Stephanie McMahon Comments On CM Punk and AJ Lee Return To WWE

Stephanie McMahon Comments On CM Punk and AJ Lee Return To WWE
In an interview with The Metro, Stephanie McMahon commented on wanting CM Punk and AJ Lee back in WWE.

She said:

"I think Punk’s been pretty vocal that he’s not interested in an in-ring return right now, but for sure, that would be interesting. And I would love to see AJ Lee back in the women’s division. I think AJ Lee was an incredibly compelling character,’ she said. ‘You know, I’m a big fan of AJ Lee’s, I really am."

WWE Reportedly Suspends Robert Roode And Primo Colon For Wellness Policy Violations

Robert Roode and Primo Colon have both been hit with 30-day suspensions after violating the Wellness Policy this week. There's no word yet on what substance they tested positive for.

Roode wrestled Roman Reigns on a recent SmackDown TV episode and was stretchered out of the arena after a beatdown angle. The Colons have been off WWE TV for many months, but there have been rumors on a return. Primo and Epico have both been working for the WWC promotion in Puerto Rico, owned by Primo's father.

Batista And The nWo To Be Inducted Into The WWE Hall Of Fame

WWE announced that Batista and nWo members “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall™, Kevin Nash™ and Sean Waltman™ will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Thursday, April 2 at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, FL as part of WrestleMania® Week.

Batista is a six-time World Champion and a pop culture phenomenon. Throughout his illustrious career, “The Animal™” had memorable rivalries with some of the biggest names in WWE history including John Cena®, Triple H® and The Undertaker®. Batista is also a founding member of the revolutionary faction Evolution® alongside Ric Flair®, Triple H® and Randy Orton®. At WrestleMania this past April, Batista competed for the final time against Triple H. Outside the ring, Batista has successfully conquered Hollywood, appearing in Spectre, Stuber and Marvel’s blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers films.

One of the most innovative and controversial factions in sports entertainment history, the New World Order® (nWo) was led by “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman. The group captivated fans around the world and was crucial to the success of WCW® during the historic Monday Night Wars®. With an innovative style and attitude, the nWo participated in memorable rivalries against some of the biggest names in WCW history, including Sting, Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger.

“Batista was one of the fastest rising stars ever in WWE with an incredible list of accolades, and the success of the nWo changed the course of sports entertainment history,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “It is only fitting that they all take their rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.”

Tickets for the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are available this Friday, December 13 at 12 Noon ET through all Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or at ReliaQuest Ticket Office at Amalie Arena. All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees.

WrestleMania 36 takes place Sunday, April 5 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, FL and will stream live on WWE Network.

WWE NXT Tops AEW Dynamite In Viewership, Dynamite Garners Their Lowest Audience Yet

WWE NXT, which featured the fallout from the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view, which saw Team NXT dominate Team RAW and Team SmackDown, topped AEW Dynamite in viewership for the second week in a row.

Wednesday's AEW Dynamite on TNT drew 663,000 viewers while NXT drew 810,000 viewers on the USA Network, according to Showbuzz Daily, so NXT topped Dynamite by 22%. The numbers are just now coming out due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

This is the lowest AEW viewership since the show launched on October 4. The previous low was 789,000 viewers on October 30.

AEW ranked #15 in the Cable Top 150 for the 18-49 demo, while NXT ranked #19. AEW ranked #38 in total viewership, while NXTranked #29.

Last week's Dynamite episode drew 893,000 viewers and ranked #8 in the Cable Top 150, and #36 in viewership, so the audience was down 26%. Last week's NXT episode drew 916,000 viewers and ranked #14 in the Cable Top 150, and #35 in viewership so it was down 11.6% from last week.
AEW drew a 0.26 rating in the 18-49 demographic while NXT drew a 0.24 in the same demo this week, so Dynamite topped NXT by only 8% whereas it had been by double and triple digits in prior weeks. Last week's AEW episode drew a 0.39 in that demographic while NXT drew a 0.30.

AEW Being Investigated By The Maryland State Athletic Commission

The Maryland State Athletic Commission is reportedly investigating AEW over the "Unsanctioned Lights Out" Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega match that took place at AEW Full Gear on November 9.

