilla Kelly

Another released WWE star who once worked inside of an AEW ring during the early days of the promotion is Priscilla Kelly.

While she only made two appearances, there was some talk of AEW bringing her into the promotion at the time before she went on to sign with WWE.

After nearly five years with the promotion, WWE released the former Gigi Dolin in May 2025. Since then, Kelly has returned to the independent scene and become one of the premier female stars in multiple promotions.

PK has shown her worth on the indies, which should open the door for another opportunity in AEW where she can provide plenty of experience to the women’s scene in a major way.

5. Marko Stunt

Marko Stunt once believed that he would never wrestle again until he made his emotional return to pro wrestling at GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break X earlier this year.

During the early years of AEW, Stunt was one of the young stars of the promotion who made a name for himself on the independent scene and earned the right to be signed to the fledgling company.

Now that Stunt is back in the business, there is a chance that AEW could bring back one of their originals for one final run.

Stunt re-signing with AEW could open the door for a full-on Jurassic Express reunion with ‘Jungle’ Jack Perry and Luchasaurus.

4. Maki Itoh

AEW has always been home to various talents from around the world, including the Joshi stars from Japan.

One of the earliest examples of this was when AEW opened its doors to then-TJPW star Maki Itoh during the global pandemic.

The always charismatic Itoh has since left Tokyo Joshi Pro and signed with STARDOM, who is another partner of AEW.

Wanting to finally plant her flag in the United States, Maki Itoh could bring her brand of charisma into the fold on AEW TV once again sometime soon.

3. The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows)

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson joined their fellow Bullet Club alumni as part of the ‘Super Elite’ in 2021

Another pair of stars who have made several appearances for AEW without necessarily being signed in the past are The Good Brothers.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are widely regarded as one of the most decorated tag teams of their generation, having won championship gold in pretty much every company they have ever stepped in.

Since being released from WWE in February 2025, The Good Brothers have returned to their roots in Japan for Pro Wrestling NOAH and have been making their mark in the United States for Major League Wrestling.

The Good Brothers re-signing would be an intriguing acquisition that would further put a bigger spotlight on the AEW tag team division with some other notable names coming into the promotion right now.

2. Jeff Cobb

During his time in New Japan Pro Wrestling, Jeff Cobb made his presence felt on AEW television on more than one occasion.

In 2020, Cobb came into the company as a ‘mercenary’ for Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle in their feud with Jon Moxley.

Cobb signed with WWE in 2025 and became JC Mateo, but he felt underutilized in the company and went on to be released just over one year later.

Now that he is a free agent again, Cobb may make his way to AEW where he could be another key player, bringing his raw power and athleticism to Dynamite or Collision.

1. Aleister Black

One of the most surprising WWE releases from the mass talent cuts in April 2026 had to have been Aleister Black.

After re-signing with WWE in April 2025, Black looked to be presented as a major signing, but he felt diminished by the end of this run due to a lack of a prominent role.

Considering he and his wife Zelina Vega were part of the recent cuts, Black might be someone who gets another opportunity to prove himself in AEW in the near future.

Black’s return might see him get a higher position in the pecking order, even potentially challenging for the AEW World Title one day.

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After capturing two United States Championships and Money in the Bank in 2022, as well as defeating John Cena at WrestleMania 39, Austin Theory spent the majority of 2024 and 2025 languishing in the tag team division alongside Grayson Waller in A-Town Down Under.

After going from a future world champion to barely featured on TV, Theory was given a new lease on life in WWE in late 2025 when he returned from a five month hiatus to join The Vision alongside Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed and Logan Paul.

Since then, Theory has been a heavily featured player once again, and is currently enjoying his second WWE World Tag Team Title run with Bron Breakker and a new on-screen romantic partnership with Maxxine Dupri.

During an interview with The Early Bird Special, Theory discussed his relationship with Paul Heyman – which stretches back before he even joined WWE in 2019 – and revealed that it was Heyman who was behind his first main roster call-up in 2020, as well as joining The Vision five years later.

