Weekend Roundup: WWE HoF 2023 Update, Sonya Deville Update, The Bunny, CMLL, DiBiase Welfare Scandal Update, Indies

WWE

• This past Friday’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown drew a preliminary viewership of 2,299,000 viewers on FOX, according to SpoilerTV.
• This past Friday’s SmackDown show in Washington D.C. featured a promo segment between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. During the promo, Rhodes made a reference to his involvement in putting together and running the famous All In event in 2018, which played a very influential role in the creation of AEW in 2019. Rhodes stated “There’s no way that 10,000 people would pay to see me and my buddies’ little Indie show.”
• As noted before, this past Monday’s RAW show in Grand Rapids, Michigan featured Becky Lynch & Lita defeating Damage CTRL to become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. This match also featured the surprise return of Trish Stratus who helped prevent Bayley and Damage CRTL from cheating their way into keeping the belts. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that WWE’s plans for the WWE Women’s Tag Team belts have yet to be locked in for WrestleMania 39. The reason reportedly is due to WWE still has several storyline plans set in store for the belts that lead in direction towards at least two different matches for WrestleMania. Meltzer reported that the only plans currently locked in for WrestleMania are that Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler are still planned to be challenging for the belts.
• WWE reportedly generated an attendance of 8,411 (7,600 paid) for their Feb. 24th SmackDown show in Evansville, IN, 225 for their Feb. 24th NXT house show event in Jacksonville, FL, 3,595 for their Feb. 25th house show event in Champaign, IL, 4,478 for their Feb. 26th house show event in Rockford, IL, and 8,951 (8,000 paid) for their Feb. 27th RAW show in Grand Rapids, MI, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• WWE reportedly has sold around 11,188 tickets for their March 6th RAW show in Boston, MA, 7,220 tickets for their March 10th SmackDown show in Pittsburgh, PA, 3,952 tickets for their March 11th house show event in Youngstown, OH, 8,985 tickets for their March 12th house show event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, 4,788 tickets for their March 13th RAW show in Providence, RI, 54,011 tickets for their April 1st WrestleMania 39 Night 1 event in Inglewood, 55,099 tickets for their April 2nd WrestleMania 39 Night 2 event in Inglewood, CA, and around 14,000 tickets for their July 1st Money in the Bank 2023 event in London, England as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• WWE officials reportedly have not held any recent talks regarding plans for this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class beyond the ceremony still being scheduled to take place on March 31st in Los Angeles, California, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Dave Meltzer reported that his sources stated that WWE officials have not discussed any potential name for this year’s class as of the time of his report.
• NXT officials reportedly currently have plans to split up Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley as a tag team within the near future, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• As noted before, Sonya Deville was arrested this past Sunday in New Jersey over charges of possession of a firearm without permit. Deville was arrested following the discovery of a firearm in her vehicle and not having the proper permit to carry one in the state due to her permit was only for the state of Florida. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that WWE officials have not removed Deville from the road and she is still currently expected to make all of her scheduled appearances for the company. Johnson reported that Deville did not receive any backstage heat over her recent arrest due to WWE officials were fully aware of her having a permit to carry a gun following a home invasion stalker incident in 2016.
• Former NXT UK talent Sha Samuels announced on Instagram that he recently worked at WWE’s Performance Center as a guest coach over the past two weeks. Samuel had been among those who were released by WWE this past August due to the closure of their NXT UK brand.
• WWE Hall of Famer Lita made a surprise appearance for Hoodslam at their event this past Friday in Oakland, California.
• A new wrestling-related biographical book based on WWE Hall of Famer Gorilla Monsoon was recently announced to be in production by writer Brian Solomon and is currently planned to be released at some point next year. This book is currently titled Irresistible Force: The Life and Times of Gorilla Monsoon.
• PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that WWE is currently planning to pre-tape the March 28th episode of NXT as part of a double set of tapings on March 21st at their Performance Center. Johnson reported that the official reason is due to logistics issues over WWE needing their production crew, staff, and NXT talents in Los Angeles well ahead of time for their upcoming NXT Stand & Deliver 2023 event on April 1st in the city. Johnson also reported that WWE officials’ current plan is to resume live tapings for their NXT brand starting with the April 4th episode.
• As noted before, NXT talent Cameron Grimes has been absent from WWE’s NXT programming since this past November due to creative-related issues over plans for his main roster call-up. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that Grimes is currently expected to be officially called up to WWE’s main roster after WrestleMania 39 based on recent internal talks.
• As noted before, WWE is currently dealing with a lawsuit filed by a fan over claims of negligence committed by the company resulting the fan being injured while attending last year’s WrestleMania 38 event in Dallas, Texas. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that WWE filed two motions on February 17th and February 24th to the District Court of Tarrant County, Texas based on recent court records. The first motion requested for the lawsuit to be moved to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division. The second motion requested for the lawsuit to be officially moved to arbitration and for it to be paused from proceeding until the arbitration process was completed.
• Solo Sikoa announced on Instagram that he recently got married to his girlfriend Almia Williams this past Tuesday. Sikoa also revealed that The Usos and Naomi were among those in attendance at his wedding.
• WWE recently announced a new set of house show events for the months of May and June.
• Deadline.com reported that John Cena recently joined the cast for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem animated film. It was reported that Cena will be voicing Rocksteady in the film.
• As noted before, Tommaso Ciampa has been out of action for WWE since this past October due to a hip-related injury. Ciampa recently provided an injury update on Instagram stating that he completed his final stem cell treatment for his injury rehab this past week.

