Welcome to the latest edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling’s AEW News & Rumor Roundup. Today, we are looking at stories involving top pro-wrestling stars, including Mercedes Mone and Xavier Woods, among others.
The future of a major All Elite Wrestling property is up in the air. At a recent event, Xavier Woods dropped a major AEW bombshell, and Mercedes Mone has been widely touted for a quick return to the Jacksonville-based promotion to compete in a major tournament. We’ve got some exciting news to cover today, so let’s get this roundup started.
#5. Fans believe Mercedes Mone could be the wild card entrant for Owen Hart Tournament
The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament was officially underway at Double or Nothing 2026, and, as in previous years, the brackets featured an unpredictable “wild card” entrant. The winners of both the men’s and women’s brackets will secure a guaranteed world title shot at the upcoming All In pay-per-view. Meanwhile, the finals for both sides of the tournament are scheduled to take place at Forbidden Door later this month. In the women’s bracket, Athena has already advanced after defeating Mina Shirakawa, while next week will see Alex Windsor face the mysterious wild card competitor.
This mystery has prompted fans to speculate heavily about the entrant’s identity, with many naming top stars who have been absent from television. The majority of the speculation has centered on Mercedes Mone, who has been entirely absent from AEW programming this year. Other names that have been brought up in fan discussions include Britt Baker and Ruby Soho, who have been absent for more than two years, and Jamie Hayter, who was subtly hinted at in a recent promo by Windsor.
#4. AEW all but confirms Konosuke Takeshita joining a new faction
Konosuke Takeshita dethroned Kazuchika Okada to capture the AEW International Championship for the second time in his career at Double or Nothing 2026. The Alpha has been on the All Elite Wrestling roster since 2021 and officially turned heel when he joined the Don Callis Family in 2023. However, following his monumental title win over The Rainmaker, his stablemates turned on him and unceremoniously kicked him out of the faction, officially cementing him as a babyface moving forward.
Following the betrayal, Takeshita confronted his former Don Callis Family teammates during the live three-hour special block of Dynamite and Collision last Wednesday. He was not alone during this confrontation, as he was notably accompanied by The Conglomeration, the popular babyface faction consisting of Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, and Mark Briscoe. While the company has not yet released an official statement confirming him joining the faction, there have been heavy hints, including Cassidy gifting Takeshita his signature backpack for his newly won title.
#3. Matt Hardy wants AEW to feature Mick Foley regularly
Mick Foley officially made his All Elite Wrestling debut at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view last week. The Hardcore Legend served as a host for the Buy In pre-show alongside Renee Paquette, where he interacted with several headlining stars, took a massive low blow from MJF, and provided Darby Allin with motivation ahead of the main event. On the day of the event, Tony Khan officially proclaimed that Foley is All Elite, and the WWE Hall of Famer has since been added to the broadcast team section of the promotion’s official roster page.
With Foley expected to be a regular presence in the Jacksonville-based promotion, wrestling veteran Matt Hardy has pitched a specific creative direction for the veteran. Speaking on the Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Hardy suggested that Foley should be utilized as a regular television personality to help draw in viewers.
“Having Mick Foley on your show is going to be beneficial, especially [because] he is just such a mainstream name. Casual fans will tune in for him. I would definitely utilize him on there and have him on as a regular recurring character. If Mick was up for doing something physical, I wouldn’t be opposed to it,” he said. [H/T – Wrestling INC.]
#2. All Elite Arcade podcast has been put on hold
The All Elite Arcade podcast, hosted by Adam Cole and Evil Uno and published on the AEWGames platform, is currently facing an uncertain future. The hosts last aired an episode on their YouTube channel on April 29th, and there had been complete silence about the show’s status until a recent update.
Evil Uno took to social media to directly address the sudden inactivity, revealing that all video game content produced by the promotion has been suspended for the time being. In his post, Uno explained that they were officially instructed to place all AEWGames content on hold until further notice. He expressed his disappointment, writing:
“Since it’s been a month of silence, we were told to put all AEWGames content on hold for the time being. I miss doing the All Elite Arcade podcast as much as you miss listening to it, but it is in a holding pattern until further notice. I hope you all understand.”
#1. Xavier Woods subtly confirms Kenny Omega as his first rival upon expected AEW arrival
The professional wrestling landscape was shaken in May 2026 when longtime WWE stars Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston officially left the global sports entertainment juggernaut. According to reports, the legendary tag team was asked to renegotiate their contracts and accept a pay cut, which left them feeling disrespected and ultimately led them to walk out of the company. While the duo is currently serving a standard 90-day non-compete clause, multiple reports indicate that several AEW stars are actively pushing for The New Day to join Tony Khan’s promotion.
The prospect of Woods and Kingston joining AEW has reignited the long-standing desire for a dream match against The Elite. For years, The New Day and the trio of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks have teased a potential feud on social media and at meet-and-greets. Recently, Xavier Woods added fuel to the fire by posting on Instagram to tease a feud with the Best Bouting Machine. After seeing fans wearing Kenny Omega merchandise at Galaxycon Nashville, Woods posted a furious story claiming that if Omega were present at the event, he would put him in the dirt, and warned fans that they were only making things worse for Omega.
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Edited by Karan Raj