Former WCW announcer Chris Cruise recently contacted the commission regarding the Omega vs. Moxley match and asked about their rules on blading, and allowing matches to continue if a performer is bleeding either intentionally or unintentionally, and if there was a commission doctor at the show, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

After repeated requests, Cruise was told that the commission prohibits wrestlers from deliberately lacerating themselves or their opponents, or introducing human or animal blood into the match. The commission also said they were at Full Gear and they had a doctor assigned to the show. They also stated that they were conducting a formal investigation into the match and because of that investigation, they were unable to comment on questions about the match.

Cruise was recently on the  Wrestling with History podcast and talked about why he doesn't see AEW succeeding.

"AEW has millions of dollars from the son of a billionaire and is not setting the world on fire and will not succeed," Cruise said. "It may last a long time, but will never be profitable. Somebody once said 'if you want to be a millionaire, start with a billion dollars and buy an airline.' It's the same thing with a pro wrestling organization; it's just going to bleed you dry. Not everything is guaranteed to last forever. It's my convention that wrestling has seen better days."

NXT Referee Jessika Carr Moving Over To WWE SmackDown

Jessika Carr isn’t moving “up” to SmackDown—the NXT referee is making a lateral move over to Friday nights.

Last night’s NXT taping saw Carr work her final matches for the yellow brand, and she was given an in-ring sendoff by Tommaso Ciampa.

Ciampa closed the show by saying they are a family, and they were losing a family member in Carr because she’s moving over to SmackDown Live as of this Friday. Ciampa asked Carr to deliver a farewell speech, and Carr talked about hearing she’s the “worst referee ever” by someone in her first night of training. She says she’s glad she didn’t listen to that person who told her to quit the business, and says standing in front of them now is an amazing feeling. Carr said she hopes women see this as a sign that they can be whatever they want, then she left and was greeted by Triple H and the team of referees on the ramp.

Ratings For This Week’s WWE Backstage On FS1 Increase

This week’s edition of WWE Backstage on FS1 saw a ratings increase from last week’s broadcast.

The broadcast, which was the first full episode featuring former WWE Superstar CM Punk, drew a total of 180,000 viewers. This is up from last week’s total of 100,000 viewers.

NXT Beats AEW Dynamite In Viewership

The ratings for this week’s Wednesday Night War between WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite have taken a turn.

NXT on USA Network drew 916,000 viewers and AEW Dynamite on TNT drew 893,000 viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily. This is the first time NXT has beaten AEW in viewership since they went head to head 8 weeks ago.

WWE put a lot of effort into hyping this week's NXT with the anticipated invasion of both Raw and SmackDown so an increase was expected.

The good news for AEW is they won the 18-49 demographic for the night with a .39 rating (down from 5th place) and NXT came in at No. 14 (up from 22nd) with a .30 rating.

AEW Dynamite Viewership Increases With Full Gear Fallout, WWE NXT Viewership Drops

AEW Dynamite has topped WWE NXT in viewership for the seventh week in a row.

Wednesday's post-Full Gear edition of AEW Dynamite on TNT drew 957,000 viewers while NXT drew 750,000 viewers on the USA Network, according to Showbuzz Daily. Despite both shows being neck-in-neck last week, Dynamite outscored NXT by 27.6% this week.

AEW ranked #5 in the Cable Top 150 for the 18-49 demo, while NXT ranked #22. AEW ranked #37 in total viewership, while NXT ranked #41 in viewership.

Last week's Dynamite episode drew 822,000 viewers and ranked #8 in the Cable Top 150, and #31 in viewership. Last week's NXT episode drew 813,000 viewers and ranked #12 in the Cable Top 150, and #32 in viewership.

AEW drew a 0.43 rating in the 18-49 demographic, topping NXT's 0.25 rating in the same demo by 72%. Last week's AEW episode drew a 0.35 in that demographic while NXT drew a 0.30.

WWE Statement On CM Punk Joining WWE Backstage

CM Punk made a surprise appearance at the end of this week's WWE Backstage, announcing he'll be on the show next week. As noted, FOX's Twitter account says Punk will be "appearing periodically" for the show.

Shortly after, WWE.com posted the story:

"After a nearly six-year absence from WWE TV, CM Punk made a shocking, unannounced appearance on Tuesday night's episode of WWE Backstage, FS1's new weekly studio show.