AEW & ROH

• AEW reportedly generated an attendance of 4,300 (3,900 paid) for their March 1st show in San Francisco, CA, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• AEW reportedly has sold around 7,662 tickets for their March 5th Revolution 2023 event in San Francisco, CA, 4,457 tickets for their March 8th Dynamite show in Sacramento, CA, 6,688 tickets for their March 15th Dynamite show in Winnipeg, Canada, 3,113 tickets for their March 22nd Dynamite show in Independence, MO, and 2,592 tickets for their March 29th Dynamite show in St. Louis, MO as of this past Thursday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Jade Cargill reportedly will be launching a new softball team called the Texas Smoke for the upcoming launch of a new softball league called Women’s Pro Fastpitch, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Dave Meltzer reported that this new team will be based in Austin, Texas and the league itself is currently scheduled to debut on June 15th.
• Britt Baker’s sidekick Rebel has been noticeable absent in recent weeks from AEW programming. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that the reason for Rebel’s current absence is due to creative reasons. AEW officials reportedly felt that due to Baker and Jamie Hayter recently turning face for their current feud against Saraya and Toni Storm, they felt Rebel’s involvement for the group was no longer needed nor would her current act fit well for the time being.
• AEW reportedly has been in recent talks with the First Ontario Centre in Hamilton, Canada for a potential late June date for an AEW Dynamite show at the venue, according to the Wrestling Observer.
• During a recent interview with The Ringer, Bryan Danielson stated that his favorite moment of his entire WWE career was the Kofi-mania storyline for WrestleMania 35 in 2019. Danielson stated “To me, the whole thing was magic,” Danielson explains. “And you look at the live events, like the number of shows that he did for WWE, the amount of TV time that he filled in every time, going out there and always having a positive attitude and all that kind of stuff. What a great human being, you know what I mean? Like I said, it was my favorite match. I think the whole thing was my favorite part of my WWE career.” Danielson also stated that the most demoralizing moment of his entire WWE career was getting to witness Kingston being quickly squashed by Brock Lesnar to lose the WWE Championship. Danielson stated “And conversely, the most demoralized I ever was was seeing him lose it to Brock Lesnar the way that he did.“
• AEW recently released a Director’s Cut edition of their Countdown to Revolution 2023 special that aired this past Friday on TNT.
• The Bunny recently responded to a recent Instagram post made by WWE’s Lacey Evans that downplayed the severity of people struggling with depression and anxiety issues. The Bunny stated “Some of us manage our mental health issues with medication. To suggest that simply exercising, eating a certain way, working more; etc etc etc will cure your mental illness is harmful and perpetuates the notion that mental health issues aren’t actual ILLNESSES. If anyone out there is struggling to do basic human activities due to their anxiety, depression, etc, you aren’t alone. Please take care of yourselves and don’t listen to the narrative that you are choosing to suffer. I know from experience that you are doing the best you can. Sending love to all of you ????“
• Max Caster filed a trademark for “Scissorfest” and “Scissor Me” for wrestling and entertainment-related purposes on February 27th to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
• TruTV recently announced that MJF will be making a special guest appearance on the March 9th episode of their Impractical Jokers television series.
• During a recent interview with the Busted Open Radio podcast, Mark Henry gave his thoughts on CM Punk’s current status in AEW and his belief that Punk still loves wrestling. Henry stated “Punk has posted things. If you didn’t love it and you didn’t really want to do it, you woudn’t post. You wouldn’t have any interactions on social media at all. You’d just let it go. He has not been released from his contract. That being said, one of the things that I’ve seen is FTR has supported Punk the whole time, which I find to be refreshing in pro wrestling. We need to support each other, even if there is a problem. How cool would it be to see FTR go to Punk and say, ‘we’ll stand beside you against The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Win, lose, or draw, we support you. The loser has to be the one to apologize.’ Somebody is going to have to apologize, even if they don’t want to. It also brings a little bit of togetherness. You have to use it now. You can’t have Punk come back and not address the issue, not say anything, ‘we’re just going to move on and put Punk with Powerhouse Hobbs.’ You can’t do that. You have to bring him back and make it mean something.” In response to comments by co-host Dave LeGreca about Punk being called a “locker room cancer” by others, Henry stated “He’s not! He’s not! I’m gonna say it.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
• Following Henry’s comments, CM Punk responded to a fan on Instagram who stated “Keep CM Punk Retired.” Punk replied stating “you liked your own comment. Bold. I’ll wrestle again just to upset you. You’ll watch no matter where.”
• As noted before, indie wrestler Mascara Dorada worked under the ring name of Metalik at last weekend’s ROH TV tapings for Ring of Honor in Orlando, Florida. Dorada was able to use the name due to him currently owning it and the Gran Metalik name and not WWE. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Dorada is currently planning to use his ring name of Mascara Dorada going forward for New Japan Pro Wrestling and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and his other ring name of Metalik going forward for ROH and other promotions in the United States.
• ROH reportedly generated a paid attendance of 450 for their Feb. 25th ROH TV tapings in Orlando, Florida, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Indies & Misc. Wrestling

