Weekend Roundup: Becky Lynch, All Out Backstage Fight Update, AEW Creative, Andrade, Four Talents Leave Impact, Indies

WWE

• This past Friday’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown drew a preliminary viewership of 2,133,000 viewers on FOX, according to SpoilerTV.
• Following the end of Saturday’s Extreme Rules 2022 event in Philadelphia, WWE revealed the official logo for their WrestleMania 40 event, which takes place on April 6-7, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Saturday’s Extreme Rules 2022 event featured a Fight Pit match between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle with special guest referee Daniel Cormier. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that Cormier’s appearance was a one-time deal. Meltzer reported that Cormeir had been interested for some time in potentially working for WWE mostly due to him being a big fan of the company and wrestling since childhood. Meltzer also reported that Cormier had wanted to work as an announcer for SmackDown in the past and even got FOX on board with the idea but WWE never made the call to him for the potential job.
• WWE recently announced that first day ticket sales for next year’s Royal Rumble event in San Antonio managed to set a new all-time record for highest ever first day ticket sales in WWE history. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that while WWE did not give a number, those spoken to stated that the company managed to sell over 25,000 tickets after the first day. Meltzer reported that WWE’s current goal is an attendance of around 40,000 the event based on current stage plans and setup.
• WWE reportedly generated an attendance of 9,154 (8,500 paid) for their Sept. 30th SmackDown show in Winnipeg, Canada, 2,477 for their Oct. 1st house show event in Bismarck, ND, 3,591 for their Oct. 1st house show event in Regina, Canada, 3,596 for their Oct. 2nd house show event in Saskatoon, Canada, and 7,294 (6,500 paid) for their Oct. 3rd RAW show in St. Paul, MN, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that his sources stated that WWE officials have been pleased with the ticket sales and performances of Undertaker’s 1 deadMAN SHOW events. Sapp reported that ticket sales for this past Friday’s show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania had reached sold out status and the third Undertaker show in a row that has happened leading to WWE officials, event organizers, and host venues officials all being very happy over the success of these shows.
• WWE recently announced that they will be holding a new Undertaker 1 deadMAN SHOW event on November 25th in Boston, Massachusetts.
• WWE reportedly has sold around 6,676 tickets for their Oct. 10th RAW show in Brooklyn, NY, 4,073 tickets for their Oct. 14th SmackDown show in New Orleans, LA, 3,385 tickets for their Oct. 15th house show event in Phoenix, AZ, 2,221 tickets for their Oct. 15th house show event in Sioux City, IA, 1,286 tickets for their Oct. 16th house show event in Topeka, KS, 4,147 tickets for their Oct. 17th RAW show in Oklahoma City, OK, 4,324 tickets for their Oct. 21st SmackDown show in Toledo, OH, 3,023 tickets for their Oct. 22nd house show event in Dayton, OH, 1,999 tickets for their Oct. 23rd house show event in Pikeville, KY, 5,166 tickets for their Oct. 24th RAW show in Charlotte,NC, 4,995 tickets for their Oct. 28th SmackDown show in St. Louis, MO, 5,245 tickets for their Oct. 30th house show event in Glasgow, Scotland, 6,051 tickets for their Oct. 31st RAW show in Dallas, TX, 3,396 tickets for their Nov. 7th RAW show in Wilkes-Bare, PA, 4,567 tickets for their Nov. 14th RAW show in Louisville, KY, 3,939 tickets for their Nov. 21st RAW show in Albany, NY, and 12,831 tickets for their Nov. 26th Survivor Series 2022 event in Boston, MA as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• WWE filed trademarks for “B-Fab”, “Meiko Satomura”, “Nathan Frazer”, “Blair Davenport”, and “Bailey Matthews” on October 4th for wrestling and entertainment-related purposes to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
• As noted before, Becky Lynch has been out of action for WWE since this past July due to a shoulder injury. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that Lynch was seen in attendance backstage during this past Monday’s RAW show in St. Paul, Minnesota. Johnson reported that Lynch is currently expected to make her return within the near future based on the timetable from WWE officials of “several months” following her injury.
