In a message posted on social media, Andrade El Idolo confirmed that he has left AEW and said goodbye to many people in the company.
“I want to thank you for this time that I belonged to the company @aew and above all to Tony Khan,” Andrade wrote, before also saying goodbye to the talent, security people, cameramen, referees and everyone who works there.
Andrade specifically mentioned by name Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Taz, Tony Schiavone, Aubrey Edwards, Jerry Lynn, Hook, Eddie Kingston, Ricky Starks, Orange Cassidy, Thunder Rosa, Jack Perry, Austin and Colten Gunn, Sonjay Dutt, Sting, PAC, Darby Allin, Daniel García, Jay White and many more.
“I would have loved to face Mox, Page, Hobbs, Ricky, Dante, Cage, Dustin,” he continued. “Thank you AEW AND thank you to all the fans for your support always. I wish you the best always!”
He wrestled his last match for the company at Worlds End, losing to Miro.
NXT will present its New Year’s Evil themed episode live on USA Network tonight with two championships on the line.
It is a double main event with NXT champion Ilja Dragunov taking on Trick Williams for the title while NXT Women’s champion Lyra Valkyria defends against Blair Davenport. Both Williams and Davenport won their Iron Survivor Challenge matches last month.
Also tonight, the NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament comes to an end with Riley Osborne vs Oba Femi in the final match, Arianna Grace takes on Roxanne Perez, and Tiffany Stratton battles Fallon Henley with the stipulation that if Stratton wins, Henley becomes her servant.
The Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, and Dragon Lee vs Drew Gulak, Charlie Dempsey, and Damon Kemp in a six-man tag match is no longer being advertised on WWE.COM. Lee is stuck in Mexico and Dempsey is wrestling in Japan for AJPW tomorrow.
The Rock’s return videos on WWE’s social media accounts have already surpassed 17 million views in less than 24 hours across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
The People’s Champion surprised the sold out San Diego crowd and then dropped a bombshell before he left, saying he wants to eat at “the head of the table,” a comment which sent the crowd bananas.
WWE has had some massive social media success lately, first with Rock’s return in October, then CM Punk’s return in November, and now The Rock’s second return, amounting to millions and millions of views and revenue.
CM Punk’s return video from Survivor Series currently holds the record for most views so far.
Patrick Clark, the man formerly known as Velveteen Dream in NXT, dropped a near five-minute apology video following a controversial few years that led to his firing from WWE, asking for forgiveness and admitting he was wrong.
“I take full accountability for my behavior over the last three years of my life,” Clark said. “When narratives were written about me, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what was written about me. It doesn’t matter what was said about me. It doesn’t matter what’s on the internet about me. I was wrong.”
Clark apologized to WWE for any unwanted attention and negative press, to the WWE fans, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Shawn Michaels, his best friend Tehuti Miles, now known as Ashante “Thee” Adonis, and his family.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I recognize that I was losing myself and I apologize to anyone that I lost along the way, anyone that I upset or offended because of my behavior. Man, I’m sorry and I hope you all forgive me. Thank you,” Clark continued.
Clark was released from his WWE deal in May 2021 after several allegations of inappropriate behavior after the #SpeakingOut movement in the previous Summer outed him as courting young, underage boys.
His apology failed to address an apology to the victims of his misconduct as well as mention why he was apologizing for in the first place.
The full apology and video can be read and seen below.
As you’ve probably seen or heard over the course of the last few years, I want to apologize for my behavior. Both professionally and personally, I always preach to those closest to me about the power of accountability and responsibility, and I take full accountability for my behavior over the last three years of my life.
When narratives were written about me, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what was written about me. It doesn’t matter what was said about me. It doesn’t matter what’s on the internet about me.
I was wrong.
And because of that, I need to apologize to a few people.
First, I want to apologize to the WWE organization. I want to apologize to the WWE organization for any unwanted attention and negative press that I brought to your brand and your product.
I want to apologize to the WWE fans and the Velveteen Dream fans because when you hear the name Velveteen Dream, it should have only been spoken about in a productive and positive light, not the name Patrick Clark as another statistic of what happens when talent and opportunity meet immaturity. That’s not what you spend your hard earned money on, that’s not what you invest your time and your money in. When you look on the TV and come to the shows, you should escape reality, and not have to deal with mine.
I want to apologize to the WWE and the fans.
