Weekend Roundup: Charlotte Flair Injury Update, Liv Morgan Arrest Update, Kenny Omega AEW Plans Update, Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, Tam Nakano, Indies

Indie / Misc

Steve C.

Dec 17, 2023

WWE

This past Friday’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown drew a preliminary viewership of 2,150,000 viewers on FOX, according to TV Insider Finale.
This past Friday’s SmackDown show in Green Bay, Wisconsin featured a backstage promo segment by Damage CTRL. During the promo, Bayley officially declared herself for the Women’s Royal Rumble match at next month’s Royal Rumble 2024 event in St. Petersburg, Florida. Bayley became the first woman to officially declare herself for next year’s match.
As noted before, Charlotte Flair recently suffered a serious knee injury and is currently expected to be out of action for at least the next nine months. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that Flair was diagnosed with a torn ACL, a torn meniscus and a torn MCL injuries and is currently set to undergo surgery soon. Johnson reported that the current belief within WWE is that Flair might have also suffered a sprain neck injury as well.
WWE filed a trademark for “Tribal Heir” for wrestling and entertainment-related purposes on December 15th to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This is the same term that Roman Reigns gave to Solo Sikoa for his standing in the Bloodline at this past Friday’s SmackDown show in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
WWE also filed a trademark for No Quarter Catch Crew for wrestling and entertainment-related purposes on December 13th to the USPTO. This is the same name of a stable in WWE’s NXT brand that features Drew Gulak as the leader and Charlie Dempsey, Myles Borne, and Damon Kemp as its members.
As noted before, Liv Morgan was arrested this past Thursday in Florida for marijuana possession following an erratic driving incident. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that many within WWE were not aware of Morgan’s arrest until news of it became public but several high level officials did have some knowledge about it beforehand. In regards to potential issues within WWE, Johnson reported that Morgan currently does not have any backstage heat over her arrest incident and while WWE officials want her legal situation resolved as soon as possible, this is something that would not put her in danger of being released. WWE officials reportedly currently have plans in place for Morgan’s return in 2024 and her recent arrest have not impacted those plans. In regards to teh vape pen found in Morgan’s car, Johnson reported that one story going around within WWE was that the vape pen actually belonged to someone else and not Morgan.
Zelina Vega reportedly working through an illness at WWE’s double set of television tapings for SmackDown this past Friday in Green Bay, according to PWInsider. Mike Johnson reported that while it is currently not known what illness Vega is dealing with, his sources stated that WWE officials were aware of her being very sick during that night’s production meeting. Vega reportedly was praised by WWE officials for being willing and able to gut through two matches at the tapings despite her illness issue.
In response to a fan mentioning that Saturday was the one year anniversary of the famous “Flop Dolla” botched dive moment in WWE, AJ Francis (former Top Dolla in WWE) reflected on Twitter about how that moment ended up saving his life. Francis stated “The botch saved my life. I made that dive a dozen times before, legs felt off but I didn’t think about it. After I failed I went to the doc & found out I had Type II diabetes & my blood sugar was 626. I almost lost my life & was about to lose both feet. The botch saved my life.“
In a recent appearance for Elite Comics and Kulture City, CM Punk gave his thoughts about his recent return and current run in WWE. Punk stated “This isn’t about me, this is about us. This about everybody that is behind me. That for ten years didn’t forget, chanted my name. I’m going to put the boots back on for all of ya’ll. We’re going to go on this journey together.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
In a recent interview with the Today Show Australia, Rhea Ripley stated that the inspiration for her current “Nightmare” nickname came from the lyrics to a song from metalcore band Motionless In White. Ripley stated “I sort of give it to myself because I thought it was very fitting. I got it from Motionless In White. One of their songs said, ‘I’m the nightmare that will haunt you in the night,’ and I was like, ‘That’s amazing.’ they’re my favorite band and I look a lot like Chris Motionless, who is the lead singer, so I thought it was very fitting to call myself ‘The Nightmare,’ especially with the way that I handle people in the ring because every time they step in there, it’s their worst nightmare.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
WWE paid tribute on Twitter to the late Jon Huber, known as Luke Harper in WWE and Brodie Lee in AEW and the indies, on what would have been his 44th birthday on Saturday. WWE stated “Remembering Jon Huber, known to WWE fans as Luke Harper, today on his birthday.“
As noted before, Randy Orton made his official return from a back injury at this past November’s Survivor Series WarGames 2023 event. Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that WWE officials had considered plans at one point to give Orton a new entrance theme song for his return to the company. Talks between Orton and WWE officials over this plan reportedly took place well before Orton’s return and this new theme would not have been a new version of “Voices” by Rev Theory and had “no music off the top and limited lyrics.” Orton reportedly rejected the plan since he did not want to change his memorable entrance theme for his return. It was also reported that this theme change would not have taken place at Survivor Series 2023 and instead at a late date following his return.
As noted before, Lacey Evans departed from WWE this past August. In a recent interview with the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast, Evans stated that she never felt passionate about her wrestling career during the seven years she worked for WWE. Evans stated “No, I have not [taken any bookings]. I’ve had a lot obviously reach out. But I did WWE for seven years and it was never my passion, that was never a secret. It was incredible to see my fellow sports entertainers [succeed], that is their passion. But I just knew that, you know, I went out there and did the best that I could, I did my job. But I always looked forward to coming home. My family obviously travelled with me, everywhere that I went for the most part, and that was a struggle, right? Because when I got signed with WWE, I was a mom and I was a wife. I’ve been with my husband since I was 15. It was an incredible opportunity. But it was a lot for whenever you compare what your passion is, and you’re wise and WWE is very, very difficult. If you’re on the road well over 300 days a year, they want a lot from you. And I just, there was always something in the back of my head that was like what the f*ck am I doing?” Evans also stated how fulfilled she has felt with being involved in outreach programs to help out her community since leaving WWE. Evans stated “When I wake up now, and I’m on my way to my cafe and I have like, just last night we did a big group outreach for I think it’s NAR-ANON, it’s like alcohol anonymous, but it’s for the families that have family members that struggle with addiction, or have lost their lives to overdose, right? So it’s just the things that I get to do now and the difference that I get to make to me is so rewarding that I have never since August 16, so a few months [on], I have not once questioned if I’m doing the right thing, or if I’m happy or if this is my why. I wake up every day, get my coffee and I go and I try to change lives and make a difference, including in my own home with my kids and my husband. So it’s been awesome.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
Roman Reigns surpassed the milestone of 1200 days as current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion this past Friday. WrestlingNews.co reported on Twitter that should Reigns hold on to his title until September of 2024, then he will officially surpass Hulk Hogan for the third longest ever World title reign in WWE history.
In a recent interview with The Michael Kay Show podcast, Cody Rhodes gave his thoughts on the potential of current AEW World Champion MJF joining WWE one day. Rhodes stated “I think one day you will see MJF in WWE. I’m really proud of him. For those that don’t know, MJF was one of my recruits and probably the one I’m most excited about because of potential and personality and overall professionalism. One thing I’m proud of him for doing is, if you notice, he’s put on a lot of muscle and he’s put it on safely over the last year and a half. When he does make that jump, I don’t know when that is, if he makes the jump. If he comes to WWE, you have to stand across from guys like Drew McIntyre, like Omos, Brock Lesnar. I’m not shaming anyone who is not hitting the gym and clanging and banging with the weights, like The Rock would say, but it is part of what we do now. You have to be able to swing a bat with the big boys. Watching him grow physically, it seems like maybe he knows where his future lies. Really, your guess is as good as mine. I never bother him about it because I want to remain the friends we’ve become today.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
WWE recently announced one new match for the card of their December 26th house show event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. This is a Bullrope match of Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura.

