At Crown Jewel, everyone was in shock as they saw the shocking return of Kairi Sane when she came to assist Iyo Sky in her title defence against Bianca Belair. This was none more shocking to anyone more than Bayley. She had a foolproof plan for IYO’s match and did not get the advance notice that Kairi would be back in the company. Let alone a part of Damage CTRL. So Bayley took this matter public on this week’s episode of Smackdown. Bayley felt a bit slighted by this plan to bring Kairi into the fold. Possibly a bit bewildered by the level of secrecy that Dakota Kai and IYO had to bring a whole new member into the group. Especially, a new member that was trusted to help assist in such an important for the faction Champion. A sense of guilt is running through Bayley as she reminds Damage CTRL that the last time that she’s seen KAIRI was when she brutally attacked her in July of 2020. Dakota Kai assures Bayley that Kairi has long forgotten about that attack and that they didn’t tell Bayley about the plan for Crown Jewel because they wanted to lighten her load. All the while Kairi looks like she definitely remembers the attack and is just waiting for the moment to strike. After this heart-to-heart, we later see a match between Damage Ctrl versus Charlotte Flair, Bayley and Asuka. Unfortunately for Belair, this is a repeat of Bianca being attacked again by her tag partner Asuka. We see a reunion between former tag members Asuka and Kairi. Something that is clearly another shocker to Bayley. How much does Bayley not know about the future of her faction? Could this be the foreshadowing of Bayley’s last days as the leader of Damage CTRL? Or is it just a happy family welcoming in a new member that acknowledges Bayley’s ranking within the faction? Time will tell what Bayley’s fate is. Check out all of the twists and turns from this shocking Smackdown involving the twists and turns of Damage CTRL If you enjoy WWT content, you can donate to the site here. You can also visit our Merch store You can listen to all of our podcasts by following us on Spotify and subscribing to our YouTube Channel, or any of your favourite podcast platforms. Follow us on Twitter: @wwtalkpod

debut You'd be halfway right if you thought that Ronda Rousey’s match at this year's SummerSlam was the last time you’d see the rowdy one in a wrestling ring. It may be the last time we see her in a WWE ring, but it won’t be the last time she steps in a wrestling ring. After making a surprise appearance at a Lucha VaVoom event a few weeks ago and teaming with her fellow Four Horsewomen Marina Shafir, Rousey may be looking at being a constant fixture on the West Coast independent scene. Wrestling Revolver announced on Twitter (its momma named it Twitter; we gonna call it Twitter) that Rousey would be headlining their upcoming Revolver Unreal event on November 16th. What’s interesting is that not only is Rousey headlining the card, Wrestling Revolver is pulling out all the stops with the card. Names such as Jon Moxley, The Rascalz, Swerve Strickland, Chris Bey and others are set to appear and give us some unique, highly anticipated matchups; however, that’s not the biggest takeaway from this event. The biggest takeaway is that Wrestling Revolver is putting a focus on women with this card. Ronda is probably the biggest mainstream name on the entire card. However, Wrestling Revolver is taking advantage of that star power and ensuring that they highlight multiple women. The main event is Rousey and Shafir teaming up against Ring of Honor Women’s Champion Athena and her “minion” Billie Starkz. Athena has been one of the most consistent performers in women’s wrestling over the past year despite the lack of promotion and accessibility to watch her work. Interestingly enough, Rousey and Athena have never squared off against each other despite both being in WWE at the same time. Athena also helped Rousey get back in ring shape for her most recent WWE run. Add in the two wildcards of Billie Starkz and Marina Shafir and we have the recipe for possibly the best tag team match of the week. Also, Masha Slamovich will take on Jacob Fatu in one one-on-one action. Slamovich has proven that it doesn’t matter if it’s a man or woman she will step into the ring with anyone and put on one of the best performances of the night. Add in one of the most dominant forces in MLW’s history in the form of Jacob Fatu, and you have the recipe for a beautiful car wreck. Wrestling Revolver has teased many more appearances for the event. The one thing we know about pro wrestling is that anything can happen, and anybody can show up at any given moment. Tickets for Wrestling Revolver: Unreal are still available. If you’re not in the Los Angeles area on November 16th, then be sure to catch the event live on FITE TV.