Theory said:

“Me and Paul Heyman actually go way back. My whole time on the main roster I’ve always spoke to him, he’s always given me great advice. He’s always had my back, he’s always taken me under his wing.

“The first time I met Paul Heyman was actually when I was on the indies. It was the first time EVOLVE and WWE did a show together in the ECW Arena, and Gabe Sapolsky, that’s my guy, he pretty much told me ‘Hey, you’re the main event tonight and I got a surprise for you.’ I was like ‘Alright, I don’t know what that is,’ and then Paul Heyman walks in.

“First time I met Paul Heyman I went up to him and I said ‘Hey, how you doing sir? I’m Austin.’ And the first thing he said was ‘I’m a big fan of your work.’ And I was like ‘Holy s**t.’ So, that was cool. He comes up to me a little later in the night as the show’s going on and he goes ‘Hey, if I’m gonna introduce you tonight, what are things that I can call you?’ And I was like, ‘Wait, what?’ So he ended up doing my introduction for the match and the rest there is history.”

“And even the pandemic era of Raw, when I kind of left NXT and went to Raw to kind of do Seth’s group, that was kind of all Paul Heyman as well. I’d have to say he’s always had my back and even The Vision group, he wanted me in that and I was like ‘Absolutely.’”

When discussing the best advice he received from Heyman, Theory recounted the blunt message he received from ‘The Oracle’ upon joining The Vision:

“I’d say when it comes to advice there’s a lot of advice, but one of my favorite things he said to me when I first got to the group was ‘Don’t f this up.’ And that was, ‘Alright, you got it.’”

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While Green is an established name in wrestling, the former Women’s US Champion is now making a name for herself in screen acting.

With Chelsea Green appearing a Shelby Hughes in the TV cop drama Blue Ridge, the SmackDown star explained that while some aspects of wrestling have helped her as an actress, others habits have hurt her, and have to be trained out of her in acting classes.

Speaking on Spotlight with Kat Siggers, Chelsea Green stated that she felt she was over-acting at first because of wrestling, stating:

“There are a lot of parts of wrestling that hurt me in acting, and that is why I need to constantly be in classes. Because I’m on SmackDown every single Friday, that kind of wrestling acting, that over acting, that really theatrical acting, that does not help on camera.

“That doesn’t help for film and TV. That helps in theater, that helps if I was doing a theater production, a musical theater production, a stage show, a live audience show, like that’s amazing.

“But it hurts me in terms of overacting on camera, so I really have to pull everything back and work on feeling it, as opposed to expressing it.”

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Noting that on the flip-side, wrestling has given her the ability to improvise while acting for the screen, Green continued:

“What helps me in wrestling is that we’re constantly improvising, so I don’t fear necessarily being put in a situation where I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I’m in that, every single Friday on SmackDown or every single Monday on Raw.

“I don’t worry about that, I don’t worry about the unknown. I don’t worry about someone forgetting a line and me having to skip ahead. I don’t worry about someone saying something that is totally off script, because I can go along with all that stuff.

“I think that’s a really incredible skill that not many actors have. I think all or most wrestlers have it, but I don’t necessarily think that comes naturally to actors, because most of the time, we’re given a script, we memorize the script, we say the script.

“In wrestling, we’re given a script and we say whatever the heck we want. It’s live television, whatever happens, happens.”

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Chelsea Green is set for a big opportunity at SummerSlam, being one of the names to qualify for the interim WWE Women’s Championship ladder match, alongside Charlotte Flair, Jade Cargill and Tiffany Stratton.

The final qualifying match for this interim title bout has now been announced, click here to read more.

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Punk will be in one of the marquee matches at the August 1-2 premium live event, defending his Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes.

Speaking with Ringside Collectibles, CM Punk hinted that he has some cool plans for his gear for the Biggest Party of the Summer.