AEW & ROH

AEW paid tribute on Twitter to the late Jon Huber, known as Luke Harper in WWE and Brody Lee in AEW and the indies, on what would have been his 44th birthday on Saturday. AEW stated “Remembering the greatest TNT Champion, “The Exalted One” today. Happy Birthday to Mr. Brodie Lee.“
Amanda Huber also paid tribute on Twitter to her late husband Jon this past Friday. Huber stated “Happy birthday babe. Not a day goes by where I don’t think of you. Or miss you. We’re gonna celebrate today. We’re not gonna get off the couch, we’re gonna play video games, have hot dogs for dinner, & your favorite cheesecake for dessert. Just how you’d want today to be.“
MJF is currently scheduled to be inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame this Monday. MJF recently reflected on Twitter about his upcoming Hall of Fame induction. MJF stated “An incredible honor. #Betterthanyou“
This past Thursday’s Frostbite 2 event for Create A Pro Wrestling in Hicksville, New York featured MJF making a surprise appearance. MJF had trained at the CAP Academy for the debut of his wrestling career in 2015.
WrestleTix reported that AEW had sold and distributed around 7,100 tickets for their pre-sale this past Thursday for their upcoming Revolution 2024 event on March 3, 2024 in Greensboro, North Carolina. In a follow-up report, WrestleTix reported that AEW has sold and distributed around 11,442 tickets for their Revolution 2024 event as of Saturday night.
AEW action figures manufacturer Jazzwares recently announced that the first ever official The Briscoe Brothers action figures is currently in production and is scheduled to be released in 2024.
AEW filed a trademark for “Hologram” for wrestling and digital media on December 16th to the USPTO.
Former Reality of Wrestling talent Zilla Fatu, son of the late Umaga, reportedly was in attendance backstage at this past Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite Winter Is Coming 2023 show in Arlington, Texas, according to Fightful Select. It was reported that their sources stated that it is currently not known if AEW officials have any plans to potentially bring in Fatu to the company.
As noted before, Kenny Omega was hospitalized on Friday due to an undisclosed medical issue that was later revealed to be diverticulitis. While responding to a person mocking Omega for falling ill with diverticulitis as “karma” for AEW Fight Forever calling Brock Lesnar’s F5 the “Diverticultis,” Omega responded stating that he was never involved in the process that led to that name being used for Lesnar’s move in the game. This person stated “Kenny made jokes about brock when he had it funny how things goo.” Omega responded stating “Wtf you talking about? Even if I were in charge of EVERYTHING in game dev, I didn’t even know this name existed. I was creative lead in the early stages. That’s it. CAW move lists ain’t part of that. But sure, I deserve everything I get and worse.“
Dave Meltzer reported in a recent episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio that his sources stated that Omega had told others that he felt that he was suffering from issues similar to a past hernia injury in 2022 prior to being diagnosed with diverticulitis instead. Meltzer reported that Omega had been dealing with a lot of pain and bloated issues during his training for his match against Ethan Page at last week’s AEW Collision show. Meltzer also reported that Omega was lucky to have gone to the hospital when he did since his health situation could have turned even more horrendous had he waited any longer.
Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that prior to Omega being hospitalized this past Friday, AEW officials originally had plans in place for Omega to compete in match at this Wednesday’s Dynamite show that was dropped. It was reported that AEW officials also currently do not expect Omega to return in time for their Worlds End event and have dropped their plans for the scheduled AEW World Tag team Championship match between the Golden Jets and Big Bill & Ricky Starks as well. Those spoken to reportedly stated that Omega had looked physically unwell backstage at this past Wednesday’s Dynamite show and was clearly trying to work through his health issue for his scheduled promo segment on the show.