Over the past few months, we’ve seen Billie Starkz in Athena’s corner. This organic friendship turned into a twisted, manipulative allyship when Athena announced that she would be turning Billie into her minion in training. The bubbly, joyful Billie had to be broken down and ripped apart to become what the Women’s World Champion wanted. There has been progress with this, Billie even fully embracing becoming a minion for Athena. Thinking that Athena would provide that mentorship that she’s seeking. However, I don’t think that Billie thought that it would get to the point where we see Billie lose that beautifully optimistic spirit that we know her to have. Last week, when Athena berated Billie to the point when she was at the edge of tears and needed consoling from Lexy Nair, you could see something snap in Billie. Even though Billie provided an assist in helping Athena retain her title against Mercedes Martinez last week, you can see that Athena’s disapproval has broken her. With the complexities of Starkz still seeking the approval to make her feel like she belongs on the ROH women’s roster. However, this brokenness in Billie shows that she doesn’t just want to regain the trust of Athena again. She wants to use that trust against Athena later. You can see that Billie is putting on a face to mask her newfound disgust for the tyrannical Athena. Who has admitted that she will yell, scream, hit and humiliate Billie if she needs to to get Billie to become the violent monster that she craves. The thing that Athena may not be counting on, is that this killer that she might be trying to create will come for that title and destroy her creator to obtain it. Do you think Athena will figure it out before it’s to late? Check out our interview with Billie Starkz:

This week has already started off on a surprisingly exciting note, as the newly formed US based Joshi Wrestling promotion, Sukeban has announced that they have signed another amazing wrestler. Regarded among the most talented wrestlers in the world, Sareee joins the star-studded Sukeban roster. Sareee will make her Sukeban debut at the company’s second event in Miami, this December after choosing to join the Cherry Bomb Girls stable. According to the press release from Subekan: Sukeban, a Japanese female wrestling league, today announced that it has signed Sareee to a multi-year contract, with the world-class performer set to debut at Sukeban’s second event, which will take place next month in Miami. Sareee today announced that she has chosen to join her longtime friends in Sukeban’s Cherry Bomb Girls stable. https://x.com/Sukeban_World/status/1721535641714860292?s=20 In her Sukeban debut match, Sareee will take part in a Special Attraction Four Way Match pitting one member from each of Sukeban’s four stables. The match will see Sareee (Cherry Bomb Girls) take on Countess Saori (Dangerous Liaisons), Atomic Banshee (Vandals), and Babyface (Harajuku Stars), with one fall to a finish. Joining Sukeban’s roster marks the return to the United States for Sareee, a former WWE performer who is widely regarded as one of the most talented and underutilized pro-wrestlers in the world. Sareee epitomizes the spirit of All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling, serving as a link to the glory days of Joshi pro-wrestling. The announced card for Sukeban's Miami event so far includes: Sukeban World Championship Match Ichigo Sayaka vs. Commander Nakajima Special Attraction Four Way Match Sareee vs. Countess Saori vs. Atomic Banshee vs. Babyface Sukeban will release more details about the upcoming Miami event in the coming days. For more information, visit sukeban.com and follow Sukeban on Instagram, Tik Tok, and X at @sukeban_world.

