AEW Dynamite scored its highest unopposed viewership of 2020 this week, while NXT’s viewership was flat coming out of Sunday’s Takeover: WarGames event. Courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

AEW Dynamite averaged 995,000 viewers and did a 0.45 rating in the P18-49 demographic. It was the 2nd most watched show on cable for the night in the key demo and the most watched show on cable amongst men 18-49.

This is up from last week, which did 913,000 viewers and a 0.42 rating (P18-49).

NXT had 659,000 viewers and did a 0.17 rating (P18-49) to finish 37th on cable for the night. The numbers were essentially the same last week (658,000 / 0.16), so there was no Takeover ‘bounce’ to speak of.

AEW is riding high on the momentum of Sting’s debut, the fallout of Kenny Omega winning the AEW championship and the AEW-Impact storyline.

WWE RAW on 12/7 averaged 1.736 million viewers with a 0.52 rating. Impact Wrestling on AXS on 12/8 averaged 221,000 viewers a 0.08 rating.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque says charisma is the top factor the company looks for when recruiting talent.

WWE’s Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development spoke at this week’s Learfield IMG College Intercollegiate Athletics Forum. There are other factors such as athleticism and physical attributes, but charisma, heart and hunger are what sells him on signing people to WWE and NXT.

“For us, charisma is king,” said Levesque. “I’m looking for that person, male or female, that walks into a room and you’re drawn to them. That just has that charisma factor.”

Charisma is the x-factor when signing wrestlers, but WWE employs the same outlook when hiring executive employees.

“You’re looking for the people that have the skillset … but it’s funny for me, I’ll take heart and hunger. … They’ll work a lot harder and they might make mistakes, but in those mistakes you’ll find excellence. And they’ll go above and beyond to prove themselves.”

Triple H spoke very highly of the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, calling it the “key to th future” where WWE creates the superstars of the next generation. He said 95% of the rosters of Raw, SmackDown and NXT came up through the PC.

He added that WWE is still looking to build Performance Centers all around the world, especially in the Middle East and India.

“Over time our intent is to build a Performance Center in India and to have people training there and build an NXT brand.”

Tuesday’s Impact Wrestling drew all-time high viewership on AXS TV thanks to an historic appearance by AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.

The 12/8 episode of Impact on AXS TV averaged 221,000 viewers and did a 0.08 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic to rank 96th on cable for the night.

Last week, Impact on AXS averaged 166,000 viewers and a 0.05 rating and ranked 121st.

The television viewership was strong, but that was not the only indication that wrestling fans are interested in the inter-promotional storyline. The live stream on Twitch peaked at over 55,000 viewers. This is more than 10x the typical audience and double the previous record. #IMPACTonAXSTV was the top trend on Twitter for the night.

In case you missed it, the full episode has been uploaded to the Impact Wrestling YouTube channel.

The next chapter of the AEW-Impact storyline unfolds tonight on AEW Dynamite.

Viewership data courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily

All Elite Wrestling has announced a stacked lineup for tonight’s edition of AEW Dynamite live on TNT. Last week’s Winter is Coming special saw Sting’s AEW debut, Kenny Omega capturing the AEW World title and much more.

The following matches and segments are confirmed for tonight’s AEW Dynamite:

• Shaq debuts in AEW. The basketball legend will be interviewed by Tony Schiavone. He is expected to address Jade Cargill confronting Cody Rhodes and teasing that Shaq is one giant that Cody can’t slay.

• Sting speak for the first time since joining All Elite Wrestling. He will also be interviewed by Schiavone.

• MJF will face Orange Cassidy to defend his coveted Dynamite Diamond Ring.

• Lance Archer and the Lucha Bros will face Eddie Kingston, The Butcher and The Blade.

• The Inner Circle’s Ultimatum: After their recent infighting, leader Chris Jericho says they must learn to co-exist or disband entirely.

• AEW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks take on TH2 in a non-title match. If TH2 gets the win, they’ll earn a title shot.

