Toni Storm returns

"Timeless" Toni Storm saw her time come and go.

Last week on Dynamite, Storm, who hadn't been seen on AEW programming since Wembley Stadium in August, returned to confront Mariah May, providing an exclamation point to the conclusion of the Winter is Coming episode. Still, the show garnered a disappointing 594,000 viewers, only a slight increase from the prior week and a continued trend of an overall decline in the numbers. Of course, it's going to take more than one return, debut, or segment to truly move the numbers in a different direction, but one right decision at a time can build momentum.

Last Wednesday's reemergence of Toni Storm could give AEW a rare chance at another opportunity to fully utilize the talent that a specific performer brings to the table.

Unfortunately, the notion of being underutilized is a continuous theme around Storm's career, and at least from the outside perspective, it looks like she was the victim of booking circumstances, as hee talent appears to justify a better spot than what she was given previously.

Known for her work in Stardom in Japan, Storm originally inked a WWE contract in 2018 to be a part of the NXT UK show. As we know, the pandemic restrictions eventually forced the end of the UK exclusive brand and thus her title reign as the NXT UK Women's champion didn't bring much cache with it when she finally debuted on Smackdown in July of 2021. Her time on the blue brand was undistinguished at best, with her addition to the show more or less being artificial since it seemed like the office didn't have any plans for her character beyond her debut. After less than six months on the main roster, she requested her release from the company and it was granted at the end of the year.

I have to say that while it's possible that she would've eventually been booked in a better fashion under the WWE banner, it's equally as possible that she would've been lost in the shuffle or typecast as a secondary performer in the company. While All Elite Wrestling didn't hit a skid until later in 2022, at the time, it's understandable as to why Storm wanted to test the waters outside of the WWE.

As far as being a victim of booking circumstances, it somehow continued in All Elite Wrestling. She was given a run as the AEW Women's World champion, but was dubbed the "interim champion" because of an injury suffered by Thunder Rosa. When Rosa couldn't return to action after a few months, Storm was underwhelmingly declared the official champion. Since there was no unification match, as was implied for the few months that she was promoted as interim champion on television, Storm didn't get the major victory or moment to propel her status within the women's division. Her association with The Outcasts stable was equally underwhelming and as the the faction lost momentum so did Toni from an individual perspective. While it was great that Saraya could return to the ring and have the hometown victory at Wembley Stadium last year, I think it's fair to say that after the serious neck injury that forced her into retirement for a few years, she's not quite the same performer as she was during her peak in WWE. When Saraya didn't takeoff under the All Elite banner, the rest of the group more or less had to follow suite.

With any momentum stalled, Toni was repackaged as the Hollywood star from the golden age as the "Timeless" gimmick late last year. There's no question that she had to be given a new direction to rejuvenate her career, and she deserves a lot of credit for how well she did with the role. Gimmicks that are that over-the-top tend to be hit or miss, but Toni made it work, and the character got over with the audience. Granted, with such an over-the-top presentation, there's only so much that can realistically be done with it and the argument could be made that there's a limited tenure that such a persona can have on television. Sure, it was very entertaining for what it was, but the eccentric aspects of the character aren't necessary the easiest to book at the top of the character.

Since there was a ceiling for how far such a gimmick could go, it made sense to bring Toni back to Dynamite with her original punk rock persona. The timeless gimmick was very effective as far as being a bridge to get Storm back to a position where she can be more or an overall asset to the company, but again given the nature of how over-the-top the starlet persona was, by nature it probably could've be something that she used as her character for more than a year or so.

However, outside of the return moment on television last week, the way that the character was portrayed on Rampage and Collision is already concerning, as it could set up another hurdle for her from a booking perspective.

Based on the interview that she interrupted with Thunder Rosa and introduced herself to everyone as if she didn't remember who she was, this might be an angle that will be comparable to some of the more notoriously cringe worthy storylines in wrestling history. Why exactly would Toni not remember who she is? One of the benefits of the scripted world of professional wrestling is the ability to conveniently ignore small portions of logic that might get in the way of a smooth transition. Granted, if the gap in logic is too large to be ignored than you have Vince Russo-style writing that took more than one company off a cliff. At the same time, when The Undertaker showed up in 2000 as a biker, nobody questioned how he wasn't the dead man persona anymore, and it wasn't addressed. It was just assumed that whenever he was for the several months prior that there was a change in his persona, and the fans were happy to see him back so an explanation wasn't needed. The same could be said for when he was buried at Survivor Series in 2003 and then reemerged at Wrestlemania the following year as the dead man again for the match with Kane. The fans were happy to see the original character back on television, and the biker character was needed to freshen up the presentation, but everyone knew that the classic persona was the legacy of The Undertaker character.

In this situation, Toni should've been brought back to television for a fresh start without anything convoluted like a case amnesia to make it more difficult for her to re-establish herself in the women's division. The bottom line is, would any of the fans truly questioned why she was the rock star again? If not, the simplest presentation would've been the most effective strategy, especially because the premise for her return was already known, as she wants to get retribution for Mariah May's previous heel turn. The baby face looking for revenge against the heel is more than enough of a storyline to build to a productive feud. Anything outside of that, especially in this scenario, just muddiest the waters.

Don't get me wrong, Toni Storm is a very talented performer, but there's never been a situation in pro wrestling where a case amnesia has led to success for anyone involved. Cactus Jack being lost in Cleveland is a segment that fans remember, but not because it was compelling television. Ric Flair being buried in the desert and put in a mental institution didn't exactly help WCW either.

What's the status of Rey Fenix?

Perception is reality.

