BY JITU JANGIR

Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal has opened up about Roman Reigns' early days in WWE developmental, revealing that the two men actually started at Florida Championship Wrestling on the exact same day. While speaking with Denise Salcedo, Mahal recalled that Reigns was a very different person when he first arrived in developmental compared to the global superstar he eventually became. “Me and Roman started in FCW in developmental the exact same day,” Mahal revealed. The former WWE Champion said the future Tribal Chief was still finding his direction at the time after his football career had ended. “At first, like at that time, Roman, he was a little bit out of shape,” Mahal recalled. “He basically after football had gotten a job. I believe even moving furniture or something. And I think he was drinking and just unmotivated and unfocused.” However, Mahal said Reigns quickly began showing signs that he could become something special. He specifically remembered watching Reigns' first match against Joe Hennig, who later became known as Curtis Axel. “I also remember his very first match. It was against Joe Henning, Curtis Axel. And like his first match was really, really good for a first match. Like unbelievable.” Mahal said the wrestlers backstage immediately noticed something different about Reigns. “I remember watching it as it's happening. We had the little viewing area backstage and with a monitor where all the wrestlers watch it. I remember like everybody watching it like, ‘Wow, like this is his first match.’” According to Mahal, WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes was also among the first people to recognize Reigns' potential. Mahal recalled a promo class where Rhodes singled out Reigns, who was performing under the name Leakee at the time. “Actually Dusty Rhodes was the first person to call it,” Mahal said. “I remember it was promo class just on a random Wednesday and he said, ‘Out of this whole group, the guy here is Roman Reigns.’” Mahal said Rhodes specifically told the group that Reigns was the standout. “At that time his name was Leakee. He said, ‘Leakee is the guy.’” However, Mahal believes Reigns truly began to transform after suffering an ACL injury. “But that, like Roman or Leakee didn't come really into somewhat of a full form until he came back from that ACL surgery.” Mahal explained that fans can see a major difference when looking back at Reigns' early NXT footage. “If you go on YouTube and you see Leakee in early days of NXT, that's when he came with the black and gold, with the trunks, and he's in good shape and product in his hair and he's polished.” Mahal described it as a major transformation. “So it was a nice glow-up.” From there, Mahal watched Reigns evolve into one of WWE's biggest stars, first through The Shield and eventually into the Tribal Chief character. “And then just to see the evolution then onto Shield,” Mahal said. “Same time Shield started, 3MB started like one or two weeks apart.” Mahal pointed out that their respective groups represented completely different sides of WWE at the time. “We were the counterposition of the Shield. We're the complete opposite of the Shield.” Looking back at Reigns' journey from developmental to becoming WWE's dominant Tribal Chief, Mahal believes the transformation has been remarkable. “And then the next evolution into the Tribal Chief and then what he is today is incredible.”

BY JITU JANGIR

Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal has revealed that Vince McMahon personally approved an unexpected television opportunity he received while working for WWE. Mahal discussed the story during an interview with Denise Salcedo, explaining that he was offered a role on ABC's Big Sky around 2020. Rather than waiting for the usual process to play out, Mahal decided to go directly to McMahon. “I got offered to go on a TV show. It was probably around maybe 2020,” Mahal recalled. “I got offered to go on a TV show and I just went straight to Vince.” The former WWE Champion revealed that the show was Big Sky, which aired on ABC. “It was on ABC. It was a show called Big Sky. And I just went to Vince directly and just asked him in his office and he said, ‘Yeah.’” Mahal then informed WWE talent relations that he already had McMahon's approval. “So then I went to [talent relations] after that and I told him Vince already said yes. And there was still a little bit of a hold up, but nonetheless, we got it pushed through.” Despite receiving permission from McMahon, Mahal revealed that WWE did not use the opportunity to promote him. “I just did it and WWE didn't advertise it or push it or anything, but I got to do a TV show.” Mahal believes the situation was particularly notable because outside opportunities for WWE wrestlers were viewed differently during McMahon's era. “At that time it was a little bit of a taboo thing to do,” Mahal explained. “Just Vince was in a good mood that day. He could have easily have said no.” The former WWE Champion also offered his perspective on why McMahon was sometimes protective of WWE talent pursuing opportunities outside wrestling. “I've always felt that WWE and Vince, he was protective,” Mahal said. “He didn't want someone to maybe leave the wrestling business or get too big, too famous, and then you all of a sudden have to pay them more and give them less dates.” According to Mahal, that dynamic has changed considerably in WWE today. He believes wrestlers now have significantly more opportunities outside the company and more control over their careers. “But right now I feel that wrestlers really do have a lot of power,” Mahal stated. “There's other leagues that have started that are around, other viable options for wrestlers to pursue careers in.” Mahal also pointed to mainstream exposure as something that can benefit both wrestlers and wrestling companies. “Overall, it's all good for wrestlers. Again, exposure, mainstream exposure is both good for the wrestler and the wrestling promotion.” His comments provide an interesting look back at how outside entertainment opportunities were handled during his WWE career—and how much the landscape has changed since then.

