CBWL 026

Wrestling Observer Live – June 12, 2026

Bryan Alvarez: We’re getting more details now on what happened with Sterling Marlin last night, and it sounds like things got pretty wild. Dave, what are you hearing?

Dave Meltzer: Well, from what I’ve been told, this all started after a booking committee meeting yesterday. It was a smaller meeting — just Cowboy Watts, Jim Ross, and the match agents. Mr. Nasty apparently stepped out early and left them to handle it. They were going over the roster, talking tiers, who’s getting pushed, who’s getting buried, all that stuff.

Bryan Alvarez: And then what? They just went out and got hammered afterward?

Dave Meltzer: Pretty much. From what I’ve heard, Cowboy, JR, and Sterling Marlin ended up going out after the meeting. They started at a steakhouse and things got out of hand pretty quickly. There was some kind of incident at the restaurant — fights, things getting thrown around. Then they ended up at a strip club later on.

Bryan Alvarez: And that’s where the wreck happened?

Dave Meltzer: Yeah. From what my source is telling me, they were out with Gucci Mane and some of his people at one point. But here’s where it gets interesting — I was also told that Fetty Wap was apparently in the mix at some point during the night too. I don’t have confirmation on how involved he was, but the name came up.

Bryan Alvarez: This is getting ridiculous. So you’ve got JR, Cowboy Watts, and a retired NASCAR driver out drinking with Gucci Mane and Fetty Wap?

Dave Meltzer: That’s what I’m being told. And apparently, Jim Ross was actually holding things together for a while. My source made it sound like JR was the one keeping people from completely losing it at certain points. He was apparently trying to de-escalate situations and make sure things didn’t get too out of hand. Eventually though, everybody went their separate ways.

Bryan Alvarez: And that’s when Sterling wrecked?

Dave Meltzer: Yeah. Sterling was driving by himself. He was stopped at a red light when two cars in front of him got into a crash. One of the vehicles spun out and slammed into his truck. It was pretty bad. He’s in the hospital right now. And because he was over the legal limit, he’s also facing a DUI charge, even though it doesn’t sound like the wreck was his fault.

Bryan Alvarez: This is insane. A NASCAR driver gets into a car wreck while working as the head of transport for a wrestling company. That’s just… that’s poetic in the worst way possible.

Dave Meltzer: It’s a really bad look. Especially when you consider what his actual job is. He’s responsible for making sure talent and equipment get from place to place safely. And now he’s the one who ended up in a serious wreck while intoxicated. It raises a lot of questions about how this company is being run behind the scenes.

Bryan Alvarez: Do we know how bad his injuries are?

Dave Meltzer: Not yet. We’re still getting bits and pieces. But from what I’ve heard, it was significant enough that he’s still in the hospital this morning. We’ll hopefully have more on that soon.

Bryan Alvarez: This company just can’t stay out of the news for the wrong reasons. Between the massive celebrity signings, the power structure being completely insane, and now one of their key behind-the-scenes guys getting into a DUI wreck… it’s starting to feel like this thing is spinning out of control.

Dave Meltzer: It’s definitely raising a lot of eyebrows. We’ll keep following this and update everyone as we get more information.

Wrestling Observer Live – June 13, 2026

Bryan Alvarez: Before we get into anything else, we should probably address this Ric Flair situation because it’s completely out of control. From what we’re hearing, that commercial shoot turned into an absolute disaster. He showed up drunk, trashed the set, assaulted a production assistant, and ended up getting arrested. We’ll keep an eye on that one.

Dave Meltzer: Yeah, it’s a mess. But moving on to something else that’s developing — we’re getting more information on Sterling Marlin and his condition after the wreck the other night.

Bryan Alvarez: This one’s looking pretty grim from what I’ve seen so far.

Dave Meltzer: It is. I was sent over some of the initial hospital billing information, and if these numbers are accurate, it paints a very serious picture. Let me just read through some of what I have here.

(Dave looks down at his notes)

Dave Meltzer: We’re looking at a trauma team activation, multiple units of blood transfused due to internal bleeding, emergency exploratory surgery, spinal stabilization procedures, and what looks like at least one follow-up surgery already scheduled. He’s also been in the ICU since he was brought in. There are charges here for continuous monitoring, multiple specialist consultations, and what appears to be significant damage control surgery. This isn’t a minor accident. This is the kind of bill you see when someone is lucky to still be here.