As noted before, AEW and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre announced this past October that they have entered a new working partnership between both companies. In a recent interview with Fightful’s In The Weeds podcast, Rocky Romero gave his thoughts about helping put together AEW and CMLL’s partnership deal. Romero stated “It was something Tony and I had been talking about for months. Ever since we did Forbidden Door, we have been talking about the concept of trying to link AEW and CMLL, and if there was a way to do it. I reached out to Mistico and had a couple of conversations with him about it and he was all for it. It was kind of in his hands to do some of the leg work to make it happen because CMLL is CMLL, they rarely work with other companies, but being involved in CMLL as much as I am and becoming one of the major players in the company within in the last year, I said, ‘I think it’d be cool to work with MLW,’ they had a meeting, it all worked out. I think I got some points for that, so I think when it came time to do the Mistico deal and seeing if CMLL would be interested, they were definitely open to it, which I wasn’t expecting because I didn’t know how it was going to go. Tony was great. He invited the CMLL referee to be part of the match to give it more of an authentic feel and he also invited Salvador Lutteroth, who is the owner of CMLL, to come check out the show. I know they had a really positive meeting. I wouldn’t doubt if you see more CMLL talent in AEW and possibly AEW talent in CMLL, I think that’s a really big possibility coming into 2024.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
In a recent interview with ABC’s WFAA, Chris Jericho gave his thoughts about the backstage reaction within AEW over CM Punk’s recent return to WWE. Jericho stated “It’s business as usual. It happens. It’s the same reason why I’m sure there wasn’t a big reaction when Adam Copeland came to AEW or when Will Ospreay signed with AEW or when Danielson, Moxley, and Adam Cole came to AEW. It’s good for the business that guys have the ability to go between companies. It’s great for the fans and it’s great for the talent overall. It just makes the business stronger and that’s the most important thing.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
As noted before, ROH talent Katsuyori Shibata has been absent from AEW since the November 24th AEW Rampage show due to him returning to Japan for an unknown reason. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported in a recent Q&A article that his sources stated that the reason why Shibata returned to Japan was due to issues related to him needing to renew his work visa for the United States. Johnson reported that AEW/ROH officials currently have Shibata scheduled to return as soon as possible.
This past Friday’s Final Battle 2023 event for Ring of Honor in Garland, Texas featured Kyle Fletcher being crowned the new ROH World Television Champion. Following the event, ROH held a digital exclusive backstage interview with Fletcher discussing his thoughts about his ROH TV title victory. Fletcher stated “You know, people have seen me win Tag Team Championships all over the world, but this is literally the first singles championship I have won in my entire career. More than just the incredible lineage of this championship, the reason I wanted to win it so bad is so people could stop calling me a tag team wrestler. So I could prove that Kyle Fletcher at 24 years old is not just ‘good for 24 years old.’ Kyle Fletcher at 24 years old is one of the best wrestlers in the world. Now, the easy part is done. I am your new Ring of Honor Television Champion. The hard work begins when I have to make this the most important championship in Ring of Honor, in AEW, in the entire frickin world. Because heavy lies the head.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)
This past Friday’s ROH Final Battle 2023 event also featured Athena defeating Billie Starkz to retain her ROH Women’s World Championship in the main event and reuniting her friendship with Starkz after the match. Starkz recently reflected on Twitter about falling short of winning the ROH Women’s World title and her post-match reunion with Athena. Starkz stated “I may have not won, but I earned Athena’s respect and didn’t choke in the main event so I won personally. Plus, we got to show the world we can go. My time will come and when it does everyone will know who BIG BILLIE STARKZ is. Thank you for making me feel like one of the best in the world yesterday. #ROHFinalBattle“

Impact, NJPW, Indies, & Misc. Wrestling

Saturday’s No Holds Barred event for Insane Championship Wrestling featured WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley making a surprise appearance. During the match between John Wayne Murdoch and Tara Zep at the event, Foley came out dressed up as Santa Claus and hit a double arm DDT to Murdoch. Foley then hit Murdoch with a barbed wire bat helping Zep win the match.
Saturday’s Uprising 2023 event for Revolution Pro Wrestling featured Will Ospreay giving a promo to the live crowd. During his promo, Ospreay announced that he will be leaving RevPro after their February 18, 2024 event and challenged current RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion Michael Oku for his title at this upcoming event.
As noted before, Kazuchika Okada’s contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling is currently set to expire at the end of January of 2024. Okada was recently announced to be making an appearance for Impact/TNA Wrestling at their TNA Snake Eyes television taping on January 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that Okada’s upcoming appearance for TNA is not meant to be any indication of Okada considering joining TNA as a full-time talent once his current contract with NJPW expires. It was reported that Okada still has a lot of interest from WWE and AEW and it is still possible that Okada could end up staying with NJPW due to his wife’s acting career in Japan.
Super J-Cast reported that their sources stated that Okada is currently believed to be leaning towards leaving NJPW once his current contract expires. It was reported that “It appears that the Bloom may be off the rose for Okada and NJPW.” While it was not specified what they meant by “Bloom”, it is currently speculated that this is either in reference to WWE’s Matt Bloom who is the head trainer of their Performance Center or notable sports and wrestling agent Barry Bloom who was the agent for Will Ospreay and The Elite for their new deals with AEW.
As noted before, Tam Nakano has been out of action for Stardom since this past October due to a knee injury. In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Nakano gave her thoughts about her current knee injury and how she had considered the idea of retiring from wrestling over issues related to her injury and criticisms she was receiving from others online. Nakano stated “I was bedridden for a month after injuring my knee. Even the slightest movement hurt so much that I couldn’t sleep at night, and I cried when I thought about pro wrestling. A month later, when I took off the brace on my knee, I felt like I couldn’t move. At that moment, everything that had been so tense suddenly snapped. Every day, I was told, ‘You’re not a champion. Give it back. Quit already!’ I kept having a press conference in my head where I kept refuting what people were saying about me on social media, and I thought, I can’t do this anymore.” Nakano continued stating “Yes (I thought about retirement). I called Mr. Ogawa and said, ‘Please let me give it back. I can’t continue. I want to quit.’ I was afraid to wrestle, I was scared of getting hurt and I seriously thought about quitting. But many people cared about me, and fans gave me warm encouragement. Recently, Nanae Takahashi contacted me and took me to the beach with her, and Kairi (Sane) also contacted me and said, ‘It’s okay. You can tell me anything you want…’ I really felt that STARDOM is an organization where everyone loves and supports each other.” Nakano also stated that her knee has healed enough where she is able to walk on it every day but still hurts when she does squats during training. Nakano stated “It has improved to the point where I can go about my daily life. But it still hurts too much to squat deeply. So recently, I have been training at the gym in the morning and at night to strengthen my knee, so that I can hit kicks sharper than before.” (English translation via PostWrestling.com)
As noted before, Eddie Edwards recently signed a new contract with Impact/TNA to remain in the company for the foreseeable future. Edwards recently reflected on Twitter about him signing a new contract with Impact/TNA. Edwards stated “Happy and proud to continue being a part of @IMPACTWRESTLING /TNA. This has been and will continue to be my home as long as I am able to do this Amazing product. And more importantly We have an amazing locker room with people who truly care about each other. Thank you !“
The Laredo Morning Times reported that indie wrestler ASF, real name Luis Antonio Garcia, was arrested on December 6th in Texas over charges of online solicitation of a minor younger than 14 years old, a second degree felony, and display harmful material to a minor. Fightful’s Skylar Russell reported that ASF was released from jail later that day after posting bond based on recent records from the Webb County Jail. Following ASF’s arrest, Texas-based indies promotion Lucha Maniaks announced that they have severed all working ties with ASF.
As noted before, wrestling legend Dutch Mantell, former Zeb Colter in WWE, has been currently hospitalized due to him suffering a serious illness. Mantell provided an update on Facebook on Saturday stating “Hey guys. First off thank you for all the prayers and well wishes. I am just now realizing how many there were. The good news is I am on the mend and doing better.In a nutshell, I had an infection and it turned into sepsis by the time I got to the hospital. I have been pretty out of it but my daughter Amanda has been here the whole time and kept the drs and nurses straight! To be fair though I think even if I had died, she would have just had me stuffed and said no you can’t leave yet. Sepsis can make you very confused and say some pretty out there things which is why she requested no one call or text me. We needed time for those antiobotics to do their thing. 5 days of IV antiobotics and 10 days of oral. The drs are watching everything very close to make sure it’s cleared and not coming back.I am being very well taken care of. I have been transferred to a rehab facility for now. I will be here a while longer as I get my strength back and will have to do physical therapy. If all continues to improve I should be able to go home next week. It’s not time to tap out just yet, so you guys are going to have to listen to my bullshit a while longer. Thanks again guys.“
