Weekend Roundup: CM Punk WWE Return & Seth Rollins & McIntyre Outbursts Updates, McIntyre WWE Contract Update, Katsuyori Shibata AEW & ROH Update, Indies

Indie / Misc

Steve C.

Nov 26, 2023

WWE

As noted before, Saturday’s WWE Survivor Series 2023 event in Rosemont, Illinois featured CM Punk making his official return to WWE. Dave Meltzer reported in a recent episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio that his sources stated that Punk and WWE officials had put together a deal around 10 days ago and confirmed that TKO Group executives were kept in the dark about the plans for Punk’s return. In regards to the incidents involving Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre after the Men’s WarGames match, Meltzer reported that those spoken to stated that Rollins’ incident was a work and not him being legit angry over Punk’s return. WWE officials reportedly wanted to play off Rollins comments from earlier this year where he had called Punk a locker room “cancer.” In regards to McIntyre’s incident, Meltzer reported that those spoken to stated that McIntyre’s actions were not a work and instead he was legit angry about something that is currently not known. Those spoken to reportedly stated that this was not Punk related but this is something he has yet to confirm from his sources.
PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that Drew McIntyre was in attendance and performed at Sunday’s house show event in Peoria, IL. Johnson reported that the reason for McIntyre’s outburst at Saturday’s Survivor Series 2023 event is still currently not known.
The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported in Sunday’s Daily Update that CM Punk’s surprise return at Saturday Survivor Series 2023 generated around 500,000 searches on Google for that day. Meltzer reported that CM Punk’s return was the only wrestling-related thing to rank in the Top 20 for Google searches for any specific day this past week.
WWE announced that CM Punk will be making an appearance at this Monday’s RAW show in Nashville, Tennessee.
Following Saturday’s WWE Survivor Series WarGames 2023 event, WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque posted a photo of him and CM Punk backstage on Twitter with Levesque doing his traditional finger point for new signings. Levesque commented stating “Mighty cold day in hell. #SurvivorSeries“
Following CM Punk’s surprise WWE return at Saturday’s Survivor Series 2023 event, KENTA reflected on Twitter stating “I wish he creates another finisher and I’m gonna steal his move as my new finisher.“
Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that his sources within Peacock stated that the opening Women’s WarGames match at Saturday’s Survivor Series WarGames 2023 event had broke the peak viewership of last year’s event. Sapp reported that this year’s event was expected to break the all-time viewership record for a WWE PLE event on the service.
In a recent live stream on Instagram, Carmella provided an update on her health status following the birth of her first child earlier this month. Carmella stated “I have nerve damage in my right foot from pushing this bubs out of me. So, the entire side of my right foot is numb. It’s difficult to move my toes. I can’t really move my foot, so it’s making it difficult to walk. Which is a bit annoying but the anesthesiologist… I thought it was originally from the epidural. I didn’t know what was wrong. “But he [the anesthesiologist] said it can happen and with pushing on your back and it should hopefully resolve in a few weeks. I’m going to see a chiropractor next week which will hopefully help. My acupuncturist has been working on it so we’ll see. Fingers crossed it’s better soon.” (Transcript h/t: SEScoops.com)
As noted before, Drew McIntyre’s contract with WWE is currently expected to expire by next year’s WrestleMania 40 event in 2024. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that McIntyre and WWE officials have yet to enter deep discussions for a potential new contract nor has WWE been in any rush to do so due to the amount of time still left on his deal. McIntyre reportedly had recently told those close to him that he is currently leaning towards letting his contract expire and take a break from wrestling for family related reasons. McIntyre reportedly wants to have an extended stay in his home in Scotland instead of the quick breaks he has had since returning to WWE. McIntyre reportedly is also currently of the mindset of wanting to put his family first over any potential new deal if it comes down to a choice between the two. Johnson reported that those spoken to stated that there is no negative feeling between McIntyre and WWE officials over the lack of serious talks for new contract for McIntyre.
