00:00A WWE future is uncertain, the truth behind this new Shane McMahon AEW picture, why a
00:07WWE star isn't being used, and more.
00:09I'm Luke Owen and this is the WrestleTalk News.
00:16But we kick off today's news with the best kind of news.
00:20Simpsons News.
00:21While I'm sure there are only about 5 of you in the comments that are still watching
00:24new episodes of The Simpsons, people of a certain vintage have a lot of nostalgia for
00:29the show.
00:30Me, for example.
00:31Shoutout to Talking Simpsons, one of my favourite podcasts.
00:34And to kick off the 36th season of the show, The Simpsons episode Bart's Birthday is
00:39being loaded up with guest stars, including Conan O'Brien, Danny DeVito returning as
00:44Unky Herb, Tom Hanks and, for fans of The Gramps, John Cena.
00:49I mean, he's either standing behind that guy or I can't see him because I'm pretty
00:57sure that's just Dave Meltzer.
00:59It looks like he's about to correct Bruce Prichard on how many episodes of The Simpsons
01:02there's really been.
01:03On to more serious matters, and you might recall a few months ago that we here at WrestleTalk
01:08broke the news with Fightful Select that Shane McMahon had met with AEW's Tony Khan, which
01:14was accompanied by this hilarious photo.
01:16From what we were told by sources within All Elite Wrestling, Tony had kept the meeting
01:20a secret, but had been open to using Shane O'Mac for a number of weeks before their
01:24meeting at an Arlington airport.
01:27Tony later opened up about the conversation, saying in one interview it was an exciting
01:31time in AEW.
01:33It led to plenty of speculation that Shane could be involved in the Elite storyline against
01:37Team AEW at Blood & Guts, he could be in the Casino Gauntlet at All In, he could debut
01:41at Grand Slam in New York, but none of that has happened.
01:45As far as we can tell, there is no Shane McMahon to AEW confirmed.
01:49But tell that to the Troll Bucks.
01:51The day after AEW Grand Slam from Arthur Ashe, The Young Bucks took to Twitter to post this
01:56picture of them posing with Shane McMahon at an airport, noting they had an interesting
02:01flight.
02:02Boy the Mean Street Posse sure look different to how I remember them.
02:04This of course sparked more speculation about the future of Shane McMahon and All Elite
02:08Wrestling, but according to the man himself, there is little to speculate on.
02:14According to someone on the flight who contacted Cultaholic to provide the information, Shane
02:18and the Bucks were seen boarding the plane together, talking and laughing, and sat just
02:23one row apart in first class.
02:25However they didn't talk much on the flight as Matt and Nick Jackson slept for most of
02:28the journey to Salt Lake City.
02:30The witness adds all three of them were waiting back after the plane landed to take a photo
02:35together.
02:36According to Cultaholic, despite being sat so close together, McMahon claimed to a person
02:39on the flight that it was a coincidence that he was on the same flight as the Young Bucks.
02:45So likely this is just the Troll Bucks taking a photo knowing it would garner media attention.
02:50The sort of media attention I'm currently giving them.
02:52So well played, Bucks.
02:55But as one door potentially opens, another potentially closes for AEW, and we'll have
03:00more on that in a bit, but first here's a clip from our most recent episode of Cutscene
03:04where I chart the troubled history of Ryan Reynolds trying to get a Deadpool movie made.
03:10Over at New Line Cinemas, Jeff Katz began the idea of making a movie based on Deadpool
03:14in 2004 and wanted Ryan Reynolds to play the role.
03:18The pair were working together on Blade Trinity, which saw Reynolds play Hannibal King alongside
03:22Wesley Snipes' Daywalker, and the two began to collaborate on developing what could be
03:26a Deadpool movie released by New Line Cinemas.
03:29Katz would later say, Ryan Reynolds is, I think, the only guy who can play that character.
03:35He is that character.
03:37The story of Malakai Black and AEW has been a strange one.
03:41He came in with a lot of fanfare, beating Cody Rhodes and forming the House of Black
03:45faction alongside Brodie King, Buddy Matthews and Julia Hart.
03:48He won the AEW Trios Championships, but it was noted by many fans that he very rarely
03:54had singles matches in the company.
03:56While he's spoken publicly that he's not sure why that's the case, the scuttlebutt
04:00has always been that he didn't want to be booked to lose.
04:03Dave Meltzer noted last year that's the reason he wasn't in the C2.
04:08It was even reported that Black had asked for his release in 2022, as did a few other
04:14ex-WWE guys, following Triple H taking over the creative reins in WWE.
04:18The company had reportedly reached out to former talent who had gone to AEW about possibly
04:23getting out of their deals and coming back.
04:26Black has denied the release request, but Sean Ross Sapp reported that the calls from
04:29WWE did happen, as Swerve Strickland and William Regal were both contacted.
04:35Andrade and Miro, the latter of which requested his release from AEW last week, were also
04:39listed among those ex-WWE guys who felt that AEW was the lower leagues and were just waiting
04:45to go back to WWE.
04:47But while Miro has reportedly requested his release, Black has not.
04:51And according to Tony Khan, Malakai Black is with AEW for a good number of years.
04:56He noted back in 2022 that Black had almost five years left on his deal.
05:01But that might not be the case, at least according to Raj Giri.
05:04He posted on Twitter, the word I'm hearing is that Black's contract is actually up
05:08early next year and AEW is working to re-sign him.
05:12While Giri doesn't state the who, he notes that Black has had interest from companies
05:16outside of AEW.
