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WWE News Round-Up: ‘Night of Champions’ in Question Amid U.S./Iran Tensions, John Cena/CM Punk ‘Pipebomb’ Feud, Liv Morgan Injury

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: WWE

As we start a new week for the WWE, there are several key developments that are worth keeping an eye on. Chief among them is, will next weekend’s Night of Champions premium-live-event on Peacock go off as planned given that the event is scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday Night, June 28th?

The WWE universe has been taking to social media concerned over the decision that could put the roster and WWE creatives and crew in harm’s way after the U.S. bombed Iran’s nuclear sites amid the Iranian conflict with Israel. In addition, this weekend, Iran’s foreign minister warned of “consequences” over the bombing.

Fightful Select reports that there has been no official response from the WWE, but that the situation is being monitored very closely by the company. As it stands now, WWE talent are set to leave mid-week on a charter plane to Riyadh for ‘Smackdown’ on Friday and Night of Champions on Saturday. Their source believes that the shows would not be canceled because of how much money is at stake and that WWE is producing two big shows on two consecutive nights. Another source believed that the WWE would be made safety assurances before venturing to the Middle East.

Photo: WWE

PIPEBOMBS

It was back in June 27, 2011 when CM Punk dropped his historic promo which has been titled forever in sports entertainer as the “Pipebomb.” In it, he first laid out John Cena through a table, then as sits at the ring ramp, he goes after then WWE chief, Vince McMahon, his daughter, Stephanie, and everyone in charge, before having his mic cut off.  It was also historic in its nature for it was a worked shoot where he aired real-life grievances with the company while also incorporating fictional storylines. 

Photo: WWE

Fast-forward to last Friday’s ‘Smackdown’ on June 20, 2025 on the USA network, and the tables were turned, literally! Cena, who is set to defend the WWE Universal Championship at Night of Champions next week in Saudi Arabia against CM Punk, attacks Punk and throws him through a table in the ringa throwback to 2021). Then, Cena perches himself on the ring post and goes in on Punk with his own mocking of Punk’s OG pipe bomb!

Over the weekend, while at the ‘SummerSlam’ kick-off Fanatics Fest in New York City, Punk addressed Friday Night’s SmackDown reversal and said, “Just because people come out on television and lie about me doesn’t make it true. John said one true, real thing last night, and that is he’s jealous of me. It doesn’t seem to make any sense because he’s the greatest of all time. Seventeen-time world champion. I don’t know if anybody in this room is going to live long enough to see anybody else accomplish that. Could be Randy (Orton). He’s probably our best bet. The big difference between Randy and John is that Randy didn’t sell his soul to the Rock. Randy is here, boots on the ground. We don’t see The Rock anywhere. We don’t see Travis Scott anywhere. I roll with Ice Cube. I’m more of an Ice Cube guy. No Vaseline. That’s what John is in store for. (No Vaseline) is the greatest diss track of all time.”

LIV MORGAN OUT

Liv Morgan, who recently returned to the WWE after filming her debut motion picture role in Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo was injured during a match on last Monday’s June 16th episode of Monday Night Raw on Netflix. During her bout against Kairi Sane, it appeared as if Morgan landed oddly on her elbow and right shoulder after Sane delivered a single leg takedown.

Courtesy/WWE

Morgan was attended to by the WWE medical staff and the match live on Netflix had to be called in favor of Sane as Liv could no longer compete. Medical updates through last week indicated that Liv suffered a separated shoulder injury which required surgery. Morgan is the current co-holder of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships with Raquel Rodriguez, and WWE reportedly has implemented a plan, in story, that does not involve the titles being vacated. Morgan was scheduled to appear at the Fanatics Fest this weekend in New York City but her appearance was cancelled. It is believed that Liv will be out of action for an extended amount of time.

ICYMI: Check out John Cena recreating CM Punk’s infamous Pipebomb promo, and the moment Liv Morgan was injured. Now weigh-in: should the WWE still travel to the Middle East given the escalating tensions between the United States, Israel and Iran, or do you think ‘Night of Champions’ should go off as planned? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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Susan Flannery and Ian Buchanan Visit the Set of ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’; Daytime Emmy Winners Reflect on Show Then and Now

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Susan Flannery and Ian Buchanan

The one and only Susan Flannery (ex-Stephanie Forrester) dropped in to see her former co-stars on The Bold and the Beautiful at their Sunset Las Palmas Studio in Hollywood, along with her good friend and another B&B co-star Ian Buchanan (ex-James Warwick) on Tuesday October 20.

It was the first time in a very long time that The four-time Daytime Emmy winning actress was reunited with Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy), executive producer and head writer, Brad Bell, Jennifer Gareis and even her TV sister, Alley Mills (Pam, B&B now Heather, GH) showed up for the day too!

Flannery played the Forrester matriarch from 1987 until 2012. It was then that after playing the part of Stephanie for 25 years that Susan made the decision to retire from acting and in one of the most heartbreaking sendoffs, passes away from lung cancer in Brooke’s arms in November of 2012. During her B&B tenure, Flannery won 3 of her 4 Daytime Emmys, the other being for her first soap role as Laura Horton on Days of our Lives back in 1975.

Susan and Kelly

Photo: Bell-Phillip TV

As for Ian Buchanan, he played Dr. Warwick, psychiatrist, from 1993 to 1999.  He returned for other runs in 2014 and 2017.  Buchanan took home his Daytime Emmy in 1997 for his work as James. Soap fans also remember, Ian as mobster Duke Lavery on General Hospital, and Dr. Greg Madden on All My Children,

Both Susan and Ian shared their thoughts on coming back to The Bold and the Beautiful, for Susan 14 years later since he exited and for Ian close to 9 years since his last appearance below.