• FTR vs. The Varsity Blondes (Brian Pillman Jr. & Griff Garrison).

• Dustin Rhodes vs. 10 of the Dark Order.

• Abadon will be in action.

Plus, AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Don Callis will be on hand to address their actions last week, as well as their appearance on Tuesday’s Impact Wrestling.

Check back later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results & Takeaways.

Brock Lesnar is a free agent. The 43-year-old megastar could retire comfortably after lucrative runs with WWE and the UFC. He also remains one of the biggest box office attractions on earth. All Elite Wrestling (AEW) could garner tremendous attention by signing him. WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco thinks Lesnar would entertain the right offer.

Brisco recently spoke with Nick Hausman of Wrestling Inc about Lesnar’s future. The man who recruited Lesnar to WWE twenty years ago says you can ‘never say never’ in the pro wrestling business.

“If the money is right, and I believe this with all my soul that Brock Lesnar would not do it unless he was offered one of those .. as Ted DiBiase said, ‘Everybody has their damn price.'”

Brisco says that AEW would have to offer Brock Lesnar an ‘ungodly’ amount of money to sign him. Even then, he think Lesnar would approach Vince McMahon with the opportunity to match such an offer.

“You talk about frugal,” Brisco said of Lesnar. “He is one of the most frugal guys there is on the face of the Earth. Did he save us money? Yes, every damn penny of it, but I think it would have to be an extreme circumstance, and I think he would pick up the phone and call Vince about the amount of money that he got offered and see if Vince is going to go to do anything. And honestly, I think Vince would do something.”

WarnerMedia and the billionaire Khan family have the financial resources to make Brock Lesnar an offer that would qualify as an “extreme circumstance.” It remains to be seen if they view the cost of acquiring Lesnar to be worthwhile.

Gerald Brisco hosts the “Mailbag with Gerald Brisco” podcast at AdFreeShows.com.

More News on Brock Lesnar’s Free Agency

• Tony Khan Comments On Brock Lesnar Speculation
• Paul Heyman Comments On Brock Lesnar’s Future
• Bully Ray on Brock Lesnar: “This Is a Once in a Lifetime Opportunity for AEW”
• WWE Abandons Brock Lesnar Trademark
• Kurt Angle Talks About The Possibility of Brock Lesnar In AEW
• Chris Jericho Says Vince McMahon Won’t Let Brock Lesnar Jump To AEW

Watch Gerald Brisco’s interview with Nick Hausman for Wrestling Inc:

History will be made tonight on Impact Wrestling.

New AEW World Champion Kenny Omega will appear to address the events that transpired at the conclusion of last week’s AEW Dynamite. Omega will be joined by Don Callis, who promises to “shock the world” once again.

In addition to Kenny Omega and Don Callis, Impact will feature:

• Deonna Purrazzo & Kimber Lee vs. Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary in the final First Round match of the Knockouts Tag Team Championship tournament

• Josh Alexander of The North vs. Chris Sabin of the Motor City Machine Guns

• Eric Young vs. Cody Deaner

• Brian Myers vs. TJP

Impact Wrestling airs tonight at 8pm EST on AXS TV & Twitch.

Tony Khan Appearance Rumored For Tonight’s Impact Wrestling

Former WWE Superstar CM Punk was Renee Paquette’s guest on the latest episode of the Oral Sessions podcast. During their discussion, they spoke about the recent rumblings of pro wrestlers forming a union.

Punk says MMA fighters and pro wrestlers need to unionize, but it will never happen. “No, and just because there’s no such thing as the boys. It’s a trope ‘Oh, we’re on the road and these people are my family.’ Once you’re out of the bubble, you don’t hear from anybody anymore. Those people don’t pay your bills.”

Despite people like Zelina Vega making headlines about pro wrestlers unionizing, those efforts will be sabotaged by a handful of corporate ‘boot lickers’ who will sell them out to advance themselves.