The two-time WWE Champion arrived during the show's final moments, entering to the sounds of Living Colour's "Cult of Personality," Punk's entrance music during his storied in-ring career.

"It's as simple as this: Just when they think they've got the answers, I change the culture," Punk told the camera, before adding, "I'll see you here next week."

Within minutes, the WWE on FOX Twitter account confirmed that Punk will make periodic appearances on WWE Backstage beginning next Tuesday.

Punk left an unforgettable legacy during his WWE career, including holding the WWE Championship for a remarkable 434 days. Since parting ways with WWE, Punk has gone on to author comic books for Marvel, compete in UFC and, more recently, star in the horror film "Girl on the Third Floor," released in theaters last month.

Don't miss Punk's headline-making return to WWE Backstage next Tuesday at 11 p.m. ET on FS"

WrestleMania 35 generated $165.4 million in economic impact for the New York/New Jersey region

WWE and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy today announced that WrestleMania 35 generated $165.4 million in economic impact for the New York/New Jersey region this past April, according to a study conducted by the Enigma Research Corporation. This marks a more than 60 percent increase from the $101.2 million generated for WrestleMania 29 in New York and New Jersey, and the eighth consecutive year that WrestleManiagenerated more than $100 million in economic impact for its host region.

Over the past 13 years, WrestleMania has generated more than $1.3 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event. WrestleMania 35 also generated approximately $27.1 million in federal, state and local taxes.

“New Jersey is proud to have hosted WrestleMania35 in April, the fourth time our state has been host to this great event,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “This data underscores what we already knew -- bringing large-scale events that draw fans from all over the world brings significant economic benefits to our state and the region. I thank WWE for choosing New Jersey and hope to continue this partnership in the future.”

“We are thrilled that WrestleMania’s return to our ‘front yard’ generated a significant economic increase for our partners in New York and New Jersey,” said John P. Saboor, WWE Executive Vice President of Special Events. “This success would not have been possible without the tireless support of Governor Murphy, Barclays Center, NYC & Company, Meadowlands Chamber, New York Jets, New York Giants and the rest of our public and private sector partners throughout the region. We now turn our attention to next year for what will be a historic WrestleMania debut in Tampa Bay.”

A sold-out crowd of 82,265 fans from all 50 states and 68 countries attended WWE’s pop-culture extravaganza this past April, making it the highest-grossing entertainment event in the history of MetLife Stadium.  Key highlights from the study include:

• $165.4 million in direct, indirect and induced impact derived from spending by visitors to the New York/New Jersey region for WrestleMania 35.
• 52% of fans that attended WrestleMania were from outside the New York and New Jersey region and stayed an average of 4.6 nights.
• $23.9 million was spent on hotels and accommodations within the New York/New Jersey region.
• The economic impact derived from WrestleMania Week was equal to the creation of 1,534 full-time jobs for the area.
• $6.6 million was spent by visitors to the region at area restaurants.

AEW Dynamite Barely Tops WWE NXT Viewership This Week

AEW Dynamite has topped WWE NXT in viewership for the sixth week in a row, however it was by the smallest margin to date.

Wednesday's Full Gear go-home edition of Dynamite on TNT drew 822,000 viewers, topping NXT's 813,000 viewers on the USA Network by only 1.1%, according to Showbuzz Daily.

AEW ranked #8 in the Cable Top 150, while NXT ranked #12. AEW ranked #31 in viewership, while NXT ranked #32 in viewership.

For NXT, it was the best number for the show since its two-hour premiere on October 2nd. It was the second lowest number for Dynamite behind last week's show which averaged 759,000, however that episode was against Game 7 of the World Series.

Last week's Dynamite episode drew 789,000 viewers and ranked #6 in the Cable Top 150, and #28 in viewership, so the audience was up 4.2%. Last week's NXT episode drew 580,000 viewers and ranked #32 in the Cable Top 150, and #42 in viewership so NXT saw a much larger 40% increase.

AEW drew a 0.35 rating in the 18-49 demographic while NXT drew a 0.30 in the same demo this week. Last week's AEW episode drew a 0.33 in that demographic while NXT drew a 0.18.