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This week begins the next year of wrestling as the inexhaustible cycle begins again and the road to WrestleMania starts paving anew.
Raw kicks off with some interesting decisions with two triple threat matches announced and the winner of those fight off to determine who will face Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank for The Universal Championship. The idea is interesting but of the six competitors, four are recently removed from Smackdown, so are the top six guys that aren't Seth Rollins mostly Smackdown guys? Doesn't say much for what is supposed to be the flagship show, does it? There wasn't a ton of big moments this week although finally revealing Bray Wyatt in his new form is pretty awesome, he's a great presence on the mic and he's one of the better "new" wrestlers in recent history. Alicia Fox returned to the ring, in an odd match against Becky Lynch which had some bad botches and honestly I don't think her future is long for the WWE ring if the outside the ring rumors are to be believed. Raw's big finish was AJ Styles beating Baron Corbin to face Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank, and then Seth Rollins coming out and shaking AJ Styles hand. That is not the tone you want to see for a title match.
Smackdown felt a little off balance as there were still so many debuts and introductions leftover from the Superstar Shakeup with Chad Gable, Andrade and Lars Sullivan all "debuting" on Smackdown this week. It's good to see the women's division stir up and try new match ups, with the Iconics building a rivalry vs Asuka and Kari Sane while Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville stand by and talk smack. Pitting Bayley and Charlotte Flair is a nice change and a reminder that it wasn't just Charlotte and Becky who built this women's revolution we exist in now. This does bring up an issue though, so Becky is now going to face both Charlotte Flair and Lacey Evans at Money in the Bank. This is an awesome idea, it only serves to elevate the myth of the Man and grow Becky Lynch's heat to an unheard of level. Of course WWE could go the other way on this one and have her drop one or both titles but I don't think that's the plan, as of right now it feels like they're going to keep blowing Becky Lynch up as far as the heat will take her. The new New Day was looking great with Kevin Owens in a new fun role and then he betrays Kofi Kingston and all is back as it was. Kevin Owens is truly at his best as a heel, and there may be no one better at pushing the crowd's buttons without saying a word right now than Kevin Owens.
Overall this week was a solid week as the build up to Money in the Bank begins.
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Houston Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski is set to undergo Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery, likely sidelining him until late in the 2026 season.
Wesneski went on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort on May 9, three days after allowing four runs over four innings in a 4-3 loss at Milwaukee. The 27-year-old was 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA.
Wesneski joined the Astros along with Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith in the offseason trade that sent Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. He has 28 starts among 74 appearances over four big league seasons.
The Astros, who announced the diagnosis after Sunday's 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers, skipped Wesneski for a turn in their rotation before the start against the Brewers.
“In Milwaukee, I felt better,” Wesneski said. “Next day, I felt great. I was super pumped about it. Got on the airplane, landed at home in Houston and it just started swelling up. Off day only got worse.”
Wesneski said he will stay in the Dallas area for surgery, hoping to have it this week. Texas Rangers physician Dr. Keith Meister will perform the procedure.
With the Cubs last season, Wesneski spent time on the injured list with a right forearm strain. He had seven starts among 28 appearances in 2024 after getting 11 starts and 23 relief outings two years ago. All six of Wesneski's appearances this season were starts.
Looking ahead
With Wesneski officially out for the season, Lance McCullers returning to form takes on even more importance for Houston. Hopefully, McCullers, Colton Gordon, and Ryan Gusto can hold down the fort until Spencer Arreghetti returns from his fractured thumb.