BY JITU JANGIR

The August 13 WWE Summer Tour stop at SNHU Arena delivered two major comebacks in one night, with both stars stepping back between the ropes for the first time in months. Alexa Bliss teamed with Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton in a six-woman tag match against Fatal Influence's Lainey Reid, Jacy Jayne, and Fallon Henley — and came away with the win. Bliss wrestled with a visible wrap still on her arm, but she'd been medically cleared to compete, marking her first match in over a month. Her previous in-ring appearance came on the July 10 episode of SmackDown, where a brutal attack by Jade Cargill left her with an arm injury and sidelined her from action. Bliss had already reappeared on WWE television the Friday before this event, aiding Flair against Cargill and welcoming newcomer Tatum Paxley to the brand, but August 13 represented her true return to competition. The night's main event saw Randy Orton collide with Cody Rhodes in a street fight, snapping an even longer layoff. Orton hadn't wrestled since falling to Rhodes at WrestleMania 42. He'd since resurfaced during WWE SummerSlam, inserting himself into Rhodes' title picture by costing him the Undisputed WWE Championship — a moment that set the stage for their rivalry to boil back over. The August 13 street fight marked Orton's first match since WrestleMania, putting him right back in the ring with the man he'd targeted since his return. Between Bliss working through a still-healing arm and Orton finally getting back into the ring after months on the shelf, WWE's August 13 stop in Manchester ended up delivering two significant in-ring returns on the same night, giving fans at SNHU Arena a show stacked with fresh storyline momentum heading into the fall.

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, August 14 - The Independence Day weekend box office battle between Emraan Hashmi's Awarapan 2 and Sunny Deol's Batwara 1947 is turning into a one-sided affair with the former taking a big lead over Deol's period drama in the morning shows on its opening day. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The Emraan Hashmi-led actioner has opened up a significant lead in advance bookings. The sequel clocked over 11 crore in advance sales, while Batwara 1947 has managed approximately 4+ crore. This gave Awarapan 2 a lead of more than 7 crore and already put it well ahead of the Sunny Deol starrer even before the first shows begin. The strong response to Awarapan 2 can be attributed to the cult following of the 2007 original, with Emraan Hashmi's return to the franchise generating considerable nostalgia. The film is also positioned as a dark romantic actioner, giving it a different appeal from Batwara 1947, a period drama centred on the Partition era. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Considering the initial response, Awarapan 2 is expected to score almost 3x that of Batwara 1947 and with the positive word of mouth coming from the initial shows sets up the stage for the massive opening weekend for Rajkumar Santoshi's directorial, which could be well over 75 crores net. For Batwara 1947, the slower advance sales are certainly a concern, particularly given Sunny Deol's post-Gadar 2 box office standing. However, the Rajkumar Santoshi-directed film has a strong Independence Day setting, and if the word of mouth is positive, it has the potential to do well at the box office. But as things stand, Awarapan 2 has taken a commanding lead in the opening-day battle and is expected to be the clear winner in the long run.