I want to apologize to Paul Levesque. Paul, you are such an understanding and patient man and leader and getting the opportunity to work with you and learn from you, I get the sense of what makes you who you are and how you’ve been able to handle the responsibility of being in the public light for such a long time. I want to apologize to you Paul, I’m sorry.
I also want to say I’m sorry to Shawn Michaels. Shawn, it’s still beyond me that I’ve had the opportunity in this lifetime to learn from you, to have your mentorship and guidance, and I apologize if you feel like you’ve wasted your time and your energy investing into me…you have not. I’m still a work in progress, I’m still learning, and I remember all of the lessons that you’ve taught me. Shawn, I’m sorry.
My best friend, Tehuti Miles. I want to apologize to you because before you were tied to me publicly for the support you have given me and continue to give me, your resume was impeccable and I apologize for any smudges that I may have put on that resume because of my behavior. You’re the last person that should have to deal with anything like that and I’m sorry man.
I want to apologize to my family, my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister, my nieces and my nephews, because you may read things, you may hear about things, you may be confronted by people you don’t know and you might feel the need to explain yourselves on my behalf.
I just want you to know that you do not have to do that, ever. No one should have to explain anything for Patrick Clark. No one should have to trend because of Patrick Clark. No one should have to answer the questions of where is Patrick now, what did Patrick do, what happened with Patrick. That’s not your responsibility and I don’t want you to have to feel burdened with that responsibility, that’s my responsibility and I apologize to you all for any negative energy that has had to come your way because of me.
I want to apologize to the fans, and those in my personal and professional life that I have affected by my behavior. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I recognize that I was losing myself and I apologize to anyone that I lost along the way, anyone that I upset or offended because of my behavior.
It has been a while since we’ve seen Raquel Rodriguez on television and now, the former NXT Women’s champion, revealed why she’s been missing in action.
In a video posted on Instagram, Rodriguez said that last month, she was diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. MCAS is a condition which the patient experiences repeated episodes of the symptoms such as hives, eczema and other allergies.
Rodriguez said that in December it got really bad to a point where she couldn’t travel, go to the gym, and wrestle.
“Basically, I was red, swollen. There was a lot happening in this area (face) physically,” she said, adding that she did not want to be on camera or even look in the mirror.
She is now back home in Texas where she has the full support of her family and thanked everyone for reaching out and reminding her that she didn’t have to go through it alone.
Her last match came at a WWE non-televised live event in Portland, Maine, losing to Nia Jax on December 3.
NXT North American champion Dragon Lee will be missing tonight’s New Year’s Evil episode on USA Network as he had a visa issue and is stuck in Mexico.
“Sad news to kick off the year, but due to visa issues I am unable to leave Mexico right now,” Lee wrote on X.
Work visas have to be renewed at the United States embassy in the country of where the person is from so Lee had to go back home to get it approved and can’t travel back to the United States, or even work, until he physically has the passport with the visa stamped.
Lee was supposed to team up with Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro in a six-man tag team match against Drew Gulak, Damon Kemp, and Charlie Dempsey tonight. He also added that the LWO “has a big surprise” for No Quarter Catch Crew.
WWE United States champion Logan Paul will be appearing on the New Year’s Revolution themed episode of Friday Night Smackdown this week on FOX.
Paul will be there as the winner of the United States title #1 contender tournament will be decided between Kevin Owens and Santos Escobar. The winner of that match will take on Paul for the title at the Royal Rumble, a match which was confirmed on Raw last night.
The Smackdown brand is currently suffering from a singles title since both Paul and the Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns are rarely on the broadcast, leaving just IYO SKY as the singles champion who regularly appears on the show.
Paul won the title in November at the Crown Jewel premium live event from Rey Mysterio and has not defended the title so far.
Happy New Year Everyone! Day 1 for Monday Night Raw tonight! Michael Cole and Wade Barrett welcome us to Raw in the ring and go over the lineup. They also confirmed a former WWE champion will be making their return tonight.
Becky Lynch VS. Nia Jax
Becky fought hard but, in the end, Jax hit Becky with the right hand and the annihilator and got the win.
Winner: Nia Jax
The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes comes to the ring for a promo. Cody says this should be over and it will end tonight and calls out Shinsuke Nakamura. Shinsuke comes on the screen and talks to Cody then blows red mist.
Kofi Kingston & Main Event Jey Uso VS. Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci
Vinci got knocked out by a dropkick from Kofi and just as Kofi tagged Jey to come in, the referee called for the bell and the doctor was in the ring checking on Vinci. The referee awarded the match to Jey and Kofi via stoppage.
