Welcome to the Daily Drop for Wednesday, April 24, 2024. WWE NXT brought Spring Breakin’ Week One last night, and there is a lot to unpack all over the pro wrestling world.
Before we get started, we must acknowledge Trick Williams, the new NXT Champion. He made it to the top of NXT during Spring Breakin’ Week One, as he toppled Ilja Dragunovfrom his seemingly unbeatable perch on top of the NXT brand. Triple H also responded to William’s historic win, where he praised the new NXT Champion.
WWE:
No More No-Competes: In a landmark decision handed down on Tuesday, all non-compete contracts in the United States are banned. The Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 to ban non-compete agreements for all workers, with the new rules effective in the next 120 days. We will keep a very close eye on this story, because WWE Superstars are considered independent contractors and not full-fledged employees. Needless to say, this could dramatically change how WWE contracts are handled.
Cameron Grimes’ Release: The former NXT North American Champion’s name was added to the recent list of released Superstars. He hadn’t appeared on WWE television in a very long time, so this cut wasn’t a massive surprise. He let everyone know about this with an emotional video message on Twitter/X. Matt Hardy, who has known Grimes since he was literally born, has been incredibly supportive on social media.
With all the Trevor Lee Caddell @CGrimesWWE love going on today, I wanted to post a fun moment we shared with him from TNA’s #TotalNonstopDELETION. pic.twitter.com/5tLLJh02GR
— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) April 24, 2024
Jey Uso Speaks On WrestleMania 40 Match: While speaking to the Gorilla Position, Jey Uso opened up a bit about his match against Jimmy Uso at WrestleMania 40. He knows that some people were disappointed by the match, and he felt like he let some fans down by how their contest turned out.
“I just said this to someone. I kinda felt like we did let the people down. [Really, you feel that?] Yeah, man, cuz I wanted to go out there and have a straight up banger too. I wanted to do the wrestling part but let alone make sure the emotion part is there. It was just a time issue. You know what I’m saying? You just gotta play your position on the team. That’s what happened. I’m still happy though, uce, I got a singles match at WrestleMania with my brother. That’s a big picture. So, I’mma always have me and him in a face-off at WrestleMania. I’mma frame a picture, that’s always, it’s marked off our box.”
NXT Spring Breakin’ Week 2: The NXT brand announced a packed card for next week’s Spring Breakin’ show on 4/30. That included an NXT Tag Team Title match.
WWE NXT 4/30 Card:
- NXT North American Champion Oba Femi defends against Ivar
- NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazer & Axiom defend against Akam & Rezar
- NXT Underground match: Natalya (w/Karmen Petrovic) vs. Lola Vice (w/Shayna Baszler)
- Thea Hail vs. Jacy Jayne
- Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe debut
Raven Shoots Hard: Raven had a lot to say about how Hulk Hogan treated him. He also shared a story or two about drugs in the pro wrestling business. You may check out the entire interview from Ten Count Media below.
Bray Wyatt Tribute: At the Cage Warriors 171 event in Glasgow, Scotland, MMA fighter Chris Bungard honored the Eater of Worlds with a tribute. Bungard entered the arena dressed in Bray’s signature Wyatt Family look, complete with hat and shirt. He also sang “The Whole World in His Hands,” a children’s song that was long-associated with the late WWE legend.
In Homage to Bray Wyatt ???@CowaBungard's Walkout at @ArenaBraehead on Saturday night will never be forgotten…
? Replay #CW171 on @UFCFightPass! pic.twitter.com/en1NKcIgKV
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) April 22, 2024
AEW:
AEW Dynamite 4/24 card:
- Jon Moxley vs. Powerhouse Hobbs – IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match
- Swerve Strickland vs. Kyle Fletcher – AEW World Championship Eliminator match
- Mina Shirakawa vs. Anna Jay
- Willow Nightingale’s Championship Celebration
- Chris Jericho to speak
- Chuck Taylor to choose between Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta
Kenny Omega’s Return: Although he is still out of action with diverticulitis, Kenny Omega is being advertised for the May 1 episode of Dynamite in Winnipeg. The past we heard, Omega may need surgery, so we will have to see how they use Omega, if he can make the show in his home city.
AEW Women’s Division Speaks Out: Saraya uploaded a third video, which she claims will be the final edition, with the AEW Women’s Division letting fans know what it’s like to be a female wrestler. A lot of the information from this video pertains to creepy fan behavior.
We’re female wrestlers part three and final part.
(Lighten up to the people who can’t take a joke, this is all for fun, also still call me mother.. I like it ?) pic.twitter.com/usz8sOmz1v
— SARAYA (@Saraya) April 23, 2024
AEW Collision Viewership: The April 20th edition of AEW Collision attracted an average overnight viewership of 461,000 viewers, maintaining a rating of 0.13 in the 18 to 49 demographic. This represents an increase from the previous show, which had 442,000 viewers and the same demographic rating of 0.13.
Upcoming PPV’s and PLE’s:
Here are the upcoming major wrestling events
- Saturday, May 4: WWE Backlash France (PLE)
- Sunday, May 26: NXT Battleground (PLE)
- Sunday, May 26: AEW Double or Nothing (PPV)