• As noted before, Charlotte Flair has been absent from WWE since this past May due to her being granted time off for marriage and family-related reasons. During a recent interview with Mas Lucha, Flair’s husband and AEW talent Andrade El Idolo commented on Flair’s current absence from the company and the differences between WWE and AEW’s work schedules. Andrade stated “I like this AEW schedule, because the WWE schedule is exhausting. People can’t imagine, they think that when you wrestle in WWE television’s shows, that’s your only weekly match, and no. There are non-televised matches for other cities, in other countries. The situation was very difficult when I left WWE for AEW, because she traveled on Thursday, had matches on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and returned home on Monday. And I was leaving home on Tuesday for the AEW Dynamite show on Wednesday. Thursday I was returning home, and she already had to go back to travel to go to work. It was difficult, sometimes we even had to travel together and accompany us on our work trips to be able to spend time together. Right now, we are fine because I see her more often. I see her more because Ashley – to whom I call ‘Mami’ – has some time off from WWE for personal issues that are not up to me to say, but that she will later say in interviews.” (Transcript h/t: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

AEW & ROH

• AEW recently announced that they will be holding a new set of AEW Dynamite and AEW Rampage shows on December 7th at the HEB Center in Cedar Park, Texas. Tickets for this upcoming set of shows was announced to officially go on sale starting on October 14th.
• As noted before, AEW announced that Jon Moxley recently signed a five-year contract extension with the company. Moxley’s wife Renee Paquette recently commented on Twitter about Moxley’s decision to stay in AEW for the long-term. Paquette stated “So proud of Jon! Just casually watching him carve out his own legacy in real time.”
• During a recent interview with DAZN, AEW CEO Tony Khan gave his thoughts on the importance of Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson being the backstage leaders of AEW’s locker room. Khan stated “I think Jon Moxley, the AEW world champion, and Chris Jericho have stepped up in a major way. I think a lot of fans would see they’ve both had an incredible run of matches, including against each other at Quake by the Lake in August. Since the Grand Slam tournament champions started, we’ve been on a great run. And I think they’re leaders backstage. And I think Bryan Danielson also is a huge part of this. Moxley and Chris have been here from the very beginning, and Bryan stepped in and has been one of the most prominent people on the TV shows. So he’s a huge part of it.Backstage, I think they’re all leaders and have helped us get through this period. Bryan was out for a while, and since Bryan came back, it’s been some of the best TV we’ve done. I am grateful he’s been a big part of it because it’s been great to have Bryan in the shows. He’s one of the best wrestlers in the world and he’s also been in some of the best matches this year, including against both the people I just named, Jon Moxley, and Chris Jericho. So both on-screen and off-screen, I think they’re just a hugely valuable presence in AEW.” Khan also gave his thoughts on what he would do if those three were not around for the company. Khan stated “I don’t know. I think it’d be very challenging. If you looked at many teams, and took three players off of them, three of the most featured and productive players on the team, I think those teams would struggle. If you take (Larry) Bird, (Kevin) McHale and (Robert) Parish or Magic Johnson, Kareem (Abdul Jabbar) and (James) Worthy or (Michael) Jordan, (Scottie) Pippen and (Dennis) Rodman off (their) different sports teams (and) you took those three most productive players off. These (Moxley, Jericho, Danielson) are three of the most productive players on our team. A lot of great people contribute to the show, but they are three of the most important for sure.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
• AEW reportedly generated an attendance of 3,300 (3,100 paid) for their Oct. 5th Dynamite show in Washington, D.C., according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• AEW reportedly has sold around 6,802 tickets for their Oct. 12th Dynamite show in Toronto, 4,885 tickets for their Oct. 13th Rampage show in Toronto, Canada, 3,455 tickets for their Oct. 18th Dynamite show in Cincinnati, OH, 2,325 tickets for their Oct. 21st Rampage show in Jacksonville, FL, 2,231 tickets for their Oct. 26th Dynamite show in Norfolk, VA, 3,792 tickets for their Oct. 28th Rampage show in Uncasville, CT, 1,604 tickets for their Nov. 2nd Dynamite show in Baltimore, MD, 1,218 tickets for their Nov. 4th Rampage show in Atlantic City, NJ, 2,396 tickets for their Nov. 9th Dynamite show in Boston, MA, 1,735 tickets for their Nov. 16th Dynamite show in Bridgeport, CT, 9,939 tickets for their Nov. 19th Full Gear 2022 event in Chicago, IL, 3,924 tickets for their Nov. 23rd Dynamite show in Chicago, IL, and 6,224 tickets for their Jan. 4, 2023 Dynamite show in Seattle, WA as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that AEW’s current creative process is AEW CEO Tony Khan still remains as the head booker with QT Marshall being his primary helper for putting together AEW’s weekly shows. During creative meetings, the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Pat Buck, Sonjay Dutt, Tony Schiavone, Marshall, and others reportedly all help pitch ideas for shows. Outside of those meetings, talent also help pitch ideas for their matches and feuds.