Noting that he doesn’t usually plan too far ahead when it comes to his special gear, Punk said:

“I really don’t plan too far ahead. Most of the stuff, you’ve got to wait and see based on location, I think.

“SummerSlam is around the corner, I’ve got some cool gear planned for SummerSlam, then after that, I really have no idea.”

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Whoever is Undisputed WWE Champion following SummerSlam will defend their gold against either Finn Balor or Sami Zayn, with Balor and Zayn set to meet in a #1 contender’s match at the Biggest Party of the Summer.

Finn Balor defeated Trick Williams, Royce Keys and Damian Priest on the July 24 SmackDown episode to qualify for this match, after which he thanked his fans for sticking by him.

CM Punk has met both these stars in championship matches this year. Punk defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Balor on the January 19 Raw episode in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with the duo having a rematch at Elimination Chamber in Chicago the following month.

Sami Zayn was notably the star who Punk defeated to become Undisputed WWE Champion, with Punk victorious on the July 6 Raw episode, just nine days after Zayn had won the gold himself at Night of Champions.

With these plans, SummerSlam will feel less like the culmination of the world championship storyline, and more like the beginning of a new chapter, with the division having clear direction.

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With WWE acquiring AAA in April 2025, a number of Raw and SmackDown names have made significant appearances for the promotion, including Dominik Mysterio, who is the reigning AAA Mega Champion.

CM Punk has now teased dipping his toe into the AAA pool, making some interesting comments about his past and future while speaking with Ringside Collectibles.

While speaking about the Ultimate Moments CM Punk Straight Edge Society action figure, Punk said:

“I think it’s super cool. I think it’s also really timely because our sister promotion AAA is branching out and they’re doing stuff.

“Triplemania is going to be partly in Las Vegas this year. We just announced a show for them at the Allstate Arena. It might be the perfect time for me to kind of dip my toe in the AAA pool.

“I’ve worn a mask before, I’ve gotten my head shaved in a Mask vs Hair match before. We can set the table and we can do it all over again in 2026.

“I think a lot of the lucha fans would appreciate the hell out of that, and we’d sell some masks.”

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Following months of CM Punk attempting to get Rey Mysterio to join the Straight Edge Society, the duo faced off at Over The Limit 2010 in a match where if Punk lost, he’d have to shave his head, and if Mysterio lost, he’d have to pledge himself to Punk’s faction.

Mysterio was ultimately victorious, leading to Punk wrestling for some time with a Straight Edge Society mask.

A similar storyline – with an American-born wrestler wrestling under a mask after losing to a masked luchador – resulted in one of the biggest matches in WWE AAA so far, with Chad Gable becoming the Original El Grande Americano, and Ludwig Kaiser later also adopting the El Grande Americano moniker.

The duo faced off in a highly-acclaimed Mask vs Mask match, with Chad Gable coming up short and unmasking at AAA Noche de Los Grandes.

With CM Punk currently holding the Undisputed WWE Championship, it’s unlikely that Punk will move to AAA full-time while he’s being so prominently featured on Raw.

The Undisputed WWE Champion making regular appearances for AAA would be a great way to get more eyes on the brand, which has had an increased presence in the US since WWE’s acquisition.

WWE recently announced that the next Worlds Collide AAA crossover event will take place at Chicago’s Allstate Arena on September 26. Punk’s comments have fuelled speculation that he will be at the event in his home state.

More details about the AAA’s show during WrestleMania 43 weekend – Eternal Glory – were recently announced, click here to read more. 

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With Rhea Ripley currently out of action due to a knee injury, a ladder match will take place at the August 1-2 premium live event to crown an interim WWE Women’s Champion.

With Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Chelsea Green and Charlotte Flair previously qualifying for the bout, the match to determine the final competitor in the ladder match has now been announced.

With Flair winning her qualifying match against Nia Jax on the July 24 SmackDown episode via disqualification following Cargill attacking Flair, Jax confronted Adam Pearce in a digital exclusive video shared after the show.