On November 4th, the promising upcoming promotion, All Caribbean Wrestling had another blazing hot show, Mobay Bash, which was held in tropical Montego Bay, Jamaica. Women’s Wrestling Talk’s own Gerard Bonner was on commentary alongside Caprice Coleman to call this stacked card. After throughly enjoying this match, I think that it would be a disservice, to not the discuss the women’s matches for this event. Vanessa Kraven vs Savannah Evans In this match, that is certainly a testing of power and brute strength between Vanessa Kraven and Savannah Evans, we have ACW Women’s champion, Mazzerati at ringside; rooting on her pal Kraven. The fans are in for a surprise when Red Velvet comes out as the guest referee for this match. Definitely a good call for a match that needs a referee that won’t be intimidated by the giants in the ring. Both women start off this match sizing each other up and trying to knockout one another down, even Savannah picking Kraven up doesn’t work. Vanessa pulls off a very impressive Samoan drop, that puts the power in her hands. A crazy effective cannonball drop knocks the wind out of Savannah. However, it doesn’t completely take out the tough as steel Savannah. Both go blow for blow with each other and even hits each other with a boot to the face to knock both women off of their feet. Mazzerati tries to interfere and gets on the rope to hit Savannah, but accidentally hits Kraven instead and Savannah gets a quick pin to get the win. In the future, this may create dissension between Mazzerati and Kraven. Especially, considering the strong desire that Kraven has to hold that title. I’m very interested to see how their friendship looks after this loss for Vanessa Kraven. Cassandra Golden vs Mazzerati Cassandra getting that love right off the bat was cool to see. Certainly a fan favorite on the roster. The ACW women’s champion, Mazzerati doesn’t care about getting the fan’s approval, she has been able to hold that title for 300 days and she just wants to walk out of this match as champ. Cassandra is happy go lucky in general, but doesn’t allow herself to be taken advantage of in the square circle. She’s honestly mopping the floor with Mazzerati. Vanessa Kraven comes out to be at Mazzerati’s side, but realistically, to also observe how the champ does in this match. Mazzerati takes time out of the ring to gain her bearings and comes back strong. Using quick moves to take it to her bigger, taller opponent. Mazzerati bringing a bit of strong style maneuvers into this match was very impressive. Cassandra makes a comeback and has the fans on the edge of their seats. Will we see a new champ? Mazzerati pulls off a northern lights suplex that puts her back into the game. But doesn’t get the pin. A frustrated Mazzerati grabs her belt. This shows to be a grave mistake, as this gives Cassandra time to recover and pull off a spine buster to get a pin. Quite a shock to the fans, but it didn’t stop them from showing their excitement. Congratulations to the new women’s champion “The Golden One” Cassandra Golden! Be sure to check out everything that All Caribbean Wrestling has to offer on their Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@allcaribbeanwrestling And check out our interview with the creator of All Caribbean Wrestling JB Cool and AEW star Red Velvet!

As predicted after their tag team match against Masha Slamovich and Killer Kelly at Bound for Glory, Tasha and Deonna have some tension boiling over with the way that match ended. Questions arising over the few weeks for both women. For example, did Tasha actually hit Deonna by accident? Tasha asking herself if Deonna feels that she needed to cheat and if Steelz would stoop that low to screw over Purazzo. So these two ladies needed to settle the score in a singles match against one another. As both women entered the ring, we see a montage of photos that shows off this authentic friendship that they both have with one another that supersedes wrestling. It shows a bond that as a fan you don’t want to see broken. Tasha and Deonna regard each other professionally with shaking each others hands and getting a lock up to officially start the match. It was exciting to see a bit of catch wrestling on display by both women early on. You can see that they have studied one another so well, that it’s an uphill battle for either to get the upper hand. Tasha gets in her stride and starts to feel cocky as she gets a leg up. Even treating us for a moment to twerking in the middle of the ring. Deonna turns it around and twist Tasha into a pretzel and takes time to show off her twerking skills to the fans as well. The mood of the match turns serious when deadly strikes start to come into play. Both women wind up knocking each other out with a clothesline. Deonna takes over and puts on her signature Fujiwara bar, but Tasha flips it and gets her own submission in. However, Deonna reverses the submission and puts on the Fujiwara arm bar on Steelz again. Showing that both women did not come to play. Two cutters from Tasha derails Deonna enough for Tasha to pin her and get the win . At the end of the day, the nasty, ruthless, side of Tasha gave her the upper hand in this match. Will this match bring animosity and strife into Tasha and Deonna’s real life friendship? Will Deonna become bitter? With the lost at Bound for Glory, the loss against the Women’s champion Trinity last week in the UK and now against her friend in a singles match, you have to wonder where Deonna’s head will be next week.