That's true inside or outside of professional wrestling. If management could sell Giant Gonzalez as a major star and  the audience bought into it then that becomes the belief within the genre. A political candidate might be a crook or bankrupt the country during their term, but if their campaign can "sell" their policies to voters during the election season then the results at the ballot box will reflect it.

The results can comeback to bite an organization or the voters in either case.

Giant Gonzalez is known for his match at Wrestlemania IX, which was panned as one of the worst WM shows in history,and depending on your perspective, someone in office might put the country into a recession. The results are ultimately what judge how effective something was or wasn't, but perception often influences the future even after they sink or swim in the grand scheme of things. Jack Swagger was booked as a former world champion, and now if he was pumping gas in Jersey, he might not be recognized. Anyone remember when Sarah Palin was supposedly going to be a force in American politics?

It's nothing new, but All Elite Wrestling continues to have a perception problem, particularly with its leadership and structure, or the compete lack thereof. The domino effect of this is ultimately that it lends validity to the criticism that AEW isn't run as a professional organization and thus has a ceiling on how far it can truly progress as a commodity within the industry. The way that this affects revenue is key, particularly because revenue and profit are the barometer, not star ratings or The Wrestling Observer newsletter awards. Where the perception can affect the future of the organization is that if fans lose faith in AEW's ability to be an alternative or to serve the audience, those fans might decide it's not worth investing in the company with tickets and pay-per-view orders. Given the uncertainty of the economy and inflation, it's a much more difficult sell to get consumers to spend money on wrestling or any other entertainment option because there's simply not as much disposal income as there was just a few years ago since the cost of more or less everything across the board has increased. The harsh reality is that fans will have to pick and choose more carefully what they spend for their "wrestling budget" than in the past.

We've heard several example over the past few years when All Elite management has little to no communication with talent, with Ricky Starks being the most recent wrestler that wasn't informed of his status with the company while he sat at home as a healthy scratch from the roster since March. CM Punk was probably the most publicized example of the lack of communication between the office and the talent, which he explained on the Ariel Helwani show earlier this year. After a triceps injury while still under contract to All Elite Wrestling, the real-life Phil Brooks explained that he wasn't given any direction or medical options by the company, forcing him to find the proper doctors and rehabilitation services to heal from the injury.

Now, Rey Fenix, one half of the Lucha Brothers tag team, has taken to social media to express similar frustration just a few weeks after it was revealed that time was added to his current contract with the company after he was sidelined with an injury late last year. His brother, Pentagon's contract expired just weeks ago and he made a surprise appearence at a AAA show last week, but as was the case within the past few months, the expectation is still that Pentagon will ink a WWE deal at some point. Presumably, Fenix is going to do the same, but finds himself stuck in a form of contract purgatory, as he is healthy and still wrestling on the independent circuit, but remains under contract to AEW despite that it seems like Tony has no plans to use him for anything.

Fenix was out of action from October of 2023 until April 2024 when he returned to television so there was roughly six months added to his deal, keeping him under contract until mid-2025. On one hand, if the terms of the contract allow Tony to add injury time and he paid Fenix under those terms while he was hurt then Khan definitely has the legal right to keep Fenix to the agreement. Fenix didn't complain when he got the check in the mail while he recovered from the injury. On the other hand, if Tony isn't going to use Fenix for anything and keeps him at AEW just to try to prevent him from debuting in WWE for as long as possible, it seems very petty and not important in the grand scheme of things.

Don't get me wrong, Fenix is a tremendous aerial performer and has the ability to be a marketable star for the organization, and the same can be said for Pentagon. I've written on several occasions that the Lucha Brothers, both individually and collectively, were underutilized in All Elite Wrestling. However, it's important to point out that Tony Khan had five years to market and promote the tag team, but for whatever reason, despite their talent and marketability with their characters, the Lucha Brothers were secondary figures in the company the past few years. Now that Pentagon's deal expired, it's suddenly important for Tony Khan to protect the investment into Rey Fenix's contract? If Fenix was that important to All Elite Wrestling, and he actually does have the talent to be a money-drawing star, why were the Lucha Brothers so under the radar?

Among the complaints that Fenix posted online was that he would tell the story when he had the chance to speak on the subject, which means when he isn't under contract to AEW. He said he was denied a doctor when he needed medical attention, and in a now-deleted tweet, he claimed that he was subjected to "inhumane treatment" by the company.

The Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez discussed the situation, explaining that the medial protocols for WWE and AEW are different, but the common theme is that both companies pay for everything if a talent is injured working for either organization. As we know, WWE works with a list of world class doctors, such as Dr. James Andrews, that provide medical treatment for other sports stars. The downside to that, if there is one, would be that while WWE takes care of the scheduling, procedures, and the costs involved, it basically means that the talent are treated by the doctors that the WWE chooses for them. Of course, the publicly-traded corporation wants to see a successful return to the ring for any performer because they quite literally have a vested interest in their recovery from the injury so that they can continue to draw money for the company. Obviously, All Elite Wrestling has the same intentions, they want to see their stars return healthy so that they can be one of the reasons that fans buy tickets and order pay-per-views. As Alvarez explained it on Wrestling Observer Live, the difference is that AEW lets the talent choose the doctors that they want to receive the medical treatment from and the therapist that they work with for the rehabilitation of the injuries. For example, if a talent wants to get a referral to a surgeon from their family doctor that they trust, the AEW protocol allows them to do that. On the surface, the main difference between the two systems is that the WWE provides the doctors and rehabilitation schedule, whereas AEW lets the talent pick their own doctors to treat the injury. There are positives and negatives to each protocol, as they would be with anything else, but it really depends on the individual perspective as far as would be the better option.