• As noted before, CM Punk, AEW producer Ace Steel, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks have been away from AEW since this past September due to their suspensions from a backstage fight incident following AEW’s All Out 2022 event. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that AEW’s third party investigation into the incident has stalled mostly due to the threats of legal action from those involved. Meltzer reported that this is the reason why Steel has not been fired despite everyone within the company believing he will not return and AEW officials having no timetable in mind for the end of the suspensions.
• As noted before, AEW recently announced that they will no longer be airing their weekly shows and events on television network Space for their Latin American markets except for Brazil. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that at least one source spoken to stated that the reason why AEW turned down Space’s offer for a new deal was due to them already having a more lucrative offer on the table for their shows in those markets. Meltzer reported that while Space is owned by Warner Bros Discovery, the rumors of WBD made the decision to not keep AEW for those markets is not true. Meltzer reported that while the rumor was debunked, it is still not a good sign of AEW’s current chances at getting a new higher paying tv deal from WBD due to WBD’s on-going cost cutting measures following Discovery’s purchase and merger. In terms of viewership numbers, Meltzer reported that AEW’s viewership on Space would be around the same level they currently get on their YouTube channel for their shows. In regards to why AEW did not also leave Space in Brazil, Meltzer reported that this was due to AEW’s television contract being different for that country and it catering to their Portuguese language market and not Spanish language market for the region.
• During a recent episode of the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Julia Hart gave her thoughts about joining House of Black. Hart stated “Oh my gosh, I was sitting on those stairs for months. I actually didn’t know, I didn’t [know if it was ever gonna happen]. I was like I’m just gonna keep doing me and hopefully we have to do something with this. I’m not gonna let this go to waste, this was a big moment. When it happened, when Malakai misted me, I was like ‘I think I want to do something different.’ Him misting me could create a whole story of me joining the House Of Black. I think I told Jerry Lynn, I was like ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if I joined House Of Black?’. He was like ‘I think that would be cool.’ At the time, I wasn’t very close with Malakai and he’s a very intimidating presence as it is, not in a bad way but in a good way. I wanted to tell him but I didn’t know how he’d [perceive it]. So I told Jerry and I guess Jerry told him and he came to me and was like ‘You wanna join House Of Black? Do you like the cheerleading stuff, I thought you liked the cheerleading stuff?”. I was like ‘No, I need something different. I need something new and I need something creative, I love dark shit. I love it all, I’m here for it.’ He was like ‘Oh okay, maybe draw out how’d you see the character and do a promo for me.’ I love promos. I would love to talk more. So I did a promo and I showed him and he was like ‘Oh okay, you have something.’ That was pretty much it. I just kept the eye patch and sat for weeks and waited. I was like ‘When is this ever gonna happen?’ I honestly didn’t know. I was just coming to work and doing my job. I just hoped that one day I could join. I was thinking I want something more and then it turned into what it is now.” Hart also stated that she was happy to move on from her previous cheerleader gimmick in AEW. Hart stated “Words can’t explain how much I’m obsessed with my new character. I was a competitive cheerleader for six years and you guys, I was so over it. I was so over cheerleading. Being on the sideline and cheering for someone else, I was so sick of it. I wasn’t even creative anymore with it. I did have a lot of ideas of where we could have gone with that, but I just needed something different and new and a different side of me that I can pull from. It’s crazy how being with the House Of Black and how creative everyone is and just being around in that environment of those people. I’m constantly learning from all of them. It’s just such a new environment that I needed [as] a young little rookie. I’m just constantly learning and excited to do things with them. It’s really great. If you would have told me I was joining House Of Black a year ago I would have been like ‘You’re crazy, what?’. It’s just a dream, I love it. I’m obsessed with everything we do.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
• AEW recently announced that The Acclaimed’s “Scissor Me Daddy Ass” shirt is currently their highest selling shirt of 2022 at their official online ShopAEW store.