“There’s always going to be a handful of people that will undercut everyone else just to get ahead a little bit,” he said. “And there seems to be a lot of people that not only are by nature boot lickers, but they just love the taste. You’re supposed to lick the boot, you’re not supposed to eat the entire thing!”

• Seth Rollins: “Audiences Don’t Have The Patience For Long Term Storytelling”
• Seth Rollins Downplays WWE’s Positive COVID-19 Results
• Seth Rollins Thinks It’s Hard To Pick One Thing To Improve In WWE

They discussed WWE shutting down wrestlers’ Twitch accounts and other ‘side hustles.’ Punk said it’s interesting how Zelina Vega can’t stream her playing of video games, but Xavier Woods can take a job hosting with G4.

Both spoke about their experience of WWE playing favorites with which talent is allowed to take outside projects. Both of them have heard stories of people telling them they were hand picked for certain gigs, only to have WWE give it to someone else or squash it entirely. Renee gave examples of a WWE cooking show, which she was perfect for. They made Bo Dallas the host. She asked WWE if she could host a podcast and they rejected her request.

Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast is available at Spotify, iTunes, Audio Boom and other services. Video of CM Punk’s appearance can be viewed here:

CM Punk is Renee Paquette’s guest this week on the Oral Sessions podcast. The longtime friends discussed the current state of pro wrestling, what he misses most about the business, paving the way for guys like Daniel Bryan and much more.

They jokingly questioned if Oral Sessions is a wrestling podcast. Punk said he hasn’t wrestled in 7 years and he’s still a wrestler. “I’m Phil, the wrestler” he said. He doesn’t resent that aspect of his past.

What does he think of the state of wrestling and how it’s changed since he left? Punk began, “The more they change, the more they stay the same.” His ego is not as big as some people say it is, but he does feel that if not for him, a lot of top WWE stars would not have the jobs they do. Wrestlers like Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, he paved the way for that and they filled the vacuum created when he left WWE.

They spoke about Punk’s role in the formation of The Shield. A writer pitched that CM Punk have Big Show and Daniel Bryan as his backup. He said it would be better to bring in some “new blood” from developmental.

What does CM Punk miss the most?

What does he miss the most about pro wrestling? He doesn’t think about the live crowds or the adrenaline rush you get from performing. He misses the people, the friendly faces. Unfortunately, when you are outside the bubble, you rarely talk to people inside the bubble.

They discussed WWE Backstage and Punk joked, “You got me to come back to this shit show.” Renee noted how Punk worked for Fox on that project, not WWE. They were so excited to have creative freedom at the beginning, but it did not take long for WWE to end that. It was also a bummer when the show was shut down.

Renee said everyone is dying for CM Punk to get back in the ring. She mentioned how WWE fans still chant “CM Punk” to this day. We are not hearing those right now, since WWE is running shows in the ThunderDome and controls the crowd chants.

Regarding a lack of “CM Punk” chants in the ThunderDome, Punk joked, “They should pump those in if they wanted to make the shows realistic. If they were really interested in giving the fans a true WWE experience, give the Universe what they want. Pipe in the CM Punk chants!”

His MMA Career

Punk spoke about his brief career as a professional MMA fighter. He would have preferred to go the traditional route by starting off as an amateur and building up to the big stage. Unfortunately, it’s the fight “business” and reality took him down a different path. He was told, “Let’s do this before you get too old.” As it turns out, he was too old.

“I’ve been pretty fortunate,” said Punk. “I’ve been offered some pretty cool shit to do in my life. My thing is, I never say no to an exciting opportunity. Whether it’s movies, or fighting, wrestling, whatever. If the opportunity is there and makes sense, you have to at least consider it.”

Renee asked CM Punk to compare Vince McMahon and UFC boss Dana White. Punk said they’re both “right wing weirdos” and Dana is the more generous of the two. Some people criticize UFC fighter pay, but many fighters are getting big bonuses and extra money that the public does not hear about.

Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast is available at Spotify, iTunes, Audio Boom and other services. Listen to the CM Punk episode here:

WWE’s ThunderDome is on the move. Tonight’s edition of WWE Raw will be the final show at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

The ThunderDome, WWE’s state-of-the-art wrestling arena featuring virtual fans, then moves to St. Petersburg, FL. It will establish residency at Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays. Friday’s SmackDown will be the first show ThunderDome show from the new host venue.

Reporter Jon Alba has been leading the charge with news developments related to the ThunderDome. Alba has received a “first look” photo of the production setup underway inside Tropicana Field.

As seen below, the larger venue will make for an impressive backdrop for WWE programming over the next several months.

The stadium is far larger than the Amway Center and accommodates well over 40,000 people for baseball games. No live fans will be permitted, however, as WWE has stated this will be a “closed set with only essential personnel in attendance.”

Jon Alba is a co-host of the popular Living the Gimmick podcast.

Tonight’s WWE Raw takes place from Orlando, Florida at the ThunderDome.

The following items have been confirmed for this week’s show:

• Jeff Hardy will battle United States Champion Bobby Lashley in a non-title match. Hardy took a beating last week against Elias in the Symphony of Destruction match. He looks to overcome the Hurt Business leader and get back into the US title picture.

• WWE Champion Drew McIntyre & Sheamus will team up in a 3-on-2 handicap match against AJ Styles, The Miz, & John Morrison.

• Randy Orton has invited himself to the Firefly Fun House.

Check back later tonight for our weekly WWE Raw Results & Takeaways.

WWE has released this video looking at 2 things you “need to know” before Raw:

WWE Superstar Becky Lynch has given birth.

The former Women’s Champion posted a photo on Instagram on Monday announcing the birth of a baby girl, Roux. According to Name Berry, The name Roux is a girl’s name of French origin meaning “reddish brown.”

Lynch wrote, “Welcome to the world Roux. You are the love of our lives. #andnew“

SEScoops extends our congratulations to Becky Lynch and husband Seth Rollins!

• Becky Lynch Discusses Possible WWE Return After Pregnancy

WWE has announced full details for the 2020 Slammy Awards.

The revived awards show recognizing sports entertainment excellence returns Wednesday, December 23rd. The event streams live on WWE Network, as well as WWE.com, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, on 12/23 at 10 AM ET.

This year’s installment will only cover the Superstars of WWE’s Raw and SmackDown brands, not NXT. Ten categories are in play this year, including:

• Superstar of the Year
• Match of the Year
• Rivalry of the Year
• Tag Team of the Year
• Return of the Year
• Ring Gear of the Year
• Breakout Star of the Year
• Female Superstar of the Year
• Male Superstar of the Year
• Moment of the Year

VOTE HERE For The 2020 Slammy Awards

Nominees for Superstar of the Year, the most coveted prize, include Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Braun Strowman, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, Asuka, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch Charlotte Flair.

Voting for all categories is now open. Visit WWE.com to check out the full list of nominees.

WWE announced several new signees last week. Among them were Dezmond Xavier (now Deveon Aiken) and Zachary Wentz (now Zachary Green) of the tag team, The Rascalz. Trey Miguel, the third Rascal, was conspicuously absent from the list.

Trey Miguel has issued a statement addressing his whereabouts since the trio finished up with Impact Wrestling. Miguel wrote on Monday morning:

“I feel like it is worth mentioning AGAIN that a mont and a half ago my Nephew was born prematurely and is in isolated care until what would have been his actual due date. Meeting a healthy baby boy is more important to me than anything else. I’m sure you can all respect that.”

Trey Miguel’s comments come the day after Triple H was asked about why WWE has not signed him. During Sunday’s NXT Takeover: WarGames post-show media call, Triple H said you have to be “all in” to get an offer from WWE.

“Well look, I do not want to talk about why people are or are not here, there’s obviously a lot that goes into all of that, but for me, the people that do come here, it’s seeing the heart and the passion. That’s really what it comes down to—it’s a passion business, you have to be all in.”