05:18But as one door potentially opens and another door potentially closes, a different door
05:22just stays where it is.
05:24It had been reported that Suraya's contract with AEW was coming to an end, and the two
05:28were having conversations about her future with the company.
05:31Suraya had gone from being a featured player in the women's division, winning the Women's
05:35World Championship at last year's All In, to being on the pre-show this year in an angle
05:40for Jamie Hayter's return and, well, losing a lot on TV.
05:44She is facing Hayter on Collision this coming Saturday.
05:46There was plenty of speculation online that she wouldn't be re-signing with AEW.
05:51However according to Fightful Select, Suraya is sticking around with All Elite Wrestling.
05:57Sean Ross Sapp reports that Suraya has signed for another year with the company.
06:01Fightful add in their report that AEW had a one year option on her original contract,
06:05but this would appear to be separate from that deal.
06:08This deal now expires in 2025.
06:11Fightful add there was a lot of positivity backstage regarding her match with Hayter
06:15that airs on Collision.
06:16We've got some news on those missing WWE stars in a moment, but first we now go over
06:20to Turbo John to hear about some very special backers over on Patreon.
06:49You get yourselves loads of cool, bonus, and exclusive content, and if you back us
06:55at a certain level, you get your name read out on the show like these fine folk.
07:00These fine people who have supported me, they've supported my family, they've supported Turbo
07:05Jake, they've supported Turbo John, and they support Turbo Jack.
07:10And they work out.
07:12People like The Cleaner, Kenny Shaw.
07:16The British Bulldog, Philly Boy J Smith Jr.
07:21The Roller Coaster, Robert Acosta.
07:25Yo Adrian, Rocky.
07:28He can lash on for longer than you in the ring, Starbuck Steven Costa.
07:35And lastly, what a fine soul, The Shield Maiden, The Czarnies.
07:40Head on over to Patreon.com forward slash WrestleTalk.
07:44That is Patreon full stop C-O-M slash WrestleTalk to get yourself your own Patreon shout out
07:51here on the WrestleTalk News by me, 80's wrestler Turbo John, or perhaps my fine brother
07:58Turbo Jack, but not my sweet departed Turbo Jake, only he's not departed.
08:04I will find you, I will help you, I will use the money that is being donated by this fine
08:10people to bring you peace.
08:13Work out.
08:14Boy that's the second time I've seen that Turbo John, and he sure seems handsome.
08:20Lovely hair as well.
08:21But please do go on over to Patreon.com forward slash WrestleTalk as we've got a bunch of
08:25exclusive content.
08:26Shortly after I've recorded this news episode, Oli and I will be sitting down for the next
08:294 hours to talk about TNA Turning Point 2006 as part of our WrestleTalk Extra series chatting
08:35TNA's greatest rivalry Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe.
08:38But really, I just want to talk about the Voodoo Kin Mafia.
08:41Last week it was reported via Fightful Select that the reason AJ Styles was off TV wasn't
08:45because he was hurt, it's just that, for lack of a better phrase, creative had nothing
08:50for him.
08:51He was working house shows, he just wasn't being used on TV.
08:54It prompted another Patreon backer to ask Sean Ross Sapp if it was a similar story for
08:58Shinsuke Nakamura.
08:59Nakamura last had a match on TV back in April where he lost to Sheamus.
09:04He was drafted to Smackdown where he's wrestled a few dark matches, but hasn't actually
09:08been on TV.
09:09He's been doing the house show loops and the house show matches working Cody Rhodes
09:13and AJ Styles.
09:14His last match with WWE was back in August as part of WWE's European Tour ahead of
09:19Fashion Berlin.
09:20He did get a big push in late 2023, which paid off in a street fight and bull road match
09:24with Rhodes in January and February, and the rumour at the time was this was just WWE trying
09:30to lure Kazuchika Okada to them instead of him signing with AEW.
09:34As for why he's not been on TV, Sean Ross Sapp writes that Nakamura is in the same boat
09:38as AJ Styles, he's fine and healthy, and just hasn't been used on WWE TV for whatever
09:45reason.
09:46He adds that he's not just not on TV, Nakamura is not regularly at TV.
09:52Speaking of AJ Styles and Fightful Select followed up on their previous report, now
09:55reporting that AJ Styles' future in wrestling is uncertain.
09:59Fightful again reiterates that Styles is healthy and able to work, but currently is just enjoying
10:04time with his family.
10:05What is new, however, is that his contract with WWE is up soon.
10:10Like really soon.
10:12So soon it could be the end of this year, or the start of next year.
10:16Back in April, Styles told The Ringer that he was thinking about retiring, or that he
10:20was at least close to the end, but still wanted that match and that storyline before he leaves
10:26WWE for good.
10:27But Fightful have heard from their sources that there hasn't been any effort in re-signing
10:32AJ Styles, or if he has any plans moving forward.
10:35As we've seen over the last week or so, WWE have been aggressive in re-signing talent
10:40who have their deals expiring next year, re-signing them early so as not to wait for the final
10:45few months before negotiation season begins, or before competing companies start to show
10:49an interest.
10:50PWInsider noted this included Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Nia Jax and Fightful Select reported
10:55that Kevin Owens was another name on that list.
10:58So them not doing the same for AJ Styles does raise some questions.
11:02While it's unclear when the contract does officially end, Fightful notes that influential
11:06names in the business believe it is up this year.
11:10Now go and watch that full Deadpool video we showed a clip of earlier as we really do
11:13appreciate all of your support and we need it as well.
11:17Have a great weekend.
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