In a recent episode of the Hall of Fame with Booker T & Brad Gilmore podcast, WWE Hall of Famer and co-host Booker T gave his thoughts about if WWE will try to counter AEW’s recent big signings with their own big signings spree and WWE not being in the wrestling business but entertainment business instead. Booker T stated “I really don’t think WWE is gonna start making moves because of AEW’s signings. I just don’t think that’s gonna happen. The reason why I don’t think it’s gonna happen is, that wasn’t the blueprint when WCW started hiring guys. They just help WCW hire everybody out there. They didn’t care. They had those core guys, and they were gonna ride on those core guys, and those guys were good enough to ride on. I think WWE right now, the talent in WWE, I think we got good enough talent to actually ride on and compete against any wrestling company in the world. I could be wrong, but I don’t think WWE is selling wrestling matches. I just don’t. The wrestling matches are the means to an end, the payoff. But I don’t think WWE is truly selling wrestling. WWE is selling entertainment every week, and hopefully will wise up and realize that this is the entertainment business. Of course, wrestling is on the marquee, but the real wrestlers are in the UFC. The real wrestlers are those collegiate guys, NCAA, all that kind of stuff. What we do is performing art, and I really would implore those guys to understand, to make it to that next level, you gotta be entertaining. I say that because when I came from WCW, I was a wrestler. I could do anything in the middle of that ring, but I wasn’t an entertainment guy. But once I started learning how to do it, that’s when I started going over. That’s when I started really making money. Everybody that has made it to that level has been able to entertain. I look at Kurt Angle, and what I always think about I Kurt Angle with that little cowboy hat and that ukelele, and this an Olympic gold medalist who won with a broken freaking neck. So my thing is, if you don’t adapt to being an entertainer in this business, you’re not gonna last very long.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
WWE filed a trademark for “Alba Fyre” for wrestling and entertainment-related purposes on November 21st to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
As noted before, indie wrestlers Brogan Finlay and Jay Malachi are currently believed to have recently signed officials NXT developmental contracts with WWE. Fightful Select reported that their sources confirmed that Finlay, Malachi, and Lucky Ali all had recently signed official deals with WWE. It was reported that all of them are currently expected to report to WWE’s Performance Center by mid-December.
Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE’s current ticket sales for their upcoming events this December and January are currently softer or lower than what they were compared to recent months. Meltzer reported that SmackDown’s ticket sales for upcoming shows have been down by a lot compared to what WWE was averaging for sales and attendances when John Cena was advertised for appearances this past September and October. Meltzer speculated that one potential reason for the softer ticket sales is due to people figuring out that if they just wait till closer to the day of the show, they can get tickets for far cheaper than what WWE’s is currently charging. Meltzer reported that prior to this month, WWE only had a handful of shows that drew lower ticket sales than the prior event they held in the same city. In regards to comparisons for this month’s events, Meltzer reported “Historically the first three months of the year have always been the strongest for WWE ticket sales. Of the November shows so far, Rochester, NY, was up 32 percent from the last house show in the market, Wilkes-Barre was up 28 percent from the last Raw in the market, Columbus, OH, was down 20 percent from the last TV in the market, Johnson City, TN, was up 21 percent from the last house show, Roanoke, VA, was down 12 percent from the last house show, Washington, DC, was up 22 percent from the last TV, Evansville, IN, was down 29 percent from the last TV, Canton, OH was up 9 percent from the last house show Saginaw, MI was up 8 percent from the last house show and Grand Rapids, MI, was down 17 percent from the last TV shoot.”
