The Final Boss Confuses Everyone 🤷‍♂️, Tyson at Wrestlemania 🥊, MAX Adding AEW PPVs 📺

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Saturday, February 22nd, 2025

🗓️ On This Day - 2016

Shane McMahon Shocks WWE with His Return

9 years ago today, Shane McMahon made his surprise return to WWE Raw in Detroit, Michigan, ending a seven-year absence from the company. The live crowd erupted as Shane-O-Mac interrupted Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon, declaring his intent to take control of WWE.

In storyline, Shane revealed that he had leverage over his father in the form of a mysterious "Locked Box", which led Vince to propose a high-stakes challenge: Shane would be given control of WWE if he could defeat The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania 32.

We all remember how that went…

Undertaker ended up winning the match and in classic Vince story line fashion there was never any plan for the “Locked Box”. Despite Shane McMahon losing he was still awarded control of the next four episodes of Raw, post-WrestleMania. The Raw after WrestleMania on April 4 opened with Vince McMahon dismissing the crowd as crazy and bragging that no one had leverage over him since he had obtained the locked box. Shane interrupted, shook Vince’s hand, and thanked the fans. Jealous of Shane’s overwhelming crowd support, Vince allowed him to run Raw for the night, believing it would be a disaster. However, Shane’s leadership proved popular, and due to "the overwhelming support of the WWE Universe on social media," he continued running Raw until the Payback pay-per-view.

❄️ Winter Madness 🏆

Welcome to Winter Madness, where we’re on a mission to crown the most popular WWE star across Morning Dirt Sheet! Every day, two legends step into the spotlight, but only one can advance.

Yesterday we finished Round 1 of The Attitude Era with (2) The Rock defeating (15) Owen Hart. Hart took 5 out of the 13 votes, more than I expected, but wasn’t enough to overcome “The Great One”. Round 2 is now set and will kick off in a few weeks!

As the Attitude Era faded, WWE entered a time of transition—The Ruthless Aggression Era (2002-2008). With John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Batista, and Randy Orton leading the charge, this era was defined by hard-hitting action, intense rivalries, and rising new stars. It was the birthplace of Elimination Chamber matches, Money in the Bank, and legendary feuds like Cena vs. Edge and Undertaker vs. Batista.

Then came the PG Era (2008-2013)—WWE’s shift toward family-friendly entertainment. While the edge of past years softened, CM Punk’s "Pipebomb," Daniel Bryan’s "Yes! Movement," and Shawn Michaels' retirement proved that this era still delivered unforgettable moments.

This round of Winter Madness will determine who defined this generation—we’ll start with one of the biggest names in WWE history, (1) John Cena, taking on (16) Rob Van Dam!

See full bracket here

WWE Smackdown Results - February 21st, 2025

WWE SmackDown aired live from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, featuring a heated (and very confusing) confrontation between Cody Rhodes and The Rock, a big tag team main event, and a high-stakes battle between Tiffany Stratton and Candice LeRae.

Nick Aldis Pulls Cody Rhodes from the Main Event. SmackDown opened with GM Nick Aldis informing Cody Rhodes that he was removed from tonight’s tag team main event. "The Final Boss" The Rock requested a private conversation with Cody later in the show.

Jimmy Uso def. Drew McIntyre. McIntyre dominated early, punishing Jimmy with a Reverse Alabama Slam into the steps. Jimmy fought back with a Samoan Drop and a spear but failed to put McIntyre away. After a series of counters, Jimmy caught McIntyre with a roll-up for the upset win. Post-match, McIntyre attacked Jimmy, smashing his face into the ring post and nailing a Claymore.

Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu Strengthen Their Alliance. Solo reassured Jacob Fatu that last week's incident with Tama Tonga was an accident. Jacob warned Solo that if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t still be standing. They agreed to "run the plays" tonight as Solo went to speak with Nick Aldis.

Zelina Vega Declares a Fresh Start. Vega reflected on her struggles in WWE, vowing to prove she belongs at the top. She promised that her journey was far from over.

Carmelo Hayes & The Miz def. LA Knight & R-Truth. The match saw Hayes and Miz isolate Truth before Knight turned the tide with a powerslam and running elbow. Nakamura interfered, attacking Knight, allowing Miz and Hayes to hit a Skull Crushing Finale/First 48 combination for the win.

Tiffany Stratton def. Candice LeRae. Stratton overcame LeRae’s targeted offense, hitting a Rolling Senton before preparing for PME. Nia Jax pulled LeRae out, but Stratton dropkicked Jax and hit the PME on LeRae for the win. Post-match, Jax attacked Stratton, but Trish Stratus made the save. Jax overpowered both, standing tall as Charlotte Flair watched.

Alexa Bliss Promises Destruction in the Chamber. Bliss declared the Chamber her playground, reminding everyone she had won the match before. She vowed to turn it into a living hell for her opponents.

Naomi vs. Liv Morgan Ends in a No-Contest. Before the match started, The Judgment Day attacked Naomi and Bianca Belair. Officials called off the bout, and Nick Aldis ejected Judgment Day from the arena. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven tried to talk their way into replacing Naomi and Belair in the Chamber, but Aldis ignored them.