• During a recent interview with The Ariel Helwani Show, AEW CEO Tony Khan gave his thoughts about the changes in WWE’s talent scouting and signing system following their recent leadership regime change. Khan stated “Probably a bit more similarity (between the companies) in what we are looking for in the profile of a free agent…it’s probably going to start being a thing.” Khan also gave his thoughts about how AEW’s Dark series ended up being the top tryout system in wrestling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Khan stated “[AEW Dark] at one point, the premiere tryout system in America. Plenty of people will tell you WWE was recruiting off AEW Dark during the pandemic. If anyone tells you that’s not true, ok, you’re full of sh*t.” (Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com)
• During a recent interview with Mas Lucha, Andrade El Idolo gave his thoughts about his current career in AEW. Andrade stated “I am happy that he got signed. I tried to help as much as possible and they (AEW) liked his work. People wanted to see Los Ingobernables back together after I joined WWE. I went to AEW and reforming Los Ingobernables is something awesome and there will be a lot of stuff coming. May be good or it may be bad, I don’t want to get ahead of myself … It’s difficult. I was in WWE and I had a big contract and they offered me an even better contract but I rejected it because I wanted to continue growing, you know? That’s why I chose to go to AEW, but right now I feel a little stagnant and I want more. I feel like I am going through what I was going through in WWE right now. Although I have a great contract and the schedule is good too because the WWE schedule is unimaginable. People believe that you only wrestle once a week, but you wrestle non-televised matches in other cities and countries. Right now, it’s difficult because I want more in AEW, especially now that RUSH came in. Since he joined, I was like I want more. There is lots of stuff happening, including people saying I want to go back to Triple H, but I don’t want to speak too much about that. He gave me an opportunity and helped me a lot in NXT and I spoke to him when I requested my release. We are on good terms and he always mentioned that I can keep in contact with him. I cannot say that I have contacted him recently, but it is difficult due to legalities. And if he wanted to speak to me, my wife works there, so he can always reach out to me from there too. It is difficult at the same time because Ashley (Charlotte Flair) has time off due to personal reasons and she will specify them in future interviews. It was very heavy because she worked on Thursdays to work on Weekends while I traveled on Tuesdays and returned on Thursdays as soon as she was scheduled to leave. Right now we are good because I get to see her more, I hope she comes back soon. With AEW, I don’t know what will happen on Friday. It’s a coin toss. I don’t know what can happen and I am a little like how I felt in WWE, whereas I wanted to do more and I feel like I am not growing. I want more. I am not a conformist, even if they pay me a lot. I get good pay and I work fewer dates, but I want more. It’s been over a year since I joined AEW, a lot of people already know me from WWE, but it’s time to focus on the Championship. I want more.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)

Indies & Misc. Wrestling

• As noted before, Tanga Loa has been out of action for New Japan Pro Wrestling since this past June due to a knee injury. During a recent episode of the Tama’s Island podcast, Tama Tonga provided an injury update on his brother stating that he had suffered an MCL injury. Tonga stated that Loa’s had underwent successful surgery but will still be out of action for the remainder of this year. Tonga stated “We got our other brother Tanga Loa but he’s been injured, tore his MCL and just had surgery a couple months ago so he’ll be out for the rest of the year but he’s making progress. He isn’t able to run yet but, he’s able to walk and do some stuff. Just the running part is the hardest part right now. But he’s doing well, he’s moving forward. Looking forward to having him come back.” (Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com)
• Saturday’s NJPW Strong Autumn Attack 2022 Night 1 show featured a tag team match between Homicide & Wheeler Yuta and Bullet Club’s Jay White & Karl Anderson. Following the match, White issued a challenge to AEW’s Eddie Kingston for a match between the two at NJPW’s upcoming Rumble on 44th Street event later this month.
• NJPW recently announced two changes to the card of this Monday’s Declaration of Power event in Tokyo, Japan due to issues over KUSHIDA’s removal over health-related reasons. The originally scheduled KUSHIDA vs. Taiji Ishimori match will now be Master Wato vs. Taiji Ishimori. The originally scheduled 8-Man Tag Team match of Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Hikuleo, & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Dick Togo, EVIL, SHO, & Yujiro Takahashi will now be a 6-Man Tag Team match of Ryusuke Taguchi, Hikuleo, & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL, SHO, & Yujiro Takahashi.
