It’s over! After 148 days, the 2023 Writers strike will go down as the second longest in WGA union history, only a labor stoppage in 1988 was longer.

The strike will officially come to end on Wednesday at 12:01am PT.  This was due to a vote from the guild’s leadership that now has authorized its over 11,500 members to return to work.

That means: pitching and selling scripts, taking meetings, responding to notes, writers’ rooms opening up again, and more, can now restart.

Photo: JPI

The WGA committee shared that the vote, “Allows writers to return to work during the ratification process, but does not affect the membership’s right to make a final determination on contract approval.” However, WGA East and West voted unanimously to lift the “restraining order” on Tuesday.

As the negotiators shared, the end of the strike doesn’t mean that the tentative agreement that the union reached with producers on Sunday night is a surefire thing: Union members still need to vote to ratify the contract. Union leadership announced on Tuesday that will take place between October 2nd and October 9th.

Photo: JPI

However, SAG-AFTRA still remains on strike. So, even with the writers returning to work, many productions can’t move forward without their principal actors and performers.

So soap fans, how do you feel about this news for your favorite shows? Glad that the head writers and their writing teams will be back at work as soon as this week from Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Bold and the Beautiful? Y&R’s Josh Griffith, who previously had gone Fi-Core during the 2008 strike, remained at the top rated show during the last several months.

All the reports and the rumors have been confirmed. Former AEW TBS Women’s champion, Jade Cargill has signed a new multi-year contract, but with rival WWE.

Cargill, who was AEW’s longest-reigning TBS champion and wrestled her last match on AEW TV programming just two weeks ago, started with WWE on Tuesday at its Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

In her first interview since joining WWE, Cargill spoke to ESPN and shared that a decision has already been made if she will go straight to the WWE main roster, or if she will first perform for its developmental brand, NXT.  Jade teased that fans are just going to have to stay tuned to see just how she will make her arrival.

In AEW, Cargill was a force to be reckoned with having held the AEW TBS Championship for Cargill for 508 days. She lost the title back in May of this year, and had been off AEW TV for quite some time, until a few weeks ago when she lost her final match to Kris Statlander.

Cargill, 31, has been wrestling professionally for two years. She has close ties to Cody Rhodes, who Jade admitted in her chat with ESPN, was one of the top two reasons she came to WWE.

AEW CEO and Owner, Tony Khan was asked about Cargill’s exit during a media call on Tuesday. Khan shared that he wished Jade all the best in her future and said he has nothing but positive things to say about her. Khan added Cargill would always be welcome in AEW.

Check out Jade’s first interview since becoming a top signing for WWE under their new umbrella TKO Group, below.

Now let us know, who do you think Jade will have her first feud with in the WWE? Do you think she has found the perfect fit for her talent in WWE? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSpoy4zUL3I&t=8s

Another fan favorite performer is recovering from surgery. Joe Lando (ex-Jake, One Life to Live, ex-Craig, The Bold and the Beautiful, ex-Lee, The Bay) shared on his Instagram that he just completed total knee replacement surgery.

Lando, who is best known for his role as Joe Sully on Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, revealed: “Just had my knee replaced, and I’m laying in recovery. And there’s some trouble breathing. But I think I’ll get over it. I’m really, really high right now.”

Next, Joe took his iPhone and panned over to show that he was actually in the hallway of the hospital in his gurney and near the nurses’ station. That’s when Joe added,  “There’s the wonderful ladies that are taking care of me. I’ll keep you posted. Bye!”

Photo: ABC

Accompanying the video post, Lando wrote, “Happy total knee replacement Monday. And no, Dr. Quinn didn’t do the surgery. She’s more of an open heart specialist.”

Photo: JPI

Share your well-wishes and speedy recovery for Joe in the comment section below, and let us know if you would like to see him back on The Bold and the Beautiful or another soap in the near future.

 

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