10 Most Mind-Blowing Wrestling Secrets Of 2023

9. The LuFisto Story

Vince McMahon triple h mask
AEW

The complex case of LuFisto's AEW experience was laid bare on social media in 2023, and with it came something of a referendum on the women's division at large.

What remains of it is well documented here (LuFisto briefly deleted her Twitter/X profile in the aftermath), but the short version is that she worked one AEW date (an April 2022 Dark: Elevation taping alongside Emi Sakura and The Bunny vs Anna Jay, Ruby Soho and Skye Blue), it didn't go particularly well, and there were disagreements with multiple fellow talents, agents and backstage staffers as a result.

Dustin Rhodes, Billy Gunn and Ruby Soho were name-checked in the stories, and in the aftermath, a series of tweets from those within the AEW locker room were posted extolling the virtues of the division, the atmosphere and an alternative take on working for Tony Khan. The furore eventually died down, but it left behind a slightly damaged and fractured reputation, particularly considering the contentiousness around the division's booking that's existed since the company launched.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett