WWE changed things up with their handling of the final live event in 2023, but these changes were welcomed by the Superstars at the show.
The December 30, WWE live event took place at the KIA Forum in Inglewood, California. The show was the last event on WWE’s record-breaking Holiday Tour. The event marked the second match for CM Punk since returning to WWE at Survivor Series. The Best in the World defeated Dominik Mysterio, whom he also defeated at the December 26 event in MSG.
WWE Makes Changes to Live Event
With this show being WWE’s last of 2023, the promotion wanted to make things easier for the Superstars traveling for New Year’s. PW Insider reports that the show was structured to get talent done and out so they could head to LAX for red-eye flights home. This is something that likely may not have been done regularly for anyone except the very top Superstars under the previous McMahon-led regime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrCmBLNmOtg
This effort to get talent out as early as they could led to a steel cage match and a World Heavyweight Championship match going on early, and the card was “haphazard” compared to the more traditional WWE events. This was all designed to thank talent for their week of hard work over the tour by getting them back home ASAP. One WWE Superstar even joked that the scene backstage was like Home Alone 2, as everybody was racing for and through the airport to get to their respective flights.