Headlines — sports desk top stories

Ed: “Let’s open with the stories that have been echoing around the wrestling world while AEW keeps rolling.”

• Dexter Lumis remembers Bray Wyatt Dexter Lumis talked about how deeply Bray Wyatt influenced him, describing late‑night creative talks, shared ideas about horror‑tinged storytelling, and how Bray encouraged him to lean into silence and body language instead of long promos. He framed their connection as one of the most meaningful relationships of his career.
• Joe Gacy says Wyatt Sicks ideas were never used Joe Gacy revealed that the Wyatt Sicks group had “a ton” of creative pitches—alternate entrances, long‑form vignettes, and character beats—that never made it to TV. He said the group felt like it was “just getting started” when everything stopped, and he still hopes some of those concepts can live again somewhere down the line.
• Will Ospreay on the aftermath of winning the AEW World Title Ospreay described the moments right after his AEW World Title win at All In 2026: collapsing backstage, barely able to process the noise, then immediately being pulled into media, production meetings, and the reality that the “dream moment” comes with a heavy workload. He said the belt felt less like a trophy and more like a responsibility the second he walked through the curtain.

Gordon: “Legacy, unrealized ideas, and the weight of a world title—that’s the backdrop for AEW’s week at the sports desk.”

AEW

Ed: “From Rebel Heart on Dynamite to a tribute‑heavy Collision, AEW’s week has been about emotion, charity, and keeping the machine moving while everyone’s still grieving.”

The main televised event in this window was AEW Collision on September 12, 2026, a show built around honoring Andy “The Butcher” Williams and raising money in his name.

AEW Collision — September 12, 2026

MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts — Tribute to Andy “The Butcher” Williams

Gordon: “This was less a standard wrestling show and more a memorial card with wrestling wrapped around it.”

Opening tribute

The broadcast began with an in‑memoriam graphic and a ten‑bell salute for Andy Williams. Wrestlers, staff, and friends—including Brody King, Colt Cabana, Justin Roberts, Penelope Ford, Kip Sabian and others—shared memories of him as a musician, a colleague, and a gentle presence backstage.

AEW Continental Championship Eliminator

Jon Moxley vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey Winner: Jon Moxley

The match opened with deliberate mat wrestling—Bailey chaining takedowns and headlocks, Moxley slowing things down with joint manipulation and grinding holds. Bailey repeatedly attacked Moxley’s leg with dragon screws and aerial knee drops, but Moxley kept dragging him into chokes and armbars. In the closing stretch, Bailey’s high‑risk offense left just enough of an opening for Moxley to catch him and finish with the Paradigm Shift, securing the eliminator win just before the time limit.

The Rascalz vs. Aaron Solo, Nick Comoroto & Griff Garrison

Winners: The Rascalz

Fast‑paced trios action. The Rascalz leaned on speed and double‑team sequences, eventually hitting the Hot Fire Flame to score the pin and keep their momentum rolling.

Queen Aminata vs. Mina Shirakawa

Winner: Queen Aminata

With Mercedes Moné on commentary, Aminata and Shirakawa traded strikes and counters, Mina trying to dictate pace while Aminata kept finding small openings. The finish came via a tight inside cradle, giving Aminata a statement win with the champion watching from the desk.

Jay White vs. Adam Priest

Winner: Jay White

Priest tried to drag White into a grind‑it‑out fight, but “Switchblade” systematically picked him apart—targeting openings, cutting off comebacks, and finally landing the Bladerunner for the pin. The match served as a showcase for White’s precision more than a back‑and‑forth epic.

PAC & The Dogs vs. Bang Bang Gang

PAC, Gabe Kidd, David Finlay & Clark Connors vs. Juice Robinson, Ace Austin, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn Winners: PAC & The Dogs

Backstage, Moxley lit a fire under The Dogs, challenging their killer instinct and demanding they give everything to the paying crowd. In the match, that pep talk showed—Connors, Kidd, and Finlay wrestled with more urgency, PAC anchored the chaos, and a big spear in the closing sequence sealed the win over the Bang Bang Gang.

Conglomeration vs. Lethal Twist

Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Blake Christian, Lee Johnson & Jay Lethal Winners: Conglomeration

With New Level (Austin Creed & Kofi) on commentary, this trios bout mixed Cassidy’s laid‑back timing, Strong’s intensity, and O’Reilly’s grappling against Lethal’s veteran savvy and his partners’ athleticism. The Conglomeration ultimately hit End of Heartache to close it out, reinforcing their place in the trios hierarchy.