WWE reportedly drew an attendance of 5,990 (5,300 paid) for their Nov. 17th SmackDown show in Evansville, IN, 3,997 for their Nov. 18th house show event in Canton, OH, 3,663 for their Nov. 18th house show event in Tupelo, MS, 3,357 for their Nov. 17th house show event in Saginaw, MI, 3,262 for their Nov. 19th house show event in Jonesboro, AR, and 7,447 (6,700 paid) for their Nov. 20th RAW show in Nashville, TN, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
WWE reportedly has sold around 8,583 tickets for their Nov. 27th RAW show in Nashville, TN, 8,942 tickets for their Dec. 1st SmackDown show in Brooklyn, NY, 3,547 tickets for their Dec. 2nd house show event in Bangor, ME, 4,521 tickets for their Dec. 2nd house show event in Allentown, PA, 2,799 tickets for their Dec. 3rd house show event in Portland, ME, 2,674 tickets for their Dec. 3rd house show event in Newark, DE, 4,630 tickets for their Dec. 4th RAW show in Albany, NY, 6,813 tickets for their Dec. 8th SmackDown show in Providence, RI, 2,451 tickets for their Dec. 9th NXT Deadline 2023 event in Bridgeport, CT, 2,615 tickets for their Dec. 9th house show event in Utica, NY, 1,953 tickets for their Dec. 10th house show event in State College, PA, 5,652 tickets for their Dec.11th RAW show in Cleveland, OH, 4,807 tickets for their Dec. 15th SmackDown show in Green Bay, WI, 2,733 tickets for their Dec. 16th house show event in Moline, IL, 2,064 tickets for their Dec. 17th house show event in Rochester, MN, 4,170 tickets for their Dec. 18th RAW show in Des Moines, IA, 9,194 tickets for their Dec. 26th house show event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, 2,884 tickets for their Dec. 26th house show event in Baltimore, MD, 3,701 tickets for their Dec. 27th house show event in Detroit, MI, 5,435 tickets for their Dec. 28th house show event in Laval, Canada, 7,634 tickets for their Dec. 28th house show event in Houston, TX, 6,363 tickets for their Dec. 29th house show event in Toronto, Canada, 3,863 tickets for their Dec. 29th house show event in Las Vegas, NV, 7,857 tickets for their Dec. 30th house show event in Inglewood, CA, 7,231 tickets for their Jan. 1, 2024 RAW show in San Diego, CA, 12,857 tickets for their Jan. 5th SmackDown show in Vancouver, Canada, 3,934 tickets for their Jan. 6th house show event in Spokane, WA, 2,773 tickets for their Jan. 7th house show event in Wenatchee, WA, 5,482 tickets for their Jan. 8th RAW show in Portland, OR, 3,371 tickets for their Jan. 12th SmackDown show in Lincoln, NE, 2,752 for their Jan. 13th house show event in Las Cruces, NM, 2,604 tickets for their Jan. 14th house show event in Rio Rancho, NM, 2,728 tickets for their Jan. 15th RAW show in Little Rock, AR, 9,895 tickets for their Jan. 19th SmackDown show in Atlanta, GA, 1,775 tickets for their Jan. 20th house shoe event in Montgomery, AL, 1,140 tickets for their Jan. 21st house show event in Jackson, MS, 4,613 tickets for their Jan. 22nd RAW show in New Orleans, LA, 4,707 tickets for their Jan. 26th SmackDown show in Miami, FL, and 11,329 tickets for their Jan. 29th RAW show in Tampa, FL as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
As noted before, National Wrestling Alliance and indies talent Madi Wrenkowski is currently believed to have recently signed a contract with WWE. Fightful Select reported that their sources confirmed that Wrenkowski had recently signed an official deal with WWE. It was reported that Wrenkowski is currently expected to report to WWE’s Performance Center by mid-December.
Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston reported that WWE had sold 1,680 ticket sales for a live gate of $1,161,555 for this past September’s Payback 2023 event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and 4,308 tickets for a live gate of $262,262 for this past September’s NXT No Mercy 2023 event in Bakersfield, CA based on recent audit data from Pollstar.

AEW & ROH

This past Friday’s live AEW Rampage show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania featured Wheeler Yuta defeating Katsuyori Shibata to become the new ROH Pure Champion. Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that the reason why Yuta defeated Shibata for the ROH Pure title was due to Shibata was scheduled to return soon to Japan for an extended amount of time. ROH officials reportedly had tried to have Shibata hold off on his return to Japan until after their upcoming Final Battle 2023 next month but this was not possible leading to their decision for the title change. This plan reportedly was put together by Shibata and ROH officials this past week. Shibata reportedly was stated to be happy over the idea of Yuta attacking him after the match and having HOOK run out to save him as a way to write him out for the foreseeable future since he had liked teaming up with HOOK and Orange Cassidy.
This past Friday’s AEW Collision show in Pittsburgh featured a promo by Malaki Black that was directed towards FTR and referenced FTR’s friendship with now WWE talent CM Punk. Following FTR’s victory over The Righteous in a tag team match, Black came out and stated that there was “No Cesaro [Claudio Castagnoli], No Yuta [Wheeler Yuta], and no CM Punk” to save them from House of Black.
This past Friday’s AEW Collision show in Pittsburgh also featured Lady Frost making her return to AEW. This was Frost’s first appearance in AEW or ROH since this past October due to an undisclosed issue.
PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that AEW held one dark match prior to this past Friday’s Rampage and Collision shows in Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania. This was a singles match of Lee Johnson vs. “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams, which was won by Johnson.
AEW recently announced that the card for the November 29th AEW Dynamite show in Minneapolis, Minnesota will feature three Continental Classic Gold Group matches. These matches are Jay White vs. Swerve Strickland, Mark Briscoe vs. RUSH, and Jon Moxley vs. Jay Lethal.
AEW also recently announced that the card for the December 2nd AEW Collision show in Eerie, Pennsylvania will feature two Continental Classic Blue Group matches. These matches are Daniel Garcia vs. Andrade El Idolo and Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston.
In a recent interview with WrestleZone, Kris Statlander gave her thoughts about Orange Cassidy’s helpful advice for her career and what she has learned from him. Statlander stated “I’ve learned so much from him. He has been like a mentor and a friend to me pretty much my whole career with AEW. I think one thing he really instilled in me is that — obviously, you want to win your match, and you want to continue to be the champion. No one really wants to lose. But take it as an opportunity to bring the best out of your opponent and try to elevate them to see if they really are ready to be a champion or not. So every match I have is not just for me; it’s about pushing people to see if they’re ready for the spot that I’m in.” (Transcript h/t: WrestleZone.com)
MJF recently posted a photo of him and actor Zac Efron on Twitter featuring both of them portraying their roles as Lance Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich in the upcoming The Iron Claw film which is based on the legendary The Von Erich Family.
In a recent interview with Dr. Beau Hightower, MJF gave his thoughts about his belief that Daniel Garcia and HOOK are the future of wrestling after him. MJF stated “I just wrestled him on TV for the World Title, I think Daniel Garcia is a hell of a talent, he just has to get the fuck away from people that are giving him bad advice like Cool Hand Ang [Angelo Parker] and Daddy Magic [Matt Menard]. I believe in HOOK, wholeheartedly. Every single time I see HOOK, he’s getting better in the ring and getting more comfortable in front of a live audience, which frankly is the hardest part of the job, and it’s why I skyrocketed so fast, it was never an issue for me. I watch HOOK, he walks through the curtain, and you would think he’s been a professional wrestler for 30 years. That’s how much confidence he has.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
WrestleTix reported that AEW is currently planning on having a much bigger stage for next year’s All In 2 event at Wembley Stadium based on the initial ticket map layout released for the event.