Winners due to referee stoppage: Kofi Kingston & Main Event Jey Uso
After the match Jey paced in the ring and Kofi looked worried.
They show a video package of Ivy Nile who faces Rhea Ripley tonight for the women’s championship.
MizTV with special guests The Judgment Day. As the Judgment Day music played, their music cut out and R-Truth’s music comes on and he comes out. Truth says he is doing PR to make the Judgment Day likable. JD and Dominik come out and interrupt Truth and Truth says see Dominik getting booed in his own hometown and JD you are not even in Judgment Day anymore you lost.
As Dominik tried to tell the Miz he had a bad 2023, The Miz said you have all these people booing you and I can’t even hear you over them and you have a microphone. Dominik challenged Miz and R-Truth vs. himself and JD. The Miz said it’s going to be a reunion of Awesome Truth and then argued with the Miz who he was teaming with.
JD McDonagh & Dominik Mysterio VS. The Miz & R-Truth
Truth and Dominik are standing on the same apron corner and Dominik jumps in the ring to stop the Miz from pinning JD and gets thrown out of the ring. JD headbutts the Miz and then JD tagged Truth in without looking. So, JD picked the Miz up and Dominik is back up and says hit him and Truth swings and hits JD and then throws JD into The Miz who hit the Skull Crushing Finale and pinned JD.
Winners: The Miz & R-Truth
Ivy Nile VS. Rhea Ripley for the WWE World Women’s Championship
Very good outing by Ivy but in the end, it was Rhea hitting the Riptide to retain.
Winner and Still WWE World Women’s Champion: Rhea Ripley
The returning former WWE champion: Jinder Mahal. Jinder starts talking about the division of the United States of America. As Jinder kept talking, The Rock’s music hits, and the Rock is here!!!
The Rock just looked at Jinder and said oh you’re in trouble tonight. After the Rock ran Jinder down and said he was going to whoop his candy ass. Jinder attacked the Rock, but the Rock reversed and ended up giving Jinder the People’s Elbow.
The Rock then got the microphone and asked the crowd when he goes out to eat where he should sit. A Booth? The Bar? Or the Head of the Table?
Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark VS. Natalya & Teegan Nox
Shayna throws Natalya out of the ring and tags in Zoey and Shayna gave Teegan a back suplex and Zoey gave her a Z360 and gets the win.
Winners: Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark
Drew McIntyre VS. Seth “Freakin” Rollins for the WWE World Championship
Damian Priest comes out and hits Seth with the Money in the Bank briefcase but before he could cash in, Drew hit a Claymore on the floor, then throws Dominik. Drew gets back in the ring, Claymore to Seth and Seth somehow put his toe on the rope to stop the count.
Drew goes outside and tears apart the set and goes to slam Seth into the announce table, but Seth reverses and gives Drew a pedigree on the table and rolls Drew back in the ring and hits a Stomp to retain the championship.
Winner and Still WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Seth “Freakin” Rollins
Gambling, often notorious for its addictive nature and considered a vice, can also be a profitable activity and a form of entertainment. Long-time players who enjoy games of chance are aware they’re likely to lose money. However, with time and experience, enthusiasts can hone their skills and become proficient. This is particularly true for special slot machines called advantage play slot machines, where skill plays a significant role alongside luck.
While it’s crucial to approach gambling cautiously and not as a primary source of income, it can offer insights into personal finance and life. An analysis of the world’s top players reveals that casino pros share a mindset similar to experienced investors. Knowledge and time are key factors in determining financial success.
Free Money Offered By Casinos
Whether you gamble online or in real life, you’ll notice a lot of casinos offer promotions for signing up or depositing. These promotions might be advertised as “free money.” However, reading the terms and conditions reveals that these offers come with strings attached. A smart player or an advantage player, will understand how to beat these promotions so that they can walk home with a profit in their pockets.
For example, a land-based casino might offer $20 for signing up to their rewards club. A typical gambler will take the $20, play it all on a slot or table game and most likely lose it all. Sure, there’s a chance he may get lucky and make some money, but the odds are that if he continues to stay in the casino or return, he will lose it all back.
An advantage player will understand that the $20 is free money that he needs to collect from the casino. It is not money used to make more money. An advantage player understands that every game in the casino has an edge that favors the house. So the more time he spends playing a table game or slot game, he will lose money unless he has some kind of an advantage.