The Butcher Battle Royal

Winner: Daniel Garcia (last eliminates Josh Alexander)

The main event was the Andy Williams Memorial Battle Royal, with the winner earning $100,000 to donate to a charity of his choice in Williams’ name. The field included Daniel Garcia, Josh Alexander, Claudio Castagnoli, Lance Archer, The Beast Mortos, Top Flight, AR Fox, Ortiz, Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta and others.

The match blended heavy‑hitter exchanges with emotional beats—Garcia leaving a guitar and “RIP Andy” sign in the ring, wrestlers and commentators gathering on the ramp as the crowd chanted “Andy.” Garcia outlasted Alexander in the final sequence, winning the Battle Royal and closing the show on a note that felt more like a farewell than a standard victory lap.

Ed: “Collision wasn’t about angles first—it was about saying goodbye, and letting the wrestling serve that goodbye.”

AEW news & rumors — past week

Gordon: “Outside the ropes, AEW’s week kept circling back to three things: grief, opportunity, and the future of its top stars.”

• Jericho vs. Nick Wayne build: Nick Wayne cut a promo referencing advice from Jericho and framing himself as the “hottest new prospect” Jericho feels threatened by, setting up their first‑time match on Dynamite.
• Mercedes Moné’s ambitions: Moné used commentary and interviews to push a new nickname and talk about wanting to break a two‑time WWE champion’s historic record, signaling that her AEW run is aimed at long‑term dominance, not just a quick title stint.
• Death Riders & Dogs dynamic: Moxley’s pep talk to The Dogs—and his insistence that he doesn’t “do favors” and only shows what hard work looks like—kept the Death Riders’ aura strong while nudging The Dogs toward a more ruthless presentation.

Ed: “So between tribute shows, rising prospects, and a world champion talking openly about the weight of his role, AEW’s week at the sports desk felt heavy but purposeful.”

Closing segment — CM Punk, Vince McMahon & John Cena promo (July 11, 2011 Raw)

Gordon: “We wanted to finish on that famous Raw segment, and it still stands as one of the sharpest pieces of TV the sport has produced.”

On July 11, 2011, Punk walked into Raw as the man with one foot out the door—contract expiring, title shot looming, and a microphone that had already changed the landscape. Vince tried to reassert control, offering Punk a new deal and demanding loyalty. Cena stood as the company’s standard‑bearer, caught between defending the title and defending the brand.

Punk’s promo—framed around “say goodbye to CM Punk”—turned the moment into a live negotiation in front of the audience. He questioned Vince’s motives, challenged Cena’s role as corporate face, and made the upcoming Money in the Bank match feel like a referendum on the entire system, not just a title defense.

PROMO

Credit: Cagematch.net

Vince McMahon: “Thank you! Thank you very much! I’m Vince McMahon, dammit, let’s hear it! Those of you who actually think I will join the CM Punk Kiss-My-Ass-Club, I hope you’re not gonna be disappointed, that’s defintely not gonna happen. If imagine myself on my hands and knees and someone drops their trousers and shows me the big moon, and… I could just never ever do anythig like that. But the primary aspect of this whole thing is rather something that there was supposed to be some sort of public negotiation. Well if John Cena last week publicly stewing out of the mouth or if CM Punk wanna have a public negotiation… contract should not be negotiated, with all due respect, in public. But nonetheless, that’s what CM Pbunk… CM Punk – I can’t even pronounce his name. He is a punk, but nonetheless, come out, CM Punk! I wonder what CM stands for… they got the punk part, right? Come on, let’s get this over with. I’ve got a plane to catch.

I think you’ll find everything in this contract Punk, your attorneys… this is a sky low low seat here. You’ll find everything here in order, your attorneys have been through it numerous times, including that little provision that you want your own collector’s cup. Nonetheless, sign it.”

CM Punk: “Look at you! Ladies and gentlemen, the chairman of the board, Vincent Kennedy McMahon.”

Vince McMahon: “Yeah, let’s hear it for Vince!”

CM Punk: “What a maneuver! Look at you, you’re really gonna go through it, aren’t you? For somebody who’s always been so pro-John Cena I figured you come out wearing one of his ridiculous red t-shirts and had the arm bands on, but looking at you now, I can tell you have zero faith in John Cena come this sunday, which I clearly don’t blame you…”

Vince McMahon: “My faith or lack of faith in John Cena has nothing to do with this. I simply want you to sign the contract for the right reasons. First of all to make you a rich man, which you already are, and secondly, I really couldn’t live with myself if, in fact, somehow, on the last day of your existitng contract… somehow you’re able to win the championship from John Cena and walk out of Chicago with my title. I could not live with myself. That’s why we have the contract. That’s why we have all these provisions in here, just like you asked for, right? I mean, is this right, Phil? I can call you Phil, right? I mean, come on, hey… hey, come on, you’ve went open this sucker up, let’s open it up, okay?”

