WWE News Roundup - Superstar contacted by Triple H for the first time in five years for a return, Live event match stopped after terrifying AJ Styles injury, and more
Welcome back to Sporskeeda's WWE News Roundup, where we look at all the top stories from professional wrestling.
It hasn't been the best of days for the company as AJ Styles appeared to sustain an unfortunate injury during a live event match. We have all the details and footage of the incident.
Elsewhere, a recently returned superstar revealed they'd not spoken to Triple H or any other official for nearly five years. The latest rumor roundup ends with a respected veteran opening up about Bray Wyatt overcoming the odds in his career.
#1. Emma had no contact with WWE for five years until her recent return
WWE has been a revolving door for many years as former stars regularly return to the company, especially now during Triple H's regime. Emma, aka Tenille Dashwood, recently re-signed with WWE after being away from the company for nearly five years.
The Australian superstar was released in 2017 and had not been in touch with any high-ranking officials, including Triple H, since her first WWE exit. The 33-year-old star appeared on the Out of Character podcast and made the following revelation:
"I hadn't spoken to anyone really for five years. When I left, I was definitely heartbroken, and I kind of went out on my own and traveled around the world and did independent shows."
Like many other talents who departed WWE, Emma devoted her time to expanding her wrestling resume and competing all around the world. The former NXT star reminisced about her matches with AEW's Toni Storm and how she'd successfully attracted the attention of many bookers on the independent wrestling scene.
Emma didn't let her disappointing WWE run affect her career as she worked towards a resurgence and secured another full-time contract with the promotion.
"I remember Toni Storm and I were the first main event on the WXW show in Germany and we started doing all these big things that hadn't really been done a lot in independent wrestling and for women. So for me, I just did a lot of international touring and just continued to wrestle and then travel, but really, I was very removed from WWE for all that time."
Emma has been booked with Madcap Moss on SmackDown since her comeback, and it will be interesting to see how the real-life couple performs under the new management.
#2. Match stopped after AJ Styles suffers an injury at a live event
Triple H's team got the worst possible news heading into the Royal Rumble as AJ Styles sustained an untimely injury at a recent house show in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
The Phenomenal One teamed up with Mia Yim and Karl Anderson for a match against Judgment Day when he allegedly hurt his lower leg/ankle. Fans in attendance confirmed that the referee threw up the dreaded 'X' sign as AJ Styles could not complete the bout.
As you can check out in the video below, the former world champion received medical attention before being helped to the back.
AJ Styles getting injured at a live show wasn’t how I wanted to end 2022🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️ https://t.co/EH3WAMhvrt
There was speculation regarding WWE possibly booking AJ Styles out of the match with a storyline injury, but that's not the case. As we've reported, Styles is dealing with a legitimate injury, and we hope it isn't severe enough for him to miss any in-ring time.
The first few months of 2023 are very crucial for WWE, and they would ideally want a fully fit AJ Styles during that phase heading into WrestleMania 39.
#3. Ricky Steamboat showers massive praise on Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt has arguably been the most prominent name brought back by Triple H in recent months. Despite being a three-time world champion, Wyatt had his fair share of troubles in WWE, as a few questionable creative decisions visibly stunted his star power before his release in 2021.
The Eater of Worlds still maintains his popularity amongst the fanbase, as he is considered a top-tier talent and one of the smartest minds in the business. Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat is also a big fan of Bray Wyatt, and particularly likes how the superstar has overcome many setbacks to remain relevant in wrestling.
Steamboat has known Wyatt since his developmental days and was always confident about his prospects of becoming a bankable draw.
Here's what the wrestling legend had to say about Bray Wyatt during an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Bill Apter:
"I liked the way how he [Bray Wyatt] thought because he was always thinking about how he could get better. And he wasn't the type of guy to give up. I don't know about now, but then [during his time in FCW]," said Ricky Steamboat [2:19 - 2:31]
Steamboat also spoke in detail about WWE rejecting multiple character pitches from Bray Wyatt, and you can read all about that here.
Have you enjoyed watching Wyatt since his return? Share your reactions in the comments section below.