If I had to guess, I'd say that there was some type of miscommunication between Fenix and the promotion. I really doubt that he would be denied medical treatment, but at the same time, one of the responsibilities of the company would be to make sure that the talent have the information they need to recover from injuries. I also doubt that Fenix was subjected to "inhumane treatment, but that's also a matter of personal perspective. Whatever happened between the two sides, it certainly appears like there's more to the story than what is already public or that it was simply a miscommunication between the office and Fenix. It remains to be seen if Fenix will tell his side of the story when his AEW contract expires. In six months, it might be a scenario where Fenix decides to focus on his debut in the WWE rather than the negativity of his experience in another company. Given that Tony Khan has used non-disclosure agreements in the past when talent exit the promotion, it's possible that Fenix might be released from his contract if he signs a non-disclosure agreement, which would prevent him from talking about the situation.

Either way, I think The Lucha brothers will eventually debut in the WWE sometime next year and probably have at least an initial successful run there. However, the biggest takeaway from this situation is that it continues to fuel the narrative that AEW runs a disorganized or not truly professional organization. When the talent has to go to social media to get in contract with management, it doesn't present a sense of optimism around the brand. Furthermore, it re-enforces the notion that All Elite Wrestling is more about Tony's vanity project than it is about being competitive in the industry.

Glenn Spectre makes comeback

"Not everyone gets a second chance to chase their life goal. I’m super blessed to have that, and I’m giving it everything I’ve got."

Twenty years ago, a young grappler found himself in the locker room of  Korakuen Hall, the Japanese version of Madison Square Garden, as he worked his first tour with the DDT promotion in the country. He wrestled his way around his hometown region of western Pennsylvania for the few years prior and earned himself a reputation as a solid in-ring performer, hence why his skills took him to the other side of the globe when he was only in his mid-20s.

Glenn Spectre became the first "gaijin" or foreigner to win the DDT Tag Team Titles and he left enough of an impression to be invited back for other tour the following year. In America, he zigzagged around different states on any given weekend, working with names like Brodie Lee, Chris Sabin, Corey Graves, and others that went on to put their stamp on a national platform.

Spectre's stock was on the rise, but the combination of suffering a broken shoulder blade in 2006, and the death of his trainer James  "Devil Buddakan" Fawcett at the age of just 32 the following year dimmed his passion for the sport. He questioned if the physical toll on the body, the family sacrifices, and the uncertainty of the live entertainment business were worth the risk. Instead, Glenn Spectre laced up his boots for the final time at a tribute event to his late mentor in 2008, with the thought that he put almost the decade previous to that behind him.

Despite putting his gear in storage bins, starting a family of his own, and launching a successful business, Drawbridge Games, a store that specializes in tabletop gaming, the passion for the squared circle wasn't fully extinguished.

An ember still glowed within Glenn Spectre, and he didn't know it at the time, but when he pondered the idea of wrestling again in 2020, the possibility was enough to reignite a burning passion for the grappling arts.

"My initial goal was just to not embarrass myself or tarnish what I had accomplished in the past. For me, goals are ever evolving. Whenever I make one, I’m driven to accomplish something more. The second I started having good quality matches again, I was already setting the next goal of wrestling a full schedule and getting out of my home state," Spectre explained.

Once Glenn found the confidence in himself again, it didn't take long for him to also find the full schedule he was looking for, as many of the local groups were eager to add a veteran with his skill set to the cards, often in a player-coach role to work with the younger talent on the rosters to give the rookies the valuable learning experience of being in front of a crowd with an established pro to understand the finer points of the genre.

Among the potpourri of leagues in the western Pennsylvania area, there are live events somewhere in the region on any given weekend, and it's not uncommon for Spectre to work under the banner of different initials each week.

"The comeback as it is, has been fantastic! I honestly am blessed and in many ways couldn’t be more grateful to have a second chance. The caliber of workers I’m in the ring with are very good. The thing I tell young guys now is in modern wrestling being 'good' is kind of the default position now. You need to work even harder to separate yourself from the crowd. But, I’m different too. I’m much better psychologically equipped to deal with the huge ups and downs of the business," Glenn said.

When he isn't generating jeers from the audiences at the Reengage Wrestling Alliance in West Netwon, riling up the fans at Ryse in Uniontown, tormenting the crowd in Altoona, or popping up around the myriad of other events around Pittsburgh, Glenn can be found zigzagging his way around other states. He recently won the Upstate Pro Wrestling heavyweight championship, an accomplishment at his old stomping grounds,a promotion where he had an extensive rivalry with the late, great Brodie Lee almost two decades ago.

However, with the increase in demand to bring Glenn Spectre back to the ring from promoters around the independent circuit, comes with it the double-edged sword of the tedious traveling that is the other side of the equation. The far less glamour side of being in front of bright lights, rolling cameras, and an enthusiastic crowd is the tedious time spent on the interstate with late-night trips home and gas station food along the way.

"Traveling, in many ways, is the same. I love and hate it. I love the bonding element of doing riding and flying with friends and colleagues. But, I absolutely hate doing it alone." Glenn remarked.

Along with traveling north to work for the Upstate group in New York, Spectre found himself heading south to work for the National Wrestling Alliance, which provided a unique fit with the grizzled veteran character a of his "Big Boss" in-ring persona. In many respects, as much as Spectre has a forward-thinking philosophy to stay current with the modern era, he's still very much tailored-made for the traditional aspects of the NWA with his throwback fundamentals and ring psychology.

Thankfully, Glenn can make those interstate trips with a group of aspiring hopefuls that he shares a special bond with, his students. During the early phase of his return to the sport, Spectre worked and trained rookies under the International Wrestling Cartel, an organization that he was a mainstay of in the early-2000s. With a no-nonsense, but dedicated approach to teaching the ways of the ring, Spectre helped craft a crop of students that have excelled within the formative years of their careers so far.

Spectre took a few of his prized pupils and formed "The Troublemakers," a trio consisting of Specture, Tyler Brooks, an agile youngster that already shown ability beyond his experience level, and Canaan Kristopher, a young athlete that has a natural poise for the squared circle. Occasionally, "The Savage" Lexus Synn, a powerful female fighter with a muy thai background, joins the faction to amplify the chaos the stable can cause within a promotion.

"I love tag team wrestling, but it’s particularly special with the Troublemakers because everyone who has shared a spot in the group with me was raised and nurtured in the business by me. There is an incredible bond there. The comfort that comes with knowing the guy you’re tagging with that night also genuinely has your back. It’s the favorite thing I’ve been a part of since returning. Shout out to my Troublemakers Canaan, Tyler, and Lexus. They are the future of this business," Glenn said.

Later this month, Spectre and Kristopher will bring the Troublemakers' brand of violence to Tennessee for Joe Cazana's NWA group.

As if the weekly wrestling either locally or on the road wasn't enough, Spectre's passion for the sport keeps him in between the ropes as often as possible, as he joined the staff of The Stronghold, the training center of Ryse Wrestling, a blue collar league located in the previously mentioned Uniontown, earlier this year. Ryse, a company that often focuses its spotlight on a mixture of young lions and established veterans, was founded by 25-year pro Brandon K in 2016.

Given Glenn's career and track record as a trainer, Ryse management jumped at the chance to add him to the staff as a trainer at their school. As expected, Spectre brings his dedicated, but no-nonsense philosophy to those classes. 

 

"It’s the best facility for training pro wrestlers in the area, and our goal is to be the best, period. Not to toot my own horn, but my fingerprints are on many of the best wrestlers that have come out of this area and there is a reason why. I truly believe I am one of the best trainers out there in imparting technique, conditioning, and storytelling. I’m not only always challenging myself to be a better wrestler. I’m also always trying to improve as a trainer and look at legendary trainers like Pritchard, Snow, and Funk, as the pillar examples to follow. The biggest thing that any one who trains with me knows is that I have a standard and if you fall short of it, you will know I have no patience for excuses," Spectre explained.

 

"Glenn is a guy who walked away from the wrestling business years ago with a chip on his shoulder and now he's back to finish the book of Spectre," added Dean Radford, a longtime veteran that works at the co-head trainer of the Stronghold and one of the head organizers behind-the-scenes at Ryse Wrestling.

 

Where the story takes Spectre next or what chapters will be written going forward remains to be seen, but it's somewhat poetic in the style of professional wrestling that Glenn returned to the ring older and wiser to potentially put forth the best work of his career. At 46, Glenn finds himself more mentally prepared than he was in his 20s, and physically still as sharp as he was in his early years because he keeps himself in top condition between being in the gym or in the ring. It would certainly be a storybook ending if Spectre finds his greatest success if he lands on the national scene after he thought he hung up his boots years ago.

 

"I’m in no way claiming to have written the book on pro wrestling, but I have read a few pages and am happy to stand on the shoulders of giants," Spectre concluded.

Jericho vs. Cardona

News surfaced following the Ring Of Honor tapings that were held after Dynamite this week that Matt Cardona, who is also scheduled for the Game Changer Wrestling event at the Hammerstein Ballroom in January, will challenge Chris Jericho for the ROH championship at the Final Battle pay-per-view later this month at the same venue.

As I wrote in an article last week, Ricky Starks, who has been MIA from All Elite Wrestling since March, made a splash a few weeks ago when he showed up at a GCW event that was held in the afternoon in New Jersey to coincide with the Full Gear pay-per-view that was held that night, and it was subsequently announced that Starks would be a part of at least three GCW events, including the previously mentioned Hammerstein show. Effy, a regular for Game Changer Wrestling, made a few comments about Tony Khan on his podcast, and in response, All Elite canceled Starks from the GCW line-up.

As I said in the column, it's doubtful that AEW decided to run the Hammerstein Ballroom in an attempt to hurt GCW, but rather that it was an attempt by Tony to replicate that the original ROH ran Final Battle there in the past as well. I also pointed out that both promotions could be in a lose-lose situation, as nobody would feel bad for a billionaire, and it's certainly helpful for GCW to maintain some momentum when they have access to the All Elite talent pool when needed.

The fact that it's pointless that Ricky Starks is being kept under contract if Tony has no intention of using him is a different matter that was discussed in the prior article.

However, this latest development of Cardona, who isn't under contract to All Elite, being brought in to challenge Jericho adds some sizzle and quite frankly some purpose to what would be a rather pointless ROH card otherwise. This isn't meant as a knock on any of the talent, as they are working with the platform that they've been given, but my view on Tony's purchase of ROH is the same today as it was three years ago. Attempting to run ROH as its own project just dilutes the overall goal of All Elite Wrestling, and the biggest asset that Khan bought was the extensive video library with early footage of dozens of stars of the modern era. The hundreds of live events and hundreds of episodes of television in the catalog would be a very solid foundation to launch a streaming service that could ultimately be used as a platform for AEW content.

The bottom line is, running ROH as its own project only takes away, at least to some degree, valuable resources that should be used for All Elite Wrestling. The AEW brand is what has the best chance to be truly established as a force within the industry, not just an existence that puts a product on television. In order to make the most of the opportunity to establish that alternative, the resources, not just money or talent, but also the booking, ticket sales, and platform within Tony's wrestling project should be devoted to the brand that has the best chance to be most successful. Quite frankly, all things considered, the continued existence of Ring Of Honor today is essentially a vanity project within a vanity project, if that's possible. Clearly, Tony was a fan of the original ROH, and there's nothing wrong with that, but what exactly is he hoping to accomplish with the name in the modern era? Nothing of importance truly happens within the current ROH, and that's based on the way it's presented more than anything else. It simply muddies the water of the goals of AEW. The numbers for All Elite have been sluggish, the goal should be to improve that before any resources are put into a secondary project that offers less exposure than the witness projection program.

Still, for whatever reason, Tony Khan seemingly wants to continue with his version of ROH, and while I doubt the potential Cordona involvement would boost the ROH brand for the Tony Khan side of the equation, it could make things very interesting for the GCW show at Hammerstein in January.

If I had to guess, GCW owner, Brett  Lauderdale, who said when he was asked about Effy's comments said that he had never spoken to Tony Khan, might've actually had a chance to have a conversation with him at some point after Stark's appearances were canceled, but prior to Cardona's involvement. If the two promoters found some common ground, perhaps the Cardona/Jericho match can be used as a way to help GCW when it's clear that they are at a disadvantage at their Hammerstein event compared to ROH running three shows there just a few weeks before.

I don't think it would be out of the question that Matt Cardona beats Jericho for the ROH title at Final Battle and then brings the belt to the GCW event in the same building. If they really want to present something unique, maybe Jericho demands a rematch for the championship at the GCW show? Again, this alone doesn't really do anything to increase the importance of the ROH belt among the All Elite landscape, but it gives GCW something to sell their show, and at the same time, it would get fans talking about the ROH championship more than anything in the past few years.

Granted, I could be completely wrong, but it's too convenient that Cardona, a guy that has continued to keep himself relevant and fresh since his exit from WWE, and a member of the GCW roster, just happened to be the wrestler booked to challenge Jericho for the ROH belt just weeks after the Starks situation.

Obviously, it's a big fish and a smaller pond type of scenario, but there's nothing wrong with that if it's productive and can increase business. Specifically after the TKO merger, the WWE has such a dominate market share, and the move to Netflix will only increase its market share, especially from an international point of view, that any other promotion with a loyal fan base should avoid making things more difficult for each group. It's difficult enough for groups outside of the scope of WWE to carve out a piece of the market, and it's even more difficult to find that profitable niche so it's better for everyone if those groups worked together when possible so that hopefully, it can be a win-win situation.

As trivial as it might sound, between inflation and the uncertainty of the current economy, some fans might be more hesitant to make those extra purchases with some of their disposable income because that money might not stay disposable income, but rather required cash for essential expenses. Basically, it becomes a tougher sell, especially around the holidays. So, from a promotional stand point, each organization will have to give fans more of an incentive to purchase tickets or order the events online. The Cardona/Jericho bout for the ROH championship, especially depending on if there's a follow-up to bring the storyline to the GCW Hammerstein show, could be the unique selling point that is successful for both events.

Survivor Series review

Survivor Series, the WWE's fall tradition, is in the books, as the company looks to wrap up another record-setting and historic year with the return of Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC in just two weeks. As one of the "big four," Survivor Series, while probably fourth in line in terms of importance of the traditional pay-per-views, still had lofty expectations, especially with the amount of star power that was stacked up for the all-star main event segment.

However, reviews online, at least initially, are mixed. The reason I mentioned that Survivor Series is slotted at number four in terms of the traditional pay-per-views is that it's close enough to Royal Rumble season that in the modern era, most fans look for clues as to what will shape the direction of Wrestlemania the following year, but at the same time, given the history of the event, it's understandable that the fans still expect a spectacle, particularly when the current WWE brand is based around the pryo and ballyhoo of the major pay-per-views.

As with anything else, the hits or misses of Survivor Series depends on perspective. After the three and a half hour broadcast went off the air, I wondered if there was any resolution and how much progress was made toward the end of the year for the company.

The show opened with the 40-minute women's War Games match, and to parse details on this segment would be too lengthy to be pertinent to the bigger point that it was an absolute mess. I'm not sure how this happened, considering that the women's division is usually the most consistent aspect of the organization in terms of quality content, but this went off the rails within minutes of the opening bell. Bayley and Nia Jax started the contest, but the champion looked clumsy and fumbled through spots. Unfortunately, the more competitors that were added to the match, the more unorganized and clunky the segment became as each participant tried to work spots around the other sloppy sequences. The only highlight of the contest was the pair of dives from Iyo Sky and Tiffany Stratton from the top of the cage, which will probably do well on social media, but the match as a whole was a complete flop. I'm not sure if some of them got lost or if a sequence was mistimed and it caused a traffic jam so to speak with the timing of the rest of the match, but all things considered, this match didn't help the division at all. Rhea Ripley got the win for her team after she put Liv Morgan through a table off the ropes with her finisher, but it's best for everyone to forget this underwhelming match.

The US title match was really solid, and showcased the commodity that Shinsuke Nakamura can still be for the company. The action was good and had a pace that built toward the conclusion. More than anything, the repackaging of Nakamura was impressive. The Samurai helmet and Muta-style remix to his music created a tremendous presentation that added an edge to his persona that was definitely needed to rejuvenate his WWE career. The finish saw a reserve DDT that looked brutal on the steel grading between the two rings and the running knee with for Nakamura to win the championship. So, it looks like WWE brass is going to get behind this new persona of Nakamura, and maybe I'm being too pessimistic, but I really have to wonder if this was too little too late in terms of maximizing what they can do with Nakamura at this point in his career. Keep in mind, when he debuted on the main roster and won the Royal Rumble in 2018, it looked like he was on his way to becoming the first Japanese WWE champion. Despite the talent and the charisma, he lost to AJ Styles that year at Wrestlemania and never got close to a main event spot again. If I had to guess, I'd say that Vince McMahon probably went with the trope that if someone doesn't speak completely flute English for promos then there's a ceiling to how far up the card they can go in the promotion. It's a shame because for the past several years, including when he was paired with Claudio as a thrown together tag team, the office did nothing of importance with Nakamura, diminishing his star power to a significant degree, especially compared to the main event push in 2018.

Nakamura was so under the radar that before he resurfaced for this feud with LA Knight recently, he wasn't seen on WWE programming for more than six months. Listen, he relocated from Japan to the United States when he originally inked a WWE deal in 2016 so you know that he had to be offered hefty cash to make the transition to America. Perhaps, he was completely fine with staying home the majority of this year to collect the check. At the same time, it's still very disappointing that his career was more or less stagnant for several years. At 44, Nakamura probably isn't in the prime of his career, but hopefully, he can have another solid run in the WWE before he retires.

The triple threat match for the Intercontinental title was fun. Three way matches can be difficult to structure, but the participants in this contest worked well and developed a good pace for the segment. You have to give credit to Ludwig Kaiser for his work in this storyline, he's proving that he can be more than just a sidekick. The action was good, and Breakker flying into the frame for a shoulder block on the outside was the social media moment of the match. Breakker retained the title after a spear to Sheamus. It was a wise decision to keep the belt on Breakker, because at this point, the main event scene is too crowded to realistically move him up the ladder without the risk of him being overshadowed by others in terms of solidified star power. That being said, when the time is right, Breakker should definitely be booked for a major push and a major title win at a future Wrestlemania, even if that's in a few years as opposed to anything in the immediate future.

Speaking of titles, the world heavyweight championship match was fine, but it definitely had a lame duck atmosphere around it. Aside from the fact that Gunther lost the champion vs. champion bout at Crown Jewel, the feud with Damien Priest wasn't so much a continuation from their match at Summer Slam, but rather something that was picked up more to give Gunther an opponent than anything else. It didn't really have the momentum behind it to be viewed as an anticipated match and the crowd reaction reflected that. Plus, it was doubtful that Gunther was going to drop the belt until at least Wrestlamania. Since the result was somewhat obvious, this contest just didn't get the chance to build any drama toward the conclusion. Finn Balor interfered toward the finish, implying that he and Priest are going to continue their feud, which makes sense. Gunther used a submission to retain the championship.

The War Games main event was another 40-minute segment to close the show, and this is probably the portion of the program that has garnered the most mixed reaction. It should be noted that War Games matches, particularly based on the visual of two rings and the cage, are often based on sizzle rather than substance. There's only so much you can do when there are several wrestlers involved or there are an uneven amount of competitors. Usually, it's not until everyone enters the cage that a specific narrative can be told since that's when the match officially starts and thus the win or defeat could be at stake with a certain spot. War Games 1991 and 1992 in WCW were probably the best type of that match that had an equal amount of sizzle and substance in terms of the in-ring presentation, but a lot of that was based on the wrestlers involved.

The War Games at the Survivor Series was specifically designed to be an all-star segment so I'm not sure exactly what the fans that were underwhelmed expected from this segment. That's not a criticism, but rather that I don't think that CM Punk, Roman Reigns, or too many other of the main event guys were going to dive off the cage, especially right before Rumble season to build for Wrestlemania.

However, one of the aspects of the segment that I think was a total miss was the way the announcers implied that the feud wasn't over, simply because Solo Sikoa still has the tribal necklace. By definition, the War Games bout is the payoff to the feud. The original Bloodline won and thus this should be the end of this chapter. Don't get me wrong, I still think there's a lot of meat on the bone for the wrestlers involved on an individual basis, but if management is going to attempt to continue the storyline based on Solo still claiming to be the tribal chief, the fan interest might diminish. Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu could be a money match, and it would be a realistic bout for Roman at WM that doesn't involve the championship, which is completely fine because Reigns doesn't need the title again. I could see an argument being made for the Usos vs. the Tongans for the tag titles at some point. I'm not sure where Solo goes from here, but as I said, the tribal chief angle was more or less resolved.

One of the most interesting aspects of this segment was the "favor" that CM Punk reminded Paul Heyman that he owns him. It creates compelling questions about the future, and I don't think it would be impossible for Punk to turn heel to work a feud against Reigns. Maybe Heyman will blame Roman for leaving after WM and allowing the attack by Solo where he was put through the table. CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman involved is another money match that would be worthy of a featured spot at Wrestlemania next year.

Overall, the main event was fine, nothing too over-the-top, but nothing subpar either. For the fans that have stamped Survivor Series as underwhelming, I'd guess that it was because they expected some type of shock or surprise at the end of the event, similar to when The Rock showed up at the end of the Bad Blood pay-per-view. There wasn't a heel turn or a surprise cameo to conclude the show, but as mentioned, there are a few intriguing scenarios that are possible as the company gets ready to debut on Netflix next month.

AEW vs. GCW

Professional wrestling, for whatever reason, regardless of if there's $20 on the line at a sparsely-attended independent show in the middle of nowhere, of if there could be millions at stake on the national stage, has always tended to drift toward pettiness. Maybe it's the fact that the action is scripted and thus at the behest of someone with the pencil, or maybe it's simply the ego-driven nature that is often seen in the entertainment business across the board.

One of the many criticisms of All Elite Wrestling, some of which have merit and others that don't, is that some talent would more or less completely disappear with little to no explanation. For anyone that ends up on the Ring Of Honor project, it offers less exposure than the witness protection program so of the very bloated roster, there are many that are flown to television, appear in front of the smaller audiences in the building, but that the vast majority of the All Elite viewing audience wouldn't know that they even had a match because they weren't on Dynamite.

Beyond that, there are also those that are simply a healthy scratch from the AEW line-up. Some competitors are being paid by Tony Khan as a part of their All Elite contract, but he doesn't have anything scripted for them so they stay home, get the check, and are essentially on ice until Tony has something for them to do on the show.

One example of this is cult favorite, Danhausen, who inked a deal in 2022, but hasn't appeared for the company in almost a year. He had previously suffered a torn pec, but even after he recovered from the injury, he only worked on the independent circuit this year. He's undoubtedly healthy, as he continues to wrestle outside of AEW, but it seems rather wasteful to keep him under contract if Tony has no use for him. That's not to say that Danhausen is the next Steve Austin in terms of drawing power, but rather to point out that even niche performers have been put on ice while under a contract.

Another example, and arguably someone with a bigger mainstream upside is, "Absolute" Ricky Starks, who had an injury scare in March, but was cleared to compete. However, that was the last time that he was booked for AEW and he has only worked two matches since then, with the most recent being an independent bout last weekend. Starks has done a few interviews where he explained that he was healthy and had a little communication with the company, but wasn't given a reason why he wasn't used for anything for the rest of the year.

In terms of pettiness, I always find it amazing that, similar to the CM Punk situation, that you hear these stories that the talent can't get an answer from the company that they work for so they have to take it to a public forum to get some type of answer. In my opinion, it speaks volumes to the lack of leadership and structure if a wrestler has to speculate about their status with a national organization on a random podcast.

That being said, Ricky Starks resurfaced in the pro wrestling world last weekend at GCW's "Dream On" event, a show that was held in the afternoon on the same day as the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view to capitalize on the influx of fans that would be in the New Jersey area. The event itself had a cool look, as it was held at a mall and had a visual that looked similar to the Mall of America episode of Nitro. Starks cut a promo and basically it was used as a way to set up that he would be a part of the GCW roster, with it later announced that it would be Starks vs. Matt Cardona at a future event.

However, the buzz of Starks' surprise appearence would only last a few days when it was announced that AEW decided to cancel Starks from his scheduled GCW appearances. While All Elite talent are allowed to take outside bookings, those appearances are subject to AEW approval. Supposedly, AEW management made the decision to cancel Starks from GCW events based on comments Effy made on his podcast about Shad Khan, Tony's dad, funding All Elite Wrestling so that he wasn't involved in the football team that the family owns, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Obviously, it's well-known that without coming from a billionaire family, Tony Khan wouldn't be the booker of the second-largest pro wrestling company in the United States. At the same time, for Effy to mention Tony's dad and speculate about specifically why he funded a wrestling project seems a little personal.  The perceived beef between the two sides stems from the fact that after GCW announced its return to the Hammerstein Ballroom, the famous venue that held ECW and ROH events in its heyday, it was announced that Tony's version of Ring Of Honor would present its Final Battle pay-per-view from the same location a few weeks earlier.

On the surface, it might seem like AEW is trying to undercut Game Changer Wrestling by holding its pay-per-view there, but I have to be honest, I think it's probably more of a coincidence than anything else. The original ROH held events, including Final Battle at the venue in the past so it's not completely out of nowhere that the brand would run the building. At the same time, it does at least theoretically make things a little more difficult for GCW if fans are put in the position to financially have to choose between the two shows. There's economic uncertainty and inflation in terrible so financial constraints are a legitimate concern.

This might not be the most provocative take on this situation, but all things considered, GCW and AEW at odds doesn't do anything to help either promotion or the pro wrestling industry as a whole. In many ways, GCW tries to position itself in a similar fashion as the original ECW in terms of being a bridge between the major leagues, and as a way for talent to be discovered. Thankfully, Game Changer has all of the lessons of what not to do from the original ECW to try to avoid some of the same pitfalls. More than anything, Game Changer understands its position, it's an independent organization, an independent with a bigger reach than most, but still an independent. They aren't going to attempt to compete with AEW or WWE, and they don't have to, they've found a profitable niche that also serves a purpose for the industry.

When Jon Moxley was AEW and GCW champion simultaneously, it was a boost for Game Changer because they had a world champion of a national promotion as their titleholder and at the same time, it gave All Elite somewhat of an edge as the alternative to WWE since you'd never see the WWE champion work an independent show.

GCW owner, Brett Lauderdale somewhat downplayed the situation in recent comments, explaining that Effy is his own person and he doesn't speak for GCW. At this point, what else is Lauderdale going to do? He isn't going to win a verbal sparring match with a billionaire, as it won't help his company, and he has a point, he's not in control of what Effy or anyone else on the GCW roster says in public.

The pettiness of the whole situation is that All Elite Wrestling is keeping Starks under contract with seemingly no plans to use him for anything, other than that they probably don't want to have the perception of another former AEW talent that goes to WWE and becomes a much bigger star in the process. A realistic look at the situation, Starks is a talented guy and probably too talented to just sit at home so if they aren't going to book him for anything, why not just release him? Even if he ends up with a WWE contract, does anyone think that Starks is going to main event Wrestlemania? Don't get me wrong, if Starks actually does go to WWE, I think he could be successful there, but it's doubtful that he will be the next Roman Reigns. So other than throwing money away on his contract, and we know that money is no object for Tony Khan, what exactly is the point of keeping Starks under contract or preventing him from working for GCW?