Triple H continued by saying that talent has to be fully invested. “Sometimes, I’ve seen a few people that have been at it a long time and it shows. They’ve been at it a long time and I don’t know, sometimes that passion isn’t there. I’ve seen people that are new to it, like ‘oh, they like this’ but it’s not everything to them.”

In addition to the signings of Deveon Aiken and Zachary Green, the latest class of recruits also includes Alex Zayne (now Alex Brandenburg), Russ Taylor (now Taylor Rust), Sojiru “Ikemen” Higuchi and former pro basketball player Anriel Howard.

• Eric Bischoff Reveals The One Thing He Hated About Triple H’s Character

WWE is reviving another WCW trademark for an NXT special event.

This year, we’ve seen WWE utilize several WCW pay-per-view names for special editions of NXT’s weekly television show. The Great American Bash and Halloween Havoc were very successful events for NXT. They produced strong viewership against AEW Dynamite. They also help with the pacing of storylines in between Takeover shows.

On January 6th, NXT will ring in the new year with New Year’s Evil. The official announcement was made during Sunday’s NXT Takeover: WarGames event.

AEW has taken a similar approach, with special editions of AEW Dynamite like Fyter Fest and last week’s Winter is Coming. Tony Khan has said AEW is planning special shows for Christmas week (when Dynamite is likely to be pre-empted) and New Year’s. AEW has also announced Beach Break for some time in January.

New Year’s Evil

New Year’s Evil is a WCW-era trademark, but that event never took place. Former WCW President had big plans to ring in the millennium with a stadium pay-per-view that would also include a rock concert from the band Kiss. Alas, it was not meant to be. The Visit The Damn Bell blog has an informative writeup of the whole story behind the ill-fated event.

Triple H held a media call Sunday night after Takeover: WarGames. He said it’s important to have ‘tent pole opportunities’ in between NXT’s big events (Takeovers). “Every show is a different chapter,” he said. Expect to see this trend continue in 2021. Triple H said WWE is also considering this concept for the NXT UK brand.

MLW boss Court Bauer is teasing that a “world war” of sorts could be brewing that would have far reaching effects across the entire wrestling industry.

MLW worked with AAA earlier this year and recently announced a partnership with IWA Puerto Rico. In a tweet sent out on 11/28, Bauer teased that he just got off the phone with another major international promotion.

During a media call held earlier this week, Court Bauer teased that MLW is in talks with more than one promotion about working together. He mentioned a ‘world war’ brewing and says we should know more about this before the year is over.

“In all seriousness, I think we all see a world war of sorts brewing,” said Bauer. “I can’t say anything right now but hope to be able to say a lot more before the end of the year. We’ll see.”

This news comes as AEW has established a working relationship with Impact Wrestling. Even WWE sounds more open to partnering with other promotions, the biggest indication yet that the landscape is shifting before our very eyes.

• Triple H On Promotional Relationships: WWE Is ‘Open For Business’

The New York Times has named its Best Performances of 2020.

Alongside distinguished actors and actresses in big budget dramas by Netflix and HBO sits Maxwell Jacob Friedman for his performance in Le Dinner Debonair.

Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Wesley Morris gushes about MJF’s talent, stating that nobody in WWE matches what he brings to the table.

“Some weeks the athleticism at this professional wrestling start-up [AEW] is more exciting than anything happening in Vince McMahon’s empire. And no one in the WWE has this kid’s combination of diction (Juilliard by way of Long Island), intensity or cheesiness, either.”

The critic continued, “Even when Friedman’s lost his cool (his nom de ring is MJF), he still has astounding control. The character is part heel, part tool (hair gel, loafers, Burberry bling — tacky, tacky, tacky) and part goodfella wannabe; his mouth does more running than he does.”

Morris said that Jericho & MJF’s rendition of Me and My Shadow was ‘less than spectacular,’ but credits MJF for making it so memorable.

