Inside The Ropes

After nearly 20 years with WWE, Sheamus has officially unveiled his new in-ring identity.

Following his departure from the company, the former four-time world champion has begun rebranding himself under his real name, Stephen Farrelly, shortening it professionally to "S. Farrelly." His social media accounts have already been updated to reflect the change, with his Instagram handle switching to and his bio simply reading "Pro Wrestler."

The move marks the first major step in Farrelly's post-WWE career after reports confirmed he declined a restructured contract offer from the company, bringing an end to one of the most successful runs in modern WWE history.

While Farrelly has yet to announce where he'll wrestle next, speculation is already growing about a possible move to AEW, with fans eager to see whether he could reunite with longtime tag team partner Claudio Castagnoli.

💬 What do you think of the new name?

AEW has filed a lawsuit against the production company behind the wrestling biopic Queen of the Ring, alleging it is still owed more than $105,000 under a promotional agreement for the film.

According to the lawsuit, AEW and Ring Productions LLC reached a deal in January 2025 in which the promotion would heavily market the movie across its programming. The agreement reportedly included sponsored matches, promotion by AEW talent on social media, trailer airings during events, and appearances by cast members on AEW television in exchange for $350,000.

The lawsuit claims Ring Productions paid $250,000, but failed to make the final payment by the agreed deadline.

According to the filing, the company still owes:

$100,000 in sponsorship fees
More than $5,000 in contracted talent travel expenses
Interest on the unpaid balance at 1.5% per month, as outlined in the agreement.

AEW alleges it made repeated attempts to collect the outstanding balance before taking legal action. The lawsuit states that multiple emails went unanswered before attorneys issued a formal demand letter, but the dispute was never resolved.

Queen of the Ring, based on the life of pioneering women's wrestling legend Mildred Burke, featured several AEW stars, including Toni Storm, Kamille, and Britt Baker, after WWE talent originally attached to the project were no longer involved. The film ultimately struggled at the box office, grossing under $700,000 worldwide.

Bret Hart has claimed Vince McMahon originally planned for him to defeat Hulk Hogan in the main event of SummerSlam, only for Hogan to reject the match.

The WWE Hall of Famer said Vince McMahon had already outlined the entire finish before speaking to Hulk Hogan, who Bret Hart alleges refused to lose the WWF Championship or even wrestle him.

Speaking with Inside The Ropes, Hart recalled receiving a phone call from McMahon shortly before King of the Ring.

“Vince tells me within about 2 minutes that he’s going to have me wrestle Hogan at SummerSlam and I’m going to put him in the Sharpshooter and he’s going to tap out right in the middle of the ring,” Hart said. “I remember looking at my wife and going, ‘This is like a big call.'”

According to Hart, McMahon told him to keep the plans quiet while he discussed the proposal with Hogan. However, Hart said he was told that the match would not be happening.

“Vince calls me the next day and says you’re never going to believe what Hogan said,” Hart recalled.

“Hogan said word for word is that I was never in his league and that he wouldn’t drop the belt to me under any circumstances and that he wouldn’t even work with me, period, and refused to work with me.”

Hart said missing out on the match cost him more than just a marquee opportunity, explaining that being WWF Champion represented the biggest financial reward in the company at the time.

“The world champion at that time was the highest paid guy in the company. He got the biggest check every week, whoever the champion was,” Hart said. “Hogan refused to work with me, refused to put me over, refused to do anything with me and basically changed my destiny.”

Hart also revisited the aftermath of WrestleMania IX, where he lost the WWF Championship to Yokozuna before Hulk Hogan defeated Yokozuna moments later to win the title. Hart claimed Hogan later told him he would “return the favour,” a promise he says was never fulfilled.

“The first thing Hogan said to me in the dressing room was uh just want you to know I’m happy to return the favor. I looked at him and said I’m going to remember that Terry. I’m going to remember that.”

After months away, Baron Corbin made a shocking return to WWE on the July 10 edition of SmackDown.

Corbin appeared during the heated showdown between Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes, stopping Hayes from connecting with his signature offense before laying out both men with the devastating End of Days. The surprise comeback immediately sent the WWE Universe into a frenzy and appears to place Corbin squarely in the middle of the rivalry between two of SmackDown’s top rising stars.