Weekend Roundup: Eva Marie Update, Kairi Sane, Brodie Lee, Riho & Stardom, NJPW Wrestle Kingdom, Indies

WWE

• WWE reportedly is currently working on plans for another gimmick match between Randy Orton and The Fiend and for it to take place at this month’s Royal Rumble event, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Ringside News. Dave Meltzer reported that WWE officials currently have tentative plans for this upcoming gimmick match to be a Firefly Fun House match.
• WWE also reportedly still have plans for a Riddle vs. Bobby Lashley match for the United States Championship to take place at a future pay-per-view event, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Dave Meltzer reported that WWE officials had plans at one point for this match to take place at this month’s Royal Rumble event but those plans appear to have been dropped.
• As noted before, Eva Marie is currently expected to make her return to WWE within the near future. Fightful Select reported (via WrestlingInc.com) that Marie is currently not scheduled to appear at this Monday’s Legends Night episode of RAW but she was seen backstage during the December 14th episode of RAW. It was reported that the reason for Marie’s backstage appearance was due to her taping promos to be aired in a future episode of RAW.
• PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that Eva Marie is currently rumored to be the mystery person that Angel Garza has been hinting that his roses are for during his promo and interview segments on WWE television.
• WWE announced that thirteen classic episodes of WWF Wrestling Challenge will be among the new content arriving this month on the WWE Network.
• WWE senior ring physician Chris Amann stated on Twitter that he recently received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Kairi Sane reportedly has been recently denied permission by WWE to make an appearance at Stardom’s upcoming 10th Anniversary event, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• WWE filed new trademarks for “Valentina Feroz”, “The Hand”, and “Shou” for wrestling and entertainment-related purposes on December 30th to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

AEW

• AEW reportedly drew an attendance of 1,080 for their December 30th episode of AEW Dynamite at Daily’s Place, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. This episode was held as a special tribute show to the late Brodie Lee.
• Following the revelation of a fake Brodie Lee Jr. Twitter account, AEW stated on Twitter that any Twitter account claiming association with the company are only legit if they are also followed by the company’s official Twitter account.
• Major Wrestling Figure Podcast is currently selling Brodie Lee/Luke Harper prints on their official online store with all proceeds going directly to the family of the late Jon Huber.
• During a recent episode of the Grillin JR podcast (transcript h/t: Fightful), Jim Ross revealed that he was told by someone that Brodie Lee was suffering from a double lung failure prior to his passing. Ross also stated that he does not know if that story is completely accurate but was simply just something told to him regarding the severity of Lee’s illness.

Other Wrestling

• Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that TNT averaged around 991,000 for prime time viewership in 2020 with AEW performing under TNT’s overall viewership average but was still above what TNT averaged for key demographic viewership for the year. USA Network reportedly averaged 902,000 for prime time viewership in 2020 with RAW performing above and NXT performing below the network’s average for overall viewership for the year. Meltzer reported that NXT performed around USA Network’s revised average when taking out RAW. AXS TV reportedly averaged 65,000 for prime time viewership in 2020 with Impact Wrestling performing well above the network’s average.
• Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the reason for Stardom no longer being interested in using Riho for their shows was due to Riho’s contract with AEW included terms that did not allow her to lose at Stardom’s events without AEW’s permission.
• Brock Lunde, son of Arn Anderson, reportedly is currently training to become a professional wrestler, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Impact Wrestling recently announced that the month of January will be Knockouts Division themed for their Impact Plus streaming service.
• CMLL talent Mistico revealed on Instagram (English translation via Fightful) that he and his girlfriend recently tested positive for the coronavirus.
• Ohio Valley Wrestling announced that due to Brian Pillman Jr.’s growing commitments with AEW, Pillman Jr. will be vacating their OVW Heavyweight Championship. Pillman Jr. stated on Twitter that the reason for the decision is due to him cutting back on outside bookings during the on-going coronavirus pandemic.
• Zickey Dice recently stated that his contract with the NWA has expired and he is currently interested in working for AEW. Fightful Select reported (via WrestlingHeadlines.com) that Dice’s contract issues with NWA revolved around a company email sent last year that allowed talent to opt out of their contracts if they had issues with the company’s vision for the future.
• The Japanese government reportedly is currently considering plans to declare a State of Emergency soon due to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in the city of Tokyo and surrounding areas, according to Kyodon News.
• During a recent episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio, NJPW English commentator Kevin Kelly revealed that the company has several contingency plans in place should a state of emergency be declared. One plan involves only allowing a very limited number of fans to attend Wrestle Kingdom 15 while another plan is to hold the event in an empty arena setting.