To extract the free $20, the advantage player will select a good slot machine that pays back the most. He will then redeem the $20 that is usually offered as free play on that specific machine. He won’t play a single penny more than $20. He will take whatever he gets from the machine and go home. That is how advantage players take home a profit.
How Does Budgeting Work in Gambling?
Budgeting is vital in gambling. To win efficiently, setting aside an amount you can afford to lose is advisable. Establishing and adhering to a budget prevents reckless spending. After all, gambling revolves around money management.
In gambling, the potential for winning or losing is inherent. Creating a budget becomes a natural part of the process, helping to limit losses. This is often referred to as a bankroll.
Gambling indeed offers a valuable lesson in the relationship between risk and reward. Understanding this dynamic is crucial in gambling, as the potential rewards are directly proportional to the risks taken.
Researching this activity online can provide further insights and strategies.
Triple H is taking a page out of Tony Khan’s playbook and will be making a “major announcement” this coming Thursday.
The announcement will be part of a WWE Preview Special 2024 which will air live on Peacock starting at 8PM ET.
CM Punk will be appearing on the broadcast and marketing used to promote the show also includes Bianca Belair, Montez Ford, WWE Women’s World champion Rhea Ripley and NXT champion Ilja Dragunov.
The tag team match between Jey Uso and Kofi Kingston against Imperium was cut short after Giovanni Vinci got his bell rung following a dropkick in the head by Kingston. Vinci was coming off the second rope and Kofi connected straight in the face, knocking him out momentarily.
The referee immediately noticed something was wrong and quickly went over to Vinci, preventing Jey Uso from continuing with the match after getting the tag. The referee threw up the X hand sign and called for the bell on the orders of the doctor. Cameras moved away from Vinci as he was being treated at ringside.
WWE ringside physician Dr. Amann and Ludwig Kaiser then helped Vinci out.
Vinci wrote on X later in Italian that he was fine and thanked everyone while Kofi also reacted, writing “Damn…”
The former WWE champion being teased for Raw ended up being none other than The Rock!
The Rock interrupted Jinder Mahal, who actually came out as the “surprise” minutes earlier, to a thunderous ovation from the sold out San Diego crowd which was mighty disappointed when Mahal’s music hit the speakers before.
The People’s Champion delivered his usual lines and even hit the People’s Elbow on Mahal but saved the best line for last.
Rock told the crowd that he was hungry and asked where do you think he would sit…at the booth, at the bar, or at the head of the table.
The line got a big pop from the crowd and The Rock said that is exactly what he thought and ended the night with his “If ya smell” line.
The head of the table mic drop moment obviously refers to Roman Reigns and after years of waiting, this could actually end up happening in a couple of months.
The Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia is a likely destination for this match as the Perth government did request The Rock to appear when they paid WWE to come to town.
WrestleMania is already sold pretty much so helping the February PLE sell a 60,000-seater stadium with this match would be a sensible idea.
Responding to The Rock, Reigns simply posted a laughing with tears emoji on X.
WWE is starting 2024 with a bang, presenting a huge live Monday Night Raw promoted as Day 1 Raw on USA Network.
Headlining the broadcast will be a rare WWE World Heavyweight title match as Seth Rollins defends his gold against Drew McIntyre.
That is not the only title on the line as Rhea Ripley also defends her Women’s World title against Ivy Nile. A match five years in the making will pit Becky Lynch against Nia Jax and Tegan Nox and Natalya battle Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark.
Plus, Triple H teased an appearance by a former WWE champion who is not part of the roster.
Mercedes Mone is expected to make her AEW debut imminently, possibly this week according to multiple sources, with Wednesday’s Dynamite a probable place to counter WWE’s surprise from Raw tonight.
Discussions between Mone and WWE fell apart last month as the two sides failed to agree on the financial package, where Mone was reportedly asking for a lot of money, surpassing the amount that was given to Charlotte Flair recently.
The story is that it was WWE’s side who walked away from the negotiations after it was apparent that a deal was not going to be reached despite the willingness to have her return.
There are rumors of a $5 million figure being thrown around although that is not confirmed. Signing with WWE would have meant that she would be exclusive to them and she would not be able to do Japan or expand her brand.