• This past Friday’s Bound for Glory 2022 event for Impact Wrestling featured Frankie Kazarian defeating “Speedball” Mike Bailey to be crowned the new X-Division Champion. Kazarian recently reflected on Twitter about his match against Bailey and X-Division title victory. Kazarian stated “1. @SpeedballBailey is the f*cking man. 2. BFG was awesome. 3. 4,159 days in between title reigns. 4. 100th X Division champion. 5. I am NOT defined by initials of wrestling companies. New X Champ. Don’t like it? [middle finger emoji]”
• Honor No More’s Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Maria Kanellis, and Vincent reportedly have left Impact Wrestling, according to PWInsider. Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that the contracts for all four talents expired this weekend and all are currently free agents.
• During a recent interview with the Miami Herald, Heath revealed that his currently contract with Impact Wrestling has around one year remaining. Heath stated “The whole atmosphere at IMPACT is fun and loose to where you don’t really have to walk around on glass and eggshells. You can literally breathe, relax, have a good time, and crack up. But, I like the fact that at IMPACT, they listen to your ideas. You can be you, you can express yourself, and you can have fun doing that. That’s the main part that I love about IMPACT, they get behind you and your ideas, and still, I feel like the best is still to come because I still got a year on my contract with IMPACT. So I just feel like I’ve just begun right now. There’s still a lot for me here and for me to do so I’m excited more about this coming year than I have been this last year.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
• Impact Wrestling reportedly opened up additional bleacher seats to deal with an overflow of attendance for this past Friday’s Bound For Glory 2022 event in Albany, New York due to the high number of walkup ticket sales, according to PWInsider.
• Cable television network VH1 recently announced that the new season of the revival of their The Surreal Life series will premiere on October 24th. CJ Perry, former WWE wrestler Lana, recently revealed on Twitter that she will be among the cast for this upcoming new season.
• Pro Wrestling Guerilla recently announced that they will be holding an event called DINK on November 6th in Los Angeles, California. It was also announced that this upcoming event will be dedicated in honor of a longtime fan of the company who recently passed away.
• Pro Wrestling NOAH recently announced a new match for the card of their NOAH X Dragon Gate Global Dream event on November 11th in Tokyo, Japan. This will be a tag team match of Kaito Kiyomiya & Yuki Yoshioka vs. Kenoh & Kota Minoura
• Stardom reportedly generated a paid attendance of 2,343 for their Oct. 1st 5STAR Grand Prix 2022 Finals event in Tokyo, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre reportedly generated an attendance of 5,000 for their Sept. 30th Night of Champions 2022 event in Mexico City, Mexico, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• As noted before, CMLL recently announced that former Lucha Libre AAA talent Faby Apache will be making an appearance for the company at their upcoming Amazon Grand Prix 2022 event later this month. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Apache stated in recent interviews that she is currently not under contract with CMLL. Meltzer reported that Apache had originally stated that her upcoming appearance was only a one-time type deal but in a later interview she stated that she would be working select dates for the company.
• Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the English commentary team for Lucha Libre AAA’s Triplemania XXX: Mexico City event on October 15th will be Joe Dombrowski and Larry Dallas. Meltzer reported that Dombrowski and Dallas will not be traveling to the event and instead will be calling the action from their homes in the United States due to cost-related issues. Meltzer reported that these cost-cutting issues might be the reason why AAA booked less foreign talent for this upcoming event compared to their other Triplemania XXX events earlier this year.
• AAA reportedly has sold around 331 tickets for their Dec. 3rd event in Tempe, Arizona, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Stardom talent Unagi Sayaka recently announced that she will be leaving the company and working as a freelancer going forward.
• Major League Wrestling announced that they have recently signed Sam Adonis to an official contract with the company. It was also announced that Adonis will be making his official debut for the company at their Fightland 2022 event later this month.
• During a recent interview with the CBS Sunday Morning show, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stated that he no longer is considering the idea of a future Presidential run. Johnson stated “It’s off the table, yes. It is off the table. I will say this, because it requires the B-side to this. I love our country and everyone in it. I also love being a daddy. That’s the most important thing, being a daddy. Number one. Especially during this time, this critical time in my daughter’s lives because I know what it was like to be on the road and be so busy that I was absent for a lot of years. My first daughter’s growing up in this critical age at this critical time in her life and that’s what the presidency would do. My number one priority is my daughter’s. CEO sounds great, but the number one thing I want to be is daddy. That’s it.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
• NFL team Cincinnati Bengals recently announced that they will be launching a new interview-based series called Renée All Dey with former WWE announcer Renee Paquette as the host.