Below are some top news stories of the day, involving AEW and SmackDown.
• AEW wrestler Cash Wheeler of FTR was facing charges for aggravated assault with a firearm after a 2023 road rage incident where he allegedly flashed a gun and got arrested. Though it wasn’t a domestic issue and Wheeler didn’t know the people involved, he had to turn over all his firearms to the local sheriff’s department until the case concluded. Despite the ongoing legal matter, All Elite Wrestling continued to book him.
The case was dropped in May. Speaking to Renee Paquette on Close Up, Wheeler reflected on the experience, calling it “a very rough patch” and explaining that his life depended on the case outcome. He refused to plead guilty, insisting he was innocent. Wheeler stated that he faced up to 5 years in prison if convicted and believed AEW would have dropped him. He also mentioned that he only learned about the warrant a week later and was never contacted prior.
His longtime tag team partner, Dax Harwood, revealed that Wheeler had considered retiring over the situation.
Harwood said, “From my perspective, he told me when everything happened… he said, ‘I think I’m going to retire because I don’t want to subject you to any of this stuff that I’m going through.’” Harwood had to convince him not to retire.
Wheeler added, “I didn’t love it… it was the only chance I had to escape from that… Every time we were going out there, ‘Alright, let’s go out there.’” Despite the challenges, he remained confident, stating, “The ones that believe me, they believed me the whole time… I did everything I could on my end to make sure the people who did believe in me.”
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• Starting in January 2025, after WWE RAW moves to Netflix, the USA Network will extend SmackDown to a three-hour show, according to WrestleVotes.
This expansion gives SmackDown an additional hour of airtime, bringing it in line with RAW’s format. The decision marks a significant shift for WWE programming on the USA Network, which has been home to RAW for a long time.
SmackDown’s extra hour is expected to provide more content and storytelling opportunities, potentially reshaping the pacing and format of the show.
The change also reflects USA Network’s ongoing commitment to WWE as it adapts its programming strategy ahead of RAW’s departure to a streaming platform. Fans will soon see how this extended format affects SmackDown’s presentation and match lineups.