Things are starting to heat up on episode 8 of WOW! We see BK Rhythm and Gigi Gianni go head to head with new tag team, Chantilly Chella and Tiki Chamorro. Believe it or not, surfing is what brought Chantilly and Tiki together. Made woman, Adriana Gambino wants all the gold and will stop at nothing to get it. She takes on WOW favourite Stephy Slays, who is also a nurse by day! We have a new WOW Superhero in the mix. Well, it's Goldie Collins and her best-in-show dog. Her very first opponent is fighting sensation, Kandi Krush who is currently on a winning streak and is no mood to make new friends. And in the main event fighting champion, Princess Aussie faces Tormenta who is trying to become the first Latino WOW champion. Princess Aussie is not letting go of her championship without a fight!! So much more happen in between the matches. If you aren't caught up on WOW yet, go to wowe.com and enter their zip code to find their local station in the US to watch now. Then check out our post-show: If you enjoy our WWT content, you can donate to the site here. You can also visit our Merch store HERE You can listen to all of our podcasts by following us on Spotify and subscribing to our YouTube Channel, or any of your favourite podcast platforms. Follow us on Twitter: @wwtalkpod

We start off this episode with Eric Darkstorm showing off his tattoos and why they matter to him so much. You see the love that he has a love for his dog that passed away, God, guns, the Second Amendment and Haley J. As American as you can be with those tattoos, that’s for sure. Haley J is getting her makeup done as she’s talking to Eric before her WOW debut with her Mom Maria. We get a glimpse of the WOW locker room, as the women are getting their gear on. Maria gets prepped to do some interviews for WOW for fans to get to know her. Maria is very honest about who she was growing up and how teen pregnancy and wanting to provide for her kids, led her to sell drugs and land in jail. You can see that the distance from her daughter, because of her jail time still bothers Haley J. It’s a tough subject. But Maria has come a long way. She doesn’t make excuses for herself or run away from her past. I really respect that. Haley J is also candid about her past. How she was living in bad situations when her Mom was locked up. Usually, the people didn’t like her or they had too much going on to pay attention to her. This built up resentment. Haley J disagrees that she is a carbon copy of her Mom. Maria points out that her daughter is strong-minded and stubborn just like her. We usually never see the patterns in our personalities with our parents. Go figure. Eric is seen speaking to his friends at the barbershop and honestly bashing what Haley is doing at WOW and how she’s out of her element. I think that deep down, Eric wishes that he had the same opportunities and support system with his Mom. We get a glimpse of Eric’s early years in wrestling. He started at 16, went down the rough road with drug use and became a father early on. He feels that his home life and career developments didn’t happen all at the same time. In his opinion, women are being handed opportunities in the wrestling business now. You can see the anger and resentment oozing off of Eric. The question becomes, will he be able to handle Haley J’s rise in the wrestling world? He also feels that he does most things better than Haley J and that she needs to make more time for him. We check back in with Mahabali Shera who is nursing a dislocated shoulder. He sustained this injury during his match with James Storm. He’s trying to get better before his rematch with Storm in three weeks. He doesn’t want to tell his family. Which is hard when he’s on FaceTime with his Mom and his shoulder is in a sling. This shoulder injury does create a setback for Shera as Al Snow has been building him up for a year. This doesn’t put an end to the buildup, it just makes Al go into his memory bank and think of great ways to still build him up. Haley J returns home and is already met with a sour-faced Eric, who doesn’t want her to talk about her time in WOW. You can certainly say that Haley’s confidence was built up during her WOW experience. We cut to a business meeting between the creative team working on some ideas for the eventual match between Maria and Haley J. Maria is happy to have a hardcore match with her daughter, but Al is making it clear, that all of these plans are great, but if Haley isn’t around as much because she is taking bookings elsewhere, then this won’t be a possibility. Al wants to book this feud long-term, he wants things to make sense and have nuanced character development. Not just to show a gruesome death match. Death matches and Maria go hand in hand and she gets a kick out of it. In her early years in the business, she wanted to prove during the early 00s that she was tough and not a woman who could just deliver T&A like what was the norm in WWE at the time. Another meeting takes place with Al, Jessica, Doug Basham and Matt Jones. Matt wants to discuss an idea that he has. Immediately everyone else in the room starts to laugh. Matt hasn’t won them over as someone who has great ideas. Matt wants Al to feud with the OVW heel announcer Shannon Grigsby, which would soon lead to a wrestling match. Al