After Jax demanded to be added to the ladder match, Adam Pearce denied this, announcing that Giulia will face Lash Legend in the final qualifier.

Regardless of if Legend or Giulia wins – and assuming Nia Jax doesn’t find a way to take the final spot in the match – this would mean that another competitor who hasn’t held either the WWE Women’s or Women’s World championships will join the ladder match lineup.

Chelsea Green is the only woman currently part of the interim WWE Women’s Championship match lineup who hasn’t won one of the two top women’s titles in WWE, with Cargill, Stratton both recently having reigns with the current iteration of the Women’s Championship.

Charlotte Flair has held 14 world titles in WWE, most recently reigning as the SmackDown Women’s Champion from December 2022 to April 2023. This title later became the Women’s World Championship, which is currently held by Liv Morgan on Raw.

With WWE choosing to crown an interim WWE Women’s Champion rather than having Ripley relinquish the gold, a collision course between Rhea Ripley and the winner of the ladder match at next week’s premium live event seems like an inevitability.

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The July 24 SmackDown episode saw Finn Balor defeat Damian Priest, Trick Williams and Royce Keys in a four-way match.

With this victory, it has officially been announced that Balor will face Sami Zayn at SummerSlam to determine the #1 contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Finn Balor has now taken to Twitter to address his SmackDown victory, and his SummerSlam opportunity.

Thanking his fans for sticking with him over the years, Balor wrote:

The last 10 years have been the adventure of a lifetime. Bálor Club, thank you for always sticking with me, I hear you, and WE ARE SO CLOSE #summerslam #LetsGoBalor

Finn Balor has had a less-than-satisfying relationship with WWE’s world titles over the years.

He became the inaugural Universal Champion at SummerSlam 2016, just three matches into his main roster run following his NXT call-up.

His title reign was cut drastically short however, with Balor relinquishing the gold on the following night’s Raw episode after having suffered a shoulder injury during the title match.

Balor challenged for the Universal Championship on several occasions following this, but was never able to win back the title.

His most recent Universal Title challenge left many fans scratching their heads, with Balor only losing to Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules 2021 due to Reigns capitalising following the ring turnbuckle breaking under Balor’s feet.

Finn Balor has challenged for the World Heavyweight Championship a number of times since its re-introduction in 2023, first at that year’s Money in the Bank event, against Seth Rollins.

He has never held this title, most recently challenging CM Punk for the gold at Elimination Chamber in February.

This 2015-era NXT dream match is a tough one to call, as it can be argued that both Balor and Zayn deserve shots at the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Many fans have called for Balor to receive his previously rumored singles push. Despite Balor viewing his short Universal Title reign as a success story, there is definitely an appetite within the WWE fanbase for a lengthy Finn Balor world championship reign.

Meanwhile, many fans are hopeful that Sami Zayn will remain in the main event picture, following his Undisputed WWE Championship reign ending after just nine days at the hands of CM Punk in early-July.

The winner of this match will challenge either CM Punk or Cody Rhodes for the gold, with Punk vs Rhodes previously confirmed for the biggest party of the sumemr.

The last 10 years have been the adventure of a lifetime.
Bálor Club, thank you for always sticking with me, I hear you, and WE ARE SO CLOSE #summerslam #LetsGoBalor pic.twitter.com/3VdVArVNc4

— Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) July 25, 2026

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Back at the Royal Rumble, Brie Bella would make her return to WWE television in the Women’s Royal Rumble match, reuniting with her twin sister Nikki Bella, who returned to WWE television the prior year.

The Bella Twins were set to feature in the Women’s Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania 42, until Nikki Bella would suffer a foot injury weeks out from the show.

In her place, Paige would make her return to WWE after 8 years away to be Brie’s replacement partner at WrestleMania, with her and Brie winning the Women’s Tag Team Championship.