“He wasn’t embarrassed at all. He was smooth in a way that should worry Ric Flair. This kid makes you wanna say, ‘Woo!'”

MJF defends his Dynamite Diamond Ring against Orange Cassidy next week on AEW Dynamite.

You can read the full feature at the New York Times. 

Wardlow is the latest guest on the AEW Unrestricted podcast. The ‘muscle’ of Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle spoke to Aubrey Edwards and Tony Schiavone about his journey to AEW, his tryout with WWE and more.

Wardlow was introduced to AEW as the bodyguard of MJF. The 32-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio’s first match for the company took place on February 19th. The stakes couldn’t be higher, as he faced Cody Rhodes inside a steel cage. Wardlow says he has virtually no memory of that night, despite the effect it had to solidify him as a devastating force inside the ring.

“It’s like that whole evening and match is like a blackout. I don’t remember the entrance. The only thing I really remember is when I was standing in the ring, and Cody and I were squaring off when the bell rang.”

Wardlow’s WWE Tryout

Prior to joining AEW, Wardlow had a tryout for WWE. He believes he “smoked” the tryout and could not believe how unprofessional and disinterested some of the other participants were.

“I was literally the only dude there in a suit. It was mind blowing. Dudes are there in shorts and t-shirts. That’s because they’re not recruiting wrestlers. They’re recruiting ex-NFL athletes or college wrestlers, people that have never watched wrestling.”

He felt sick to his stomach knowing that some of these guys were getting multiple tryouts with WWE and didn’t even like the sport. Wardlow was so confident WWE would hire him that he sold his house, motorcycle and possessions expecting to move to Florida for training. He was floored when they decided against signing him.

“I’m Not An Entertainer”

Wardlow ultimately signed with All Elite Wrestling and hasn’t looked back. He knows exactly who he is and what he is capable of. He is still hovering in the background of MJF and Chris Jericho, but it’s only a matter of time before he takes center stage.

“Wrestling for me, you know, this is what I do. This is what I know. This is very real to me. When I get out there, I’m competing. I’m an athlete. I’m a wrestler. I’m not an entertainer. I’m not an artist. You know, when I’m out there, am I entertaining? Absolutely. Do I create art? Art of war, sure. I’ll create a painting with their blood.”

You can listen to Wardlow’s appearance on AEW Unrestricted at Omny.fm or in the player embedded below:

Don Callis dropped a bombshell at the conclusion of this week’s AEW Dynamite. Kenny Omega’s first comments as new AEW World Champion will not take place on next week’s Dynamite, but on Tuesday’s edition of Impact Wrestling. It was a huge development that signals a working relationship between the two organizations. Wrestling fans are excited at the prospect of inter-promotional matches, especially in the women’s and tag team divisions.

AEW Executive Vice Presidents Nick and Matt Jackson have revealed interesting details about how the AEW-Impact situation came together. The Young Bucks spoke with Jon Alba and Doug McDonald this week for the Living The Gimmick Podcast. According to Matt, the working relationship has been in the works for nearly two years

“Two years ago, this is something Nick and I actually brought up and we wanted to get this going,” Matt said. “And for whatever reason, it just didn’t work out. I don’t know if that was more on our side or what, but we just couldn’t get everyone to agree on what the creative would be.”

This is something we’ve been whispering in Tony Khan’s ear for two years. So we’re all about collaboration and partnering with everyone and working together .. This is something that we truly wanted to do for a very, very long time. And I guess the timing was right and we got done.”

Collaborating With Other Promotions

In the lead-up to the launch of AEW, the Bucks made surprise appearances at independent wrestling shows across the United States. The All In pay-per-view was a “super show” of independent wrestling that showed the benefits of companies working together for a greater good. Matt thinks this attitude is “what wrestling needs” and will help AEW further transforming the landscape.