Susan said, “It’s definitely like coming home in a way, even though it’s not the same studio. It’s really lovely to see old faces and old faces with new faces. It takes you back mentally. You start remembering what it was like back then, even things like how much your feet would ache at the end of the day from wearing six-inch heels. It was just lovely to be back and see everybody.”

Susan Flannery and cast

Photo: Bell-Phillip TV

Ian expressed, “It’s a mind trip, you know. When I was sitting looking at the big Forrester set, it was like stepping back in time, almost. It takes you back mentally, and you start remembering what it was like when you were here before.”

“It’s lovely to see all these people again, even if you don’t know everybody,” explained soap vet Buchanan. “There’s something really special about coming back and seeing the show and the people who have been part of it for so long.”

So, happy to see Susan and Ian with some of their former castmates? Do you think Stephanie and Brooke is one of the greatest frenemy stories in daytime history? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Beyond the Gates

Tabitha Brown and Kandi Burruss Guest Star on ‘Beyond the Gates’ for Dani’s ‘Welcome to Your Life’ TV Special; What Could Go Wrong?

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Kandi Burress, Tabitha Brown, Karla Mosley

As previously announced, Beyond the Gates is bringing chef, author and actress Tabitha Brown and Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer and actress Kandi Burruss to Fairmont Crest in a special episode of the CBS daytime drama airing Thursday, October 22.

In the episode, Dani’s (Karla Mosley) best friend Pamela Curtis (Cady McClain), arranges a “Welcome to Your Life” television special for her. As it turns out, Brown will play the show’s host, Tia Allen, while Burruss takes on the role of Dani’s first modeling agent, Kalista Kilroy, who turns the celebration of her life into a bad trip down memory lane.

Dani’s parents Anita and Vernon (Tamara Tunie, Clifton Davis), sister Nicole (Daphnee Duplaix), and daughters Chelsea (RhonniRose Mantilla) and Naomi (Arielle Prepetit) all join the show to celebrate and support her but also witness how things so south. Also appearing in the episode are Molly Figueroa as Tatum Stewart and fan-favorite Anita Williams (Tunie) impersonator Jackie Tyree!

Beyond the Gates

PhotoL JPI

THE 411 ON TIA AND KALISTA

Speaking with TV Insider, about their soapy experience in Fairmont Crest, Tabitha Brown previewed about her host with the most, “Tia is very professional, but she’s a girl’s girl. She is a protector of women and wants to tell their stories in a beautiful way, but she also wants to make sure they’re seen in a very good light.”

However, Burruss previews that Kalista arrives with a score to settle. “She’s spicy,” shared the recording artist. “I always love playing somebody that has come to start trouble. It’s always fun to play a villain of sorts, but Kalista feels like she’s been done wrong and she’s hurt by what she feels has been done to her. So Kalista is stirring up trouble, but she feels justified putting Dani on blast. Kalista is ready for some payback.”

Beyond the Gates is produced by CBS Studios, as part of the CBS Studios/NAACP Venture, in partnership with P&G Studios, a division of Procter & Gamble. Created by head writer Michele Val Jean, executive producers include Val Jean, Sheila Ducksworth, Julie Carruthers, Tracey Thomson, Leon W. Russell, Derrick Johnson, Anna Saalfeld and Lela Coffey.

Beyond the Gates is broadcast weekdays on CBS (2:00-3:00 PM, ET/1:00-2:00 PM, PT) and is available to stream on Paramount+**.

So, looking forward to this special episode of Beyond the Gates when Dani is put on a blast during a blast from her past and Welcome to Your Life TV special? Share your thoughts via the comment section.

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Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of our Lives’ Reveals Kyle Pryor Cast as Dominic Marino

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Kyle Pryor

For months now, Days of our Lives has teased the character of Dominic Marino. In recent weeks, viewers learned that Marino is on the down low working with Sami Brady’s (Alison Sweeney) apparent fiancé ‘Dante Vitali (Franco LoPresti), and that he is the never-before-heard-of child of Stefano DiMera (the late Joseph Mascolo) and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall)!

Up until now, the Peacock streaming soap opera has never revealed his face, but that all seemed to change on the Tuesday, October 2o episode of DAYS. In story, Dante met Sami’s parents for the first time, Roman (Josh Taylor) and Marlena.

He shows them a photo of Dominic, which he happened to have on his own phone and even commented he kind of looked like he could be Marlena’s son. The photo, which has quickly made it around Soap Twitter/X, revealed that British-born actor Kyle Pryor is the man in the photo and eagle-eyed viewers actually located said photo on Pryor’s Instagram.

Dominix

Photo: Peacock

Deadline revealed Pryor started taping at the end of 2025 and will first be seen in the role, on air Monday, November 2.  In addition, Days will celebrate its 61st Anniversary with two special episodes featuring Dominic’s arrival, as well the returns of Tony and Anna DiMera, played respectively by Thaao Penghlis and Leann Hunley, on Friday, November 6 and Monday, November 9.

Those in the know, are are that Pryor previously held series regular roles on Australia’s Home and Away, and the UK’s Hollyoaks and guest starred on Emmerdale. In an ironic twist, Pryor appeared in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand which is the same action series his apparent TV brother, Dan Feuerriegel (EJ DiMera), once appeared in before coming to DAYS.

So excited to see Kyle Pryor take on the role of Dominic Marino as Days of our Lives sets its anniversary story to kick-off with is arrival in Salem? Share your thoughts in the comment section. And in case you missed our latest conversation with Conner Floyd (Chad DiMera) he weighs-in on how Dominic’s appearance will shake things up in Salem. You can check that out below.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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