doesn’t look too enthusiastic about it. At the heart of it, it seems like Matt wants to see Al wrestle again. At 59 years old, Al seems perfectly fine not wrestling. However, the wrestling business has a way of pulling you back in. Next, we see Matt and a few of the OVW wrestlers at the Lexington Acura car dealership to prepare for a show. They happen to be the biggest sponsor for OVW. The owner seems chill, yet eccentric. A perfect fit as a sponsor for a wrestling company. The wrestlers and Matt seem to be getting along and actually enjoying being around one another. Matt is starting to see that he should’ve come into OVW a bit more respectful of what the wrestlers do and the hard work that they put in to make an entertaining show. After a successful show at the dealership, you see Matt trying to make himself more approachable and even staying late to talk to the wrestlers and compliment their work. Eric and Haley J are arguing in front of Hooters about their relationship. Honestly, we saw this brewing. Eric makes it clear, that he just wants to be with Haley, not Hollywood Haley J. Not the character, but the real women. Haley J is pretty closed off to what Eric is saying and you can see the distance building with them both. Haley admits that she has trust issues and doesn’t know what to do about it. She knows that it severs the relationship, but doesn’t know how to fix it. Eric knows that there is a kind, sensitive girl inside of Haley, but she doesn’t want to share the side with him. Haley definitely has resentment toward her Mom, because she feels that her Mom is seen as the loving mother hen of the locker room in OVW, but she doesn’t give that kind of tender, loving care to her. Which you can see is bubbling over for Haley J and bleeding into the on-camera feud that she has with her Mom. Real emotions are coming out and Al Snow feels that Haley is losing control. Al can see the scars that both Maria and Haley J carry with their past experiences with one another. We get to see Maria’s mom as they look over pictures and talk about memories. Maria also came from a single-parent home when her Mom left her father when she was small. Maria stayed with her Dad, while her sister went with her Mom. She grew up rough and tough. Surrounded by boys. Watching wrestling from a young age. Her anger is still there and leaks over into her rough style in wrestling. Haley has issues with her biological Dad, she only references him as a sperm donor. Maria talks about how rough it was to take care of her children with zero help from her ex-husband once they divorced. During the time that Haley J’s Mom was locked up, and she and her brother went from house to house, she was emotionally, verbally and physically abused. Haley wasn’t allowed to speak to her Mom on the phone during her stint in prison. That loss of contact and parental guidance certainly did a number on her. After her Mom was released, Haley still didn’t get her mom back. Maria immediately started pursuing wrestling and Haley J still didn’t get the attention that she needed. There is a bit of a disconnect on Maria’s part as to why Haley would become an angry teen and want to leave her house at 16. Maria is not taking responsibility for why Haley would feel unloved in that environment. Over those years, Haley grew a tough exterior and didn’t trust very many people. We sadly hear about the traumatic experience of Haley being raped when she was 15. So all of this can easily show you, why the character of Hollyhood Haley J is a safe place. A security blanket for the 23-year-old. The build-up for this first blood match commences, as we see Haley J and Maria looking for weapons for their match hours before happening. As the thumb tack comes out, you can tell that Haley is nervous about this match. Even throwing up a few minutes before she has to go through the curtain. This match isn’t for the faint of heart and these women are showing why. Maria comes into the match reluctant to fight her daughter, even when Haley J pushes her. It takes a hard slap in the face to bring down the walls for Maria to push her daughter down on the mat. Haley J delivers all of the blows and Maria holds her hands behind her back. Haley uses a trash bin, chair, a cord and a studded bat that’s covered in thumbtacks. Maria takes it and still won’t hit her daughter. Haley pours out thumbtacks from a popcorn container to the ring mat and something snaps in Maria to finally fight back and hit Haley with the top of the trash bin. Blood is pouring from so many parts of Maria’s body. Many fans in attendance can barely look at the match. Al Snow makes it clear that he just wants the match to end as he looks on in the back. Haley J marvels at her handy work and smears the blood on Maria’s head onto her hand. Maria gets payback and suplexes Haley onto the thumbtacks twice. Haley gets the last laugh though, when she spears Maria into a table that is in the corner of the ring. We get a three count that deems Haley J as the winner. In a weird way, the excessive use of violence in this match was probably cathartic for this mother and daughter. Both women hug at the end, to the cheers of the crowd. This was a tale of redemption for Hollyhood Haley J in OVW from a trouble heel to a remorseful daughter. Also, a form of redemption for Maria. A young mother who messed up in the past. This experience probably helped Haley J discover that her Mom did her best and made mistakes and that they still have time to make things right. What did you think of the episode? If you enjoy WWT content, you can donate to the site here. You can also visit our Merch store You can listen to all of our podcasts by following us on Spotify and subscribing to our YouTube Channel, or any of your favourite podcast platforms. Follow us on Twitter: @wwtalkpod