“I just think [working with other promotions] makes things unpredictable when you’re working with companies,” he said. “That’s what wrestling needs. It gets stuck in the same formula for so long it gets boring. It’s too easy to predict at times and you don’t want that to happen. So when you can make it different and change things up a bit, make it unpredictable, the fans like it more. It’s almost an easy formula when you explain it that way.”

Nick agrees that inter-promotional matches makes wrestling interesting. The entire industry benefits when companies ‘relax their borders’ to present the most compelling storylines and matches that are possible.

“This is a way to make things interesting, and if you do it right it can be very good for business,” said Nick. “We’ve done it, like Matt said earlier, it worked well when we’ve done it in the past.”

Both men talked about their feud with The Hardy Boyz doing massive business for Ring of Honor.

AEW & Impact Wrestling

So, what will a working relationship between AEW & Impact look like? Nick says it’s still so early, he doesn’t think they know exactly how things will play out. They’re dipping their toes in the water, but already have some big picture plans in place.

“There are immediate plans that I can’t exactly just give away right now. But my dream, if I had it my way, I just think about the possible dream matches. People are already hitting me up like, ‘Oh my god, can you imagine if it was the Young Bucks and the Motor City Machine Guns 10 years later?’ How can you not jump ahead and fantasize and fantasy book?”

AEW has the strongest tag team division in the world. In addition to established acts like the Young Bucks, FTR, the Lucha Bros. and Dark Order, they are still introducing exciting young talent, like Top Flight and The Acclaimed. The Bucks know fans are eager to see AEW’s top teams work The North, the Good Brothers and the Motor City Machine Guns. Matt once again hinted that there are some big surprises coming that fans are sure to enjoy.

“Are we going to do that stuff? I’m not sure yet, we’re still in the beginning of this. But there are some big surprises coming and I’m really excited about it,” Matt said.

The Young Bucks interview on the Living the Gimmick podcast drops next week, but you can listen early at the show’s Patreon page.

Sting’s AEW debut, Jon Moxley’s World title defense against Kenny Omega and the shocking conclusion of last night’s Dynamite helped Winter is Coming score a decisive win over WWE NXT. Here’s the breakdown, courtesy of PWTorch.com:

• AEW: 913,000 viewers, 0.42 rating (Adults 18-49)
• NXT: 658,000 viewers, 0.16 rating (Adults 18-49)

In the Men 18-34 demographic, AEW crushed NXT .29 to .04.

For comparison, Monday’s WWE Raw averaged 1,741,000 viewers and did a 0.53 rating in the key demo.

This week’s Impact Wrestling data is available this week, since they made the Top 150 shows on cable. Tuesday’s Impact on AXS-TV did 166,000 viewers with a 0.05 in the Adults 18-49 demographic. It ranked 121 on cable for the night.

With new AEW World Champion Kenny Omega appearing on Impact next week, it’s going to be interesting to see how much of a boost Impact gets from this appearance.

AEW President Tony Khan thanked the great fans who helped make the ‘biggest Dynamite of all time’ a viewership success.

Check out our results and takeaways from this week’s AEW and NXT:

• AEW Winter Is Coming Results: Moxley vs. Omega, Sting Debuts
• NXT Results: Blackheart vs. Gonzalez Ladder Match

Davey Boy Smith Jr. has finished up with Major League Wrestling.

Smith participated in this year’s Opera Cup Tournament, but was eliminated in the opening round after losing against Low Ki. Smith won the tournament last year.

MLW President Court Bauer held a media call after this week’s episode of Fusion and confirmed the news of Smith’s departure.

“Davey Boy’s exit in the opening round of the Opera Cup marks the end of this chapter for DBS in MLW,” said Bauer. “I have immense gratitude for (Davey) and his contributions inside the MLW ring over the past 2 ½ years. The MLW system was a great fit for him.”

In addition to winning the 2019 Opera Cup, Smith is a former MLW Tag Team Champion along with Brian Pillman Jr.

Bauer called Davey Boy Smith the real deal and a certified beast. He will be missed on the MLW roster, but the company already has a big name lined up to fill that role.