BY SACNILK TEAM

Here is the English movie The End of Oak Street box office collection which is a Action Mystery Sci-Fi Thriller film. This film is directed by David Robert Mitchell and produced by . ## The End of Oak Street stars , Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Christian Convery, Maisy Stella, P. J. Byrne in key roles. ## The End of Oak Street Review ## The End of Oak Street Review: What Public Has To Say About This Movie ## The End of Oak Street Box Office Collection Day Wise | All Language DayIndia Net Collection Day 1 [1st Friday] ₹ - Cr * may earn Total ₹ - Cr ## India Net Collection ₹ - Cr ## Worldwide Collection ₹ - Cr ## Overseas Collection ₹ - Cr ## India Gross Collection ₹ - Cr ## The End of Oak Street Budget: ₹ 1 Cr * Approx ## The End of Oak Street Verdict: Coming Soon ## The End of Oak Street Screen count ## India: - * expected ## Overseas: - * expected ## Worldwide total: - ## Release Date: 14th August 2026 ## For more and the latest news about Hollywood Box Office Collection, Stay tuned to us.

BY SACNILK TEAM

Here is the Tamil movie Magudam box office collection which is a Action Drama film. This film is directed by Vishal Krishna and produced by . ## Magudam stars , Vishal Krishna, Anjali, Dushara Vijayan, John Vijay, V. Jayaprakash in key roles. ## Magudam Review ## Magudam Review: What Public Has To Say About This Movie ## Magudam Box Office Collection Day Wise | All Language DayIndia Net Collection Day 1 [1st Friday] ₹ - Cr * may earn Total ₹ - Cr ## India Net Collection ₹ - Cr ## Worldwide Collection ₹ - Cr ## Overseas Collection ₹ - Cr ## India Gross Collection ₹ - Cr ## Magudam Budget: ₹ 1 Cr * Approx ## Magudam Verdict: Coming Soon ## Magudam Screen count ## India: - * expected ## Overseas: - * expected ## Worldwide total: - ## Release Date: 14th August 2026 ## For more and the latest news about Kollywood Box Office Collection, Stay tuned to us.

BY SACNILK TEAM

Here is the Telugu movie Vishwanath and Sons box office collection which is a Drama Family Romantic film. This film is directed by Venky Atluri and produced by . ## Vishwanath and Sons stars , Suriya, Mamitha Baiju, Raveena Tandon, Radhika Sarathkumar in key roles. ## Vishwanath and Sons Review ## Vishwanath and Sons Review: What Public Has To Say About This Movie ## Vishwanath and Sons Box Office Collection Day Wise | All Language DayIndia Net Collection Day 1 [1st Friday] ₹ - Cr * may earn Total ₹ - Cr ## India Net Collection ₹ - Cr ## Worldwide Collection ₹ - Cr ## Overseas Collection ₹ - Cr ## India Gross Collection ₹ - Cr ## Vishwanath and Sons Budget: ₹ 1 Cr * Approx ## Vishwanath and Sons Verdict: Coming Soon ## Vishwanath and Sons Screen count ## India: - * expected ## Overseas: - * expected ## Worldwide total: - ## Release Date: 14th August 2026 ## For more and the latest news about Kollywood Box Office Collection, Stay tuned to us.