Nikki Bella Returns On WWE SmackDown, Lays Out SummerSlam Challenge

Brie and Paige lost the Women’s Tag Team Championship to Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley of Fatal Influence at Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend in Madison Square Garden.

On tonight’s WWE SmackDown show, Brie Bella picked up a singles victory over Lainey Reid, which led to a three on one assault from Fatal Influence on Paige and Brie.

This led to the return of Nikki Bella to WWE television for the first time since WrestleMania, with her evening the odds against Fatal Influence.

Nikki would then challenge Fatal Influence to a six-woman tag team match at SummerSlam next weekend.

WWE Money In The Bank 2026: Who Needs It Most?

After being moved around several times, WWE Money in the Bank 2026 looks to be firmly placed at Saturday, October 10 from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

While still three months away, it’s already looking like it’ll be a vitally important event for certain names on the roster, many of whom could be solely reliant on the briefcase if they are ever going to reach the main event scene.

Perhaps more than anyone, LA Knight is in desperate need of a Money in the Bank win, and quite frankly that sentence was also true in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Knight has been unsuccessful in all three of his Money in the Bank Ladder Matches, and should he enter this year’s match, it truly feels like win or bust for his chances of ever capturing, what many feel is a well earned first-ever world championship.

Someone who has time on his side, but could certainly benefit massively from a Money in the Bank win is Bron Breakker. After coming desperately close to winning the World Heavyweight Title on the first Raw of 2026, and reportedly being at one point planned to win the 2026 Royal Rumble, Breakker suffered back-to-back losses to Seth Rollins and has now slipped all the way back down the card into the World Tag Team Title division.

Much like LA Knight, Finn Balor is another name who feels like a now or never pick for the Money in the Bank, and he has been riding a nice wave of momentum on SmackDown as of late. Whereas Dominik Mysterio, similarly to Bron Breakker, could certainly use the briefcase to bring him back on track towards being a future main event level heel, rather than being terrorised by Danhausen.

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Last week, it was officially confirmed that Nick Aldis would be making his in-ring return at WWE SummerSlam, facing off against Gunther in what will be his first WWE match.

Aldis has been the General Manager of SmackDown since October 2023, with him now set to step back into the ring, it seems that run has come to an end.

Nick Aldis Relinquishes Role As SmackDown General Manager

To kick off tonight’s WWE SmackDown, Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis were in the ring for a contract signing for Aldis’ match with Gunther at SummerSlam.

Before signing the contract, Pearce noted that Aldis will not be competing as the SmackDown General Manager, and that signing the contract would mean he relinquishes his duties running the show, with Pearce taking control of both Raw and SmackDown.

Aldis would sign the contract, though it was later noted on commentary after the segment by Wade Barrett that Aldis relinquishing his duties would only be ‘until after SummerSlam’.

Nick Aldis’ In-Ring Return, A One Off Or Permanent Transition?

At long last, it is now official that Nick Aldis will be making his in-ring debut for WWE at ‘The Biggest Party of the Summer’ SummerSlam 2026.

Having perhaps the perfect return opponent in front of him, Aldis and GUNTHER should be an old school clash of heavyweights and, if given the time, they could certainly produce one of the standout matches of 2026.

But will Aldis have to tear the house down in order to ensure that WWE books him in more matches going forward? Given how good Aldis is in his role as an authority figure, there’s certainly a lot of doubt that the former TNA and NWA World Champion will be moving into a full-time wrestling role after SummerSlam.

At just 39 years old, Aldis is almost a decade younger than Undisputed WWE Champion CM Punk, and a year younger than Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. Certainly too young to be sat on the sidelines.

Whether it leads to more or not, Aldis getting the chance to compete in a WWE ring, is certainly the crowning moment of his two decade career, and thoroughly deserved.

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Over the past few years, WWE’s referees have gone from being arguably the unsung heroes of the company to finally having spotlight shined on them from both within the company and fans for the hard work they do in the ring.

WWE has a number of referees on hand, but it seems that a new face will be donning the stripes for the first time this weekend.