CM Punk: “By all means. You wanna have fun? Let’s have fun…”

Vince McMahon: “Hey come on, I’ve got everything in here you wanted…”

CM Punk: “…’cause my lawyers looked over your contract, Vince and frankly it just wasn’t up to par, so I had them draw up a new one I have it right here. My signature is already on it. All you gotta do is sign it. I do think you should know about a couple of new perks I’ve added to it. You say you don’t think contractual things shouldn’t happen in public? Let’s ask the WWE Universe. You people want this to go down in public? You wanna hear a couple of new perks?”

Vince McMahon: “Don’t push me!”

CM Punk: “He said ‘Don’t push me’. Did you already look at this? Because this is actually provision #1. That I get to push you. Vince, I’ll push you all I want. Vince, I’ll kick you in the nuts and you’ll smile at me and like it, and show me some respect. Because if you don’t, I’ll find the nearest paper shredder, I’ll throw this contract in there and Sunday I’ll leave with your WWE championship.

Provison #1: For a superstar such as myself first class travel is not good enough. I want my own jet. And I don’t want YOUR jet. YOUR jet smells. Don’t try to pawn that thing off me. I want my OWN jet. #1: My face is on everything. I want my face on the Titantron, I want my face on these turnbuckles. I want cups, posters, spoons, knives, forks, shoes, socks… I want everything with my face on it, number being I want you to bring back the WWE ice cream bars. Look at that, I just made you a million dollars at ice cream sales. I want WWE films to immedialtely start production on ‘CM Punk – the Movie’. You can call it ‘The Chaperone 2’, except minorly funny and entertaining and successful. And one last thing, the main event WrestleMania being John Cena against your buddy Dwayne – that’s The Rock for nobody who watches bad Disney movies – you can still have that little fantasy, but the match I will compete in at WrestleMania will be the main event. Those are just a few of many new perks that my lawyers have added to the contract.

The last thing that this contract states is that you apologize to me. I know, Vince McMahon doesn’t apologize, right? But you will apologize to me for suspending me last week. You will apologize… hell I just gonna be honest. You’re not just apologizing to me, you’re apologizing to these people for being one of the biggest hypocrites I have ever seen in my entire life. As far as your anti-bullying-campaign goes, you are one of the biggest bullies I have ever met in my entire life and you will apologize!

I have had friends, very talented friends work for this company and being unceremoniously fired…”

Vince McMahon: “THEY DESERVED IT!”

CM Punk: “They deserved it? They deserved it?? Why? Because you don’t know what makes a superstar in 2011, you don’t know what these people want? You wanna punish people for actually liking professional wrestling guys like Colt Cabana, guys like Luke Gallows? Huh? You will apologize to me for them, because they can’t be here right now, and they can’t stand up to you, and they can’t make their voice heard. I am CM Punk, and I am the voice of the voiceless! And you will apologize and you will like it!”

Vince McMahon: “Hey look… look. Calm down! Let’s just get this signed, and just calm down, okay? Let us be gentlemen here, okay? Let’s be gentlemen.”

CM Punk: “Gentlemen?”

Vince McMahon: “Gentlemen. Let’s be business men and…”

CM Punk: “Should we be gentlemen or should we apologize? Vince, sign the contract and apologize and spare your company any further embarassement.”

Vince McMahon: “Let’s just get this over with, okay? And I mean… Come on, I’ve just eaten a crap sandwich out of your… [‘We want ice cream’-Chants.] I DON’T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU PEOPLE WANT!”

CM Punk: “THAT’S THE PROBLEM, VINCE! That’s the problem. You don’t give a damn. And my problem is I care too much. Am I a bad guy? Absolutely! I don’t wear a white hat, but I’m damn sure I’m in touch with these people and I think right now Boston wants hear to an apology.”

Vince McMahon: “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry. I… I said I’m sorry.”

CM Punk: What?

Vince McMahon: “I said… I said I’m sorry.”

CM Punk: “What? If there was ever an appropriate time… what?”

Vince McMahon: “I APOLOGIZE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

CM Punk: “What’s better than winning the world title three times? Vince McMahon just apologized to CM Punk! Yeah, pick it up and sign it before the stock drops some more. Come on!”

