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Wrestling Observer Newsletter

June 22, 2026 CBWL – Charlotte Go-Home Show (Bojangles Coliseum) By Dave Meltzer

The go-home show for this Sunday’s PPV drew what appeared to be a sellout or near-sellout crowd in Charlotte, but the show itself was another step deeper into the direction this promotion has been heading for weeks. There was no ring for the second straight week (the Sterling Marlin situation continues to be used as the excuse), and the show leaned harder than ever into humiliation, one-sided violence, and angles that blurred the line between worked presentation and looking like something else entirely.

The show opened with Mariska Hargitay on the plywood addressing the no-ring situation before shifting into a long, serious promo about Sterling Marlin’s condition. She confirmed he was still recovering from serious injuries and teased a major announcement involving him at Sunday’s PPV. It was one of the more straightforward and effective segments of the night, playing on the real concern the fans have been showing for Marlin.

The Pam Beesly segment with Wendy Williams was exactly what you would expect from that pairing — awkward, directionless, and played for confusion more than anything else. Pam came off as nervous and out of place, which was clearly the intention.

The standout angle of the first half was Mila Kunis jumping Pam Beesly from the crowd and completely dominating her on the plywood. After the beatdown, Mila cut a long, personal, and extremely vicious promo that referenced The Office storylines in detail, admitting she had been involved with Jim and blaming Pam for years of indecision and stringing him along. It was mean, it was personal, and it was designed to completely humiliate Pam. Mila followed it with a stiff superkick and the pin. This was the clearest “star-making” moment of the night for Mila. Whether you like the content or not, the execution was strong and the crowd reacted to it.

Kristen Bell vs. Boxxy was sloppy and ugly, which fit the style they’ve been going for on these plywood shows. The bigger story was Anya Taylor-Joy completely abandoning Boxxy mid-match and walking off while getting heavily booed. Kristen won with a fluke pin after Boxxy had her in trouble. It accomplished what it needed to do in making Boxxy look sympathetic and isolated.

The hospital segment with Nicki Minaj and the motionless Sterling Marlin was strange and uncomfortable in the way a lot of their non-wrestling segments have been lately. Nicki gave an emotional speech while giving him a lapdance, positioning him as one of the “real ones.” Emma Watson then appeared in the shadows watching with a very unsettling smile. It set up what was coming later.

Jennette McCurdy vs. Florence Pugh was another rough, splinter-filled brawl on the dirty plywood. The referee had to leave to get gloves at one point. Florence won with a roll-up after Jennette slipped. Post-match, Mariska came out and, after some back-and-forth with Florence, announced that Florence and Kristen Bell will have an “Eat My Shit” match at the PPV. Wendy Williams then piled on with jokes about Florence being constipated from eating cheese all week. Wendy eventually had what looked like a breakdown on camera (choking, confusion, and disorientation) before being pulled off-screen. Florence was left looking completely overwhelmed. This was one of the more uncomfortable segments of the night, and it’s clear they’re leaning hard into the body humiliation and “punishment” style booking.

The final portion of the show is what everyone is going to be talking about. Taylor Swift cut a promo thanking the fans and addressing Sterling Marlin before dancing to the Cha-Cha Slide. The show then cut backstage to Emma Watson attacking Nicki Minaj. Emma choked her with straps, went on a long rant about privilege and hypocrisy, ripped the tubes off Sterling, and dumped his body on the floor. She then strapped Nicki to a gurney and threw it down multiple flights of stairs. The spot looked extremely rough on camera and went visibly wrong (it tumbled down more flights than planned). The live crowd reacted strongly, and the show quickly descended into chaos with fans rushing barricades, fire alarms going off, and security struggling to maintain control.

After the commercial, Taylor was given permission by Mariska to go after Emma with no repercussions. Taylor missed Emma in the parking garage but found Miranda Cosgrove (who appeared to be helping Emma escape) and beat her up badly, leaving her laid out next to Sterling’s vandalized truck. The show ended on that image as the arena remained in complete disarray.

Overall Notes:

This was a very heavy show, even by recent CBWL standards. The Emma Watson angle has clearly turned into something much darker and more unhinged than most people expected. The stairs spot is going to be the main talking point coming out of this — both for how far they went and how real it looked when it went off-script. Whether that was the intention or not, it crossed a line that even some of the people who have been defending their direction might have trouble with.

Mila Kunis had the strongest in-ring performance and promo of the night. The “Eat My Shit” match announcement for Florence vs. Kristen feels like a natural escalation of the body humiliation style they’ve been pushing. Wendy’s on-air issues continue to be played up as part of her character.

The show ended in genuine-looking chaos, which may or may not have been fully planned. Either way, they have a lot to figure out before Sunday.

I’ll have more on the build to the PPV and the Sterling Marlin situation in the next issue.

Star Ratings (selected segments):

• Mila Kunis vs. Pam Beesly: **¾ (strong angle, very effective humiliation)
• Kristen Bell vs. Boxxy: *½
• Jennette McCurdy vs. Florence Pugh: *¾
• Overall show: ** (carried by a couple of strong angles but dragged down by the usual issues with the format and how far some of the content went)