On October 27, New Japan held a press conference for the Fighting Spirit Unleashed event in Las Vegas. The renaissance woman Hyan was ready to make her NJPW strong debut against the dominant champion Giulia. Hyan has a lot of respect for Giulia and wanted the fans to expect a hard-hitting match that she knew wouldn’t be easy. This is also a dream match for the challenger who wanted to face Giulia for a bit. During the press conference, Giulia made it clear that everyone loves her and she’s excited to have this match. She stated that this was an honour to have this match in Las Vegas. She also joked that her English is that of a junior high school student, so she had to make notes. She proceeds to read from her notes in English. Giulia says that she doesn’t know much about Hyan other than she’s very nice. Also on October 28th, it will be her pro wrestling debut anniversary. It’s clear that Giulia is going to be a global champion, so she wants to be able to communicate with her fans worldwide. Very cool moment leading into this match. Pan to Saturday night in Las Vegas, and Hyan and Giulia are all set to go. Both women came out to a very enthusiastic crowd. The champ gets a great reception as she dons the Strong Women’s title around her waist. Hyan came into this match knowing that she was an underdog. Clearing having to prove herself. Giulia obtained this title in July, from Willow Nightingale and doesn’t plan on losing it. A lockup starts this match. Hyan had a bit of momentum starting out, but a chop to the chest, in the corner, quickly helps to turn the table and gives the champ the advantage. An octopus submission hold helps to cement that Giulia is in charge. Hyan tries to make a comeback and goes blow for blow with Giulia. A headlock possibly spells the end for Hyan, but she’s able to get to the ropes. Even diving out of the ring to take out the champ temporarily. The double under hook body slams off of the top rope, incapacitates both Hyan and Giulia, as the crowd cheers on this phenomenal match. A second round of hard slaps commences, with the Renaissance woman Hyan getting the upper hand. However, not a win, as she attempts a pin. Giulia recovers and pulls off an impressive German suplex. A swift spear from Hyan gets the crowd on the edge of their seats but doesn’t secure a win. The northern lights bomb finisher from Giulia locks in the win for her. Giulia walks out of this PPV as champ. A huge sign of respect is shown when Giulia shakes the hand of Hyan and takes a moment to absorb her win and the excitement from the crowd. A solid championship match, that has also put a lens on Hyan and her future attempts to possibly challenge for the title. Giulia is a wanted woman though, because she went backstage to conduct her post-match interview and was confronted by Trish Adora for her chance to get that Strong Women’s championship. Competition for this title is heating up, but Giulia seems up for the challenge. Check out the replay of the Fighting Spirit Unleashed PPV on https://njpwworld.com/

AJ Mendez (formally known as AJ Lee) is one of the most memorable women's wrestlers of all time. She is an amazing example of what it means to fight for the life you want. Coming from humble beginnings in New Jersey, young April Mendez dealt with a tough upbringing but found refuge in video games, comic books and professional wrestling. This passion led her to become an early wrestling star in New Jersey and she would then go on to WWE to become an FCW Divas Champion and a 3-time Divas Champion on the main roster. After years of shattering glass ceilings, breaking hearts and capturing our imaginations, she retired in 2015. In the years since her exit from in-ring competition, she has become a New York Times best-selling author and actress. After returning to wrestling as an executive producer and colour commentator for WOW-Women of Wrestling in 2021, Mendez announced via social media that her contract with WOW is "winding down" and that she hopes to "come back and play with them in the future." With this announcement, her viral in-ring scene from the Starz Original series 'Heels' and her chiselled physique, the wrestling community embraced the notion of AJ making her way back to an athletic career. Where would she begin her new journey? What women of our modern era would step up to face AJ's veteran status? And what championships would she collect to solidify her dominance? What if AJ Mendez came back to the Squared Circle? Future WOW World Champion or General Manager? The wrestling world was floored when our resident geek goddess returned to us in 2021 in the form of an executive producer and colour commentator for the rebooted WOW-Women of Wrestling show that premiered last year. Since then, the all-women's promotion has enjoyed