AEW reportedly drew an attendance of 4,365 for their Nov. 17th Rampage and Collision shows in Los Angeles, over 13,000 (12,000 paid) for their Nov. 18th Full Gear 2023 event in Los Angeles, CA, and 5,066 for their Nov. 22nd Dynamite show in Chicago, IL, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
AEW reportedly has sold around 2,964 tickets for their Nov. 29th Dynamite show in Minneapolis, MN, 1,448 tickets for their Dec. 2nd Collision show in Erie, PA, 2,321 tickets for their Dec. 5th Collision show in Montreal, 4,022 tickets for their Dec. 6th Dynamite show in Montreal, Canada, 1,743 tickets for their Dec. 13th Dynamite show in Arlington, TX, 1,639 tickets for their Dec. 16th Collision show in Garland, TX, 3,097 tickets for their Dec, 20th Dynamite show in Oklahoma City, OK, 2,115 tickets for their Dec. 23rd Collision show in San Antonio, TX, 2,238 tickets for their Dec, 27th Dynamite show in Orlando, FL, 7,147 tickets for their Dec. 30th Worlds End event in Uniondale, NY, 2,983 tickets for their Jan. 3, 2024 Dynamite show in Newark, NJ, 1,378 tickets for their Jan. 6th Collision show in Charlotte, NC, 1,514 tickets for their Jan. 10th Dynamite show in Jacksonville, FL, 504 tickets for their Jan. 13th Collision show in Norfolk, VA, and 1,322 tickets for their Jan. 17th Dynamite show in North Charleston, SC as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Dave Meltzer reported that the main reason for AEW’s recent surge in late and walk-up ticket sales for their events is due to people figuring out that if they just wait till closer to the day of the show, they can get tickets for far cheaper than what AEW’s is currently charging. Meltzer reported that a similar thing has been happening in recent for WWE events as well.
Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that AEW generated a live gate revenue of around $900,000 for their Full Gear 2023 event on November 18th at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Meltzer reported that a lot of Warner Bros Discovery executives, notable Hollywood people, and sponsors were among those in attendance at the event. Meltzer also reported that AEW’s attendance for the event was the third largest for an AEW event this year and also the largest ever for a Full Gear event in Full Gear series history.
As noted before, The Young Bucks are currently taking a break from wrestling as part of AEW’s current plans for their heel turn. As part of these plans, the Being The Elite series is currently not expected to return following the Young Bucks also taking a break from their work for the series. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the Young Bucks recent trademark for “KTB Wrestling” is not meant to be for the name of the Young Bucks new heel stable in AEW and instead is meant for outside projects. Meltzer reported that it is currently not known when the Young Bucks will be making their return to AEW television nor if Colt Cabana will be a member of this new heel group with Brandon Cutler.
As noted before, Sammy Guevara has been out of action for AEW since this past October due to a concussion injury. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that Guevara is currently believed to not be suffering anymore from post-concussion issues.
As noted before, former WWE talent Ronda Rousey made her surprise debut for Ring of Honor at last week’s ROH TV tapings in Los Angeles, California. Rousey’s appearance was a one-night type deal and something she wanted to do for her real life friend Marina Shafir for the tapings. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that those close to the situation stated that Rousey currently does not have any interest in signing a new deal. Those spoken to reportedly stated that if Rousey decided to resume her wrestling career in a couple of years, AEW likely would not be her choice for a new full-time deal.
In regards to the deal for Ronda Rousey’s surprise appearance for ROH, Meltzer reported that a deal for Rousey’s appearance was put together late and under the condition that Tony Khan would allow Athena & Billie Starkz to work at Wrestling Revolver’s Unreal event on November 16th in return for that match to end as a DQ and a rematch to take place at the following night’s ROH TV tapings. Melzter reported that Jon Moxley was the key person responsible for getting Rousey booked for Wrestling Revolver’s event.
ROH reportedly has sold around 877 tickets for their Dec. 15th Final Battle 2023 event in Garland, TX as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Impact, NJPW, Indies, & Misc. Wrestling

