PHOENIX PRO WRESTLING REPORT | THE 5 PM BELL

Thursday, October 22, 2026 | By David Laguerre

AEW gave its audience a reason to argue about what happens next. WWE is facing a question bigger than any finish: What would it take to move a major show when the travel warnings keep getting worse?

Those are the two very different kinds of stakes leading this edition. Inside the ring, uncertainty can be exciting. Outside it, the people doing the work deserve clear answers.

Reporting cutoff: 3:08 p.m. Eastern, October 22. Results, announced matches, attributed reports and Phoenix opinion are identified separately. Wrestling attacks and betrayals below describe on-screen stories.

Four stories from Wrestlelamia, with the facts separated from the speculation

We reviewed the transcript and chapters of Wrestlelamia’s October 22 news roundup, the newest long-form upload on its channel at our check. These are our four selections, independently checked where possible. A commentator’s theory is not the same thing as a confirmed development.

1. Saudi departure order raises the stakes for Crown Jewel

Verified development: The United States ordered non-emergency diplomatic personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia amid worsening security conditions, The Associated Press reported October 21. That is not an order banning every American, or WWE, from entering the country.

WWE’s announced plan remains Crown Jewel on November 7 at Riyadh Season Stadium at KAFD. The State Department’s Saudi Arabia advisory lists Level 3, Reconsider Travel, with armed-conflict, drone and missile risks. Some areas carry stronger warnings. Neither an event announcement nor a ticket listing is a safety guarantee.

Wrestlelamia discusses the situation at 0:47. Its explanation of WWE’s motives is commentary, not a company statement. Our analysis of the business pressures appears below.

2. Cody Rhodes is talking about years, not an immediate goodbye

Direct interview remarks: In his October 22 conversation with Chris Van Vliet, Rhodes discussed his latest WWE agreement and suggested he could have roughly six or seven years left. At about 56:25, he discussed that timeline, then stressed that it was not a final declaration. He did not give a firm retirement date. Wrestling Headlines’ October 22 account reports the comments; Wrestlelamia covers them at 5:46.

Phoenix analysis: The important issue is succession, not a countdown graphic. A company should build its next headliners while its current stars are still strong. That gives younger performers time to earn the audience’s trust instead of inheriting a spot in a crisis. Rhodes discussing life beyond the ring does not mean he is leaving next month.

3. Rey Mysterio’s possible 2027 farewell is a report, not an announcement

Unconfirmed backstage report: Wrestlelamia’s 6:59 segment cites WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select about discussions of a possible Mysterio retirement in 2027. Wrestling Headlines attributes the same story to WrestleVotes, with no date or venue confirmed. These are accounts of the same underlying report, not separate confirmations.

No public retirement announcement from Mysterio was verified for this edition. Treating a backstage discussion as a booked farewell would get ahead of the evidence.

Phoenix analysis: If a farewell eventually happens, the story should celebrate the career rather than rush to manufacture one last shock. Fans can debate an ideal opponent. They cannot yet put a final match on the calendar.

4. Roxanne Perez gets a title opportunity Friday

Officially announced: Chelsea Green defends the WWE Women’s Championship against Roxanne Perez on the October 23 SmackDown. WWE’s preview says Perez previously beat Green in a non-title match with help from Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Friday’s show airs at 8 p.m. Eastern on USA. Wrestlelamia discusses the match at 10:39.

Phoenix analysis: That earlier result supplies a reason for the challenge. Now the follow-through matters. Perez should look like a genuine threat, not simply an obstacle Green passes on the way to another event. A competitive defense can strengthen both wrestlers without requiring a title change. The outcome is not known.

Why Dynamite’s booking worked: several doors opened at once

Phoenix analysis: Wednesday’s Dynamite was exciting because its developments created choices. A strong wrestling show does not merely fill next week’s card. It changes who trusts whom, who has leverage and who suddenly has something to prove.

AEW’s official October 21 recap confirms Ilja Dragunov beat Mike Bailey, Jay White turned against Orange Cassidy, and the Bang Bang Gang joined forces with the Dogs. Queen Aminata earned a TBS title match against Persephone for October 28. Those are the facts. The possibilities they create are where the fun begins.