• Major League Wrestling recently announced that former ROH talent Mandy Leon will be making an appearance for the company at their War Chamber 2023 event on April 6th in New York City, New York.
• MLW also recently announced a new match for the card of their War Chamber 2023 event on April 6th in New York City. This is a MLW Featherweight Championship match of Delmi Exo vs. Taya Valkyrie (c).
• As noted before, this past Tuesday’s MLW Underground show drew 50,000 viewers and a 0.01 key demographic rating on REELZ Channel. Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that MLW drew an additional 19,000 viewers for their West Coast airing bringing the total to 69,000 viewers for this past week’s show on REELZ. Meltzer also reported that MLW drew 23,000 key demographic viewers for their combined East and West Coast airings, down from last week’s 64,000 viewers. Meltzer also reported MLW’s show was the youngest skewing wrestling show for this past week.
• Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling recently announced the full card for their TJPW Live in Los Angeles event on March 31st in Los Angeles, California.
• Impact Wrestling reportedly generated an attendance of 675 for their Feb. 24th No Surrender 2023 event in Las Vegas and 550 for their Feb. 25th Impact tapings in Las Vegas, NV, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Former Impact talent Larry D recently announced that he and his family lost their home following a house fire incident on Saturday night. A GoFundMe fundraiser was recently launched to help financially assist Larry D’s family to rebuild their lives.
• New Japan Pro Wrestling reportedly generated a paid attendance of 962 for their Feb. 25th Fantastica Mania 2023 event in Osaka, 1,092 for their Feb. 26th Fantastica Mania 2023 event in Chiba, 1,384 for their Feb. 27th Fantastica Mania 2023 event in Tokyo, 1,383 for their Feb. 28th Fantastica Mania 2023 in Tokyo, and 1,381 for their All Star Junior Festival event in Tokyo, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• This past Wednesday’s episode of Power Slap drew 277,000 viewers and a 0.09 key demographic rating on TBS, according to ShowBuzz Daily. This was down compared to last week’s 309,000 viewers and a 0.10 key demographic rating.
• Mexican-based television network TV Azteca reportedly recently held talks with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre to leave their current television network and sign a new deal with them instead, according to El Planchitas. CMLL officials reportedly turned down the offer due to them wanting to stay on their current network. It was reported that TV Azteca had plans to run boxing events in CMLL-owned stadiums had the deal gone through. TV Azteca is the current home network of Lucha Libre AAA but they reportedly have not been happy over the ratings AAA shows has been generating on their network despite its poor timeslot of past midnight most weeks (English translation via TheCubsFan)
• CMLL reportedly generated an attendance of around 10,000 for their Feb. 17th Super Viernes event in Mexico City, Mexico, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• Faby Apache recently confirmed the rumors and reports that she had recently left CMLL. Apache stated that the reason for her departure was due to issues over her bookings for indie events that featured wrestlers that CMLL did not want their talent to work with on the same shows. Apache stated that she had made prior commitments to work at those shows and did not want to be known as a person who breaks their word. Apache also revealed that she was not under contract with CMLL and wanted to be able to keep the freedom she had when it came to taking bookings.
• Stardom reportedly generated a paid attendance of 270 for their Feb. 25th event in Wakayama and 702 for their Feb. 26th Stardom in Showcase Vol. 4 event in Kobe, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• All Japan Pro Wrestling reportedly generated a paid attendance of 658 for their Feb. 26th Excite Series 2023 event in Maebashi, Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• DDT Pro Wrestling reportedly generated a paid attendance of 580 for their Feb. 26th Into The Fight event in Tokyo, Japan. This event was notable for featuring AEW’s Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford. Sabian defeated Ford to be crowned the new Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship only to lose it later in the show against Yoshihiko.
• WrestleCon recently announced that Trinity Fatu, known as Naomi in WWE, will be making an appearance for the company at their WrestleCon 2023 convention on April 1-2 in Los Angeles, California.
• As noted before, WWE Hall of Famer “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase is currently facing a lawsuit and criminal charges from the State of Mississippi over allegations that DiBiase and several members of his family had embezzled several million dollars in state welfare funds for illegal purposes. The Mississippi Today reported that DiBiase’s son Brett pleaded guilty this past Thursday to the federal charges against him. It was reported that Brett DiBiase is currently facing up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines if convicted of the charges against him.
• Chris Hero recently announced that he has become the new official match maker for West Coast Pro Wrestling.
• Matt Cardona filed a trademark for “Indy God” for wrestling and merchandise-related purposes on February 28th to the USPTO.