BY JITU JANGIR

WWE is expanding its Road to Survivor Series: WarGames schedule, announcing seven new live event dates across the United States and Canada. The newly added shows will take place throughout October and November, building toward Survivor Series: WarGames in Houston later that month. The tour serves as a lead-up to WWE's biggest fall event. In July, WWE, in partnership with Houston First Corporation and the Houston Astros, announced that Survivor Series: WarGames will be held at Daikin Park in Houston on Saturday, Nov. 28, marking the event's return to the city for the first time since 2017. This year's show will be the 40th annual Survivor Series and the fifth in a row to be built around the WarGames match, the team-based steel cage format where two full-sized rings sit side by side inside a single roofless cage. It will also mark the second straight year Survivor Series has been staged inside a Major League Baseball stadium, following last year's record-setting attendance at Petco Park in San Diego, home of the San Diego Padres. Houston brings a long history with WWE's biggest events, having previously hosted WrestleMania in 2001 and 2009, the Royal Rumble in 1989 and 2020, and Survivor Series itself in 2017, in addition to numerous episodes of Raw and SmackDown over the years. Daikin Park, formerly known as Minute Maid Park, last hosted a WWE premium live event with the 2020 Royal Rumble. WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque called Houston the perfect host city to mark what he described as a milestone chapter in Survivor Series' history. With seven live events now locked in across six weeks leading into the pay-per-view, the Road to Survivor Series: WarGames Tour gives fans across Canada, the West Coast, the Midwest, the Northeast, and the Southeast a chance to see WWE Superstars in action before the roster heads to Houston for the November 28 showdown. Road to Survivor Series: WarGames Event Date Venue/Location Road to Survivor Series: WarGames Thursday, Oct. 15 Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada Road to Survivor Series: WarGames Thursday, Oct. 22 Acrisure Arena, Palm Springs, Calif. Road to Survivor Series: WarGames Thursday, Oct. 29 Covelli Centre, Youngstown, Ohio Road to Survivor Series: WarGames Thursday, Nov. 5 Cross Insurance Arena, Portland, Maine Road to Survivor Series: WarGames Friday, Nov. 6 Cross Insurance Center, Bangor, Maine Road to Survivor Series: WarGames Thursday, Nov. 12 Hertz Arena, Ft. Myers, Fla. Road to Survivor Series: WarGames Thursday, Nov. 19 VBC Propst Arena, Huntsville, Ala.

BY JITU JANGIR

WWE remains optimistic about Chelsea Green's injury status, according to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select Radio, and she is not expected to be removed from television or stripped of the Interim Women's Championship. The update comes after a difficult week for Green. She won the Interim WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam 2026 on August 3, outlasting Charlotte Flair, Tiffany Stratton, Lash Legend, and Jade Cargill in a ladder match. The interim title was created after then-champion Rhea Ripley was ruled out with a torn meniscus that required surgery, opening the door for Green to finally capture her first world championship. Just days later, on the August 7 episode of SmackDown, Green teamed with Stratton in a Women's Tag Team Championship match against Fatal Influence's Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid. Green ended up taking the pinfall after Henley and Reid hit their Rolling Encore finishing move, and it was during that sequence that she suffered a broken orbital bone. Lash Legend and Nia Jax also attacked Green and Stratton after the match. Green addressed the injury herself in a video posted to Instagram, saying the situation felt different from injuries she'd played through before and that she was taking things day by day while processing the head trauma. It marked yet another setback in a rough stretch for Green, who has also dealt with a heart issue over the past year that required hospitalization and a medical procedure. The injury drew reactions from a wide range of names across wrestling, including Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, and Natalya, along with AEW stars such as Sammy Guevara and Thunder Rosa, as well as Green's real-life husband, Matt Cardona. The exact recovery timetable remains unclear, but WWE's stated optimism suggests the company does not currently see the injury as one that will force Green off television or require the title to be vacated. Given that Green only just captured her first world championship, WWE appears intent on letting her hold onto the title through her recovery rather than turning to a second interim reign so soon after the first.

BY JITU JANGIR

Bayley's latest social media post reportedly did not land well with everyone backstage in WWE, according to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select. The video featured highlights from Bayley training at various locations alongside different wrestlers, including AEW star Mercedes Moné, and was set to the song "All In" by The Grouch & Eligh. She captioned the post "all or nothing, baby." Some WWE backstage personnel reportedly viewed the post as "eyebrow-raising." The reaction makes sense given the timing. Bayley's WWE contract is reportedly set to expire in October, and she has not wrestled for the company since a July 26 live event in Bakersfield, California. Her last televised appearance came at Saturday Night's Main Event on July 18 at Madison Square Garden, where she lost to Lyra Valkyria, who then attacked her after the match and later declared on Raw that she had run Bayley out of the company. Against that backdrop, a training video featuring an AEW star, set to a song sharing its name with AEW's biggest pay-per-view, read to many as more than a coincidence. AEW's All In event takes place at Wembley Stadium in London on August 30, and Bayley's "all or nothing" caption also echoes the branding of AEW's Double or Nothing event. Mercedes Moné, a longtime friend of Bayley's dating back to their time together in WWE's Four Horsewomen storyline with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, has added to the speculation herself, having previously shared a fan-made graphic teasing a possible match between the two at AEW WrestleDream. Even so, people close to the situation inside AEW reportedly aren't convinced anything is imminent. Bryan Alvarez said on Wrestling Observer Live that sources within AEW are just as confused by the teasing as everyone else, and that Bayley is believed to remain under WWE contract through around January once any additional time the company tacks on is factored in, making a Bayley-Moné AEW match unlikely in the near term. Dave Meltzer has reported separately that Bayley has not signed a new WWE contract and currently has a decision to make about her future. Nothing has been confirmed by Bayley, WWE, or AEW, but between the backstage reaction, the contract uncertainty, and the ongoing storyline with Valkyria, her long-term status with the company remains one of wrestling's more closely watched situations heading into the fall.