CMLL recently announced one new match for the card of their December 22nd Viernes Espectacular event in Mexico City, Mexico. This is a Trios match of Depredadores (Volador Jr, Magnus, & Magia Blanca) vs Dinastía Andrade (Andrade El Ídolo, Espanto Jr, & Brillante Jr).
This past Friday’s CMLL Viernes Espectacular event in Mexico City featured Mascara Dorada defeating Rocky Romero to become the new CMLL World Historic Welterweight Champion.
As noted before, Lio Rush has been on a break from wrestling since this past October due to health-related issues involving a serious flu-like illness he had suffered from. Rush recently provided an update on Twitter stating “September Where it all came crashing down. Before heading out to Japan, I had a few title defenses. Unfortunately the last one didn’t go as planned and I was no longer the division champion. This put a wrench in my plans of making undeniable history, but there was still Japan in my sights! I still had an opportunity at becoming #IWGP Junior champion. I remember joking with everyone on this tour about how #BOSJ30 ‘s theme was #ShakeTheSoul and how fitting it was. The name of this tour was called #RoadToDestruction and man did the shoe fit. I knew what I had to give up in order to make this tour happen. I’d have to give up my dogs, pack up everything in LA and move my entire family to Japan. I could no longer continue to go back and forth from LA to Japan months at a time while not being able to fully support my family back at home the way that I needed to. I was ready to go all in, so that’s what I did. First, I needed to go alone and my family needed to meet me on the 2nd leg of the tour. 1st half of the tour was magical. Even though this was my 5th tour, I got to tour cities I’ve never been to before. I also got to finally work with someone I’ve looked up to for a long time, @rainmakerokada. I was reminded of how beloved I was by the Japanese fans, the roster and how much they wanted me to stay. Towards the end of the tour before my family could join me in Japan, I got sick and I stayed sick. Not knowing why, not knowing how, but it felt like I was dying. With my temperature continuously boiling over 105 for days, I lost 15 lbs due to constant sweating and throwing up, developing a hernia in the process. Long story short, I was too sick to compete any further and I was told it was too dangerous for my family to join me in these conditions. I was sent back to America before my family could join me, ultimately leaving me without a title opportunity, homeless and without a deal that would solidify my stay in Japan. This is the month where I lost it all.“
As noted before, Mustafa Ali was released from WWE this past September as part of a larger batch of talent releases. Ali recently announced on Twitter that his no-compete clause with WWE officially expires shortly after noon on December 21st.
Warner Bros Discovery recently announced that a new wrestling-based reality series called Big Little Brawlers will be premiering on Discovery Channel on January 9, 2024. It was announced that this upcoming new series will follow the life and wrestling careers of wrestlers from Micro Wrestling Federation. A trailer for this upcoming new series was also recently released.
Major League Wrestling recently announced that Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling talent Hyper Misao will be making her official debut for the company at their Kings of Colosseum 2024 event on January 6, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
MLW also recently announced two new matches for the card of their Kings of Colosseum 2024 event on January 6th in Philadelphia. The first new match announced was a MLW World Featherweight Championship match of Hyper Misao vs. Janai Kai (c). The second new match announced was a Love Is Blind match of Love, Doug vs. Brett Ryan Gosselin.
Game Changer Wrestling recently announced that National Wrestling Alliance talent Kerry Morton will be making an appearance for the company at their The Coldest Winter 2 event on February 3, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Deadlock Pro Wrestling recently announced that Lady Frost will be making her official debut for the company at their You Already Know 2024 Night 2 event on January 21, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Dreamwave recently announced that they will be launching a new all-women’s promotion called Uprising: Women Athletes at their Dreamwave Anniversary IX weekend in April of 2024.
In a recent interview with Pro Wrestling NOAH’s official website, Naomichi Marufuji gave his thoughts about the future of his wrestling career. Marufuji stated “I have been changing the Marufuji character for the past 25 years in terms of my condition. If that goes on for 40 or 50 years, I won’t be able to show Marufuji even if I change it. At this point, I think that people can still enjoy wrestling while making changes. Maybe it’ll be about five years before we can do that.” (English translation via PostWrestling.com)
NOAH announced Seiki Yoshioka’s contract with the company is currently set to expire at the end of this month and he will be departing from the company.

Wrestling TV Ratings for Week of Dec. 8 to Dec. 14, 2023

WWE Friday Night SmackDown – 2,384,000 viewers, 0.63 rating (prior week – 2,044,000 viewers, 0.59 rating)
WWE RAW – 1,466,000 viewers, 0.46 rating (prior week – 1,533,000 viewers, 0.49 rating)
WWE NXT – 678,000 viewers, 0.18 rating (prior week – 626,000 viewers, 0.19 rating)
AEW Rampage – 341,000 viewers, 0.12 rating (prior week – 348,000 viewers, 0.10 rating)
AEW Collision – 455,000 viewers, 0.14 rating (prior week – 451,000 viewers, 0.14 rating)
AEW Dynamite – 845,000 viewers, 0.30 rating (prior week – 823,000 viewers, 0.25 rating)

Total viewership in terms of overall tally for the week: 6,169,000 viewers (up 344,000 viewers compared to prior week’s 5,825,000 viewers)