success with rising ratings, live tapings at the Belasco Theater and more exposure for the greatest wrestling talent in the world. AJ Mendez was a huge part of the charm of WOW Superheroes as the knowledgeable colour commentator between WOW co-owner David Mclane and play-by-play extraordinaire Stephen Dickey. But what if AJ's WOW contract was a multi-year one and she decided to make a return to the ring there? Since we have all seen that Mendez still has great wrestling chops, how amazing would it be if AJ made a shocking return and challenged the WOW World Championship? Or what if she created a tag team with the likes of Chantilly Chella, Foxxy Fierce or Jennifer Florez? Her skills would be refreshing to see next to the rising stars of women's wrestling today! Or what if AJ served as a general manager of WOW? All one has to do is rewind the clock eleven years to remember her experience as the WWE Raw general manager. Though it can be argued that she was in a different place then, it was still amazing to see a woman in a place of power in wrestling with her power suits and Chuck Taylors. If she were the GM of WOW, Mendez would lay down the law and stop a lot of the underhanded tactics from the likes of Las Bandidas and BK Rhythm. There could also be more stipulations in matches with her at the helm of WOW. AJ Mendez has given a lot to WOW with her presence and the second season will definitely miss her, but it is nice to think about what more she could have done. A Return to WWE? Hmmm... In 2015, Mendez retired from wrestling and left WWE after triumphant wins at that year's Wrestlemania with Saraya (FKA Paige) against The Bella Twins and her final match on the Raw After. Though this broke a lot of hearts, it never stopped the wrestling community from fantasizing about AJ Lee's return. Since she's been gone, WWE's women's division has evolved by leaps and bounds with a Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, two Wrestlemania main events and a complete rebrand as Superstars instead of Divas. But can you even imagine how the crowd at the first women's Royal Rumble would have erupted if Mendez had come back as a surprise entrant? If she had a stand-off with Mercedes Mone' (FKA Sasha Banks) and that led to an iconic wrestling feud? Or if AJ had a tiff with her lifelong idol and Hall of Famer Lita? But let's bring it to the present day. What if AJ came to Smackdown and challenged The EST of WWE Bianca Belair and questioned her grit? Would Mendez become the fourth member of Damage CTRL? Or would she take her talents to Monday Night Raw and get in the face of of Becky Lynch or Trish Stratus? She might hunger for gold and challenge Rhea Ripley for the Women's World Championship or become Chelsea Green's new tag team partner. Back on the blue brand, she could align or feud with the Latino World Order's Zelina Vega and add more growth to her solo career. Or how would the wrestling community react if she went back to her stomping grounds at NXT and caused mayhem to the women who are trying to make their way to the top like Gigi Dolin, Tiffany Stratton, Thea Hail, Lash Legend, Kelani Jordan and more! AJ was a pillar of NXT's former iteration Florida Championship Wrestling and enjoyed success there as a Queen of FCW champion before going to the main roster, so her presence at the black and gold brand would be a gorgeous full-circle moment for her career. It is pretty safe to say that AJ Mendez would have a big playing field if she were to return to WWE. IMPACT Wrestling: A New Journey AJ Mendez has a history in two major wrestling promotions and attached her name with incredible projects, but do you know a place where she has not cast her iconic shadow? IMPACT! Wrestling. A promotion that has maintained its place in wrestling history in spite of various obstacles, IMPACT has found its groove by leaning into its strengths, one of them being its Knockouts division. They have shown their respect and admiration for the power of women in wrestling from how they book their athletes to valuing their intelligence as leaders backstage. Doesn't that sound like the perfect environment for a returning legend like AJ Mendez? She could have a fresh start as a producer, a tag team manager with Gail Kim or a brand-spanking new Knockout! A feud with current Knockouts World champion Trinity would be magical as they did cross paths at FCW, or they could pit her against the highly accomplished Deonna Purrazzo. Mendez could also fare well against Gisele Shaw and another icon in the form of Mickie James. Her presence would be billed as one of the most important signings in IMPACT'S herstory, and it would give her a new wrestling chapter. Rising as a woman of colour in a male-dominated business can be daunting, but AJ Mendez has proven that with a lot of passion, grit, fire and vulnerability, you can make your dreams come true. Watching her succeed and advocate for women's wrestling has been a privilege. Witnessing her gift for words take shape into art is inspiring. Though she has not explicitly said that she would return to the ring full-time, it is always good for the mind to imagine the possibilities of what would happen if she did. As most wrestling fans say, "No one ever really stays retired." AJ's love bit us, and we just cannot get cured.