Flair’s Cameo controversy: Jay Lethal says what everyone was thinking
On the latest What Happened When episode, Jay Lethal weighed in on the Ric Flair Cameo video that went viral—the one where Flair advised a groom not to get married.
Lethal didn’t go full scorched-earth on a former colleague, but he also didn’t pretend it’s all sunshine and autographs either. He pointed out that when he’s around Flair, the Nature Boy will sometimes vanish into a corner to crank out Cameos… and according to Lethal, Flair is “drunk for half of them.”
That’s not Lethal saying “cancel the guy.” That’s Lethal saying: this is what it is. And in 2026, when everything gets clipped, reposted, and turned into a headline, your “just messing around” becomes public record.
Flair taking shots at Lethal?
There’s also chatter about Flair taking little jabs at Lethal—fuel for the usual wrestling cycle: a quote becomes a clip, a clip becomes a feud, and suddenly people are fantasy-booking an angle that may not even exist.
WWE business check: the numbers don’t lie, but they do tell a story
Let’s talk tickets—because this is where reality lives.
- SmackDown in London: roughly 9,000 tickets out
- 1/23 SmackDown (Montreal): 7,069
- 1/24 Saturday Night’s Main Event (Montreal): 7,566
(First time back in Montreal since April 2024, and the pace isn’t exactly lighting the rink on fire.) - 1/26 RAW (Toronto): 13,568 and trending toward sellout
(Last Toronto visit noted: March 1, 2025.)
What does that say? WWE is still hot, but it’s not evenly hot everywhere, every week—especially when the calendar stacks events too tight in the same market.
Contracts & creative: R-Truth locked up, Mania picture still foggy
R-Truth re-ups
Word is R-Truth signed a 4-year deal. That’s not just “funny guy insurance.” That’s WWE saying: we want the audience connection you can’t train.
WrestleMania title ideas floating right now
Two directions being floated:
- Three-way title match: Rhodes vs. Fatu vs. McIntyre
- Straight-up: McIntyre vs. Rhodes
And the spicy part: Roman Reigns reportedly isn’t in the WWE title picture at the moment. The talk is he’s set to return at the Royal Rumble, and whatever lane he’s in should become obvious once he’s back in the mix.
Translation: the company can stall with mystery… until the Rumble forces the hand.
AEW: signing spree… and then Hobbs is gone
AEW had a busy week announcing signings while also reportedly losing Powerhouse Hobbs (William Hobson, 34) to WWE.
There was also a note floating around that Rusev hasn’t exactly caught fire since returning to WWE—one of those observations that stings because it’s not totally crazy. Sometimes the comeback pop is the peak.
Tryout talk: Orlando camp with a clear target
A five-day tryout in Orlando reportedly leaned toward black male athletes and bodybuilders, framed by some as a response to criticism that the current WWE regime doesn’t push black male talent strongly enough.
If that’s accurate, it’s not subtle. That’s a company trying to show—publicly and internally—what it wants its pipeline to look like.
AEW signings: The Rascalz wave and more
AEW announced signings including:
- Dezmond Xavier (Deveon Aikens, 31)
- Zachary Wentz (Zachary Green, 31)
- Trey Miguel (Trey McBrayer, 31)
- Myron Reed (Myron Reed, 28)
- Máscara Dorada
Also mentioned in the mix: Devon Persophne (as provided).
And per reporting referenced: Tatevik Hunanyan (36) is said to be signed (not formally announced), having worked a TV match on Collision against Harley Cameron back in March—signed “months ago,” but not used since.
Attendance watch: the buildings are talking
- AEW Collision (Jan. 10 – Arlington, TX): 1,334 in a building listed around 2,500 capacity
- Dynamite (Phoenix): ~3,000
These are not catastrophe numbers, but they aren’t victory-lap numbers either. They’re “we need momentum” numbers. Especially when WWE is flirting with sellouts in key markets.
The takeaway
This week had everything:
- A legendary name generating headlines for all the wrong reasons, with a respected veteran quietly confirming what fans suspect.
- WWE ticket pacing showing the business isn’t uniform week-to-week.
- WrestleMania still being penciled in, not inked in.
- AEW signing in bulk while losing a power player to the competition.
It’s not chaos. It’s pro wrestling doing what it always does: turning noise into narrative—then selling the narrative as the show.