“With Davey’s spot on the roster opening up, there will be a familiar face arriving soon to fill it. I’m a little surprised it hasn’t leaked yet. This one is a big surprise.”

The 2020 Opera Cup continues on tonight’s episode of MLW Fusion. Matches signed for this week’s show include:

• ACH vs. Laredo Kid (Opera Cup, opening round)
• Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Low Ki (Opera Cup, semi-final)

We will also see the in-ring debut of “The Black Hand of CONTRA Unit.”

MLW Fusion premieres at 7pm (Eastern) on the MLW YouTube channel.

The December 23rd episode of Fusion will be a special event, Kings of Colosseum. Former WWE star Lio Rush will make his in-ring debut on this card.

Finally, MLW President Court Bauer teased on social media that MLW is in talks with yet another ‘major international promotion.’

WWE presents NXT Takeover: War Games this Sunday live on the WWE Network. As of this writing, WWE has announced one match for tonight’s “go home” edition of NXT on the USA Network

Shotzi Blackheart will face Raquel Gonzalez. The winner earns the advantage for their team this weekend at WarGames.

We’ll update this article if WWE announces any more matches before showtime. Check back later tonight for our weekly NXT results and takeaways.

• WWE Looking To Expand NXT Programming

The following matches are confirmed for NXT Takeover: WarGames:

• WarGames: Undisputed ERA vs. Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch

• WarGames: Team Shotzi vs. Team Candice

• NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff vs. Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano

• Strap Match: Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes

WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson has passed away. He was 79.

Patterson was a one of a kind trailblazer whose professional wrestling career spanned six decades. After a storied in-ring career that included him becoming the first-ever WWE Intercontinental Champion, Patterson transitioned to a prominent role behind the scenes. He is credited with creating the Royal Rumble match. He was part of Vince McMahon’s inner circle and a beloved figure in the industry. In 2016, he released his autobiography, Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE.

SEScoops extends our condolences to the family and friends of Pat Patterson. For more on Patterson’s life and wrestling career, visit WWE.com.

Reactions to Pat Patterson’s passing:

New Japan Pro Wrestling star KENTA continues to drop hints about Wednesday nights. Ahead of tonight’s AEW Winter is Coming event, he tweeted:

KENTA has been calling out AEW World Champion Jon Moxley in recent weeks. In addition to holding AEW’s top prize, Moxley is also the reigning IWGP United States Champion. KENTA wants that title and is tired of waiting for Jon Moxley’s return to Japan.

NJPW’s biggest show of the year, Wrestle Kingdom, is just over one month away. Unfortunately for KENTA, AEW President Tony Khan stated this week that Jon Moxley won’t be there. This puts KENTA in a predicament and it sounds like he’s getting fed up waiting around for his title shot. He recently noted that he’s busy Wednesday nights and also does not care for the Khan family’s Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team.

Opinion: Tony Khan has expressed interest in working with NJPW. He’s teased a few big surprises still to come in 2020 – the proverbial “aces up his sleeve.”

• Tony Khan: AEW Is Talking With “Big Names That Nobody Knows About”

Will KENTA walk through the “forbidden door” tonight at Winter is Coming? His teases are getting a little heavy-handed at this point. However, if he does show up, it will be a shocking moment that delivers on AEW’s hype that Winter is Coming will be the biggest Dynamite in history.

• Kenny Omega Talks About Potential AEW/NJPW Relationship

Winter is Coming to AEW. As this roller coaster year winds down, All Elite Wrestling will deliver what they’re calling the biggest AEW Dynamite ever.

Jon Moxley’s AEW World Championship will be on the line in his toughest challenge to date. Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin seek revenge against Team Taz. 15 men will vie for the coveted Dynamite Diamond Ring and more.

Tony Khan AEW Winter Is Coming Media Briefing Recap

AEW has brought back the the control center to provide a preview for Winter is Coming. Take it away, Tony Schiavone: