WWE names trademark ring names, Crown Jewel criticism, Ciampa on Lilian podcast, new AEW web series, New Day podcast debuts, WWE battles cancer, Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame inductees, Mania special following NXT, NXT+Dynamite audiences, new Dynamite match, Sydal headed to Middle East, Impact PPV ticket sale, Goldberg set for Austin podcast, Raw dark match, Raw guest, 24/7 title change, and Questions on Lana's accent, WWE letting trademarks pass, Taker's debut, and Graves being chastised

Charlotte Flair has trademarked "Ashley Flair" and "The Queen of Wrestling," which she would be able to use outside of WWE. That's bold! We'll see if she's planning a run elsewhere at some point.

Andrade has trademarked "La Sombra" and "El Idolo" for use outside of WWE. Right now I'd assume he and Charlotte are just covering themselves in case they do end up somewhere else, but it's notable they're considering what names they'd use in other companies.

Crown Jewel was covered as part of a New York Times piece criticizing Saudi Arabia. Note there's no mention of the unfounded rumors regarding the return trip, which one would think would be a major international story if credible. This responsibility to fact-checking before spreading stories separates trustworthy journalism from "dirt sheets," and those covering the business should take note. As for what the piece did discuss, WWE's not going to like the criticism but they're going to continue to operate in the region with the mentality that they're facilitating reforms in the country.

Tomasso Ciampa discussed leaving NXT on Lilian Garcia's latest podcast, saying he would retire if shifted to Raw or Smackdown due to the schedule. That's really unfortunate, because he has a lot to contribute was a wrestler.

The Inner Circle have launched their own web series to rival Being The Elite. Clever. This is one area WWE isn't connecting with as well as AEW is.

New Day discussed their gimmick's origins on the first episode of their podcast. Fascinating look at how it came together.

WWE is worked with KiTZ Heidelberg to tackle pediatric cancer.

The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame has announced its 2020 inductions:
- Executive Division: Dory Funk, Sr.
- Referee Division: Dick Woehrle
- Pioneer Era: George Zaharias and Bobby Managoff
- Tag Team Division: The Bushwhackers
- Ladies Division: Luna Vachon and Debbie Combs
- Television Era: King Curtis Iaukea and Killer Karl Kox
- Territory Division: Killer Tim Brook
- Modern Era: Jake Roberts and Magnum TA

WWE's WrestleMania special hosted by John Cena will air after NXT on USA Network this week.

NXT's November 27 audience was 810,000. That's a shame given the BIG rub they got for Survivor Series week. I wonder what the show's peak is now that brand rivalries are over for the time being.

Dynamite's November 27 audience was 663,000, a sharp drop from last week and the lowest mark in the show's brief history (or for that matter NXT's run on USA). It's definitely possible being the night before Thanksgiving played a role here, but that's a number that should give some pause regarding the direction of the show. Of course, if they're back above 800,000 next week, it's more or less a fluke. Note that TNT expected them to do around 500,000 viewers and even this number is comfortably above that.

Dynamite has added Hikaru Shida vs. Kris Statlander. I look forward to that, and am curious if Statlander will become a regular.

Matt Sydal is booked for Qatar Pro Wrestling on February 20.

Hard To Kill had a 30% off ticket sale for Cyber Monday. ROH should have done that for Final Battle weekend.

Goldberg is set for Broken Skull Sessions following TLC. That could be pretty good if the previous episode is any indication.

After Raw, Becky Lynch retained the Raw Women's Championship against Kairi Sane. Charlotte Flair could have used her help in that handicap match!

NHL's Ryan Ellis was backstage at Raw.

R-Truth regained the 24/7 Championship after Raw. Interesting tie-in with FOX.

For my take on yesterday's PWInsider.com questions:
1. Lana dropped the accent a long time ago when she started appearing as CJ on "Total Divas" and the like. Then again, she's been in the U.S. for a while now, right? Maybe she's gotten better at it. As for the storyline, it's a Paul Heyman creation, with the feeling that a more "adult" soap opera storyline would be a break from the "squeaky clean PG" image WWE has been chastised for. There was also a hope that its twists and turns would have people watching to see what's next. In WWE's defense, it's doing well with YouTube views.

2. Basically because they don't intend to do shows with those names anymore, they let them lapse.

3. It's not exclusively due to AEW, though they have certainly played a significant role. There were also the drop in revenue from what had been forecast that sparked change.

4. It's entirely possible he competed in shows that weren't at the level of notability that would be picked up by record-keeping websites. It's also possible that he's misremembering. The earliest match result I can find is a tag match from 1987.

5. I'd be a little surprised if no one's talked to him about why what he did wasn't a great idea. He certainly has a right to make criticisms, but working an angle only he was aware he was working was a misstep.

More wrestling tomorrow.