Wrestling roundup: Carmelo Hayes returns on Raw; reports on Tiffany Stratton’s MITB win, Crown Jewel uncertainty, Max Caster exit
On October 12 at WWE’s Monday Night Raw, Carmelo Hayes returned to television and reports emerged explaining Tiffany Stratton’s Money in the Bank victory along with several other developments across pro wrestling.
This roundup collects recent items from WWE and the wider wrestling world, including explanations for creative decisions at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, speculation over Crown Jewel’s location, and roster movement and controversies involving Sheamus and Max Caster. Monday’s Raw addressed questions about Hayes’ absence while separate reporting has focused on backstage planning, promotional responses to live-event incidents, and proposed dates for a new event called The John Cena Classic. Sources cited include WrestleVotes, Fightful Select, False Finish, Dave Meltzer and Fightful Select.
Per WrestleVotes, WWE chose Tiffany Stratton over Roxanne Perez for the Money in the Bank win after noticing a growing number of fans were predicting Perez as the winner, a decision made to avoid predictability and because Stratton already had an established storyline that fit the planned angle. WrestleVotes also reported that Je’Von Evans took a bump through the roof of an ambulance at the same show — a spot described as designed to generate viral attention while protecting Evans from taking a straightforward loss. The same source said Penta was not expected to be prominent a month earlier but his Mexico City match with Roman Reigns elevated him creatively and led WWE to accelerate his push.
Fightful Select reported two possible dates for The John Cena Classic: December 12, which would follow Wrestlepalooza, or December 19, which would place the event opposite AEW’s Worlds End show. Those dates remain reported possibilities rather than confirmed scheduling, according to the item cited in the roundup.
As a free agent following his WWE exit, Sheamus drew interest and backstage endorsements from AEW veterans while formal talks have remained limited, the roundup said. TNA also showed interest; per False Finish, TNA wanted Sheamus to answer Moose’s open challenge at Bound for Glory on October 11, 2026 and considered him a top choice to face Moose after his WWE departure, but the appearance did not occur.
TNA confirmed it will no longer work with Max Caster after his Bound for Glory entrance rap, which included a bomb-related line referring to attacks in Riyadh that resulted in fatalities and injuries. The company backed off the line, issued an apology to affected people, and announced Caster would never perform for TNA again, with executives reported as disappointed by the lyrics and the controversy described as having spoiled his debut.
Dave Meltzer told Wrestling Observer Radio there has been speculation about moving Crown Jewel away from Riyadh but WWE has not issued an announcement; Meltzer said Crown Jewel was not discussed during the Money in the Bank broadcast on October 10 and that arranging an alternative venue with under a month to go could be challenging. The report added that WWE continued to advertise the Crown Jewel pay-per-view for Riyadh during match announcements on Raw amid reports of a missile strike at King Khalid International Airport that raised travel and security concerns.
According to False Finish HQ, Royce Keys personally asked WWE to bring Carmelo Hayes into The 946 storyline; Hayes had been off television while the company built that narrative. Hayes returned in the closing stages of the six-man tag match between The Bloodline and The 946, attacking Solo Sikoa and The Usos with a crowbar, revealing himself as the masked assailant and helping The 946 gain the upper hand.
After Money in the Bank, WWE’s next premium live event is scheduled as Crown Jewel on November 7 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and two matches announced so far for that pay-per-view are Liv Morgan vs Chelsea Green and Roman Reigns vs Sami Zayn.