There’s been lot of excitement surrounding the WWE as of late, as the returns of big stars like Bray Wyatt have fans eager to know when the star wrestlers will get the chance to make their marks within the company. Unfortunately, it sounds like Wyatt (and possibly even stars like Cody Rhodes, who are waiting to return) will have fewer opportunities to do so in the near future, as the company has reportedly removed a big pay-per-view from its schedule of upcoming live WWE events.
A new report from Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics alleges that the WWE has scrubbed the upcoming Day 1 pay-per-view from its calendar. The event would’ve presumably taken place on New Year’s Day 2023. On top of that, it’s said that the organization doesn’t have plans to reschedule another event that would fall between the already-planned Survivor Series and Royal Rumble.
Via a Twitter post, Dave Meltzer claimed that issues began to arise for Day 1 due to two major football games being scheduled for on December 31 and January 1 in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, which is where Day 1 was scheduled to take place. Tickets were reportedly slated to go on sale back on September 23, but the company apparently held off on those plans. Apparently, was also speculated that the date might be changed.
It’s an unfortunate situation for wrestling fans who love big events because, if it’s all true, they’d now be looking at what could be a two-month stretch at the end of 2022 in which there isn’t a WWE pay-per-view. Provided all of this pans out, this would be the first time that the company has been without a pay-per-view during the month of December since 1994.
Day 1, which established a number of major feuds during its inaugural year, seemed primed to become the next big staple event of the WWE. However, its alleged cancellation could jeopardize that. The event replaced the long-running TLC: Tables, Ladders, & Chairs event, which had normally run in December. Now, it appears folks will simply have to use their Peacock premium subscription to stream former matches and get their fix amid what would be a significant gap between major events.
With that said, it’s possible that the wrestling organization is currently brainstorming what its next move will be and determining whether it really wants to go that long between pay-per-views. As of right now, with this latest report, Survivor Series would be the last pay-per-view at the end of the year, and then there would be nothing but Monday Night Raw and SmackDown shows to lay out storylines ahead of the start of WrestleMania season in January.
If it’s too late for the WWE to find a venue for a pay-per-view event, it’s always possible to hold an event at its performance center or even a pre-recorded specialty pay-per-view event like the ones that occurred during the pandemic shutdowns. As mentioned, though, the report states that there is nothing currently planned, so anyone hoping for a big WWE pay-per-view during the holiday season might just have to prepare for the reality that it won’t happen this year.
Monday Night Raw airs on USA Network on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Hopefully, if there aren’t any big events planned for December, we can at least get some entertaining WWE holiday episodes to enjoy, as they’re typically fun to watch.