On December 22, attorney Michael E. Dockins filed three new trademarks with the USPTO on behalf of Mercedes’ company Soulnado, Inc., including Time Is Moné, Moné Wear, and Moné Talks. That alone was a hint that a WWE deal was not going to happen as if she was returning to WWE, she would use the name Sasha Banks and WWE owns all the intellectual property rights for that.
Signing with AEW probably was “cheaper” for AEW’s side as she would still have the liberty to work other promotions as well such as those in Japan and explore other outside opportunities, earning additional income in the process.
In a post on social media ahead of the first WWE event of 2024, WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H lauded a record-breaking year for WWE, calling 2023 the biggest year in WWE history ever.
“This is just a glimpse of everything that WWE staff, crew and talent accomplished in 2023. And none of it is possible without the WWE Universe,” Triple H wrote, before adding an graphic with WWE’s accolades last year: highest social media views ever, highest sponsorship revenue ever, highest-grossing ticket sales ever, highest merchandise revenue ever, and highest premium live event viewership ever.
2024 will kick off with a big one on Raw tonight with nearly 11,000 fans at the sold out Pechanga Arena San Diego.
With more international premium live events and new life under TKO, WWE could very well have another banger of a year.
WWE entertained over 80,000 fans during the Holiday Tour between December 26 and December 30, one of the strongest weeks of WWE live events ever.
Fans jam packed nine arenas across the nation in five days, with two shows held every day except the last day.
New York’s Madison Square Garden was the winner during the week with over 15,800 fans witnessing CM Punk’s first WWE match in nearly 10 years. The Kia Forum show last night in Inglewood, California was a close second with 13,500 tickets.
Houston, Boston, and Laval live events all exceeded the 9,000 tickets according to WrestleTix while Detroit and Toronto had over 8,000 each as well. The weakest markets were Baltimore with nearly 6,000 fans and Las Vegas with just over 6,000.
The Madison Square Garden show became the highest-grossing domestic non-televised WWE live event of all time and during the week there were four sold out arenas and eight record-breaking gates for those markets.
WWE returns with a live Monday Night Raw tonight from San Diego where over 10,000 tickets have been distributed so far.
Former AEW World champion MJF will be taking some time off to nurse injuries he has suffered over the past year.
His latest one is a torn labrum in is left shoulder, an injury he disclosed at the end of November. MJF also had several other injuries which he soldiered through during his reign as champion.
MJF also claimed that he has not re-signed a new AEW deal yet and was waiting to see who will be the highest bidder. He was taken off the AEW roster page as of today although many believe he had already signed a deal to stay with the company for the foreseeable future. WWE could not legally speak to him while under contract.
The popular star spent 406 days as AEW champion and had 10 successful title defenses.
Roman Reigns ended the year 2023 with just 11 matches, his lowest tally so far in his WWE career. Reigns continues to hold the Undisputed WWE Universal title.
Out of the 11 matches, four of them were at non-televised live events held in Toronto, Cincinnati, Mexico City, and Kansas City, wrestling only Sami Zayn and Rey Mysterio twice.
Reigns did seven premium live events with Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, WrestleMania 39, Night of Champions, Money In The Bank, SummerSlam, and Crown Jewel. His opponents were Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes, Jimmy and Jey Uso, and LA Knight, with two of those matches being tag team bouts teaming with Solo Sikoa.
As of today, Reigns stands as champion for 1,216 consecutive days.
Vladimir Abouzeide, the WWE Superfan who even has his own documentary on Peacock and WWE Network, attended his first-ever AEW event this past Saturday as he sat front row at Worlds End with his long-time friend Charlie Adorno, better known to wrestling fans as Ringside Charlie.
Vlad had previously met AEW President Tony Khan, with Khan putting him over in a post on social media. Several AEW wrestlers also met him at the show, including Sting who stopped to meet the legend during his match in photos captured by AEW photographers.
A photo of Vlad posing with MJF backstage is also making the rounds and Vlad wore MJF’s Burberry scarf for the show.
AEW turned five years old today as it was on January 1, 2019 when The Elite – Cody Rhodes, Hangman Page, and The Young Bucks – revealed the promotion’s name during an episode of Being The Elite on YouTube.
The foursome were in front of the Tokyo Dome as they huddled together getting excited looking at their phones. The camera then moves closer behind Cody and the Jacksons and they lifted their phone up to show the Double or Nothing pay-per-view logo, AEW’s first-ever PPV.
Page, standing across them, tells them that his phone says something different and he turns the phone around to unveil the AEW logo.