John Cena: “Fine speech. Listen to ’em man, they love you. And they’ll love you in your hometown of Chicago. And that’s the night you walk out on each and every one of them. You wanna sign that? You wanna give in to a terrorist? I’m not gonna tell you what to do. Last week I asked you for a match. A match that you earned, and a match that you wanna see, and I think that’s we’re standing up for. But right now, you guys are like a bunch of kids, a bunch of spoiled brats. I want this, nah I want that. I have this, nah I have that. I like this, I like that. Lokk at you, look at you. I get it. You feel mistreated in work and you hate this guy. I hate him, too. You know how many days I walk into a WWE locker room and I want to rip his face off with my bare hands, and make it into a cute little floor mat, you know, something classy, you’d get a bad breath in beyond, and then go out and step in crap, and take my crappy shoes and wipe ’em on that floor mat that I just made out of his face, and my dog come and pee on that floor mat that crap’s just been wiped on and flush it down the toilet. That’s how much I hate this guy. But I show up for work every day. Because if we have an disagreement, when we don’t see eye to eye, if I don’t show up, sure, it short-sides him, but these people paid a lot of good money to be here tonight. And they are the ones who really take it on the chin, these people right here, these people watching at home. You talk about hypocrites – Punk, you are the biggest hypocrite of them all. You will ask these folks if they want an apology. You will ask these folks to be the voice of the voiceless… and then you will leave. There is a man who stepped in this ring not too long ago and said ‘Finally, he was home’ and the he was never leaving again. Easy, dragonbreath! My God, what you’ve been eating, Big Foot’s diaper? My point is: I know you’re not that guy. But here you are, making a ridiculous list of demands, demands that he cannot meet, because all you wanna do is take this and walk out. Because you’re strongest attitude is also your biggest flaw. You are CM Punk, you beat your own drum, and I admire that. But in the path of doing things you wanna do, you’ve lost sight of everything.”

CM Punk: “Oh I’ll stop you right there. I’m not gonna have you sit here and belittle me that I’ve lost sight? I’ve lost sight of things, John? The reason I say I’m gonna take that walk out is because I don’t fit a certain mold, because I am the underdog. And that’s exactly what you’ve lost sight of. Earlier in this ring, you’ve mentioned great wrestlers like Eddie Guerrero and you said that they used to look at you and think that the kid couldn’t hang. And now you stand here and look at me as the kid that can’t hang. John, I was hanging off of your gangster car at WrestleMania 22 as it rolled down to Chicago, Illinois, and I stood there in a suit, looking as ridicilous as that man looks right now in a suit, holding a phony tommy gun, and I said to myself someday I’m not gonna be standing out there, watching you in the ring. I was gonna be standing in the ring, watching you go down to CM Punk. And now here we are in your hometown of Boston, and now next week, we’ll be back in my hometown, Chicago, Illinois, and this… this is the part, where I talk them into the building. See, YOU are the one that’s lost sight, and I apologize for raising my voice because I’m not that guy. But when you stand here and tell me that I’ve lost sight, when you, the ten time champion who stand for hustle, loyalty and respect, who from Boston, Massachusetts lives and breathes this red colors, the same colors as your beloved Red Sox, who also portrait themselves as the underdog. I’m sure just like the Bruins portrait themselves as the underdog, just like the Patriots think they’re the underdog.”

John Cena: “Easy, buddy…”

CM Punk: “Hey, how about the Celtics? Are they the underdogs, too? Here is what you’ve lost sight of, John, and I’m really happy that your father and your wife are sitting in the front row so they can hear it…”

John Cena: “Easy… That’s the last time I’m gonna tell you. Easy…”

CM Punk: “What you’ve lost sight of is what you are. And what you are, is what you hate. You are the ten time WWE champion. You’re the man. Ladies and gentlemen, the champ is here. You, like the Red Sox, like Boston, are no longer the underdog. You’re a dynasty! You are what you hate! You have become the New York Yankees!

Cut it off. Turn the music off ’cause I have something to say, and I’m positive that everybody here wants to hear it and everybody sitting at home as their DVR’S fired up, because they wanna hear it. I’m glad you just punched me in the face, John. I’m glad it went down this way, because it hit me like a bolt of lightning exactly why I no longer wanna be here, why I wanna leave. It’s because I’m tired of this. I’m tired of you. I’m just tired. So ladies and gentlemen of the WWE Universe, Vince, John… Sunday night, say goodbye to the WWE title. Say goodbye to John Cena. And say goodbye to CM Punk! I’m gonna be the best somewhere else.”

Ed: “That segment is why people still talk about promos like they’re as important as matches. It was a contract dispute, a character study, and a company‑wide pressure test all rolled into one—and it’s the kind of moment AEW, and every promotion, quietly hopes to capture in its own way.”

Gordon: “And that wraps the week from the sports desk—Collision’s farewell to The Butcher, the champion’s burden on Ospreay’s shoulders, and a reminder from Punk, Vince, and Cena of how powerful a live microphone can be.”