The wrestling world is bracing for what could be a very noteworthy 2024. What stories do you need to watch for? Greg DeMarco has got you covered!

During last week’s Greg DeMarco Show, Patrick O’Dowd and I reminisced at how we ended 2019 saying 2020 was setting up to be a very eventful year in pro wrestling. And, honestly, no one was prepared for the wild year it was.

Now we end 2023 with the same vision–but for very different reasons. Due to TV rights deals and contracts all expiring, we are set up for a year that could impact us for a decade to come.

So here you go – Greg DeMarco’s Top 5 Stories To Watch In 2024!

5. Where Does Drew McIntyre Sign?

Drew McIntyre will see his WWE contract expire in 2024, and he has yet to sign a new deal (in a time where the company is signing plenty of new deals). For many, like Charlotte Flair, Zelina Vega, Dominik Mysterio, Rey Mysterio, and others, signing a 5-year WWE deal was a no-brainer. But for Drew? I think it’s a bit more complicated.

Drew McIntyre wants to do more than just sign a contract–Drew McIntyre is letting booking get in the way of business. You see, it’s one thing to WANT to be a top guy. Drew McIntyre THINKS he’s a top guy, and he’s not being used as such. Now whether or not I believe he’s a top guy (I don’t), for Drew McIntyre in WWE nothing is guaranteed. He wants that main event spotlight, and I am not confident he’ll get it in WWE.

But in AEW? While WWE would never guarantee anything to a talent, I believe that Tony Khan absolutely would. Tony Khan can promise Drew McIntyre the ALL IN main event, letting Drew get his UK main event at AEW’s version of WrestleMania.

Prediction: I think that might be the tipping point, and we see Drew McIntyre make the jump to AEW.

4. Who “main events” WrestleMania 40?

We seem to have more one talent looking to “Finish The Story” at WrestleMania 40, and it brings up some reminders for them, and all of us.

Roman Reigns is on an iconic run, and despite what many online think they know will happen, WWE loves to make history. Hulk Hogan’s first reign is within Roman’s reach, and we may never be this close again. Unfortunately for Cody Rhodes, that means a bit longer before his story can be finished.

At WrestleMania 35, Becky Lynch was victorious over Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair in the first women’s main event in WrestleMania history. Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair brought women back to the main event at WrestleMania 37, but they haven’t been back since. Unfortunately for Cody Rhodes, that lowers the likelihood he gets his WrestleMania main event box checked in Philly.

Prediction: So who does main event WrestleMania 40? That’s another article for another time–but soon. But I will make one associated prediction: women will main event one night of WrestleMania 40.

[Note: I stylized it “main events” because everyone wants to term the last match as the “main event.” That’s not always the case in WWE. But I know many of you don’t subscribe to that theory.]

3. What’s next for QT Marshall & Shawn Spears

You might be surprised to see these two on this list, but I think they could be an important part of 2024.

But for who?

Both men have great options in either TNA or WWE. For starters, you have TNA, which is completely rebranded (again), and could benefit from the presence of either man both in the ring and behind the scenes. But I don’t think either ends up there.

• QT Marshall – Many don’t realize his critical QT Marshall has been to AEW, as the man was literally formatting their television. That is a HUGE rule, and thus a HUGE loss. And I think he will be a HUGE addition to WWE NXT. Will he wrestle? Maybe. But behind the scenes, he will have a tremendous impact.
• Shawn Spears – His decision to leave AEW came more recently than that of QT Marshall, but I think the end result may be the same for him. He achieved his greatest fame in NXT with his Prefect 10 character. A return to that could be a fun way to end his in-ring career, and transition him to a trainer role. He has a second baby on the way, and (I believe) he already lives in Orlando. He’s also been part of a wrestling school.

Prediction(s): Marshall (38) and Spears (42) could easily set themselves up to have several more years in the business with a move to NXT in 2024.

2. New Executive Vice Presidents in AEW

The acronym “EVP” was born with the onset of AEW, and at times has been looked at seriously–while other times it has almost become a parody of itself. In the AEW Worlds End media call, Tony Khan himself teased some new Vice Presidential announcements, and those could come in the Executive form. But who?

Bryan Danielson – Danielson has publicly taken a much larger role in AEW since the departure of CM Punk, and we have seen some fruits come out of that labor–most notably in the form of the Continental Classic. I think Danielson sees the potential for AEW to be an alternative (it isn’t quite there yet), and him serving in an EVP role makes far more sense than any other EVP not named Cody Rhodes.

Jon Moxley – Moxley has also publicly taken a larger role in AEW over the course of the last eighteen months. Could he take on an official role as an EVP? While I think it’s less likely than Danielson, it could happen.

Chris Jericho – I’ve aways said that Chris Jericho is “the ultimate company man.” He will defend his company to an extreme, and at times comical level. But he IS doing it for the company. He’s also taken on a larger role publicly over the last eighteen months. Will he give up come of his freedom and rebellious spirit in order to be an EVP?

Prediction: I think Daniel Bryan Danielson as an EVP is a slam dunk for AEW. Jon Moxley also makes sense, but he doesn’t strike me as wanting to go corporate in the least, so I think he remains the locker room leader. As for Chris Jericho, he’s a little too loose on social media at times, and I don’t think he wants that to change. So I think we get one, and that one is Bryan Danielson.

1. The TV Rights Deals for WWE Monday Night Raw and AEW Dynamite

For my money, this is the biggest story as we head into 2024. Raw is a ratings juggernaut, delivering Top 5 rankings week in and week out for the USA Network. Even Monday’s “Best Of” edition of Raw, which drew the lowest viewership in the show’s storied history, was the top rated show for the day on cable that wasn’t live sports. That’s huge, and speaks to the success of the flagship of WWE–and the viewership was only 20% lower than an AEW Dynamite that featured live, first-run content (this is just for reference purposes, they aren’t in competition as they aren’t on the same medium on the same night).

AEW is in a very precarious position with Warner Bros./Discovery potentially talking to WWE about adding Raw to it’s lineup. Undoubtedly that would spell the end of AEW on WBD’s family of cable networks. But don’t misread that–it wouldn’t mean the end of AEW on cable television.

Prediction: Again, this is really a whole article that you just might see in the coming week. For WWE, I see Raw either ending up on Amazon Prime or Warner Bros./Discovery. As for AEW? If Raw goes to Amazon Prime, I see them staying on WBD but not with the level of rights fee increase they are expecting. They simply don’t have 30+ years of credibility like WWE does. If they are not on WBD, they are still on a large cable outlet–I am going to say FX (which is not owned by FOX–it is owned by FX Networks, a subsidiary of Disney).

What do you think of these stories for 2024, and how do you see these things playing out?