Impact/TNA Wrestling reportedly has sold around 539 tickets for their Jan. 13, 2024 Hard To Kill 2024 event in Las Vegas, NV, according to WrestleTix.
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre reportedly drew an attendance of around 9,000 for their Nov. 17th Super Viernes event in Mexico City, Mexico, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Lucha Libre AAA reportedly drew an attendance of around 8,000 for their Nov. 17th Guerra de Titanes 2023 event in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that AAA officials currently have plans for Sam Adonis and QT Marshall to be pushed as the top foreign heel team in the company going forward. Meltzer reported that AAA’s November 17th Guerra de Titanes 2023 event had featured Konnan turning heel and joining Los Gringo Locos with Adonis and Marshall.
Stardom reportedly drew a paid attendance of 298 for their Nov. 17th New Blood West 1 event in Osaka and 1,033 for their Gold Rush 2023 event in Osaka, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Stardom talent Suzu Suzuki reportedly was pulled from the company’s set of events this weekend due to her suffering an illness, according to the Wrestling Observer.
All Japan Pro Wrestling reportedly drew a paid attendance of 733 for their Nov. 19th Real World Tag League 2023 event in Nagoya, 335 for their Nov. 21st Real World Tag League 2023 event in Tokyo, and 590 for their Nov. 23rd Real World Tag League 2023 event in Numazu, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
New Japan Pro Wrestling reportedly drew a paid attendance of 784 for their Nov. 17th New Japan Road 2023 event in Yamagata, 1,076 for their Nov. 19th New Japan Road 2023 event in Utsunomiya, 1,133 for their Nov. 20th World Tag League 2023 event in Tokyo, 1,109 for their Nov. 21st World Tag League 2023 event in Tokyo, and 1,256 for their Nov. 23rd World Tag League 2023 event in Yokohama, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
NJPW and AEW talent Will Ospreay recently reflected on Twitter about his recent signing with AEW. Ospreay stated “I committed & bet on myself to never compromise on the things I treasure most in life and to paint my artwork the way I wanted it painted. Now the thing I love will provide for the people I love. There is no reason it can’t happen for you too. Thank you.” Ospreay also reflected about his year in wrestling in 2023. Ospreay stated “This year I’ve been to 10 countries, wrestled in 8 of them. 48 flights. 69 matches with 1 left for the year (16.12). 4 tournaments. 5 losses. 9 promotions. Lowest attendance 180. Highest attendance 81,035. I have worked tirelessly at the highest level I physically could to deliver on being “The Last World Beater”. But what I’m most proud of are; I was there for my Mrs when she was recovering from knee surgery, I took my step son on an aeroplane for the first time. We have had 2 family holidays together. We finished our kitchen. I’ve attended two weddings. I was there for my son’s first day in school. I’ve never missed his or her birthdays. My fear with this job are missing out on important things with family and I’m so happy that I’ve got to have so many moments where I can appreciate the people that love & support me just by showing up. I have always found ways of making time with my family & friends. I’ve grown leaps and bounds to the man I once was before but whether it was sheer dumb luck or not compromising on that were important to me. I’m filled with so much gratitude for everyone that has ever supported me, any company allowing me to be part of their team, for the opportunities presented & in the time I spend away from my family is going towards them to have a roof over our heads and food in our fridge. You’ve all been part of a process of me finally becoming a man. So thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for everything. Love you.“
In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Great-O-Khan gave his thoughts about if Will Ospreay’s recent signing with AEW would have a negative impact on their United Empire group. Great-O-Khan stated “Yo, that’s a level of gibberish that would make Prince Shotoku ask twice. How many years have you been a professional wrestling reporter? Cut off your stomach, or lose a finger. Where is the danger? Where is the danger? Ospreay will continue to be in New Japan, not leave the United Empire. All you have to do is to increase the membership of the United Empire and show your authority over there. The people of the Empire need not worry at all.” (English translation via Fightful.com)
Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling reportedly drew a paid attendance of 413 for their The Mountain Top 2023 event in Osaka, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
As noted before, iconic wrestling venue The Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California reversed their decision earlier this month to close down their doors and will remain open for the foreseeable future. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that the reason for the initial decision to shut down was due to a dispute between the people who owned the building and those who were running the theater. Meltzer reported that the Globe Theatre’s owner wanted the people running the venue to fully renovate the place and make it a more modern style theater. Those in charge of running the theater reportedly refused since they felt that the venue was a historic place. Meltzer reported that this led to the building’s owner preparing to cancel their lease but both sides compromised and reached a deal a day later.
Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that officials from Major League Wrestling and Westside Xtreme Wrestling were recently involved in a booking dispute revolving around MLW World Champion Alex Kane’s booking for wXw’s upcoming 23rd Anniversary event. Meltzer reported that wXw released an official statement blaming MLW for making additonal demands that they did not want to fulfill and pulled Kane from their upcoming event as a result. wXw stated “Following the announcement of the match, Alex Kane and MLW have made additional demands that we do not with to fulfill. As a result, Alex Kane will not be considered for future bookings.”
As noted before, WWE released around 23 known talents this past September as part of a large batch of roster cuts and staff layoffs following their sale to Endeavor and merger with UFC. Dave Meltzer reported that all of the talent who were cut will be free from their non-compete clauses on December 21st. Among the notable talents who were released and waiting for their non-competes to expire are Dolph Ziggler, Mustafa Ali, Riddle, Benjamin, Elias, Emma, Aliyah, Top Dolla, Dana Brooke, Boogs, Riddick Moss, Mace, Mansoor, Shanky, and Dabba Kato. Of the notable names, Meltzer reported that Ziggler, Ali, and Riddle very likely will be the top free agents available and all three could potentially end up in AEW although Riddle’s baggage is one big negative towards that idea. Meltzer also reported that several of those who were released likely will end up in Impact/TNA Wrestling but did not speculate who would be the top choices to likely head there.

Wrestling TV Ratings for Week of Nov. 17 to Nov. 23, 2023

WWE Friday Night SmackDown – 2,230,000 viewers, 0.62 rating (prior week – 2,195,000 viewers, 0.57 rating)
WWE RAW – 1,459,000 viewers, 0. 49 rating (prior week – 1,467,000 viewers, 0.44 rating)
WWE NXT – 622,000 viewers, 0.19 rating (prior week – 703,000 viewers, 0.21 rating)
AEW Rampage – 280,000 viewers, 0.09 rating (prior week – 322,000 viewers, 0.12 rating)
AEW Collision – 270,000 viewers, 0.08 rating (prior week – 396,000 viewers, 0.11 rating)
AEW Countdown – 139,000 viewers, 0.04 rating (prior week – N/A)

Total viewership in terms of overall tally for the week: 5,100,000 viewers** (down 806,000 viewers compared to prior week’s 5,906,000 viewers)

** This past week’s viewership tally does not include AEW Dynamite’s show nor potential numbers from Impact’s show due to the Thanksgiving holiday delaying ratings releases for the remainder of that week.