BY JITU JANGIR

WWE is expected to expand SmackDown back to a three-hour format beginning in January 2027, with the current target date for the switch set at January 8, according to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select. This isn't the first time the Blue Brand has gone through this. SmackDown first expanded from two hours to three hours on January 3, 2025, shortly after moving from Fox to USA Network. That run lasted roughly six months before the show reverted back down to two hours in July 2025, with insiders reportedly unhappy that the extra hour was dragging down show quality. SmackDown then expanded back to three hours again on January 2, 2026, starting with an episode from Buffalo, New York, before settling into what now looks like an annual pattern — three hours from January through June, two hours from July through December. If the January 8, 2027 report holds, it would mark the third straight year SmackDown has expanded to three hours to open the calendar, continuing the same six-month cycle WWE has now used twice already. Raw has already run as a three-hour show for years, so this change doesn't introduce anything new to WWE's weekly programming overall. What stands out is that SmackDown still hasn't committed to the longer format full-time the way Raw has, instead treating it as a seasonal adjustment tied to how the network broadcast deal with USA is structured season to season. There's also been genuine internal disagreement over whether the extra hour is worth it. Multiple reports from inside WWE have indicated that some people within the company aren't fans of the three-hour SmackDown format, citing a noticeable dip in show quality whenever the extra hour gets added, with matches and segments often padded out just to fill time rather than because the story called for it. At the same time, a three-hour show gives WWE more room to spotlight a deeper roster, build out midcard storylines, and give NXT call-ups a real platform, which has mattered more recently as WWE has pushed several new names up to the SmackDown roster and refreshed the show's presentation. Nothing is official yet, and WWE has not confirmed the change directly, but if the January 8, 2027 target holds, it would confirm the three-hour SmackDown format has become a fixed part of how WWE plans its television calendar each year rather than the one-time experiment it looked like back in January 2025.

BY JITU JANGIR

Amazing Red has revealed how a horrific injury during a WWE 2K motion-capture session derailed what he believed was his biggest chance to become a WWE Superstar. The injury happened just one week before the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic, where Red was expected to compete and hoped to finally earn a WWE contract. While speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Red explained that WWE 2K had brought him in to perform several moves for the video game. One of them was his Spiral Tap, which he was asked to perform repeatedly. After already doing the move seven or eight times, Red said he felt he should stop, but was asked to do it one more time. “Can you just do one more, man? I'm so sorry. Can you do just one more and we're going to have you do this and then we'll go into a whole set of moves after this.” Red agreed, but the next attempt went horribly wrong. He explained that two crash pads had been placed underneath him, with a gap where they connected. “For some reason, I just jump and everything just blacks out for me. And I don't know where I'm at. So I just jump, instant darkness. And I hear this. And I wake up and I'm on the crash pads and my leg is backwards.” Red said his foot had gone between the two crash pads during the flip. He initially felt nothing, but Loki quickly realized how serious the injury was and shouted for help. “He broke his leg.” Red said that once his leg was moved, the pain hit him immediately. He described the moment as particularly devastating because he believed the WWE 2K project and Cruiserweight Classic were finally going to lead to his WWE breakthrough. The Cruiserweight Classic was scheduled to begin the following week, meaning the injury came at the worst possible time. Red was later told that WWE could potentially plan a second season of the tournament, but that opportunity never came.