It’s time for the Daily Drop on May 23, and we have a lot to cover. We don’t have any AEW or WWE programming tonight, but there is no shortage of pro wrestling action on the horizon.
During AEW Dynamite last night, they added a couple notable items to the Double or Nothing card. You can check out the line-up (so far) below. The Las Vegas event is being promoted as a triple main event show.
- Roderick Strong (c) vs. Will Ospreay – Singles match for the AEW International Championship
- “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) (with Luther and Mariah May) vs. Serena Deeb – Singles match for the AEW Women’s World Championship
- Adam Copeland (c) vs. Malakai Black – Barbed Wire Steel Cage match for the AEW TNT Championship
- Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita – IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Eliminator match
- Trent Beretta vs. Orange Cassidy – Singles match
- Chris Jericho (c) (with Big Bill) vs. HOOK vs Katsuyori Shibata- FTW Rules match for the FTW Championship
- Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Mercedes Moné – Singles match for the AEW TBS Championship
- The Elite (Kazuchika Okada, Jack Perry, Matthew Jackson, and Nicholas Jackson) vs. Team AEW (Bryan Danielson, Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood, and Darby Allin) – Anarchy in the Arena match
- Swerve Strickland (c) (with Prince Nana) vs. Christian Cage (with Killswitch, Nick Wayne, and Mother Wayne) – Singles match for the AEW World Championship
AEW:
Bloodbaths Are Back: Adam Copeland surprised Malakai Black with a bloodbath, just like from the Brood days, during AEW Dynamite this week. The two will battle in a barbed wire steel cage match at Double or Nothing.
AEW x Mad Mad: A new intro for AEW Dynamite with a mash-up of Mad Mad Furiosa aired last night. It was a great piece of cross-promotional activity from the Warner Bros Discovery properties.
Death Triangle Reunion: Just in time for Double or Nothing, Pac, Penta, and Fenix got back together on Dynamite this week. The three will challenge the Bang Bang Gang this Sunday at the company’s pay-per-view for the Undisputed Trios Titles.
Darby’s Flamethrower: The former TNT Champion made his return to AEW television, but he didn’t come unarmed. Allin showed up with a flamethrower in tow. He will join Team AEW to battle The Elite in an Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing.
Good to see @DarbyAllin and @bryandanielson finally answer the eternal question we've all thought: What if wrestling had more FLAMETHROWERS? #AEWDynamite #AEWonTBS pic.twitter.com/67PXSAvsgL
— TDE Wrestling (@tde_gif) May 23, 2024
WWE:
SummerSlam Tickets: Although SummerSlam isn’t happening for two months, the Cleveland show is nearly sold out already. The 37th SummerSlam is set for Saturday, August 3, 2024, at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.
Big E’s New Gig: New Day member Big E may not be cleared to compete, but he can still act. He has an unspecified role in the upcoming Peacock comedy called, “Laid.”
New Baby On The Way: Dragon Lee announced that he and his wife are expecting their second child. We’d like to extend our best wishes to his family as they prepare to welcome another member into the world.
¡Nuestra familia está creciendo! ???
¡Gracias Dios mío por otra bendición más en nuestra vida! ?? ?Estamos muy felices de compartirles la espera de nuestro 2do hijo (a). Te esperamos con mucho amor ?#baby #family pic.twitter.com/cGOFv1j830
— Dragon Lee ?????? (@dragonlee95) May 23, 2024
WWE RAW Viewership: WWE RAW’s May 20 episode saw a 9 percent increase in overall average viewership from the previous week, reaching 1,733,000 viewers, the highest since the April 15 edition.
WWE NXT Turnout: Tuesday’s pre-taped NXT drew 654,000 total viewers and a 0.17 rating in the 18-49 demographic. This marked a 15% increase in total viewership from last week’s 567,000.
Here are the upcoming major wrestling events
- Saturday, May 25: King & Queen of the Ring (PLE)
- Sunday, May 26: AEW Double or Nothing (PPV)
- Sunday, June 9: NXT Battleground (PLE)