Bryan Alvarez: Jesus Christ. That sounds way worse than I thought.

Dave Meltzer: It does. And again, this is just the initial billing. These kinds of cases often end up with even higher costs once everything is said and done. The fact that he’s still in the hospital this morning and they’re already talking about additional procedures tells you how serious this was.

Bryan Alvarez: And this is the guy who was in charge of making sure talent and equipment got to shows safely. A former NASCAR driver gets into a serious wreck and now he’s fighting for his life in the hospital. That’s not just bad optics — that’s a legitimate problem for the company.

Dave Meltzer: Especially with their next big show only under two weeks away. Somebody has to step in and handle transport and logistics in the meantime, and right now it doesn’t sound like Sterling is going to be in any condition to do that.

Bryan Alvarez: Who the hell is even qualified to replace him on short notice? This isn’t just some random job. He was handling buses, trucks, international stuff… you can’t just throw anybody in there and expect it to run smoothly, especially with that many big names on the roster now.

Dave Meltzer: That’s the question. We don’t know yet who they’re going to turn to, but they’re going to have to figure something out fast. You can’t run a show with this many people and this much equipment without somebody competent handling the travel side. This is a real problem for them.

Bryan Alvarez: Between this and everything else that’s been going on with that company, it really feels like things are starting to pile up.

Dave Meltzer: Yeah. We’ll keep following Sterling’s condition and any updates on how CBWL plans to handle things moving forward. This one’s definitely something to keep an eye on.

The Jim Cornette Experience – June 13, 2026

Jim Cornette: Ladies and gentlemen, I swear to God this business is determined to make me lose my mind. Every time I think these people have hit rock bottom, they grab a shovel and keep digging. Now we got this mess with Sterling Marlin — the retired NASCAR driver they got running transport for CELEB BITCHES WRESTLING LEAGUE — laid up in the hospital after a goddamn car wreck.

Brian Last: Yeah, this one’s pretty bad from what we’re hearing.

Jim Cornette: Bad?! It’s a disaster! This is the guy whose whole job is making sure buses, trucks, and talent get from Point A to Point B without any problems. And now he’s the one sitting in a hospital bed because he got smashed into at a red light? And on top of that, he’s facing a DUI charge? Are you kidding me?!

I don’t care whose fault the wreck technically was. The man was drunk behind the wheel. And now we’re hearing he’s got internal bleeding, possible spinal damage, and they’re already talking about him potentially being in a wheelchair in the next week or so? With their next big show in under two weeks?!

Brian Last: It’s a terrible look, especially for somebody in his position.

Jim Cornette: It’s more than a bad look, Brian. It’s a goddamn liability. This company has spent the last month signing every washed-up celebrity and washed-up politician they could find, and now their head of transport — a former NASCAR driver, mind you — is laid up in the hospital and can’t do his job. Who the hell is gonna step in and handle all that on short notice? You can’t just hand the keys to some intern and hope for the best when you’ve got this many big names on the roster.

Brian Last: We still don’t have the full story on what happened that night either.

Jim Cornette: And I don’t need the full story to know this is a mess. You got Jim Ross and Cowboy Watts out drinking with these people, the whole night turns into chaos, and now one of their key guys is in the hospital and facing legal trouble. This is what happens when you run a wrestling company like it’s some kind of outlaw biker gang instead of an actual business.

And let’s not forget — they’ve got a PPV in less than two weeks. What happens if Sterling’s out for a while? Who’s coordinating travel? Who’s making sure the trucks show up? Who’s handling all the moving parts that actually make a show run? This is the kind of thing that can sink a promotion if they’re not careful.

Brian Last: It’s definitely going to cause some major headaches moving forward.

Jim Cornette: Headaches? This is a migraine with a side of brain damage. This company went from signing half of Hollywood to having their transport guy in the hospital with a DUI in the span of a few weeks. At this rate, by the time the PPV rolls around, they’re gonna be lucky if they even have enough buses to get everybody there.

This ain’t wrestling. This is a slow-motion car crash… and this time, the car crash is literal.