TNA Referee Alice Lane Joins WWE As Katie Reynolds

Taking to Instagram, WWE referee Adrian Butler shared a photo of himself with referee Alice Lane, now going by the name Katie Reynolds, backstage at NXT.

Butler confirmed that Reynolds is the newest addition to the WWE referee team, and that she will be making her debut this weekend at NXT’s live events in Ft. Pierce and Citrus Springs, Florida.

He wrote:

This weekend’s WWE NXT Live Events in Ft. Pierce and Citrus Springs will see the debut of our new referee Katie Reynolds! Welcome to the team, Katie! #wwe #wwenxt #wweraw #smackdown @refalicelane @wwerecruit

Alice Lane had been refereeing for TNA Wrestling prior to her joining WWE.

Becky Lynch To Wrestle Jessika Carr In WWE?

WWE referee Jessika Carr has become an important character on Raw over the past few months, with her being in something of a rivalry with Becky Lynch.

Jessika has continued to referee Becky’s matches, including all three of her Women’s Intercontinental Championship defeats, leading to speculation that the two could eventually face off in a match on a WWE premium live event.

Jessika has competed in several matches on WWE Evolve over the past year, wrestling under a mask under the ring name Kalyx, which only added more fuel to speculation that she will eventually face off with Becky.

Becky has not been on WWE television since the first round of the Queen of the Ring Tournament, when she was part of the first match of the tournament which was won by Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan.

With Nick Aldis returning to the ring to face Gunther at SummerSlam, Jessika could be the next non-wrestler to step into the ring.

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Back in January, The Opps lost the AEW World Trios Championship to ‘Hangman’ Adam Page and JetSpeed on AEW Collision.

The decision came due to Hobbs’ AEW contract expiring the following day, with him leaving the company to sign with WWE.

Royce Keys Says ‘Personal Issues’ Led To AEW Departure

Hobbs would debut in the Royal Rumble under the new ring name Royce Keys, and he has now opened up on his decision to leave AEW and join WWE.

Speaking on 107.7 The Bone, Keys was asked about what went into his decision to leave AEW and join WWE, with him saying that there were a lot of personal reasons behind the decision.

He said:

“A lot of personal ones that I won’t speak on, but the dream is always to be a WWE superstar, it’s all I dreamed about as a kid, and I will never live my life as to having what ifs. What if I would have went? What if I didn’t go?

“There was no second thought about putting pen to paper when that opportunity came up. You look at what WWE is, it’s the all and be all of professional wrestling, so why wouldn’t I want to go?”

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After his debut in the Royal Rumble, Keys would not debut on WWE television for three more months, with him winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal over WrestleMania 42 weekend.

Royce Keys Pitched Dark Match Appearances Prior To Television Debut

Though Keys was not on television, he was competing in dark matches prior to both Raw and SmackDown on most weeks, with fans questioning the decision on social media.

Keys mentioned during the interview that it was his decision to compete in dark matches, and Triple H was all for the choice.

He said:

“I didn’t know where I was going when I started, I just know that once I signed I was a WWE superstar.

“What I did ask of Hunter, and he had no problem with it and it was a ‘hell yeah’ was after I signed was to do dark matches every single TV taping. Every Raw, every SmackDown, every week for almost three months.

“Once I debuted at the Rumble people were like ‘where did he go?’, I was on the road every single week opening up the shows. Of course you’re not gonna see dark matches unless you’re in that city, but I was on the road, every single week, for about three months, doing dark matches, getting feedback, getting better.

“That’s what I was doing, so I’m throwing that out there for anyone saying I was missing or, what’s the word they used, I was buried or whatever the internet says, no, I was doing dark matches.

“The best training I was told is on the job training, and what better way to get on the job training than being in front of two live crowds every single week.”

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Keys is set to make his SummerSlam debut next weekend, when he teams with LA Knight and Solo Sikoa against Jacob Fatu and the Usos.

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