Look, Starks working for GCW wasn't going to boost Game Changer itself, but it was another aspect that added to the reputation of the organization as a bridge so to speak, which gives them something unique to promote for the brand. If Tony Khan has learned anything from being a promoter in the past five years, hopefully, he realized that wrestling fans aren't going to feel bad for a billionaire. If All Elite blocks talent from GCW, it gives the impression that the billionaire is punching down on the little engine that could organization. At the same time, GCW can't overplay its hand because quite frankly, they will need access to some AEW talent in the future to keep their shows fresh. Hopefully, there's some type of compromise in the future because right now, it seems like this could be a lose-lose situation for everyone involved since it wouldn't help either company.

CM Punk on Smackdown

 Simple, but effective.

For as much analysis and arm-chair quarterback discussion that professional wrestling is the subject of, and there's nothing wrong with that, it's part of what keeps the business compelling, not to mention keep a few dozen podcast in business, the narratives that are often most successful in terms of box office are simple, but effective.

The reason for it is also simple, the genre is based on human psychology, and regardless of the road that the booker takes to get to the destination, an over baby face against a heel with heat can draw money. Of course, in the modern era there are exponentially more aspects to take into consideration. The WWE machine churns out countless hours of content to satisfy their TV contracts, the newest one that will start in January for Netflix is an unprecedented move for the industry, as well as the amount of live events on the calendar that necessitate a drawing card to bring fans into the building at a time when WWE ticket prices are at a peak. The international markets, merchandise, the developmental system, building the next generation of stars, and every other portion of a global publicly-traded corporation must be taken into account with the direction of WWE programming.

Still, the bottom line is, a compelling storyline with a baby face that the crowd is invested in, and a heel that has heat is the foundation of the ability to draw money.

As mentioned, the WWE machine has to produce live television every week, and while it's not realistically possible to hit a home run 52 weeks a year for both Raw and Smackdown, the task of management is to give the audience a reason to tune in each week to see how the angles unfold for the product.

The best example of this is the current Bloodline storyline that is building toward this weekend's Survivor Series pay-per-view with a War Games match scheduled between the two Bloodline factions. One of the many reasons that this angle has been so successful for the WWE is that it continues to use the cache of Roman Reigns' historic title reign to add importance to the current feud. There's a background and a history that the fans have followed in some form or fashion for more than four years as far as the genesis of The Bloodline faction so there's a built-in investment from the audience to follow the direction that the stable takes within the WWE landscape, particularly a Samoan showdown to determine what side of the Samoan group will continue to be a force within the company.

Roman's incredible return to the company at Summer Slam and the reaction that it received from the live crowd was a memorable moment that will be etched into the history books. However, it also provided a completely new chapter for the Bloodline angle, as it was time for Roman to have a legitimate top guy run as a baby face after he evolved into the best version of his character as a heel the few years prior. After such an extended and record-setting title reign, a baby face persona allowed Roman to get a fresh coat of paint upon his WWE presentation. Sure, he dropped the championship to Cody Rhodes, but let's be honest here, Roman has reached a level that he more or less cemented himself as a top guy that doesn't need the championship to maintain that status. John Cena and CM Punk are two other examples of drawing cards that don't need the title to bring a level of importance to what they booked for on the shows.

By nature, the WWE product is episodic, not just because it involves the continuation of specific characters over the course of several years, but also because as mentioned, the office has to give the fans a reason to tune into the show every week. Again, one of the many reasons that the Bloodline angle has been so successful for the WWE is that it brings with it that aspect of episodic programming each week, particularly with the build to War Games. Obviously, we've seen the addition of the Toganas and Jacob Fatu this year to set up the formation of Solo Sikoa's group, which were key pieces of the puzzle to continue the storyline. However, just within the past few weeks on Smackdown, Bronson Reed and Sami Zayn added to their respective teams were important aspects of the storyline and thus a reason for the fans to watch the Friday show. Similar to some of the other portions of the angle, Sami's involvement uses his previous association with The Bloodline from Roman's heel run as champion. Furthermore, Bronson Reed is being pushed as a monster on Raw so he's not just there to get the Sokia team to five wrestlers for the War Games situation, he brings a level of credibility as a monster based on the current push.

Finally, and this might be the biggest piece of the puzzle that was added on last week's episode of Smackdown, Paul Heyman returns and brings with him the final member of Roman's team, CM Punk. Solo Sikoa took out Paul Heyman, which was impactful because a wrestler rarely got their hands on him, and furthermore, I don't think anyone expected him to take a power bomb through the table. As I've written for the past several years, the former leader of extreme is the best talker in the business and he can sell a match better than just about anyone in the modern era so the return of Heyman itself was enough to add another level of sizzle to the War Games bout. When he brings in CM Punk, a Paul Heyman guy earlier in his career, it makes the cage match at Survivor Series an all-star segment.

The logic is there because Punk would naturally want revenge against Solo for the attack on his mentor, and both he and Roman have the common background of Heyman as a manger during their championship runs. Keep in mind, there were pieces added to keep the storyline fresh and relevant along the way, but the entire concept of this angle was the fact that Solo wanted to takeover The Bloodline from Roman Reigns. Roman is majorly over as a top guy, and the fans were ready to see him as a baby face after his return at Summer Slam. Solo Sikoa attacked Jey Uso, Paul Heyman, and  formed his own Bloodline to try to dispose of Reigns to get heat from the audience.

The War Games match has over baby faces against over heels with something at stake based on the result of the match. The future of The Bloodline and who can claim to be the "true tribal chief" will be determined at Survivor Series so there's a selling point for the event. There are reasons for the audience to be invested in the characters and the results of the main event of the pay-per-view, which is exactly how to draw money.