The Rock and Cody Rhodes Face Off. The Rock officially announced WrestleMania 42 will take place in New Orleans in 2026 before calling Cody Rhodes to the ring. Rock praised Cody as WWE Champion but said he could be more—"his champion." He promised to open doors for Cody that he never knew existed, even calling him the brother he never had. He then revealed his true demand: Cody’s soul. He told Cody to think it over and meet him in Toronto at Elimination Chamber with an answer.

(I honestly found The Rock’s promo a bit hard to follow… it felt all over the place. Hopefully they tighten the story because it’s not very clear what’s going on here)

Pretty Deadly def. DIY via Disqualification in a WWE Tag Team Championship Match. DIY controlled the action, but the match ended when The Street Profits attacked Pretty Deadly. Chaos erupted as The Motor City Machine Guns joined the brawl. The Profits stood tall after hitting Revelation on Chris Sabin.

Damian Priest & Braun Strowman def. Solo Sikoa & Jacob Fatu. Strowman overpowered his opponents early, but Sikoa and Fatu isolated him. Priest got the hot tag, landing a South of Heaven chokeslam on Sikoa for the win. Priest and Strowman stood tall as SmackDown went off the air.

See full results here

🔮 AEW Collision Preview

• AEW Trios Championship: Death Riders vs. Daniel Garcia and 2.0

• Beast Mortos vs. Hologram

• Queen Aminata vs. Julia Hart

• Max Caster’s Open Challenge

• ROH World Championship: Chris Jericho vs. Bandido

• Gabe Kidd is coming

• We’ll hear from Harley Cameron

WWE

🥊 Mike Tyson to Appear at WWE World During WrestleMania 41 Weekend

Mike Tyson is set to make an appearance at WWE World during WrestleMania 41 weekend. The boxing legend, who has a storied history with WWE, including his involvement in WrestleMania XIV, will be part of special programming and fan interactions leading up to the big event.

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🔥 Rikishi Reflects on Jey Uso’s Rise & The YEET Movement

Rikishi spoke about his son Jey Uso’s rise in WWE and how his ability to adapt helped him during the Thunderdome Era. "During the pandemic, you have this kid here, with him and Roman when they had their little dance-off together," Rikishi said. "It was there that I [saw] the skills of Jey, to be able to adapt in front of a crowd that's not there, but on a TV screen. Can you imagine how hard that is, to perform during a pandemic [in] an arena full of TV screens, and to be able to carry the weight of the company during that time?"

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🤝 NXT Champion Oba Femi Makes Surprise Appearance on TNA Impact

The NXT-TNA crossover continued as NXT Champion Oba Femi made a surprise appearance on TNA Impact. The segment saw Femi interact with Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Moose, and others, further strengthening the working relationship between WWE’s developmental brand and TNA.

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🚪 Carmella’s WWE Contract Expires, Not Renewed

Former WWE Women’s Champion Carmella is officially done with WWE, as her contract has expired and was not renewed. While no immediate plans have been announced, speculation has already begun about her next move in wrestling or entertainment.

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💪 Scott Steiner’s Son, Brock, Signs WWE NIL Deal

Brock Steiner, son of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner, has officially signed a WWE NIL (Next In Line) deal, setting the stage for his future in the company. Following in the footsteps of his cousin Bron Breakker, Brock now has the opportunity to continue the Steiner legacy in WWE.

AEW

💭 Maria Kanellis Taking Time to “Figure Things Out” After AEW Contract Ends

After her AEW contract expired, Maria Kanellis shared that she is taking a step back to focus on her family. "At the end of the day, I kind of took a step back and was like, 'You know what, I don't think I want that right now.' I want to be a mom. I want that to be enough, but I also want to find fulfillment in other things that I'm super passionate about. If the right opportunity comes around and there is an opportunity, whether it be a couple of months of doing something in wrestling or to help out somewhere or do a camp or that kind of stuff, I'm not going to say no, but at the same time, it's just not where I want to be."

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🤬 AEW Staff Expresses Frustration Over Tony Khan’s Production Decisions

Issues with AEW’s production process are reportedly growing behind the scenes, with staff expressing frustration over the lack of structured planning. "The bigger story here than this was just such a fking disaster is not a week goes by, not one week goes by where I don’t hear from somebody in AEW saying, ‘Why the fk don’t we have production meetings? We need production meetings. Things happen on every show where if we had a production meeting, they wouldn’t happen.’"

Reddit

📺 [PWInsider] Max streaming service will be adding AEW PPVs from 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 to their streaming service on March 1st, PWInsider.com can confirm. Once those 30 PPV events are added to the service, Max would have every PPV and special event in AEW history available.

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🏆 Cody Rhodes’ 1-Year Anniversary as WWE Champion – Did He Live Up to the Hype?

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💪 Swole Cole

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🔥 Undertaker on working with Shawn Michaels before HBK's first retirement: "In those early years, if I was to go backstage and see Shawn on fire, I wouldn’t piss on him to put [that] out. I didn’t care for him as a human being. But there’s nobody, that I had rather be in the ring with."

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