A betrayal that changes earlier scenes

White and Cassidy had won together before the later attack. That makes the turn more effective than a random interruption: the audience has a partnership to reconsider. Was White using Cassidy all along? What does the new alliance want? Who can work together against it?

Those are potential story directions, not announced matches. The next episode needs motives, not just another crowd of wrestlers fighting. Give White room to explain himself, and give the people he wronged different responses. One wants revenge immediately; another might hesitate to trust a new partner. That is how one turn can sustain several stories.

Blood and Guts now has a destination

AEW has announced Ospreay, Copeland, Steven Borden, the Young Bucks and Darby Allin against the Don Callis Family in Blood and Guts. The match is not merely our prediction. The official recap lists the teams.

TJR Wrestling’s match report records Davis and Doyle beating the Bucks in an eliminator and Fletcher pinning Copeland after Okada’s interference. The Bucks did not lose their titles in that eliminator.

Phoenix analysis: Those wins make the opposing group feel dangerous before the cage arrives. They also give the heroes individual reasons to fight, which matters in a crowded team match. The strongest payoff will let those personal grudges remain visible instead of reducing everyone to interchangeable bodies.

A debut and a contender’s win offer a different kind of momentum

Dragunov’s win and Aminata’s opportunity keep the show from relying entirely on faction chaos. One introduces a wrestler’s identity. The other gives a challenger a clear destination.

My preference is for AEW to resist rushing Dragunov into the biggest possible title match simply because the debut worked. Find an opponent with a contrasting approach and a specific grievance. Likewise, let Aminata explain what makes this her moment. Good matches create interest; personal stakes help that interest last.

That is why this episode deserves praise. It supplied immediate results while leaving meaningful questions. The test is whether the coming weeks answer some of them rather than endlessly adding more.

Is TKO desperate for money, or worried about upsetting Saudi partners?

The public evidence does not establish either motive. It does establish a valuable business relationship and serious reasons to question the travel decision.

In its August 3 second-quarter financial release, TKO reported about $1.55 billion in revenue and $303.9 million in net income, and raised its full-year outlook. WWE revenue rose to $620.9 million from $556.2 million a year earlier. Those figures do not support casually describing the company as broke. They also do not mean management has no financial incentives.

WWE’s September announcement describes a Saudi partnership dating to 2018 and plans for WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh in 2027. Protecting a major commercial relationship is a plausible business consideration. Calling it fear would claim knowledge of executives’ private thinking that we do not have.

Front Office Sports’ October 19 reporting says the cancellation or rescheduling contract provisions are unclear. We should not invent a penalty figure or claim WWE is legally unable to move the show.

Phoenix opinion: The sharper question is not whether TKO is scared. It is whether its threshold for continuing the trip adequately protects wrestlers, crew and fans. A profitable event is not automatically an acceptable risk.

• What change in security conditions would trigger relocation or cancellation?
• What happens if flights are disrupted while performers and staff are there?
• Can a performer decline the trip without career consequences?
• How and when will affected people receive clear information?

These are questions, not claims that safeguards do not exist. Public warnings cannot tell us every detail of private planning. Private planning, however, should not become an excuse to dismiss public warnings.

The distinction is simple: wrestling can ask fans to suspend disbelief. Travel safety should require evidence.

The final bell

AEW earned attention by making the next chapter feel worth watching. WWE can earn confidence by explaining how it will make a decision that puts people first. One is a creative challenge. The other is a duty of care.

Reader’s corner: Which Dynamite development has you most interested? And what should WWE have to demonstrate before proceeding with Crown Jewel?

Source note: This column uses the October 22 Wrestlelamia transcript as a news tip sheet, not independent proof of every assertion. Promotion pages establish announced cards and results. Attributed backstage reports remain unconfirmed. Analysis and suggested story directions are Phoenix opinion. No claim that Crown Jewel itself is a specifically identified attack target is made here.